If you want a really good example of where a box like this would be needed, look no further than your local church. Traditional churches by nature are all non-profit organizations that operate on a very tight shoestring budget. Whatever technology is brought into the church must have good longevity to it because there’s simply no other purchase options. They can’t lease computer boxes. Whatever they get, they own, and it has to last a long time.

You could, if so desired, opt not to build but rather go with a brand name like Dell as they have new desktop PCs starting at $269. But maybe you’re in the situation where you have to deal with existing PCs because the budget simply won’t allow for the purchase of new computers. In this instance you have to refit them with new parts that will stand the test of time. That’s what this how-to covers.

The icons seen below are from Icon Archive. Be sure to check that place out for some truly good looking icons for Windows, Mac or Linux.

  Motherboard and CPU

It used to be that AMD was cheaper than Intel, but this is no longer the case. Were you to compare AMD vs. Intel in both motherboard and CPU prices, you’ll find they’re almost identical on the lower end of the cost spectrum.

When it comes to long-haul computing, the prevention of heat is a major consideration. Fortunately this is easy to take care of, because all you have to do is employ the use of a low-watt CPU. AMD has 45-watt offerings and Intel has 35-watt. Either is a good choice.

  RAM

With desktop memory the goal is to use the "slowest" possible sticks you can buy. Once again this is done to avoid heat. Use the bare minimum clock speed that the RAM banks will support, and put the maximum amount of RAM in the box it can support.

Also try, if possible, to use same-brand RAM. This will avoid any unforeseen issues with old RAM, as in some instances old sticks do not "play nice" with new ones. It is rare when this happens, but not out of the realm of possibility and you probably don’t have a RAM tester. (If you do have one however, use it.)

  Hard Drive

This step is simple, stick with 7200rpm hard disk drives. Were it a few years ago I would have recommended to use a 5400rpm (again, for less heat), but those offerings are now all but gone for standard 3.5-inch drives, and you’ll spend too much on a 5400rpm due to its rarity. The tried-and-true 7200rpm SATA of any media storage size works fine.

  Sound Card

Any. Doesn’t matter what you use as long as it works. You’ll most likely use the on-board sound from the motherboard anyway.

  Video Card

If the motherboard has a built-in video port, use it. Heat is avoided by doing this. If there isn’t any on-board video, what to use for a video card depends on the operating system. I’ll cover that in a moment.

  Optical drive

As long as the customer reviews for the optical drive you’re shopping for are favorable and it can play, read and burn CDs and DVDs, that’s all that matters.

  Case fans

This is the only part of the build where you absolutely cannot go low-cost. The case fans you use must be of premium grade, have good bearings and be as quiet as possible. Their only job in life is to cool, so don’t go cheap with these.

Here’s an example of a premium case fan. Yes, it’s almost $25 per fan. But it’s one of the best you can buy and totally worth the money.

I’m not saying you have to buy $25 case fans, but don’t go with the two-dollar cheap stuff. Do so and the PC’s life will end earlier.

  Operating System

If the box has a legal licensed copy of Windows XP or Vista, you’re all set. Continue to use it, continue to automatically download auto-updates as they are provided.

XP runs happily with 1GB of RAM and a 64MB video card. You can’t game on it, but you can do just about everything else.

The system requirements for Vista state it can get by on 1GB RAM, but as everybody knows it needs at least 2GB. The minimums also state that 128MB video is needed, but in reality 512MB suits it much better.

If the box has an illegal copy of XP or Vista, you need to either purchase a license of Windows 7 or switch to Linux – especially if the box you’re building is going to be used by somebody else. Why? Because somewhere along the line Windows will break without its needed updates eventually. And if you’re the one building a box for someone else, guess who gets the first phone call when somehow the end user magically turns on auto-updates and WGA disables Windows? That’s right, you do. Do you honestly want to deal with that?

The purchase of 7 is out of the question for most people because it blows the budget. You’d have to buy a full license of Windows 7 Home Premium, which costs just under $110. The "Starter" Edition of Windows 7 is only available to OEMs and not the general public unfortunately.

Linux’s strongest point is that it’s free. The flavor that’s the most suitable choice is the very recently released Ubuntu 9.10.

If you happen to be building/refitting a box for someone else, and that person only requires the basics of computing, you may want to consider Ubuntu Netbook Remix instead. It’s designed for netbooks, but has superior performance on low-end computer boxes. It also helps that the 9.10 UNR interface is super-friendly to use.

One of the few things that may prove to be a roadblock with UNR is printing. This is not Ubuntu’s fault, but rather the fact that most printers only come provided with proprietary Windows and Mac control software.

Check printer compatibility here for Ubuntu. It’s well worth the time to take a few minutes to read that over for your specific printer. Yours should be there as the lists are extensive. You know you’re in good shape if your printer is listed as both supported and working.

  Mouse

At least mid-grade quality, not wireless and manufactured by Microsoft or Logitech.

  Keyboard

Same requirements as the mouse.

  Monitor

You’ll most likely be using the existing monitor. If buying another, don’t buy used. Buy new.

The price for a new low-cost LCD monitor off the shelf will be between $125 and $175.

If you opt to buy online, specifically seek out the ones with free shipping, else you’ll pay the same price as you would off the shelf for the same thing.

As for the size, don’t buy anything under 18 inches. It’s simply not worth it.

  Software

In a basic sense, your computer must be able to:

• Browse the web
• Have the ability to use instant messaging easily
• Compose documents and spreadsheets and be able to share those documents easily
• Be able to import images from a digital camera easily
• Be able to edit images on a basic level easily
• Print
• Be able to burn CDs and DVDs
• Play DVD video
• Have sufficient protection against spyware, malware and viruses

Here’s each point covered one by one. I’m listing very specific choices that don’t require any additional software unless absolutely necessary. The less software installed, the better off the overall installation is.

Browse the web

Windows: Internet Explorer
Ubuntu: Firefox

Instant messaging

Windows: Windows Live Messenger
Ubuntu: Pidgin

Documents and Spreadsheets

Windows: OpenOffice
Ubuntu: OpenOffice

Digital Camera image import / Basic photo editing

Windows: Windows Live Photo Gallery
Ubuntu: F-Spot

Printing

Windows: Use provided printer control software CD or download from printer OEM’s web site
Ubuntu: Depends if the printer is supported or not by the OS (see above)

Burning CDs and DVDs

Windows, Data/Backup: Built-in to the OS natively, drag/drop
Windows, Music: Windows Media Player

Ubuntu, Data/Backup: Built-in to the OS natively, drag/drop
Ubuntu, Music: Brasero (included with OS)

Play DVD Video

Windows XP: Not included with DVD video codecs on fresh XP install. Codec must be provided by purchased player software such as WinDVD or CyberDVD.

Windows Vista/7: Codecs included, uses Windows Media Player to play DVDs.

Ubuntu: Codecs included, uses Totem to play DVDs.

Virus, spyware and malware protection

Windows: Microsoft Security Essentials or any other number of free protection suites.

Ubuntu: Generally speaking, not required because of the way Linux is designed. But if you feel you need it, there’s documentation aplenty on it.

  Placement

If you have the option, place the PC on the desk and not on the floor. As you know, computers are dirt magnets. This not only makes the computer box easier to clean but also keeps it away from dust and dirt that collects on the floor that the case fans would otherwise suck inside the box.

  Performance notes and other tips

The only time you’ll experience true slowdowns is on web pages with heavy Flash use. Then again, Flash will bring any web browser to its knees if you throw enough of that content at it even on the fastest of computers.

It is better if the PC has wired instead of wireless networking as it will speed things up quite a bit concerning internet usage. It’s not that wireless won’t work, but you want to give any speed advantage you can, so if you have the option, use wired internet connectivity.

Automate everything you possibly can. For example, if using a Windows OS you could use Defraggler to schedule drive defragmenting easily.

If you can, clone the drive once everything is installed, so if something busts on a major level, you’ve got a "vanilla" copy ready to be imaged back if the need arises.

Try (or instruct whoever is getting the PC) to get in the habit of "living in the browser." Keep installed apps to a minimum. The less apps there are, the less likely something will break on the software side and in many cases the speedier the OS will run, regardless of what OS it is. The best way to do this is to stay in the browser as much as possible.

For every app you download and install, save that to USB stick or CD/DVD. It’s also smart to perform a software inventory periodically just in case you have to reinstall the OS for whatever reason.

For any hardware you installed that has a warranty, put all the paperwork in an envelope and physically tape it to the side or top of the case. It’s not pretty, but you’ll never lose the info, should you need it.

Final notes

The best way to treat an older computer is to configure it like a kiosk would be. A kiosk by nature is set up to be simple and efficient. If you use Ubuntu Netbook Remix, this is very much how your computer will act, and that’s not a bad thing. You can do the same with Windows by hiding the taskbar, avoiding the Start menu when possible and placing the icons for the apps you regularly use on the desktop.

If you approach computing this way with an older refitted PC box and build it as outlined above, it should easily last 5 or more years.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Long Haul Low-Cost PC "Refit" How-To

Plug it into a wall socket and bam—a fully-functional Linux server that can store digital media accessible remotely via the internet or function as a remote print or web server. Plus, it supports “multiple standard Linux 2.6 kernel distributions” and it operates on only 5-watts of power.

To me, this device is flat out awesome. Just plug in an external hard drive and you have an ultra lean, power efficient server. Compared to having to maintain a full system just to provide these simple services, the SheevaPlug is an ideal alternative for less than $100. The Wikipedia page offers numerous links to help you get started with whatever you want to do with it.

A significant factor which should not be overlooked is the power usage – or lack thereof. Considering a typical computer will easily pull 30-75 watts depending on the load (and that is being conservative), the SheevaPlug will actually pay for itself in power savings.

This is definitely on my wish list.

Does anyone already have a SheevaPlug (or another plug computer) they are using? If so, please share your experience in the comments.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

The Smallest Home Server Device Ever

It is unfortunate however that some ISPs have decided to drop newsgroup access altogether. My local Florida ISP, Brighthouse, does have complimentary service by Newshosting. This happened because Roadrunner (as in Time Warner) dropped access to it. But other ISPs don’t offer this, so you’re left with no access whatsoever. However there are alternatives. More on that in a moment.

One of the best uses of Usenet is for Linux discussion. To this day Usenet is very active on this topic, and is a great resource for help when you need it. Usually you can get a Linux question answered within minutes via Usenet.

Such example newsgroups are alt.comp.linux, alt.comp.os.linux, alt.linux and many more.

If you do not have newsgroup access via your ISP, Google Groups is an alternative. Here’s a link list from the newsgroups listed above:

• alt.comp.linux
• alt.comp.os.linux
• alt.linux

Of course, using Google Groups is not the same as having direct access. Usenet is always best used with a mail client that supports it, such as Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird and so on. The reason it’s better with a client is because you have more control over how the discussion looks. Google Groups is done "The Google Way," which definitely isn’t the best way. This is not to say Google Groups is unusable, but once you’ve used Usenet in a true client, you’ll understand the advantages.

There are others ways of getting to Usenet if your ISP doesn’t support it and you don’t want to use Google Groups, such as NewsDemon, ThunderNews and Giganews. All of them charge, with Giga being the cheapest of the lot. Are they worth paying for? That’s up for you to decide.

Before you check out the alternatives, see if your ISP supports Usenet access first. Many still do but the documentation for it is absolutely buried. If you’re not able to locate the documentation instructing you what the newsgroup server is (which is what you need to access it,) try a Google search for "[your ISP] newsgroup server." This will usually return the information you’re looking for, or at least give an answer on whether your ISP has a newsgroup server or not.

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Need Help With Linux? Have You Tried Usenet?

Obviously UNIX can work on the desktop. Ask any Mac OS X user. But I digress.

PC-BSD is a rather large operating system. The 32-bit flavor requires at least two CDs (and optionally a third), or one DVD. 64-bit flavor is DVD only. While it’s true you could use "boot-only" versions, most people would opt for the full OS.

PC-BSD also requires a fair amount of computing horsepower just to run it. The recommended system requirements in its own documentation suggest a Pentium 4 or higher with 512MB RAM, 12GB free hard drive space, network card, sound card and 3D accelerated NVIDIA or Intel video card.

For those interested in the bare minimum, those requirements are a Pentium II, 256MB RAM and 6GB free hard drive space, network card and sound card. But I wouldn’t recommend anybody with system specs that low to run PC-BSD.

The installation procedure was painless. It’s no more difficult or easy than installing just about any Linux distribution.

The default desktop environment is KDE. In Linux/UNIX circles concerning the desktop you’re either a GNOME or KDE type of user (or a super-lightweight environment like Fluxbox). I personally prefer GNOME, but I’m not turned off by the way KDE does things; it’s just a different type of environment compared to GNOME.

Getting apps for PC-BSD can be accomplished by going to www.pbidir.com. On the default desktop this is labeled as "Download PBIs", like this:

You will notice up front that the apps available for PC-BSD are not as extensive as what’s in the file repositories for Linux distributions. This does not make UNIX a bad choice for a desktop OS, but it is important to know that you won’t have access to as many applications.

You will notice that while the apps are less to choose from, what’s available for PC-BSD is what matters more to the people that use it. Moreover, all the apps work and usually have commentary next to each from PC-BSD users expressing any thoughts or concerns about it (this information is valuable, believe me.)

PBI files act similar to EXE files in the Windows environment in the respect you just download one file, run that one file and it installs the app.

For example, I downloaded the Firefox web browser from pbidir.com. On first run, I got prompted for my user password (typical in UNIX/Linux environment), and then this is what I see:

What can I say? Cool! This is easy. Download one file, run it, install the app. No .tar.gz files to deal with. No repository crapola. No compiling necessary. Download and go. It’s all automatic. Very nice.

When done, it tells you what menu entry it made (Ubuntu doesn’t do that).

The KDE environment is easy enough to use. In fact there’s something in it that was removed from Windows:

Note the little "2". That tells you how many instances of an app is running. This is in Windows XP. It is not in Vista or Windows 7 RC. It’s little things like this that make for a convenient desktop environment. Every desktop environment on every OS should have this, period.

The best part about PC-BSD is actually its manual. This is one of the best-written guides I’ve seen for an operating system – any operating system. It explains in very plain English how to do things, both what you can and moreover cannot do. This is truly a user’s manual, not that "thing written by a programmer that’s impossible to understand."

A UNIX manual that’s actually helpful? Yeah, I didn’t believe it either until I read PC-BSD’s.

A good example is section 6.2.1 Folder hierarchy. The guide actually tells you what every directory PC-BSD uses actually means in simple easy terms.

Now I will admit the guide isn’t 100% complete, but I’d say it’s at least 98% of the way there. Fortunately all the important stuff you’d need to know is written in detail.

Are there any major differences between Linux and UNIX on the desktop?

The keyword part of the question above is "on the desktop".

On the desktop, you’re not really going to see any major drastic differences from a Linux distribution to UNIX.

But as for the "guts" of the OS, that’s where you encounter things that happen differently.

You will notice that the way FreeBSD/PC-BSD handles things is a bit (gasp) Windows-ish. But I don’t consider that a bad thing. For example, the Services Manager (see section 12.2 of the PC-BSD guide). This is essentially the same as Services in Windows in the way it acts. Pick a service, start it, stop it, restart it, enable/disable startup, do whatever. It’s easy.

In fact, you will notice that the way BSD does things overall just seems to make more sense. And I’m not even referring to the Windows-like stuff here. Things in the OS are done in such a way where you say, "Wow, I can understand this. This is useful to me."

See for yourself at http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/ and you decide. In all seriousness, it truly is an easy read.

Interested in running a UNIX home server that acts like a desktop?

I can say with certainty that PC-BSD would definitely fit the bill if that’s what you’re looking for. The installation asks up front whether you want to have a desktop or server type system in a friendly way. Most of you interested in UNIX would probably want to use it for server duty.

Even though PC-BSD is a friendly UNIX, bear in mind it does not have as many applications available compared to popular Linux distributions. It also does not come with codecs for playing DVDs or anything else that would require special licensing. Yes, you could configure it to do so if determined enough, but it does require some effort to get it to work.

If you want the frills, goodies and more apps, you’re better off with a Linux distribution.

But for rock-solid FreeBSD UNIX reliability in a friendly desktop environment, it’s tough to beat PC-BSD.

I especially recommend PC-BSD to those who tried a BSD before and absolutely hated it. This time around I’m sure you’ll like it a whole lot better.

Would you consider running UNIX over Linux?

Or are you running a BSD based UNIX now? Let us know in the comments what you think.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

PC-BSD 7.1.1 Quick Review

In the video – and here on this post – I make the request that if anybody knows how to change the Workgroup name without manually editing the smb.conf file, please feel free to comment and explain how that’s done, because I couldn’t find it.

Granted, the command line is not a bad thing, but the point here is that you used to be able to edit the Workgroup name via the GUI and now that feature seems to be gone – unless it’s hiding somewhere where I can’t find it?

See video for details.

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File Sharing Using Ubuntu 9.04 And Samba

What I found that the most significant upgrades to the OS had almost nothing to do with the interface itself. From what I understand the Ubuntu team was going to revamp the UI in 9, but it couldn’t be completed in time so it’s slated for a later release. Instead what you get is the same interface you got in 8 (with some minor improvements), but the real power lies beneath the surface, so to speak.

What I mean by that is:

• Updated kernel
• GNOME 2.26
• Better multi-monitor support
• Faster startup time

In the UI realm, here’s what’s new:

What was most impressive to me initially was the Brasero optical disc application. This is, said honestly, a great app.  Why so great? Because it has everything people use CDs and DVDs for, and to boot it’s ridiculously simply to use. So simple and intuitive in fact that it should be an OS X app. It’s that good.

Also, since I’m running this in a virtual session in VirtualBox, I can say that 9 works better virtually compared to 8. Installation was super-easy, so I can safely assume that as the native OS it would work great as well.

Ubuntu is getting better. It’s easy to see why it leads the charge as the Linux desktop OS. This isn’t to say other distros can’t do the job (because they certainly can), but the user-centric nature of Ubuntu is what makes it great. Version 9.04 continues with that modus operandi and that’s why Ubuntu users enjoy the OS so much.

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Features Of Ubuntu 9.04

GNOME 2.26

The biggest improvement (for me) is that GNOME does better multi-monitor setup now with this version. Multi-monitor troubles with a Linux GUI have been a longstanding complaint of mine, and while Ubuntu 8 was a huge improvement over 7 for dual-or-more monitor setups, Ubuntu 9 with GNOME 2.26 should (hopefully) finally nail this so it’s done right the first time.

Linux kernel 2.6.28

This is obviously important because the OS runs on top of this. The Linux kernel has come a long, long way since 1991. You thought the Linux kernel was older? Not really. UNIX is (very) old, yes, but not Linux.

And yes I know the latest kernel is technically 2.6.29.1 at the time of this writing, but 2.6.28 is still a step up for Ubuntu.

Optional ext4 filesystem

This is not required to use as ext3 will still work fine, but this is what Linux distros are heading towards.

Ext4 will support volumes up to 1 exabyte and individual files up to 16 terabytes.

For those that say, "There’s no way I’ll ever have volumes or files that big", remember when we all thought 1GB was huge? Consumer grade exabyte drives will happen; it’s only a matter of time and probably not that far away.

Linux is ready for (what is currently considered to be) disgustingly huge volume and file sizes now with ext4. Best to get familiar with it now if you have the chance.

You can check out more of what’s available in 9.04 here. Lots of good stuff.

I’ll be checking it out personally once the official release is available later today.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Ubuntu 9.04 Available Today

If you are not sure what a mapping disk usage utility does, just take a look at the screenshots on the applicable tool. Basically it gives you a graphical representation of the space used by files and folders by drawing proportionally sized boxes. Big boxes use a lot of space and small boxes do not use much. If you click on a box, you can jump to the respective file or folder.

This type of tool can be very useful when you are trying to clean up disk space.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Graphical Disk Usage Utility For Linux And Windows

The deal with the new CentOS is that the contribs repository is back with v5.3. In plain English this means more empowerment to the user (you) to submit and manage packages. There’s obviously more to 5.3, so read up on that if you like. CentOS is still one of the best Linux distros out there. It’s enterprise-style Red Hat Linux’ing is very attractive to many.

Fedora 11 is coming but the beta is available now. According to the Fedora team, a bunch of improvements are coming including cutting boot time, on-demand font and file support, new virtualization features and a lot more.

For those of you who like Red Hat or just the Red Hat style and are wondering which is better for you, the answer is dependent on what you want to do with the OS. If running servers and doing enterprise-style stuff is your thing, CentOS is better. If you want something more tailored to desktop use, Fedora is the better choice. This is not to say Fedora can’t do enterprise or Cent can’t do desktop. Both can do either. But each has their intended purpose.

If one were to ask which is better overall, that’s a really tough call because both are great.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

CentOS Releases 5.3, Fedora Releases 11 Beta

ifconfig

ifconfig is the command used in Ubuntu at the command line (better known as the terminal in GNOME) to not only find out what your IP address is, but also to disable/enable network interfaces if need be.

To see your current IP, just type ifconfig and press enter. You will see a list of network interfaces. On a wired connection, the first (and probably only) network card listed is usually eth0 (that’s a zero at the end, not letter O).

We’ll say for the moment your router had a screw-up and you had to restart it, so you need your computer to request its IP address back.

Releasing (down) and Renewing (up)

The release/renew commands from ifconfig are simply down and up.

We put a sudo in front of ifconfig to grant administrator privileges, and it all comes together like this:

sudo ifconfig eth0 down (shuts down the eth0 interface, releases the IP)

sudo ifconfig eth0 up (enables the eth0 interface, renews the IP)

And yes, you do have to use sudo both times.

Why know this? It saves time. Downing the network interface and "upping" it again is quicker than a reboot – especially for those of you out there with not-so good routers.

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Releasing And Renewing Your IP Address In Ubuntu