Written on May 7, 2008  |  by RP Mickler  |  Leave a Comment  | 

So you have this old computer system hanging around and you’re not quite sure what to do with it. Maybe you’re a small company and you think disposing of it might be a waste yet the idea of paying an extraordinary amount of money in new software licensing isn’t appealing. Perhaps you’re an individual and you want to pass along your old laptop to one of your kids. Maybe you’re a non-profit and need to make use of every resource you have. Regardless, you have a very simple need: you want this computer functional so that it’s easy to use, can browse the Internet, edit common office documents, instant messaging, and can read email – and you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to do it. Certainly it can’t be that hard to turn this old worthless machine into something useful again?

And in fact, it’s not. Here’s a practical approach to creating an Open Desktop using free solutions that you can download today from the Internet.

Operating System. Download Ubuntu Desktop Edition.Location: http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition

Internet Browser. Download Mozilla FireFox.Location: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Productivity Application. Download OpenOffice.Location: http://www.openoffice.org/

Email Application. Download Mozilla ThunderBird. Location: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Instant Messaging Application. Download Jabber.Location: http://www.jabber.org/quickstart

A full 32-bit operating system, Ubuntu is quick and easy to install, performs better than Microsoft Windows ®, and you don’t need a degree in computer science to be able to use it. It comes with a familiar graphic user interface and a friendly wizard-driven setup process.

OpenOffice is a free productivity suite capable of handling word processing, spreadsheets, database, and presentation graphics, and is fully compatible with Microsoft Office ® documents.

Meanwhile, ThunderBird is a simple to use email client that has similar capabilities to Microsoft Outlook Express ®.

Mozilla FireFox and OpenOffice comes with Ubuntu so no extra downloading is necessary; you can get the latest versions by downloading them directly from these websites after installing Ubuntu.

Finally, Jabber is a cross-platform instant messaging solution. Use Jabber if you have multiple instant messaging accounts with the likes of Google Talk, Yahoo! IM, or MSN Messenger to bring all of that messaging into one place.

Through installing these applications in the order presented, you can turn that doorstop of a computer into something useful again. Bear in mind that the Open Desktop won’t be able to run some of your favorite Microsoft applications, but if you want something that connects to the Internet and performs some very rudimentary functions, this configuration is easy to implement. We’ll see you online!

R

Russell Mickler works a technology consultant in Battle Ground, WA, USA. With over fourteen years of experience, Mickler teaches for numerous colleges and universities. Mickler holds a CISSP, MCSE, and Masters’ Degree in Information Technology. His website can be found at www.micklerandassociates.com; he can be contacted at mickler@micklerandassociates.com

Written on May 6, 2008  |  by RP Mickler  |  Leave a Comment  | 

Written on May 5, 2008  |  by RP Mickler  |  Leave a Comment  | 

Written on May 1, 2008  |  by RP Mickler  |  Leave a Comment  | 

Q2 2008 is shaping up as an interesting quarter for Microsoft Partners as Microsoft releases a slew of service packs and critical system updates.

Windows Vista SP1 was finally released for Windows Ultimate and Windows Business a couple of weeks ago. I wrote about the improvements and features found in Service Pack 1 in March.

Windows XP SP 3 was released April 1 (a very interesting date to release a service pack), suspended because of an incompability with a commercial piece of software, then re-released this week on April 29. It is scheduled for WindowsUpdate push in June 2008 but can be downloaded now.

About the Windows XP Service Pack:

According to Wikipedia, there are a total of 1,073 fixes in SP3 with significant updates to XP Media Center Edition, XP Tablet PC Edition, and .NET Framework security updates distributed earlier as hotfixes. The WinXP box must be running SP1 to install SP3, which is a new issue since service packs have been historically cummulative. New features include “Black Hole Router Detection” (an ability found in Vista to find routers who’re discarding packets), an improved cryptographic module for developers and Network Access Protection (NAP – to integrate with Windows Server 2008 native capabilities). Minor updates to BITS to improve security, the Windows Installer, and PNRP (Peer Name Resolution Protocol) to allow WinXP SP3-based programs to communicate with Vista programs that use this protocol.

Who Should Install All of These?

If you run Microsoft Windows Vista, you can access the Security section of the Control Panel and check for updates. SP1 could be sitting there, waiting for your approval. Prepare yourself: it’s a big download and it’ll take an hour or two to install. You’ll need a lot of time. If you have legacy (older) devices and perhipherals, use caution. If you aren’t sure and aren’t comfortable with fixing your own computer, probably best to ask a local techhead before install. Things can go wrong with this service pack. In fact, it may even be best to wait if your machine is behind a firewall, you use standard productivity applications, and you won’t be upgrading any time soon. Don’t hurt yourself if you don’t have to.

If you run Microsoft Windows XP SP2, you should upgrade to SP3. There are some significant security advantages to SP3 and its impact on the operating system is less traumatic and time consuming than the SP1 update for Vista. Relatively – quick and painless. A lot of these accumulated hot fixes have probably already been applied to your station, but it’s best to be current.

And if that isn’t enough, if you’re running Windows 2003 Server, watch out for WSUS 3.0 SP1’s update which has it’s own user interface for the update!

Whew! Busy quarter…!

R