By Jim Lynch,
starThought Leader, InfoWorld|May 23, 2014
Opinions expressed by ICN authors are their own.
Did Blue Pup jump the shark with its Windows 8 Metro interface?
In today's open source roundup: The Blue Pup distro offers a Windows-like Metro interface. Plus: The open source Novena laptop, and a review of VortexBox 2.3
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When Windows 8 was first released many people were shocked and even horrified by the garish Metro interface. Some even left Windows for Linux or shifted back to Windows 7. Now you can experience some of the...er...magic of the Metro interface in the Blue Pup distro (a Puppy Linux spin), according to LinuxInsider.
It had to happen sooner or later. It turned out to be sooner. It is here. The Blue Pup Linux distro brings the Metro view to the Linux desktop.
This arrangement is not a true Metro interface the likes of the much criticized Windows 8. Instead, it is a Puppy Linux derivative distro, or Pupplet, built around the Chromium Web browser with a Chrome extension.
Its user interface lets you switch between a traditional Linux desktop and the partial Metro functionality mode. The Metro tab that overtakes the desktop gives fast access to a complete inventory of Google's Chrome Web Store. The tiles either launch Google apps through browser extensions or act as bookmarks that load the embedded website.
I must admit to being surprised and rather disgusted when I saw the screenshot of Blue Pup's Metro interface. Nauseating memories of the time I first saw Windows 8 flooded back into my mind and one word kept popping into my head: Why? For the love of the gods WHY would anyone want this on their Linux computer?
Then I remembered that Linux is all about choices. While I would never use Blue Pup's Metro interface, there might be some folks out there who would like and enjoy it. And good for them if they do. It's yet another option available in Linux, even if the thought of using it turns my stomach.
The open source Novena laptop
TechRepublic reports on Andrew Huang's effort to build an open source computer.
Today Huang, who goes by the nickname 'bunnie', has just drummed up more than $700,000 through the website Crowd Supply for his project to build an open source computer called Novena.
Huang is setting out to create a machine whose inner workings are as transparent as the computer that three decades ago sparked his lifelong interest in creating hardware.
Why make an open laptop? He cites a desire to pass on the pleasure he got from realising it was within his power to modify the machine whose workings had once seemed mysterious.
