Addicted to Open Source

I have been using GNU/Linux and open source software for the past few years. It started as a way to give life to old PCs that I retired for more powerful machines to run Windows. Those GNU/Linux machines were mostly experimental acting as file servers and web servers. It wasn't until this past year I went to the other side and started using GNU/Linux as my preferred OS.

The last server I built, I designed to run Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows. Now I run Windows on my older machines. There are still plenty of applications I use my Windows machines for and they work well, but when I look for a application to fill new need I look to run it on my Ubuntu machine. More specifically, I look for web 2.0 applications using LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP). This allows me to use the applications from any browser on any machine.

My current web applications running on on this server are:

• Joomla
• Sugar CRM
• Jinzora
• MediWiki
• ActiveCollab
• Munin
• PHPmyAdmin
• dotProject
• WordPress

The most recent addition was dotProject. It meets all my needs for project management that Microsoft Project offers yet is free and always available online (as long as my server is up). As a web enabled application there are other features not available in MS Project such as easy collaboration by multiple users via the web and automatic emails of tasks assigned and reminders when they are due.

List of Projects

Since buying this fixer house last year we have had number of projects to complete. Some are complete, some in process, and some not yet started.

• Replace sewer lateral to the street (complete)
• Insulate attic(complete)
• Re-pipe water lines(complete)
• Re-pipe gas(complete)
• Install central forced air heating system(complete)
• Add laundry room in basement (started)
• Add office/guest bedroom in basement
• Add bathroom in basement (70% complete)
• Remodel/Upgrade kitchen
• Remodel/Upgrade upstairs bathroom
• Upgrade electrical system and re-wire (started)
• Re-enforce basement cripplewall (20% complete)
• Add new foundation under 2nd bedroom, level and re-enforce
• Gut and remodel 2nd bedroom and convert to nursery
• Change interior walls and add hallway into bedrooms and bathroom
• Landscape front and back yard
• Replace from porch and steps
• Paint house
• Sheet rock and texture whole interior of house
• Paint Interior
• Replace all hardwood floors
• Rebuild all windows and sashes
• Finish attic for storage

So this is the short list of the major projects, I'm sure I will think of something I am missing.

Getting back into the projects

It is now time to get cracking on the projects have have been on hold since the arrival of Zachary.

This weekend I got back to work on the basement bathroom. We got some paint on the walls, re-attached the lighting and test fit the vanity and sink.

There is still quite a few things left for the basement bathroom.

• tile shower floor
• tile bathroom floor
• grout tile
• install baseboards
• install crown molding
• install sink fixtures
• install toilet
• install door
• install wall fixtures

Once I put them all in a list, it doesn't seem like that much!