When setting up your own domain name for Google Apps or Google Hosted Email service, Google only provides you with 5 MX records and values. It turns out, they have 3 more for a total of 8.

Here are the MX records and their recommended Priority values to use for your domain name in the format of priority, and value. Make sure to include the Continue Reading

Have you ever installed packages from one repository only to wish you had just stuck with the vendor’s original repositories? I had problems myself with package conflicts between RPMForge and CentOS Updates repository, mainly, because I forgot to use the “yum-priorities” plugin at the time. I’ve since learned and corrected that, and in the process wanted to get rid of any rpmforge installed packages for the sake of stability.

To list all packages installed on your system, run Continue Reading

If you haven’t heard yet, Xmarks is shutting down due to a lack of funding and profitable channels.

Things that we can learn from Xmarks.

I understand that people who start something expecting it is free have a hard time wanting to pay. If Xmarks were to have at some point converted to a pay-only service, I’m sure they would have seen their user base drop off the charts. Many would complain and go elsewhere, even the majority, however I am willing to be that a few users would have offered to pay, as many are now. (See any comments page on their blog post announcing the closure of their service).

What could they have done before this point? Xmarks started out only as a bookmark syncing service. Their user base which had signed up only expected their bookmarks to be synchronized. At this point in time, Continue Reading

Some comments, information, and a suggestion to DreamHost.

DreamHost was a web host I used once upon a time. I’m not using them anymore, however they do still register a few of my domain names for me.

Their pricing is very difficult to find,… they don’t actually even post it publicly anymore. If you want to see DreamHosts pricing, you actually have to be registered with them for a “free trial”, which actually requires you to transfer a domain name to them, or pay them to register a domain name.

I think this is very frustrating for people who just want to price out their plans, so I’ve taken the time to get the pricing information here and share it with you. If all you want is the pricing information, and the information behind the asterisk “as low as $8.95″ that they say, here is the pricing break down.

• monthly ($10.95/mo, $49.95 set up fee)
• yearly ($9.95/mo, the $49.95 set up fee will be waived)
• every two years ($8.95/mo, no set up fee)
• every three years ($7.95/mo, no set up fee)
• every five years ($6.95/mo, no set up fee)
• every ten years ($5.95/mo, no set up fee)

Note, prices are subject to change at any time without notice, so please contact DreamHost sales department for updated pricing details or to verify this information, as I am not responsible for the accuracy of this. Also, this is the pricing that was available to me as a long time subscriber. It is possible that this hosting plan is not offered to everyone. Again, please contact DreamHost sales for pricing quotes.

@DreamHost, please post your prices more clearly, and don’t require domain name transfers for your free trial. Everyone knows that domain name registration, name server hosting, and web hosting are three separate services. I can keep my domain name registered elsewhere and just use your name servers you have provided.

Once in a while we have a little fun at the office. Here’s our latest, the new and improved I.T. Suggestion Box, digital in all forms including the well placed “Easy” button provided by Staples.