The Code Crusader

Yep. After a year, I took the second part of my Linux exam. It was quite easy even though I've only reviewed the LPI102 Manual and did some VCE and online test exams. Even though I've finished the whole exam for only 45mins, I only decided to pass my questionnaire and answer sheet 30 mins before the time. I went home quite happy, relax, and confident that I will be having my very first certificate 25 days later after this exam. That is, if I pass. I hope my dream last night of failing the exam wouldn't come true. That would be a very bad Christmas gift and will certain ruin my New Year.

For the past few days, I've been rummaging our office's box full of "garbage" paper. You know, the place where employees would dump all their useless documents or misprinted documents. Majority of paper used for these documents still looks very neat at the back and blank. Most of them are either A4 or Long bond papers. Being someone who prints a lot of documents, I've decided to gather all these papers so I can re-use them when I need to print a HOWTO or some document that doesn't really need a new paper. They can also be useful as a scratch paper or do what I did, I made a notebook out of a bunch of A4s :) After reusing this papers, I'm planning to store as much as I could then later, sell them for a profit :P Think of all the paper you could save and money you can get by doing this :) Just needs a little of your time. Recycle.

Last Oct.28,2008 at 11:45PM, I found myself DIGGing while waiting for one of my client to ask assistance with their servers and whola! Found a link a DIGG about CodeWeaver's LameDuck saying that they'll be giving away their a full version of their WINE for FREE! I was like, "WOW!" I couldn't believe it. It was a mix of joy and excitement. The LameDuck challenge was simple. CEO of CodeWeaver challenged Pres. George Bush to Six LameDuck goals and if he achieved one, CodeWeaver will give a full version of their software for Free. Even though the President wasn't able to achieved one of the goals directly, one of the goals was achieved due to economic crisis and that is, bringing the average price of gas to $2.79 dollar/gallon. CEO of CodeWeavers being true to his word released WINE for one day only and would give the serials through email. But why fuzz about CodeWeavers? You see, CodeWeavers is the biggest developer of WINE. WINE is a popular and quite reliable software in Linux that people use to run MS-WINDOWS apps. Be it games or other applications. Even though WINE is free, it's quite hard to set it up and would require some tinkering that an average computer user wouldn't want to do(as if they'll go Linux in the first place). CodeWeavers on the other hand creates additional modules and some patches that makes WINE easier to use(for a price of course but still very cheap). They have versions for MAC, PC and have versions specifically designed for use with MSOffice and Windows-based games. I remember hacking my way through WINE just to get a sound for my Warcraft3 so a free full version of CodeWeaver's WINE is really great for a Linux user like me. CodeWeavers also gives back their code to the FOSS community so its a win-win situation. With the sudden increase of bandwidth due to a lot of DIGG users simultaneously checking their website, they have to change their homepage to a DOWNLOAD ONLY page to speed up the loading. I just got really luckily I was still able to download a copy since it was already about midnight and even if their having a lot of visitors coming to get their free download.

PS. I just got my registration keys for the version that I've downloaded.(I downloaded all versions btw =p)

For More Info..
http://www.codeweavers.com
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/27/codeweavers-says-cheap-gas-free-software-tomorrow/

Atlast! After years of drooling, thousands of considerations, and saving cash, I finally bought my very first Apple Product. Nope not that thin Mac Air that doesn't even have a LAN Card or a MacBook Pro which would cost me an arm and a leg considering I only need simple stuff but a 6th Gen 80GB silver iPod! hehehe

You see, I started drooling over one back in college. A classmate of mine have a 2nd generation iPod. I really think its a good investment since you can save tons of songs in it and use it as a external device. But since it costs a lot(not less than 10K I believe), I wasn't able to get one. Also, I'd rather buy a Desktop since my very old 350MHz AMD K6-2 is already very slow and my sisters(and mom eventually) needed a faster computer for school and work stuff plus it can double as a my gaming machine.

Going back. After saving some, I was able to buy a 1GB-generic-usb mp3 player which is AAA Battery operated. It died on me months later. Even so, I realized its a really nice companion during long breaks between classes, whenever I commute and as a file storage.

During the years I don't have a music device with me, I endured humming a song, lip synching like I was a crazy person talking with no one and listening/watching Showbiz b*llsh*t inside buses during the long hours of my commute. Since I already save some money, I decided to get one as a birthday present for myself. :) Got a brand new one from eBay.ph which is very cheap than the usual market price. It still have 38GB with my songs and the preloaded songs/movies/episodes on it. Bought it a silicone protector(it's 100% unscratched). All can say is that I'm really happy with it right now. I'll try to post the pics here some other time! :)

Microsoft Products sucks. There. I said it. Their products are headache. From Dev, Office Productivity, Games and yeah, the Operating System that popularized the use of Ctrl+Alt Del(which was originally programmed for debugging purposes) and the Blue Screen of Death... hhmmm ok fine, HALO's cool but come to think of it, it was Bunjie Studios who was acquired by Microsoft that made it. Also, there are rumors going around that Bunjie will be leaving Microsoft. If you really ponder on it, the great stuff inside Windows are usually the apps that are made by other companies. Games for example. Most people are having seconds thoughts moving to MAC or Linux since they don't have as much games as MS Windows. There are also popular apps like Adobe Products that needs a lot of tweaking when you "wine" it under Linux though MAC fan boys don't have a problem on this one. The problem with MS products are bugs. There are too many bugs that later on results to system crashes, security holes, development obstruction, troubleshooting the same problem all over again, portability, upgrades(vista's a memory hog) and lots of other stuff. Microsoft just got lucky that a lot of company's are supporting their stuff through drivers and useful software which doesn't usually have(if not for their community).

I'm a Windows user and has been using MS Operating System since DOS where you even need a boot disk and a system disk to execute utilities like format, copy, diskcopy, etc. But after I learned Linux both on the Desktop and Server side, I have been thinking of moving to nix. I'm using a dual-boot laptop installed with WinXP and Ubuntu 6.06(Upgraded to 6.06.2). So far, the experience was quite normal and the only reason I go to WinXP is for unproductive purposes like games and chatting. Because of this, I made a plan by having Ubuntu for my desktop(installed with XP just incase someone needs it just like my Linux Prof who's wife uses XP), CentOS/Fedora/Solaris(unix) for my servers. Im planning to do this both at home and work by April 2008 because Ubuntu 8.04 will be released by this month.

Now, why am I making this blog entry instead of shutting up and just enjoy tinkering with my servers and desktop? Well you see, I experience a virus and system corruption problem under Windows. My Outlook 2000 here in the office can't send and receive a damn email. I never experienced this with Thunderbird since I got my Gmail account which was by invitation only before. Windows also encounters a lot of bugs and the virus problem I told you about. The virus(a locally made here in the Philippines) is a VbScript virus. As a programmer and a computer enthusiast, I was able to dodge, prevent or even manually remove viruses without the need of a anti-virus since most cases, anti-viruses doesn't detect these types of locally or small time virus. But after what happened, I say I had enough. It's not that I can't fix it, I'm just tired fixing the same problem even if I can or know how. Also, since I know Linux, I already have the option to migrate. So today, I will start slowly migrating my stuff at home and at work to Open Source. Yeah, I can't remove WindowsXP here in the office because most doesn't know how to use Linux. I can't also remove WindowsXP in my personal laptop since I might need a WindowsXP when I go to conferences or meetings where not everyone uses Linux but I'm 100% sure, I'll be seeing less Windows(aside from servers running old Windows Server) starting this April and my use of Windows Applications will start to decline starting today. I'm not sure if I'll be having the standard problem since people here in the office uses Outlook 2000 but I think as long as I can take responsibility of my actions and do my job effectively without having negative effect on other people, I think everything's going to be fine. Casualty for today? Microsoft Outlook 2000.

After waking up. My mom told me that our landline is now fixed. She told me that there's this gossip that some thief intentionally cut some of the land lines. hhmmm from what I re-call, i lost the dial tone at around 2:30PM in the afternoon.. I wonder what the guard in front of our subdivision do during his shift.

11:40PM February 8, 2008. I was on my way out of our building when I thought, "hhmmm maybe I'll with some cash to add in the new account Im planning since." You see, I was having some problems with my account last week that's why I decided to follow my colleagues advice to withdraw all out of my ATM and then just transfer it to a more reliable banking services like another ATM for a more reliable bank or a passbook. So going back, I withdrew about half of my money since it's quite dangerous to withdraw all of it considering its about midnight already. There was another person withdrawing next to me who seems to be having some difficulties but I just ignored him and mind my own business. After I answered the questions the ATM machine asked me it started processing then I noticed that it's taking too long to process my transaction. I even thought that the ATM machine "ate" my card. I was like "shit...what the hell's going on?" Then suddenly, it started operating properly again and gave my the amount I withdrew. Now here comes the problem. According to the amount in my receipt, I withdrew another same amount earlier which I didn't! Damn it. I realized the ATM had a glitch or somethin'. I hurriedly copied their CustCare number and back to my office to call them. The Agent told me that systems maintenance starts at 11PM to 7AM in the morning. He also told me he can't verify my transactions as of the moment since their systems are currently under maintenance. He assured me that the rest of my balance would go back in the morning. Today, I checked my account by calling them after our land line was fixed(yes, I also had a problem with our land line for 3 days). The agent told me that I had 2 transaction of the same amount which is 11:44PM and 11:45PM when in fact, I only did the 11:45PM transaction. I was screwed. The money lost is half of my monthly salary. I went to a nearby ATM and confirmed that the money lost from the other wrong transaction caused by the system maintenance is still not back. I decided to call them again and the assured me that this really happens not only in their bank but with others too. I also asked for my bank's number so I'll be able to call them on Monday. He told me that fixing my account would take 5 banking days. Hay, I hope this gets fixed before my next salary. Lessons learned, never trust the system and never withdrew in during their system maintenance.

Dear blog, I have a problem. And yes, it is about career. Earlier I saw someone carrying a IT manual and some softwares so I thought "hmmmm nice, he's having the same interest as I have in those information". You see, I was given a chance before to handle those information and "technology"(I'll try to generalize so as not to give a hint about what im talking about incase you know..the company..). And later, after I logged in at my PC, my teammate told me, "hey, I heard the other guy will be handling those information and technology you like and he was given a training more prestigious than you guys". So yeah, I was quiet shocked. I was given a training almost like that before but not with a price tag like that. Jealous? I dont think so. I believe he also deserves it since he's been working here longer than me, he's a humble officemate and he'll be tackling the same technology that I'm interested in. I think what bothers me right now is the fact that why did they only give the training to him? I mean yeah, granted that he also deserves it and it's nice to have someone whom who can talk to incase problems arises but don't I deserve it also? I will also be tackling the same information and technology as he will be. Also, I already had a previous training, dont they think that I needed supplementary education for advance stuff? Do they think Im not capable to handle it? Does this happen to be linked about my error before in one of the systems? hayz.. I'm quite frustrated right now. I hope they do have better plans for my career. Im a neophyte. They know that I'd like much exposure as much as possible. My co-neophytes and being given other positions or offered other positions that somehow sounds like a promotion. I don't want to be stagnant here. What will I do blog?

Last January 7, I saw a very funny video/presentation about Bill Gates resignation. The video was about Bill's resignation from Microsoft. It's been about 30 years since Bill(MSFT) and Steve(Apple) have started 
revolutionizing the computer industry. They started back in the days
where companies dont believe that there is a market for desktop computers in every home. That's why a person such as Bill resigning 
his post at Microsoft is quiet unusual since Steve Jobs at Apple is 
still enjoying his innovation and contribution very much.

Bill Gates started Microsoft in 1975. Almost the same time with Apple. As Steve puts it, Microsoft is the only software company that time and the first who knows what a software should be. When Microsoft started, everyone are creating their own softwares and hardware for fun, hobby or for their own research. No one knew that they could make profit from it just like how Steve Jobs believes that there is a big market for desktop computers that no big companies ever realized.

Today, after years of innovation and development that he contributed in the IT industry, I guess
he'll have more time for himself now, for his family and the Gates Foundation that he and his wife
founded. He maybe the person that gave us the blue-screen-of-death(that we are still experiencing)  right and popularized the use of ctrl+alt+del, we can't ignore the fact that he contributed so many great stuff in the computer industry especially in creating great softwares.

Here's a link to a CES 2008 Keynote video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEWMC4usElM