One of the many features of the PlayStation 3 is that it’s capable of using Linux, which means that owners of the PS3 can customize their system and get lots more out of it. Game consoles tend to be designed in order to prevent foreign systems from running on them, but Sony have gone in total the opposite direction with the PS3, allowing an experienced Linux user to personalize their system. Most of the gaming systems will be intentionally locked so that other systems will be unable to run, so the PlayStation is unconventional in allowing this. The only thing that is not possible with the PS3 is to run accelerated graphics.

The PlayStation 3 isn’t the first gaming system to allow Linux. The Xbox also utilizes this feature, but the PS3 differs in several ways. To start with, the PS3 is more powerful. In addition, the Xbox requires an additional chip to run Linux, whereas the PS3 is capable of running it without. In fact, it’s completely free to run Linux on the PlayStation 3.

Here are some options that you have with the Linux on the PlayStation 3:

With an addition of a keyboard and mouse, the PlayStation 3 can be used like a PC. Not all PC programs are able to adapt to the PS3 environment, as least not yet, but Linux enables you many choices.

Run your own operating system. This is a great advantage to those that would prefer to personalize their system.

Make sure of the Internet. You can search the web on your PS3 with the Firefox internet browser.

Use the office software package. Although, at present it’s been reported that Windows doesn’t run that well on the PS3. However, in the future, Microsoft may consider creating a version of Windows that can run on the PlayStation 3. There is no official word on this at the moment.

Run various kinds of emulators. This will allow you to play of your favourite games of yesteryear on your brand new PlayStation 3.

Play a variety of media types, such as CD’s, DVD’s and ROM’s. With Linux running, you can listen to music or watch movies on your PS3

Connect to share networks. This will enable you to save and retrieve file on a outside server, meaning a saving in memory.

There is one slight problem with getting Linux on your PlayStation 3 console though, and that is because it’s difficult to install and hard to use. At this moment, it’s pretty much restricted to the programmers and hobbyists. In the future, hopefully, there will be a more user friendly interface to accompany Linux on the games console. Since PS3 emerged, most programmers like to use Fedora Core to run Linux on their PS3’s, but there is now a new system in town called Yellow Dog, which is intended to be used specifically on the PS3. Yellow Dog is being highly rated and gaining exposure.

Still, the best thing about Linux is that it’s totally free. All you need is a PlayStation 3, the necessary cable, a USB keyboard and mouse, a USB flash drive and various other accessories to make the installation run smoother… ok, so if you don’t already have all that stuff, its not really free, but Linux itself certainly is! It may not be that tough to install, if you’ve used Linux before. There is a wide choice of websites out there that provide tips on installation, and most seem to recommend Yellow Dog. You will also discover many great ideas on how to run Linux in the gaming forums.

For more information on the PlayStation 3 try visiting www.andallconsoles.com, a popular games console website that provides console news, tips, and game reviews for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Web hosting is divided into 2 categories, Linux and Windows plans. Getting a website with a Windows plan will be more expensive because of license issue with Microsoft. There are thousands of web hosting companies out there using either Linux or Windows plans. Which one is better? Like many other things, different people will have different preferences.

The Windows operating can be found in 95% of all personal computers around the globe. With this numbers in hand, Windows is the dominant figure and most people will go for this kind when they shop for a web hosting company.

As for web servers, Linux based hosting plan seem to have the upper hand based on a study made by securityspace.com. It is said that Windows based servers are behind by 20%. Therefore, if you are using Linux based hosting plan, you will probably have no problems at all. However, the Windows hosting is suitable to be used in a few scenarios.

When you are using .NET technologies including ASP.Net which is not available in Linux platforms, you will need to use Windows hosting plan. Another issue is the access to database which is also only available in Windows hosting plan. With Windows hosting plan, you will have access to MySQL class database. Furthermore, you can use Microsoft programs like Sharepoint which is available in Frontpage 2003.

As for Linux hosting, you can run your website professionally with Apache, MySQL and PHP which can provide you with the infrastructure that can build you a very good website. This is because PHP is more efficient when running with Linux server compared to Windows server. Another good thing about using Linux server is it will cost 20% cheaper compared to a Windows server. Therefore, depending on your preferences, Linux system could still be very good and efficient.

Hey you, looking for the right web hosting? Perhaps you should check out Host Monster! Read unbiased reviews on Hostmonster at HostMonsterSecretRevealed.com.

Article by Teddy Low.

A process is an executing program. Unix was designed from the beginning to handle multiple processes. Linux follows this excellent tradition. The operating system gives users and particularly the root user control over processes. Let’s take a closer look at processes and what they mean to users.

The kernel is the part of the Linux operating system that handles system management. It is not accessible to ordinary users. You may run Damn Small Linux as the root user and learn how the kernel works. When you have demonstrated your mastery of system concepts you may be given permission to apply your knowledge on larger Linux systems.

Part of the kernel’s work is managing processes. There are basically four such functions: controlling process execution, allocating memory for processes, scheduling processes, and managing resource access for processes. Let’s look briefly at each function.

The kernel creates, terminates, and coordinates processes. The root user and sometimes a regular user have access to these functions. It is possible to terminate a haywire process, one for example that has taken over the computer virtually blocking other processes.

The kernel allocates memory for processes. Root users and their authorized agents may review statistics on memory usage and improve system performance.

Scheduling and resource access are very important to maximize system performance and minimizing user waiting times. Knowledge of how processes work and what is really happening in a busy system can improve system performance and user satisfaction. Sometimes it isn’t necessary to spend a penny to improve performance. There is room in the marketplace for specialists in Linux scheduling and resource management. You cannot become such a specialist overnight but you can start by learning the tools with Damn Small Linux.

A given process is identified by a process number. During the course of system execution processes terminate, by themselves or because some one shut them down. Over time other processes are created. The process number always increases until the system is restarted. Some processes are system processes; they are part of the overhead in running a system. They work behind the scenes. Other processes are user processes, doing the work that users actually want.

The ps command provides information on running processes. For example, it may provide the name of the user associated with the process, the process identifier, the identifier of the father process (the one that created - the technical word is spawned) the given process, when the process was spawned and other information that may help manage a busy system.

I think that you can guess what the kill command does. It has several options, for example, some haywire processes are more difficult to remove than others.

Our next subjects are Linux shells and utilities.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet. He loves the occasional glass of wine as exemplified by his wine websites including www.theworldwidewine.com. He teaches Linux and Windows operating systems plus other computer courses at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new website www.linux4windows.com which teaches you how to download and run Damn Small Linux on Windows computers, even if they are "obsolete."