Brian Fagioli

The perfect Linux distribution doesn't exist. Take it from someone that does a lot of distro-hopping -- you will find yourself searching forever. Instead, it is wise to find a Linux-based operating system that meets your needs and try to stick with it. After all, constantly fiddling with various distributions will just drain your energy and steal your time.

With that said, Black Lab Enterprise Linux 11.0.3 is now available. Should you download it? Well, if you are not satisfied with your current Linux-based operating system, then maybe. I've got to tell you, this Ubuntu-based distro looks like a winner. It features modern versions of both Google Chrome and the Linux kernel, plus it offers support for many file systems. Despite being designed for organizations, it should serve as a great desktop OS for home users too.

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Look, we all knew Android 8.0 would probably be called "Oreo," and we now have confirmation. Today, Google releases 8.0 of its Android operating system and officially names it "Oreo" after the sandwich cookie. This is the search-giant's second time partnering with a brand for a dessert name, with the other time being "Kit Kat". Strangely, Google even used the solar eclipse to promote the Oreo name.

Truth be told, it does feel kind of cheap and commercialized to have a corporate product tie-in. After all, if Windows 10 was named "Slim Jim," for example, and Microsoft urged you to snap into its operating system, consumers would be up in arms. When Google does, it, however, people celebrate.

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Google is undeniably the best search engine for results -- concerns about privacy be damned. Alternatives such as Bing and DuckDuckGo aren't terrible, but the optimal experience still comes from Google -- for now.

Today, Google announces a cool new search feature for its Android operating system. When using either the Chrome web browser or the official Google app, you will now sometimes see video previews in results. In other words, rather than needing to click a video to load it entirely, you can instead see a brief snippet, allowing you to see if the video should meet your needs.

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The MacBook Pro is a wonderful laptop. It offers excellent performance, a sleek design, and one of the best keyboards on the market. There really isn't much to complain about, other than a lack of ports. You see, Apple went all-in with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports on its new laptop, meaning some users would need to rely on dongles for connecting legacy devices.

There are countless dongles, adapters, and docking stations on the market nowadays, all looking to provide a fix for this port pain-point. Today, a new such product from a company named "Seesaw" becomes available for pre-order on Kickstarter. The "DockCase," as it is called, intrigued me because of its unique design. You see, it is a protective leather sleeve for the MacBook Pro with a USB-C docking station built in. It sounds weird, I know, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

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Last year, Samsung had quite the disaster with the Galaxy Note7 smartphone. Some of the devices were deemed to be fire hazards, due to overheating and exploding batteries. While the company did ultimately recall all of the devices, the process was poorly handled which lead to even more negative experiences. Things got so bad that those particular Samsung phones were banned from airplanes.

The Note7 fire issue is far behind the company at this point, and the brand is as strong as ever. In fact, the Galaxy Note8 is expected to be unveiled next week in NYC. Unfortunately, there is a new battery controversy surrounding the Galaxy Note line. You see, batteries in one of the older models are now being recalled for being counterfeit. Even worse, they can potentially cause a fire. Yikes!

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Nokia doesn't make smartphones anymore, but the company will sell its name to the highest bidder. Case in point, the current Android devices carrying the "Nokia" branding are actually made by a company called HMD Global. In other words, you are buying an HMD smartphone with the Nokia name slapped on it. This keeps the Nokia brand in consumers' minds, while HMD gets to sell its phones under a name people actually recognize. It's win-win for the two companies.

Today, HMD unveils its newest such device -- the Nokia 8. What does the "8" signify? seemingly nothing. It is not an 8th generation device, nor does it have an 8-inch screen. It is just sort of random -- much like Microsoft and "Windows 10" (whatever happened to Windows 9?). The Nokia 8 looks rather impressive, however, with excellent specs and a gorgeous design. Branding aside, this could be an intriguing smartphone for fans of Google's mobile operating system.

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There is no shortage of ultra high definition (UHD) monitors nowadays. Prices for 4K displays have dropped dramatically over the last few years, making them affordable for many home consumers. Heck, there are even some monitors with even higher resolutions now.

While many manufacturers are producing lower-priced 4K displays, ViewSonic is apparently going in the opposite direction. Today, the company introduces a beautiful new 27-inch 4K display with professional features, such as 99 percent Adobe RGB and HDR10. It even has USB-C video connectivity, which is perfect for Apple's MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the price is sky-high, putting it out of reach for most.

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When many people think of Linux, they incorrectly assume it is an operating system. Actually, Linux is merely the kernel which many operating systems leverage. An actual operating system is compromised of many things, including a user interface -- after all, users need to interface with their computer!

Most computer users will obviously want a graphical UI nowadays, and for BSD and Linux-based operating systems there are many such desktop environments from which to choose. One of the most popular environments is GNOME. Not only is GNOME a DE, but it has evolved into much more, such as a collection of apps and design rules (Human Interface Guidelines). Today, GNOME is celebrating a very important milestone -- it is an impressive 20 years old!

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NVMe solid state drives are rewarding computer users with exceptional speed nowadays. Compared to SATA, they are much faster, and thanks to the M.2 form factor, they are much smaller too. While 2.5-inch drives are fine for a desktop, they are too large for modern laptops -- especially as manufacturers try to push the boundaries of thinness.

If you are looking to upgrade your laptop or desktop with a fast PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, ADATA has a new product which might pique your interest. Called "XPG SX9000," it offers tremendous performance using the M.2 2280 form factor. The "XPG" in the product name indicates this ADATA has created this drive for both gamers and enthusiasts. The company is even including a very impressive 5 year warranty.

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Portable solid state drives are better than mechanical hard drives for a few reasons. Obviously they are faster, but more importantly, they are more durable, as there are no moving parts. For those that travel a lot, for instance, a portable SSD is a safer product for throwing in a bag. Another big benefit is size -- modern portable SSDs are getting quite small, meaning they take up less room on a desk or in a backpack.

Today, Samsung launches its newest such drive, called the "Portable SSD T5." This beautiful drive features a USB-C connector and comes in two color options -- Deep Black and Alluring Blue. Since this is a Samsung product, it should last. If there are any issues, however, the company is including a three year warranty.

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Kodi is one of the best media centers available. Its cross-platform nature makes it usable on many different operating systems. Not only is it good for locally stored music and video, but with the use of add-ons, the sky is the limit. Fans of Premier League Football (soccer), for instance, can use Kodi to watch matches.

Where Kodi really shines, however, is with Linux. More specifically, the best experience is when the media center is the star of the show. Luckily, there are some Linux distros that exist solely to run Kodi. One such popular distro is LibreELEC -- a fork of OpenELEC. Today, an update to that operating system becomes available and you can download it immediately. There are images available for Raspberry Pi, WeTek, and of course, x86_64.

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If you are a PC gamer and you don't have a mechanical keyboard, you simply aren't doing life right. Look, a truly great video game player can succeed with any properly functioning keyboard and mouse, but if you can get an edge, why not take it? A mechanical keyboard doesn't just provide a more satisfying gaming and typing experience, but they are often built to last, making them a wise investment.

Today, respected manufacturer SteelSeries launches a new such mechanical gaming keyboard that it is referring to as the "complete package" -- bold words! The APEX M750, as it is called, has QX2 switches that the company claims will offer superior gaming performance. Since it is a gaming product in 2017, it of course has customizable RGB lighting.

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The unrest and violence in Charlottesville, VA was absolutely heartbreaking. Never did I think that in 2017 we would have large amounts of White Nationalists and Nazi sympathizers marching in America. It was very scary. To see that on display was bad enough, but when I saw the video of a man driving his car into innocent people -- killing one person and injuring many others -- I was in shock and deeply affected. I have been haunted by the images and videos of that domestic terrorist attack.

I know what you are thinking -- why does this belong on a technology site? Fair point. Today, an email that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent to employees leaked online. Since Nadella is the leader of the company, his words don't just impact the employees internally, they also signal the status of Microsoft's culture and overall leadership. Below are Satya Nadella's words, dated August 14, 2017, as obtained by Mike Murphy of Quartz Media.

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Consumer 64-bit processors have been around for a long time now -- AMD began selling the Athlon 64, for instance, way back in 2003. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was released by Microsoft in 2005. I was an early adopter at the time, buying that first-ever Athlon 64 and later running that aforementioned version of Windows.

I say all of that because I am shocked that in 2017 it is considered news if a company starts offering a 64-bit version of its Windows software by default. Well, folks, that is exactly what is happening today. Mozilla will now serve 64-bit Firefox by default to 64-bit Windows users when downloading from the web. In other words, if the user agent reports a 64-bit version of Windows, the webpage will offer 64-bit Firefox first. Users of 32-bit Windows will, of course, still be served the 32-bit Firefox variant.

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SATA is so out of style. Nowadays, all the cool kids are using much-faster NVMe PCIe-based solid state drives that utilize either U.2 or M.2 connectors; I prefer the latter, but I digress. Of course, to maximize the performance of these ultra-fast drives, you will not only need the appropriate connectors, but PCIe 3.0 too. If you don't have the correct connector, all is not lost. Thanks to PCIe adapter cards, you might able to add compatibility to your system without the need of a new motherboard.

While M.2 adapter cards are very commonplace, U.2 variants are not. Today, StarTech is back with another very useful product -- the U.2 to PCIe Drive Adapter Expansion Card. If you don't have a U.2 connector port, but do have a PCIe 3.0 x4 or higher slot, this card will allow you to connect a compatible drive at top speed. It will work with PCIe 1.0 and 2.0 too, albeit at much slower speeds. You can mount the 2.5-inch U.2 drive (15mm, 12.5mm, 9.5mm, 7mm, and 5mm height) directly on the card, meaning there are no unsightly cables.

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