BIOS LEVEL

Since I replaced my aging Asus Z71V notebook with a Macbook a month or so ago, I’ve been without Linux. My desktop is set up more for gaming than regular usage, so naturally it’s running Vista. This has become an issue over the last few weeks while trying to review some of the fantastic products we’ve received. BIOS_LEVEL’s primary focus is Linux compatibility and performance, so how is that to be measured without Linux?

I’ve contemplated setting up virtual machines on either the MacBook or Desktop, but Linux wouldn’t have direct control over the majority of the hardware, so it’d be useless in most cases. We’re waiting on a new motherboard from EVGA to put together a new Core2 Duo machine that should solve this problem, adding another box to our lines (dedicated to Linux).

My temporarily solution has been to use Knoppix for all the minor hardware we’re received, such as mice and headsets, but for an upcoming review, I’m going to have to set up a full install on a machine to get certain things working. Wish me luck!

We’ve chosen Revver as our primary video host instead of YouTube. Why? By default, Revver licenses videos with a Creative Commons license, a sort of open source license for artistic creations like music, video, and prose. I’ve also found that its player works better on Linux than YouTube’s. Should a viewer be at a computer that doesn’t have Flash installed, he or she will another format in which to watch it, since Revver has a QuickTime version available too.

We may put a video on YouTube here and there for greater exposure, but we’re confident in our decision to choose Revver for the majority of our videos.

Though it doesn’t support it officially, Revver’s engine does seem to work with Ogg, a particular favorite container around these parts.

Be sure to check out BIOS LEVEL videos on Revver.

We’ve started a fan page on Facebook.

BIOS LEVEL fan page

Fan pages allow sites to send updates via Facebook’s message system. It’s a great way to stay updated if you don’t like using our newsfeeds.