One more milestone: Birthday

My heartfelt thanks to all my family, friends and well wishers for making my birthday(28 Sep) special and memorable with your remembrance!! It is, but for all of yours best wishes and prayers, that makes me cross these important milestones with a smile.

As one grows older, it is but natural to crave for friendship and care from all who know you. And I can say I am blessed as almost all those whom I care for, did get in touch with me - just to show that I am remembered.

Just to let you all know - I cherish each and every one of your wishes!!

Thanks a ton once again!!! And God bless all!

Following Shashi Tharoor on Twitter

Gave in to temptations and started following Shashi Tharoor (check out the guys homepage http://tharoor.in) on Twitter (I seem to be the 242,089 follower). That guy does has a sense on humour - both Literary and Political. His two recent tweets gives it away. Quoting:

'Jaipur is a lovely city. Clean, well laid-out, spacious - even the parts that aren't "pink"!' 9.15 Hrs Sep 26, 2009

(in the Literary category) and

'Very pleasant call on ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot at his official residence. Good tea, even better conversation w a gracious political leader' 9.46 Hrs Sep 26, 2009

(Political - after what Ashok G recently thought of ST, it is but "gracious" of ST to tweet this!!)

Shashi T being a ex-Diplomat and a current-Politician - does know the art of speaking one thing, thinking another, planning something else and doing nothing :-)

Nostalgic 70s and 80s

A mail forward sent in by a friend did make me nostalgic. Wanna share - and hope my kids read this one day :-) And those who grew up with me.... they gonna love this!!!

For those who grew up during the 70s and well early eighties in middle class India:-

1. Though you may not publicly own to this, at the age of 5-8 years, you were very proud of your first "Bellbottom" or your first "Maxi"

2. Phantom & Mandrake were your only true heroes. You can also nod your heads to names like Chandamama, Champak, Lot-Pot, Nandan. The brainy ones read "Competition Success Review".

3. You took pride in turning to the back page of your latest Amar Chitra Katha and ticking off yet another title. How many ever you ticked, you still had many to go.

4. Your "Camlin" geometry box & Flora pencil was your prized possession.

5. The only "Holidays" you took were to go to your grandparents' or your cousins' houses.

6. Ice-cream meant only - either an orange stick, a vanilla softy in a cone or at most - a Choco Bar if you lived in a swanky town.

7. Your first family car ( and the only one) was a Fiat. Or an ambassador. This often had to be pushed by the entire family to get going.

8. The glass windows in the back seats used to get stuck at the two-thirds down level and used to irk the shit out of you! The window went down only if your puny arm could manage the tacky rotary handle to pull it down. Locking the door was easy. You just whacked the other tacky, non-rotary handle downwards.

9. Your mom had stitched the weirdest lace curtains for all the windows of the car. They were tied in the middle and if your dad was the comfort-oriented kinds, you had a magnificent small fan upfront, below which screwed to the board was the cassette player.

10. Your parents were proud owners of HMT watches. You "earned" yours after 8th or the 10th standard exams.

11. You have been to "Jumbo Circus" ; have held your breath while the pretty young thing in the glittery skirt did acrobatics, quite enjoyed the elephants hitting football, the motorcyclist vrooming in the "Mautka Gola" and it was politically okay to laugh your guts out at dwarfs hitting each others bottoms!

12. You have atleast once heard "Hawa Mahal" on the radio.

13. If you had a TV, it was normal to expect the neighborhood gather around to watch the Chitrahaar or the Sunday movie. If you didn't have a TV, you just went to a house that did. It mattered little if you knew the owners or not.

14. Sometimes the owners of these TVs got very creative and got a bi or even a tri-coloured anti-glare screen which they attached with two side clips onto their Weston TVs. That confused the hell out of you!

15. Black & White TVs weren't so bad after all because cricket was played in whites.

16. You thought your Dad rocked because you got your own ( thefamily's; not your own own!) colour TV when the Asian Games started. Everyone else got the same idea as well and ever since, no one came over to your house and you didn't go to anyone else's.

17. You dreaded the death of any political leader because of the mourning they would announce on the TV. After all how much "Shashtriya Sangeet" can a kid take? Salma Sultana also didn't smile during the mourning.

18. You knew that "Indira Gandhi" was somebody really powerful and terribly important. And that's all you needed to know.

19. The only "Gadgets" in the house were the TV, the Fridge and the Mixie..

20. All the gadgets had to be duly covered with a crochet covers and sometimes even with ingenious, custom-fit plastic covers.

21. Movies meant Amitabh Bachchan. Before the start of the movie you always had to watch the obligatory "newsreel".

22. You thought you were so rocking because you knew almost all the songs of Abba and BoneyM

23. You had a turntable "stereo" and a collection of LP Records. Your hormones went crazy when you bought "Disco Deewane" by Naziya Hassan & Zoheb Hassan.

24. You couldn't contain your happiness when you suddenly had knowledge of Grammy awards and Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper & OMG even Michael Jackson became familiar names.

25. School teachers, your parents and even your neighbours could whack you and it was all okay.

26. Photograph taking was a big thing. You were lucky if your family owned a camera. A reel of 36 exposures was valuable hence it justified the half hour preparation & "setting" & the "posing" for each picture. Therefore, you have atleast one family picture where everyone is holding their breath and standing at attention!

Roger Federer - the genius: incedible shot

Federer's Incredible Shot

Federer's Incredible Shot
Between the legs! Sweet sweet luck the ball went in the right direction after being hit too. JavaScript is disabled!...

faltu.tv

Friend's Book - 'Enemy in the Ranks'

Plugging for a friend's maiden authoring attempt.

The Book 'Enemy in the Ranks' by Varinder Taprial , a serving Naval Officer at Mumbai, as far as I can guess, is set in a Naval Operations kindda scenerio. This book would be of definite interest to the current and ex-defence guys, but from what I have heard, even civilian friends would enjoy it as it gives a simple insight into the life in the services!!

I am yet the read the book (waiting for my order to materialise - ordered yesterday!!), so a review definitely is due. At Rs. 195/-, its a steal I guess - and as a bonus, you can buy it online too!!!

Check out the authors site at http://www.taprial.in/

Book Blurb

A Warship sinks during peacetime. Everyone presumes it to be an accident. Lieutenant Commander Rajen, the weapons officer, suspects otherwise. But when he puts forth his theory of sabotage, he is ridiculed and accused of negligence and unprofessionalism. Now he must prove his point lest his reputation is tarred forever.

In his quest to establish his innocence, he stumbles across a sinister plot of systematic sabotage of strategic naval assets. The saboteurs are ready to execute the biggest attack yet. Rajen is racing against time. Can he expose the Enemy in the Ranks??

Grandma's Kitchen garden tips

A very nice and useful Grandma's Kitchen garden tips, sent by Brig Thygarajan, obtained from the 'Deccan Herald'

======================= Kitchen doctor’s happy home

Radhika D Shyam

Deccan Herald ======================= Your kitchen, besides being the factory of all your yummy snacks and delicious food, is also a storehouse of many cures for various ailments.

The following remedies can be easily made from ingredients found in the kitchen. They work wonders, so go ahead and try these magic potions: 1. No more knee pain for grandma This household drink when taken regularly has proved to take care of mild and moderate cases of arthritis and similar non-specific joint pains. Ingredients: 100 gm methi seeds (fenugreek) 50 gm whole jeera (cumin seeds) 5 gm black pepper corns Method: Roast the above three ingredients together, just enough to facilitate easy grinding in a mixer. Cool and store in an air-tight bottle or container. Take 5 gm of this powder and boil it with 1 cup of whole milk for 5 minutes. This can be had with or without straining and with or without sugar. In case of diabetes, this drink can be sweetened by adding the leaves of Abrus Procatriousm commonly used by paan walas as a sweetening agent for their ‘meettha paan’ (betel leaf). It is not only safe but also takes care of respiratory problems. 2. TO TAKE CARE OF ACIDITY Ingredients: 1 inch piece ginger 1 clove 1 cardamom ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder A few coriander leaves 10-12 jasmine flowers (optional) Method: Mix the above ingredients in 1 ½ cup of water till it is reduced to 1 cup and then strain. This drink can be had warm or cool, for immediate relief. This is aromatic and very cooling. 3. STOMACH AILMENTS: Cure for pain, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea: Ingredients: 1 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek) 2-3 mint leaves juice of half a lemon a pinch of pepper (optional) Method: Soak the methi seeds in a glass of water overnight or for 3 hours at least. Heat this water with the methi seeds and remove from flame as soon as it begins to boil. Cool and add mint leaves, lemon juice and pepper. 4. FOR HIGH LEVELS OF CHOLESTEROL LEVELS: Ingredients: 3-4 flakes of garlic 1 glass water Method: Crush garlic with hand on any hard surface along with the peel. Rinse these and soak in a glass of water, overnight. This water should be strained and given to the affected person – first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It lowers the cholesterol levels within a month. This garlic-water taken everyday keeps the problem in check 5. FOR DIABETES: Ingredients: 100 gm wheat flour 100 gm gum (of tree called ‘gondh’ – available with traditional grocers) 100 gm barley 100 gm black onion seeds (kalunji) Method: Put all the above ingredients in 5 cups of water. Boil it for 10 minutes and put off the fire. When it becomes cold, filter out the seeds and preserve the water in a glass jug or bottle. One small cup of this water should be consumed every day early in the morning on an empty stomach. This is to be continued for 7 days and to be repeated the following week but on alternate days, for a definite reduction in sugar levels. All the ingredients for the above mentioned remedies are cheap, easily available, non-toxic, non-addictive and healthy. There are no problems of the dates of packing or expiry. And most mportantly, they cause no side effects.

Fond memories.... ten years ago

A web site I had created - 10 years ago, when all these social networking sites like FaceBook, Orkut etc., were yet to be invented!! And the fact is that the sites were just basic HTML, unlike the Flash, CSS and Ajax Web-2.0 web-site of today!!

They are real fond memories - both of the occasion and the technology prevailing then!!

Also check out the first page of my younger daughter Shreya's first web-site ever!!

PITY I WILL LOSE THESE SITES ONCE YAHOO! CLOSES THE GEOCITIES SITE FROM OCTOBER 26, 2009!!!

Shreya is a mermaid.....

Came across this old post by my elder daughter - Subhashree - and thought should dig it out for consolidation on my blog-site

Shreya is a mermaid…

April 27, 2008 by subimagic

My cuty sis shreya won the 1st prize in her school’s(Navy Childrens School) fancy dress competition on 25th April. She was dressed up as “THE LITTLE MERMAID “. She wore a dress, blue in colour with dazzling glitters. She was made to wear a fin (made of chart paper by Mummy and Papa), a crown and a beautiful necklace made up of beads and sea-shells. Her lines for the fancy dress was:

Good Morning – I am Shreya Gantayet

I Study in 1st B.

I am a MERMAID, I stay in water

I did not listen to father, that’s why I am alone!!

Can you help me find my prince??

Thank you!!

And here is a snapshot of Shreya Mermaid…

The Informative National Portal of India

Came across a very useful site which gives lots of useful information, from Government forms and tenders, to information and details that a normal Indian citizen would seek/ask - like how to get a Birth Certificate or Passport, include name in Election roster, get a PAN card etc etc. The How Do I... page provides the link for all this info and more.

Specifically, I was amazed to see the Check/Track module where at least the effort has been made to track various info including status of 'stolen vehicle'!!!

I conider this one of the best effort for an Indian Government site, and definitely the best current Indian Government site.

Every Indian citizen should know about this site and browse it!! Pass this info on to friends!!

20 Years of Togatherness

Some video clips of my Naval course-mates celebrating our 20 Years of Joining the Navy - celebrated on 08 Aug 09! Contributed by the great Ajay Ghule :-)









Great stuff!!

Getting the Windoz crowd to use Linux

A nice article from a blog (check out the PDF link) on how to go about getting the Windoz crowd to painlessly adopt Linux!! Fully agree with the article (especially point 9 - about newbie mailing list - go on, read it!! ) - and thought would share it!!

======= Moving users to Linux ====

Sheer economics are driving the increasingly widespread usage of the Linux operating system. It's free, it's reliable, it's safe, and (did I mention?) it's free! But when adopting a new operating system, there is always a learning curve for the user base. Not only that, many users think Linux is hard to use. This, of course, is not necessarily so. But it's your job to overcome their reluctance and to train them to use Linux so that it becomes second-nature to them, as Windows is. Without sending your users to some sort of boot camp, this may seem like a rather daunting task. But there are ways to ease the pain of learning Linux. Let's examine some of them.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download

.

1: Standardize on a Windows-like desktop

Home is where the heart is, and this applies to the computer desktop as well. There are plenty of Linux desktops to choose from, and the one you select can make or break your users' Linux learning experience. If your users are PC un-savvy and have used only Windows, make sure you stick with KDE or Xfce. You could even use a modified GNOME to look and act exactly like the Windows desktop. Take this even further by modifying the default start menu of either GNOME or KDE to parallel the Windows Start menu. Now when your users sit down to their Linux desktop, they won't feel as if they are working in a foreign environment.

2: Get users familiar with applications before you switch

Before you migrate your users from Windows to Linux, get them familiar with applications. Because some of the most often used applications are cross platform, you can start them on the applications while working in their familiar environment. For example, you can start them on OpenOffice and Firefox while they're using Windows. Because they will be doing the majority of their work in these two applications, by the time they get to Linux they will already have some level of familiarity. There is also a port of Evolution

(the Linux version of Outlook) for Windows. If your users use Outlook for e-mail/calendaring, this could be a positive step toward Linux education.

3: Choose the right distribution

Why would you choose Slackware as the distribution for new users? You wouldn't. Slackware is not a distribution aimed at ease of use. But plenty of distributions are available for the new user. Ubuntu tops the class for ease of use. But Ubuntu is not alone in this category. PCLinuxOS, Mepis, Linux Mint, and Mandriva are all outstanding distributions for the new user. This issue, of course, is heatedly debated. Everyone seems to want their distribution to be the distro-of-choice for new users. Suffice it to say there are plenty of Linux flavors for the new user.

4: Have a machine up and running for your users to play around with

Instead of pulling the rug out from under your users, have a machine available for them to experiment with. Set up this machine exactly as their desktops will look so they can see, first hand, that their future PC will be as easy, if not easier, than what they are currently using. You can take this one step further and install a virtual machine on their Windows PC to allow them to play with Linux while at their desktop. This has the added benefit that if they fubar the install (chances are slim to none, of course), it's no problem to get it back because it's being run in a VM. Even better, but much more time consuming, is to set their machine up to dual boot. With a dual-boot setup, they can go back and forth until they are comfortable with Linux.

5: Remove administrative menu entries

For the new user, seeing Samba, Network, SELinux, User administration, and other related administration tools in the menu can only serve to confuse them. Sure, a control panel is fine (such as the Gnome Control Panel). But having high-level menu entries will serve no purpose outside of tempting fate. Limit the menu entries to user-specific tasks. When you're training a new user, you do not want to have to spend the extra time to teach them how to configure SELinux or use gparted (or constantly tell them they don't need to bother learning that particular tool).

6: Adopt adept

Adept, and other simple update and installation tools, are key to keeping users happily computing. One of the biggest problems with new users and Linux occurs when they're confronted with installing applications. You don't want to have to teach a new user the ins and outs of apt-get or rpm, as these are tools best suited for users who know what they're doing. Having a user-friendly graphical front end for application installation is far easier to learn. This is much simpler to do on a Ubuntu-like distribution. Because Ubuntu uses sudo, you don't have to worry about teaching users what the root user is. Instead, you can just explain that they will have to enter their "user password." This is more in line with using OS X than Windows, but it is much easier to teach than having to go through root privileges. Besides, your users don't need to have access to the root user anyway.

7: Offer printed materials

Before I go into this, a word of warning: Do not ever tell your new users to RTFM. That will not get you very far in educating users on Linux. But you do need to have printed material for users to keep with them. This material should not be generic Linux information but information specific to what they're using. If your users have KDE 3.5 on their desktops, do not give them handouts that refer to KDE 3.4, KDE 4.1, or even KDE 3.x. On top of that, make sure your information includes specific references to the menu entries they see in front of them. This may require you create your own documentation or edit documentation already available. But never give your new users a printout of a man page. For old hat Linux users, a man page says a lot. For new users, you might as well hand them a printout in Martian, because they'll get nothing out of it. Along those same lines, make sure the documentation has plenty of pictures, with solid examples of what they're looking for.

8: Take screen casts of more difficult tasks

I can think of one specific task where a screen cast will help more than any printed image. When your new Linux users have to open a file, they're going to be presented with their home directory. You can't tell new users to navigate to their ~/Documents directory. And telling them to navigate to /home/USERNAME/Documents goes back to the Martian reference. Instead, capture a screen cast of you navigating to the ~/Documents directory to show them exactly what they need to do. Of course, you will have to tell them that they won't be looking for /home/jlwallen/Documents unless their username happens to be jlwallen. Make sure they know what their username is, so they know where to go. Showing new users how to navigate around their ~/ directory will go a long way toward increasing their competence and will keep you from constantly having to remind them where they have saved their documents.

9: Encourage the use of Linux-based forums and mailing lists

There will be times when you aren't available for help or training. When this happens, and your users have problems, it will be helpful if they know how to turn to a KDE user list, a GNOME user list, or a new Linux user list for support. If you do suggest this to them, make sure they're informed of the etiquette for these lists. Nothing is more discouraging than getting flamed by a troll on a list. If your new users find themselves caught in the cross hairs of a forum or list troll, make sure they know the best way to handle the situation (which is not to reply at all.) Here are three good mailing lists for your users:

• KDE
• GNOME
• Newbie list — Your users can send an e-mail to majordomo@vger.kernel.org with the subject "subscribe linux-newbie"

10: Have an installfest

Work with me on this one. Offer to your braver users your services in installing Linux on their home PCs. Make sure they know the benefits of using Linux at home (security, reliability, free software, etc.). When your users have the same setup at home, they're going to become familiar with Linux much faster. Granted, this isn't going to be as easy in a large-scale setting. But for those of you in a smaller business setting, this could be a valid option to help your users gain familiarity with the operating system.

Painless transition

This list leaves out the professional training centers or online training in lieu of keeping all training in-house. And of course, every company handles training differently. But if you implement some these ideas, your new Linux users will be able to make the transition without having a nervous breakdown.

Premium Petrol - Are you wasting your money?

Just thought would share some helpful info regarding Petrol/diesel - some issues I faced, and some pre-conceived notions I had.

The issue came about because I have been using Premium petrol for my vehicle (Fiat Palio), and on landing up at Mumbai, found that the nearest petrol bunk - privately run by my company - does not have premium petrol.

Did some googling and came up with some startling facts about the Premium fuels and current vehicles requirements in india. The Octane value recommended for most modern vehicle is Octane 88 (its mentioned in the car service booklet).

Post reading the article - I have decided to not money on Premium fuels.

Read these articles/threads - and decide for yourself!!

http://www.carwale.com/forums/viewthread-4045.html

http://www.carwale.com/forums/ViewThread-172-p1.html

Gandhi's 10 Fundamentals for changing the World - and yourself!!

I got this here

. I am sharing an abridged version. The original has some nice commentary.

There is so much wisdom.. what a man!!!

1. Change yourself. "You must be the change you want to see in the world." and "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."

2. You are in control. "Nobody can hurt me without my permission."

3. Forgive and let it go. "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." and "An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind."

4. Without action you aren't going anywhere. "An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching."

5. Take care of this moment. "I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following."

6. Everyone is human. "I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps." and "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err."

7. Persist. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

8. See the good in people and help them. "I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others." and "Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men." and "I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."

9. Be congruent, be authentic, be your true self. "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." and "Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well."

10. Continue to grow and evolve. "Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position."

Email Security in GMail login

Pretty important info in these days of unsecured networks and security/privacy concerns.

A small but very security critical tip : Those using GMail should know that when you login using http://www.gmail.com

, your password and username are sent encrypted - but post that your sessions are in the clear meaning someone from the other building in the same ISP net (like BSNL/MTNL) can eavesdrop on your mails!! To have a total secure mail sessions, use

https://www.gmail.com

instead of http://www.gmail.com (mark the 's' after http).

With this, post your login, even your normal mail session will be encrypted. You can check that out by noticing the closed lock symbol at the lower right status bar of your browser or noticing that all your sessions has https:// in the address bar.

Windows 7 Reviewed

Yess, I have being trying out Windows 7 RC1 since the last three months - and my verdict - it is satisfactory/good :-) And MS has learnt from its Vista disaster. Instead of me writing a review, I found this apt review which does reflect my views too and concur with it.

Hope MS Open Sources Win-7 :-) One can dream sometimes !! :-)

====//Extract - visit linked site for a great review//=======

A Week With Windows 7

By Derald on May 18th, 2009

You may have read that Microsoft is taking a new approach with the release of Windows 7 then they have done with any of their other operating systems. Microsoft has opened their beta program, and allowed the public to download

and use Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 for free until June 1, 2010. The version that they allow you to test is the Ultimate version of Windows 7, which will have all the bells and whistles of the operating system. The only “drawback” for this test is that starting on March first of 2010, your computer will shut down after being on for two hours, but you will be warned about this two weeks before it happens. Here is a hands-on review of Windows 7 RC1.

====//End Extract - visit linked site for a great review//=======

Open Source for Schools

This mail is related to an issue I am actively taking up with my Children's School Authorities - rather seriously. The School's computer syllabus (say for class VIII - my daughter's class) teaches a lot of proprietary software. For class VIII other than teaching MS-Office, Photoshop etc., they insist on 'home work' for these software. For sure, I cannot afford a legal copy of Photoshop, nor do I want to purchase MS-Office.

Am wondering how many middle class people like me genuinely own these software? Negligible if not zero!!! Thus we are officially encouraging piracy to our kids.

I came across this article below, very similar and rather relevant to my issues and thus would like to share!!

==============

Why aren't schools adopting open source?

• Date: July 26th, 2009
• Author: Jack Wallen
  

Recently, I had a bit of a run-in with my daughter’s high school. She was undergoing an eSchool class over the summer called “Computer Applications,” and it turns out the class only actually “covered” Office Suites, namely Microsoft Office. Now in our household we do not own a copy of Microsoft Office. Instead, we use OpenOffice and have never had an issue - that is, until now.

The setup

Before my daughter started in on her eSchool, I set up OpenOffice to save in all Microsoft Office defaults. I knew this way she wouldn’t have any problem submitting her work. My presumption was correct…at first. But there was a wrench inadvertently thrown in the works. This wrench came when my daughter was discovered stretching the truth about her assignments. She said she had completed them but they weren’t accepted. She said she HAD to have Microsoft Office. Knowing what the assignments were, I decided to call the instructor of the class. It turns out there were a number of interesting issues going on. First and foremost the instructor was only able to teach Microsoft Office because (1) that is what she had and (2) that is what she knew. This, of course, led me to a question that I had to share.

Why are schools in the States not adopting open source software? It’s happening all around the globe. Schools, universities, businesses, corporations, governments are all adopting open source software. So why can’t the U.S.?

Adoption = savings, freedom, updates

Here in Kentucky the public schools are seriously strapped for cash - to the point that arts, humanities, and teachers (a precious commodity) are being dropped to save money. I have a suggestion for the public school systems around the country - adopt open source software and you will save a lot of money. Not only will you save a lot of money, you will also be able to keep all of your software up to date.

While I was looking into this eSchool class for my daughter, I discovered that the class supported Microsoft Office 97-2003. However, all the instruction for the class (including screen shots) used Office ‘97. So any student using the latest version of Office was going to have trouble figuring out what they were doing. Imagine someone unfamiliar with the various interface metaphors having to figure out how to do something from an outdated manual! Or what about a student practicing for an exam using Office 2010 only to go to take the final exam on Office 97?

This would not be the case if the schools adopted open source software. No longer would schools be using out of date and unsupported operating systems (I know schools and institutions still using Window 98 because they can’t afford to upgrade). Every school would have the latest-and-greatest software and the students would be somewhat closer to the cutting edge.

No longer a given truth

I’ve had many a discussion with people about this in various sectors of the professional world. Nearly every person I spoke with agrees with what I assumed to be a truth: At one point teaching school-age kids Microsoft, and only Microsoft, software was a safe bet. But things have changed. No longer is it safe to assume that every business uses MS software. Although most businesses are still sticking with one form of Windows or another, many of those same businesses are adopting OpenOffice, Firefox, and more as their software of choice. And thankfully for the students (and users of all ages and sorts), OpenOffice has done a great job of creating an interface that anyone used to MS Office will be comfortable with. So the preconceived notion that schools HAVE to teach Microsoft Office is no longer a given.

What about the private schools?

I say “public” because the private schools aren’t having such an issue. Here in Louisville, KY there are a number of outstanding private schools. I have spoken with various IT department representatives and was shocked to find out that some of these rather costly private schools (one private school has a yearly tuition of $17,500 - that’s a HIGH SCHOOL, people) have already adopted open source software. And these wealthier schools aren’t just adopting OpenOffice. No, some of them are even encouraging the use of Linux!

Linux e-Books for the learners

If you are starting out on your journey towards Linux awesomeness, here are a few free downloadable ebooks to teach yourself Linux that should help you along nicely:

Newbie’s Getting Started Guide to Linux

(Download)

MakeUseOf’s very own Newbie’s Guide to Linux, tells you how to choose a distribution and then teaches you how to perform a basic Linux install. You can then use the guide to familiarize yourself with the Linux desktop and some basic commands.

Stefan did a great job in keeping it simple and to the point, the way beginners want it. Also don’t forget to check out our other MakeUseOf Manuals.

Introduction to Linux – A Hands on Guide

(Download)

Takes you from the absolute basics to basics. This hands on guide tells you everything right from logging in, basic file management, backup techniques up to basics of networking. It is what you need if you are having difficulty figuring out how to get to that resume file you saved just now. The guide explains Linux file structure and introduces to basic commands and text editors as well.

GNU/Linux Command line tools Summary

(Download)

One important aspect of working in Linux is that you have to familiar with the command line. This book shows you how to use the command line in Linux to your advantage. Apart from the ins and outs of the shell, this book also introduces various commands and the situations where you would use them. There are chapters that deal with specific tasks and list various commands you can use to achieve the task. If you can study online, there is another excellent manual you can refer to.

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference

(Download)

Ubuntu is one of the most popular distributions, new users look up to when trying out Linux. If it is Ubuntu specific information that you are after then you should definitely check out Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference. The guide takes you from installing and configuring Ubuntu to adding and managing software and securing your system. A must read book if you use Ubuntu.

Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition

(Download)

This one is not for the faint hearted! There is enough Linux juice in this book to keep even the intermediate to advanced users interested. The book begins humbly by presenting the basic commands and tools, however before you know it, you are learning everything from regular expressions to shell scripting to C programming to networking.

Where money comes for Open Source

The IIT-D LUG site has some great information. One article that is a must share is below, which answers the oft asked question.

http://lug-iitd.org/Articles/where_does_the_money_comes_from_FOSS

Another nice article is this:-

http://lug-iitd.org/Article/Cost_benefits_of_Free_and_Open_Source_Software

Why no Virus in Linux

One of the best articles/blog I have seen explaining the Linux virus issue - something that many have been asking me. Those interested, can read thru for a lucid explanation that the 'hard time the Linux virus has'
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The short life and hard times of a Linux virus

Why aren't the existing Linux viruses[1] anything more than a topic for conversation? Why don't they affect you in your daily computing in the way that MS viruses affect Windows users?

There are several reasons for the non-issue of the Linux virus. Most of those reasons a Linux user would already be familiar with, but there is one, all important, reason that a student of evolution or zoology would also appreciate.

First, let's take a look at the way Linux has stacked the deck against the virus.

For a Linux binary virus to infect executables, those executables must be writable by the user activating the virus. That is not likely to be the case. Chances are, the programs are owned by root and the user is running from a non-privileged account. Further, the less experienced the user, the lower the likelihood that he actually owns any executable programs. Therefore, the users who are the least savvy about such hazards are also the ones with the least fertile home directories for viruses.

Even if the virus successfully infects a program owned by the user, its task of propagation is made much more difficult by the limited privileges of the user account. [For neophyte Linux users running a single-user system, of course, this argument may not apply. Such a user might be careless with the root account.]

Linux networking programs are conservatively constructed, without the high-level macro facilities that have enabled the recent Windows viruses to propagate so rapidly. This is not an inherent feature of Linux; it is simply a reflection of the differences between the two user bases and the resulting differences between the products that are successful in those markets. The lessons learned from observing these problems will also serve as an innoculation for future Linux products as well.

Linux applications and system software is almost all open source. Because so much of the Linux market is accustomed to the availability of source code, binary-only products are rare and have a harder time achieving a substantial market presence. This has two effects on the virus. First, open source code is a tough place for a virus to hide. Second, for the binary-only virus, a newly compiled installation cuts off a prime propagation vector.

Each one of these obstacles represents a significant impediment to the success of a virus. It is when they are considered together, however, that the basic problem emerges.

A computer virus, like a biological virus, must have a reproduction rate that exceeds its death (eradication) rate in order to spread. Each of the above obstacles significantly reduces the reproduction rate of the Linux virus. If the reproduction rate falls below the threshold necessary to replace the existing population, the virus is doomed from the beginning -- even before news reports start to raise the awareness level of potential victims.

The reason that we have not seen a real Linux virus epidemic in the wild is simply that none of the existing Linux viruses can thrive in the hostile environment that Linux provides. The Linux viruses that exist today are nothing more than technical curiosities; the reality is that there is no viable Linux virus.

Of course this doesn't mean that there can never be a Linux virus epidemic.[2] It does mean, however, that a successful Linux virus must be well-crafted and innovative to succeed in the inhospitable Linux ecosystem.


[1] Bliss is the only Linux-compatible virus seen in the wild. Staog is the first known Linux virus.

Credit Card Security

Credit Card usage has its own advantages and convenience. Not to mention, the Credit Card should be also used safely and judiciously, and one should be aware of the risks associated with it.

One important aspect the protection of the CVV number (three digit number found at the back of the card!). Your credit card number and date of expiry can be easily found (from swipe machine etc), but the CVV number is required if the CC is to be used in places where you do not present the card (like online transactions!!). SO PLEASE PROTECT THAT 'CVV' NUMBER BECAUSE IF SOMEONE KNOWS YOUR CVV NUMBER THAN THEY CAN BUY ONLINE USING YOUR CC INFO. This is critical in instances when we hand over our CC in restaurants, petrol bunks, shopping malls etc.

Please follow these simple CC protection measure:-
(a) DO NOT photocopy your Credit Card EVER!!
(b) Commit your CVV number to memory and blacken the CVV number with a permanent marker so that it is unreadable. Else put a small opaque tape over it.

The above small measure makes your CC usage safer (but not risk proof!!!)