Firstly it appears that there are a lot of providers coming onto the market right now, and they are all going to be competing against each other for business. If you want to go with one of them, and can afford to wait, CoConut Solutions is advising that you do so in order that you can get the best possible deal.

Secondly, as we have previously mentioned, CoConut Solutions offer off-site secure storage for your most valuable data. We will always offer the most competitive personal service that we can. We will provide you with the service that you require, always tailoring our product to meet your needs.
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If you have any questions about how CoConut Solutions can streamline your data storage needs, drop us an e-mail
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• Seamless integration with your Ubuntu based computer
• Sync files between multiple machines
• Access to your files away from your computers via our web interface
• Free 2GB Storage Plan

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I’m sure that you are wondering what the advantages of Ubuntu One will be over DropBox.  The answer is that Ubuntu One comes from a trusted source, as such updates and patches will be released through the Update Manager, and latest versions held in the Ubuntu Repositories.  If things change with DropBox, there is the danger that they may not be able to co-ordinate patches or upgrades in the same manner that Ubuntu can.
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There is no indication as to how long Ubuntu One will be in Beta, however there have been unsubstantiated rumours that there is a desire to have Ubuntu One available with v09.10 which is due for release in October.  If it is not possible to have it ready later in the year, we are sure that Canonical will what this feature as part of v10.04, which following Ubuntu’s release schedule, will be the Long Term Support release.
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1. The file is almost 2.5GB – this means on a dial-up connection (56k/sec) it will take about 5 days to download.
2. The licence that MS provide is only a temporay one, and not only will it expire in May 2010, reports indicate that a couple of months before expiry it will start to automatically shut down every couple of hours.
3. This is not the final product, so it must be remembered that despite all the testing that has already gone on, it is likely that there will still be bugs in it.

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Is it any good?

CoConut Solutions have been testing and early indications are that it’s faster than Vista, however in all honesty that’s not saying much.  Vista was renowned for being very heavy on computer resources.  In all tests XP outperformed Vista, and this was the reason why Vista was never adopted by the emerging NetBook market.
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The second issue is that there are possibly too many editions:
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• Starter
• Home Basic (only available in developing nations NOT T&T)
• Home Premium
• Professional
• Ultimate

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In addition there will be the Enterprise edition, however in all fairness this will only be seen by volume licensing customers.  Our opinion is that this such a wide choice only leads to consumer confusion as to the package to suit their needs.  Life was a lot easier when XP offered Home or Professional Editions.
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However it appears that Starter edition is a low-cost stripped down version, designed for NetBooks and low cost machines.  It most notable limitation is that it will only run 3 applications at one.  This means that by the time you’ve opened your e-mail, opened your web-browser, there is only one more application that Starter Edition can support before you have to start shutting things down.
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As I write this, I have 6 applications open – E-mail, web browser, 2 file browsers, calculator & notepad.  Bare in mind this is being written on a Sunday, and I don’t consider writing a blog entry to be actual work.  Tomorrow morning I will be also using CoConut Solutions’ company database, The GIMP (image manipulation software) as well as various spreadsheets.  All of these import word-processing documents.  Starter Edition will be of little use to anyone who wants to use their computer to do some work as well!
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Windows 7 is not what you would call backward compatible.  If you are considering upgrading from XP, there will be some applications that will not run with Windows 7.  MS provides an XP emulator to run these applications.  Although it is a way of catering for users of the earlier OS, it’s not the pretiest of solutions for what many hoped would be a more inclusive OS.
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Criticisms, and one or two gripes with the user interface aside, Windows 7 does look good.  However in our opinion Microsoft seem to lack direction as to how and where they want to take their business.  CoConut Solutions are sure that if they had there way, Microsoft would have developed an OS that looked incredible – far better than Windows 7 actually does.  However they have had to listen to the critics regarding their Vista ‘mistakes’, and then came along NetBooks, for which a bloated and overly resource-thirsty just was not an option, which caused MS to strip down Windows 7 further!
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CoConut Solutions will continue testing.  If you are interested in it yourself, get hold of a copy and run it in a virtual machine.  However if you want to spend money on a computer with an Operating System that works, buy a Mac.  If you just want an Operating System that works, contact CoConut Solutions for the best Linux solution.
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The cube means that you can have different applications on different faces of the cube, allowing your desktop to be less cluttered, and individual windows easier to find.
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This effect is not just limited to Linux users.  If you run Windows, you too can have access to this facility.  Companies such as Otaku Software and Cube Desktop have produced programmes that will give you 3D effects to your Windows desktop.
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Cube by Otaku Software

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Unlike the Compiz version, this software is not free, but if you have to run windows for whatever reason, this is a way that you can get the slick effects that once tried Linux users cannot live without.
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Please note that CoConut Solutions has not tested the propriety products shown, they are merely examples of products we found from Google.  CoConut Solutions does not guarantee, and cannot be held responsible for the content other websites.
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Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Paint

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2.  Open your picture file by clicking the File menu and selecting Open

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3.  Select Image menu, and then select Stretch/Skew
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4.  Change the Horizontal to (for example) 20% and the Vertical to the same amount
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5.  Click OK
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6.  This should be the result
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7.  Click File and then Save and this will overwrite the original image.  Alternatively, to save in another location or with a new file-name (retaining the original image), select File and then Save As… .
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For those using Linux based operating systems, use GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). After opening the image select the Image menu and then Scale Image.
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CoConut Solutions uses and recommends Gimp, which is an excellent Open Source (free) graphics package which can be used with Windows, and can be downloaded from the Gimp website.

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If only that were true! CoConut Solutions supplies software ‘at cost’, be-it the price of a licensed MS Windows disc or the price of the Linux media. What our clients pay for is our time in installing the software, setting things up, and where required giving basic training in its use.
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Typically for the cost of my just installing Windows XP onto your computer, we can install Ubuntu, set up the computer in a home or office, and give basic training to a Linux novice. Cost-wise, the money is the same. Value for money, our customers get more by opting for Linux.
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I have a pirated version of Windows on my computer. The idea of Linux appeals to me, but I know Windows and I don’t feel confident having a computer that doesn’t have the features that I’m used to.

There are a number of options open to you. CoConut Solutions can save your data, and install a licensed version of Windows. Alternatively it may be possible to install Linux on the same hard disc as your existing Windows install.
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This is called a dual-boot, and when installed after powering up the computer, you would be given a menu offering you the choice of booting into either Windows or the Linux operating system. We find that after only a week, many of CoConut Solutions’ customers use the Windows system less and less as they become productive with Linux. Of course the learning curve is different for different customers.

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When you say biggest, I think that you mean richest.  Compare the numbers of actual developers there are far more developers working on Linux based distributions than there are developers employed by Microsoft.
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Without getting into economics, different companies have different business models.  For example, MS makes a lot of it’s money selling Windows and MS branded products.  Whereas Canonical Ltd, the company behind Linux Ubuntu, derives it’s revenue through other means such as technical support.
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I want Windows because I want the most up-to-date system.

Ubuntu releases a new version of its Linux based operating system every 6 months, other Linux distributions release on similar regular time-scales.  Even the version of Ubuntu CoConut Solutions recommends to corporate and less experience home users was only released in April 2008 (8.04 Hardy Heron).
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Compare that to Microsoft:  Windows XP was released in 2001.  Five years later in 2006, Vista was launched. The next version of Windows will not be out until late in 2009.  If you want up-to-date, then Linux is the answer.