Oracle Linux on your home or small office server?

This year Oracle announced the release of its own free GNU licensed operating system: Oracle Linux. The Oracle Linux OS is heavily based on Fedora Core with the applications of Red Hat Enterprise Linux bundled in. This is essentially a move from Oracle to grab some of the market base of Red Hat since they are now offering pretty much the same Red Hat application features now for free.

We already know how Linux can perform very well in the enterprise, where big data and IPv6 intersect, but have you ever considered running Linux at home? Or, maybe, in your small office?

Now that Oracle Linux is offering so many great application features for free, I think a strong case could be made for running Oracle Linux on your own home or office network.

Let’s look at a couple reasons why you may want to explore this option.

Should I Reuse or Recycle My Old Computer?

The decision to reuse or recycle an old desktop computer takes some consideration, but letting an old PC turn to electronic waste should never be an alternative.

Electronic waste is becoming a serious global problem. By the end of the 20th century, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had already called attention to the heaps of computers, monitors, laptops, printers, scanners, keyboards, cell phones, and other consumer electronic devices rapidly piling up in landfills.

Electronic waste poses plenty of challenges to the environment; from the presence of hazardous substances and heavy metals that seep down into the subsoil, thereby polluting ecosystems, to the ethical issue of failing to recycle a or reuse components that can serve other purposes.

Top 5 Free Suites to Replace Microsoft Office

Rarely do small business and home users need all of the features that are included in the powerful Microsoft Office suite of products. Microsoft Office is the industry leader in office productivity software, but many free alternatives exist that will satisfy the needs of most small business and home users. This gives cost-conscious business owners a way to save money while maintaining productivity.

Open source office products will include many of the features of costly programs and support all of the major file type, including Microsoft file types. The free suites will include the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software that businesses need. Many also include other programs like drawing applications and database tools.

If you need to cut costs, here are five feature rich office programs that you might try.

Linux for a business traveller

Are you a business traveller? Do you need to spend at least some of your nights away from home, somewhere in a hotel? Do you have a company laptop?

If you answer is yes, then you're like me. I also have a company laptop with MS Windows already installed on it. To be honest, it is not a top-range laptop, although I cannot call it a low-range one either. Something average, or just below average.

But how much time do I spend turning this laptop on each time? I don't know about you, but my laptop takes about 5-10 minutes to boot. That is not only because of MS Windows XP, which was installed God knows when and then never properly "cleaned up" of the inevitable mess. That is more to do with all the corporate applications that start with Windows. All those antivirus, screenshot tools, internal communicators, remote access tools and so on.

Do I need most of them, when I arrive at the hotel late in the evening, and only need to check my e-mails, maybe chat with family and friends and read some news? Of course not! Then, why do I need to load all that crapware software? I do not want it!

What is the solution?

Top 5 Reasons to have a Linux Live CD

Ubuntu is one of the most popular free and open source software available. A 2012 survey revealed it is the most popular Linux Distribution on desktop and laptop PCs. Below are some of the reasons why you should have Live CD / DVD with Ubuntu, or other Linux distribution.

Ubuntu 12.10: your next OS?

Testing out Linux's finest on a laptop

Ubuntu has always been the most popular
Linux distribution

Ubuntu 12.10 is positioning itself as a real, bona fide mainstream OS – challenging the likes of Windows 8 and OS X. How does it measure up? Here's the review.

The Ubuntu main screen is clear and confident - something that Linux
distribution marketing has lacked

The customer-facing front page of Ubuntu suggests that change is in the air. Boldly displaying a Lenovo laptop happily running Ubuntu 12.10 – browsing the internet in Mozilla Firefox, no less – Ubuntu seems to be pushing the idea that it's ready for the big time. Beneath the proud banner lie adverts for businesses to adopt OpenStack, and a tiny note that 20 million – yes, 20 million – people use Ubuntu in the place of commercial alternatives. Ubuntu has never been so bold to suggest it could – and should – displace more mainstream operating systems. Does it have any right to that?

Linux and FOSS is my inspiration

I am inspired by the opportunities Linux and Free Open Source Software give you.

It is like have yourself freed from the chains of big greedy corporations and get a choice of what you use. It is safety. It is performance. It is an option to give a second life for the hardware you thought is no longer good enough.

And what does inspire you?

+++Share your inspiration with the world for a chance to speed up your computer by winning an ultra-fast Plextor 128 GB M5 Pro SSD – visit http://blog.goplextor.com/ for details+++