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you're a geek [return(lobby)]

ok, you're viewing this web page on a computer running windows, right? don't feel bad, over 90% of the computer-using world can sympathize with you. only a very few elite surfers will be hitting this page using an alternative os, or "operating system." ;)

Thomson & Ritchie! so what else is out there? lots. you honestly don't *need* windows to have a great computer. i know you've heard of linux, and probably have seen the ads that apple runs on tv, but did you know that both linux and the mac owe their roots to yet another operating system? unix.

unix was developed eons ago (no really, look it up!) in order to prove that computers can stay running without a reboot every day. ok, actually not, but you should check out how it got started. either way, if you stay on this site long enough, you're going to find out how it turned out. the acronym "UNIX" stands for UNiplexed Information and Computing System. (it was originally spelled "Unics.")

today you're quite likely to find FreeBSD unix running web servers, and making web developers smile. you're *also* likely to find it running in your favorite movie star's home! apple recently started from scratch with their operating system, and based the new one (called OS X) on FreeBSD unix! since the macintosh is an amazingly attractive machine even on the outside, it makes for a very good "designer" computer.

macs are better. there, i said it. you'll want a link here, no doubt. ;) you can learn more about the macintosh operating system at apple's website: http://www.apple.com/macosx/

lets face it. all the cool chix are into unix. and all the cool chix with style are doing it on a mac. ;]

not everyone can own a mac, but that doesn't mean you have to do without the power of unix. so, how do you tap into a *nix computer's power? and exactly what *is* that power after all? well, the second question would be hard to answer in non-technical terms. all i can say is grab yourself a shell account on a unix box and follow me!

here's a step-by-step process for connecting to a server that isn't right in front of you. its called remote access, and it can be done by calling the server through your computer's modem, or these days through the internet you can just enter some info and open a connection to the server for as long as you are online. we'll be examining that second route, opening a remote connection over the net:

first things first: make sure you are connected to the internet. dsl/cable internet is great, but you won't need a high-speed connection to do any of this! we're only going to be dealing with small bits of text, not huge graphics and video files and stuff. 28.8k will even cut it for you, if that's all you've got.
next, you've got to have a "client" application to run on your end of the connection. windows has a telnet client built in, but you'll want to use something called an "ssh", or "secure shell" client, to discourage blatant outpouring of your session information to anyone listening in on your connection.
ok, so you're online, and you've got an ssh client installed. great. now who are you going to connect to? here, i can't help you. friends, relatives, schools, lots of resources you can ask around for. but somewhere, on somebody's computer, you've got to have an account (username and password) sitting there waiting for you to connect. do *not* try just connecting to random servers, you need somebody to set you up an account that you can learn on.
now that you've sweet-talked your way onto uncle fungus's freebsd server, and he's secured the directories he doesn't want you poking around in, go ahead and enter the following information in your ssh client:
- hostname: uncle fungus's server name goes here
- username: enter the username uncle fungus gave you in this field
- password: at least 6-8 letters & numbers are best
more steps on the way... time for bed right now. =)

Guess Media: Internet & Web — Media & Development Studio

Thursday November 20th, 2008