This Kismet tutorial provides a basic framework for using Kismet drones.
Kismet is an 802.11 wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion
detection system. Kismet will work with any wireless card which
supports raw monitoring mode, and can sniff 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g,
and 802.11n traffic (devices and drivers permitting).

Kismet also sports a plugin architecture allowing for additional
non-802.11 protocols to be decoded.

Kismet identifies networks by passively collecting packets and detecting
networks, which allows it to detect (and given time, expose the names
of) hidden networks and the presence of non-beaconing networks via data
traffic.

Kismet Drones are designed to turn Kismet into a distributed IDS system.
Drones support all of the capture methods Kismet normally supports,
including multiple capture devices per drone. Drones capture wireless
data and forward to a Kismet server over a secondary connection (ie,
wired Ethernet). Drones do not do any decoding of packets and have
minimal hardware requirements.

A Kismet server connects to the drones and will provide a single Kismet
UI display, packet dump, and alert generation point. Capture sources on
remote Kismet drones are forwarded to the Kismet server and appear as
independent capture devices which can be configured for channel hopping,
locking, etc.

Using the tun/tap export function, the central Kismet server can export
the packets from all attached drones to a virtual network interface for
use with external IDS/packet capture systems (such as Snort).

To start using Drones, launch the kismet_drone process on a remote
system (editing the kismet_drone.conf file to control what hosts are
allowed to connect) or turn on drone capabilities in the Kismet server
(by enabling the drone config options in kismet_server.conf). When
running a kismet_server instance as a drone, local logging will act as
usual and Kismet clients can be connected to the server as normal; When
running kismet_drone, Kismet clients cannot connect directly to it, and
it will not log, a Kismet server instance must be started to provide
packet decoding, logging, and Kismet UI connectivity.

Pros and Cons of the Major Operating Systems

By Dean Walden

There are several options when it comes to choosing an operating system for your computer. Of course Windows is the overwhelming heavyweight in the market place and it isn’t a bad choice in some ways, especially for those not interested in the nuts and bolts of things. Also looking for users are Linux, BSD and Leopard.

1. Windows

The good side of Windows is that it is made to operate programs. The rich variety of software that works here is a huge selling point. You don’t have to be a programmer or even a techie to be a user. Everything comes from a disc or a download. Click the install button and away you go. Word processors, Spreadsheets, Games, Synthesizers, Photo Editors, Art Creators, Email Handlers, Bookkeepers and Website Makers are some of the most common. Then there are the not so popular yet also intriguing out of the mainstream volumes such as File Converters, Iso File Makers, Virus Hunters, Adware Killers and endless utilities you may discover once you start looking. There is a small utility that saves clips (as many as you want) that can be pasted anywhere so you don’t have to retype all the time.

That’s the good side of Windows. Just so you know it’s not all roses and candlelight you should know there are some drawbacks too. Everything you do on Windows should be backed up regularly. Why? Because just about the time your five week project is within a few paragraphs of completion, Windows will have a hiccup and lose the whole thing or some virus will erase your hard drive, or you’ll press the delete button accidentally. Boom, it’s all toast. Another thing about Windows is that it’s already programmed, you have to accept it as it is. If it doesn’t have a feature you need, you’re out of luck. If the button arrangement is not convenient (although there is some flexibility), you must adapt. Don’t need all the bells and whistles? Your stuck with them. Then there are the slow days when it all just seems to sit there and mock you taking it’s sweet time. It’s no wonder someone occasionally tosses one out the 10th story window.

2. Leopard

So, what are the other options? Well, first is Leopard which is the Macintosh operating system. Macintosh is made by Apple Computers. If you don’t know who Steve Jobs is, you must live in a dark and deprived world. Macs, as they are known, cost a little more than others systems (about twice the price of a Windows machine). I will tell you right here that I have yet to meet a Mac user that has a bad word to say about his or her machine. If you get one, you are practically guaranteed to love it. They are the choice of graphic artists almost universally. The local ad sheet for the city is made on them, so they make commercially viable tools.

The negative side. Not a lot really. There isn’t as much software made for them, but the ones you get are extremely well made. A lot of the less popular stuff doesn’t exist for Macs. That along with the higher price are the main hitches.

3. Linux

Another option is Linux. The Linux operating system is actually free at this time so the price is right. There are many flavors (versions) of Linux, so you don’t have to use the same thing everyone else has.

Some that I know of are:

• Red Hat
• Ubuntu
• Suse
• Damn Small

Each one has advantages and limitations because they are geared toward a certain area such as games or internet or servers. They have a ways to go to become popular, yet are making great strides in market share. Also, if you can do the programming, Linux offers wonderful access to the code. In the last year or so, it has become quite easy to obtain and install Linux on any computer. In fact it will coexist right alongside Windows, so now there is little excuse for not trying it out. They offer a GUI similar to Windows and Leopard which is fairly intuitive. Some software is quite comparable to the bigger fish. OpenOffice will take Office on and come through looking pretty good. Gimp has a learning curve, but can do much of what Photoshop does for free.

The downside is that Linux is just not as developed. It is a terrific platform for geeks that love to swim through code and troubleshoot glitches. The creative potential is unlimited which is the main drawback at the same time. Most people want something ready to go, not something they have to create before they can operate. The number of programs (though growing) is quite limited.

4. BSD

The last of our operating systems to consider is BSD. Just like Linux, it is free (though there is a commercial version). The major selling point is that it is the most modern system. It doesn’t have the backward compatibility issues of Windows. So many advances in hardware have been made since windows was introduced that you wouldn’t believe some of it. BSD was created to take advantage of these advances. It has the most potential of all these systems because of it’s modern design. It is quite compatible with and similar to Linux, just more modern.

That at the same time is it’s largest problem. Most of the accessories that go with an operating system (software and interface) are lacking at this time. It’s like having a Ferrari engine and framework without the rest of the drive train.

Dean Walden is an avid internet user, watcher, promoter, website builder and researcher. The Ubuntu version of the Linux operating system is easy to use if you can use Windows.

Someone has developed a way to install Ubuntu on a Windows machine without interfering with Windows. To learn how to put Ubuntu Linux alongside Windows on your computer (with the Wubi installer), start at http://wubi-installer.org/
Once you have it downloaded, just start it and it will do the rest. Then the next time you boot up, you’ll have the option of Windows or Ubuntu. Once you try Ubuntu, you can shut it down and restart to go back to Windows.

LAMP Server Setup CentOS 5 64-Bit

By Nate Boot

So at about 1am this morning, Burst.Net finally got my server up and running for me to use. Unfortunately for me, I was already sleeping and I had work today so I wasn’t able to actually play with it until tonight. Like other VPS’s and dedicated servers out there, the server is usually bare boned with no software except the operating system. For me I decided to use CentOS 5 64-bit edition to get my web server up and running. Burst.NET had Apache 2 pre-installed on my VPS for me but that was pretty much about it. So I had to scramble around and search for an easy way to install Mysql and PHP to go with my Linux Apache server.

After some searching, I realized that it is really easy because Linux CentOS 5 comes pre-bundled with Yum. Yum is a feature that allows you to download and install software automatically. It will determine all of the dependencies and take care of the rest. I determined which packages I needed and sent off my command:

yum install php php-mysql mysql-server php-gd postgres ImageMagick ImageMagick-devel

This determined all of the dependencies and installed PHP and Mysql on my CentOS Linux server! It was so easy!! I just needed to give Apache a reboot and php was pretty much up and running. To give it a test, I just wrote a simple line of code in /var/www/html/test.php.

phpinfo();

Then visit yourhost/test.php If your php server is setup correctly, this should output all of the information about your php install and the different components that were installed with it. It will give you a list of all your configurations and plugins that are enabled.

The next step was getting mysql up and running. After the yum install, the daemon is not automatically started so you will need to start it yourself. You can start the mysql daemon but running the following command:

service mysqld start

If everything goes well, the service should start without a hitch and it will give you a list of directions for first time users. One of the most important things to do now is to set a password for the root user in mysql. Again just like everything else it is just a simple 1 liner to change the mysql password:

/usr/bin/mysqladmin -u root password ‘mynewpassword’

Thats it! After only a few simple commands in Linux, I was able to get a bare-boned CentOS 5 system up and running with a full LAMP install. This process will take a max of 5 minutes to complete. But for me.. I was busy googling it took me about 30 minutes to an hour.. so hopefully this will help you.

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Free Programs to Create a PDF Document in Linux

By Alexey Titov

Since the invention of PDF format in 1993 PDF documents have become extremely popular tool for exchanging information across the Web. Even now PDF beats more recent DJVU and various e-book formats in terms of popularity.

This article is a quick (and hopefully, a useful) note about 3 free programs for creating a PDF document in Linux (first of all, in Debian GNU/Linux, but in other distributions the situation is much the same).

This note is by no means a complete guide to PDF handling in Linux, and should be viewed as a simple road map for PDF lovers and self publishers, looking for a free open-source alternative to commercial applications.

1. OpenOffice.org (OOo) Editor

   The easiest way to create a PDF from a text file is to export it as PDF in OpenOffice.org Writer. All you need to do is to put your text in OOo Writer and hit “Export as PDF” in “Files” menu — and you will get a nice PDF version 1.4 file. Creating a PDF with OOo is an extremely straight-forward and easy-to-learn process, even an absolute beginner can make a PDF just in seconds. But the simplicity of the process is its main disadvantage: do not expect to achieve a high printing quality through this method. On screen or on paper your PDF document will look just like an OOo document (or like a MS Word document, if you can imagine that) and nothing more.

2. TEX and its derivatives

   A typesetting system designed by Prof. Donald Knuth in 1978, and greatly developed in the following years by the TEX community allows you to create PDF documents of much higher printing quality than those created with OpenOffice.org editor. A document made with TEX looks like “a real book” and even today TEX and its derivatives are used by several widely known publishers. But higher printing quality of TEX has its price: you will need to invest some time and effort in learning TEX commands and mark-up language. Fortunately, a lot of tutorials on TEX and its derivatives were published during last 30 years, and a complete beginner can learn TEX basics in a couple of weeks.

3. Scribus

   Scribus is a relatively new (first released in 2003), but rapidly developing desktop publishing application. Like TEX, Scribus allows to create PDF documents of very decent printing quality, but its process of creation differs from that of TEX. Preparation of a document in TEX resembles programming, while in Scribus it looks more like designing on canvas. If you ever worked with Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress — Scribus will look familiar to you. Scribus is very proud of its PDF handling features and claims being able to produce a “high quality, ‘press-ready’ PDF including advanced PDF 1.4 features, ISO compliant PDF/X-3 and ICC color managed PDFs.” Unfortunately, you will need to spend a good amount of time to learn even basics of Scribus, and Scribus tutorials are not so readily available as those of TEX.

Conclusions:

• If you want to make a simple PDF document fast and cheap — your choice should be OpenOffice.org. It is possible to make simple PDF books by using OOo’s formatting, styles and image embedding.
• If you want to make a well-structured document, with cross-references, sections, subsections, index, etc. — you should stick to TEX (and its derivatives like LaTEX, ConTeXt and others). And if you have a lot of mathematics in your document — TEX may be your only possibility.
• If you want a fancy layout, a lot of collage illustrations like in glossies, and other flashy staff — you will probably need Scribus.

Check my website Free PDF Books for some examples of PDF documents created with TEX.

Alexey Titov is an amateur self-publisher and webmaster of PDFreeBooks.org website.

Why Linux Remains to Be the Choice For Many Web Users Today

By Darren Thomas

Linux has definitely gained its popularity among the world-wide web-users recently mainly because of its high stability. Linux is probably one of the most stable operating systems in the world which had been highly sought. A huge numbers of web users have turned to Linux solution to take advantage of its great benefits which are worthy and crucial for the survival and expansion of their online business.

Linux is an open source operating system which is free of charge where its code is accessible to the public for any kind of usage or modification for their personal used. As a result, Linux had successfully received a lot of useful feedback from the public in terms of ideas for improvement, alternative methods of solution, possible defects or loop holes which Linux can be enhanced and developed in. Through the constructive feedback and extensive research, Linux software had been enhanced greatly over the recent years, incorporating some of the most important features which are highly preferred by their clients.

It is not surprising to know that Linux has dominantly championing the web hosting market today. Come and let us find out more about Linux software and understand what drives it to strategize its market position in this competitive industry today,

1. Linux web hosting appears to be more stable compared to windows web hosting probably because it is an open source operating system. With such an open programming environment, problems get to be identified almost immediately with continuous enhancements carried out on periodic basis so that any single change can be deployed soonest possible. It is not advisable to cum up these changes or bug fixes and have them deployed at the same time because this will increase the risk of Linux applications operating system and will require a longer trouble-shooting time because of the multiple changes.

2. Linux has been considered to be more universally compatible with many other operating systems in the market today. It helps to save time and resources because of its high compatibility, which would otherwise be needed to solve many of the incompatibility issues if they are not with Linux operating system.

3. It is imperatively cheap to own and host with Linux web hosting as Linux Operating system comes free or at a very low cost of distribution. Basically anyone and everyone would afford to host with Linux web hosting operating system, as long as they have the interest to learn. This enables Linux to get the necessary exposure to a wider level of audience whom may be the potential customers of Linux web hosting service subscribers in the near future.

4. Ease of switching between hosts is another benefit of Linux. Theoretically, any website which has been designed and configured to be hosted on a Linux-based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily at the same time. However the reversal does not work the same way. This is probably another key reason why many people tend to design and build their website based on a Linux-based web server instead of Windows or Mac-based web server now.

5. Websites need to be as dynamic as possible to incorporate any potential changes at any one time. Normally a web site starts with a few pages of simple html but this expands and changes over a considerable period of time to meet and suit all kinds of different requirements from the customers. A good website needs to be designed with great scalability above everything else without the need to make huge site changes all the time.

When you are searching for web hosting, reverse researching is important where you should find out the complaints about the host. Which field they are weak in? What mistake they always do? This can give you a clear picture on their performance. For more information, check out webhosting reviews.

Darren is a full time web developer attached with a web hosting company.

Windows 7 Libraries – One Step Closer to Linux

By John Dow

Many users who upgrade to Windows 7 will notice that the good old directories and file structure from Windows XP and back is missing in action. While frustrating to some, it is a giant step forward in better handling of data. The Mac OS and Linux (and Unix) operating systems have used this method of data storage for years.

Microsoft tried to implement this In Vista but it kept getting scaled back for whatever reason. But with Windows 7 it’s out of the box and here to stay. A library is a type of virtual location within Windows 7 that combines files and folders from different physical locations from all over your hard drive and even other locations.

A library is a type of virtual location within Windows 7 that combines files and folders from different physical locations from all over your hard drive and even other locations. Here’s a good example of how this works. Lets say you store an invoice or proposal under each client directory. But sometimes you want to look at all invoices so you can also create a library of invoices, or group any selection of files in any way you might want to view them regardless of physical location.

So if you want to update a document in the virtual view, it replicates to the physical file in whatever location it’s stored. When you create and save (or copy from another source) you can mark these files to be in any library. So for some users this is a huge advantage. Others might not even notice or be aware of this new Windows feature. But it is a big step in bringing Windows into a new file structure and maybe even a new type of operating system.

What’s interesting here is the fact that with a file structure like this is Windows 7 becoming less of an operating system and more of a front-end application? Linux users have long had many different front-end desktops to choose from like KDE or Gnome, which can be used with different flavors of Linux. So is Microsoft inching its way to making Windows a desktop environment that can be used with any Linux operating system too? Or even allowing KDE or Gnome to be used as a front end or desktop environment for future versions of the Windows operating system?

Its been long rumored that Microsoft has been working on a Linux type OS that operates on any hardware (like Mac or Unix hardware). Is this the first step in an attempt at going after new markets? Offering both a separate front-end environment and a backend OS would give Microsoft access to almost any market and could also make it compatible with any software designed to be used on these other platforms.

Never underestimate Microsoft. They have a huge graveyard with past competitors buried alive. Remember when the number one browser was Netscape? Or how about when Dbase3 ruled the land? And there are plenty of other examples too of the reigning software being overtaken and passed by Microsoft.

So this latest development of Libraries might be a hot tip that Microsoft is once again on the move. They already have the minds and soles of both consumer and business users. And with Google breathing down their neck with online alternatives to their flagship Office products and even bringing out their own OS for desktops, Microsoft is certainly looking for new ways to expand their presence.

Only time will tell if bringing Libraries into Windows 7 is this is the first step toward Linux variations of Windows front end environments and backend Linux like operating systems. But nothing would surprise me about Microsoft’s plans. Anyone who doesn’t think Microsoft is looking for new markets and business is making a mistake, history has demonstrated that more than once.

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Open Source Software Versus Proprietary Software – An Insight

By Venugopal C K

Introduction

Not long back, Microsoft ruled the roost in software industry. It is ironical that the software giant is now stretching itself to the limits to overcome the crisis it is facing largely from the open source software market. The software prices have plummeted due the leveling factor the proprietary software faces now in the form of free and open source software. It is good to see programmers and software professionals, world over uniting to share their know-how to produce good quality software. During the 1980’s pc’s were introduced which paved way for large scale computerization in all walks of life. There was a time when software prices were astronomical and Microsoft dictated terms. Now with the advent of internet and web based applications, FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) is available for download and customizing from individuals as well as organizations.

Before we examine the nuances of FOSS, it would be appropriate to discuss the various barriers that exist in Proprietary or Closed Source model. Under Closed Source model the source code is not revealed to the public. Examples of this kind of software include the popular Microsoft Office suite which is the most widely used office automation package world over. Microsoft is the chief proponent of this category of software right from the advent of Pc’s. Compared to this, FOSS model allows the user to download the software free of cost and also make modifications to the source code. This has resulted in large scale development of free and open source software and a number of Indians have joined this bandwagon. The advantages cited by proponents for having such a structure are mutual benefits such as sharing of knowledge, superior products and acceptability and not to say the cost savings.

Free software means the user has the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it means that the program’s users have the four essential freedoms:

1. The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
2. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
3. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
4. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

The GNU Project

(references: www.gnu.org )

From the above mentioned four freedoms given to the user regarding the use of free software, it is apparent that the user has a free hand in even deciding the using the software and customizing it. This is in stark contrast to the rules regarding proprietary software. The sense of service and trust is essential for FOSS to survive. Internet has opened doors for this acceptance by masses. With increased download speeds and reduction in usage costs, downloading a software is no longer a daunting task.

Proprietary software

It is evident that for the primary business model for closed source software, the manufacturer imposes certain constraints and restrictions about accessing the source code and also on what can be done with the software. It may be noted that it is very easy to copy and redistribute software. FOSS suppliers do this as part of their policy. Taking this as a threat to their profit making motive, proprietary software firms sometimes create an illusion of artificial scarcity of the product. This is like black marketers who create artificial scarcity of food products during a crisis. In this case of proprietary software the end-user is not actually purchasing the software, but is only granted the right to use the software. Hence it can be clearly evidenced that the source code of closed source software is considered a trade secret by the proprietor.

FOSS (Free and Open Source Software)

FOSS does not limit the use of software as done by closed source software. The suppliers of FOSS generate revenue through support services. An example for such a company is Canonical Ltd, which gives its software free of cost but charges for support services. The source code is given along with the pre-compiled binary software for convenience of the user. As a result, the source code can be freely modified. However, there can be some license-based restrictions on re-distributing the software. Generally, software can be modified and re-distributed for free, as long as credit is given to the original manufacturer of the software. FOSS may also be funded through donations. Linux community has effectively harnessed this model to provide a number of successful and popular packages. Software like OpenOffice and MySQL has been immensely in the open market and has forced Microsoft to reduce its prices and provide error-free operating systems and solutions.

Windows 7 was released in India at a lower price keeping in mind the competition from FOSS. Windows Vista was not a success, largely due to the fact that its memory hungry interfaces and applications were not popular among the users. To tide over the criticism faced by Windows Vista, Windows 7 was released at a lower price and with better features. The credit for this change can be attributed to the overwhelming popularity of FOSS.

On the whole it can be said that the in the coming years, FOSS will play a major role in shaping the software industry and by giving the user the final say. The positive side of this competition is that Proprietary software will improve in quality and will be forced to clamp restrictions on pricing. This is a positive signal for the software sector globally.

The Free Ubuntu Operating System

By Carl Broady

My Compaq Presario XP recently got infected with a particularly malicious virus. This is the second time that this PC had been infected. The first time I used the system restore disks and completely restored the PC to its original day one configuration. What a pain that was.

When I hooked the restored PC up to the Internet it seemed to take the best part of a week downloading and configuring updates. After the second infection I was unable to find the system restore disks which was almost a relief. I disconnected the computer and was even considering throwing it away.

I had heard about the free open source Linux operating system: Ubuntu, and so using another computer I Googled Ubuntu and went to their site.

I read the download and installation instructions on the page. It all seemed pretty straightforward so I went ahead and downloaded the latest version: Ubuntu 9.10 and then transferred the downloaded program to a CD-R as per the instructions.

My infected Compaq Presario would boot up to the desktop but none of the icons would load. I could access some of the programs using the control alt delete command but it gave stripped down versions of the programs with limited functionality.

I put the Ubuntu CD-R into my infected Compaq Presario’s CD drive and booted it as per the instructions on the Ubuntu website. The on-screen instructions asked if I wanted to have both operating systems on my machine or just Ubuntu. I decided to completely erase XP which of course was infected and replace it with Ubuntu. I clicked 100% Ubuntu. It warmed me one last time that windows XP would be completely erased from my computer. I click okay and the installation began.

The installation was pretty straightforward and it took just a few minutes before I had the fully functional Ubuntu operating system on my PC and within a very short space of time I had my PC up and running.

Ubuntu is different than Windows but has many of the same features and is pretty intuitive.

Ubuntu comes with a whole bundle of great preinstalled programs. The Open Office suite, which rivals Microsoft office. A web browser: Mozilla Firefox, which has most of the same controls as Explorer but in different places. It has a preinstalled games package with several popular card games: Blackjack, Solitaire etc. Ubuntu has it’s own media player for MP3s and videos etc which works very well.

Ubuntu also has a built-in software link where you can access approximately 2700 free Ubuntu programs.

My first impression of Ubuntu is that I like it, a lot. It seems very stable seems to be very user-friendly and easy-to-use.

The installation process for software and applications is slightly different from Windows, but not very difficult. I downloaded and easily installed Skype for Linux and made a few International phone calls. It worked just fine.

Ubuntu has a several advantages over Windows. One of the major advantages of Ubuntu is that it is almost immune from viruses. Ubuntu is free of charge. Ubuntu seems to take up far less room on the hard drive and because it is almost immune from viruses it does not require an antivirus program gobbling up resources. My PC now seems to run four times faster with Ubuntu than it did with Microsoft XP but admittedly when I installed Ubuntu it got rid of a lot of junk: old unused software, probably a few orphaned files and a lot of old e-mails.

Most popular Windows program seem to have an Ubuntu/Linux version or counterpart. Windows programs will not run on Ubuntu unless you install a program called wine to run them. I haven’t had the need to do this as of yet.

I have another Desktop PC running Vista. I bought a switch which allows me to use two computers with just one mouse, one keyboard and one monitor. This has worked out very well for me because now I don’t have Ubuntu instead of but as well as Microsoft Windows.

If you have just upgraded and have an old PC or laptop lying around then I strongly recommend before you get rid of your old machine that you install Ubuntu and give it a try. I think you will be very pleased and very impressed. I know I was.

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The Best Linux Operating System – Some Important Things to Consider

By Richard S. Corbin

Linux is starting to catch the eyes of many, many people who normally wouldn’t go there! Finding the best Linux operating system is not hard at all. I want, in this article, to point out a few things that I’ve learned since starting to use the Linux system 4 or 5 years ago.

• There are many, many Linux Operating systems.
• You can download and try as many as you like without paying a dime.
• There are some really, really great ones that are better than the top systems for sale out in the marketplace.
• There are some that are very, very simplistic and basic.
• There are some that are more graphics driven and elaborate.
• The online support for Linux is second to none. If you have a question, there are many, many resources to choose from and you can leave your credit card in your pocket because they’re free.
• You can try the Linux operating system from a CD and not even disturb the system your now using.
• To narrow it down, I tried the top ten Linux distributions and made a decision from there.
• All of the distributions of Linux include so much software that there is something for everyone.
• One of the coolest things is that you can just go to the Linux site of your choice and download it. Then you just burn it to a CD and your ready to go.

It seems funny, but there is a certain sense of accomplishment when you download and use Linux for the first time. Computers are such a big part of our lives now and usually you just buy one and are told what to do by the operating system on your machine. Using Linux tends to make you feel more in charge.

No Viruses or crashes!! I have never had to use any anti-virus software since switching to Linux years ago! Isn’t that amazing! I was always so concerned before about viruses and Spam and spy ware and on and on… I have never had an attack since using Linux. In the past I had spent so much money on getting my computer cleaned up by computer repair shops, that it was maddening. A friend set Linux up for me and I’ve never used anything else. He even set it up for his elderly parents and they have been using it longer than me.

The bottom line is, try one of the top rated versions of Linux for yourself and see what you think. I’m not going to mention the names of the ones I’ve tried or the one that I settled for, simply because it is totally up to you and for you. You will develop your own preferences for the different software etc. and I’m sure that you will be very impressed with Linux whatever version you use. And don’t worry, if you don’t like the first one you use, just try another version. Usually a person settles on one brand and sticks with it.

Now, go try the Linux operating system for yourself and have some fun and freedom.

At the following site you can see a comparison of Windows software to Linux software. There is also a free gift. http://www.linuxez.info.

Linux Server and Home Web Hosting

By Jan Pascal

If you are interested in web design or development you should have some local test place where you can check and debug websites. If you are doing this professionally you will probably invest in a real web server. But if you are doing this for fun or the reliability and speed is not a problem then you can have a simple solution with minimal investment–own Linux server. There are also some simple and effective solutions with applications like WampServer or EesyPHP. You can use them and have a good testing environment. However, having a dedicated Linux computer offers many opportunities for additional functions. In addition to this, a physical web server running Linux is a very close approximation of the real hosting environment. To install and use such server you need no special knowledge or skills. All you need is access to the internet and computer with web browser.

To set up a small but useful Linux server you need a computer. Your old computer that was replaced with a new fancy multi-core machine is a perfect candidate for this project. Linux operating system usually runs on any machine so you should not be concerned about the processor speed or the amount of RAM. If you are new to Linux you should learn some basic tips by browsing the web. There are many websites that provide step by step instructions on how to download and install Linux on any computer. The most important rule about solving any problem is to simply google for it. Every problem you may encounter during installation or customization is somewhere already mentioned together with possible solutions or hints.

After you have a running Linux computer you should check if networking is working and if it boots without any errors. Then you need to install web server software. For this you will need at least Apache, MySQL and PHP. To upload files you will also need a FTP server software. To find out how to install applications you should again check web resources where you will find every step described in details. Before you can test your home hosting you should configure Apache for shared hosting and create few directories for your projects. This should be enough for basic web development.

Now you can put some files in the www folder and they should be visible in your browser. Simply enter the IP address of your Linux computer into the address bar of your browser and you should get your default website. You can add a line to your hosts file where you can associate a name with the IP address of the server. Then you will be able to access the server with this name.

An additional upgrade of the server can be some software to allow access from windows computers. For this purpose you can install a Samba file server which will allow you to access www or any other folder from the explorer in any Windows computer. With a Linux system running on your old computer you can get much more than just a testing environment for web development.

The author uses home Linux server for file storage and web development. One of his latest projects is a website about home hair removal which provides information about popular hair removal topics like facial hair removal for women. This website was created on the local Linux computer and then uploaded to the real web hosting server where you can access it.