Month: July 2005

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RSS Is Bigger Than Blogs

The Future of RSS is Not in Blogs
“Even now, businesses that were initially reluctantly evaluating RSS are beginning to realize the power and benefit of the RSS information avenue. The inherent capacity for consumers to select the content they wish to receive will be the driving mechanism for keeping advertisements to a minimum and content quality consistent. “

This is quite true. It has been apparent to me for quite some time that RSS goes way beyond simply delivering news headlines. Podcasting is certainly evidenc of that, as is the recent Longhorn RSS lovefest from MSFT. The power of RSS lies in its simplicity. It is a simple XML spec that allows the easy and fast dissemination of information. Really Simple, Sure.

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Running MS Exchange 5.5 Inside a Linux VM

Resuscitating Microsoft Exchange 5.5 with Linux – OSNews.com
“What we will be doing is running NT4/Exchange inside the Linux OS via a virtual machine, VMWare is the vm recommend for its ease of use and stability. We will use a more secure MTA, such as Postfix and we will receive mail via an Imap server, such as Cyrus. Exchange 5.5 will not connect to the Internet at all, and all mail will be filtered through the more secure systems before Exchange has to deal with it. We can even have Exchange 5.5 forgo all mail handling, and only perform address book and calendar sharing.“

Article provides a quick, non-detailed howto on getting Exchange 5.5 running on VMWare using Linux as the host OS. This provides a good way to secure Exchange from the outside world and is less disruptive to end users. It is interesting to note that VMWare can be used to run virtually any MSFT apps on a Linux host in a more secure environment.

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Creating Enhanced Podcasts: Include Slides and More!

This excellent HOWTO on the MAKE blog is a great HOWTO on creating enhanced podcasts for iTunes 4.9 and iPod Color. There are some potential uses here in a lot of areas in the education arena. Think lectures with slides and links to notes. Biggest drawback right now: tools to create these are Mac only:(

MAKE: Blog: HOW TO make Enhanced Podcasts (images, links and more with audio)
“Apple’s new iTunes 4.9, iPod color, allows you to view (and listen to) “enhanced podcasts” these are audio files that can have slideshows, URLs and some cool features we have discovered. Apple’s included documents and a Wiki was all I needed to make our MAKE enhanced podcasts, but I also wrote a how-to. Here’s how to get, make and all you need to know about enhanced podcasts! As a bonus, we put together some fun ideas we think many might use…“

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Make a desktop trebuchet

MAKE: Blog: Make a desktop trebuchet
“By using popsicle sticks and some glue you can build yourself a clever little trebuchet. This is a good replacement for the one made out of paper that has vanished from the Internet. You will need 18 sticks for the frame sides. “

Needs to work this into next year’s conference.

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Scribe Adds Word Processing Features to Web Forms

This is one cool extension for FireFox and another reason to move IE. Be sure to check out Scribe’s features.

MAKE: Blog: Word processing in web forms
“Scribe adds Word Processor like functionality to web forms, including opening and saving form entries as files. Open and save form entries as files. Quickly save to a local file as you type. Never lose a post again due to your internet connection being dropped or laptop battery going out.“

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Am I Fundable?

Slashdot | OSS Funding through Fundable
“FredCK, developer of the popular FCKEditor, recently raised $600 from supporters through Fundable to port his open source HTML editor to Safari. Fundable is a new site that lets groups of people pool money for specific purposes, like software features. Unlike generic donation dropboxes (such as PayPal buttons), if a group’s targeted collection isn’t reached after 2 or 4 weeks, everyone gets a complete refund.”

Maybe I’ll use this help fund some of my innovations…