Latest Articles on LaptopLogic

Is Ubuntu Ready for a Non-tech-savvy Girlfriend?

info@laptoplogic.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:10:43 +0100

Technology has always been a tough sell for women. However, throughout the years, things have changed. One reason that you hear more women opening up to Windows is that it can be less intimidating than a Mac or even Linux computer.

What Makes Ubuntu Different?

Many people are buzzing about Linux’s newest OS, called Ubuntu, which operates under the open source GNU license. This small and stable operating system is making a splash around the world for it usability and high security levels, unlike previous Linux systems. Though it's cited as a user friendly OS like Microsoft Windows, it's still a Linux based system, so there are some differences when compared to Windows.

While it's not Windows, it's also not a Mac system, although it can be learned quickly once users dip their virtual feet into the Linux environment. Linux has made some big strides with Ubuntu, so we created a list ranking just how easy it can be for the beginner, male or female, to use Ubuntu.

Accessibility

One nice thing about Ubuntu is that it's very easy to find. Thanks to the GNU license, many people can modify and distribute it. It's not dominated by a corporation like the Windows or Mac OS. And while it's open source, meaning that you can download it for free, it can also be sold on the market. It would be highly recommended for those who decide to sell if for a profit to add something of value to make this a worthwhile purchase, because people can get the exact same system for free!

Some versions of Ubuntu that can be found on their website include the Desktop, Netbook, and Server editions. Of course you can also find other variations if you look hard enough., like Edubuntu and Kubuntu. However those two were not put out by the main creators of the original Ubuntu and might not contain all the core components of the original.

Production Tools

Most people use a computer to work or become more productive and Ubuntu is on top of that. Like all other mainstream operating systems, Ubuntu comes fully loaded with productive tools that can used for a multitude of things. Evolution is the software that Ubuntu uses for email, contacts, calendar, and other task features. It appears to work almost exactly like Windows Mail, with the layout included. So this should be easy enough to use even for newbie’s of Linux. This was most likely the goal of the software‘s creators to create an easy to use Windows Mail clone. However if you prefer to use a more well known web based email service, you can. Evolution does allow you to check more than one email account at a time, which should be a time saver for many people.

While it is fully supported and comes along with Ubuntu, you can still use Microsoft Outlook, though third party software (like Wine) is required to run them.

As for IM’ing people, Unbuntu comes with a handy and useful tool called Pidgin. Pidgin is a third party (and free) all-in-one instant messenger-that works like most IM services do, but allows you to have access to all accounts. As with most all-in-one messenger protocols, this will allow you to log in all your IM accounts via one piece of software. Not only does it save you time, but also precious hard drive space. Pidgin is very easy to use and can be easily expanded via plug-ins.

Internet & Web Browsing

Most people who use computers now use it for the internet. This allows us to become so much more productive. Having a good browser is key, and Ubuntu does come well prepared for internet browsing. It comes bundled with Mozilla’s Firefox 3 web browser, which is considered one of the safest web browsers available for use.

Firefox 3 now has easier manageable tagging, history and bookmarks for easier access. Firefox 3 still remains one of the best web browsers available today. It has a high level of protection to keep malware, phishing and viruses away from your PC. Firefox 3 will allow your PC to stay safe without much of a need for technical knowledge. However, most viruses do not run or are designed to run on Linux computers. So Ubuntu also has that advantage along with a safer browser.

Firefox 3 also makes it easy for users to customize and get the most out of their browser. It allows the users to download third party plug-ins to work in Firefox to make it more productive for users.

It also has a built-in ad blocker, so no need to search for a third party application.

Photo Management

Women love photos as keepsakes, they love to make scrapbooks and frame them. Ubuntu has a female user-friendly answer to that called F-Spot Manager. F-Spot Manager allows you to easily tag, upload and share your memories with family and friends.

It features the plug-and-play driver support that so many love about Windows easy interface and usability. Just plug in the camera and click once on import for a full download of your photos to your hard drive. Simple and effective. Once they're uploaded, your photos are ready to be tagged, edited, organized and uploaded.

Multimedia

Most of today’s computers are also used for entertainment purposes, so no system is complete without music and video players. Ubuntu luckily has both bundled with the system. Rhythmbox (the music player) and Totem (video player) only play free and open source file formats. However you can buy codecs to play other formats legally.

Rhythmbox allows you to stream music and download 100% free songs. Thus, you’re not likely to find mainstream radio hits on it, so you’ll have to browse or find something you will like. You can also share your music files on a network for others to hear.

Totem allows you play all types of videos including streaming Youtube, including free and proprietary videos. You can also buy more codecs that will support more file formats as you please.

Office/Business Tools

Whether you use your PC for work, play or school, you will find yourself needing office and business software. Luckily Ubuntu comes with Open Office which is easy and compatible with Microsoft Office. It has a application for spreadsheet, word processor, online notepad (called Tomboy) and presentations.

Open Office is an open source and GNU product, and many people also have created extensions that can extend the abilities of the original.

Conclusion

All in all, Ubuntu isn’t too hard to use or learn for anyone who doesn’t have much technical knowledge. While some of it will be a challenge, most of it isn’t more difficult than Mac or Windows. The look and feel might take some time to get used to, but that's the initial buy-in of picking up a new OS. Knowing the names and locations of what you are looking for can be tricky at first, but you learn pretty quickly.

13 Rocking GIMP Tutorials

info@laptoplogic.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:10:30 +0100

GimpLite Quickies

If you don’t have the desire to make blends or anything advanced, then the quickie tutorial would be a good start. Basically this covers how to edit the most basics of an image, like re-sizing, cropping, finding info about the image or small projects like that. Very simple and basic. This would also be just a good place to start even if you want to become advanced with the GIMP.

You can view it here - GimpLite Quickies

Simple Animations

While this may sound hard and advanced, it really isn’t. This tutorial is for the more advanced GIMP users who are used to navigating GIMP. But new users can reach this point pretty quickly. This tutorial is fairly easy to learn and will show you exactly how to do it.

You can view it here - Simple Animations

Blog Theme/Template Tutorial

Since almost everybody has a blog nowadays, finding free and unique blog themes are hard to find. So being able to create a good one is key, and with this GIMP tutorial you can learn a valuable skill. While this tutorial shows you how to make the templates, you will need to learn how to code it together. However this is very handy knowledge to have.

You can view it here - Blog Theme

Complete Website Tutorial

On the flip side if you don’t use a blogging platform and you want a whole website, then try this out. This tutorial teaches you not only how to create the layout, but also how to code them so they can be used. Again this is for more advanced users and web designers, it is still good for newbie’s so they can get used to working the tools in the GIMP.

You can view it here - Complete Website Tutorial

Forum Signatures, Icons, Blends and Banners

Have you been on forums, sites or even blogs and have seen those neat multi-imaged graphics that are all one color and sometimes have a faded design? Well this is one tutorial that shows you one way to make them in GIMP. However you can also find many more tutorials that show you other ways and tricks to make them as well.

You can view it here - Forum Signatures, Icons, Blends and Banners

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Custom Brushes

One thing that makes GIMP a great tool is the fact that even if it lacks a certain brush style, you can create the brushes that you want or need. This tutorial will show you the steps you need to create brushes for your own use or for the sharing with the GIMP community.

You can view it here - Custom Brushes

Converting Photoshop Into GIMP Brushes

Of course if you don’t feel like making your own brushes, then you can always download Photoshop brushes and convert them into GIMP brush format. While it is rather simple, it does take some time to get used to converting. This is one of the easier tutorials out there that shows you how.

You can view it here - Converting Photoshop Into GIMP Brushes

Selective Colors

While this may not be done often, it is still fun and useful for general GIMP use - due to the tricky nature of selective colors, this is better suited for people who feel more comfortable with GIMP. This tutorial teaches you how to pick colors to either edit or not to edit. This will likely require a few attempts at first to get it done right.

You can view it here - Selective Colors

Character Drawing

Drawing or sketching on a computer is hard, as it does not allow precise lines - however this tutorial will show you how you can come up with perfect characters without pre-sketching or scanning. This is a very handy tool for any web designer.

You can view it here - Character Drawing

Blending

Now while I recommended another tutorial for making forum signatures, this one goes more in detail about making images blend and fade in together. It’s also easier for people who are just starting out with GIMP, without working with too many layers at once.

You can view it here - Blending

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Colorize Black & White Images

You likely know that with almost every image editing software out there, you can turn any color photo into black and white. However with GIMP, you can also do the exact opposite by taking a black and white image, then turn it into a colored one that doesn’t look fake or edited. This tutorial shows you how.

You can view it here - Colorize Black & White Images

Glass Effect

This tutorial is short and simple, yet it stays right to the point. It shows you how to get the glass or glossy effect that many navigation bars online or buttons seem to have. But it can be used for almost any type of image or graphic you want.

You can view it here - Glass Effect

Air Brushing

Most end users will want to know how to get that perfect celebrity-like photo touching, so no top image editing tutorial list can be complete without naming one. No need to go to Glamor Shots or any other professional photo shoot to get that picture perfect look. You can learn how to do it right at home with the GIMP. This Tutorial will show you how to get smooth skin and whiter teeth whenever you want for whatever photo you want to use. This is one of the better tutorials out there to learn air brushing from.

You can view it here - Air Brushing

While these are not ranked or put in a particular order, some tutorial programs are better than others. The internet is filled with thousands of the same type of GIMP tutorials, but most do not go into detail as these do. Feel free to look around and find your favorite ones to share with us and be sure to let us know what you think of the ones we listed here.

12 Captivating Drives for Every Computer Geek

info@laptoplogic.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:09:22 +0100

For some people, flash drives are simply a utilitarian tool in the work belt of a geek--small, light, easy to fill with cleaners and backup apps and other software of the trade. For the rest, however, flash drives are almost a fetish. Not only can the tiny bits of circuit and plastic retain essential data (sometimes dozens of gigabytes worth), but they can be disguised in clothing, attached to pocket knives and keychains, molded into resin, and just about anything else your geeky mind can think of.

1. IronKey USB Drive

The USB drive ideal for survivalists, conspiracy theorists, spies, and those with possible multi-million dollar ideas, the IronKey USB drive has a built-in 'self-destruction' and encryption features--the drive is encrypted, and if an incorrect password is entered too many times, the data will be corrupted.

2. USB Card

This USB drive says ‘sophistication’. It is dark and thin, shaped just like a credit card and able to be slipped into a wallet for easy access and removal. Since most people have their wallet on them at all times, this key is as convenient as the ones that go on a key ring, only without the increased likelihood of being crushed.

3. Memory Usage Meter Lexar

This flash drive is unique in that it has a visible meter on the outside of the drive that shows how much space is used up. It is a simple bar that moves up and down, and works quite well.

4. TrekStor USB Drive Bottle Opener

Minimalists believe that the best items are the ones that are multipurpose. If you fall into that group, then you can’t help but be excited over the TrekStor CO USB drive that doubles as a bottle opener. If you have a habit of enjoying a cold bottle of beer with your daily data habits, than this bottle open/USB drive is the perfect addition to your arsenal.

5. Frayed Cord USB Drive

This flash drive will appeal to the same individuals willing to wrap their laptops in duct tape and a bang their camera around on the concrete to make them look less desirable to thieves. This USB drive is places inside the cut-off end of an old USB cable.

6. iDisk Diamond

Perhaps most interesting, I always hear people talk about this little USB drive with the specific purpose of using it to store vital medical information—perhaps because it is so tiny that it can be attached to a bracelet or necklace without burden. No matter the reason, this thin little drive is awesome. The only downside is that with the small price comes small storage; only 256MB to be exact.

7. Imitation Flash Wristband

Colorful wrist bands are still trendy, right? These flash drive wristbands are small plastic bracelets available in a wide range of colors that clasp together at the USB end. The flexible plastic can be morphed for easy access to any computer port.

8. Transcend Biometric USB Drive

Transcend’s biometric USB drive offers all the security of a password without the inconvenience of actually having to remember said word. This flash drive comes with the security of accessing data with your own fingerprint. Of course, depending on the data you keep stored, you might lose your finger in a high stakes game….

##ADSENSE##

9. LaCie iamakey USB Drive

Ok, so the name could have used a little more creativity and thought. That doesn’t mean that this USB drive isn’t awesome, though. The problem with sticking any flash drive on your car keys is that it is quite obviously a USB drive, making it conspicuous to anyone with eyes. The iamakey, however, looks just like a metal keys, and makes it far less likely to be spotted smashed between the house key and car key.

10. Corsair Survivor USB Drive

This drive is perfect for those who are tough on their drives and need one that won’t get smashed in the car door, damaged on the floor, in the rain, or other adverse conditions. The drive is sealed in a little metal canister with a gasket around the lid to keep water out. While it is not waterproof, it is water resistant, and will keep your data safe in the pouring rain (maybe).

11. Imitation Clip USB Drive

The biggest fear (at least, my biggest fear) when carrying around a flash drive is those crappy little plastic openings on the end to fish a keychain or rope through—they’re so small that anyone who does a fair bit of moving around will eventually snap it, and that always seems to happen in the most unfavorable of locations. For that reason, the Clip from Imitation is an excellent device. The USB drive, which is quite slim, fits inside this rubber case, which has a large opening for a metal carabineer—you’re not likely to lose this drive on your morning hike.

12. Black Box Personal Pocket Safe

Black Box’s Personal Pocket Safe is about as close to steampunk as you can get from Amazon. For those who like to be a little retro, this flash drive has a 8 buttons on the top, allowing you to enter a physical code to lock/unlock it.

Work with Windows 7 Efficiently

info@laptoplogic.com — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:08:47 +0100

With the looming release of Windows 7, I think that Microsoft is finally getting closer to delivering those requirements.

Below I will highlight some of the new and enhanced features that will make using Windows more efficient than ever.

Super Taskbar

The new task bar in Windows 7 departs from the traditional look of the previous versions of Windows and provides additional features not found in other versions. Among those features is the disappearance of an icon and text box for each open application. They have also expanded the concept of Quick Launch tool bars, improved the use of multiple open windows, and increased the ease of accessing frequently used applications and files via the use of Jump Lists.

Quick Launch is Gone

One of the features that you will notice that is missing is the Quick Launch toolbar. Microsoft has replaced this with the ability to Pinup shortcuts to the Task Bar, much like the Quick Launch bar, without the separation.

##ADSENSE##

Icons Are In

You will also notice that the taskbar now displays icons for the open applications instead of an icon and name. This helps clean up some of the clutter. Multiple windows of the same application will display an icon with overlapping boxes, simply click on the icon and a small window will appear with previews of the open applications for you to access.

Jump Lists

A Jump List is a mini version of your favorites and history put together. When you right-click on application icons located on the Task Bar a Jump List will appear. The Jump List allows you to Pinup your favorite websites (as is the case with Internet Explorer) allow users to quickly access applications and files that are frequently accessed.

After using these features for a while you start to realize the amount of time saved and how Windows is becoming more efficient for you.

Top Freeware Every Computer Should Have

info@laptoplogic.com — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:09:34 +0100

AVG Anti-Virus Free

This free anti-virus is a small and non-intrusive anti-virus software that works well. It uses a “Resident Shield” that works well and is even better at detecting some viruses and other threats that Norton and other commercial products can not. Some features are anti-virus, anti-spyware, e-mail scanner, ID Protection(this requires activation by user), resident shield, link scanner and update manager. One detail you may find handy is that the settings are already set for business hours to do a scan when your computer has the best chance of being on(unlike Norton). It also places every infected file or folder it finds into a virus vault (his can be emptied when required) that you do not delete. It also notifies you when it detects bugs or any threats much like most others anti-virus programs, although AVG may find more than their commercial counterparts do. Note-A premium paid version is available, but the free version is just as wonderful.

Where to download- http://free.avg.com

##ADSENSE##

Gimp

This free and advanced image editor very professional, without having the cost of Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. You can also download an animation suite to go along with it for a complete pro package. All without paying a dime. It even allows you to create professional designs for web sites. With GIMP being open sourced, it allows users to help build the GIMP even more and to add more features all the time. Many people use it for all types of purposes and it does have large user base that helps the whole GIMP community out. Highly recommended for anyone who needs or wants to do some virtual artwork or layouts.

Where To Download- http://www.gimp.org

CutePDF

This small and simple application is great to turn files into pdfs. It is a virtual printer where you send the desired file to be “printed” into a PDF. It's small and may only have one purpose, but it is a good program to have on hand and perfect for someone who needs a small application to do such.

Where To Download- http://www.cutepdf.com

Miranda IM

Again this small yet multifunction tool allows you to be on all main instant messengers at the same time, while not taking a lot of resources. It even supports IRC chat rooms. Miranda supports AIM,YIM,MSN,ICQ,IRC, and Gadu-Gadu.

Where To Download- http://www.miranda-im.org

Media Monkey

Most OS’s already come with media players. However many do not play all types of audio formats nor can they convert files. This is why Media Monkey is a popular freeware, as it supports many audio files and can convert them easily. While they do offer a paid version (Media Monkey Gold), the free one covers the needs of most users . It looks and acts much like iTunes (minus the music store), however it plays and covers much more audio formats than any other music player around. One thing that comes handy is the easy to make play list and file conversions. Most media players lack both of these tools, so it makes Media Monkey a popular option. You can also “sync” iPods and iPhones with Media Monkey.

Where To Download- http://www.mediamonkey.com

Spybot-Search and Destroy

We all know in the world wide web, we will get infected with spy ware and adware. While Microsoft and many anti-virus companies claim that they cover this-it doesn’t cover it all. So using a third party software that is designed for spy ware and adware alone is the best thing one could use to protect and prevent. Spybot-Search and Destroy is recommended by professional PC repair companies all around the world. This freeware scans your PC for many types of spy ware and adware that your computer may never be scanned for otherwise. It also takes care of tracking cookies and many other types of unwelcomed intruders that attach themselves to your pc. They also allow you to make your computer immune to those known problems and infections, which will allow you not to be re-infected by them again.

Where To Download- http://www.safer-networking.org

While these are just a few applications you can get for free, the internet is full for many more. Many sites have full list of many types of freeware, rather it is system tools to games! A rule of thumb to live by, if they have a commercial version of it, chances are they have a free version of it. So next time you plan on buying software, do a search online and see if you can find something just like it for the cost of nothing

Windows 7: Should you Upgrade?

info@laptoplogic.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:09:38 +0100

Should You Switch to Windows 7? Pros, Cons, and an Informed Analysis With Windows 7 making its public debut in just a few short days, this article is for those of you wondering if it's worth the cost of upgrading from Vista. You might have heard some people say that it's Vista with a little more eyecandy, but after running Windows 7 through the gammut for a couple weeks, we can officially say that there's more to it than that. Below are all the features, updates, tricks, tips, and other niceties that have been added to Windows 7 that make it, in our opinion, far superior to Vista. With everything good comes things bad, however, and you want to know about what problems to expect before you drop the change for this bad boy. Knowing that, below you'll also find some cons that you should be aware of, and a final conclusion about who should upgrade and if it's worth its pricetag. If you want some benchmarking stats, skip to the end.

PROS

We'll start with the goods first. Below are all the things we've noticed over Vista and very much like, including new features, minor fixes, and everything in between.

1. Wordpad is Finally Updated

When was the last time you opened Wordpad? Yeah, that's what we thought. Wordpad in Windows 7 is many times the rich-text editor of its yester-edition. It has been completely changed into quite a capable word processor, with ribbons and coloring scheme that looks very similar to Word 2007.

2. Popup Preview

When you hover the mouse over a taskbar app that is active, yet minimized, you can view a real-time preview of the application. If you let the mouse hover for a few seconds, a fullscreen-sized preview will appear over the rest of the windows.

3. Recent Activity Jumplists

Right-clicking on an app in the taskbar, even if it isn't active, will reveal a list of all recent activity performed with that specific app. Right-clicking on the app name within the jumplist will reveal another list that allows you to view properties, run as admin, and other more advanced options.

4. Corrected Recycle Bin Menu

How many times did you accidentally delete the Recycle Bin icon instead of emptying it by clicking delete instead of empty, both of which were listed? Microsoft corrected this minor inconvenience by removing the delete option from the Bin menu.

5. Drag to Resize

Resizing windows has never been as simple as it is in Windows 7. To maximize a window, drag it to the top of the screen. To resize it to half the screen, drag it to the right or left side of the desktop.

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6. Rotate Your Desktop Wallpaper

If you're like many computer users, you grow weary of seeing the same wallpaper all the time. Instead of manually changing the wallpaper or downloading an app to do it for you, Windows 7 can be configured to automatically rotate your wallpapers.

7. Open music faster

Many people avoided using Media Player as their primary music player because it took so long to open an song. Microsoft seems to have figured out that we don't need an entire media player open just to listen to a song, so they added a smaller minimalist player that opens quickly when you open a song.

8. The New Taskbar

The taskbars you're used to are no longer existent in Windows 7 (unless you change the settings). In its place is a new taskbar that is visually similar to the KDE bar. It has pinned applications arranged in buttons, and each applications glows when it is active. Minimizes apps are minimized to the applications button, and appear in groups when you hover.

9. Quick Desktop View

Lets say that you want to see your desktop quickly to get the name of a file, check and see if you saved something, or some other reason. One way to do that is to minimize your windows. With Windows 7, all you have to do is move your mouse to the bottom right corner of the screen. All the windows will turn transparent until you move it again.

10. Shake to Minimize

The transparent corner trick is nice, but maybe you want to minimize all the open windows except the one you're using. Instead of manually clicking them all, just grab the menu bar on your active window and shake that app all around. Every other open app that it comes into contact with will minimize. (Note: we've found this feature to be a buggy on occasion if you're shaking a small window on top of a maximized window.)

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11. Improved Search Feature

The search bar makes locating files on your computer easier than ever. With Vista, you would search and get a list that was separated into apps and files; if you wanted anything more specific, you had to add filters. In Windows 7, search results are split up into specific types and locations. See the screenshot for an example.

12. Device Stage

Device Stage basically adds everything you could need to manage a device into one easy to use page. You can click links for support and downloads, you can perform tasks that are specific to that device, and even see photos of the device when its plugged in. In addition, manufacturers can create their own Device Stage so that it specifically caters to their customers. Very nice.

##ADSENSE##

13. HomeGroup Sharing

As sad as it is to say, DVD and CD technology is quickly becoming obsolete. Digital media is the way of the future, and most people find it preferable to have digital movies and music over hard disc movie and music. With the increase in cheap desktops, such as the Eee PC and cheap Inspirons, many people are connecting a media computer to their TV. HomeGroup makes it simple to share those media files between all the computers in the house, giving the less-than-tech-savvy users the ability to set up a wireless streaming home media system.

14. Windows XP Mode

I've had some trouble getting certain games (cough, cough Call of Duty) to install, but that isn't a problem because Win 7 comes with an XP mode. You can install and run a program as if you're using XP, which is very convenient when it comes to those games you want to play.

15. Recent Activity Itemized Per Program

You know how in Vista you can click view recent activity in a list, where you'll see music that's been played, files that have been edited, etc? Well in Win 7, each app that can alter and play files has its own dedicated recent activity list, where you can view recent activity performed with that specific app. Example? There is a small arrow next to the menu listing for Word. When you click it, you can see a list of the most recently opened files.

16. View Available Networks

A gripe I had in Vista was the difficulty in viewing the available networks; you'd have to double-click and a pop up window would appear, where you then had to select a network and choose the CONNECT button. That's no longer the case in Windows 7, however: single-left-click on the Wi-Fi meter in the taskbar and a nice available networks popup will appear, where you can do all the connecting and switching you need.

17. Triple-Mode Magnifier

There is a triple-mode magnifier that come with Windows 7, one of which is the normal dock at the top of the screen that shows everything zoomed in. Another mode is full desktop zoom, which zooms the entire desktop, and moving the mouse will make it scroll. The third mode is a small square zoom lens which is stuck to the mouse; when you move the mouse, everything under it is nicely magnified. Overall, it is much easier to use than squinting at the dock on the top of the screen.

CONS

Here's where we mention the less than great stuff. I'm a bit surprised to note that after running this system through the ringer, I'm yet to find more than one bug, which is listed below. I'm sure if you tear through the system enough, you'll find a few annoyances, but overall things are running much more smoothly out of the box than Vista did.

1. BitLocker Won't Relock

They'll eventually get a bug fix out, but if you're looking to purchase Windows 7 Ultimate with the intention of using the very nice BitLocker encryption feature, be aware that, at the time of this article, you can't relock an unlocked drive without rebooting. Some people have had luck running a command line lock script, but to do so you need full admin rights--simply right-clicking on the command prompt and choosing 'run as' won't work.

2. Freezes More Than it Should

I've been using Windows 7 daily for two weeks on a Dell Latitude D620 with a T2300 Duo Core processor and a gig of RAM. Said laptop dualbooted Ubuntu and Vista for a couple years and ran without issues. Vista didn't freeze except when I'd do something less than smart, and it, in general, ran quite nicely.

Windows 7 hasn't been running so nicely.

In my experience so far, using this computer five+ hours a day, it freezes at least a half-dozen times. I am a power user constantly opening and closing browser tabs, switching between AIM and media player, downloading and watching videos... at times, it seems that Windows 7 grabs its hair and screams in frustration (assuming, of course, there's little digital hairs in there).

This issue will probably be ironed out with SP1, and it most definitely isn't a show stopper; the majority of the time, things run fast and smooth. You should be aware of the problem, however, and know that when it does happen, you're going to have to kick your feet back and wait for all the tasks to catch up (which has taken as long as four minutes in my experience, but usually only a few seconds).

CONCLUSION

So, you might ask, is it worth upgrading?

Maybe. I'd say that if you've got Vista running nicely on your computer and its configured the way you want, don't waste your time buying, backing up, installing, updating, and configuring a new OS; the upgraded features aren't really worth it.

If you're wanting the fresh and the best, you like the way it looks, you want to be up-to-date, or any other reason, then my answer is: sure, why not? Except for the occasional hiccup when you start throwing endless processes at it, the system runs nicely. The only bug I've found is one that most users won't even care about (and only on BitLocker). The eye-candy is very nice.

If you're a productivity hound, if you like to be able to work as fast and efficiently as possible, then yes, I recommend that you upgrade. My primary OS has been Ubuntu for the specific reason that I can configure it to work as efficiently as possible, and I must say, I'm really liking the new Windows 7 taskbar and similar features. I can toggle and resize windows in just a few seconds, flip through open apps, view desktop, and scroll through open applications very fast and efficiently. I love the new taskbar and the way it aggregrates open windows into the buttons; you can now have dozens of apps and docs open without seeing a chaotic mess of buttons in the taskbar.

So there you have it. The cool new features. The real-world use. The issues. Go forth and make an informed decision.

15 Relatively Unknown Linux Apps

info@laptoplogic.com — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:09:05 +0100

Most people go for the big apps when switching to Linux, and for good reason: they are easy to find, usually very polished, often updated, and there's a lot of online documentation for them. What if you're not looking for the most popular, but instead the best app for you? Below are 25 excellent, high-quality Linux apps that go neglected far more often than they should be. Some are popular amongst those who have been at the Linux game for awhile, and others have become a staple of certain distros while remaining relatively unknown by users of different distros. No matter the reason they've sat in the midline of popularity, you can be assured that these apps do what they claim to do, and they do it well.

1. XBMC I first tried this program when it was in its baby stages, and it wasn't so great: crashed, was slow, etc. Imagine my surprise when I tried it again and discovered the best media center I'd ever tried on Linux (yes, better than MythTV). XBMC is refined, it's fast, and it's feature loaded. This media center is perfect for anyone who is looking to set up a Linux box on their TV.

2. KDenlive So you thought Open Movie Maker was a nice app? KDenlive will blow you away. This program supports more formats, and can do more than OMM ever could dream of doing. This excellent program is the best option for anyone looking to edit their videos, add credits and headers, and more.

3. Songbird I myself am partial to AmaroK, which is an awesome program. Some people find it to be a bit annoying, however; at least, that's the way I've had some people describe it to me. If you feel the same way, then give Songbird a shot. You just might find that program you've always been looking for.

4. Opera So, you're not a Firefox fan, God knows you wouldn't touch Explorer even if it does come in WINE, you're not too fond of Epiphany, and the likes Flock and that one KDE browser people always seem to recommend. What should you use? Opera, of course! Opera is the little browser that could; it hardly ever garners the praise it deserves, yet it keeps plugging along.

5. Boxee Yep, Boxee comes in a Linux flavor, too. Through this nifty app, you can access the best media sources on the Internet: Flickr for photos, Hulu for TV, Netflix for movies, Pandora for music (and that's just the start). The best part of this app? You can use your remote. ##PAGEBREAK##

6. Conky This little app is easy to configure and quite popular, as well as useful. It is a rectangle of specs you can place on your desktop, which can list just about anything you want: network activity, hard drive capacity, system heat, current weather, CPU and RAM usage, and much, much more.

7. Crashplan Crashplan is an online backup system with both free and pay accounts; it is similar to Mozy, and offers full Linux support, which makes it awesome. You can use this to backup that thesis you've been writing, archives code, sacred (or embarrassing) pictures, documents, and more.

8. Meld Meld is a cool program that many people will find useless and a sacred few will find as the alpha app they've spent their lives searching for. Meld is used to compare two similar documents and dynamically edit them; when you make updates and changes to one, it automatically updates the other. Very excellent app.

9. Gnumeric If you find Calc (OOo) to be too limiting, unstable, or some other distasteful thing, you can give Gnumeric a shake. This excellent spreadsheet app can open many other spreadsheet files, including ones from Calc and Excel, and does everything you'd expect from a spreadsheet program.

10. Devede Devede is an excellent alternative to Brasero if you're looking for one. This program is free (duh!), and can be used to create and author DVDs. It has very small requirements, and can handle any formats that MPlayer can handle. It's inclined towards the more technically skilled, but does have a very polished GUI for the brave newbie. ##PAGEBREAK##

11. Tellico The perfect app for anyone who collects anything, whether it be coins, books, or hubcaps you find on the side of the street. You can catalog anything in it and keep track of them via very organized and easy to sift through lists. The program is decidedly KDE friendly, but I fudged it to work on Gnome, so you should give it shot even if you don't have KDE.

12. Pandora One Desktop Player If you're haven't heard of Pandora before then let me be the first to introduce you to the Internet; welcome, we hope you enjoy your stay. With that out of the way, Pandora is an excellent music streaming service that creates radio stations based on your specific taste in music. With the desktop player, it's easier than ever to play your radio stations, and you don't need a tab hogging your browser space.

13. Frostwire As you can probably guess from the name, this is a Limewire program for Linux. It is easy to use, nice to look at, and does what it says it will do (let you use Limewire). It guarantees no spyware or malware (which if you're using Linux, then yeah....), fast download speeds, chat rooms, fast torrents, and Bittorrent support, and lots o' skins.

14. Homebank If you don't like GNUcash, then give Homebank a shake. This program is a personal finance program that runs very well is quite streamlined. As you probably suspected, it supports QIF and OFX files, and offers graphical analysis of your finances, minor currencies toggle if you're from Europe, you can add payees, and much, much more. Best part? It's GTK+. Skin away!

15. Streamtuner It's not the most beautiful program, but looks aren't everything. This program allows you to stream online radio stations, and gives far more options than you'll probably ever use. You can add streams, bookmark, make favorites, rip songs (if you have Streamripper), and much more.

10 of The Most Notorious Hackers of All Time

info@laptoplogic.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:09:59 +0100

Hacker's come in all ages and flavors, and you might be suprised to find that some of the best have gone on to edit magazine's like Wired, or help start multi-billion dollar companies like Apple. If that tidbit just rocked your socks, read on to find out about the ten best hacker of all time (well, until someone else comes along and does better).

1. Captain Crunch (Proper Name: John Draper)

John Draper became known as Captain Crunch after gaining popularity as the phone phreaker who worked the AT&T phone system using toy whistles that came in Cap'n Crunch in the late 60's. A blind friend informed him that the whistle produced a perfect 2600Hrz tone, which allowed Draper to control trunk lines on the phone network.

When phone phreaking became more popular, he was eventually arrested and given five months probation. He went on to work at Apple for a brief period of time, and wrote the first word processor for the Apple II while in a prison work furlough.

2. Kevin Mitnick

Often regarded as the most notorious hacker, Mitnick has become a role model for many aspiring hackers. Living a life that started as a hacker who would go down in history and now continuing it as a popular speaker, an author, and a computer consultant; in addition, he inspired two movies: Takedown and Freedom Downtime. If that sounds appealing, just remember that at one point Mitnick was wanted by the US Marshals for hacking many places, including the Defense Department, and ended up spending over half a decade in solitary confinement.

3. Fred Cohen

Though his paragraph is short, it is in way minor. While a student in engineering school, Cohen wrote on of the first computer viruses, which demonstrated that no anti-virus could detect all possible viruses, and that some viruses are even good.

3. Max Ray Butler

Butler--Internet specialist by day, worm creator by night. He created a worm that hacked into Air Force and NASA systems, Brookhaven Labs, IDSoftware, and the Defense Department. He got off the hook for five years by working as an informant for the FBI, but later was arrested after refusing to use a wire tap to entrap a friend who was suspected of performing cyber crimes.

5. Jonathan James

James had the honor (depending on your definition) of being the first minor arrested in the US for cyber crimes. He hacked both NASA and the Department of Defense (are you noticing a trend with these two entities....?) and reportedly stole $1.7 million in software from NASA, and intercepted 3000+ messages from the Department of Defense, including usernames and passwords.

Had he been a big boy when performing these nefarious hacks, he'd of received a decade in jail. Having been a minor, however, he instead received six months of house arrest. For whatever reason, he violated his parole and ended up serving six months in jail.

6. Adrian Lamo

AKA, the homeless hacker. Thing is, he wasn't actually homeless; some say he was called the homeless hacker because his parents moved around a lot during his childhood. Others say he earned that nickname by doing his hacking in wifi hotspots such as cafes. Either way, he would spend his juvenile years hacking into places such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, and other high-profile company doing both authorized and unauthorized vulnerability assessments, then letting said companies know about said vulnerabilities.

His undoing came when he hacked into the New York Times system and added his name to a list of experts, granting himself access to the Times LexisNexis account where he then checked out data he wasn't privy to. He was sentenced to six months house arrests at his parents home, and is now an award-winning journalist. Not bad, eh?

7. Nahshon Even-Chaim

The first big-time hacker to be arrested in Australia, Even-Chaim started his hacking career before the Internet gave way to easier targeting. He'd gain access to different agencies, including government, by dialing in and, after the advent of the Internet, using it to aid in his efforts. He was part of an elite hacking group known as the Realm, which recognized Chaim as both arrogant and skillful. He ended up being arrest, sentenced to 500 hours of community service, and a suspended 12-month prison term.

8. Jeanson James Ancheta

His hacking spree was furious and short-lived. For fourteen months Ancheta gained control over various comprised computers and used them together as one mass network for sending out spam. He made quite a bit of money in his endeavors, but was later sentenced to five years of federal prison, forced to pay $60k, return a BMW, as well as some computer hardware.

9. Ehud Tenenbaum

Tenenbaum is an Israeli hacker who had the just about every defense US government agency freaking out. He hacked NASA, the Pentagon, and Knesset, effectively convincing the government that the attacks were an Iraqi effort. When he was finally discovered, along with two California juvenile hackers known as Mac and Stimpy, he was given 1 year of probation and a suspended two-year prison sentence. Instead of rejoicing over the minor slap on the wrist, he got arrested in Canada for credit card fraud, was forced to serve his sentence, and fined $18k.

10. Conficker

So, nothing actually came of the Conficker scare. The reality still stands that whoever created the worm managed to scare the crap out of thousands of Windows users, and gave many a tech support agent real headaches. The worm reeked havoc on the French Navy system, and made an annoying debut on important British and German networks. Whether an individual or a group is responsible for the worm isn't known. What is known, however, is that if you're running Windows, you better hope you don't get this worm on your system.

10 Common Mistakes Made by New Linux Administrators

info@laptoplogic.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:08:18 +0100

1. Failing To Use CheckInstall

Linux uses package managers, which keep everything installed on your system updated and clean. When two or more apps rely on each other, it is imperative that all of them are kept updated, not just a few. Thus, when you install one program via whatever package manager your distro uses but another from source, the package manager will only update the first, which could cause things to stop working properly.

The solution to this is to use Checkinstall to build a package for your system that will stay updated along with the other software, which will save you headaches in the future.

2. Refusal to Use the Command Line Interface

You just have to learn it. It's that simple. You cannot be a sysadmin in any system while harboring a fear of the command line, but that is doubly true in Linux. While you can manage to do most things with some form of a GUI, it is almost always faster and easier to learn how to do it from the Terminal. Learn some bash already.

3. Having No or Weak Root Password

Someone getting their hands on the root password is like some crony gaining control of Darth Vader's big laser that blew up Alderaan. If you have no root password, then you're either a very ripe sysadmin, or you're an idiot. If you have a weak one, then you're naive. Here is a very big tip: if you don't have a password, set one RIGHT NOW; if it is a simple word, especially a word in the dictionary, change it RIGHT NOW to something at least fourteen characters long with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.

##ADSENSE##

4. Pretending Updates Don't Exist

For whatever reason, people don't like updates. That is understandable if you're getting fed them day after day, but really--updates keep things working (most of the time). Sometimes it is laziness--there may be hundreds of updates if you put it off for awhile, and no one likes to pick through those, so they just put it off longer and longer until something stops working. You must update. If you disable auto-updates, then check them every day. Sift through them each time and only install the ones you need. Do this every time. Your install will thank you.

5. Making Changes Without Backing Up First

If you're going to pick through, for example, the resolution config file to try and get your three monitor system running properly, you really should backup the file first. This goes for all changes in tweaks. In fact, just go ahead and create a backup of every major file right now, just so when you forget later, your fore sight will have saved you from FUBAR hell.

6. Not Learning to Trouble Shoot Their System

Each distro is like a baby--they are similar on the surface, but when you spend time with them, there are noticeable differences. For that reason, it is very important that you spend time with your distro and learn its own peculiarities. Want an example? One user who had messed up his Ubuntu resolution was freaking out because his screen was scrambled, and he was trying to fix it from command line. That seems fine, except that if he'd spent time knowing his system, he'd of simply booted into recovery mode and reset his resolution to default. Knowledge is not only power, but it's a time saver, too.

7. Ignoring Logs like the Plague

See, there's these little things inside /var/logs called LOGS that tell you magical things about your system, like errors and security issues. These things give you valuable information that can be used to correct programs and head off unfortunate issues. Doing so will make your life as admin much, much easier. So then, why do you ignore these? Out of fear? Trepidation? Misplaced respect? Open the system logs once in awhile and see what's up, okay?

8. Keeping Everything in One Giant Partition

Of course, this is only valid if you're the one doing the installing. You don't want everything to sit in one partition for many reasons, two of which being performance and convenience. You're probably going to change distros at some point, so to make your life easier, put your home directory in a different partition than the rest. This will make your life easier at some point, trust me.

9. Using as Root

Image from xkcd.com

For you Window's users, that means Admin. You're not supposed to run as admin, nothing good ever comes from it. When using the terminal, simply use 'su' or 'sudo' or whatever your system command is for running as root. This is more than powerful enough for the things you must do.

10. Asking Help From Random People

If Linux has been thrust upon you and you're left trying to pick your way through things that mean nothing to you, then no one will blame you for seeking help when issues arise. With that said, be careful who you seek help from, and be very weary of what you run through the Terminal. There are people who get their kicks from making your life hell. Get the help of a pro when things go bad.

*Update: A special thank you to all readers who have brought to our attention that the Sudo image was not attributed correctly to xkcd.com. This has now been rectified. In the future we will ensure all images are attributed to the correct source. - Laptoplogic.com team

Working with Libraries in Windows 7

info@laptoplogic.com — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:08:02 +0100

In Windows Vista Microsoft introduced the concept of saving searches as “virtual” folders, for example you could create a search that would reference in an instant all of the PDF files in your computer. Users could create several searches (virtual directories) that would reference these files, great concept, but not entirely useful. In Windows 7 Microsoft has introduced the concept of a Library, which is essentially the same thing, except the search includes files you specify. It’s almost like tagging files and folders to belong to a specific Library, whenever you access the chosen Library the files assigned to that library, regardless of location will appear.

Perhaps the illustration below can elaborate.

As you can see from the illustration above pictures will appear in the Picture Library regardless of their location. They can be physically stored in the kid’s computer, the Halloween folder, the home server, and an external drive, all that matters is that they have been dropped into the Picture Library so that they are displayed when the chosen library is opened.

The My Pictures, My Documents, etc, folders are still available, don’t worry they have not been replaced instead Microsoft just added 4 default libraries to work with;

Documents
Music
Pictures
Videos

As with other Microsoft products you have the option to completely ignore the Library concept if you don’t like it or you can customize it to your fancy. Users can delete, rename, and further customize each of the libraries provided. Users can also create their custom libraries to collect whichever files they would like to reference.

Although somewhat confusing for some users, if understood the Library feature is a great way to organize specific files located in various locations without having to go crazy hunting down files or worrying about their location, simply add the location to the library and any files added to the original location will appear in the specified library.

What do you think about the Libraries feature? Is it useful or another feature Microsoft could have done without?