Linux VS Windows 7

 My desktop, click picture for full size.

This isn't an in depth comparison of Windows and Linux, it is a quick overview of why I feel Linux is better than Windows. I know many people I talk to have been thinking about trying Linux so here are a few reasons.

The screenshot above is from my laptop. You see fancy transparency and effects like newest version of Windows - Windows 7 has, Linux has had this ability for a decade or so. Windows 7 provides these effects, but only on a brand spanking new & very fast machine. My laptop is from 2003. Windows XP runs "ok" on it, yet this fancy Linux runs much faster and is FREE.

My computer:

2003 Dell Inspiron 8600

1.4 ghz Intel Celeron CPU

1.5 GB DDR1 Ram

32mb nVidia Go 5200

333 mhz Front Side Bus.

Running Linux Mint 9 KDE

If my computer information doesn't make much sense to you just think that various bits in my laptop are 1/2 to almost as fast as one of those cheap $200 "netbooks". If Linux runs fast and smooth on a machine this old, just think of how it will work on anything new within the last few years.

Makes it seem like a load to pay a few hundred bux for Windows when it is slower, crashes often, gets viruses and other lame stuff that doesn't affect Linux. People say they want to buy a Apple because they don't have the problems windows does, but Apple OSX is based on Linux in the first place.

The ONE problem people have with Linux is that they cannot use Windows programs of games on it. Just like Apple Mac has all their own software that replaces your need for Most Windows programs, Linux does the same, but has MORE FREE SOFTWARE. If there is a Windows program you wish to keep using in Linux there is a 75% or so chance it will work using "WINE" which is a compatibility layer that sits between Linux and your windows program. It fools your program into thinking it is running on a Windows Computer.

Linux is free because it has a community that builds and fixes it, they do it to give something to the world, not to make money by selling you a crappy product. This same community acts as technical support to help solve problems people may have, or to guide new users through common issues. The main difference here is that these people are not here to SERVE you no matter how you treat them like customer service at a company you bought something from. These people help because they are nice and if you treat them like they owe you something or like you expect something from them they will just ignore you and ban you from their corners of the web.

Another reason I refuse to use Windows is that it is purposely sold with defects, problems, and security holes as well as having built in backdoors to let Microsoft and the Government into your computer to see what you are up to.

Choose Linux to make your old computer run better than new for free, and stop worrying about viruses.

People say that Linux is hard to learn or use, it is easier for many people than switching from Windows to Mac, or Mac to Windows.

Go to the Linux Mint Website to check out the Linux distro that I use (there are somewhere around 300 different versions called 'distributions').

If you have any questions the people in the forum are nice and happy to answer questions go to the Linux Mint Forums.

Google Search & Your Privacy

The more you learn about google the more you realize that google is possibly the scariest corporation (from a privacy point of view) on the face of the earth. These guys literally collect information on EVERYTHING. Think of all the ways they track you........

1. Google search. They have 2 ways of doing it with this, with you signed in having a user name, or just a plain old fashioned cookie on your computer (a cookie is a file that a website saves on your computer to indentify you for tracking purposes).
Google search results are saved FOREVER so if they have a way to connect you with your results you can never escape it.

2. Email. Do you have a g-mail account? If so they keep track of everything written in your email by scanning it for anything interesting. They say they do not, but at one time they also said they didn't scan the contents of emails at all until a consumer privacy group revealed that google scans your emails to custom deliver relevant ads to you in your email box. Got a letter from your girlfriend talking about a break up? Google might give you an ad about mending broken hearts. Also if you close your email address page without logging out everything you search on google is automatically connected with your email address and all of your contacts and all of their own searches looking for patterns.

3. Google web apps. This includes google video, google documents, and anything else.

4. Youtube. Google now owns youtube meaning that every video you watch is kept track of. If they can find a way to connect your youtube user account with your email addresses and search results they will. Youtube leaves cookies and since google owns it they may now be cross site cookies. (a cross site cookie is a cookie that is read by multiple websites. like a cookie to keep you logged into facebook will let other sites know you have a facebook account and you will see an option to "like" something on a unrelated webpage)

5. Google analytics. It is a google service to rank webpages by popularity as well as collect any other data google is interested in.

6. Google ad-sense. Websites get paid money by google to let google place advertisements on their website . About 90% of the pages I visit everyday have it. Again these sites either leave cookies or interact with the google cookie already on your computer.

7. Some Blogs. This blog is also owned by google. I had no idea when I started it. If I leave myself logged into this while making a web search they can track my searches and match it against my profile on here.

8. Google voice. This new service where google can go into your voicemail box for your phone and tries to transcript your voicemail messages (transcript means convert spoken words into text) DO NOT GIVE GOOGLE YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

9. Google earth & google maps. Everything you look at on here is recoded by google. Hope you didn't use google to get directions to your anti new-world-order or anti government corruption meeting, the government doesnt even need to tail you there google has the data for them.

That is enough data collection to know a person well enough to guess almost everything about him after a year or so of collecting data. Government agencies drool at the thought of such things. It's enough to render the CIA and FBI data collection methods obsolete in many cases. Do not forget that the patriot act enables the government to assign "private companies" the right to spy on people for the government as corporations do not have such strong restraints on data collection methods as the government does under surveillance laws.

What are your options to stop this?

1. do not use google email or voice services and never make or use a log in name with any of them. when you do use an email address always use a fake name, when making one with your real name for jobs only use it for that purpose.

2. set your web browser to automatically delete cookies after a certain time or use bleachbit to delete all downloaded data from your broswer once a week or so.

3. use firefox and get the no-script add-on. It takes a bit of getting used to but you will notice that webpages load alot faster. This blocks ALL web content from a site other than the one you are on. It also blocks all flash and java unless you specifically enable it. This also is handy for stopping clickjacking and other forms of malicious activity online. All websites you visit execute code on your computer, this also helps stop malicious code and automatic virus downloading. Mine always blocks google-analytics and the facebook tracking beacons on many websites (facebook also tracks you all across the internet). You will be surprised how many websites load data on your computer when you visit any one website. Some websites you visit load data from 20 or more other websites which all track your ip adress. No-script may take some getting used to, but it is the single best way to secure your computer against threats from webpages.

4. scroogle. We all know google is the best search engine, and so do they. Instead of settling for less by using another search engine that also saves all of your data use scroogle. It acts as a middle man between you and google so they cannot store data on your computer or compile lists on your searches. DO NOT USE BING OR ANY OTHER MICROSOFT PRODUCT, THEY ARE WORSE THAN GOOGLE.

5. scroogle firefox add-on. this adds the scroogle search function to your firefox search bar. handy stuff!

6. use mapquest instead of google earth and maps unless you delete the cookies regularly, but do not log in.

Chat Privately With Encryption

  Most people do not realize how easy it is to spy on their conversations when using msn, yahoo, aim, or any other website messenger (messengers built into websites like myspace and facebook). 

Anybody connected to the network between you and whoever you are talking to can read your messages as easily as if they are standing between you and someone you are talking to. This includes hackers, your i.s.p, the people running the websites or i.m. service, and the government. The main way people work around this is encryption, here is the best way to use encryption with these networks - you will need 2 things:
1. Pidgin instant messenger program. This program can be used instead of many instant messenger programs including A.I.M., Yahoo, MSN, Google chat, and about 15 more. It does not support webcam, but who cares about that. That is what skype is for.
2. OTR Messaging plug-in for Pidgin. This is the most secure method of encryption preventing man in the middle attacks that other encryption methods for instant messaging may leave open.

With this method you login to your msn, aim, yahoo, myspace, facebook, or other instant messenger service using the Pidgin software (after you have also installed the OTR plug-in).

If your friend has also installed Pidgin and the OTR plug-in you can hit the button saying "not private" and then "start private conversation". you will have a question that you type into the box and if your friend types the correct answer he is authenticated as really being your friend and half of the connection is made. Next he asks you a question and when you answer correctly you are authenticated to him and the encryption is complete. The authentication lasts until you remove it, but I would re-do it every other time you chat.