Free online Linux Courses

Majority of free online Linux courses are not affiliated with universities but are intended for self-study and don’t offer any academic credit. Linux course materials comprise PDF, video and screenshots and content is normally intended for newbies of Linux systems. 

 Listed below are sites that offer free Linux courses online:

1) Back to Basics: Linux Fundamentals at Novell

This free tutorial is meant for individuals who want to learn Linux fundamentals by means of self-directed study. This course concentrates on various functions including restarting and shutting down the Open Enterprise Server, logging in and out and controlling the Linux desktop. You can also access a cheat sheet for most typical command terms used in Linux.       Visit Link

2) Building Dynamic Websites at Harvard University

This online OCW course provides knowledge required to make a website. The course has multiple video lectures and individuals are instructed on how to make a website using Linux, in addition to a range of other frameworks. You can learn how to set up domains, program with Java, design databases, and construct web pages using CSS and XHTML.     Visit Link 

3) Computational Physics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The course focuses on teaching students how to do physics calculations using a computer as a calculator. You can also learn Java programming in a Linux environment. With the help of external website links, this online course instructs you about using algorithms and working within the Linux OS. Visit Link

4) The Embedded Linux Quick Start Guide through YouTube

This free tutorial lasts for less than an hour and offers learners with an introduction to the Linux environment. Explained by Chris Simmonds during a 2010 Embedded Linux Conference in Europe, this is the first video in a 3-part series on Linux. You can learn the four fundamental elements of Linux such as toolchain, boot loader, kernel and user space.   Visit Link

5) Introduction to Linux at the University of South Carolina

This is a simple preparatory tutorial of slides available in PDF format. The course material provides basic information about Linux, its different versions - or distributions, and how to use it. Some of the topics and tools covered in the course comprise files, folders, pages, commands and writing script.

Visit Link

6) The Linux Effect: 20th Anniversary at The Open University

Introduced as an online podcast training, the Linux Effect provides information on the Linux OS and how it's progressed through over the years. The course provides information pertaining to the origin of Linux, how it can be used in our daily lives and the link between Linux and cloud computing. You need to have a PDF viewer, such as Adobe Reader, to finish this course.      Visit Link

7) LPI Exam 201 Prep: Linux Kernel at IBM

This is a free tutorial series that prepares the students for the Linux Professional Institute Intermediate Level Administration (LPIC-2) Exam 201. While the first tutorial students are explained components, compiling, patching and customization of a Linux kernel. Other topics include system maintenance, hardware, web services, and troubleshooting.      Visit Link

5 Great Free Tools For Your Invoicing Needs

Sending invoices and quotes to multiple clients is an everyday task in the life of a web designer. You will fall into hundreds of paid invoice applications while searching for the free one, each ranging from 5$/m to 30$/m and so on. Paid apps can be good for large corporations who earn a lot of money but they are simply a monthly expense for an average freelancer. That’s why we have prepared an article having 5 best free invoicing apps for your business.

Billing Boss

      Billing Boss is a totally free invoicing application with pretty features. The user can easily keep track of billings and payments. Account at Billing Boss can be integrated with Sage Payment Services, Beanstream, or PayPal. In result, customers can pay your invoice online immediately. User interface of Billing Boss has been adapted in different languages. Further, the mobile version of web interface is also available to interact with application on iPhone or G1.

During the Sign Up, the user fills up the required information like Name, Address, Logo, and Tax Information of business. The account can also be linked with some merchant services if required.

In next step, you need to create customers, which is simple enough. Then you can make a quote or invoice. Once you fill the invoice and save it, a preview of invoice will appear. In this preview, you can apply available styles, send or print it, or save as pdf. Below are the screenshots for the above mentioned two steps.

Intuit Billing Manager

        Intuit Billing Manager is also a free and intuitive online invoicing application. You can easily create and send invoices. The application gives you a review of what is overdue and what has been paid. The user can send reminders to customers if there is an outstanding payment.

After filling login details, the user can create invoice immediately. I would recommend going on settings tab and modifying your details accordingly. You can alter business information like address and logo, default messages attached in outgoing email, payment methods and some other default invoicing parameters.

In the left side bar of the application, you can see “My Address Book” which is used to manage your customers. You can add manually or import CSV file of your business contacts at once. Also, there is a section in the sidebar titled as “Products & Services”. In this section, you can add what you are offering to avoid manual entry whenever you create an invoice.

If you create invoices infrequently, above mentioned steps can be skipped. The invoice creation process is straight. You can apply one of the invoice templates available. After filling the information, the invoice can be saved, previewed, printed, or sent by email. In print mode, the invoice can also be saved as pdf.

Invoice Journal

           Another Great and Free invoicing application is invoice journal which lets you create invoices for your clients. After signup, invoice journal give you a unique sub domain which can be used for login to your account. The process is very simple. You can create clients and after that start sending invoices for no fee. The application has a nice and very simple user interface which makes it great to use.

BambooInvoice

            BambooInvoice is a free and open source application to send and manage professional invoices. One has to install it on its own servers before using it. It is one of my favorite invoicing application as my point of view is that invoicing and your personal finances are sensitive case and you should not leave them to some one else.

The open source software needs php5 and mysql 4.1 databases to work efficiently. It is build using code igniter and really have great user interface. BabmooInvoice is a very active project and you can also get support if you run into any trouble by accessing its forums here. Give it a try and you will love it.

Simple Invoices

         Simple invoices is another free and open source invoicing system which you can use to get money from different clients. Like BambooInvoice, you have to install in on your own server to use. The open source application has been translated in to many languages and some developers have also built extensions for it. You can also email your prepared invoice as pdf. Simple invoices has comprehensive documentation so you can install it easily.

Have a look at the user interface of simple invoices. It has been enhanced with Ajax and java script.

I've covered some awesome free web apps that are best alternatives of expensive invoicing apps. Feel free to share your invoicing systems and let us know if we have missed something important.