The idea is that for today you will try to stop using proprietary communication protocols and document formats. This is to encourage better communication, discussion and help people choose the software they want to use without being locked into and forced to use a particular product.
I don't think at this time I could stop completely having to use proprietary office formats like Microsoft Office. But I will try and make a small step towards the Open Discussion Day goal. Maybe that will be my goal next year.
From this day on I will not use MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ or Yahoo! Messenger. To contact me you will need to use my Jabber address, which is conveniently, ciaran{[dot]}mooney{[at]}gmail{[dott]}com.
The MSN/AOL/Yahoo! instant messenger platforms are proprietary and each company prevents their customers from communicating with their friends and family on another platform. Imagine not being able to email your friend, bob@hotmail.com because your email was dan@yahoo.com?
There is an alternative, called Jabber. There are many clients that support Jabber on Windows XP (Pidgin or Pandion ), Mac (iChat or Adium) and Linux. Jabber is an open protocol for instant message communication so anyone is allowed to write an application to chat with anyone using a Jabber account, no restrictions. Anyone with a Jabber account is able to chat with anyone else using the Jabber protocol, even if they are signed up to different providers. bob@jabber.com can now talk with dan@gabbler.org!
The easiest way to get a Jabber account is to sign up to Google Mail. The little chat applet in their webmail uses Jabber, or you can use gTalk. If you don't want to use Google you can choose from many of the other providers. Remember it doesn't matter which one you use, you will still be able to talk to me at ciaran{[dot]}mooney{[at]}gmail{[dott]}com.
If you have any questions. please email me or comment on the blog and I'll do my best to answer them.
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My Mum is employed by the council to run a Credit Union in Sandwell. They provide her with an IT budget, so she can purchase laptops and desktop computers. When the laptops finally came through they were set up with Windows XP along with administrator accounts and passwords. Great security has been thought of and implemented. Implemented so well that they didn't tell my mother the password. I can't quite remember why my Mum didn't call the IT support the council were charging her for, maybe it was a Saturday and the laptops were needed the next day, but I was called in to help.
Cue Penguin beating.
Using an application called Offline NT Password and Registry Editor, I was quickly and easily able to set the password to blank and log into the laptop.
This was my Mum's first introduction to Linux, needless to say she was impressed.
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Hi,
This is another kind of test to make sure things are still working OK.
I am an Ubuntu user, and enjoy every time I don't have to prove to a large Corporation that I can use my computer.
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This the first actual post.
Welcome.
This blog was created to procrastinate from doing revision. Hopefully it will not have taken up too much of my time.
Mooney
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Tost
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