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From Howstuffworks: how the RIM BlackBerry works.

ITWire: What’s happening on your network? Tools exist to display raw data but you still need to put work in to uncover real information. Here’s where a network analyser comes in: it will separate the AIM chatter from the MSN; it will divide RPC from SMB. And the best open-source network analyser is Wireshark. Here’s how to get it going.

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ITWire: TCP/IP, the lingua franca of the Internet, was developed on UNIX systems. As such, Linux has benefited from this heritage by naturally fitting in to any TCP/IP network. Yet, sometimes you still need to deal with computers whose operating system has distinctly non-TCP/IP legacy networking components. A case in point is sharing your printer to Windows users. Here’s how to do it using Samba.

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ITWire: You know Linux will handle all your web browsing needs, your e-mail, your office apps. But when it comes to gaming, what do you do? If you’re a hard-core gamer are you stuck in a Windows world, or the netherworld of dual-booting? Fear not: Linux can play hard and here’s how to get going.

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ITWire: Here’s why the new Ubuntu is good for you.

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ITWire: Although Linux is frequently referred to by the names of various distributions, what can properly be called “Linux” is really the management part of the operating system known as the kernel which interacts with the computer’s hardware. Here’s how the kernel works in Ubuntu, and how to rebuild it.

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ITWire: Linux users can boast long times between reboots, but even so, the startup screens will grace your display at some time. Here’s just what your computer is doing during this process, what the messages mean, and how you can take control.

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Update: It’s been slashdotted! This is the third time one of my ITWire articles has appeared on the front page of SlashDot.

As usual, the SlashDot comments contain a few positive items, and a host of negative ones. The biggest complaint, which I can agree with, is the lack of depth due to the constraints of a 1,500 word limit.

The risk of brain tumours are still being debated for and against, but there’s new health risks from modern gadgetry.

The first weekend I had a BlackBerry, back in early 2004, I discovered “BlackBerry thumb”, wearing a hole right in my thumb.

Over time I’ve noticed I often feel vibrations in my chest pocket area, or on my waist, even though my handheld hasn’t vibrated or often when I don’t even have it on my person. This is now featured in an article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald on “Phantom vibrations.”

ITWire: DNS is a critical part of the Internet but its importance is often overlooked in the stampede to set up web sites. I dare say many people and companies have no handle on their domain name system – not knowing how to update it, not knowing how to beat any constraints their hosting provider puts them on, and even how to save money. Here’s the low-down on what DNS is and why ever webmaster needs to understand it. What’s more, we also tip some Linux tools to bring the power back home.

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ITWire: Linux can bring new life to old laptops, and is a great choice for brand new systems in its own right. However, with few major vendors making laptops that ship with Linux out of the factory, how can you be sure the laptop you’re eyeing off will run your favourite distro rather than the proprietary OS it comes with? Here’s our guide to finding out!

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