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Posts in 2008 December
Reminder: Submit Your Linux Dream – Deadline: 2 PM on Thursday (Eastern Time)
Don’t forget to submit your dream for Linux! The deadline for submission is 2 PM Eastern time on Thursday, January 1st. (If your late, go ahead and submit anyway, I wouldn’t really close submissions until I get around to printing them out.) Submissions will be looked over and the most popular and/or interesting ones will be featured in a post.
The Terminal Test: Do you have to use the terminal in Linux?
Reminder: Submit your Linux dream! Deadline: 2 PM on Thursday.
A frequent worry of Linux newbies is that they will have to learn how to use the terminal, something that is unfamiliar to new users. There is some debate, however, over when you have to use the terminal, if you have to at all. The question is: it is possible to use Linux without using the terminal?
It has been my personal opinion that everything can be done from the GUI and it is only that people are often advised to use the terminal, since it is easier to give someone a command than to explain what to click. Still, though, I sometimes find myself heading to the terminal to perform some test.
Here is the experiment: Every time I go to the terminal to do something, I will put a post out to Twitter and Identi.ca saying what I had to do, explaining the GUI way of doing it, and making suggestions for how things could be improved so that I would not have had to use the terminal – all in 140 characters.
You can follow the experiment at either of the below URLs, both should have the same content through Ping.fm.
http://identi.ca/terminaltest
http://twitter.com/terminaltest
I look forward to seeing how this experiment turns out.
Happy new year!
What if you tried to put Windows on a USB key…
Today, I read about a new netbook (running Linux, of course) that stores its operating system on a USB key, presumably so that you can take it out and bring your file and settings to any computer. The first time I skimmed the article, I misread it and didn’t see that it ran Linux. Later, I realized that it must run Linux, since you just couldn’t do that with Windows. It does, in fact, run Linux, but that got me thinking: what would happen if you tried to keep your Windows installation on a USB key and use it on any computer you ran into, like many people do with Linux?
It would probably go something like this:
Windows has found new hardware. Please insert driver CDs.
Windows must be re-activated. Please enter the license code on the back of the original box.
Windows is running low on space on your 32GB flash drive. Please delete files to free up space.
Windows has been activated too many times. Please sit on hold for an hour and explain your situation.
And, finally… Windows got a virus and has been spreading it to every machine you’ve touched.
This is just in case you didn’t believe that anti-piracy measures hinder innovation.
How To/Roundup: Widgets on Ubuntu
Windows Vista has gadgets, Mac OS X has widgets, KDE users have plasmoids, but what if you’re an Ubuntu user? Don’t worry, you have a number of opinions, you just have to install them yourself.
gDesklets - Project Website
The first option I looked at was gDesklets. For Ubuntu users, they are available from the standard repositories, so head over to Add/Remove and search for “gdesklets.” After installing gDesklets, you will want to add the command “gdesklets shell” to your session (System > Preferences > Sessions > Add). Now either restart your computer or open them once manually by going to Applications > Accessories > gDesklets. This will bring up the “shell,” from which you can add widgets. A huge number can be installed just by navigating through the sidebar at the right or you can look on the gDesklets site. You can install downloaded widgets by going to File > Install Package.
In order to bring widgets to the front of your applications you can (by default) press Shift + F12. If Compiz Fusion is not enabled, there is a box around widget of the desktop background that looks really ugly. Turn Compiz Fusion on and it looks right.
Screenlets - Project Website
Screenlets, like gDesklets, can be installed through Add/Remove if your on Intrepid. If your still using Hardy Heron, it is still in the repositories, but you have to go to Synaptic. To make it start up when you boot, launch Screenlets from either Applications > Accessories > Screenlets (usually Intrepid) or System > Preferences > Screenlets (usually Hardy), then check the box saying “Auto start on login.” From this same window, you can add the widgets that come with Screenlets. You can also download them from the Screenlets site. Then just click the install button and select the package. You should also be able to install Google Gadgets with Screenlets, although I have not tested this.
If you want to be able to bring your widgets to the front, you can follow this guide which uses a Compiz Fusion plugin.
Conclusion
These two options are quite similar in many ways.and there are also other options avaliable, but these seem to be the most common. For me, I am going to stick to Screenlets, since it has a nicer interface and the Compiz Fusion widget layer integration is really nice. In the end, though, it is really up to personal choice. Since neither is difficult to install, I recommend you try out both before settling on whichever one suits your needs best. Now, off to find some more widgets!
Brilliant Brainstorms #41 – It's all in the label.
Brilliant Brainstorms is a weekly summary of some of the best/most interesting brainstorms from the Ubuntu Brainstorm site.
Sorry there was no Brilliant Brainstorm last week. To make up for it (sort of) there is a bonus idea this week. 
Is Windows 7 Really A Linux Killer?
A recent ComputerWorld article titled “Windows 7: The Linux Killer” has been getting a lot of attention. The article basically argues that Microsoft’s vulnerability to Linux comes entirely from netbooks and that Windows 7 is designed to and will take over the netbook market. On one point I agree, on one point I disagree, and on one point I think we just have to wait and see.
I agree that Windows 7 was probably designed at least partly with the goal of developing a modern version of Windows that can realistically run on netbooks. Without a doubt, there has been some serious focus on performance in Windows 7, most likely as a result of both complaints about Vista and the growing netbook market. It also appears that these efforts have paid off and Windows 7 will probably be much better on netbooks than Vista was.
Where I disagree with the article is in this statement:
The threat to Windows comes entirely from “netbooks”
If that was revised to “the immediate threat to Windows comes entirely from netbooks,” then I would agree. The thing is that standard desktop Linux is making a lot of progress, too. I could point to Dell’s Linux offerings, but I think the more significant progress is in overall user friendliness. For example, look at Wubi. You can now install Ubuntu without leaving Windows and uninstall it the same way. I could name almost countless examples of small things that make various Linux distributions more user friendly. Support for Windows file systems, clearly named menus, Add/Remove programs, continually improving hardware support, and so on. Whatever you can say about market share and whatever comparisons you want to make, Linux is improving at a rapid pace. This could be Microsoft’s greatest long term threat. A free operating system already very, very usable and quickly improving.
Finally, the article makes the following claim:
The high point for Linux netbook sales will be from now until the launch of Windows 7. After that will come the inevitable decline.
I don’t think it’s so clear cut. First of all, we have to look at costs. Windows costs money, Linux doesn’t. Argue all you want about the details of the training, support, and so on, but the fact remains that Windows has a per-license price and Linux doesn’t. (Unless Microsoft plays some really weird price games, which can always happen.) Second, Linux can be customized like crazy. This really means two things: First, it is almost guaranteed that it will be possible to make Linux faster, since you can strip away, modify, or replace every piece. Second, the OEM can modify the software they ship, as both Dell and HP have done. In fact, they can even take pretty much complete credit for it . The point is that, despite Windows 7 making huge improvements, there will still be many reasons to use Linux, so it is not at all clear that Windows 7 will suppress Linux on netbooks.
I can’t say I agree with everything, but I think the general idea of the article is right. Windows 7 is, at least partially, targeted at killing Linux, but I don’t think it will work.
Review: The Logitech MX Air on Linux
For some time I have wondered how well the Logitech MX Air
For starters let’s talk about compatibility with Linux:
Compatibility
It works out of the box. Period.
OK. You can’t install Logitech’s Windows-only software (which lets you reconfigure mouse buttons and mouse speeds) and the cursor doesn’t change when you pick up the mouse, but, to be honest, neither of these features are really important to me. I only tested the mouse in Ubuntu 8.04, but I assume results would be similar in other distributions.
Design
The Air is almost all black on the top with a chrome-style underside that looks, well, a tad ugly, and orange lighting that looks great and is, in some cases, quite useful. Luckily, most of us don’t spend our time looking at the bottom side of our mice and the visible bits of chrome are quite nice. Without having used all that many mice, I can’t really judge how well designed the mouse is ergonomically relative to others, but it definitely feels nice in your hand.
It addition to the two long mouse buttons on the top, there is a row of buttons in the middle. The first part is not really a button, but a touch-sensitive scroll area. Instead of having a physical wheel, you just move your finger up or down the strip. (While you scroll, the mouse makes a sort of quiet scrolling, clicking sound, which is a nice addition. Behind the scrolling area there are four buttons. From front to back they are back, select, play/pause, and volume. The select button, which serves as a second left click (useful in the air), has a small raised bump, allowing you to locate it without looking at the mouse. Again, this is really just for when you use this mouse in the air, which will probably be most of the time. That’s about it to the design. The mouse really appears quite minimalistic, in a good way. “Minimalistic” is a description that fits only the design of this mouse, though.
Set Up
Set up for this mouse, like most, is extremely simple. First, plug in the charging station. All you have to do is plug the power cord in to the wall and and the other end in to the back of the charging station. Next, plug the USB wireless receiver into a USB port. And you’re done.
The charging station is really nice, since you don’t have to worry about replacing the batteries. When you place the mouse in the charger, a battery indicator appears, showing the status of the battery. When you take the mouse out of its stand, the battery indicator lights fade and other lights illuminate the various buttons on the mouse. My only complaint about the charging station is that the mouse doesn’t really ‘click’ in to place, it just sits there. This is not a major problem, but it would be nice to have some physical feedback when you put the mouse in its stand.
In The Air
As soon as you pick this mouse up, the magic begins. You can immediately start pointing at things and clicking on them, making little gestures to control media, and generally having fun controlling your computer from afar. Logitech’s Windows-only tutorial suggest you hold the mouse with all your fingers except your thumb under the mouse and your thumb on the select key (the one with the bump that serves as a left click) while using it in the air. This is a more comfortable position and give you access to the various special keys, but you can’t easily right click with this set up.
One thing you will notice as soon as you start using this mouse is that it quickly gets misaligned. In other words, you sometimes have to point at a different place than you want the cursor to go. This is, luckily, not a big deal, since it happens a lot. All you have to do is hold down the back button (right above the select button) and the cursor will freeze. Then, point the mouse at the cursor and release the button. If you hold down the back button for a couple seconds, it will keep the cursor frozen after you release. This lets you use the other special keys and use gestures to control media without worrying about the cursor flying all over the place.
If you plan to use the Air to control a lot of media, you will want to get used to using gesture. For example, pressing play/pause and making a little forward or backward circle skips to the next item in your playlist or returns you to the beginning of the current item, respectively. Just pressing the volume once mutes or unmutes the sound, but if you hold down and move the mouse to the left or right, you can change the volume. Trust me, its really cool.
Where it is not so cool, though, is when you try to precisely move the mouse. Trying the resize a window, for example, is an absolute pain. Most basic computing tasks work pretty well from the couch, even if you have to do a little typing with an on-screen keyboard. You would not, however, want to do any serious typing. It really only works for typing URLs and short things.
On The Ground
When you are not waving the this mouse around in the air, it also functions as a standard mouse. Just put it down and start using it. Really there is not a lot to it, except that you can do it.
Conclusion
The Air mouse works really well, especially for controlling media, so it really comes down to how well you can take advantage of it’s gyroscopic abilities (all the stuff you do with it in the air). If you spend a lot of time on your computer just watching movies or listening to music, the Air mouse might be a good choice. Where it really shines, though, is when it comes to home theater PCs. The ability to pick up one device and control your computer is amazing. For some time I have used a small wireless keyboard that has a built in mouse, but this is way better. I’ll still pick up the keyboard if I have to type something long, but with a home theater PC, I rarely have to do that.
If you don’t have a home theater PC or watch/listen to a lot of media on your computer, the Air’s special abilities are really little more than a cool feature to play with for a few minutes. If you do spend a lot of time watching/listening to media on your computer or especially if you have a home theater PC, the Logitech MX Air
Mary Christmas and Happy Holidays for Linux Loop! Enjoy the holidays!
What's Your Holiday Gift to the Linux Community?
In case you forgot to put the Linux community on your list or in case you just couldn’t find anything for them, you’re in luck. There’s a last minute gift opportunity:
Here is what you have to do:
- Head over to the fourm (or IRC channel, if you must) of your favorite distribution.
- Help people out. Even if your a newbie, you can probably still help out.
- Post links to the threads (along with your username) where you helped someone out in the comments. (If you choose IRC, perhaps you could link to the log and give your name? – or just be creative.)
That’s it. There are no prizes for helping the most people out, but I might say “thank you” or something. You have until midnight on the 25th (eastern time) to post your comment. Even if you just get the chance to help one person, post it here. The idea is to see everyone’s combined effect. Happy Holidays!
What If Windows Told You What It Was Really Doing
Reading about Canonicals’ plans for application notifications, I got to wondering if the operating system could tell you what it was doing, too. Then I started wondering what would happen if Windows told you what it was really doing… I think it might go like this:
Starting up… I’m still tired as heck here, so don’t even think about keeping me up too long.
Hmm… you want me to work? Don’t think so. Let’s have some fun.
Wrong password.
Wrong password.
Wrong password. He, he. Just kidding. You typed the right one three times.
Phoning home to Redmond…
Downloading “cirtical” update. Description: Fixes important vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Real Description: Disables inferior browsers.
Installing “critical” update. Closing all your programs in 10… 9… 8… oops. that was a little early.
Please continue working.
Shutting down to apply update in 3.. 2.. 1… Work… Gone…
That’ll teach him to be productive.
Stubborn user attempting to recreate work.
Must stop him….
Going to Blue Screen of Death in 10… 9.. 8… 7.. 6.. 5… 4… 3.. 2.. 1..
Dealing with standard response. Much yelling and shouting. Shutting down webcam. Too pathetic.
Applying critical patch… (Frying motherboard…)
Motherboard fried. Shutting down. For good.
AHHHH! Linux CD. PAINFUL. IT HURTS.
Alright! Alright! I get the point. I’ll work again! Just take that CD out of me!
Uh-oh. Too late. I hope repartitioning is painless…
And thus a new Linux convert is made.
Now I want to see this for OS X or Linux. (“Attempting to “teach” new user about xorg.conf file…”)