| Ubuntu Nuggets - it's the little things that count 5 May 2008 The first Ubuntu release hype is slowly passing away. It's amazing to see Ubuntu-related articles rise to the top of social bookmarking sites, extolling the wonders of the new Hardy Heron. Too bad most of them stick to the obvious and fail to see the not-so-obvious-but-o-so-beneficial smaller improvements. The repositories are packed with applications and tools. Hidden in the long lists are some real gems that provide GUI-tools for actions that used to require commandline interventions and hacking textbased configuration files. Simplifying GRUB For instance GRUB. There are now two tools to alter the settings of GRUB: kgrubeditor and qgrubeditor. These programs allow you to change the default for booting, to edit the text of the entries and spice up GRUB to your personal liking. Qgrubeditor seems to provide a more user-friendly interface, but both programs take away a lot of the 'stress' in fine-tuning and personalizing the bootloader. Ink Management How much ink does your printer hold at the moment? It's a question most Windows-users can answer (apart from correcting for the manufacturers' margin for pushing the sale of cartridges). Ubuntu users have two tools that provide the same functionality: inkblot and qink. Inkblot is virtually 1.0 stable (0.99.9-something) so it must have been around for some time. Virtualization made easier Virtualization is hot, very hot. VirtualBox was already available in the repositories, but VMware Server seems to have disappeared. Instead, the number of GUI tools to set up virtual machines with Qemu seems to have grown. There's qtemu, qemulator and qemu launcher. It's still no sinecure to create a new virtual machine, but the improvements in user-friendliness are amazing. The race for desktop virtualization is going strong and provides day-to-day users with powerful and free tools to work with. Prism Prism is making a strong appearance in Hardy Heron. A range of Google-based applications (Docs, Calendar, Talk, Mail, Groups, Reader), Facebook and Twitter are now available as desktop internetapplications. The performance is quite stunning and when launching Google Docs you actually have the impression of using a desktop office suite. Another online service that found it's way to the desktop is Flickr via kflickr and flickrfs, so the competition with Picasa can begin. Modifying fstab The Storage Device Manager (pysdm) is a GUI-tool to customize the mount points of hard disks and partitions without editing fstab yourself. You don't have to start looking around to find the proper options for you partitions and drive, because SDM has them listed in the assistant. No program for the novice user, but definitely a must-install for the intermediate user. EasyCrypt and TrueCrypt Finally, there is EasyCrypt. Security aware users no doubt know the benefits of having an encrypted file, partitition or drive. TrueCrypt is a great program, but it lacked a GUI for Linux. EasyCrypt has found it's way to the repositories, thought TrueCrypt didn't. EasyCrypt directs you to the proper download page to remedy the problem. After that it becomes a matter of going through the various steps to create your own vault. Conclusions Yes, the commandline is the first and last line, but in most novice users it provokes a 'Linux is complicated' response. The advent of these GUI tools and their maturity shows that a group of developers really understands the needs of these users. Kudos to you all, because you made the work of open source ambassadors a lot easier again. |
| Multiple Collaboration Site Disorder 2 May 2008 I am suffering from 'multiple collaboration site disorder' apart from a lingering condition of 'infomation flow control anxiety'. It's pretty serious and it shows the dangers of high levels of Web 2.0 involvement coupled with multiproject involvement. The point is, I truly believe in the saying: "you have been given for free, you should give for free." The Linux and open source world has been very kind with tons of developers giving their spare time to provide me (and the rest of the world) with a great open source desktop and 25.000+ applications for free. In return I want to give something back and the best way I can do that is by writing, by helping out online and offline. In order to do my thing I am keeping track off a few hundred RSS newsfeeds, a couple of forums and various other news sources, like mailing lists. And then you have the projects I contribute to. That's where the problems arise, since each project has it's own website, it's own wiki, it's own forum. it's own groupware package. Of course, each module has it's own username and password because security is paramount. Yes, multiple calendars and contact lists as well. In practice this means I simply forget to check in or check out. Web 2.0 might be nice but it only led to a proliferation of loosely connected modules with no real way of aggregating and integrating all information streams. Using Evolution has solved some of the problems. It consolidates the various e-mail accounts and with the help of search folders, labels and rules to create cross-sections it makes it almost bearable. The most recent release (included in Hardy Heron) seems to support Google Calendar which should solve another problem. What I didn't find yet was a way to import an OPML file for the load of RSS feeds. The semantic web is supposed to be the solution to the problem that didn't exist a few years ago. Strange enough I am convinced it will create a new growth in information that needs aggregating. What really is needed is the digital version of prozac. It won't stem the flow of digital data, but will allow me to surf the stream with a smile on my face. | |
| BSD Magazine released 24 April 2008 In the fall of 2007 I wrote two 30-day series about PC-BSD and DesktopBSD respectively. I was impressed by the ease of use and the level of maturity,not of the software but of the people developing and using BSD. When I was finished I ran across a blogpost by Dru Lavigne who pointed at a new BSD Magazine to be released in the spring of 2008. Contacting the editor was easy enough and the decision was made to write an article about the two *BSD's I had tested extensively. On thing that made the experience all the more exciting were the e-mail based interviews with the key developers Peter Hofer (DesktopBSD), Kris Moore (PC-BSD) and Matt Olander (iXsystems). I am just the curious writer, but these are the guys that actually work on providing us with two great desktop-oriented *BSD's. Anyway, the first issue of BSD Magazine is out and it looks superb. It comes with a dvd containing FreeBSD 7.0, pfSense 1.2 firewall and some more. The articles have something for readers on all levels. Dru Lavigne helps you to install FreeBSD 7.0 in the section 'get started'. Joy Kruizenga explains how to install BSD alongside Vista in the section 'how-tos'.If you happen to have the Linksys NSLU2, you might want to read Donald Hayford's article on how to install NetBSD on it. The scope and quality is really amazing and I feel a bit proud to be among this group of writers. Humbled too, because everyone else appears to have tons more knowledge about BSD as well. I can only recommend getting the first issue or subscribing for BSD Magazine. There aren't many magazines out there that deal with BSD and this magazine deserves to remain for a long. The annual subscription for four issues is $ 39,99 for the USA and € 29,99 for Europe and the rest of the world. To quote l'Oreal: "you're worth it." |
I'm an
{open source} hero 26 April 2007 At least, that is what Microsoft is trying to tell me. Some time ago, the company that used to call open source something nasty launched it's {Open Source} Heroes website. You may call it part of a wider strategy to provide a place for developers who warm up to open source, but wish to stay within the known boundaries of Windows. Port25 and Codeplex are two other 'must register' sites for WOSS developers (WOSS = Windows Open Source Software). What does a {WOSS} Hero need to conquer the Windows desktop? Of course, your own Hero Hack Pack. Being curious by nature I requested one and received it two days ago. You've got to grant Microsoft one thing: the company knows how to get marketing right. And they learn quickly. The package is a large 30 x 15 cm (something like that) folder with Chris Travers on the cover (who appears to do a lot on Open Source Interoperability) ready to start skying in a great vista (pun intended) with snow covered mountains. As the lingo says: "No that's a hero". (he also tends his 30+ heirloom rose garden). Inside it contains all I need to get started with Open Source and Microsoft technology: (1) A 90-day evalution version of Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition and (2) A "up to 120-Day Evalution" of Windows Server 2008. Wow! That is a full 60 day less I got with the trial edition of Windows Server 2003 (and inside it says 30 days to start with, after which you need to request an extension). Microsoft must be loosing money. When the trial period ends: "Your trial software will cease to function and you may uninstall it." Do you, as an aspiring {WOSS} Hero feel warm and and fuzzy inside? Are you now ready to finally get rid of your free and open source desktop, developing tools and brethren in the open community to join the ranks of Rocketman, Flash Gordon, Superman and above all, Captain America?
{WOSS} Hero, the champion of the Windows desktop. Neither free nor
cheap. |
| Deadlines 23 April 2008 Maybe it is part and parcel of the life of a writer: to work against deadlines. The operative word "dead" doesn't really ring a good bell, but I actually began to like deadlines. For one, they force me to cut the text short, stop the flow of new ideas and simply finish the job. There is plenty of time later on to fix pieces if needed. This is one thing I learned from the NaNoWriMo in 2007. This year provides a string of deadlines, one a few days from now, another in mid june and then on to the fall season. If all goes well, I will be writing four books in 2008 and contribute to two others, apart from my writing for Livre and Digiplace and I don't want to forget my old friends. So, I wonder, what was I thinking when starting this experiment? |
First
Impressions: Mandriva
Spring 2008 23 april 2008 Maybe I am wrong, but I have seen only raving reviews about the new Mandriva Spring 2008. Positive reviews. Since I always like to draw my own conclusions and Mandriva is one the releases this spring, I decided to give it a spin. I installed it in a virtual machine on my desktop and on a separate partition on my Acer 3681 WXMi laptop. Editions Mandriva offers a few variations of Spring 2008: the free Mandriva Linux One 2008 Spring and the real free Mandriva Linux One 2008 Spring that conforms to the definition of free software (meaning without proprietary drivers or codecs). Then there are the commercial editions: Powerpack and Flash (runs of a nice USB key). The Powerpack edition comes with a set of codecs, Picasa, Cedega and three months of e-training and support. I ran a testdrive with the 'non-free' free version. Installation With today's Linux distributions it would be a surprise if it wasn't easy to install them and Mandriva is no exception. It shouldn't be too much of a problem for novice users to follows the steps and install Mandriva on their boxes. Of course, taking care of the partitions is always a challenge but a skill that can be learned. Look and feel: Where are the penguins? The Mandriva logo is a yellow star, but somehow I always associate Mandriva with penguins portrayed in socialist-realist propagande style, looking confidently to the future. Those penguins are gone from the desktop, replaced by a nice looking wallpaper, though not really an eye-catcher. I know, taste is personal. The KDE desktop is well-organized. I was a bit surprised not to see Dolphin as the default filemanager, but Konquerer instead. Nothing wrong with Konquerer, but other recent distributions came with Dolphin. The default set of applications is a good mixture of K-applications with OpenOffice.org as the office suite. Turn off: Codeina You can uses Codeina to install codecs that are missing from your system. Maybe I am too used to finding these codecs in other repositories (like Medibuntu for Ubuntu) for free, but it was a turn off to see a price tag (7 euro?) on the download offers for some codecs. This service is provided by Fluendo. There is nothing wrong with it, I guess, but highly unexpected. Updating the system One of the first things I always do is to bring the system up to date. The package manager gives you the option to select a repository, there isn't one preselected for you. The full system update brought up a series of questions whether I would like to select package A or package B. I had the same experience with OpenSuse and SLED recently. Frankly, I wonder whether novice users would have a clue which selection would be best as no information was provided (other than the package names that are slightly different). It is confusing when choices later on bring back earlier questions. Installing the GNOME desktop was simple. The package manager offers various filters, one of which is meta-packages. Selecting the GNOME meta-package is easy enough to give the proper desktop. Wifi So far I had been working with a network cable attached to the laptop, but I wanted the wifi enabled. The Mandriva control center is a remarkably well-designed tool. I like the design and the lay-out. In order to setup the wireless connection it is necessary to have the proper Windows-driver available (Broadcom in my case). That was a bit of a problem, because I don't run Windows on my laptop and don't have the driver at hand. However, I found it on the internet and the wifi connection lit up. It makes the connection to the wifi network somewhat faster than Ubuntu. The biggest problem: Instability Looking deeper into the distribution requires the ability to work with it and that wasn't really possible with Mandriva Spring 2008. The GNOME desktop froze my laptop everytime I put my finger on the touchpad, necessitating a hard reboot to fix it. The KDE desktop didn't have that problem, but moving the mouse became something of a hit and miss. Sometimes it would respond, sometimes it wouldn't. This might be solved through the settings, but overall the desktop was instable. Applications would freeze or simply close down without a warning. Writing this review was impossible under Mandriva as typing was unbearably slow. Considering the avalanche of positive reviews it must be related to my specific hardware, though Mandriva is the first distribution to reveal these issues. Overall conclusions This was a limited test, but that's the angle for the first impressions articles. The instability didn't do much to leave a positive feeling, but beyond that Mandriva did provide a complete and fine distribution. It doesnīt really shine or provide it's own face, a brand that is easily recognizable as for instance Ubuntu, Suse, Fedora or SabayonLinux. In the end, it didn't leave much of an impression and to capture the hearts and minds of new users that is one of the prerequisites. |
| Why Content Only! 22 April 2008 I recently started reading Zero Comments. Blogging and Critical Internet Culture by Geert Lovink. There is still a lot to cover in the book, but I was fascinated by his remarks about blogging and bloggers. It triggered a critique I have been working on for some time, realizing that so much that is written can hardly be considered fresh and original content. Keeping an eye on various newsfeeds dealing with open source, open standards, open content, free software and Linux, there is preciously little that can be considered original, new or even factual. I even ran a small experiment last year, not creating new content on my weblog, but simply creating "me too" posts and linking to and fro the most popular articles at sites like Digg. And indeed, the number of hits rose on my site and so my income from Google Ads. This is consistent with Lovink's remarks about blogging culture where pagerank is more of an issue than providing original content. This is another experiment. A weblog without ads, without news feed, without a nice interface. I want to go buck the trend and simply write about what I like and dislike. It's writing brought back to it's barest essential. Content Only! How long will this run? I don't know. Untill I get bored with it, I guess. It's an experiment in writing, in keeping everything as simple as possible and just be creative within the limits this provides. Maybe this form will come as close as possible to a book, that pile of paper with an interesting novell on it. It's simply white paper and black letters and yet it captivates the reader, brings him along to new experiences, new people and new worlds. |
What is this
about? 22 april 2008 What is the use of keeping a weblog that can not be tracked via an RSS-feed, when Google might have a hard time finding it and no possibility exists to leave comments? Basically, the whole exercise is not to aim for visibility, but to focus on original content. I will keep on writing about free and open source software, open standards, Linux and open content. The challenge is -for instance- to write interesting accounts about Linux distributions without a plethora screenshots. Apart from that I will write about trends I see in the realm of free and open source software, provide my own opinion without interaction with you. Oh, I do value your opinion and feel free to use the e-mail address to send yours to me. Who knows, I might even use it in one of the posts. So, nothing Web 2.0 here. |