So my husband @wx13 and I were discussing open source software. This became especially poignant during the apparent selling of our search history by @google
Super lame move btw, because I loved their products and was a big fan and promoted the bejesus out of them. No mas free advertising from me.
Below I list the software recommendations we came up with and how it can be used to make your #privacy more functional.
Might I suggest autohotkeys for open windows?
chrome browser: only for gmail and online banking and where ever you want cookies and stored passwords (it’s okay if google knows that you’re a bankofamericagreedybastards customer because the session is SSL so it’s not like they know how poor you are LOL).
firefox: with noscript addon for regular browsing (no script is critical here).
set firefox to clear your cookies at the end of each session.
windows pager for multiple desktops … work vs. personal and separation of those tasks.
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IT Professional colleagues,
Pacific IT Professionals is hosting a 2 day IT Professional conference in San Francisco March 22 and 23rd called TechDays SF. We have a great lineup of speakers to present on current topics that IT Professionals won’t want to miss.
The speakers include Microsoft MVP’s Mark Minasi, Richard Hicks, Jessica DeVita, Jennelle Crothers, Steve Evans, Darren Mar-Elia and many more distinguished presenters. In addition, from Microsoft we will have Stephen Rose, Joey Snow, Chris Avis and Harold Wong.
Session abstracts are being posted as they become available. The conference agenda shows all the topics being covered for example, Best Practices for Group Policy Design, Beginner and Advanced PowerShell, Windows Failover Clustering and 10 Things to Know about Windows Server 2008.
To register for this incredible conference, please click here. The 2 day multi track conference is just $300 US dollars if you register before March 6th, after that it goes up to $400. We bring the best IT Professional speakers and content to the SF Bay Area so come join us for two packed days of IT knowledge!
Regards,
Ed Horley, Co-Chair
ed@pacitpros.org
&
Jennelle Crothers, Co-Chair
jennelle@pacitpros.org
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Buy Office 365.
A poll for my readers:
Have you tried Office 365?
If no, are you thinking about trying it soon?
If yes, are you happy? Are your users happy?
What issues are you facing transitioning folks from desktop editions of Office?
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Please get in touch with me immediately if you have mad skillz and can fix this in short order:
On Mac. Created a picture slideshow in Flash CS3 using ‘Actions’. Once it was saved as a SWF it would play fine, until it was placed in Dreamweaver CS3, where it would go blank and only the buttons to progress the slideshow in the bottom right corner appear.
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Symantec’s remote access product “PC Anywhere” has been compromised. If you are using this product, Symantec has issued a recommendation to stop using the product.
Here’s their whitepaper http://www.symantec.com/connect/sites/default/files/pcAnywhere%20Security%20Recommendations%20WP_01_23_Final.pdf
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For those of you who might be curious about what we’re doing this weekend, it’s She’s Geeky in Mountain View. It will be my 2nd time attending this conference with my esteemed colleague, Jennelle Crothers, fellow Microsoft MVP and all around smarty pants. Usually we are the only two sysadmins, but perhaps there will be more this time!
This conference format is actively CHOSEN by the participants. Sessions are proposed, it’s very democratic and cool. From their website “She’s Geeky hosts unConferences across the US, providing a unique environment for women working Technology and other geeky fields (Science, Engineering & Math) to learn from one another, grow networks, connect across generations and discuss issues.”
Here is just a snippet of the sessions and goals of the participants for this event.
http://www.shesgeeky.org/sg/2012/01/topics-for-bay-area-january-27-29/
Pretty cool eh? I’ll have a full report on Monday for you. Better yet, it’s not too late to register and go with me. (
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The first PacITpros meeting is Tuesday, January 24th and it’s a can’t miss event. Joey Snow is flying down to Los Angeles to present to our group. Register and RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/pacitprosla/
Remember we are now gratefully hosted in Santa Monica at MacMall on 15th and Wilshire! See you at 6pm sharp!
Windows Server 2003 End of Life is slowly creeping up on us. Are you ready to migrate those critical workloads that keep the lights on in your datacenters? Join Microsoft Sr. Technical Evangelist Joey Snow as he provides presentations and live demonstrations on how the new Windows Server 2008 R2 migration tools can simplify the migration of Windows Server roles. The session will include migrating file services, DNS and DHCP to Windows Server 2008 R2.
Bio:
Joey Snow is a Senior Technical Evangelist for the worldwide Developer and Platform Evangelism teamat Microsoft focusing the IT Professional audience for Windows Server, IIS and Windows Azure. Based inRedmond, WA, Joey works closely with relevant MS Product Teams to evangelize new technology and products to the IT Pro community at large. He shares his knowledge and expertise online – via TechNetEdge (http://edge.technet.com/) and his blog (http://blogs.technet.com/jsnow) – and is a frequent speakerat various Microsoft and industry-sponsored events. He has been with Microsoft for over 3 years.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Joey worked for more than 12 years as an IT Professional at a Fortune 500company, serving in various IT roles ranging from the helpdesk to IT architecture and management.
Outside of work you can find Joey spending time with his wife and two children and actively feeding hissports and music addictions.
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If you’re searching for a very low cost email, contacts and calendaring solution and don’t need the power of Microsoft Exchange, you might look at Google Apps. The only challenge you will face is that Google makes it very difficult to find their free version. In fact, when you sign up, you’ll likely be put into a 30 day trial of their paid version. To convert your account, you could hunt and peck around the web or just read my blog for the instructions as I’ve done the hunting for you! Here’s the link on their help site (incredibly hard to find IMHO) Cancel Google Apps for Business 30-day free trial – Google Apps Help.
1st navigate to the Domain tab and click Subscriptions, then click “Cancel Google Apps for Business” at the bottom right. Don’t be alarmed, you aren’t actually undoing all your work, they just want to scare you.
Next, click the Downgrade button
That’s it! You won’t get all the benefits of the paid version, however for a small business just getting started, perhaps this is all you need.
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I think that if the installation guide is this big that there might be a better way to do things.
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Recently we had the opportunity to setup a Multipoint server for a new business. This was an exciting case study to see how we could put great new technology into a small business and help them get off to a great start. I hope to answer a few questions for my colleagues and others who might be considering Multipoint.
- It sounds more complex than it really is – You can set this up, even if you have very little experience.
Your first consideration needs to be about hardware. There are preconfigured models available from HP for the tower but I found that you can start with a configuration that you might select for a “power user” and max out the ram to 6 or 8gb. Next you need to think about how the stations will connect to the tower. If you are looking to minimize hardware purchases and the workstations can be physically close to each other, just select the direct connect method and put in multihead video cards. That way, each station will directly connect via monitor, keyboard and mouse right to the back of the tower. Your limitations become simply the length of the video cable and a maximum of 15 feet for the USB hub. Each “station” has a keyboard, mouse and monitor. The server knows which monitor is which when you plug in the usb hub. It’s really that easy.
- Do not select Multipoint server to save money on initial hardware purchase
We find that customers are saying they could have bought 4 individual “cheap” computers for the cost of the initial setup. This is true. The cost savings of Multipoint server are not to be found in the initial setup, rather its in the maintenance and repair of just one physical box rather than 4. Additionally, 4 users can really wreak havok with viruses and downloads. When we put those same users on a Multipoint server, they have no administrative rights and we can really lock down the environment. If you really need to save, think about the model where you re-purpose old hardware.
If you have access to distribution, it is very easy to order the volume licenses, for example, we literally called Ingram Micro and ordered 1 copy of Multipoint server for $330 and 4 CALS at $110 a piece. Your prices may vary, and can be significantly cheaper if it’s for academic or charity.
Download this document, it is very helpful! http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=8290
Multipoint server should be thought of as a way to deliver the Windows 7 desktop experience to multiple users (up to 10 in fact on the standard edition) with just one physical box. Amazing opportunities to deliver Windows 7 to a business who could not previously consider it. In fact, if they have old hardware, you can simply RDP into the server thereby re-purposing those old XP boxes.
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