April 26, 2007

Ubuntu – what on earth does that mean?

Ubuntu Logo
Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux that has increased in popularity like no other distro ever has. But with a name that would make even a murderer giggle, you cant help but wonder what it means. According to the official site, Ubuntu means ‘Humanity to others’, or ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. I guess if you don’t put much thought into it, that definition makes some sense for a Linux distribution, but don’t think too hard as it will quickly become meaningless.

Anywho, I just installed Ubuntu on my laptop because next semester we are required to use a Linux/Unix environment. I wasn’t expecting anything special, but I was delighted by how the OS actually works. I have been using it since release 6.04 but I never went in depth until now. It appeals to Mac fans because of its appearance, and Windows users because of its apt-get package manager that makes it easy to update and install stuff.

But no matter how much I preach how good it is, there will be those dumb naysayers that don’t know shit about anything telling me that it sucks. “Steve, Windows is teh best, Ubun2 sux!/111!1″. Well guess what, you are a uneducated moron and wouldn’t know greatness if it punched you in the face. Just because your ‘Windows’ key on your keyboard performs no function in Ubuntu does not make it crap. Oh well, some people are just stupid.

My point is, download and try the OS. You can learn more about it here and download it for free. Yeah, I never did mention that it is free. Burn the image to a CD, and reboot your system. You can give it a test run off the CD without even installing it. Do the right thing, make the switch.

This entry was made using FireFox in Ubuntu 7.04

And to think Microsoft wonder’s why they always get laughed at

Office 2007 is out, everyone rush out to go and buy it… right? Well why buy it when you can download it for free? I know you are likely asking, “How will I activate it?” Simple, edit one line in one file, and boom, your Office 2007 is working like a charm. Intrigued? Well here is how to do it:

  1. Click this link to download Office 2007 Enterprise Edition: Download Here
  2. Install the program like normal. When asked for a serial leave it blank.
  3. After install browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE12\Office Setup Controller\proof.en
  4. Open the XML file that lies within that folder in notepad
  5. Near the bottom find:
    <Feature Id="SetupXmlFiles" Cost="1248">
    <OptionRef Id="AlwaysInstalled"/>
    </Feature>
  6. Replace that with:
    <Feature Id="SetupXmlFiles" Cost="1248">
    <OptionRef Id="NeverInstalled"/>
    </Feature>

  7. Save the file
  8. Run Office like normal.

This is why Microsoft earns no respect with people. From a programming standpoint, having a single word in a XML file dictate whether you can bypass activation or not is bad practice.

Note: I simply provide the information, I am not responsible for how it is used.

April 25, 2007

A fee for this, a fee for that. Why?

I am at college, we have a few weeks left and I just want to make it through the semester and be home for summer. However to my surprise I get this wonderful email informing me that the floor I live on is now on 24/7 quiet hours – meaning if any noise can be heard outside the room from the hallway, we get fined. The fine is $65. This got me thinking, who is it costing $65 every time we are loud? Alcohol violation – $80. How is drinking costing a University $80?

Then the icing on the cake: the email I recieved about ‘check out procedures’. There is a long list of things we must do, and if we don’t do each one there is a fine. Forget to take out the trash? $50. Forget to mop the floor (yeah, they are making us mop)? $50. Lose your small ice-cube tray? $8. What the hell, I will drive to Target or Wal-Mart and spend $0.50 on a new one, how can that small ass icecube tray possibly cost $8. Thats as bad as “The Price Is Right” gameshow markups:

“You are bidding on 500 sheets of white paper, can I have the first bid please.”
“$100 Bob”
“$250 Bob”
“$125 Bob”
“What did she bid?… $125?… Ok, $126 Bob!”
“The correct retail price is, $550…”

As if $15,000+ a year is not enough for Universities, they must fine everyone too. Just who does this money go to, clearly not lowering tuition costs. I guess nobody will ever know.

April 24, 2007

New Blog

I figured I would start a blog to share my ramblings, daily content download, rants, and whatever else crosses my mind. Stay tuned for some real content.