In 2007 I did a video on how to share files/folders to Windows with Ubuntu. But since version 8 of that OS the way in which this is done has changed a bit. It is simplified somewhat, but the drawback now is that in order to change the Workgroup name you must edit a configuration file manually instead of having the ability to do it in the GUI like before.

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.

I personally find it comical how many users of the YouTube site believe they have "rights" on a private system that doesn’t grant them any. I also find it comical many believe that they can simply dictate to Google what they should and shouldn’t do with their own video sharing web site that’s free.

A classic example of this is in this video. Of course, you’ve got the standard "YouTube is dead" message (geez, how many times have we heard that?), followed by a seriously lame cinematic-style soundtrack and stuffed with a lot of "GOOGLE, YOU MUST DO THIS AND THIS AND THAT" dictator-style crapola. Way to put on the spin there, guy. You should work for Fox News.

It is very well known that Google has been trying like crazy for the past several years to turn a profit out of the YouTube site because it’s been losing money from day one. Everybody knew more big names were coming. Everybody knew more ads were coming. Everybody knew video  advertisements were coming.

None of the upcoming changes for YouTube should be a surprise to anybody. And yet some are just "shocked" by it.

Be shocked  all you want. YouTube is a business, and Google is trying to make some money with the site. In its first few years online, YouTube was a free-for-all. Rules be damned. Law be damned. And Google literally paid the price for it by being sued left and right several times. Lessons were learned and now they follow the rules as they were ordered to.

Now comes the point where they’re making good with all the businesses that were previously enemies. They’re saying, "We follow the rules now. Let’s make a deal." Deals were made. And you’ll be seeing them soon.

To all fervent YouTube "community" users: Please stop whining just because Google is trying to turn a profit from something that’s been losing money hand over fist for years. And yes, you are whining. You don’t have to pay to use the site. And you could use another video sharing site if you wanted to. So shaddup.

Oh, and one final note: The video linked above mentions Firefox 3 because it’s not a Google product and that you should use it because of that. Answer this: Why do you think Google is the default search engine in the Firefox browser? I’ll tell you. It’s because Google is the single largest overall fiscal contributor to the Mozilla Foundation, the makers of Firefox. Looks like you’ll have to start using Opera or IE.

Time and time again I run into people who think "torrent" translates to "illegal". Is it?

Let’s find out what this all means by examining the definitions.

A torrent is a small file usually ending with the file extension .torrent. You use the .torrent file with a BitTorrent client. BitTorrent itself is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. The .torrent file is used to get a larger file you want from the peer-to-peer network using the BitTorrent client that "understands" the BitTorrent protocol.

The Big Question however is: Are torrents illegal?

No. And they never have been.

Using BitTorrent is the most efficient way of getting large files on the internet without having them hosted in any centralized location.

The best example of this is Linux distributions. For example, Ubuntu themselves (as do all other Linux distros) offer a way to get their OS via BitTorrent. It’s fast; it works; it’s probably going to be faster than downloading via a direct HTTP. And obviously, downloading Ubuntu or any other Linux distro via a torrent isn’t illegal.

People assume torrents are illegal because many files are traded illegally via that particular peer-to-peer network. But does this mean all torrents are illegal?

Not by a long shot.

BitTorrent is a protocol and nothing more.

It is wrong to assume "torrent" = "illegal" because it just isn’t true.

This article covers the following:

1. Setting up a workgroup in Windows XP.
2. Setting up a workgroup in Ubuntu 8.10.
3. How to share out files from your Windows XP computer on your home network so you can access them with Ubuntu 8.10.
4. How to access files shared by your Windows XP computer on your home network in Ubuntu 8.10.
5. How to share files out from Ubuntu 8.10 to a Windows XP computer on your home network.

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Merging the computer with your home entertainment system on your home network is not only cool, it is one of the new things in the world of networking. Let’s look at how you can use some of those MP3 files and digital video and images that are sitting on your computer and stream them to your home entertainment system.

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Sharing a printer on your network is another very useful feature of a network. Allow all of your computers to use the same printer.

There are three ways to accomplish this:

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This chapter is a video presentation.

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Sharing files and folders between computers is one of the most common applications for a network. You can share single files, folders, even whole drives (bad idea!) if you want to.

Sharing a folder is convenient because you simply have to tell Windows to share the folder rather than tell it to specifically share every file in that folder. Windows will automatically create a folder called “Shared Documents” which has been designated to be shared on your home network. To view this folder, launch the Windows® Explorer (Start / All Programs / Accessories / Windows Explorer) and then select My Computer. Your Shared Documents folder will be present. ANY FILE you place in this folder will be available on your home network to other participating computers.

You might not want to be limited to moving everything into “Shared Folders” in order to share it, however. So, you can tell Windows to share any folder you want on your hard drive. Before continuing, please note:

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I have discussed previously in this book how IP addressing and DHCP servers operate. If you are interested in some of the technologies behind this, back up and have a read. For now, let’s just get down to business and get you sharing an internet connection.

The first thing you might need to do is configure your router. The good thing here is that many routers will automatically configure themselves to work with most cable services. More times than not, when I have set up a simple network, all of my computers can simply get online as soon as I plug them into the router. However, if you are using DSL or if your cable modem provider requires username/password authentication, you will need to perform a little router configuration. Also, if your ISP is providing you with a static (fixed) IP addresses, you will need to configure your router to use this.

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