Just Another Tech Blog

Keep Your Computer Safe

2009-05-05T14:22:00.003-04:00

Hello again all,

I join you briefly today to discuss a little bit of Internet security. We all know how dangerous the web can be if you are not careful about what you view and download, so we all take the usual precautions and hope for the best. Well, sometimes the best doesn't happen, and you're left with a nasty virus, noisome malware, or some other sort of security vulnerability. Most users are caught unawares by these issues, and when they realize what's going on, they usually don't know what to do. That's why it's good that there are sites like PCThreat.com out there.

I got an email about PCThreat.com a while ago, and while honestly I usually ignore such emails, PCThreat.com actually seemed like a useful site. Every day I hear about peoples' computers getting viruses or griding to a halt under adware, and so often do I hear the scared cry of someone who thinks their computer is about to blow up because of all this stuff. Well, I can usually tell them that nothing is going to blow up, but really, however annoying these problems are, they are usually fixable, and most often preventable. That's where PCThreat.com comes in. They have a really good website that outlines a lot of the troublemakers that are out there in the vast tubes of the Internet. I was looking through their list of "Parasites" and came across some interesting things - such as a rouge antispyware programs that seem to be helpful but are actually dangerous malware programs. Ironic eh? And while many skilled users out there will laugh at this, the fact is that many people don't know the good from the bad on the internet, and fall victim to these kinds of scams. PCThreat.com has information on thousands of these sorts programs seeking to cause you harm or violate your privacy.

Of course, when you actually have one of these nasty things on your computer, you often don't really care what it is as long as you can get it off as quickly as possible. PCThreat.com again comes in handy here with instructions on how to alleviate your computer's malware ailments. For example, check out their page on the Trojan.Agent.cbdr trojan. They have an excellent description of the infection and also list in simple terms the danger level and the common symptoms (see the sidebar on the page). Very useful indeed.

Everyone loves to browse the web, but it is important to remember to do so safely. Check out PCThreat.com and become more educated today.

Cool Blog of the Day: La Habitación del Geek (International FTW!)

2008-07-05T20:48:00.003-04:00

Every so often, as I wander my way through the myriads of blogs in the blogosphere, I stumble across one that strikes me as possessing a certain "something" that sets it apart from the usual monotone self-absorbed blogging world one is exposed to on a daily basis. Other times, that blog happens to stumble upon you!

Recently, I was contacted by a very nice teen who happened to be Spanish and wanted to share some bloggings. I checked out his blog and, although it was in Spanish, I liked what I saw (I am actually learning Spanish in school at the moment, and I'm quite enjoying the language). It's a fledgling blog, but I think it has potential, and the fact that the author contacted me was pretty cool (props to you man!).

Really, it all kinda reminds me of when I started blogging... I never really thought anyone would take notice of my blog. However, I spoke to some more experienced bloggers, and they helped me out (thanks :) ). Sometimes, all it takes is a link to get a new blog going!

Anyways way, check out the site! HERE is a link for the blog in full Spanish, and HERE is one translated w/ Google to English.

Note from the Nerd: Gotta love that name too eh? The best start is a good name :D

Enabling Media Keys on the Saitek Eclipse II Keyboard (Ubuntu 8.04 and most other Linux distros)

2008-06-23T20:55:00.009-04:00

One of the few problems I experienced in my recent fresh install of Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) was the non-functionality of the media keys on my Saitek Eclipse II keyboard. This problem came as quite the odd surprise, seeing as the keys worked great in 7.04 and 7.10. It has always been puzzling to me that a new release can actually take a step backwards in terms of device compatibility... but what do I know? I don't code it, so it must be harder than it looks.
Either way, I soon set out to find a solution for this irksome issue I had on my hands. Who would have guessed that salvation came in the form of a Gentoo wiki page? Nice eh? Well, if you have explored that link a bit, you may note that it is quite lengthy and perhaps just a tad confusing for the Linux newbie. So... I bring you my simplified version! I have taken only the essential steps that were required to get the media keys on my Saitek Eclipse II keyboard working. I am sure that the guide works for other keyboards as well.

The first step of this process is find the raw scancodes that the kernel spits out and X interprets when a key is pressed. To do this in a nice, simple fasion, issue the following command and press the keys you would like to configure in an order that you can remember:

xev | sed -n s/"^.*keycode *$[0-9]\+$.*$"/"keycode \1 = "/p | uniq
Close the window when you are done. There should be an out put left that looks somewhat like so:

keycode 36 =
keycode 144 =
keycode 162 =
keycode 164 =

The first line isn't actually a media key, so just ignore/ delete it.

Now, we must set up xmodmap to recognize the keys and assign them their proper keysyms. In your home directory, create a file named .Xmodmap. In this file, you will enter the appropriate keysysm to match the media key. My file ended up looking like this:

keycode 162 = XF86AudioPlay
keycode 164 = XF86AudioStop
keycode 144 = XF86AudioPrev
keycode 153 = XF86AudioNext

You can find all possible keysyms listed in the following file on Ubuntu: /usr/share/X11/XKeysymDB.
This should now all be automatically loaded at startup. If it doesn't... try:

/usr/bin/xmodmap $HOME/.Xmodmap

Now that we have the keys properly identified and configured, we can assign them to the actions of our choice. I like to have my keys set up in Amarok, so I set the to their respective functions under Settings > Configure Global Shortcuts. You can also set the keys through gnome by going to System > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts. However, in the past, I have noted that this can cause conflict with Amarok, so I usually just leave the keys disabled in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog (Amarok will handle them just fine that way).

If all went well, that should get you full support for you mutlimedia keys in Ubuntu and Amarok. If it doesn't work, then take a look around the wiki page... maybe you will find something that fixs the issue or (even better) inspires you to come up with your own hacks and workarounds :D

Have fun!

Note from the Nerd: Many thanks to the people who contributed to the Gentoo wiki page I have so extensively referenced in this post!

A Look at the Latest Ubuntu (8.04 "Hardy Heron")

2008-06-23T18:43:00.005-04:00

Hello all! I start this summer's posting off with a review of the topic that is on everyone's mind... of course... the new Ubuntu release! Or rather, it was on everyone's minds. Seeing as I just didn't have the time to crank out a review during the entire post-release-blog-all-you-can-about-Ubuntu hype fest, I bring you my review now and hope that it reaches just a few of you out there. Let's get started.

Installation

What can I say, I love Ubuntu installations! As with most previous releases, Hardy Heron comes on a nice LiveCD through which you can dip your toes into Linux and decide whether or not to take the plunge. As for me, I've done my fair share of dabbling, so I tend to just boot up the CD to see if the preliminaries work (wifi, sound, video(ish), etc). With Ubuntu, there is a great probability that a large percentage of your hardware will be detected (if not, as in many cases, all) and configured properly right off the bat.

On loading the CD, you have the choice to try the "Try Ubuntu Without Making Any Changes to Your System", go straight to the install, boot normally, check the CD for defects, or test memory. Choosing the "Try Ubuntu Without Making Any Changes to Your System" will get you into the nice LiveCD mode. From there, you can test out your internet connectivity and check and see if your basic hardware has been detected. Clicking the installer icon on the desktop will start the installer.

The installer is excellent as usual, and even the unassuming Linux newbie can figure out what to do. Most of the process consists of the standard language/ time/ user/ password setup. The installer also features an assistant to help import your bookmarks and other preferences from older versions of Ubuntu or other operating systems. My favorite part of Ubuntu's installer continues to be the integration of the nice gparted disk partitioner GUI. It really makes a difference seeing how the hard drive is layed out. Other distributions like openSUSE don't have this nice visual aid and can be confusing. Ubuntu really has it figured out.

In its entiretity, the install was amazingly simple. The total install time on my AMD 3700+ system was about half an hour (about 10 min of which were spent messing w/ my partition scheme).

First Impressions and Usability

Usually, this is the time when I grip about how ugly Ubuntu looks... but honestly.. why bother? I can theme it all I like, and quite seriously, Ubuntu has a much more refined look than any other distribution I have ever come across. I'm actually kinda warming up to the whole brown-orange theme. In Hardy Heron especially, I find it to be tastefully done and altogether not all too obtrusive.

Ubuntu scores big again on hardware support in Hardy Heron. All my devices worked and required practically zero configuration. The exceptions to this are my wireless connection (rate set at 1MB/s on startup) and the media keys on my Saitek Eclipse II keyboard. I'll discuss my solutions to these problems in upcoming posts.

Media support is great again too. The helpful codec installer gets you all the plugins and codecs you need to jam to your favorite mp3s and ogle at your beloved DVDs. I immediately installed Amarok, seeing as it is the single best media player in existence and greatest thing since pre-compiled kernels (aka good stuff).

Not sure what else to say... everything just worked :-) Compiz can be simply enabled after installing the nvidia driver through the restricted driver manager and provides several levels of desktop-effects goodness.

Overall

Overall, Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron ) is another great release in the Ubuntu line, and surely deserves the prestigious "LTS" (Long Term Support) title that accompanies it.

So, this hasn't been quite as inclusive as some of my other reviews, but I'll be churning out a few other posts to explain my fixes for my keyboard and wireless issues. I'll also update the review as I see fit (hoping that some more inspiration will randomly come to me). Hope you enjoyed what I did have :-) I'm slowly getting back into the blogging world, so give me some time to re-adjust.

Peace out everyone! And remember, have some fun with Linux this summer!

Open Graphics Project to Announce Pre-Orders for First Hardware

2008-04-12T22:27:00.003-04:00

Many moons ago I posted about a fledgling project seeking to provide fully open graphics cards and drivers to the open source community, and consequently the world. After some separation from the tech world, I have come back and note that this wonderful project has made some brilliant strides! In fact, it has come so far as to now offer pre-orders for their first card, the OGD1. The road hasn't been an easy one:

The OGD1 design has actually been finished for a couple of months now. In that time, we've been chasing a chick-and-egg problem. We can take all the orders we want, but there's as much as an 8-week lead time between when we place our order for 100 boards and when we get them so that we can test and then ship them. It would be inappropriate to charge our own customers until we ship to them. That leaves us with a $60000 bill to pay before we have any revenue, and that's too much for Andy, Howard, and I to float on our own. We didn't want to make a formal announcement for re-orders until we solved this problem.

The card will initially be offered at $1500, with discounts of $100 for the first 100 pre-orders. But who is this card aimed at? Obviously the $1500 price tag is a bit high for the performance offered, so those seeking cutting edge graphics acceleration will have to look elsewhere (Matrox?). Rather, the card is meant for hackers and for those wanting to accelerate the pace of open graphics.

We often get inquiries about the use of OGD1 as a graphics card. It can easily-enough function as a graphics card, but for most such uses, it is badly over-priced. On the other hand, OGD1 is very competitively priced as an FPGA development kit. We need to make it clear what OGD1 is and why buying one is an important step for Free Software.

Check out the full announcement on the project's mailing list or read a bit @ Kernel Trap. Also, be sure to visit the project's wiki.

When Penguins Fly

2008-04-09T08:19:00.002-04:00

Everyone loves a good April Fools joke, and this year the BBC came up with one which was quite appealing to the Linux crowd. Since I am particularly partial to penguins, I simply must share this video, be it a week or so old now (live with it, you can never see too many penguins). I'll let the video speak for itself:

However, the true geek will want to know how this was made possible. Of course, "CG" can blurt out of anyones mouth, but I'm sure there was more put into this than just computer graphics. So, I went off to stroll the Internet in search of some behind the scenes footage. Well, leave it to BBC to make my search easy, apparently I wasn't the only one asking questions after having seen this vid. Here's some great "making-of" footage:

But now, what would a great joke be without a parody on it? Leave it to digg to share the most random stuff on the Internets... I recently found this rather nice Linux-themed "improvement" on the original video:

I particularly enjoyed the music on this one. It is well made, almost as though it were always meant to be a Linux commercial.

Well, I hope that these penguins have brightened your day as they have mine today (and for that matter the other 5 days I have watched this vid).

A Look Into A Pesky USB Drive Issue

2008-04-08T20:20:00.003-04:00

Recently, my trusty 2GB Corsair Flash Voyager died on me when it's head suddenly popped off as I was attempting to use it. It was one of those moments where your whole life just flashes before your eyes... Ok, so maybe it wasn't that bad, and, like all bad things, this rather tragic incident had a quite enjoyable bright side! Namely, I got to buy a new flash drive! Yes, the nerd inside of me is still alive and kicking. I decided to go with the same brand/ model because it had been so good to me for the years of its service, with one "small" upgrade... 4x times the storage :-) Yup, that is 8GB of flash memory goodness in my pocket. Great stuff really, I got it off the 'egg for just $40! That's how much the 2GB model cost a few years ago! It is really crazy how much flash memory prices have gone down.

As one usually is when receiving new hardware/ gadgets, I was rather excited when the drive shipped just 2 days later (I love you newegg). I popped it in my computer and received an interesting surprise. Instead of nautilus opening up, I was greeted by gtkpod. Apparently, the drive was being recognized as a "Digital Audio Player." Annoyed, I set off to find a solution to my problem. Sadly, forums were not much help, but finally I found a post far back in the Ubuntu support forums that quelled my need for an answer.

According to Bug #90286 on launch pad, I was not the only one experiencing these issues. Check out the solution @ the Ubuntu forums.

That worked for me! Now my drive is recognized as a normal USB disk.

I'll include these keywords to aid searchers:

Corsair Flash Voyager Recognized as Digital Audio Player

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I forgot to mention in my original posting that one of my best friends kindly saved my data for me as my flash drive was dying. Using a complex system of holding the drive in place and quickly maneuvering through "My Computer", she managed to save the most essential of my data. Here's to you! :: CHEERS ::

Asus Eee PC: Touchscreen hack

2007-12-21T09:49:00.000-05:00

The Asus Eee PC is one of the hottest new "gadgets" making its hype around the internet. The sub-laptop became an instant hit, offering extreme portability, great performance, and excellent productivity. Some would say that the device is just about perfect. Then there are some that want more! And so we get awesome mods like this one from jkkmobile who modded a touchscreen into his Asus Eee PC. Needless to say, this thing is awesome, and extremely sturdy to boot! A HOW-TO is promised soon!

Check out the vid @ jkkmobile.

History: Where Did The Fun Go?

2007-11-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

I sit here at my desk tonight, studying for an AP World History test. Bored out of my mind, yet stressed to the point of depression, I just have to wonder: what happened to the fun in history? Where did the "interesting" go, and who says that it has to be this dull? Throughout my entire schooling (up to now, 10th grade that is), I have noticed a disturbing trend in the teaching of history classes. It seems that teachers simply do not put forth the effort to make history a mentally stimulating or in any way compelling class.

Upon each onset of a new school year, I delve into a higher level history class hoping that I will stumble upon a teacher who actually cares about what they are teaching; One who makes an honest effort to present the curriculum in such a way as to make it appealing to the teenage mind, or any mind for that matter. Sadly, it seems that this year I have hit rock bottom. AP World History has proven to be a class so incredibly dry, yet so frustratingly difficult, that even the mention of it evkes a horrid sense of dread. DO YOU SEE THE IRONY? How, is it even POSSIBLE to make a class on the HISTORY OF THE WORLD so dreadful that a student fears the mention of its name? Quite simply, it is a complete and utter lack of teacher effort.

By all means, I am not one to criticize a class simply because it is too difficult or because the teacher is too strict. No. I enjoy a challenge and praise a structured class. However, when a teacher gives no effort in making a class interesting, it simply sickens me to no end! Case in point: AP World History. Although my teacher is an incredibly nice person, there is no love in her teaching. Class will begin with an "opening activity" of some sorts, usually asking us to apply our knowledge to reach broader conclusions. This is perhaps the only conceptual activity that we participate in all class. The rest of class is occupied by the teacher reciting to us, the exact same things which we had read the night before for homework. How is that teaching? If we are required to read up to 30 pages a night, then PLEASE, do NOT insult our intelligence by "REVIEWING" the exact same content. In an AP class, if a student does not read and partake in self study, then that student deserves to fail. It is NOT the teacher's responsibility to spoon-feed the students facts which were covered in more detail elsewhere. This is not fair to the students who were prepared and ready for a higher level of thinking. Things must change.

Incorporate discussion and higher level thinking skills.

I absolutely love discussion. If I could discuss a subject all class, I would regardless of the topic. I also feel that the only way in which one can grasp broader concepts about history, or any subject for that matter, is through active discussion. Now, I have seen many a teacher label something as discussion, when in fact it is not. Discussion is not asking a student, "Who founded the Tang Dynasty?" Discussion is not asking a student to spit back information which they memorized from the reading. Discussion is the active use and application facts and human, high level comprehension to achieve a more profound level of understanding and a reach conclusion, formulate a thesis, or propose an issue. Discussion is the analyzation of the "why" and how it relates to the "how." Discussion is the synthesis of knowledge and evaluation. This is what history is all about! As Bloom's taxonomy of thinking skills shows, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation comprise the highest levels of thought. An AP World History class cannot dwell on the lower level of simple knowledge, the teacher of such a class should strive to require the highest level of thinking skills possible. Assign an essay (yes, I am asking to have write an essay)... grade it ... discuss it! Stage a mock trail... discuss it! Debate an issue... discuss it!

Say no.

When a teacher asks a question, and a student replies with something that is wrong... then the teacher should say it is wrong! They should say that they aren't right, and EXPLAIN why. Unless the student is truly an idiot, in which case they should be ignored, it is not beneficial to learning when you are never told you are wrong. Even better, ask the CLASS to explain why! Often, I will ask a question and the teacher will simply beat around the bush, never saying I'm wrong, but never answering the question either. Perhaps the teacher doesn't know (in which case they should say they don't, and not waste time), but in any case, my feelings would not be hurt if I was told I was wrong. If it is possible that a statement be misinterpreted, then it should better not be said, especially when explaining intricate concepts.

Kick out the "faint of heart" and the low in intelligence...

What more is there to say? Those that are not intelligent enough for an AP history class or simply to lazy, should be kicked out of the class. An AP environment should be one of students interested in the subject. A teacher's faults can only be made more obvious through the accommodation of students not willing to learn.

Make it possible.

Now here is where I get truly annoyed: testing of concepts that the teacher hardly attempted to cover in class. In a class that conveys only factual knowledge, it should not be expected that a student do well on a test that examines only the more profound concepts of the subject. This may seem like an excuse for bad grades, but it simply another issue that I feel teachers do not address properly. I try my best to study hard and examine closely the intricate relations present in world history. Yet for a 10th grade student, it is extremely difficult to go from the lower levels of thought required in "honors" classes or below, to the high levels required in AP. Yes, I realized that these are college classes, but does that excuse the teacher from not making any attempt to help us in seeing attaining these higher levels of thought? I think not! I do not mind thinking! Where other students may groan at the thought of having to analyze, interpret, and apply, I rather relish the opportunity to expand my comprehension. However, when the occasional conceptual question is asked in class, it does not help if it the teacher never reviews it! Especially in this first semester, it is difficult to grasp the needed concepts to do well on the test. If a teacher poses a question which requires much thought from the student, then a teacher should spend the time reviewing that question. Here is where step one comes in. Discuss! I would adore my history class if we could simply discuss our work with the teacher, and with other students. If I have to write a detailed essay comparing political development in post classical China and the Byzantine Empire, then the teacher should make an effort to go over such things in class. No, I am not asking for the answer! I am asking for the basis from which to draw my conclusions. Simply reading won't do me any good, and hearing the same information spit back at me during class doesn't either. Again, discussion! Discussion reinforces the concepts. If a student gets something wrong in a discussion, then the teacher can go back and review the facts. However, it is a waste to repeat facts that we should already know, and which, in their raw form, won't help us any on the test! Please do not misinterpret this. I am a student who has, for the extent of his scholastic endeavor, made excellent grades and has ranked in the top of his class for the extent of his current high school schooling. I wish simply to facilitate learning in such a way as to better prepare the high school student for the future requirements of higher learning. Spoon-fed analysis and evaluation would be no better then spoon-fed facts! The key is finding the balance between "telling" and stimulation of thought, so as to make concepts accessible to the high school student.

Bring back the fun! (Please?)

As I have said before, history class would already be better if we could simply discuss things at a higher level of thought. However, I am sure that I am in the minority, and most students will again groan being required to think at a higher level. Regardless of the fact that these students should not be in an AP class, there are other ways to make history interesting. I have always found that watching a video on the subject is very beneficial to my learning. While broader concepts are stressed, small details are also gained which are very helpful in the writing of essays and answer of multiple-choice questions. However, this video cannot be from the text book or in any way affiliated with it... this would again be the reiteration of knowledge already acquired (yes, I realize that repetition will assist in the memorization of facts, but this can really be done at home). Also excellent are games. Games in an AP class? Why not? I'm not suggesting "heads up, seven up" but there are education games that the teacher can improvise which really aid the learning experience and again, incorporate discussion.
Rather opposite, there are also ways to make history a definite bore. Number one, extensive notes. Sitting in a class taking notes all day is not helpful if one is being tested on the application of knowledge. However, notes, when in moderation and properly formulated, can be extremely helpful. Still, this is yet another thing that can be done at home. One of the few things I actually approve of in my AP World History class is having to do "IDs" or "identification" vocabulary. Not only does this present an excellent opportunity to take notes, but it actually requires thought (*GASP*) to provide reasons for each ID's significance.

And so...

I'd love to have fun in history, and I find it impossible that a history class is even ALLOWED to be taught in such drab a manner. History simply IS interesting, there is absolutely no denying that. Those who say it is not important, say so out of blunt ignorance and idle apathy. I don't see how such a excellent school as the one I attend can hire such teachers who make history a painful matter. Perhaps they are very nice people, but I'd rather have a strict teacher who facilitates higher learning than a nice one who tarries over simple facts. History is such an important topic to understand, and every day we must analyze the past so as to make for a better future. If my generation grows up with such disdain and ignorance towards history, then I wish not to be around to experience the dreadful consequences! A change must be in order, and I call upon every teacher of history to truly put forth their all. Be it cliché, I must say that it is the least they can do to help the future of humanity. We'll need all the help we can get.

Please, do feel free to comment. However for the senile amongst us, I am not asking for an easier class. I am asking for more effort by the teacher and even by the students. An easier class would evoke the same dread in me were it taught in the same mind numbing manner. And for the lazy seeking solace and excuses, turn not to me! Express none of these thoughts in such a manner characteristic of your ineptness. If nothing else, I wish for a class in which history is once again fun, yet challenging and thought-provoking.

Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon: A Quick Look

2007-11-25T19:22:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know that I enjoyed the days off of school, and thankfully having nothing better to do than finally install the latest Ubuntu: 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon." So onwards now, lets see how it fared:

As usual, I downloaded the i386 architecture Live CD. I didn't go 64bit mainly because of poor experiences I have made in the past concerning 64bit Linux. If life would be so kind as to grant me more time... I will check out the 64bit version and report on that. After popping the CD into my drive, I waited for the system to boot up. Oddly enough, startup time was fairly long, around the 5-6 minute mark. This really isn't all that horrible seeing as the Live CD performed beautifully after it got started; however, I am used to shorter startup times, even from a Live CD.

When the Live CD was finally fully up and running, I was ecstatic to see that my default screen resolution of 1680*1050 was detected by default. This was a very pleasant surprise as the standard resolutions really don't look all that great on my high-res, wide screen monitor. Also nice was the fact that my wireless card was once again detected by default. The updated network manager showed all the available networks to connect to in a nice drop-down menu from the tray icon. After entering the WEP key for my wireless network, I was for the interwebs. Just for fun, I also tried the networks of my neighbors foolish enough not to have their network encrypted... needless to say, they all worked flawlessly.

Moving on, I went straight to the install. As usual, installation was flawless. No major updates were made to the installer, and there really wasn't any need. Perhaps the most confusing part of any Linux install, to the Linux newbie, is partitioning the hard drive. Ubuntu does a great job of making this process as painless as possible. The guided partition setup can make use of any available space on the disk and doesn't prompt anything that could make a new user uncomfortable. Due to the more complex nature of my partition setup, I went to the "manual" option. This loaded a fairly full-featured partition manager similar to gParted. Selecting the disks to be formated was as simple as checking a box, and mounting options were also intuitive.
After the standard array of questions pertaining to you (area, username, password, etc), the true install began. As is Ubuntu fashion, there is no addition package customization, which is beneficial to the new user who may get confused by such choice. A more "seasoned" user, such as I, may like to see customization of package selection integrated, but is by no means necessary.
Install time itself was a little longer than how I remembered my Feisty install, but none-the-less came in under 35 minutes on my AMD 3700+ (2.2Ghz) system.

Ubuntu initial boot, I experienced no major difficulties. As with the Live CD, my screen resolution was again set correctly, and my wireless connection was easy to set up. I could insert a long rant about the "Human" theme now, but really, it simply isn't worth it as it is so simply to install a different theme. The default desktop wallpaper is nice although a tad dark. It actually made me think of chocolate... and so... I got chocolate.
Upon the finishing of my chocolate, I noticed that the restricted drivers manager was notifying me of available proprietary drivers. For me, this was the official nVidia driver for my graphics card. Others may see different drivers available. After checking the box for this driver to be used, Synaptic handled the installation. Upon the required reboot, I was greeted by a fully function graphics accelerated desktop. Apparently, the installation of the proper video card drivers will automatically enable Compiz Fusion to start up.
The default configuration for Compiz Fusion was subtle (no cube, just basic animations, expo, window switching, etc), but gave the whole operating system a very professional feel.

Media support in Ubuntu is always an interesting issue. By default, mp3 playback and such is not available. However, if you try to play and mp3 file, Ubuntu will present you with a nice option to install the necessary (proprietary) codecs. This is excellent for almost any user, as it simply makes full media support that much easier to come by. Upon installation of Amarok, I was again asked if I would like to install the necessary packages to play mp3 files. As any sane person would do, I agreed, and Synaptic popped up, did its thing, left, and... there was mp3 support! Very nice.

As I continued to explore the many small improvements, Gutsy was truly shaping up to be a winner. Then... I opened Firefox. As I waited in anticipation for Google to load, one second passed... two... three... four... five... six... seven... EIGHT?... NINE?... TEN?... ELEVEN? After about 11 seconds, my Google homepage finally loaded. I immediately recognized it as the same problem I had in openSUSE 10.2... slow internet... no solution? I searched Google and again came up with many people reporting the same issue. Apparently ipv6 was the culprit once again... but however many guides I followed which apparently "fixed" the issue.. I couldn't get my internet to speed up. Just do a Google search for "slow internet Ubuntu Gutsy" and you will see the others that share my plight. I am not sure what the solution is... or even what the problem really is, but in any case, such an issue is definitely something keeping me away from permanently upgrading to Gutsy.

Overall, Ubuntu Gutsy features a plethora of small updates that uphold the great Ubuntu quality. However, the issue with my internet will keep me from permanently upgrading.

That's all for today's quick look :-)

The AMD Spider Platform: Hope for AMD?

2007-11-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

AMD recently announced a new breed of gaming PC: the AMD Spider system. A combination of AMD's upcoming Phenom quad-core processor, RV670 GPU, and 7-Series chipset, the system is touted as proving "teraflops of performance" reaching performance levels of up to 80 times that of the PS3 and 200 times that of IBM's Deep Blue computer. The goal of AMD's Spider platform is to provide the cinematic quality of movies released this year, rendered in real time on the desktop. Check out the video:

Via: GeekZone.co.nz

The system also sports a brand new overclocking utility by AMD which effectively redefines the overclocking experience. Video:

Via: GeekZone.co.nz

Read more @ Register Hardware.

Just Another Tech Blog To Be Included In Top 500 Blogs

2007-11-13T06:40:00.000-05:00

Back in the day, if you didn't know HTML, or code, you couldn't
publish content on the web. Well, nowadays with tools such as
Wordpress, and services like Blogspot, and Xanga, anyone.. yes anyone
can tell the whole world what is on their mind through blogging.

But, there really isn't a robust way to search for the best blogs on
any specific topic. Sure, there's Technorati, but what else? Besides,
much of the world wide web is full of splogs, spam, and
made-for-adsense blogs. And how many times have you read the same
exact post over and over in different blogs?

That is why a project, listing the top blogs by general categories
would prove useful. The book, titled "The Top 500 Blogs" is being
written by Vicky Zhou of GotACrush.com. From topics ranging
from dating to technology, lifestyle, sports, music, health and
fashion, the books aims to be a comprehensive list of the top 500
blogs on the world wide web.

The Top 500 Blogs will be out in bookstores in Q4 of 2008. Just
Another Tech Blog will be included in the category of "Technology",
so keep an eye out for that!

I received an email notifying me of this the other day. Some things just make you smile :-) Thanks!

Compiz, Beryl, eyecandy vs. productivity. My approach to quantify interfaces

2007-11-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt that Compiz is some of the best eyecandy available for Linux now-a-days, but many people have raised the question: where does the eye candy translate into an actual productivity increase? I, myself, approached this question some time ago in my post: "A Look at Beryl: Function vs. Eye Candy." That was back in the day when Beryl was still the best thing around, but really, the basis of Compiz now and Beryl then remains the same. So, the question comes up again: what kind of increase in efficiency can be achieved through the use of Compiz (or whatever interface you use).
Paul over at Paul's Digital World has taken a very mathematical approach to the problem. Basically, he has come up with a fairly simple formula to determine the "computer interface efficiency index" or CIEI for short:

So the formula is CIEI = AWP * weighted average of task b (over all tasks) times b's efficiency index (which is 1/eb1 + 1/eb2+ ...) So with a computer that does two major tasks b, c (others are just too rare so we approximate it with a 2 case) 1/3, 2/3 of the times and there are 2 and 3 ways to start each application respectively.
CIEI = AWP * ((1/3)*(1/b1+1/b2) + (2/3)*(1/c1+1/c2+1/c3))

Don't let the names or the math scare you, this formula makes perfect sense with a bit of thought! I encourage you to read the full post and try the formula for yourself! Check it out at Paul's Digital World.

Compiz Fusion: New Plugins, Applications, Fun

2007-11-05T06:59:00.000-05:00

Sam over at the "SmSpillaz - Random Compiz Fusion Stuff" blog has written up an excellent post on recent Compiz Fusion happenings. It is part of his excellent series of Compiz Fusion "Community News." Some of the highlights in this posting:

Freewins Plugin
Anaglyph Plugin
Photo wheel
Stars Plugin

Along with a few application updates. Check out the full post. Lovers of Compiz Fusion should have his blog bookmarked! I know I do! It is a most excellent resource for everything Compiz related.

A Fun Day for Hardware Enthusiasts: The 8800GT and Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650

2007-10-29T21:24:00.001-04:00

Today was an exciting day for hardware enthusiasts, as the first reviews of the recently released nVidia 8800GT made their way to the crowd of eager PC gamers looking for the next best bang-for-the-buck video card. After looking through a few reviews, it can easily be said that the 8800GT presents the best value for performance that has been seen in nVidia's GeForce 8 series. To see for yourself, check out these reviews on the following respected tech websites:

As one can see by merely glancing through these articles, the 8800GT outperforms the 8800GTS in most all current and upcoming games! Yes, that means Crysis and UT3! Crazy stuff, really. And the best part is that the graphics card should come in at around $200-$250 when prices settle, making it the card to beat at the moment. Check out more on prices @ newegg.com.

In other news, the first reviews of the brand new Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 hit the interwebs today. This is the first processor on Intel's new 45nm line, sporting increased efficiency and an overall 40% clock for clock performance improvement! Not to mention, an unprecedented overclocking ability... 4Ghz + on stock cooling anyone? Check out the specs on this beast over at Techage or Bit-Tech.

Rejoice! Salvation is Come! Death to the Human Theme!!!(?)

2007-10-29T21:05:00.000-04:00

I, as I believe many others too, despise Ubuntu's human theme. Nothing is less welcoming to a new OS than a color scheme that looks like... well... I'll let you fill some colorful adjectives here. Really, I don't mean to insult anybody here, as I must say, the theme is the most professional and thought-out that I have seen in any Linux distributions, but the whole brown/ orange thing... just doesn't work for me. So, it is with great pleasure that I read today that the color scheme in Ubuntu 8.04 will be changing!
Well, at least so I hope... The HardyTheme page at the Ubuntu wiki has been set up, so I hope to track the progress of this new theme as each new advancement is made.

OS X Leopard on your PC!

2007-10-27T19:41:00.001-04:00

I know that I, as many others too, enjoy the Mac OS X user interface, but simply can't afford a Mac, or justify getting one. So, a while ago (I believe in the time of Tiger or so) a hack was developed to let OS X run on pretty much any normal PC. Exciting, to say the least. And now, with the advent of OS X Leopard, the hack continues, with hackers churning out a DVD patch, just a day after the official Leopard release, which allows users to install OS X Leopard on their PC!

Well its been only a day since the Mac OSX Leopard was released officially by Apple and the hackers have managed to create a patched DVD that everyone like you and me can use to install Leopard on PC’s without having to buy a Mac. Please note the tutorial that I am going to post is still experimental and things might not work the right way simply because it is still early days in hacking Leopard to work on PC’s. Well if you don’t mind your PC getting screwed then go ahead and try out this tutorial.

Sound pretty cool. Check out the nice 3-step tutorial @ dailapps.net.

Note from the Nerd: Well, as my first post back into blogging, I was hoping for something a little more exciting... but today seems to be a slow news day. Just my luck. But, I'll try to be posting regularly from now on :-) Bare with me as I readjust to the blogging lifestyle. I'll see if I can try this out on my PC... just as it stands right now, things are working so darn well, I'm afraid to mess with anything! Haven't even upgraded to Gutsy yet. But I suppose, it is just a matter of time until I take the plunge back into reckless OS/ Software experimentation.

Linux Fund Credit Card!

2007-08-21T08:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought I'd start off my return to posting with something that I just thought was super cool: The Linux Fund Credit Card! Everybody seems to have some special credit card now-a-days aimed at getting you some nice rewards... but so far, nothing has truly been geek-oriented. Well, now there is a card for every true Linux lover: the all-new Linux Fund Visa Card! The card works as such:

Each time a cardholder uses their card, a donation is made to The Linux Fund by the card issuer, U.S. Bank. These donations add up to tens of thousands of dollars per year which The Linux Fund then gives out in grants. The Linux Fund has donated to new ideas and teams who maintain things like Debian.

Pretty cool eh? For those who don't know, here is some background on the Linux Fund project:

The Linux Fund began in 1999. Since then, the organization has handed out over one-half million dollars in grants to Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) projects like Blender, FreeGeek and the WikiMedia Foundation.

You can check out some more information on this awesome project at their website: linuxfund.org.

Note from the Nerd: I wish I were 18 or older... I'm going to get this card as soon as I can!

Hi Again!

2007-08-20T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hello dear readers!
I have returned from Germany, and once again find myself at home at my computer. Its been a few days since I got back, and I find it hard to get back into the swing of things. But, I'll be posting new stuff soon, so stay tuned :-)

Until later then!

Away for a Bit

2007-07-19T09:19:00.001-04:00

Hello all!
I am leaving for Germany today on vacation, and will not return until August 15th. Much to my dismay, I will have very limited internet access on this trip, and will therefore not be able to post much, if anything at all.
So, until then, enjoy your summer, and I'll continue posting when I return!

Farewell!

-linnerd40

Officially past 100,000 visitors :-)

2007-07-07T20:11:00.000-04:00

Hello all.
Just recently, Just Another Tech Blog received its official 100,000th page view (check the stats here)! Needless to say, I am very excited!
I'd just like to thank all my returning visitors who have been with me since the beginning! And pretty much all my visitors! I strive to make excellent content available on this blog, and enjoy every minute I spend blogging!

-linnerd40
Blog Author (ha, ha! Who else?)

Awesome CompizFusion Plugin: Cube Atlantis

2007-07-06T12:05:00.000-04:00

People are quickly discovering all the awesome plugins of the new CompizFusion. One of coolest plugins, in my opinion, is the new "Cube Atlantis". What the plugin does is basically render a few fish, sharks, whales, and dolphins in your desktop cube! It is quite fun to watch :D

Check out this vid:

Sorry about the horrible quality, xvidcap really lags things up a bit :) (the actual performance is excellent!) Here are a few screen shots that I took, on the right you can see the various settings available for customization under the compiz-config settings manager:

The settings available for customization include:

Number of fish (1-100)
Different color fish (Yes or No)
Fish Size (1-10000)
Shark Size (1-10000)
Dolphin Size (1-10000)
Whale Size (1-10000)

To install this plugin, along with a wealth of other entertaining and useful plugins for CompizFusion, select the "compiz-fusion-plugins-extra" package through your favorite package manager or apt. A great guide to installing CompizFusion on Ubuntu can be found on the Ubuntu Forums.

* For those finding the theme portrayed above appealing, the skydome wallpaper can be found here, and the desktop wallpaper here.

A Review of openSUSE 10.2

2007-07-05T12:27:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, when I first started using Linux, Novell's SUSE Linux was the first distribution that I came across that actually worked with my wireless card. Over the course of a year or so, I went through versions 9.3, 10.0, and 10.1. Needless to say, a lot has changed since SUSE 9.3 that makes the distribution ever more welcoming to new and advanced users alike. In this review, I'll take a look at the latest openSUSE release, 10.2, and see how it stacks up to its previous versions and other distros.

The Install:

Installing openSUSE 10.2 is not a very difficult thing to do. Download options consist mainly of 5 CDs (with an optional add-on CD) or 1 DVD in the common architectures (x86, x86_64, PPC, and IA64). Also available is a LiveDVD which lets you try openSUSE 10.2 before installing.

The installer is quite intuitive, and provides ample support along the way in the form of a sidebar displaying helpful information about the current step. For those liking to customize almost every detail of their installation, the SUSE installer is superb.

As with many installers, you are first asked about your default language. In the next step, you have the ability to check your installation media for errors which could compromise the installation (very useful). Then, after reading and agreeing to a license agreement, you can chose to upgrade an existing installation, or go for a completely new one. If you downloaded the Add-On CD, you will be able to add that to your repository for installation. Following this is a step in which you choose your desktop environment, both Gnome and KDE are available along with a few more obscure choices.

After this configuration is done, you are presented with an installation summary. READ THIS CAREFULLY! The default option for partitioning is to simply clear all partitions and create a new one for openSUSE. I question this choice, as it can easily be overlooked by a novice user. Losing all your data is perhaps not the first problem you want to deal with as a new Linux user.

The afore mentioned installation summary is also the place where you can change the packages to be installed. This is very useful, as it is often much easier to install packages right off the bat. The interface for choosing packages is what you will see when using YaST later on. Although not pretty, it does the job. With the add-on CD (included on the DVD), you can chose Non-OSS software such as the Java runtime environment and Adobe's Flash Player. The default package selection is excellent, and many users will find it perfectly adequate for normal, everyday use.

After setting everything up as you like it, the installer proceeds to install your new system. During the actual install, you can see the progress in a bar at the right which also lets you know how much time remains. You can also view individual package progress in the the second tab.

First Boot/ Configuration/ Appearance:

After installation was finished, there was still a bit more configuration do to. After restarting, I was greeted by a very nice looking GRUB splash screen with openSUSE 10.2's blue/ swirl color scheme. Also, the installer had detected my Windows install and my Ubuntu install. Sadly, this is where the fun ended.

Starting openSUSE 10.2 the normal method did not work, it simply hung forever on the startup screen. Luckily, there was a "failsafe" option already on the GRUB menu, which I chose. Although this got me to the configurator, I received an error message saying that the graphical interface was not configured properly due to the lack of a driver for my video card ("minimal install") or an improperly placed video card. This was a surprising error as my card (GeForce 6200) had always been detected in the past. I had to go through the configuration in a text like interface.

The configuration itself consisted of the usual setting of the root password, the creation of new users, and hardware configuration (more on this later).

After the configuration was complete, I booted into Gnome, as though the errors with my graphics card/ driver had never been. Surprisingly, my default screen resolution was detected (1680*1050) and was already set! This was very nice, as usually I had to install nVidia's driver first, manually (or in Ubuntu, through the "Restricted Drivers Manager").

The default openSUSE 10.2 Gnome desktop looked very professional, with a very appealing blue theme. I found this theme to be much more pleasing than Ubuntu's and even better than Fedora's. Another great feature was the new main menu. This menu incorporates your favorite applications, recent applications, a search feature, and links to system configuration/ management. Here's a quick pic of the default Gnome desktop (left, courtesy OSDir) and the KDE desktop (right):

After a bit of tweaking, I got my desktop looking like so:

In the top left corner, you can see the new menu, which is a good step up from the standard "Applications, Places, and System" menus on most Gnome desktops. Overall, I love the look and feel of openSUSE 10.2, and think Ubuntu and other distributions can definitely learn from this professional attitude towards desktop themes (or just get rid of the "Human" theme!).

Hardware Support:

This is where it gets interesting. As I mentioned before, upon initial reboot into configuration, openSUSE could not detect/ configure my video card. However, after initial configuration, I entered a desktop at my monitor's default screen resolution. I checked the xorg.conf file and found the driver to be set to "nvidia". This was a pleasant surprise as most distributions make one manually install the nVidia drivers. However, "glxinfo" reports "direct rendering: no". Apparently, this is so because these drivers are in fact not the proprietary nVidia drivers. The proprietary drivers can, however, be installed via YaST through the Add-On CD.

Another nice surprise was instant support for my wireless card. I was able to easily configure and enable my rt2500 based card, which was not the case in previous SUSE/ openSUSE versions. However, my surfing experience was painfully slow. My iGoogle homepage took more than 15 seconds to load! On my Ubuntu install, it loads almost instantly. My first thought was that it was a driver issue. So, I followed E@zyVG's excellent guide on his blog to install the rt2x00 drivers (beta). Although this helped performance a little bit, web pages still loaded really slowly. I Google'd the issue and found that it may be because of something to do with ipv6. So, I disabled ipv6 in my /etc/modprobe.conf file (add "alias net-pf-10 off") and in Firefox (about:config -> search ipv6 -> set "network.dns.disableIPv6" to "true"). I proceeded to tweak Firefox and install FasterFox. Webpages load a lot faster now, but performance is still fairly poor in comparison to Ubuntu or even Windows. I'm really not sure why this is so, and the problem is certainly annoying.

EDIT: I have been reading up on this problem, and it may have to do also with DNS lookups.

Other than these issues, openSUSE detected and configured all my hardware without problems.

Configuration Tools:

YaST (Yet Another Setup Tool) is openSUSE's system configuration center. Through YaST, you can do pretty much anything from installing software and adding repositories, to configuring network services and managing users. It is a very powerful tool, with but one major draw back... it's slow. It can also be fairly greedy with system resources such as RAM (don't try running SUSE on a system with less than 256MB of RAM).

However, for simple configuration, most options can be found through the new "Control Center." This control center, with built in search and filtering, makes customization and configuration a pleasant and easy experience.

The package manager found in YaST is nowhere near Synaptic, and I personally don't like the interface. Adding repositories also requires a good deal more work than in Ubuntu or Fedora. I would have liked to see yum installed by default, but I fear that it won't be in any openSUSE release anytime soon. Still, its is included on the DVD and can be installed through YaST (search "yum").

Media Support:

As with nearly all Linux distributions, media/ MP3 support does not come out-of-the-box. However, this can be enabled by adding the packman repository and installing the appropriate packages (a good guide can be found here). To get MP3 support through Amarok, you can follow the guide on the Amarok site.

Desktop Effects:

Many Linux distributions are now embracing desktop effects as a default feature that can be enabled after installation; openSUSE 10.2 is no different. If your hardware allows it, you can enable desktop effects by going to the new Control Center and from there choosing "Desktop Effects". The desktop effects that you get are courtesy Compiz. The dialog provides a few tab with options on customizing your effects.

Although this method is extremely simple to use, I prefer having more control over what effects I want and how they are to be used. In light of the new Compiz/ Beryl merger, I decided to go with the all new (and unstable) CompizFusion. Providing the best of both worlds (Beryl and Compiz), CompizFusion is the way to go! Installing CompizFusion is actually a very simple process, which is wonderfully explained and shown on the CyberOrg blog. In my experience, Compiz performs much better than Beryl, although it does lack some of Beryl's cutting-edge plugins and features.

Security:

openSUSE 10.2 is an incredibly secure Linux distribution. Yes, as is their nature, most Linux distributions are secure, but openSUSE takes it to a new level. The secret weapon? AppArmor. From the AppArmor information page: "AppArmor is designed to address the application security problem, which is to ensure that attackers cannot cause applications to do something undesirable." It does just that, providing excellent application level access controls, while being easier to maintain and configure than SELinux.

Thoughts:

Overall, I found using openSUSE 10.2 to be a very enjoyable experience. The one of the major downfalls that I came across was YaST. I am definitely not a fan of YaST. Ever since SUSE 9.3, I have been hoping and hoping for a better YaST, but I have yet to see even one major improvement. However powerful it may be, I just don't like its overall interface, and the package manager is dreadfully slow. I think the openSUSE team needs to spend just a bit more time to performance tune YaST and maybe touch up on the interface (especially the package manager). I can see how many people find YaST to be an excellent tool, and I encourage everybody to try it out for themselves.

My only other gripe about openSUSE 10.2 is the updater, which needs to be manually configured to see your third-party repositories. I really wish that it would automatically recognize the repositories that you configured through YaST. It is by far the worst updater I have come across, bested by both Fedora and Ubuntu.

On a much brighter note, I absolutely adore openSUSE 10.2's look and feel. The default Gnome desktop is so professional looking and aesthetic that it really doesn't need to be changed around much. Add to that the extraordinary new menu and control center, and you have a recipe for awesomeness.

In my experience, performance was excellent. Applications responded quickly and I felt that I never had to wait to long for something to open. Boot up was good, although it took just a tad longer than Ubuntu or Windows. Sadly, this excellence is greatly marred by YaST and the incredibly slow internet I experienced (no, I know it is not a connection issue, this same connection is perfect in Ubuntu and Windows).

I truly wish I could say that I wanted to switch to openSUSE, but it just won't happen. However great it feels, the internet issue and YaST will keep me from using this distro anytime soon. I can see that the openSUSE team has payed immense attention to detail, and I commend them greatly for that. They have created a distribution that is displays the best of what Linux has to offer.

To me, openSUSE is like that luxury car you want, but just can't have because it isn't economical.

Overall rating: 6/10

Controversy: What review of openSUSE would be complete without a comment on the controversy Novell has created in the Linux community? When Novell first made the deal with Microsoft, of course I was appalled, but I believe that people are taking out their anger on the wrong people! The developers of openSUSE strive to make a great Linux distro, and want to bring Linux to both the personal desktop and the workplace. I am sure that many of its developers were not in agreement with the Novell - Microsoft deal, and seeing people bash openSUSE makes me question what kind of community I am part of. Do I think that what Novell did to the Linux community is wrong? Of course! But will I take my anger out by not respecting a great Linux distribution? I don't think so. Let us see past the controversy, and embrace openSUSE for what it is, a first-rate Linux distribution made and supported by first-rate members of the open source community. One can only hope that Novell does not steer it in the wrong direction... that would be sad indeed.

Google Desktop for Linux!

2007-06-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

Google has finally released a long-awaited native Linux application: Google Desktop for Linux. As with the already shipping OS X and Windows versions, Google Desktop enables Linux users to search for text inside documents, local email messages, their Web history, and their Gmail accounts.

This first beta version doesn't offer the sidebar and gadgets, which are found in other versions of the application. Those will come later, according to a Google representative, who stated, "We focused most of our efforts on desktop search. Gadgets and sidebar are not supported, but will probably be added in the future."

Well, no pretty sidebar with widgets yet, but that is soon to come! It is great to know that Google is making such an effort to bring their excellent products to all platforms! Download Google Desktop for Linux at the Google Desktop download page. Read more @ DesktopLinux.com.

Amarok 1.4.6 Released!

2007-06-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

Simply put, Amarok is the best media player available for Linux. its team of developers has put much working in to the latest release, 1.4.6, which is now available for download! From the release announcement on the Amarok website:

Your very own Amarok team announces the immediate availability of the latest 1.4 series release, 1.4.6.
So, what's new?
Funky new icon set, featuring KDE4 Oxygen colors by Landy DeField; for 2.0 he will be working to ensure that Amarok has a complete Oxygen icon set.
Default database backend is a lot faster due to a new SQLite version.
A gigantic load of bug fixes, the main focus of this release.
Introducing rockbox support for iPod.

Performance tuning.
More wockas per square inch.
A miracle in software engineering - we added less people to an early software project and made it later, disproving the Mythical Man-Month.
Packaged with FUKITOL.

Looks like another superb release with many improvements on an already magnificent piece of open source software!

Read more @ the Amarok website. Downloads for multiple distributions can be found here.

Lets all give the Amarok Team a big hand for creating one of the best media players in the world! ::claps::