Archive for the 'Linux' Category
Wednesday 10 June 2009 @ 5:42 pm
Lora Bentley asked:
Lora Bentley spoke with Amanda McPherson, marketing and developer programs VP at the Linux Foundation. She and two colleagues recently released a new paper, “Estimating the Total Development Cost of a Linux Distribution.”
Bentley: Your study found that it would cost $1.4 billion for a company to build the Linux kernel from scratch today, and $10.8 billion to build an entire Linux distribution similar to Fedora 9. Can you explain how you reached those figures?
McPherson: The conclusions were reached by using David Wheeler’s well-known SLOC tool, SLOCCount, which makes use of the industry standard COnstructive COst MOdel (COCOMO). This methodology takes into account lines of code written, the appropriate number of labor years, and salary adjustments for inflation. We wanted to come up with a real number based on the one thing you can quantify in open source — code. We used a well-regarded methodology and tool that had been used before. Instead of making random projects, we thought this was the best way to approach it.
Bentley: Why the Fedora community distribution and not another?
McPherson: Fedora is the basis for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which represents a large percentage of the Linux market. This provided us with a very relevant model to assess. Also, David A. Wheeler had used Red Hat for his study in 2002. OpenSuse and Debian/Ubuntu would, of course, also be great targets for this study. We may do that at a later date. We also would like to use an embedded distribution.
Bentley: What do or should these findings mean to proprietary software vendors?
McPherson: I think it means the future of software development is collaborative. These systems have grown so powerful and so important that for any one company to fund the development on its own would be a foolish and possibly financially untenable decision. Software development today actually requires collaboration in order to innovate at the pace the market demands. Consider devices like the Kindle and Gphone. They wouldn’t likely be available today were it not for the billions of dollars worth of R&D that they can use from the Linux kernel. You see companies like Intel using Linux and open source components in the Moblin project to expand the use of netbooks running its products. Intel could instead develop proprietary software in-house to meet this need, but why would they when they can make use of billions of dollars of free R&D? Things have changed since the desktop computer revolution.
Bentley: Don’t many proprietary software vendors recognize the value of open source now given that so many use open source in some way or another?
McPherson: Absolutely! You can also look at our “Who Writes Linux” report to see that hundreds of companies support Linux development directly. This study shows that those companies (such as IBM, Intel, Red Hat, Novell and HP) have made a very smart decision. They can fully participate in a large ecosystem and make use of free R&D without having to shoulder the burden all alone.
Bentley: So why is a study like this one helpful?
McPherson: Sometimes it’s easy to take a ubiquitous piece of technology for granted, especially one you can use for free. I think it’s not just Linux we take for granted: Just imagine the R&D value of the Internet itself and what that means for our economy. Compared to that, Linux seems small, yet when you think about all the innovation it’s powered or is powering, you start to get the idea. I honestly can’t imagine where we would be if Google had had to pay a company a per-server fee for its servers. I do not believe the economics would have been there to build out the powerful search network that we all use everyday. This study makes us appreciate the sometimes-unheralded piece of software and the license that has powered this innovation.
Bentley: Do the findings have added significance in light of the current economic climate?
McPherson: I think so. Linux has always been a lower-cost alternative to Windows, but this report illustrates its economic impact on technology innovation. It’s exciting to see how the collaborative development model is fueling a new category of devices and technologies that would be at least a decade into the future if it weren’t for Linux. Let’s remember that in software, time is money; oftentimes time is more important than money. For a company like Google or Intel to be able to make use of this code that has taken years to develop, drives innovation and keeps costs low for consumers.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Lora Bentley spoke with Amanda McPherson, marketing and developer programs VP at the Linux Foundation. She and two colleagues recently released a new paper, “Estimating the Total Development Cost of a Linux Distribution.”
Bentley: Your study found that it would cost $1.4 billion for a company to build the Linux kernel from scratch today, and $10.8 billion to build an entire Linux distribution similar to Fedora 9. Can you explain how you reached those figures?
McPherson: The conclusions were reached by using David Wheeler’s well-known SLOC tool, SLOCCount, which makes use of the industry standard COnstructive COst MOdel (COCOMO). This methodology takes into account lines of code written, the appropriate number of labor years, and salary adjustments for inflation. We wanted to come up with a real number based on the one thing you can quantify in open source — code. We used a well-regarded methodology and tool that had been used before. Instead of making random projects, we thought this was the best way to approach it.
Bentley: Why the Fedora community distribution and not another?
McPherson: Fedora is the basis for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which represents a large percentage of the Linux market. This provided us with a very relevant model to assess. Also, David A. Wheeler had used Red Hat for his study in 2002. OpenSuse and Debian/Ubuntu would, of course, also be great targets for this study. We may do that at a later date. We also would like to use an embedded distribution.
Bentley: What do or should these findings mean to proprietary software vendors?
McPherson: I think it means the future of software development is collaborative. These systems have grown so powerful and so important that for any one company to fund the development on its own would be a foolish and possibly financially untenable decision. Software development today actually requires collaboration in order to innovate at the pace the market demands. Consider devices like the Kindle and Gphone. They wouldn’t likely be available today were it not for the billions of dollars worth of R&D that they can use from the Linux kernel. You see companies like Intel using Linux and open source components in the Moblin project to expand the use of netbooks running its products. Intel could instead develop proprietary software in-house to meet this need, but why would they when they can make use of billions of dollars of free R&D? Things have changed since the desktop computer revolution.
Bentley: Don’t many proprietary software vendors recognize the value of open source now given that so many use open source in some way or another?
McPherson: Absolutely! You can also look at our “Who Writes Linux” report to see that hundreds of companies support Linux development directly. This study shows that those companies (such as IBM, Intel, Red Hat, Novell and HP) have made a very smart decision. They can fully participate in a large ecosystem and make use of free R&D without having to shoulder the burden all alone.
Bentley: So why is a study like this one helpful?
McPherson: Sometimes it’s easy to take a ubiquitous piece of technology for granted, especially one you can use for free. I think it’s not just Linux we take for granted: Just imagine the R&D value of the Internet itself and what that means for our economy. Compared to that, Linux seems small, yet when you think about all the innovation it’s powered or is powering, you start to get the idea. I honestly can’t imagine where we would be if Google had had to pay a company a per-server fee for its servers. I do not believe the economics would have been there to build out the powerful search network that we all use everyday. This study makes us appreciate the sometimes-unheralded piece of software and the license that has powered this innovation.
Bentley: Do the findings have added significance in light of the current economic climate?
McPherson: I think so. Linux has always been a lower-cost alternative to Windows, but this report illustrates its economic impact on technology innovation. It’s exciting to see how the collaborative development model is fueling a new category of devices and technologies that would be at least a decade into the future if it weren’t for Linux. Let’s remember that in software, time is money; oftentimes time is more important than money. For a company like Google or Intel to be able to make use of this code that has taken years to develop, drives innovation and keeps costs low for consumers.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Wednesday 3 June 2009 @ 1:06 pm
Twinomugisha Charles asked:
At first there was a desktop computer, then there came the laptop, then notebook and now we have the netbook computer. Everyone who uses the laptop may at one time need to have a laptop that is simple to carry anywhere but still accomplish his tasks that’s why the netbook is put forward as the best computer for the next generation.Netbooks are bedfellows to Notebook computers the only difference is that they are very small compared to most notebook computers. They are made specifically for browsing and emailing the internet. One of the reasons why they are liked much is that they are energy efficient and lightweight.
Netbooks came into existence in 2007 when Asus Company made the Asus Eee PC. Netbooks have a small screen which ranges in the size of 7 to 10 Inches. They also have a manageable small keyboard although it doesn’t have a CD ROM or disk drive and that makes it the lightest notebook on planet earth. But although it is small, it has a RAM OF 1 GB, 80 GB HDD, advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) compared to other laptops .That means you can use it for very long time without getting worried about the size of information you are using on this computer called netbook.With our world of internet and the global village, these netbooks are made to pick internet from any location as long as one is in easy reach of internet connectivity.
The materials made to manufacture them are specifically to make them extra portable. And for that matter they are the best laptops to carry with you anywhere and that is the reason why they are taking the market of computer by storm.They come preloaded with Ubuntu Linux but that doesn’t mean that you can’t change it to Microsoft windows XP. I know there are some people who are not conversant with Linux but they shouldn’t get scared because one can change it to use Microsoft Windows as soon you get one who can do it for you.The best of all is that the price of these netbooks is less compared to the usual suspect of laptops .While the normal laptop with minimum features can be got at $1000, the netbook is cheaper some starting at as low as $300 .The reason given being that these netbook computers don’t have many features found in the other set of laptops.
With the current trend in business, education, travel and office work, netbook computers seem to take the world of computing by surprise. There are many places in this world where you can get them at a cheaper price, but the only place I recommend to purchase them is at TigerDirect.com because they have been in computer business for very long time and they have the best guarantee for their entire items. So next time you plan to buy a laptop, don’t forget to ask for the netbook computer if what you want is to browse the internet and send mails through the net.
Create a video blog
At first there was a desktop computer, then there came the laptop, then notebook and now we have the netbook computer. Everyone who uses the laptop may at one time need to have a laptop that is simple to carry anywhere but still accomplish his tasks that’s why the netbook is put forward as the best computer for the next generation.Netbooks are bedfellows to Notebook computers the only difference is that they are very small compared to most notebook computers. They are made specifically for browsing and emailing the internet. One of the reasons why they are liked much is that they are energy efficient and lightweight.
Netbooks came into existence in 2007 when Asus Company made the Asus Eee PC. Netbooks have a small screen which ranges in the size of 7 to 10 Inches. They also have a manageable small keyboard although it doesn’t have a CD ROM or disk drive and that makes it the lightest notebook on planet earth. But although it is small, it has a RAM OF 1 GB, 80 GB HDD, advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) compared to other laptops .That means you can use it for very long time without getting worried about the size of information you are using on this computer called netbook.With our world of internet and the global village, these netbooks are made to pick internet from any location as long as one is in easy reach of internet connectivity.
The materials made to manufacture them are specifically to make them extra portable. And for that matter they are the best laptops to carry with you anywhere and that is the reason why they are taking the market of computer by storm.They come preloaded with Ubuntu Linux but that doesn’t mean that you can’t change it to Microsoft windows XP. I know there are some people who are not conversant with Linux but they shouldn’t get scared because one can change it to use Microsoft Windows as soon you get one who can do it for you.The best of all is that the price of these netbooks is less compared to the usual suspect of laptops .While the normal laptop with minimum features can be got at $1000, the netbook is cheaper some starting at as low as $300 .The reason given being that these netbook computers don’t have many features found in the other set of laptops.
With the current trend in business, education, travel and office work, netbook computers seem to take the world of computing by surprise. There are many places in this world where you can get them at a cheaper price, but the only place I recommend to purchase them is at TigerDirect.com because they have been in computer business for very long time and they have the best guarantee for their entire items. So next time you plan to buy a laptop, don’t forget to ask for the netbook computer if what you want is to browse the internet and send mails through the net.
Create a video blog
Tuesday 2 June 2009 @ 11:54 am
Shawn Ramsey asked:
View the original article with intact links at BlueFAQs.com
Imagine life without email, instant messaging, Facebook, Myspace, Google, Yahoo Answers, Twitter, Craigslist…. the list is endless. The internet has increasingly made our lives more efficient in its relatively short existence. Because of the new products, software and services that are consistently popping up, the majority of people adapt their lives around the web. Look over this list and make sure that you are getting the most out of your internet.
1. Cancel your satellite or cable service and start using internet TV. Internet TV is in its early days but growing in popularity, this is beginning to make the Satellite and Cable providers a bit nervous. Internet TV is cheap and in many cases can be free. Stream Hulu to your TV or computer monitor and you’ve got free television.
2. Drop your satellite radio subscription and start streaming internet radio to your car. If you own an iPhone, there are a few apps out there that allow you to stream free internet radio. Just hook it up to your car through a FM transmitter or direct and you’ve just saved $120 a year.
3. Pay your bills online. Stamps are expensive $.42 at the time this article was written. Most companies offer the option to pay online. Paying online saves you money and the company money as well.
4. Take advantage of coupon and promo codes when buying online. We’ve all seen that box to enter a promo code in when we make purchases online, but the problem is we never have that code. There are plenty of online coupon websites out there to help save you money.
5. SKYPE your calls and drop your land line. Do people still have land lines? SKYPE offers free calls, video calls and instant messaging over the internet.
6. IM your friends instead of texting when at home. Text messages are expensive and cost both parties when being sent. Yahoo, AIM, Myspace, Twitter…etc all offer free ways to instantly contact your friends.
7. Use free social networking apps on your phone to send texts. This is similar to the last tip, but can be used on the go. I keep track of all my friends on my iPhone using a app that acts exactly like instant messaging on my computer.
8. Work at home. Do you really have to be in the office? Many companies are allowing employees to work at home at least part of the week and stay in touch via emails or company websites. Ask your boss if this is an option for you. This will save tons of money on gas, restaurant lunches etc…
9. Compare prices online before buying at the store. One day about a year ago without doing any research, I purchased something at Best Buy for what I thought was a decent deal. I saw the same product at Wal-Mart three days later for 30% less.
10. Say goodbye to the paperboy. In addition to print, most newspapers offer an online version as well.
11. Rent movies from the internet. iTunes has the option to rent movies online at the same cost as BlockBuster. Oh and there is no late fee. Netflix offers similar services.
12. Save a trip to the photo center. Most photo development stores allow you to upload your pictures online. This way you can pick them up at your convenience and not make the double trip. Walgreen’s has a pretty good online system in place.
13. Use a free antivirus protection. I’ve used AVG for years and it has helped me stay safe online, there are several free ones out there. A paid service could cost you around $60 a year.
14. Forget garage sales. Do you really want 200 strangers roaming around in your front yard? Let people bid on your Eiffel Tower wine glasses through ebay and make twice the money.
15. Sell your skills. Are you really good at something? Advertise your personal skills online and start picking up some extra cash.
16. Get a better job. Post your resume online so that employers can check you out. It’s free to do and honestly, what do you have to lose?
17. Store all of your pics online for free and save on hard drive space. Some websites give you the option to tag, organize your photos, and share them with friends. Storing off site is always a good idea. You can save on disk space and if there is ever a fire, you wont have to say bye bye to that picture of you dancing on the table at Fred’s Beer Lounge.
18. Make free calls on your cell phone. Use VOIP applications on your cell to make free calls. Fring is one I recommend.
19. Fill out forms online. I saved a trip to the courthouse when applying for my passport by downloading the application from the .gov site first. If you are applying for anything, check to make sure that there isn’t an online form that you can fill out at home beforehand.
20. Use an online travel service to save big. These services are great at finding cheap flights, hotels, and anything in between when it comes to traveling. After trying to book my own honeymoon online, I ended up on Travelocity where they offered much better deals than what I could dig up myself.
21. Check traffic cams before heading out. Traffic cams are increasingly being installed across the country. Check out the cams first to help you choose the best route. Your local news website may offer this service as well.
22. Find cheap gas online. This website tells you where to find the cheapest gas in your area.
23. Get free computer support. Are you having computer problems? If BlueFAQs.com cant answer your question (sorry for the self-promoting) there are plenty of online forums and sites where people love to answer computer related questions.
24. Take online classes. Towards the end of my college career there was a growing trend in online classes. While I don’t recommend taking them all online, sign up for some of the easy ones so that you can take tests in your PJ’s.
25. Are you selling your car? Make sure you sell it for the right price by checking Kelley Blue Book first.
26. Find a partner. Tired of bad dates? Dating can be costly and time-consuming. There are actually some quality online dating sights .
27. Get free software the legal way. There is some great freeware and shareware on the market these days. My favorite place to get it is here.
28. Keep track of your credit. Identity theft is more prevalent than ever. Check your credit report for free to make sure someone isn’t taking advantage of you.
29. Your pocket is singing. There are plenty of ways to get free ringtones. Don’t sign up for the ones you see on the commercials, there’s usually a catch to them. If you have the iPhone, there is a way to make your own ringtones for free in iTunes.
30. Find great deals from locals. Craigslist is a great resource to for scouring the local classifieds, among other things.
31. Forget something from work? Don’t drive all the way back to the office. Remotely log on to retrieve the files you left behind. Here is a free service to get this done.
32. Shop online. Online companies can offer better deals even when shipping is added in. Just make sure you check the shipping costs before hitting the “confirm” button.
33. Birthday cards get thrown away. You might as well just send a free e-card or print one yourself, there are actually some good ones out there. Save the ridiculous $5 they wont for greeting cards at Hallmark.
34. Give up magazine subscriptions. Odds are your favorite magazine can be found online for free or much cheaper.
35. If you insist on keeping your satellite/cable and phone, bundle it with your internet and save some cash.
36. Get a free operating system for your computer. Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers… oh and it’s FREE.
37. Listen to free music online. There are a lot of internet radio stations across the web and then there is Pandora.
38. Are you in a band? Promoting a garage band was at one time a time-consuming costly venture. Thanks to the internet you can advertise for free and charge $1 a song on Myspace Music.
39. Free College? No not the online colleges you keep seeing on TV. Depending on your income level, your entire college education could be paid for through a Government grant. Apply here and see for yourself.
40. Buy singles. Remember when you had to buy the whole album and only 2 of the songs were any good? The internet solved that problem. Buy single songs for a $1 at iTunes and preview before you purchase.
41. Cook at home for free. There are some great free recipes online that can make cooking simple. There is always 30-minute meals too, if you’re in a hurry. Okay, you still have to buy the ingredients.
42. Find a sugar daddy online and have him pay your bills. I can’t believe these sights exist… wait it’s the internet, of course these sights exist.
43. Find a sugar momma online. Hmm…?
44. Make sure your plumber is a plumber by checking them out online. Here is a great resource for accomplishing this.
45. Have an essay due tomorrow? If you’re cool with PLAGIARISM, then you’re covered. Professors know about these sights, I would advise against using them.
46. Speaking of professors, if you get a bad one then prepare for a long time-intensive semester. Check this out to make sure they’ve got a good rating before you sign up for the class.
47. The Government might owe you money. Check and see here .(it’s a .gov site)
48. Get your vehicle insurance from a caveman or a lizard online. Some companies will give you free quotes.
49. Network the computers in your house to make transferring files from one to another a breeze. You don’t have to have the internet for this, just a router.
50. Get the internet for free. Limited to 10 hours a month. Get it here. I should mention that it’s dial-up and ad-supported. But it is FREE.
51. Filing your taxes is not that difficult. Don’t pay for these services, fill them out and file them on a .gov site.
52. Free email. There are lots of options for free email, my favorite is Gmail.
53. Have your neighbors split the bill. If you’re broadcasting an unsecured network, chances are your neighbors (this is especially true at apartments) are stealing your internet. Find out if they are and ask them if they want to split the bill. If they refuse, you can block them. I’m not sure about the legality of this one.
54. Get a bunch of free stuff online. Including free posters, software, t-shirts, mouse pads, clothing, hats,.. Here is the link.
55. Look for used items on Amazon before buying new. You would be surprised how new a refurbished cell phone actually is.
56. Don’t spend hours making your resume perfect. There are free templates to simplify the process.
57. Kick off your Sunday shoes. Many churches stream live video of sermons online.
58. Play the lotto online. The Florida Lottery ( Lotto 6/53) is open to anyone over the age of 18 who wishes to play there are no restrictions on who plays or who wins.
59. Legal advice is expensive, unless you get it online here.
60. Make sure you’re not on your roof the next time it rains. Check to see if you are in a flood zone. (.gov site)
61. Picking the right college can be time consuming. Here is one way to save time and simplify things a little.
62. Lost your library card? Most college and local libraries offer an online version of their material. You can find lots of free info this way without leaving the house.
63. Sell yourself for free. Create and print your own business cards. If you can operate word-processing software you can do this.
64. Don’t pay for video games. There are tons of free video games online from the classics to the new releases.
65. Creating a new website? Get some attractive templates for free.
66. Complete projects yourself professionally. Here you can get step-by-step tutorials on home improvement projects. We all know how much it can cost to hire a contractor.
67. Do you frequent speed traps? Speeding tickets…OUCH, talk about expensive. Avoid speed traps, or at least locate them.
68. Plot out your trips. Find the quickest route from point A to point B.
69. There are a lot of free wallpaper sites, but navigating through the sea of them can be difficult. This is my go to site for free wallpapers, it has wallpapers for triple monitors, mobile devices, HDTV etc…
70. Put your money in 1 and 0’s. Do you’re banking online, its quick convenient and free. I bet you’re bank already offers it.
71. Get a smart phone with the 3G network. Just having quick internet in your pocket will save you both time and money.
72. Use Google Analytics if you own a website. This is a must-have for anyone who wants to increase traffic and sales on their websites.
73. Trade your own stocks. I hate the idea of a middle-man in some cases. If you feel confident enough, trade stocks yourself online.
74. Avoid health bills. Feeling sick? Maybe you can find out whats wrong with you at WebMD.
75. Is that a tornado or a train? Have The Weather Channel contact you via text message or email when a storm is heading your way.
76. Make your own cold beverage. Cut costs in half by brewing your own, this site will get you started.
77. Do you fish? Most states offer the ability to purchase licenses online. Check your local Parks and Wildlife website.
78. Save on vet bills. Adopt a pet on Facebook and save money on food and pet supplies.
79. Start an online blog. If you’re a good writer, and know a little about coding, you have the opportunity to make decent money online.
80. Create an online store front. If you already have an established business, don’t miss out on online sales. Once the website is set-up, it can usually be put on autopilot. You can create an easy free store at ebay stores.
81. Having a party this weekend? Use Twitter to announce it to all of your friends in one simple Tweet.
82. Turning 28 soon? Find all of your old classmates quickly in order to prepare for the 10 year class reunion. Myspace has something similar.
83. Are you heading down to Sudan any time soon? Take care of passport pictures from the comfort of your home.
84. Hungry? You’re already online, go ahead and order a pizza.
85. Find a better deal on your health insurance. Here is a place to get affordable health insurance quotes and compare individual health insurance plans side by side.
86. Have Captain Kirk find you a great deal on a hotel, car or flight. (I kind of hit on this idea earlier)
87. Divorced? Don’t waste time in the dating pool, order a new wife from the internet. Okay, it would be in my best interest not to put a link in this one.
88. RSS your favorite sites. RSS allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually.
89. Get an answer for any question usually within minutes.
90. Get a virtual assistant. When you hire a virtual assistant, costs like employee insurance benefits, paid vacation, and sick time are a thing of the past.
91. Make sure your new lover isn’t wanted by the FBI. Check out there background.
92. Was that a bill collector that just called? Type in any number into Google including the area code to get a free listing.
93. We’re currently in a recession. Make sure you can retire.
94. Make sure you’re not talking too much. For AT&T customers.
95. Speak to your Foreign friends without learning the language.
96. Convert your MPG’s to AVI’s. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they just don’t have the right extension.
97. Send photos to Grandma’s picture frame and cut down on visits.
98. Don’t get off the couch to change songs, use your phone to change tracks, playlists and volume. There is an app for that.
99. Never leave the house. Live a virtual life.
100. Visit an online garage sale.
101. Continue to visit BlueFAQs.com regularly for great tips and news.
Wow, you’re still reading? Thanks for sticking with me. I hope this helps someone out there.
Content
View the original article with intact links at BlueFAQs.com
Imagine life without email, instant messaging, Facebook, Myspace, Google, Yahoo Answers, Twitter, Craigslist…. the list is endless. The internet has increasingly made our lives more efficient in its relatively short existence. Because of the new products, software and services that are consistently popping up, the majority of people adapt their lives around the web. Look over this list and make sure that you are getting the most out of your internet.
1. Cancel your satellite or cable service and start using internet TV. Internet TV is in its early days but growing in popularity, this is beginning to make the Satellite and Cable providers a bit nervous. Internet TV is cheap and in many cases can be free. Stream Hulu to your TV or computer monitor and you’ve got free television.
2. Drop your satellite radio subscription and start streaming internet radio to your car. If you own an iPhone, there are a few apps out there that allow you to stream free internet radio. Just hook it up to your car through a FM transmitter or direct and you’ve just saved $120 a year.
3. Pay your bills online. Stamps are expensive $.42 at the time this article was written. Most companies offer the option to pay online. Paying online saves you money and the company money as well.
4. Take advantage of coupon and promo codes when buying online. We’ve all seen that box to enter a promo code in when we make purchases online, but the problem is we never have that code. There are plenty of online coupon websites out there to help save you money.
5. SKYPE your calls and drop your land line. Do people still have land lines? SKYPE offers free calls, video calls and instant messaging over the internet.
6. IM your friends instead of texting when at home. Text messages are expensive and cost both parties when being sent. Yahoo, AIM, Myspace, Twitter…etc all offer free ways to instantly contact your friends.
7. Use free social networking apps on your phone to send texts. This is similar to the last tip, but can be used on the go. I keep track of all my friends on my iPhone using a app that acts exactly like instant messaging on my computer.
8. Work at home. Do you really have to be in the office? Many companies are allowing employees to work at home at least part of the week and stay in touch via emails or company websites. Ask your boss if this is an option for you. This will save tons of money on gas, restaurant lunches etc…
9. Compare prices online before buying at the store. One day about a year ago without doing any research, I purchased something at Best Buy for what I thought was a decent deal. I saw the same product at Wal-Mart three days later for 30% less.
10. Say goodbye to the paperboy. In addition to print, most newspapers offer an online version as well.
11. Rent movies from the internet. iTunes has the option to rent movies online at the same cost as BlockBuster. Oh and there is no late fee. Netflix offers similar services.
12. Save a trip to the photo center. Most photo development stores allow you to upload your pictures online. This way you can pick them up at your convenience and not make the double trip. Walgreen’s has a pretty good online system in place.
13. Use a free antivirus protection. I’ve used AVG for years and it has helped me stay safe online, there are several free ones out there. A paid service could cost you around $60 a year.
14. Forget garage sales. Do you really want 200 strangers roaming around in your front yard? Let people bid on your Eiffel Tower wine glasses through ebay and make twice the money.
15. Sell your skills. Are you really good at something? Advertise your personal skills online and start picking up some extra cash.
16. Get a better job. Post your resume online so that employers can check you out. It’s free to do and honestly, what do you have to lose?
17. Store all of your pics online for free and save on hard drive space. Some websites give you the option to tag, organize your photos, and share them with friends. Storing off site is always a good idea. You can save on disk space and if there is ever a fire, you wont have to say bye bye to that picture of you dancing on the table at Fred’s Beer Lounge.
18. Make free calls on your cell phone. Use VOIP applications on your cell to make free calls. Fring is one I recommend.
19. Fill out forms online. I saved a trip to the courthouse when applying for my passport by downloading the application from the .gov site first. If you are applying for anything, check to make sure that there isn’t an online form that you can fill out at home beforehand.
20. Use an online travel service to save big. These services are great at finding cheap flights, hotels, and anything in between when it comes to traveling. After trying to book my own honeymoon online, I ended up on Travelocity where they offered much better deals than what I could dig up myself.
21. Check traffic cams before heading out. Traffic cams are increasingly being installed across the country. Check out the cams first to help you choose the best route. Your local news website may offer this service as well.
22. Find cheap gas online. This website tells you where to find the cheapest gas in your area.
23. Get free computer support. Are you having computer problems? If BlueFAQs.com cant answer your question (sorry for the self-promoting) there are plenty of online forums and sites where people love to answer computer related questions.
24. Take online classes. Towards the end of my college career there was a growing trend in online classes. While I don’t recommend taking them all online, sign up for some of the easy ones so that you can take tests in your PJ’s.
25. Are you selling your car? Make sure you sell it for the right price by checking Kelley Blue Book first.
26. Find a partner. Tired of bad dates? Dating can be costly and time-consuming. There are actually some quality online dating sights .
27. Get free software the legal way. There is some great freeware and shareware on the market these days. My favorite place to get it is here.
28. Keep track of your credit. Identity theft is more prevalent than ever. Check your credit report for free to make sure someone isn’t taking advantage of you.
29. Your pocket is singing. There are plenty of ways to get free ringtones. Don’t sign up for the ones you see on the commercials, there’s usually a catch to them. If you have the iPhone, there is a way to make your own ringtones for free in iTunes.
30. Find great deals from locals. Craigslist is a great resource to for scouring the local classifieds, among other things.
31. Forget something from work? Don’t drive all the way back to the office. Remotely log on to retrieve the files you left behind. Here is a free service to get this done.
32. Shop online. Online companies can offer better deals even when shipping is added in. Just make sure you check the shipping costs before hitting the “confirm” button.
33. Birthday cards get thrown away. You might as well just send a free e-card or print one yourself, there are actually some good ones out there. Save the ridiculous $5 they wont for greeting cards at Hallmark.
34. Give up magazine subscriptions. Odds are your favorite magazine can be found online for free or much cheaper.
35. If you insist on keeping your satellite/cable and phone, bundle it with your internet and save some cash.
36. Get a free operating system for your computer. Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers… oh and it’s FREE.
37. Listen to free music online. There are a lot of internet radio stations across the web and then there is Pandora.
38. Are you in a band? Promoting a garage band was at one time a time-consuming costly venture. Thanks to the internet you can advertise for free and charge $1 a song on Myspace Music.
39. Free College? No not the online colleges you keep seeing on TV. Depending on your income level, your entire college education could be paid for through a Government grant. Apply here and see for yourself.
40. Buy singles. Remember when you had to buy the whole album and only 2 of the songs were any good? The internet solved that problem. Buy single songs for a $1 at iTunes and preview before you purchase.
41. Cook at home for free. There are some great free recipes online that can make cooking simple. There is always 30-minute meals too, if you’re in a hurry. Okay, you still have to buy the ingredients.
42. Find a sugar daddy online and have him pay your bills. I can’t believe these sights exist… wait it’s the internet, of course these sights exist.
43. Find a sugar momma online. Hmm…?
44. Make sure your plumber is a plumber by checking them out online. Here is a great resource for accomplishing this.
45. Have an essay due tomorrow? If you’re cool with PLAGIARISM, then you’re covered. Professors know about these sights, I would advise against using them.
46. Speaking of professors, if you get a bad one then prepare for a long time-intensive semester. Check this out to make sure they’ve got a good rating before you sign up for the class.
47. The Government might owe you money. Check and see here .(it’s a .gov site)
48. Get your vehicle insurance from a caveman or a lizard online. Some companies will give you free quotes.
49. Network the computers in your house to make transferring files from one to another a breeze. You don’t have to have the internet for this, just a router.
50. Get the internet for free. Limited to 10 hours a month. Get it here. I should mention that it’s dial-up and ad-supported. But it is FREE.
51. Filing your taxes is not that difficult. Don’t pay for these services, fill them out and file them on a .gov site.
52. Free email. There are lots of options for free email, my favorite is Gmail.
53. Have your neighbors split the bill. If you’re broadcasting an unsecured network, chances are your neighbors (this is especially true at apartments) are stealing your internet. Find out if they are and ask them if they want to split the bill. If they refuse, you can block them. I’m not sure about the legality of this one.
54. Get a bunch of free stuff online. Including free posters, software, t-shirts, mouse pads, clothing, hats,.. Here is the link.
55. Look for used items on Amazon before buying new. You would be surprised how new a refurbished cell phone actually is.
56. Don’t spend hours making your resume perfect. There are free templates to simplify the process.
57. Kick off your Sunday shoes. Many churches stream live video of sermons online.
58. Play the lotto online. The Florida Lottery ( Lotto 6/53) is open to anyone over the age of 18 who wishes to play there are no restrictions on who plays or who wins.
59. Legal advice is expensive, unless you get it online here.
60. Make sure you’re not on your roof the next time it rains. Check to see if you are in a flood zone. (.gov site)
61. Picking the right college can be time consuming. Here is one way to save time and simplify things a little.
62. Lost your library card? Most college and local libraries offer an online version of their material. You can find lots of free info this way without leaving the house.
63. Sell yourself for free. Create and print your own business cards. If you can operate word-processing software you can do this.
64. Don’t pay for video games. There are tons of free video games online from the classics to the new releases.
65. Creating a new website? Get some attractive templates for free.
66. Complete projects yourself professionally. Here you can get step-by-step tutorials on home improvement projects. We all know how much it can cost to hire a contractor.
67. Do you frequent speed traps? Speeding tickets…OUCH, talk about expensive. Avoid speed traps, or at least locate them.
68. Plot out your trips. Find the quickest route from point A to point B.
69. There are a lot of free wallpaper sites, but navigating through the sea of them can be difficult. This is my go to site for free wallpapers, it has wallpapers for triple monitors, mobile devices, HDTV etc…
70. Put your money in 1 and 0’s. Do you’re banking online, its quick convenient and free. I bet you’re bank already offers it.
71. Get a smart phone with the 3G network. Just having quick internet in your pocket will save you both time and money.
72. Use Google Analytics if you own a website. This is a must-have for anyone who wants to increase traffic and sales on their websites.
73. Trade your own stocks. I hate the idea of a middle-man in some cases. If you feel confident enough, trade stocks yourself online.
74. Avoid health bills. Feeling sick? Maybe you can find out whats wrong with you at WebMD.
75. Is that a tornado or a train? Have The Weather Channel contact you via text message or email when a storm is heading your way.
76. Make your own cold beverage. Cut costs in half by brewing your own, this site will get you started.
77. Do you fish? Most states offer the ability to purchase licenses online. Check your local Parks and Wildlife website.
78. Save on vet bills. Adopt a pet on Facebook and save money on food and pet supplies.
79. Start an online blog. If you’re a good writer, and know a little about coding, you have the opportunity to make decent money online.
80. Create an online store front. If you already have an established business, don’t miss out on online sales. Once the website is set-up, it can usually be put on autopilot. You can create an easy free store at ebay stores.
81. Having a party this weekend? Use Twitter to announce it to all of your friends in one simple Tweet.
82. Turning 28 soon? Find all of your old classmates quickly in order to prepare for the 10 year class reunion. Myspace has something similar.
83. Are you heading down to Sudan any time soon? Take care of passport pictures from the comfort of your home.
84. Hungry? You’re already online, go ahead and order a pizza.
85. Find a better deal on your health insurance. Here is a place to get affordable health insurance quotes and compare individual health insurance plans side by side.
86. Have Captain Kirk find you a great deal on a hotel, car or flight. (I kind of hit on this idea earlier)
87. Divorced? Don’t waste time in the dating pool, order a new wife from the internet. Okay, it would be in my best interest not to put a link in this one.
88. RSS your favorite sites. RSS allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually.
89. Get an answer for any question usually within minutes.
90. Get a virtual assistant. When you hire a virtual assistant, costs like employee insurance benefits, paid vacation, and sick time are a thing of the past.
91. Make sure your new lover isn’t wanted by the FBI. Check out there background.
92. Was that a bill collector that just called? Type in any number into Google including the area code to get a free listing.
93. We’re currently in a recession. Make sure you can retire.
94. Make sure you’re not talking too much. For AT&T customers.
95. Speak to your Foreign friends without learning the language.
96. Convert your MPG’s to AVI’s. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they just don’t have the right extension.
97. Send photos to Grandma’s picture frame and cut down on visits.
98. Don’t get off the couch to change songs, use your phone to change tracks, playlists and volume. There is an app for that.
99. Never leave the house. Live a virtual life.
100. Visit an online garage sale.
101. Continue to visit BlueFAQs.com regularly for great tips and news.
Wow, you’re still reading? Thanks for sticking with me. I hope this helps someone out there.
Content
Monday 1 June 2009 @ 6:23 pm
Kurt Hartman asked:
Recently, I was charged with the task with editing and authoring a DVD. I recently upgraded my setup to Ubuntu Intrepid (64 bit). Supposedly, there would be at least modest speed gains when it came to encoding various video formats. So, I started off on my task, albeit with a new set of tools. Let’s start of with an inventory of resources, and then go through the actual process for making a DVD.
For capture, I used the most standard, stable solution: Kino. There is one issue when capturing video over Firewire(IEEE 1394) in Kino: It has to be run as su. Open up a terminal, type “sudo kino”, enter your password, and you will have no troubles. If you are editing in another program, I recommend capturing your video as a single file. To do so, you will have to turn off “auto split”. This automatically determines when the camera cuts off, and then chops up the video into separate DV files. For an hour of footage, this will often be 70-100 individual clips to keep up with. To keep this from happening, go to “Edit > Preferences”(shortcut CTRL + P) under the Kino main menu, click the “Capture” tab, and uncheck “Auto Split Files”. This will make the video much more manageable.
Normally, my editing/encoding setup consists of a Cinelerra installation(the best configurations are those contained in the Akirad repositories). I used it for editing, titling and most of my FX work. It has worked flawlessly for me, however, it has a few hangups. The interface is really rough, and the learning curve is high. Keyframes and motion paths are a pain to work with. It’s rendering is incredible, and it has no issues with font aliasing after rendering. It was the only program I could get to work on a consistent basis with Linux.
That all changed with the release of Kdenlive 0.7.2. Earlier versions of Kdenlive were buggy, unpolished, and crash prone. If you saved your work every 15 seconds, it still wouldn’t be enough. The new version is incredible. Not only have stability issues been taken care of, but they have added some incredible realtime FX, a stellar editing experience, and given the user interface a much-needed overhaul. The editing experience is closer to mainstream programs like iMovie and Final Cut Pro. There is only one drawback, at least on my version of Kdenlive: Font aliasing in titles. While it handles the the video editing like a pro, the rendering of titles(at least in 0.7.2) is a disappointment, giving you jagged, unreadable lettering as rendered product. Because of this issue, I was forced to do titling in Cinelerra.
After I finished editing my files, I rendered it as a RAW DV file. While this was quite large, it also gave me an excellent starting point for putting the titles on DVD. I had two options for this process, but one was vastly better than the other. In reading the Linux forums, their were two options that gained my trust: tovid gui and devede.
The main differences between them is stability, and what can be done with the DVD after you finish encoding it. ToVid’s GUI allows you to specify background and play buttons, along with a menu tree. The output is rather crude, and the options are limited. The main drawback was an inability to customize encoding quality. Even with the script settings being locked down, it still had a hard time rendering properly. Of the 3 times I tried to use it, only 2 resulted in a successful encoding. It also adds the burning process as one of the “features”. I was routinely met with botched burns and buffer underruns. Don’t use ToVid’s GUI unless you absolutely have to.
DeVeDe offers you a better user experience. Previews of your menu title are available. You can do a 60 second render to make sure your video and audio will not suffer if quality is adjusted. Yes, it actually allows you to adjust the quality of the render, and gives you an estimate of disk space that will be taken up after conversion to MPEG-2. If you want something like a looping video clip and music for your disc menu, it offers access to this as well, without causing you substantial mental anguish. For me, the best parts are the many rendering options. DeVeDe allows you to render just the disc structure, the mpeg files, or combine them into a disc ISO. You can even flag the rendering process to take advantage of optimization for multi-core processors. They don’t try to integrate burning into their options, as there are many fine programs that have designed to do exactly that. This shows the wisdom of the development team. Once the ISO is ready, you just have to select the burning program that you would like to use. One cautionary issue with DeVeDe: It defaults to PAL(European 25 FPS format). North American users will need to set the encode format to NTSC under the video and main menus before encoding takes place. A failure to set keep the format the same between menus will result in a botched encoding.
I present the ultimate burning solution: K3B. I love it. This can burn every type of disc imaginable. Its management of hardware and software buffers is incredible, and quite frankly, it just works. The only botched disk I had while using this as my burning program was my own fault (I had a microscopic amount of peanut butter on my thumb when I picked up the disk, and it caused the laser to scatter on the DVD surface). K3B even plays a bugle call to let you know the burn was successful. Even though Brasero comes standard on my installation of Intrepid, it still managed to drop the ball. Use K3B and reclaim your wasted time.
After you are done burning, be sure to test your disk in different types of players. Be sure to test it in a standard DVD player for your region, and not just in your computer’s DVD player. It needs to be tested against hardware based codecs. As an extra step, you may want to test on a Blu-Ray player, just to make sure it runs/scales properly.
Hopefully this overview will put you on the path to the stable encoding and burning of your next project. I have to leave you now, as six hours of raw footage await me. God bless and success to you.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Recently, I was charged with the task with editing and authoring a DVD. I recently upgraded my setup to Ubuntu Intrepid (64 bit). Supposedly, there would be at least modest speed gains when it came to encoding various video formats. So, I started off on my task, albeit with a new set of tools. Let’s start of with an inventory of resources, and then go through the actual process for making a DVD.
For capture, I used the most standard, stable solution: Kino. There is one issue when capturing video over Firewire(IEEE 1394) in Kino: It has to be run as su. Open up a terminal, type “sudo kino”, enter your password, and you will have no troubles. If you are editing in another program, I recommend capturing your video as a single file. To do so, you will have to turn off “auto split”. This automatically determines when the camera cuts off, and then chops up the video into separate DV files. For an hour of footage, this will often be 70-100 individual clips to keep up with. To keep this from happening, go to “Edit > Preferences”(shortcut CTRL + P) under the Kino main menu, click the “Capture” tab, and uncheck “Auto Split Files”. This will make the video much more manageable.
Normally, my editing/encoding setup consists of a Cinelerra installation(the best configurations are those contained in the Akirad repositories). I used it for editing, titling and most of my FX work. It has worked flawlessly for me, however, it has a few hangups. The interface is really rough, and the learning curve is high. Keyframes and motion paths are a pain to work with. It’s rendering is incredible, and it has no issues with font aliasing after rendering. It was the only program I could get to work on a consistent basis with Linux.
That all changed with the release of Kdenlive 0.7.2. Earlier versions of Kdenlive were buggy, unpolished, and crash prone. If you saved your work every 15 seconds, it still wouldn’t be enough. The new version is incredible. Not only have stability issues been taken care of, but they have added some incredible realtime FX, a stellar editing experience, and given the user interface a much-needed overhaul. The editing experience is closer to mainstream programs like iMovie and Final Cut Pro. There is only one drawback, at least on my version of Kdenlive: Font aliasing in titles. While it handles the the video editing like a pro, the rendering of titles(at least in 0.7.2) is a disappointment, giving you jagged, unreadable lettering as rendered product. Because of this issue, I was forced to do titling in Cinelerra.
After I finished editing my files, I rendered it as a RAW DV file. While this was quite large, it also gave me an excellent starting point for putting the titles on DVD. I had two options for this process, but one was vastly better than the other. In reading the Linux forums, their were two options that gained my trust: tovid gui and devede.
The main differences between them is stability, and what can be done with the DVD after you finish encoding it. ToVid’s GUI allows you to specify background and play buttons, along with a menu tree. The output is rather crude, and the options are limited. The main drawback was an inability to customize encoding quality. Even with the script settings being locked down, it still had a hard time rendering properly. Of the 3 times I tried to use it, only 2 resulted in a successful encoding. It also adds the burning process as one of the “features”. I was routinely met with botched burns and buffer underruns. Don’t use ToVid’s GUI unless you absolutely have to.
DeVeDe offers you a better user experience. Previews of your menu title are available. You can do a 60 second render to make sure your video and audio will not suffer if quality is adjusted. Yes, it actually allows you to adjust the quality of the render, and gives you an estimate of disk space that will be taken up after conversion to MPEG-2. If you want something like a looping video clip and music for your disc menu, it offers access to this as well, without causing you substantial mental anguish. For me, the best parts are the many rendering options. DeVeDe allows you to render just the disc structure, the mpeg files, or combine them into a disc ISO. You can even flag the rendering process to take advantage of optimization for multi-core processors. They don’t try to integrate burning into their options, as there are many fine programs that have designed to do exactly that. This shows the wisdom of the development team. Once the ISO is ready, you just have to select the burning program that you would like to use. One cautionary issue with DeVeDe: It defaults to PAL(European 25 FPS format). North American users will need to set the encode format to NTSC under the video and main menus before encoding takes place. A failure to set keep the format the same between menus will result in a botched encoding.
I present the ultimate burning solution: K3B. I love it. This can burn every type of disc imaginable. Its management of hardware and software buffers is incredible, and quite frankly, it just works. The only botched disk I had while using this as my burning program was my own fault (I had a microscopic amount of peanut butter on my thumb when I picked up the disk, and it caused the laser to scatter on the DVD surface). K3B even plays a bugle call to let you know the burn was successful. Even though Brasero comes standard on my installation of Intrepid, it still managed to drop the ball. Use K3B and reclaim your wasted time.
After you are done burning, be sure to test your disk in different types of players. Be sure to test it in a standard DVD player for your region, and not just in your computer’s DVD player. It needs to be tested against hardware based codecs. As an extra step, you may want to test on a Blu-Ray player, just to make sure it runs/scales properly.
Hopefully this overview will put you on the path to the stable encoding and burning of your next project. I have to leave you now, as six hours of raw footage await me. God bless and success to you.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Sunday 31 May 2009 @ 5:31 pm
Tankiso Letseli asked:
This article is intended to share with readers, particularly those who are not familiar with African marriage customs. My wife, Duduzile, comes from a Zulu culture (largely concentrated in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, in South Africa) and mine is Sesotho culture. My late father, Pasha, came from Qwaqwa, near Harrismisth in the Free State Province, South Africa - and my great grand parents came from the Kingdom of Lesotho).
My mother, Buzelwa, comes from Xhosa culture - in Emdizeni, near Muddelsdrift, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. My family is a rainbow of three cultures. My family is still following African culture with regard to marriage ceremonies. We follow both Biblical and African practices of giving dowry or bride’s price (”lobolo” in Xhosa and Zulu cultures, “bohadi” in Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi cultures).
I gave “bohadi” or “lobolo” of twelve cows for my wife, and my brother-in-law, Ayo, gave “lobolo” for my kid sister. This cultural practice has knitted our families together. In African culture marriage takes place primarily between two families, and secondarily between man and woman. The first question is not: What is the name of the girl/boy who wants to marry our child?” but, “Who are his/her parents and relatives?” “Where do they live?” If the family discovers that you intend marrying a man/woman from your relatives or enemies’ family, it becomes a problem, and in many cases a love-affair is discouraged or disapproved, or even stopped.
The family members are interested in gaining information about the other family more than information about their prospective daughter/son-in-law. Assuming that the prospective family-in-law is known for its good manners, reputation, and “ubuntu”, and a thorough research has been done about them, then the next step is to invite the girl/boy by the family - just to see him/her. My folk even made contact with my prospective family-in-law, and became friends. My mother invited my fiancée.
The next step will be to announce to the host or prospective bride’s family that they should anticipate a delegation on a specific date. The chief-negotiator who, in many cases is the uncle, leads a delegation. If the uncle is deceased, then an elder or trusted, reputable family member is appointed to lead a delegation. The purpose of this visit is to negotiate the size or amount of “bohadi” or “lobolo”. The delegation is often skilled in negotiations, and the host family is also led by a skilled chief-negotiator uncle or trusted relative. Part of the negotiations is to pass or share cultures from both families seeing that both families might come from different tribes with different cultures and traditions.
The two delegations would become bonded by and through a process of negotiations, and would be used in future to resolve conflicts between the newly wedded couple. These negotiations symbolise two families forging a long-term relationship. The two families, including members who were involved in negations, would be invited to support each other whenever there are ceremonies or occasions such as death or marriages or etc. This bond becomes permanent regardless of the divorce of the couple that brought them together. We will continue in African Marriages - Part 2.
Content for WordPress
This article is intended to share with readers, particularly those who are not familiar with African marriage customs. My wife, Duduzile, comes from a Zulu culture (largely concentrated in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, in South Africa) and mine is Sesotho culture. My late father, Pasha, came from Qwaqwa, near Harrismisth in the Free State Province, South Africa - and my great grand parents came from the Kingdom of Lesotho).
My mother, Buzelwa, comes from Xhosa culture - in Emdizeni, near Muddelsdrift, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. My family is a rainbow of three cultures. My family is still following African culture with regard to marriage ceremonies. We follow both Biblical and African practices of giving dowry or bride’s price (”lobolo” in Xhosa and Zulu cultures, “bohadi” in Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi cultures).
I gave “bohadi” or “lobolo” of twelve cows for my wife, and my brother-in-law, Ayo, gave “lobolo” for my kid sister. This cultural practice has knitted our families together. In African culture marriage takes place primarily between two families, and secondarily between man and woman. The first question is not: What is the name of the girl/boy who wants to marry our child?” but, “Who are his/her parents and relatives?” “Where do they live?” If the family discovers that you intend marrying a man/woman from your relatives or enemies’ family, it becomes a problem, and in many cases a love-affair is discouraged or disapproved, or even stopped.
The family members are interested in gaining information about the other family more than information about their prospective daughter/son-in-law. Assuming that the prospective family-in-law is known for its good manners, reputation, and “ubuntu”, and a thorough research has been done about them, then the next step is to invite the girl/boy by the family - just to see him/her. My folk even made contact with my prospective family-in-law, and became friends. My mother invited my fiancée.
The next step will be to announce to the host or prospective bride’s family that they should anticipate a delegation on a specific date. The chief-negotiator who, in many cases is the uncle, leads a delegation. If the uncle is deceased, then an elder or trusted, reputable family member is appointed to lead a delegation. The purpose of this visit is to negotiate the size or amount of “bohadi” or “lobolo”. The delegation is often skilled in negotiations, and the host family is also led by a skilled chief-negotiator uncle or trusted relative. Part of the negotiations is to pass or share cultures from both families seeing that both families might come from different tribes with different cultures and traditions.
The two delegations would become bonded by and through a process of negotiations, and would be used in future to resolve conflicts between the newly wedded couple. These negotiations symbolise two families forging a long-term relationship. The two families, including members who were involved in negations, would be invited to support each other whenever there are ceremonies or occasions such as death or marriages or etc. This bond becomes permanent regardless of the divorce of the couple that brought them together. We will continue in African Marriages - Part 2.
Content for WordPress
Thursday 28 May 2009 @ 4:57 am
Jeff Merritt asked:
Abstract
Open source software has generated much interest, especially in the wake of a slow economy. This has forced many Information Technology (IT) departments to cut back on spending. One of the main reasons open source technology is being considered by more IT departments is because open source technology is perceived as being free of charge. While that perception is not all together true, this article will discuss an example of the real cost savings of open source technology as an enterprise system solution. All costs related to the implementation of an open source server operating system including the hardware costs to run the operating system software, training costs to setup the operating system software, support cost to maintain the operating system software, and staff salary to administer the operating system software will be recognized in this article.
Open Source Technology – The Cost at the Enterprise Level
Open source refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. (Historically, the makers of proprietary software have generally not made source code available.) Open source software is usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available (Open Source, 2008). When companies are deciding on whether to use open source products versus commercial products the benefits of both choices are apparent. Commercial products typically favor visible features (giving marketing advantage) over hard to measure qualities such as stability, security and similar less glamorous attributes. Some experts describe this phenomenon as quality versus features (Benefits of Using Open Source, n.d.). This paper examines the enterprise level cost of an open source technology system. Different factors discussed in this paper include the cost of open source software, the cost of open source hardware, the cost of open source training to support this platform, and the salary requirements for open source administrators. For the purpose of this paper, the total cost of ownership of an open source production database server will be discussed in detail.
There are many different distribution options or ‘flavors’ a technology manager can choose from that are considering an open source operating system. Linux is about freedom and choice, so one has plenty of freedom to choose the flavor of Linux that best fits the business needs (Linux Distributions, n.d.). Common flavors of Linux include:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Mandrake Linux The Fedora Project The Debian Project Knoppix SUSE Linux Slackware Linux MEPIS Linux Ubuntu Linux Xandros PCLinux OS Linspire
Jim Klein (2009) writes that Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) can be defined as all of the costs of acquiring and maintaining a network of computers. This includes the cost for Hardware and software technology – client computers, servers, software, printers, networking equipment, external service providers
Direct labor - those responsible for purchasing, training, implementation, management and support of the computer environment Indirect labor – time spent by users in training, dealing with computer and networking issues, and effect of computer or network down-time.
Red Hat Linux is one of the most supported Linux operating systems on the market. Red Hat provides operating systems for the individual users as well as the large enterprises. When pricing operating systems it’s very important to know the hardware that this operating system will reside on. For example, it makes a difference if this operating system is a dual processor or a quad processor. For the purpose of this paper, the server we want to install Red Hat on is a quad Intel processor. Because this server is a production server, 24/7 support is required. According to Red Hat, the best license option for this configuration is the ‘Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform, Premium Subscription’ (Server Operating Systems, n.d.). When you subscribe to a Red Hat subscription, you’re renting the use of that software. With the Premium Subscription of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform you get the following:
Unlimited CPU processors Unlimited virtualized guests Red Hat global File System and Cluster Suite Web and phone-based comprehensive support 24×7 coverage 1 hour critical response (4 hour normal response time) Red Hat Network Update Product Updates Installation and documentation media Covered under the Open Source Assurance program Server applications to include ISV applications, Apache, Samba, nfs, ftp, Tomcat, MySQL, and PostgreSQL
For the purpose of this paper the server this Red Hat software will run on will be a Dell PowerEdge Energy Smart Quad Core Intel Xeon L5410 server. This server comes with 8 Gig of ram and 3 73 gig hard drives. The cost of this server is $6250.00 (Dell, Select Components, n.d.). This hardware is approved by Red Hat as a supported hardware platform.
The skill sets required to support an open source environment requires a person who completely understands how each component in an environment works. In most environments this person’s title would be a Linux administrator. A capable Linux administrator will have a variety of skills. Jay Beal (2004) provides skill sets a Linux Administrator should have would include security, operating system hardening, software installation, hardware installation, system assessment, troubleshooting, and intelligence gathering (Essential Linux Skills, 2004).
Security in any environment is essential. A Linux administrator must understand that any port on any server is venerable to an attack. Every port must be accounted for and the Linux administrator needs to know what log files are tracking all port traffic. Those log files need to be monitored daily for malicious attacks. In case an attack occurs, a Linux administrator should know how to recover from a server that has crashed.
Most default server installations install more services that are generally needed. A Linux administrator needs to be aware of the purpose of the server and understand specifically what services need to be running and just as important, what services do not need to be running. Those services that do not need to be running should be shut down and the Linux administrator needs to recognize these services and shut those services down along with the ports they use.
At some point, the server may need software and/or hardware upgrades. A Linux administrator needs to be prepared to apply upgrades or patches for software upgrades. Those software patches may require more hardware in order to run optimally. In this case a Linux administrator needs to be comfortable upgrading the hardware if there is a need to do so.
Finally, the Linux administrator needs to be able to assess the system and if there is concern, research the problem and find the solution. Because open source software is mostly supported by the ‘community’, it can be tedious to find solutions to complex problems. If the Linux administrator is fortunate, support is paid for when the subscription is obtained. If support is not paid for, the Linux administrator has to rely on good research skills to solve the problem.
Finding a good Linux administrator to administer the open source environment is hard to do. When you do find them, it is obvious that they are in great demand by the salary requirements they are demanding. A seasoned Linux administrator that is industry certified will demand as much as $90k – 120k per year if he/she is considered a full-time employee (Salary Search, n.d.). Linux contractors range from $60.00 – $120.00 per hour.
One of the benefits of having an open source environment is training courses are usually reasonably priced. The only difficulty is finding a training center that specializes in open source technology training. Most 3-day classes will range anywhere from $1200 to $1400 dollars per class. Most 5-day classes will range from $1800 - $2200 dollars per class. If your Linux administrator is a good self-learner there are many options online that he/she can take advantage of. Many websites offer free online training videos and free training manuals for anyone interested in taking advantage of them.
As it is evident, the notion of open source technology being free is far from true. However, many experts agree that the total cost of ownership is less than it would be if commercial software was being used. Dan Orzech (2002) writes that the cost of Linux is roughly 40% that of Windows, and only 14% that of Sun Microsystem’s Solaris based on a study of various operating systems over a 3 year period. Below is a table that summarizes the total cost of ownership for a typical open source database environment.
Total Cost of Ownership
(Annual)
Description of Service
Cost
Linux OS Software including Premium Support
$1299.00 per year
Linux Administrator
$100,000 per year
Ongoing Training
$1500.00 per year
Total Cost
$102,799.00 per year
Total Cost of Ownership
(One-Time Cost)
Server Hardware
$6250.00 purchase price
Total One-Time Cost
$6250.00
As one can see from the table above, open source technology is not free. Open source proponents and proprietary companies disagree on the total cost of ownership. Proponents claim that even if open source requires more expertise, the TCO is ultimately lower. Companies claim that the required expertise is daunting and the other costs of proprietary solutions are exaggerated (Open Options, 2005). Yes, there are some ways that prices could be cut. The Linux administrator could be contracted out on an ‘as needed’ basis. It is also possible to purchase a server with fewer features and less processors if cost was a factor when purchasing hardware. Training could be kept to a minimum or even limited to online training only. Even with all this being said, the myth that open source technology is free just is not a true statement, especially in a production environment. However, open source technology is the preferred technology in many IT shops for reliability reasons.
Content
Abstract
Open source software has generated much interest, especially in the wake of a slow economy. This has forced many Information Technology (IT) departments to cut back on spending. One of the main reasons open source technology is being considered by more IT departments is because open source technology is perceived as being free of charge. While that perception is not all together true, this article will discuss an example of the real cost savings of open source technology as an enterprise system solution. All costs related to the implementation of an open source server operating system including the hardware costs to run the operating system software, training costs to setup the operating system software, support cost to maintain the operating system software, and staff salary to administer the operating system software will be recognized in this article.
Open Source Technology – The Cost at the Enterprise Level
Open source refers to any program whose source code is made available for use or modification as users or other developers see fit. (Historically, the makers of proprietary software have generally not made source code available.) Open source software is usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available (Open Source, 2008). When companies are deciding on whether to use open source products versus commercial products the benefits of both choices are apparent. Commercial products typically favor visible features (giving marketing advantage) over hard to measure qualities such as stability, security and similar less glamorous attributes. Some experts describe this phenomenon as quality versus features (Benefits of Using Open Source, n.d.). This paper examines the enterprise level cost of an open source technology system. Different factors discussed in this paper include the cost of open source software, the cost of open source hardware, the cost of open source training to support this platform, and the salary requirements for open source administrators. For the purpose of this paper, the total cost of ownership of an open source production database server will be discussed in detail.
There are many different distribution options or ‘flavors’ a technology manager can choose from that are considering an open source operating system. Linux is about freedom and choice, so one has plenty of freedom to choose the flavor of Linux that best fits the business needs (Linux Distributions, n.d.). Common flavors of Linux include:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Mandrake Linux The Fedora Project The Debian Project Knoppix SUSE Linux Slackware Linux MEPIS Linux Ubuntu Linux Xandros PCLinux OS Linspire
Jim Klein (2009) writes that Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) can be defined as all of the costs of acquiring and maintaining a network of computers. This includes the cost for Hardware and software technology – client computers, servers, software, printers, networking equipment, external service providers
Direct labor - those responsible for purchasing, training, implementation, management and support of the computer environment Indirect labor – time spent by users in training, dealing with computer and networking issues, and effect of computer or network down-time.
Red Hat Linux is one of the most supported Linux operating systems on the market. Red Hat provides operating systems for the individual users as well as the large enterprises. When pricing operating systems it’s very important to know the hardware that this operating system will reside on. For example, it makes a difference if this operating system is a dual processor or a quad processor. For the purpose of this paper, the server we want to install Red Hat on is a quad Intel processor. Because this server is a production server, 24/7 support is required. According to Red Hat, the best license option for this configuration is the ‘Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform, Premium Subscription’ (Server Operating Systems, n.d.). When you subscribe to a Red Hat subscription, you’re renting the use of that software. With the Premium Subscription of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform you get the following:
Unlimited CPU processors Unlimited virtualized guests Red Hat global File System and Cluster Suite Web and phone-based comprehensive support 24×7 coverage 1 hour critical response (4 hour normal response time) Red Hat Network Update Product Updates Installation and documentation media Covered under the Open Source Assurance program Server applications to include ISV applications, Apache, Samba, nfs, ftp, Tomcat, MySQL, and PostgreSQL
For the purpose of this paper the server this Red Hat software will run on will be a Dell PowerEdge Energy Smart Quad Core Intel Xeon L5410 server. This server comes with 8 Gig of ram and 3 73 gig hard drives. The cost of this server is $6250.00 (Dell, Select Components, n.d.). This hardware is approved by Red Hat as a supported hardware platform.
The skill sets required to support an open source environment requires a person who completely understands how each component in an environment works. In most environments this person’s title would be a Linux administrator. A capable Linux administrator will have a variety of skills. Jay Beal (2004) provides skill sets a Linux Administrator should have would include security, operating system hardening, software installation, hardware installation, system assessment, troubleshooting, and intelligence gathering (Essential Linux Skills, 2004).
Security in any environment is essential. A Linux administrator must understand that any port on any server is venerable to an attack. Every port must be accounted for and the Linux administrator needs to know what log files are tracking all port traffic. Those log files need to be monitored daily for malicious attacks. In case an attack occurs, a Linux administrator should know how to recover from a server that has crashed.
Most default server installations install more services that are generally needed. A Linux administrator needs to be aware of the purpose of the server and understand specifically what services need to be running and just as important, what services do not need to be running. Those services that do not need to be running should be shut down and the Linux administrator needs to recognize these services and shut those services down along with the ports they use.
At some point, the server may need software and/or hardware upgrades. A Linux administrator needs to be prepared to apply upgrades or patches for software upgrades. Those software patches may require more hardware in order to run optimally. In this case a Linux administrator needs to be comfortable upgrading the hardware if there is a need to do so.
Finally, the Linux administrator needs to be able to assess the system and if there is concern, research the problem and find the solution. Because open source software is mostly supported by the ‘community’, it can be tedious to find solutions to complex problems. If the Linux administrator is fortunate, support is paid for when the subscription is obtained. If support is not paid for, the Linux administrator has to rely on good research skills to solve the problem.
Finding a good Linux administrator to administer the open source environment is hard to do. When you do find them, it is obvious that they are in great demand by the salary requirements they are demanding. A seasoned Linux administrator that is industry certified will demand as much as $90k – 120k per year if he/she is considered a full-time employee (Salary Search, n.d.). Linux contractors range from $60.00 – $120.00 per hour.
One of the benefits of having an open source environment is training courses are usually reasonably priced. The only difficulty is finding a training center that specializes in open source technology training. Most 3-day classes will range anywhere from $1200 to $1400 dollars per class. Most 5-day classes will range from $1800 - $2200 dollars per class. If your Linux administrator is a good self-learner there are many options online that he/she can take advantage of. Many websites offer free online training videos and free training manuals for anyone interested in taking advantage of them.
As it is evident, the notion of open source technology being free is far from true. However, many experts agree that the total cost of ownership is less than it would be if commercial software was being used. Dan Orzech (2002) writes that the cost of Linux is roughly 40% that of Windows, and only 14% that of Sun Microsystem’s Solaris based on a study of various operating systems over a 3 year period. Below is a table that summarizes the total cost of ownership for a typical open source database environment.
Total Cost of Ownership
(Annual)
Description of Service
Cost
Linux OS Software including Premium Support
$1299.00 per year
Linux Administrator
$100,000 per year
Ongoing Training
$1500.00 per year
Total Cost
$102,799.00 per year
Total Cost of Ownership
(One-Time Cost)
Server Hardware
$6250.00 purchase price
Total One-Time Cost
$6250.00
As one can see from the table above, open source technology is not free. Open source proponents and proprietary companies disagree on the total cost of ownership. Proponents claim that even if open source requires more expertise, the TCO is ultimately lower. Companies claim that the required expertise is daunting and the other costs of proprietary solutions are exaggerated (Open Options, 2005). Yes, there are some ways that prices could be cut. The Linux administrator could be contracted out on an ‘as needed’ basis. It is also possible to purchase a server with fewer features and less processors if cost was a factor when purchasing hardware. Training could be kept to a minimum or even limited to online training only. Even with all this being said, the myth that open source technology is free just is not a true statement, especially in a production environment. However, open source technology is the preferred technology in many IT shops for reliability reasons.
Content
Monday 25 May 2009 @ 6:33 pm
Karla Deacon asked:
Today, mini laptops, also known as mini notebooks or netbooks come with almost all the features of standard laptops. There are virtually no drawbacks to using them and in fact they are a better choice in many instances. Let’s explore the top 6 reasons to invest in a mini laptop.
Reason 1: The most obvious feature of the mini laptop is it’s compact size and light weight. It can be easily carried and stored anywhere you happen to go. They weigh only about 2 pounds and slip easily into many purses or a briefcase. If you prefer to carry yours seperately you can purchase a case designed specifically for your little computer!
Reason 2: The second nice feature of these mini notebooks is their relatively low cost. It can fulfill the needs of all the family members without putting too much of a dent in your wallet. You can buy a “mini” for anywhere from about $200-$500 as opposed to approximately $700-$1500 for a standard laptop.
Reason 3: Another reason for investing in a mini laptop is the array of features they sport. most come with 3 USB ports and have many entertainment and internet options. Unlike hand held devices, that can cost just as much or more, they have a more powerful processor, more substantial memory and more software options. Your kids can get plugged in to explore and learn about a whole range of things around the world! These small powerhouses have features for wireless devices as well as a Bluetooth device and come in a sturdy, protective casing. There are also memory cards and flash cards available for the minis. And last, but not least, there is much flexibility in the upgrading process.
Reason 4: Mini laptops also have an impressive array of technical features. They are available with Windows XP, Ubuntu, Mac and Linux operating systems. The memory space is about 512MB to 1GB (with the option to boost it to 1.5GB - at least on the Acer Aspire). Storage space is about 60-80GB. With the Acer Aspire you get a 160GB hard drive. It is difficult to discuss all of the technical features because they can vary from brand to brand and I am the most familiar with the Acer Aspire One.
Reason 5: The netbooks are also great for business on the go. They have basic software programs that enable the user to create spreadsheets, documents and PowerPoint presentations as well as allowing for checking emails and instant messaging. When you get a little down time you can also listen to music, browse the net, chat or take pictures. All in all quite a handy machine! It is a much easier to travel with alternative to the full size laptop.
Reason 6: Another point in favor of the mini laptop is that it leaves a smaller environmental footprint. It uses comparatively lower battery power and it’s battery also has a long life. The smaller computers are “greener” and make less of an impact on the surrounding environment!
These 6 reasons present a powerful argument for investing in a mini laptop. Right now I only have a desktop pc and my husband owns a laptop. We also have a 13 year old son. Our family’s next computer will be a mini laptop for sure! The only dilemma will be who gets to use it when!
Website content
Today, mini laptops, also known as mini notebooks or netbooks come with almost all the features of standard laptops. There are virtually no drawbacks to using them and in fact they are a better choice in many instances. Let’s explore the top 6 reasons to invest in a mini laptop.
Reason 1: The most obvious feature of the mini laptop is it’s compact size and light weight. It can be easily carried and stored anywhere you happen to go. They weigh only about 2 pounds and slip easily into many purses or a briefcase. If you prefer to carry yours seperately you can purchase a case designed specifically for your little computer!
Reason 2: The second nice feature of these mini notebooks is their relatively low cost. It can fulfill the needs of all the family members without putting too much of a dent in your wallet. You can buy a “mini” for anywhere from about $200-$500 as opposed to approximately $700-$1500 for a standard laptop.
Reason 3: Another reason for investing in a mini laptop is the array of features they sport. most come with 3 USB ports and have many entertainment and internet options. Unlike hand held devices, that can cost just as much or more, they have a more powerful processor, more substantial memory and more software options. Your kids can get plugged in to explore and learn about a whole range of things around the world! These small powerhouses have features for wireless devices as well as a Bluetooth device and come in a sturdy, protective casing. There are also memory cards and flash cards available for the minis. And last, but not least, there is much flexibility in the upgrading process.
Reason 4: Mini laptops also have an impressive array of technical features. They are available with Windows XP, Ubuntu, Mac and Linux operating systems. The memory space is about 512MB to 1GB (with the option to boost it to 1.5GB - at least on the Acer Aspire). Storage space is about 60-80GB. With the Acer Aspire you get a 160GB hard drive. It is difficult to discuss all of the technical features because they can vary from brand to brand and I am the most familiar with the Acer Aspire One.
Reason 5: The netbooks are also great for business on the go. They have basic software programs that enable the user to create spreadsheets, documents and PowerPoint presentations as well as allowing for checking emails and instant messaging. When you get a little down time you can also listen to music, browse the net, chat or take pictures. All in all quite a handy machine! It is a much easier to travel with alternative to the full size laptop.
Reason 6: Another point in favor of the mini laptop is that it leaves a smaller environmental footprint. It uses comparatively lower battery power and it’s battery also has a long life. The smaller computers are “greener” and make less of an impact on the surrounding environment!
These 6 reasons present a powerful argument for investing in a mini laptop. Right now I only have a desktop pc and my husband owns a laptop. We also have a 13 year old son. Our family’s next computer will be a mini laptop for sure! The only dilemma will be who gets to use it when!
Website content
Sunday 24 May 2009 @ 5:59 am
Nick Poma asked:
There are many valid reasons to switch from Microsoft Windows to Ubuntu Linux. Both the average computer user and corporations can benefit from the switch to Ubuntu. Do not worry if you have never heard of Ubuntu, I will briefly introduce you to the best free Linux distribution available.
The name of the Operating System is an African word which means, “Humanity to others,” this is a strong belief and sentiment held by its founder Mark Shuttleworth. Mark is also the first astronaut from an African nation to go into space, in a 2002 Russian mission to the Space Station. Mark has also worked tirelessly to improve scientific studies in African nations.
Ubuntu is a completely free Operating System, which has all of the bells and whistles available in Microsoft Windows. The fact that this Operating system is completely free should appeal to the average user, but more significantly to businesses, which spend much of their IT budgets on user licenses with Microsoft. Ubuntu comes in a few different versions available to meet the needs of users and companies in need of specific configurations.
1) Ubuntu Desktop is a basic user Operating System which is a very close match to the Microsoft Windows Operating System. It includes many types of free software, including graphics programs, and an office suite, which is 100% compatible with Microsoft Office. Email, Internet browser, games, and other various software is included, and makes Ubuntu just as productive as Windows, without the cost.
2) Ubuntu Server addition, includes everything needed for an individual, or company to run a Server. One of the advantages to using a Linux server is its security. Although, no server can be 100% hack proof, Linux distributions have a better track record than most other Server platforms. Ubuntu Server can automatically install LAMP components at the time of the installation of the Operating System. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MYSQL, and PHP. These components when installed will ensure that you have all of the functionality of a complete Web Server from the time of installation. Ubuntu Server also allows updating and system administration control over all workstations connected to it. This gives a company a large financial benefit by eliminating the need to update each workstation independently.
3) Xubuntu, and Kubuntu are merely derivatives of the Ubuntu Operating System, but they utilize different desktop interfaces. Xubuntu utilizes the Xfce desktop environment with a heavy emphasis on GNOME applications. Kubuntu is a derivative that utilizes the KDE desktop and application. This particular setup is my favorite and it feels the most like Microsoft Windows to the user.
4) Finally there is Edubuntu another derivative of the Ubuntu Operating System which focuses mostly on education.
The Ubuntu Operating System is just as easy to install as the Microsoft Operating System. There is a host of free software which is completely compatible with Ubuntu, which can do everything that the costly Windows based programs can do. The only real drawback is for gamers. Most games developed by the gaming industry does not include support for Linux, but there is a way in which you can play some of your Windows. There is free software available which can emulate the Windows Operating System in a Linux environment. As more people switch over to Linux distributions, the gaming industry will most likely recognize the trend and start creating Linux versions of their popular titles.
I can not impress upon you enough that the Ubuntu Operating System is 100% free, and so is the software that is included with it. Just the Operating System and the basic software included is a savings of approximately $1000.00 USD alone. In a company setting, multiply that by the number of workstations you have and you will soon come to understand the benefit of switching to Ubuntu.
Citations
http://www.ubuntu.com
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/25/1634232
Content for WordPress
There are many valid reasons to switch from Microsoft Windows to Ubuntu Linux. Both the average computer user and corporations can benefit from the switch to Ubuntu. Do not worry if you have never heard of Ubuntu, I will briefly introduce you to the best free Linux distribution available.
The name of the Operating System is an African word which means, “Humanity to others,” this is a strong belief and sentiment held by its founder Mark Shuttleworth. Mark is also the first astronaut from an African nation to go into space, in a 2002 Russian mission to the Space Station. Mark has also worked tirelessly to improve scientific studies in African nations.
Ubuntu is a completely free Operating System, which has all of the bells and whistles available in Microsoft Windows. The fact that this Operating system is completely free should appeal to the average user, but more significantly to businesses, which spend much of their IT budgets on user licenses with Microsoft. Ubuntu comes in a few different versions available to meet the needs of users and companies in need of specific configurations.
1) Ubuntu Desktop is a basic user Operating System which is a very close match to the Microsoft Windows Operating System. It includes many types of free software, including graphics programs, and an office suite, which is 100% compatible with Microsoft Office. Email, Internet browser, games, and other various software is included, and makes Ubuntu just as productive as Windows, without the cost.
2) Ubuntu Server addition, includes everything needed for an individual, or company to run a Server. One of the advantages to using a Linux server is its security. Although, no server can be 100% hack proof, Linux distributions have a better track record than most other Server platforms. Ubuntu Server can automatically install LAMP components at the time of the installation of the Operating System. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MYSQL, and PHP. These components when installed will ensure that you have all of the functionality of a complete Web Server from the time of installation. Ubuntu Server also allows updating and system administration control over all workstations connected to it. This gives a company a large financial benefit by eliminating the need to update each workstation independently.
3) Xubuntu, and Kubuntu are merely derivatives of the Ubuntu Operating System, but they utilize different desktop interfaces. Xubuntu utilizes the Xfce desktop environment with a heavy emphasis on GNOME applications. Kubuntu is a derivative that utilizes the KDE desktop and application. This particular setup is my favorite and it feels the most like Microsoft Windows to the user.
4) Finally there is Edubuntu another derivative of the Ubuntu Operating System which focuses mostly on education.
The Ubuntu Operating System is just as easy to install as the Microsoft Operating System. There is a host of free software which is completely compatible with Ubuntu, which can do everything that the costly Windows based programs can do. The only real drawback is for gamers. Most games developed by the gaming industry does not include support for Linux, but there is a way in which you can play some of your Windows. There is free software available which can emulate the Windows Operating System in a Linux environment. As more people switch over to Linux distributions, the gaming industry will most likely recognize the trend and start creating Linux versions of their popular titles.
I can not impress upon you enough that the Ubuntu Operating System is 100% free, and so is the software that is included with it. Just the Operating System and the basic software included is a savings of approximately $1000.00 USD alone. In a company setting, multiply that by the number of workstations you have and you will soon come to understand the benefit of switching to Ubuntu.
Citations
http://www.ubuntu.com
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/25/1634232
Content for WordPress
Wednesday 20 May 2009 @ 3:15 pm
Sandra Prior asked:
Linux – the operating system for a GNU (pronounced Gnew) generation. It has been dubbed the alternative to Microsoft, the solution to all life’s problems and many other things that may or may not be true. But what is Linux, and should you care?
To answer the first question, it’s a free operating system that looks and acts very much like Unix. You can download it off the Net for free, or you can copy it legally from a friend – although this might take all the fun out of using that CD-Writer you’ve got and never use for anything, except to brag about it to your friends.
Alternatively, you can buy it nicely packaged from an Internet store and get it delivered with a book about Linux, (Linux Unleashed).
Distributors charge not for the operating system itself, but for their time in packaging and presenting it. Two popular flavors of Linux are Free BSD and Ubuntu. These offer the same basic systems with a few slight differences that can lead to long and entertaining godly wars between supporters of each.
If you’re getting into Linux for the first time, Ubuntu is a good bet. You can either go for Ubuntu Desktop which comes with a GUI, or you can opt for Ubuntu Server if you planning to host websites of your own. The server edition has no GUI, but you can install KDE or Gnome to make your life easier. Most of your configuration will be done via the Terminal and you will have to learn a lot of Linux commands.
Linux is more complicated, and it depends on the kind of person you are. If you’re the type of computer user who wants every application to run straight out of the box and your system to just do what it’s told and run your games, then stick with Windows. But if you’re a pioneering soul who wants to find out more about your system and tweak it to perform to the max, then Linux is definitely worth a try.
If you want rock-solid Internet access, if you want to support the development of free software and more efficient solutions, or if you’re just the type of person who needs control over every aspect of your life including how your machine performs, then you’re definitely a Linux candidate. Linux is perfectly suited to students, developers and just about anyone who wants to try something other than the norm. Newcomers will find support straight off the Internet from thousands of kindred spirits.
It’s worth a try – maybe you’ll discover a Whole New World of fun and adventure. Or maybe you’ll just take it straight off your machine and go back to Windows. However, if you planning to try it out, then load it on that old machine that’s just lying around in the basement. You don’t need powerful processors and hardware – the most important component is memory. If you have 512mb and a 20gig hard drive then you should be OK. You should be able to run all your applications including your websites with ease. Remember, you will need a permanent connection to the Internet if you going to host your own websites. The best part is that you don’t need any antivirus and antispyware software if you’re running Linux. Every would-be-virus-writer out there has only one target in mind – Microsoft Windows.
Whether you stick with Linux or not, you’ll have come out of your safety zone and taken a trip to the cutting edge of computer technology.
Website content
Linux – the operating system for a GNU (pronounced Gnew) generation. It has been dubbed the alternative to Microsoft, the solution to all life’s problems and many other things that may or may not be true. But what is Linux, and should you care?
To answer the first question, it’s a free operating system that looks and acts very much like Unix. You can download it off the Net for free, or you can copy it legally from a friend – although this might take all the fun out of using that CD-Writer you’ve got and never use for anything, except to brag about it to your friends.
Alternatively, you can buy it nicely packaged from an Internet store and get it delivered with a book about Linux, (Linux Unleashed).
Distributors charge not for the operating system itself, but for their time in packaging and presenting it. Two popular flavors of Linux are Free BSD and Ubuntu. These offer the same basic systems with a few slight differences that can lead to long and entertaining godly wars between supporters of each.
If you’re getting into Linux for the first time, Ubuntu is a good bet. You can either go for Ubuntu Desktop which comes with a GUI, or you can opt for Ubuntu Server if you planning to host websites of your own. The server edition has no GUI, but you can install KDE or Gnome to make your life easier. Most of your configuration will be done via the Terminal and you will have to learn a lot of Linux commands.
Linux is more complicated, and it depends on the kind of person you are. If you’re the type of computer user who wants every application to run straight out of the box and your system to just do what it’s told and run your games, then stick with Windows. But if you’re a pioneering soul who wants to find out more about your system and tweak it to perform to the max, then Linux is definitely worth a try.
If you want rock-solid Internet access, if you want to support the development of free software and more efficient solutions, or if you’re just the type of person who needs control over every aspect of your life including how your machine performs, then you’re definitely a Linux candidate. Linux is perfectly suited to students, developers and just about anyone who wants to try something other than the norm. Newcomers will find support straight off the Internet from thousands of kindred spirits.
It’s worth a try – maybe you’ll discover a Whole New World of fun and adventure. Or maybe you’ll just take it straight off your machine and go back to Windows. However, if you planning to try it out, then load it on that old machine that’s just lying around in the basement. You don’t need powerful processors and hardware – the most important component is memory. If you have 512mb and a 20gig hard drive then you should be OK. You should be able to run all your applications including your websites with ease. Remember, you will need a permanent connection to the Internet if you going to host your own websites. The best part is that you don’t need any antivirus and antispyware software if you’re running Linux. Every would-be-virus-writer out there has only one target in mind – Microsoft Windows.
Whether you stick with Linux or not, you’ll have come out of your safety zone and taken a trip to the cutting edge of computer technology.
Website content
Sunday 17 May 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Kurt Hartman asked:
As I was sitting here, preparing to write this article, my mind wandered back to the day I accidentally wiped out a Windows installation with a Gutsy Gibbon CD. I thought I was in trouble. I had just knocked out my work documents, including various templates I made, along with scanner support, and my Adobe 8.0 suite.
It was at that moment I decided to make a go of it with Linux as my sole operating system. After nearly 2 years of tweaking, making mistakes, fixing those mistakes, and then making even more mistakes, I finally feel qualified to give you advice.
In light of this experience, I now present “11 Crucial Things An Ubuntu Newbie Should Know”.
Commands
1. ps -A: One of the reasons I hated Windows so much was the task manager. When a program would hang, you’d have to open task manager, tell it to kill the program, and wait 5 minutes for the system to kill the application, All the while, it would bog down the processor, hog memory, and be an overall nuisance. 50% of the time, you would have to restart the computer to get the process to clear.
Not so in Ubuntu/Linux. All you have to kill a program is open the terminal, and type “ps -A”. This will pull up a list of all the processes currently running, with the name of the program, along with a 4-5 digit number next to it. Then, type “kill -9 PN” (PN should be substituted with the actual Process Number), and hit enter. This will kill the app, no questions asked. It will not ask you any questions, or give you any excuses. That program is now dead, until the time you decide to resurrect it. This will not work with things like Apache, or other process daemons. If you’re not sure, just try to kill it. If it doesn’t die, then it is probably a daemon. You will have to find the actual documentation to stop the daemon.
Bonus tip: In Ubuntu (Gutsy and later), the command to stop Apache is: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop To restart: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start
2. gksudo nautilus: Nautilus is the GUI-based file browser for Gnome, which is the default window manager for Ubuntu. If you are not used to the command line, this command will save you hours when it comes to file operations. Well, it will only save you hours for things that have to be done as root. Things like special system configuration, and other things where you need upgraded privileges will be much faster when you use this command.
Just open the terminal, type “gksudo nautilus”, enter your password, and magically you can do anything you want. For faster access, right click the Desktop, select “create launcher”, enter “gksudo nautilus” as the command. You can now click the shortcut on your Desktop , rather than opening the terminal and entering a command each time you need access to Nautilus.
3. dmesg: If you have managed to really mess something up, or are having trouble getting things to work, you may need someone with greater experience to take a look. Typing “dmesg” in your terminal window will call up all the messages from your system kernel. Copy and paste this into a text document, attach it to an email, and let a true expert get a look at what is going on with your hardware.
Upgrades:
4. Ubuntu’s package manager, Synaptic, is a GUI front-end for Aptitude. What you don’t know is that Synaptic is set to run in what could be called “safe-mode”. It will not go get the latest and greatest versions of the software you are running. It will get the last (often 6 months older) version of the software you want to run. You can upgrades faster by enabling optional software repositories.
To do this, open Synaptic (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager), then select Settings > Repositories. Once you are in the repositories window, select the “Updates” tab. The Ubuntu “security” and “recommended updates” repository have already been selected. To get the newer stuff, you need to check “backports” and “proposed” software. Apply, and reload. This should get most of your software up to date, along with the kernel.
5. The kernel: While having the latest and greatest stable kernel can improve system performance, it can also break little fixes you have made along the way. An example: I had gone through the painstaking process of editing some configuration files to get my webcam to work. The last kernel update overwrote the changes I had made, and in the process, disabled my webcam. This can get irritating, but eventually a kernel release might fix an issue on its own, so I guess it is an ok, if not completely lossless tradeoff.
6. Upgrading to the newest version of Ubuntu: Don’t do it right away. Always give a new version at least two months in regular use before you decide to upgrade. I have tried to upgrade for 3 releases now, in the first two weeks of availability for the upgrade. Each time, there has been a major failure, mostly in the area of graphics and sound. If your release is stable, there is no reason to upgrade right away, other than a few minor changes in speed and stability. You forfeit these if you upgrade on the first day of a new release. You have been warned.
Got Help?:
7. You can Google it: If you haven’t googled it, do not trounce into a forum and ask the question. People are nice, but they really can’t stand laziness. If you have searched, and can’t find it, it may be a more advanced question that really needs more expert analysis.
Here’s the search formula that reaps the best rewards for me: [manufacturer] [model] [problem] [ubuntu distribution]…(e.g. sony vaio webcam installation hardy). You can vary this formula a little bit, as sometimes it takes a few searches to get the hang of it. The one thing that you should not change is having your version of the distribution in the search. The reason is that fixes, and places where applications install can be different depending on the version you are using. This will ensure that you receive the best solution possible.
8. The Forums: Most of the time, Googling the problem will send you to the Ubuntu forums. Get a user name, log in, and be respectful. Be sure you try everything they tell you to before griping that it won’t work. The help and advice is free, and usually very helpful in nature.
9. Launchpad: This is a bug reporting service that Ubuntu users use to get bugs and various other problems fixed. You can reach the project at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu . Once you get there, click on report a bug, and follow the instructions. Be sure the problem has not been reported already, as they will ask. Provide as much information about the incident as possible. They will keep you posted on the progress as far as the problem being resolved, and assign a priority rating based on the severity of the problem. I’ve had to use it 2 or 3 times. Even the minor problems have been resolved in 2-3 weeks.
10. Don’t Be Afraid To Break It
This is the most important rule. This ain’t your Granny’s china. Stuff will break, you will be the one to break it. You will also be the one fixing it, along with your friend Google. Be patient, be persistent, and walk away for a bit if the solution just won’t come. Vindication will come, and when the fix is done properly, or you changed a variable that caused performance to increase, there will a mountaintop rush. Chances are, your significant other won’t care, but that won’t matter. Feel free to prance around in your boxers, and act like you just won the Nobel Prize.
11. Everything in Windows can be replaced with Open Source software: Really, it can. It takes a little time to find it, but when you do, a whole new world will open up. You’ll start to see how things work better than you expected. Things will play that would not on Windows, you’ll be able to open every attachment you ever wanted to. Productivity will increase, thereby giving you more time to make your system work faster, and work on your own open source program.
I can’t include everything I’ve learned over the past two years here. There are some other articles that I have written on software packages, and the pros and cons of each. Just google my name and iSnare to get a full list of what I have written on the subject. In conclusion, have fun with Ubuntu, share your knowledge with others, and fear God. Seriously.
That’s all the advice I have for you.
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As I was sitting here, preparing to write this article, my mind wandered back to the day I accidentally wiped out a Windows installation with a Gutsy Gibbon CD. I thought I was in trouble. I had just knocked out my work documents, including various templates I made, along with scanner support, and my Adobe 8.0 suite.
It was at that moment I decided to make a go of it with Linux as my sole operating system. After nearly 2 years of tweaking, making mistakes, fixing those mistakes, and then making even more mistakes, I finally feel qualified to give you advice.
In light of this experience, I now present “11 Crucial Things An Ubuntu Newbie Should Know”.
Commands
1. ps -A: One of the reasons I hated Windows so much was the task manager. When a program would hang, you’d have to open task manager, tell it to kill the program, and wait 5 minutes for the system to kill the application, All the while, it would bog down the processor, hog memory, and be an overall nuisance. 50% of the time, you would have to restart the computer to get the process to clear.
Not so in Ubuntu/Linux. All you have to kill a program is open the terminal, and type “ps -A”. This will pull up a list of all the processes currently running, with the name of the program, along with a 4-5 digit number next to it. Then, type “kill -9 PN” (PN should be substituted with the actual Process Number), and hit enter. This will kill the app, no questions asked. It will not ask you any questions, or give you any excuses. That program is now dead, until the time you decide to resurrect it. This will not work with things like Apache, or other process daemons. If you’re not sure, just try to kill it. If it doesn’t die, then it is probably a daemon. You will have to find the actual documentation to stop the daemon.
Bonus tip: In Ubuntu (Gutsy and later), the command to stop Apache is: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 stop To restart: sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start
2. gksudo nautilus: Nautilus is the GUI-based file browser for Gnome, which is the default window manager for Ubuntu. If you are not used to the command line, this command will save you hours when it comes to file operations. Well, it will only save you hours for things that have to be done as root. Things like special system configuration, and other things where you need upgraded privileges will be much faster when you use this command.
Just open the terminal, type “gksudo nautilus”, enter your password, and magically you can do anything you want. For faster access, right click the Desktop, select “create launcher”, enter “gksudo nautilus” as the command. You can now click the shortcut on your Desktop , rather than opening the terminal and entering a command each time you need access to Nautilus.
3. dmesg: If you have managed to really mess something up, or are having trouble getting things to work, you may need someone with greater experience to take a look. Typing “dmesg” in your terminal window will call up all the messages from your system kernel. Copy and paste this into a text document, attach it to an email, and let a true expert get a look at what is going on with your hardware.
Upgrades:
4. Ubuntu’s package manager, Synaptic, is a GUI front-end for Aptitude. What you don’t know is that Synaptic is set to run in what could be called “safe-mode”. It will not go get the latest and greatest versions of the software you are running. It will get the last (often 6 months older) version of the software you want to run. You can upgrades faster by enabling optional software repositories.
To do this, open Synaptic (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager), then select Settings > Repositories. Once you are in the repositories window, select the “Updates” tab. The Ubuntu “security” and “recommended updates” repository have already been selected. To get the newer stuff, you need to check “backports” and “proposed” software. Apply, and reload. This should get most of your software up to date, along with the kernel.
5. The kernel: While having the latest and greatest stable kernel can improve system performance, it can also break little fixes you have made along the way. An example: I had gone through the painstaking process of editing some configuration files to get my webcam to work. The last kernel update overwrote the changes I had made, and in the process, disabled my webcam. This can get irritating, but eventually a kernel release might fix an issue on its own, so I guess it is an ok, if not completely lossless tradeoff.
6. Upgrading to the newest version of Ubuntu: Don’t do it right away. Always give a new version at least two months in regular use before you decide to upgrade. I have tried to upgrade for 3 releases now, in the first two weeks of availability for the upgrade. Each time, there has been a major failure, mostly in the area of graphics and sound. If your release is stable, there is no reason to upgrade right away, other than a few minor changes in speed and stability. You forfeit these if you upgrade on the first day of a new release. You have been warned.
Got Help?:
7. You can Google it: If you haven’t googled it, do not trounce into a forum and ask the question. People are nice, but they really can’t stand laziness. If you have searched, and can’t find it, it may be a more advanced question that really needs more expert analysis.
Here’s the search formula that reaps the best rewards for me: [manufacturer] [model] [problem] [ubuntu distribution]…(e.g. sony vaio webcam installation hardy). You can vary this formula a little bit, as sometimes it takes a few searches to get the hang of it. The one thing that you should not change is having your version of the distribution in the search. The reason is that fixes, and places where applications install can be different depending on the version you are using. This will ensure that you receive the best solution possible.
8. The Forums: Most of the time, Googling the problem will send you to the Ubuntu forums. Get a user name, log in, and be respectful. Be sure you try everything they tell you to before griping that it won’t work. The help and advice is free, and usually very helpful in nature.
9. Launchpad: This is a bug reporting service that Ubuntu users use to get bugs and various other problems fixed. You can reach the project at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu . Once you get there, click on report a bug, and follow the instructions. Be sure the problem has not been reported already, as they will ask. Provide as much information about the incident as possible. They will keep you posted on the progress as far as the problem being resolved, and assign a priority rating based on the severity of the problem. I’ve had to use it 2 or 3 times. Even the minor problems have been resolved in 2-3 weeks.
10. Don’t Be Afraid To Break It
This is the most important rule. This ain’t your Granny’s china. Stuff will break, you will be the one to break it. You will also be the one fixing it, along with your friend Google. Be patient, be persistent, and walk away for a bit if the solution just won’t come. Vindication will come, and when the fix is done properly, or you changed a variable that caused performance to increase, there will a mountaintop rush. Chances are, your significant other won’t care, but that won’t matter. Feel free to prance around in your boxers, and act like you just won the Nobel Prize.
11. Everything in Windows can be replaced with Open Source software: Really, it can. It takes a little time to find it, but when you do, a whole new world will open up. You’ll start to see how things work better than you expected. Things will play that would not on Windows, you’ll be able to open every attachment you ever wanted to. Productivity will increase, thereby giving you more time to make your system work faster, and work on your own open source program.
I can’t include everything I’ve learned over the past two years here. There are some other articles that I have written on software packages, and the pros and cons of each. Just google my name and iSnare to get a full list of what I have written on the subject. In conclusion, have fun with Ubuntu, share your knowledge with others, and fear God. Seriously.
That’s all the advice I have for you.
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