Easy way to export and import your documents from OpenOffice.org 2.0.4+ or StarOffice 8 to Google Docs.

It may be a brave opinion but I predict that Ubuntu Linux and Windows Vista are going to be the two operating systems that will take over the largest chunk of the desktop OS market during the next couple of years

What gift do you give the Linux nut who has everything? Why, a programmable Linux mascot droid that spins around on its rump, that's what.

I know nothing about Linux. Other than it’s free. And nifty. And Xubuntu supposedly runs great on crappy machines such as mine. But I’m told the Ubuntu based distros (like Xubuntu) are great for newbs like me because they are easy to install and use.

So I downloaded the latest version (Gutsy Gibbon or some other adjectived animal) , burned the image to a CD and plopped it in my drive ready for free OS bliss.

I apologize for going off on a half-baked rant at Ubuntu. Ubuntu is not perfect, but these kinds of flames generate more heat than light. I know better, and I’m sorry.

What I wish I had done was post something like this:

“Here’s an Ubuntu bug that seems to highlight everything that frustrates users who are not coders. It seems straightforward and simple, and yet the response is discouraging. What’s going on here?”

when I started using Linux four years later, I was told that with Linux I didn't need to defragment my filesystems anymore, since Linux filesystems don't get fragmented in first place. At that time it left me puzzled, but after a few years of using Linux without defragmenting my filesystems - and without any problems! - it seemed defragmentation was something antique. Nonetheless I still wondered how on earth it was possible the 100k+ files in Gentoo's portage system - updated every time I synchronize the portage tree - didn't fragment my filesystem. Or was my filesystem fragmented and did I not know?

Let's call that site the Geek Ranch. (When I say "let's" I mean us, not everyone. While its primary focus is to appeal to geeks, we will have to call it something else for general marketing.) As far as a site, it is about 265 acres of land in the mountains of the Tisey Preserve near Estelí, Nicaragua.

While there is a lot more to it than just being for geeks, here is the geek angle. The property will have "geek cabinas" scattered around a pine forest within the property. If you want to escape from the rat race for a while--a month, six months, whatever--you will be able to inexpensively rent a private cabina. It will come with Internet connectivity, maid service and all your meals. In other words, no routine responsibilities.

I have been using ubuntu for over a year now, I used to have vista on my machine but ever since I tried ubuntu out of sheer curiosity I've never looked back. In my opinion it's one of the most user friendly Linux distro available.