.: LarsonsWorld :.
just another persons waste of time
.: Computing Archive :.

27 May 2008
.: watercooler :.
Six hours to hack the FBI (and other pen-testing adventures) - Computerworld
It takes a lot to shock Chris Goggans; he's been a pen (penetration)
tester since 1991, getting paid to break into a wide variety of
networks. But he says nothing was as egregious as security lapses in
both infrastructure design and patch management at a civilian government
agency -- holes that let him hack his way through to a major FBI crime
database within a mere six hours.
more ...
New Climate Report Foresees Big Changes - NYTimes
The rise in concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from
human activities is influencing climate patterns and vegetation across
the United States and will significantly disrupt water supplies,
agriculture, forestry and ecosystems for decades, a new federal report
says.
more ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:01 PM MDT | Updated: 27 May 2008 9:26 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Environment
| | Permalink

22 May 2008
.: 35 years ago today - the ethernet is born :.
Bob Metcalfes original memo describing his idea for the ethernet.
Enter Ethernet - Wired Magazine
Metcalfe had been an MIT undergraduate whiz kid and Harvard grad student
working on computers and how to network them. Even before completing his
Ph.D., he went to work for Xerox PARC, which assigned him the task of
designing and building the first network for PCs.
PARC was installing its own Xerox Alto, the first personal computer, and
EARS, the first laser printer. It needed a system that would allow
additional PCs and printers to be added without having to reconfigure or
shut down the network. It was the first time that computers were small
enough for hundreds to be in the same building, and the network had to
be fast to drive the printer.
more ...
Ethernet - Wikipedia
Ethernet was originally developed at Xerox PARC in 1973-1975. Robert
Metcalfe and David Boggs wrote and presented their "Draft Ethernet
Overview" before March 1974. In March 1974, R.Z. Bachrach wrote a memo
to Metcalfe and Boggs and their management, stating that "technically or
conceptually there is nothing new in your proposal" and that "analysis
would show that your system would be a failure." ... In 1975, Xerox
filed a patent application listing Metcalfe and Boggs, plus Chuck
Thacker and Butler Lampson, as inventors (U.S. Patent 4,063,220 :
Multipoint data communication system with collision detection). In 1976,
after the system was deployed at PARC, Metcalfe and Boggs published a
seminal paper.
more ...
~ update ~
The Ethernet entry on Wikipedia has been edited to remove the Bachrach memo reference and quotes. It now reads:
Ethernet was originally developed at Xerox PARC in 1973-1975. In 1975,
Xerox filed a patent application listing Metcalfe and Boggs, plus Chuck
Thacker and Butler Lampson, as inventors (U.S. Patent 4,063,220 :
Multipoint data communication system with collision detection). In 1976,
after the system was deployed at PARC, Metcalfe and Boggs published a
seminal paper.
Also, I have received an email from R.Z. Bachrach, and so has at least one other person, clarifing his point of view of the 1974 quoted memo. Here is the text of email to me.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 6:34 AM MDT | Updated: 26 May 2008 3:15 PM MDT
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

12 May 2008
.: watercooler :.
Deep packet inspection under assault over privacy concerns - Ars Technica
Add the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) to
the list of groups concerned about the privacy implications of
widespread deep packet inspection (DPI) by ISPs. CIPPIC has filed an
official complaint with Canada's Privacy Commissioner, Jennifer
Stoddart, asking her office to investigate Bell Canada's use of DPI (and
we're flattered to be quoted as an expert source in the complaint). In
addition, the group would welcome a wider investigation into possible
DPI use at cable operators Rogers and Shaw, as well.
more ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 4:10 PM MDT
Tags: Civil Liberties Computing News
| | Permalink

11 May 2008
.: watercooler :.
Broadband: other countries do it better, but how? - Ars Technica
One of the ironies of the current broadband situation in the US is that
staunch free marketeers defend the status quo even though the result of
their views has been duopoly and high prices. Meanwhile, other countries
(including those with a reputation in some quarters for "socialism")
have taken aggressive steps to create a robust, competitive,
consumer-friendly marketplace with the help of regulation and national
investment.
more ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 7:18 PM MDT
Tags: Computing News
| | Permalink

07 May 2008
.: watercooler :.
The computer security paradox - Raiden's Realm
One of the most prized rights of any American is the right to privacy
and security. It's something people in some countries would kill for.
Yet now there appears to be a very frightening trend growing. Your
privacy and security are being thrown out the window wholesale in favor
of easier access by law enforcement. A recent example of this can be
seen with the announcement that Microsoft has been providing a tool to
investigators that can effectively rip your Windows security to shreds
in seconds, exposing all your private data to whoever wants to look at
it.
more ...
IBM, Microsoft Trounce Apple on Climate Friendliness Scorecard - Wired
Scorecard IBM earned top honors among electronics manufacturers on a
recently-updated climate friendliness scorecard (.pdf), earning 77 out
of a possible 100 points to beat runners-up Canon, Toshiba, Sony and HP
in a ranking of the companies' responsiveness to climate change. IBM,
which makes big, hulking servers and mainframe computers, even beat out
Microsoft (38 points) and Google (55), whose products are composed
entirely of electrons. Apple, which has taken heat from Greenpeace for
the allegedly toxic chemicals in its iPhone, scored a pathetic 11 out of
100.
more ...
Viacom, Google set for fight to bitter end over Safe Harbor - Ars Technica
It has been just over a year since Viacom launched its $1 billion
lawsuit against Google for "brazen disregard of intellectual property
laws" on YouTube. Although we haven't heard much news about the case as
of late, some fightin' words have come out of both sides recently to
indicate that the case is still going strong. There's no sign of an
impending settlement, either, as Viacom is still beating the piracy drum
and Google continues to stand its ground. Because of this, the eventual
outcome of the Viacom suit may set a legal precedent that could send
ripples throughout the entire Internet.
more ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 4:49 PM MDT | Updated: 07 May 2008 5:04 PM MDT
Tags: Civil Liberties Computing Environment News
| | Permalink

05 March 2008
.: watercoooler :.
What piracy crisis? MPAA touts record box office for 2007 - Ars Technica
... But this sort of thing has become crucial to the MPAA. Take a look
at the group's homepage; nearly everything is about copyrights and
piracy. The MPAA routinely asserts that the movie business is being
decimated by piracy, but the press release announcing the Weekly Reader
deal sits just below a far more interesting piece of news (PDF): data
that shows the US box office doing its biggest year of business ever in
2007, growing 5.4 percent over 2006 and bringing in $9.63 billion.
more ...
Comcast Must Die - MojoBlog
Comcast, the cable TV giant, has given its customers lots of reasons to
hate the company. They've refused to embrace a la carte programming,
charged people $2 to stop sending them junk mail, wrecked people's
credit reports, falsely advertised its Internet speed and generally
abused the people who pay for its services. Comcast's customer service
problems are so acute that Advertising Age columnist Bob Garfield
started a blog called Comcast Must Die to compile all the gripes about
the company from consumers. But Comcast doesn't really need any help
generating bad press.
more ...
AT&T's degrading service and my landlord’s ban on Comcast - ZDNet
With all the negative attention headed towards Comcast lately, AT&T's
problems seem to be slipping below the radar. Unfortunately for me,
those problems are first hand for me as I'm personally suffering
degradations in speed. As if getting 1200 Kbps downstream on a so-called
1500 Mbps service and all those outage problems (example here and here)
weren't bad enough, my AT&T DSL service has declined. I suppose I could
count myself lucky compared to my Mom's neighbor who only got 320 Kbps
service after AT&T unilaterally and without permission "upgraded" his
bill to the 1500 Mbps service without upgrading his performance.
more ...
Great news for Microsoft: Zunes stolen! - ZDNet
Providing yet another sign that Apple's iPod is the audio and video
platform, a policy think-tank on Tuesday said that thefts of the media
player have skewed crime statistics. Microsoft wishes it had that
publicity.
more ...
The Gaza Bombshell - Vanity Fair
After failing to anticipate Hamas's victory over Fatah in the 2006
Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously
covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part
Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged
former and current U.S. officials, David Rose reveals how President
Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott
Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan,
touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than
ever.
more ...
Could a Coffee Maker Be Worth $11,000? - Slate
The New York Times used words like "cult object," "majestic," and
"titillating"; the Economist called it "ingenious" and "sleek." The
subject of these encomiums is, incongruously, a commercial coffee
machine—the Clover 1s, an $11,000 device that brews regular coffee (not
espresso) one cup at a time. Could the Clover represent that much of an
advance in the state of the coffee art? I had to try it for myself.
more ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:08 AM MST | Updated: 05 March 2008 4:14 PM MST
Tags: Civil Liberties Computing Ect... News Politics
| | Permalink

04 March 2008
.: watercooler :.
Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack - Washington Post
First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other common
allergic reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing
more children with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly
convinced that a suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other
afflictions caused by misfiring immune systems is real.
Gary Gygax, 1938-2008: Rest in peace, Dungeon Master - Crave
Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and one of the fathers of
tabletop role-playing games, died on Tuesday at the age of 69. He had
suffered from heart problems.
Windows-based cash machines 'easily hacked' - ZDNet
Security experts have hacked ATMs to show how easy it is to steal money
and bank account details from modern cash machines. ATMs, or automated
teller machines, today face the Internet-born threat of worms and
denial-of-service attacks, as well as being at risk from malicious
applications that can harvest customer data or hijack machines.
Why spam isn't going away soon (Hint: Blame the Storm worm) - C|Net
Recently, Symantec said in its February 2008 State of Spam report that
78.5 percent of all e-mail is spam; they also said most of that is now
coming from Europe. That's a change from previous reports that had
suggested servers in North America were responsible. What the Symantec
report doesn't explicitly state is that much of the European spam
doesn't come from individuals sitting at their desks pumping out lists.
Europe is one of the hotbeds for the Storm worm botnet, notorious for
automatically co-opting its victims into spam relays.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:53 AM MST | Updated: 04 March 2008 6:40 PM MST
Tags: Computing News
| | Permalink

28 February 2008
.: watercooler :.
New supercomputer is a rack of PlayStations - The Sydney Morning Herald
When the PlayStation3 was released in November 2006, Gaurav Khanna's
wife braved long queues so he could be one of the first people in the US
to get his hands on the gaming console. But the astrophysicist was not
itching to burn some rubber in Gran Turismo or shoot hoops in NBA 07.
Instead he wanted to build his own supercomputer.
Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison - Washington Post
More than one in 100 adults in the United States is in jail or prison,
an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a
year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal
government, according to a report released today.
No impact from Energy Saving Day - BBC
The UK's first Energy Saving Day has ended with no noticeable reduction
in the country's electricity usage. E-Day asked people to switch off
electrical devices they did not need over a period of 24 hours, with the
National Grid monitoring consumption.
In Norway, Global Seed Vault guards genetic resources - IHT
With plant species disappearing at an alarming rate, scientists and
governments are creating a global network of plant banks to store seeds
and sprouts - precious genetic resources that may be needed for man to
adapt the world's food supply to climate change.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 6:34 PM MST | Updated: 28 February 2008 7:09 PM MST
Tags: Computing Environment News
| | Permalink

30 January 2008
.: watercooler :.
French police deal blow to Microsoft - AFP
The French paramilitary police force said Wednesday it is ditching
Microsoft for the free Linux operating system, becoming one of the
biggest administrations in the world to make the break.
Your First Steps with Linux - Terminally Incoherent
Over the years I think I helped to influence few people here and there
to actually start experimenting with linux. I count that as a personal
success. I’m sure I was not the primary influence in most cases, but I’m
glad I could help people to start tinker with the new OS
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 12:18 PM MST | Updated: 30 January 2008 12:23 PM MST
Tags: Computing Linux News
| | Permalink

24 January 2008
.: watercooler :.
The Tao of ScreenIn search of the distraction-free desktop - Slate
If your computer desktop is anything like mine - and, brother, it is -
you've paved over every spare pixel in an iconistan of clutter. Desktop
design originated in a wistful visual metaphor, the clean, still work
surface, encouraging users to productive ends. Leaps forward in
computing horsepower and the rise of constant Internet use has
transformed the tabletop terra firma into a cockpit, an antic terminal
for the networked self. Our desktops are now a thick impasto of tabbed
windows, pull-down menus, dashboard widgets, and application alerts. No
possible distraction gets left behind, no link, feed, IM, twitter, or
poke unheeded.
Senate Delays Eavesdropping Vote - AP/US News
The Senate granted at least a temporary victory to the White House on
Thursday, turning back an attempt to increase court oversight of the
government's surveillance of phone calls and e-mails that involve people
inside the United States.
Rising Anti-Americanism in Russia - US News
Vladimir Dobrovinsky, 33, a teacher at a design school in Moscow, says
he's not interested in politics. But bring up America and the
well-traveled, university-educated Dobrovinsky holds forth. He
criticizes Washington's "crude interference" in world affairs. He
complains that Russia is not treated as an important partner by the Bush
administration. "A lot of Russians," he says, "are angry that America
deals with us like we're Thailand."
Big Brain Theory: Have Cosmologists Lost Theirs? - NY Times
It could be the weirdest and most embarrassing prediction in the history
of cosmology, if not science. If true, it would mean that you yourself
reading this article are more likely to be some momentary fluctuation in
a field of matter and energy out in space than a person with a real past
born through billions of years of evolution in an orderly star-spangled
cosmos. Your memories and the world you think you see around you are
illusions.
U.S. Given Poor Marks on the Environment - NY Times
A new international ranking of environmental performance puts the United
States at the bottom of the Group of 8 industrialized nations and 39th
among the 149 countries on the list.
Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo model - Reuters
Entrepreneur Richard Branson on Wednesday unveiled a model of the
spaceship he hopes will be the first to take paying passengers into
space on a regular basis as soon as next year.
Geophysicists Urge Steep Cuts in Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Scientific American
The scientists of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) warn that
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be slashed in half to keep
temperatures from rising 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius)—or
else. "Warming greater than 2 degrees Celsius above 19th-century levels
is projected to be disruptive, reducing global agricultural
productivity, causing widespread loss of biodiversity and - if sustained
over centuries - melting much of the Greenland ice sheet with ensuing
rise in sea levels of several meters," the AGU declares in its first
statement in four years on "Human Impacts on Climate."
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 5:43 PM MST | Updated: 24 January 2008 7:08 PM MST
Tags: Civil Liberties Computing Environment News
| | Permalink
.: ubuntu - year one :.
It's be a year (to the day I believe) since I've installed Ubuntu on my Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop and it's been a fun ride. So, if you have a few minutes, let my tell you my story.
Last winter we had a bit of snow here in Denver that left us with little we could actually do outside. After the first few weeks of January, cabin fever started setting in and I began playing around of the idea of putting Linux on my computer. I can't remember exactly how or why, but I ended up downloading Ubuntu 6.10 and tried the LiveCD on my laptop. It worked wonderfully and I decided to do a dual boot with XP so I could see how it actually functioned day to day. Well, I dun f***ed up the dual boot and ended with a PC that would do anything. Can you say nOOb!
I have been a practitioner of the backup for years, so after a few minutes of utter panic, I calmed down and remembered everything was backed up on an external drive. (OK, I did inevitably loose a weeks worth of emails, no great loss.)
As luck would have it, having been an experimenter and no great fan of MS, I had moved onto programs that where all cross-platform (Thingamablog, Firefox, Thunderbird and Sunbird) but one (MS Money). Thus, I thought, what the hell, maybe I should just install Ubuntu by itself. So I did.
It was shocking once Ubuntu was installed. I have media buttons on the front of my laptop, they worked. All my data for Thunderbird, Firefox and Thingamablog was easily loaded. All the function (Fn key) keys on keyboard worked. It was amazing to me, I never expected this all to work so well. I was sold.
I did have some problems, suspend had issues and there was the problem with no wireless. I spent some time on the Ubuntu forum and after some time of trial and error the wireless kicked in. Honestly, I still have no idea how I was able to get the wireless working, all I know is, boom, it worked one day and has ever since. Suspend came around after a month or so.
I spent the next few months perusing everything Linux. I learned cool commands to run from the Terminal. I played with installing and removing programs from the Add/Remove manager and the Synaptic Package Manager. I screwed things up and re-installed 6.10 a few times. The first time I did this, I was amazed by the fact that quite a few of the settings in my /home folder (set on a different partition, something I started doing way back when from my 2-3 re-installs per year of Windows to keep it clean) kicked right in. Things like Tomboy notes where all there, KeyPass knew where to look for its database, JAlbum and Thingamablog where able to start without having to re-install them. These kind of things where unheard of from my Windows days, it was re-install everything and update all settings to my liking.
Then, along came 7.04. I promptly upgraded to it. Oops. Then I downloaded and did a fresh install. Much better. The first few weeks it acted a little funny, issues mainly with suspend. Once a month went by it was smooth sailing. I spent more time on anything Linux or Ubuntu. I downloaded and tried other distros LiveCDs, spend more time exploring the Linux OS and even tried to help out on the forums (I never really did learn enough to be much help, but I tried).
With the other distributions, I found no reason the change. I was happy with how my laptop worked, so why change. I spent some time on Gnome-look and figured out how to change my splash screen, login in screen and themes. In all I was settling in quite nicely with my new OS and how it worked.
As October was coming closer I was getting excited with the prospects of 7.10. Once it was released I promptly upgraded. Oops. Then I downloaded and did a fresh install. Much better. The first few weeks it acted a little funny, issues mainly with suspend. Once a month went by it was smooth sailing (hmm, sounds familiar?) I played around with the new graphics for a while, installing software for widgets and desktop toolbars. In the end, I removed Compiz as I am happy a simple UI and don't need the fancy graphics. The Panel with shortcuts on it works just fine for me and I never really did like things all over my desktop (see). This also explains why I never switched to a KDE distribution.
Of course there was that Load_Cycle_Count issue. For me the fix was removing Tracker, something I didn't use anyway.
So now I am just waiting for 8.04 to come out. I've learned to wait for a month or so before I install the upgrade. Actually I will probably do a fresh install, I never have liked how upgrades go whether Windows or Linux. Once it is running I probably will not upgrade again, what, with 8.04 being a LTS version. For this laptop it should be just fine for it's life.
All in all, it has been a fun little adventure. I'll keep running Linux
and helping all my friends with their Window boxes and laptops. I doubt
I'll ever be one to get anyone to switch to Linux, Windows works for
them and there is no reason tor them to change right now. Maybe when XP
is no longer supported the time may come. However, I will do what ever
it takes to keep them away from Vista.
I'll keep perusing Ubuntu forums and the various Linux sights - I especially loved finding the flame wars between Linux and XP/Mac, KDE and Gnome and the various distributions. The second two seem so ironic to me, isn't Linux suppose to be about choice? Occasionally I might throw my 2 cents in, but I think pretty much I just be user from here on out. I have found an OS that works and I don't have to worry about.
I am one happy Ubuntu camper.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:15 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Random Thoughts Ubuntu
| | Permalink

09 January 2008
.: thingamablog updated :.
Wow, I didn't even notice,but Bob has been busy. Thingamablog has been updated quite a bit in the last few months.
Check out What's New.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:34 AM MST
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink
.: bookmarking in openoffice :.
Found the coolest extension for OpenOffice the other day. It is enables you to bookmark documents for easy opening. It places a Bookmark button on your the main menu for easy access.
Read more about the extension on Linux.com.
OpenOffice Bookmarks Menu download
~ Update ~
I have been using Bookmarks Menu for a few days now and have come to find it very useful. I don't care for desktop shortcuts and since you are unable to put documents/files in the Gnome panel Drawer feature, this extension has become invaluable to me. I definitely suggest it.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 6:47 AM MST | Updated: 10 January 2008 7:21 AM MST
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

31 December 2007
.: on 2007 :.
Ten Best Technologies and Trends of 2007 - Extremetech.com
Ten Worst Technologies and Trends of 2007 - Extremetech.com
Five desktop Linux highlights of 2007 - DesktopLinux.com
2007: The Miserable Year in Review - John C. Dvorak
The Top 10 New Organisms of 2007 - Wired
THREAT LEVEL's Year in Review - 2007 - Wired
The Year in Oversight:The yeas and nays of Congress' efforts to gavel the Bush administration into order in 2007 - MotherJones
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 1:56 PM MST | Updated: 02 January 2008 10:15 AM MST
Tags: Computing Ect... Linux News The Written Word
| | Permalink

26 December 2007
.: a look at the laws regarding restricted formats in linux :.
Restricted Codecs Mess in Linux - Mad Penquin
There are a number of newcomers who migrate to Linux and then find
themselves at ends with the confusion regarding restricted formats and
codecs in the US. The laws regarding usage are confusing and all over
the map, thus leaving many Linux distributions forced to mark them as
possibly illegal to use in some countries, despite no solid evidence to
actually support this outside of MPAA and RIAA rhetoric, which is hardly
a court's decision. And in a recent article, I took this whole idea to
task and examine how it may not actually be illegal to use libdvdcss
after all.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:39 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux
| | Permalink

23 December 2007
.: vista returns and compusa :.
Interesting comment from CompUSA - Very Grumpy Rabbit
I don't know if you've heard or not, but CompUSA is going out of
business. ...
... I asked one of the employees off the record if he could comment at
all on the impact of Vista sales on the end of CompUSA's business,
expecting no comment. Afterall, most such retail chains don't want local
employees speaking out for the company.
That... isn't what I got. With a glaring look he responded I'd be better
off asking about the returns. Returns? Well, the employee asked me to
follow him to the back, and he pulled out a cardboard box opening it up
to reveal it was packed full of copies of Vista.
Returns.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:37 AM MST
Tags: Computing News The Written Word
| | Permalink

16 December 2007
.: first transister built - 1947 :.
Sixty years ago today William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain succeeded in building the first practical point-contact transistor at Bell Labs.
ENIAC, which used vaccum tubes, weighed 28 tons, consumed 170,000 watts
of power and required several operators
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:43 AM MST
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

14 December 2007
.: rock throwing 101 :.
Opera files EU antitrust complaint against Microsoft - Reuters
A small Norwegian maker of Web browsers, backed by an industry
coalition, has filed the first complaint against Microsoft to the
European Commission since the software giant lost a landmark antitrust
case earlier this year.
Microsoft hits back at Opera antitrust claims - ZDNet UK
Microsoft has hit back at Opera antitrust claims regarding Internet
Explorer, denying that it is abusing its dominant market position to
lock users into the web browser.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 7:18 AM MST
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

13 December 2007
.: water cooler :.
Stars named in report on steroid use in baseball - Reuters
Pitching great Roger Clemens joined home-run king Barry Bonds among
dozens of Major League Baseball players named on Thursday in the
Mitchell Report that detailed widespread use of banned drugs in
America's pastime.
Bamboo PC is eco-friendly and looks nice too - Reuters
Back in 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the Apple I, an early
personal computer that consisted of a circuit board in a simple wooden
box. ...The Asus Eco Book, as it's dubbed, has a case made of laminated
bamboo strips available in different shades.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:32 PM MST | Updated: 13 December 2007 9:34 PM MST
Tags: Computing News
| | Permalink
.: os knockdown :.
Review: Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon takes on Mac OS X Leopard for the OS of the Year - Linux Magazine
Today we have a technological cage match involving two operating
systems, both UNIX- based, both mature, both with passionate detractors
and even more passionate defenders, and both released just a week apart.
I'm talking, of course, about Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon), with its final
release on October 18, and Apple' s Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, which was
available for purchase on October 26.
The stereotype for each OS is well known: Mac OS X is elegant,
easy-to-use, and intuitive, while Ubuntu is stable, secure, and getting
better all the time. Both have come a long way in a short time, and both
make excellent desktops. So we have two great desktop operating systems
out at roughly the same time. Let's see how they stack up against each
other.
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:14 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

12 December 2007
.: which linux for you :.
Choosing a Linux Distro, Part 1: Kicking the Tires - LinuxInsider
Start your search by checking out the distribution Web sites. Read the
the FAQ and Wikis pages to learn how the different distros work. Check
out the features and read what sorts of requests for help have been made
on the community forums, and how those requests were answered. This
approach will help you to narrow down exactly what you are looking for
in terms of support and ease of use.
Running Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft Windows or
Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple Mac OS X gives users
about the same amount of flexibility as was offered to early car buyers.
They could drive any kind of car they wanted, as long as it was a Model
T and as long as it was black.
When the free open source Linux OS first showed up, early developers
offered much the same set of options. Today, however, when picking a
Linux distribution (known as a "distro"), users are offered a wide
variety of flavors and features. In fact, Linux comes in so many
different sizes and shapes that selecting the version most suited for
consumer or enterprise use can be a seemingly impossible task.
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 7:06 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux
| | Permalink

06 December 2007
.: watercooler :.
Six places in the world where climate change could cause political turmoil - CSM
From Nepal to Nigeria, Indonesia to the Arctic Circle, a warmer world
poses different problems.
Data-recovery firm reveals top client mishaps - C|Net
Ant infestations, oil saturation, and failed parachute jumps are some of
the unusual fates that have befallen innocent data-storage devices
recently, according to data-recovery company Kroll Ontrack's list of the
most unusual recovery jobs it has faced in the last
Iran's Nukes: Now They Tell Us? - Time
The President looked awful. He stood puffy-eyed, stoop-shouldered, in
front of the press corps discussing the stunning new National
Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that Iran halted its nuclear-weapons program
in 2003. He looked as if he'd spent the night throwing chairs around the
Situation Room. ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:51 AM MST | Updated: 06 December 2007 8:19 PM MST
Tags: Computing Environment News
| | Permalink

03 December 2007
.: watercooler :.
Taser death in Canada sparks heated debate around the world - CSM
The death of a Polish man at Vancouver International Airport has sparked
an intense debate in Canada over the increasing use of Tasers by
law-enforcement officials. Concerns over the use of these electric shock
guns has mounted in several other countries after a UN Committee on
Human Rights recently labeled their impact "torture."
Heritage
Foundation on Hunger: Let Them Eat Broccoli - MotherJones
Poor
people aren't hungry; they're fat.
While most Americans were planning for the annual ritual of
overconsumption known as Thanksgiving, the good folks at the Heritage
Foundation, America’s leading architects of conservative thought for at
least three decades, were doing their part to add to the holiday cheer.
According to a November 13 Heritage article, well-off revelers could
stuff their faces unhampered by guilt about the less fortunate, because
there are no longer any hungry people in the United States.
Sen. Clinton proposes moratorium on foreclosures - Reuters
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton proposed on Monday a
90-day moratorium on home foreclosures to give financially troubled
borrowers time to work with lenders and avoid losing their homes.
U.S. report contradicts Bush on Iran nuclear program - Reuters
U.S. intelligence has determined that Iran halted its nuclear weapons
program in 2003 but believes it is continuing to develop technical
capabilities that could be used to build a bomb, a government report
said on Monday.
Bali climate summit: a test of the world's resolve - CSM
Next week is seen as crunch time in the fight against global warming.
Representatives from some 130 nations will gather in Bali, Indonesia,
beginning a two-year effort to agree on a new pact to cut greenhouse-gas
emissions - one that goes well beyond the goals of the current Kyoto
Protocol.
Microsoft FUDwatch II: Internet Explorer vs. Firefox security - C|Net
Microsoft is at it again. Or, rather, Jeff Jones is. Jones is
Microsoft's security strategy direction and is the one who periodically
remixes history and data to declare that Windows is more secure than
Linux. Now he's declaring that Internet Explorer is much safer than
Firefox.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 12:56 PM MST | Updated: 03 December 2007 2:33 PM MST
Tags: Computing Environment News
| | Permalink

02 December 2007
.: use firefox? :.
If you use Firefox and wish a festive Christmas/Holiday theme, check out Tinseltown. The extent that the author went in taking this theme is incredible.
Tinseltown is a Christmas theme with holiday imagery including Christmas
lights, snow, reindeer, presents and more. This theme is made eve better
with great Christmas icons from Watiworks and a semi-transparent URL
bar. Get in the holiday spirit!
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 8:45 AM MST
Tags: Computing Ect...
| | Permalink

24 October 2007
.: wtf ?!? :.
I Was Wrong: Microsoft Won - open dot dot dot
I could feel it in my bones: the great victory of the EU over MS is a
sham. Here's why.
Ex-steely Neelie - to be renamed wheeler-dealer
Neelie - said as follows:
I told Microsoft that it should give
legal security to programmers who help to develop open source software
and confine its patent disputes to commercial software distributors and
end users. Microsoft will now pledge to do so.
And naively, I
thought that meant what it said. Silly me. Reference to the rather
low-profile EU FAQ clarifies:
Can open source software
developers implement patented interoperability information?
Open
source software developers use various “open source” licences to
distribute their software. Some of these licences are incompatible with
the patent licence offered by Microsoft. It is up to the commercial open
source distributors to ensure that their software products do not
infringe upon Microsoft’s patents. If they consider that one or more of
Microsoft’s patents would apply to their software product, they can
either design around these patents, challenge their validity or take a
patent licence from Microsoft.
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 5:54 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux The Written Word
| | Permalink

23 October 2007
.: zen desktop :.
Tenryu-ji temple and its 14th century zen garden (Kyoto)
Image available on Flickr
Here is a great slideshow of antonioperezrio.es' Traditional Japan
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 2:35 PM MDT | Updated: 23 October 2007 2:51 PM MDT
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

11 October 2007
.: mom goes after ballmer :.
Mother's ire puts Ballmer on defense over Vista - ComputerWorld
The For a few minutes during Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer's
appearance at the Gartner Inc. Symposium ITxpo conference here,
emotionless management-speak gave way to a mother's frustration with the
Vista operating system.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:27 AM MDT | Updated: 11 October 2007 2:54 PM MDT
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink
.: shuttleworth replies to ballmer :.
Shuttleworth on Ballmer - Linux-Watch
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has once more claimed that Linux and open
source violates Microsoft's intellectual property and patents.
Canonical's CEO Mark Shuttleworth thinks Ballmer has it all wrong.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 8:23 AM MDT | Updated: 10 January 2008 5:15 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

10 October 2007
.: reaction to ballmers recent comments about google, ip fud, facebook, ect ... :.
Ballmer comments reflect deeper problems - ZDnet
Ballmer Claims Red Hat Violates Microsoft IP - PCWorld
All open source dev should happen on Windows - Register
Ballmer threatens Linux and open source with patents again - Linux-Watch
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:44 AM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux News
| | Permalink

17 September 2007
.: microsoft is fiddling with your machine and you don't know it :.
Microsoft is updating Windows without user permission - ZDNet
Is your Vista or XP system set to not automatically update? Doesn't
matter. Microsoft is fiddling with your system files -- without asking
or telling you.
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:41 AM MDT
Tags: Computing News
| | Permalink

15 August 2007
.: the problem of drm - "trusted computing" :.
DRM, Vista and Your Rights - polishlinux.org
In the US, France and a few other countries it is already forbidden
to play legally purchased music or videos using GNU/Linux media players
. Sounds like sci-fi? Unfortunately not. And it won’t end up on multimedia
only. Welcome to the the new era of DRM!
In this article I would like to explain the problem of Digital Rights
(or restrictions) Management, especially in the version promoted by
Microsoft with the new Windows Vista release. Not everyone is familiar
with the dangers of the new “standard” for the whole computer industry.
Yes, the whole industry — because it goes way beyond the software
produced by the giant from Redmond and its affiliates.
A similar (but a bit more specialized) term to DRM is Trusted Computing.
The term is intentionally misleading. It does not try to improve the security
of the user, but rather wants to ensure that the user can be “trusted”.
Obviously it’s not about the trust, it’s about the money. The companies that
deliver content (specially multimedia, but it’s not restricted to media
only) to the client want to be able to control the way it is used. For
example, they want the content to be displayed on approved media only,
banning all the “illegal” applications (illegal does not mean that it
violates the law, but rather the agreement between the client and the
company that sells the media). More on Trusted Computing can be found
(as always) in Wikipedia.
Read on ...
It's from January, but still a good read if you are unfamiliar with what DRM really is.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 7:03 PM MDT
Tags: Computing The Written Word
| | Permalink

02 August 2007
.: windows destine to become adware? :.
Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems - ars technica
It's such a tremendously bad idea that it's almost bound to succeed.
Microsoft has filed another patent, this one for an "advertising
framework" that uses "context data" from your hard drive to show you
advertisements and "apportion and credit advertising revenue" to ad
suppliers in real time. Yes, Redmond wants to own the patent on the
mother of all adware.
The application, filed in 2006, describes a multi-faceted, robust
ad-delivering system that lives on a "user computer, whether it's part
of the OS, an application or integrated within applications."
"Applications, tools, or utilities may use an application program
interface to report context data tags such as key words or other
information that may be used to target advertisements," says the filing.
"The advertising framework may host several components for receiving and
processing the context data, refining the data, requesting
advertisements from an advertising supplier, for receiving and
forwarding advertisements to a display client for presentation, and for
providing data back to the advertising supplier."
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 6:23 PM MDT
Tags: Computing News
| | Permalink

22 July 2007
.: astronaut photos on google earth :.
Google Earth and NASA Turn Up The Lights - Wired
Google has rolled out some spectacular new layers for Google Earth. "Astronaut Photography of Earth" is filled with images from the last 40 years of NASA Earth exploration, and "Earth City Lights" has stunning views of our home planet at night, as viewed from space.
The new layers can be found in the Featured Layers section of Google Earth. If you don't have Google's desktop atlas program, it's available as a free download. If you already have Google Earth, there’s no need to upgrade your installation. The layers should be there - just look for the "NASA" header.
The update showcases the ongoing collaborative effort between Google Earth and NASA which is designed to promote NASA’s various Earth exploration programs. As Wei Luo notes on the Google LatLong blog, "People are usually familiar with NASA’s space missions, but not everyone knows that NASA also devotes a considerable amount of effort to Earth explorations."
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:29 PM MDT
Tags: Computing
| | Permalink

18 July 2007
.: computing - the early years :.
Living With a Computer by James Fallow - The Atlantic Monthly, July 1982
The author talks about his Sol-20 that he purchased in 1979, his trials and tribulations with it and then gives advice about buying a computer in the early 80's. It is interesting read as he talks about the make up of the industry in pre Microsoft days. It is amazing to read the specs he suggests and the capacities of the time.
... for a total of about $4,000, Optek gave me the machinery I have used
happily to this day.
The microcomputer industry these days is like the auto business in 1910,
with a thousand little hustlers trying to claim a piece of the action.
although any serious computer should have at least 48 and preferably 64K
of random access memory
You don't need to remove the hard disks because each one stores a
prodigious amount of data, from two or three on up to several dozen
megabytes.
I gave in and bought a daisy wheel (printer), the Anderson-Jacobson 830
model, which cost about $1,400.
... the Displaywriter with a good printer was quoted at $11,350 by my
local IBM dealer.
The best-known small computer is probably the Apple. Because there are
so many Apples in circulation, and because the company has pushed
software so aggressively, you can get a wider variety of programs and
accessories for an Apple than for any other system. (How things change!)
One of the most interesting new computers, both as a piece of machinery
and as a specimen of capitalism in action, is the Osborne
I.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:39 PM MDT | Updated: 19 July 2007 10:37 AM MDT
Tags: Computing The Written Word
| | Permalink

27 June 2007
.: over the horizon :.
PC Mags Five Ideas That Will Reinvent Modern Computing
- IMAX At Home
- The Midair Mouse
- The Perfect Machine
- Extreme Peer-to-Peer
- The Man-Made Brain
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:46 PM MDT
Tags: Computing The Written Word
| | Permalink

10 June 2007
.: linux - a bit of a dorky teenager :.
There are a couple of interviews with Mark Shuttleworth recently.
"I'd love
to work with Microsoft" - Duncan McLeod spoke to software
billionaire Mark Shuttleworth last week about his Ubuntu Linux deal with
Dell, the Microsoft software patent fracas, and his desire to return to
live in SA. This is an edited extract.
(An edited interview with the
complete one available on mp3)
Mark
Shuttleworth Talks Dell, Hardware, Ubuntu 7.10 & More - Mark
Shuttleworth has flown into space on a Soyuz TM-34 and founded Thawte
Consulting that later sold to Verisign for over $500 million, but he is
now known most for being the founder and leader of the Ubuntu Linux
distribution. In addition to Ubuntu he also established HBD Venture
Capital and is involved with several other free software projects.
Earlier today we had spoke with Mark Shuttleworth to discuss the latest
happenings in the Ubuntu world including Dell shipping Ubuntu PCs,
getting open-source drivers from hardware vendors, and what is coming
down the road for Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.
(This is the one where he
refers to Linux as "a bit of a dorky teenager" on page 3)
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 4:06 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux News
| | Permalink

08 May 2007
.: dude, who knows what your getting! :.
Dell Backpedals on Preloading Linux - newsfactor
The Linux camp's ears perked up earlier this week when Dell said it
planned to unveil a new line of certified, Linux-loaded desktop and
laptop PCs. But business users who want to buy a Dell machine with the
open-source operating system preinstalled won't have that Linux luxury
in the near-term.
Although Dell is dancing around the idea of reintroducing Linux desktops
and notebooks, the computer maker said it won't make a move until one of
the competing flavors of Linux emerges as a business favorite. Dell now
maintains that it doesn't want to pick one Linux distribution and
alienate users with a preference for another.
~ More ~
The empire strikes back - ITWire
With one stroke, Microsoft has reasserted its number one position as
deal maker and decision maker in the computer industry, reminding all
wannabes that they are just that - wannabes.
Yesterday's announcement that Dell would be joining the Microsoft-Novell
pact is proof positive that Microsoft is playing the same game it always
has - extend, embrace and then extinguish.
Notice that Dell wasn't exactly prominent in the announcement of the
deal - most of the talking was done by Microsoft, in itself a reminder
that whether you are a big player or not in the tech industry, you had
better do as the boys in Redmond say. No getting too much out of line.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:36 AM MDT | Updated: 08 May 2007 10:51 AM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux News
| | Permalink

07 May 2007
.: ubuntu: to good to be true? :.
The news that Dell will begin making the fast-growing Ubuntu flavor of
Linux available on some of its machines should be welcomed by consumers
everywhere.
It not only makes a tiny dent in Microsoft's armor but also is one of
the few times consumers can actually get something for nothing. Best of
all, the something for nothing is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, a
lot better than the high-priced spreads.
Though its name may sound odd initially, there's nothing odd about the
way Ubuntu works. It is fast, lean and responsive, like a sleek jungle
cat prowling through the South Africa outback.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:31 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux The Written Word Ubuntu
| | Permalink

16 March 2007
.: wsj: linux homes in on desktops :.
From the free features section of Wall Street Journal comes:
Linux
Starts to Find Home on Desktops
More
Businesses Adopt Cost-Saving Software For Some Workers' PCs
The Linux operating system, having made inroads into corporations'
backroom server computers, is showing hints of inching into a much
broader market: employees' personal computers.
The much-hyped notion that Linux would be viable software to run desktop
and notebook PCs seemed dead on arrival a few years ago. But the idea is
showing some new vital signs.
Chief information officers have experienced the cost savings that Linux
has brought to their server computers, which do narrow and repetitive
tasks such as data storage and serving up Web sites. Now some CIOs are
taking new interest in installing Linux on workers' PCs as well, for
certain narrow applications.
Auto maker PSA Peugeot Citroen last month said it will start using Linux
on 20,000 of its workers' PCs. Novell Inc., which sells a version of
Linux and is supplying it to Peugeot, says it has recently signed up
several large U.S. financial institutions that are installing Linux on
some employee PCs. Sales of Linux PCs are showing a "really nice uptick"
at Novell, says Ronald Hovsepian, chief executive of Novell.
Read on ...
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:12 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux The Written Word
| | Permalink

12 March 2007
.: it's the community that makes a difference :.
MIT Technology Review - Open Source and You
The real value of open-source software is the community it fosters.
No one would buy a car with the hood welded shut, but that is
essentially what commercial software is. However, since computing began,
some software has been distributed in such a way that users can change
or repair it by modifying its source code--the step-by-step instructions
that the computer executes when the software runs. Software distributed
under a license that allows a programmer to modify the source code and
freely distribute an improved version of it is called open source.
Open-source software can make good business sense. For example, a
company might be able to reduce costs by building a product on top of an
existing open-source application rather than writing it from scratch.
But does open source matter to those who do not program computers? I
think the answer is yes.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 1:26 PM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux
| | Permalink
.: new htpc box, einsteins wireless, ect ... :.
I am sitting over at my local Einsteins using their hotspot and enjoying it. I wasn't sure how easy it would go with my Linux system, but no problemo. Just a click in the NetworkManager and away we go. It is slow compared to my wireless at home, but it's nice to be out of the house and connected.
Last week the power supply died on my DVR. With this opportunity at hand, I decided to go with a new Silverstone LC13 HTPC case to replace the Silverstone TJ06 case I had been using as I wanted to get it up off the floor. Because of the 3 dogs in the house and where it was located, the case seemed to be taking more that average amount of dust and dog hair which led to the eventual downfall of the power supply, and luckily just that. So, anyway, most of yesterday was spent rebuilding that system. I had no problems with the disassemble and rebuild, it was all very straight forward. The longest part of the day was installing WinXP and the required drivers, but once I was to the BeyondTV install, it was all downhill from there. The LC13 is not as quiet as the TJ06, but it does look better in the living room than the big tower case.
I did receive a little grief yesterday about using WinXP on that system. I would like to change over to Linux on it, but I am waiting for Linux DVR software to come of age. There are a few out there such as MythTV, but from what I have read they are close although still needing some development.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:59 AM MDT
Tags: Computing Linux Random Thoughts
| | Permalink

09 March 2007
.: ubuntu notes ... :.
Since switching from XP to Ubuntu, I have noticed my battery is lasting longer per charge. Whether this would be true for all Linux distro's, I don't know, but I have noticed it with Ubuntu. I also don't know why except it must not have as much overhead and demands that XP did.
I am having an issue with the sleep mode. I rarely shut down my computer now, I usually just put it into sleep mode. After doing this a half dozen times, the power comes on but I just get a blank screen. I then have to do a forced shutdown. I have noted that this happens to others with laptops via various forums. It will be interesting to see whether the 7.04 release will take care of this issue.
~update~
I have noticed if I unplug any USB devices - mainly my mouse - the sleep problems goes away.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 10:21 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

08 March 2007
.: playing around with backing up linux :.
I have been using two different backup options to figure which I like best. To begin with, I did like ntbackup on my old XP install. It was straight forward and I like it did differential backups as I have never been a fan of incremetal backups. With my Ubuntu distribution, I have been using both Keep front end for rdiff and Simple Backup Suite (sbackup). I have decided to go with Keep. My main objection with sbackup is that I have to go into root to look at the backups, Keep doesn't require this. I do miss being able to do a full backup and then weekly differentials though. I will keep looking for possible replacements.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 9:54 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

21 February 2007
.: lazy man finally posts more linux links :.
Man, haven't posted in a coons age.
Here are a couple of new links I have found recently pertaining to the installation of XP and Ubuntu:
Installing Ubuntu: A comparison of Ubuntu 6.06 and Windows XP
http://rhosgobel.blogspot.com/2006/06/installing-ubuntu-comparison-of-ubuntu.html
This weekend, I reinstalled XP and Ubuntu.
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=221756
~~
I have been running Ubuntu for a good month and a half and have enjoyed the experience. I have had a couple of problems along the way, but overall, everything has gone incredibly smooth.
Picasa started acting funny a few weeks ago. It requires me to change the permissions on 2 nvidia files after every shutdown. It also imports photos in reverse order of time stamp and photo number. Very bizarre.
Thingamablog still requires to be started from a terminal window.
I am still playing around with music files and my iPods. I have started copying my music onto my laptop with the intention of trying out Banshee's ability to sync with my Nano. Right now I am burning all my purchased iTunes music onto cd's so that I don't have to rely on a Windows machine to update my iPods.
I have liked using Tomboy for making notes and gFTP has worked fairly well for me as a replacement for WS_FTP.
I do miss not having Roboform anymore. I am using KeePass for my
passwords, but it doesn't intigrate into a web browser. I guess I could
memorize my passwords, but just think of all the brain cells that would
require.
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 3:50 PM MST
Tags: Computing Internet Surfin' Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

05 February 2007
.: linux links :.
Here is a collection of links I have found useful for my beginning Linux experience. They range from help sites to news sites and are in no particular order
http://www.control-escape.com
http://www.linuxlinks.com
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/
http://lxer.com/
http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/
http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/penguin.html
- Lego Penguin
http://www.xpenguin.com/penguinlinks.php
http://www.linuxjournal.com/
http://www.linux-mag.com/
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 11:29 AM MST
Tags: Computing Internet Surfin' Linux
| | Permalink

31 January 2007
.: a couple of problems are showing but overall, i still like ubuntu :.
So, there are a couple of problems showing themselves with my recent Ubuntu install.
Wireless comes and goes. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Haven't quite figured that one out. It does appear there are quite a few people out there like me having these problems, so, more than likely, I am hoping, this will get worked out in future kernel and Ubuntu updates. (That is a nice run on sentence!)
I am having some problems with Ubuntu and Thingamablog. Luckily for me, Bob, who wrote the program, keeps a constant eye on his forum and helped me out pronto. Bob, you rule!
Picasa is causing some problems also. I really liked it as a photo manager in windows and for some reason it is just not working for me in linux. I will have to hit the forums harder for help on that one.
But I still am enjoying playing with it. Must be all the snow we have here in Denver. Nothing left to do but put linux on your laptop
~ Update ~
Yea - Picasa works now. I just have to learn the terminal window more. I
am making silly little mistakes in it that prevent things from working
correctly
~ ~ ~
Posted by: dimbulb - 1:06 AM MST
Tags: Computing Linux Ubuntu
| | Permalink

28 January 2007
.: ubuntu - it just works :.
I have installed Ubuntu 6.10
"Ed