Category: Linux

I love my web host

Taking a break from the Eee love to give some love to ICDSoft. Even though there are web hosts out there who appear to give better deals (“unlimited bandwidth,” for example), I’ve found ICDSoft an absolute pleasure to work with over the years. The uptime is almost 100%, the customer service is friendly and prompt… Continue reading I love my web host

Welcome to the Eee: My computer just got downsized

Since the Linux model isn’t sold in stores, and the Windows model is supposed to arrive about now but reports are mixed about its actual availability at Best Buy (brick and mortar, anyway), I’m starting up a little section here devoted especially to the Eee, because I feel this is where computers are headed. If… Continue reading Welcome to the Eee: My computer just got downsized

The truth about open source and piracy

There are a lot of stereotypes about Linux users as socially awkward too-long-bearded 30-somethings living in their parents’ basements hacking illegally into government servers and indulging in “free” software that’s really pirated software. After all, isn’t that why Linux users use filesharing programs like Frostwire or visit sites like PirateBay? The truth is that many… Continue reading The truth about open source and piracy

I don’t know about “the desktop,” but Linux appears to be ready for the ultra-mobile PC

I don’t like arguments about whether or not Linux is “ready for the desktop,” because I think that phrase is basically meaningless. What I have always contended about Linux, since I started using it in 2005, however, is that Linux preinstalled and properly configured is perfectly fine for most home users’ basic needs: web browser,… Continue reading I don’t know about “the desktop,” but Linux appears to be ready for the ultra-mobile PC

What do grocery stores and operating systems have in common?

Who would have ever thought I’d be comparing Trader Joe’s to Ubuntu? Well, in recent years, a lot of the grocery stores in our neighborhood have been closing down, so Trader Joe’s is one of the few still around. When my wife and I started shopping there originally, we made a regular habit of shopping… Continue reading What do grocery stores and operating systems have in common?

Linux can be Windows sometimes, can’t it?

Quite frequently on the Ubuntu Forums, someone will make a suggestion that Ubuntu (and/or Linux distros in general) adopt a feature or approach that Windows has to handling a task. Inevitably, someone else will counter that Linux is not Windows and then link to the appropriately titled article “Linux is not Windows.” The problem is… Continue reading Linux can be Windows sometimes, can’t it?

Without education, it doesn’t matter which OS is “more secure”

In Linux online communities, oftentimes there are debates about which operating is the most secure—Windows or a Linux-based distribution. The debates usually go something like this: Do I have to worry about security in Linux the way I did in Windows? No, you don’t have to. Linux is much more secure. But isn’t that just… Continue reading Without education, it doesn’t matter which OS is “more secure”

File Recovery Fun

She thought she was doing everything right. She wanted to departition her computer and reinstall Windows. So she backed up all her files to an external hard drive, deleted all the partitions and reformatted as NTFS, then reinstalled Windows. She didn’t remember she still had her backup drive still plugged in, though, when she was… Continue reading File Recovery Fun