Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D ...

Slax calls itself "your pocket operating system," and that tagline still holds true. At around 275MB, it’s light enough to carry on a USB stick but polished enough to serve as a day-to-day rescue or ...

Ubuntu Linux may have grabbed a lot of headlines when version 11.10 was released earlier this week, but it’s not the only Linux-based operating system to get an overhaul this week. Today Puppy Linux 5 ...

It would be fair to say that the Linux landscape is somewhat cluttered with distributions, each offering a slight value delta to consider. So, I didn't expect to be evaluating yet another distro any ...

The NorhTec Gecko Edubook that I’m testing this week shipped with WattOS, a light weight Linux distribution optimized to support the netbook’s somewhat unusual hardware. But drivers are also available ...

Puppy Linux, a lightweight Linux distribution, has just released version 3.0 a significant upgrade that features a number of enhancements. Perhaps the most noteworthy change is a fix for issues when ...

Quirky Linux is a classic example of what makes Linux such a varied and useful operating system. Puppy Linux developer Barry Kauler earlier this month released Quirky Xerus 64 version 8.6, which comes ...

As we mentioned last week, a new version of Puppy Linux is out and, because Puppy is extremely lightweight, it's an ideal candidate for installation on a USB stick or similar portable storage device.

These distros are easy to install, include the right apps, skip the bloat and ads, and automatically detect your hardware. Easy peasy. You're welcome.

Depending who you ask, you’ll get a different answer about who’s winning the operating system wars. Of course, the Linux people think they’ve won, but here’s the thing–they may be right. Speaking to ...