Not that it makes any difference to the reader, but I’m not using my usual computer to post this message.
My usual computer is a laptop running Windows XP. Articles are written using OpenOfficer Writer, then cut and pasted to my blog using the Firefox browser.
But today, I’m writing on the backup, an IBM laptop – still using OpenOffice and Firefox, but running on Ubuntu, a Linux operating system.
My third computer, a venerable desktop, had been running Linux without a problem since the day I bought it.
But until recently I resisted the temptation to install Linux on my usual laptop.
The trouble is, Linux tends to lag behind when it comes to new developments.
My desktop had no problem connecting to the internet through an ethernet cable, but wirelessly it was another story.
Fortunately, Linux has caught up. Ubuntu’s Hardy Heron OS connected effortlessly to my home network first time.
And although it took a few attempts – and a lot of help from the ILUG guys – I’ve now got mobile wireless access, having taught it to speak to my O2-supplied dongle from Huawei.
So as of today, I’m connected on the move, without depending on Bill Gates.
