Free Linux+ Study Guide : CompTIA : IT Certification :

OK guys, After almost 3 weeks of typing on and off, I have finally finished the Linux+ Study Guide. It takes a great deal of typing to put a study guide together, especially if you’re like myself and just highlight as you read, without taking notes in Microsoft Word. I hope you find this Linux+ study guide useful, should you decide to take Linux+ in the near future. Also please feel free to comment on it. I know my word skills suck, especially after typing 66 pages, but please bare with me. Additions and comments will be more than welcome

Only had a quick read of this but it looks very good as a general reference guide to Linux. Well worth a read. The only format that is missing in my opinion is eReader but that is easily remidied with OpenOffice.

Trio of security holes found in OpenOffice - vnunet.com

OpenOffice users have been warned to be vigilant following the disclosure of three vulnerabilities in the popular open source alternative to Microsoft Office. Security firm Secunia classified the trio of vulnerabilities as ‘highly critical’, the company’s second-highest alert level.

Worth keeping an eye on this one. We hear the security argument for opensource/linux so often it’s important to remember there are risks and not just assume that apps like OpenOffice are bullet proof. This is a bit of wake up call for me as I tend to set my browser to open Office docs with OpenOffice as a way of avoid viruses. I’ll make sure my brain is always in gear before opening files now….

66 Ways to Build Links in 2007 » Make Money Online with Brandon Hopkins

If “Content is King“, then links are what put that king on the throne. Build links and you’ll be able to display your content to the world. Don’t build links, and your King won’t have a kingdom. Hopefully you already use most of these, but if only 5 of these tips get you a new link, that is 5 links you didn’t have yesterday!

How do people find your website? People are more likely to follow a link from a website they already trust; I have seen significant rises in the traffic to this site when it has been mentioned elsewhere. It wasn’t my motivation for posting on a fellow blog but it was a welcome reward.

Living (and dying) with Linux in the workplace

A Windows power user gives Linux a fair trial as her primary operating system at work. Does the open-source OS have what it takes to make her switch for good?

This is well worth a read as a genuinely balanced opinion of Linux approached with an open mind. The conclusion that Linux represents a greater challenge for the Windows power user than beginner surprised me at first but makes a lot of sense. Power users tend to have refined the way they use their operating system of choice and it can be hard to adjust to change, not least because of the time needed to make the adjustment. Regarding Linux in the workplace it also makes the valid point that the success of switching depends as much on what the systems department allows and is willing to support.

Linux.com | A dozen tips for testing free software

One of the best ways you can participate in the free and open source software (FOSS) revolution is by helping to test software and reporting bugs and issues to project developers to help them improve their code. Even in the wild and woolly, sometimes undisciplined approach to development that we see in FOSS projects, there are ways to test more effectively. Here are more than a dozen tips suggested by testing gurus and developers that can help you become a successful tester.

One of my more regular frustrations is people who ask for computer help with the words “It isn’t working, fix it”, often accompanied with some form of demand or even threat if the problem isn’t fixed. It’s like people going to the garage to fix that odd rattling noise in the car but can’t say whether it is inside or outside the car.

OK,some of the tips are a little advanced for ordinary users but the call to include as much information as possible and to try and recreate the problem should be heard by as many people as possible

Ubuntu helping in the fight against AIDS | The Fridge

Cell-Life announced that it has created an iDart-in-a-box system which was originally implemented and distributed as software for Microsoft Windows. Due to issues with reliability and security, Cell-Life has decided instead to do a complete system utilizing Ubuntu Linux. The iDart-in-a-box includes a mid-range PC, a Zebra label printer, an HP DeskJet report printer, barcode scanner, a UPS and a GSM modem. The cost for this system lies within the hardware as there are no software licensing costs, and one of these systems can be purchased for approximately R10,000 (1,350 US$)

Cell-Life plans to further its commitment to supplying community health clinics with systems that work, all of the time, and with Ubuntu.

To read more about this story please view the entire article at Tectonic. To learn more about the iDart-in-a-box please review the iDart system overview and feel free to download the software as well.

Linux.com | Introduction to OpenID

OpenID is an open decentralized digital identity system that has been gaining traction in recent months. It implements a solution to some everyday headaches such as single-sign-on, but it does not address related issues like privacy, trust, spam prevention, or message authentication. OpenID uses a multiple-stage sign-on process, but don’t let that discourage you. As an end user, the benefits are stacked in your favor.

MIT OpenCourseWare | OCW Home

Welcome to MIT’s OpenCourseWare:

a free and open educational resource (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners around the world.

MIT OCW:

* Is a publication of MIT course materials
* Does not require any registration
* Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
* Does not provide access to MIT faculty

Learn more about MIT OCW…

GNOME 2.18 Desktop & Developer Platform

GNOME 2.18 is the latest version of the popular, multi-platform free desktop environment, providing all the tools a user needs for everyday work, and a platform for developers to write new software.

GNOME’s focus is ease of use, stability, and first class internationalization and accessibility support, so that GNOME and its applications are usable by anyone, anywhere. GNOME runs on a variety of platforms, including GNU/Linux (commonly called Linux), Solaris, HP-UX, BSD and Apple’s Darwin. Work has been done in this release to make it easier to port GNOME tools to Windows as well.

GNOME is part of The GNU Project, and is Free Software.

I’ve preferred GNOME over KDE for years, partly because it looked a little like Mac OS, mostly because I found it a more efficient GUI. True, the Nautilus behaviour of opening a new window when opening a folder is little annoying at times but only a minor fly in the ointment.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to install it when I’m doing less work on Vista….GNOME on Vista, now there’s a thought

Red Hat Magazine | Understanding your (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) daemons

A Unix daemon is a program that runs in the “background,� enabling you to do other work in the “foreground,� and is independent of control from a terminal. Daemons can either be started by a process, such as a system startup script, where there is no controlling terminal, or by a user at a terminal without “tying up� that terminal as the daemon runs. But which daemons can you safely play with? Which should you leave running?

A helpful explaination of these potentially confusing programs.