2009 is the year of the Linux desktop

Now that the early adopters have switched over to Linux it is time for the mass market crowd to switch. Mind you--most people will not switch until Linux is all you can buy at the box stores. People are a lot like sheep and think they can not change the world. Reality is far different. In 2008 I talked 25 people into using Ubuntu as there main Operating System. I venture to say those 25 people will have a hard time changing back into supporting Microsoft again unless Windows 7 is a lot better than Vista was. In 2009 a reasonable goal for me should 100 (4 times the number of Ubuntu Newbies there was 2008). There are two main factors that enable me to make such a bold prediction. One, people won't be able to buy Windows XP in a couple of months and Vista doesn't run on netbooks very well (at least compared to Ubuntu) and two, people are becoming more stingy/sophisticated with their money and don't want spyware and crapware (trial programs) pre-install without asking for an extreme discount.

Christmas is a time for "Giver"

File sharing has come a long way since the birth of Christ. In fact only this year has M$ given permission for the Samba team to inter-operate with windows file sharing. In Linux, Network file sharing (NFS) works good for offices, but on a home network where computers are always changing this program called Giver is what you need. It is in the default Ubuntu repositories so takes only a minute to try out. The Google team has made another useful user friendly program. It uses ports in the 45000 range so no worrying about port setup/blocking. This is a great program and if you want more help go to Ubuntuforums Just make sure you are on the same subnet. For more info see Jorge our fearless Ubuntu upstream rep.

Why Gmail is so Great

My friend Cathy came over today and asked me "Why is gmail better than hotmail" The reason is that gmail doesn't Spam your email recipients. Hotmail does. Hotmail Spams via their attachments onto your email. The bottom line on your email is where most people put their signature is now controlled by Microsoft. Let me explain it a different way. Spam is something in your inbox that you didn't request. The reason why Microsoft wants to get more monies via Spamming others is anybodies guess. Google's approach is so much more human because they let you use their email service without requiring you to spam your friends. Thanks Google So in conclusion, if you want to help Microsoft spam more people, then keep using your hotmail / live account. If you want to help people get less Spam then use gmail.

Friend Connect

I added Friend Connect to my website. This is a lot like face book, but without the ads and the stealing your pictures after upload them just to generate more traffic to face book. This is the start of a standard way to share with friends who are interested in similar info.

One more reason to get rid of hotmail.

If you are a Landlord or Tenant and need to file a depute you can not do it with hotmail. Please Microsoft give up your proprietary ways and join open standards.

Dell Mini 9 and Empathy vs Skype

Well I received my Dell Mini 9 that I ordered 2 months ago to the day. 60 days to received my order from Dell, that has to be a record. Started to wonder if the computer would be obsolete before I could use it. I wrote this on dell.ca, but they deleted it probably to keep other buyer still spending money. It sure is nice to have your own blog where you can put any info you want. I enjoy reading other peoples blogs better than reviews, because you know there is no hidden agenda. Sure if you post a review on a sellers website it might be relevant info for the nest buyer, but how many reviews get deleted? It is best to use Google's blog search or have your friends buy the device before you do. In this case I have done so and I recommend the Dell Mini 9. It is small and easy to use and uses the most GPL Licensed software of any other Linux machine on the market. Now to get Empathy running. Did you know the XMPP is 10 years old. It was conceived the same time as the ISS. The International Space Station has gone from only 20 tones to over 300 tons in 10 years. Empathy will do more heavy lifting than Skype will every do.

Cookies and why they are bad.

I came across this cookie monster picture and because cookies are coming more and more common because of web 2.0, it seem appropriate to comment on why enabling cookies on your browser can be bad. To turn them off go to edit -> Preferences. Tracking cookies, placed on your computer without your knowledge or your consent, are definitely spy-ware. This is what face-book and eBay do, they track what you view with your computer and build a user profile to get you to buy more stuff from them. Be careful. Most sites are good and use the cookies to help you browse more effectively. To limit your risk I would enable delete cookies every time you close your browser.

The headaches of Software

I got to try out Linpus Linux this weekend. After reinstalling the system because of a forgotten password we were ready to hook up the printer. The Canon Pixma ip2200 isn't found in the Acer Aspire One repositories so I had to download 2 rpms (yes it is fedora based)from Canon's website. Acer sure doesn't make these mini notebooks easy to configure a least compared to the Dell Mini 9. Also the keyboard on the Dell is easier than the Acer. Companies need to spend more time helping Linux contributors out so they can sell products that are easier to use.
Even the Dell Mini 9 (the one I recommend) doesn't use the full one gig of RAM by default. You have to recompile your kernel to get the full use of all the memory you bought. Mind you for $389 how can you go wrong. Why not give everyone who edits dells help pages free credit vouchers. Most of the current crop of Linux users are power users. I guess this will change by 2009 when there will be more laptops running Linux than Windows XP thanks to all the mini notebooks getting sold with Linux pre-installed.

How to connect to Rogers 3g network

I tried to get this Dell Inspiron 1525n Laptop onto the Rogers mobile network via their Internet Stick, but no luck. It might have been my Ubuntu setup, but I usally first blame the ISP. I wonder if someone knows what settings I should have entered. The girl at Rogers says "it automatically should work". One guy said I should try these settings. Has anyone gotten this to work?
* Name: Rogers
* APN: internet.com
* Username: wapuser1
* Password: wap
* MCC: 302 - should be preset correctly
* MNC: 72 - should be preset correctly (if 72 does not work, try 720)
I found this link helpfull. http://www.timetraveller.org/rogers/

How to connect to a wifi router

After clicking on the power indicator stairs on your top panel you need to go and select which Wireless Router you want to connect to indicated by the drop down list. In this example only Fon_Free_Internet would allow you to connect without knowing the wireless password. Click on the network of your choice and if it is a secured Router then enter the password and press enter.

I started using Empathy to Jabber (bye Pidgin)

The neat thing about Empathy 2.24.1 is that it supports VOIP, sure it has some bugs, but what software doesn't? It works great for chatting or talking with all my Jabber (Gtalk) friends and hey, it is open what can be better than this?

Sales pitch

In Hythe Internet down to $6.25 per month and phone lines down to $2.50 per month and Software is Free.  It is time to start sharing the wealth. Come and Learn what Ubuntu can do for you.

Dell Inspiron 1525 running Intrepid 8.10

href="http://www.ubuntu.com/">Well I received my new Dell Inspiron 1525 and thought I would upgrade to Intrepid right away because I need empathy voice (gtalk). I hit AltF2 and typed in "update-manger -d" and received over 1 gig of data. Restarted and no sound. SAD! I phoned Dell at their Ubuntu support number 1866-662-1947 and they tried to pass me off to windows support because my Express Service Code told them I had a windows laptop. 35 minutes later they agreed to help me asked me to go to termial. Waiting eagerly to type something they instead sent me to linux.dell.com and tried to get me to click on Ubuntu on Dell and type "sound" in the search field which got me to sound problem page - still no sound. SAD! So, Dell help told me it was not a hardware issue so they couldn't help me. SAD Believeing in the Open Source Idea I thought I would got to Launchpad so see if this was a bug. It is. GREAT! typing in "pulseaudio -k" tells me the kernel as "failed to find dlopen loader."
Solution
Go to System > Preferences > Sound and change every field to ALSA

Now I am happily using gtalk to do my VOIP over XMPP

Come Learn What Ubuntu is!

Come Learn What Ubuntu
is! Featuring the Newest Dell
Laptops

When: Saturday, November
1, 2008 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Come & Go.

Where: 9904 – 101
Avenue, Hythe, Alberta (kidicorner to the curling
rink),
Making it Easier to
Exchange Ideas by using the best of Open Source Software
Email: amendt@gmail.com Phone: 780-833-2570 Website: www.Amendt.net

What does Ubuntu mean?

As we all set aside time to help 8.10 become better I cannot but help feel like a better person. "A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed." Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Do you value "Free" or "Freedom"?

Yesterday, I helped 2 people start on their road to Freedom. It took me all day. He is a power user and some programs like Outlook lock your information in so that exporting contacts and other info can become strenuous. Sure he needed some proprietary software, but the road to justice is long.
Today RIM went down 25% and I could help but think how open software now has the green light thanks to Google's Android. A smart phone is only as good as it's software and most application developers are switching from the iphone and RIM to the Android because of how bad Apple is treating them. Will we soon see a day when the Lords of software become extinct? The next step is to remove proprietary codecs on websites so everyone can enjoy the websites. Come on www.cfofgp.com let Firefox browsers access your info.

Dell Mini 9 / Open Source Computing

I just ordered 3 Dell Inspiron Mini 9 computers. If you want one,let me know or a least stop over and see what all the fuss is about. It is like being green. The more you use open source software the better you make software for everyone. Not everyone subscribes to this rss feed so it might take awhile for people to stumble upon it.
I put the 8 gig harddrive in as well as the 1 gig memory so it cost me the same as the Windows XP mini, but I don't have to contend with all the pre-installed crapware, and trying to keep Microsoft's software running via virus removal software.

Open Wifi enables peoples to colaberate more!

I sign up Marshall yesterday to see I could make him the 1 millionth member, but we are already 80,000 over. I am proud to be a member of this wonderful Community whereby each individual makes a small contribution to create a huge merit for all participating members. We need this, because my new Rogers Iphone only downloads via wifi. Ask me how you can join fon.

Open Source enables peoples to colaberate more!

How did google release such a good browser the first time? It is because Chrome is built using the open source principles ie. it used Webkit as it's rendering engine and produced V8 (improved javascript) for others to enjoy. We all are on this earth to help each other. Go ahead do a good deed for someone today.

Why I believe in Linux. It is the best!

Is it really necessary for some man to run the 100 meters faster the 9.69 seconds? I would say YES! If we sued everyone that used the same technique that Usain Bolt used would we ever get faster than 9.69? No Life is about helping the next generation look farther for having stood on your shoulders Every time people colaberate society is better off, we are better off. We can try to sue each other ,but only the lawyers win then. Don't sign a non disclosure agreement until you know the consequences of your actions, not just for you but for the good of society. http://ostatic.com/172141-blog/why-switch-to-linux

How far back do your linux memories go?

Back in Stallman’s day at the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), computer software was shared. If you created a program to perform a particular task, you offered it to practically anyone who wanted it. Alternatively, if you found an existing program wasn’t adequate or had a bug, you improved it yourself, and then made the resulting program available to others. People might use your improved version, or they might not; it was up to them. This way of sharing software was disorganized and done on an ad hoc basis, but came about of its own accord. Nobody questioned it, and it seemed the best way of doing things. There certainly wasn’t any money involved, any more than there would be money involved in one friend explaining an idea to another.

Which vehicle to use?

Getting tempted

Asus or trip to Kenuso Falls

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Firefox - the best browser.

We so much of web design depending upon which browser you use to. I was glad to see the improvements in Firefox 3 I use it a lot for gmail and boy does it fly 53msec to load the next email. Compare that to IE7 which comes in at 423 msec almost 100 times slower. Good thing Vista only works on high horse power machines. My UMPC doesn't me just fine and look and the battery life diffence. Thanks mozilla for creating a standards compliant web browser!

DD-WRT Routers

With version 24 now available and Staples having a sale on their routers I thought I would whip down to Staples and buy a couple. Little Al and me did just that. Arriving back I find that the D-Link WBR-2310 and the D-Link WBR-1310 are part of the Known Incompatible devices. Anyone up for a trip back to Staples? I need to find something that works on DD-WRT software. Well I made it back from Staples and got the dd-wrt software working on the Linksys WRT160N I set it up to work like a Repeater Bridge. If Cisco would allow me to do this with their default software I would be a happy man. Please do this at home.

Linux has arrived in box stores.

Well it has happened!!! Open Source software is now getting preloaded in the box stores in Canada. You can see for yourself at your local Staples store. The Eee pc has made it to their shelves. I know a lot of you thought I was wasting my time debugging linux, but now you can see the fruits of our labours without even having to install it. Maybe the world is getting better. This is rarer that rainbow aroura siteing.

Skype vs Empathy vs Pidgin

One of the last hick-ups in Linux is going to be resolved this year thanks to Mike and others. XMPP needs voice and video. Communication needs to be free of license patents.

Vista versus Ubuntu

Why am I a great IT guy? It is because I am lazy. How might laziness be a good thing?, you ask.I choose to do things well so I don't have to redo them again. In Linux people can use other people's hard work without worrying about getting sued. In Vista, Microsoft will sue or a least threaten to sue so you don't know if the work you do will be available to you in a few years. If Bill wants to help out the poor he should be releasing more code under the GNU License instead of creating the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Does it make any sense to trick poor people into vendor lockin only to help them out via cash hand outs? Ubuntu the Operating System that keeps on giving.

Ubuntu 8.04 in now available. Hardy Heron

Anytime someone donates time or money to a cause they feel like they belong. I added some sweat to this latest Operating System so I feel I can promote it. Even Bill Gates is starting to fight Linux so we must be getting close to wide spread acceptance of Open Source Software. :) You might have to learn more about psychology in order to understand how truth is accepted. I am very happy with this OS and when you compare it to Vista or Leopard you will be thankful that I installed it on your computer systems or got it pre-installed from Dell. I have been doing installs and teaching on Ubuntu and if your in the market for a new computer and what to understand how to use it. I can sell you a Linux computer and a support package. You will be glad you did. Want a taste click here.

Dell Laptop 1525n

Well I finally received my Dell laptop pre-installed with Ubuntu. It is a nice machine. So nice that a friend bought it from me. I guess I have to order another one. I could help change the world to Linux one laptop at a time. Let me know if I should order you the most secure laptop in the world.

I am busy Trying to get Hardy to crash

With less than one month until Ubuntu 8.04 is out we better start finding some errors I did have 3 programs crash on me but f-spot has already been fixed. So I just reported the other 2 crashes. I sure enjoy Transmission and Miro TV watching will never be the same. Even the CBC has released a DRM-free show via a torrent file. It is great living in 2008.

Linux Laptops Now Available In Canada, Almost

Well I woke up this morning to find that Dell is selling Linux in Canada. I have been waiting 3 years for this.
Inspiron 1525 for $649 (Core Duo with Intel X3100)
XPS M1330 for $949 (Core 2 Duo with Intel X3100)
Inspiron 530 for $579
I got all the way to Dell Checkout when it gave me the following error.
Error: We are experiencing My Account log in issues. The e-mail address and password may not be registered to the Dell Canada Website.
Too bad there server doesn't allow for Firefox Linux users.
We are almost there Dell. We just need to change your server from Microsoft-IIS/6.0 to Linux.
How many years do we have to wait?

Thank you for joining FON

I made it. Thanks to you!

A lot of you were wondering if I ever was going to make it to 100 Jabber contacts. Well, it happened. I am out of purgatory. The guy that saved me is from Australia and yes he is part of the Ubuntu community. David Chrisnall gives an informative answer as to why Jabber is such an important Instant Messaging system. I think your Jabber Identification (JID) will become more important than your email/PSTN # because it supports VOIP, and better collaboration between people. The next social networking tool is not facebook, it is knowing and using your JID. Even AOL now uses jabber.