September 2008 Archives

It has almost been a year since I completely switched to Linux (OpenSuse 11.0 flavor) on my home desktop PC. Even though Linux has pretty much all the applications I need, every now and then, there was always a need  to use one of those apps that was supported only on windows. After experimenting with different x86 virtualization solutions, I settled on VirtualBox due to 2 main reasons:

1. It is free.
2. It is included in OpenSuse's official repositories which made it so easy to install and update.

Even though the Open-Source flavor of VirtualBox has pretty much everything I needed, it still lacks certain features that are available only in the closed-source version of it. One of the important features for me that was missing was USB support. What this means is that, with the open-source version of the application, you'll not be able to access usb devices connected to your PC. This is something I really need. So, I got the closed-source version of the application from Sun's Virtualbox website and have been a happy customer since then.

Even though I've been using VirtualBox for quite some time now, only today, I realized that there is a "Seamless Mode" (see screenshot on the left) option in VirtualBox which integrates the Windows desktop with KDE desktop quite nicely. The experience is truly "seamless". If you are one of those linux users who still dual-boots to Windows to access your favorite windows apps, I highly recommend VirtualBox to you. I'm sure you'll be impressed.

Finally, I took some time today and moved from my previous web-host to a cheaper and better alternative. For the past 4 years, iKurt.com was hosted with Ehostpros. Even though service was reasonably cheap and reliable, I felt the features offered at that price range did not match with other hosts. After researching for several days, I finally settled with Hostmonster. They offer unlimited storage space with ssh/ftp access, support for php, cgi, ruby, perl, mysql etc for just $4.95 a month. So, I decided to take the jump and switched to Hostmonster.

Also, after experimenting several CMS softwares to manage the new iKurt v2.0, I've decided to go with Movable Type. I really wanted to use either Joomla or Drupal, but they both look too complicated for something as simple as a personal blog. I must confess I almost went with  Wordpress due to the ease of use and the huge number of available plug-ins. But finally I picked Movable Type since it appeared to be easily adaptable than Worpress just in case I decide to expand iKurt to be something more than just a personal blog. Also, Movable Type has all of the essential features required to get a personal blogging website online in just a few clicks.

I have also moved the old pages from the previous revision of iKurt.com to my new host. The older version of iKurt is still available here.