In these times of financial turmoil, one must find as many ways to save money as possible. One of the most important areas of life people may spend a big chunk of their money on is with their computer. That is why finding ways to lessen bills relating to using your computer(s) can become evident so quickly. By following my tips below you can find yourself immediately starting to see the costs of your PC use drop dramatically.

First, and most important is to use Linux. Linux is a free, and open source competitor to Microsoft®, and Linux is the “kernel”, or fundamental coding of the Operating System, which is utilized through one of hundreds of different Linux distributions, or distros. The details may seem complicated to a lifetime Windows user, but a bit of research can make it all plain in no time. Distrowatch.com is a great place to start looking at all the different, exciting types of distros that are out there to pick from. The freedom to choose and setup just the Linux system makes it very exciting too, if you want to have the control, and not have a big corporation somewhere tell you what you can and can’t do with your own computer. That’s another very important advantage of Linux- It is not “owned” by any single organization, so you have the freedom to do what you want.

First of all, lets compare the initial costs of putting the latest Linux distro on a new computer, or the latest Windows, which is currently Windows 7. We will use Ubuntu as the Linux distro since it is the most popular, but would could use any Linux example, now couldn’t we?

From Ubuntu.com

$0.00

Now Windows:

From Microsoft.com

$199.99 to $319.99

As you can see, right off the bat you are hundreds of dollars ahead just by choosing Linux as your operating system!

Let’s choose one more example. This time, since we already have our operating system selected, we need an office suite, right? Well, Microsoft® has a very popular one, ubiquitously known as “Microsoft Office”. Well, don’t fret Linux users, you can’t use that app, but we have one that is quite compatible, and some would argue better, Sun’s Open Office. Let’s compare prices:

From Openoffice.org

$0.00

Now Microsoft Office:

From Microsoft.com

$149.95 to $679.95

As you can, we can save lots of money in the basics by taking the Linux route, versus the mainstream-friendly Windows path.

Grand total for a full-featured operating system, and robust office-suite:

Windows = $349.94

Linux   = $0.00

Linux PHP Vs Windows ASP Web Hosting Comparison
By Darren W Chow

One of the first decisions to make while choosing web hosting is – what platform to opt for? Windows or Linux? PHP or ASP?

First of all, note that sites with static pages such as blogs can run on either Windows or Linux hosting platforms. These only use HTML and CSS, which are supported equally well by both operating systems.

When you require dynamic content on your website, such as eCommerce facilities, forums or other forms of scripting, then you need to pay attention to your hosting platform.

Traditionally, Linux servers are used for scripts based on PHP or Perl. These scripts include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and many other blogging or content management systems. Windows servers, on the contrary, are used with scripts written in ASP, ASP(dot)Net or Access. MySQL works equally well with both Windows and Linux. Today, cross-platform scripting – that is, scripting with PHP/Perl on Windows or with ASP/ASP(dot)NET/Access on Linux – is permitted by some ISPs.

However, cross-platform scripting will never give the smooth performance that a program does when run on its native platform – it is a bit like using emulators to run programs that are not native to the OS. There is one exception here, though – PHP runs equally well on Windows and Linux, so Linux-based hosting is no longer essential to run PHP-based scripts and applications.

Most computer geeks will advise you to go for Linux hosting, as Unix – on which Linux is based – is a far more secure and stable platform than Windows’ alternative. While this is demonstrably true – think of the millions of viruses for Windows systems, and the rare bug that crops up in Linux – it is also true that efficient server administration can render a Windows system as secure as a Linux one.

Speedwise, there is no clear winner between Windows and Linux. Some things work faster on Windows, while others work faster on Linux. So to choose between operating systems, cost and security would have to be the deciding factors. Linux here is substantially cheaper, as it is an open-source system, and most of its applications are also under GNU public licenses – in other words, free. Windows hosting comes with the added cost of the OS, and certain applications that the hosting company has to continually pay for.

As for the ASP-PHP comparison, ASP is almost universally the winner where speed is concerned. However, the learning curve in ASP or ASP(dot)NET is much steeper than in PHP – something that can backfire for advanced users looking for greater control and freedom. PHP, however, is still one of the most popular scripts around thanks to its versatility and the solid, useful applications being written using it.

In the end, choosing between Windows ASP and Linux PHP as hosting platforms becomes a matter of individual preference and contingent need. Depending on your budget, security concerns and familiarity with the computer language, you can pick either of them and successfully run a dynamic website for a long time to come.

Linux php hosting are generally more cheaper and faster compare to windows ASP hosting. For php hosting, we highly recommend Fatcow hosting offering unlimited storage and unlimited domain hosting. Find more info from our Fatcow Review and coupon website.

Quick Overview of Bsd Systems With Main Focus on Openbsd
By Juraj Sipos

Most users who use Linux use it because they hate Microsoft; people who use BSD use it because they love Unix

History

To say it metaphorically, the Internet sprung out of BSD. It is not because these systems can handle the biggest traffic as servers, but because the concept of IP addresses and the TCP/IP stack is a BSD invention. If you right click on the file “winsock.dll” in Windows 98 (C:Windowswinsock.dll), you will see “BSD Socket API for Windows” in the Properties > Version window; however, the “BSD” is not seen in newer Windows systems in the “version information” window of winsock.dll. But there is a lot of writing on the Internet about this if you Google both terms: “winsock.dll” AND “bsd”. BSD systems have a different licensing policy and anybody can take their code. BSD license gives more freedom to programmers.

From the above it is clear that Microsoft, too, used or “stole” this code, not only Linux. BSD grew up in the 1970′s with a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) support. Version 4.3 BSD (1986), 4.3 BSD Tahoe (1988), BSD Net 1 (1989), and so on followed. The history is well described also on BSD sites. FreeBSD, for example, started as a project in 1993 shortly after NetBSD; and OpenBSD is a fork of NetBSD, but these all are derived from 386/BSD.

Linux versus BSD

BSD: BSD systems are based upon an actual Unix variant called Berkeley Software Distribution, which has a long history.

Linux: Linux is based upon a clone of Unix (Minix), which was far away in functionality in comparison to the above Unix at its time. Terminologically speaking, Linux is only the kernel.

The “Linux-versus-BSD” discussion is very sensitive for some people – they may get very angry about any direction, either in favor of BSD or Linux. It is not a good idea to compare these systems as the whole, but it’s not a bad idea to compare their “usability” in various aspects, for example, as an “office solution”, “desktop solution”, “multimedia solution”, “server solution”, “firewall solution”, etc.

The widespread use of Linux helped some users switch to BSD for good, as various opinions made the issue of “Linux-versus-BSD” visible to public eyes, which made the BSD world appear more attractive.

If we talk in general, we can say that “BSD is much more stable, as it is a REAL Unix” and that “Linux is a very good desktop toy more adapted to users’ needs, as it has more drivers and apps”.

Other global aspect that makes Linux and BSD systems look different is that BSD OS’s have everything under one hood and control. Linux is murky waters because it is not united. For example, you have a DEB (Debian Linux) package – you will not always install it if you use Mandrake or SuSE. A long list of problems ensuing from discrepancies among Linux distros may be written. Linux users surely remember the effort of UnitedLinux, but now it is devoid of life. In the chaos where one Linux system installs with various services and the other one does not, we see that the Linux community is broken as the whole.

Linux is more developed in terms of its accessibility to various types of hardware like, for example, inkjet printers or WiFi USB solutions. But this is because, as I already said, various companies support it. Linux is good for desktop users who want to forget about Microsoft and BSD systems are best as server/router/firewall solutions. Many good administrators say that Linux behaves much worse as server than BSD systems. Something like Red Hat or SuSE Enterprise Server is rather a joke – these systems cost a lot of money. Every good administrator would only bet on BSD or other Internet solutions today. Slackware Linux is exception – it is one of the best.

There are many reasons why BSD systems are less noticeable. The availability of Live CD’s and their easy-to-use presentation is something in which BSD systems lagged behind. You may download Linux ISO images at the drop of a hat. With BSD systems, this is a bit different. You could hardly find a desired BSD Live CD in the 1990′s. Only a few of them do appear now.

OpenBSD

I tackled the problem of building such a CD myself. I toiled with FreeBSD. I succeeded. Later I focused on OpenBSD, as it has a good reputation concerning its solid security structure. I succeeded too. But this would require additional writing and this article is not about making an OpenBSD Live CD; I only want to introduce this system a little and give advice how to make a simple OpenBSD bootable installation CD/DVD, which is also hard to get.

Usability

BSD systems work well with all kinds of standard hardware; however, some users say they are “less user-friendly”. On the other hand, others consider the so-called “user-friendliness” to be a hindrance in making needed configurations. In other systems, where many services run automatically, it is a bit irritating when administrators, with their own security policies in mind, must turn them off on a regular basis after every installation.

OpenBSD could be, from a Linux user’s point of view, a can of worms. Some may disagree with me, but in the world where all mainstream operating systems bet on easiness-to-use and the graphical interactivity, this is surely the case. This means you must forget about graphical installers – your first touch with the system is the text mode. But the text is the best format some people like.

OpenBSD can run Linux binaries on an emulation layer; DOS (and other systems) programs within the Qemu emulator, as well as FreeBSD and other BSD and Unix binaries. Albeit OpenOffice.org has not been ported yet (do you really need such a big bulk of software when there are more handy solutions?), you can easily write or open your MS Word documents in TextMaker for Linux, or in native OpenBSD AbiWord port.

The system and packages

The BSD family of operating systems consists of the base system and packages. The OpenBSD core – its kernel and the base system (system/network utilities, man pages, etc.) get cautiously, if not paranoically audited for security holes.

The OS has a different packaging philosophy in comparison to Linux. It uses ports and prebuilt packages. Ports are fingerprints of applications on your disk. They contain the basic information where they can be downloaded from. You just “cd” somewhere to the hierarchy of the /usr/share/ports directory, where applications are divided by categories; then type “make install” and wait for sources to be downloaded, compiled, and installed.

Prebuilt packages, too, can be installed with a breeze. Unlike RPM archives, which you must install in the consecutive dependency order, here you have everything on tap. And with the command pkg_add -v ftp address and the package name you download everything from the Internet even without specifying the package’s version. This is something most Linux packagers cannot do, only APT (Debian) and its clones.

Installation

The policy of the OpenBSD team is to sell CD’s. Unless you are prepared for a difficult network install, you have two options: either you buy their CD’s, or build them yourself. If you choose the latter option, download the core system from these FTP mirrors: http://www.openbsd.org/ftp.html. Pick out your architecture like AMD64 or i386 and the version (like 4.0, 3.9, etc.). Place all downloaded files in any directory (for example, in /usr/opbsd) and issue the following command to make the ISO image of it:

mkisofs -b cdrom40.fs -c boot.cat -R -v -o /usr/my_openbsd.iso /usr/opbsd

The above command may be used both in Linux and in BSD systems and possibly in any system to which mkisofs is ported.

When ever in the future you are ready to download a newer version of OpenBSD with purpose to make a bootable CD/DVD of it, just change the “cdrom40.fs” in the above mkisofs command (4.0 is the current version of OpenBSD) to the version it agrees with, for example, “cdrom45.fs” (a future OpenBSD), which is a bootable image as the emulated big floppy. A CD or DVD burned with this ISO file will boot on any PC (not DVD in UDF format, but DVD in ISO format).

The following files contain the basic OpenBSD installation – networking, Unix commands, X Window, man pages; not packages like KDE, Aspell, etc.

OpenBSD 4.0 core systemPackages # you can create this directory and put packages in itCKSUM, INSTALL.i386, INSTALL.Linux, MD5, base40.tgz, bsd, bsd.mp, bsd.rd, cd40.iso, cdboot,cdbr, cdemu40.iso, cdrom40.fs, comp40.tgz, etc40.tgz, floppy40.fs, floppyB40.fs, floppyC40.fs, game40.tgz, index.txt, man40.tgz, misc40.tgz, pxeboot, xbase40.tgz, xetc40.tgz, xfont40.tgz, xserv40.tgz, xshare40.tgz

It is important to say that the ISO file cannot be burned to a CD as an ordinary file like an MP3 file – it can be done this way, however, but you will not be able to boot from such a CD/DVD. If you use Windows, the proper way for burning ISO files is to use the “burn image” command in programs like Nero Burning ROM (or “burn ISO” in other programs). Under FreeBSD, you can burn the ISO image with the burncd command (if your CDROM is the master on the second IDE channel; “-s” is for speed):

burncd -f /dev/acd0 -s 4 data my_openbsd.iso fixate

It would be a good idea to make the bootable OpenBSD DVD with packages included in it – just download them and put them to a directory (for example, to a directory “Packages”) where you have your core OpenBSD installation files; then apply the above mkisofs command.

Installation is quite easy. For newbies it is recommended to use a mobile rack and use some older disk (about 3 GB). This is because installing OpenBSD to an already partitioned disk requires a lot of knowledge and if users do not want to bother about numbers of sectors/cylinders and other things they must type in the text wizard, this solution is very handy.

OpenBSD in action

The system boots fast (much faster than Linux). If you selected the X Window environment during the installation text wizard, you only need to run the “xorgcfg” command from the console to configure your X Window environment.

Did you lose yourself somewhere in the text-mode consoles? Use the F5 key (Ctrl+Alt+F5) to get back to the X Window. Are you a complete newbie? Type “man afterboot”. Are you accustomed to Linux and do you prefer a Linux terminal type? After every logon, OpenBSD asks you to type the terminal type you want to use, but the default one – vt220 – does not map keys like you got accustomed to in Linux if you use programs like Midnight Commander (for example, F7 behaves like F6, etc., but not in X). After typing “nxterm” everything should work OK.

A manual text-mode configuration is the absolute preference here. Almost all services are turned off – a first choice for every good administrator, as he will have ultimate control over the whole system. Users, too, may familiarize themselves with Unix and see what is going on under its hood. To run the X Window, just execute the “startx” command. If you want to edit or re-edit the configuration files, peep into the /etc directory with vi as your editor. Do you want to add more packages? Just download them and issue “pkg_add -i package.tgz” command and that’s it!

OpenBSD 4.0 is geared up for most of the network or desktop tasks. After I downloaded some fine MP3 players, I could instantly listen to music. The X Window’s look does not differ from any Unix-like box. VLC or MPlayer multimedia players will help you enjoy all your favorite music or film recordings.

If you have euphoria from seeing the KDE or Gnome Desktop and other apps running smoothly, you may soon become disappointed – OpenBSD has fewer packages than FreeBSD or Linux. For example, running VMware on FreeBSD has been possible for quite a long time; OpenBSD (but not OpenBSD in the VMware environment) requires some smart tweaks to achieve this.

New technologies and automation can also impose a risk

Numerous companies want to earn the highest profit and they introduce various technologies that serve as a marketing competition strategy for most of the time and are often useless. A bluetooth or WiFi technology in your mobile phone brings a security risk when any good hacker can get to your most sensitive data within seconds right from your neighborhood. Most users do not have time to study various security datasheets and they often live happy without knowing they are unprotected. I do not want to say that newer technologies are always nonsensical; however, they deserve pertinent praise only if used on the right place.

If a reader understands this, the mainstream world’s policy is to create the Matrix or a big web of dependencies – if hardware can run in Linux, users use Linux (and possibly buy Red Hat or Xandros).

Numerous “terrific” companies that sell their “amazing security products” forget that using carrier pigeons for communication is by far a more secure solution than any computer communication – an encrypted e-mail, if you are already under suspicion, will always get intercepted, and governments have always enough resources and money to do their job well.

Why BSD or OpenBSD?

Today, when too many companies bring out various distros, it is hard to tell which of them best suits our needs and you may become mixed-up in such a huge list. If companies invest money to a software solution, they may become disappointed if its licensing policy changes. OpenBSD has one sturdy feature above everything – the system and packages are perfectly audited for security holes.

The power of a good policy will make you feel somewhat sheltered from the bad behavior of the world, because you do not have to worry that network services, for example, contain security holes. Something like this often happens with Linux – its websites urge users to download important patches soon after distros are released. With this particular security point OpenBSD as a BSD system stands aside from the usual crowd.

Source: My website and my esoteric karma/

8 Best Search Platforms For Web and Graphics Designers
By James J. John

Do you ever find yourself stuck with creativity blockage? It may be interior designing, painting, creative writing, or any form of art. This is a common setback that all artists go through but if you are web designer then you do not need to worry about this blockage. Here are some of the handiest references to get the required inspiration from and overcome this hurdle easily. So grab the extra boost of creativity with these search platform. Yes, you heard it right (actually, read it right!). There are search engines meant especially for designers which provide them with every specific thing that you are looking for.

Icon Find

This is a engine that enables you to find icons. It is a platform with difference as it has several features in it such as ‘most popular’ feature. This feature helps you to surf through the popular icons and hence help you immensely. It has more than 50,000 high quality icons in formats such as PNG, ICO, and ICNS for operating systems such as Windows, Macintosh, and Linux Systems. Most of the icons here can be used freely for commercial purposes. However, there are few copyrighted icons too which belongs to the author and you need to pay for them in case you wish to use them commercially. This will definitely help your web design company to find best web 2.0 Icons.

Icon Look

This is similar to the previous icon searching search engine that is nicely designed. This has cool features such as link exchange, random icons, and popular icons. The search engine is in beta version but gives good performance. It is also a store house of numerous creative icons.

IconDB

This is quite useful but it can be a bit difficult to navigate for the new comers. It has a voluminous database and provides with best results for the search. No doubts, the interface of the search engine is nice but just seems to be over whelming initially. It has great list of icon collection for software developers and website designers.

Icons Search

This is another great icons searching search engine with several useful features. This not only provides the icons search but also has the guidelines for searching the exact icons that you are looking for and provides with relevant links to the designer. The relevant link listings is found in terms of emoticons, desktop, web and graphics and many more. Hence, it makes the work of finding icons very easy and comfortable for any designer. Icons for operating systems such as Windows Vista and XP, Macintosh, Linux, Desktop icons, Software icons, Website icons, and so can be found here in sizes from 16×16 to 256×256.

Very Icon

This is an invaluable tool for all designers as it has icon category and advanced search features. It has more than 20000 high quality web icons in more than 1000 icon packs. All the icons have numerous file formats such as PNG, ICO, and so on. All these can are generally free and easily downloadable for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux Systems.

FyFont

This is truly a cool and very useful search engine for finding fonts. The best part about this search engine is there is no need to type any specific word in the search box, simple upload the font sample that you have and it will identify the fonts.

FontHit

This is a very simple but an effective search engine for finding fonts. The search engine enables you to perform functionalities via a plugin framework. It can make you preview, install, uninstall, print in color, customize size and text of the font files.

Vectorials

This is another amazing search engine for when seeking for vector. It has a large database and numerous software categorized tutorials meant for the all the designers. It is the most excellent search engine for learning vector for any designer.

James john is keen to provide latest and handy information that can help designer to find resources at less effort. Author has vast experience in designing and have been working with web design India at leading position.

Google Releases the First Chrome OS Code – Cue the Doomsayers!
By Johan De Lange

I just love how we are as human beings, especially the geek brigade. Whether IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Novell, any Linux distro, and now Google, we are always either completely in love or completely out of love with their product/service, and highly complimentary or highly critical!

This past week Google makes more news and some code available of the upcoming Chrome OS, and makes it very clear that this is still pre-alpha stuff, just to get us warmed up to the idea. No sooner has the day ended or out come the doomsayers (doomsayer – ‘One who predicts calamity at every opportunity.’ – thefreedictionary.com), and we have blogs and articles all over the web stating how Google missed it, how Chrome OS is dead before it has even begun, and how Chrome OS will take down Microsoft, or how Microsoft will take down Google, and so on and so on and so on. Btw, if you want to know my personal favorite, it has to be Randall C. Kennedy’s Why Chrome OS will fail — big time… EISH! and you have to be South African to understand that I am not complimenting him here at all!

With Microsoft it was the same, remember Bing? Wow, we saw all kinds of comments coming out of the woodwork on that one, no matter that for once Microsoft started getting it right with the move to a single search platform within their offerings, or that the data on usage in those first weeks had very little to do with Bing’s ultimate success as a search engine and more to do with people trying out the new platform.

Doomsayers are always going to be around, but these days of instant reports over multiple mediums, pretend experts, self promoting blogs, reporters writing reports based on the opinions of other reporters who heard news from unnamed often unverified sources, tend to lead to some seriously misguided comments! And since when have we become so cynical that we shoot down new ideas even before they’ve truly been tested? Imagine hearing about two brothers who made bicycles for a living believing they could FLY!

Are companies also guilty here? Possibly, watching Apple over the years they seem to have a trick to successfully release news of new ideas, concepts, services or products, though they too have not been spared this treatment. I don’t think Google is perfect in how it does that either, and so too Microsoft or even Apple. With the ease with which people can publish their own thoughts on anything these days (you’re reading mine right now) controlling how these new concepts or products are written about in better and more accurate ways, may become the issue for public debate, but it is something we as geeks can improve on here and now.

Like Google Wave, Chrome OS already suffers from public hype, the perceived solution that it is not, and I wonder just what is going to happen when finally it is released to the world. For the greater part of that hype we the geeks are to blame. There is so much misconception from the very crowd of people others look to for balanced opinions, that it is depressing to me to think what these doomsayers are doing when they are not writing such drivel.

Can you imagine being an owner of a company where these individuals work, and the critical decisions they make on your behalf? Just imagine how many dollars their opinionated choices have already cost you, because they prefer to follow their own opinion instead of conducting a ‘fair evaluation’ of a new solution without bias?

When a product is put out to the world in code for a collaboration or comment so early on in its development it would be nice if we could all put our collective efforts into trying it out and making constructive comments about the code, the intended functions that are or are not delivered, and the resulting user experience only, instead of acting as the town-criers that we are not and prophesying biased drivel.

We all suffer from this habit of isolating ourselves into camps, don’t we? Geeks and technologists are so guilty of this, myself included, but lately I have realized that when it comes down to it, no product or service is perfect, no brand saintly, and no consultant worth his or her salt should pretend otherwise.

We should be ‘cross-platform, open-minded individuals’ who look at the problems experienced by our clients, their budget and resource constraints and then to the pool of available solutions or solution components that could offer them relief without taking brand bias with us into that decision-making process.

The EU will not be the end of Microsoft, Bing does not mean the end of Google, Chrome OS does not mean death to all other OS’s, and Google’s Phone won’t kill Nokia or iPhone for that matter. Logic must prevail when we offer opinion, we must base what we say on fact, and we must know when to say the things we do. If we do this our integrity remains intact and those who value our opinions become better informed and make better choices.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141207/Opinion_Why_Chrome_OS_will_fail_big_time

Yet Another Reason To Learn Linux – It’s Free
By Levi Reiss

Are you old enough to remember the 1992 Janet Jackson song entitled The Best Things In Life Are Free? Or maybe you are so old that you can remember the 1956 Hollywood movie of the same name. In any case we do not guarantee that you will find Damn Small Linux and our associated tutorials to be among the best things in your life. But we do guarantee that they are both completely free. Well, wait a minute. They are both free, but…

You may have to shell out some of your hard-earned cash to learn Linux, especially if you are downloading the software and running the tutorials on your home computer. Yes, you will have to pay for an Internet connection at least during the time devoted to downloading the files. Now by today’s bloated standards Damn Small Linux is really small; it weighs in at a mere 50 Megabytes. So downloading this software distribution is fairly quick, especially if you have a high-speed connection. And yet as we all know, sometime during the following month your Internet Service Provider will want money.

Once you have downloaded Damn Small Linux you won’t need the Internet to run it. But you may want to activate one or both of the Internet browsers that are part of this distribution. And you may want to download additional applications; there are lots of them and since this version of Linux is so small, you should still have scads of disk space available.

Your Linux costs don’t end with the Internet. I don’t think that the electricity that powers your computer is free. And the longer your days and nights spent in front of the computer the higher your light and heat bill. Furthermore, the more time you spend on Linux the more money you may end up spending on snacks, new eyeglasses, and taxis when you miss the bus to work because you just couldn’t tear yourself away from the computer in time. I think you get my drift. But we repeat. Linux, this website, and many of the references on the web are free. Should you outgrow Damn Small Linux the larger versions of Linux are free, or at least quite inexpensive when compared to ostensibly similar versions of Microsoft Windows.

Most people don’t run operating systems for their features but for the applications they enable. Reason number two: Damn Small Linux provides lots of free applications.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet. He loves the occasional glass of wine as exemplified by his wine websites including http://www.theworldwidewine.com. He teaches Linux and Windows operating systems plus other computer courses at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new website http://www.linux4windows.com which teaches you how to download and run Damn Small Linux on Windows computers, even if they are “obsolete.”

Windows 7 Proves a Challenge to Linux
By Larry F

It seems that there is a growing battle between Microsoft and open source developers all the time. However when you speak to parties on either side of this so called war it is not the case at all, they do not regard each other as the enemy, but rather as the competition and they continue to compete in a manner that is welcomed in all free market economies.

Up to now it has seemed that the main vehicle for open source operating systems (OS) has been through the Linux stable and this OS is certainly very popular amongst those that seek to maximize the life time of their old PCs. Three main reasons for this include the fact that the OS does not take up a lot of memory, it avoids the issue of making your computer’s processors all but exhausted and then of course in these tough economic times, the fact that it is free helps a lot.

But Microsoft has apparently come to the party with its latest offering in recognition of the fact that while its business model might have to change slightly, its ability to deliver high quality operating systems into the market does not have to be compromised at all. The software vendor has brought a lighter OS into the market and it seems clear that there are noticeable improvements on the highly-anticipated and then highly disappointing Vista.

Windows 7 shows that Microsoft has ensured that it has learned the lessons that Vista had to teach it. The OS is lighter and does not demand as much memory as its predecessor. Microsoft has targeted that part of the market that wants to liven up their old PC and get the most value out of it. Instead of charging the earth for a copy of Windows 7, one is now able to buy what is termed a “family pack” for just $150. This is already an incredible improvement on historical price levels and the additional benefit about this product is that it comes with a license that allows for three upgrades.

The nature of the software market has changed considerably since the introduction of open source software and Microsoft looks like it is ready to really prove a challenge to the competition. We are likely to see less mud-slinging and more emphasis on the delivery of great products into the market such as is demonstrated by what we have seen of Windows 7 thus far.

To keep yourself updated with the latest Windows 7 news, please visit Windows 7 How.

Know Your Tech-Speak – Linux Dedicated Servers
By James Koh

There is something to be said about using either shared web hosting solutions or those that are dedicated to a single platform, either Windows based or Linux based. These two represent the most popular solutions on the internet for consumers and businesses to get online and distinct themselves on the information super highway. The former is more popular because of the fact that it is shared, which means within the pipeline, there are a few users, and in some cases, a few hundred and even a few thousand users sharing the server bandwidth.

This is great when you are a simple consumer using the server for more leisure and casual reasons but when you are using the internet as a platform to extend your business, then you need to get a dedicated server. While more expensive, it is a dedicated server with customisable host names and more bandwidth to support your needs. This article will peek a little at the Linux dedicated server and tell you why they are great solutions for your business and in some cases, even personal needs. The reason why shared web hosting is so much more cost effective is because of the reason above – they use one single server in a location that can host tens of thousands of websites all over the world.

Because of volume, the cost goes down; but there are detriments to this, which include things like a shared bandwidth, meaning you will experience slowdowns and technical problems that are universal. With a dedicated Linux server, you will be guaranteed a larger bandwidth and your own personal space online. This is because your website is being handled by one single dedicated server, and because of the resource focus to keeping your website running, there is a higher level of reliability when compared to using shared hosting.

The equipment behind these servers are usually the best in the business, with high end servers being a feature common to Linux dedicated servers, so it is always a good idea to in that direction. You do not want to be caught in a position where you a riding on the back of a technologically inferior server that cannot deliver the power and speed that your website and business demands. With Linux servers, you know you are getting pre-configures and cutting edge equipment. The network connections are usually way above the consumer T3 connections; with gigabyte level bandwidths not uncommon with some Linux servers.

They will also provide you with custom software and a team to support the server, in case of any difficulties and issues with your web site. If you are looking for performance and piece of mind, the general advice is to go for a Windows based or Linux dedicated server. With so many issues already reported with shared servers, you know that this is the direction you need to provide your website with the resources that it needs. So know your tech speak and be aware of emerging technologies in web hosting, and make the right choice.

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Where Are The Linux Workplaces?
By David Heffelfinger

When I was in college, lower level CS course assignments were done in DOS PC’s networked through Novell Netware. Once a student got to take higher level courses, he/she was given an account into one of the department’s SunOS Unix servers. Most students from basic courses suffered from “Unix envy”, the Sun boxes were perceived as being much more powerful than the humble PC’s. As a I entered the workplace, I brought my college perception that Unix workstations are more powerful than PC’s with me.

In my first couple of jobs after college I was given a Unix workstation to work with, first an HP UX workstation, then a SunOS box, and I couldn’t have been happier about it. After I transferred to a new department in that same job, I was given my first Windows NT workstation ever, I was disappointed not to have my own Unix workstation anymore.

Ever since, I’ve had nothing but Windows workstations given to me in every Job I’ve had. And I’ve had quite a few, since I’ve been doing contract work for a few years now. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that every company switch all of their employees to Linux, but I’ve wondered why IT departments have been so slow to adopt it. IT workers do minimal, if any, office work, therefore the lack of Microsoft Office availability is not a major concern, for whatever documents or spreadsheets an IT worker might have to create, OpenOffice.org is more than enough.

Most big companies have adopted Java as their official programming language, at least as far as server side development is concerned. In many cases, Java applications are deployed to Unix servers, however most developers are given Windows workstations to work with. Wouldn’t it make sense to give the developers an environment as similar as possible as the production environment?

I earn my paycheck writing Java EE applications, and I’m lucky enough that my current client allows me to work using my Linux laptop, but many places don’t allow just any device to be plugged into their network.

Besides the obvious savings in license fees, Linux offers other advantages like lack of viruses and worms, and better security overall. Linux does not lack media exposure, we’ve all seen the IBM commercials, and it is frequently mentioned in IT magazines. Why hasn’t it been adopted more widely? I don’t have the answer to that question, I’m going to have to speculate.

One reason could be the perception that Linux is difficult to use. This might have been the case a few years ago, but today, with a modern desktop environment like GNOME or KDE, Unix knowledge is not really needed to use a Linux workstation, operation is basically point and click, not much different from a Windows or OS X box.

Another reason might be a concern of Linux might not interoperate well with the rest of the company’s (Microsoft based) IT infrastructure. With tools like Samba, OpenOffice.org and Evolution (with the Ximian connector), this shouldn’t be a concern.

Another reason could be the perception that Linux does not support enough hardware. This is somewhat true, but if you are careful when selecting your hardware, you can easily get a fully functional Linux box. Most unsupported hardware have no place in the workplace anyway, I’m mainly talking here about USB devices like digital cameras and MP3 players.

Looks like most reasons Linux is not being adopted in the workplace are based on false assumptions and incorrect perceptions. How can we promote Linux adoption in the workplace? Seems to me the answer lies in educating and informing the “powers that be” in IT departments. Talking to managers in terms they understand, emphasizing reduced costs and increased productivity. Reduced cost because of the license savings, increased productivity because less time is spent applying service packs and patches, and the chances of catching a virus drop to near zero.

Convincing managers to give Linux a try is easier said than done, I know, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

David Heffelfinger is a Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience. He is the editor in chief of Ensode.net a technology website providing articles about Java, Linux and other technology topics