Ultimately all computer access and all the programs you use is about your data. Getting to it, saving it, finding it easily, and modifying it. The same holds true for physical files like papers as it does for computer files. But paper files can easily get out of hand and worthless since the information you might require is so hard to find when you need it.

Thus, I decided to go 98% paperless. Everything that comes in that I want to keep, I scan and file into my on-line storage. It is put into a very organized folder structure with a well named and dated filename, so that finding it is easy when it’s needed. The files can also be emailed, or printed out whenever I want and I can access them from anywhere with an Internet connection.

I currently use one main method for backing up most my data, and that is Subversion. Subversion is a source control system mainly used for programming, but I use it for all of my files. Well…. almost all. I have a server somewhere out there on the web that I have my Subversion server on. This server also functions as my SSH (Secure Tunnel) server and Web Server.

The biggest exception to this rule are my media files… Music and Photos… which total over 60 Gigs.

So what are the biggest reasons to choose on-line backups of your files vs a portable hard-drive?

• Being able to access them from home, work or when you’re on the road
• Having them securely backed up for the cases of disk failure, accidents or disasters.
• The ability to find your files quickly and easily (holds true probably more so for local backups)
• Keeping track of any changes to your files by using versioning
• And in the case of media files like photos, music, and videos… to be able to show them or play them where ever you want.

There are plenty of other options for online backup of most files if Subversion is a bit beyond your comfort level. For instance I also use DropBox as it provides incredibly easy setup across all your computers and if you drag a file into that folder it is automatically synced to the server and down to all your computers! No need for carrying disks or harddrives back and forth.

Backing up large media files

I have about 20 Gigs of music files and 40 Gigs of photos. Since those change very rarely and are so big, Subversion isn’t the best place to store them. I was just storing them on a portable drive until I decided to find an on-line storage point. And as of a few days ago the “accident” I spoke of above happened to me I ran a script that wiped out my portable hard-drive… and lost about 10 Gigs worth of photos that I hadn’t gotten around to saving to my on-line solution. That loss prompted me to get back into making sure everything is backed up.

Photos

For my photos I use Smugmug (if you sign up, you can use this coupon code eVUIu2CdBatR2 to get $5 off). It costs $40/year for a basic membership which includes unlimited storage of your full size photos and the ability to share your albums with everyone or keep them hidden. They allow you upload and store the original and then it can be viewed in various sizes up to the original size. This is great for a real on-line storage and sharing of your photos. There is even a plug-in for Firefox called FireUploader which allows you to bulk upload and download your photos when you want.

Music Files

I use Mp3Tunes for my on-line music storage. It also costs $40/year for up to 50 Gigs of music storage, or you can get a free account which holds 2 Gig. They provide a syncronization client to make sure as your music files change they are constantly backed up and in sync. And… while you’re at work, you can listen to your music or where ever. You can also direct download your music files to your phone or other music device.

It’s becoming simple and cheap to backup your data online. Don’t lose those important files. Take action now.

I try to use a portable thumb drive with portable applications for all of my application needs wherever I go. This provides me with security with the fact that none of my data is left hanging around on any machine, security also with the fact that I use an SSH tunnel for my internet needs thus avoiding someone snooping my traffic on the network, and ease of use as all of my programs are accessible anywhere I am at as long as I have a windows computer to plug my drive into.

I’ve had a few requests from people to give them a copy of all the programs I use… however, this isn’t quite what I want to do as my personal data is often saved into the application folders of those programs. So I decided to create a post about the items I use and provide links.

Where did I get these applications? Mostly from http://portableapps.com but also from http://www.portablefreeware.com and a few other places.

So without further ado… here are the programs I use. It’s not ALL of them, but I will endeavor to update this document with more as I can, and update it with changes in my lineup. You’ll notice that at the bottom I have apps with no information or links. These will get updated as I have time or requests to do so.

Legend

	I have on my thumb drive
	Open Source Software
	For Windows
	For Ubuntu (Debian linux

Ratings are based on the quality of the application, plus if it’s open source, and whether it runs on Linux and Windows. I run Linux at home and Windows at work, so I want to be able to use the same quality program in both places if possible and not worry about data problems.

Communication

• Putty Portable - If you want to be able to get through a firewall, or just want to keep all of your communication secure from prying eyes…then you will need both a SSH client (Putty) and SSH server. Once you’ve got access to an external SSH server, use Putty and the world is your oyster. There’s no need for Putty on Linux as SSH is built right in.
• Firefox Portable - The same nutty goodness as your normal Firefox installation, but it’s completely portable and won’t leave any traces on the host system.
  • Addons
    • My favorite addons
      • Xmarks - Syncronize your bookmarks to all your firefox installs
      • Download statusbar – places your downloads on the statusbar. Very unobtrusive.
      • Gmail Manager – Manage all your Gmail accounts and get notified of new mail.
      • Google Preview – On the google search screen, get a thumbnail preview of the site.
      • Noscript - Blocks all script unless you tell it to
      • Inline Google Definition – Right click on a word and get the definition
      • Forecastbar - Local weather forecasts always visible.
    • Other addons I use – Reload Every, All-in-one sidebar, FireUploader, Nuke Anything, Gmail Space, Colorful tabs, Firebug, FireFTP, GreaseMonkey, Save Image in Folder, Split Browser, StumbleUpon, text/plain links, Fast Video Download, Alexa Sparky, Fox Clocks, SEO for Firefox
• Pidgin Portable - Supports all the various IM protocols, so you can chat with people across them all but never have to switch clients. Some advanced functionality isn’t supported like Cams and photo sharing, etc. Supports AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-gadu, Google Talk, GroupWise, ICQ, IRC, MSN, MySpaceIM, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Sametime, XMPP, Yahoo
  • Plugins
    • Bot Sentry, History, Psychic Mode

Multimedia (Music, Video, Images)

Video

• MPlayer Portable - Originally I preferred VLC over MPlayer but as they have both improved over time I’ve found myself preferring MPlayer now. They both play most any video you would want, but MPlayers interface is slightly more intuitive. It’s much better than Windows Media Player and always improving.
  • Alternative
    • VLC Portable - Although I have chosen MPlayer over VLC for now, they are both quality video apps and you can’t go wrong with either.
• VirtualDub Portable - Video conversion application. I have only used it once or twice. On Linux you the similar program is called AVIdemux or if you want even greater power then use MediaCoder but it’s not quite portable.

Images

• GIMP Portable - For image and Photo manipulation, this is the Open Source app of choice. Similar in some ways to PhotoShop, but also different enough that there is a learning curve.
• Cornice Portable – For quick image viewing as thumbnails. I especially like this over the default view in Vista that takes like 30 seconds to come up after clicking a picture. Quick and easy but no corresponding app in Linux.

Audio

• Coolplayer+ Portable - An open source audio player similar to the old WinAmp. Not much for bells and whistles, but it does play music streams. I usually just use MPlayer if I’ve got a set of files or playlist to play though…
• Audacity Portable - Record and manipulate audio encodings. Useful when you have the need to change an audio recording (i.e. chop out a particular part).
• BonkEnc Portable - Extract, convert, and encode various audio formats.

Office Apps

• OpenOffice Portable - The open source alternative to pay office suites. It’s every bit as good, and less bloat. Your documents can be saved in proprietary formats or open formats
  • Alternatives
    • AbiWord Portable - If you don’t want the full OpenOffice suite but want a lighter implementation to do documents with.
• Thunderbird Portable - Email client similar to Outlook. However, I use GMail exclusively for all my email needs.
• Sunbird Portable - Calendar App similar to what is in Outlook. However, again I use Google for my calendaring needs.
• GnuCash Portable - I don’t use a program anymore for my finances. I strictly use online banking through USBank and bill-pay and work at simplifying my life and finances down to a basic level instead of trying to track all the complex budgeting.
• Task Coach Portable – Again I’ve moved to an online solution for this functionality, because I want my data to be wherever I am. But it’s a nice app if you carry your thumb drive around with you.
• PDF Apps
  • Sumatra PDF Portable - A lightweight PDF viewer… so you won’t have to install Adobe bloatware. Use Evince on Ubuntu.
  • PDFTK Builder Portable - When you want to collate, split, or otherwise change a pdf file. pdftk on Ubuntu.

Security

• KeePass Portable - An excellent and very secure storage for your passwords and other information. And your saved password file will work on versions whether linux or Windows.
• Truecrypt - Keep all of your data completely secure. With Truecrypt you create encrypted storage at the file, partition or drive level. And the best feature is the hidden container system giving you complete deniability.

Utilities

• PeaZip Portable - Excellent. Supports dragging a file onto the interface. Opens just about everything. 7Z, 7-Zip sfx, ARJ, BZip2, CAB, CHM, CPIO, DEB, GZip, ISO, JAR, LHA, LZH, NSIS, OOo, PAQ, PEA, QUAD, RAR, RPM, split, TAR, Z, ZIP
  • Alternatives
    • 7-Zip Portable - Interface not as intuitive and only for Windows. 7z, ZIP, CAB, RAR, ARJ, LZH, CHM, GZIP, BZIP2, Z, TAR, CPIO, RPM, DEB
• ClamWin Portable - It is a manual scan only system, but you can take it with you and scan when you need it. It is fairly slow, but reliable. The Clam AV Engine is also around for Linux although it’s not needed quite as much as Windows.
• Command Prompt Portable - A simple way to have a command prompt setup just the way you like it on any machine.
• On-Screen Keyboard Portable - Mouse driven support for keyboarding.
• Eraser Portable - Securely erase files off of Windows. They will be gone for good. On Linux you would use Wipe.
• SpeedCrunch Portable - A full featured algebraic calculator.
• Toucan - Backup, Sync, Secure and more
• Undelete-Plus Portable - Recover files that have been accidentally deleted… well as long as they weren’t Erased…
• System Info Windows - Get tons of very valuable information from the windows system you are using. Great for troubleshooting or cataloging.
• WinDirStat Portable - Originally I used Treesize on my portable drive, but after playing with WinDirStat I started to see the power of it. The graphical display of the relative sizes of your files helps tremendously to determine where the space is being taken up.
  • Alternatives
    • Treesize - The free version is portable, simple, and easy to use. Not quite as nice at finding disk usage as WinDirStat though.

Burning Utilities

• DVDStyler Portable
• InfraRecorder Portable - Accomplish just about all your burning needs. Create DVD’s including Dual layer, Create Audio cd’s from mp3s and other audio files, plus much more.
  • Alternatives
    • Burrrn
    • ImgBurn

Games

• Jooleem Portable
• Mines-Perfect Portable
• PokerTH Portable
• Sudoku Portable

Update on my Asus eee PC 900: (Note- I’m typing this post up on my Asus eee )

After traveling around with it for two months I really appreciated it’s size. It fit perfectly into my motorcycle tank bag and at less than 2 pounds it’s practically not noticed when carrying it around.

The size of the screen is actually not a problem at all for using the internet or doing most other normal work.

The only thing I found myself disliking are that the buttons on the touchpad don’t always work, and the low powered CPU can at times be slow enough to be irritating.

After installing Ubuntu 8.04 and getting all the drivers and functionality working just right… any update to the kernel will cause you to go through many of the steps again as they require kernel updates.  This is not a fun process… so I ended up skipping updates while I was traveling as to avoid the hassle. In fact after the first two times of going through the process, I stopped doing it at all until I decided to try out the Ubuntu-eee distribution.

Here you see the main interface. Your programs are easily accessible from the left tabs, and your data from the right tabs. This is such a slick way of presenting information that even grandma could figure it out.

If you have the Asus eee pc 900, I’d highly recommend Ubuntu-eee for it instead of regular Ubuntu. You’ll have just a tad more screen room while doing all your normal tasks, an easy install and seemless updates, and a very intuitive main screen that minimizes the searching through menus.

In the screenshot above, note that there are 6 running applications, and each is give a small icon in the tab strip to provide access. This is very minimalistic but perfect for the tiny screen size.

Ubuntu-eee has all the correct drivers, everything just works out of the gate and seems to be faster. With the favorites tab, all of your apps are easy to get to. A fantastic environment on a still great little computer.

I’ve officially sworn off Windows. Vista was the final straw with all of it’s annoying pop up questions and flashing screens and… I could go on and on, but the end result is after dabbling in it for years I’ve fully switched over to Linux and specifically Ubuntu. So when I decided to buy the ultralight Asus eee pc 900 for my upcoming trip I knew that Ubuntu would be going on it first thing. After doing a little due diligence to see that other pioneers had traveled the same road and come back to tell the tale, I didn’t even hesitate to wipe the existing Xandros OS and give Ubuntu a go.

ASUS Eee PC 900 8.9-Inch Netbook (Intel Mobile Processor, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB Solid State Drive, Linux, 4 Cell Battery) Pearl White

Asus, Personal Computers, $299.99

Why the Asus eee pc 900? Because it’s simply perfect for me! How can you go wrong with an under 2lb laptop that includes a built in webcam, wifi b/g, and a 9″ screen? If this was your only computer I could see the excitement of it’s small size wearing thin, but if you have a desktop or regular size laptop to use for more demanding tasks or when you need a larger screen, then this is the machine to get for those lighter tasks or for travel. The screen size is 800×480 which limits some of the information you can see on screen at one time, but it’s still possible to work on those large projects, if a little less efficiently.

>I purchased mine from amazon.com as sold by tigerdirect for $549 and it was delivered within 4 days. While this is a bit off the subject, the packaging from Asus is superb. Just enough room to safely deliver all the components, mostly of recyclable cardboard and very little plastic.

I only have one complaint with the laptop… and that is the keyboard. I completely understand the reasons for it, but if you’ve got big hands and are a touch typist it will take some getting used to the small size. I feel like the Jolly Green Giant trying to do Swan Lake with his feet tied together.

On to the meat of the story… (actually getting Ubuntu installed and playing around with it)

While doing research about the best way to start this process I came across a wonderful resource that will walk you through step by step. The eeeuser.com site is the place to start!

Getting Ubuntu onto your Eee pc – http://wiki.eeeuser.com/installing_ubuntu_8.04

First I didn’t have an external optical drive available, so I went with the option to put the Ubuntu Live CD onto a USB stick and make it bootable. This whole step has been automated by the pendrivelinux.com folks who provide a fantastic bunch of scripts and tools. Simply follow the directions on this page and you’ll have a bootable Live CD USB stick in a couple of minutes. As a side effect of this process, I now have a bootable Ubuntu 8.04 USB to keep with me and easily boot off of any computer. Sorry for the geek porn picture over to the right You weren’t expecting the laptop on laptop action were you? But sometimes shock is the best way to illustrate a point.

The Ubuntu installation is standard and I didn’t run into any gotchas, but once Ubuntu is up and running you will have a couple of issues to address. Namely: the wifi won’t work, the laptop won’t properly shut down, most of the hot keys won’t be working, and some various other small issues. I’m so spoiled with wifi now, that the hardest part of all these tweaks was to go find a network cable and move over to the router to download the wifi drivers needed.

Here is a list of tweaks to get things working just right – http://wiki.eeeuser.com/getting_ubuntu_8.04_to_work_perfectly

UPDATE: Found the webcam wasn’t working properly. I since located a forum post that fixed it here. Here are the steps:
1. sudo aptitude install subversion
2. svn co svn://svn.berlios.de/linux-uvc/linux-uvc/trunk linux-uvc
3. cd linux-uvc
4. sudo make
5. sudo make install
6. sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo
7. sudo mv /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/ubuntu/media/usbvideo/uvcvideo.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/ubuntu/media/usbvideo/uvcvideo.ko.original
8. sudo cp uvcvideo.ko /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/ubuntu/media/usbvideo/uvcvideo.ko
9. sudo modprobe uvcvideo

Now I have the ultralight Asus eee pc 900 running Ubuntu perfectly. No sacrifices, no issues!! What could be better?

For the inquiring minds, the boot time on this little baby with a full copy of Ubuntu installed is about 50 seconds. Not blazing, and I’m sure with a little evaluation I could find a way to make it faster, but after configuring it to suspend when the lid is closed I just don’t care all that much. You simply close the lid and it suspends in maybe 5 seconds, then open it up and hit a key or the power button and you’re back in business in another 5 seconds. And battery life is great. With wifi on 3 hours, off 4 hours. Of course this was baseline testing not playing a video.

And working on the system doesn’t feel like you’re sacrificing anything. Apps come up quickly and smoothly. Large videos play with no issues, and image manipulation is quick. Below is a video I created just showing how quick everything moves.

Video of working in Ubuntu – Most of it is obvious, but I’d like to point out that the Battlestar Galactica clip is in HDTV and running from an external SD card. Also to notice the new youtube plugin for Totem. It’s pretty slick to be able to search and play right from your video player.

In conclusion, I just love this combination as I’m sure you’ve gathered from my ravings above. I’ll soon be putting it through it’s paces on a much more regular basis while I’m on the road on my journey. I’ll only have this computer with me to satisfy my geeky needs, and I’m sure I’ll really find out what my tollerance is for the ultra-small. Hopefully Starbucks has their free wifi rolled out throughout the country as that will be my main way of connecting…