One of the main reasons that, around the year 2000, I started looking for an operating system that could replace Windows on my PCs — and I began using Linux full-time instead of Windows in 2006 — was that I was sick and tired of Windows’ swiss cheese-like security and the constant need to learn about and deal with all of its security vulnerabilities.

Now here we are, ten years after I started looking [more...]

Many years ago, every new Windows computer came with a Certificate of Authenticity and either a CD of Windows itself — to allow you to reinstall Windows from scratch if you had to (everyone had to at one point or another); or a recovery CD that could automatically reconfigure your computer back to exactly the way it was when it was brand new — with Windows and all of the software that had originally come with the computer. [more...]

When I think of the word, “appliance,” I imagine refrigerators and washing machines and toasters.

Not computers.

But some people argue that computers have become so [more...]

Almost 6 years ago, I began using Firefox, Mozilla’s free and open source Web browser in Windows, instead of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

Since July of 2006, I’ve been using Linux full-time intead of Windows, but I kept using Firefox as my Web browser.

Needless to say, I’ve had a lot of experience [more...]

Over the past three decades, I’ve had the honor of helping probably tens of thousands of people troubleshoot and learn how to use their computers, including everyone from preschoolers to senior citizens to domestic violence survivors.

Helping to change others’ lives is very gratifying work.

I suspect that there are few people alive who [more...]