Posts Tagged: gOS

Ubuntu Tips — 3 Comments
13
Aug 08

GOS Gadgets Operating System Preview- Video Tip

GOS stands for Good Operating System and was the operating system of choice for WalMart’s $199 Everex computer last year that they couldn’t keep in stock. GOS is a customized version of Ubuntu Linux and like most Linux operating systems is free to use and works on almost any laptop or desktop built since 2000 or so.

In this week’s video, I give you a quick overview of some of the features of GOS 3 Gadgets. You will notice an Apple like application dock complete with animations, the newest version of OpenOffice.org’s word processor, spreadsheet and presentation manager, tight integration with Google services like Gmail, Google Docs, and desktop gadgets (thus the new name).

For me, the best part of learning more about Linux is that it truly is simpler to use than Windows and is much more secure without the need of becoming a computer security expert. Take a look at the video below to see what a truly revolutionary operating system can look like…for free!

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
14
Jul 06

Maybe I should run a backup today

I spent much of my day working with a client who had lost everything on his hard drive. The motor died. We checked with a couple of data recovery services on the web and one said it would cost $1100 to recover, the other said the price would start at $599 (lowest possible estimate).

I have seen clients lose important information before and it is heart breaking, but it was what my client said later that I think is of note.

People often ask us how often they should back up or how they should backup. While the answers to these questions vary, there is one time that you should always backup everything that is important.

My client said, "I thought about backing all of this stuff up last week." If there is one indicator that you should back everything up it's when that little voice in your head says, "Gosh it sure would be awful if I lost all of this stuff." Not to be superstitious, but experience has shown me first hand on several occasions that this is often a good rule to follow.

In fact, just two weeks ago, I thought about how bad it would be if our computers were stolen or our house burned down. I have a backup hard drive and some backup DVDs, but I didn't have any backup stashed in a safe place outside of our house.

So, I went to the store, bought a big pack of dual layer DVDs and backed up every photo and important file. No crisis has come since then, but I rest easier at night.

Riding Shotgun with Adam — No Comments
23
Jun 06

So, what’s wrong with AOL?

Everybody is picking on AOL this week. MSNBC had a huge story on the poor quality of AOL's customer service and (as Rick pointed out) AOL made it to number one on PC World's "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time."

So, what's wrong with AOL? I will use an analogy to explain. Imagine a small pioneer road in the early 1800s. In the early days of roads the shortest distance between two points was any path that started and ended in convenient locales. How fast the road was to travel, the smoothness of the road, and the incline made little difference.

Imagine that AOL is this small pioneer road in the early days of the Internet. Over time new roads were built. Technology, new machinery and better understanding have lead to smoother roads, shorter journeys and faster speeds. Now imagine a modern Interstate. An Interstate provides the same ability to travel from point A to point B, but the speed limit is 75 the course is straight and the path is made of concrete. The Interstate is like those Internet Service Providers who listened to their customers complaints about their trips on the rough pioneer roads considered those complaints when developing their services.

Now, AOL (the old pioneer road folks) can do one of two things. They can improve their service, or they can change their road into a toll road and give away free 1000 hour memberships to their toll roads then create an expensive and prolific advertising program to tell everyone on the Interstate what they are missing. When this plan doesn't go so well the pioneer road department develops a new way of making money since their tolls aren't covering it. They can up the price of the toll then sell billboards every 100 feet to willing advertisers.

When tolls continue to go down and travellers become even more scarce the pioneer road department decides to place speed bumps every 50 feet and these speed bumps are also marked by advertisers logos. This is done in the name of safety. The pioneer road department becomes even more confused when their profit contines to fall so they begin to offer more safety in the form of special troops to police the roads. These special police positions are offered to any policeman willing to pay the pioneer road department for the privelidge of patroling the pioneer roads. The police are told that they don't really have to do much, they just have to look like they are working. (These police are like the AOL security programs.)

While most people discover the ease and stress free Interstate (think I-70 across Kansas) there are still some who insist that the pioneer road is the best because they have been on it all their lives and change is too difficult. For those people, AOL is raising rates once again. If you try to leave they will do their best Clint Eastwood western impression to keep you on the road.