Dropbox - Sweet online storage app!

Best new online storage program BY FAR... Dropbox!

I've been looking at various "cloud computing" online storage options lately, from SkyDrive, to a GMail hack that lets you store files in your GMail, and various other things of that nature. Haven't been too impressed by any of them thus far. SkyDrive is okay, but I want the ability to have it linked to a folder on my PC, or a mapped network drive like I can with the GMail hack, so that I can share files easily betwen my various PC's, laptops, and independent of the OS I'm running, as some are XP, some are Windows 7, and others are Ubuntu 9.04 or the 9.04 NBR.

Anyway, a buddy of mine MSNed me today with Dropbox, and I think I'm in love. It just WORKS, and works the way I want it to. I can have multiple folders, syncronization takes place online in the background, and if the sync gets interrupted (say you shut down before it's complete) it'll just pick up where it dropped of next time you're online.

You can also share files easily. Upload a file to the "Public" folder, and then right click on it, go to the Dropbox submenu, and then click the "Copy Public Link" option. Paste the link into an e-mail, or on your website, and bingo, you're done!

They'll give you up to 2GB's for FREE (another requirement for me), and if you refer people and they sign up, they'll give you another 250MB per signup, growing your storage up to 3GB!

It also kicks SkyDrive in one major area... THERE'S NO LIMIT TO THE FILE SIZES! My friend here in Canada was able to share a 1GB file with a customer in Spain without any problems! This app has already helped me solve several problems that I've been having with the other free filesharing options available.

Check it out, and get signed up!

What? You mean the political realm still exists?

I don't know about you, but things have been REALLY quiet for me lately. Of course, there's been stuff going on in the news, but haven't been following much. There was Warren's Great Waffer Caper, in which the Liberal Party of Canada ended up with a "host" of egg on their faces, but other than that, nothing that's really grabbed my attention. (NOTE: Just to be clear, I am in no way implying that Warren actually had anything to do with the whole "Wafer-gate" affair... in fact, I don't believe for a moment that he did. I just came up with that catchy little title because on Warren's blog recently, it's been all Wafer-gate, all the time)

Of course, that's a good thing... there's been nothing that major grabbing the headlines, just steady, quiet, good Government. That, and the fact that the economy seems to be beginning it's slow rebound. All in all, this must be driving the Liberals batty... which is never a bad thing, because they normally end up doing really stupid, err, good things when we're driving them nuts.

Anyway, work's just been crazy anyway, so I've been grateful for the downtime. Rollout of our Exchange 2007 system (with external OWA) has gone almost flawlessly, as has the integration of our new Blackberry Professional Server, running 11 Blackberries. Add to that a new firewall system, along with a remote access VPN, I have to admit that it's been fun running multiple MAJOR projects simultaneously... though just a little nuts. Just about ready to burn out... time to begin a well earned vacation.

Anything other things that I've missed?

Ubuntu 9.04 NBR on my EeePC 701 (4G)

Wow, I'm liking Ubuntu Linux more and more... and more!

Have been playing with it on my HP dv9000 laptop for a while now, and I love it. It's quick, has all the major tools I need, and hasn't crashed once. (which is more than I can say about my Vista on that same laptop... still waiting to hear from Microsoft on if they'll let me upgrade to Windows 7, to prevent me from making the switch completely)

So anyway, now that Ubuntu 9.04 is out of Beta and has been fully released, I decided to give the 9.04 NetBook Remix (NBR) a whirl on my EeePC 701, for 4GB SSD model. Seriously, if I can summerize my feelings with one word, it would be "WOW". The thing loaded up without a hitch, all the drivers were loaded flawlessly, and the thing now rocks... WAY better than with the EeePC's default Linux distro. There was one glitch where the mouse was jumpy, but that was solved quickly by running "gconf-editor" from the terminal, and going to "apps > netbook-launcher" and checking the "force low graphics" option. (as the 701's don't have the most beefy specs of the NetBook market) A quick reboot, and life was good.

Didn't take long at all to get it rigged up to use my new SSL-VPN for work. Just had to install the Java6 runtime, and then download and install an RDP client. Getting new programs for Ubuntu is smooth, most of the apps are available through the "Add/Remove Programs" menu, and they download and install in a jiff.

In all honesty, Ubuntu 9.04 is the first Linux I've seen that has a real serious shot at chipping away into some of Microsoft's market share. It's been nearly 10 years since I played with Linux, so I'm really rusty, (and I was never that good with it anyway) but it's been a total breeze to get it running on my systems. I now have it running on 4 systems, a desktop at home, a VMWare server at work, my main laptop and this EeePC, from which I'm writing right now. Oh, did I mention that the wireless worked right out of the box?

Seriously, if you're thinking about reinstalling your Windows because it's been slow lately, give Ubuntu 9.04 a try. If you're primarily using your computer for e-mail, internet and word processing, Ubuntu's got everything you need!

Download the ISO, burn a disk, and give it a whirl! You can actually test it out without installing it, the CD will boot up into a "Live" environment on it's own, and will give you a fully functional desktop OS that's running right off the CD... no installation required. That's how I gave it a test drive on all my systems first, which was great because it was totally risk free. Like I said though... I really think I've crossed the bridge, and have made the move to Ubuntu.

See ya later Billy G!!! (though you still got me on the server side... Microsoft's Server 2003 R2 is just a rock solid and stable product, and Microsoft's DPM has saved my butt a few times over, so I'm not likely to switch on the server side, at least not yet...)

Oh the irony of it all!

So I'm on my new Windows 7 Beta machine at work, talking with a buddy of mine about my recent Ubuntu Linux install on my laptop and desktop at home. Talking about the availability of applications like my VPN client, when all of a sudden, what happens?

KABOOM... BSOD!!! The good old patented Microsoft "Blue Screen Of Death"(TM), just like the one in the YouTube video I posted the other day!



Oh the irony... talking about making the switch to Linux, and my Windows crashes. Yet another reason to finally make the switch!

I'm thinking of converting

No, it's not an April Fools post, I'm seriously thinking of converting... to Linux, thanks to the latest version of Ubuntu!

It all starting through some good natured ribbing from a fellow Tory thanks to the Confiker worm, (for which, for some reason, I'm still ranked really high on Google) after I sent out some instructions on patching Windows computers to all my fellow Tory contacts. Anyway, he sends back some smart-alec comment about how it's time to finally time to come to the "dark side" and make the switch. So, since I figured I've been meaning to give it a whirl on my HP Pavilion dv9000 laptop (remember, the one I bought with Vista?), so I looked up the latest version of Ubuntu, which is the Beta version 9.04. Downloaded it, burned it, and rebooted.

Seriously, even with repartitioning my drive so both Ubuntu and Vista can live side by side, it took all of about 20 minutes to get it all loaded. (on my second attempt mind you, tried installing first on my second hard drive but my dv9000 didn't like that, wouldn't give me the option to boot from my second drive, so I had to install again)

Booted up, man is it ever fast. It's easy to navigate, nice and cleanly designed. First time around, my wireless didn't work, so I plugged in to my router, and ran a hardware update. Found a suitable driver, loaded it, and that was it. Ran some tests, and from a cold boot, it takes one minute and twenty eight seconds till I'm fully online. And that's including the time required to enter my username and password, and automatically attach to my home wireless network.

I've always been hesitant to make the switch, because I've never been much of a programmer, and because basically, Windows has always just worked for me. (especially Windows XP Pro SP2, by far their best OS ever) Linux has always had the problem of getting applications installed, which is a snap with Windows. In Linux, you need the right RPM's, tarball files, the right kernel, etc. Could never be bothered to work through all of that.

But there's been a dramatic shift in the last couple of years. With the advent of high-speed internet connections, everything is moving to an online application model. You've got your Hotmail and GMail for e-mail, you've got OpenOffice and Google Docs for word processing, you've got Facebook, etc., etc., etc. Essentially, the average user doesn't need to install much software anymore.

As such, once you're online, you're pretty well done. You can do everything you need online. Therefore, since I pretty much use my laptop for online communication, I figured what the heck, let's give it a go.

Again, I'm hugely impressed. So much so, that I'm posting this post from the SECOND computer that I've converted, the old P4 tower in my home office. Only a P4 1.6Ghz with 768MB of RAM and a 20GB HDD, and the thing still screams. Of course, XP would also work nice on those specs, but why would I want to spend money and buy an OS to put on that old thing? Exactly... free is good.

Of course, should the need arise, I can always turn to VMWare... I've got the VMWare Player installed on the box, so I can call up an MS Virtual PC image from work should I need it. All in all, it's pretty sweet.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say in the weeks to come. Also got the ISO file configured on a USB stick, from which I can run a LiveCD boot on most computers, so I'll be playing with it on various hardware, like my eeePC. I'll let you know how it goes.

Confiker worm brings back memories...

UPDATE: For those of you looking for the Microsoft patches, they're right here.

With all the talk over the Confiker worm, and all the standard fare mocking that comes from my Linux and Mac friends, I couldn't help but turn my thoughts back to Bill Gates, and the original lauch of the then much lauded Windows 98...


Now for the political connection... a Linux guy I know sent me a link, looks like the Parliament in the UK may be riddled with the bug!

Enjoy... now excuse me, I have some server patching and rebooting to do... hey, I already told you to quit laughing you Mac and Linux guys...

If you need the patches, you can find them via my blog here.

April Fools? Confiker worm patch info

Hey folks, I've got all the links and info you'll need to patch your Windows box for the "Confiker" worm right here.

Since all the media have reported on the "Confiker" worm that's supposedly set to go off on April 1st, I've been asked by folks, "What should I do on my home computer?"

Well, first of all, it doesn't look like April 1st will unleash IP Armageddon, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. If you have your Windows Automatic Updates set to install updates automatically, you're probably already okay. If you don't, you'll need to get the appropriate patch from Microsoft for your Operating System. Download the patch, install it, then reboot if required. Here's the info you'll need to make sure your computer is properly patched:

For Windows XP users, click here.

For Windows Vista users, click here.

For Windows 2000 (SP4 ONLY) users, click here.

For Windows 98 users... come on folks, UPGRADE ALREADY!!! (no, seriously, there's no patch for you, because Windows 98 is WELL beyond it's "End of Life" date... it's time to upgrade!)

If you're one of those folks with a more advanced Microsoft OS, as in a 64-bit or Server edition, go here to get the appropriate patch.

For Mac users, okay fine, you dodged the bullet this time, but you still suck anyway... especially "DY-Wheelz", "L.Coffee" & TCH.

And finally, for Linux users... okay, fess up, which one of you punks was it that programmed this nasty little thing? Okay, seriously, stop laughing at the rest of us.. no, seriously, this is why regular folks don't like you, because you're all high and mighty at times like this... especially you Mr. cdlu. ;-)

Okay, once you've got the patches, make sure you've got an up to date anti-virus. If you don't have one, I recommend AVG's FREE product, found here. Download it, install it, and then let it update itself.

Do both of those things, (the appropriate MS patch and the anti-virus) and you should be good to go for April 1st.

And if you happen to be a Liberal... don't say I never did nothin nice for ya. ;-)

Free upgrade from Vista to Windows7?

As an IT professional who took the plunge and got Vista relatively early, let me say this right now... there BETTER be a FREE, or at least a REALLY CHEAP, upgrade path offered by Microsoft to Vista sufferers.

Cause if not, I'm thinking there's gonna be a bit of an outcry... maybe even an upswing in Mac and Linux installs. (I know I'd be more inclined to give Linux a whirl on my laptop...)

Uber cool new Microsoft Service

Ever have a file you'd like to host somewhere online, where you can get at it anywhere, anytime? How about an MP3 of some political soundbyte that you'd like to post on your blog for download?

I was in that situation last week, and stumbled across this neat little new service from Microsoft... Microsoft Live SkyDrive.

5GB of online storage... FREE. You can set up multiple folders, some for personal access, some for friends only, and some for full public access from the internet.

For example... say I wanted to offer to everyone Scott Reid's good old "Beer and Popcorn" clip... well, here you go!



Once again, Microsoft is trying to keep ahead of Google... if it means more and better services for users like you and me, then I'm all for it!

Microsoft Server 2008 Launch

Got to go to the official launch of Windows Server 2008 today. Pretty cool... they actually gave everyone in attendance a free FULL copy of the OS... not a trial.

The folks at Microsoft also informed us that they're sending us all a full fledged copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, for our own personal use... I get the impression that they're trying to encourage more IT folks to get on board with the new OS, since we're the ones that make all the recommendations to the higher ups that authorize the upgrade budgets.

Anyway, ran into some guy today... apparently, he's the Chief Operating Officer for some obscure software company based out of Redmond, Washington, and says he works with a couple guys named Steve and Bill...

Okay... so I caved

TECHIE POST... if you're not one, give this post a pass... unless you're looking for a late-night sleep aid.

After ranting and raving against it for the last two weeks, I went and did an about-face today... I bought a laptop... with Vista.

Okay, before the hecklers start in with "FLIP-FLOPPER!!!", let point out a few things which finally tipped the scales...

1) I bought it for "research"... after all my ranting the other week, I ended up doing some more support calls for another doctor's office... my name seems to have gotten around to the local medical community as a decent IT guy, so I've been getting calls lately. Anyway, to make a long story short, one of them has a laptop with Vista... and I don't have a clue about Vista, so I can't help him out too much. Since I'm going to start getting asked to support systems with it, I figure I should figure it out myself.

2) Future Shop had a deal I couldn't refuse... $599 for an HP 15.4" laptop with an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core TL-60 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD (only 5400RPM), an NVIDIA graphics chipset and a nice bunch of other goodies. Considering that I was looking at a 1.8Ghz Dell with only a 80GB HDD and 1GB of RAM with XP Home for only $50 less, it seemed to be a good value for money.

3) I have a good line on another really cheap used laptop, a P3, with XP on it that I can use in case my security scanning software doesn't work on Vista.

4) I spent some time talking with another local Tory techie, and he was telling me how he's been using Vista for a year now... and has been able to work through most of the glitches and now is happy with its performance. This system meets the criteria of one that ought to run Vista pretty decently.

5) For all the Linux fans reading this, I've been playing with a really nice mini-distro, NimbleX... also thinking about dual-booting this thing with Ubuntu.

So, having said all that, hopefully I've managed to molify some of those who are going to roast me. As for the rest of you... roast away in the comments!

Vista SUCKS - Redux

Okay... before, I was just slightly annoyed. Now I'm REALLY annoyed... ironically, just a couple of days after I posted my glowing review of some of Microsoft's other products.

We just went to order five laptops, as a part of our regular refresh cycle. We use Toshibas in our organization, because they're a rock solid product... we've only ever had one that had a problem, and they seem to be the best units out there. Today, we got the bad news... the current model is only available with Windows Vista.

Fat chance of that... I've already gone to Dell.ca, and priced out the replacement unit... with Windows XP Professional.

Microsoft, if they want to stem the bleeding, better act fast. For years, I've been pro-Microsoft, because their products, even with their bugs, tend to work well. Windows XP SP2 is rock solid, I've crashed it less than dozen times over the last four years... between all seven of the machines I regularly use.

BUT... I'm not moving to Vista, it's as simple as that. It sucks... sucks RAM, that is. You can't use the OS on anything less than 1GB of RAM, and even then, it's a dog. Windows XP? Runs great on as little as 192MB, with a 450Mhz PIII CPU.

And when I finally can't get XP anymore? I'll finally make the move to Linux. I've actually started playing with one of them recently, NimbleX... runs right off a 200MB CD, with full access to any HDD's or USB drives connected to the system. It's a nifty little OS.

So, to make a long story short, here's a word of advice to Toshiba... follow Dell's lead, stick it to Microsoft, and get us an XP option... or we're taking our business elsewhere.

UPDATE: Just got word back from our local vendor of a little trick that some vendors are employing to get around this problem... the "Recovery CD" that comes with the laptops will reinstall the laptop with Windows XP Pro.

A whole lot more pain than is necessary. However, it means that we'll still stick with Toshibas, FOR NOW. (maybe I should also look at that one I was going to get from Future Shop, and see if that's possible there too...)