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The Linux desktop is easier than it’s ever been and is a full featured desktop experience for the average person. Linux with the huge push from Ubuntu literally is ready for home use. Many wonder what’s holding it back.

Most of the time there are debates over this feature or that feature, but is one application or one feature really holding Linux back?

If that was taken care of, would people instantly all be Linux users?

The answer is no.

The real thing that holds Linux back is marketing.

If you take Microsoft for example you will find there are a variety of ads online as well as on television. These ads, apart form talking about advanced features, technical data, and other things that an expert user would like are mainly showing people having fun using their computers and being happy with it. They paint an interesting picture.

One must realize that it’s not talking about features that make or break an operating system. The reality is having a message that goes to the marketplace through a concerted an integrated marketing strategy where advertising is one of the pillars, but no the only one. It is a question of getting the message across and it being believable. Windows commercials don’t get customers by technical features but by using very well structured advertising campaigns.

Will Linux ever market itself like this?

That’s a difficult question because it Linux doesn’t have the resources for the type of marketing campaigns it would need to compete at the same level. Since there isn’t a profit motive behind the home desktop experience, the funds are just not there to advertise at the same levels so it may never happen.

Perhaps it is time to think a little bit further outside the box. Social webs and the like are interactive communication arenas that can get viral.

Is there any hope?

With platforms like Android, many will eventually become aware that there are other alternatives. The more alternatives that are available and are known, the higher the chances that someone will take a Linux distribution and try it out. As these platforms get more popular, open platforms might be something people want.

Really it’s a matter of time because money is not on Linux’s side for the home desktop.

Philip Robinson has been in the carpet business for over two decades from both the manufacturing and the installation side of the business. You can visit his latest website on Legato Carpet Tiles that is located over at Milliken Carpet Tiles and where you will find more information and sources for carpet tiles.

Author: Philip Robinson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Cheap Refurbished laptops could be great buys if one is looking for good features at more affordable prices. The IBM ThinkPad T41 refurbished by USANotebook is one of the best in this section and costs only $249. With Intel Pentium 1.6 GHz, 512 MB system memory, 80 GB hard drive and a CD and DVD writer, this laptop has almost all features that one would look for in day to day usage. The laptop which comes with Linux/Ubuntu software also has 32 MB video RAM, stereo speakers and 14.1 inch TFT display. A customized touchpad coupled with an Ultra-Nav dual pointing Trackpoint, WI-Fi and 2 USB ports are other utility features that make this one of the most economical amongst the cheap refurbished laptops.

The Acer Aspire One is another of the more attractive cheap refurbished laptops that has an Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz with 1024 MB and 250 GB hard drive. A Microphone jack, headphone jack, VGA and 3 USBs along with 10.1 inches LED LCD display and built in stereo speakers are other features of this laptop that comes with Windows 7 starter software. The laptop costs around $299. The Dell Inspiron Mini 10-1010 is another of the most useful cheap furbished laptops that costs only $329. The laptop comes with WinXp Home and is factory refurbished. The best features include 3-in-1 car reader, 1024 MB system memory and 160 GB hard drive, Intel Z 530 1.6 GHz processor, Intel Graphics Media accelerator, 10.1 inch screen, stereo sound and touchpad.

Amongst factory cheap refurbished laptops the Lenovo Thinkpad T60 is one of the best. It costs $399 and comes laced with WinXp pro. Intel Core Due T2400 1.83 GHz, 1024 MB, 60 GB hard drive, Intel GMA 950 display, high definition audio, Ultranav and Trackpoint CD and DVD writer are other important features of this laptop. The laptop also has high speed USB and VGA. The last of the cheap furbished laptops we will talk about is the Acer Aspire 5516-5128 with an AMD Athlon 1.64 GHz processor. The laptop costs around $449 and has 2048 system memory and 160 GB hard drive. The 15.6 inch display coupled with a display adapter of ATI Radeon 1200 gives a good viewing experience. The high definition audio, 5 in 1 card reader, touchpad Windows Vista Home Basic OS and a DVD writer are other features of this factory refurbished laptop.

For more information about Cheap Refurbished Laptops and please visit to http://www.leadgadget.com

Author: Cole Patricia
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Ext4 or Fourth Extended file system is an advanced and reliable Linux file system, which is successor of Ext3 file system. It is a journaling file system, which has emerged very quickly. It adds numerous performance improvements and remove the 64-bit data storage limitations. However, in case of system crash, you may lose your valuable data from Ext4 file system volume, due to delayed allocation. Data loss is a critical situation, which may put you in needs of Linux Data Recovery.

* Delayed Allocation is a feature of Ext4, in which the blocks need to be allocated for holding the pending writes. The disk space for appended information is subtracted from free-space counter, however not really allocated in free-space bitmap. Alternatively, appended data remains in memory until it becomes necessary to be flushed to the storage media because of memory pressure or any other reason.

In Ext4 file system, Delayed Allocation causes some extra risks of the data loss if your system gets crashed before all the data is written to hard drive.

A common situations, in which it may occur, is an application replacing contents of file without forcing the write to hard drive with ‘fsync’. The problems may occur if your system crashes before actual write operation completes. The Ext4 code generally clears the file contents before system crash and do not write new version. Ext4 uses 2.6.28 version of Linux kernel.

Modifying the behavior of Ext4 file system through ‘fsync’ can cause severe performance issues on hard drive volumes, which are mounted with data=ordered flag using Ext3 file system.

Along with the Delayed Allocation issue, there are some implementation bugs of Ext4 file system that can cause severe file system metadata corruption. In such cases, operating system cannot find the essential data structures on hard drive and thus you cannot access data stored on the Linux hard drive volumes.

Work Around

You can prevent this problem by using the 2.6.30 version of Linux kernel, which has patches to solve this problem. In such situations, Linux Recovery is the only way to get your data back.

To recover the lost data, you need to scan your hard drive using third-party Ext4 Recovery software. They perform Data Recovery Linux in all cases of logical failure and data loss. The applications are safe and easy to use.

Stellar Phoenix Linux Data Recovery is a powerful utility that ensures absolute recovery of your lost, missing, and inaccessible data from Linux hard drive. It retrieves data from Ext4, Ext3, Ext2, FAT32, FAT16, and FAT12 file system volumes. The software is usable with all major distributions of Linux operating system, such as Red Hat, Debian, Mandriva, SUSE, and Ubuntu.

Allen Sood a student of Mass Communication doing research on Ext4 Recovery, Linux Data Recovery software And Ext3 Recovery. He is also a freelancer for ext4-file-recovery.data-recovery-linux.com/

Author: Allen Sood
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A Linux hard drive is divided into primary (boot) partitions, swap partitions, and logical partitions. Entries of all these partitions are saved in a ‘partition table’. Corruption in partition table primarily occurs due to improper system shutdown, human errors, virus infection, and file system corruption. Once a partition table is corrupted, you receive a boot error message, which makes the system unbootable.

In such situations, the data stored in your hard drive becomes inaccessible. To overcome any such boot error message and to access hard drive data, a user needs to restore data from an updated backup. However, if no backup is available or it falls short of restoring required data, then s/he needs to opt for a commercial Linux Data Recovery application.

To elaborate the above problem, consider a practical scenario where you boot your Linux system and encounter:

“This doesn’t look like a partition table Probably you selected the wrong device.”

After the above error message, the system freezes and becomes unbootable leading to inaccessibility of hard drive data. In addition, this error is repeated on every attempt made to boot your system.

Cause:

The fundamental cause for the occurrence of the above error message is corruption of partition table.

Resolution:

To overcome the above partition table corruption error message and to access the hard drive data, you will need to reinstall the operating system. The process of re-installation will allow you to create new partitions and store fresh data in them. However, re-installation also deletes data from all the partitions. To overcome this, and to access lost data saved in partitions, you need to search for an effective Linux Data Recovery software.

A Linux Recovery tool uses effective scanning procedure to scan a formatted Linux hard drive and recover lost partitions. A recovery tool also recovers specified files from a particular recovered partition.

Stellar Phoenix Linux Data Recovery is a comprehensive solution to recover lost, deleted, and formatted Linux hard drive partitions. This Linux Recovery application supports Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, and FAT file systems, and recovers data from IDE, EIDE, SATA, and other types of hard drives. Compatible with almost all kinds of Linux distributions, including SlackWare, Ubuntu, Gentoo, Mandrake, and SUSE, this read only software is easy-to-use, and operate, and thereby ensures complete recovery of all your data. It has been incorporated with high-end, yet safe, algorithms, apart from various power-packed Recovery features like, SMART, Disk Imaging, Save Scan, and more.

Allen a student of Mass Communication doing research on Ext2 Recovery, Linux Data Recovery software And Ext3 Recovery. HE is also a freelancer for ext3-file-recovery.data-recovery-linux.com/

Author: Allen Sood
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Every month, Linux Journal helps readers stay on top of the fast-paced world of Linux, with tips for programing & networking, plus industry news, product reviews and gaming.

If you have an old machine that no longer has an operating system, you don’t have to throw that machine away. You can put it to good use with an operating system that doesn’t require a fast processor or big disk drive. Fortunately there are plenty of Linux distributions that will work on your old hardware and run at fairly moderate speeds even if your machine is really old. There are quite a few Linux distributions that don’t demand too much resources so that your computer will run relatively fast.

First of all, you need to stay away from distributions that use Gnome and KDE. These tend to use too many resources for old hardware and will cause the machine to lag way too much for basic applications. Look for these distributions that don’t use these graphical interfaces.

These low resource distributions are all based on Ubuntu meaning that you have access to all the debian packages that Canonical supports giving you access to tons of software.

Xubuntu is a quality distribution that doesn’t use too much power. It’s uses XFCE which will help with slower computers. This one does work well but might not be best for very, very old machines as XFCE is a bit more demanding than some other low power interfaces. This will be a bit easier because it’s basic interface works a lot like Windows which most people will be used to.

Linux Mint 6 Fluxbox Community Edition is a very high quality low resource distribution. This uses Fluxbox which will work better with computers that can’t run Xubuntu too well. This distribution has all your basic essentials. It’s layout will take a little while to get used to. Instead of a start button, you have to right click on the desktop to open your applications.

MoonOS LXDE is another good one to try. This uses LXDE which hardly uses any ram to actively run. Typically you can download LXDE but MoonOS has it all set up for you already after installing so that nothing has to be set up.

By following these tips you may be able to put an old machine to good use.

Herb likes to get the most possible use out of the technology he has on hand. Please check out his website with information on kids toy storage and details on childrens toy boxes.

Author: Herb Leibacher
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many times when people decide to use Linux as their main system, they think about buying a new computer with Linux installed on it versus having Windows on it. While this might seem like a good idea since that’s the operating system you want to use, there are actually a number of disadvantages to doing this that you need to be aware of.

Many times Linux only systems are more expensive. The reason is that these computers are not ordered in bulk meaning the costs can’t be as low as the more mass produced computers. Sometimes even the same hardware costs more with Linux than with Windows on it.

Another disadvantage is a limited selection. While you can buy more than a dozen Windows computers and install Linux yourself, you might only get one hardware set up that comes with Linux. Doing it on your own on a Windows system, gives you more choice.

If you get a Linux only system, you don’t have the option of dual booting. This is a problem at times because you just lose out on the option if you every want to boot up in Windows to use certain software.

At times, you can get a refund on the cost that you paid to get Windows put on your system. This means you can’t use the Windows side, but you will be able to save even more money on your computer.

This is not to say to use Windows over Linux. It’s just that you can get a better deal if you install Linux yourself on the hardware. The one thing you need to make sure of is that you buy a computer that has hardware that is going to work with Linux. One tip is to use Wubi to help you install a Ubuntu to your system making dual booting very easy without all the technical hassles that you can face.

Sid enjoys writing about health and nutrition, and has a specific interest in cooking healthily. His interests include kitchen appliances like commercial toaster ovens.

Author: Sid Dowser
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The Ext2 (second extended) file system is an advanced file system for Linux kernel. It is possible to resize the Ext2, while it is mounted. This is possible using the ext2 online utility. However, you should always have a complete and valid backup of your mission critical data before mounting an online or mounted file system. In case anything goes wrong, you may come encounter serious data loss situations, which requires Linux recovery software to be fixed.

You can resize only the mounted Ext2. In order to use the ext2online utility, you must have Online ext2 resize support (CONFIG_EXT2_RESIZE) option enabled in your Linux Kernel. You can enable this feature after applying appropriate patch for 2.x kernel series.

The files system, which is specified by the device, or the mountpoint must be mounted currently. By default, the mounted files system is enlarged to fill up the device. If you have specified an optional size parameter, then it uses the specified size instead. If optional modifier is not available, it is taken from Ext2 blocks.

The ext2 online utility doesn’t modify size of actual storage device. When you want to enlarge it, you should expand underlying storage device first. You can do it online for the logical volumes, using the lvextend tool that combines files system resizing and LV extensions.

The original architecture or design of Ext2 doesn’t provide online resizing option. There are some limitations to the amount of resizing, that you can do while your file is mounted. Without any preparation, you can resize Ext2 to next 256 MB range for 1 KB, 2 GB for 2 KB, and 16 GB for 4 KB.

You should always keep in mind that resizing the mounted file system is integrally risky and causes corruption. At this point, Linux data recovery becomes essential.

Linux recovery is best possible using advanced and powerful third-party applications, known as Ext2 Recovery software. With interactive graphical user interface and read-only conduct, they are totally safe and easy to use in all data loss situations.

Stellar Phoenix Linux Data Recovery software ensures absolute recovery of lost Linux data using high-end scanning techniques. The software recovers data from Ext4, Ext3, Ext2, FAT32, FAT16, and FAT12 volumes. It works well with all major distributions of Linux operating system, including Red Hat, SUSE, Mandriva, Fedora, and Ubuntu.

Kuldeep a techno geek is a technical writer doing research on different file system in linux like Ext2, Ext3. And Ext4. He is also interested in linux data recovery, Ext2 Recovery And Ext3 recovery. He is currently working with http://www.data-recovery-linux.com/

Author: Kuldeep Kulmii
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are thinking of switching to Linux or trying it out, there are some things that you need to know about as a newbie to Linux. It’s not quite as simple as downloading Linux and installing it to your machine. There are many different projects and things that you should know about to make your Linux experience better.

Different Distributions:

A distribution is a version of Linux. There are thousands of applications. Some groups of people take certain ones and package them together with certain settings. They do this so that everything is confirmed to work together in a logical format.

There are hundreds of distributions, but be sure to check out Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, Arch, and Slackware. Each of these is a little different with different interfaces and applications.

Different Graphical User Interfaces – GUIs:

There are different interfaces that you will see in different distributions. The most popular are KDE and Gnome. There are also ones for slower, older computers like XFCE and Fluxbox. Try out each one of these until you find what you really want and enjoy using.

To a new user each one will look like a different operating system. In reality it is just a difference in the way you interact with programs and applications.

Different Settings:

You are going to be used to doing things a certain way if you have used a Mac or Windows. At first it’s going to be frustrating when you know how to do something on your old system but have not been able to figure it out with Linux yet. Take your time.

Be prepared to learn.

Linux is different than other operating systems. Be prepared to learn. If you approach Linux with the idea that you are exploring and learning new things, it can be fun. If you expect it to be perfect the first time you use it, be prepared for frustration.

I have many interests that span a wide area, but include technology and home issues. Some of my latest musing can be found at Clear Plastic Boxes and also Small Plastic Containers.

Author: Harold Baldwin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The owners of personal computers have marveled at all of the things these machines, these ‘little boxes with monitor and mouse attached’ can do. A computer can only do the amazing things that it does because of the software stored on its hard drive. The software or programs contain hundreds, even thousands of lines of code, which tells the computer what to do. Typically, if you purchase a computer at a retail location, it comes with certain software pre-installed. Often this includes the operating system, some games and word processing software. Manufacturers have license agreements with certain software manufactures and this often dictates what kinds of software you find on a newly purchased machine.

However, software publishers, especially commercial or enterprise publishers, have a keen interest in protecting their software property rights. This falls under an area of copyright law known as “Intellectual Property”, and while a full discussion of intellectual property law is beyond the scope of this article, a few points are relevant here. Intellectual property law protects the property rights in creative and inventive endeavors and gives creators and inventors certain exclusive economic rights, generally for a limited time, to deal with their creative works or inventions. This provision is right and fair. However, commercial software owners have typically sought to extend their rights beyond what many consider reasonable.

The result is that many smart computer users have sought alternatives to the commercial software publisher and they have found it with software publishers who embrace the GNU or General Public License (GPL). Under a GPL the end-user is given significant permission, such as permission to redistribute, reverse engineer, or otherwise modify the software. The GPL is a form of open source license. Open source programs are programs that make the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge.

Open source programs with a GPL license provide exciting new opportunities for you and I because it means the computer user is no longer forced to buy commercial or enterprise software, otherwise known as retail or “off the shelf” software in order for their computer to do those amazing things they have come to expect. Many people have taken their computers; machines bought from major retail outlets, and completely erased the hard drive. Why? They see the collective cooperation and efforts to maintain and modify computer program code collectively as not only freeing, but as more responsive to the users of these programs.

Making the underlying source code freely available means that when problems in a program are discovered, the users can modify it, fix it and potentially make it better in some respects than the original program. While the copyright with open source software still remains with the original publisher, the fact that any user can use and modify the original program provides significant advantages over proprietary retail software. One of the most significant advantages has already been mentioned.

Software licenses can generally be fit into one of two distinct categories: proprietary licenses and open source licenses. The main distinction of proprietary software licenses is that the software publisher grants a license to use one or more copies of software, but that ownership of those copies remains with the software publisher. One example of such a proprietary software license is the license for Microsoft Windows. As is usually the case with proprietary software licenses, this license contains an extensive list of activities that are restricted, such as: reverse engineering, simultaneous use of the software by multiple users, and publication of benchmarks or performance tests. However with an open source license ownership of a particular copy of the software does not remain with the software publisher. Instead, ownership of the copy is transferred to the end-user. As a result, the end-user is, by default, afforded all rights granted by copyright law to the copy. In addition to all the additional rights granted open source software users, this software is available free of charge for anyone to download, if you know where to look.

People have taken their computers, erased them and instead installed an entire collection of open source alternatives beginning with the operating system. An excellent open source operating system available free for anyone to download from the Internet is Linux. There are different variations of Linux available, but one of the most popular is Ubuntu because it is user friendly, easy to install and looks surprisingly similar in its graphical user interface to what they are already familiar with.

However, if you want to leave your computer’s operating system alone and install open source software for free, that is a hassle free and fiscally responsible way to go. Many people don’t realize that for every commercially available retail piece of software available, there is a free, open source program that you can download for free that performs as well or better than its retail competitor. Often, these programs outperform the retail competition

Companies like Source Forge provide wonderful programs freely available for anyone to download. Here are some examples of programs that you can find online. Want a free anti-virus; try Win Clam or AVG Free. Maybe you want a free Office Suite comparable and compatible with Microsoft Office. It is available in Open Office from Sun Microsystems. Perhaps you are a photographer and you want an alternative to Photoshop. Do a Google search for “Gimpshop” if that is the case. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of free high quality programs available for immediate download and use on the Internet.

It is important to know where to look for these programs. At the end of this article there are links to valuable resources in this respect. One simple trick you can use is to put the words “open source” plus the resource type you are looking for in a Google search. For example, the search term “open Source antivirus” will bring list free antivirus programs. It is true that you need to know how to properly search to separate the good from the not so good, but with a little knowledge and patience, you will uncover some gems. Soon you will wonder why you ever paid retail for proprietarily licensed programs. There is nothing wrong with the commercial software available at your local “big box” store or neighbourhood computer retailer, but with so many advantages, variety, and quality found in so many free general public licensed programs, why not give them a try?

For more information, please visit the “Save Hundreds on Software” tab at the top navigation bar of [http://www.learnherenow.com] You will find additional articles on this website. Please check out our sister site at [http://www.stevenmilbrandt.com] Thank you. It is hoped you find this article both helpful and informative.

Author: Steven Milbrandt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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First, syslog-ng
I use Ubuntu, so I can also use their practical package manager and run

apt-get install syslog-ng

Then whip up /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng.conf in your favourite editor and add this to the configuration.

source s_net {

udp(ip(10.0.0.58) port(514));

tcp(ip(10.0.0.58) port(51400));
};

The 10.0.0.58 should be the IP address that you want syslog-ng to listen on, it has to be bound up to the server that runs syslog-ng.

Also add this to make syslog-ng write to a special pipe:

destination d_mysql {
pipe(“/tmp/mysql.pipe”
template(“INSERT INTO logs (host, facility, priority, level, tag, date,
time, program, msg) VALUES ( ‘$HOST’, ‘$FACILITY’, ‘$PRIORITY’, ‘$LEVEL’,'$TAG’,
‘$YEAR-$MONTH-$DAY’, ‘$HOUR:$MIN:$SEC’, ‘$PROGRAM’, ‘$MSG’ );n”) template-escape(yes));
};

And to make things that comes from s_net go to d_mysql:

log {

source(s_net);

destination(d_mysql);
};

Make a pipe that syslog-ng can write to with this command:

mkfifo /tmp/mysql.pipe

MySQL
Setup the MySQL database like this:

CREATE DATABASE syslog
USE syslog

CREATE TABLE logs (
host varchar(32) default NULL,
facility varchar(10) default NULL,
priority varchar(10) default NULL,
level varchar(10) default NULL,
tag varchar(10) default NULL,
date date default NULL,
time time default NULL,
program varchar(15) default NULL,
msg text,
seq int(10) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment,
PRIMARY KEY (seq),
KEY host (host),
KEY seq (seq),
KEY program (program),
KEY time (time),
KEY date (date),
KEY priority (priority),
KEY facility (facility)
) TYPE=MyISAM;

# Also create the user, replace username and password
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON syslog.* TO syslogng@localhost IDENTIFIED BY ‘mypassword’;

Run this command to pipe the queries to MySQL, preferably in a screen or make a script that can run it in the background.

mysql -u syslogng –password=mypassword syslog Cisco Syslog Configuration
Now all you have to do on the cisco router is one simple command to make it log to the syslog database.

Router(config)# logging 10.0.0.58

This will make the Cisco Router send all logging output to the syslog-ng process on 10.0.0.58

I have made a simple PHP page that makes the syslog output more viewable, it is something one can do with ease.

Look for more cisco related tips and tricks on my website!

Espen Holm Nilsen is a network technician for a Norwegian ISP, you can find his Cisco Network blog at http://www.gho.no/

Author: Espen Holm Nilsen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In my youth I used to copy programs from friends to use on my computer. When I found out that this was called piracy, I tried for awhile to ignore my conscience, but eventually decided I needed to ‘Go Legal.’ Problem was, I didn’t have the cash to buy all the software I needed. To my surprise, I found out that most of what I needed was free!

So, if you are in a similar situation, here are some leads to free software. If the phrase is in capitals, put that into Google as your search term to find the correct page.

If you need an Office suite of programs, ie. Word processor, Excel type spreadsheet program, Presentations program and Database program, it’s all for free and is Microsoft office comaptible from Sun Microsystems. It’s called OPENOFFICE, and version 2.4 is about the latest. It’s about 130MB, so it might take awhile to download. You can download an earlier version, which is smaller, if you want to save money on your downloading costs.

If you need to view and print one of the new Microsoft Word documents, like a .docx type, Microsoft offer a free download of the WORD VIEWER program. If you already have an old version of Word and you want to open the newer type of document, there is another free program called the FILEFORMAT CONVERTER, which will enable you to view these new fangled doc files.

If you want a nice audio program, that can load and play a whole bunch of stuff, and also converts from one format to another, and allows you to edit and record, try AUDACITY. It’s an open source program and works very nicely. Also remember that Microsofts Media Player is also free, if you are running Windows operating system on your PC. You might just have to authenticate your version of Windows with them.

If you want an operating system, and can’t afford Windows XP or Vista, there are quite a lot of Linux versions out there which are free. Try looking for UBUNTU LINUX which is a free version from Mark Shuttleworth (Remember the Russian Space Tourist…) You can also email him, and he will send you a totally free double CD (or 10!) so that you can get it even if you haven’t got a computer yet!

To easily set up all the funny settings in your computer, download the little utility TWEAKUI and just run it by double clicking it. There’s a whole pile of things that you can do with it. And it’s made by the Microsoft guys. It’s not very big, so it will download quickly.

If you need photediting software, there is a program called IRFANVIEW for image manipulation that’s free. Also GIMP which is free, but it would be my second choice.

If you need an Anti Virus program, a very good one, that I use myself, is AVG FREE edition. The latest version is 8.0 or above. It’s about 47MB to download, and it will want to update itself everyday, so just make sure you go through all the settings before you forget. You can turn the update feature to manual if you don’t want to be downloading things every day.

If you want Bible software, like free Bible versions, Free commentries, all downloadable and able to be installed on your computer, try looking for E–SWORD. It’s amazing how this stuff can be free.

If you need to read a PDF file, you can download the ADOBE ACROBAT READER for free.

There are many many other free things available. The list above is just a drop in the ocean of what’s available. But at least this will get most of the average guys immediate needs sorted out, and you don’t have to be a pirate any longer !

Duncan Kelly

To get CLICKABLE LINKS to all the above mentioned downloads, plus others not mentioned, please visit the WrinklyO Web Node at http://wrinklyo.googlepages.com

Click on the Free Software Links title to go to the correct page.

A lot of other items are there that you may just be interested in.
Check out the Promotions and Special Offers Page!

May you have a successful and low cost day!

Duncan Kelly

Author: Duncan Kelly
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: WordPress plugin Guest Blogger

There are many types of laptops from which to choose, however, choosing the best one is often a challenging process especially for those who aren’t particularly tech savvy. There are many variables that contribute to the quality of a laptop such as the CPU speed, number of CPU cores, hard drive space, screen size, RAM, and much more.

Today, electronic storage is relatively cheap and some high-end laptops can have as much as 1TB or more hard drive space. This is in stark contrast to the now trending “netbooks” which can have as little as 4GB of storage. However, netbooks can be a very useful extra computer to have in case you ever need a backup laptop or if extreme portability is an issue. Because of their small size, netbooks are becoming increasingly popular and are even being purchased in greater quantities than regular laptops.

One good rule of thumb to keep in mind when choosing a good laptop is that bigger is usually better. This applies to hard-drive space, CPU speeds and cores, the amount of RAM, and more. However, as with any set of rules, there are exceptions. One such exception is the amount of CPU cores. While many laptops have a single or duo-core processor, other laptops offer the option of a quad-core processor.

This will not impact their use but slightly. This is due to the fact that each processor core can handle one task at a time (though they handle these tasks with extraordinary speed) and for many users, two cores can handle their everyday tasks with ease. Finally, when choosing a new laptop computer the operating system is perhaps the most important thing to consider. While each has its benefits and many people will end up with the most current Windows operating system, it wouldn’t hurt to consider other options such as OS X Snow Leopard or Ubuntu. There are many options to consider when choosing a new computer, so keep in mind these basic tips for choosing a good laptop.

P.S. Orr has been writing articles for 6 years on a variety of topics that include health interests and product reviews. Visit the latest website at http://www.highbackofficechairsshop.com/ which helps people find the best deals on an ergonomic back chair and more info about comfortable office seating.

Author: P.S. Orr
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Sometime during the 1950′s television sets had begun to become widely available and fairly affordable. Noting this point as the advent of entertainment focused telecommunications; art had begun to be understood as a trivial distraction to conservative intellectuals. The vegetating trance of the television, typically allowing the mind to enter a state of ‘cruise control,’ could be attributed to the public’s low level of input towards programming. Although the Internet seems to descend from this legacy of infotainment, something quite different is going on. While television preaches endless forms of false happiness through consumerism, the design of the contemporary web aims to facilitate “creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users (Wikipedia – Web 2.0)” This arrangement comprises the core methodology of the Open Source Revolution that is beginning to reshape our traditions and lead us towards a new renaissance of gnosis.

Philosopher Terence McKenna, reminding us that “culture is not your friend (1999),” advises to resist the epistemological disease of autocratic content by creating our own art. Through venues such as Youtube and MySpace, music, art, film, and photography, even mildly entertaining, is now able to draw large audiences and develop into a well received meme. Further, the Wiki archetype has effectively turned the amateur into the expert. McKenna often refers to a revival of the archaic, which is set to take place as a reaction to the patriarchal model of the elite handing knowledge down, and forsaking personal revelation. The proliferation of open source programs, granting users the ability to freely edit and redistribute computer software, manifests the artistic position towards which society must move. The world is shrinking in to a global village thru mass media, and the common majority must take direct control in order to reconnect and reconcile into cosmic consciousness.

The term ‘global village’ is often used metaphorically to describe the internet and World Wide Web. Philosopher Marshall McLuhan predicted that a global village would be tribal in character. The open source operating system Ubuntu, a distribution of Linux (a prime example of free software and open source development), derives its name from the South African philosophical notion of humanitarianism. Interestingly, this juxtaposition of concept and utility represents the new archetype of culture towards which the Open Source Revolution is driving. Projects such as Wikipedia, an open content encyclopedia, are able to maintain their integrity, accuracy, and scope through an effort of community and collaboration. The Open Source Revolution lends new drive to innovation, epistemology, peer support, and ultimately an altruism that trumps the capitalist agenda of elitism. I feel that we must adopt the concept of Open Source as a new organizational model for society.

What is your opinion? Think closed software is more reliable, with better support? Or are you championing the Open Source Movement? Please comment!

Anthony Pace, a writer, philosopher, and web developer, blogs at [http://philosophy-explained.com]

Author: Anthony J Pace
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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