I just restarted my laptop for the first time in weeks... not because worthless Windows crashed on me or was corrupted by 1,000s of worms and viruses, like so many 1,000s of time before, but because I noticed there were 115 free updates to free open source software (FOSS) Ubuntu that I should download, which I did... 15 minutes or so later (I kept working while the updating happened in the background) I got the message my computer was upgraded and I should restart - I imagine the computer was happy for a break from weeks of near constant use, but it didn't need the break as Ubuntu doesn't break computers. Restarted, the computer seems faster and bolder than ever, ready for weeks more hard work without interuptions from Microsoft. Are you ready for Ubuntu? Be Real!

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So I am just a happy clam when it comes to my Ubuntu based computers.  I have been working with Ubuntu 5.10 on my notebook computer for many months, since 2005 I believe.

I have three computers running Ubuntu 6.06 and just today installed a new driver that allows me to Read and Write to an NTFS partition.  For those that do not know what that means I will explain. 

Most computers run some form of Windows. Ever since Windows NT on the server and Windows 2000 on the desktop the files system has been a permissions based one.  This allows individule security on folders and files.  Since this file system was created by Microsoft the system is closed.  That means that it is not easy or even possible in some cases, to write files to an NTFS based drive while in Linux. 

This new driver (still in Beta) installed without issue on my test compter.  I changed my automounting to use this driver.  I plugged in my NTFS formated USB drive and was able to write a 4.4GB ISO to the drive without issue.  This is a fantastic advance in the usability of Linux in a MS windows world.

For those of you that play with Linux I recommend you head on over to the SourceForge page here and download some happines. Carl this means you .

Now I am really impressed - I was given an Epson Stylus CX3810 printer several months ago and at the time I could not find a driver for it to run with Ubuntu, so I kept my comuter dual-boot so I could go back to Windows if I needed to print. Well, today I need to print so I set up the printer and just dreaming I went into Ubuntu Admin Printers and tried adding a printer and was awed that it found a driver for this exact printer now included in the system - probably one of the free updates I donwloaded since I first installed Ubuntu and tried the printer... the Epson site still doesn't show a Linux driver for this printer, so they are not to thank. This shows Ubuntu really getting on top of what has always been my greatest concern with the system, being compatibility issues with all the 1,000,000s of hardware devices in the world. While most hardware vendors have made a point of working with Microsoft to provide drivers for Windows, and many also support Apple, few have in the past put any focus on working with Linux. What has happened, it seems, is the Linux community is solving its own hardware challenges with sites like LinuxPrinting.org. If that has changed everything for this low end Epson printer, it appears there is great progress across the hardware world making FOSS a no-brainer for regular folk like me.

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