Google Apps Team Edition

After they announced the Team Edition of Google Apps, I immediately set out to find out more about it. This is an interesting new way to approach collaboration. When it comes to desktop software, collaboration has always been limited in Open Office and MS-Office has always had that. Cloud computing has become an alternative the tradition desktop office suite but it's never really taken off exactly for the same reason. Microsoft's online version of Office still rules the roost when it comes to collaboration. The Team Edition of Google Apps is a great start for groups that need to collaborate but don't necessarily want to spend an arm and a leg to get that functionality. It's very bare, as far as full office suites are concerned. However, it does fit a niche for teams that only need the basics and collaboration features. Here's a 2-minute video about it:



Try it out and see if it fits your needs. I know I'll be recommending this to my wife who's looking for something exactly like this to use with her team. They only have a small team 8 people and don't need the full everything-but-the-kitchen-sink functionality of say MS-Office.

When Conspiracy Theories Come True

I once laughed at the idea of a friend of mine. A few years back, we were talking about the future of Linux. It was just idle chatter and wishful thinking. Then he blurted Microsoft would eventually open source once desktop Linux threatened its dominance. I laughed at the idea. Could Cosmos be a sign he was actually foreseeing the future? Read more here: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1162&tag=nl.e622

Still Looking For a Solution

I'm still looking for a way to sync my Treo 650 with my Linux box. I know, I know... It's been tested and accomplished by a lot of people. I still haven't done it successfully myself. So I was glad to see someone else was able to do it (http://ecmarchitect.com/archives/2008/01/21/801). Following a link from that page, I printed this guide (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PalmDeviceSetup). Will try this post haste :-)

In-Between Days

I've been using the x64 version of Xubuntu for about a week now. Java and Flash are still a pain. I wouldn't care much if it were not for the fact that most media-driven sites now use both to serve up their content. The quickest way around this is to just stick with the x86 version of Ubuntu's. But I'm putting that on hold. I'm currently downloading the ISO for Ubuntu Ultimate (which is 32-bit) and will try that as soon as the torrent finishes. I am anticipating the release of Hardy though and when April comes around that'll probably replace Ubuntu Ultimate. Distro-hopping has never been better :-)