Linux Distribution History

First, a little history and the answer to the question ‘What the heck is a Linux Distribution?’. When the Linux operating system was young, it was just the Linux kernel. Programmers had fun but the Linux kernel doesn’t interact with people. The kernel is the supervisor managing resources and getting bits and bytes to where they need to go. For Linux to do useful things we have to add programs. It’s the programs that talk to people, do what you ask and finally make you say “Gee, that’s cool”. The kernel, plus all the programs make up the Linux Distribution or distro in geek speak.

Okay, you’ve decided to take the plunge and give Linux a chance, now what?

What do you want to do?
Using a computer is akin to finding the right tool in your tool box. If you want to drive a nail you pick up a hammer, if you want to turn a bolt pick up a wrench. To make a computer useful you have to decide what you want to do. Some of the most common things that people use computers for are below, all can be accomplished with Linux!

The Linux operating system has been around for a quarter century now, should you use it for your desktop computer?

The definitive answer to that question is maybe. It is likely you already use Linux for other things without knowing. Many multi-media boxes, smart TV’s and network routers all use Linux under the hood.

Close cousins of desktop Linux are running your Android phone and possibly that Chromebook that your kids use in school.

Rollback of Buggy Windows Updates

Sometimes Microsoft rolls out automatic updates that will cause problems on your computer. If this is the case, removing (rolling back) the problematic update may be required. You can remove recent updates with the following steps.

• Open Recovery Console using one of the following
  • Press Shift during restart with GUI -OR-
  • Hitting F8 during boot -OR-
  • Boot from recovery media

Once the Recovery Console is running, get a list of recent updates using one of the following methods:

In today’s world of text, tweet and email a good old fashioned voice call may seem passé, but truthfully, it is at times, the best way to communicate. Fewer and fewer people have a traditional telephone (along with their spendy monthly bills) in their home. So, how do we have a telephone at home without a huge bill to go with it, enter Voice over IP or VoIP.

What is VoIP?
Very simply VoIP is telephone service over the Internet instead of traditional, dedicated telephone lines. VoIP rides along your Internet connection in the same way streaming TV, web browsing or Netflix shows does. You do need a few things to replace your traditional home phone, but not many.

So just what is a VPN[1] and why do you want to be using one?

A VPN is a tunnel from one point to another. This tunnel does two things. First, it forces a private[2] connection to be used between your computer and the VPN server. Secondarily a VPN masks the physical location of your connection. All your information appears to be originating from the VPN server.

When you connect to the Internet without a VPN, information sent and received may be or may not be private depending on what program you are running and what service you may be in contact with.