• 

  Tom C. from Springfield with his new computer.

Hello friends, And happy springtime from Rhizome IT!

The weather is gorgeous, the peaches are starting to set fruit, and Country Fair is right around the corner. Rhizome IT recently gave away it’s first computer to a lucky winner named Tom, who lives Springfield. Out of the 70+ people who entered the contest, his was a late entry submitted the one day before the drawing. Congratulations, Tom!

When he won, it took me several minutes chatting with him on the phone to convince him it wasn’t a scam. He just didn’t believe me. Then it took up about a week to coordinate our schedules for delivery – I still don’t think he fully believed me, even then – until we met in downtown Eugene to hand off the computer. He’s going to give it to a senior citizen in our community who needs a machine.

If you didn’t win, fear not. Your trusty IT guy has been out scouring the internet looking for new computers to re-purpose and send into the community; the next giveaway will be announced shortly. In addition to the giveaway, there are machines available for purchase at the $80 price point, which include a monitor, CPU box, and power cables (no keyboard or mouse). These available computers are running Linux Peppermint.

In the meantime, if anyone is needing computer help, please reach out to me at 541-517-4491 or email me at jw@RhizomeIT.com.

That’s the news, friends. Keep an eye out for next giveaway announcement soon. Cheers.

Rhizome IT’s 2nd Computer Giveaway!

Rhizome IT is pleased to announce it’s second computer giveaway,

which can be found here:

https://rhizomeit.com/computer-giveaway/

It’s an older Dell Optiplex computer that has been reloaded with Peppermint Linux, along with the usual productivity software that is needed for day-to-day use.

LibreOffice provides word processing, spreadsheet, and Powerpoint-like software that is comparable to, and compatible with, Microsoft Office (except it is completely free to use).

It also includes a typing tutor game, GIMP, Tux Racer, and some other random goodies that were available free-of-charge from open source software repositories. This computer will provide someone with the basics – email, watching videos, social media, word processing, etc – as well as extending the life of a product that otherwise would become e-waste.

What’s open source software?

Proprietary software, like the Windows operating system made by Microsoft, is “closed source”.

This means that the Microsoft code is not available to the general public for inspection, and that code cannot be used by anyone except Microsoft.

Adobe, for example, told it’s users that they could be sued for using old versions of software that they had already paid for.

GIMP – GNU Image Modification Program – is the open-source answer to programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It is just as powerful as the commercially available graphic design programs, and completely free of charge.

Open source software, like Linux, is software that is created collaboratively in the community; open source licensing allows anyone to modify and distribute software free of charge. The Linux-based Android phone, developed by Google, may be the best example of open source software that has gained widespread acceptance.

Do you use open source software? Please reply to this email and tell me how you like to use it.

Two last thoughts in closing.

First, I’m looking to fill my schedule with computer work, and am asking for referrals for the following:

• Slow internet
• Printers not printing
• New device installation
• Remote access
• Firewall configuration
• Wireless configuration
• Computer upgrades or moves
• Migrating Documents / Pictures to a new computer

If anyone in the community needs a hand with these, referrals and introductions are greatly appreciated.

And finally…..We are fortunate to live in place with amazing natural beauty, and it’s easy to sometimes forget that. Don’t forget to stop and appreciate that for a minute or two, especially this time of year. Here is a picture from a quiet morning on an organic farm in north Eugene.

Good luck in the drawing, everyone!

Cheers,

Joshua Whitley

jw@RhizomeIT.com

541-417-4491