Using Linux.........A Year Later!

A little over a year ago, I had decided that I needed a new computer, and that I was going to build it (with lots of help from friends). At this same time I made the gigantic decision to change my operating system also. At this time I had chosen Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.

I had made this decision based on my utter hatred for all things Microsoft and my frustration with the high cost of software overall. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution and the operation system is open source (meaning free). I had been assured by other people that at this point this particular operating system was pretty user friendly. And by user friendly I mean, someone who knows a bit about computers and has lots of patients to learn.

Well I built this computer, and had problems from the start. First of all the Raid card which was installed to allow for additional hard drives would not be recognize by the system. The dual monitor system which I really enjoyed on my Windows system would not work! And the TV card would not operate and I could never get the network printer up and running either. However, I still wanted this system, and I felt I could learn to live with the inconveniences over time. I kept the system and used it as my daily operating system. It was not easy, I soon missed many of the “Windows” application that I had used over the course of many years and it seemed many of the neat software applications and web applications were made for Windows only. Also there was my complete lack of knowledge of the system which meant many mistakes over and over and over.

It always seemed to me that everything that seemed so easy to do on Windows was much more difficult on Ubuntu (Linux). I could not run my work programs either which meant not working at home and staying late at the office many nights.

It also seemed that my lack of knowledge always lead me to crashing the system or completely messing it up and then I had to reinstall the whole thing. And reinstall and reinstall......... I became and expert at installing the operating system.

….But slowly I began to learn. Actually finding the answers to my questions and problems was really easy, a quick Google search and typically there it was. Of course it meant learning to input these answers into the Terminal (direct command input in text format), which I am really still learning. I began to understand that the Terminal was actually easier than the graphical environment for doing many things and pretty powerful (this had lead me to reinstall my system many times).

I also began to learn about the software repository, a way to easily access hundreds of free programs to do almost any task you can think of. Also I had to learn to install software using the source code and debian files. A little difficult at first but then the answers are always out there (more readily than answers to Windows problems).

I started to like the system very much, and when the next release 8.04 came out I gave it a try and was disappointed. I found that it was a little more difficult to configure and there was a couple of problems that I could not fix..... and the dual monitor and the raid card still did not work......so I went back to 7.10 and was pretty happy with it, much happier than with Windows. I occasionally had problems which would required a reinstall, however the benefits outweighed this inconvenience.

Now the very latest release 8.10 Intrepid Ibex had been made available, so I gave it a whirl...........and right from boot up, the Raid was working and the Dual monitor system, and the network printer practically configured itself, it also saw the network and many of the other little bugs had been worked out. And since using I started using the system I have also learned how to remotely access my work computer so that I can work at home. This latest version seems to be very user friendly, almost to the point of recommending it to people who have some computer knowledge but not a whole lot.

I guess the point of this post is that I have switched from Windows to Linux and I am happy with the change. So it might be time for you to try the switch and get that Windows monkey off your back. I did and am glad of it.

Shepard Smith.........Again

I found this post recently. It seem that Shepard Smith, might just be the only "Fair and Balanced" person on Fox News.

Shepard Smith, Honest Guy?

I did not post anything about the Obama win, lots of other people did that. I did however wanted to note my latest observations about Fox Anchor Shepard Smith. I have seen two interviews by the guy in recent weeks that seems to me make him possibly the only honest guy over at fox. What do you think?

Cheney Endorses McCain

Less than four days from the Election and Dick Cheney endorses John McCain for President. Who's next Satan!

A message of Change, Hope, the Future

With six days till the election, Obama aired this program on seven stations this evening. Its nearly one half hour in length and there is not one negative comment about John McCain. That a message for the future not a smear.

The Current Campaign Ads

Its about nine days left till the election and these are the current ads the Candidates have up. One speaks about how problems will be solved and other points fingers at the other guy. Which person do you want in the White House?

Politics and the Internet

As the name of the Blog states I am the Biggest Geek, generally this refers to your typical geeky pursuits comics, movies television. However it also means and includes politics, I am a politically junkie! I love this country and am proud to be an American and as such I fully believe in my right to “freedom of speech”. At this point in time there is less than two weeks to the upcoming election and I feel compelled to add my voice to the crowed of collective lunatics and nut balls.

First off an important observation. In previous elections there were many points of misinformation spoon fed to the American populous. This being from exaggerations to out right lies about opponents and pundits. But with the growth of the Internet and the technology behind it, we are at a point in history where speeches past and present are readily available for reviewing by all! This means lies and contradictions are easily exposed and harder to keep.

As is noted in the networks and national papers, Senator McCain is far behind in many of the polls across the nation. I believe that this is due on the greater part that McCain has been running a negative campaign against Senator Obama, and that many of the accusations alleged in his attacks cannot hold up, through just the simplest “Google” of the facts in questions. A person can easily review any misstatements or outright lies from Candidates easily and with repeated frequency. At this point the American people have the ability to fact check for themselves and many do. This has not served Senator McCain well at all. Also there are many bipartisan websites that keep a history of a candidate's voting record which now exposes them to their real agendas.

In todays world the candidate's must remain true to there convictions and their record and stop the lies and deceptions to the American people, because now more than ever it's gonna come back and bite them in the ass!

Dr. Horrible Sing Along Blog

This is just fun.......from the creative mind of the guy who brought you Buffy and Firefly!

update Dr. Horrible is available to watch again at http://www.hulu.com

Harlan Ellison Documentary Coming Summer of '08

Harlan Ellison is one of the greatest writers of the 21st Century, oh and he is also a bastard!