green computing

Ubuntu proponent debunks Windows edge in power test

In a recent story on SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, we reported that Windows Server 2008 eked out a narrow 2-watt power savings over Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support. The findings emitted some sparks of protest from Ubuntu fans. The latest is from Fred Marsico, the chief technology officer of Quantum Mechanics R&D in Corvallis, Ore., and a Ubuntu desktop user.

Like another reader who responded to the story but preferred to remain anonymous, Marsico said the test would have been more meaningful if it had compared energy use while the servers were active rather than in idle mode and if the test had been done on multiple hardware platforms instead of just one. We agree in principle with Marsico, but once you open the door to testing on different applications, the task would be endless. (This doesn’t mean Marsico is wrong, of course.)

Michael Larabel, the editor of the Phoronix website that tests Linux hardware, was kind enough to add a test of the respective servers in time for our story. No one claims the test is definitive. But its results were surprising, given Windows’ reputation for bloatware and Linux’s for minimalist agility.

Thanks for writing, readers. Keep the comments coming.

Linux PC sells out at Wal-Mart

On October 31, Wired Blogs wrote about Wal-Mart’s $200 Linux-based PC. Today, about a month and a half later, the Linux PC (sans monitor) has sold all 10,000 units. The customer reviews are glowing, to say the least. “It’s $200, with no gimmicks or subsidies,” Everex spokesman David Liu said.

Score one for the good guys. That is, score one if you treat operating system sales like you treat religious wars.

UPDATE REMINDER: Product of the Year nominations are going on now!

Working with vendors is tough. You need their help, they want your money. Hopefully, whatever it is they help you install works and the price meets you both somewhere in the middle (as in your side of the middle, right?).

Sometimes this process is a headache, but sometimes a project can really surprise you—things just work and upper management is just peachy keen with how the whole thing looks on the balance sheet.

In that vein, SearchEnterpriseLinux.com wants to help its readers discover the best of the best in Linux products for the enterprise in our prestigious SearchEnterpriseLinux.com 2007 Products of the Year awards. We’ve been asking readers and vendors over at SearchEnterpriseLinux.com to nominate a favorite product they’ve used or to nominate their own new product, and now we’ve opened it up to the Intertubes here at the Enterprise Linux Log. Regardless of where you fall — vendor, user or general Linux guru –the deadline is drawing near!

Our editorial team and a select panel of industry experts and analysts are currently accepting submissions online until 5 p.m. PST on Nov. 9, 2007 in a range of categories, including: Server Linux platform product (either a distribution release or a new, integrated server Linux offering); Security applications/tools for Linux on the server; Virtualization product for Linux on the server; and Linux administration tools. You can access the 2007 POY submission page in the link above.

To qualify, new or significantly upgraded products must have been shipped after October 31, 2006, and before November 1, 2007. Submit your entry today and let us know what you think are the top data center products on the market!

Go green with Zonbu’s Zonbox

No, I haven’t discovered another language. I’ve discovered the Zonbox, and if you’re into this idea of green computing, then you’re going to want to stick around to find out how you — yes, YOU! — can cut back your CO2 emissions by a ton every year!

Now that I’m done sounding like RonCo, I can tell you that the Zonbox, made by Palo Alto, Calif.-based Zonbu, is a $99 personal computer that runs open source software and uses 95% less energy per year than your standard PC.

But how does this miracle in green computing work? And all for $99? Easy (via the Palo Alto Daily News):

The Zonbox runs on free, communal programs called open-source software. The silent machine, which has no fan, connects to the Amazon.com server, where it stores much of each user’s information, but also saves a chunk of data on a tiny flashcard. As a result, Gentil said, customers do not have to install any applications.

The tiny device is “cute” says its creator, Zonbu co-founder Gregoire Gentil, and is already amassing a following amongst the Palo Alto green computing elite.

Scot Case, spokesman for the Green Electronics Council, said the Zonbox may be the trailblazer. The product is on track to become the first consumer-oriented product to be “gold”-certified by the council’s ranking system, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. “The eco-geek in me loves this product,” Case said, noting that the Zonbox was “one of the most energy-efficient devices we’ve ever seen.”

We shall see. The Zonbox is set to arrive on store shelves in the next two weeks for $99. A monthly service fee is also attached at $12.95/month.

Some pretty positive reviews have already hit the wire on the Zonbox. The Zonbu website has more.