Well, this is a bit of a bummer. In the wake of Valve's release of Steam for OSX, there were rumors that a Linux version was in the works. In a recent interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Valve's VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi let it slip that Steam for Linux isn't in development. "There's no Linux version that we're working on right now," said Lombardi.

We'd like to point out he did qualify that statement with "right now." That could theoretically mean that a Linux version of Steam could happen in the future. He could have been more categorical in his denial, but it's still sad for fans of Tux. We're still holding out hope Valve is just building suspense for a big reveal at some later date. Hey, it could happen, right?

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'It's not us, it's you,' is the general message coming from Dell regarding the OEMs decision to dropkick Ubuntu from its online store in the UK. The company will, however, continue to sell its open-source PCs over the phone.

"A number of our current consumer and SMB systems are available with Ubuntu, including a number of our Inspiron and Vostro laptops and desktops, the popular Inspiron Mini 10 netbook and the Studio XPS 7100 desktop," a Dell spokesperson told PCPro.co.uk.

"We’ve recently made an effort to simplify our offerings online, by focusing on our most popular bundles and configuration options, based on customer feedback for reduced complexity and a simple, easy purchase experience. We’re also making some changes to our Ubuntu pages, and as a result, they are currently available through our phone-based sales only."

Consider this a break and not a breakup, as Dell insists the move is "not a permanent decision." How long Dell plans on shelving Ubuntu PCs from its online lineup remains to be seen.

"The reason why they're not on our main pages is because Ubuntu systems are primarily targeted towards advanced users and enthusiasts, and the vast majority of consumers purchase PCs with Microsoft Windows pre-installed," the spokesperson added.

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HDMI is vastly superior to the high-definition connectivity solution of yore, which relied on one of two types of digital cables for audio and a second, well-shielded, three-gang cable for component video. Unfortunately, HDMI is tightly entwined with HDCP, and that DRM standard interferes with our ability to exercise our fair-use rights to time-shift TV programming and to make back-up copies of Blu-ray movies.

If you’re willing to settle for digital recordings of analog high-definition content, Hauppauge has a solution that exploits the so-called “analog hole.” Set-top boxes and Blu-ray players currently encrypt their digital video streams, but they output completely unprotected analog streams. The HD PVR captures component analog video (at a max resolution of 1080i; 720p is also supported) and either analog or digital audio, digitizes those streams, and sends them to your PC’s hard drive over a USB 2.0 cable (these files will be large, so use an NTFS-formatted drive). Plug in the included IR blaster and install the scheduling software on your PC and you can power up your cable or satellite TV set-top box, tune it to the desired channel, and record whatever TV programming you happen to be interested in.

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A few days ago, Microsoft revealed that it had sold 150 million Windows 7 licenses since the OS first hit the market, making it the fastest selling operating system in history with a 7-copies-per-second sales rate. Going a little further back in time, Steve Jobs suggested at the D8 conference that the PC's days as the most dominant force in computing might be numbered. He even likened PCs to trucks: “PCs are going to be like trucks. They're still going to be around, they're still going to have a lot of value, but they're going to be used by one out of X people.”

While Jobs' prognostication was rebuffed at the very same event by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, the debate is likely to persist deep into the future. Now, Microsoft is again blowing its own vuvuzela.

Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft' corporate vice president of Corporate Communications, was full of big numbers in a recent blog post avowedly inspired by “the Windows 7 milestone.”Although the blog post highlighted Microsoft's success across a wide array of businesses by citing relevant statistics, it was also meant to remind ambitious rivals like Apple that Microsoft is not, after all, going to hell in a “Truck.”

Shaw pointed out that while Apple is expected to sell 7 million units of its “groundbreaking” tablet this year, PC sales are expected to top 350 million units. He even reminded Apple that it still trails Nokia and RIM in the global smartphone market. Shaw was so determined to target Apple that he conveniently overlooked the fact that Microsoft remains a fringe player in the smartphone market - someone clinging onto dear life by the skin of its teeth.

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