http://sweetconsulting.org/blog Open Source IT Solutions Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:12:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en According to various reports I'm reading on OS and Hardware authorities, it would appear that Sun Microsystems is E.O.L'ing all of the existing UltraSPARC workstations. Seeming to be a common trend in hardware manufacturers, the x86 arch comes out on top again. In this case, all signs are ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/the-end-of-an-era-for-sun-ultrasparc/ Summer break for educational facility usually means a break for staff/students, but is a bustling time to prepare tech for the coming school year. Since new education workstation purchases usually occur during the summer, 2008 is unique - especially if you would like to maintain your environment that already ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/keeping-windows-xp-alive-after-june-30/ Unlike the bad old days, modern hard disks are quite reliable. We use them in multitude on our workstations and servers. Standalone, RAID, SCSI, ATA... whatever configuration you may have, there is a common thread. Chances are, your hard disk is enabled with S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/smart-for-your-multitude-of-disks/ Our friends from across the pond have been remaining true to the cross-platform community. Skype 2.0 for Linux has at long last been released. The free favorite of the VOIP clients has finally upgraded its suite to include a missing feature. For years, both XP and OSX clients have ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/skype-20-full-service-for-linux/ A small blip on the radar brought attention this week, this time in the browser world. First off, this enlightening article is a sleeper, considering the importance of the browser. It garnishes unbiased attention from the developer community, no matter what platform is involved. Firefox marketshare continues ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/memory-management-bits-from-firefox-3/ Seems as though there is some peaked interest around here regarding dev platforms on the iPhone. Not actually owning one of these beasts, this entry is just a comment on general smart devices. It just so happens that the iPhone is filling the gap more each day. Considering ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/what-software-means-to-iphone/ For those of you who cannot live without your trusty shiny sidekick, it is interesting to see how mutated it can become.  For good reason, most would never tamper with their iPhone since it is an actual productivity tool.  However, there are always the choice few who like to push ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/an-apt-ly-equipped-iphone/ Storage requirements seem to be growing quickly after hosting remote backups.  I have been searching for a newer RAID appliance using ethernet.  It is referred to as ATA-over-Ethernet.  From a high level, it performs similar to a software-RAID.  Since this is a block device, it should behave no differently but allow you ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/ata-over-ethernet/ Seeing as my daily life revolves around the OSX environment, it is fitting to link to a real-life review of the new version. 10.5. Not quite the obligatory ars.technica review, but more of a cursory glance. Mainly, masses tend to flock to the new glassy, polished, more ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/yalr/ Yet another free operating system was recently released to the masses. gOS is now being bundled on some WalMart PC's for $199. It seems like the market power of Google is lending some traction to this linux-based OS. Based on Ubuntu, this OS will be touting all ... http://sweetconsulting.org/blog/gos-another-option/