Archive for the 'Linux' Category

anonymous asked:


QuickOrder is a new ordering system  for restaurant management. The program picks up orders and deliver them to the kitchen. It makes data entry easier.

You can control table map, menù and prices, stock in the store,.. In addition, you can take note about customer’s details and waiters, such as who waiter serves a that one table, etc.

 It takes note about customers’ details and waiters, stocks,… 

So you can keep everything under control easly.You can control accounting as well.

To sum up, the system incorporates the features that a restaurant uses many times every day and keeping it simple. 

This system can help to built a business restaurant and make customers happier, because it can increase efficiency orders and decrease time service. It can help you to save money. You have cash control and security to help you keep more the money you earn 

The restaurant software is designed for user friendly and graphic design is cool.  It is easy to use and fast: the graphics interface is very intuitive. The system has a wireless printer.

The software is open source, it operates on Linux (Ubuntu) and Mac. Soon it will available for Windows as well.

Company as a software house, vendors, hardware manufacturer can use the free QuickOrder to their business

You can download QuickOrder for free from:  

http://www.supereasyfree.com

You can look at an explanation video on:

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=t1SqDvbadiQ



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Mary Riley asked:


The best thing and the worst thing about moving to a brand new operating system is all of the new applications that are immediately available to you. With Ubuntu, an open-source GNU/Linux based operating system, this is compounded even more by the astounding number of options along with the close-to automated package management system and strong community support.

Therefore, it’s helpful to have a basic guide to guide new and returning users through the varied software options by highlighted specific popular packages and providing installation directions, along with information about where users can look for more options and support. By showing the new Ubuntu user the best of the software repository from the start, we can ensure retention and thereby further undercut the market share of the 8,000 pound gorillas in the OS market.

Seeing all of the software available for Ubuntu through the official repositories is an easy and enjoyable experience. In fact, you don’t even need to open an internet browser. You can see the repositories (or repo’s) in two different ways:

1. Click on the Add/Remove Programs option in the Applications menu. This will most of the more popular items, along with each package’s estimated popularity. The option to install is provided right through the dialog screen.

2. Use the Synaptic Package Manager, which is available through selecting System–>Administration–>Synaptic Package Manager. A search function is included, making this process even easier. Also, you can choose to update all of your current packages through the click of the button. More often than not, no restart or reboot is required.

Without further ado, here are some common applications for Ubuntu, and directions on how to install them.

BitTorrent

qBitTorrent is an application used to connect to the BitTorrent file sharing network, which acts as an uncentralized way to distribute and download large files without much hassle. Many sites on the internet provide these torrent files, and it is the responsibility of the user to make sure they are not violating the copyright laws of their respective nation by using them.

qBitTorrent is not available in the official repositories, so you’ll have to use the Terminal to install it. You can access the Terminal through Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal. As soon as it opens, enter the following commands (a root password may be required).

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.lst

Copy the following lines to the end of the file:

deb http://hydr0g3n.free.fr/qbittorrent/feisty/ ./

deb-src http://hydr0g3n.free.fr/qbittorrent/feisty/ ./

Close the window, and copy and paste the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install qbittorrent

Evolution

Check your e-mail in style with this client. Evolution comes pre-installed with Ubuntu, and you can open it from the Applications menu. This program is ideal for calendaring, keeping track of contacts, and checking e-mail. If it isn’t installed for some reason, you can install it with the Synaptic Package Manager.

Pan

Pan is a way to connect to UseNet. It’s one of the few for Ubuntu that has a graphical display.

Type this in to install it:

sudo apt-get install pan

Pan rivals the XNews program for Windows, and it’s completely open-source.

Firefox

Firefox is a really quick web browser developed by Mozilla. Yep, it definitely knocks the socks off of Internet Explorer, and it’s way more compatible with most websites than Safari. Based on the latest statistics, more people than ever before are moving over to Firefox from other browsers, and almost everything on the internet is compatible with it. Though it comes pre-installed with Ubuntu, I definitely think it’s worth a mention. If it’s not preinstalled, type this in the command line:

sudo apt-get install firefox

Pidgin

Multi-protocol Instant Messaging, baby! Includes support for AIM, Yahoo!, GMail, and MSN. I know, I know, it’s amazing. And trust me, it is EASY to install!

Here’s the directions: Insert this stuff into your command line.

wget http://vicox.net/ubuntu/pidgin_2.0.0beta7devel.vicox-1_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i pidgin_2.0.0beta7devel.vicox-1_i386.deb

I hope this was a useful start. For more application ideas, you can try the official documentation or the forums. Good luck, and enjoy your new experience with Ubuntu!



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Carl Chesal asked:


As a business consultant, web designer and photographer my technical know-how around doing system administration on my Microsoft desktop is limited and sometimes I do require the assistant of my computer engineering son to get it right. In a Microsoft Environment, keeping updated with respect to potential security breaches and patches is a constant vigil. The rigor of keeping current with OS updates, Norton updates and Spyware updates is time consuming. Valuable business hours each week are spend and lost on this task of self-administration dictated by the Microsoft Operating Environment.

So with the purchase of an IBM T40 (a tough notebook), increasing system administration time was not an option. This alone forced an serious consideration of Linux as an alternative operating environment. That was five years ago. Now an established Linux user, I can clearly profess the capabilities and benefits of Linux for small and large businesses, especially, when it comes to notebook deployment.

What Linux variant is best for small business and notebook deployment in your company?

As a small and medium business development manager with Sun Microsystems, exposure to Linux and the debate around its viability was a daily event. Questioning and challenging the virtues of Open Source (FREE) Linux versus Licensed Linux versions like Red Hat and Novell SuSE continues to this day . After years of personal use of Open Source (Free) Linux, I can never go back to running the Microsoft Operating Environment on my notebook. And once you can get Linux versions of Quick books, Quick Tax and Picasa (now available on Linux), there is no reason to stay in that perpetual administrative nightmare world of Microsoft.

Having successfully deployed two Open Source Linux variants on my IBM T40 notebook over the last 5 years, a compelling comparison can be made between Fedora and Ubuntu. Fedora, the Open Source version of Red Hat, required the installation expertise of some Linux gurus from Belleville Ontario. It worked fine, but required some Linux ninja system administration every 6-9 months. Administration items applied during these visits included upgrades to Open Office (the open source version of Star Office), Linux OS fixes and new peripheral drivers. This, again, turned out to be a drain on my scarce time for doing real business.

Now the Linux called Ubuntu is installed on my notebook. Ubuntu by Canonical is a full Open Source Linux based on Debian Linux. Ubuntu is now available on Dell systems and Federal Governments are adding this Linux operating environment to their list of standard available OS’s for all desktop and notebook computers.

Right out of the gate, Ubuntu was simple to install. You could even bring down a trial copy to experience exactly how it would behave on your notebook before downloading and committing the Ubuntu OS environment to your machine. But the best part is that Ubuntu continuously keeps on top of OS and all related application software updates. Ubuntu has an Update Manager that magically appears in desktop tool bar. And with a simple click (and password) you are kept current on the latest versions of Ubuntu patches, any Linux application software you have installed from Canonical and Open Office upgrades.

With Linux rebooting your machine after an update is nearly non-existent.

Oh, as an added treat with Ubuntu, Ubuntu boots up on your machine in less than a minute. I still go get a coffee when my Microsoft desktop is booting up. An additional benefit of Ubuntu: there is no requirement for installing ant-virus and anti-spyware software. Ubuntu inherently repels these vial scourges of the internet.

With Ubuntu your system administration life will become simple and painless. You can spend more quality business hours selling and marketing.

Want to cut hidden costs in your organization that manifest themselves as Microsoft self-administration by your end users?

Ubuntu is a must for you or your IT folks to consider. Seriously consider, test and deploy.



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jaya sinha asked:


The tech world is no more driven by the proprietary software. The world has changed and even the way we use to access the software.

For almost each paid software, the users are provided with zero cost counterpart of it. The tools with no licensing fees, no expiration dates and no problems are available for free downloads. The feature will list the best products or softwares that are available for free.

Mozilla Firefox: The browser is jumping up since its inception in 2004. The major took off was after the version 1.5 was made public. It changed the consumer’s perception for internet navigation. It offered tabbing experience and enhanced security. The browser is gradually moving up on popularity charts and with Mozilla Firefox 3 available for download since June 17, the hopes are higher.

Skype: The software that allows one to make calls over Internet. It is available for free downloads and is best to make calls to users worldwide. People using the same Skype service can be called for free but calls to landlines or cellphones are charged. Users on Skype can go for video conferencing for free on the same. The service is also available on mobile devices.

Google Docs: Launched as an option to proprietary software products, the product is a huge success. The product is like a spice adder to ongoing rivalry of Google and Microsoft. Microsoft has flagged a huge success with patent of Microsoft Office Suite but with the launch of free Google Docs and that too online, the company has faced a setback. At the hour, when flexibility is key driver, Google Docs seemingly takes away the pie away from MS Office Suite. No doubt MS Office Live Workspace is giving tougher competition online but still Google Docs has taken the appreciation by mass users on certain features and services. Google Docs has eliminated the need of keeping important docs handy in CDs or flash drives as they are now available online.

Ubuntu: The most widely appreciated Linux distribution can not be left alone if list of best freebies are discussed. It is the only operating system from Linux distribution that has made entry to best products list. Its ease of installation and excellent performance with older drivers makes it the best reputed distributions since far for Linux users. Above all the operating system comes loaded with Firefox, Openoffice.org, and Evolution mail.

Comodo Firewall Pro: The security threats are surging high, taking away calms from the users. At current stage, missing firewall means taking your data in lighter means. If cost is the limiting factor, try hands on with Comodo Firewall Pro. This is the best available and above all free firewall for XP and Vista that secure your network from lot of viruses. The list maintained in its database, reduces the number of pop ups on your PC and controls the programs having access to Net.

YouTube Uploader: YouTube is scaling high on popularity charts with people getting crazy to upload videos and photos. The free availability of videos is also adding to its rising popularity. But loading video is a cumbersome job. The YouTube Uploader is a nice tool to upload lot of videos on sites at once.

To pick products from a vast library that are making their presence felt and are topping the charts is not an easy job, but hoping that the feature will offer you a comprehensive list for some very well appreciated free products that can be categorized for Hall of Fame.



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richard baxter asked:


Windows Vista looks fantastic but I’ve always been disappointed by a somewhat lacklustre performance, especially at startup. Certain that my super quick PC could do much much more, I decided to take the plunge and install the Linux-based OS along side Windows Vista.

Ubuntu Hardy Heron was released in late April, 2008 and is the best version of Ubuntu so far. The key reason I felt it was time to give it a try was the press coverage of the Wubi installer. Wubi is this neat little installation package that lets you install Ubuntu from Windows, on the same partition as your current installation. It even sets up a dual boot configuration so you can quickly and easily restart your computer and return to Vista.

Ubuntu has an amazing 3d desktop option called Compiz that allows you to rotate your desktop in 3d! Want to create yourself an Ubuntu machine that can do this?

Here’s a list of features available, and a basic installation guide. I’ve referenced useful guides where possible:

Ubuntu – Download Ubuntu and open the ISO from Windows. Run Wubi and it installs easily, right from your desktop. It won’t break Windows! Oh, and should you get bored of Ubuntu you can uninstall from the add/remove programs menu. When you restart your machine, you’ll be given an option to boot from Windows or Ubuntu.

Compiz – that’s the 3d desktop environment plugin. Once installed, you should see “advanced desktop effects” settings in the preferences drop down. Switch on “desktop cube”. The keyboard shortcut for the cube on my machine is CTRL,ALT and the right mouse button. There are loads of settings to play with in Compiz, which does take a while to set up. Once it’s done, there’s no turning back.

Get Thunderbird  – the best email client I’ve found for Ubuntu, and it does RSS quite well. You can install Thunderbird using the downloadable install package straight from the website.

VLC viewer is a great media player for video because it has native XVID support and lots more. It seems like the best free media player and I’ve been using it without a problem for a few months now.

I’m still working on finding the best mp3 player – I’m using a player called Audacious, but at the time of writing I’m just downloading and installing a player called amarok. The screenshots look awesome. I’m still undecided on which MP3 player to use.

Many of the applications named above can be searched for and installed via the Synaptic Package Manager under System>Administration (a bit like add/remove programs), but don’t be put off by the few command lines you have to run to get any of these packages working. It’s really easy, I promise.

The time may come when you’re ready to migrate to Ubuntu for good. Not a decision to take lightly, I can tell you! I certainly haven’t moved over completely just yet. When the time comes, you’ll need to move your virtual disk file to a dedicated partition. You can do this by using LVPM to transfer your Wubi partition to Ubuntu’s native ext3 partition format.

So, give some thought to the Windows alternatives. The more people out there using Ubuntu, the more software tools we’ll get for it. I’m really excited so far and it’s working really well. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post and any experience you’ve had with Ubuntu. Here’s a detailed guide on how to install Ubuntu for you to get started. Good luck!



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Mary Riley asked:


Pidgin, Gaim, Kopete: these days, there’s a variety of different options for instant messaging (or IM, for short) for Linux distributions such as Ubuntu. they all connect to a variety of different protocols and offer plenty of advanced features, so which one should you use?

Pidgin and Gaim are basically the same program. For reasons that have a lot to do with naming rules laid out by America Online, the Gaim project recently decided to change its name to Pidgin. Pidgin offers the ability to connect to many different protocols, including the large ones such as AOL Instant Messaging (AIM), Yahoo, MSN, and Google Talk. It’s really lightweight and supports tabbed conversation, timestamping, and buddy pounces. It also has a fully expandable plug-in interface which is useful for adding new functionality. Gaim is created to run with GTK, which comes with every Ubuntu installation and facilitates integration into the GNOME desktop manager.

Kopete has many of the same features Gaim has, but it is better integrated into the KDE desktop manager. The Kopete design focus is more based around the user interface, allowing users to display buddy pictures right in the buddy list and keeping IM from becoming too intrusive. It supports message encryption and archiving, and integrates into the KDE contact manager for a complete solution for instant messaging.



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Tankiso Letseli asked:


Almost all African marriages include dowry or bride’s price or “lobolo” or “bohadi”. A young man would not feel good if he is not required to give “lobolo” or “bohadi”, The amount of money or property or number of cows varies from one family to another and from one tribe to another. A young man pays “lobolo” according to the standards and status of that family or tribe. When the two negotiating teams have finished their job, which might involve two to three visits depending on whether they do not reach a deadlock, a date for sealing a covenant or relationship between two families would be arranged. Normally the prospective bride’s family arranges that ceremony, which is also coupled with the ritual of receiving and accepting the prospective bridegroom into the family as their son. A sheep is slaughtered and its blood is used as a material to seal to a covenant and confirm a relationship between two families.

Traditionally a man does not pay the bride’s price or dowry or “bohadi” or “lobolo” in full because that would be interpreted to mean that his family is breaking ties with his prospective wife’s family. In fact, the young man must be seen to be struggling to pay the rest of the amount, and a concession would be made for him to pay less than the amount originally required. He would pay 80 to 90% of the “bohadi” or “lobolo”, and the rest would remain as a balance or debt. The young man is not expected to pay this amount of money or cows. He is eternally indebted to his family-in-law at two levels, (1) for receiving a precious gift of a wife, and (2) for the balance of “lobolo” or “bohadi” that he does not have to pay.

It should be noted that “lobolo” or “bohadi” is not a price to purchase a woman, but a gift to the other woman’s family, and a test to a young man to check if he is capable of providing for his family. Women are precious in African culture, and they are not for sale. In fact, women are encouraged to leave if they are continuously mistreated, especially if both families have tried but have not been able to resolve that conflict. The same applies to a young man. If a young woman misbehaves, and both families are not able to solve that problem, a young man is encouraged either to divorce or (in some cases) to consider polygamy.

African Marriage ceremonies vary from one family to another and from one tribe to another. Marriage is a community event. Among many traditional Africans, there are no invitation cards. For example, in Sesotho culture, a white flag or cloth is flown higher at the bride’s home as a sign to communicate two messages, namely, (1) that there is a wedding in this house, and (2) the entire community is invited.

African marriage ceremonies are often conducted on one day, or two days or even several days - depending on the traditions of the family or tribe. Ceremonies vary from one family to another. There is a lot of preparation in terms of songs to be sung, speeches to be made, counselling of the bride and bridegroom by representatives from families, community, elders, church, king or chief of the territory, friends and neighbours. There is a lot of exchanging of gifts between the two families, gifts from the community members to the newly wedded couple. Marriage brings two families into one.

I think Africa has something to offer to the world in terms of its family and marriage structures, especially in the light of the fact that marriages are under attack and are crumbling. Extended families are critical in ensuring the stability and support of marriages. Uncles and aunts, grannies, and relatives should play a critical role in forming a support for the newly wedded couple. This will ensure a healthy family, healthy tribe or society, and a healthy nation. The wellness and health of the family are critical in providing a healthy nation, and producing peaceful societies.

Like in many cultural groups, African marriages are not perfect and still need to learn from other cultural groups, but Africa has its unique contribution to the world in terms of supportive family and marriage structures, and the concept and practice of “ubuntu”.



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Maxwell A. Rubin asked:


Most people purchase computers to run programs - whether it is to send email, browse the web, meet friends of girlfriends on msn messenger, do office work or just play solitaire.

People buy computers to use programs for their functionality not to run operating systems be in Microsoft Windows, the new Microsoft Vista product , the Mac Operations Systems or the various Linux Operating Systems - be they Ubuntu Linux , Mandiva , Knoppix or Debian.

At the heart of most computer users is functionality and usability. It is as simple as that. It is an interesting situation that the Microsoft Corporation controls the vast lion’s share of the computer operating system market. Indeed it even has a major share holding of the next player in line - Apple with the Macintosh OS (Operating System).

What are the issues?

1) Linux is not really free. Linux, in its various flavors or distros, is given free of charge, whether it is on a cd, DVD or downloaded. You can install the program on your own compute or various computers , at no charge to yourself whatsoever

This is in direct contrast to a commercial product such as Microsoft Windows or the new Microsoft Vista which you to purchase a boxed version or a valid license which comes with most computer systems purchased. This license which comes on most new computers as a matter of course could be referred to as the “Microsoft Computer Tax” and is not an option you can forego, to reduce the purchase of your new compute - whether or not you wish to use another operating system such as Linux.

Linux is given free of charge to install. This is not a shareware or time limited version of the product which requires a registration fee after a period of time.

If you require product support or training commercial organizations do exist which will charge you for support of that product or for training or both. Indeed it can be said that Microsoft itself charges for product support, Symantec the antivirus / security organization charges for basic support by product, subscription fees - sometimes automatic subscription fees and 900 phone number and charge card “Priority Support”.

Indeed you would not expect your local school or technical college to provide computer and compute software training free of charge.

2) Linux is complex and will force you to learn the Linux command line,

Not true simple as that. The various Linux distros all have GUI (Graphic User Interfaces) just like Microsoft Windows, Windows used to come as command line DOS. Windows users use pull down windows to operate the software. So can and do most Linux users

3) Compared to Windows , Installing Linux is Difficult

- The vast majority of computer users are computer neophytes and beginners.

These computer users purchase computers with the operations system Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh Operating System installed on their new computers. These people could not install the Windows Operating system and the device drivers necessary if their life depended on it. How the situation of a Linux is based computer any different.

It is only a matter of time until new computers come preinstalled with the Linux operating system. Imagine if Henry Ford had been told not to build new cars since there were few good roads available in America.

4) My Computer Hardware Just Works Under Windows

5) Again untrue in many cases and soon to be less of an issue as more and more computers will come preinstalled with a Linux operating system. Already Dell Computer (which was a Microsoft stalwart) is selling Linux based laptops. Interestingly the response to the Ubuntu Linux dell notebooks is quite positive, If you think Linux hardware compatibility is an issue try upgrading to the new Microsoft Vista from your previous Microsoft Windows product. You will find to your surprise that few if little of computer hardware are supported. You may have upgraded to the new Vista and found you have either no sound, good video or even internet connections via your network adapter device or wireless network adapter. And try undoing your upgrade to get back to your working windows version - it cannot be done.

Lastly you may say I run Windows since all of the programs I use are available only on the Windows operations system - since that is the dominant player in the market. You may well surmise that since Windows is the more than dominant player in the computer OS market that software developers write their product almost exclusively for the windows operations system and that market.

This is true. If you are using a specialized product for your job, industry, situation or preference you may well be locked in.

In the end most people buy and use computers for functionality and use. Most people use their computers for internet browsing , communication - whether it by email or messenger services (M.S.N. , Yahoo , Skype , Eyeball Chat) , downloading and burning music and in more than many cases for playing nothing more than computer games such as simple solitaire.

In these cases the functionality of Linux and its program base easily allows for this. Indeed many of the cutting edge programs and computer services come out of left field by computer software developers and enthusiasts whose preference of Computer Operating System is guess what - Linux in its various forms.



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Kurt Hartman asked:


The Cloud. Originally, it was just a metaphor for the internet, the area outside of your own network. That was how it appeared on the network diagram during college (and probably still appears, if Cisco has anything to do with it.). The past few years have brought new meaning to “the cloud”. It has gone from being a way to represent unknown complexity, to the buzzword for every information/application programmer in the known world.

The promise of “The Cloud” goes something like this: You will be able to access all your information simply by using your internet connection. All the processing and “grunt work” will be done by other computers(usually servers) located elsewhere. The data will be stored there as well, along with your user privileges. You will pay, based only on the amount of data/processing time that you use.

This is great, considering the fact that you could buy a very cheap netbook, for around $300 or so, and run all the apps that you are having. It is basically a thin client/server model that banks have been using for years, extrapolated over a huge network. One of the many purported advantages is the lack of hardware obsolescence. Right now, when a game with extremely high graphical requirements shows up on the horizon, gamers have to go upgrade their graphics card/physics processor and RAM to keep up.

If the game is being run over the cloud, via a high speed internet connection, and a game server is handling processing, then there would be no need to run anything but a low power pc,(it might even be running my beloved Ubuntu, as it would be platform agnostic). The server would simply translate the game into vectors. Essentially, you would be working with an interactive video of the game, rather than playing a video game. It’s a subtle difference, but one that would forever alter the gaming landscape. For one thing, you would no longer own a physical copy of the game. Rather, you would pay for a subscription for the game, and then unsubcribe once you lost interest.

This sounds like an ideal situation, but there are some very real problems with the model. Consider the fact that your gaming subscription, is say, $9.95 a month. You beat the game in the average of 8-13 hours that it takes to play the game through. It costs you $1 or so an hour for your experience. That’s not bad, for a pretty decent game. That’s cheaper than the $45-$50 you would currently pay for a new release on the PC platform. From a cost/benefit perspective, you win, at least in this situation. Now, let’s talk about the games that people play on a regular, shall we say, compulsive basis: Titles like Call of Duty 4, Starcraft II, HALO, any of the titles that have made loads of money at $50 a pop.

In many places, you buy these for the multiplayer experience, rather than the single-player, story mode. Now, let’s revisit the $9.95 a month subscription fee. Many people play these games each and every day, over servers hosted by the game manufacturers. The costs of hosting these games is built into the purchase price of the game. Under the subscription model, you will pay $120 for this game, over the course of a year, rather than $50 for a lifetime of play. Under the subscription model, you don’t own the game.

Now, let’s imagine you really like this game. The subscribers keep falling on this particular game. In fact, subscription levels are so low, that they have decided to drop this game altogether. Your favorite game has now vanished, and you don’t have a physical copy. Now, there’s always that whole “contact the developers, and pray they let you pay for a downloadable version”, but what would you do with it. Your hardware no longer has the specs to run it. Now, you have to go buy a $2000 machine, to run a game, that by this point would be in the bargain bin at $14.95 . You have been owned, to the tune of several hundred dollars.

That’s from a gameplay perspective. What about a business perspective? To a certain extent, most of us are already “cloud” reliant. We all use webmail, and our email is stored remotely. A recent outage of Gmail in Europe showed the vulnerability of this model. You’ve got your data stored next to your competitors data, and managed by someone else entirely. You are no longer managing the security of your organization. They take no responsibility in their terms of service for downtime, or lost business. In fact, this outage was caused by a minor software upgrade, rolled out across thousands of servers, worldwide. Imagine the profits lost, and problem caused by email being out for a couple of hours. What if you are using hosted documents, or your calendar is out? Think about the mass confusion that this would create in a large organization.

What if you are a graphic designer, using Photoshop CS7 over the cloud? This is your bread and butter. During a crucial project, the servers grind to a halt. You miss your deadline. Again, it’s out of your hands, but business still needs to be done. You could run an older local version, but the file format of the new version is not backwards compatible. Oh, and you pay $65 a month for this.

Now, let’s talk about something that is even more frustrating, and glaringly obvious: Your internet access goes out. Welcome to a serious problem. Now, you have zero access to your data, apps, and the like. This is not to say that there will not be any contingencies thought up. They will just be insufficient, and inevitably fail. Even if they don’t, however, remember this: The company that you pay the subscription to has your stuff. They can now hold it for ransom, should you forget to pay.

Even worse, they are only responsible for keeping copies of your work while you are a paying customer. Yahoo already deletes the data in accounts that haven’t been accessed in more than 6 months. While it is to the company’s advantage to keep an archived copy, in case you want to resubscribe, they are not usually under obligation to do so, and can change their terms of service at any time, just by sending you an email notification. There are inevitably hiccups along the way, and while these situations are far-fetched, they have to happen to someone. Are you willing to take the risk that it will be you?

While there are plenty of advantages to the cloud model, the disadvantages need to be weighed before subscribing to any such service. In terms of privacy, ownership, and reliability, the cloud model leaves plenty to be desired. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go upgrade my video card, and pay an outrageous price for a game.



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Christophe Catesson asked:


Netbooks - What you need to know before you buy Comparing laptops and notebooks, pros and cons

Are the days of the Laptop numbered?

As the world becomes a smaller place, the Internet grows ever larger and more resourceful. Today, we cannot survive without the Internet at our disposal for a very long time. Hence, vast arrays of handheld solutions which promise Internet access are available. While all of them have their uses, Internet on handheld devices is hardly as rich and resourceful as that on a full-fledged PC. Mobile browsers come with limited support, especially for features like embedded video and animation, thus leaving your web experience half-baked. In today’s age of extensive mobility, even the much vaulted laptop looks like a lumbering giant. The solution? Enter the Netbook world.

As of today, Netbooks are little more than ultraportable laptops. As the name suggests, it is best suited for surfing the net on the go along with other lightweight allied tasks. It is not fundamentally designed to be a multimedia center or an office workstation and most Netbooks reflect that.

Screen size for Netbooks is generally 8-9 inches. Screen resolution varies according to make and model and is available up to a respectable 1024×600. While the smaller form factor has definite portability advantages, the smaller keyboard and touchpad area can be a real pain for people with large hands. Connectivity in Netbooks is paramount and hence it generally comes with a whole array of USB connectors, an Ethernet connection and the latest available wireless technology. External display devices maybe supported through DVI/S-Video. Optical drives are optionally available.

Under the hood, the processor for Netbooks needs to be a frugal drinker of electricity. As of today, three different platforms are available. The reliable but ageing VIA C7D (HP 2133 miniNote), the popular Intel Atom processor, and the mixed-bag options offered by AMD (Sempron 2100+, Turion64 or the puny Geode LX800). Memory typically comes in the 512MB-2GB range. Storage may be in the form of a SSD (solid state drive) or a simple hard drive. While SSD’s are faster, compact and consume less power, they also add a lot to the price tag of Netbooks. As a compromise, some vendors ship their units with a limited capacity (2-4 GB) flash memory which usually contains the operating system, and a standard hard drive for storage.

In terms of software on your Netbook, you can go for Windows XP or Linux. Linux distributions like Ubuntu 8.10 are an excellent choice as they work very well out of the box. Windows Vista performance is generally poor as they require more power.

A checklist while getting Netbooks can be as follows:-

• Power efficiency- The Atom offers the best bet, but the 945 chipset it ships with is old. The newer US15 chipset is expected to be out soon. Keep a lookout

• Memory- 512MB maybe adequate but you are better off with 1GB+

• Video - Look out for the upcoming Ion(Atom+ GeForce 9400) platform for NVidia with HD Playback capabilities

• Hard Drive -SSD’s offer performance and efficiency at higher prices

• Price- can be bought within $500 in general

Most major brands like Dell, HP, Compaq and Acer have Netbooks in their lineup. The ASUS Eee Pc, the first one launched, is also a decent choice. What you have to decide is whether you actually need a Netbook. While it offers portability, a rich web experience and lightweight computing capabilities, it is not really a replacement for a laptop or a phone and in general have failed to find a market niche till date.



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