Entries from November 2007 ↓

This week’s NetAdmin links:

• Redirect New Users and Computers to an OU: The Lazy Admin shows us how to have Active Directory create new users and computers in the OU of our choice.
  
• http://www.regular-expressions.info/: Everything that you wanted to know about regular expressions and then some…
• Delegate the unlock account right in Active Directory

Google is piloting a new program to get young people involved in open source software. The Google Highly Open Participation Contest is aimed at students over the age of 13, and enrolled in middle or high school. Students will contribute to the open source projects by completing tasks from a pre-selected list. Students will win a t-shirt and certificate for completing one task. It’s also possible to win $100 for each group of 3 completed tasks, up to 15 tasks(That’s a total of $500!!!). The tasks are generally small and fairly easy, and should only take only a few days to complete. The task list includes items such as writing help documentation, creating training videos, designing logos, and even writing software code. Participating in this program would be a great item to list on your resume if you are heading for a tech career after school. Get more info on the the contest here. If you decide to participate, leave a comment below and let us know how it works out.

–Q&A–

What is open source software? Check out the howstuffworks.com definition.

Who uses open source software? Probably every person that has ever used the Internet.

What are some examples of open source software?

• Linux - Fast & secure operating system that completely replaces Windows or Mac on your computer
• Firefox - Secure and extensible web browser used by many to surf the web.
• Apache - Web server used to host around 50% of the websites on the Internet (Netcraft)
• Wordpress - Blogging platform used by millions (SPS too!!!)
• And many more - visit sourceforge.net for more

SPS BLoggers,

I’ve installed a new plugin on the blog server today: NextGEN. NextGen is a feature rich image gallery that enables you to organize and display pictures on your blog.

NextGEN key features:

• organize your images into galleries
• click on thumbnail to enlarge images
• display galleries in your posts and pages
• display images in your sidebar (widgets)
• slideshows

I’ll try to get some help docs posted soon. Until then, feel free to play with it and figure it out.

Heres a few example galleries for you to check out:

[Show as slideshow]

[Show as slideshow]

This new feature is great for those of you who are on the most active blogs list. There’s a new search box and several drop down lists that will allow you to filter your posts in your dashboard. This makes it much easier to find that old post you’ve been looking for, or get a list of your latest drafts that need the final touch before being published.

See more new features found in WordpressMU 1.3 here

So the advanced toolbar isn’t really a new feature. It’s just been hidden from view. In previous versions you had to know the keyboard shortcut(alt + shift + V) to gain access to the toolbar. In the latest version of WordpressMU, a handy new icon is displayed in the editor.

Click on the new icon to show the advanced toolbar

After unlocking this previously hidden gem, Continue reading →