What's Open Source? Should I Care? Why?

If you've been reading or watching the news at all in the last six months, you have undoubtedly come across news stories about Edward Snowden and how he leaked classified documents to which he had access while working for the National Security Agency (NSA). Since that time, there people have taken a great interest in what the NSA does and how it does it. If the thought of complete strangers snooping into your business disturbs you, you are not alone, especially when espionage and shades of truth are the meat and potatoes of the particular branch of the U.S. government. It also means that open source software has become much more necessary for computer security.

Setting Up a SMART board in Linux Mint 13

Having installed SMART Notebook and the drivers for SMART Tech's interactive whiteboards on dozens of Linux machines, I can safely say that the main issue is documentation which targets system administrators. Here are the simple steps to set up a SMARTboard in Linux Mint 13. These steps will also work in Ubuntu and Debian. Note that while I have done this procedure many, many times and you should not run into any trouble, I do not take responsibility for problems you may encounter in your own efforts. You have been warned.

Linux in Education: SMARTboards

One current trend in education in the United States is the push for technology in the classroom. Many schools are purchasing iPads, implementing one-to-one laptop programs, and increasing awareness in the STEM subjects, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have been thought to be a worthwhile addition to the classroom, as well. Businesses are also deploying them in conference rooms to be a compelling visual aid. One question remains: how well does Linux work in this kind of environment. The short answer? Far from perfect, but generally pretty well.