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OOMA Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
I had been using VOIP services via Comcast. My goal was to reduce the monthly bill. There were a few different services available so i settled on OOMA as it was available in my area-code. Additionaly, I could port my existing business phone number from Comcast to OOMA.

INSTALLATION
The equipment hookup is simple. Just connect it to your Internet service via wi-fi or Ethernet. After that go t o the OOMA website with your user account and go from there.
You can use your existiung telephones or purchase an OOMA phone. It took aboutr a week to get my number ported over.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It works like any other telephone but offers additional features.
Call quality is great!
Voice mail can be accessed 3 different ways. 1) Via email, 2) via the button on the OOMA device, and 3) via webpage. (My favorite!)
Using the web page will give you the option to block telemarketers and other unwanted calls. They will go directly to voicemail and never bother you again.
NOTE: If you lose power, the OOMA system wont work unless you have some sort of battery backup in place for your network devices (Modem, Router, Ooma device etc..)

VSCode Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine a good code editor.
VSCode by Microsoft was by far and away the #1 recommendation anywhere I looked. This choice was a simple one.

INSTALLATION
The software was downloaded the the software to a Windows 10 desktop and installed it like anything else.
There was nothing special required and it could not be easier.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
This editor appears a bit overwhelming at first because it has so many features. It's actually quite slick!
VSCode somewhat resembles an old editor back in the DOS days called Multi-Edit.
The left-hand side shows your working folder with the various files withing your project.
The center and largest pane (editor) is tabbed and contains the whatever file(s) you have opened for coding.
On the far-right is a narrow pane that indicates your relative position in the current file.
I picked the dark color scheme as it seems to be easier on my eyes when coding for long periods of time.

HTML & CSS (EXTENSIONS)
This extension has everything you need for working on web pages.
Everything is color coded, which makes things easier to read and understand.
The syntax checker will show your mistakes in red to prevent simple errors.
FOR EXAMPLE: HTML tags are checked to confirm that both the opening and closing tag are present.

PYTHON (EXTENSION)
Everything you need to code in Python is in this extension.
All code is color coded, which makes things easier to read and understand.
The syntax checker will show any mistakes in red to prevent simple errors.
Code can be debugged and executed.

REMOTE EXPLORER & REMOTE SSH (EXTENSIONS)
These two extensions allow you to connect to other computers or virtual machines to perform remote work.
I used it with a pair of VM's to make a simple Python automation script that would run software updates and OS updates.

SFTP/FTP (EXTENSION)
This extension allows a person to connect via Secure FTP to another computer such as a web-server.
A simple configuration file contains the login information.
You are able to sync the entire website with your local copy or upload individal files as you work on them.

Python Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine a new language that is in high demand.
Java was quickly ruled out because major browsers such as Chrome and Edge no longer support it.
Python is a newer language that looks relatively easy to learn.
Programmers that are already familiar with the various flavors of C or Java should be able to pickup on Python easily.

INSTALLATION
In my case, the software was actually a free extension within VSCode and it installs in seconds.
(See the VSCode section above)
Python and VSCode complement each other nicely and both work on Windows and Linux.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I have just begun to scratch the surface of this language.
I come from a C background, so I am able to read Python code and follow the examples.
I was able to write a quick automation script in an afternoon that would connect to both real and virtual Linux machines to update the OS and software.

Pi-Hole Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
I first read about Pi-Hole on a webpage so I researched it further. It sounded like a cool and useful project. The Pi-Hole website has what you need to get started.

INSTALLATION
Pi-Hole was originally intended to be installed on a Raspberry Pi but any hardware with a Linux operating system will work. The distro is up to the installer.
Installation is a script that downloads and does everthing you need to get started.
The software not only filters advertising, but it can be optionally configured as aa DHCP and DNS server as well.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It's great software that simply runs quietly in the background.
Knowledge of Linux, DHCP & DNS is highly recommended.
Figuring out what to whitelist can sometimes be challenging. (Google helps with this task.)
I have this running in my homelab and it has significaly reduced unwanted internet traffic while increasing security and privacy.

USE CASE
Pi-Hole would be intended for a home or small business. (Perhaps no more than a dozen users.)
It contains perhaps 60% of the features of a much more expensive Barracuda web-filter.
It lacks the daily updates and some of the reporting features of the Barracuda.
Larger businesses should go with a Barracuda to support higher bandwidth and additional features.

OBS Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
There aren't many choices in this category. Everyone seems to use OBS (software) or an ElGato capture card (hardware).

INSTALLATION
The Linux version is available as a package within MINT and as a Flatpack.
Installation is one click, it downloads and your ready to go.
The Windows version is available from the OBS website.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I have just begun to work with this software so my thoughts are far from comprehensive.
The first task is to determined your inputs such as screen capture, cameras & audio.
After a few minutes I was able to create some simple game captures without too much trouble.
I did some experimenting with capturing the webcam so I could see myself in the corner (picture in picture mode).

Raspberry PI OS (a.k.a. 'Raspi') Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
The Pi-Hole website recommends using Raspberry PI OS as the operating system. (Other choices are also available).

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Raspi.
Installed Raspi (1) on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO as a learning process.
Located and acquired an old i3 HP desktop (Free)
Desktop had no memory or drive.
Installed 8 gig of memory salvaged from another dead desktop.
Installed a new 512G SSD.
I used Belana Etcher to create a bootable thumb drive from the ISO.
Install Raspi (2) from the thumb drive onto the i3 desktop.
Performance is more than sufficient!
The processor could be upgraded with a used one from eBay that fits the same socket if desired.

SOFTWARE
I installed Raspi for the sole purpose of utilizing Pi-Hole software.
I have it on a headless machine that I access remotely via SSH.
I connect via SSH to run a Python script to keep everything updated.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF RASPBERRY PI OS:
This OS is not really intended to ba a daily driver.
It's very stripped down and meant to run things like pi-holes, home automation, small DIY NAS units etc...
If you wan't to use Linux for a daily driver, Mint would be worth your consideration. (see below)

Mint OS (Cinnamon) Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine what distros might be worth exploring.
Mint OS was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple websites and on YouTube.

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Mint.
Installed Mint (1) on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO for a quick review and comparison with other distros.
Located and acquired an old i3 HP desktop (Free)
Desktop had no memory or drive.
Installed 8 gig of memory salvaged from another dead desktop.
Installed a new 512G SSD.
I used Belana Etcher to create a bootable thumb drive from the ISO.
Install Mint (2) from the thumb drive onto the i3 desktop.
Performance is quite decent.
The processor could be upgraded with a used one from eBay that fits the same socket.

PRINTER DRIVER
Mint auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network.
No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked.
NOTE: I have NOT attempted to use the scanner.

WI-FI
No initial Wi-Fi connectivity.
Tried a TPLINK USB Wi-Fi: No luck finding a driver.
Eventually gave up.
Located and installed TPLINK internal Wi-Fi card: Worked first try and recognized by the OS.

SOFTWARE
Installed various apps from the software manager including: OBS, VLC, LibreOffice, VSCode, Steam, Minecraft, Mahjongg etc.…
My goal is to work with and use the command line (terminal) as much as possible to gain experience.
The Linux command line is vastly different than Windows.
The basic process at this point is to Google and YouTube to search for the answers I need and learn as I go along.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF MINT CINNAMON:
Mint is the easiest Linux distro I have tested to this point.
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
Operation is similar to Windows.

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF LINUX IN GENERAL:
System requirements for Linux distros are much smaller than that of Windows. It's a great way to repurpose older Windows machines.
Linux appears to be very reliable. I have yet to experience a system crash. It just works.
Some software is available on both Windows and Linux and it works and looks identical.
Linux is a different world! - Finding software to do what you want takes some exploring as there seems to be less software available. Once you find what you need, then you have another learning curve.
At this time, I don't feel confident that I would make the switch from Windows to ANY version of Linux as a daily driver.

Ubuntu Mini-Review

DISCOVERY
Researched and watched YouTube Videos to determine what distros might be worth exploring.
Ubuntu was high on the list based on the recommendations found on multiple websites and on YouTube.

INSTALLATION (2 Installations)
Downloaded the newest ISO file for Mint.
Installed Mint (1) on a Hyper-V virtual machine from ISO for a quick review and comparison with other distros.

PRINTER DRIVER
Mint auto detected the Brother Laser AIO printer on the network.
No driver install was necessary. Printing simply worked.
NOTE: I have NOT attempted to use the scanner.

WI-FI
This was not tested as I only installed Ubuntu as a virtual machine.

SOFTWARE
No problems to report. This was esssentialy the same experience I have had with MINT as documented above.

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF UBUNTU:
Setup was just as fast if not faster than a Windows 10 installation.
I had a difficult time navigating the desktop as its significantly different than Windows. Seems clumsy.
I'm NOT saying its bad, it's just not for me.