No Love for the HP2133 Mininote

Maybe I should have called this post, I Hate Closed Hardware instead.

When I attended Linuxfest NorthWest 2008 I stood before the HP booth and fondled the HP 2133 Mininote. A bit larger and heaver than the EeePC that was in my bag at the time (running Ubuntu Gutsy, thank you very much), but with more of everything (CPU, drive, resolution). It was perfect for my summer of traveling, I convinced myself.

So I ordered one.

In fact I ordered the KX870AT version - yes, the one with Microsoft Windows Vista pre-installed. Simply because I wanted better hardware than what was available for the SLED version - I had no intentions of using Vista on this device (beyond giving it a test).

It arrives, the box is so nice and light - opening it, I love the feel of the hardware, from the keyboard to the brushed metal case. I plug it in and turn it on - thus begins my 5 hour introduction to Vista on the Mininote. There must be some tie at HP, or perhaps a lawyer from MS, that forces this operating system on this hardware - because I can not imagine any technical person alive willing to live with the pain of watching this device crawl with Vista installed (public execution is too good for this person).

Part of my pain was trying to create recovery discs - there simply was no way to do it from the device. The instructions that came with the device, online at HP, were all stating the same thing - use an application that was not installed on the device. I must have fucked up right? A Google later, discovered I wasn't alone - far from it. No problem, I call HP Support. Now I have no beef with the people I talked too at HP Support - but the woman that I finally got wanted me to burn a windows backup and did not seem to understand my request for recovery discs instead. I got a little grumpy (those that know me are shocked right?) and told her just to ship the recovery discs and I'll pay for it - well she did ship them, no charge and I received 3 business days later (seemed she did understand the difference from a backup and a recovery disk after all).

Okay, scrub Vista off this device (spouting shit all the while about the guy who should be shot for making the decision to pair the two together) - lets get back into Linux. I had such high hopes.

I did a little research, seems you have to tweak Ubuntu Hardy to get it installed - no problem. Right? No joy, no graphics acceleration or it craps out something else - have to hack to get the earphone to work and for the life of me I can't figure out why network manager can see the wireless networks but can't connect.

Okay, I'm moaning in pain at this point.

So I don't want SLED, why not see if OpenSuse 10.3 will do just as well - ha, fat chance. Maybe version 11 that comes out in 12 days (from now) - you would think they would incorporate the drivers and configuration right? Geez, I hope so. I will try it again later - after the pain ebbs away.

What the hell is the devices' problem anyways? I blame the closed source, the VIA Chrome 9 (yes they just released open drivers - maybe I have early adapter syndrome) and the Broadcom wireless (someone firebomb their offices for me please).

Anyways, I'm a little bitter about the whole thing - I lost a weekend to this device and its still not to a base level that I'm happy with. I placed it on my shelf and there it sits - having to remind myself that this is what happens when you buy out of lust rather than love.

My recommendation is to stay away from this device, all models - but if you really love the outer shell like I did, to wait to see if the distros better support it or HP makes better decisions on hardware. I've my EeePC, as claustrophobic as the screen and keyboard feel - I'll use it over the Mininote any day.

Dell ships to CA

Some time ago I voted on Dell's Idea Storm website. Bring us Linux on the consumer products, give me Ubuntu I voted! Dell listened (thank you!) and started to do limited releases out, what feels like, the back door of their site - but only to the United States but there were promises to (eventually) come to Canada.

Let me get one thing straight - I am not a patient guy.

I tried to order a laptop in the states, ship it to a guy I knew who could use it for a month or two before sending it north - but that fell through. I looked at mail drops south of the border that I could drive south to pick up, just never got around to it.

Then Dell started to ship to Canada. Glory glory.

But, by that time I was pissed at them (and I still have a bad taste in my mouth from my past Dell support incidents), so I sat on it for a while. But like most toys, my head turned and I went back onto Dell.ca and purchased a lower range laptop (maxed out on options of course).

I purchased the Dell Inspiron 1420n. (in red if you must know)


My first impression upon opening the box was how sparse the parts and documentation was. No problem. The unit is a nice 14.1 inch glossy display doing 1440x900, wanted open sourced drivers so left the Intel x3100 video card, 4GB RAM, 160GB 7200RPM SATA drive, Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66GHz CPU. A little lower on the specs that I normally use (mostly on a MacBook Pro now) but since this wasn't intended to by my main system, it should suffice. I think the lower CPU will hurt the most - especially if I start compiling stuff (I tend to play with Gentoo a bit).

Boots fine, resolution is correct, Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon pre-installed, sound works, suspect, wireless. Good. I see that there is an ISO on the machine with a link on my desktop, okay I burn (two) a DL DVD with the image. The two documents that came in the box were of little help - Product Information Guide was less than helpful and the Owners Manual that was written for Windows XP users. Nothing telling me how to restore, that I should burn the ISO - nothing. 3D acceleration is not turned on - something about Compiz Fusion not supporting the chipset (but there is an easy fix, see below).

Since all was working and because I can't just use a distribution if a new version is available - I do a network upgrade of the operating system to Ubuntu Hardy Heron. Sound and the modem breaks - but luckily I found (though the Ubuntu Forums) an online Dell support wiki (definitely bookmark this page). Site also includes links to drivers and the reinstall ISO images. The upgrade fixed the 3D acceleration problem.

I've only had the laptop for a day, so I can not give you a detailed review of using it - but it feels like a good piece of kit, sturdier than my prior Dell laptops one that I expect to get full use of in the coming months.

Linuxfest Northwest 2008!

I do not attend many Linux conferences but have known about the event just south of the border for me, called Linuxfest Northwest. At this time of year (as well as the fall), work is especially challenging as I have to put on the tie as well as act the part in numerous corporate events. It was nice to steal away for a weekend to attend this affair.

Last year I attended Ubuntu Live. It was fun, it was educational and it was definitely different than Linuxfest Northwest. Ubuntu Live was definitely more corporate, with some big name speakers. I got less out of the sessions than the keynotes, which were a wide range of topics but in general very high level (if you get my meaning). This weekend at Linuxfest Northwest it definitely felt different - more grassroots, friendlier even.

The event is free, no charge for attending, no charge for the sessions. There are numerous topic sessions to choose for. Lots of different types of people in attendance, from kids (I know, I know, I'm sounding... and getting!... old), to older couples to just us normal geeks. There were numerous vendors of all types, from Oracle to local LUGs and hardware manufacturers. This was about Linux, about the community that we speak about so much and about having fun.

I enjoyed myself immensely and plan on attending again next year. If in the neighbourhood, I'd recommend you do the same!

Asus Eee PC 701 Review

I will admit that I had not heard any of the hype associated with this device until I read an online article - a quick check of my preferred corporate vendor, a couple clicks, and ordered. I received two days later.

The Asus Eee PC 701 is very very cool - I am extremely thrilled with this new device and have yet to wet my appetite for tweaking it. Having purchased the Nokia N800 as well as the earlier Nokia 770 I only used these devices sparingly - usually on a business trip. The Eee PC is a full Linux computer with the Xandros distribution installed on a Intel chip. What this means is that I can easily change the software on this device to suite my needs (or desires) - more on this.

I took it out of the box at work but had no time except to plug it in and turn it on to answer the couple questions needed before I had to turn off. I got home that night and my wife immediately grabbed it, was playing most of the games that came with it for over an hour - telling me this could replace the Nokia 770 that she had been using at her work, for purchasing and surfing, etc. She obviously saw the immediate use of this computer as well. I only got my hands on it late that first night and immediately started to dig further than the Easy Mode would allow me.

The hardware for the Eee PC is extremely small - I had read the reviews, watched a clip or two online and I was still not prepared for just how light and tiny this thing is. Many of my hardcover books I port around are heavier than this computer. The next thing is the keyboard - with my fat fingers I can not comfortably type on it, so that is a negative (on my fat fingers, I won't sacrifice size for this laptop because of a larger keyboard). And the everything just works as expected for a laptop running Linux - standby power, wireless, sound, touchpad, etc.

Since this is Xandros Linux, a Debian based distribution as well, I quickly became hungry for more - knowing it could do more. I found this site which had a great wiki. A couple minutes later and my default desktop environment is running KDE with the Full Desktop (Advanced) Mode. I installed VLC, copied a couple full mp4 movies to a 4GB memory stick and off I go - full screen my video worked great!

I don't doubt that my Eee PC will be running Gentoo or Ubuntu in the next day or two, as I've only just begun playing with this fantastic device.

My Day to Day Computing

I've been asked a couple times what do I use for hardware and operating systems on any given day. Those that know me would not be surprised that the answer is not a little one.

I use two laptops every day: an Apple MacBook Pro with OSX Leopard and a Zareason MegaLap with Ubuntu Linux. I have been trying to move much of my day to day work to OSX, so the Linux laptop is there for the things that I haven't gotten migrated as yet.

For desktops I have a HP workstation at the office running Microsoft Windows XP Professional. At home I have a self-built (very cool) Windows XP Professional desktop (mostly for games) and a Intel Apple iMac.

But if anyone asks next week, I'm sure the answers will be different.

Zareason HomeBox Review

After the positive experiences of purchasing a Linux laptop from this small company, I emailed Zareason to see if they would customize their HomeBox for me.

What I wanted was a stripped down machine with a second network card as I wanted to use this box as my gateway at home. The box (or cube) is beautiful, a small silver computer that tucks neatly into my shelf and does the job I intended perfectly.

I ordered the box with two 250 GB drives, 2 GB RAM and (of course) 2 NICs. Runs like a dream. Plug in an external 1 TB Lacie drive and I have a gateway as well as a public file server. This beast is now doing so much that I rely on it for my home LAN.

The only negative I had, not of the hardware or the company but of my configuration, is that I used Ubuntu Server rather than my usual Debian installation. But thats for another posting.

For the company and for this hardware, I highly recommend the both of them.

Zareason MegaLap Review

During Ubuntu Live 2007 one of the exhibitors was a small company called ZaReason. They had a host of systems on display but the one that caught my eye was the MegaLap running World of Warcraft with Compiz (it was running with Wine but what really caught my eye was the ability to move between desktops and task switching effortlessly).

This laptop is a generic Asus Z84J - 17" LCD display, 2GB RAM, NVidia Geoforce 7700, 160 GB 7200 RPM drive. The hardware is great. It comes pre-installed with Ubuntu Linux.

There is no bells or whistles with the product (though it does have stereo sound), you get stock parts with a stock Ubuntu install. The company is small but friendly and delivers as promised.

I do recommend this option for those looking for a pre-installed Linux laptop, if you want something besides a Dell (still not available in Canada) or a System76 machine.

Upgrade Debian Sarge to Etch

I have a Debian server that has been around for 6+ years. Oh sure, the hardware has changed, even failed and replaced, but the OS has been going this whole time. I have used the DEB packages almost exclusively, maybe even religiously on this box - using whichever flavour of package management application I felt like at the time (apt-get and aptitude are my preferences).

After a Debian machine has been running for a while, and especially one that is very eclectic and is used for various services and roles, it starts to get a little nuts. What I mean is, you install a deb file from the stable release, a host of deb's from testing and a random set of debs from various sources like Debian Backports. Hell, I like to roll my own debian packages as well - from the kernel-package to dh-make-perl, a crazy assortment of packages are installed to my system - Debian makes it easy. I just followed one rule - stay with deb packages.

Okay, I'm writing this before Etch, the current testing release, has gone to stable. The reason is because I'm starting to need more and more packages that are not available in the stable release but which are in testing. Sure, I can use backports, but I'm starting to get pissed at waiting (yet again) for the stable release to be upgraded. (this is not the first release I've done this and knowing the Debian release cycle as I do, I doubt it will be the last)

So its time to upgrade Debian Sarge to Etch! (or stable to testing)

Can you hear the drum roll... or is that just in my head?

Ensure you have backed up (off the box) any information or configuration that you are not willing to part with - just in case!

Head on over to your /etc/apt/ folder (I don't have X Window on my server, if you do, ensure you kill your xdm and drop to shell).

What you need to do is change any instance of stable (or sarge) with etch - while also using a little reasoning. Why not use the name testing? Because I've been hit one too many times, when an update caused havoc on my box when I had not expected a distribution upgrade. Managed upgrades are always a smart move.

Look in /etc/apt/apt.conf to start. (if you don't have one, no worries) I only have two lines in there that now look like this:

APT::Cache-Limit 10000000;
APT::Default-Release "etch";

Next is /etc/apt/preferences, which I had used to managed several sources coming from all three Debian releases. But since I'm starting from a fresh slate, so to speak, I'm going to remove this file altogether.

The last file I needed to edit was the /etc/apt/sources.list file, that you are
probably familiar with. My sources file just became easier - commenting out all
non-testing references, use etch in place of testing, stable or sarge. I even go so far to take out deb-src sources, adding these and other repositories as I need later. My greatly simplified sources now look like this:

# main package repository
deb http://mirror.peer1.net/debian/ etch main contrib non-free
# security updates
deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib non-free

Don't forget to use your favourite regional mirror!

Do a apt-get update.

Easy right? Well the interesting part is coming up.

First find some wood... and knock on it with your knuckles.

Do a apt-get dist-upgrade.

I have 599 upgraded, 114 newly install and 33 to remove packages. Good idea to review what is being removed, installed, etc.

At this point, its completely up to you if you want to hit that enter key! I make no promises. :-)

Virtualization on the Servers

I attended a virtualization conference with VMware presenting here in Vancouver.

I have used virtualization for some years on a desktop environment. On your OS of choice, setup VMware Server (or Player), then install any other OS of choice into a virtual environment. Very slick. Run your desktop of choice, a Linux distribution I hope(!) and then if you must, run Windows XP within a virtual environment.

Thats all great - been there, doing that!

What I started to get interested in is how to reduce the number of physical servers in our server room. For a small to medium sized corporation we have a large number of boxes to manage. The logical place to start, those nice shiny new HP servers we got (and haven't been used yet). We have two HP ProLiant DL380 G5 servers, 8 GB RAM, two Xeon quad-core CPUs, redundant power and drives - these are sweet boxes. We purchased on the intent that they would be J2EE application servers for our newly developed primary application - except they will be underutilized for 12-18 months. These babies are too sexy to just leave around.

Enter virtualization!

Before I call up VMware for pricing and get on their mailing list for nagging, I thought to try out Xen. It has been included in the enterprise-ready Linux distributions for a short while. It takes a different approach to virtualization and though I don't have the knowledge to tell you which is better, Xen's hypervisor approach seems to be the logical way to go. So I install XenSource XenEnterprise onto one of my sexy boxes.

Let me say that virtualization is very cool - no matter how you look at it! But using Xen on the server is (almost) better than sex!

I set up 4 of the 8 CPUs on the one server plus 4 GB RAM to be the J2EE virtual environment. Running a test J2EE environment under Debian GNU/Linux is liightening fast. We will be doing more tests, with diagnostics, but comparing to a handful of development environments the virtual environment flys.

That wasn't all. I installed Windows XP Pro as a 1 CPU, 512 MB RAM virtual environment for doing some testing of the Java client application. I will also be installing other virtual environments to max out the resources before we continue into diagnostics.

There are a few concerns with going the XenSource route rather than VMware - but the cost savings alone is incredible. We are not yet done evaluation but the more I play the sexier it all is!

Review: Nokia N800

In an earlier blog post I reviewed the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Nokia has come out with a new version in January and I promptly ordered the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet for myself.

This sexy little device is what the 770 should have been. With updated memory, new OS version and some exciting new features - this is the device that I wanted when I purchased the earlier version.

I took my family to Disneyland this last couple weeks, while there I left all the laptops and (most) peripherals at home - I took the Nokia. Sitting in the hotel, around the pool - surfing on the Nokia, playing a simple game or two - this device shined. It was great. I even listened to streamed radio and stuck a few MP3s on the memory card. Daily I kept abreast of what was going on in the world by syncing the RSS feeds I like.

Here are some of the highlights for the hardware:

• Weight: 7.27 ounces
• Size: 2.98x5.7x0.5 inches
• Display: High resolution 800x480 pixels
• Memory: 128 RAM (2 memory card slots)
• Networking: 802.11b/g WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
  

I purchased the 770 after it had been on the market for some time - there was plenty of add-on applications to throw on it. The N800 does not yet have much from the FOSS community - it is simply too new. What comes included is pretty good. Skype announced that they will port their application to the Nokia N800 early this year - I'm anxious for its release.

No regrets on purchasing this device - it simply is a great little tool.

Review: System 76 Gazelle Performance

I received my System76 Gazelle Performance laptop in November. Since the first day I received the laptop, it has become my primary machine away from the office.

Lets look at the statistics first.

Display: 14” Widescreen WXGA (1280X800)
Graphics: 128 MB nVidia Graphics
Sound: Intel High Definition Audio
Networking: 10/100/1000 (LAN)
Wireless: Intel 802.11 abg
Card Reader: 4 in 1 Card Reader
Expansion: PCMCIA 2.1 supports one Type II
Ports: VGA, 4x USB 2.0, Mic In, Headphone Out, FireWire 1394B, S-Video
Webcam: Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Camera
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium Ion, Extra 9 Cell Lithium Ion
Battery Life: 3 Hours, and 5 Hours
Dimensions: 13.15" x 9.9" x 1.4" (W x D x H)
Weight: 5.5 lbs
Processor: Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz 4MB 667FSB
Memory: 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz
Hard Drive: 80 GB 7200 RPM SATA
CD/DVD Drive: CD-RW / DVD-RW

We are talking a nice laptop regardless of the OS installed - but the laptop comes with the excellent end-user Linux Distribution Ubuntu Edgy Eft! System76 takes this a step further and integrates the OS with the hardware to create a very nice symmetry. Out of the box, everything but the built in camera works and has default applications installed. Some of these applications are different than the default Edgy choices - but all is good (or better!).

First thing I did after receiving my laptop was to scrub it, repartition and encrypt the home partition. Next I reinstalled the OS back to System76 factory defaults. Finally I started to install additional software that I would like to use - ruby, mysql, emacs, thunderbird, debug packages, restricted formats, etc.

Through work I have used numerous laptops over the years. The System76 machine comes somewhere between an IBM Thinkpad and the Dell Latitude for hardware quality (the Thinkpad at the higher end of the scale). It is a solid design - with a good number of usable ports - with ease of access keys, moderate weight and LCD that does not bounce around as I type (as do most of the Dell laptops that I have used). Hibernation and suspend work, sound, wireless - its all good.

As always there are a few things I am not crazy about with any piece of hardware (or software), this laptop is no exception. My largest grumble is that I have yet to find good settings for the touchpad sensitivity, so when I am typing away my focus will move to wherever my mouse caret is located. Not sure if I can blame System76 for this - but it is the largest pain in my ass with this machine (so that is really not so bad). The next complaint is that the camera is not yet supported - but has been promised since (at least) Feb 2006 (where I saw a forum message saying 'soon') - I want to use Skype with video while roaming! The last piece is restoring from hibernation, it is a 50/50 chance that you will not be able to restore to any wireless network - more than a little frustrating.

Overall my satisfaction is very good (better than the IBM Thinkpad T60 that I was using). I am in Linux, it all works and I'm happy. What else could I want?

Oh ya, I bought a System76 Koala Mini Performance because of this laptop and the service this company gave.

Review: Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

About a month ago I received my Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. For those not in the know, it is a portable device allowing easy web surfing, email, multimedia and even phone access. What drew me to this device was not this list of items, but that it ran Linux under the hood - specifically the Debian distribution.



Before I get into it, here are the highlights.

• Weight: 8.1 Ounces


• Size: 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.7 inches


• Display: 800x480 touch screen with 65,536 colours


• Memory: 128 MB Flash (holds a RS-MMC expansion card)


• Networking: 802.11 b/g WLAN, Bluetooth, USB 2.0

To start, the tablet feels well made, heavy for its size and not delicate in the least. It has a hard shell that slides off exposing the screen and the buttons on the left. The stylus is hidden in behind and is easily retrieved (if you are right handed). The screen has good resolution and you can control the brightness setting (which will help with battery life). It is a little big for your back pocket, but it will easily fit into your shirt sleeve or backpack side pocket. I hated the 128 MB memory limitation and purchased a 2 GB RS-MMC card which gives me more virtual memory and a location for new applications and documents - now I have space to put that movie that I may want to watch. Battery life is outstanding - the Nokia site gives 3 hours of browsing as the average, I've pushed this to 5. Maybe I've just gotten lucky, but I doubt it as I've never had good luck with batteries. When I put the device on standby, it comes right up with plenty of juice to spare.

The connectivity is very good. WLAN supports WPA2 and you can surf at any public wireless location. Getting connected is easy - with a small icon on the top right telling you if you are connected or not - and if not, simply click on it to search for all the exposed wireless locations near you. And if at home, you can save your favourite connections and they will start whenever you open an application that needs network access. I installed Aircrack-ng just to see what type of things I could do - this device is fully functional I assure you.

Using the applications that came with the device - surfing, email, instant messaging, RSS reader and a couple multimedia applications - I found all were more than acceptable, but not outstanding. I suspect this has more to do with the low memory footprint than the choices Nokia had installed. No worries, it has a friendly means to add more software. But the good thing is, since the device is Open Source it is possible to get a large number of applications for the device, or if you have some time, compile them yourself. For example, I installed osso-xterm so I could drop to shell and see what the device had on it - this is just your basic Linux distribution under the slick outer shell people.

The responsiveness of the tablet is poor - it can barely do more than two user applications at a time and if you use more, the responsiveness is somewhere between frustrating to infuriating. Using a single application is fine - even when that application is large like FreeCiv, which has a port for the Nokia 770 available.

After a month of playing with this device, I am unsure how to best utilize it. I mean I have a Linux laptop that goes everywhere I do - do I really need another device. And if I did, it better have something my laptop lacks - which the Nokia 770 doesn't. I read the reviews before purchasing and will have to agree to the medium grade that was given. There is no doubting the coolness factor in the tablet but I just don't see myself pulling it out enough to warrant the price.

My Linux Journey

My Linux journey started at the tail end of 1995 when I wanted to try something besides MS Windows and IBM OS/2. A few of us were talking and one suggested Linux - which was still pretty low on the radar. I sat in the basement of a friends house and watched him use X Window and CSH scripts and my life hasn't been the same since!

I can't remember where I got my first CD - or maybe it was a bundle of floppies - but I remember that it was the Slackware distribution. How many times had I installed this new OS onto my system - how many hours had I lost trying to learn what all these esoteric names meant and how or why I should install them? I was in geek-heaven! Getting X Window XFree86 up and running was a multi-day affair and when I finally got it to work, I was nearly in tears I was so happy. I purchased Motif and moved between that and FVWM. But the GUI was just the workspace to hold, literally, dozens of xterm or rvxt terminals. I discovered the command line through sh and then bash, and was delighted that I could do more in a single line than any MS Windows user could do with expensive applications.

I was addicted and delighted.

My journey would take me to most of the large-name distributions - but I became a long term Debian user. I just loved dpkg and then apt-get. Sure I tried rpm but back then it was the same old frustrating operating system upgrade circle that I hated from MS Windows and IBM OS/2.

Being a database geek in a corporate world I soon found that I had to live within MS Windows for a desktop, options were very limited. There was no Postgresql or Mysql, at least not at a comfortable enterprise level to use for small projects. Oracle RDBMS was my database of choice but that would not run on Linux for some years, but my servers ran a wide rang e of un*x environments. The client side tools were native MS Windows code - no Java yet.

This just allowed me to use Linux in various server-specific installations but rarely on the desktop. A file server here a firewall there - Linux excelled.

Jump ahead to present and you can see a different world. Linux is not only accepted but posted as the poster child of many companies - enterprise products either work on Linux or don't have a place. What IT shop doesn't have a single Linux server (or dozens)? My addiction is catching on it seems.

At my present work environment we made a choice early on - no exposed MS product outside the firewall. This means only hardened Linux boxes or appliances. It was an easy and comfortable choice. We are porting our database to Oracle RDBMS on a Linux operating system - my decision, one that I have a proven track record for success as well as financial incentives. There is even an initiative to move the whole office to Linux - now shit like that excites me!

My laptop is now running Ubuntu Linux - and I'm still using apt-get and xterms but on top of GNOME.

This addiction of mine has not slowed down and I don't expect it too.

Linux Podcasts Worth Listening To

Three days a week I commute to the office, a 45 minute trip each way. During this time I normally listen to a handful of regular Linux podcasts. My choices range from the informational to the fun – most often involving both. Give any or all of these a try if interested!

JaK Attack

Join Jon and Kelly as they give us a mixture of Linux, music and fun. Normally a 45 minute show posted weekly. This show has few guests and rarely a single agenda - but seems to follow the personal lives of the two hosts as they use (and attempt to use) Linux. This can be a fun show but it can also be more than a little irritating. More than once I have stopped listening to a show less than half-ways through - something I rarely do with others on this list. Yet I keep coming back.

Linux Action Show

Chris and Bryan, ex-Mac geeks, that bring us a high mixture of technical news along with informative opinions. This is approximately a 45 minute show per week. I listen to this show for the news highlights and their informative opinions and am never disappointed. They do specific reviews of tools and hardware that I find very useful. I purchased my System76 laptop as well as Real Basic because of these guys. Great quality podcast and I await each show anxiously.

Linux Link Tech Show

One of the longest running Linux show - Pat, Linc, Allan and Dan bring us a wild mixture of technical talk, opinions, humor and some great guests. The podcast is taped from the weekly live show and runs about 2 hours each week. This is one of my favorites. I find the quality of the taping very poor and the discussions can have long periods of (near) dead air that can take away from the fantastic show. Yet I have been in danger of getting into a car accident more than once as I laugh uncontrollably while listening to these guys.

Linux Reality

A very informative show for newbies and geeks alike. Chess brings a very informational show one-man show, with a half hour podcast with a specific topic each week. I don't listen to each of his shows - but choose a topic (last weeks was on SSH) and listen. I can usually catch something new from a tool or service that I have been using for over a decade. Every person just new to Linux should listen.

LUG Radio

Another long running show, already in their 4th season - Jono, Ade, Stuart and Matthew bring us an on-topic mixture of information, fun, opinions and great guests. This podcast is taped every two weeks and is about 90 minutes long. Easily my favorite. These guys create an agenda for discussion, mix in some great interviews (last week had Eric Raymond), some crazy Brit humor, with a high mix of knowledgeable presenters and you have this show. This is an online Linux User Group at its best!