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This is a personal request, not an article. I'm looking for thoughts by FReepers who know what the hell they're talking about, not flamewars. I have a Mac (love it) and a Windows (XP, whatever the latest service pack is). Have the following questions. 1) I want to do backups of the Mac. What is a good website or source (explicit page reference!) to the Time Machine utility? 1a) Where can I find the logfile to see who is attempting to access my Mac? (The PC has several anti-virus products and firewalls on it already.) 2) I want to do...

The Flashrom utility is developed by the CoreBoot project (formerly known as LinuxBIOS) as a way to read, write, erase, and verify flash ROM chips. Flashrom has been in development for quite a while (nearly a decade), but now they have finally come out with a version 0.9.0 release and soon expect to reach a 1.0 status. This utility supports nearly every x86 motherboard after having worked on support for over 150 flash chip families (and many various for each family), 75 different chipsets, workarounds for non-standard motherboards, and there is no need for CD-ROM or floppy disk. Previously Linux...

At LAST! Castro's commie linux variant "Nova" has been removed from the computers at "Geeks On Caffeine!" But at what cost? NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks!

Here's what the official press release won't tell you about Ubuntu 9.04, which formally hit the streets overnight: its designers have polished the hell out of its user interface since the last release in October. So much so, in fact, that I am starting to prefer using my Ubuntu "Jaunty Jackalope" desktop over the similarly slick Windows 7 beta (which I am currently running full-time on one desktop) and Mac OS X Leopard operating systems, which I also use regularly. I left Windows Vista, XP, and even Debian lying bruised and battered by the roadside some time ago. You won't...

Just before the dreaded "Nova" linux has been wiped off of all the computers in the "Geeks On Caffeine" coffee shop network, the last remaining commie computer tries a new tactic!! NOTE: the author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon into this thread. Thanks!

The title says it all folks! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. thank you very much!

Just how happy are the folks in Cuba? Read today's "Geeks On Cafffeine" cartoon and see for yourself! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you please visit his web site and refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you very much!

FutureDomain writes "The Boston College Campus Police have seized the electronics of a computer science student for allegedly sending an email outing another student. The probable cause? The search warrant application states that he is 'a computer science major' and he uses 'two different operating systems for hiding his illegal activity. One is the regular B.C. operating system and the other is a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on.' The EFF is currently representing him."

If the scourge of communism has found its way on to your computer, there's only one thing that will get it out! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit nhis web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you!

Ever get the idea that the lines between the "proletariat" and the "bourgeoise" have been blurred or confused? Today's commies may claim to know, and as they strike out against "evil business owners" that "exploit the masses for personal profit" it's clear that often their targets aren't what they appear. Confused? Check out today's "Geeks On Caffeine" and all will be made clear for you! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you very much!

These days lefties, socialists and pinkos are all screaming about the "evil, greedy businessmen." Back during the communist revolution in Russia, they screamed of "greedy capitalists" and the bourgeoise. Fast forward to today and you'll see something interesting...they're ONE AND THE SAME! Just what does the modern bourgeoise look like? Read today's "Geeks On Caffeine" cartoon and see for yourself! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you very much!

I can't believe there's yet more major news, all in one day. But there is, from the bankruptcy front. SCO's period of exclusivity is over, as you can see from the minutes of today's hearing [PDF]. Look at number 1 on the list under the heading "Proceedings" and you will see the word: "DENIED". This was regarding the SCO motion [PDF] to extend the period of exclusivity, it's 4th, the motion that Al Petrofsky objected to pro se, as you can see on the Notice of matters on the agenda for today. So now IBM and Novell and the US...

TomTom and Microsoft have settled the patent litigation. Here's TechFlash's coverage. According to the Microsoft press release, TomTom will remove functionality regarding the FAT patents within two years, which is no big deal, frankly, and in the meantime, they are covered "in a manner that is fully compliant with TomTom’s obligations under the General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2)": Peter Spours, Director of IP Strategy and Transactions at TomTom N.V., stated: “This agreement puts an end to the litigation between our two companies. It is drafted in a way that ensures TomTom’s full compliance with its obligations under the GPLv2,...

People like to publish top-10 lists of all sorts. And "reasons to switch to Linux" is no exception. Many of those have been published, and the latest entry is here. However, I think the author completely forgot a very important point. Also, some of the points he makes should be examined a bit more closely and critically. The comments on the original article reflect some valid and some unfounded criticism. Let me just run through those points (italics are quotes from the original 10-point list, my comments are directly below each point) and provide my own take on those: Free: ...

Better join the revolution while you can! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and requests that you please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you!

Thought about dumping windows? Why not replace it with Cuba's Linux variant called "Nova." Check out this "Geeks on Caffeine" cartoon and see why "Nova" will be your next operating system! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you please visit his web site and also please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you very much!

DroneBL DNS Blacklist service: We have come across a botnet worm spreading around called "psyb0t". It is notable because, according to my knowledge, it: is the first botnet worm to target routers and DSL modems contains shellcode for many mipsel devices is not targeting PCs or servers uses multiple strategies for exploitation, including bruteforce username and password combinations harvests usernames and passwords through deep packet inspection can scan for exploitable phpMyAdmin and MySQL servers

"Why put off what 'till tomorrow what you can do today?" When you're loading the Cuban Linux variant on a computer, you'd better take that advice! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and please refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thanks!

Cuba's official linux distribution features some interesting desktop patterns. VEEERY interesting indeed! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit his web site and asks that you refrain from copying the cartoon within this thread. Thank you very much!

Nobody questions whether Mac OS X is ready for the desktop. Never mind that switching to it involves learning different assumptions and tools and a new desktop. It has a reputation for being user-friendly, and is backed by a proprietary company, just like Windows. With GNU/Linux, however, the story is different. For over a decade, columnists and bloggers have been explaining how GNU/Linux isn't ready for the desktop -- and, despite all the progress in the operating system over the last ten years, the arguments haven't changed much. Moreover, increasingly, they're outdated when they're not based on complete ignorance. In...