(Original Ubuntu System)
System Specifications
OS: Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex 8.10
CPU: 2.40 gigahertz Intel Core2 Quad
RAM: 2030 MB DDR2 PC2-5400
Display: Nvidia Geforce 7600-GS 512 MB

In October of 2007 I was perusing the web and came across Ubuntu, and found it quite interesting. It seemed like a neat Idea. I had considered trying to dual boot Redhat in the past but was always too scared for fear of screwing something up. Well for a while I just sort of read info and didn’t install anything. At income tax time (approximately February of 2008 ) I bought a new Rig the most powerful computer I had ever owned (Specs listed above).

Somewhere in between my Ubuntu discovery and rig purchase I had read about virtualbox so now that I had a system I could actually run it on without tremendous lag I decided to give it a go. I found an article which walked me step by step through how to setup virtualbox with Ubuntu. At the time I believe it was Ubuntu 7.10. I really enjoyed the experience and I’ve since installed numerous Linux operating systems on virtualbox just to try them out, however I always come back to Ubuntu. Eventually I grew tired of the limitations you have when virtually running an operating system and decided to give dual booting a try on an older computer, and I loved it. Actually it wasn’t a dual-boot I used Wubi and installed Ubuntu that way on my husbands computer. It was my first experience with compiz as you can’t run that in virtualbox. I love how I’m able to completely customize my desktop experience without handing over more money to some third party company. The availability of software is also another plus, I love how if I need to be able to do something all I have to do is search the synaptic package manager and/or Google to find the features I’m looking for

The only reason at this point that I keep windows is for games (I really hope this changes I would love to see more big name game developers give love to Linux operating systems). I can pretty much do everything else on Ubuntu. Including working on my websites with dreamweaver thanks to wine. I also enjoy the speed I have Even the older computer feels fast again with Ubuntu running on it.

My number one reason for loving Ubuntu though is this. I did have some hardware issues initially when first dual-booting Ubuntu and I all I had to do was a few Google and forum searches to fix them. The community support is phenomenal, and in all the time I used windows (we’re talking all the way back to the beginning here, my first computer had dosshell on it) I have never had the great sense of community and support that I get from the Ubuntu community!

So all in all I would say my experience has been quite positive and I look forward to many years of happy Ubuntu computing.

I have been Dual Booting Ubuntu for about two months now, prior to that for about 6 months I was using it along with red hat and OpenSuse on virtualbox. To be honest I really love Ubuntu and would love to rid myself of Microsoft Windows all together but for now I just can’t. I honestly believe that if one thing changed Microsoft would really have something to worry about. What is that one thing you ask? Well I think that more big name gaming developers need to release Linux versions of their games. Yes I’m aware that some games can be installed through Wine, Cedega, and Crossover Games. But this still can be somewhat of a hassle for those people who just want to “use” their computers. I personally would love to see developers give more love to linux systems I think that it’s well deserved.

Other than that I really don’t see linux being that far from wide-spread use. I love that I can make my computer be my computer and linux systems allow for that. The fact is that whether your an adanced user who prefers cutting edge or someone who just wants to use their computer for simple tasks you can find a distro that suits you and your needs. Your not stuck with “what’s in the box” so to speak. If you get a chance and are not nervous definatly check out a few distro’s you never know you might like what you find.

Listed below are some helpful beginner links:

• Virtualbox
• Installing Ubuntu on virtualbox
• Wubi
• Ubuntu
• Freespire
• OpenSuse

If you have a new (or newly wiped) hard drive in your PC, and your Windows Vista DVD is an

For those users who purchased Windows Vista Basic, you’ll notice your missing two of the interfaces available in the other versions of vista. Flip 3D and the Aero Interface. On systems whose graphics capabilities are able to handle such things you may be wondering if there is a way to get these effects without paying the extra cash to upgrade to a different vista version. Good News there is! To get that flip 3D effect users have serveral options available to them.

For $20.00 Top Desk offers the Flip 3D effect as well as the Expose effect found in the mac systems. Better News yet there is also a free utility available to those of you on a tight budget called Shock Aero 3D and for xp users only you may wish to give WinFlip a try.

The following registry hack allows Vista Basic Users to enable Aero on their system (NOTE:BE SURE TO BACK UP YOUR REGISTRY BEFORE PROCEEDING!)

Click Start and type Regedit in the search bar, open the registry editor and navigate to:

net start uxsms

Reboot Your System to see the changes

There is also a program called TrueTransparency that changes the windows border adding png support and so true transparency.

Another option available to users is Stardocks Windowblinds, there are many skins for it which use the transparency effect. Windowblinds however is shareware.

We Went to the zoo on August 16th 2008, The footage was filmed by Kenzie

It was snowing pretty hard for April in Everett, Washington.

So The eye doctor said my eye’s are fine he gave me some eye drops and said if my vision starts to blur to use them he thinks it might just be dry eye’s. The endocrinolgist thinks differntly though. He had me do an E.K.G. and it turns out my atrial fibrillation is coming back (thanks to my thyroid) so he prescribed some heart medicine, and wants me to see a cardiologist just to make sure that there isn’t any long term damage to my heart. He’s said we need to just dissolve my thyroid and get rid of it. Which is is the same thing they did with my mom, so chances are that’s what we’ll do. I do have good news though turns out my muscle weakness and weight-gain we’re all caused by my thyroid meds causing my thyroid hormone’s to be to low, so now that we’re getting that straightened out I should back on the road to recovery soon, that means soon I should be walking better and feeling better and able to be more active once again! This morning the endocrinologist office called and told me I need to take my thyroid meds again only this time I’ll only be taking one pill a day instead of two. I’m about ready to say hey let’s just get rid of the damn thing and get it over with I’m so sick of doctors appointements and being poked and prodded all the time.

I have a doctors appointment in the morning with the eye doctor, my blurred vision episodes have returned, since the doctor pulled me off my thyroid medicine, I’m hoping it’s not doing any permanent eye damage. I have an appointment, with the endocrinologist on the 15th, to see about my thyroid. I’m not sure what they will tell me but I’m sure it will involve medicine of some sort. The Doctor seems to think my back pain is muscle releated and she gave me a prescription for physical therapy. I wish I could just get all this over with and get back to normal, I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time……

So I woke up last night to the sound of "drip drip drip" When I finally rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and came to enough to realize that the sound wasn’t coming from my computer and the soundscapes channel I let play as I went to sleep. I discovered that a nice bubble had formed on my ceiling and water was dripping onto my garbage can. I jumped up and grabbed an empty dishpan I had under my kitchen sink and put that under it. Then I had to call security to get the emergency maintenance pager number. I was thinking it was something gone wrong with the empty apartment above but as it turns out it’s not. Apparently a few buildings have had this issue, it’s water in the walls. The guy busted the bubble on the ceiling and put a bigger bucket underneath it. Then he said there wasn’t really much he could do about it tonight and that he would have to come back in the the morning. For a while it was dripping pretty heavily but it’s died down a bunch since, I sure hope they can fix it without much trouble.

I’m totally loving my new computer. It’s an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz quad core processor with 8MB of cache, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 500GB SATA II hard drive. Plus a Dual-Layer DVD