Noulakaz

The blog of Avinash, Christina, Anya and Kyan Meetoo.

Mauritius

Green is more peaceful than Blue…

By 17 Comments

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A few weeks ago, I got a network attached storage device (a D-Link DNS-323 if you want to know) and it works perfectly with Mac OS X and Linux. I must have transferred more than 500Gb to and fro up to now without any glitch.

Yesterday, I was feeling bored and I decided to boot into Windows XP (I have it on one computer and I have stopped using it) to see if the NAS works well with it. The initial connection went well but I got a Blue Screen of Death (pictured above) during transfer of data.

I rebooted the PC in Windows and tried again. Once more I got the BSOD.

I wonder what normal people do when they get a BSOD? Do they contact their system administrator or technical support group as advised? Or do they just reboot and pray that the problem will go away?

Personally, I only have to reboot the PC and, after a few seconds, something magical happens: the Linux login screen appears.

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This is when I realise how lucky I am.

Brand new Linux User Group of Mauritius website

By 14 Comments

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The new Linux User Group of Mauritius website has been launched. Visit it at:

http://lugm.org/

Interestingly, we have chosen to use WordPress to power the website instead of a CMS like Drupal. The reason for this is that we have a hidden agenda (not so hidden anymore now…): we want people to interact as much as possible. We want YOU to leave a ton of comments (except if you are a bloody spammer…) We would like that all those who use Linux and Open Source Software in Mauritius (whether you do that at work and/or at home) become aware of that website and use it to communicate. So, please, share the URL with all your friends (including those who have been brainwashed by the guys from Redmond. Who knows what might happen?)

Additionally, if you want to contribute an article to the website, you are very much welcome to do so. Send it to our editorial board (at avinash AT noulakaz DOT net for the time being…) and we’ll do the necessary.

Thanks. Linux rules!

Orange expo 2009. What for?

By 23 Comments

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Yesterday, Christina, the kids and I went to Orange expo 2009. We were not very impressed. Granted, the décor was modern and the hostesses were nice looking but the products themselves were lacking. I felt the objective of this expo was to sell instead of to make people discover new ways to use technology… and become empowered in the process. When talking to the people on the stands there, I felt only a few knew about what they were talking about and this was frustrating. For instance, I asked someone from the iPhone stand whether it was possible to buy applications from the Apple App Store with one of his Orange iPhones and he couldn’t answer me satisfactorily… I also spent a few minutes talking to someone demonstrating an ebook reader but he knew his product only superficially and I felt he thought it was pathetically crap… and I personally didn’t! (I would love to get a Kindle 2 for instance.) It was surreal. I was more enthusiatic about his product than him.

Anya, my 6-year old daughter, summarised my feelings when she later said in the car: “I would rather have been to a real expo.”