A vDSO (virtual dynamic shared object) is an alternative to thesomewhat cycle-expensive system call interface that the GNU/Linux kernelprovides. But, before I explain how to cook up your own vDSO, in this brief jaunt downoperating system lane, I cover some basics of vDSOs, what they are and whythey are useful. more>>

A content management system is a centralized repository for your content. A Web site is a composite of decentralized fragments that are assembled on the edge, in just-in-time fashion as the content is being delivered to users. If it's not a Web site, what does a CMS do? more>>

Creating a live Linux USB stick isn't anything new. And, in fact, the ability to have persistence with a live CD/USB stick isn't terribly new. What many people might not be aware of, however, is just how easy it is to make a bootable USB stick that you can use like a regular Linux install. more>>

Razor-qt is a new desktop environment based on the QT toolkit. I installed it from the PPA and gave it a quick go. It’s early days for the project, but it might eventually become a refuge for lovers of KDE 3 in the same way that Xfce has become popular with people who want to recreate the Gnome 2.x experience. more>>

Portability is a huge advantage that Linux enjoys over most other desktop operating systems as most major distros work very well when installed to a flash drive. However, there are still machines in service that just won't play ball when it comes to USB booting. Fortunately, I found a nice little utility that can work around this problem. more>>

Perl has been around for more than 20 years. During that time, it has receivedits share of both praise and criticism, and lots ofmisconceptions surround it. Much of this stems from long-outdatednotions of what Perl used to be, but have nothing to do with what Perlactually is today. more>>

I've realized I've missed out on a huge area of computationalscience—chemistry. Many packages exist for doing chemistryon your desktop. This article looks at a general tool calledavogadro. It can do computations of energy and gradient values.Additionally, it cando analysis of molecular systems, interface to GAMESS and import andexport from and to several file formats. more>>

No, it's sadly not a day for shopping. Today, some of the most visited websites are dark to raise awareness of two bills now making their way through the U.S. Congress. more>>

I'm in midtown Manhattan, connected to the Net over my hotel's slow but costly wi-fi connection. Normally when I'm traveling — at least here in the U.S. — I avoid lame hotel connections by using AT&T's cellular data system, usually through my iPhone's "personal hotspot." more>>

BeOS was a much loved and highly advanced desktop operating system that ceased active development in 2001. ZevenOS is a Ubuntu 11.10 based system (with a bit of help from Xubuntu) that attempts to recapture some of the BeOS look and feel. more>>