Picasa is very cool, but there's a problem: it only runs on Windows. iPhoto is nifty, but there's an issue: it only runs on Mac OS X. What's a Linux user to do? Well, you can always try out Lphoto, Linspire's photo manager that is, uh, inspired by iPhoto. I've used it, and it works nicely, but it only works with JPEG images. Still, for what it is, it's not bad at all. (To install it, I used klik). Another good app is F-spot. It's based on mono, which is basically a port of MSFT's .NET to Linux, and it's also got some nice features, but it too only works with JPEGs. Not to mention, I like the fact that it includes the ability to add tags to pictures, but lighten up with the structure, OK? Just let me tag the freakin' photos like I do with Flickr - there's no need for me to have to hierarchically organize all the tags! Now, I realize that the word "photo" is in the name of one program, and implied by the other, but still … I want a tool that manages IMAGES, not just PHOTOS. GIFs, ...

The GIMP is a great program, no bout adout it (& more on it later), but it's not the be-all & end-all of all image editors on Linux. However, one nice thing in its favor is that it runs on Linux, Mac OS X, & Windows. In the Linux-only front, we have a new editor that's integrated as part of KOffice: Krita. It's only been out a little while, but it's already pretty full-featured, with support for 16 bit images (GIMP still doesn't like 16-bit TIFFs), CMYK, & even the ability to load & use GIMP brushes, pipe brushes, gradients & patterns. And hey, it's free, so why not give it a try? Want to learn more? There's a PDF manual, an FAQ, & even videos of the program in action (granted, an older version of the program, but still helpful). (Check out all of our posts on GIMP, KOffice, & Krita.) ...

Make sure ImageMagick is installed. On Debian, apt-get install imagemagick. For most distros, though, it's probably already installed. To check, enter this on the command line: whereis import If you get something, IM is installed; if you don't, install it. Add the following to your .bashrc file: alias region='sleep 3; import selection.tif' alias screenshot='sleep 5; import -window root screen.tif' alias window='sleep 3; import -frame window.tif' Reload your .bashrc file: source .bashrc Now just type region, screenshot, or window on the command line. region gives your the crosshairs so you can select; screenshot takes everything on the entire monitor; window takes the active window. Change .tif to the format of your choice in the .bashrc file. Heck, you could have multiple entries in .bashrc, like so: alias region='sleep 3; import selection.tif' alias regionjpg='sleep 3; import selection.jpg' alias regiongif='sleep ...

Arch is an interesting distro, although not one that I'll be trying anytime soon (I'm quite happy with Debian, thank you very much). Basically, it's a distro for advanced users. There are very few GUI tools for configuration: essentially all management is done using textual config files. That doesn't bother me, except for the time factor. While I don't mind editing a config file, editing ALL of them would grow tedious. However, the Arch philosophy is that you'll learn more about Linux by doing this, which is certainly true. There are other interesting things about Arch as well: pacman, its package management system and default optimization for i686 are just two features worth discussing. Two long, detailed articles about Arch appeared recently, & they're both worth reading, even if you never intend to run Arch at all. After all, we're also in this thing just to learn, right? The first, "A Week in the Life of an Arch Linux Newbie", is a hyper-enthusiastic look by a recent Arch convert at the ...

OK, I've been talking it up all day. Ya ready to actually download the dang thing? You can download it directly or via BitTorrent (ya know which one I recommend). Orrrrrr … you can get the latest greatest ISO image, with KDE 3.4.2 & other bleeding edge goodies, by clicking on this link (WARNING! 675 MB ISO image!) Even better, if you want to upgrade to KDE 3.4.2 from an older Kubuntu, just go here and add the lines you see to /etc/apt/sources.list, then do ye olde apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade. (Check out all of my posts on Kubuntu.) ...

Google bought Picasa a while back, & that was an excellent move on their part, as Picasa is first class software. On the Windows platform, Picasa is really the best there is in its class: photo & image management. Heck, there's an argument to be made that it's even better than iPhoto on Mac OS. Now Google has gotten Picasa to work on Linux through the wondrous magic of WINE; in fact, they've contributed over 100 patches to the WINE project, which is just totally cool. Quit reading me, & head over to the Picasa for Linux page, & download & install that sucker! (Check out all of our posts on Picasa, image management, & Google.) ...

So you want to stick it to the man, or have been seduced by the idea of re-compiling your own kernel or just plain love the cool Ubuntu graphics, you are running some form of Linux, what to do for Image management? Thankfully, our own opensource blog is looking out for the open source photographers and has some excellent recommendations here. Don't forget the outworldly imgSeek.. ...

Yup, that's right: I says fer free! Wanna use that hot new SUSE 9.3 distro? Why then, just go download yourself the DVD from a mirror site & get crackin'! If you'd rather grab a small ISO image for CD & then FTP the rest of the install, why, you can do that too! You now have no reason not to try SUSE, so do it already. (Check out all of my posts on SUSE.) ...

One of my favorite commands is top, which shows you up-to-the-second info about processes running on your system. It's a pretty easy command to understand and use, but I just found the neatest little interactive tutorial for top - actually, it's an image map. Just click on an area of the screenshot, and you find out what that part of the program does. It's a good way to learn all the details about top … and believe me, this is one command you need to know thoroughly. ...

Peter Besenbruch on the Libranet list published this email recently, & he said that I could share it with you. If you're into digital graphics, enjoy! This is a plug for some software I tried and ended up purchasing. It's called Bibble (http://www.bibblelabs.com/), and it is used for image editing, particularly of raw image files from digital cameras. I purchased the "lite" version. I use a Canon 300D, called the Digital Rebel in the US. It uses a hacked Russian BIOS. The BIOS lets you do things like shoot at ISO 3200, adjust flash exposure and auto-focus points, and lock exposure. Lenses include an EF 17-85 IS, and a EF 70-300 IS DO. The lenses are fairly slow, but the image stabilizing easily lets you shoot hand held at 300 mm at 1/30 second. The shorter lens lets me shoot at 1/10 second, hand held. With the extra ISO speed and the use of slow shutter speeds, it is possible to shoot indoors using available light. Hindering that is Canon's less than stellar automatic color ...

VMWare is some pretty awesome software. Basically, it allows you to create virtual machines that run your OS of choice inside another OS. For instance, on a Windows XP machine I run a VMWare virtual instance of K/Ubuntu, allowing me to basically have two operating systems running at the same time on the same machine. Very cool, eh? Now VMWare has released for free the VMware Player, which allows you to run OS images that others have created. Want to try out Linux on your (fairly powerful) Windows machine? Download the free VMWare Player, then download a pre-created image of Linux. Bam! You've got a huge choice of community OS images, including Debian, Fedora Core, FreeBSD, SUSE, K/Ubuntu, and even Minix! Guys, this one is an excellent opportunity, so definitely check this one out. Just be aware that you need a fairly decent host machine. I've got an AMD 64 3800 with 1.5 GB of RAM running Windows XP, and VMWare runs just peachy (it better!). The slower the machine, the smaller the RAM, the worse VMWare will ...

I write a lot about Knoppix, since it's the most widely used Live CD, full of a gazillion different software titles designed to do just about any ol' thing. However, sometimes you don't need all that firepower. Sometimes you just need a Live CD that will rescue your system. In those cases, you need the … SystemRescueCd! It includes Parted (change & create disk partitions), PartImage (clone your hard drive), sfdisk (backup & restore partition tables), Clam A/V (anti-virus), and much, much more. Best of all - it's only a smidge over 100 MB! Woohoo! Download it (guys - where's the BitTorrent? Huh?), read about it, read the list of software included. This is a good one to keep around, lemme tell ya. ...

This one is for my buddy Robert, who's always looking for Linuxen he can run on his Mac PowerBook. Mandriva - the new combo of Mandrake & Connectiva - has released 3 ISO images of its 2005 Limited Edition. Whaddya get? The Linux kernel 2.6.11, GNOME 2.8,3, KDE 3.3.2, X.Org 6.8.2, GCC 3.4.3, GIMP 2.2, OpenOffice.org 1.1.4, Firefox 1.0.2, and more ... nothing's bleeding edge, but you can always update. Read the announcement, if yer interested. Fer goshsakes, read the release notes! Download from one of the mirror sites. Wanna learn more? Read the NewsForge review, "Review: Mandriva Limited Edition 2005". They like it quite a bit. There ya go, Robert. Now will ya shut up? :) (Check out all my postings on Mandrake & Mandriva.) ...

Recently on the CWELUG mailing list someone described how he laboriously downloaded all 7 Debian ISO images, burned them, and then installed Debian. I responded to the list thusly: Ay yi yi! You did it the hard way. Download this ISO: http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimage-testing/sarge_d-i/i386… It's pretty darn small: ~100mb IIRC. Boot with it, and then it grabs the software it needs over the Net. Obviously, you need broadband. Much easier. and it uses the new installer. Note the manual: http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/ And the FAQ: http://wiki.debian.net/index.cgi?DebianInstallerFAQ When I did it, I got the 2.6 kernel. I don't remember HOW, but I don't remember having to look all over the place. Ah … found it: "If you want a 2.6 kernel, type linux26 at the boot: prompt" There ya go. (Check out all of my posts on Debian.) ...

If you want to take the big leap & move up to Debian, or you've been trying to but are having problems installing the distro of all distros, then read these articles. They'll help ya. I promise! Installing Debian Sarge 5 good pages, & printable to boot. And this printable page is just that - printable! - with no huge logos, animated images, & other crap that doesn't belong on a print-friendly page. This guide is pretty simple, & is more of a hand-holding than a troubleshooting help. Installing Debian It's from O'Reilly, so you know it's damn good. And it is! Detailed instructions, screenshots, & even sidebar comments! Awesome! Debian-Installer pre-rc2 Screenshot Tour Yeah, I know it's old, but it's still really useful. If you're a visual learner, then you'll like this set of 93 (!) screenshots detailing every step of the Debian install process. (Check out all of my posts on Debian.) ...