Carry an Operating System in Your Pocket

With large capacity flash drives, we have almost reached the point where we could carry our Windows environment with us in our pocket and have access to our familiar desktop and settings wherever there is a public computer. But we really aren't there quite yet.

A practical solution available now is taking Linux with you on a flash drive. Linux isn't geeky and scary any longer. The interfaces for many Linux builds, like Ubuntu shown below, look almost exactly like Windows.



The advantages of using your own Linux OS on a public computer are:

1) Reduce the risk of picking up viruses and malware from a public computer - When you boot a public computer from a flash drive you completely eliminate any interaction with the public computer's operating system. This significantly reduces the chances that your flash drive will become infected by any malware running infecting the public computer.
2) Linux isn't as prone to attack - Since Windows has a 91% market share, people who write malware tend to target Windows systems. By running Linux on a public computer, you are much less likely to be the target of an attack or infection.
3) Enhanced privacy - When you run off your own storage medium (flash drive), you avoid reading and writing to the hard disk of the public computer. Therefore, you don't leave traces of your activity behind.
4) Ease of use - Instead of dealing with a different configuration on each public computer you use, you have access to an operating system with which you are familiar.

Sometimes you can't find a public computer that lets you boot from a USB drive. You can also take a CD with you that contains a Linux OS which should help avoid this issue.

You still need some virus protection but fortunately you can get free antivirus programs that run in a Linux environment such as avast! Linux Home Edition. If you buy a flash drive with a switch that allows you to make it a read-only device, this will also increase your level of protection.

There are many distros (different variations of Linux) that you can choose from to load onto your flash drive. An excellent resource is Pendrivelinux which has many distros available for download and step-by-step instructions on how to install them to your flash drive. Personally, I like Ubuntu and Knoppix as they both include OpenOffice (which is just like using MS Office 2003) and the Firefox browser. But download a couple different distros and see which one you prefer.

And if you are a Mac user, there is an option for you too! gOS is a distro that provides a very close approximation of OS X so you too can feel right at home.

How Not to Use PowerPoint

This is a humorous look at things you shouldn't do when you are creating PowerPoint slides to support a presentation. Even though it is funny, the video makes a lot of valid points that are worth pointing out to students.

Online Office Suites: Contenders or Pretenders?

Although many people are still wondering whether they should upgrade to the newest version of Microsoft Office, some people are considering a completely different alternative. The question isn't whether or not to upgrade, it's whether to install software on your computer or access it online!

The idea of online applications has been around for a while now, but its biggest feature was also its biggest pitfall - online accessibility. For those of us with dialup connections or limited Internet access, online applications weren't much of an option. No one wants to be limited to using their word processing or spreadsheet application only when they have Internet connectivity. However, as broadband Internet connections have become increasingly common, permitting 24/7 access, the concept of online applications is being revisited.

One of the companies providing online applications is a familiar name - Google. Google Docs provides word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications, but no database software. Of course, Google also has GMail and calendar features, but they aren't integrated with Google Docs the way Microsoft Outlook integrates with Office.

But, Google's not the only company trying to give Microsoft a run for its money. Zoho, ThinkFree Online, and Glide also offer online alternatives. In two recent articles, Information Week reviewed and compared these four options. The first article covers Google and Zoho, while the second explores ThinkFree Online and Glide.

There are benefits and disadvantages with all of these choices. On the plus side, many of the applications are free or low-cost. Due to the fact that your work is often stored online, accessing your files from various locations is much easier - no more worrying that you left that important presentation file at home. In the same vein, online access makes collaborating with others simpler too. However, disadvantages still surround the online concept - what happens if you can't access the Internet or the application's server dies? Depending on the application, it may not be possible to back up your work to your own computer, so you need to be sure the company and your Internet service will be reliable. Some of these products will work with existing Office documents, while others may not. And, the level of functionality and features offered may be less than what Office users are accustomed to.

Discussion Questions for Students
1) Do you think the benefits of online applications outweigh the risks?
2) Have you tried any of these applications? If so, how was your experience with them?
3) Would you be willing to forego fancy formatting options and other design features for an application that can produce basic documents for minimal (or zero) cost?
4) Would you consider using an online application as a secondary tool - to supplement but not replace a more conventional application that is installed on your computer?
5) How do you think these online applications remain profitable with their current pricing structures? Do you think the costs may rise if they become more popular?