Alamo PC Problem and Good Fortune

 Two of the workstation computers have experienced failures. One was the power supply fan, which required a new power supply. The other was another monitor burn-out failure. We are awaiting its replacement. 

 We have also had some good fortune in the Lab. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have given us fifteen AMD K6-2 3D 400 MHZ CPUs and EFA Corporation Viking 3 motherboards for use in up-grading the Lab network. There are some hiccups to be solved as we get into this project, but most of them can be solved. AMD has really made a contribution to the organization. 

 We have also purchased a new Sony projector for use in the Lab and at the General Meeting. It was used the first time during the July General Meeting. It has brightness we have not seen before. A neat addition to the SIG and class effort at the Resource Center. 

Personal Problem

 Another member recommended that I really warn everyone about the Registry printout. Do not do a Registry printout unless you are willing to spend at least a day or so waiting for the printout to be completed. I repeat, do not print the Registry unless you really have a reason to do it. I stopped my printout when the plie of paper got to be 2 and 2 inches high. It is not worth the effort to make a printout, unless it is the very beginning of the computer life to be used as a baseline. 

 I have been through the Registry about three times, making deletions of references I find concerning WinFax Pro and related modem entries. I hope I have elimated most of the offending Registry entries. The next few days will tell the tale for this machine. 

 The problems I have experienced with Windows 98 and communication indicate that all of us need to know more about the Windows operating system (OS). In its effort to be all things to all people, Windows OS raise many unnecessary problems for most users. 

Vision Care Filters

 The fifteen inch monitor coupled with my Vu-TEK Vision Care Filter is enough to make me believe that I have good vision. The Vu-TEK filter is a glass panel, which mounts onto the front of the monitor screen and cuts down the monitor and background glare almost completely. The URL address for Vu-TEK is: www.vu-tek.com and www.visioncarefilters.com. 

Linux SIG

 Linux is a UNIX derivative from the Open Source Initiative, a movement centered in the development of free software. There are many versions of this UNIX based operating system and along with many applications. The early versions of UNIX, from Bell Labs, were command line controlled. AT&T, in 1979, attempted to commercialize UNIX, which lead to the University of California at Berkeley development of its own version of UNIX, called BSD (Berkeley Software Distributions). The BSD UNIX became one of the defacto baseline OS adapted by everyone. In 1983, a project at MIT titled GNU (GNU=s not UNIX), devoted to the development of free software, created a free Linux. This free-software model was used to develop free operating systems, applications, and programming tools. GNU, established the General Public License (GPL) known as the copyleft, which has become model for many open-source projects. 

 UNIX was from the start, a multitasking OS. Susan Ives has described UNIX as DOS on steroids. The UNIX kernel was easy to attach to and complete further enhancements such as TCP/IP in the protocol world, and Telnet and FTP in the application world. UNIX really came into its own in 1968 with the advent of the ARPANET Internet forebearer. In the early 80's, BSD was expanded to include message routing, which has evolved to a point where more than 75 percent of all e-mail is routed via this program, Sendmail. 

 In 1987, Minix, a version of UNIX for PCs, Macs, Amigas, and Atari STs was released. In 1989, Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki, wrote and released another UNIX version, Linux. He then copylefted Linux. This version of Linux is being packaged with third-party applications, documentation, and technical support by several vendors. Other individuals have undertaken to package the Linux kernel as well, with each offering something a little different to help users get started. 

 Among them are Red Hat Software's Official Red hat Linux, Caldera Systems' Caldera Openlinux, Linux Press' Debian GNU/Linux, and MandrakeSoft's Linux-Mandrake. 

 All of these distributions share the Linux kernel, including the core OS functions and network stack. All provide the standard UNIX system library tools, some applications, and limited technical support. Documentation is also varied. Each distribution includes an X Window system and a graphical user interface (GUI), a WEB server, e-mail server, and FTP server. The main difference is the system configuration, support, documentation, and third-party applications. Installation and setup can be a trying event as there is very limited graphical tool setup support and most require command-line setup interfaces that require some expertise to complete. Computer component recognization, such as NIC=s can be a problem. Technical support and decimation is limited in all of the packages. The best source of documentation for Linux is the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) at: www.metalab.unc.edu/LDP. 

 It is claimed that there are over seven million Linux users as of this time. 

Even with all the potential pitfalls listed above, there is great appeal for an OS like Linux. The free OS software and applications head the appeal. Linux has low overheard and runs on 386 class CPUs with just 16 MB of RAM. It is claimed as being bulletproof and can operate for months or years without crashing. The Source code is open. The biggest negative is the installation and configuration process, which can be a pain. However, this pain is a one-time pain, whereas the Windows pain can be forever. 

 Needless to say, I am looking forward to the Linux SIG. 

Conclusion

 John Woody is a networking communications consultant specializing in small office, home office networks, training setup, and internet connectivity.