No technical professional today can afford to not become familiar and proficient with KNOPPIX including checking out the excellent O'Reilly Knoppix Tools books that provide s-hexy solutions that defy nix arrogance to trancend Microsoft, Apple and web systems tricks.
As for Linux based toys and tricks (as well as alternatives to Microsoft) you might try:
OpenVZ:
http://wiki.openvz.org/Main_Page
Virtuozzo
was built upon OpenVz which is a great FREE Open Source Linux based Windows and Linux
virualization suite should you want to play with multiple integrated
web systems on one server. Unlike VMWare OpenVZ has great ROI cost (free) as far as bridge
overhead and disk memory requirements.
A great cheap tool built upon OpenVz that uses Microsoft (Intead of Linux) to create multiple virtual systems is Virtuozzo:
http://www.parallels.com/products/virtuozzo/
Virtual Linux platforms are wonderful for a development web
environments that can host for development QA or Disaster Recovery.
I
also recommend Vmware ESX server (now available for free download)
which allows you multiple virtual machines, including Solaris, Linux of
many versions, and Windows.
Unlike "Open Sores" purists, I will play with an implement anything and you can benefit from the experience with these Virts!
Also, for those professionals locked securely with one foot in a Gates World and the other in Linus Land, check out SmarterMail:
It's a wonderful
and very cheap alternative to Exchange/Webmail that allows for
IM/iPhone access within range, Blackberry portals, mass marketing mail
plugins, domain keys and DKM (for ensuring deliverability) and
really reliable spam scraping and virus controls via that oh so horribly "difficult to manage" Microsoft-ish interface.
https://www.smartertools.com/SmarterMail/Features/Windows-Mail-Server-Software-Webmail-Exchange-Alternative.aspx
obnosis.com | wiki.obnosis.com| (503)754-4452
PLUG HACKFESTS 2nd Saturday Each Month@Noon - 3PM
> Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:51:55 -0700
> Subject: new hotness?
> From: cryptworks@gmail.com
> To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
>
> I have been looking about for the new hotness as it were. and
> wondering what dis has something really groundbreaking that makes it
> worthwhile to look at.
>
> I guess part of me is tired of the flavor of the month distributions
> that are esentially something else with a new look and a slightly
> different package base or whatnot.
>
> for example Fedora Directory Server is very interesting to me, because
> whether we like it or not this will be a windows heavy world for some
> time. but what else is there that i cna really sink my teeth into. or
> even whats worth doing that with?
>
> My personal list of Distributions i have spent some real quality time with
>
> Ubuntu/Debian
> Fedora/Red Hat new and old/Centos
> Suse/Opensuse
> Gentoo
>
> and a few other that more or less were a repackage of one of the above
>
> --
> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>
> Stephen
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