Meebo is a free web based Instant Messaging service where you setup all your IM accounts, i.e. Yahoo Messenger, AIM, MSN, etc. You then just sign on using one user id (your meebo userid) and send/receive messages from all networks. No client software to download and install. All you need is a web browser and access to the internet. I’ve added it to the sidebar by simply pasting the code into a Text Widget.

I’m keen to upgrade my Ubuntu desktop now that version 7.04 is out. I’ve almost used up my download allowance for the current period, so I would have to wait a couple of more days. I have previously upgraded from 6.06 (Dapper Drake) to 6.10 (Edgy Eft) and am not expecting any issues.

I highly recommend K-Lite Codec Pack and Video Lan’s VLC Media Player as alternatives to Windows Media Player. K-Lite only runs on Windows though while VLC has got Windows and Linux versions. Both programs can play all my videos, no “missing codec” errors! They are also free to download off the internet.

NOTE: DOWNLOADING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS A CRIME.

You can install the VideoDownloader Firefox add-on and just click on the status bar icon to download videos. Alternatively, you can browse to videodownloader.net and paste the link there. To enjoy these videos you would need a media player that can play Flash Video (*.flv)

Thanks to Dihia for this tip.

I first heard of Linux from a work colleague way back in 1997, when I was still working in the Philippines. I remember it was installed on one machine, but I can’t remember which distribution it was and what the machine was used for. All I knew was that it worked just like UNIX and it was free.

About a couple of years ago, I had my first hands on experience with Linux by installing Red Hat. I also spent a bit of time trying SuSe, and finally ending up with Ubuntu. I have got Edgy Eft currently installed on a spare PC and we now have two desktop PCs, one running Windows XP and the other Linux (Ubuntu).