Ubuntu is becoming so routine for me, that I have nothing to report. And that is a good thing in my opinion…no problems, no worries. I haven’t touched my Windows Vista or XP machine since starting this learning quest 10 days ago. In fact, my Visa machine sits beside me right now in the OFF position, and my XP laptop is probably feeling neglected in its bag.
I will do another Ubuntu tip for tomorrow. If you have suggestions, leave a comment below!
After using this laptop for a solid week plus, I see pluses and minuses in laptop use. The Ubuntu continues to roll along perfectly. With Ubuntu, for the moment anyway, there is no need to install anti-virus or anti-spyware software because there are very few problems with Linux being hammered on like Windows. I’m running the base install of Ubuntu with no extra security software at all…definitely one reason that it is so fast compared to Windows Vista and XP. I did download and install the new Google Earth for Linux last night, and it works flawlessly in Ubuntu. I don’t use Google Earth often, but it is nice to have it and to see Google make a Linux version speaks volumes…in my opinion.
I didn’t use the computer much today, but I need to write a quick blog while I’m working on my Compaq as I sit here and watch my DVR’d “Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” episodes from last week. So, that brings me to tonights word: battery life.
I haven’t ported much of my data to this computer from my Windows’ computer, but haven’t missed any of it yet either. I do have this system hooked into my home network so I can access shared folders on the Windows’ machine if I need those files. I mentioned on the show today that one of the huge reasons I like Mozilla Firefox is the availability of “extensions”. Extensions are little add-ons that allow anyone to customize and enhance their browser to do things that are important to them. One of my favorites is Google Sync.
I’m going to do a short written update to my Ubuntu trek, but record my first official “Shotgun Podcast” here shortly.
After only three days, I gave up on Evolution email as my email program. I like the program a lot, but unfortunately, I get way too much spam not to have a better anti-spam solution. So, I downloaded and installed Thunderbird today which while not perfect and far from my Cloudmark Desktop solution on my Windows machine, it is much better than the Evolution method.
Today will be my last post from a Windows machine for at least two weeks. I decided that in order to really test out Ubuntu Linux (which I have been glowing about for the past few months), I will use the machine as my sole computer for the next two weeks. I’m going to leave my Windows machine cold turkey and rely soley on my laptop running Ubuntu. I will access files, as needed, on my Windows’ machine, but only via my network through Ubuntu.
I don’t do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire “topic” can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of today’s topics included:
I believe Adam or I have written on this topic before, but I worked with a situation yesterday that was disturbing enough that I needed to bring this topic up again. We continually talk about friends or family members who like working with computers and then like to help out your computer. IF the help revolves around something mundane like plugging the power into your power strip or maybe changing an ink cartridge, then by all means let them help you.
This week, I will be posting and using only my Ubuntu laptop. Expect some short how-to videos from the Ubuntu world all week long culminating with our interview on Saturday with David Overcash from the Colorado LoCo Ubuntu team . An Ubuntu LoCo team is a regionally established group of Ubuntu experts who promote and support Ubuntu users in their region. We look forward to talking with David on Saturday, and the how-to videos for this week will give you further insight into the world of Ubuntu Linux.
If you missed my introductory video of Ubuntu Linux, click here to watch the video.
I love my job as a computer guy. Especially tutoring and teaching average people (seniors, parents, non-geeks) how too use computers. Everyday I meet interesting people, see new challenges and play with new toys.
Today I was thinking about what could possibly make my job more fun and I had a great idea.
I would love to be a computer guy on a cruise ship. Not to maintain the ship's computers but to teach tourists and help them with their computer problems. Most cruises feature entertainers, exercise classes, theaters and all kinds of ways to stay busy.
Cruise ships also offer wireless Internet access. Tourists bring their laptops, digital cameras and other gadgets along with them. I can't help but think that some of these travelers would love to take a break from the buffet and take a computer or digital photography class.