SMILE, Slideshow Maker In Linux Environnement is a free opensource slideshow creating tool for GNU/Linux, although it also works on Mac OS/X. SMILE helps to create video slideshows from images, that can be played on almost all medias. The numerous features and the simplicity of use make it possible to create dynamic and rich slideshows in just a few clicks, without having to worry about technical issues or complicated settings.

XBMC is the best open source (GPL), free entertainment hub you can find on internet. XBMC is really easy to install (for Linux users, especially in Ubuntu) and its features are very intuitive and simple to configure. Moreover the graphics themes are very attractive and it is able to manage many multimedia formats, "playlists, audio visualizations, slideshow and weather forecast functions". It is also possible to add many interesting third-party plugins that you can find through a simple google query (XBMC plugin). Last, but not least, XBMC is a multiplatform software, in fact the download page contains four different versions for Windows, XBox, Linux and MAC OSX. When we compared XBMC to the Windows Media Center we did not notice any loss in this open-source media center and, honestly, we were positively impressed by all the XBMC featured we tested. Recommended!

Gli sviluppatori Trolltech hanno sviluppato QGtkStyle, uno strumento che permette di dare uno stile GTK alle applicazioni native Qt, sotto GNOME. Il problema dell’integrazione visiva tra le applicazioni KDE e quelle GNOME, ha sempre afflitto i sistemi Gnu/Linux. In Windows e Mac OsX, Qt, ha sempre avuto stili specifici, basati sul tema nativo del sistema. Se però, gli utenti KDE, hanno a disposizione il ‘GTK-Qt Theme Engine‘, che consente di dare alle applicazione GTK uno stile Qt, non esisteva nulla di simile per GNOME. L’unica soluzione era Qt QCleanlooks, ma non assicurava una perfetta integrazione. Con QGtkStyle, che usa direttamente il motore del tema GTK+, le applicazioni KDE diventano praticamente identiche a quelle native per GNOME, proprio come accade in Windows e Mac.

Cairo-Dock is very easy to install and it has sophisticated graphic effects and it runs without installing compiz. The new Cairo-Dock version (1.5.5.4) has been released few weeks ago and it seems to have more features of the original MAC OS X dock. Personally I recommend the installation of Cairo-Dock to all that people who want to integrate a MAC OS X stylish dock in Linux without spending much time; in fact the .deb package allow you to install it in few minutes. I like this dock but, in my opinion, Cairo-Dock represents the best “second choice” after AWN (for more information about AWN, please, feel free to read our dedicated previous post).

BitNami is a powerful application which allows you to easily install your favorite software and all the necessary dependencies to run it. BitNami Stacks is a multiplatform software and all its stacks are available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Using BitNami you will fastly able to install software for: -Infrastructure (DjangoStack, JRubyStack, LAMPStack, MAMPStack, RubyStack, SAMPStack, WAMPStack) -Blog (Roller, WordPress) -Bug-Tracking (Mantis, Redmine, Trac) -CMS (Alfresco, Drupal, Joomla, KnowledgeTree) -ECM (Alfresco, KnowledgeTree) -Forum (phpBB) -Planning (Tracks) -Poll Management (Opina) -Portal Server (Liferay) -Version Control (Subversion) -Wiki (DokuWiki, MediaWiki) -eLearning (Moodle) Moreover, BitNami Stacks do not need any virtual machine to run and they do not interfere with programs already installed on your PC. Last but not least, all the software installed by BitNamiStacks are free to use under the terms of the Apache License 2.0, so… try BitNami and enjoy the freedom!

Today, in our Linux Page (in Spanish) we have added a brief review about XAMPP: an Apache distribution which allows you to configure and add all the necessary software on your server with just few clicks. Installation is very easy and well supported and a portable version of XAMPP can be installed also on a USB key. XAMPP, available in four different version (Windows, MAC OS X, Linux and Solaris), allows you to easily install MySQL, PHP and PERL on your server. Last month more than 535,000 people decided to download and use this free software which represents one of the most interesting solution in the market at the moment. Moreover, the XAMPP has a very simple and efficient user interface and with just few days of practise you will really be able to create and serve your website.

During the past two years I have tested some different solutions for mind-mapping (VYM, for example, is one of my favourite because it has a very enjoyable graphics) but the most efficient formula I have discovered is composed by the addition of FreeMind - a multiplatform (Windows -also portable -, Linux and MAC OS X)- mind mapping java software for desktop and WiseMapping -an online free service to create-store-share my mind-maps. FreeMind is a very intuitive software which allows you to create complex mind -maps after just few clicks. Its side menu contains all the graphics elements you need to create your maps and all the main commands can be easily activated with the mouse right button. On the other hand,WiseMapping contains a very simple but efficient menu bar which allows its user also to import FreeMind Files and to export mind-maps to SVG, PDF, FreeMind or PNG formats. This last PNG option, for example, is very useful if you want to insert a mind-map into a website. Try them and you will be very satisfied with the results you get!

gOS la rivoluzionaria distribuzione installata sui famosi computer desktop da 200 dollari messi in vendita dalla catenanordamericana Wal-Mart cambierà "faccia".Questo sistema divenuto famoso per la sua particolare interfaccia grafica simile a quella di Mac OS X (ottenuta grazie all'utilizzo del window manager Enlightenment), alla leggerezza e alla perfetta integrazione con numerose applicazioni Internet, in particolare quelle di Google, passerà presto a Gnome que così diventarà l'ambiente desktop predefinito.

Descrizione di 10 utili (IMHO) Add-on per Firefox, per migliorare il look-n-feel

Nuova release di test per la distribuzione orientata alla grafica e al multimediale. Anche questa versione utilizza Xfce come ambiente desktop predefinito e interfaccia ispirata a Mac OS X