Music production software for Linux is not a pipe dream.

Slashdot once again does our homework for us. http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/05/07/159250.shtml

Basically the Keyboard Magazine website, http://www.keyboardmag.com, has broken down audio production on Linux into a quick and concise beginners guide to getting started. Lots of links to distros and OSS relating to audio production, including the Linux analog to Pro-Tools, Ardour.

Peep it, yo!

Original Article

OS News: French Parliament, Linspire adopt Ubuntu

This happened a little while ago, but thanks to the guys at Slashdot I was informed that Linspire was making a switch to use Ubuntu as it’s base instead of the traditional Debian distribution. Currently, Freespire 2.0 is slated to debut during the first quarter after the release of Ubuntu 7.04, codenamed Feisty Fawn, this April.

Also in Ubuntu news, the French Parliament has decided that they will replace Windows with the popular OS. It had been announced late last year that they were going to migrate, but had not decided on which distribution they would be using.
Thanks to Slashdot.

Linspire’s Press Release about the migration
Ubuntu’s post about the French switch (contains links to the original post on ZDNet and the news posts on ZDNet.fr and latribune.fr for those who can read french)
/. post about the French switch (who doesn’t enjoy reading slashdot commentary?)

30 Days with Linux (HardOCP)

Brian Boyko and HardOCP have published 30 Days with Linux, a detailed look at the viability of Ubuntu Linux being an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows Vista. Boyko decided that the frustrations of using Vista along with the “Switch to Linux” mantra were enough to try a simple project, use nothing but Linux for a month. He chose Ubuntu linux because it is hailed as “Linux for People,” and he wanted the most stable distribution to test.

UPDATE: Finally able to finish reading the editorial, and have the final word.
I’m not going to digest everything for you right now, HardOCP is experiencing the Slashdot effect. Sorry guys.

I would like to suggest you give it a read (hopefully the website will be viewable again soon), there are quite a few moments where Boyko gives a good laugh based user ineptitude (even a power user makes mistakes!).

I’ll edit in the final verdict when I’m able to access the webpage again, maybe you’ll have better luck!

The editorial at Consumer.HardOCP.com

UPDATE:

Boyko reported that while he liked how highly configurable most things were, he had a few reservations about using kino (a video authoring program) and the fact that there are no softwares able to compete with Sony ACID or Apple’s GarageBand.  He also felt that while GIMP was phenomenal, it is simply not near the level to make it a replacement for Photoshop.  In spite of all of this, though, he has decided to stick with the 32-bit Ubuntu (the 64-bit version has many more problems being a newer technology, there isn’t as much support for it yet).  He decided that at the time, though, Ubuntu was not quite ready for the mass market, although it does look like it will be spreading at a faster rate among power users who  have the determination to stick with Linux and increased frustration towards Microsoft.

Associated Press: Bit Torrent to sell movie, TV downloads

(AP) — BitTorrent Inc., makers of a technology often used to trade
pirated copies of Hollywood movies, is launching a Web site that will
sell downloads of films and TV shows licensed from the studios.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network was set to launch Monday with
films from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate and episodes of TV shows such as “24”
and “Punk’d.”

The service is squarely aimed at young men and boys who regularly use
BitTorrent to trade pirated versions of the same films and who more
often watch such files on their computer instead of on a big screen TV
in the living room.

The San Francisco-based company is betting that at least one-third
of the 135 million people who have downloaded the BitTorrent software
will be willing to pay for high-quality legitimate content rather than
take their chances with pirated fare.


“The vast majority of our audience just loves digital content,”
Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent, told The
Associated Press. “Now we have to program for that audience and create
a better experience for that content so the audience converts to the
service that makes the studios money.”

Reported by the Assoc. Press, found on http://www.physorg.com.

Software Instrument Group Buys – real bargains for everyone

For those who rather read ThaSauce than scooping around on music pages (like I do), there’re some deals going on at the moment that you shouldn’t miss – and you should hurry up.
For example, there’s the DiscoDSP Discovery
Group Buy. You get the chance for a up to 60% discount (39,60USD plus
VAT instead of 99USD) for this VSTi, which is also a Nord Lead II
emulation. But hurry up! As soon as 60 people are signed up, the Group
Buy will be closed, and 40 people already signed up.

Also for a real bargain, take a look at the Wusik’s Wusikstation 3
Group Buy. It’s running till the end of the year (December 31st), but
instead of paying 89,95USD for a 2GB sampleset VSTi with tons of
modulation possibilities, you only pay 49,95 if 100 people sign up. The
Group Buy won’t be closed but keep on till 200 people sign up. You will
already get access to the VSTi as soon as 100 people signed up but keep
on recommending it to others, cause the more sign up, the more you have
the chance to get additional samples and a 6 month subscription of the
Wusik Magazine for free.

I recommend to check out both Group Buys and the Wusik page itself, cause they have way more stuff to offer for their customers.

IK Multimedia starts Bundle Series

Italian Rompler and FX firm IK Multimedia recently announced several bundle deals from their products range, which can save you up to 67% in terms of costs. There’re three bundles available. A Total Workstation Bundle (Sampletank 2.1 XL, Sonik Synth 2, Miroslav Philharmonik) for $699/559Euro, a Total FX Bundle (AmpliTube 2, Ampeg SVX, Classic Studio Reverb, T-Racks) also for $699/559Euro or all together as Total Studio Bundle for $1999/999Euro.

More about bundle and upgrade prices at the IK Multimedia webpage

East West Symphonic Choirs Groupbuy – up to 60% discount

Online sample distributor Sounds Online recently announced a groupbuy of their popular choirs libary. East West Symphonic Choirs, featuring 9DVDs full of samples, is one of the most richest choir samplepack available today (along with “Voices of the Apocalypse by Spectrasonics, avalable seperately of course).
Till 30th September, people have the chance to lower the price up to 60% if the there’re at least 500 users for the purchase.

With the usual MSRP of $995 you can save over $590, giving you the
oportiunity to get the samples for $398. Of course european
samplelovers also have the chance to participate and pay only 310Euro
for it, without spending a fortune on shipping.

Read more at the Sounds Online boards: http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/showthread.php?t=5274

Software Equivalents List Update and Video Podcast Feature

Just wanted to let you know that I recently updated the “Software Equivalents List” to Hardware Instruments on my webpage. I added tons of new equivalents, did some minor tweaks and enhanced the DSP solution section. Also new is that the list is now linked on the main page of my webpage for easier access. More as usual on www.studio-compyfox.de.
I
also like to point out that the “Software Equivalents List” was
featured in the just released Gearwire Crosstalk video podcast. You can
find the most recent episode here,
including previews of Microsofts new Portable Player, two new music
communities and an in-depth tests of 3 Gibson Les Paul guitars

Gearwire Crosstalk is a weekly podcast featuring hardware and software reviews of recent releases in the music industry including sequencers, instruments and effects. Check out the people over at www.gearwire.com

If you want to give some feedback, comments or even recommendations, please post over in the Software Equivalents list on KVRAudio.com: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=141197

mIRC 6.2 released. omg. kickassery.

From the mIRC website, “Of course this new version addresses the buggies and most of the other comments and remarks we received after the previous release. Apart from that Khaled spend lots of time on the UTF-8 support that was added in the previous version. As you might know UTF-8 is a font encoding system that allows you to use fonts with strange, international characters. That of course helps a lot if you want to chat in your own language!”
See the shizzle at http://www.mirc.com/ awesome.