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LiveCDs for Linux (and other operating systems) are a great way for users to try out an operating system without making any changes to their computers. Well the good people over at

are maintaining a pretty comprehensive list of LiveCDs for all to browse over at

Not only does FrozenTech maintain this list, but they also specialize in providing high quality burned CDs and DVDs of popular open source software at affordable prices.

I tend to shy away from promoting any organization/company/etc that is for-profit, but due to the fact that they maintain the LiveCD list and my previous experience with them, I am making an exception. I have placed orders with FrozenTech in the past and been very pleased with the entire experience. Depending on your Internet connection (and technical skills), they may be a good option for you. So check out FrozenTech and LiveCD list and post back with your thoughts and experiences!

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Want to get better backups of your email, browsers, and a few other Internet apps? Want something free and open source? You’re in luck, because you can try out:

According to the MailBrowserBackup website: MailBrowserBackup is a simple utility for creating complete backups of Internet Explorer**, Mozilla Firefox, Windows Mail**, Mozilla Thunderbird, IncrediMail**, Opera Browser**, Apple Safari**, Google Chrome, SRWare Iron, FileZilla FTP Client, eMule** profiles.

While I have not yet tried MailBrowserBackup myself, I have read several good things about it and love the idea of what the app does. I plan to test it out with a few things later on, but if you have tried MailBrowserBackup, post here with your experiences!

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Looking for some good Windows tools for deployment of software and updates? Then take a look at:

According to the Epsilon Squared website: Epsilon Squared, is a leading developer of Windows solutions, that dramatically streamlines the deployment of applications and upgrades. We also provide solutions to assist developers with troubleshooting and documenting installation routines.

Two of Epsilon Squared’s applications are InstallWatch and InstallRite.

• InstallWatch records modifications made to your PC during the installation of software, hardware, or configuration changes.
• InstallRite (which includes all the features of InstallWatch) provides “application cloning” as opposed to “disk cloning”, simplifying software distribution.

While I have yet to try either of these applications, I have heard several good things from others and plan to try them out in the coming weeks for a large deployment of new machines. If you have ever tried InstallWatch or InstallRite from Epsilon Squared post your experiences here. I will be sure to report back with my findings later on!

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Over the years I have tried numerous different Linux distributions and found many I liked, and a few that did not appeal to me for various reasons. Overall though, my experiences have been very good. I received a recommendation from a friend to try out

From the Dreamlinux website:

WHAT IS DREAMLINUX?

• Dreamlinux is a free, modern and modular GNU/Linux system. It can be run directly from a CD/DVD/USBStick and optionally be installed to a HDD, including IDE, SCSI, SATA, PATA and USB drives.
• Dreamlinux comes with a selection of the best applications designed to meet most of your daily needs.
• Dreamlinux is based on the venerable Debian Operating System. This means it takes advantage of Debian’s best features and adds its own modern development tools, system scripts and applications.
• Dreamlinux Desktop Edition 3.5 comes with XFCE Desktop Environment as default. However, nothing prevents anyone from using other desktop environments, thanks to Dreamlinux’s modular architecture. For example, you’ll find Gnome Desktop Environment available as an XFCE replacement. Shortly, we will make LXDE, TDE and Fluxbox available as well.

I must admit that I tend to lean slightly towards Debian-based systems lately, so Dreamlinux seems to be right up my alley! I am going to do an install on my laptop tonight (with my spare hard drive, gotta keep the working environment clean) and will post back either tonight or some time this weekend with my findings! Stay tuned…

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It is rare that I would post about this type of website, but I feel it is relevant given the current unemployment situation both in the United States and worldwide. Being in a management position and in the process of a hiring search, I try to keep aware of employment search trends (at least within the information technology realm). Most people know about CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, etc… Recently I found a new site (to me anyways) and in the interest of trying to help those who are out of work, I present to you:

As stated on the Jobfox website: Launched in 2005, Jobfox is now the fastest growing job site on the Internet. We provide what no other job site can – Introductions between highly matched job seeking professionals and employers.

While I have never tried Jobfox myself (and have no plans to any time in the near future as I am happy in my current employment), I like the concept of what the site offers and think it might be worth job seekers time to check it out. The more places your information is findable by potential employers, the better! Post back with any experiences you have had with Jobfox, and good luck to all job seekers!

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The friendly folks over at Geeks.com have posted a great article entitled:

If you are an avid Ubuntu user, or even just exploring the operating system, I highly recommend you check out this article. It covers some great ideas and may make your experience with Ubuntu that much better. Give them a try and post back with your experiences!

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If you are a Linux user and are looking for an easier way to get the software you need you may want to check out klik. As shown on the klik website:

I have not tried klik myself, but I am intrigued by the concept. If you have ever tried it, please post here with your experiences. When I get an opportunity to try it myself, I will post back with my findings as well.

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Whether you need some icons for software development, or just want to jazz up your desktop, you should take a look over at:

Taken from the iconPot website:

The aim of this site is simple. We list a whole bunch of icons which are all great to use for your web development projects. But we are different to other icon-related websites because we only list icons which you can use for free on personal AND commercial projects AND without having to provide back-links/credit to the author. These types of icons can be tough to find, so here is a while list for your convenience!

I have to admit that I LOVE this site! iconPot has several great postings already and are sure to have more to follow. The site does encourage users to consider the authors: Although these icons are all free, you are encouraged to donate to the author if they make this option available. Definitely worth checking out!

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Ever wanted a panoramic picture, but don’t have a camera capable to taking the shot? Well, you may be in luck:

According to the hugin website: With hugin you can assemble a mosaic of photographs into a complete immersive panorama, stitch any series of overlapping pictures and much more.

The site even includes a link to some examples:

While I have not yet tried hugin, I love the idea and plan to try it out with some of our family photos. Check it out and post back with your thoughts!

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Need to record your desktop for software demonstrations? Not interested in spending tons of money? Then take a look at:

Taken from the CamStudio website: Here are just a few ways you can use this software:

• You can use it to create demonstration videos for any software program
• Or how about creating a set of videos answering your most frequently asked questions?
• You can create video tutorials for school or college class
• You can use it to record a recurring problem with your computer so you can show technical support people
• You can use it to create video-based information products you can sell
• You can even use it to record new tricks and techniques you discover on your favourite software program, before you forget them

CamStudio can also add high-quality, anti-aliased (no jagged edges) screen captions to your recordings in seconds and with the unique Video Annotation feature you can even personalise your videos by including a webcam movie of yourself “picture-in-picture” over your desktop.

And if all that wasn’t enough, CamStudio also comes with its own Lossless Codec that produces crystal clear results with a much smaller filesize compared with other more popular codecs, like Microsoft Video 1.

You have total control over the output of your video: you can choose to use custom cursors, to record the whole screen or just a section of it and can reduce or increase the quality of the recording depending on if you want smaller videos (for emailing to people, for instance) or you can have “best quality” ones for burning onto CD/DVD.

But all of these features would be worthless if CamStudio wasn’t easy to use … fortunately that’s not the case. CamStudio can be learned in a matter of minutes and comes with a comprehensive built-in helpfile, so if you do manage to get stuck, you can simply hit “Help” and get the answers you need.

I have used CamStudio in the past in several environments and am looking to begin using it again in my current employment for developing some training materials for my users. I highly recommend anyone developing video-based training materials give CamStudio a try. Post back your experience and findings here!