Kathy H.

Once again, great Linux tutorials, but finding them can be a bit challenging. If however, you are a blossoming sys admin, you will find this site helpful.

Although their search function could use a little work, this is an excellent site, especially if you are looking for help with Linux. Great resource for all things geeky.

Site allows you to enter private information, (name, address, phone number, email, etc.) without a secure connection, (SSL certificate), thereby allowing your private information to be seen by third parties. I've never actually ordered from them, (due to the reviews here) but it seems to be an absolute clone of an infamous scam website, onlinegolf118.com, that has since been taken down. BEWARE!

A MUST-HAVE! This application is installed to your thumb drive or external drive, and is able to run a bunch of programs directly from the drive, (not installed to the operating system!). If you have multiple computers, or have to move work from computer to computer or use a friends computer, this is very handy.

For instance:
I keep my email in Thunderbird, that runs from portable apps. I keep this on a small external hard drive. If I am traveling, I just take the drive with me, and I can check my email, (and have it perfectly synced without using webmail) on any Windows computer, including my little netbook. When I get back home, I just take the drive and plug it into my main computer, and everything is there! No more having to use webmail or sync inboxes across multiple computers.

This suite contains a ton of useful, open-source apps including Open Office, Skype, Dropbox, etc. Definitely one of the best out there!

Open source always gets my attention, and this is one of the best of them.

It's basically a completely FREE alternative to Microsoft Office. It does every single thing that Microsoft Office does, except it's free! Now, the best part... is that it will open and save to Microsoft Office formats, but you have to deliberately choose this.

Let's say someone sends you a. Doc document, and you need to edit it. Just make sure you save it as. Doc, (the default is odt) and then they will be able to open your altered document.

This is available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux, so everyone can use it!

This is my new homepage! Wow... this is a must for everyone. They have step-by-step instructions for everything from setting up a home network, to blocking cell phone calls, to how to throw a punch, to how to fly first class without paying for it.

Absolutely invaluable website that has topics that no one else covers!

If you're a gadget freak, this website is a must! Chocked full of unique and one-of-a-kind toys for geeks and the people who love them. Even if you are not a geek, there is something that is sure to make you say, "that is sooooo cool!".

Extremely useful app, that lets you clip all kinds of data which you can access in your browser, ipad/iphone, droid, etc.

I've used it to store travel information, access web sites I want to read later, keep photos, and take notes on the road. The best part, is that it seamlessly keeps everything synced... on your smartphone, your browser, and as a standalone app.

Perfect app that I can't live without!

This is an amazing service that I use constantly! It's a sort of file-storage system. You get 2gig free, (but you can get additional free storage for referring friends). It has drag and drop capability, and even has apps for Android and iOS.

The best thing about it, is that you can choose a file, then send a link for someone to download it. This is really handy if you need to share large files that won't send by email. You can also share folders, although I do not like to do this, (my friend shoved a bunch of stuff in there that just ate up the space).

Trust me, once you start using it, you won't know how you did without it!

Another REALLY bad internet company.

My mother signed up with them after hearing a radio talk show personality endorse them, (she didn't know that they are compensated for doing that, so their advice is not objective).

She finally cancelled her service after 2 years of CONSTANT connection problems. They then charged her credit card for the modem, which was returned. Only after she complained to the Better Business Bureau, did this get resolved.

Really cheap internet = really bad internet.

I switched a ton of domains to NameCheap.com, after having had terrible problems with GoDaddy. Not only are they cheaper than GoDaddy, but they also include privacy protection, (NameGuard) free with any new or transferred domain name, and you don't have to deal with all the spam, phone calls, and attempts to sell you crap you don't need.

One thing to be aware of: I personally don't recommend using any domain name company for hosting. You should use a real, highly rated hosting company, that specializes in hosting. I also feel it's best to keep the domain name company separate from the hosting company, (in case there are any problems). For this reason, I don't recommend using namecheap.com for hosting, but for domain names... they rock!

Truth be told... GoDaddy is like AOL used to be. They advertise a ton, but they are basically for people who are not familiar with domain names or hosting.

Their domain name signup is extremely spammy and uses hard upsells. They tell you that you "need" a whole bunch of stuff that in fact you don't need, is free with other domain companies, and doesn't do what it says it does anyway. I used to have a ton of domains with them, but have switched all of them to a company that is the same price, doesn't constantly harass you with phone calls, and provides free privacy protection, (which GoDaddy charges for).

Second, their hosting is probably one of the worst. In fact, I once had someone tell me that you can tell a "good web developer" by asking them their opinion of GoDaddy hosting. No one who knows anything at all uses them for hosting. They are terrible, and have all kinds of weird configuration settings that are a nightmare if your site uses any kind of database whatsoever.

Then... there is their marketing practices. A year ago, I complained to them about their "soft core porn" tv commercials, explaining that women own businesses too, and that the commercials are offensive. They flat out told me that women are not their demographic, and that the owner likes these types of commercials, (he obviously like to also post videos of himself killing elephants on YouTube). They told me that if I didn't like it, I could go elsewhere. Guess what? I did GoDaddy, and I'm spreading the word!

I am writing this on my phones 3G hotspot, because right now, I don't have what Time Warner Cable promised... internet service.

I had a regular internet service package with them, and although I experienced a high number of outtages, for the most part, it worked. Then one of their sales people called and offered me the "super high speed" version, with guaranteed speeds of 20mbps. I signed up for it, very excited that I was going to get decent internet speeds.

The guy they sent out was a complete idiot. I had to tell him which cable went into the router, and had to INSIST on password protection for the connection, after he told me I didn't need it, and I explained that if you don't have it, other people can steal your bandwidth.

Bandwidth at best was variable, and ranged from 5mbps to 16mpbs, which is not what I was promised. He said that it needed some time to "propagate" whatever that means.

A week later, when pages are taking forever to load, they first try to tell me it's my computer. Oh really? I have 3 windows computers, running XP, Vista and 7, and a Mac. Same problem on all of them. Then they tell me to reboot the router. No good... same problem.

Now, 2 weeks later, and they finally admit that the router settings are not correct, but they can't get someone out right away. I'll have to wait, or see if they have a cancellation. And... they won't refund the installation cost or the 2 weeks I have been without a decent internet connection, (pages take over a minute to load, and speed tests show 1.6mbps).

They are really quick to sign you up for service, but when they botch it up, they won't do anything to fix it. STAY AWAY FROM TIME WARNER CABLE.

Switched to InMotion after a TERRRIBLE experience with Netfirms, that caused site to be down for 5 days. Hugely better customer service, (that's not in India) and very helpful. Great features for the price too. Highly recommend them.

Like any site that has reviews, (including this one) you have to read ALL the reviews carefully. Super high ratings that give glowing reviews of a 2 star hotel are normally bogus, and reviewed by employees. If you look through all the reviews tho... you will really get a good idea about a property. Look for consistency in the reviews. If someone complains over and over about service, even tho they have a high rating, chances are there are problems with the service. I constantly consult tripadvisor before planning trips, and once I learned the tips I have outlined, I have not been disappointed.

Website went down after they switched servers with no advanced notice, (this was a planned switch, but neglected to tell me). After site being down 5 days, numerous calls to customer service, (and tech support people in India), they still couldn't fix it. Fixing site required hiring someone to fix their mistakes.

Stay Away! Terrible company!

These people, in violatation of the Do Not Call list, repeatedly call me even after being asked to be removed from their list 6 times, telling me they are "Google" and promising number 1 placement. The number that shows in caller ID is *******500, but that number is disconnected (which means they are also spoofing their phone number). After asking to call them back, they gave me the number *******616 and said the name of the company is 29prime. Google says they are not affiliated with them at all. Google 29prime scam and you'll see what I mean.