Welcome From the Chief Editor
by Paul Arnote
Good things just keep happening with PCLinuxOS. The month of May saw the much anticipated release of the PCLinuxOS OpenBox remaster. We also saw the first of the quarterly remasters released, with PCLinuxOS 2010.1. The quarterly updates for the other remasters are currently being worked on by their respective maintainers. The steam keeps building as more and more new users discover what the rest of us have known all along: the incredibly stable operating system that we all use, where everything just flat out works, thanks to the high standards of Texstar.
The PCLinuxOS Forum is awash with the stories from users of other Linux distros who have come to witness and experience PCLinuxOS and Texstar's magical touch. What greets them is an ever-expanding choice of ISOs from which to choose. Face it – what other Linux distro offers the user six different desktop environments, and 11 different ISOs, all under the same banner? None that I can think of.
May also saw two more remasters released: PCLinuxOS 2010 Full Monty by Pinoc, and PCLinuxOS Power Pack by Sefy. Besides the PCLinuxOS OpenBox remaster, work has progressed on a remaster that uses IceWM (Ice Window Manager). But there is one common thread between them all: they are all built on the same common and stable core. Only the desktop environment varies.
There is no shortage of items to talk about in the June, 2010 issue of The NEW PCLinuxOS Magazine. This month, we start a series of articles on Xfce, and use PCLinuxOS Phoenix 2010 as the basis for these articles. We start off by taking an look at what Xfce is, in Xfce 4.6.1: An Overview. We also start an examination of how to customize and tailor your Xfce desktop, with Xfce 4.6.1: Xfce Settings Manager - Part 1. We then tackle a more advanced topic on how to customize your Xfce menu, with Xfce 4.6.1: Customizing Your Xfce Menu.
Meemaw also starts another new series that takes a closer look at the OpenOffice suite of office-related applications, with OpenOffice: An Overview. She plans to follow up with a look at each of the components that make up this popular office suite. We also continue with the other article series that have been running in the magazine. First, Peter Kelly continues his tutorial on the command line, with Command Line Interface Intro: Part 9. Gary L. Ratliff, Sr. continues his look at computer programming languages, with Computer Languages A to Z: Lisp.
Back this month is an article for the gamers of the community, with AndrzejL's Game Zone: Warzone 2100 article. TuxTorch also gives us a glimpse at the new Linux game installer in Linux, with his DJL: A Linux Gamer's Paradise article. I take a closer look at how you can contribute back to PCLinuxOS, in my How Can YOU Contribute Back To PCLinuxOS? article. Leiche reprises his ZipPlayer article from last month, with ZipPlayer Plays Music Archives: Part 2. Hairyplotter shows us how to set up our own local repository, with his Creating A Local PCLinuxOS Repository article.
Of course, back this month are the regular columns by ms_meme, Forum Foibles: Friendship and ms_meme's Nook: If My Friends Could See Me Now. Georgetoon also gives us another installment of Double Take & Mark's Quick Gimp Tip. Smileeb details how he made a slide show for his niece's recent wedding, with his How I Finally Made My Slide Show article. Wamukota describes how to set up PCLinuxOS 2010 to use USB speakers, in his Configuring PCLinuxOS 2010 KDE 4 To Use External USB Speakers article. I start a periodic examination of Firefox add-ons, with my Firefox Add-ons: Personas Make It Personal article.
Blndsyd continues his series, Gimp From A Beginner's Perspective: Part 2. Darrel Johnston starts a new series that takes a look at alternative free, open source operating systems with his Alternative OS: ReactOS article. Of course, Screenshot Showcase is back, with 11 new images collected from the Monthly Screenshots thread of the forum.
This month's magazine cover is by Timeth, and literally puts the spotlight on Phoenix, the PCLinuxOS Xfce remaster. We round out the articles in the June, 2010 issue of the magazine with a testimonial from Terrick Wright, in the Testimonial: A PCLinuxOS Journey article.
So until next month, I wish each and every one of you peace, happiness and tranquility.
