Archive for the 'Opinions' Category

Who cares about 64-bit Office 2010?

Published on March 9, 2010 in Info Tech, Opinions and Technology. 0 Comments Tags: , .

[East Africa]AMD Opteron 64-bit processor
I’VE SAID IT BEFORE and I’ll say it again, “who cares about 64-bit desktop app when the average system RAM is around 1 to 2Gb?” Heck, I’m more interested in server apps that are compiled to take advantage of 64-bit processors. Mind you, 64-bit  apps in gaming and virtual reality are 2 areas that can immediately benefit  desktop users. But no one’s writing them, or they’re too few of em.

So I was peeking this ZDNet blog post on the prospect of a 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010. I’m like, “who cares?” Everyone’s running to install 64-bit versions of Vista or Windows 7 simply because they have Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD x86-64 chips. But, are they really getting any benefits if they’re still running 32-bit applications like Office 2007, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Photoshop, Windows Media Player, iTunes et al? Hell no!

Actually, it’s hardware vendors that are “pushing” these 64-bit chips to home users — just like your medical doctor and Big Pharma pushing Chemotheraphy “treatment”  on poor hapless souls with cancer (especially now that we all know that pure Hemp Oil is a cure) because it’s a multi-billion dollar cash cow. Why? Profits, of course…and I understand that.

Show me the server goods…
Now, when it comes to server-based computing (mail/database/file servers, etc.), gimme 64-bits any day of the week. Anyhow, here’s my reply to the above blog post:

I’m more interested in 64-bit versions of MySQL, PostgreSQL, FirebirdSQL, SQLlite, etc. because this is the main area where you’ll see immediate benefits. Why? Because databases rule the world so if you are a company that has large data sets, then 64-bit RDBMS apps are the keys to your speedy success. I can also see 64-bits being advantageous in video/audio processing apps as well as large, complex information systems such as an Enterprise ERP app running on a server.
But Office 2010, Flash, and other desktop apps being 64-bits?? Not really important right now. {source}

Can you imagine running free 64-bit versions of Ubuntu Server Edition, FreeBSD, NetBSD, CentOS, OpenSolaris with free, powerful 64-bit apps like PostgreSQL, MySQL, Exim, Postfix, qmail, OpenERP, etc — and taking advantage of virtualization? Now, imagine if your system was decked out with an AMD Opteron 64-bit chip, 6 Gb RAM, and a RAID setup. Now here’s where some 64-bit “magic” will appear — right in front of your very eyes.

Happy 64-bit computing!

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2010 is the year of Desktop Linux

Published on December 10, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions and Solutions. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

[Gachie, Kenya]
YOU MAY NOT know it, but when you cruise the Net to read your mail on Yahoo, GMail, Hotmail (ran on FreeBSD before Microsoft purchased it), Mail2Web, or from your ISP (via POP3/IMAP), you’re mostly using a free mail server (qmail, Exim, Postfix, or Sendmail) that’s either running on Linux (CentOS, Red Hat, Debian, SUSE, Slackware, et al) or rock-solid BSD Unix variants such as NetBSD, FreeBSD, or OpenBSD. And what do you think Google is running their profitable multi-billion dollar Search engine business on? Linux!

Great Linux desktops a plenty…
Yes, we know Linux has been a huge success on the server side of things. But thanks to free sexy desktop user interface projects such as KDE and GNOME — as well as Xfce and Fluxbox for older PCs — Linux looks just as good (or better) than XP, Vista, Mac OS X or Windows 7. And things are getting better each and every day.

As a result, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, PCLinuxOS, OpenSUSE, SimplyMEPIS, Puppy Linux (great for old desktops and laptops that run XP slooowly!) and other distros are stepping up to the plate with fabulous desktop solutions for the home or office user. Anyhow, I expect to see some great developments from KDE (4.x) and GNOME (version 3.0) in 2010 that will make more users abandon Windows for good.

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From Ubuntu to Linux Mint

Published on December 7, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions and Solutions. 13 Comments Tags: , , .

[Gachie, Kenya]
WELL, IT’S OFFICIAL, I’m now a big fan of the amazing Linux distro called Linux Mint. You see, it’s based on the fabulous work that Ubuntu (which is based on Debian) has already done; that is, making Linux easy for the masses to use, install and manage — just like Windows XP (I hear Vista & Windows 7 are a “lengthy” nightmare to install).

My "sexy" Linux Mint 8 desktop

So, you can look at Linux Mint as a more polished (take a peek at my Mint 8 desktop above!) and kinder, gentler version of Ubuntu that simply does EVERYTHING right out of the box, like:

  • Playing any video or music format (DivX, Windows Media Audio/Video, Ogg, and tons more that I didn’t know existed).
  • Detecting your Nokia celly so you can connect to the Internet with it (on XP you have to download Nokia PC Suite to do this!).
  • Detecting all of your hardware and installing the proper drivers during the install process without you even noticing.
  • Setting up Flash in Mozilla Firefox right off the bat.
  • Ditto for Java!
  • Plus lots of other “little” things that make you say, “Wow!”

Suffice to say, I heart Linux Mint. Really. Things just work on my laptop — or on any other old or new system that I’ve test driven it on. Ya don’t believe me? Well, take a peek at the following screen shot where I’m running the ever popular (and FREE) Evolution email client that was given to the community by Novell. It can connect to my GMail via IMAP or POP3 — and it’s sooo slick. By the way, it’s touted as an Outlook killer in every way — except for all those annoying Outlook bugs. Well, you know deal when you’re using Microsoft products. Oh, Evolution can even connect to a Microsoft Exchange mail server, too.

My Linux Mint 8 desktop with the "Outlook killer" Evolution mail client

Of course I do this to show peeps down here that Linux Mint is a better alternative to Windows from this point of view:

  • Your system is responsive and runs fast since it’s not saddled with layers and layers of archaic, proprietary Windows “technologies” that have, unfortunately, become a nightmare (or headache) for Microsoft in order to maintain backward compatibility — ie. millions and millions of lines of bloated Windows programming code going back to Windows 3.1, 95, 98, ME, XP, Vista and now Windows 7. I truly feel sorry for Microsoft on that note! Have you ever wondered why Windows XP, Vista or 7 takes up so much damn hard disk space?
  • No chance in Hell of catching a virus, trojan, or worm that’s so prevalent on the Windows “platform”. I really believe Symantec, McAfee, Kaspersky, Esset, Trend Micro, Panda, Grisoft and other well known Windows antivirus software companies just love the insecurity that’s built into the Windows architecture starting from the late 1980s to the present — all the way to the bank. If they had to depend on Linux, OS X, or a popular BSD Unix variant like NetBSD, FreeBSD, or OpenBSD, they’d all go out of business. No sh!t.
  • Easy system updates and software installation thanks to its remarkable Debian lineage.

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ComputerWorld: Ubuntu 9.10 Better Than Windows 7

Published on November 30, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions and Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

[Gachie, Kenya]
I OWE A LOT to ComputerWorld back in my high school days and in the 1990s for really keeping me up to date on all the important IT developments back then. Boy, I almost forgot about them, but I was pleasantly surprised with this favourable analysis of Ubuntu Linux 9.10 (Karmic Koala) against Windows 7.

5 Reasons why Ubuntu 9.10 is better than Windows 7

Wow, there are 263 comments in response to the article so far. No doubt some addicted Windoze (er Windows) users are going to try to make Linux look bad. But Linux cheerleaders don’t sit on the sidelines any more. They’ll defend their OS of choice until Hell freezes over (not gonna happen with this global warming thingy going on).

So, what’s your take?

ComputerWorld cover - December 1996

Remembering the good ol’ days…
By reading ComputerWorld religiously, I was able to keep abreast of the latest trends with regards to: DB2, Informix, IBI’s PC-FOCUS 4GL, COBOL (gasp!), PowerBuilder, Oracle, VAX/VMS, Windows (unfortunately), Sybase, Unix, Texas Instruments IEF (Information Engineering Facility), Cognos PowerHouse, Lotus’ bad mis-steps with 1-2-3, DEC’s powerful Alpha AXP chip et al. Heck, this magazine used to magically disappear — for a few days or permanently — whenever I visited someone’s IT shop. After all, they weren’t that serious about IT I thought; it’s just that it was “the IT magazine” you had to have in your office if you wanted to look good. BTW, Byte, PC /Computing, and PC Magazine kept me up to date in the DOS/Windows era of computing and all the battles for market dominance between Intel/AMD, and Borland/Microsoft. ComputerWorld on the other hand was more for CIOs and high-end IT decision makers.

ComputerWorld cover- May 1998

A new Information era…
Today, I don’t even read the above magazines in print any more. Thanks to the Internet, I get my full dose of IT news by visiting sites like Linux.com, DesktopLinux.com, LinuxPlanet.com, ZDNet.com, OSNews.com, Oreilly.com, CNet.com, ServerWatch.com, Internet.com along with the granddaddy of all FREE Open Source Software projects, SourceForge.net.

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10 Important Linux Developments

Published on November 29, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions and Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: .

[Gachie, Nairobi, Kenya]
NOW THAT I’VE become a Linux whore, I thought I’d share a really important post that highlights some key Linux developments courtesy of IBM’s DeveloperWorks website.

10 important Linux developments
everyone should know about

the Linux mascot, Tux, the penguin, is looking to uproot Windows installations -- everywhere!

Are you looking for an amazing Linux Desktop experience? Well, I highly recommend the latest releases of the following FREE Linux distros:

To conclude, you simply can’t go wrong using one of the highly acclaimed Linux distributions listed above. Just download the .iso file, burn it to a blank CD, and reboot your PC. In my opinion, they all put Windows XP and Vista to shame.

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Ubuntu Linux rocks!!!

Published on November 15, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions and Solutions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

[Gachie, Kenya]
NOW THAT I’VE abandoned Windows XP — I’m not really interested in Windows  7, and I wasn’t that stupid to give Vista a chance! — my computing life is so much more serene. Why? Because I’m running the latest FREE Ubuntu Linux (ver 9.10 – aka Karmic Koala) on a Toshiba L305 lappie. And ya know what? “Like Hell I’m going back to headaches a la Windoze. Nope, I’m done — for good.” I just have one thing to say to myself: “Max, you idiot!!! What took you sooo long? Moron!” :-(

Ubuntu 9.10 Feature Tour

Now, I can’t live one second without my fabulous and FREE IrfanView graphics app from my good Net pal, Irfan Skiljan, all the way from former Yugoslavia. He’s such a kool dude who now resides in Austria. Anyhow, he was way ahead of his time back around the mid 1990s when he developed what was then a landmark program. I’ve been using it for about 10 years now.

IrfanView was the first Windows graphic viewer WORLDWIDE with Multiple (animated) GIF support. One of the first graphic viewers WORLDWIDE with Multipage TIF support. The first graphic viewer WORLDWIDE with Multiple ICO support. {source}

The only problem I have with Irfan is that his addictive program only works on Windows. Doh!!! No worries though. Thanks to Sun Microsystems’ unbelievable FREE VirtualBox application, I can run Windows, various flavours of BSD Unix (ie. FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD), various Linux distros, and more as though they were installed on separate computers — all on my laptop. This, folks, is called virtualization and in this particular market, big names like VMWare, Parallels Desktop, Xen and others reign supreme. But VirtualBox holds it own against all of them. And did I mention its FREE, FREE, FREE? Heck, it seems like the best things in computing these days are FREE.

With my dual core Pentium processors, I can run XP via VirutalBox inside the protective confines of Ubuntu Linux and NOT ever have to worry about all the crap that goes with running XP on a standalone machine. Now, if I “catch” a nasty virus on my USB flash drive, no worries. I merely insert it on the Linux side in the Nautilus file explorer and delete em. Try that on Windoze!

Screenshot
Take a peek at my Ubuntu Linux desktop (as the host operating system) running Windows XP (as a guest operating system). You see, XP is just another program. I can suspend it and restart it later or take a snapshot for backup purposes. I’m loving this!!!

Max The IT Pro's Ubuntu Linux desktop with Windows XP running as a guest via VirtualBox

* Update *

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Theo Stone Art Exhibit at Village Market

Published on September 15, 2009 in Africa and Opinions. 0 Comments Tags: , .

[Shimoni, Kenya]
That fabulous Greek-Ugandan-Kenyan artist — and a dear friend of mine — Theo Stone (aka Theodora Spyropoulos-Stone) is about to unveil some exciting artwork at the highly anticipated Village Market Art Exhibition between October 1 and the 10th. Don’t miss it! I’ve always said that Theo is the most versatile artist I’ve met on this continent…and probably even on Planet Earth. Could she be a space alien who came to earth to “creatively play” for a while? Who knows!

You can obtian more details at this link:

October 2009 Exhibition at Village Market

By the way, here’s a sample of Theo’s “out-of-this-world” creativity! I just wished I could afford her art. :-(

Peek her online gallery for more goodies! Enjoy!

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Yahoo does FREE POP3 & Forwarding

Published on September 10, 2009 in Info Tech and Opinions. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

[Shimoni, Kenya]
WOW, I’M totally shocked! Yahoo now offers UNLIMITED email storage, POP3 mail access or email forwarding (you can only choose 1 option) to an external address — for FREE. I just have one question for the kind pioneering (during the 90s) folks at Yahoo!: What took ya so fu*k!ng long??

R u kidding me? Yahoo! does FREE POP3 & email forwarding now?

Lead or get out of the way…
Google (via GMail) has been doing this like since the beginning of time. This is why, incidentally, Yahoo and HotMail (now Windows Live Mail and an annoying piece of Windows centric crapware) has lost so MANY users to the 20-steps-ahead GMail web app that’s oh so addictive. BTW, I like Yahoo’s new YMail.com addys. It has a nice ring to it. Yes, I know Yahoo offered these goodies “back then” for a $19.95 yearly premium. But how can you compete against FREE? Seriously! One other thing…I can tell a lot about a person by the email provider he/she keeps. If they’re with Yahoo or Hotmail, I know they’re behind the times and most likely are not risk takers with new technologies. That’s just a generalization though, which might get me into some hot water. Oh well!

The good ‘ole days…
Anyhow, I can’t really knock Yahoo too much since I lost my Internet virginity with them back when I was studying Computer Science. We frequently used the GAUL labs (Middlesex College building) with its expensive Sun Microsystems workstations running the powerful and sexy Solaris flavour of UNIX.  Boy, those were truly great times, and Yahoo’s innovative directory was my portal into Cyber Space. For that, I will always be grateful to Yahoo. I’m still kicking myself for not buying stock when they first went public. Oh well!

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Get Free POP/IMAP from GMail

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StatCounter vs Google Analytics

Published on September 10, 2009 in Info Tech, Opinions, Reviews, Solutions and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

[Shimoni, Kenya]
WELL, I’M back in Shimoni here on the Kenyan coast by Wasini Island for a day or 2 and I need to set up a FREE web stats for a friend. Decisions, decisions. I think I’ll still continue to go with StatCounter (SC). Any of you guys use Google Analytics (GA)? I’ve always heard good things about SC so I don’t think I’m gonna change.

I fondly remember my dear pal Anne Holmes (aka The Vigilante Journalist and photographer) who used to get her web stats via GA until we met up — as a result of being roomies in Lavington. Back then, I introduced her to StatCounter because she didn’t like GA one bit. Heck, she even subscribed to the paid version of SC.

BTW, this Franco-American gal travels the world like no other person I’ve met in a while. One moment, she’s living in Bangkok; the next moment, she’s hanging out in Chad, Turkey or some other “hot spot” doing the journalist thingy. And then she’s back at her Bangkok pad once again…with occasional trips back to France — probably to see her love: goood French wine. Aah yes, she’s a true Frenchie. :-)

Anyhow, peek these links:

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Gaddafi is Right

Published on July 3, 2009 in Africa, Info Tech and Opinions. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

[Nairobi (Kilimani), Kenya]
GREETINGS FROM Olive Salon next door to the Valley Arcade Shopping Centre in Kilimani where my good pal Sarah Mwangi (expert in Beauty, Body Treatments and Reflexology) has just relocated from the Sanctuary in Lavington. You’re not gonna believe this, but the owner of that spa got pissed at her for having a bloody website – and sacked her. How selfish!!

Well, the Middle Eastern owner of Olive Salon, Sophie, is sooo super kool. By the way, she makes a great cup of Arab coffee. Oh, I just set up Safaricom’s super fast 3G broadband Internet service on Sophie’s slooow Compaq Pentium-3 system so I decided to cruise the Net for just a teeny little bit to see how 3G’s working over here. Also, I’m a bloody web whore. :-)

God damn it!!!! I just downloaded Mozilla Firefox 3.5 (7.7MB) in like less than a minute. Okay, so 3G is fast in Kilimani, too, I guess. Way to go Safaricom!! You definitely are the BETTER “data” option…but not for voice. Zain wins that battle hands down! :-)

Anyhow, I saw these links, read em, and I agree wholeheartedly with Colonel Gaddafi of Libya. The biggest problem with Africa is its disunity. One voice, one union, one government is the key to her prosperity. Of course, the West would be terrified to see Africa united. Trust me! But I don’t think most Kenyans (or the continent’s citizens) really see the big picture. I blame its leaders, and their selfish interests for this. Tell me what you think:

Okay, back to setting up Olive Salon’s website. I’ll post the link later!

Ciao!

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