Matrix Screensaver is a very popular screensaver based on the digital rain shots (moving text) in the blockbuster movie trilogy - The Matrix. This is available as a screensaver in popular GNU Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian with their default installations. But the default Matrix Screensaver that comes with these distributions contains only falling English alphabets. Now Santhosh Thottingal of SMC (Swathanthra Malayalam Computing) has modified this for Indic scripts and has made it available for everybody.
Click here to read more»

With a view to promote free software across Kerala, we have decided to promote district wide groups and as part of this initiative we have started GNU/Linux Users Group Alappuzha. This group is specially focussed on Free Software Enthusiasts from Alappuzha District erstwhile known as Alleppey . We will support all free software including but not exclusively all GNU/Linux distributions. We invite all Free Software Users and Supporters from Alappuzha district to join this group and have fun. You can join this group by sending a mail to ilug-alp-subsribe @ googlegroups.com or you can join from the Alappuzha GNU/Linux Users Group Website.
Click here to read more»

Zyxware Technologies joins hands with GNU/Linux Users Group Trivandrum (ilug-tvm), SPACE-Kerala and FSF India to bring to the public the second GNU/Linux Install fest in Trivandrum in the last 3 months. This time the event is arranged to coincide with the Worldwide Mandriva Linux Install Fest so as to pledge our cooperation with the Mandriva Community. The event is arranged for the 14th of June 2008 at Cotton Hill Lower Primary School, Vazhuthacaud.

Click here to read more»

One of our customers recently brought an Acer Aspire 3002NLC Laptop to install Ubuntu and to configure the laptop as a Samba server for his home networking. There was one more thing that he wanted to us to configure - that was internet through the Reliance Datacard. The card provided was ZTE MC315. Installing Ubuntu and configuring the rest of the applications were easy but the reliance datacard installation took some time. But once we figured it out, the steps involved were very simple.
Click here to read more»

While installing Ubuntu on Laptops, one common problem that we have identified is that the mouse pointer movement using the touchpad is very slow with the default settings. We were hoping that this would be fixed in Ubuntu Hardy Heron but it still is not. Ubuntu allows for the configuration of the acceleration and sensitivity using the System > Preferences > Mouse menu but that too might not give the desired results always. Here is a sure shot way of speeding up your touchpad in Ubuntu.
Click here to read more»

Fedora team has been closely working with Swathanthra Malayalam Computing(SMC) team to get most of the SMC patches upstream and setting up Malayalam has been relatively easy on Fedora. Since most of the patches have gone to upstream fedora you don't have download any rpm other than Swanalekha (Malayalam transliterator) on your own to be able to read and write Malayalam on a Fedora 9 machine. Follow the basic instructions to set up Malayalam on Fedora 9.
Click here to read more»

Altair HyperWorks is an Enterprise level Computer Aided Engineering software that is widely used for rapid design exploration and decision-making. This software is supported both in Windows as well as Linux. The Linux version is tested to work with SUSE and RHEL. However with a little tweaking this can be made to run in Fedora.
Click here to read more»

Setting up Malayalam on Ubuntu or for that matter any other GNU/Linux distribution like Fedora, Mandriva has been progressively getting easier thanks to the wonderful effort of the free software community going by the name "Swathanthra Malayalam Computing" or SMC in short. Most of the patches and tweaks have gone upstream to the OS trunks and most distros are already Malayalam capable. A few minor tweaks are required to set up reading and writing in Malayalam in the latest version of Ubuntu 8.04 - Hardy Heron
Click here to read more»

The much awaited Long Term Support (LTS) version of Ubuntu - version 8.04 codenamed Hardy Heron was released on April 24th. We now have the CDs and DVDs for the different flavors of Ubuntu 8.04 available at Zyxware. You can drop by our office to write a copy for yourselves or you can use the RequestCD Service to order the CDs and DVDs online.
Click here to read more»

Raaga.com is a very popular online music station that has a very large collection of Indian movie and classical songs. They use real media and they have a player that requires the real media player. Now the default installation of Real Media player will not allow you play music from Raaga.com and the player popup from raaga.com will stay in the 'Initializing Player, Please Wait' and 'Loading' state permanently. There is a simple work around for this situation.
Click here to read more»