Care in the Community
Read on for the latest news, features and happenings for ZDNet.co.uk members from your very own community editor.
Tuesday 29 May 2007, 2:41 PM
Put Linux in the ring vs. Windows Home Server
Veteran programmer Xwindowsjunkie has issued a call to arms to other ZDNet members: Help come up with a Linux-based rival to Windows Home Server.
Xwindowsjunkie has challenged Linux experts to come up with applications that will match the functions in the Microsoft software--kind of a "roll your own" alternative. If it works, the compilation will go head-to-head with Windows Home Server on the same machine.
It's a great idea, and one that encapsulates the benefits of participating in the community: Members pool their knowledge, Xwindowsjunkie documents and appraises the project, and at the end, you might end up with a workable alternative to a mainstream product. If you're interested, take a look at the blog entry. Good luck with the project to all who take part.
Xwindowsjunkie has challenged Linux experts to come up with applications that will match the functions in the Microsoft software--kind of a "roll your own" alternative. If it works, the compilation will go head-to-head with Windows Home Server on the same machine.
It's a great idea, and one that encapsulates the benefits of participating in the community: Members pool their knowledge, Xwindowsjunkie documents and appraises the project, and at the end, you might end up with a workable alternative to a mainstream product. If you're interested, take a look at the blog entry. Good luck with the project to all who take part.
Thursday 24 May 2007, 6:18 PM
Win a trip to San Francisco for Intel Developer Forum
Have you got thoughts to share on mobile working? Are you enthusiastic about putting them out there in a blog for your peers to read? Then take part in our competition to become the ZDNet Blogger at Large, and you could win a trip to San Francisco for the Intel Developer Forum in September, courtesy of Intel.
To enter, all you have to do is start posting entries to On the Road, our latest group blog. It's a place where you can exchange experiences and insights on mobile working, from deciding which laptop suits your needs to dealing with network access security. As well as providing a pool of knowledge that benefits everyone, the blog could raise your profile among your peers and on search engines.
Anybody who is a ZDNet.co.uk member can join in, and the competition closes 16 July. Get blogging now, and improve your chances. (If you want to see more details on Blogger at Large, go to the competition page.)
To enter, all you have to do is start posting entries to On the Road, our latest group blog. It's a place where you can exchange experiences and insights on mobile working, from deciding which laptop suits your needs to dealing with network access security. As well as providing a pool of knowledge that benefits everyone, the blog could raise your profile among your peers and on search engines.
Anybody who is a ZDNet.co.uk member can join in, and the competition closes 16 July. Get blogging now, and improve your chances. (If you want to see more details on Blogger at Large, go to the competition page.)
Monday 21 May 2007, 4:00 PM
Group blogs now open to all members
Good news--we've made it easier for you to join in our new group blogs. Instead of having to ask me for permission to join in, all members will automatically be able to post an entry to them.
Right now, we've got group blogs going in three targeted areas: Vista Upgrade Blog, Sentry Posts (security management) and the freshly launched On the Road (mobile working). Think of them as places where you can gather and exchange chat--like getting together with friends in your usual spot down the local. Here's Matt Loney's take on them:
"A group blog is a very simple idea: it is a place where you can blog on a specific subject alongside your peers. It's a place where you know your posts will attract the eyes of your peers, and where you can be part of what we hope will be a vibrant blog without worrying that you must post every day to maintain a steam of content."
All you have to do to post into a group blog is to create an entry, then tick the appropriate box when it pops up under the preview screen. If you don't already have an account, it's the work of minutes to create one--just go here.
For those who need an incentive, this week we're giving away tickets to the npower cricket test between England and the West Indies for the best entries in the Vista Upgrade Blog. Check out the details.
Right now, we've got group blogs going in three targeted areas: Vista Upgrade Blog, Sentry Posts (security management) and the freshly launched On the Road (mobile working). Think of them as places where you can gather and exchange chat--like getting together with friends in your usual spot down the local. Here's Matt Loney's take on them:
"A group blog is a very simple idea: it is a place where you can blog on a specific subject alongside your peers. It's a place where you know your posts will attract the eyes of your peers, and where you can be part of what we hope will be a vibrant blog without worrying that you must post every day to maintain a steam of content."
All you have to do to post into a group blog is to create an entry, then tick the appropriate box when it pops up under the preview screen. If you don't already have an account, it's the work of minutes to create one--just go here.
For those who need an incentive, this week we're giving away tickets to the npower cricket test between England and the West Indies for the best entries in the Vista Upgrade Blog. Check out the details.
Monday 21 May 2007, 2:27 PM
Win tickets for England v. West Indies
Anyone for cricket? The next test between the old opponents gets going on Friday, and ZDNet has tickets to give away, courtesy of Vodafone.
All you have to do to enter is make a posting or comment to the Vista Upgrade Blog, telling us about the new Microsoft OS in your workplace. Has your company started using Vista, and if so, how is it going? Do you think it'd be a good move for your employer to upgrade to Vista? The same questions go if you work for yourself or consult for others, too.
The group blog on the OS is now open to all ZDNet members--no need to get permission any more. To make a posting, hit the preview button and tick "Vista Upgrade Blog" in the list that appears under the entry. Then click "submit", and it should show up both in your personal blog and the group blog. It’s even easier if you just want to comment on an existing blog entry--just click "post a comment".
We'll award the tickets for the best entries. We're handing out away a pair a day starting Wednesday, for each of the five days of the test at Headingley Carnegie. (Update and clarification: If the test only lasts three or four days, we will only award three or four pairs of tickets. And if play is rained out, then there will be no prize for that day.) The test is scheduled to take place 25-29 May, so there's not much time—get writing now.
All you have to do to enter is make a posting or comment to the Vista Upgrade Blog, telling us about the new Microsoft OS in your workplace. Has your company started using Vista, and if so, how is it going? Do you think it'd be a good move for your employer to upgrade to Vista? The same questions go if you work for yourself or consult for others, too.
The group blog on the OS is now open to all ZDNet members--no need to get permission any more. To make a posting, hit the preview button and tick "Vista Upgrade Blog" in the list that appears under the entry. Then click "submit", and it should show up both in your personal blog and the group blog. It’s even easier if you just want to comment on an existing blog entry--just click "post a comment".
We'll award the tickets for the best entries. We're handing out away a pair a day starting Wednesday, for each of the five days of the test at Headingley Carnegie. (Update and clarification: If the test only lasts three or four days, we will only award three or four pairs of tickets. And if play is rained out, then there will be no prize for that day.) The test is scheduled to take place 25-29 May, so there's not much time—get writing now.
Thursday 3 May 2007, 5:40 PM
When does a feature become standard?
Our feature over in Reviews on how to put together an alternative to Adobe Systems' Creative Suite 3 has spurred IT executive manager putt1ck to ask: "When does a feature become essential? And an app a standard?"
Good questions to ask as companies move closer to considering open-source software as a true alternative to proprietary products. It also cuts to the heart of things for software makers, as they face up to the situation: How can they build their software so they will keep customers interested?
As putt1ck points out, 10 years ago artists got their jobs done without the software features they have now. So what aspect of the latest tools is the one they can't do without? Any software company who works that out in their own niche will have cracked the problem.
Good questions to ask as companies move closer to considering open-source software as a true alternative to proprietary products. It also cuts to the heart of things for software makers, as they face up to the situation: How can they build their software so they will keep customers interested?
As putt1ck points out, 10 years ago artists got their jobs done without the software features they have now. So what aspect of the latest tools is the one they can't do without? Any software company who works that out in their own niche will have cracked the problem.
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