Yeah, you can perform an actual Whois Search for that domain name you’ve been wanting or to look up who owns that one whose site you’re browsing. All from your Ubuntu Desktop!

This can be a particularly good thing these days especially in light of the recent happenings with Network Solutions and their domain tasting stories like this one from Dave Zan in which he says:

Over the past 3 years or so, there have been reports from many people wherein they use a registrar’s domain availability search, don’t register the domain name on the spot for whatever reason, and find it taken before they get around to it. A common observation is some of them are released after 120 hours, creating the speculation it’s because of domain tasting.

This can be frustrating when you think you’ve got that perfect domain name in mind for your business or personal site and the registrar’s web site you used to check it’s availability scoops it up before you’ve decided to grab it yourself.

So, what to do? If you’re running Ubuntu Linux Desktop version 7.10 (not sure of previous versions of this writing) you can check on that domain name without worry of it being robbed out from under you.

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Before you say it…yes, I know that it would probably be cheaper to buy one but for what I’d like to have in my new one, it might just be better to build it instead. Plus the experience would be invaluable too.

However, from some of the research I’ve been doing lately, it seems there is a vast market for “refurbished or reconditioned” computers. Most come with no peripherals like monitors, keyboards or a mouse but are certified as being the same as what you’d buy in a store. Warranties are varied depending on who you’d buy from but that’s where the shopping comes into play. Comparing prices, warranties and machines would probably net me around 15 to 30% savings over a new machine. It’s just that the refurbished one would be around 3 to 6 months old by the time it becomes available for purchase again due to all the stringent testing that goes on before they put a refurbished computer back on the market again.

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I’m sure that most folks that know of either of these two hosting companies also know there isn’t any love lost between them. That’s plainly evident from this latest scenario about DreamHost making a serious goof with their billing and overcharged their customers way over what they were normally billed. Not all of them mind you but a heck of a lot of them.

The first posting on DreamHost’s blog is not what I’d call very professional but considering that they conduct themselves on a day to day basis in such a light-hearted manner, what would one expect from them? However, after hundreds of customers complained loud and long about it, they returned and posted again with a follow-up in a more courteous manner and tone with more information. Plus a third one with a final update.

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This post is yet another in a series of mine that strives to show the advantages of running Linux over Windows for most home/office users.

Realizing that this in no way will cause masses to defect to Linux, my intentions here again are to show that there is a definite advantage in running Linux over Windows especially these days.

Advantages

One advantage is the lack of Virus and Spyware/Malware that can do harm to a Linux based system. There are none to date that I know of where with Windows….well, let’s just say that you better not let your subscriptions to Norton, McAfee, Spyware Doctor, etc. run out. Let’s not forget a good firewall for Windows either. The hackers love to break in to Windows just as much as they do writing bugs for it.

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Yes sir! We have more competition in the web mail field now. The company is called GMX and is claiming to have developed the world’s best free web mail service. GMX - Global Mail X-change.

• They claim to have over 10,000,000 satisfied users
• Huge selection of available names with gmx.us or gmx.com
• Spam protection with up to 98% hit rate
• Maximum virus protection guaranteed
• Bundle existing email accounts & addresses into one (much like GMail’s)

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