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Portable Linux Opportunities

There is a new window of opportunity for the open source Linux platform. While Microsoft is edging towards 64 bit computing, there are already a number of Linux 64 bit alternatives including the popular RedHat Enterprise Linux AS/ES.

Unlike the Microsoft platform, the open source Linux model enables developers to produce the same operating system on multiple platforms irrespective of the underlying hardware. Thus, once the gcc compiler supports your processor and you can successfully boot the Linux kernel, it is possible to compile virtually any of the open source tools.

Consequently, Linux provides more features out-of-the-box than the Windows x64 equivalent. You might be able to install the core Windows x64 operating system, but where is Quark, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office or even your favorite print driver? What kind of graphic tools will be available, without Photoshop x64 your powerful CPU will be sitting idle.

Open source provides code for these kinds of applications. This means that even if there is not currently a version of Scribus for your x64 Linux, the source is available and you can compile this excellent desktop publish application. The same is true for other open source tools, such as KPDF and Gimp. While it is a significant milestone that Microsoft Windows is again supporting platforms other than Intel 386, it requires significant vendor support before the operating system can be a viable alternative.

As a result, the open source community has the opportunity today to deliver Linux workstations that are compelling alternatives to the traditional Microsoft model. While Microsoft endeavors to improve Windows XP x64, the Linux distributions are able to offer a rich GUI client with all of the tools users are accustom to (email, wordprocessing, desktop publishing, graphics manipulation, database servers, web applications and much more).

Virtual Computing Paradigm Shift

According to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on a chip should at least double every 18 months. We have gone in a very brief time from a few thousand transistors to over a billion on a single CPU. This has created some amazing new desktop and server technologies. We can pickup a very capable workstation machine for only a few hundred dollars. This same technology was virtually nonexistant 10 years ago and cost thousands of dollars only a few years ago.

Read Virtual Computing Paradigm Shift >>

How To Recycle Your PC

Although dumpster diving is not a typical weekend diversion for me, I managed to acquire an IBM Aptiva that had been disposed of at a construction site in our area. The case was in prestine condition and it booted successfully the first time.

Unfortunately, the previous owner had not observed proper techniques for disposing of used computer equipment. A PC cannot be thrown out with your normal trash, it requires special handling because many of the internal components contain toxic chemicals. Considering this was an IBM computer, the previous owner could have taken advantage of the IBM PC Recycling Service.

Another caveat of computer disposal is that data on your old machine doesn’t simply disappear after you dipose of the device. Imagine throwing out old credit cards or sensitive financial information without shredding it, if you throw out a computer without wiping your hard drive you are effectively doing the same thing.

For home users, it’s probably sufficient to reformat the hard drive. You can do this under Windows by creating a DOS bootable floppy and issuing the FORMAT C: command. If you had multiple drives on your computer, you should wipe them as well; for example, FORMAT D: would remove the data on drive D. You will have to boot from a floppy or CDROM to perform these operations, the C: drive is typically in-use when your computer is running and therefore cannot be formatted.

You can also use FDISK to delete your disk partitions. This command has changed with newer versions of Windows (NT/2000/XP) and a GUI disk management tool is now provided. You will likely need to rely on your DOS bootable floppy or another bootable operating system to modify the disk partition tables. In this case, use FDISK /MBR to delete the Master Boot Record and run FDISK to delete all partitions on your system.

You may prefer a more robust disk cleaning technique like DBAN. This provides a number of algorithms for wiping the data on your disk and eliminates any possibility of that data being recovered. Simply reformatting the disks and removing the partition table means that the average user won’t see anything when they turn the machine on. However, a more sophisticated user can run tools to reconstruct your partition table and make the old drives available.

Unfortunately, Jill didn’t do any of these things to her Aptiva before leaving at the dumpster. After plugging the system in and turning it on, the Windows desktop appeared. There were a number of links to her sensitive financial information and cached logins to her online brokerage account. Fortunately for Jill, I had no intentions of taking advantage of any of this data and her computer was quickly reformatted to serve another purpose. When you throw out your old PC, you might not be so lucky - take a few minutes to wipe the drive clean and dispose of the hardware properly.

Hybrid Alternatives

This past weekend we stopped to fillup with standard octain at $2.19 per gallon. About 3 hours later we passed the same gas station and the price had gone up to $2.20. To make matters worse, the next morning on my way to work that same gas station had fuel at $2.21, so we are averaging about a penny a gallon every few hours.

A few days later, the average price of gas appears to be hovering at $2.29 per gallon, so while we are not really going up a penny every few hours there are definitely some ongoing price hikes.

All of this has prompted a discussion on trading one of our gas guzzlers for a fuel efficient hybrid. A hybrid automobile relies on energy stored in batteries for the primary source of power, and uses the gasoline engine to recharge these battery cells. A typical hybrid can get anywhere from 30 MPG to upwards of 60 MPG depending on the size and weight of the vehicle.

A hybrid really isn’t an environmental decision persay, this is something that could ultimately affect our disposal income in a big way. While sitting in traffic a few days ago, I noticed a Toyota Prius beside me. The driver had lound music blaring out the window, and before launching the vehicle at full tilt after a red light she proceeded to jettison her cigarrette out the window. Clearly, this was not an environmentalist.

Hybrids aren’t all about just saving money on fuel. They have the added expense of a large bank of batteries that must be properly maintained to achieve optimal gas mileage. A new set of batteries can cost $3000-$5000, and most batteries under regular use are good for only a few years. This means the full bank of batteries would likely need to be replaced every 3-5 years.

There are a lot of considerations here, but it seems clear that Americans needs to take these perennial gas shortages a little more seriously. It’s unacceptable to parade around town in an Escalade and burn 15 MPG, alternative technologies can easily double this mileage and this will have a dramatic affect on how long we can continue to rely on fossil fuels.