Tech Notes

OpenOffice.org 2.4 includes new features,

enhancements, and bug fixes to all its core components. OpenOffice.org

2.4 is available for immediate download from http://download.openoffice.org.

New features:

Users will appreciate changes such as usability improvements in

printing, and further enhancements to PDF handling (OpenOffice.org

creates PDF files ‘out of the box’ to ISO standard). The default font is

now DejaVu, which supports more languages/localisations than the

previous BitStream Vera -part of a raft of localisation improvements

covering languages from Hiligaynon to Quechua. Mac OS X users will

appreciate the use of the native Quicktime player and spell-checker.

Writer, OpenOffice.org’s word processor, now has easier selection of the

language for spellchecking; users can set options for printing hidden

and place holder text and for following hyperlinks; text selection and

‘find and replace’ have been improved; and ‘power users’ will

appreciate new extra keyboard shortcuts for paragraph styles.

Regular users of Calc, OpenOffice.org’s spreadsheet, will appreciate the

streamlining of data and formulae entry. Other new features include a

’smart move and copy’ for blocks of cells; the ability to transform

data into columns; and improvements to printing, data filtering, and

the Data Pilot.

Usability improvements have been made to Draw, the drawing and

diagramming module, and Impress, OpenOffice.org’s application for

creating presentations. Both applications have enhanced PDF export

capabilities. In addition, Impress now has a new range of thrilling 3D

transition effects supported through an extension.

The Chart module, used throughout OpenOffice.org, continues to evolve

rapidly. Novice users benefit from more intelligent default choices from

the graphics engine; advanced users have more options allowing them to

fine tune a chart exactly the way they want it.

OpenOffice.org’s database application, Base, now supports MS-Access 2007

(accdb files on MS-Windows), and has enhanced capabilities for MySQL,

Oracle/jdbc, and native (HSQL) databases. The Query Designer is also

improved.

OpenOffice.org 2.4 is the eleventh release in the 2.x series (launched

in October 2005) and demonstrates the Community’s commitment to

continuous and regular improvement of its software. The next major

release - 3.0 - is planned for the autumn/fall this year. If you would

like to help us, please visit http://contributing.openoffice.org.

The OpenOffice.org Community

I thought I’d try setting up a couple of Linux-based servers. The first I did was Ubuntu 7.10 Server and the second was SME Server 7.3. They are easy to download and install, but the post-installation can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing, or more importantly - what you want to do! My whole idea of doing this was for a few reasons: 1. I wanted to learn how to setup a home server. 2. I didn’t want to spend much if any money doing it. 3. I knew this would speed up development because I could install packages locally rather than upload to a hosted server.
All this installing and configuring is giving me lots of practice with the command line - the more you use it the less scary it is. I find sometimes that when I use the Windows command line I want to issue unix commands instead. Doing something like this is not for everyone, but I recommend it for anyone that wants to learn some good PC and networking skills. You can get the operating system for free, and it runs on old hardware. I had an old PII 400 with 128MB RAM that did the trick just fine.

iPhone SDK Roadmap Event going on now…

…Next iPhone update to include: Push Email, Push Calendar, Push Contacts, Global Address List, Cisco VPN, WPA2/ 802.1x, Security Policies, Device Config, Remote Wipe.
- Apple has licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft and will be incorporating native ActiveSync and Exchange support into the iPhone’s existing apps (mail, cal, contacts)…

This is exactly what I wanted to hear!! Awesome! Bye bye stupid Q Phone!

Aimed at designers and web developers, Microsoft is releasing the beta version of IE8. The goal is to create a more standards compliant browser and integrate some some features that make for a more innovative and rewarding experience. Sounds to me like a step in the right direction; a step that should have been taken years ago. It’s a good thing Mozilla took that step nearly 3 1/2 years ago with the final release of Firefox, or I doubt we would have even come this far! I have not downloaded it yet, but from what I have seen thus far, Microsoft is acknowledging that their users’ demands and realize we deserve better. There is an import settings from Firefox tool and a feature that resembles Apple’s webclip in Safari. I welcome this effort so the web can finally, hopefully, be developed without having to code specially for Internet Explorer. Real competition will begin as the playing field is leveled and the focus can switch to innovation. It should be interesting to see how close the final release for IE8 and Firefox 3 are. What would be really incredible is a port of the new IE to other platforms such as Mac and GNU/Linux. I admit I like to dream, but imagine that for a moment - what a show of good faith that would be on Microsoft’s part! That would certainly (in my mind) be be a huge step toward restoring my faith that they can create quality software, or at the very least care and listen to their customers.

Google has just released a new product called Google Sites, and you can start using it today!

What is Google Sites?
It’s an online application that makes creating a team web site as easy as editing a document. You can quickly gather a variety of information in one place — including videos, calendars, presentations, attachments, and gadgets — and easily share it for viewing or editing with a small group, their entire organization, or the world.

* Anyone can do it — Building a site is as simple as editing a document, and you don’t need anyone’s help to get started.
* Share from one place — Create a single place to bring together all the information your team needs to share, including docs, videos, photos, calendars and attachments.
* Work together — Invite co-workers, classmates, or your entire organization to edit your site with you to keep it fresh and up-to-date. And let as many or few people view your site as you want.

Take a look at some example sites to see how you might use Google Sites:
* Company intranet

* Team project

* Employee profile

* Classroom

* Student club

If you have questions, visit the Google Sites Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/sites.

Finally Released
I updated my Mac Mini and work Macbook to the Leopard 10.5.2 release today. This was a pretty hefty download, but it hopefully clear up much of the issues with operating a Mac in a cross-platform server environment using AD. Printing via a Windows print server has been a real pain too - landscape, duplex, printing on hold with multiple pages. Just didn’t work right. This release brings Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) to version 1.3.5. which hopefully should fix all that.

Home/Amateur Video Editors:
If you are not aware, Apple has made the older version of imovie available as a free download due to so many people complaining about the new interface -or at least that’s what I’m told. Either way, It’s good to see them listening - now if only Steve Jobs would get off his high horse and start shipping two-button mouses! In one sense, I actually am glad they stuck with just the one button. It sort-of forces you to get used to some keystrokes.

New Apple Retail Location
Best Buy - although I hate to support them as Geek Squad is my competition, is now selling Mac items in their stores! I really hope this goes over well. Not only will it provide more places to buy but also the consumer will be given choices. CompUSA had them but they are going out of business - too bad I didn’t get up to Tampa to find any good deals!
Best Buy had a sale on firewire drives the other day and I picked up an external WD esata/FW800/400 1TB drive for $269! It was more than I went in to spend, but I honestly could not pass that up! I will be consolidating my media collection and hopefully be building a streaming server for that purpose soon, and this drive will be a great addition!

Personal Note
Speaking of additions, we have started to tackle the spare bedroom that for so long was a dumping ground and decided to turn it into a guest bedroom. We hope to have it ready before the wedding so Shannon’s brother and sister-in-law and kids can stay here. We are still keeping it small, but decided to have it in our backyard. We want to build a deck and build a flower garden on the side of the house.
Of course since she is getting that, I have a another idea for the guest room; I want to get a digital projector and have it serve as a movie room. Front Row and a Terrabyte of movies on demand is going to be awesome!

Conclusion
For all you non-mac people out there, I am sorry I am leaving you in the cold, but really I have not heard much good/interesting news coming down the tubes from Microsoft. The Yahoo offer was rejected - I really hope it stays that way. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is out, I have been testing it and it’s ok I guess, they claim its faster on Intel Macs because is an Intel native version and doesn’t need to use Rosetta for translation, but I really don’t notice that much of a difference. I would have like to see Entourage more Outlook-y for better cross-platform goodness.

P.S.
I still get ridiculed by some for saying it but I really think this year will be the year for Linux on the desktop. The past few months working at METI, I have become a bit of an Apple fanboy - for good reason but I still think that for aging machines needing new life breathed into them or as an alternate to Windows for the everyday user who needs the basics on a budget you can’t beat it.

I had two monitors that were broken at my other job and I was trying to get Dell to tell me if they were under warranty. I had the serial numbers, and it still took about 50 minutes before they could tell me anything!

This is an automated email sent from Dell Chat. The following information is a log of your session. Please save the log for your records.
Your session ID for this incident is 16470545.
Time
Details
01/10/2008 03:13:21PM
Session Started with Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877)
01/10/2008 03:13:29PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Thank you for patiently waiting. You have reached Dell Hardware Warranty Chat Support. My name is Tangela and I will be assisting you today. In order for me to help you, can you provide me with details about the issue you’re having? Also if we were to ge"
 
t disconnect can we have a number to contact you at ?
01/10/2008 03:13:42PM
Chris Davis: "hi"
01/10/2008 03:14:01PM
Chris Davis: "941-xxx-xxxx"
01/10/2008 03:16:52PM
Chris Davis: "we have a couple lcds that wont power on"
01/10/2008 03:17:07PM
Chris Davis: "well one doesn’t - the other does but the on screen display is scrambled"
01/10/2008 03:17:35PM
Chris Davis: "hello??"
01/10/2008 03:17:42PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Yes"
01/10/2008 03:18:27PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "I will need the service tag attached to the LCD."
01/10/2008 03:20:47PM
Chris Davis: "how do I go about checking their warranty status and getting them fixed?"
01/10/2008 03:20:50PM
Chris Davis: "how about a serial number?"
01/10/2008 03:20:54PM
Chris Davis: "will that work instead?"
01/10/2008 03:21:12PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "How many do you have>?"
01/10/2008 03:22:24PM
Chris Davis: "2"
01/10/2008 03:23:31PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "I will need the order number for the monitor or the service tags to the Dell tower that the monitor is attached to in order to replace the motherboard."
01/10/2008 03:24:33PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Corrections ."
01/10/2008 03:24:47PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "I will need the order number for the monitor or the service tags to the Dell tower that the monitor is attached to in order to replace the monitor."
01/10/2008 03:25:39PM
Chris Davis: "I am sure I don’t know the order number as we have several hunderd workstations in our company"
01/10/2008 03:26:37PM
Chris Davis: "when someone needs a monitor we sometimes order individually sometimes with a system"
01/10/2008 03:26:59PM
Chris Davis: "we put dell monitors on all our macs too"
01/10/2008 03:27:30PM
Chris Davis: "do monitors even have a service tag?"
01/10/2008 03:28:05PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "No but when they were shipped there was an order number."
01/10/2008 03:28:38PM
Chris Davis: "is the order number stuck to the monitor?"
01/10/2008 03:29:14PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "NO"
01/10/2008 03:32:21PM
Chris Davis: "how exactly am I supposed to know which one goes to which?"
01/10/2008 03:34:45PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Please allow me 2-3 minutes to consult my supervisor."
01/10/2008 03:35:16PM
Chris Davis: "thank you"
01/10/2008 03:37:28PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Thanks for holding .."
01/10/2008 03:38:40PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "The service tag you provided at the beginning of the chat is it a valid service tag for your company?"
01/10/2008 03:38:57PM
Chris Davis: "yes"
01/10/2008 03:40:31PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "I will need both monitor serial numbers in order to check warranty for monitors."
01/10/2008 03:40:57PM
Chris Davis: "ok"
01/10/2008 03:43:36PM
Chris Davis: "cn-05y232-71618-36h-abzu"
01/10/2008 03:47:28PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "DO you have the other serial number handy?"
01/10/2008 03:47:50PM
Chris Davis: "cn-ot6116-71618-scn-asww"
01/10/2008 03:49:53PM
Chris Davis: "the first is a 1901FP the second is a 1905FP"
01/10/2008 03:49:54PM
Chris Davis: "did I give you the right numbers?"
01/10/2008 03:49:56PM
Chris Davis: "I gave them both to you already. Each on its own line"
01/10/2008 03:52:02PM
Chris Davis: "do you need some other kind of number? I don’t know what else I can give you"
01/10/2008 03:52:12PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Yes I am checking them now."
01/10/2008 03:55:04PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "It appears that both monitors are no longer under warranty."
01/10/2008 03:58:08PM
Chris Davis: "ok. thanks. The last tech I talked to said I could check the website for the warranty status - how is this done with just a serial number (like in the case of these monitors)"
01/10/2008 03:58:55PM
Chris Davis: "?"
01/10/2008 03:59:39PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "There is no where you can check the monitor status unless it is attached to a Dell system."
01/10/2008 04:01:02PM
Chris Davis: "wow. seems like someone dropped the ball there!"
01/10/2008 04:01:22PM
Chris Davis: "ok. well thanks for your time"
01/10/2008 04:01:52PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "The previous tech could have assumed the monitor was attached to a Dell system that was in warranty."
01/10/2008 04:02:54PM
Chris Davis: "just curious how old are those monitors?"
01/10/2008 04:04:21PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "The manufacture date is 2003."
01/10/2008 04:05:24PM
Chris Davis: "thanks"
01/10/2008 04:05:43PM
Chris Davis: "one other question…"
01/10/2008 04:05:45PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Is there anything else I can help you with at this time?"
01/10/2008 04:05:53PM
Chris Davis: "then I will let you go"
01/10/2008 04:06:51PM
Chris Davis: "on the area of the site where you sell Ubuntu preinstalled…why does it say at the top "Dell recommends Windows Vista Business"?"
01/10/2008 04:08:32PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "That is the newest and latest software and most all customers are using it today."
01/10/2008 04:09:49PM
Chris Davis: "but for someone ordering Linux, why would they want to see an ad discouraging their purchase?"
01/10/2008 04:10:42PM
Chris Davis: "Dell is, in a way saying not to buy a product they sell"
01/10/2008 04:10:58PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "We do not support the Linux software."
01/10/2008 04:12:11PM
Chris Davis: "You sell it."
01/10/2008 04:12:37PM
Chris Davis: "http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&dgc=EM&cid=21690&lid=511380"
01/10/2008 04:12:57PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "We may but we do not support it in hardware warranty technical support."
01/10/2008 04:13:05PM
Chris Davis: "and you sell service for it through a third party"
01/10/2008 04:14:27PM
Chris Davis: "thanks for your time today. goodbye."
01/10/2008 04:14:40PM
Agent (CSS_Tangela_479877): "Chris, we really do appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing Dell.I HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
01/10/2008 04:15:36PM
Session Ended
If you require further assistance, please visit us at support.dell.com

Hi everyone - It has been a while since my last post, sorry. There just never seems to be enough time in the day! I can’t believe this year is almost over!  For the past three months I have been keeping myself pretty busy! In mid September I took a temp-to-perm position offered to me at Medical Education Technologies, Inc. It’s a division of L-3 Communications right here in Sarasota.  I work in the IT department with three other people and we support the internal needs of the company - from server maintenance, to setting up client workstations to handling basic hardware/software installs, maintenance etc. They build patient , surgical, and medical exam simulators which allow  students and practitioners to practice without doing harm to a real person.  It is really quite amazing how realistic the mannequins are!  I took the place of a guy serving in Iraq right now, and am hoping that there will continue to be a need for me even after he comes back -I really enjoy the work and the people I work with!
One of the really nice things about this job is how much exposure I am getting to the Macintosh platform! I bought a Mac in 2005 to learn on, and over the past couple years I have really come to like it much better than Windows.  Leopard (Apple’s newest operating system) is very slick. It is running great in a home environment, and although there are a few issues that need some work in an mixed Windows/Mac Server environment, I just absolutely love it. It knocks the socks off Windows Vista hands down, no questions asked!
Speaking of Mac, LogMeIn the remote support company I use has released a Mac version, so now I can support Mac over a high-speed Internet connection too!  I think this is a great move and welcome the opportunity to support more Macintosh clients!
I still am running my own business too - my hours have shifted to evenings, weekends, and every other Friday.

I have not had a great deal of comment spam to deal with on my blog - and since I moderate before posting, I can catch things that would otherwise make it through. I removed the website and IP address from these spammers, but I wanted to point out how these email addresses look a lot more legitimate than the ones I’ve been getting, plus it is written in plain English with no misspellings that I can see.

1. Daniel k.daniel@msn.com

” I couldn’t understand some parts of this article 2 Years in business special promotion, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.”

2. Eric eric25@yahoo.com

” This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title 2 Years in business special promotion. Thanks for informative article”

It’s funny how they contradict each other - almost as if they are working as a team… If you get these types of things, don’t approve them. It’s sad that people have nothing better to do with their time.

Hello everyone,

A few days ago I noticed my listing has appeared in the OpenOffice consultant’s directory. Scroll down to Florida and you shall find me. I provide Help Desk, Installation, and Training.
If you have never heard of OpenOffice, you might want to read the next paragraph…

For those of you that have ever had to buy Word, Excel, or Powerpoint, I don’t have to tell you how expensive this can be - If you are a student or teacher, you get off “easy” at $150… but depending on what version of Office you need, and if you even qualify to upgrade - you could be looking at $500 or more! I don’t have that kind of cash to throw around, especially on multiple PCs. What if I told you that there is a really good, and free alternative? I use it in my business and install it on all my computers, and it doesn’t cost a thing. Not only is it free (as in price) it is also free (as in freedom). This means no longer will you be locked into a particular vendor’s proprietary software. OpenOffice supports the ISO certified OpenDocument format. Many schools, governments, and individuals are adopting OpenOffice so their data will be safe for years to come!

I embrace open source and open standards as I feel the needs of the community and individual are served better. With open source, anyone is free to contribute to the development or make necessary changes.

Apple computer is seeing a huge growth in popularity. Some attribute this to the iPod effect (sales in iPods spur interest in their computers) Others might argue that there is a desire for change; something different. The recent release of Microsoft’s Vista operating system has not garnered the kind of attention Microsoft has hoped for. Now I am just going by things I hear and read here and there, so I admit I am not being scientific, but I really think it will be interesting to see what happens next month! October is when Apple’s new OS “Leopard” is set to be released. Coincidentally, the Linux distribution of Ubuntu 7.10 is set to be released in October also! October should be an interesting month in operating systems…

Let me know if you want to try Linux - it is a great alternative to the Microsoft perpetual upgrade tax, and in my opinion is ready for desktop use. If you have an old machine that is riddled with spyware or slowed down by viruses, let me help you free your machine!

I have setup custom payments on my Rates page! This allows for a fill-in amount to be made rather than creating the “buy now” buttons every time I add a new product or service. I hope to have a gift-certificate option soon - you will be able to purchase right from my website in any amount you wish! Computer service makes a great gift!

Finally, I wanted to say that I have added a few more vendors to my software affiliates page…

Imagine Pro 7.0 Landscape and Home Design Suite, DmailerSync, and Muvee autoProducer 6.

I am reviewing some Lavasoft titles (makers of Ad-Aware) which will be going up for sale soon too!

P.S.
We are settling in and getting things situated in the new place. We had a problem with the AC, but thanks to Jack Ajrab of All Cities Air Conditioning in Venice, FL we are now chillin’ out. Great work, thanks Jack! If you need AC work done in Sarasota County I would give him a call at 941-544-8456.