With the recent release of Windows Vista, many companies will avoid upgrading their machines due to several reported issues. They would rather stay with Windows XP than upgrade. So the question on many administrators’ minds is, “Should I roll out Linux as the companies preferred desktop?” As time goes by increasingly the answer is yes.

I have spent the good part of two years going back and forth between Linux distributions, and trust me, there are an enormous amount of participating parties (last check with www.distrowatch.com came in around 430+). Since last year, I have been pretty impressed with the quality of those distributions as a Windows replacement. Currently, my choice is Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. To the end user, nothing can be easier. The interface is very intuitive and comes installed, by default, with many applications that a company would need. Installation is very easy and efficient. With Ubuntu, the admin can even re-master his own operating system, to include applications and updates that he or she would like installed automatically on all desktops. Customize and burn this new CD and distribute it amongst all of the other desktops. It couldn’t be simpler.

Installing applications on Ubuntu is flat out easy. Whether you use the graphical Synaptic Package Manager or command line apt-get, installing programs is much easier than windows. Gone are the days of finding the CD that has the company’s registered email client or trying to find your login so you can download and install that application. With Synaptic you just search for your application, check mark the entry and click apply. Your application will get downloaded and any dependencies will also get downloaded and installed automatically.

So what kinds of applications are available? I have compiled a small list for small companies or even enterprise companies:

Email Client: Everyone’s favorite program. Here you have a couple choices; if you need support for Microsoft Exchange, you can use the default email client Evolution. You just need to install the Exchange plug-in. There is also Mozilla’s Thunderbird, another very rich email client, which doesn't have support for Microsoft Exchange, but has many other features to satisfy just about anyone.

Web Browser: Mozilla’s Firefox comes by default installed on Ubuntu. I think everyone who uses a computer everyday knows about the Firefox browser (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/), so I don’t have to explain. You can also install the Opera browser (http://www.opera.com/).

Microsoft Office Replacement: In this category, OpenOffice is the winner. This office suite contains support for document writing, graphics, spreadsheets, presentations and a small database. You can even open documents that were created in Microsoft Office products. If a Word Processor is all you need, I would suggest Abiword.

Graphics: For a Photoshop replacement, Gimp is your choice (http://www.gimp.org/). If you can't do without Photoshop, you can use wine to install your windows copy of Photoshop CS2 on your Ubuntu desktop (wine can work on any Linux distribution). Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Desktop Publishing: Scribus (http://www.scribus.net/) is the choice for Desktop publishing. Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

3D Modeling and Animation: Blender (http://www.blender.org/) is the king in this field. Blender is the free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems.

Development: For the programmers and web developers, there are many applications to choose from. 
Web Design: Bluefish (http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/index.html)
Screem (http://www.screem.org/)
Programming IDE's: Anjuta (http://anjuta.sourceforge.net/)
Eclipse (http://www.eclipse.org/)
netbeans (http://www.netbeans.org/index.html).

Other: This category covers everything else:
FTP Client: Filezilla (http://filezilla-project.org/)
IM: Pidgin (http://pidgin.im/)
VOIP Soft Phone: Ekiga (http://ekiga.org/)
Skype: (http://www.skype.com)
Google Desktop Search: (http://desktop.google.com/linux/)

I think I can go on for a couple more pages with this, but you get the idea. The sheer number and quality of open source applications for the computer professional is staggering and it's only going to get better. To make things even better, with the exception of Photoshop, all of these applications are open source, including the Operating System, putting to rest any budget concerns.

Viruses and Spy-ware are few and far between at this stage in Linux’s life, so while there really isn't a need for anti-virus or anti-spy-ware programs on Linux things might change in the future as its popularity grows.

Remote Desktop Support: As an Administrator, there is nothing more powerful than to help out an end user by logging into their desktop to see what they are seeing. With Windows XP, there was Terminal Services or RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). With Linux, it’s VNC. With Ubuntu, it is installed by default and it only needs to be enabled and setting a password for the connection.

So if you are considering making the switch, there is no better time than now. Linux is compatible with most systems out there, including very old ones. With support for Active Directory authentication, ldap or basic local login, Linux meets every company’s specific requirements.

Although this article specifically talks about Ubuntu, there are plenty of other Linux distributions that are enterprise quality.
Fedora (http://fedoraproject.org/) which is a more bleeding edge version of Redhat
Centos (http://www.centos.org/) which is derived from Redhat
OpenSuse (http://www.opensuse.org/)
Mandriva (http://www.mandriva.com/)
to list a few.

Dalmatech is local leader in supporting small, medium and large companies in making the transition to Linux for their desktop workstations. We are available for consulting and executing the implementation of such a migration.

For more information, contact Dalmatech’s Tech Services Department.

 Malware has become a very common word, but many people still don’t know exactly what it means. Malware is simply the name given to MALicious softWARE. There are many types of malware present in the virtual world today, and if your computer is acting funny, chances are you’re experiencing the annoying effects of one or more of the following:

Virus

A computer virus is a string of code that embeds itself in an executable (.exe) file. When that file is executed, or launched, by the computer, it allows the virus to spread and infect other files on the SAME computer. The traditional method of spreading a virus among different systems is removable media such as floppy disks, CD-ROMs, USB-drives etc. Infected programs can also be attached to emails, but can only infect a system if the program is run. An infected computer will usually produce infected media. When the compromised program is executed on a new machine, the virus is then able to infect it as well. Viruses typically erase data on the machine they infect, cause pictures to appear or play music on some predetermined date. Computer viruses have become very rare, due to anti-virus programs and the fact that people don’t share executables very often. Viruses are NOT programs themselves; they must embed themselves in a program file to spread. The only way to get a virus on your computer is to execute an infected file. Many other types of malware that are abundant today are often mistakenly called viruses.

Worms

The nasty “bugger” that is most often mistakenly called a virus is what we call a worm. Worms are programs that spread themselves over a network. They run on the infected computer and look for other network systems to attack. Since most computers these days are part of some type of network, worms are very common. They can do a variety of things such as carry a virus payload, but most commonly are used to open a “backdoor.” This turns the computer into a “zombie,” allowing the worm creator to take over the machine remotely and use it for some other malicious purpose. This uses up system resources and can seriously degrade performance locally but can also hinder a network, since that is the worm’s means of propagation. Worms are especially nasty because they can spread among networked computers without notice by the user.

Trojans

Trojans get their name from The Trojan Horse used to sack Troy in ancient times. A Trojan is designed to make the user think it is something harmless, but when it is accepted, it has some unexpected affect on the computer. It is kind of a catch all name for anything that appears to the average user as something useful but is really something bad. They are like worms in that they often open a backdoor, but they are also capable of delivering some sort of payload, such as a keystroke logger. Keystroke loggers record what a user types and then sends it to the Trojan’s creator. They can capture passwords as well as credit card information, social security numbers and other privileged data. Trojans can be very harmful, but they have no method of self-replication. They must be accepted by the user in order to infect a computer.

Ad-ware

Ad-ware is a program that is often bundled in with legitimate software. While they do no actual harm to a computer or its files, they can be very annoying. They are able to cause advertisements to pop-up on the desktop, or force you to view certain ads while browsing the web, etc. They are purely written for marketing purposes, and in some rare cases can inform you about a product you might be interested in, but for the most part you do not want these running on your computer. In addition to displaying annoying ads, Ad-ware can bog down system performance since it is a program running in the background. While the first three types of malware are illegal, ad-ware still falls in a kind of grey area concerning its legality.

Spy-ware

Also existing in this grey area is spy-ware. It is similar to ad-ware in that it is usually bundled with good software and is ultimately used to sell you things. Spy-ware monitors something about the way you use your computer, such as the websites you visit, what you buy online, where you download from, etc. This information is then sent to the spy-ware author who can use it or sell it. It bogs down a system much like ad-ware and compromises ones privacy. Since a majority of these programs are very poorly written, they can have a negative affect on a network’s traffic because they are uploading the user’s computer habits.

Conclusion

While there are many programs available that can remove various types of malware, the best defense is education. No program out there can protect a computer from its user. If you suspect an infection it is highly recommended that you have your machine inspected by a professional. Allow your machine to run fast again and protect yourself from identity-theft and credit card fraud.

Dalmatech offers flat-rate malware cleaning. To learn more about our services: click here

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What is Phishing? In computing, phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Banks and online payment services are typically common targets.

The scenario is this: you get an email from support@bankofamerica.com, subject: Verify your account information (or it could be something else, but usually mentions something about your account). You say to yourself, “hey I got an account with Bank of America, maybe there is a problem with my account. I should login and check it out.” As you open the email, everything looks legitimate, there is the Bank of America logo, plus the email is from support@bankofamerica.com, so far everything looks fine. There is also a link in this email that appears to take me to the Bank of America site.

You click on the link and it takes you to what looks like the Bank of America web page, still everything looks fine. You enter in your Account information then click submit. You have just been the victim of a Phishing scam.

·       Legitimate emails from financial institutions will never ask you to enter or reply with personal information such as your Social Security Number or credit card number. If you receive these types of emails and you haven’t modified your account in any way, it’s best to call your financial institution.

·       Another quick way to see if the email is real or not, you can hover your mouse over the link contained in the email (don’t click it) you should then see the actual URL, which most of the time is not the real URL. It could be an IP address or another domain name that is similar but not the actual domain name. 

·      Don't use the links in an email, instant message, or chat to get to any web page if you suspect the message might not be authentic.

Everyone is bound to get one or more of these Phishing emails, just make sure you are thinking through everything and if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.