While I no longer run Linux as my main operating system, I did for many years and like to recommend it to almost everyone I come across. The one problem to getting other people to using an alternative operating system like Linux, is that many people (read that as nearly all non-techies) are not willing to get rid of Windows and try out something new. Sure, there are quite a few liveCD distros around which let you try an operating system without actually installing it onto your hard drive, but many people might not be willing to burn the CD and try it out. One other choice is using emulation software like QEMU or the recently released (and free) VMWare Player. If you’re looking to try out an alternative operating system, then check out this article for detailed instructions on how to acquire all the necessary software and running Linux (or any other x86 operating system) using VMWare Player. By default, VMWare Player will only run virtual images created by it’s commercial big brother VMWare, but the article will show you how to work around this little hindrance.

One of my favorite media players to use, particularly for videos and DVDs is VLC, which is available for Windows, Macs, Linux, and a few other operating systems. It’s free, lightweight, and supports nearly any format you could possibly imagine. Because of the small resource usage and its ability to run even on PocketPCs, VLC makes a great tool to be able to stream video from one device to another. Imagine being on the road with a PocketPC, bored out of your mind…you could easily fire up your portable and connect to your PC using VLC and watch any movies or listen to any song you want, all for free. Engadget has posted a guide on how to stream almost anything with VLC which is sure to be very useful for a lot of you. If you use it, let us know how!

Ditching Windows and running Linux on a PC isn’t as difficult as some people believe. I installed Linux on my PC having never really used it before and ended up running it as my only operating system for a bit over 3 years. Before taking the Linux plunge, there are a few things you might want to know. TechRepublic has put together a list to 10 things you should know about every Linux installation and explains each pretty well. You’ll learn about the Linux file hierarchy, package managers (which make it easy to download and install software, the command line, setting up file permissions, and more. Definitely a good starting point for any Linux newcomer.

There has not yet been an official announcement made, but I just found Firefox 1.5 final on the official Mozilla FTP servers. I’m sure the Mozilla Foundation will update the Firefox page with an announcement anytime now. Until then you can click here for the Windows download, or go here to get Mac and Linux version.

While I know many of you download leaked movies, music, and warez via BitTorrent, the application has some very legitimate uses since it eases the load on servers when many people are downloading a file. One such use, is downloading Linux distributions. Most Linux distros provide access to their software via BitTorrent, but if you’re looking for a central repository of distros then check out LinuxTracker. I’m guilty of browsing through DistroWatch from time to time but LinuxTracker even has some distros which I’ve never even heard of or seen on there. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking to take the Linux plunge.

I know we’ve slacked a bit on the Linux tips lately, but here’s a pretty cool one I found on Boing Boing this morning; it’s called FlickrFS and like the name implies, it is a filesystem which lets you mount your Flickr account to your Linux desktop so you can upload and download your photographs with ease. When you mount the filesystem, you will see two new folders inside it, tags and sets, which automatically retrieves your photos from your Flickr account. FlickrFS is currently only available for Linux, but considering how GMailFS was quickly ported to Windows and Macs, I could see this coming to other operating systems soon.

Are you sick of video to iPod conversion software yet? No? Well, I am, but here’s another one for those of you who have a MythTV box set up at home. There is a new project cleverly (?) called Myth2iPod which will help you turn any TV show you record on your box and put it in a format that is recognized by the iPod (320×240 pixels, h.264 encoded). Interestingly, Myth2iPod will let you create a feed of each show so you can subscribe to it via iTunes (which has some pretty interesting uses if you ask me). The application is still in early development stages so there it’s not entirely easy to use, but if you have the know-how to create your own PVR, chances are you’ll have no problem setting this up. You can find some setup information at this forum thread. Of course, it is completely free.

If there is one thing I hate, it’s companies who lock their hardware and keep you from using your content however you’d like (though I somewhat understand why they’d want to do it). TiVo owners are increasingly getting less control of whatever shows they record, though I suppose it’s not entirely TiVo’s fault, but enough with the diatribe. There is an amazing new piece of software which lets you stream content off your TiVo and onto your Mac (sorry Windows folks, maybe next time) and it’s called TiVoTool. You do need to have a fairly new Mac since you must have Mac OS X Tiger and a G5 (not required but suggested), but this is an invaluable tool for those of you who’d like to have a little more control over your content and maybe burn it onto a DVD at some point. The latest release of the software even includes iTunes and iPod support so you can easily place your content on the latest video-enabled iPods and carry it with you wherever you go. TiVoTool is available for Macs and Linux. Be sure to check the download page for all the requirements. Best of all, it’s completely free.