John’s Tech Blog for Lawyers

Post-It notes are one of the most used pieces of office ‘equipment’ that I used from day to day. My desk, my monitor, and even my office are all dotted with spots of color, tidbits of information that help me remember what I did, what I learned, and what I need to do next.

Tomboy notes is a small applet that puts these notes in my screen instead of on my screen. Plus, it has the added bonus of cross referencing all notes to make digging for information, a simple and efficient task. I leave the unobtrusive icon in the corner of my main monitor. When I receive, or make a phone call, all I have to do is type a simple subject line, jot down the information I need, and voila: any time that subject line comes up again in any other note, it is automatically linked and cross-referenced back to the original note with the subject line.

For example, say I am tracking down a new computer supply shop. I make note with the subject line computer supply, and put down all of the information I need in the note. Then if I make a later note (it also cross-references prior notes), and mention the phrase “computer supply”, that phrase is highlighted and automatically linked back to the original note.

This applet is not a panacea to rid my desk of Post-It notes. The catch is that it has to be used on a regular basis to be an effective tool, and moreso, the subjects must be organizationally intuitive. I admit that I use the applet mostly when organizing case information, or when doing cursory research. And, even though I spend my time with technical issues, I often find a pen and paper to be more reliable, and more accessible. But, for those who are fastidiously organized, and tech addicted, this may just be one of those little apps that makes life a bit easier.

One of the greatest advantages, and ironies, of using Linux applications is that they often interoperate with certain Windows protocols faster and more efficiently than Windows itself. This was true for several years with SMB file server where SAMBA outperformed Windows file servers using a Windows protocol. I still find SAMBA to be easier to configure, secure, and troubleshoot than its Windows counterpart, but, new Windows Servers have made headway to fix that embarrassment. Another application that I found works better than the Windows Citrix client is Linux’s Remote Desktop Client.

One of my pet peeves with many companies’ (and universities’) Windows-reared tech support staff is their absolute ignorance of, and unwillingness to support, any other system other than the one that they currently employ… including former versions of Windows itself. Let me say once and for all that having a short rehearsed script, and Microsoft’s tech support number entered into speeddial does not qualify one to be a computer support technician.

I’ll shed some light on my disdain for certain, but unfortunatley not unique, IT support staff by describing a recent encounter with just such an IT ’specialist.’

A university employee needed to access a certain file server to which the university IT team had understandably restricted access only to local clients and via a citrix interface. Since she was using my laptop, I told her I would get her set up so she could work remotely. So, I phoned the department to get the login parameters through which to access the computer. I specifically asked the server’s address, the domain name, and the client name. Simple? Apparently not.

Out came the script… You need to open IE from the desktop, go to xyz web page, log in to the page, download the client, and then we’ll talk… Oh, you use Linux; we don’t support that.

I didn’t ask him to provide software support for my computer; I asked the login parameters.

If you run into a similar situation, here is the fast and easy way to get the parameters from the .ica file. Citrix usually has a web-based front end through which you can access one or more systems. These links open a configuration file, citrix.ica, which, if you run Windows with an installed Citrix client, will open the client, automatically provide the connection parameters, and let you log in.

With the Linux Remote Desktop Client, you can skip the Citrix interface, and log in directly with Remote Desktop Protocol.

You will need fill out at least 5 fields in the Remotedesktop Client, most of which can be taken from the .ica file. So the first thing to do is download (not open) the ica file, and then open it with cat, pico, vi, or your favorite text viewer.

Computer: Use theIP address listed next to Address, without the four digit port extension :1494. e.g. 123.456.789.123

Username: This is windows login name. e.g. mylogin, not Domain\mylogin

Password: self explanatory

Domain: Put the Windows network domain name here. e.g. Domain, not Domain.com

Click on the Resources tab in Remotedesktop client and choose the keyboard language code, e.g. US. If you do not do this, you will get a keyboard error when attempting to login.

Last, and most importantly, click on the Extended tab and go to the Fake Clientname field: Get the client name from [WFClient] ClientName=

Now, simply login and enjoy troublefree, Citrix-Client-free, remote access.

Good luck.

Which distro I use is an ever-evolving question; I’ve been through at least ten different distros since I migrated my workstation permanently to Linux in 2000. These include: Red Hat 8 and 9, Red Hat 10 with Evolution Desktop, Fedora Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, SuSe, Mandrake (now Mandriva), and some other more obscure ones purely out of curiosity. Currently,I use Ubuntu Linux for my desktop and my laptop, and OpenBSD for my file and Internet Server.

Why Ubuntu? Because it is easy to use, easy to install, easy to update, and it is very well documented. I don’t use Fedora Red Hat because the installation, whether by CD or network, always hangs on my system. Same for Mandriva, which, like Fedora, is Red Hat Based. As for Slackware, its a bulletproof distribution, that always installs, but it is not as easy on the eyes nor as easy to configure as Ubuntu.

Ubuntu’s website says it best. “Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you’ll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.”

When I was testing distros before my last change to Ubuntu, I had a checklist of features that I wanted in the system. It had to be simple to install, had to be well documented, and had to include these packages with the distribution: Evolution, Open Office, Gnumeric, Firefox, and all of the necessary media codecs. Some packages, due to licensing issues, do not distribute certain codecs (coding decoding scripts used to read media files). While you can always manually install the codec, it is very nice to have it included in the system.

Ultimately, I wanted to find a system that even my mother could operate. Ubuntu was it. It is Debian-based, and it has thousands of packages available for it that are easily installed and updated with apt-get; the interface is clean and efficient; and the forum support is fantastic. I have not run into one issue that could not be resolved by a quick Google of the issue. And most of the time, the answer is right there in Ubuntu forums.

Servers are a whole different issue. My requirements for a server are two-fold: that it be secure, and reliable. To this end, I use OpenBSD for my server. It is amazingly secure, and lets you make an old workstation into an incredibly robust and powerful Internet and file server. The OpenBSD website boasts that there have only been two holes found in the default install in the past 10 years!. Windows has that may per day it seems.

Basically the server just runs Apache2, php, and all the other Internet mods, Postfix, Dovecot, Mysql, WebDav, and other basic storage applications that allow me to keep my information localized, but don’t actually have high cpu or memory demands. No, BSD is not Linux, but it is a Unix-based system and operates, from a user standpoint, in very much the same way. And, from the front end, it runs seamlessly with my Linux workstation.

Moving to a Linux environment does have one Achilles heel: the commercial office applications that many of us fund useful, such as accounting software, scanning software, project management and CRMS, do not, by default, work on Linux. Many can be made to run on Wine, an Open Source implementation of the Windows kernel, but often they don’t work perfectly or take up too many systems resources.

So what is the workaround? Compromise, of course.

My work station is comprised of three monitors on two different machines: one on a Windows box, and the other two (one landscape, and one portrait for reading and working on docs) on my Linux workstation. For the M$ Windows box, I bought a mini desktop, bumped up the memory, and use it exclusively for Adobe Acrobat, Navision Financials (I used to work for a Solutions Center when it was still owned by the Dutch), and an annoyingly proprietary, but useful, deposition audio to text synch application. I guess it could also be used for Dragon Naturally Speaking, since it is another application that just doesn’t have a Linux counterpart.

Now for the most simple, but also elegant solution of all: Synergy 2. http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/ With synergy, my three screens all work together with the same keyboard and mouse. Additionally, it also allows me to copy and paste from one screen to another. And the best part is, while the Windows machine is crunching through a batch of OCR scans, my main machine has all of its resources available for my real work.

So do I use Linux because I hate Microsoft? No, I’ve been a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer for over 10 years. I use Linux because it is secure, and it works. There will always be a need to know Windows in foreseeable future, but I’d never give up my Linux boxes as my permanent workstation.

I have been a member of the Linux community for the past 10 years. When I say I’ve been a member, I really mean that I’ve been a user of the great applications that other brilliant folks have created to solve their own problems.

The foundation of the Linux community, originally started by Linus Torvalds, is the idea that the program source is free for anyone to use, for whatever purpose. The main caveat is that if you add anything new to the program source, then that should be given back to the community. While the idea is somewhat between utopia and woodstock, it works. There are thousands of great applications that programmers have given back to the community, many of which I use on a daily basis. Take this wordpress blogging application for one!

Anyway, to make a long story short, I’m not a good programmer. But what I do know is how to troubleshoot just about any computer system, how to create cost-effective working solutions from many different sources of hardware and software, and how to map business workflow into an efficient, functional, and useful enterprise system. So, in the spirit of the open source community, I hope that I can give back to computer users information on how to make their systems work better for them.

If you run into a technical issue that you need help with, log-in and post it here. Then the answer can be shared with others who may be in a similar situation. And, if you find a tidbit of useful information here, please feel free to use it, copy it, and pass it on.

This post was originally written in reponse to a question posed in the TechnoLawyer newsletter. You can visit TechnoLawyer at http://technolawyer.com.

Here is how to get a third monitor working on your system if you have a special “dual head” card and an on board display connector.

Generally, Windows will recognize all attached hardware. But, when dual head cards are installed, the installation software the came with the card will uninstall all other drivers so that the new card will be the sole display source, disabling the onboard display connector.

To get all the display connectors working properly, you should first ensure that the bios is properly set up. Before starting this procedure, make sure that your bios is updated to the lastest version. If not, the updated bios can also be downloaded on the support page for your particular computer.

Once the bios is updated to the latest version, get into the bios configuration by rebooting your computer and pressing the designated key as soon as the screen starts up. You will likely see a prompt for this, but with today’s fast processors, it goes away quickly. I usually turn off the computer, turn it on and start taping the delete key (on my compuer) until the bios comes up. In the bios configuration, you will be able to enable or disable the onboard video port. Make sure it is enabled, save the changes, exit the bios, and restart the computer.

Now open up Windows and go to the control panel. Under Add/Remove software, remove ALL of your graphics drivers. Once they are installed, make sure that you have a monitor connected to the onboard video port and reboot the system.

Windows will open up in VGA mode, it will notify you that it found new hardware, and it will ask you to install a proper driver. Instead of installing all of the software for the video card, simply direct the installer to the location of the driver for which it is asking . Use your CD for your dual head card, and your system should have the driver for the onboard display connector. The system should install all of the proper software based on the .inf file in the directory where the driver is located.

If the system does not install both drivers at the same time, go to the control panel, choose add/remove hardware, and install the second driver. Reboot, and you should have all three monitors displaying the same information. At this point, you can install from the dual head card software disk, or from the manufacturer’s support Web site, the configuration applet that allows you to rotate, and configure the screens on each of the video card ports.

I love my multiple monitors (I use Linux instead of Windows, but the result is similar), but they do take some time to configure properly. You may need to visit the web site for your computer and for your dual head video card. I always recommend downloading the latest driver from the chip manufacturer instead of using the one that comes with the card. That way, you will be using the latest driver, and one that is not watered down with a bunch of other memory-hogging, but often useless apps.