5 Reasons why YOU should be moving to the cloud

I have written many articles about Web 2.0 or cloud computing. Cloud computing means that you work with programs and/or data that are not installed or saved on your computer. Instead, the programs and/or data live on an Internet connected computer (server) somewhere else in the world. Among other things, these computers/services provide: Security via the password and user name that you choose. Access to the service from any...

Rick’s guide to trouble free computing

In January, this web site and my business turned 16 years old. In that time, I have worked on thousands of computers ranging from the oldest DOS machines to the newest gaming and Mac monsters. My youngest client in that time has been 5 years old and my oldest was a 94 year old author writing a book for the first time on a PC. When your work in any field for a certain period of time, you start to spot patterns and...

Burning CDs with Picasa for Linux

Unfortunately, Google has not updated Picasa for Linux in almost 18 months. However, it remains a solid product for Linux users who want to easily manage their photos. I’ve tried F-Spot, but it just doesn’t seem intuitive or robust enough for everyday use. Anyway, I was helping one of my many clients using Linux Mint as their only operating system, and he needed to know how to burn CDs from Picasa. Here’s...

Downsizing my tech

I repurposed my EeePC Netbook for my nephew with a copy of Qimo Linux for kids and it works great. Not only does my nephew now have a computer that is secure & virtually trouble-free, but it also comes packed with great learning resources & games. It also allowed me to reduce my computers by one. I now carry my Toshiba 13″ laptop that dual boots Ubuntu & Windows 7. The change required me to get a new laptop...

Linux + Gmail = Computing Bliss

Last summer, I wrote an article about a senior citizen client of mine who constantly struggled with her older Windows XP machine. Updates would cause problems, the printer would stop working, security woes plagued her. She turned out to be my poster child for using Linux (in her case Ubuntu 8.10).  Check out the article (by the way, she is still doing fantastic with her computer and Ubuntu). Today, I visited another of my...

Print Preview

Sometimes the most helpful computer utilities elude us and stay hidden for years. One such utility that I find very helpful (and have taken for granted) is the Print Preview function found in almost any program that allows printing. Because Windows and Macintosh made the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment available to the masses, what we see on our screens is pretty close to what we see on our print outs....

System Engineer fed up with Windows vulnerabilitie...

Interesting article from a ZDNet author, Christopher Dawson,  who also works full-time as a school district computer engineer. Despite locking down Windows computers with security software, tweaking firewalls, and making sure all Windows updates are up to snuff, threats still sneak into their computers. I understand the frustration he exhibits in the article regarding the time and effort spent fighting these...

How to set Puppy Linux to double-click instead of ...

I use Puppy Linux to troubleshoot computers and backup data from dead hard drives. However, by default, the system automatically opens a file or folder when it is clicked just one time. For me, it seriously slows down my work. I finally learned how to set Puppy Linux to double-click instead of single click for opening folders and files. RIGHT Click on any desktop icon Click ROX-filer —> Options Click Filer windows...

Intel Helped Google with Chrome OS

This article seems to confirm a suspicion I had and wrote about upon Google’s initial announcement of the Chrome Operating System. Intel has been working with the Linux community for months developing a compelling operating system called Moblin. The Moblin project already uses the Chromium browser (Linux equivalent of Google Chrome) and seems like a natural starting spot for Google’s project. I still think that...

Senior uses Ubuntu system 14 months trouble free

Computers started making their way into homes, en masse, 15 years ago. After 15 years, computer users should not be afraid of using their computer. This case study tells the story about a customer of mine, Wanda, who happens to be in her 70s. Like most computer users she used a Windows based computer. In her case, it was a system put together by her grandson in 2002 or 2003 and has a 1.8ghz processor, 256mb of RAM and the XP...

Does the Operating System matter any more?

I tweeted the question yesterday on whether the computer operating system (OS) really matters any more. The response from the Twitter community was less than overwhelming so I want to pose the same question to you, the HelpMeRick.com community. My contention is that more and more computer functions get done in a web browser. I rarely use any other computer program other than my browser these days. I don’t print much, I...

2 laptop suggestions for college students

Millions of high schoolers will be graduating soon and will be leaving for their respective campuses (campii?) at the end of the summer. These students will more than likely go to college with a computer…probably a laptop. I would like to suggest two possible laptops ideas for these students. Both of my ideas involve good systems that will allow college kids to word process, chat, email, listen to music, watch...

First Linux Users Group Meeting

Joe has posted the notes from our fist Linux Users Group held a couple of weeks ago. Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 from Noon-1:30pm at Main Street Bagel. Keep an eye on the Grand Valley Linux Users Group web page maintained by Joe! Thanks Joe.

Portable Ubuntu lets you try out Ubuntu Linux

For a little over two years, I have been yammering on about Linux and Ubuntu. To get started using it, you need to either order a free Linux CD from the distribution of your choice or download a copy then learn how to burn a bootable CD from it. For many, this just isn’t going to happen. However, if you are extremely curious about Ubuntu and would try it if it was easier, Lifehacker just wrote an article about a new...

Advanced Linux Meeting next week

First off, I need to stress that this new group has no affiliation what-so-ever with the Grand Junction Computer Users Group, and also need to stress that it is for advanced hobbyists only. Last week, I met with Joe Mason last week who is very interested in this idea of starting an Advanced Linux Users Group. The conversation and information overwhelmed me, but also inspired me on how much more I want to learn about Linux. He...