Archive for October, 2006

Ubuntu Linux

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

Move over Microsoft, there’s a new sheriff in town. In the past I have come to associate Linux with both power and pain. Today, with the latest releases of Ubuntu, the pain has subsided and the power is oooh so good. I’ll spare you with the technical Linux mumbo jumbo (because I don’t know it) and skip right to the frosting. I’ve tried a few distributions in the past Fedora Core, Debian, Mandrake, blah blah blah, with the same conclusion each time: when it comes to web/file servers Linux is the greatest, as a multimedia pc, not so good. And really, why use something that causes you even a little bit of pain when Windows XP ships with every pc?

Here’s why.
Say you want to try Ubuntu but you’re not sure. Go to Ubuntu’s website and if their website alone doesn’t make you feel like you’re in a favorite chair sipping hot cocoa, maybe you should stop right now. It is truly a beautiful site simple, elegant, etc… I digress… Download an .iso image of the appropriate install disc, probably “PC (Intel x86)” but maybe “64-bit PC (AMD64)”. If you don’t know, I’m guessing the software would tell you if you were trying to install the wrong version. This isn’t after all your average install disk, it’s an Ubuntu install disc. A very smart disc indeed. You can boot and run this disk, and in fact the Ubuntu operating system, without harming your Windows operating system. It’s what’s called a “live cd”, and it’s very cool. It will run much slower than Ubuntu when it’s installed on your hard drive, but it will allow you to try the features of Ubuntu risk-free. If you should decide to install Ubuntu on your hard drive, you’ll find an icon right on the Ubuntu desktop that will allow you to install to your hard drive while working in the live cd version! A live cd becomes a live install. If you decided to keep your Windows XP, Ubuntu will shrink the ntfs partition and install Ubuntu to dual-boot with the existing XP installation. This means that when your pc starts, it will give you the choice to boot Windows or Ubuntu. When I install Windows XP on my pc, I spend the next 2 hours installing drivers for my video card, scanner, printer, card reader, ipod, etc. Ubuntu takes care of that for me on install and when it says it’s done, everything works.

Ubuntu screenshot
Included in the Ubuntu base installation is everything you need to get started at work or play. Applications such as OpenOffice – a Microsoft Office replacement, and Evolution – a Microsoft Outlook replacement install by default. Firefox is of course the browser for Linux users as well as many Windows users. CD and DVD burning software also comes with the base installation of Ubuntu, whereas Windows XP does not come ready to burn DVDs. Gimp, a graphics editing program comparable to Adobe Photoshop, is also installed by default. For users familiar with Linux power applications, you have python, perl, PHP, Apache, MySQL, and SAMBA, ready to go with again, the base installation.

Although I have found my switch away from Windows XP to Ubuntu to have a quick productivity payoff, there are some things that take time to adjust to. For example Autodesk does not make an AutoCad for Linux, so I do my drafting with QCad. QCad takes .dxf files, so I have to export my .dwf files from AutoCad. Also, Ubuntu Linux does not allow you to set up your user account as an administrator. You will have to make certain changes to the system and to other users files as “sudo” or log in as root. A basic understanding of file permissions is necessary to make things work the way you want.

In the end, I’m writing this blog in Firefox, watching tv from my tuner card, sharing files and printers with my Windows machines, and checking my email on a free operating system that I haven’t rebooted since I installed. Missing Windows XP? No…

Owner
decaturpc.com

Posted in Operating Systems | 3 Comments »

Vonage in a nutshell

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Vonage is a service that allows you to make telephone calls over your broadband connection. If your skeptical because you remember the old days of making internet calls from your pc with a microphone or headset, keep reading. Vonage is a slicker system. The way Vonage works (the non-magical part anyways) is this: You purchase a Vonage adapter (usually made by linksys) from a retail store such as Circuit City, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart. I paid ~$60 for mine which after a $60 mail in rebate was free. The adapter is a small box approx 4” square maybe 1” thick with a power plug, an ethernet port, and 2 phone jacks. You plug the ethernet port into your broadband router and a telephone into the phone jack. You then either call Vonage or go to vonage.com to activate your adapter. You will need to provide a credit/debit card to bill the service to and the number (mac address) off of the bottom of your adapter. Within a few seconds of activating your account, the magic part happens and you have a dial tone. There is no noticeable delay when talking on the vonage line and the quality is great.

I’ve had my Vonage line since July 2005. In Mt. Zion, my bill for regular phone service was more than $50 every month regardless of how little I used the phone. I pay $26.53 per month for the $14.99 Vonage package plus $4.99 for a toll-free number. All Vonage packages are loaded with features such as call forwarding, caller id, voice mail, bandwidth saver, and call waiting, that you can manage via their website. Another very powerful feature called Network Availability number allows you to forward calls to another number (in my case a cellphone) in the event that your internet connection is broken. So there is never any danger of missing a call.

The Vonage adapter very portable in the sense that you can unplug it and take it anywhere that has broadband. For instance, I can take my adapter to the office, plug it in to a network port, and my calls come there.

Vonage is not immune to communication taxes – my bill in July of this year was $22.95 and is presently $26.53:
screen1
My control panel at vonage.com looks like this:
screen2
In conclusion, the advantage of the Vonage service is it’s flexibility. If you need to be able to control your telephonic destiny, Vonage is a good way to go.

Owner
decaturpc.com

Posted in Telephony, voip, vonage, etc. | 2 Comments »

The first bit…

Friday, October 27th, 2006

Welcome to decaturpc.com and welcome to our blog. My intentions are for the blog to be an informative but relaxed area of the website. While the remainder of the site adheres to the professional format any serious business should, we need this blog to offer our true feelings on products, services, and businesses related to personal computing. Under no circumstances do I intend to let this section of the website become obscene or offensive. I only want to loosen my tie so that I can get my points across.

Owner
decaturpc.com

Posted in General Information | No Comments »