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wicd is a network manager for Linux, which provides an alternative to the traditionally used NetworkManager program. It has a simple graphical interface that does not have any graphical dependencies, which allows it to be run on many different systems. It is often suggested as an alternative to NetworkManager when typical problems arise from generally simple situations.

Above, a screen cap of Wicd in action. The interface includes wired and wireless connections, and also provides the opportunity to adjust various options, making it much more flexible than NetworkManager.

When it comes to processor, the main two manufacturers are Intel and AMD. Both have a niche market, so to speak, and have various advantages over the other.

• Intel– Has a strong grip on the higher-end, enthusiast market. Produces very expensive, but very capable hardware. Produces chips such as Xeon series for servers and workstations, and the Core iX series, which includes Core i7 (Highest price, performance), Core i5 (Good value for powerful chips, overclock well. Middle of the road pricewise) and Core i3 (more entry level, but still capable chips). Price to performance ratio is not always the greatest, if one is looking for low price to high performance.
• AMD– Strong presence in low to mid-end market. Known for excellent price-to-performance ratio. Maker of vary capable chips that meet the needs of most users, even those with higher-end needs like gaming, hence the competition. Producers of general purpose chips such as Athlon II series, higher-end desktop chips like Phenom II, APUs like the FX series, which have integrated graphics capable of boosting AMD GPUs with CrossFireX, and server chips like Opteron. More often than not, AMD chips are what you want to spring for on a budget, as they provide excellent punch for a good price.

Much like the processor market, there are two big names in graphics processing– Nvidia and ATI/AMD. Their niche markets are not as clearly defined, but the loyalties to each manufacturer are the cause of many internet debates.

• Nvidia– producer of the Geforce desktop series and Quadro workstation series. Nvidia cards come with PhysX, which is an advanced physics processing method to provide more realism in games. Recently, Nvidia has managed to take a hold of the very middle and very top of the market. That is to say, they have produced cards in their recent Geforce iterations that have specifically provided excellent performance for a mid-range price (see GTX 460, GTX 560 Ti) and cards that have reigned as the most powerful consumer desktop cards (see GTX 480, GTX 580) for a notable amount of time. Typically, Nvidia is known for solid driver support, though a recent situation with drivers for a period of time caused many problems among users, and went unfixed for an unusual amount of time. Regardless, Nvidia cards are generally solid on all systems.
• AMD (formerly ATI)– Makers of the Radeon HD desktop series and FireGL workstation series. Produces solid cards for every price range, and even tends to cover some in between places that Nvidia leaves behind. Recently, AMD has released high-end cards that actually have two GPUs in one in order to compete with Nvidia's higher end. Unfortunately, AMD/ATI cards have a notorious history of bad drivers and poor driver support. If you can work around this, however, there is value to be found.

There are different form factors to consider with cases and motherboards. Here are some common form factors to take note of when building desktops:

• ATX– (305 × 244) Most common size motherboard/case form factor for full-size desktops. Cases typically come in Mid-ATX and Full-ATX. Typically have multiple PCI/PCI-E, memory slots and SATA ports.
• Micro ATX– (244 × 244) Smaller than ATX (and Full/Mid-ATX cases). Fewer PCI/PCI-E, memory slots, SATA ports.
• Mini-ITX– (170 × 170) Even smaller than Micro ATX. Made for very small systems, and integrated components are typical as a result.

An example of an ATX Motherboard. [Source: Nomenclaturo]

The inside of a Full ATX case. [Source: geeky-gadgets.com]

A Mid-ATX case for comparison. [Source: desinformado.com]

When it comes to Linux, there are many different desktop environments (or, DEs) to choose from. Here are some popular ones to consider when building a Linux system.

• Gnome– [http://www.gnome.org/] One of the most, if not the most, popular DE due to distros like Ubuntu shipping with it by default. Gnome 2.x was a sort of de facto standard Linux DE for a long time, but the new Gnome 3 has caused a bit of disenfranchisement among Gnome 2 fans. Gnome 3, currently, is not as easily customizable as other DEs (Gnome 2 in particular). It however features simplified search and organization features that users of Windows 7 may come to appreciate.
• KDE– [http://www.kde.org/] Another immensely popular DE, often considered the first place to look for an alternative to Gnome, also due to its wide inclusion in various linux distros.
• Xfce– [www.xfce.org/] A highly modular and lightweight (uses fewer resources) DE. Nearly every aspect of the desktop is customizable, and features cross compatibility with Gnome and KDE features, given the installation of the correct desktop applications. Strongly suggested for fans of desktops that actually work AND look niceGnome 2.

objectively best DE here whoop whoop i'm sorry do you see this beautiful desktop look at xfce in all of its glory

*ahem* An example of a Xfce desktop.

Here will be a minor discussion of the three major types of operating systems commonly used in personal computers nowadays.

• Windows (7/Vista/XP) – Proprietary OS by Microsoft. Licenses are available for any build that meets system requirements, and as is such, is featured predominantly in prebuilt PCs by 3rd party manufacturers. 7 has a desktop environment with a taskbar that can group windows, and pin frequently used icons, much like a dock. Most PC video games are developed for play on Windows. As is such, this is really the OS' strong suit from a system builders perspective.
• Mac OS X– Proprietary OS by Apple for use on computers manufactured by them. As is such, OS X is not distributed on 3rd party prebuilt computers. OS X is Unix based, and can be manipulated from a terminal. OS X is known for its artistic functionality in the way of graphical and musical applications. Games developed for Windows are being ported to OS X more frequently, but not nearly enough to seriously consider OS X for a gaming machine. Also well known for being “virus free” and “idiot-proof.”
• Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, etc.) – The one, the only, the open source alternative. There are many different distributions of Linux to suit your needs. In fact, if you wanted, you could make your own distro and maintain it. Linux OSes make use of open source software, and as is such, is often developed by the community to suit needs not previously met. Of course, this is limited by the skill set and time available to work on such things. At any rate, Linux OSes are very capable of your typical computing needs and then some. It is highly customizable and configurable to your needs. Of course, the only draw back is that there is typically a lack of proprietary support, and people tend to keep up with code for an OS when it is how you make a living, and the market demands it.

At any rate, here would be my suggestions, if you forced me to pin a couple specific tasks for each OS to specialize in–

• Windows ⇒ Gaming, Engineer Drawing
• OS X ⇒ Music, Drawing
• Linux ⇒ General use, Programming

State the course objective

In your own words, define what that objective entails.

State the method you will use for measuring successful academic/intellectual achievement of this objective.

Follow your method and obtain a measurement. Document the results here.

Reflect upon your results of the measurement to ascertain your achievement of the particular course objective.

• How did you do?
• Is there room for improvement?
• Could the measurement process be enhanced to be more effective?
• Do you think this enhancement would be efficient to employ?
• Could the course objective be altered to be more applicable? How would you alter it?