http://www.ComputerBob.com/journal_archive/2007/05.php .
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While I try to provide plenty of information and help for beginners and advanced users alike, I would guess that many people who read this Journal are at least a little more computer-savvy than most computer users. Desktop Linux: Can Your Users Even Handle Windows? makes the point that Windows vs. Linux comparisons usually assume that users are already familiar with configuring Windows, but in fact, they aren't. Most corporate PC users can't even use Windows without a lot of hand-holding. So, if you're going to have to help them anyway, you might as well help them use secure, stable and free Linux operating systems and software instead of Windows. If you need more reasons to do that, see Ubuntu vs. Vista, Information Week vs. Ubuntu News.
If you decide to switch from Windows to Linux, can you look forward to an easy transition, or will you have a lot of trouble adjusting? Penguin Pete asks Why is the transition from Windows to Linux easy for some people?
It's now official: Dell will soon start selling PCs with the latest version of Ubuntu Linux preloaded on them. In fact, take a look at this Dell support page. That's bad news for Microsoft's domination of the computer industry, but it's great news for the rest of us.
Geologists have discovered a rainforest in Illinois —
250 feet underground. Here's
how it ended up there.
It's a fair question to ask, especially now that Dell and Canonical have officially announced their agreement for Dell to sell computers with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled on them: Ubuntu on Dell — Good for Linux or just for Canonical?
It's sort of rambling and not particularly well-written, but Why people stick with Windows brings up a little food for thought.
New research indicates that the procedures that hospital emergency rooms use to treat heart attack victims are exactly the opposite of what needs to be done.
The State of New Jersey hopes to generate electrical power to run light rail lines by
harnessing the wind that's created by highway traffic. It sounds like it could be a good idea, but it creates an ecological irony: If everyone rode the more-efficient light rail instead of driving, there wouldn't be anyone generating electrical power to run the light rail.
By now, everyone who cares about such things, knows that Dell is going to start selling a few models of PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled on them. Opinions vary as to whether that's a good idea or not, and whether it will benefit Linux as a whole or hurt specific Linux providers. Personally, I'm optimistically pessimistic about it. For a sample of a few of the opinions, see How important is Dell's Linux desktop deal? and Will Dell Ubuntu deal hurt Microsoft, Novell or Red Hat the hardest? and Dell and Ubuntu - The most Logical Decision? and Ubuntu on Dell: Where's the Profit?
Many people don't realize that, along with doing a fantastic job on servers and being friendly enough to use on desktop computers, Linux is also a great choice for laptops.
A few weeks ago, I told you that some researchers are working on ways to create a more secure and robust new Internet to replace the current one. Unfortunately, Internet2 service was disrupted between New York and Boston yesterday, when a homeless man's discarded cigarette
set a mattress on fire. Insert your own lame joke here.
A quick look at SimplyMEPIS 6.5.02 summarizes some of the many reasons why people like me are very happy to be using SimplyMepis Linux as our operating system, and highly recommend it to new Linux converts.
Are you willing to do the right thing if your employer tells you to do something that's unethical or illegal? See what you think you would do if you were the magazine editor whose boss gave orders not to criticize the vendors who advertise in the magazine, or the employee whose boss ordered him to install pirated software at work.
India's HRD ministry hopes to develop
$10 laptop computers for that poor nation's schoolchildren. I'm all for technological innovations, and I'm certainly no expert on India's problems, but it seems to me that the needs of that country's children might
be better served by developing a cheap way to provide them with fresh water, sanitary sewers and nutritious meals.
My wife and I have been happily married for many, many years, but two days ago, we had our very first wedding anniversary. How can that be? The answer is in a new article, Moving On, in this site's Abuse Info section.
If you like really funny, family-friendly movies, be sure to see
Night at the Museum, which just came out on DVD a few days ago. It's got a lot of very clever humor for all ages — in fact, I laughed out loud several times. And the special effects are really well done. My only disappointment was a very minor one — I thought it would've made a really funny inside joke if Chris Columbus, one of the film's producers, had played the role of Christopher Columbus.
Here's a subject that's worth repeating every once in awhile: If you're thinking of switching from Windows to Linux, you can make the transition a lot easier by reading Tips for transitioning to a GNU/Linux distribution.
In a short, moving video, Linux provider RedHat reminds us that truth happens.
You may already be aware of the fact that Linux is already being used in many cell phones and other handheld devices. But you may be surprised to learn that a company in India has squeezed an entire Linux computer with "32 megabytes of memory; 16 MB of storage and the interconnects needed to fuel any standard Linux application" into a chip that's the size of a postage stamp.
CNN has announced that it will release its footage of the upcoming U.S. presidential debates under a Creative Commons-type license. This may be one of the first documented instances of politicians' words not being owned by huge corporations.
This just in from the "Here We Go Again" Department: "The Transportation Security Administration has
lost a computer hard drive containing Social Security numbers, bank data and payroll information for about 100,000 employees." If you're not a TSA employee, insert your own lame joke here.
If you've got a sense of humor and you're tired of seeing ubiquitous stories about Ubuntu Linux, you'll enjoy How to Become a Cool Blogger and/or Hip Journalist.
Sometimes you can take a bad idea and make it even worse. As if Windows Genuine Advantage didn't already have enough troubles of its own, now there's a trojan that pretends to be the WGA activation feature.
If you've been looking for a way to have to purchase two Windows licenses for each of your company's PCs, this is your lucky day.
Scientists have invented a machine that can give you the equivalent of eight hours of sleep
in about three hours. Finally, a way to let you spend more time at work.
Is Dell's decision to offer a few Dell PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled on them going to be a big shot in the arm for desktop Linux? Time will tell.
When the Dell/Ubuntu deal was first announced, it made a lot of Linux supporters really happy. A few days later, Dell's newest deal with Microsoft is making a lot of Linux supporters really mad. Here's a discussion about that deal in a Mepis Linux support forum.
The chief research officer at a computer security software provider says he has
a simple solution for the problem of online banking fraud. Some of Slashdot's readers
disagree.
A Windows XP user asks a long-time Mac user's help to clean up all of the malware and viruses on his PC. What does the Mac user end up doing? He installs Linux on it, of course. Now the long-term Mac user is a big Linux fan.
Anyone who has ever used more than one computer operating system realizes that they all have at least a few problems, issues and annoyances that need to be fixed or worked-around — even Linux.
As desktop Linux's popularity continues to grow, you can bet that Microsoft and Apple will do whatever they can to defend their market shares.
Have you ever bought, rented, tried or even been curious about any non-automotive product that you've ever seen advertised on the side of a race car? Neither have I, but I guess some people have.
I found this story yesterday: "Many of the world’s leading scientific institutions today
announced the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life, an unprecedented global effort to document all 1.8 million named species of animals, plants, and other forms of life on Earth." No matter how well it is written, I doubt that it will ever match this hilarious reference work's succinct description of the human race: "Ugly bags of mostly water."
If you haven't seen this type of camparison lately, you might want to take a look at How secure are Linux, Window and Mac OS?. Needless to say, I'm very happy to be using Linux.
The other day, I told you that many Linux supporters are angry at Dell for its latest deal with Microsoft. Here's a thoughtful, alternate view of that deal.
Yesterday, I linked you to a story about the Tux 500 project. Originally begun to promote Linux, it's apparently causing a lot of angry division among Linux supporters.
Here's a story that's straight out of The Hypocrisy Files: "Barely a year after their reporters won a Pulitzer prize for exposing data mining of ordinary citizens by a government spy agency, New York Times officials had some exciting news for stockholders last week: The Times company plans to do its own data mining of ordinary citizens, in the name of online profits.".
We've all made mistakes, but have you ever
pushed the big red button?
For the past several years, this site has used Cascading Style Sheets for both layout and content formatting. If you have your own web site(s), you could pick up some good tips from 70 Expert Ideas For Better CSS Coding. Keep in mind, though, that some people don't like them.
On the second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft releases new software patches to fix the apparently endless stream of recently discovered vulnerabilities its various products. At least one writer thinks that Microsoft should scrap Patch Tuesday. It makes sense, the way he explains it.
You know DRM — that pox on society's rights that Microsoft pushes onto all Windows users? HBO's Chief Technology Officer thinks that people would like DRM more if it was called DCE (Digital Consumer Enablement). And I think people would like HBO's Chief Technology Officer more if HBO changed his job title to CMBFS (Chief Male Bovine Feces Shoveler).
Researchers at Purdue university have developed
a new internal combustion engine design "that could dramatically reduce oil consumption and the emission of global-warming pollutants." I know, I know — you'll believe it when you see it.
Way back in 2003, I bought one of the best pieces of computer hardware that I've ever owned: my Brother HL-5040 laser printer. It cost less than $200, but that workhorse printed about 20,000 pages for me in the past four years, without any problems. Then, a few weeks ago, it started making a snapping sound every second or so, whenever its paper-transport system was running. It kept printing perfectly, though, until a few days ago, when it started jamming on every single page. That's when I finally took it to a Brother authorized printer repair center. The diagnosis: two major gears inside my printer are broken. Repairs would cost at least $100 in labor plus at least $70 in parts. It made more sense to look for a replacement instead. Last night, after analyzing my options, I decided that my next printer will be the highly rated Brother HL-5240. Compared to the 5040, the 5240 prints nearly twice as fast and comes with twice as much memory. Both printers were designed to print up to 20,000 pages per month. My local Office Depot and Staples stores each sell the 5240 for $215, including tax. Since I have no printer right now, I'd like to get it soon, so if either store puts it on sale tomorrow, I might buy it locally; otherwise, I'll get it from my favorite online store in only three business days, for a total cost of only $176.
With so many computers, cell phones and other devices needing them, the Internet has been getting closer to running out of IP addresses for the past several years. In an effort to increase the number of possible IP addresses, and to beef up the Internet's security and scalability, researchers have long been developing a new IP system, called IPv6. Now it turns out that a flaw in one of IPv6's features would make the Internet far less secure.
Here's one from the Happy Ending file: The PC World editor-in-chief who quit his job after his boss told him not to criticize the magazine's advertisers is back in his job, and his former boss is no longer his boss.
Apple, Linux, the open-source movement and several other organizations have many followers whose fervor reaches that of religious zealots. So, it's fair to ask: Why Doesn't Microsoft Have A Cult Religion? Some of the people who commented after the article think that it does.
In the future, people who have suffered traumatic injuries may be given plastic blood.
In what will undoubtedly cause a lot of controversy, the latest climate simulations suggest that global warming could end up being
a good thing.
Since none of my local computer stores had it on sale this past week or put it on sale today, I ordered my new Brother HL-5240 laser printer from my favorite online store. Including shipping, it cost me only $176, which is $39 less than what it would have cost to buy it locally.
If you already use Linux, this will make you feel good about that decision. If you don't use Linux, it may make you want to give it a try. Linux, the Ultimate Unix gives a good overview and then summarizes several advantages of using Linux. Enjoy!
When people tell me that Windows is the best operating system, I immediately suspect that they've never actually used any other operating system. And they certainly haven't had the pleasure of reinstalling Windows from scratch.
Clueless web developers often use proprietary Microsoft fonts in their web pages, causing display problems for those of us who don't use Microsoft operating systems. That problem is solved, now that Red Hat has developed free metric equivalent of Microsoft fonts for Linux.
Owners of copyighted materials have long complained about community based web sites that allow their users to post those materials in violation of copyright laws. In the face of looming legal liability, MySpace appears to be one of the first sites to try to address that problem.
If you drive off of a cliff, into some deep water, or in front of a moving train, don't worry — it's not your fault. Just
blame it on technology.
Linux-based operating systems aren't the best solution for every user and every type of hardware — yet. As such, there's still plenty of room for people to offer constructive criticism to improve them. Still, every once in awhile, someone tries one particular Linux distro, has a bad experience, and then feels the need to condemn all of Linux, as though their one isolated experience makes them a Linux pundit. Here's a perfect example. If you didn't know anything about Linux, an article like that could easily scare you away from ever wanting to give it a try. Luckily, anyone who reads some of the comments that follow the article (including mine), will quickly learn "the rest of the story," and realize that the author is technically inept and his anti-Linux rant is intellectually dishonest.
Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop, now that "Microsoft claims that free software like Linux, which runs a big chunk of corporate America,
violates 235 of its patents. It wants royalties from distributors and users. Users like you, maybe." Before you go into a panic and shut down all of your Linux servers and desktops, here are
several reasons not to worry about Redmond's latest
FUDD campaign.
How would you like to be
robotically enhanced? How would you like to compete at work against someone who is?
As of early yesterday morning, my new Brother HL-5240 laser printer is on its way. According to its UPS tracking number, it is scheduled to arrive this coming Thursday.
Yesterday, I linked you to an article by a guy who tried to install Linux as a dual-boot with Windows. He messed things up very badly, and basically concluded that Linux is a very bad thing. Here's a guy who tried to do the same thing and concluded that There Is Only One Reason Left Why Windows Exists.
After Microsoft's Steve Ballmer claimed that Linux violates more than 200 software patents, his minions clarified that he had been citing the findings from an independent study. Now, the author of that study says that
Ballmer got it wrong and that "Microsoft is up to its usual FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt)." After seeing Redmond cynically and successfully use that same unethical strong-arm tactic against its competitors for years, more and more of us are feeling like
It's Time for Microsoft to Put Up or Shut Up. And when it has finally been proven to not be able to back up its claims, it should be fined and/or sanctioned. Heavily.
I have a pay-as-you-go cell phone that I use when I need it, but my main phone is still a traditional landline one. That's no longer the case for a growing number of people.
If you drive a hybrid automobile, your gas mileage
just went down 2-12 miles per gallon.
Microsoft appears to be on the verge of being engulfed by the public-relations firestorm that its CEO, Steve Ballmer, intentionally started a few days ago, when he claimed that Linux violates more than 200 software patents. First, as I told you yesterday, the author of the study that Ballmer had cited said that the study actually proves the opposite of what Ballmer had claimed. Now Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, has stated that
Ballmer's claim is FUD. In the meantime, experts are saying that Microsoft's patent quest
won't go very far. And here's an article that calls Microsoft's tactics
corporate terrorism. Open source users and companies are
thumbing their noses at Microsoft's claim, and both old and new articles are popping up, opining that
Microsoft may have infringed on others' patents. Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.
Here's a clever "news story" that takes Microsoft's latest bogus claim against Linux to its logical conclusion.
A few days ago, I asked how you'd like to compete against someone who had been robotically enhanced. Organizations that sanction athletic competitions are already facing that question.
Are you the kind of person who is influenced by what famous actors think about issues?
Bruce Willis isn't.
According to its UPS tracking information, my new Brother HL-5240 laser printer is on a local truck to be delivered today, right on schedule. A few days ago, I donated my 4-year-old Brother 5040 laser printer, with its two broken gears, to my local Brother-authorized repair shop, in case they ever need any of its working parts to repair other printers.
If you wonder whether Microsoft's recent patent-violation claims against Linux and open source software will affect you, but you haven't had the stomach to delve into all of the gory details, you'll want to read
Microsoft: A Law Firm Pretending To Be An Army Pretending To Be A Software Company.
Wow, I didn't know that Dell customers were having support problems until I read that the Attorney General of the State of New York is suing Dell for "engaging in 'bait and switch' financing tactics and failing to provide their customers with adequate customer service." If you own a Dell computer, or if you're thinking of buying one or more of them, you'd be wise to check out this story.
Have you noticed that the amount of spam email that you receive has increased in the past year? If so, that may be due to the fact that image spam, which used to make up about 5 percent of email messages, has risen to about 40 percent. What is image spam? More importantly, how does it get past your email spam filters? The answers are in The Scourge of Image Spam.
This is very disturbing: In England, three men stand accused of using a web site to incite terrorism. During their trial, prosecutors have had to stop their questioning of witnesses in order to explain terminology to the judge, who admits that
he doesn't know what a web site is.
My new Brother HL-5240 laser printer arrived yesterday afternoon. I quickly got it set up and running in Windows XP, using its installation CD. Then I downloaded the appropriate Linux driver software and installation instructions from the Brother web site. After that, all I had to do was open a console (command-line) window and type two well-documented commands to install my new printer in Mepis Linux. I've been using Linux since last summer, and this was the first time that I've had to manually download any software or type any commands to install software — all I've ever had to do up until now was go into Linux's Synaptic software package manager, point and click on whatever software I wanted, and Synaptic would automatically download and install it for me. I anticipate that in the future, Brother will automate the installation of the HL-5240's Linux drivers, just like they did with the Linux drivers for my older Brother HL-5040 laser printer. UPDATE: Installing the 5240's Linux printer driver turned out to be even easier than I thought. A few weeks later, I discovered that since the 2 printer driver files are both .DEB files, I could have just double-clicked each of them, and Mepis Linux (the version of Linux that I use) would have automatically opened its KPackage package manager to install them for me. So, to try it out, I uninstalled my 5240 printer and then reinstalled it by double-clicking the 2 printer driver files. It worked like a charm. Live and learn.
After bragging about it for the past few days, I had really hoped to tell you that my first experiences with my new printer were good. However, now that I've used it for several hours, and printed about 12 print jobs for a total of about 50 pages of text and graphics, I can't honestly say that it's a good printer. Nope, to be honest, I have to say that, so far, it's a fantastic printer. It wakes up from its power-saving sleep mode in just a few seconds, and starts spitting out 30 high-quality printed pages per minute, with only about an inch of space between the end of one page coming out and the beginning of the next page coming out. At this point, I'm really happy that I bought it, and I really can't think of anything negative to say about it.
Joining the ever-growing number of organizations that trust their mission-critical computing needs to Unix/Linux, the New York Stock Exchange is migrating their computing needs off of an extremely powerful mainframe computer onto IBM servers running Unix and HP servers running Linux. The move is anticipated to result in "serious financial savings, very serious." It doesn't surprise me at all that the NYSE would make such a smart investment.
If you'd like to see some of the best open-source software that you may soon be using, take a look at Open Source Projects: 15 To Watch.
If you're a Windows user, then you're probably using one or more computer-security packages that are subscription-based — you pay a subscription fee in order to get regular software updates. What you may not be aware of is that some of those security packages
automatically charge your credit card for future updates, and make it difficult for you to tell them to stop doing it.
After another day of using my new laser printer, I'm still extremely happy with it. Thanks for asking.
Millions of people know that Linux-based operating systems are superior to Windows in many, many ways. So why don't they all use Linux? Maybe for the same reason that they don't all drive hybrid vehicles.
Fallout continues from Microsoft's recent veiled patent-infringement threats against Linux and open source software. Here are
Three Scenarios For How Microsoft's Open Source Threat Could End. Microsoft is a smart company, but its continued use of
FUDD makes some people wonder
How Dumb Does Microsoft Think We Are?
You can learn a lot about a company's priorities by looking at where it spends its money. For example Microsoft reportedly spent $5-7 billion to develop Windows Vista. That sounds pretty impressive until you learn that Microsoft is spending $6 billion to buy an advertising company.
Have you ever used speech recognition software? I tried it out a few times in the past, when you had to speak very slowly and clearly to it. SR technology has greatly improved, but it may always require its users to carefully proofread its results. For a good laugh, go to this story, and search inside of it for the word "admire."
Doctors analyzing his assasination have concluded that modern medicine may have been able to
save President Lincoln's life. And it probably could have given him a good nose job, too.
When's the last time you made a backup of your PC's important data and settings? I did it about a half-hour ago, using my external hard drive. First I cloned my wife's Windows XP partition, to save me from ever having to reinstall XP and all of its software and configuration settings. Then I cloned my Linux root partition. Then I backed up my Linux home folder. Finally, I backed up our shared XP/Linux documents folder that contains everything that we create and all of our email messages, browser bookmarks and settings. I did a lot of work up-front to create a fast and easy backup process, but now it only takes one double-click and less than one minute to backup our shared documents folder every couple of days. When you depend on a computer as much I do, and you're constantly trying new things that could possibly mess it up, it's a great feeling to know that everything is working perfectly and is backed up exactly that way.
A recent update to Symantec's antivirus software mistook two system files in the Chinese version of Windows XP for malware, so it removed them. With those files removed, "Windows XP will no longer start up, and even the system Safe Mode no longer functions." As a result, the upgrade crippled thousands of Chinese PCs. The only solution to the problem is to use Windows' Recovery Console and the PC's Windows Restore CD to replace the two removed files. Unfortunately, many Chinese people run pirated copies of Windows, so they don't have a Windows Restore CD. What's the world coming to when software pirates can't count on security software upgrades?
Company A creates spyware that illegally infects people's PCs. Company B creates anti-spyware software that removes Company A's spyware from people's PCs. So Company A sues Company B for $35 million.
The founder and CEO of a startup gaming company is hoping to raise $100,000 to market his unique method of teaching chemistry to children. His ultimate goal is for his company to make $1 million within the next year,
before he finishes the eighth grade.
I thought I had done pretty well by individually helping a couple thousand people with their computer questions and problems over the years, through on-site visits, email messages and this site's forums. Here's a guy who has helped over 10,000 people, and he's only 16 years old. Like me, he's a Linux user.
Google is now offering to take over ISPs' email services, for a fee. While some people may think that's a good thing, it has a dark side.
I heard an interesting interview with this guy on the radio the other day. "A Purdue University engineer has developed a method that uses an aluminum alloy to extract hydrogen from water for running fuel cells or internal combustion engines, and the technique could be used to replace gasoline."
No wonder viruses, spyware and other malware are such a problem in the Windows world. Some computer users will click on any advertisement that they see, even one that offers to
infect their PC with a virus. Nearly all of the people who clicked were Windows users.
Regular readers of this Journal know that I tried a lot of different Linux distros in the past, looking for one that could replace Windows 98 SE and XP for me. And that last summer I began using Linux full-time, except for one time that I had to use Windows XP to convert a video to a different format. I've been happily using SimplyMepis Linux since last September, and it's a great feeling to know that I'm doing what I want to do, independently of Microsoft. So why doesn't everyone use Linux? The main reason is probably that Windows already comes preinstalled on nearly everyone's PC, but here's an article that says that there are also Five Crucial Things the Linux Community Doesn’t Understand About the Average Computer User.
It's getting to be old news, so unless there's some important new development on the subject, this will probably be the last time that I mention Microsoft's unsubstantiated patent-infringement claims against Linux and open source software: Microsoft's Patent on a Pile of Baloney.
If you're like me, you'll enjoy
20 Things I Learned From The Internet.
If a government- and industry-led coalition has its way, all cars in the U.S. will be equipped with wireless computers that will communicate with roadside computers, to help lower driver death rates and reduce traffic jams. Of course, they're using Linux to run the prototype system.
Personally, I wasn't really enthusiastic about the idea when I first heard that Dell is planning to offer Ubuntu Linux preinstalled on a few of its lower-end PCs. Now I've changed my mind, because it's becoming clear that Dell's move will help spur the development of Linux drivers for hardware components.
Many privacy advocates see it as a possibly illegal threat to users' online privacy. I see it as just one more reason to be very happy that I'm not using Microsoft software any more: Microsoft hopes to spy on your online habits in order to identify you.
If you like keeping up with "what's hot" on the web, Google is planning to
show a daily list of the 100-hottest topics from its search engine. Of course, they'll edit out any links to porn, the weather and stories about Paris Hilton.
You may not realize it, but even if you're using Microsoft Windows right now, the odds are really high that you're a Linux user.
Anyone who's enthusiastic about getting others to use Linux should try to understand Three More Things that the Linux Community Doesn’t Get.
Would you like paper or plastic? Your laundry basket, grocery bags, and milk jugs are probably made of polyethylene plastic. So are your Tupperware bowls. Now someone's figured out a way to use polyethylene to make
a bulletproof vest that is pound-for-pound stronger than anything else on the market. Plus, it keeps the wearer fresh for several days.
Here's yet another reason to make your daily pilgrimage to Wal-Mart: it's going to start selling Dell PCs.
Regular readers of this Journal know that, for months, I've considered converting my entire Journal to use the WordPress blogging system. Unfortunately, it seems like every time I think I might finally do it, I hear that the bad guys have found another way to hack into that extremely popular system. Now comes word that 49 out of 50 WordPress blogs recently tested are using potentially vulnerable versions of WordPress. Only people using the most recent couple of versions are safe. For now.
Ironically, if you want some security in your IT position, you may want to forego learning the latest and greatest skills, and instead concentrate on maintaining
dying skills.
I'm in the middle of a week of caring for Oliver and Cairo, the greyhounds next door, while my wonderful neighbors, Mike and Annamarie, are on a vacation trip. Last night, when I went next door to let the boys out before bedtime, I got a big surprise. They were sitting at the kithen table, playing chess! I thought, "Wow! These are really, really smart dogs!" Then I noticed that they were moving the chess pieces like checkers; jumping each other's pieces to capture them. I guess they're not so smart after all.
One of the many things that I really enjoy about being a Linux user is that I don't have to worry about security. When I first installed Mepis Linux last fall, I went into its included GuardDog firewall and clicked on some of its settings to configure it for my needs. Then, I disabled its included Clamav antivirus software, since Linux-targeted viruses are so rare that I feel perfectly safe without running any antivirus software. That's all I had to do.
On the Windows XP side of my dual-boot PC, security is a whole different story. Windows users have to constantly ask themselves, "Is my security system up to date?"
If you're like me, you browse the web with Mozilla's Firefox browser instead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. If your computer has less than 1 GB of RAM, you may want to force Firefox to use less memory by tweaking one of its settings.
Contrary to the title of this article, I already live just fine without using several of the 10 Open Source Apps You Can't Live Without. On the other hand, a few of them make my life a little more fun and productive.
According to one pundit, Google is entering its final days as the big dog on the block. Ironically, the seeds of its downfall are the fact that
it generates too many good ideas.
Students who have athletic abilities are often lionized, honored and memorialized by their peers, parents and schools, while students who are very intelligent are often ignored or treated as outcasts. As a result, the smartest kids in school often feel inferior to their more-popular classmates. Fast-forward to adulthood, where even though Linux is better than Windows, many Linux users suffer from what one blogger calls The Linux Insecurity Complex.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles may one day solve a lot of the world's environmental and fossil-fuel-dependency problems. On the other hand, developers of hydrogen-powered vehicles have always had to deal with the problem of nonexistent infrastructure to provide the production, storage, and distribution of hydrogen fuel. They've also had to figure out a safe and economical way to carry the dangerous gas onboard hydrogen-powered vehicles. Now it looks like the solution to all of those problems may be to fill the gas tanks of hydrogen-powered vehicles with sugar water.
This may turn out to be really big — and bad — news for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who enjoy soft drinks: A preservative that's found in many soft drinks
may cause cell damage that could "eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's." Don't forget to have a Coke and a smile. And remember: You've got a lot to live, and Pepsi's got a lot to give.
As I mentioned the other day, I'm still going next door to take care of Oliver and Cairo, my neighboring greyhounds. Last night, I got another surprise when I went over to feed them supper. There they were, standing up on their hind legs, wearing large, colorful sombreros and dancing around like a couple of crazy dogs. A nearby radio blared Salsa music. On the kitchen table sat a couple of half-eaten bags of Doritos and a big bowl of — you guessed it — salsa. As I approached, Oliver saw me in the corner of his eye and barked his greeting, while Cairo tossed me a bag of chips. Those guys sure know how to have a good time when Mike and Annamarie are away. In fact, last night was almost as much fun as their New Years Eve pizza and "classic rock" party.
You can always be sure there will be a lively discussion when you mention the subject of Windows vs. Linux security.
They spend millions of dollars on radar equipment and computer graphics, and they tell us that they understand global warming, yet they can't even predict for sure whether or not it's going to rain tomorrow. Maybe our TV meteorologists would do a better job if we sent them
to the moon.
Wow, it's taken a few years for this story to finally have a happy ending: By court order, domain registrar RegisterFly's 850,000 domain name registrations will be transferred to GoDaddy's domain registration service today. Regular readers of this Journal know that RegisterFly started giving its customers problems back when I was a customer a few years ago. Those problems got worse until RegisterFly users could no longer manage or renew their domain names, or even transfer them to other domain registrars. It's too bad for a lot of people that it took so long to finally end RegisterFly's bad-faith legal wrangling. "Good riddance," RegisterFly.
If you're in the mood for an epiphany of lugubriousness, read through American Heritage Dictionary's list of 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know. I'm not being facetious.
How the Pentagon Got Its Shape is one of those memorably sad-but-funny stories that'll make you "the belle of the ball" at your next soiree.
Security through obscurity is often criticized as an ineffective way to protect computer systems. There are, however, some situations in which it's not all bad.
It's a great piece of software, but here are a bunch of useful ways that you can tweak your Firefox browser to make it even better.
When people act altruistically, we tend to admire them as morally superior to people who act more selfishly; however,
new research suggests that altrusim is "not a superior moral faculty that suppresses basic selfish urges but rather (is) basic to the brain, hard-wired and pleasurable." Send me a lot of money. It'll make you feel good.
No matter how powerful, stable and secure it is, or how user-friendly it gets, it seems like some people will always have a strong, unjustified bias against Linux. Of course, others are delighted to make the move from Windows to Linux.
Is your ISP spying on you? My ISP is one of those that didn't even respond to the question.
Here's some good news for computer users: Apple is now selling music that is
DRM-free.
Here's some bad news for computer users: Songs sold without DRM still have a user's full name and account e-mail
embedded in them.
