Nick Davis

(LinuxWorld) -- An hour before I deleted Windows 98 from my computer at work, I asked a colleague if she would oblige me to store some MP3s on her computer. I explained I was messing around with my computer, and wanted to store some songs in a safe spot. She said yes. (Thank you, Jen.) I navigated to her machine on the network, and dropped several gigabytes of music into her shared directory. As I completed this task, I noted how user-friendly Microsoft, and Apple for that matter, make local area networking. Since my Linux workstation needed to converse with my coworker's Windows 9x computers on Microsoft's terms, I had some work to do. (See How to get Linux on your corporate desktop, Part 1 for the backstory on this saga.) If I could configure my Linux box to browse the network with the same ease that Windows and Macintosh users do, so much the better. Luckily, foun... (more)

A step-by-step guide to installing Mandrake 8.2

(LinuxWorld) -- About two weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and burn myself a copy of the current version of Mandrake Linux. Mandrake reached version 8.2, and I heard good words about the newest Linux distribution. I was curious how well the new version integrates into my life at the office. Let's go ahead and try it. First, we need to download the ISO images of Mandrake Linux. (If you don't have a CD burner or a buddy with a burner, consider buying a copy of the software at the Linux Mandrake Web site.) These images are found at Mandrake's Web site -- www.linux-mandrake.com. To ... (more)

How to get Linux on your corporate desktop

Day one (LinuxWorld) -- I remember it well -- the first day of my new job at IDG.net. I woke up early, put on the clothes I laid out the night before, and flew out the door. As I sat on the train, I wondered what this new position would be like, what I would do, who I would talk to, where I would go for lunch, and a million other details. After 15 minutes of travel, I stood in front of my new office building. I sauntered in the door and met with my new boss, who led me to my not-quite-so spacious cube. The desk was three inches lower than ideal, and when I sat in my standard blac... (more)