Good Computing

I've Got You Under My Skin

2010-11-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing that irks me more than anything else in the Information Technology field, it's the attitude of "Hey, as long as there are all these problems, I'll have a job, right?"

To me, that is wrong on just so many levels. First of all, do the support personnel, developers, and the entire industry around them actual believe that this is what's best for their customers, or even for their bottom line? Forget personal satisfaction for a job well done, hell even forget professional pride for being able to solve the real problems users have. Is this really about "as long as my needs are met, I'll keep doing the same ineffective things"? Okay, so everyone out there, yours truly included, wants to keep their job and remain gainfully employed. But there has to be a better way!

Since everyone seems to relate to car analogies, let me try one of my own here. You have a car that maybe randomly accelerates, and braking doesn't effectively stop it. Or maybe under certain circumstances turning on the left turn signal while turning the steering wheel to the right will cause the gas tank to explode (in very rare instances, of course). Well, being a common technician, let's see if we can come up with what would be a standard answer -- a workaround, or a patch that will make the situation work in spite of these flaws. In the first scenario, if the car starts to accelerate uncontrollably, just shift the gears into neutral; you'll probably blow out your engine, but the car will come to a safe halt and you can then take the issue up with the manufacturer to get things all fixed up again. In the latter situation, it's even simpler: don't turn your steering wheel right while you have your left turn signal on; it's a rare problem anyway, so it's best to just avoid doing that.

How does this relate to the IT industry? I'm sure any techs out there have already made their own parallels. But here's one: "My computer keeps getting infected with malware of one sort or another, and I keep my antivirus, firewall and antispyware up-to-date. What do I do?" What do you do with a rash of malware seemingly targeting some users? Tell them to stop visiting "those sites"? Maybe it's not the sites they visit, or the company they keep. Maybe the problem is the software they use to do what THEY choose to with THEIR computer. But it keeps us techs employed, cleaning up their messes, so no alternatives are usually given.

Which gives me a nice segue way into security. Large institutions tend to try make their network secure, by limiting the number of outside access points they have, or by making access without a properly-authenticated computer difficult. It doesn't matter if this can effectively make some computing equipment useless; at least everything is secure, and hey, it's another problem so it keeps someone employed, right? What about new equipment or software that doesn't fit the security standard? Should that just be forbidden and never allowed? What about non-standard software that doesn't function properly within this "secure" environment? Don't turn right while signaling left...

I think it's high time for the IT industry as a whole to quit looking at the "bottom line" and actually start providing solutions to user problems. There are more than enough of those to keep all of us employed for many years to come! And just think of what progress we'll make!

What irks you about the hardware and software that intrudes into your life?

School Daze

2010-09-30T07:32:00.001-04:00

It is ironic that just the other day, I forwarded a "reminder" link to my boss, mentioning the success of another school district in adopting open source and Linux (and on further inspection, I actually sent info on the wrong district -- this was yet another that had adopted open source and Linux successfully). Today, I ran across this blog post, and it has refreshed my confidence in all that is open source and that it is the right way to do things within a public institution.

In researching this post, I found that quite a lot of B.C. school districts are taking the step of adopting Linux and open source as their computing environment of choice. So the question stuck in my mind (as it has been for over a decade now) is why does my school board make more use of Linux and open source; not just for savings, but for the expanded options it gives to the end users: the students. Now, I know first hand there are a lot of users in a school board that need computers, but you have to remember, without the students, what the heck are they doing?

To me it just makes sense to build the whole ecosystem around acceptance. Really, it's not unlike including French in the curriculum, or even the grudging acceptance of Macs, netbooks, iPods, iPads and other gadgets into our computing environment. Linux adds diversity and provides options the vanilla Windows experience can't touch. Using Linux can help students (and teachers, and administrators, and even us techs) see things in a different light. I'm not saying it's a problem-free environment -- it still has a ways to go, just like any other operating environment -- but the problems are different and how you go about fixing them, coping with them or discovering different options to provide the same function are miles from any other environment.

We have run a pilot project to test out how well the Linux Terminal Server Project works (using the Ubuntu implementation, Edubuntu). It has been running for 5 years on the same hardware, and just this year someone thought to buy a few new PCs and netbooks for the classroom of 15-20 students (on average). Maintenance is generally the security updates run at the beginning and end of a semester and the "start-up" creation of user accounts. All other computer service calls to this location are to support the Windows-based teacher laptops.

I'd say this project is a start, but it's been forgotten about. It works out too well, so it doesn't get any attention. When it became time to add the new equipment to the classroom, the suggestion was to just put our basic Windows image on the computers and leave it at that. I just don't get why the acceptance of any alternative is that difficult, even when it's been working so well.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Much Ado About Nothing

2010-09-28T10:40:00.001-04:00

It seems politics trumps technical decisions no matter what you try. Regardless of my attempts to automate anything, it was never an option. Our goal, as it turns out, had been to automate the process I was looking into; politics has stagnated that process. Maybe one day I will detail what went on and explain the whole thing, but for now I think things are best left alone.

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Courting Disaster

2010-09-22T14:04:00.001-04:00

Sometimes it just seems I don't know when to leave well enough alone.

Like when I know a process can be automated and can't see a good reason not to. I don't consider things like cost, or job security; I tend to think about making life easier through the removal of redundant, repetitive tasks.

And other people don't always see eye to eye with my way of thinking.

If you could cut hour of manual labour out of your job today and in the long run it would save your company money, you'd want to do it, right? I know I'm being vague here, but I'm dealing with a real world situation that probably has more variables than I'm seeing.

And I don't want one of those variables to include a reprimand for stating my opinion, no matter how logical. Is it really that important to play politics with the people you work with at the expense of improving the technological well-being of your customers?

Hell, I'm going for it, so let's hope this system works. Maybe more details after successful implementation - or the reprimand.

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Ordinary People

2010-09-21T07:23:00.001-04:00

You and I, we're not like ordinary people. From my experience, ordinary people don't read blogs, let alone even know what they are.

Ordinary people just want to live their lives, use their computers to keep in touch with friends, scan the news, maybe even do some work -- or play games. A computer is just another tool, the Internet their workshop (or playground) and life is no different for ordinary people than when kids used to play outdoors until after dark and you could leave your doors unlocked at night.

But we, dear readers, are not ordinary people. We know that if you let your guard down, the mainstream media misses the important stories. We know that the e-card cousin Jan sent was actually a virus, and that Bill Gates is not, in fact, tracking your email to send you some of his fortune.

Please, do not bring this post to the attention of ordinary people; it would probably offend their sensibilities. They'll look at you like you have two heads and say, "What the heck was that all about?" Ordinary people get to live their lives in the comfort zone the rest of us allow them. You know who you are, you've come this far.

And if you still think you're an ordinary person, think about me while you're cleaning up after that next virus, or removing spyware embedded so deep it IS the operating system. Ordinary people. Yeah.

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Money For Nothing

2009-10-28T12:21:00.005-04:00

Well, unless you've been living in the digital equivalent of a cave for the past little while, you probably know that Windows 7 has hit the computer scene. Essentially, this is Microsoft's "apology" for foisting Vista upon the masses. From all reports, they did it mostly right this time (although their commercial with the "average" little girl kinda churns my stomach -- what 4 yr. old can read that well, let alone computer reviews?).

Your Latest Trick
Personally, I tend to think Apple has a better perspective on this: Windows 7 is probably just another "Trust me, it'll be different this time" offering from Microsoft. But what options do you really have? Face it, Apple is expensive stuff, and whether it's easy to move your documents, photos, videos and everything else you've created over to a Mac, it's also going to get pretty costly replacing the software you've come to know on the Windows platform.

Unless, of course, you've been following a blog such as this, and trying out Open Source software that you can take along with you. Then you've just got the headache of moving to a pricier machine and reinstalling all that Open Source goodness.

So Far Away
I'm leading you somewhere, and you know it. Tomorrow marks another big release: Ubuntu Linux 9.10, codenamed "Karmic Koala", and it's a viable option for Windows refugees. In my humble opinion, it's actually better than what Microsoft or Apple can offer, and I'll list my reasons here.

Ubuntu Linux 9.10 isn't plagued with legacy bugs from older versions of Windows or Mac OS. Granted, it's got it's own bugs, but you can take a hand in actually having them fixed. Your input to the operating system and the applications on it actually counts.
Every version of Windows ever released has promised to be better than the last, yet each upgrade promises better security and more stability. As long as you keep your antivirus and anti-spyware updated. Who made up this definition of secure? Wouldn't a secure computer not be prone to malware?
Windows or Mac, you're still going to have to go through some kind of registration process when you install the operating system -- whether you want to or not -- just to use your computer. This should be optional or not required at all. Ubuntu Linux 9.10 requires no registration at all, unless you wish to use the new Ubuntu One service -- you'll have to create a login to take advantage of the free disk space they're offering. Aside from that, you are ready to use your computer from the moment you log in.
No additional software required for basic functionality. With Ubuntu Linux 9.10, you get a word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, audio/video players, web browser, and more just from the basic install, and most hardware works "out of the box". Unless you've bought a new computer, all of this software needs to be loaded on the other guys.
Easy software installation. With the Ubuntu Software Centre (or Center, depending on your locale), you can find new software easily, and download it directly from the Internet. Not preloaded trialware, but actual useful things you can install freely and use permanently. In the future, additional paid-for options may appear, but you'll know about it up front, and the free options will always remain just that: free.
Easy security updates. Ubuntu Linux has always updated automatically over the Internet, when security issues arise. You can set your computer to automatically update itself as often as necessary, and most of the time, no reboot or interruption to your use of your computer is required.
Ubuntu Linux 9.10 (as with all versions of Ubuntu Linux) is free. Most of the software that runs on it is free. Support from the community is free. The only fees required are for optional paid support, if you want a professional to work something out for you.
Install each copy of Ubuntu Linux 9.10 on as many computers as you want, without licensing restrictions, without fear of being prosecuted, without the operating system warning you that you're using illegal software, and without any hidden spyware informing Microsoft or Apple of your computer use. You can choose to participate in a "popularity contest" through Ubuntu Linux 9.10 if you wish, but the only data collected is how often you use each program installed on your computer. They use that data to make the next version even better.
Ubuntu Linux 9.10 is faster than the previous version of Ubuntu Linux. What other OS can you actually say that about? Without having to buy and additional RAM or CPU upgrade?
Just to make this a "top 10 reasons to try Ubuntu Linux 9.10", I have to add, if nothing else, you can install Ubuntu Linux 9.10 right alongside whatever other operating system you already have. Use it as a backup, when that other operating system hits a snag you just can't get past. Or install it onto your USB stick (2GB is really enough for a very usable setup), and take your operating system with you anywhere you go. Almost all computers can boot from USB now.

Walk of Life
Well, there's my slightly-biased opinion of Ubuntu Linux 9.10, for what it's worth. I'll admit, I've tried Windows 7 briefly, and have played around a bit with Mac OS X in it's various incarnations. But for sheer wow factor, right from the first boot, I'll stick with Ubuntu.

Giftshop

2009-06-25T06:21:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wondered how they make all those amazing graphics on some websites? Seems one of the most popular applications for working with pictures is Adobe Photoshop, and to give credit where it's due, Photoshop is loaded with quality features. But the price... Yikes! Enter your free and equally capable alternative: The GIMP.

The GIMP (or just GIMP) is the GNU Image Manipulation Program, and over the years it has grown to be a very high quality graphics editor. They've even got an 'Adobe-compatible' version called GIMPshop that has the same menus and keystrokes as its commercial counterpart.

Ahead By A Century
GIMP is good, but as I alluded, it's not quite Photoshop. With persistence, you can achieve the same quality outputs as with Photoshop, but Adobe has put a lot of extras in that make the work that much easier. That aside, there are loads of free tutorials on the web to help you get the most out of this fantastic graphics tool. YouTube is your friend! You can find tutorials on using layers, working with special effects, retouching photos, or pretty much anything else you'd want to do with a bitmap editor.

Grace, Too
One feature that really makes the GIMP shine is its built-in support for almost any graphics format available. File formats supported include bmp, gif, jpeg, mng, pcx, png, ps, psd, svg, tiff, tga, xpm, and many others. It can even import PDF files in a graphic format so you can edit those, too. Just work in the GIMP's native format while you're composing your masterpiece, then save it in whatever format you need it. Add transparency, resize, crop and then easily convert between formats, too.

Bobcaygeon
As with many other free and open source programs, the GIMP comes in a portable version, so no matter where you are, you have access. Simply download the program and install it once to a USB thumb drive and you're ready to go anywhere. Even better, you take your settings and preferences with you, no matter what computer you're on. And no matter whether you're running Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, there's a GIMP for you!

New Orleans Is Sinking
Now you've got your web browsing, word processing and graphic editing needs taken care of, what else do you need? Don't worry, there's still more to come in the cavalcade of open source applications!

Box Set

2009-04-30T05:56:00.005-04:00

It's bound to happen. Sooner or later, everyone needs a word processor, spreadsheet or presentation program. Take a quick look through your local computer store and you're liable to find maybe two or three options. Without doubt, Microsoft Office will be one of those options. But there is an option available for free online, and it's called OpenOffice.

If I Had $1,000,000
Sure, you can buy all kinds of variations of Microsoft Office. They even offer a downloadable version (or you can just buy a licence for the version preinstalled on your new PC). But you'll still have to pay again when everyone else upgrades to the next version. What you really get access to with Microsoft Office is a great deal of templates and clipart. If you put a little time in on Google, you can usually find free alternatives. For instance, even from within OpenOffice, you can use the Extension Manager to load additional features, like editing PDFs, or complete template and clipart packs. All free.

Get In Line
Everyone runs Microsoft Office, so you need to be compatible. Lucky you, OpenOffice is very compatible. The latest version (3.0) can read the newest Office Document standard, and save in older formats so everyone can just get along. The user interface isn't that greatly different from any other word processor, spreadsheet or presentation program, so it's all very easy to feel at home with OpenOffice. And with add-ons, you can customize how it all works. This is a suite meant for you, the user. With similar drawing features, the ability to handle all the same kinds of fonts, FontWork (to replace WordArt) and loads of other great features, anyone can afford to put together professional quality documents.

Pinch Me
The best feature of OpenOffice and its add-ons is this: it's free. Free now, free later, free. OpenOffice is used as a basis for StarOffice, a commercially-oriented derivative with proprietary additions. Often, the current version of OpenOffice is better than the current StarOffice. So, you have the option of buying a fully-supported commercial version of a slightly older OpenOffice (with extras) or you can keep up with the latest and greatest release with OpenOffice. It's win-win, really!

The Ninjas
And just in case you're worried about bogging down your computer with all kinds of software, OpenOffice (and many other fine software) is available in a portable version. Load it onto your USB thumb drive and you can take it all along with you in "stealth mode". Any questions?

Let's Get It Started In Here!

2009-03-25T05:59:00.006-04:00

I thought a good place to start your introduction to Open Source would be with what you are using right now: the web browser. Not the web browser most Windows users are accustomed to using just because it's there, that would be Internet Explorer. The specific browser I'd like to introduce you to is Mozilla Firefox, or just Firefox as it is usually called.

Now why, you might ask, would you want to use anything but Internet Explorer? It's already there and it seems to work for everything I want to do. Well, my main answer to that is this: security! If you care about the health of your computer and about your personal data being a bit more secure, you'll use anything BUT Internet Explorer.

Where Is The Love?
I'll digress for a moment here just to mention that there are other Open Source browsers out there: Chrome, Konqueror and Dillo are just a few that come to mind. There are also other proprietary browsers, such as Opera and Safari. This introduction isn't about them, but feel free to compare what they have to offer with Firefox. All of the aforementioned browsers are free at least to some degree and are generally considered more secure than Internet Explorer.

Firefox aims to be a secure, standards-compliant browser, and it follows the Open Source development model. That is to say, anyone that wants to help make a better browser can take part in making Firefox work better, whether through using it and reporting bugs, writing documentation, testing against known standard sites or actually getting into the program code.

For you, kind reader, I'd suggest just enjoying a fast, secure browser, and if any problems do crop up, report them to the best of your ability and keep enjoying the benefits of Open Source. There are a couple of caveats to make it a bit of a challenge, even on Windows, but the benefits far outweigh the hassles!

My Humps
For starters, Firefox 3.0 (the current version as of this writing) has many handy features. Right from installation, Firefox has settings that can block unwanted content to speed up loading the things you want to see. Firefox also isn't integrated directly into your operating system, so automatically loading software (like spyware and adware that slow down your computer) doesn't happen without your knowledge.

Add-ons in Firefox let you extend the functionality of Firefox as much or as little as you like. Continuing in the vein of blocking things you don't care to see, AdBlock Plus is an excellent add-on you can easily install -- and virtually never see a banner or pop-up ad again! To install any add-on in Firefox, just click Tools, Add-ons and search for what you want. Practically everything you can imagine a browser doing is right at the click of your mouse.

Now, go get a copy of Firefox (from www.mozilla.org/firefox) and see what it can do for yourself! If you get stuck, visit the Firefox Support pages to find the answer to all your questions.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

2009-02-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Good Computing! For anyone returning after any of the earlier articles, welcome back. To those of you just discovering this blog, thanks for stopping by!

Up to now, this blog has covered a miscellany of topics, from rants about the deficiencies of operating systems to ingenious Linux installations to the foibles of the OLPC project. Time for a bit of focus. I'll try not to get distracted, and stick to this latest theme: helping you, the user, get acquainted with Open Source.

Do You Want To Know A Secret?
For those of you that are already Linux and FOSS-savvy, feel free to jump in and lend a hand; please keep any posts positive and "newbie friendly"; the newbies are the ones I'm aiming to entice and help here. If you are reading the word "newbie" for the first time, this posting is for you, and so will the coming postings be. In fact, feel free to comment on what you'd like to see here, what you need to know more about.

I want any new users to be at ease with this informal introduction to all things free software, so even the least informed of questions is welcome; there are no "dumb questions" here.

Now, let's begin our journey into the realm of Open Source...

Can't Buy Me Love
Let's start with the whole question of what Open Source means. For some people, it's a weird concept to wrap your head around. For others, it's a way of life, and they follow it religiously! You don't have to get all wrapped up in philosophical discussions to be a user of Open Source software. Simply put, Open Source is software that comes with rights for you, the user. You can get it for free, or you can pay for it, but either way you're welcome -- and encouraged -- to make as many copies as you want, install it where you want and use it how you want, as long as you respect the basic rules of copyright. This flies in the face of typical proprietary software: the company you bought a licence from owns it; you can only install it where they have licensed you to do so; and if you are in violation of their terms they can disable the software or even sue you.

Okay, so where do I get this Open Source software? Well, if you Google "open source", you'll get a few good starting points. For instance, SourceForge is a massive host of Open Source software, where you can download all kinds of applications for virtually any purpose. Word processors, web browsers, games, geneology tools and utilities of all kinds simply await you. All you need to do is search them out. Most Open Source software is generated by either small companies or individuals, and so may lack some of the "polish" of their commercial counterparts. Some of the more popular Open Source projects, however, attract the attention of a lot of programmers, artists, documentation writers and various other individuals that help a piece of software "grow" -- and they often become better than proprietary offerings.

Magical Mystery Tour
When you go looking, you're bound to run into this thing called Linux, and that's a whole blog (and more) to itself. Linux is generally an alternative operating system for computers that we'll work up to introducing; for now, just keep an eye our for how much is available for Linux as compared to Windows and make yourself at home with Open Source. Keep what you like, share it with friends, and offer positive feedback for things you don't like -- this will help the programmers out there in designing useful software for the masses.

I'm going to let you go here; go explore, find some of the free and Open Source software available on the Internet and come on back with your questions. You're about to embark on a journey to "get back to where you once belonged" -- in control of your computer!

I'm Apparently Not A PC

2008-11-14T06:11:00.000-05:00

Like Windows Vista, this post has taken far too long to come, and probably won't be worth the wait. Don't worry, I'll do better with my next post. It'll have all the bells and whistles you want, and I'm going to start accepting input about what you'd like in it with this very post.

A blog is kind of like a monopoly that way. I can say pretty much anything I want here and people can comment. I don't have to do a thing about those comments, though, and those who know no other blog will still come back for more with the very next post, just like 95% of Windows users will go on to Windows Vista, Windows 7, and beyond without blinking.

Okay, so a blog isn't so much of a monopoly. You don't like what I have to say, you leave. You take your eyes elsewhere and you read opinions you agree with, or that challenge you in a way you like better. I guess I'll just never understand what really compels people to keep monopolies in power. And yes, just to be crystalline clear I am talking about that abusive monopoly we all love to hate: Microsoft.

And yes, this post was inspired by their recent "I'm A PC" campaign. The one where they'll happily allow you to upload what you do with your PC and let you be included in their advertising -- but only if you use a PC they way they want you to. I'm not a PC. I'm not a PC, because I run Ubuntu Linux.

I'm trying to find a "sweet spot" here; a delicate balance between rabidly bashing Microsoft for all the heinous things they are responsible for in the computer industry and the more sane view of "they're just a software company". I think the simple truth is people live under monpoly control for a few simple reasons. It's comfortable. It's what everyone does. It's safe. It's better than the alternatives. It's too hard to switch to anything else.

How do you sanely argue that a massive switch from Microsoft's products would actually be a good thing for the economies of the world, and that everyone would be happier, in the end? Don't you just end up sounding like a zealot? Some kind of nut-job that is walking through the streets with a sign that says, "The END IS NIGH!" That's pretty much what mainstream media does to anyone outside the accepted norms. Everything is done in terms of what the majority does, whether it is sane or not.

So where's the sweet spot? Do I point out here that using other software can be just as comfortable, or maybe even more comfortable than something that's been in the popular eye for decades? Let's face it: for most users, if it isn't already installed on their computer, it might as well not exist. If a computer comes with Microsoft Works, that will wind up the "office suite" of choice. Which is one reason why Microsoft Office 2007 is pretty much a guaranteed hit, because it sure is the most awkward interface anyone I've spoken to has ever seen (except for literally one individual; there's no accounting for personal tastes and I don't hold it against that person).

Leaving "the beaten path" means you're on your own, right? I mean, what if a user just downloaded some free office suite (or OS, for that matter*) from the Web and started using that instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for whatever the current Microsoft monopoly offering is? Who's going to support it? A normal user can't be expected to fix their own problems! Heck, if the answer is more than a 20 second Google search, it's too hard to use! Nope, sticking with what everyone knows is safer: just ask the tech at work (or a 13 year old) for help when you get stuck and you'll be alright.

Of course, what happens if that free software doesn't have all the features of the comparable Microsoft monopoly product? It can't be as good. And what about all those templates and wizards and things it does for you? Surely it's all worth the cost. There's no point in searching the web for free templates, wizards, clipart and doodads when it's all bundled right there for you, just hand over your credit card, please. Now, who can you find to show you how to use all this stuff, and what would you actually use it for? Most users only use a tiny fraction of what their software can do. But the alternatives would be too hard to learn, to difficult to support and in the end cost more than the stuff they paid for. And took the course for, to learn how to use. And paid support for (on top of the software cost), to fix the problems they ran into.

But I'm just a zealot, looking for a sweet spot, to try make sense of it all. On free, open software, that I have paid for with my time, my money and my sanity. I'm not a PC.

*By the way, there are many excellent free computer Operating Systems out there for any individual with enough curiosity to try. Maybe start with Ubuntu and see some of what this whole piece is about. A definite "sweet spot".

The Value of Free

2008-07-14T07:11:00.000-04:00

How do you put a value on the products created through open source? Do you consider all the time spent crafting quality software? Take into account your own effort in advocating its use? Charge for packaging and a profit margin? How, exactly, would Best Buy have come to the conclusion that Ubuntu Linux is worth $19.99? I think the answer is fairly simple: they guessed.*

You see, putting a price on open source is about as difficult as nailing jelly to a tree. You could charge in the ballpark of competing software (Windows Vista, which starts at $199.99 and runs up to $299.99), but I'll bet people would balk at that, with claims about it being available free, you can't sell open source for that kind of money, and so forth. Although, a Red Hat Enterprise edition will run you about $349 (with 1 year support), and that's built on open source.

Maybe it's because Red Hat sells it; a company that has put a lot of effort and code into the product. I can buy that (literally). Here's a company that's been involved in open source for about as long as Linux has been around. They deserve to sell free software, and make a profit from it. Okay, now how about Dell? They sell Red Hat and Ubuntu on some of their systems, and just a quick comparison of systems shows me that Ubuntu costs an extra $20 over a Windows-based system (check out their Desktop Inspiron). Not bad, for a free OS, but I think they seriously undervalue it. Would there be an outcry if they charged Vista prices?

According to the text printed right on every Ubuntu CD, "You are encouraged and legally entitled to copy, reinstall, modify, and redistribute this CD". Does this include selling the CD, instead of just sharing it with friends, colleagues and neighbours? Well, let's look at the licensing. In general, the software included with Ubuntu is licensed under the GPL or the LGPL. If we look carefully at the GPL (v2.0), the third paragraph of the Preamble states:

...if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis
or for a fee...

Gratis being distributing for free, and "for a fee" pretty much says you can sell software licensed under the GPL. How about the LGPL? Strangely, that same phrase appears in the Preamble (v2.0). Under the newer GPL 3.0 and LGPL 3.0, they've moved this language around, but it still exists.

Why all the fuss over whether you can sell something that is free? How fair is it if a company like Best Buy starts distributing open source software and is actually making a profit from it? According to the licensing, it is perfectly fair! Maybe not 100% ethical, but fair! Personally, I'd like to see them donate something of their proceeds back to the open source projects they affect, but they aren't obligated.

Another way to look at it is to consider how much Ubuntu (for example) would benefit from Best Buy or Dell even giving their product away (like the text on the CD says -- share it around). It's all market share, and increased awareness, so it is irrelevant if a vendor charges $19.99 or a more competitive $199.99. Consider the old adage, "You get what you pay for." When it comes to free software, does this hold true? In many people's minds, this is the perception. Through Best Buy, Dell or anyone else putting a value on Ubuntu Linux, it changes consumer perception. I think they're being very fair in pricing open source low, due to it's availability for free, but at the same time I value the fact that they are raising consumer awareness of open source, regardless of their own profit motives. The actual worth of the product becomes a moot point; once an individual is exposed to open source, they usually become fans pretty quickly. Look at the Firefox phenomenon.

Personally, I think this is an idea that really needs to be exploited by open source advocates of all sorts. Think the open source products you use are good enough to compete in the market? Sell it to the masses! If you feel the need to give your profits back into the community, all the better. The market -- and the community -- will decide if your move has been worthwhile, and your success will ride on how you handle the diplomatic introduction of open source to a whole new world of users.

*I still think the price is somewhat arbitrary, but I'm pleased to find I'm wrong about the lack of connection to Canonical, and that the boxed set actually comes with 60 days support. Here's a link I failed to read prior to this post.

It's All Been Done Before

2008-04-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

I'm astonished at the tenacity of Windows users. I'm dismayed at the loyalty of OEM manufacturers, willing to foist Windows upon their unwitting users, all in the name of profit.

Recently, I helped configure a brand new HP Media Centre PC for a client of mine. Nothing terribly difficult, just a problem with a DVI-VGA adapter that the client didn't know he needed to use to connect the widescreen 22” monitor. After getting the system up and running, I noted Symantec had various stages to complete for it's installer, and walked through the steps to ensure the PC was in a secure state. Naturally, Vista Home Premium had been preinstalled and the Symantec Norton Internet Security package was available for 60 days' use, which the client wanted to take advantage of.

Everything went fairly smoothly, and the client was mostly happy (aside from the speed with which Vista was responding; for a fast, top-of-the-line computer, he expected a bit more zip). He liked the service I provided enough to ask about his old computer, and if I could get the old computer up and running again so he could use it as a backup. I said I'd take a look.

The old computer was only a couple of years old, and also an HP. Windows wouldn't even boot, missing some critical system file. The emergency repair partition can only be used to completely wipe the system, so that was of no use in restoring critical system files, and of course the client had never made recovery CDs. I found later this may not have helped anyway: the system was infested with spyware and viruses and would likely self-implode within the first couple of boots and need to be fixed again. So I did what any good technician should do, and booted the system with a live Linux CD.

After repairing the NTFS filesystem enough to recover any documents and data files that may be of interest to the client, I let the HP recovery partition do it's work of reinstalling the system to a pristine install. On this PC, however, I did not enable the Symantec offering. Instead, I opted to install a free antivirus, AVG Free Edition, and made sure it updates itself daily. I also installed SpyBot S&D, and immunized the system right from the start.

When I returned the old system, with most data and documents intact, my client had a simple question for me. "How do I get rid of all these popups?" he asked. He had had the computer less than a week at this point, and already he was getting multiple popups! I examined the new computer for a bit, and found he had been infected with something called Virtumonde, which had taken the liberty of disabling the wonderful Symantec package I had taken the time (on my last visit) to enable. I downloaded SpyBot S&D, installed, immunized, updated, immunized again, and did a complete scan of the system. No less than 48 problems were found, not much by most spyware-infected standards, but it was only a week!

I cleaned things up for him, and got Symantec running again. I would have offered him a Ubuntu Linux installation free of charge, but I had found out recently that the network card used in these new HP Media Centre PCs just doesn't appear to be compatible (yet). Otherwise, all he's doing with his PC is watching movies, listening to music, email and web surfing. Oh, and getting spyware.

If this were any other product (a car, a fridge, a television, even a VCR) you'd take it back to where you got it and ream out the store you bought it from for selling such a shoddy product. I'm not just picking on HP, it's all major vendors that ship their computers with Windows preinstalled. But this shoddy product -- Windows -- is acceptable and normal for computer users. They expect their computers to not work, or to have problems. They expect to have to pay someone like me to come and take care of them.

When I can help them, I do: I give them a working computer; I give them Linux if their PC is compatible. And I tell them Linux is free.

Vapourware

2008-03-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

Vapourware is defined as "a software or hardware product which is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge, either with or without a protracted development cycle. The term implies unwarranted optimism, or sometimes even deception". In other words, software that promises users the sun, moon and stars, but never comes to fruition. Even if the software does make it into the light of day, it doesn't do most of what it was purported to.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of this in the world of software, and it is an oft-used tactic to keep users from switching to another available option. If you'll just please wait for the release of this wonderful new software, it will do everything the other brand does, and more! Our current offering doesn't provide this feature, but just wait until the next release, it will be better than sliced bread!

One fine example of vapourware can be taken from the world of open source. Specifically, the new and improved gaming console once conceived of as the Indrema gaming system. Here's where vapourware manifested itself in hardware. Indrema promised a whole new type of gaming console; one that is based on open standards; one that uses Linux as its base; one that would be capable of replacing your other consoles through emulation. In theory, it was an idea way ahead of its time. Just look at the proliferation of hacks to run Linux on virtually every gaming console available (the latest breakthrough being the hack to run Linux natively on the Wii). Sadly, the Indrema was too ambitious and lacked the funding to make good on its promises.

OpenOffice is another project that seems to uphold this vapourware tradition. From as early as 2003, users of OpenOffice were told import of WordPerfect documents would be available real soon now through libwpd. Sure, they have it, and it works fine for basic tables and text, but where do all the graphics disappear to, even in versions as recent as OpenOffice 2.3? Now, you could argue that at least the OpenOffice team has done their best at implementing what they can from the WordPerfect document schema, but full importing of archival WordPerfect documents is still a pipe dream.

Corel, for it's part, could have had a much greater impact on this situation, had it chosen to do so. Instead, we have the evaporated WordPerfect for Linux and CorelOS to look back at. CorelOS delivered on a lot of what was promised, and yet due to financial difficulties, and dubious associations with Microsoft, it was dropped (now in the incarnation of Xandros, the OS lives on). WordPerfect for Linux, on the other hand, was never what it could have been, and if it was promised to be a Linux-based equal to WordPerfect on any other platform, it very poorly missed the mark.

Not being the sort that likes to bash the efforts of any open source endeavour (because I really do think this method of development holds the key to future innovations and progress in computing), I feel the need to point out at least one of Microsoft's vapourware announcements. How about Bob, anyone? I'm sorry, I guess Bob was real – a real embarrassment for Microsoft, and now virtually buried down some deep, dank Internet hole. How about something recent? Vista, maybe? Yes, I think it's fair to point out that Vista has a great deal of vapour surrounding it.

Let's start with WinFS, which was promised to Microsoft users back in 2003. Microsoft has had users on the hook for a while with that one, hoping they would be able to organize and locate their files with such greater ease because of the improved file system. How about Aero, the new and improved Vista graphics interface, for Windows XP? They promised it. That seems to have only made it into premium editions of Vista. Did delivery deadlines and the inability to make it work with the underlying bulk of Windows proved too much for even Microsoft's vast resources to be able to save? How about hobbling Vista from the PC-to-PC synchronization feature that once was in the beta version of the program?

Too often, software makers put out promises of “the next best thing” being right around the corner. Many times, they don't deliver. Overall, openly developed software provides the best hope of actually providing what users want to see. If there is real demand for a feature, any interested party can fund development of that particular feature; or, in the case of a talented individual, they can simply do it themselves. Even if the original developer disappears off the development scene, the code can be recycled and made into whatever the end users need of it. With closed software, regardless of who develops it or what promises they've made, there is never end control on the part of the end user. What you get is what they provide.

Instead of putting off that buying decision the next time a future version of software is announced, why not have a look around and see if you can find similar features in an open source project, and support the development of something that fits your needs – and your budget – for now, and into the future.

OLPC: Virus Free

2008-03-12T16:11:00.000-04:00

I didn't intend for OLPC to become one of my favourite topics, I just happen to notice a lot going on about it in the press, and sadly a lot of it is just plain wrong.

Take, for example, a recent article by Sam Varghese, entitled "OLPC: one virus per child". I won't link to the article, because it is extremely misleading, in my opinion, and doesn't deserve the clicks. In short, the article surmises that because Microsoft is working hard to provide Windows XP for the XO Laptop and Nicholas Negroponte made a comment about reorganizing the One Laptop Per Child organization to be run "more like Microsoft", the XO Laptop is doomed to be a vessel for spreading computer viruses worldwide.

I fail to see how Mr Varghese links Microsoft providing XP for the XO Laptop and Negroponte's quote that the organization needs to be run "more like Microsoft". The one has nothing to do with the other, and he's clearly taken both out of context to support his inane argument.

Nowhere in the BusinessWeek article he uses as reference does Negoponte say the XO Laptop or the goals of providing that laptop need to change to suit Microsoft or any other proprietary operating system. What he does say is that the organization needs to function more like the most successful software company in the world; like it or not, that is Microsoft, and emulating the way they market and operate would be a major benefit to the One Laptop Per Child effort.

Assuming that this statement means OLPC will be changing direction to provide a proprietary OS for every laptop -- essentially abandoning all the work done previously -- is extremely narrow-minded and naive. It also ignores the principles behind the XO Laptop: "We want the child to interact with the laptop on as deep a level as he or she desires. Children program the machine, not the other way around."

iPhone, You Phone, OpenMoko!

2008-03-08T05:38:00.000-05:00

With all the hype surrounding the iPhone, it's time to consider what this little wonder can really do as a replacement for your portable computer. Of course, iPhone isn't the only player in the market, just the most popular. Apple certainly has a way of getting their name out and making a big splash with their products. The open source and open hardware project OpenMoko, however, promises to be everything the iPhone is and more.

Now let's get beyond the "way cool" bling of the iPhone, for just a moment. I know it's difficult, with it's simple gesture-based interface and it's sleek graphics and text handling, but let's focus on utility here. Essentially, what the iPhone does is makes phone calls, send SMS messages, and let you play around with ringtones, themes and pictures on your phone. Secondary features are music, video and WiFi (yes, a very nice features to have in a phone). Finally, making full use of that WiFi, are the applications you can run on the iPhone: web browsers, mail, maps, YouTube and so on.

The thinking that went into this device is phenomenal: multitouch screen, automatic orientation to landscape when you rotate the phone, proximity sensor for detecting when you're talking on the phone (so you don't take pictures of your ear), simple WiFi interface, OS X multitasking core, smart widgets, web applications to extend its functionality -- in short, it's got features most full-blown PCs don't have.

All of this is locked into a device controlled by one company: Apple.

Now let's consider an alternative: OpenMoko. Just what is OpenMoko? From the OpenMoko site:

The Neo 1973 runs totally Free Software...The Neo was specifically designed with openness and ease of developer-access from very start.

That's a pretty powerful statement. The first OpenMoko phone, the Neo 1973 is just the beginning. It's a totally open, user-accessible device. You can change the software it runs, you can add hardware, you can "tinker" with the device to your heart's content and make the phone truly yours. All the specs, all the software, everything is available for anyone interested, all under an open license that doesn't restrict how you use your phone.

Right now, the features in the developer model are fairly decent. The hardware is fairly typical of a common cell phone: SD card slot, built-in AGPS (as compared to the iPhone's WiFi locating techniques), a large photo-quality screen (although only single touch), enough memory for most uses, and the most open computing architecture available for these devices. Fairly boring stuff, really. What's exciting is the way this product is being developed. "If you can't open it, you don't own it" is what they believe.

The software end of things is where the OpenMoko gets really interesting. Developed using the open source model, all the code for the underlying OS and applications is being developed right out in the open. Anyone who wants to participate in shaping the way this device works is welcome. The code is there, and you can make this little gadget do anything you want. You want bling? You got it. You want business apps? Go ahead! This is a third party add-on company's dream! Imagine being able to fit your custom application into a phone that anyone can download your software on to. You don't have to sign a licensing agreement with Apple, or Nokia, or even a phone server provider like Bell or Telus.

OpenMoko is still just beginning, but the potential to be so much more than the iPhone is incredible. With the opportunity to truly innovate in the cell phone market, entirely new interfaces, applications and possibilities open up, and can stimulate growth in the industry.

Welcome to the opening of the cell phone market and customizable phones. Your phone is ringing.

OLPC A Good Idea, Badly Misunderstood

2008-02-23T14:35:00.000-05:00

MrCopilot: OLPC A Good Idea, Badly Misunderstood

In case anyone is of the mistaken impression my earlier take on the OLPC (XO Laptop) was a negative (trying to shoehorn XP onto the little thing), I invite you to visit MrCopilot for an excellent article.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

2008-02-17T08:46:00.000-05:00

I recently came across some Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) information Microsoft has published on their website, showing how using Windows Server gives you a better Return On Investment (ROI) than Linux. Given the ubiquity of Microsoft Windows, you may think that what they have to say would hold a good deal of truth to it. I think the truth is a little closer to "Microsoft makes it as expensive as possible to break out of the lock-in their products create."

The whole "package" the site is selling (Windows Server) is put together very nicely, but there is strikingly little hard data available. But we'll use what's there, without digging into the allegorical studies they've conveniently linked. Remember: there are two sides to every story, and Microsoft is known to lie on occasion. Even to a judge, on one occasion. During a trial in which they were convicted of being an abusive monopolist. But I digress.

TCO
Have a look at Microsoft's numbers in the TCO section of their site. What if you tried another server that has better uptime than Microsoft's servers that had just 1% better uptime? Suddenly, all the figures change -- and if you use a pie chart to express this, it really looks like that staffing figure balloons by about 5% for a change of 1% to uptime. And the training component? Wait a second here... the Windows platform gets an upgrade anywhere between every 3 and 5 years, so doesn't this get repeated every couple of years? And don't tell me Vista is exactly the same as XP, so no training is required. Once you know a POSIX-based OS (including Mac OS X, Linux, UNIX, FreeBSD, etc.) you've got pretty much all you need as you move through different upgrade levels. Even better, you can upgrade when you're ready, not on Microsoft's time schedule. Another point: upgrading something like a Linux OS will typically not require more hardware resources. Try squeeze Vista onto any 3 year old computer and see what happens.

Reliability
Straight from Microsoft:

Choosing a reliable platform that’s easy to manage and maintain reduces the direct costs of reacting to downtime as well as the costs associated with end-user productivity.

Of course, avoiding that downtime is even better. When is the last time your IT team had to take down the Exchange server because of a virus, or due to some critical maintenance issue? Check this against your ISP, which probably uses a UNIX/Linux-type system. I'm just guessing your ISP handles a lot more email than your average company, and I can't even recall the last time I had a problem getting email from an ISP. UNIX/Linux and other POSIX-based systems just aren't prone to viruses the way Windows is. POSIX-based systems were designed to be used by many people, often all at once. Windows was designed to put a pretty face on DOS, and has grown up with that legacy. To get anything done, you have to use it with administrative privileges.

Reliability: getting your computers to do what you want, when you want them to. Is Windows easy to configure? Yes, as long as it's within the parameters of what the GUI says it can do. Otherwise, wade through the Registry and figure out the extra tweaking options. Linux and alternatives become easier to maintain day by day, even if you do have to edit a text file; the files are usually much smaller and better organized (and commented, even) than the Windows Registry. And once it's configured, you can rest in peace, knowing it will work consistently, even across security patches.

Security
Okay, so maybe Microsoft's OSes aren't really the cheapest or most reliable, maybe they are. They're the most secure, right? So go ahead, run your Windows Desktop or Server without antivirus or antimalware software. Microsoft is secure, so this isn't an issue. Now back to reality: Microsoft has one of the worst track records for security in the computing industry. Thousands of viruses, trojans, spyware and the like infest the Internet, at times causing major slowdowns and disruptions to organizations and individual users. Yes, other platforms have problems occasionally, and you can argue that it's because there are so many Windows systems out there by comparison. But I would pick a Linux computer without antivirus over a Windows computer without antivirus any day. The basic security model of Windows is just flawed.

Linux is developed using an open development model; the code is put out in the open, where thousands of eyes can look at it and scrutinize it, like the way the scientific community scrutinizes new discoveries and papers. It puts warts and all out in the open, so that while the "bad guys" can figure out how to exploit a problem, there are dozens (if not more) "good guys" at work fixing the problems. Microsoft keeps these warts hidden, and from experience we know there are many. Just because they only disclose the ones they know they have a fix for, or are forced to disclose those that clever hackers find, doesn't make Microsoft's security model better.

Try running Windows without using an administrative account for a month and see how user friendly it is. That may be more secure, but you can't do much with it. Which is my final argument for the security (or lack thereof) comparisons Microsoft likes to expound, comparing it to the likes of Red Hat, Ubuntu or Debian systems. Any of these Linux-based distributions comes with everything you could possibly need to run on your computer, quite often free of charge (Red Hat charges for add-on service for their products). And Microsoft counts every little bug in each of them as a security flaw multiple times. Even though Microsoft Windows doesn't come with an office suite by default (you have to buy that later), they count the bugs in things like OpenOffice.org as being bugs in all of the comparison OSes. Even though the same bug may affect Konqueror, Firefox, Epiphany and other open source web browsers, Microsoft will include these stats individually in comparing their security to Internet Explorer.

Choice
Microsoft loves to tell you how much choice you have with the Windows OS. Supported by the most vendors, served by the largest number of certified technicians, etc. What would you expect of the vendor with 95% of the market? If they didn't have this kind of stuff in place, they wouldn't be around long. Especially with the amount of support needed to keep a Windows computing environment functional. I mean, just start out with having to purchase the firewalls, antivirus, antimalware, office suites, mail servers, terminal servers, file servers, application servers, hire the staff to look after all that and you've got quite a support network. Now, take the first 8 items I mentioned there and put the money back in your pocket. Use a free Linux-based solution for each of those, and hire the right people to take care of it all (they're out there, and they're not that hard to find).

MCSEs are a dime a dozen, and usually worth about that much. Their certification only lasts until the next Microsoft product comes out to replace the one they certified on, and the new software, I guarantee, has things they don't know squat about. Grab a qualified Linux professional and you've found someone who knows how to problem solve, how to learn, how to adapt to any given situation. The base of a Linux system has remained stable for years, and figuring out one Linux compared to another isn't that difficult when you know what you're looking for. You may be able to customize the hell out of a Linux server, but you don't need to to make it work like a Windows server. The fact that you can makes its value all the more, not an added expense.

Manageability
How would you like your IT guys to be able to check in on any server or desktop right from their office? See detailed information on what the processors are doing, add a software package, or just remotely control the user's desktop that's having trouble finding a lost document? Sounds like some expensive Microsoft solution, doesn't it? How about, it's a built-in feature of most Linux configurations? While it is true that Enterprise management solutions for Linux are "slim pickings" and maybe not as well-rounded (aka. slick-looking) as the Microsoft Windows options, you can just plain do more with a Linux system by remote than you would ever imagine with a Windows system. You are really only limited by your IT staff's imagination. How's that for manageability?

Interoperability
Such a big word to mean so little, coming from Microsoft. Interoperability to Microsoft means being able to work with their servers, their file formats, their authentication systems, their world. And since they run their world, of course they are interoperable with it. Microsoft has a long history of "embrace, extend, extinguish" and this is just another facet of that behaviour. Microsoft has embraced things like Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Kerberos authentication in their Active Directory Services (ADS), extended their use enough that it is a proprietary secret how to achieve full authentication, then locked out any alternative from being able to work with it. That last part, they've achieved pretty well, aside from those tenacious open source folks, who've worked around the problem in dozens of ways, in the name of interoperability.

They've done the same thing with the Web. Any web browser should be able to view any site. Instead, we have sites that exclude anything but Internet Explorer, and even some sites that exclude all but specific versions. The amount of pressure Microsoft is able to put on users without most of them even realizing it is incredible. They provide a "free" browser with their OS, and users never realize they are seeing a side of the Web unavailable if they switch; and if they do switch, it's nearly impossible to get some sites to work, leaving the impression the alternative product is somehow defective.

So Microsoft owns the game, and they don't really want any other players. Which is probably why they're currently trying to buy Yahoo! And they have the money to do it. Hell, they even lied to a judge and tried to get away with it. Come to think of it, I'd say they did.

Linux Inside Windows?

2008-02-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a little link that doesn't do exactly that, but it does allow you to install Linux as if it was an application within Windows. You know, for those of you who still wish to "try before you buy" but don't want to burn a CD. Just follow the download link!

Windows Still Isn't Linux

2008-02-08T06:43:00.000-05:00

Its ironic how there are so many users who cling to Microsoft Windows and then proudly tout that the first thing they do is run out and load up on free or open source applications. Every year, we see lists of "best free apps" or "essential apps" for Windows, and every year, the apps become more and more like watered-down versions of what is available on almost any Linux-based system.

Office suite? Yeah, OpenOffice pretty much rules this space. There are nice light word processors and spreadsheets out there, but nothing beats the sheer magnitude of what's available for OpenOffice. Especially since its template compatible with Microsoft's Office suite. And since I use a Debian-based Linux, its all in my repositories, ready to install at the click of a mouse. Synaptic is your friend!

For your torrent needs (and these days, it is a reality that p2p is here to stay), there are so many options on Linux choice is your biggest problem. Personally, I prefer qtorrent, but azureus is also a big hit here with functionality galore.

VoIP software? Ekiga is a nice default in the GNOME environment, but for cross-platform Skype is probably the best bet. Although not up to it's counterparts in the Windows and Mac arenas, the Linux version is a hefty contender, and easily installed on most systems.

Everyone has a favourite paint program, and on Linux there are a few nice ones to choose from. The options range from the basic xpaint, just to get the job done, to the GIMP, an Adobe Photoshop contender. You can, of course, get by with the fun TuxPaint, designed to be kid-friendly and easy to use. For many simple drawing jobs, why not have fun while you doodle?

For raster-based graphics, there are even more options: OpenOffice Draw, Xara Extreme, Inkscape, Karbon14, just to name a few. Personally, I find the OpenOffice Draw program more than meets my needs. I even use it for basic desktop publishing layouts and generate PDFs directly from within the program.

With a wealth of graphics programs in Linux, you'd come to expect something simple like a photo manipulation program or resizing tool would be a natural, right? Right! Not only is there ImageMagick for doing just about anything you could want to your images, there's F-Spot, digiKam and a whole host of other programs for organizing and retouching your photos. You're not locked into the software that came with your camera to get the best out of it!

Media players have grown out of necessity on the Linux platform. Who can live without such things as music, videos and online content? Since most of the proprietary software world seems to shy away from open source, many options for playing MP3s, AVIs, MOVs and MPGs have sprung up, including the fabulous Amarok, Mplayer, Video Lan Client (VLC), Xine and the Totem media players. Each has it's own highlights and dark sides, but the wonderful thing is they all continue to get better thanks to the open source development model. HD and Blu-Ray may presently be an issue, but given time, I predict the media players for Linux will easily meet the demand for high definition content.

I'm only going to touch on archiving software in Linux. There are plenty of tools for just about anything you could want to open, including formats Windows users never even see. And there are GUIs to make it all seamless.

Oddly, a popular category of tool in Windows is what I'll call the "cleanup tool". These are those little gems that work through your registry to get rid of the old forgotten bits of bloat that old programs left, or remove the viruses from your email, or keep the spyware from putting all thos annoying popups on your screen. They're a Windows problem, so there is not a good Linux-based analogy, and certainly no similar tools. Yes, old programs can leave their configurations behind if you don't tell the program to uninstall everything; but that would be the point: you have the option in Linux (at least on an APT-managed system) of removing EVERYTHING a program installed. Even if you don't remove the configurations of that program you tried just briefly and no longer want, it won't slow you down. There is no central registry in Linux, so the configs do no harm but taking up a tiny portion of that huge hard drive you have.

There are, of course, a myriad of tools for inspecting the state of your system. Process monitors, CPU frequency meters, hard drive spin rate monitors, and the list goes on. One thing the people who work on Linux like is to be able to see what's going on under the hood. And they have the most interesting ways of showing that off visually. Everything from little toolbars to desklets to animated fish.

So yes, you can go out and buy a new PC and have it loaded with Vista and get a lot of bling for your buck, then save some cash by downloading everything under the sun (and please remember the antivirus and antispyware and firewall FIRST). Or you can try something else just as new to you: Linux. Its good. Its ready. Its free.

It's Not You, It's The Computer

2008-01-21T09:11:00.001-05:00

The Problem

Have you ever been told this, when a computer technician crosses your path on the road to PC recovery? How many times have little things about a computer system left you totally lost? For example, you boot your computer one day and instead of your Desktop you are met with the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD):

The first thing a technician will probably ask you is, "What did you do to your computer last?" Unfortunately, more and more this line of questioning is pointless. Users don't need to do anything to their computers in order to be faced with cryptic messages with unintuitive solutions. Thanks to malware and poor software design, this kind of message can occur almost randomly, and can be costly to fix if you can't figure out what the message is trying to tell you.

Even something as simple as moving your files to a new computer can create issues. One would expect, for instance, that the Microsoft Files and Settings Transfer (FAST) Wizard might copy all of your files and settings from your old computer to you new computer. Unfortunately, this is not always the case; recently, while transferring files from one computer to the next, a client of mine couldn't figure out where the Outlook 2003 settings and address book had gone. It seems FAST decided to only copy over settings from Outlook Express, not Outlook 2003.

Another lady I ran into thought she had lost some of her files. She had just copied some PDFs that a friend had made for her into her My Documents. Ever since, she couldn't find some of her Word files when opening that folder. When she opened Word first, they were there, but she just couldn't find them by opening the folder. Telling the folder to change the view and sort by name suddenly made all of her files reappear (the new files had overlapped the older files).

Windows isn't the only platform to behave badly, mind you. Using OS X, one user I ran into had a problem with disk space constantly disappearing. No warning of what was happening, no obvious tell-tale signs. Just an expired .Mac account with an iDisk that kept trying to back up whatever was stored online, but not enough drive space to do it with. Macs are great, but sometimes they try too hard to be user friendly.

For the Linux users out there, obviously problems occur sometimes, too. Not able to drag and drop when you might expect, spell-checking that doesn't work in the language you set, unexplained glitches in the boot process that leave you at a command prompt without explanation. Yes, with the help of the community-oriented model, these kinds of problems get fixed (probably) faster than on the commercial OSes, but the problems do exist, no matter how temporary.

The Solution

I think every programmer out there should be forced to sit with a real user for just one day. Okay, that may be a bit excessive, but for any programmer to try design something for use by an "ordinary" person, they need to try change perspectives. Maybe even stop thinking logically for just a bit, and try to intuit the next step. Does anyone read a manual before picking up a pencil? Yes, you need to learn to draw circles and other shapes before you write, but using the pencil still works even if you scribble.

Interfaces should be so simple a child can use them, without being trained for years. Using the interface incorrectly shouldn't cause major headaches for users. And it shouldn't break the interface. More thought needs to go into what makes good applications and good interfaces. There are many sites that echo this thought, and I won't go over all of their findings here. The simple fact remains: what we have now isn't bad, but it's a far cry from making computing as universal as the lowly pencil. Heck, most of us are still using keyboards designed to slow you down so you don't break the machine.

The Future

As we move into the very real possibility of interacting with computers in a three dimensional world (Wii, anyone?), we need to begin rethinking how we interact with computers, and make the interface more in tune with the way we think.

How will the current paradigms shift in a world where we can virtually grasp objects and manipulate them exactly the way we do any other tool in our world? If things don't change, we may never see this reality. Instead, it may be blotted out with a guru meditation or kernel panic message. Or worse: the Blue Screen of (Virtual) Death?

Computing In Small Business

2007-12-15T09:35:00.000-05:00

In this article, we'll examine a few options for running your Small Business, pitting Microsoft's offerings against the alternatives.

Part of any business today is computing, and computing is an incremental cost, especially in a growing company. Lay out the money for the hardware, the printers, the office suite, the technician to take care of it all, the network, the server, and so on. In the Microsoft scenario, the costs get pretty high, and keep growing as your company grows.

What if you could just install everything once and have it work? What if adding software to your entire network (whether it's just three employees or three hundred) only took moments? Well, I'm going to look at some options where you can do this, and show you how much you can save.

For all scenarios, I'm going to allow for only five users in a very small office, just getting started, and rig them up with an office suite (word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc.), Internet access (browser and email) and shared access to files on a server. Then we're going to make the jump to 10 employees, and then 20, and see how the numbers scale. The comparison will jump up to 76 users, the point at which you have to get new licensing for a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003. For contrast, I'll show scenarios with a server and desktop (or "fat") clients and a server and "thin" clients (where the bulk of the software runs on the server, not the client). In all cases, I'll keep the alternatives separate from the proprietary options, for simplicity. You can run a mixed environment, but this article is about maximized savings and utility.

A) The Usual -- Microsoft Server, Microsoft Clients

Here we have a very simple setup. You run out, you buy five computers, use the operating system already on them (typically Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition), pre-loaded Microsoft Office 2007 (which will need to be activated after 60 days) on each and make up a few users on a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003. Set up shares on each one and you're networking. Oh, and you'll want a switch for that, just to make sure everyone can get good throughput and have your computers operating at maximum efficiency and allow for future growth (and everyone wants to be on the 'Net at the same time, too, right?). Of course, you're probably going to want to print, too, so a mid duty networked laser printer should do the trick. If you're office is prewired, all you need is the patch cables to get up and running; if you're not prewired, save yourself future headaches and get it professionally done! This will be our basic configuration up and running, which assumes Internet access is connected directly to the network through a firewall of some sort.

B) A Little Different -- Windows Terminal Server

Being a bit more foresighted, you can realize the benefits of centralized computing by throwing some cash into a well-stocked server, toss Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services on it, and attach Thin Clients, instead of getting into the PC upgrade cycle. No hard drives to worry about, no individual software to worry about your users playing around with, more security, and less possibility of theft. Initial outlay may be more, but you're off to the races, all clients installed with the same software in one move. Much easier to maintain and control!

C) The Path Less Taken -- Linux Terminal Server

You saw this coming, of course, right? Here we take the same basic approach as with the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services and substitute a Linux Terminal Server and Free/Libre Open Source Software (F/LOSS). Same essential configuration, same hardware, less cost for the software, and easier to maintain. I have to mention at this point, I've not included the prices of setting anything up. If you have to pay to get a PC set up in your office, you also have to pay to get a Thin Client set up; the cost would be marginally less for the Thin Client (it's basically a drop and connect affair), but not significantly different so it won't really matter. Where the savings in Thin Clients really shines is in the replacement cycle: replace a PC every 3 to 5 years, a Thin Client only when it dies. Also, keep in mind that a Thin Client is almost useless to most thieves.

D) Off The Beaten Path -- Linux Server, Linux Desktop

Here, in place of the Windows server and clients, we've substituted Linux-based solutions. This can be a bit tricky, because if you don't find the right vendor, you'll be paying for Microsoft Windows on your computers, then replacing that with your chosen variety of Linux. Dell provides a couple of decent machines with Linux preinstalled (Ubuntu), as do Walmart (gOS, Linspire) and smaller companies like Zareason. (Of course, in Canada, Dell and Walmart are not currently options.)

Using Linux on the Server and the Desktop isn't very complicated, but it does require a bit of know-how to get things right. The same can be said of setting up a Microsoft Windows environment. The primary difference is that Microsoft Certified Software Engineers are abundant while Linux Professional Institute Certified technicians are a bit more scarce. Luckily, finding such help is as easy as browsing through your local Yellow Pages. More computer support companies support Linux than ever.

Comparisons

With Scenario A, let's say your company is doing well and grows by five users. Well, as far as the Server goes, you're covered: Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 can serve up to 75 clients. Add five more desktop units, outfit them with the same software as the ones you have and you're rolling. The real expense here is the time to install all the identical software as other computers on your network. The cost and availability of the software you run on your other machines will also be an issue; if the new units are bought a significant time after the original units, you may no longer be able to purchase the original software (which could lead to an entire office upgrade scenario).

Scenario B is dramatically different. Grab a few more Thin Clients, purchase the licenses you need for connecting to the Server and productivity software and presto! Network upgraded in record time. Pretty good savings over going the Server/Client route, eh?

Enter Linux -- Scenario C. Using the Linux-based terminal server, you pay nothing for licensing and the additional software needed to get those new users online. Total cost is for the Thin Clients only. Same speed of deployment as Scenario B, same ease of management, no licenses to keep track of or purchase.

Scenario D is a bit of a cross between A and C. Now you're working with free software and a free operating system. You still have to load up your Desktop with everything everyone else has, but doing so is usually with a simple tool that can automate the whole process. As for the Server, there is no license-based limit to how many clients you can run from a single server, so keep growing as much as you like until you feel your Server needs that extra RAM, CPU or Hard Drive space to keep pace.

The Numbers Game

The numbers will always change, and I want to keep this article as relevant into the future as it is today, so lets use units, not dollars, for comparing the work involved in the above.

Deploying a Thin Client is the easiest function, so we'll give it a unit of 1
Deploying a Windows Desktop is about four times longer than a Thin Client, so it gets a unit of 4
Deploying a Linux Desktop isn't as easy as a Thin Client, but not as difficult as Windows, so we'll give it a unit of 3
Deploying a Server, whether Linux or Windows, is tricky business and has to be done right, no matter how you slice it; no unit will be assigned for this function, but we'll give a unit of 1 to license tracking (yes, that's only a knock against Windows, and it's in increments of 20 after the first 5 clients)
Deploying Software is relative in all cases as well, but if we use proprietary software, there are licenses to track, so that will cost 1 unit per instance

Here's a table to outline the basic costs (details on configurations follow):

	Scenario A Windows Server & Desktop	Scenario B Windows Terminal Server	Scenario C Linux Terminal Server	Scenario D Linux Server & Desktop
5 Users	26 units	11 units	5 units	15 units
10 Users	51 units	22 units	10 units	30 units
20 Users	101 units	42 units	20 units	60 units
76 Users	382 units	157 units	76 units	228 units

Obviously, I'd have to recommend going with a Linux Terminal Server for all your business needs. It scales well, costs less (effort and cash) and with all the cash you save you can definitely afford to train everyone. Linux Server and Desktop is a pretty good contender as well, being almost as effective as Windows Terminal Server. Ultimately, your needs will dictate exactly what you need your computing environment to look like. With a little effort put into it, though, alternative solutions can be found and implemented with minimal cost.

How To Boot XP On The XO Laptop

2007-12-13T10:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, this is usually a little beyond the depth I'd go into on this site, but given that the window for buying/giving an XO laptop within the U.S. and Canada is closing December 31st, I think any attention I can help bring to this little wonder is worthwhile. And everyone else is busy interviewing Nicholas Negroponte, so I thought I'd try something a little different.

Now, that initial waiver out of the way, here's another: I don't actually have one of these little marvels (although if anyone wants to send me one, I'd be very happy to set my kids on it). This tutorial will be entirely theoretical, and will depend largely on how Windows-compatible the laptop actually is. Since most hardware was designed with Windows in mind, this shouldn't be much of an issue, right?

Step 1
The very first thing we're going to need for this project is an SD card large enough to hold XP and your applications. About 4GB should be enough for basic functionality. Here in Canada, that goes for about $80 or so, but when the price drops to the right point, this may be feasible for the OLPC requirements.

Step 2
How do you get XP onto a laptop that has no CD/DVD drive? External USB CD-ROM drive sounds about right: another $80 and we're off to the races (okay, I'm not trying very hard to find the best price, here; just trying to make a point).

Step 3
Run your favourite virtualization software on the laptop (qemu is free and works fairly easily; VMware player is another option) and use the SD card as your hard drive.

Step 4
Boot the CD in the virtual environment, with settings to match the actual hardware as closely as you can; pay particular attention to the ACPI, APIC and APM settings. A default install should get things going initially.

Step 5
A long time after, you'll have an OS on an SD card. With the processing power of these guys, it may take a while to get the right configuration just to finish the install. When you've got the OS shoehorned in there, it's time to play with the bootloader: GRUB. Assuming you can set the unit to boot from SD, the unit should appear as one of the bootable hard drives in the BIOS. If so, add in a new stanza to your GRUB configuration to include:
title Windows XP
rootnoverify (hd1,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

That should do it. Now, here are a few reasons why this will fail.

Not all SD cards are created equally. Some cards will be recognized and boot without issue. Some won't. And then there are the ones that work sometimes and with specific configurations.
XP booting from a "normal" PC using an SD card as the boot device is reportedly slow. So slow that boot times on this low-end PC would be intolerable, especially for a 6 year old.
By running XP on these devices, things like remote control, mesh networking and the built-in sharing mechanisms would need to be entirely recreated and made to work with a product Microsoft is in the process of abandoning.
XP would have to be made to work seamlessly with the existing Sugar interface to ensure interoperability with units running the default setup. While the open source nature of the operating system and applications provided on the XO laptop enable this, Microsoft would have to accept working with a true open source environment in order to make this happen.
As noted above, the additional costs required to support this configuration from the user's perspective almost double the price of the laptop. And then you're probably going to want to bump up the RAM, too.

What's your take? Is it really worth the effort to put XP on the XO laptop?

[Note: This piece was written well before Microsoft achieved shoehorning XP onto any XO laptops. It was written mostly to attract attention to the XO, which is still a fabulous little device that shows great promise for lowering the costs of computing in underdeveloped nations. I strongly believe XP on an XO laptop is a bad idea. As some of the comments point out, there are further reasons this particular method will not work; basically, Windows XP is not as flexible as Linux. The XO does not use LILO or GRUB and requires a custom Linux kernel to boot. I've seen Ubuntu booted from an SD card on an XO laptop, and it was quite a nice experience. Ordinary users can't just "recompile" XP to fit.]

Computer Gifted

2007-12-05T05:44:00.000-05:00

Planning on getting a new computer for the holidays? Here are a few things to consider.

My recommendation for any Windows-based computer setup is to immediately do the following:

if you are comfortable with the pre-installed antivirus solution your vendor has provided, enable it immediately, and make sure you keep an eye on the expiry date. Expired or not updated antivirus software won't protect you! Write the expiry date on the kitchen calendar, right away!
if you don't like paying a regular fee to keep your computer safe, download a free antivirus, like AVG Free Edition or Avast!, and keep it updated regularly.
install a spyware protection tool, like Spybot S&D; these aren't always perfect, but better to at least have the fix handy if something does crawl inside your computer's virtual innards! Spybot's TeaTimer can be a pest while installing all your new programs, but it can be disabled while you put everything you want on your new PC.
when connecting directly to the Internet (through phone modem or directly to a cable or DSL modem) always enable at least the default Windows firewall and pay attention to the warnings it gives. Another good option is to use the free version of Zone Alarm.
never open attachments in your email without verifying with the person that sent it that they meant to send it -- thousands of viruses, trojans and worms are lurking out there, trying to get into your computer.
if your computer doesn't come with a reinstallation DVD or CDs, find the utility that makes a backup of your installation and use it right away. You do not want to try find this after a hard drive glitch makes your computer unbootable. Once you have your install media, put it away in a safe place where you will be able to find it later. Much later.
unless you're ready to fork over a couple hundred more dollars, don't get used to the trialware installed by default on most computers; uninstall it right away! Saving your documents in some new format can be difficult to fix or retrieve when the software stops working at the end of the trial period.

With WalMart and Dell now offering Linux-based computers directly to the public, you're more likely than ever to get a PC with Linux as a gift. Or, if you have a Linux geek in your life, you may end up with both Windows and Linux (called "dual booting"). Take care of the Windows side of things as above, but keep these points in mind for your new OS:

although you are now safer using your computer than ever, you are not invulnerable to computer problems. Again, find that reinstall media and save it somewhere safe.
viruses and malware aren't a problem with Linux to date, but that doesn't mean you can be lazy about security; make sure your administrative account has a decent password and pay close attention to what you're installing on your computer.
if given the option to install updates automatically, try to opt for only security updates to keep the system as stable as possible.
be patient; it's not Windows, and if you've ever used Windows you will have different expectations. Some web sites won't load "right" or at all (due to Internet Explorer-specific extensions). Ask Microsoft to provide this browser for Linux, or try out IES4Linux if you really need to access Internet Explorer.

If by chance you happen to get a Mac this season, I'm afraid I'm no authority. I know a little about Apple's computer experience, but I'll refer you to someone who apparently knows much more about the experience than I. For good measure, here's an online magazine to whet your appetite, as well.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Helper

2007-11-28T06:41:00.000-05:00

Recently I was working on a computer that had Windows XP on it and had a problem with a critical system file. The system wouldn't let me login to fix the problem, and I didn't have an XP CD handy to go into Repair mode and copy over the file I needed. Luckily, I've started carrying PendriveLinux on my USB drive lately, and it was a life saver!

Mind you, I'm not an expert in customizing this little tool, and that would have made it much easier to perform this operation, but with that little stick and a couple of web searches, here's what I was able to do.

Setting the BIOS to boot from USB, I inserted the stick and booted the default option. After a minute or two, the PC was booting into Linux and figuring itself out. Shortly, I had a GUI and access to the Internet (through the cable modem/router combo the user had set up). From there, I had to update the stick and install NTFS support (unfortunately not a default -- yet), mount the drive and copy over a backup of the SOFTWARE hive in the Windows system files.

The nasty details: In order to get at the NTFS partition, I had to load up the ntfs-3g drivers from a version of the stick called "Lenny" (Debian based Linux distribution). I had to edit the apt sources.list file and replace "etch" with "lenny", then apt-get update the works (which only took a moment). apt-get install ntfs-3g and I was done setting up.

Granted, this isn't amateur stuff -- but for semi-support people or even the pros, it could be a useful tool to carry. The only other ways to access an NTFS partition (that I'm aware of) are to use a DOS NTFS driver (which is a bit of a pain to try fit onto a single floppy, although USB drive booting is becoming a more common option) or something like the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (which may be just slightly shady in terms of it's legality).

Apparently, Microsoft bought out Winternals, the company that made the only viable NTFS DOS driver available, and they buried it, so that's not much of an option. The questionable legality of the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows comes into play because Windows XP is only licensed for the one computer you install it on -- it's not made to be portable. Use at your own risk!

So, just to make the lives of ordinary people out there that want to be able to rescue their relatives files, or need to fix their own NTFS without a Windows XP CD handy, I'd like to put out a public request: can anyone update the Pendrivelinux USB image to include NTFS read/write support? Please?

The Hard Drive Question

2007-11-21T06:36:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, the same question always pops up: is it better to leave my computer on all the time, or will my computer last longer if I keep the computer on constantly?

Well, we're going to answer this one for once and for all. Let's get started!

Let me clarify one thing: the most probable components to "die" in your computer are the power supply and the hard drive. Providing you have surge protection and don't do anything odd with your computer (like rub your feet on the carpet and shock it every chance you get) your power supply should survive the life of your computer without issue. So let's focus this question on the hard drive.

The first thing we need to do is figure out how long a hard drive (HD) is expected to be useful before failing (called the "mean time before failures" or MTBF ). If we hunt around at popular HD manufacturers, like Western Digital, Seagate and Fujitsu, we find that most modern drives have about 1 Million Hours MTBF; they're actually expected to last over 1 million hours of constant use!

Putting that into perspective, that's about 136 YEARS of constant use that the hard drive of your computer should survive. Not bad, eh? Mind you, older drives had less of a life expectancy, like around 1/3 that -- 300,000 hours. That's only about 35 years or so, but still pretty impressive.

Now, let's do a little frivolous calculating. Let's say you lose a day of life from your hard drive every time you shut it down and turn it back on (not that I'm saying that's what happens, but let's just play Devil's Advocate here). An average workday is about 8 hours, so we'll call that a "day" for purposes of this calculation. For every 8 hours of operation, you'd lose 16 hours of operation due to wear and tear on the physical mechanisms that operate the drive. Alright, so then you're going to lose some of the useful life of your hard drive, aren't you? Nope! Even with this over-exaggerated figure, you'd actually extend the life of your hard drive beyond 200 years, just by shutting it down at the end of the day! Even an old HD would benefit, extending it's usefulness up to 51 years. Now on to the real world...

In the real world, your hard drive is most likely to experience failure under normal operating conditions within about the first 3 to 5 years. If it doesn't fail under normal use in that time, you can pretty much expect the hard drive to outlive its usefulness. This would be why most manufacturers have 3 year warranties on their hard drives (although some offer up to 5 years). They know your drive is going to survive if you get past this age, and most of them do.

What can shorten the life of your hard drive? Dropping it is pretty high on the list, but the amount of shock required to damage a hard drive these days is getting fairly high for normal abuses. Usually hard drives need to run within certain temperature ranges, too. Keeping your computer within a range of 0°C and 60°C seems to be about the right temperature range to keep all the components in your system pretty happy. Airflow in and around your computer is the key here. Unexpected power outages can cause damage to your hard drive in some instances. If consistent power is an issue in your area, or if the computer you use is almost always on, you may want to consider purchasing a personal uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Sometimes little fingers finding the power button on an older computer can be an issue, as well; with newer computers this isn't as much of a problem thanks to the power button sending a signal to the operating system (OS) to shutdown instead of just cutting the power.

Regardless of your preference (on or off) remember one thing: always back up your important data, because no matter how reliable a drive may be, there's always the chance of failure. And it will most likely occur just when you need something important!

How To Buy A New Computer

2007-11-13T06:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this hasn't been done before, right? Well, I gave it some thought and I believe there are still some areas that can do to have some light shed on them with this topic. Any computer geeks can leave the room now, because this is aimed at the "average user" who doesn't really know what they're getting inside the box.

First Things First
Before you even begin to think about getting a new computer, you should really consider why you want/need one. Did your previous computer die of some kind of hardware failure? Does your current computer feel slow? Is there some new feature you wanted to add on to your computing experience? How much can you afford to spend?

All other factors aside, if the only reason you are looking at a new computer is because of hardware failure, sometimes replacing the part can save you hundreds, even after you pay a technician to take care of the matter. For a simple thing like a burnt out memory stick or a hard drive that no longer boots, the replacement is fairly quick and painless. If you're happy with your current computer and can get the parts, this is a great, inexpensive option.

Second Thoughts

Of course, if you can't get the parts, this leads to the next best thing: buying a refurbished computer. I know, nobody likes to get "hand me downs", least of all from a stranger, right? Well, the fact of the matter is that a properly configured computer from a few years ago is really all most people need. If your primary uses are word processing, publishing your photos, surfing the web and emailing your family, there's nothing wrong with staying away from the "bleeding edge" of computing.

Several companies refurbish computers at a greatly reduced price from their brand new counterparts. If you look around, you can usually find them. Things to note are that the older computers tend to come with less RAM (or memory) and less disk space. If you're a photo buff you'll probably want to upgrade the default hard drive; adding a stick of RAM can speed up your computer considerably if you like to surf, email and run your word processor all at once.

If refurbished just isn't for you, there's always the clearance models. These are still new computers, but at the end of their production run. The benefit to you is that they still have the same warranties as new and are factory-fresh, but they're "last year's model" and won't be snapped up by the bleeding edge crowd. These also tend to be at a generous discount, and are a bit easier to find at major retailers.

Take Three

Okay, so you're not in the market for a new computer because something broke, you don't want something refurbished and you're not in the mood for a clearance sale. The next common motive for buying a new computer is that your computer is getting slow. Or there's something new out there that Microsoft or Apple says you've got to have. Here's where you make a judgment call: is your computer really getting slower in it's old age, or are you expecting more of it? When you run the same old programs you've run on it for years, does it actually take longer? If so, you may have a virus or some malware on your system that needs to be looked at. Instead of a new computer, have a trusted technician clean up your PC and whip it back into shape.

Computers don't slow down with age, they just seem slower in comparison to their newer counterparts. A clean bill of health for a slow computer probably means you've been exposed to newer computers and can no longer wait for the older processing speed to do the same old things. That's fine, and it's a perfectly valid reason to upgrade. Just be careful: buying a new computer with a new Windows OS on it will probably only be "zippy" for a little while before clutter begins to slow it back down to the same pace as your old computer! Once you add in the anti-virus, the anti-spyware, the firewall, your programs, the tools you usually have running in the background, etc. the overall system speed will decrease.

The same is basically true of any OS, Windows is just known for it more; load too much in the background and it will crawl instead of run. Basic OS X runs very nicely; add too many gadgets running around and it will slow you down. Default Desktop Linuxes run very nicely, as long as you don't add in a web server, too many applets, or an indexing service somewhere in the background to slow it down. The difference with OS X and a UNIX-like Desktop (Linux, FreeBSD, etc.) is the reduced need for malware protection.

Final Four
You're looking for the latest and greatest new toy and you want to have something modern and efficient and cool-looking. Well, you're in luck, because spiffy new computers come in three basic varieties (barring the options of laptop, notebook, tablet, desktop or tower!): Windows, OS X and Linux.

The first two you probably know a bit about and know where to get them. Pick up a Windows-based computer at any retailer that sells computers. Chances are, you'll get a flavour of Windows Vista, the shiny new offering from Microsoft. Apple, you can get in a few less places, but the Apple store is a good place to start.

And then there's Linux. Ironically, you can get it anywhere -- download a copy of it, legally, if you like -- but good luck finding a major retail store that sells it preloaded on their computers. Wal-Mart apparently sells some units, and Dell hides the odd Ubuntu or Red Hat Linux computer on their site (in the U.S. only), but for the most part vendors like Everex and Zareason are the easiest ways to get Linux preloaded. Likewise, look for smaller shops to support Linux, not the big guys. Which probably means your cost of servicing would be lower, too.

Ultimately, the choice depends on what you want in a computer. If you're not tech savvy and don't know the specific components you want in the physical hardware, don't worry too much -- any of the above options will serve you decently if you buy from a vendor you trust. What you run on it, ultimately, is your choice. Once you've made that choice, the choice of hardware it runs on is pretty much made for you.

But Everyone Uses It

2007-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

Ah, the "everyone else has it" myth! How many times have we seen this one come up, especially when it comes to the ever-present Microsoft Office.

But wait... Does everyone really have a copy of Microsoft Office? Not so many people as you would think, and almost certainly not all the same version. Microsoft Office can be categorized in a number of different ways:
- Office 97 (a venerable but still useful version; forget about anything older than this!)
- Office 2000 (more recent, but less common)
- Office XP (the one where people start to get confused which version they actually have)
- Office 2003 (definitely more recent, but isn't it showing its age a bit?)
- Office 2007 (the latest and greatest, probably pre-installed for your convenience)

And this doesn't include the versions available for Mac, or the various combinations and add-ons you can get with Microsoft Office. The combinations are many! So, the odds of having the same version of Microsoft Office as anyone else you're interacting with are actually pretty slim. Although numbers you can find on the Internet vary, the distribution of users seems to fall into about 50% of people that have Microsoft Office use the 2000 or XP editions (or even older); 45% appear to be using the 2003 edition, and the rest are early adopters of the 2007 edition. Of course, this doesn't account for the entire market of users -- don't forget there are other office suites out there, like Corel WordPerfect, IBM Lotus Symphony, Sun's StarOffice (and the free OpenOffice it's derived from). So the percentages for individual Microsoft Office users, by edition, probably distributed just about as well as their competition. And you know what? The competition is very compatible with the mainstream editions of Microsoft Office in use.

Even the online Google Documents can read and write all the "common" Microsoft Office formats. This is a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation suite available on your PC, whatever your PC is running, wherever your PC is, and even if it isn't actually your PC! Just sign in and there you are! Amazingly, people will still pay hundreds of dollars to get Microsoft Office, or worse: they'll steal it, because it's all they've ever known.

Did you know that "casual copying accounts for a large portion of the economic losses due to piracy" -- in short, getting a copy of Microsoft Office (or Windows, or that favourite game...) from a friend, rather than buying it. I know the pressure. Schools use it, businesses use it, governments use it. And it's expensive. But there is (fortunately) a very inexpensive way to work around the problem.

Try this little experiment: download a free copy of OpenOffice and try it out for a bit. It's not that different from Microsoft Office, and if you already have Microsoft Office (whether purchased or otherwise) just try to avoid using it for a month. Save your documents in the DOC, XLS and PPT formats you're comfortable with, and just kick the tires a bit.

You may be surprised how easy it is to break your addiction. Life can actually go on without having Microsoft Office (and Clippy), and you can still be productive! Features come and go -- just look at the multitude of ways Microsoft Office has changed over the various versions -- but you have always adapted before, and you can again. And this time, you can make a choice to do things differently.

You don't have to feel guilty about taking something you didn't pay for. And you don't have to shell out a single cent. Welcome to freedom!

Feature Comparison	Word Processor	Spreadsheet	Presentations	Database	Email	Clipart
Microsoft Office XP	Y	Y	Y	Y¹	Y²	Y
Corel WordPerfect	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
IBM Lotus Symphony	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
StarOffice/ OpenOffice	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y⁴
Google Documents	Y	Y	Y	N	Y³	N

1 - Only available with Professional versions of Microsoft Office
2 - Only available with Professional versions of Microsoft Office
3 - Integrated with Google Mail
4 - StarOffice comes with a complete clipart collection; OpenOffice comes with very basic clipart, but can be upgraded with the free OpenClipart collection

10 Reasons To Dump Windows

2007-11-02T06:26:00.000-04:00

Just learning about Windows Vista? Here are ten reasons not to bother with it. You'll see why it's unnecessary, safer, and more worthwhile to ditch all Windows operating systems. Paraphrased from Microsoft's own site.

1) Find that file in a few quick clicks

You don't need to remember folder names to be organized anymore. Save time by instantly tracking down any document, photo, e-mail message, song, video, file, or program on your PC using Instant Search.

This would be exactly the same kind of search available even in a free Linux distribution. On a Mac it's called Spotlight. If you want pay for a new PC or an upgrade, the Mac would be a good way to go. If you want to keep your existing PC, get a friend to recommend a good distribution of Linux.

2) See everything you have open at a glance

Lost track of what files and programs you've opened? Flip through all your open files and windows with a simple click of your mouse using Windows Flip 3D—you're just one click away from everything you're working on.

Two words: eye candy. And you can get this kind of thing on (you guessed it) a Mac in spades. The Linux options are coming along nicely, too.

3) Keep photos organized—and ready to share

Digital photo collection getting out of hand? You don't have to search through folders to track down the ones you want. Now you can tag your photos with a date, keyword, rating, or any label you choose so you can find them quickly and easily in Windows Photo Gallery.

You can also use dozens of free programs to do exactly the same thing on any OS you want.

4) Create a custom movie without a fine arts degree

Making a great home movie just got easier. Use Windows Movie Maker to blend videos and photos into a rich movie, complete with your own soundtrack, titles, and credits.

Several free options exist that are adequate for this task on Linux and other free OSes. If you're really serious though, get a Mac.

5) Keep track of your music—and play it anywhere

The larger your collection of digital music grows, the harder it can be to organize and keep track of it. But now you can easily scroll, flip, browse through, and play your entire music library in Windows Media Player 11.

And you can do the same with iTunes, or RhythmBox, or Banshee, or Amarok, or... You get the picture. Plus, any of the open source options tend to play more formats with less fuss.

6) Surf multiple waves of the web at once

Like to jump from website to website? Satisfy your appetite for multitasking without having to open several browser windows. You can open multiple webpages in one window and easily click between them with the tabbed browsing feature in Internet Explorer 7—plus, you can see thumbnail images of all your open webpages at a glance with Quick Tabs.

Quick Tabs aside, sounds like Opera, Firefox, Safari and most other browsers that have had these kinds of features -- secure, stable and tested -- for a long time now. Avoid ActiveX!

7) Record and watch TV on your time

Watch TV on your own schedule—not the TV networks' schedule. If your PC has a TV tuner, you can record, watch, and pause live television on your desktop or mobile PC using Windows Media Center.

I haven't tried this on a Mac, but I'm guessing OS X has a feature or two that will handle this task. For Linux, check this Linux Media Center video out.

8) Bring your TV and PC together—and take home entertainment to a new level

Tired of huddling around the PC for entertainment? Connect your PC to one or more televisions in your home using a Windows Media Center Extender like Xbox 360, and enjoy all your digital entertainment on the big screen—from photo slideshows, home videos, and digital music to live and recorded TV shows and movies.

Did you watch the video in the last point?

9) Keep the things you need most at your fingertips

No need to open a web browser to check traffic and weather, open a calculator to add up a few numbers, or open an application to see your calendar. Now you can put mini-applications called gadgets right on your desktop, where you can see and use them whenever the mood strikes. Just use the Windows Sidebar pane to store and organize your favourite gadgets.

Okay, but what if you have a web browser open, or a word processor? This is stuff on your Desktop, folks. If you have nothing open, it's nice eye candy, but if you open a single app, usually this kind of thing gets covered up. Of course, it looks nice, so screenlets, desklets and other names fill the bill anywhere but Windows.

10) Help your kids stay safer

Worried about your kids' computer use—or what they may encounter online? Now you can set boundaries on what your kids can do on the PC to give them a safer experience, using the centralized Parental Controls in Windows Vista. You can even restrict games and websites based on your family's values.

Plus, you can better protect your PC and your personal information, as well as your family, with built-in security tools like Windows Defender and anti-spam and phishing filters.

Mac has Parental Controls, too. In fact, OS X had them first. Linux takes a different approach: there are many tools out there for securing your child's Internet experience you way; block what you want blocked, and only install what you want your child to use. As for antivirus, antispyware, anti-spam, phishing, etc.? That's largely a Windows problem. Mac and Linux don't experience anything remotely close -- they have an actual security model to follow.

Well, if you aren't convinced by now, here's reason eleven: get your credit card out.

Driven To Distraction

2007-10-29T16:28:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, the purpose of this site was intended to be a simple reference for good computing practices and resources on the web. I came across this interesting little page, though, and I just had to say something about it: goodbye-microsoft.com

How much simpler can it get? For anyone wishing to try another way to use their computer, it's right there, one click away! Visit the link, click the big Debian logo and you're walked through the process of trying out a new operating system. It just couldn't be easier!

Everybody's Two Cents

2007-10-26T06:12:00.000-04:00

It seems everywhere you look, there's another article written giving advice on how to best run your computer. "Do it our way, it's best!" or "Neat things to do with your computer" seem to be the trend. Fact is, there are just too many individuals out there, and just as many ways of maintaining your computer (be it a Mac or a PC).

One part I find really confusing about this is how authorities on the matter (like Microsoft, for instance) will write articles teaching you how to organize your computer, then come out with the latest and greatest in search technology, just in case you lose something. Seeing how Microsoft's latest program search feature works, it looks like they could do to read their own articles! But I suppose that's what they get for trying to keep up with the Mac.

Looking at the latest release from the Linux camp seems to follow this basic trend in trying to help everyone be organized, but falling back to "and we have a search feature if you misfile anything!" In the latest Ubuntu 7.10, there are folders for Music, Documents, Pictures, Video, you name it. Nice and easy to organize, if that's your style (most of my files will wind up in a Download folder somewhere, to be honest). And when I lose something, there's Tracker to get me out of a jam.

Of course, the rivalry across these three platforms doesn't end at just trying to be helpful and let you keep your life (and your files) organized. Oh no, there's much more than that, and they each try to one-up the other. Enter "bling!" Really, I think it was the Mac that started it all. It was that sexy graphical user interface (GUI) that first hooked Bill Gates on the idea, and the rivalry has revved up ever since*. Not to be outdone, the UNIX crowd developed a similar system, but until recent years it just hasn't cut the mustard.

Apple's slick interface, called Aqua, and made with yummy-sounding names like Cocoa and Java, is without a doubt the smoothest experience you'll see in computing today. Microsoft's Windows Vista is pathetic in comparison. And then there's Linux: trying to be everything to everyone, with a few nice tricks up it's sleeve, but master of none.

Computing today is light-years from where it began, and we still have so far to go. When you can organize a computer as well as (or as poorly as) you can organize your life, we'll really be getting somewhere. For now, I think we need a new metaphor. Perhaps something that reflects the real world better, instead of trying to compartmentalize everything into Folders and Files. A little less concentration on the splashy effects that require that we go out and buy brand new video cards and faster CPUs might be an idea, too.

But I guess that's just my two cents.

*And yeah, I know about the Xerox thing, okay? :)

Why isn't your computer secure?

2007-10-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

I just came across an article the other day about how to check that your computer is secure. While reading it, it occurred to me that this is a fairly strange situation we've gotten ourselves into. If we buy a car, we have standards to guarantee it's safe to drive. If we buy a refrigerator, it comes with a warranty usually lasting years, and you know it's going to work for at least a decade.

But when we buy a computer, we have to buy additional things to make it complete, to finish the job of "securing" your computer before it's safe to use. This isn't life and death, but it's odd that we accept it as normal.

The very first thing the article mentioned was to install a firewall. If you're connecting to the Internet, this is a crucial thing, and it should be included at the operating system (OS) level. For any modern OS, this appears to be the case. OS X, FreeBSD, Linux and even Windows XP or later include firewalls in their basic OS offering. So far, so good.

Next: the article recommended using anti-virus software. Okay, for many people this seems like a normal thing to do. To many, it's not even a thought. And this is where I diverge with the article: I don't think anti-virus is the right approach to securing your PC at all. Viruses happen because there are vulnerabilities in software. Basically, virus writers take advantage of the fact that software can be accidentally used inappropriately. The count on the fact that the maintainers of the software won't get around to fixing the bugs they find and they don't have an efficient way to patch things up. So we have the bandage solution of using anti-virus software. Outside of the Windows world, free operating systems like Linux-based OSes have come up with ingenious ways to keep systems up-to-date and may not even need anti-virus software at all. Couple this with the proven POSIX security model that separates administrative functions from user functions and viruses are nearly impossible on these systems.

And tagging right along with that idea is what I'll call crapware: all that nasty software that either spies on you, tracks your web surfing habits, puts annoying pop-ups on your screen at regular intervals and generally slows down your computing experience. This should NEVER happen, but it does regularly on Windows-based operating systems. OS X (the Mac OS) and any Unix-like operating system (such as FreeBSD or any Linux-based OS) simply does not allow this to happen. To install software without your knowledge would require breaking into the main distributor's computers and placing the software there, to be mass installed at the next update. But with security measures in place, this just doesn't happen -- breakins are caught and tainted code removed before it has a chance to affect an ordinary user like yourself!

The article also mentions changing your browser security settings -- a uniquely Microsoft approach to web browsing. For Microsoft, the web browser is so closely tied to the OS that web pages actually have access to critical parts of your computer. Again, no other OS has this flaw, and there have been several warnings to not use Microsoft's Internet Explorer because the security model is so bad.

In parting, the article also mentions securing your wireless connection. This is a good idea, but not as critical to protecting your computer as the OS itself. If your OS is secure, the network it connects to is almost irrelevant. Protecting yourself is as easy as making a change: use an operating system designed to protect you. Amazingly, the alternatives are better at this than Microsoft, and getting better every day!