Happy New Year!
In just about every timezone now, it has become 2004. Hope everyone had a safe, sane new years. Here are a few things I think are going to be big in 2004:
- Voice over IP (VoIP) — I’ve actually been dabbling in this this past year, having an account on Free World Dialup, Vonage (no longer a member), iConnectHere, and now Broadvox Direct. Aside from the geek factor of it all, it’s quite a bit cheaper than using your LEC to provide service. I will write some more about VoIP in later blog entries.
- Linux and Open Source — I’m now a year into having my main work machine be Linux. I just recently moved my home desktop to Linux. I just bought my wife a new computer from Cybernet Manufacturing, and though she ended up with Win2k instead, I gave her a copy of OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Word. I did warn my wife of the change, but she had no problems using it.
- My family — Well, bigger anyway. Aside from my wife Alisa and my son Jaden, a new child is on the way in May. Jaden, at 3 1/2, continues to grow and talk. Complete sentences. Won’t shut up, much like his daddy.
- My new book — Essential Check Point FireWall-1 NG is coming out in January. At least this time, Check Point isn’t planning a 4.1-to-NG style jump like what happened with my last book. The last book, based on 4.1, sold around 12-13,000 copies, which isn’t bad for a technical book.
In any case, it’s late in these parts, and I really should get some sleep seeing as how I’ve caught myself a cold…
