Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)

I recently installed Ubuntu 9.10 on my old laptop circa 2005). Ubuntu is a Linux distribution which focuses on making a free operating system which is simple, easy to use, and a viable alternative to Windows + Office.

I'm impressed by the consistent high-quality of the the entire OS and the included programs. I have also been very impressed with the fast performance. It has breathed fresh life into the aging machine due to how well it performs. My computer starts up in about thirty seconds and is very responsive while using it.

As an example of high-quality of the OS, take Gnautilus, which is the file and folder browser, essentially the same thing as Explorer on Windows and Finder on OS X. Gnautilus has the GUI I want from a file browser. It's beautiful, quick, and laid out in a logical fashion, which makes the discoverability of features go up. (On a side note... As much as I thought Vista was a better OS than XP, Vista's Explorer interface killed me. Its poor layout and lack of obvious features killed me. (Thanks be to God that Explorer was fixed in Windows 7.)

Screenshot of Gnautilus:

I suspect a lot of the high quality feel of everything has to do with the community feedback that is a natural part of the open source model.

I'm also amazed at the great performance Ubuntu has exhibited. I'm running a beautiful GUI (thanks go Compiz Fusion, which kicks ass by the way), a simple text editor, Firefox, a music player, with a PDF open in the background. I'm only using 396.2 MiB of memory. On Windows 7 or OS X 10.6, I would easily be using around 1.2 GiB by now. Granted, memory is incredibly cheap right now, but there's no reason to excuse that kind of performance difference.

Anyways, I suspect the problems I experienced (a temporary problem with a wireless card driver) would be fixed if the desktop market-share of Linux would grow by five or ten percent which would be enough for hardware vendors to start taking them more seriously and releasing better quality drivers. I hope it grows; competition benefits everybody.

You can download your copy (for free) here if you are interested: http://www.ubuntu.com/

A screenshot of my Desktop:

A screenshot of OpenOffice Writer 3.1:

A screenshot of one (of the many) window management options. It functions the same as Exposé does in OS X.

Snow Leopard Has Some sort of Antivirus Software Built In

Interesting. This is a big change for Apple.

Well, this is int-er-est-ing: Early testers have come across what looks like a new antivirus function within Snow Leopard. Or to put it another way, Macs don't need antivirus! Wait.

The new feature behaves like a cross between a traditional antivirus tool and the "Are you sure you want to open this?" warnings already present in Leopard. I doubt it's doing any real-time heuristic scanning and it's definitely not running as a visible app in the OS, but if it's checking .PKG and .DMG files for malware before you run or mount them, well, that sounds an awful lot like what your average Symantec, AVG or Kapersky product is intended to do.

The first report came from the Intego blog, (they make Mac antivirus software) and it's been corroborated by Snow Leopard testers over at the MacRumors forums. We'll try to test this one out as best we can, but it's looking like Apple may have slipped this ever-so-slightly unflattering feature into their new OS under the radar.

Source

Reasons why I love Gmail

A Quick History and Summary

Back on April 1st 2004, when Gmail was originally released, news of the gigantic amount of e-mail storage space Gmail users would receive quickly caused Gmail to be widely talked about. When Gmail was first released as an invitation-only beta, it boasted a whopping 1 Gigabyte of storage space per user. This completely blew other free, web-based e-mail services out of the water. For comparison, Hotmail offered a paltry 2 Megabytes of storage at the time, meaning Gmail’s storage was 500 times as big.

Today, nearly four years later, storage is virtually a non-issue with all the major webmail players: Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Hotmail offers users 5 Gigabytes of storage initially, with the promise that as they come close to using that up, more will be allotted to them. Yahoo! offers unlimited storage to all its users. And Gmail has decided upon an ever-increasing method of storage. If you visit http://www.gmail.com/ you can watch the numbers increase. At the time of this writing, Gmail offers around 7.4 Gigabytes of storage.

So, now that storage has become a non-issue, it comes down to the features of the webmail service that I’m interested in and will, ultimately, cause me to pick one service over the other.

That being said, I’ve stuck with Gmail since it came out and have been consistently happy with the feature set and pace of its development. While I have been tempted to switch back to Hotmail (due to the absolutely beautiful Hotmail and Windows Live Mail integration, which I shall perhaps write about at a later time) I’ve ultimately stuck Gmail and have been very, very pleased with my choice.

I thought that blogging about my favorite Gmail features might make a nice, interesting post, and I hope that you agree. That being said, I’ll list my favorite features of Gmail.

 

Conversation View

My first favorite feature of Gmail is its unique Conversation View. Gmail intelligently keeps all the replies to an original e-mail together, making it much easier to see what was said previously. This is most useful when you are reading old e-mails.

 

Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts is the second feature of Gmail that I appreciate on a daily basis. I’m a keyboard nut in general and the ability to manage my e-mail without using my mouse is wonderful for me.

My most commonly used shortcuts:

• j/k – newer/older conversation
• x – select/deselect conversation
• # - delete the currently selected conversation
• l – open labels box
• Shift + u/I – mark selected message as unread/read
• g +i – go to the Inbox
• ? – display keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet

Tip: You must enable Keyboard shortcuts under Gmail’s Settings to use them, as they are disabled by default.

 

Filters + Labels

One of Gmail’s unique features is how it handles sorting old mail. While traditional e-mail solutions would have you place an e-mail in a specific folder to move it out of your Inbox, Gmail invented the concept of Archiving and Labels. When you are done reading an e-mail, you press “Archive” and it is removed from your Inbox and sent to your All Mail folder. If you want to categorize the message before Archiving it, you can “label” it with any label you create (e.g. Facebook, Netflix, or Personal). If you ever want to view all your mail that bears a certain label, you can click that label.

Where this gets powerful and exciting is when you combine it while Gmail’s Filters. Filters allow you to automatically perform an action (e.g. label, archive, delete, and more) upon a new message when it meets a given criteria.

I find it useful to automatically label oft-repeated messages. For example, when I subscribed to Netflix, I would have Gmail automatically label all Netflix emails accordingly. Instead of having to read, label, then archive each Netflix email I received, instead I only had to read and archive. In addition saving me the one step per email, it also gave me the peace of mind knowing that every single Netflix email was labeled correctly.

 

Mobile Access

Gmail has superb mobile access.

I use my second generation iPod Touch to check and manage my email on the go via wifi hotspots. In addition to email, I also sync my own personal Google Calendar as well as my wife’s Google Calendar to my iPod, but I’ll write on that at a later date.

Guide to Basic Windows Maintenance and & Security

This document is available in a more printer-friendly version here: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddjms7tz_86dxt6vfhq

Basic Windows Maintenance

1. Manually Defragmenting your Hard Disk

• How often? Once a month.
• Which versions of Windows does this apply to? XP and prior. This tip does not apply to Windows Vista and Windows 7, as they automatically defragment your hard disk once per week.
  

While saving files to your hard drive, Windows tries to utilize the space as best it can. In order to do so, it will sometimes cut a file into multiple parts in order to make it fit into free space on your hard drive that it otherwise could not. Over time, these the proliferation of these fragmented files tends to slow down the computer because it has to access multiple areas of your hard drive to open just one file.

Microsoft includes a utility with Windows called the "Disk Defragmentor" that will collect all the fragmented files and put them back together into one continuous piece, effectively decreasing the time it takes to open files on your computer.

To run this utility, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, click Disk Defragmentor. When the Disk Defragmentor opens, you should see a button called Defragment. Click it.

This process may take several hours to complete the first time you run it, so you might want to run it before going to bed.


2. Managing your Startup Programs

• How often? Once every few months.
• Which versions of Windows does this apply to? Windows XP, Windows Vista, & Windows 7
  

Many programs start up automatically with Windows when your computer starts. The reason they do this varies from program to program. Some do it so that when you access the program it will open quicker since it is already running. Some do it so that they can run in the background and notify you when certain events occur (e.g. they show a notification letting you know that a cheap flight is available.)

The downside of programs running in the background is that if you have too many running at one time, they can slow down your computer and make it perform slower than it should.

Here's how to manage the programs that start with Windows:

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
   1. On Windows Vista and Windows 7 you can type the command listed below into the Search menu, which is found by clicking the Start button and typing into the white box at the bottom-left corner of the Start Menu.
      
3. Type in MSCONFIG
   
4. Click OK
   1. On Windows Vista and Window 7, allow the User Account Control (UAC) prompt.
5. Click the Startup tab
6. Uncheck anything you don't want to startup. Don't worry, you shouldn't be able to break anything permanently here. At worst, you come back and put the check marks back.
7. Click Apply then OK.
8. You should receive a message similar "You must restart your computer for some of the changes made by System Configuration to take effect."  
   
9. Restart your computer.
10. When it starts up, you will see a message that says "You have used the System Configuration Utility to change the way Windows start."
    
11. Put a checkmark in the box that says "Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows start:"
12. Click OK.
    

Here is a screenshot of the Windows XP startup manager:

3. Freeing up Disk Space

• How often? Once every few months.
• Which versions of Windows does this apply to? Windows XP, Windows Vista, & Windows 7

There are several folders in Windows in which Temporary files are stored. The problem with this is that these folders are not cleaned out automatically (that I know of); they must be cleaned out by using the Disk Cleanup utility included with Windows. If this is never done, the folders tend to become large.

To open the Disk Cleanup wizard click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, click Disk Cleanup.

Select the following options:

• Temporary Internet Files
• Recycle Bin
• Temporary Files

Click OK.

Basic Windows Security

1. Antivirus Software

• Which versions of Windows does this apply to? Every version of Windows.
  

• Suggestions:
  
  • Norton Antivirus/Norton Internet Security
  • Microsoft Security Essentials
  • AVG Free

First off, no antivirus solution is bulletproof. The biggest reason for this is the sheer number of threats released every year onto the internet. According to Symantec there have been over five million threats detected by them in 2009 so far. (Source.)

That said, running Antivirus software significantly reduces the risk of infection by a virus and is very nearly always a very good idea.

My top paid security solution is either Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet security. The reason for this is twofold. First, Symantec is really on top of monitoring the internet for the latest threats and pushing detection updates to its customers very quickly. They send small updates of virus definitions to their customers every five to ten minutes. And secondly, Symantec has made great strides in the past few years at reducing the system resources used by their program. Before using a Symantec product, I was using AVG Free. The performance increase I experienced by switching from AVG to Norton Internet Security was significant.

Norton Antivirus

• Includes only antivirus components
• $40.00 a year on one computer.
• 30-day trial link: http://www.norton.com/nav10

Norton Internet Security

• Includes both antivirus components and a firewall
• $70.00 a year for three computers in one household. (This is the most economical buy from Symantec if you own more than one computer.)
• 30-day trial link: http://www.norton.com/nis10

Now, I realize that everyone is not able (or willing) to pay for a security solution. That said, here are some solutions that I feel comfortable recommending. Between the two I would choose Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft Security Essentials

• Includes only antivirus components
• Price: Free
• Download Link: http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/

AVG Free

• Includes only antivirus components
• Price: Free
• Download Link: http://free.avg.com/

2. Windows Updates

• How often? You can have Windows do this automatically. (See instructions below.)
  
• Which versions of Windows does this apply to? Windows XP, Windows Vista, & Windows 7

Microsoft (like any operating system manufacturer) regularly releases security updates for Windows as new vulnerabilities are discovered for Windows. It is very important that you install these on a regular basis. You can tell Windows to install these up automatically.

Configuring Windows XP to install Windows Updates Automatically

1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press ENTER.
2. Click the Automatic Updates tab, and then click to select one of the following options. We recommend that you select the "Automatic (recommended) Automatically download recommended updates for my computer and install them" option. (Source)
   1. Windows will now download updates when you are online and install them automatically. By default, it tries to install the updates at 3am.
      

Configuring Windows Vista & Windows 7 to install Windows Updates Automatically

1. Automatic updates are turned on by default in Windows Vista and Windows 7. You should not need to configure anything.
   

3. Program Updates

During the last year or so, hackers have switched their primary target of exploits from Windows itself to the programs that commonly run on Windows. Examples of commonly targeted programs are Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox.

This said, it is extremely important to update any of your software any time it prompts you you to because these updates will often contain security fixes which will help decrease you chance of infection.

Sub-note about Web Browsers and which is most secure:

• If use Windows XP, I believe that you would be best off use Firefox because updates are released frequently.
• If you use Windows Vista or Windows 7, you are best off (from a security perspective) to use Internet Explorer. The reason for this is because of the unique way Internet Explorer ties in with the operating system makes it extremely difficult for browser exploits to allow a virus to save itself to your computer without explicit consent from you, the user.

Conclusion

I hope this guide was a helpful basic primer on maintaining Windows. If you guys have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to email me at xierox@gmail.com.

Regards,
James

Version 1.0

Windows Live Sync

The Dilemma

It has become much more common in this modern era of computing for a person to own more than one computer. Probably the most common scenario is a user owning a laptop as well as a desktop. They may prefer the laptop for its mobile computing convenience while preferring the desktop for its more comfortable long-term computing experience. One of the biggest problems with this scenario is that when you work with data on one computer, it’s seemingly a headache to transfer any changes you made quickly and automatically to the other computer.

While there do exist ways to transfer documents back and forth (e-mailing yourself the document as an attachment, using Windows Live Skydrive (or a similar cloud-based file/folder storage solution, such as Box.net), or using a USB flash drive to transfer the files), they all suffer from severe limitation: you must remember to manually transfer the file every time you plan on using the other computer. Thus, before running out to a coffee shop with your laptop, you must transfer each and every file you think you might need before leaving your office or home. Not only is this cumbersome, but it is also time-consuming and tedious. And heaven help you if you forget to do a file!

Not only is the manual nature of these methods problematic, but some of these methods are unsuitable for transferring more than a few files. E-mailing yourself twenty files (and then downloading them later) regularly is far too cumbersome to be done on a daily (or even a weekly) basis. The time this would take makes it simply unacceptable.

How, then, should we keep our files in sync with the two computers while minimizing headache? Enter Windows Live Sync.

The solution: Windows Live Sync

Windows Live Sync (previously known as Windows FolderShare) provides users with the ability to easily and automatically synchronize files and folders between multiple computers via the internet. Exactly how many files and folders can it sync? Well, with the most recent update, Windows Live Sync now allows you up to sync up to 20 folders with up to 20,000 files in each folder. That’s a lot of files!

How does it work, exactly? Well, it’s actually pretty simple: Visit http://sync.live.com, download and install the small Windows Live Sync Program onto each computer you want to sync files between, and then choose which folders you wish to synchronize! From then on out, any time your computers are online at the same time they will automatically keep the files in the folders you chose in sync.

The following is a screenshot of the Windows Live Sync website. It shows shared personal folders, folders I’ve shared with other people, and the two computers I have using this service.

If this is your first time syncing, the process may take a few hours depending upon the size of the folders you are syncing as well as the speed of your internet connection. Once this initial sync is done, however, any changes you make to your files within your synced folders should automatically be replicated to your other computers within a few minutes of your making them.

I personally keep a “Current Projects” folder where I put anything I’m currently working on. I synchronize this folder with my laptop, which means I’m always ready for portable computing if I want to leave my apartment for a while. The fact that this folder is never more than a few megabytes in size means that complete synchronization between computers never takes more than a minute or so on a normal broad-band connection.

Remote Access

Windows Live Sync also has a nifty feature called Remote Access. This feature allows you to remotely browse all the folders and files on your computer via a web browser. To do so, point your web browser to http://sync.live.com/, log in, and choose the computer you wish to remotely access. This is a very handy option for accessing a file you forgot to sync or did not know you would need access to.

Please note that Remote Access must be manually enabled under the Windows Live Sync Settings. It is turned off by default for security purposes.

But what about my Mac?

But what about Mac users? Are they left out in the dark? No!

Windows Live Sync supports both Mac OS X and Windows. This makes it an excellent choice for syncing between multiple Macs, between multiple Macs and PCs, or just between PCs.