Many times I find myself looking for applications that fit my need with a price that fits my budget ($0 most of the time). Sometimes I find applications that fit my need but not my budget like Microsoft Office. I hope you find these choices help you and your family out.

Word Processing

The best word processor I have found is Open Office Writer. This both fits my needs and its part of a complete suite of Office tools to help me be more productive. You can try this one out yourself by visiting their website at: openoffice.org

I have used this software for many years now and have found it most satisfactory. You can’t beat the price either as this is open source software and is free to the end user. They would certainly not turn down any donations, I am sure if you feel so inclined but use it without obligation.

This software also contains a spreadsheet (like Microsoft Excel) and presentation application (like Microsoft Powerpoint).

Database

Sometimes you find yourself in need of some data handling capability. When my needs turn to databases, I turn to MySQL. This is a full featured open source software package (spelled F R E E - which fits my budget).

If you have a need for keeping up with the company inventory or contact list. MySQL can help you. If you tie MySQL to OpenOffice, you have a force to reckoned with. You can put together a professional looking data entry application in short order using these tools.

You can find MySQL through their website at: MySQL

Desktop Operating System

If you are tired of an operating system that:

• is under constant attack by mal-ware (viruses, spyware, worms, etc.)
• is way too expensive
• is known to take over your computer at most inopportune times (like updates)

then it is time to consider other alternatives for your desktop. Today’s Linux is not just for Geeks anymore. Liunx has come a long way towards becoming user friendly. Upgrades and updates are becoming just the click of a button and initial installation is now almost automatic.

One of the concerns about changing operating systems is always what software will be available to run. The latest version of open source applications (several mentioned in this article) are meeting the needs of desktop users everywhere. Besides, you can always dual boot your computer to use that one piece of software you use once a year that must run under a specific operating system.

You can find many distributions of Linux available. My favorite one (Ubuntu) can be found at this web address: Ubuntu

Tags: mysql, office, OpenOffice.org, ubuntu

Introduction

I am writing this post because the first time I attempted to upgrade a major distribution change, I did it without researching the right way to do it. Needless to say, it did not go well. So, I am putting this together to help those of you willing to “read the instructions”.

First thing to know is that there are different types of distribution upgrades. If you are upgrading within a major distribution (like say ‘Hardy’), then you use the “Minor” release method. However, if you are upgrading from one “Long Term Support” version to another (like ‘Dapper’ to ‘Hardy’), then use the “Major” release method below.

Determining which Release you are running

There are multiple ways to determine which release you are currently running. Here are a few of them (choice one):

1. lsb_release -a
2. more /etc/lsb-release
3. uname -a

NOTE: The last method will not give you the current release name (like ‘Gutsy’) but only the release number (like ‘2.6.24-19-server’).

Minor Release Upgrade Method

Use the following steps as a guide to upgrade from one minor release to another:

1. apt-get update
2. apt-get upgrade
3. apt-get dist-upgrade

NOTE: if you are not running as root you will have to use ’sudo’ (without quotes) before each of the above commands.

Major Release Upgrade Method

Here are some guidelines for upgrading from one major release to another:

1. apt-get update
2. apt-get upgrade
3. apt-get install update-manager-core
4. do-release-upgrade

NOTE: if you are not running as root you will have to use ’sudo’ (without quotes) before each of the above commands.

Tags: system admin, ubuntu, Upgrading Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a popular free Linux distribution that promotes “Linux for human beings”. If you read through many Ubuntu tutorials, you may notice that one of the steps is often to enable the “universe” and “multiverse” repositories. This “recipe” tells you how to enable the universe and multiverse repositories.

The universe and multiverse repositories are official Ubuntu repositories, with safe, well-tested programs. The only difference between them and the repositories enabled by default is that the universe and multiverse repositories are maintained by the Ubuntu community rather than by paid Ubuntu developers. This means that Canonical (the company that backs Ubuntu and provides paid support) does not officially support packages from these repositories. Also, be aware that some of the packages in the universe and multiverse repositories make use of patented technology (such as multimedia codecs) and may be illegal to use in your country. It is your responsibility to find more information about any patent issues that affect you. That being said, the universe and multiverse repositories bring a vast number of useful, high-quality programs to Ubuntu users everywhere.

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Tags: system admin, ubuntu