"Many professionals bill clients for their time. Even if you don't, keeping track of the time you actually spend on tasks can help you improve your time estimates and check if you're spending enough time on the things that are important to you. For example, keeping track of the time you spend on tasks might show you that you spend two and a half hours each day just responding to e-mail. If you can identify problem areas like that, then you can look for more effective ways to perform the tasks that take up a lot of your time. I love Org's timeclocking support, and I think you will too. Because it's integrated with your task list, you don't have to switch to separate application or reenter data. You can get more detailed time reports, too.

Smart cards and digital signatures are presented as among the most important components of e-government in Europe, but they are still far from being an effective, Linux-friendly solution to reduce administrative and business costs. But the same tools may become a way to make the general public use or support Free Software.

I have a tough time explaining the merits of Free and Open Source software to desktop minions. They assume I am biased (which I am!). But my bias has a basis in truth. It's lost on them because despite spending hours in front of their Windows box, they've never actually used the operating system. Ever.

Every system designer has at one time in his or her professional career had to play the role of developer, sales person, and psychologist. The developer writes the code for the system, the sales person tries to sell it to management and the user community, and the psychologist tries to figure out why users don't buy into what they're selling.

If you run Linux, BSD, or any other Free and Open Source system, you know that every time you open your mouth about it in day-to-day life, you usually have to stop and explain what it means. Outside your office or school, there's everyday-type folks who have no idea that such a thing exists, and they'll all have to be taught, one person at a time.

Let's analyse the situation:

You wanna leave Windows for some reason:
* You wanna reduce costs for your business?
* You don't like MS's "anti-piracy" measures?
* You're just sick of the cycle of spending money on a new system when your existing one is fine?
* Maybe, just maybe, you do NOT want to be tied to Microsoft any longer?
* ("Insert your own reason")

Explaining Free Software is an important but sometimes difficult task. Complex ideas and terminology, subtle variations and an intensely political history can all get in the way of effective advocacy. These guidelines aim to help you to communicate clearly and consistently, and present yourself and what you're saying in a compelling and credible light.

Media that spy on and data-mine the public are capable of destroying humanity's most precious freedom: freedom of thought. Ensuring that media remain structured to support rather than suppress individual freedom and civic virtue requires us to achieve specific free technology and free culture goals.

The company behind the 64 Studio creative distro now provides end user support. We're giving a support package away to the person who writes the best review of the recent 2.0 release. The installer is a free download from BitTorrent or mirrors, and there are 32-bit and live versions available too.