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Archive for the 'Editorial' Category

List of Cross-Platform Alternatives

Published on 4 May, 2009 in Editorial and Using Open Source. 2 Comments Tags: .

My last list of free desktop applications was for Windows only. Since starting to use Mac and Linux, I’m particularly interested in applications that are cross-platform (ie. they work on all  Linux, Mac, Windows platforms).

Here is a collection of those applications I previously used on Windows and the alternatives on Linux and Mac.

Category Using on Windows
 Linux Mac
 Notes
Web browser Firefox Y Y
Instant Messaging Pidgin Y Adium
SFTP/FTP client Filezilla command line
integrated into Nautilus		 command line
Text Editing Notepad 2 Vim Vim Vim is also available on Windows
Graphic viewer Irfanview Included Included Still looking for something
more versatile like Irfanview 
Vector graphic Inkscape Y Y
Graphics Gimp Y Y
PDF writer PDF Creator Included Included
CD Writer WinXP builtin Included included
Manage Password KeePass Y Y KeePassX runs on Linux and Mac
Anti-virus ClamWin ClamAV none Using ClamAV to scan files
in portable device in Linux

There are of course more alternatives and other applications, these are some that I use on a regular basis.

Do you have something to recommend? Let me know.

Free and Open Source Programs on the Mac

Published on 3 May, 2008 in Apple Mac, Editorial and Related elsewhere. 0 Comments Tags: .

Last week I officially bacame an Apple user with the Mac Mini. As a new Mac user, I was excited and immediately set about looking for equivalent Windows softwares for Mac.

Here are a list of sites to start looking for Mac softwares:

Some of my regular applications already has a Mac version so it is easy to switch over to the Mac version of Firefox and OpenOffice. That’s was about all that I need to switch over immediately.

The Mac is a very friendly and easy to use platform that most could start using immediately without much problem. Long time Windows user may need a little time to adapt. Some may miss some application that is available on Windows only.

For me, the switch was easy, I found (and am still exploring) alternative to programs I used on Windows. So far my only real problem is that an internet banking web site that I use that required Internet Explorer with ActiveX plugin.

In an old post, I asked “What do you put on a new PC?“, now I guess the similar question is “What do you put on a new Mac?”

Still Looking for that Integrated Contact, Calendar and ToDo Tool

Published on 29 September, 2007 in Business & Productivity, Editorial and Hosted Applications. 7 Comments Tags: , , .

One of the tools that has eluded me all these year is a nicely integrated suite of Contact Management, Scheduler/Calendar/Organizer and a ToDolist.

Having tried many tools – from standalone applications to hosted applications, none of them lasted a month. I’m using some tools of course but I’m not settled down with them (like the way I switched to Open Office and never look back).

My requirements are really simple

  • Open Source or Free would be perfect
  • Would also consider hosted application and pay a small fee
  • Integrated, for example
    • a date (like birthday) in the contact list would appear in the calendar and could also be a todo (send birthday card)
    • a schedule like “Meet with XYZ” will link to XYZ contact information
    • similarly a todo like “Call XYZ” will link to XYZ mobile number
  • Able to import and export to some standard formats
  • Must support Chinese character input

So help me. If you know THAT tool, leave a comment.

And if you still have time, read on for a chronicle of tools I had tried.

Continue reading ‘Still Looking for that Integrated Contact, Calendar and ToDo Tool’

Open Source at the Expense of Productivity?

Published on 26 January, 2007 in Editorial and Using Open Source. 4 Comments Tags: .

One major stopping block for business to use Open Source softwares is the steep learning curve in learning a new software. Time spent on learning new software tool (whether open source ir not) is time wasted on business productivity.

This money-time trade off is a main driver of commercial softwares. A locked-in is created once a user is productive with a software and the cost to change is higher than continue paying for it.

As a small-business owner myself, I’m frequently under the pressure of productivity. Not only my own productivity but also my staffs’ as well. Therefore it wouldn’t be realistic to enforce opensource softwares on my staffs at the expense of productivity.

But what about myself?

My Windows-Start-All ProgramsFor myself, I’m willing to spend a little time to further the goal of seeing opensource on the desktop. And I’m excited to report that I’m almost there!

Take a look at my Windows XP All Programs menu on the left. With the exception of Windows XP itself and Rising Antivirus, the remaining are free or open source softwares.

I reluctantly switched from ClamWin to Rising because extra vigilant is called for in the hostile China network environment. (Imagine even the broadband provider is trying to sneak in spywares. Despicable.)

GIMP and Inkscape is my latest goal to wean myself from the twin graphic pillar of Photoshop and Illustrator.

When I replaced my HP notebook recently, I decided to have GIMP as the exclusive image editor. This morning I completed the duo by installing Inkscape.

Having handed off most of my business critical graphic work to my staff, I can now afford to spend some time experimenting these new tools on less time-sensitive projects.

Is switching to Open Source at the expense of productivity?

At this point, I’m afraid the answer is qualified yes. I’m not sure how I can quantify and justify my time spent on using open source alternatives except for the fact that I’m an enthusiast and am willing the “pay the extra”.

It is a qualified yes because the answer applies to the case of switching to an open source alternative in the place of an existing, productive, commercial product.

What is your experience of switching to open source? Is it self-imposed? Company imposed?

Brainstorming a Backup Strategy

Published on 30 October, 2006 in Editorial and Utilities & Drivers. 0 Comments Tags: .

As a small business owner, we often have our heads filled with more immediate concerns. Backup is not one of those immediate concern. In fact, backing up data is one of the often stressed but seldom carried out activities.

I have to confess that I had been thinking about backup since day-one and have yet to do any concrete about it. So I sat down today and did a mind map (using FreeMind) for a backup strategy.

Backup strategy mindmap

So the next steps are

  1. Figure out and decide on what strategy to use
  2. Find the right softwares (free/open source preferred)
  3. Implement
  4. Train users
  5. Monitor and manage

I will be posting the progress and any related softwares that I find. Hope this helps you too.

Setting up wireless LAN for 2 offices

Published on 18 October, 2006 in Editorial and Networking. 3 Comments Tags: , .

This is not exactly open source or free softwares but wireless LAN is becoming a must have in the office and very small business should (or at least consider) have it installed.

Recently we added another office one storey above our existing office. The new office is not directly above but a few units away. So the question arises as to how should we connect the 2 offices?

We started with a few options:

  1. Installing a new ADSL for the new office
  2. Using the existing wireless LAN
  3. Linking the 2 offices with a network cable

Installing a new ADSL was dropped since it would mean additional cost that we are not prepared to pay.

Using the existing wireless LAN surprising is an option. The wireless signal was able to reach up to the second floor. However we wanted to cater to users that do not have wireless connection.

This leaves us with the third option which is to connect the 2 offices with a network cable. The resulting network looks something like this.

Small office wireless LAN setup

We could have used a wireless Access Point (AP) on the upper storey. Much to my surprise however, a wireless AP cost 2 times as much as a wireless router. I have no idea why. The retailer hinted that AP are used typically by offices, therefore costing more.

So we added another wireless router on the upper floor and connect its WAN to the wireless router on the lower floor which in turn connects to the ADSL modem.

The wireless router has 4 network ports built-in. In order to connect more than 3 (one taken up by the router above) network cables, a 8 ports switch was added.

Setting up the network this way, we now have all network going through a single Internet connection.

The only drawback is that we now have 2 separate segments that cannot inter-communicate. Any suggestion of softwares or setup to solve this?

Automated update and install softwares

Published on 16 September, 2006 in Editorial and Using Open Source. 0 Comments Tags: , .

My Firefox had just auto updated to 1.5.0.7. The best part is I do not have to do anything except restarting it.

The update was quietly downloaded in the background and a message prompted me to restart. Upon restart, the update was, well, updated. Done.

The whole process was so simple and easy I sure many software will be following this update strategy. Automated update and install is a recent trend in softwares brought about by the ubquitious always-on internet access.

When the computer connected, the software could check for update, download update and even installs it.

I noticed the progression of different stages of update automation over the years.

Link to update. First there was a link to the download site or homepage, probably in the “Help->About” menu. Irfanview and 7-Zip are examples. With Internet, software don’t comes in disk anymore.

Alert to update. How often do you update your software? Not very often if you are like me. So why not get the software to alert you? This was the second stage in the evolution. ClamWin uses this strategy.

Download and install is the final holy grail. The update is downloaded and installed, with your permission and with little intervention. The latest Firefox does this very nicely.

In is a known fact that many security and stability issues are actually caused by old softwares that are not updated. Auto download and install is good news for the typical business users who may not be that tech savvy to keep softwares up-to-date.

This trend is sure to catch-on on more softwares. Will this trend spell the gradual demise of download sites like downloads.com and tucows.com?

Why Open Source Software / Free Software?

Published on 14 September, 2006 in Editorial and Related elsewhere. 0 Comments Tags: .

Came across this article:

Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS, FLOSS, or FOSS)? Look at the Numbers! by David A. Wheeler.

It is a very lengthy and indepth article with plenty of links and references. I have no time to read it in fully yet.

If you are not technically inclined, you might find it too dense. In a nutshell, the article provided much support as to why businesses should pay attention to Open Source .

I do not see this article as going to convince the typical small business user. It would however a good source of reference for open source evangelist who is sharing the Open Source good news.

Are you still using FTP? Beware

Published on 12 September, 2006 in Editorial and Security & Encryption. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

Recently I acquired a software that required FTP access to my server, without which it cannot work.

I was shocked!

You see, in the last 7-8 years I have not use FTP on my servers. Even on the local office server I refuse to allow FTP to be installed. For file transfer I just use SFTP (Filezilla supports this).

Are you still using FTP, you might want to read the following and discover why it is time to take note

The traditional FTP protocol is highly insecure: it sends passwords in the clear. For this reason FTP has been recognized as one of the largest remaining security liabilities in most UNIX systems. As of 2006 FTP still remains one of the Internet’s most popular file upload mechanisms.

Another security risk lies not with FTP itself but with the widespread use of wireless internet connection.

With wireless, your FTP password travelling in clear over the air can be easily captured. You may be surprised that wireless attack is actually very easy. The kid next door may just be looking at your wireless traffic now.

So, if you are using FTP on your hosting server and at work, ask why. Security file transfer like SFTP, SCP, FTP over SSL are widely available. Perhaps it is time to ask if the hosting provider support them or move on to a more knowledgable hosting provider.

At this point I am still talking to the vendor to see how the FTP requirement can be relaxed or best removed.

Reference:

More free and open source softwares

Published on 4 September, 2006 in Editorial and Using Open Source. 3 Comments Tags: , .

At this juncture I had almost covered all the major free and opensource applications that I use regularly. There are still a handful of tools and utilities which I will cover.

Of course this is not all there is to opensource applications. There are still much more. Some I had planned to try, like Gimp and Inkscape while others I had heard alot but has no opportunity to use, like Blender. Still there are applications like Sunbird that I’m eagerly anticipating a release. Finally there are promising applications like Nvu that seem to have stopped development.

Do you have any favourite Free/Open source applications that you like to recommend?