Get ready for an onslaught of emailed holiday cards and online “gifts”; many bearing things that will not add to your holiday spirit. Even if it seems to come from a good friend or relative, be very cautious in opening it. Play it safe and ask them if they did send it to you.
I am now in the second day of using the latest version of Ubuntu, more precisely, Kubuntu in my case. It took almost seven hours to download the update due to the popularity of the OS. It should not take that long now. It did remember my settings when I told it to when it had downloaded and started the installation.
There is not a lot different in feel from the previous (Feisty Fawn, 7.04) version. Konqueror is still there, even though Dolphin is the new file exploration program. Dolphin has color thumbnails, and side panes on each side. You can select what you want on each side to some extent. When you hover over a thumbnail, an enlarged thumbnail appears in the right side pane (you can put it on the left side if you want). The thumbnail in the center where all the files are turns monochrome once you pass your cursor over it. I hope this is just a bug that will be fixed. Refreshing the page puts it color again. I like the feel of Dolphin, and know it will be a short while converting to it when being used to Konqueror. Personally, I like Dolphin better for exploring files.
I did notice that the GIMP at this time as released with 7.10 is a Release Candidate version. The interface in the GIMP is tons better than the older versions. The icons are much easier to see at a glance. There are other enhancements that I haven’t played with yet, but it feels like the GIMP we know and love. The more I use it, the more I like it.
Bootup and shutdown seem to be just a little faster in Gutsy Gibbon. I don’t have a graphics card that can take advantage of the enhanced graphics it can do out of the box. That is no big deal as it is really eye candy, anyway, and does not affect day to day use. The biggest nit I guess that I have to pick is that the screensaver does not work. Everything works fine when setting one up, but it won’t start automatically on my computer when the automatic startup is selected. No big deal with an LCD screen, and really not a big thing for people using CRT monitors as all made within the last decade or so are not as susceptible to burn in.
This latest release is supposed to support Broadcom wireless cards used in many notebook computers out of the box, without you having to “make” it work. It is also supposed to support printers by setting up for them when you plug one in. I have not tried that, yet. It will also support writing to NTFS, which is what Windows 2000 and above prefers.
You can still get a Live CD, and give it a try on your computer without installing it or changing anything on your hard drive. If you like it, you can install it with the Live CD. Just keep in mind that it will run considerably slower off the Live CD than it will installed on your computer.
Seeing that things like the Storm Worm are getting smarter and resisting efforts in many ways of being brought under control, the time is getting better and better to give Linux a try.
Update:
My Canon PIXMA iP6600D is not supported. The test page seems to come out right, but printing anything else is a flat bust… Honestly, I’ll still continue using Ubuntu, and do what little printing I need to do in Windows XP. I’m disappointed a little, but it is not a show stopper.
I just read an article on the Times Online about pedophiles using Skype, and a sting operation run by the Sunday Times.
It is shocking to read about some of the men who took the bait, many professionals, and some even fathers themselves. Do yourself a favor and read the story, it is an eye opener.
Parents, be parents, be interested in what your children are doing online. Remember the “Anti-drug” ads? I remember my parents being very interested in who I went out with and what I did, and not hesitating to offer advice. I may not have fully appreciated all of it back then, but I think it may have saved me from getting into trouble, or worse.
If you want to be your child’s best friend, you must first be their parent. A true “best friend” is someone who cares enough and dares to look out for all your best interests, even if it means being the damp towel on fun. Taking interest in their online activities the same way you should any other activity of theirs is essential to their safety online. Another way to look at is, how do you know they aren’t giving some “friend” your address that will pay the family an unpleasant visit in the middle of the night?
Don’t forget that the Sunday Times’ reporters said it was surprisingly easy to pose as 13 and 14 year old girls. They aren’t even perverts who have gotten that art down pat like actual pedophiles.
Keep in mind that if you find yourself wishing that you were more careful, it will be because it is too late to undo whatever damage that has happened. There will be no second chance to keep your child from being molested once it has happened.
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Please note that I am not using this against Skype or any other similar place online. Pedophiles will try to find ways to get to children anywhere they may be online. That is why you need to constantly monitor their online activities. This includes sites you know and trust, I’m sure the owners/operators would appreciate others being on the lookout for possible problems.
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