We work with our faithful PC’s day in and day out, sometimes for a year and sometimes for many, but then a new operating systems is released with more features, added security and with so much more charisma. But due to your PC being years old there is no way it can handle the demand of a new OS without an upgrade or two to run the new OS how it is supposed to run. Lets face it these days a computer has almost reached a point of being a consumable item with a maximum life span of 2 to 3 years. We way up the pro’s and con’s then at the end of the day we have to upgrade due to the new software that is being released for it.

I’m a PC user and I dream of better days when I could control if and when I wanted to update my PC / Laptop. I want my operating systems and software to be free and most of all where I do not have to worry that every time I open an email with an attachment, or go on to the internet it could be a virus, which could pass my credit card details or infect all my Files.

But this dream is a reality and the OS is called Ubuntu which is a Linux based Operating System.

Ok now I can see there are endless questions firstly from people that have never heard of Linux or Ubuntu and secondly from Tech’s that instantly see command line installs and problems from not being able to run Windows Software, but believe me this is not a problem.

Let’s start from the beginning What is Linux?

Unlike other operating systems where one company own and develop all the code themselves, Linux has thousands of people sharing their work so that everyone can take advantage of it. It is a worldwide, co-operative effort between individuals and the world’s biggest IT companies to deliver an alternative, shared operating system that is Free and Open Source

About Ubuntu

Linux has moved on leaps and bounds over the years and has a Secure fully fledged desktop operating system which is easy, fast to use and puts the fun back into computing.

Ubuntu is a linux distribution and does not have the high demand on PC hardware like others operating systems, which means a company or home user now have the option to upgrade to Ubuntu operating system. Instead of the cost of upgrading or the cost of buying a new PC, laptops or server every time a new version of the operating system is realest.

Once Ubuntu is installed you will have access to over 2000 free open source applications and the list is always growing, this is due to the demand from the public and businesses alike. Finding software to match your current set-up can be done with ease.
Secure
Linux is inherently more secure than other operating systems. As a result, Ubuntu offers you a robust and secure desktop or server operating environment. For example, there are approximately 60,000 known viruses for Windows and approximately 40 known for Linux.

10 reasons why you should consider Ubuntu

1. Users love its friendly, familiar interface – it’s no coincidence that Ubuntu is the fastest growing new operating system in the world with over 10 million users worldwide.

2. It’s safe – Ubuntu is immune to Windows viruses, spyware, and many online threats, giving you a smooth, safe computing and browsing experience.

3. Ubuntu is getting better every day – thousands of expert developers, testers and users around the world are constantly improving Ubuntu and its many free applications, with free updates delivered automatically.

4. It just works – with your camera, printer and scanner; plus Ubuntu has all the software you need to get going straight away. Listen to music, watch videos, import and edit pictures, work on documents and spreadsheets, surf the internet, chat with friends and more!

5. Access over 2000 applications for free – Play games, plot your family tree or learn chemistry. Download all these and more with a single click – and all for free!

6. Ubuntu is the perfect, safe platform for your favourite web applications and services – such as Gmail, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, eBay and Skype, with no risk of Windows viruses and online threats.

7. Create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations and share them with Windows users – Ubuntu’s free office applications are familiar, compatible and easy to use such as openoffice.

8. Upgrade to each new Ubuntu release easily, every 6 months, for free. No messing about with CDs or validating licenses, no need for expert help – just download free and go!

9. Ubuntu is fully supported – Choose from world class commercial support from Canonical or free community support – there are thousands of Ubuntu users just like you who love to help out.

10. Ubuntu is free – free to download, use, copy, update and upgrade! Break free from constant, expensive, complicated upgrades – with Ubuntu. In fact, a complete new computer running Ubuntu can cost less than a copy of a commercial office software package.

Ubuntu is free and can also be installed as a duel boot system along with you current Windows operating systems.

How DSNetworx can support you

DSnetworx are an official partners for Ubuntu / Canonical and can offer there high class Support optional extra, this starts from as little as £32 + VAT a year for Ubuntu desktop operating system and Ubuntu server operating system support from £473.69 + VAT per year along with 3 year options.

If you have any questions please contact dhopwood@dsnetworx.co.uk or visit the website: http://www.dsnetworx.co.uk

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This article won’t be an in-depth under the bonnet write up, neither a feature by feature analysis, just my initial thoughts from an end user perspective.

The system I’m using Windows 7 on is not the latest & greatest. It’s only a 2 gig cpu, 2 gig ram with a ati 2400 hd 512MB graphics card. I don’t chase the latest technology, I learnt long ago that way leads to emptier pockets and is unrealistic in the majority of cases. Over time the majority of Windows 7 installs will be due to accompanying new computers, regardless of how impressive the Windows 7 uptake has been by Vista users (but then, that’s another story). I consider my specification borderline for the move due to my requirements, which are primarily office apps and a development environment.

The installation was a breeze, minimum fuss, clearly laid out dialogues and doesn’t require a phd in computer science to understand the lingo. I’m not running a dual core system and the ram is only 2 gig. However 7 performs adequately, once I turned off a few superficial features that dare I say it, I don’t miss.

So is it better than Vista? I have limited Vista experience, only venturing onto that OS to support others, but the worldwide feeling appears to be yes.

Okay what about XP? Well my slow old lower spec laptop loaded to the hilts with clutter, requiring a defrag and sporting a rather poorly shot photo as wallpaper beats Windows 7 at boot up. Not a fair comparison at all some would say, but there is point to be made, lurking somewhere.

Is it better than Ubuntu? I’m a huge fan of free linux distro’s, using them for years. It’s all about your requirements and at times technical knowledge. Depending on yours it might be time to head in that direction and trying out a live CD version of a linux distro would be a good start. I still use Ubuntu, just not on my main machine right now. So the answer isn’t straight forward, sorry.

What about Apple’s computers? I last worked on an Apple ten years ago as they kindly lent me a computer for a couple of weeks to test and develop with, therein my experience ends. The pricey hardware and bundles doesn’t cut it for my requirements and never have at any stage of my working life.

Right back to Windows 7….

Software compatibility seems to have been the major concern of those I talked to who have not upgraded yet. On the whole I’ve been fairly impressed with it’s compatibility mode. Even allowing me to run a Windows 98 package, that XP decided to rebuke. Excellent experience unless it happens to be the vintage software package accompanying hardware drivers, but eventually I found a solution for my hardware, not requiring new purchases. I will write a blog entry soon.

The search facility is tres bien and thankfully the search dog has moved on. I find myself using this facility more, instead of endlessly looking into the umpteen folders I have scattered carelessly around.

Has the system crashed on me? Yes a few times and mostly due to older software. I was impressed when the system crashed once when I was trying Internet Explorer 8, browsing a microsoft site. However this has not been a recurring theme and that leads to an important point.

It’s what doesn’t happen that is probably more important with the latest Windows OS. I don’t find myself rebooting throughout the day. The system isn’t struggling under the weight of three or four apps fighting for resources and the environment is familiar in relation to older versions of Windows, but at the same time better and less cluttered. Files open relatively quickly.

This is an operating system striving to just work, smoothly, quickly (given a reasonable hardware spec) and not impact upon your day to day experience. For instance want to import a photo, scan an image? No problem. Quickly done, simple dialogue boxes and common sense organising. Want to compare two documents? Drag their windows desperately to opposite sides of the screen and presto auto resized for you.

Now I’ve not used Windows 7 on a laptop yet, but apparently the power management is quite nifty. The security features are also an improvement upon it’s predecessors. However in the later case, lets not forget Microsoft will still be updating XP for some years to come.

So as you’ve gathered this review is mixed and rightly so. The OS is newly released and I’m sure there will be further improvements through service updates. I’ve also found myself installing quite a few pieces of open source software to maximize the experience, another blog entry soon.

I will write more detailed articles over time, no doubt delving into specifics, but my initial thoughts?

For a newly released operating system, an excellent start.

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1. I already had my blank dvd inserted, so in Windows Explorer I navigated to the location of the iso image.

2. I right clicked on the image and selected ‘Burn disc Image’.

3. I ticked ‘Verify disc after burning’.

4. Selected ‘burn’.

How easy was that?!

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To try Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise yourself visit: http://bit.ly/gIm1H

Discovered via lifehacker. http://www.lifehacker.com

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While, on the outside, Snow Leopard looks almost exactly the same as the previous version of Mac OS X, Leopard, it brings with it a lot of business friendly new features that are definitely worth investing $30 in, the biggest being out of the box support for Microsoft Exchange.

Microsoft Exchange, as most business users will know, is heavily used in the business world to keep employees and their offices connected. Mac OS X Snow Leopard delivers out of the box Exchange support in all of Apple’s big built in apps, including Mail, iCal and Address Book. This functionality keeps your contacts, your calendars and your mailboxes all integrated and in sync, and this key feature alone is reason enough to upgrade to Snow Leopard if your Mac’s been kept out of your workplace due to it’s lack of Exchange support in the past.

In addition to Exchange support, Snow Leopard brings massive speed increases and decreased application and OS footprints to your Mac, freeing up anywhere from 7-20 GB of hard drive space and giving even older Macs a well needed speed boost.

If you haven’t yet grabbed your copy, Mac OS X Snow Leopard is only a $29 ($35 Canadian) OS that’s definitely worth every cent, but as with any new OS, beware of broken workflows, plugins, etc!

You can buy it directly from Apple at http://www.apple.com/macosx – happy upgrading!

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For those small business users out there considering buying Windows 7, be weary of legacy hardware and software support. Windows 7 will feature a Windows XP mode for software compatibility, but recommended you are sure of compatibility (with in-depth testing) before a roll out of the system or have a suitable alternative plan.

I personally don’t recommend most small business rolling out a new operating system when it has been only recently released. Even with the availability of Windows 7 RC for testing, often it is wise to allow others to take the plunge, allow bug fixes and updates to become available and then assess whether you really need an update.

I am sure many technical support consultants will hear from colleagues that their systems are blotted slow and they want…..’need’ the latest operating system. Especially with many using Windows 7 RC at home and being quite familiar with it already. We all like the latest and greatest, but I’m sure this would be a good time be patient and perform maintenance to existing systems. Especially in light of tightening budgets during the recession. People should always evaluate why they are upgrading, be it security, features, performance etc and make sure it is meeting their requirements. Plus evaluating the alternative options.

As mentioned there is a release candidate of Windows 7 available freely from Microsoft for downloading and testing. Windows 7 should out perform Windows Vista on existing hardware and this could be very beneficial to laptop users for instance. Plus many other features and updates over Windows Vista and XP. This blog no doubt will continue to have Windows 7 RC coverage over the next few months to help answer questions and demonstrate features ( so best add us to your twitter or rss feeds).

For many desktop users a linux system such as Ubuntu may well prove a suitable alternative. Depending on what applications they use daily. With more of us logging into online services, using less software installed directly on our own hardware, but instead using ‘services’ through a browser. Meaning a reliance on a Windows based operating system has been reduced. Examples: Basecamp, Evernote, Google Mail, CRM’s etc. Not forgetting excellent software available for linux and other systems such as Open Office, Mozilla’s Firefox and Thunderbird etc.

So like most I look forward to Microsoft releasing their latest operating system for the PC platform. However after using Windows dos 5, dos 6, 3.1, NT4 (workstation & server), 95, 98, ME, 2000 (Pro & Server), XP, Vista and now the 7 RC, I am ‘painfully aware’ that ME and Vista could have been avoided by most and for many small businesses a linux system (or even an Apple Mac) here and there would of been more suitable than another Windows system.

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Even though you will see the option to view with ‘Piclens’, I don’t recommend you use this due to piclens resizing and the quality I’ve uploaded.

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You can find the specification and requirements here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

If you are going to try the beta, make sure you backup any important data on the computer you will try it on beforehand. You will need to burn the downloaded iso image to a dvd. So you need a dvd burner and a piece of software to burn the image also.

Anyhow what’s the process for signing up and downloading? These were the steps I went through.

1) Go here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

2) Select 32bit or 64bit depending on your pc.

3) Register for the beta programme.

4) Verify your email.

5) Click on link in email.

6) Sign in with a Windows Live ID (same as msn messenger user id)

7) Be presented with a product key.

Download (2.4 gig) iso.

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From mainframes, P.C.’s to terminal clients I’ve used various Unix and Linux systems over the last 15 years. I am extremely weary of people who say Linux isn’t ready for mainstream use and question their motivations for saying so. Linux OS’s like Ubuntu, Fedora, Suse, Debian etc have regular updates, great support and a tremendous amount of available software. Deciding whether Linux is right for you is dependent on your requirements and then making sure you have access to the right support.

So this leads me to Xubuntu http://www.xubuntu.org/. A version of Ubuntu that uses Xfce instead of Gnome or KDE for your desktop experience. Xubuntu has been created to use less memory and provide good performance. A good explanation that goes into more detail can be found here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu

I happen to use Ubuntu on my main computer and it caters well for my requirements of development work, virtual machines, graphics, email and office apps. However I wanted to use something a tad bit lighter for an old laptop I had lying around and wanted to use for a journey, I didn’t want to have a slow performing laptop (which would of been the case if using Windows XP or other alternatives). I needed something to do a bit of business and blog work on, but also for entertainment. So I thought I would give Xubuntu a try after considering my requirements.

My requirements for the journey were…

• Simple graphic editing
• Word processing and export to pdf or MS word format
• Spreadsheet work
• Internet access for webmail and surfing via wifi
• Watch some free tech shows such as CommandN, GeekBrief.TV or EpicFu

Now the laptop is a Toshiba Tecra 8200. The 750mhz version, with 512mb ram, a 40gig hd I installed, pcmcia wifi card I use (as inbuilt doesn’t do above WEP). Plus a 2nd battery that fits into the CD bay for extra power when required. I’ve also upgraded the cd rom to a writer for backup when not near a network access, but I didn’t need this for the journey.

Installing Xubuntu was straight forward and just as easy as installing Windows XP is. The first hurdle was the full screen wasn’t being used, but a quick trip to the fantastic Ubuntu forums http://ubuntuforums.org/, a search on my cyberblade graphics adapter brought up three solutions and a few minutes later the full screen was being used. Not bad seeing as the graphics adapter is extremely old.

My second hurdle was my wifi wouldn’t connect properly to a network. However I realised I hadn’t run the update manager. That would be like someone complaining of a XP networking issue, but not installing any XP service packs. On Xubuntu it is very easy to do updates also. I connected the laptop via a ethernet cable to my network, installed 114.6mb of updates and the wifi worked perfectly after a reboot.

For word processing Abiword had been installed by default. I was amazed by how quickly abiword opened and it supports MS word documents as well as export to PDF. So that was my word processing requirements met.

The default media player Totem worked smoothly and had no problem coping with the free tech shows I downloaded before the journey.

As expected Xubuntu came with firefox version 3, but I was amazed at how responsive it was and couldn’t notice a difference in browsing on a high spec machine using firefox.

For graphic editing my requirements were very simple. I needed to do simple edits for images for this blog. So GIMP which was installed by default was perfect. Again very fast and responsive running on the laptop.

Now I never got round to the Spreadsheet work (sorry read a few chapters of a book instead), but Gunermic Spreadsheet was installed by default. I noticed it can export to multiple versions of MS Excel and also CSV, pdf among other formats. So am sure it would of been fine.

Wireless access was also easy to use and worked perfectly fine with the wifi pcmcia adapter I installed. Again not bad for an adapter that is at least four or five years old.

When I got back I simple put the text documents I had created on a removal drive to put on another machine.

There is a good selection of software installed by default on Xubuntu and thousands of additional pieces of software available for Xubuntu, I just happened not to need them for the journey. Anyone who has used an Apple Mac or Windows system can easily use Xubuntu or Ubuntu for that matter also.

Xubuntu breathed new life into the old laptop and I am sure it can do the same for older hardware in many small businesses. Why not install Xubuntu on an old computer you were going to replace and try it out?

I am sure I will write some further updates about Xubuntu on the blog. If you have any questions or feedback don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

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