I have had over a week to work on my new Macbook Pro 13.3" notebook.  Its been great.  Aside of using Visio today on a PC at the office I have been doing everything I need to do.  Microsoft Office 2008 has a new version of Entourage which is a great step up from the 2003 version.  I use a Blackberry Storm and we host our own Blackberry Professional Server.  Using Entourage 2003 I did have some odd issues.  With Entourage 2008 everything works great.  The only issue I have is sent items are not shown on my Storm with a check mark like they are in when sent from Outlook.  

This afternoon I was working on uploading a website for one of our customers via FTP.  One of the paths was off in a link so I thought I would edit it.  Normally, in Windows I would use notepad.  Well VIM, a powerful text editor, is available in OSX.  In order to view the new website before changing DNS settings I opened up the Terminal utility and ran 'sudo vi hosts' to edit the hosts file and then used vi to edit the web page.  Once my changes were saved I used FileZilla to upload the page. This is great.

Now, most users are not familiar with BASH or shell commands.  VIM could be mistaken for VMI.  I am sure there are some great tools out there to do what I just did but what I want to point out is that a network admin with experience in both a Unix and Windows environment can be very comfortable using Mac OSX.   

When I was in 4th grade my parents bought me a Commodore 64.  I remember dialing into bulletin boards with a 300 Baud modem to chat and exhcange files.  When I was in high school I remember getting my first Commodore Amiga.  I was able to work on video, play games like Dragonslayer and I had a GUI (graphical user interface).   My friends were still typing in a black and white drab DOS environment.  If you remember Jurassic Park, that was rendered using Video Toaster on an Amiga. 

 When I was a freshman in college I picked up the Apple keyboard again after a liitle hiatus.  Great interface and intuitive OS.  I wrote my first database in FileMaker Pro for the Palm Beach County Library and would go over to provide moral support as Randy would work on the newsletter.

Well, I have finally moved from G3 systems (2 iBooks and 2 iMacs) to a new MacBook Pro.  I am so happy with this.  I had considered the Dell E6400 but apples to apples the MacBook Pro 13.3" just overshadoowed it.  Now, I am typing this on my PC.  I am using my MacBook for most of my day to day tasks.  Office 2008 Entourage works flawlessly with our Exchange server.  I have 'shortcuts' on my Mac desktop to my folders on the network.  Printing work great!

 Next step, compare VMare and Parallels.

 --Sherlock

During the beta if IE8 I noticed that our sites menu was rendering white dropdowns.  For instance when you would hover over a menu item it would drop down a white box.  Now that IE8 is out I thought I should revisit this.  Unfortunately, I discovered this was still an issue at a new client site as I was going to demonstrate one of our server reports.  Tonight I decided to take a look into this.  After a quick Google search I cam across Giorgio Sardo's MSDN blog.  Bingo, this was the exact issue.  Thanks Giorgio for the post! Below is a link to his post:

ASP.NET Menu and IE8 rendering white issue

The asp:menu control is a great tool.  It's easy to update your menu via an XML file.  I am glad that this has been addressed by a hotfix from Microsoft.  Although I think this should have been fixed prior to IE8 going live.

What do we do with our old computers.  In our office and storage we have at least 20 or so carcasses.  These are not road kill but computers we have taken off our customers hands after selling them new PC's or laptops.  Some where just old and sitting around so we offered to recycle them and perform a DOD wipe of their data.  

Let me tell you what we have been doing on the recycling side but before I do let me let you know that we take this seriously.  As I make this entry on our blog I am doing it on an old G3 PowerMac tower.  One of our clients had it sitting around gathering dust so I thought great PC for a my daughters.  They have an old iMac and their school uses Macs so I thought GREAT!  When I bought it back to the shop I thought "Let's see what we can do with this".  I upgraded the RAM from 256MB to 1GB, that helped a great deal.  I put in a DVD burner to replace the stock CD-ROM.  I then ordered a new processor taking it from a clunky 350MHz to a full 1GHz.  Needless to say I decided to make this my main PC.  

Yes, I do like Macs.  Growing up our schools used Macs.  During my college years I worked for the Palm Beach County library systems and worked on Macs.  Small confession, I purchased my first IBM PC compatible system my senior year in college.  I wrote most of my papers in college on an Amiga and a MacBook.  Needless to say I have an affinity for Macs.

 Well, with a little time, spare memory, spare DVD, a $109 CPU and a spare 19" widescreen LCD I have a very capable computer to use.  This same principle has been applied over the last year.  We have taken spare parts and put together computers for families that do not have the economic means to purchase a new computer for their children.  When we can we use the original Windows XP Home licenses that come with the PC's unless we are working with a little bit older PC.  With the PC's that are not that current we have installed an Open Source operating system called Ubunto.  By taking this approach we have been able to improve the lives of some families in our community, offer very inexpensive parts for some of our clients and prevent landfills from receiving more hard to decompose material.

 This is part of our green outlook.  Another part is building low power consumption computers.  But that is another blog entry. . . 

Computer Cases

Since there is such a wide range let’s look at where you arelooking to place your computer. The traditional tower case is typically placed underneath the desk orbesides the monitor.  Tower casesused to be large and bulky but you are now able to find tower cases that cancomfortably fit besides your LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor.  Another option is a desktop/towerunit.  This case comes in a slimform factor and can, usually, be positioned flat on your desk or on their sidetaking up less space than a tower. We have been selling a nice desktop that can easily fit behind and LCD goingback about six inches from the monitor. Again, look around.  Take alook at sites like www.newegg.com andbrowse their cases to get an idea of what you like.

Peripherals - Video, Sound, Etc.

While are great deal of motherboards include built in audioand sound you might need or want to add these on.  There are some, as mentioned earlier, that can include HDMIvideo out or digital audio outputs but you might want to go with a higher end videocard or sound card.  For those whowork with AutoCad you might look to invest in cards that have their owndedicated memory and higher end graphics processing unit made to handle thedemands of Autocad.

There are specialty add on cards that can add extra USBports or allow you to connect to newer eSATA hard drives.  Some video cards allow you to connectup to four monitors to enhance your day trading, programming, video editing orgraphic design needs. 

If you find that you will need this type of expansion Irecommend to go with a tower case versus a desktop case.  Most desktop cases require you to uselow form factor cards.  These cardsare not as widely available as regularly sized expansion PCI and PCI-Expresscards. 

In Conclusion

Hopefully this helps to get you started and gives you someideas and things to think about. The toughest thing is to figure out what you are going to buy.  The actual assembly of the computer isnot that bad.

Memory holds the information that you are working on in afast and quickly accessible manner. Building your computer today will require the purchase of memory or RAM(random access memory).  When you look topurchase your memory for your new PC you will work with DDR2 (Dual Data Rate)memory.  This new DDR2 memory has severaladvantages over its predecessor, DDR, lower power consumption, betterpre-fetching and 240 contacts on the chip versus 184 contacts on DDR memory. 

As with DDR memory you might want to look at the fastest chipspeed that your motherboard can handle. For most of us let’s concentrate on the amount of RAM andconfiguration.  By buying memory in pairsyou can take advantage of improved performance offered by DDR2.  Ultimately, this question is best answered bylooking at the recommendations of the motherboard manufacturer you choose.

Another important item is to understand what you are looking to do with your computer and what operating system you will be using.  If you are looking to install Windows XP 32-bit or Vista 32-bit then you will not be able to use more than 4GB of RAM.  Most people looking to surf the internet, type a few letters and play some card games could do OK with 1-2GB and Windows XP.  I recommend that you start with 2GB if you are considering Windows Vista.  Also, don’t forget that there are Open Source alternatives like Ubuntu, a great Linux flavor that is easy to get around for a Windows user.

The Board

Choosing the main board or motherboard for your new computer is vital.  There are different types of boards and the come in different sizes.  There are some that come with HDMI output to plug in to your flat screen TV and some incredibly small motherboards that could fit in a shoe box.  The board you pick will have to match up with your CPU.  If you decide you want an Intel processor then you will have to go with a board designed for an Intel processor. 

Board Size and Power

Motherboards come in a variety of sizes.  There are the full ATX boards which offer the most expansion ports, the micro-ATX boards which still allow you expandability yet allow you to use a smaller case and the diminutive ITX which are close the size of a DVD movie case.  For the most part, the micro-ATX boards are a popular choice.  They offer expansion PCI-Express slots and can be used in most computer cases.  There are some that come with built in optical audio outputs as well as an HDMI connector for your television.  With a full ATX board you will need to move to a full tower case.  The advantage with these boards is expandability.  You could have 2 video cards, a high end audio card and perhaps to network cards.  If you choose the ITX form factor you will find your self building a PC that can easily fit on top of your desk with out taking up much space.  One major drawback to these small boards is that the cases they fit in can have issues dissipating heat.  Power consumption is another factor.  The ITX boards will utilize the least amount of energy.  As for the micro-ATX and the ATX boards, power consumption will vary depending on the peripherals and cards installed.

Building Your Own PC

Introduction

Today building a personal computer (PC) is a task that most of us, with a little patience, can do ourselves.  If you can put together a puzzle or build a piece of Sauder furniture you can build your own PC.  Some years ago one of my wives friends decided that she wanted to build a PC.  We sat down for a short bit and determined what she wanted her new PC to do.  With that information we built a shopping list and she ordered the parts needed to build her new computer.  With a little guidance you too can build your first PC.

What will the PC do?

This is an important question.  Not all PC’s are meant to do the same the same thing.  Take for instance my wife’s computer.  In our office, she has the fastest, most powerful PC.  Shelly, my wife, will typically open multiple programs at a time.  Some of the applications that she works with are Adobe’s Photoshop, InDesign and Outlook.  During some projects she will push her system to the limit, often using up all the memory her PC has.  On the other hand some people will open up Outlook for their email, work on some Excel spreadsheets and use the Internet to procure supplies.  These users do not require the computing power needed by graphic artists or video editors.  So what will you use your PC for?

The Basics

The Brains

The processor or CPU (central processing unit) of a PC handles the task of working with different threads of information and performing the mathematical calculations needed to draw the pictures on your screen or crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet.  Depending on what you do need you can choose the right CPU for your new PC. 

At this time, dual core processors have become a mainstream, affordable option. Unless you are looking to build a PC to just surf the internet or type a few letters you should concentrate on using a dual core CPU in your PC.  If you where to want to go with an Intel Celeron or AMD single core processor you are probably not going to see a dramatic price change between what you can buy at Best Buy or the internet to what you will build yourself, once you add all the parts and the license for Windows.

Choosing the processor is pretty straight forward.  The number associated with a CPU refers to the speed of which the processor is able to process (hence processor) information.  Processor speed measures (in megahertz or gigahertz; MHz or GHz) the number of instructions per second the computer executes.  In other words, the higher the number or clock speed the faster it will draw a picture on the LCD or load a program on your PC.

Pick a budget then pick your processor.  With technology you will always pay a premium to be on the bleeding edge.  It is better to buy a few or a couple a speeds lower than the newest chip.  You will find that you are able to get a lot more for your money.

The importance of password strength is critical to your Network’s safety. Businesses spend countless time and resources on software and equipment to protect their sensitive data, only to have their Network compromised by a User with less than secure password practices. “Why do I care if someone hacks my Company’s Network?” Here’s why. Your company uses proprietary and sensitive data on a daily basis, some of which may include, but is not limited to, payroll and tax information about YOU. This could include your Social Security number, address and phone number. We have all heard the horror stories about the repercussions of identity theft. So, I would argue that it IS in your best interest to help keep your Company’s Network secure.

Hackers can use many methods to acquire your password. The most prevalent method is a dictionary attack. Dictionary attacks are derived from lists of words found in a dictionary. These programs are capable of adding numeric characters to the word lists to accommodate for any numbers that you may have added to the beginning or end of your password.   The program tries thousands of words per second until it eventually finds the right combination. This type of attack is often times successful due to our tendency to use words and names familiar to us.

So what makes a strong password?  There are many methods that you can use to help you create a strong password, but will also keep it easy to remember. 
Here are a few guidelines to use when picking a password:

• Passwords should be at least 8 characters
• Do NOT use any variation of your first or last name (no family members either)
• Use combinations of lower and uppercase letters
• Substitute numbers for letters, e.g.  Hello could be h31lo. I have substituted “3” for “e” and “1” for “l”. 
• Substitute characters for numbers by holding down the “Shift” key, e.g. 45678 now becomes $%^&* 

These are just a few suggestions which can help you create a more secure password. My personal favorite method is to choose a phrase. Take for example:

“I understand that passwords are very important for security at work”, would become:

IuPavI4S@w

This password is more than 8 characters long, combines lower and uppercase letters, substitutes numbers for letters and is easy for me to remember.

So how strong is your current password?  Here at Ossa Technology Solutions, we try to provide our customers with the tools and resources to make their life easier. Follow the link below. It will redirect you to a password checker that we provide to our customers.

http://www.ossatechnology.com/support/support.aspx

Put in your current password and wait for the results. You may be surprised to find out how secure (or unsecure) your password really is!