We moved toward the edge today….

We definitely moved toward the edge in the offices today.

After the little static charge fiasco in the week prior to Gnomedex, we needed
to replace our router in the Fullbrain offices. We did that today and the setup just
couldn’t possibly be slicker or more useful.

I picked up a 2.4 Ghz wireless Linksys Cable/DSL router with a 4-port switch this
afternoon. Since most of the office is wired, including the workbench, we still
needed the capability to connect via wire. But, with the Zaurus an
ever-important element in my daily life, I really wanted to take advantage of
the ability to roam within the office unfettered. My business partner Adrian is also a
wireless-capable-PDA owner, in the form of the HP Jornada I won at Gnomedex I.
Armed with wireless CF cards, we do feel like some bad mofos cruising around the
office surfin’ and stuff. So the choice of the Linksys was an obvious one.

The Linksys configured easily, as I’ve come to know and love about these
products. From a browser interface, I was easily able to configure DHCP,
establish the wireless protocol and settings, and build in some measure of
security, to boot. The browser configuration interface is especially nice, given

that I didn’t have to leave Linux to set it all up. Mozilla handled everything
just fine. Within a half-hour, I had a fully functional wireless/wired network
in the office and a pretty good feeling about the level of security I was able
to build in.

Now, don’t get me wrong. 802.11b, by its very nature, isn’t going to be as
secure as a hardwired network. I knew that going in. That’s another reason I
wanted the combination router - my office desktops are still on a hardwired
network, with any critical data locked down. For the portable devices, we’re
free to roam nearly at will (I didn’t walk across the street to test the signal
strength - yet).

Wireless offers us another opportunity, as well. Still flush with the
inspiration of Gnomedex, I’ve placed what is, I believe, the first warchalking
symbol in Iowa City in our front window. By cautiously locking down the
desktops, I feel comfortable sharing our wireless access with whomever might
happen to understand what that funky little symbol in the front window means. I
did test access in the parking lot, and it worked flawlessly. If you’re ever
near Iowa City, feel free to drop by and surf or check your mail. We’re glad to
share our good fortune.

It’s all about open source, my friends - giving and sharing. “Open Source” as in

“a community willing to share.” Isn’t it fun to be a part of?

Those of you in the US - have a great Labor Day weekend. Whether you are or not,

I’ll be back here on Monday.