LifeHacker

We should be starting our Internet Browswer review series today, however, I need a little more time to refine my thoughts. In the mean time, I wanted to tell you about a site that I just recently found called LifeHacker.com. According to the site's "about" page, LifeHacker is "an award-winning, daily blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently. Lifehacker launched in January 2005, and now ranks as one of the top-linked blogs on the internet according to Technorati. In 2006 Wired Magazine named Lifehacker Best Blog in their annual Rave Awards ceremony. Lifehacker's also been mentioned in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine and PC Magazine as well as other mainstream press outlets."

Sound cool? Well it is. To find out why YOU think its cool, its probably best to just go there and check it out. The site provides a lot of practical, hands-on solutions to all kinds of problems and situations. They provide free downloads of applications that are fun and easy to use. They review other applications and provide brief tutorials on how to use them. Basically, I think the site is cool because its basically the kind of site I would make if I had the expertise, editorial staff, programming staff, and time that the makers of LifeHacker have.

So LifeHacker covers subjects that are typically computer related (e.g. Apple and Microsoft software, reviewing productivity software, even how to setup your own home server) but they also cover practical everyday life subjects like health, food, and entertainment. Here are 3 recent posts that I found very useful:

Five "Healthy Snacks" That Aren't
Download 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Free and Legally
Cold Remedies

Anyway, check out LifeHacker and come back and comment about what you thought.

Star Office by Sun Microsystems Part 1

I have already reviewed OpenOffice, an office application package that is both open source and free. I really like the package because it works just like Microsoft Office, but you don't have to sell your first born to use it. Today I want to review a very similar product that is developed primarily under Sun Microsystems called Star Office. It is critical to note that StarOffice costs money while OpenOffice does not. However, StarOffice is not nearly as expensive as Microsoft Office and in a free market economy, it is critical that we have some alternatives. It is even more critical to note that if you don't want to pay for StarOffice, you can still get it for free from Google in their Google Pack. The drawback there is that you won't be able to get it for Linux or Mac OS X, just Windows. So, is StarOffice free? Only through Google. Otherwise you pay Sun to use it.

So you can get the most out of my review I have structured my comments accordingly: Introduction, The Package, Ease-of-Use, Features, Compatibility with Microsoft formats, and Takeaways.

Introduction

Star Office was originially developed by StarDivision but was purchased by Sun in 1999. OpenOffice (the free one) was actually based upon the source code of Star Office which was released in 2000. StarOffice, in turn, are based upon newer versions of OpenOffice. You can see that open source development was an important method through which Sun developed a product they now sell and profit from. This is a great example of how an open source business model can be a part of corporate strategy and help turn a profit while also developing software that is made by the users of the product. For more information on open source as a business model, click here. Recently, Google has incorporated StarOffice as part of its Google Pack, a software package for Windows containing essential programs like a virus scanner, photo editor, office application package, etc.

The Package

So what does StarOffice include in its array of applications? The interesting thing is that it contains more than the typical package of Microsoft Office. Here is a list of its contents and the file extensions they support:

Star Writer - word processor - .sdw, .sxw, .odt, .ott .doc

Star Calc - spreadsheet - .sdc, .sxc, .ods, .ots, .xls

StarImpress - presentation program - .sdd, .sxi, .odp, .otp, .ppt

StarDraw - drawing tool - .sda, .sxd, .odg, .otg

StarBase - database - .sdb, .odb

StarMath - formula generator - .smf, .sxm, .odf

Ease-of-Use

The focus of this section is really to determine how easy or hard it is to interact with StarOffice. I will try to answer questions like: Are the programs easy to use? Is the interface appealing? StarOffice has the look and feel of Microsoft Office 2003. Is it bad that it doesn't look like Office 2007? No. Office 2007 is merely a glorified, xml-ized version of 2003. StarOffice looks like 2003 and has more programs in the package and better features. Each program is intuitive and as easy to use as any office application you have used previously. The applications are not buggy so the flow of use is good.

Features

There are a host of features that I won't bother with because they are so common to Office Applications. For example, StarOffice (and OpenOffice) does EVERYTHING you would expect from your office applications. Everything. Macros, formulas, graphs, etc. Here are some additional features that make the software package appealing:

Format Changes: StarOffice allows you to save documents in .pdf format. This is extremely useful for anyone that needs to send a document that can't be modified by the next user. .pdf is also a very simple file type that many companies and individuals prefer to work with. Not only that, but you can save your files in formats beyond just .doc or .xls. Most importantly, the software does not limit you to one file format.

Package: The package you get with StarOffice is as complete as any other office apllication package and contains other useful software for editing formulas and a drawing tool.

Lastly, It's free: This is an important concept. You don't pay anything for a professiona

Compatibility- with .doc, .docs, .xls, .xlsx, etc.

You might wonder why I think this section is necessary. If you switch to OpenOffice or StarOffice, your colleuges at work, your friends, family, and everyone else in the world may not. This means that you will undoubtedly need to read the documents they create using your office application and it needs to be compatible. To this important information, there is good news and bad news.

Good News! StarOffice and OpenOffice are completely compatible with anything Microsoft has done pre-2007. That means anything without the -x on the end can be opened no problem and is completely compatible (although you might find a problem withthemes of PowerPoint files but not the data).

Bad News. Right now, OpenOffice and StarOffice don't support the .xml based files of Office 2007. There are converters out there that can help you figure it all out. The funny thing about the bad news here is that Microsoft Office 2003 won't open 2007 documents either unless you download and install the compatibility patch. A lot of people don't do this... so what's the diffferce. Anyway, a reason Microsoft created this file format was to dissuade people from using open office applications. So, if you want to use StarOffice and you want to open .-x extension files, just download the converter and everything will be fine.

Come back tomorrow to read the takeaways from this important application package. It was too long of a post to all hit today. So to learn how this can affect you and the software community favorably, come back and read tomorrow's post.

Open Source OS's Bonus: Live CD

Welcome to the bonus section of the Open Source Operating System mini-series. The bonus topic for today is all about Live CD's or LiveUSB. I created this section to give everyone some information on how they can try these open source operating systems without formatting or having virtualization software. The key to doing this is the "live" concept that Linux uses extensively. So here we go:

Live CD's are versions of an operating system that don't require a full install to run. They allow you to boot the operating system from the live disk and use the features of the OS almost as if you had installed it. For those of you that feel inclined to try out one of the operating systems I have highlighted or maybe another one you have heard about, it is easy with Live CD's. I found a list of the operating systems - with download links - that have Live CD's so you can play with them: click here. To create a Live CD, you need only download the ISO (disk image) and use an ISO burning software (Nero or ImgBurn) to put it on the disk. Thats it. You just run the disk on startup or there are even version that let you run the disk over your native OS and you are set. It seems to me that Ubuntu has the most popular version of a Live CD out there so check it out.

Live USB = A live USB or thumb drive would allow you to do the same thing as a Live CD with one fundamental difference. Rather than having a live image to boot from, you can actually install the full operating system on the USB thumb drive. This means that you can insert your thumb drive into the USB port, change your BIOS settings to "boot from USB drive" and then actually boot the computer from your thumb. This is actually a tool that a lot of hackers (the bad kind) use to get access to a hard drive without accessing the native operating system. That is the illegal application of this concept. The legal application is that you can boot to an operating system, get the internet, do whatever else you need to from ANY computer (that allows you to boot from USB). It also provides you a way of experimenting with various Linux OS's without all the cost of buying an extra hard drive or formatting your existing one. Here is a Google search with links to various tutorials and other such useful information (that way I don't have to do all the leg work of explaining it).

Open Source OS's Part 3: OpenSuse

Welcome to Part 2 of the Open Source Operating System mini-series. Today's focus is OpenSuse, a sponsored OS by Novell.

Introduction

The OpenSuse website says this about the project: "The openSUSE project is a worldwide community program sponsored by Novell that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. The program provides free and easy access to openSUSE. Here you can find and join a community of users and developers, who all have the same goal in mind — to create and distribute the world's most usable Linux. openSUSE also provides the base for Novell's award-winning SUSE Linux Enterprise products." The fact that Novell is behind the development of this software is interesting because it adds an element of more professionalism to the applications. It doesn't really make it better than other distro as big companies are behind other distros but Novell has done a great job with their Suse project. The OS is based on GNOME which is the GUI that a lot of Linux distros are based upon.

Features

Desktop: The look and feel of the OpenSuse desktop is similar to Ubuntu and XP. An interesting feature that OpenSuse has that Ubuntu does not is a virtual desktop - basically that means that you can seperate your open windows onto different windows and even go through them in a unique way. It also has a lot more desktop effects than other open source OS's like when you grab a window to move it, it kind of of sways with the way you move the cursor. The start menu is really intuitive on OpenSuse: it tabs between documents, applications, and network places to make searching fast, easy, and clean. (see last screen shot - the blue one)

Audio: OpenSuse uses Banshee audio player which I like a lot. It is actually pretty similar to the iTunes format. It also seperates into 3 different windows for artists, albums and songs so that you can sort your music really easily. Playback is typical. Banshee links to online stores so that users can purchase music and play them like on iTunes and other popular audio players. (see center shot for a look at the layout)

Visual: The graphics and video playback are what you would want and expect out of an OS. The graphics are slightly better than Ubuntu but only because the OS includes desktop effects that are pretty fun to play with. A reader pointed out on the Ubuntu post, however, that modifications can be made to the OS's to create better visual effects in Ubuntu (which is true of many Linux distros). Check out his page for an idea of how the GUI's can be modified to have a better look and feel. This is a great demonstration of how users can get MORE out of Linux based OS's because the code is not fenced in and closed off from third party modification. Linux is based on the ability of users to develop ways to customize their user experience and get more out of their machines. The problem is the technical know-how that is required to get these results.

Support Forum: OpenSuse has one of the larger support forums for users out of the Linux distros. This is a plus for users that want a free OS but also need some support and help learning how to use it. I will also note that Ubuntu has a large support forum as it is truly the Linux operating system (in my opinion) that has done most to actually make a system that is user friendly and aimed at ordinary, non-IT savy people.

E-Mail: OpenSuse uses Evolution (like Ubuntu) which interfaces with some e-mail accounts (Google in particular). This is like having Outlook on an XP. Evolution is even easier to use in my opinion.

Takeaway

Well, OpenSuse is probably the best Open Source OS out there with a large corporate sponsor. I think it is the most intuitive, the most in line with what consumers want, has the best features, is the sleekest, easiest to customize desktop OS that is free. Be warned, there is a costly one that is even better but it costs something like $80. A lot of companies buy the liscense becasue it is a stable, virus-free environment for their desktop users - and they get professional support from Novell, the company that backs the development of the OS. In the next post, I am going to tell you how you can play with these Linux distributions without having to format your computer or virtualize the OS through the use of Live CD's and Live USB's.

Open Source OS's Part 2: Ubuntu

Welcome to Part 2 of Open Source Operating Systems. If you missed Part 1, click here. Today we will focus on Ubuntu. I really like Ubuntu. It was the first Linux distro that I used and I really think it is intuitive and very similar to Windows XP. This is how I will break down each exploration of the operating systems featured in the mini-series: Basic Introduction (background, history) and then Basic Features (userability and how it compares to Windows). The breakdown will be pretty simple but hopefully give you enough of an introduction to understand how you could benefit from it.

Introduction

Ubuntu says this about themselves: "Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more." It was made by a develpoment team (and a community of open developers) for developers and for the use of an everyday Joe like me. So the intimidation factor is really a non-issue when you consider that this product was made for a wide spectrum of users, you included. Ubuntu is an operating system much like Windows actually. It has many of the same characteristics. Using VMware Fusion (click here for info on that little gem of technology) I installed Ubuntu on my computer. I don't use it primarily as I have no need to. The OS, however, is definitely usable as a sole operating system. In fact, I would wager that it could substitute for any mainstream OS.

Features

Accessories: Ubuntu has all the basic accessories you would expect from an operating system like a calculator (advanced one even), desktop sticky notes, dictionary, text editor, bluetooth, wireless technology software interface, screenshot taker, disk analyzer, and anything else you could need. If the basic package does not come with a specific accessory that you need or want, you can get it very easily on the internet. All those things are really limited use and luxury items but Ubuntu has them. It doesn't do anything better necessarily than Windows in this arena although it does have a sticky note applicataion that is pretty cool.

Install: Easy shmeezy... Using a virtualization software, simply load up the ISO and go for it. If you are formatting and installing Ubuntu, boot from CD and follow the instructions. Its pretty step-by-step but if you need assistance, contact me.

Internet: you can use whatever open source web browser you want with Ubuntu. My preference is Firefox (on all platforms really) and it works beautifully with Ubuntu. The internet experience is basically the same as on Windows although some websites interact differently with Firefox than with Internet Explorer. (I took a screenshot of Firefox for y'all - see right)

Instant Messenger: Ubuntu comes standard with an instant messenger that interfaces with a variety of different e-mail accounts, Gmail most importantly.

E-Mail: the application interfaces with Google and some other e-mail services but does not work with Exchange accounts. I also loaded up Thunderbird (which I will feature in later posts) and found it to run delightfully.

Office Applications: Ubuntu comes with Open Office. Learn more about it here.

Audio: Ubuntu comes with an application called Rythmbox Music Player. Playback is great. I like the way it organizes the music. It has a window for artist, album, and songs. It also has access to music stores similar to iTunes. The OS also comes with a CD burner, CD ripper, and sound recorder. You can see the player to the right with a little chess going on in the back.

Visual: The graphics and general user interface are great. You can see in the scren shots I have taken and appear throughout this post that it has a pretty cool look. Of all Linux-based operating systems, I have found Ubuntu to be the most basic but easiest to use. In this arena, think of Ubuntu as XP. It is really quite similar. Video playback with Ubuntu is great. There is an aplication called Movie Player that plays DVD, AVI, MPEG4, etc. It also comes with a graphics editor and photo manager that both are easy to use and pretty cool actually.

Games: the OS comes with basic puzzle and arcade games (more than XP and a better variety too) but you cannot play games that you purchase from the store as they are not made (typically) for Linux-based OS's.

Takeaways

Basically, Ubuntu is a great OS for anyone looking to surf the web, listen/download music, watch movies, and produce any kind of office document (spreadsheet, document, presentation, database). It does all the basic things you would expect from an OS and with style. If you think about it, it is pretty amazing to get those applications without costing you a penny. Truthfully, I think Ubuntu has done a huge thing for the Open Source community by really making OSS OS's usable by the everyday person. Other distros are doing similar things which is execellent. The OSS movement really needs OS's like Ubuntu because they standardize and drop the level of skill required to use them. So check it out. The live CD is really good.

Open Source Operating Systems Mini-Series: Part 1

Introduction: What is Open Source and Linux

This mini-series is dedicated to Linux-based operating systems. That lovable little penguin to the left is the symbol of Linux. I am a relative neophyte to the Linux arena and as such, these posts will focus on the capability these operating systems have to substitute for popular, mainstream operating systems (i.e. Windows and OS X). If I were on top of the Linux game, I could probably give you a more in depth look at each of these OS's. I can, however, offer the perspective of someone who knows a little about them and can use them enough to be able to get along without Windows or OS X. Most importantly, the operating systems I will highlight in the mini-series are a FREE substitute for otherwise costly software. Linux-based operating systems are not always free. In fact, the Open Source Software model is a viable business concept. The idea behind the mini-series is to introduce you to Linux and then highlight characteristics of a few different distributions of Linux-based operating systems. This first part will be solely introduction, upcoming posts will then focus on the desktop version of Ubuntu, OpenSuse, and Live CD's or thumbs. Prepare yourself for a look into Open Source Software (OSS) and Linux.

Some Definitions:

Open Source: any application that has open source code. Source code is the "stuff" applications are made out of. If you want an example of source code that is really basic, simply right click anywhere that isn't a link or a picture on my site here and select "view page source" from the drop down menu. What you see is a bunch of gibberish that is actually what makes this website. Operating systems have a source code rooted in an entirely different language, but you get the point. When source code is open, it means it is viewable and, therefore, modifiable. There is an official open source definition that regulates the use of the term that you can find here (for example I can't just go around saying stuff is open source when it fails to meet the definition - this is a serious legal issue). I read it and found it rather interesting. Lastly, open source does not mean free. A product can be open source and yet be owned and sold by a company that distributes it.

Linux: Basically, Linux is what operating systems that use the Linux kernel are called. See "Kernel" below for a description of a kernel. The kernel was originally designed by Linus Torvalds in 1991 which is where the name originates. The kernel is used in a variety of "Linux" operating systems including, but not limited to: Red Hat, Suse, Mandrive, Ubuntu, etc. When a person says "I use Linux" they could be refering to a variety of distributions of Linux-based operating systems (see definition below).

Kernel: a Kernel is the basic building block of an operating system (see diagram on right). Its basic function is to manage system resources. So think of the operating system in layers. There is the resource layer, the kernel layer, and the application layer. The kernel is the facilitator.

Linux Distribution: a Linux Distribution (or distro) is a deliverable operating system based upon the Linux kernel. Deliverable does not mean finished, rather that the operating system is delivered to "mid-users" and/or "end-users". A "mid-user" or developer is a person that will download or otherwise obtain a copy of the operating system and further develop the code of that OS while the end-user is the individual that will actually use the system to perform the tasks it was designed to carry out. It is important to note that end-users in the case of a Linux distribution are very often developers as well. Linux distributions never really stop being developed. For example, servers (the things that run large application and handle large loads of users and data) are often based upon open source products like FreeBSD, Solaris, and Linux. Such products are developed and sold by a company (end-user) with an open source code that allows the company to modify and customize its performance (development).

Business Implication of the Open Source Model

It is important to note how the Open Source Software model has affected the business element of software development. First, what is the traditional software development model? Basically, think Microsoft, Apple, and any company that produces a product that you can't change. They sell a product that is meant to be used by a range of consumers. When I think traditional model, I think: closed source code, powerful applications, customer service, lots of money, sometimes monopoly. This does not mean that they can't produce customizable products, but it does mean that you can't see their kernel. They don't want you to see it because it is their trade secret. Like a the secret recipe to Coke. Coke will NEVER give out their recipe because it is what makes them unique and special. This also doesn't mean that companies that follow an Open Source model can't be unique and special.

How does Open Source as a business model differ? We have established that the software isn't always free. In many cases, businesses own the software and make money off it. How does it work if the source code is open? Well, a company basically licenses their product to other companies or individuals to use and they leave the source code open to them. Why is this better than just getting the same product free and open? Well, two reasons really: 1) the product is ready for customization or is customized to meet the needs of the purchasing company upon delivery (or going live, or whatever); 2) these companies provide customer service akin to what you would expect from any other, non-open source company. Now, obviously many companies can still customize their products to meet the specific needs of their customer without following the open source model. The real difference is that a company offering an open source code really is allowing the customer to do what they want with the product outside of whatever they are willing to customize themselves. This model has been adopted on a large scale by companies like IBM, Sun Microsystems, Novell, etc. Even Microsoft, over the years, has opened itself up to the notion of developer communities and even opened up bits and pieces of their highly secretive Windows kernel. As a side note, ALL of the Chinese, Brazilian, and many other governments use ONLY open source software.

What Does All This Mean to You?

The thing about Linux in general is it is intimidating to use. The Linux community is full of computer geeks that love to fiddle around with the source code of all the applications they use so that they get exactly what they want. Most people aren't insane computer geeks like that so the notion of using a product they use is rather uninteresting. I completely understand this sentiment as it is one that I struggle with too. However, it is really important to know that a lot of the time, developers that make these products have the end-user (like you) in mind. They are actually trying to design a product that you can use because they either want to sell it to you (as a more cost effective substitute than say Windows or OS X) or they believe that everyone should be able to obtain products like operating systems legally and free of charge. The products we will focus on in this mini-series are like this. They are operating systems that are free, easy-to-use, and, best of all, require little Linux know-how to operate.

Takeaways:

Please don't feel intimidated if these ideas are new to you or if Linux geeks have frightened you before. What we are about to explore is really interesting and easy to understand on a basic level. I hope that you feel at least a little inclined to play around with open source operating systems as a result of this mini-series. If not, I hope that you understand it a little better and even understand that it is a viable business model.

Firefox 3.0

Good news everyone (all 3 of you... by the way, a welcome to our new viewer) Mozilla has released Firefox 3.0 beta (or RC if you like - all that means is release candidate). I have ranted about how I love Firefox in my post about Google Pack. Firefox is great. Its the fastest web browser I have ever used, it uses tab browsing like Internet Explorer (IE), and it allows you to use a link bar like IE and Safari. However, Firefox is much more customizable than the other browsers mentioned here. You can use any add-on that has been made for the browser and completely change the look of the browswer for a better feel. For example, I love the NASA add-on because its a sleek black and instead of a little icon that rotates when I access a site, a spaceship launches. Its amazing.

So, Mozilla is testing the waters for the secure release of Firefox 3.0. As mentioned, the current version 3.0 RC is simply a release candidate or beta version. Basically, Mozilla releases an early version to get more help from developers and feedback from the community. The version is pretty cool and has a bunch of new features and improvements. Indeed, the improvements make it even "more better" than IE and definitely worth the download. Here are few of my favorite new features and improvements (taken from the Mozilla site):

• Improved Security: One-click site info: Click the site favicon in the location bar to see who owns the site and to check if your connection is protected from eavesdropping. Identity verification is prominently displayed and easier to understand.
• New Download Manager: the revised download manager makes it much easier to locate downloaded files, and you can see and search on the name of the website where a file came from. Your active downloads and time remaining are always shown in the status bar as your files download.
• Resumable downloading: users can now resume downloads after restarting the browser or resetting your network connection.
• Tab scrolling and quickmenu: tabs are easier to locate with the new tab scrolling and tab quickmenu.
• Save what you were doing: Firefox will prompt users to save tabs on exit.
• Find toolbar: the Find toolbar now opens with the current selection
• Integration with Windows: Firefox now has improved Windows icons, and uses native user interface widgets in the browser and in web forms.
• Integration with the Mac: the new Firefox theme makes toolbars, icons, and other user interface elements look like a native OS X application. Firefox also uses OS X widgets and supports Growl for notifications of completed downloads and available updates. A combined back and forward control make it even easier to move between web pages.
• IMPROVED SPEED, MEMORY USAGE, AND RELIABILITY!!! ITS AMAZING

I love Firefox. I hope you love the new release. Obviously, you might run into a few mini-glitches but I bet you don't even notice them. Note: for windows users, the beta version will install in a seperate file and therefore be seperate from your current version of Firefox (I hope you have one). Mac OS X users, the beta version will completely replace your existing installation, however, it will leave bookmarks, history, links, etc. untouched.