Summary: Microsoft has released a new version of Skype, its popular VoIP program, for Linux.

A few years back, Linux's creator, Linus Torvalds said, "If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won." By that standard, Linux won last year when Microsoft started shipping a new version of Skype, its then recently acquired Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) program, on Linux. In late May 2013, Linux is still winning as Microsoft has released an updated version of Skype for Linux.

This latest edition consists primarily of bug-fixes. Microsoft/Skype software engineer, Marco Cimmino, wrote: "Not only did we conquer the navigation issues and bugs from previous releases, but we increased the stability when logging in from a Microsoft Account. There are also greater efficiencies, such as not having to re-type your password when entering via 'My Account' if you are already logged-in with the client. Voice messaging is optimized for ease of use and is now just one click away from the options window."

When you think do-it-yourself (DIY) computing, you probably think of setting up a screaming gaming computer or putting together the best possible components for the least amount of money. You're almost certainly not considering putting together a supercomputer. Maybe you should. Joshua Kiepert, a doctoral student at Boise State's Electrical and Computer Engineering department, has managed to create a mini-supercomputer using Raspberry Pi (RPi) computers for less than $2,000.

Raspberry Pi is a single-board Linux-powered computer. They're powered by 700MHz ARM11-processors and include a Videocore IV GPU. The Model B, which is what Kiepert is using, comes with 512MBs of RAM, two USB ports and a 10/100 BaseT Ethernet port. For his project Kiepert overclocked the processors to 1GHz.

By itself the Raspberry Pi is interesting, but it seems an unlikely supercomputer component. But, Kiepert had a problem. He was doing his doctoral research on data sharing for wireless sensor networks by simulating these networks on Boise State's Linux-powered Onyx Beowulf-cluster supercomputer. This modest, by supercomputer standards, currently has 32 nodes, each of which has a 3.1GHz Intel Xeon E3-1225 quad-core processor and 8GBs of RAM.

Summary: Want to run Linux on the Google Computer Engine cloud? Starting immediately, Debian Linux is Google's Linux of choice.

Earlier in May, Jimmy Kaplowitz, Google Site Reliability Engineer and Debian developer, announced that Google would not just be adding Debian 6 and 7 images to the Google's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Google Compute Engine  (GCE) it was making Debian Linux it's default server image.

Kaplowitz, who's only one of several Debian developers who works for Google, wrote, "Today we’re adding Debian images for Google Compute Engine. Debian, in collaboration with us, is providing images for both Debian 7.0 'wheezy' and the previous stable release, Debian 6.0 'squeeze.' This support will make it easy for anyone using Debian today to migrate their workloads onto Compute Engine."

Summary: Does Linux really need another application packaging and installment system? Ubuntu will be adding another one for its Ubuntu Touch smartphones and tablets.

Do you want to know how to tell real Linux geeks from people who just use it? Ask them what their favorite application packaging system is. Hardcore old-school Linux users will soon be telling you all all about RPM vs. DEB and before it's over someone is sure to chime in about going straight to source code ala Gentoo Linux's Portage.

The short version is there's a lot of Linux software application packing and installation systems out there already but Ubuntu will soon be adding another one.

Summary: Microsoft has had trouble getting people to use its Windows Phone operating systems Microsoft might make as much as $3.4 billion on Android phones.

To some, Windows 8 is a marketplace failure. But its flop has been nothing compared to Microsoft's problems in getting anyone to use its Windows Phone operating systems. You don't need to worry about Microsoft's bottom line though. Thanks to its Android patent agreements, Microsoft may be making as much as $8 per Android device. This could give Microsoft as much as $3.4 billion in 2013 from Android sales.

There's nothing new about this. Microsoft has been making hundreds of millions a year from Android since 2011. Where do these profits come from? Patent licenses. And if vendors don't want to pay, Microsoft will threaten patent lawsuits. Sometimes, Microsoft even follows up with an actual lawsuit.

Summary: The recent Google app store software update has turned Barnes & Noble's HD e-reader into a good, low-end Android tablet.

I was pleased that Barnes & Noble (B&N) had updated its HD line with Google Store. I knew this software upgrade would make the low-priced HD, usually $149—$199 until May 12—a truly usable Android 4.x tablet. What I hadn't realized was that it would transform it into a good, albeit low-end tablet.

The B&N Nook HD started life in late 2012 as B&N's answer to Amazon's Kindle Fire. It was, and is, a 7" tablet.

Summary: The International Space Station's laptops are moving from Windows to Linux and R2, the first Linux-powered humanoid robot in space, is now under-going in-flight testing.

Unlike my recent spoof story about a Linux-powered Iron Man suit you could build at home, this story isn't science fiction. NASA really has decided to drop Windows from the laptops on the International Space Station (ISS) in favor of Linux and the first humanoid robot in space, R2, really is powered by Linux. 

Keith Chuala, a United Space Alliance contractor, manager of the Space Operations Computing (SpOC) for NASA, and leader of the ISS's Laptops and Network Integration Teams, recently explained that NASA had decided to move to Linux for the ISS's PCs. “We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable – one that would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust or adapt, we could.”

Summary: After two years of waiting, Debian Linux, one of the most important core Linux distributions, has a new release: Wheezy.

Debian Linux doesn't get all the attention it once did, but as the foundation for other, more popular Linux distributions, such as Mint and Ubuntu, the release of a new major Debian version. 7.0, aka Wheezy, is still a big-deal in Linux development circles.

The Debian Linux distribution isn't a ground-breaking Linux. If you want a cutting-edge distribution, Fedora Linux is the one for you. After all, Debian 7 uses the over-a-year old Linux 3.2 kernel as its basis while Linux 3.9 is the newest release. On the other hand, if what you want is a stable, well-tested distribution than Debian will fit your needs

Summary: Building on the ground-breaking work of billionaire genius Tony Stark, the first Linux-powered Iron Man suits may soon be within the reach of homebrew builders.

Even before Tony Stark, billionaire technology genius, revealed that he was Iron Man in 2008, others were trying to build augmented fighting suits. Now, that Stark has shown that Iron Man technology was within the reach of homebrew builders, work has started on the first open-source augmented fighting suits.

This is, of course, work that only the most advanced homebrew inventors will want to try. As the failures of Armand Hammer, Ivan Vanko, and Microsoft with Armor 8 have shown, it's not easy to build your own armor (BYOA).