By now you should have a good idea to what Linux is and the different Distributions available. However you may still be a stuck as to how to get Linux and where to get it. Here you have a couple of options, you can either buy one of the packages, download it or borrow off someone else. Prices for Linux normally range from about ?30 upwards and you normally get good value for money.
For instance the SuSE 8 package for ?40 gives you 7 CDs, a DVD, 1 boot floppy disk, 1 modules disk, 1 large reference manual, an applications manual, a basics manual and a certain amount of support. Now considering this package gives you all the software you will need to do most things in Linux it is great value for money. If you were in windows and paid for all this software it would come into excess ?1500 and that?s not including the server software.
Your other option when buying Linux is just to buy the copied CDs, quite a few shops do this and even the distributions site will probably have a service where you can just buy the CDs for around ?5-?10 (I know mandrake does). This is sometimes a good option if you want to try the distribution and you don?t have broadband. Your next option is to download the distribution, most offer this feature in something called an ISO image, this is quite handy as you only have to download 1 file per cd then using a cd writer burn the file to the CD.
The first CD is normally bootable so there is no need for annoying boot disks. If you are downloading and installing for a first time I suggest you use Linux-Mandrake as its very simple to use and easy to download. The one disadvantage to downloading is that your going to need at least a broadband connection to download these files as you will be downloading at least 600mbs per cd. A good place to look for ISO images is http://www.linuxiso.org as it has a wide collection of a lot of the distributions latest releases.
Finally if you know a friend who has Linux then most probably you can borrow their copy. This isn?t illegal as it would be if you were using Windows. If this fails see if your area has a local Linux user group and ask if anyone would be willing to do you a copy of the distribution your interested in.
A new website has launched called WeVee with the aim of opening up West Midlands based archive footage.
You can edit clips together through the sites interface to create your own "WeVee's", this one is a nice example showing the changes in transport over the region:
Pros: Great tool for school kids, nice simple editing tools.
Cons: No easy way to download clips to edit offline.
Full press release below:
"WeVee is a new unique, online tool. It gives anyone the chance to view clips from the region’s fantastic archive collections of film and video, edit them to music tracks and make a short ‘mash-up’ (two and a half minutes max) as your personal take on the region’s history. Try out different effects by mixing the original sound of your selected clips to music.
This approach deliberately uses the latest digital technology as an incentive for the next generation to explore their region’s history. And that history will reflect the different communities, as well as the struggles and successes the region has experienced. The beauty of WeVee, thanks to our region’s archive holders, is the richness of the moving image archive. There is footage from as early as 1901 and as recent as just five years ago, so you can put quite different clips together, add a music track and effects and create your own WeVee. Initial trials have shown the process has a very personal appeal for children, students, parents and silver surfers, because you can use WeVee to say something about yourself, your home and locality and reference past events that mean something for you today.
The ease with which you can WeVee means you can have fun as you create and save, create and change, create and delete while playing with moving images from the past. It’s fun to WeVee, and at the same time it gives you a truly unique opportunity to marvel at how the region has been captured on camera. Cadbury’s have generously made some of their previously unseen archive available for the site. Other archive includes footage from the Staffordshire Film Archive collection accessing the heritage of the potteries and the Midlands Archive for Central England.
WeVee’s official launch is in January 2010. At this stage you’ll be able to share your WeVees, not just on the WeVee Gallery but across social networking sites.
In the meantime you can visit our website www.wevee.co.uk to register for updates and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/weveecreate
The project is supported through Screen West Midlands’ Digital Film Archive Fund with support from the National Lottery through the UK Film Council."
Here are some of my top tips for additional OS X functions, most have come from my experience at home and work.
1. Plugging in a TV or Second Monitor
Most Mac models come with an external connector for attaching additional screens (normally a mini DVI connector). From this you need a mini DVI to DVI connector then another cable to plug into your screen, this can be a DVI to VGA cable, DVI to DVI cable or as I have a DVI to HDMI cable. All the cables are very cheap and can normally be picked up from Ebay.
OS X should automatically detect the second screen plugged in and you can open system preferences to adjust the resolution. You may have to play around with the settings, my 26" LG HD TV looks best on 1280 x 720 rather than its native resolution.
I've had my iMac plugged into my TV for the past 6 months and people still think its cool how I can move my mouse from one screen to another.
2. Sharing your Internet over Wireless.
While I was at University our local cable supplier didn't give out free wireless routers so to save buying one I shared the Internet out through my iMac's wireless. In Leopard the Internet can be shared from the Sharing section in System Preferences.
3. Bluetooth Internet Through Your Phone
It usually takes ISP's about two weeks to put ADSL on a phone line. Clearly I couldn't be without Internet for two weeks so I turned to my mobile phones provider (T-Mobile) to hook me up to the net. Now that 3G signal is well established (and I have a 3G phone) I got speeds of around 3mb for
***Unfortunately the remainder of this article has become corrupt and lost :(***
The BBC has decided to use Windows Media technology for their upcoming on demand online service meaning that only people using Windows XP or Vista will be able to play content. The iPlayer will be launching later this year and will let you download and watch content aired on TV for the following 7 days for free.
Five and Channel 4 already have online paid download services that also use Windows Media and will not work on Mac OS X or Linux. ITV is launching its online download service later this year though little detail has emerged about this service so far.
Its a shame the BBC is not using open standards to protect its content and that a significant amount of public money will be going to Microsoft to fund the service.
The PC giant Dell has regained its number one spot in the PC market against HP according to the research firm Gartner. Dell produced 450,000 more desktops, notebooks and servers worldwide than its main rival HP.
Dell accounted for about 16% of worldwide sales while HP only by about 15%. This is a massive 24% growth in the first quarter of this year for Dell. Many other manufactures have seen loses so far this year and the overall PC market has grown by 2.1% which was above the predicted rate of 2%.
HP have also seen loses of sales in Europe however this could be due to the problems caused between the merger of HP and Compaq. The electronics giant Toshiba has also made good sales and has become one of the top 5 pc manufacturers in the world showing the increasing market for laptop computers.
The battle between HP and Dell is very choppy with both sides doing better one quarter than another. An HP executive characterized the battle with Dell as an up-and-down one, noting that HP benefits during the holidays, when consumer sales are strongest.
"It's a two horse race," said Jim McDonnell, vice president of marketing for HP's PC unit. "It's close and it's going to continue to be close."
What ever happens in the computer market it can only mean good things for the consumer, with better technology and increasing competition the PC market could get tough for some manufacturers.