Learning Linux June 24, 2006

I have spent time this week setting up Linux on my computer. I’m not a techno-geek by any stretch, but I can certainly enjoy the newfound freedom this operating system offers. I had become so tired of Windows with its endless array of tasks–spyware checks, virus scans, weekly Windows updates, virus database updates, spyware definition updates…enough already!

Linux is less popular and less likely to be vulnerable to viruses, etc. I found it to be a sleek, speedy, solid, enjoyable operating system. You know how sometimes you say you’re happy, but there are a few little things you overlook in order to say you’re satisfied. Like you might say you like Windows, even though you have to put up with its vulnerability and all that drags in on those coattails, like scanning for viruses and spyware all the time. Well, with Linux, so far I don’t have any complaints–so that’s a good place to start out from.

There is a learning curve, and I have a long way to go. But I was able to get up and started without too much hassle. I hope I continue to feel this good about it.

Happy to Google June 21, 2006

There is a new face on the block looking to displace Yahoo as king of the integrated web software experience. It's a familiar face but with some new wrinkles.

Google now has Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google Page, Google Groups, Google Notebook, and a host of other services including videos and the best search engine around in the person of Google Desktop, that will search your computer, your email and web all in one shot.

At the moment, I'd like to talk about Google Reader and how much I like it. I've used Sage, Firefox Live Pages, etc., but none is as easy or pleasant to use as Google Reader.The interface is a user-friendly module that offers up the option to mark feeds as read or unread, or to apply labels you devise or stars to sort them, even share them. You may show all feeds or make read feeds invisible, then make them visible again with the click of a button.There is an awesome search bar to search for feeds by topic, or my personal favorite–to search for a feed by pasting a page's URL or its feed URL in the search window. Google Reader fetches the feed, shows you a preview and you decide if you want to subscribe. It's that easy! I like to get the feed from my evoketv.com and keep a heads up on my favorite TV programs.  A list of your subscriptions is easy to edit or delete items. You can even choose to conveniently delete a subscription in the viewing window.

And Google Reader doesn't just do web page feeds. It will also fetch and display video feeds and play podcasts. Does it get any easier? The podcasts are much more convenient and pleasant to listen to in Google Reader as compared to I-Tunes.

Google Reader is solid, stable, user-friendly, and full of twists and turns of functionality that surprised and delighted me.

So go get it now–type my feed into the search box :

http://jojanoski.wordpress.com/feed/

and subscribe to me! It is the least you can do to thank me for finding you such a good RSS device. Get Google Reader!

Copyright 2006 JO Janoski