Micro$oft vs *Nix ~

Have you ever wished that all spiders would just suddenly vanish so you'd never have to deal with them again? That'd be great for about 24 hours until every bug preyed upon by spiders spawned their number in triplicate. This is how I view the whole "Microsoft versus Linux / Open Source" war. DON'T GO OVERBOARD! The world is fast approaching a point in technology where an excellent balance is being struck. It is important for the commerce-driven element to exist and compete with the free(er)-reign development of the open source community. The quality bar has been steadily rising in the wake of this competition, and probably moreso than ever before. To say that one method is better than another or that it should replace all other methods is to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Sure, there is always potential for companies to price-fix or use tough competitive practices that hurt the consumer in the end. The underlying methodologies that co-exist breed standards compliance like never before. To say "Microsoft Sucks" or "Linux Sux" to the point where you wish the extinction of an entire company is to severely limit and cripple the industry.
I work in a varied environment as a Windows guy, and I used to feel strongly about the Microsoft side to the point of exclusion. I have since (long ago) broken through that sophmoronic layer to a healthy appreciation for open source and the *nix operating system world (Linux / Unix / BSD, etc).
There are many applications that I would prefer to run on a linux OS. Users and administrators need to understand that the OSes out there were developed for very different purposes. Microsoft has pre-compiled tons of bells and whistles into their OS to make a theoretically complete package. Linux versions are moving that way, but have always been modular. I love being able to install a BSD OS in 2 minutes and have a cache server AND NOTHING ELSE runing. Great performance, no bells and whistles to make security holes. The tradeup is that the OS has little else you can do in such a configuration.
We can see that the strength of the open source movement is a great addition to our computer advancements as Microsoft is learning some lessons. Newer Microsoft products have come default with components turned off or stripped out, available for starting or adding in later if needed. The newest web server from Microsoft is moving away from some proprietary habits it has had for YEARS to a common XML form.
Spiders are necessary, as they eat bugs and meet needs in nature. Some of those bugs are needed, too. It is OK to hate spiders, but respect their methods from afar and appreciate their place in the world.

Pocket PC internet browsers

On a desktop PC, you can easily get a copy of Internet Explorer, Firefox, or other browsers for FREE and enjoy a solid web surfing experience. On a PDA, however, there are very few FREE browser options. I happen to have a work-assigned Dell Axim X50v. It is a very solid unit, with an amazing 640x480 display, but alas, it carries the default Pocket IE. Pocket IE is the suck.

A pocket browser has a greater need for the features a desktop browser carries than the desktop itself. Features like tabbed browsing (or at least multiple windows) and right-click contexts for saving or viewing source code would make the whole experience more fulfilling.

I've been researching possible options and found a few coming up that will be great and free (w00t!):
Minimo - a Mozilla-based cross-platform browser. There's a promising beta here.
Opera Mini - Opera mini was made for smartphones, yet a pocket version is in testing.

I just can't bring myself to purchase a browser. Ever. I think that charging for such software is hurting the PDA market. Crummy browsers are no way to get people to use a mobile device.

*EDIT* - 9/21 - Found out that Netfront is being offered in a free technical preview form until Nov 15th only. This browser rocks so far, even with its demo limitations. The preview is better than the full Pocket IE, and comes with no expiration (only the limitations).

Cool tools:

I tell you what: I LOVE freeware tools on my PC. I have a folder added to my system's path that I dump all my cool utilities into so that I can call them from the RUN box or a command line. I think I started picking them up when I started scripting. The little apps made it simpler to do my job. I make no warranty as to their usage or effectiveness. Use at your own risk. :D



The tools in my path:
Unix Utils - Unix commands for Windows. Grep is your friend.
AutoRuns - Digs DEEP to reveal what starts up in Windows.
Process Explorer - Shows process trees in memory. Great spyware revealer.
PSTools - Amazing compliation. Great tools for remote admins.
CLInstalled - Shows what is installed. Useful with pstools to see remote installs.
NBTScan - Scans a specified subnet to show NetBIOS names and logins. Handy.
Putty - Telnet and SSH client. Many options. Kerberos mods exist, too.
Metapad - Feature-rich text editor. Supports transparency and stay-on-top mode.

The Apps not in my path, but worth installing:
Irfanview - Can open just about any image. Be sure to get the plugin pack (free).
Audacity - Music program. Multiple tracks, simple editing, moderate conversion abilities.
dbPowerAmp - Right-click to convert music! Be sure to download a free mp3 codec there.
Hotkey Helper - Tray app to hold custom hotkeys. I use it to play funny audio clips on demand.
Quickplay - Plays wav files and then closes. Handy with Hotkey Helper to hotkey instant fun!
Quickplay is hard to find, and there are other dumb apps with the same name. No link.
BattleLAN v0.5 - TCP/IP game tool allows internet games to play as if on local network.
BattleLAN is all over the place, but seems to have no readily noticeable home. No link.
AVG Free - Free Antivirus Software. Does a LOT for free. Paid version has support.
VideoLAN - Plays tons of video types. Also streams video files over a network.
CPU-Z - Reveals info about your CPU and a bit about your memory.
Picasa - Cool Google photo tool. Can apply edits to a photo and keep the original. GREAT.
SimpleDivX - Great little DivXing tool. Handy for shrinking large video files to a handheld.
Gimp - Amazing free Photoshop-like program. Steep learning curve. Powerful app, tho!

I'll add to the list over time. Maybe provide a side link.

God v Man

"The right to swing your fist ends when it hits my face." - This sounds really good, but WHAT IF you shouldn't have taken a swing in the first place. We humans assume all too often that we have rights assigned to us that no man can take away. The responsibilities to live a proper life are not dependent on God; they are dependent upon mankind. Sure God has given us the ability to do whatever we want. However, that does not mean we have to or should. The apostle Paul once said "All things are possible, not all things are profitable". He then said "I will be mastered by nothing". Check out some self control and see if it suits you. As an American, I see citizens who, at the first moment the law is absent, take to looting and harming other people. Hurricane Katrina was a large sample of this, as gangs took over buildings, everyday citizens robbed stores, and people were killed for water.
If I say "Doing drugs is wrong" or "Getting drunk is wrong", you might say "Who says it's wrong?" or "There are no laws against getting drunk. This is my mentality: There is an absolute truth from God about how we should live our lives. The bible speaks about the quality of leaders and mentions several desireable attributes relating to maintaining control of yourself and avoiding over-saturating yourself. Too much of ANYTHING can cause problems. I will be mastered by nothing.
So I ask myself "Is it right to abort a child?". No. It isn't. I can do that, but I choose not to because taking a life for such a selfish reason is absolutely wrong. What's that you say? What if the doctor said my wife was going to die if the child was not aborted? I still cannot play the rold of Almighty God and choose who will live and who will die. Ask my wife on this (if I did choose her over the child, she'd kill me herself).
I once had a guy tell me he thought my life was lame and boring since I didn't have sex with all sorts of people, didn't get drunk, didn't try drugs, didn't look at porn, didn't dupe software, etc. I watch movies, I hang out with friends, I play sports, I have a great family, I serve people, I have an awesome church family, and the list goes on. I don't need the troubles of the world to be amplified by wreckless actions. Nothing good comes of getting drunk, nothing good comes from getting toked up, nothing good comes from filling your life with selfish pursuits. I will not train myself for those attitudes, else I become weak at a time where my decision will really affect my life or the lives of others. I have been down that road, and I still find people years later who have not forgiven me!
What makes me saddest: The bible speaks of a "darkening of the understanding", where a person declines into a state of ignorance and non-understanding, where the word of God makes little or no sense / impact. Sometimes the only way to break out of that is for God himself to send a storm on your life to smash your comfort against the rocks.

Ways to stay out of / get away from darkening of the understanding:
+ Hang out with people who help others
Part of a proper mindset is to think about someone besides yourself. Go serve at a soup kitchen, or help someone move into their house, do a canned food drive, help the Red Cross, etc.

+ Stay away from people who abuse substances
It doesn't matter if substance abuse is wrong or not; it affects your loved ones and your mental capacity. To be what God desires (which is AWESOME, in my experience), you need to be aware of your actions at all times. Having sex while blacked out doesn't constitute control.

+ Be accountable to someone
Find someone you can look up to. Someone that is not into excesses, someone who cares about others more than theirself. Accountability means you have to be honest with that person about what you do, say, and think. It is tough to do sometimes.

+ Guys: Stop looking at porn.
Devaluing one of the greatest gifts from God to man is a fast track to devaluing anything important and only serves to create an intense focus on yourself and create guilt and dissatisfaction. Guys will fight this problem their entire lives, and must be kept in check. If you are married, focus that energy on your spouse. Porn is not just nudity; it can be anything that devalues women in a sexual manner. A Carl's Jr. commercial or a Victoria's Secret commercial all count as porn in my book.

+ Girls: Watch your mouth.
The bible's biggest warning to women is gossip. Watch what your lips put out there. Don't hone your verbal skills in the wrong direction; lift up, don't put down. Imagine that anyone you talk about is also within earshot of what you are saying.

I am by no means perfect, but I am thining daily about what I am doing or saying. the list above is nowhere near complete, but is a start to thinking less of self and more globally.

Swami

Spyware v The People:

Spyware is only part of the home computer security dilemma. The other half is the person sitting at the monitor. Someone once coined the word "PEBKAC", which is geek codeword for "Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair". Seriously, people must take responsibility in order to keep their computers clean. The burden cannot rely totally with the operating system manufacturer.
Several rules of computer use to avoid MOST spyware and viruses:
+ Learn to use a firewall.
Windows XP SP2 contains a built-in firewall. It is helpful, yet you should really look into a router if you are on a high-speed connection to the internet. Firewalls block anything from the outside unless you or a program on your PC expressly allow it. This will block a lot of prowling Blaster-like viruses that don't require your action to infect your computer. The software firewall will protect you from threats INSIDE your home network, for the most part, and will often notify you if something is trying to talk to the internet. There is no excuse for using a computer on a regular basis and not learning the normal use of a firewall. Good alternatives to the XP firewall are ZoneAlarm and BlackIce, although their best iterations are not free.

+ Learn what kinds of web sites are safe and stick to them.
If you are searching for illegal downloads, you will likely get into PC trouble. Many notorious sites will infect your computer with BHOs (Browser Helper Objects) that will make your surfing experience miserable. Once you find a site that has the content you want and doesn't fill your PC with garbage, bookmark it and love it. If you are Googling, look carefully at the URLs in the search descriptions and make sure they are not trying to sell you something. Don't click on anything that looks like a sales ad.

+ Don't INSTALL things you don't know much about.
Internet Explorer 6 has some nifty features to prevent some lame installs of garbageware, but the user must choose not to install. Often an ActiveX warning will appear as a long yellow bar near the top of the browser viewing area, notifying you that some dynamic content is wanting to install itself. Make sure it is from a site you know and trust. Microsoft is ok. Macromedia is ok. That sort of thing. When in doubt, Google the name of the program and the word "spyware" together. You may realize that program you want to download is packed with adware! While your free Mahjong tiles game may rock, it may have been free because you allowed it to unpack a trojan on your PC. Oh, and browser toolbars generally take away from your overall viewing real estate, make it start slower, and open you up to new vulnerabilities. Do you really NEED another toolbar? Chances are you already have Google, Yahoo, or MSN toolbars installed right now (look under the address bar...). SIDE NOTE: You don't HAVE to use Internet Explorer all the time. Mozilla Firefox is another popular option that is quite secure so far and has great functionality (including tabbed browsing). Firefox has some security through obscurity, and is a great program.

+ File sharing apps are a pathway to all sorts of garbage.
If you know how to use them, you'll find what you're looking for. If you don't know what you're doing, you WILL get virus-laden fakes and spyware headaches. Bearshares, Bittorrents, and the like are all mixed bags.

+ Microsoft Windows users: turn on automatic updates.
I laugh at companies like CNN who got nailed by Zotob viruses. They had enough notice to test and patch desktops / servers. I had work-related vulnerable machines patched and tested before the first round of Zotobs were widespread. Keeping your system updated will assure that many common infections are avoided. Visit the windowsupdate.microsoft.com website and it should help you turn on the auto feature if it is not enabled.

+ Install a real-time antivirus and a real-time antispyware program.
Real-time programs continually monitor your PC for threats. This requires less action on your part (especially if you set them to automatically update their virus/spyware pattern files), and keeps you aware of the health of the machine. In my opinion, do not install a Norton product. There are better, cheaper, and less invasive programs on the market. Norton is worse than many spwyare apps and viruses. I recommend Grisoft's AVG antivirus. It is free and very effective. It even scans email. Microsoft's Antispyware tool is also an excellent realtime scanner, although I do not know if it will remain free. I recommend both.

Most Linux / OS X users are knowledgable enough or don't have to worry too much about these types of threats yet. Since Windows has the largest market share, it is the unfortunate target. With time, Mac and Linux users will see a climb, although with fewer core-integrated bells and whistles, those OSes will probably be more secure in the face of these dangers.

So be a responsible computer user and protect your PC and your network. Firewall, surf safe, don't install junk, safe share, auto update, real-time protection. These habits will make for a MUCH more enjoyable experience with minor maintenance when updating spyware and virus pattern files or clicking "allow" or "deny" on a firewall.

Swami

I am a geek, yet not a geek first. I am a geek third. My God first, my family second, and my geekness third. I have very different passions for them all. A good friend of mine, Marion, spoke to me recently about how people of faith need to find ways to inject Godliness into their lives whenever possible. He came up with an idea to educate people on ways to use technology to boost their life in Christ. Examples: Pump an iPod full of Christian tunes, get your Bible on your PDA, listen to inspirational audio books, etc.

I am all about utilizing technology for this purpose, and hope to impart a mixture of God and geek to the betterment of those who don't know where the "any" key is, computerized or not.

I'm a certified (certifiable?) Microsoft sys admin and formerly a youth minister. I have ideas in all my areas of passion. I hope to help others as I go about my life with the knowledge and wisdom I have gained (and will gain) along the way. It may go no farther than ridding their computers of spyware and setting up firewalls, yet it may go into helping remove family divisions or emotional barriers. I've got at least two cents to give. The other 98 cents of the buck will hopefully come from God.