Can you do this in Windows?

For those who are running Windows let me know if you can do all of this at the same time.

1. Download two files (590 Mb & 718 Mb) at 200 K/sec for each!
2. Play streaming internet music without missing a beat.
3. Burn a full CD without a problem.
4. Browse the net in a browser session.
5. Update a blog session and preview it in separate windows.

This is why I like Linux. Besides being free it allows me to do all of the above tasks at the same time without missing a beat or creating a bad CD. The hardware is a 1 Ghz machine, 512Mb of memory and 190 Gb of hard drive space. Video, sound & networking is integrated on the MOBO.

More Linux Distros

I read another review of a live Linux CD. Kanotix is the name. It appears to have all of the tools I use when helping people recover their machines after something happens in Windows. I will have to try this out on the server and see how it handles an older machine. Since a number of current distros had a problem with the servier the server is the perfect test machine. I prefer the live CD option first so I don't have to rebuild the server from scratch (again) before I put Linux permanently on the server. If it doesn't work I may just find a new home for the machine and pick up an inexpensive refurb and make a server out of the machine.

The functions I want the server for is:

1. Backup of data from the other home machines in the network.
2. Backup to CD of any critical files.
3. Share the printers between machines in the network.
4. Shared hard drive space for common files.
   

Spam, spam and more spam

When will they learn. Today my yahoo account was flooded with 20+ pieces of obvious spam. They purport to be about a company trading in the stock DGCP.OB. The company appears to be traded (over the counter ... '.OB' is your clue), but, the mail is obviously trying to pump up the interest and get people to buy the stock.

If you get an email from anyone from the server 'sexy-email-online.com' it is probably less than legit. Who in their right mind would take the advice of a person who has an email with that type of domain name?

For me in Yahoo it is real simple. I scanned the Bulk mail folder to make sure that nothing legit was in it, I then clicked 'Empty'. However, the economics of bulk email is such that all they need is one or two people per 1,000 to make a profit.

Where did they get my Yahoo id? It is real simple. I routinely post in the SCOX forum and it is a simple matter to use a PERL script to harvest the messages and email ids. I know for a fact that this is possible as I have a script that I use to capture & archive my own forum messages. It takes me about 15 minutes to run. Am I worried that I get a lot of spam? No,

1. The Yahoo id is a 'throw-away', if it gets too bad I will delete it and create another.
   
2. Yahoo has a fairly good spam filter and obvious spam gets moved into the bulk folder.
   
3. I use the yahoo id for registration cards. If the marketers use it for their spam my own personal email id won't get hit.
4. I protect who gets my real email id so the spam in minimal there.

If you don't already have a Yahoo, Gmail or hotmail account I would recommend it and your home email should see a decrease in spam.