You Say You Want Linspire?

Are you one of those people that has wanted to try out Linspire but didn't want to spend $50 on it? Well, for the next few days, you're in luck. Linspire is giving away a coupon code to get a free digital download of Linspire Five-O, but it will only work until September 6th.

To get it, go to this page and hit the "Apply Coupon" button. Enter the term "freespire' and click update to make sure if it worked, then click continue and proceed with the checkout.

Linspire Announcement
Freespire (now "Squiggle") Temporary Page

What if Microsoft Made Vi?

This is YET ANOTER link that I found on digg.

Imagine what would happen if Microsoft made Vi...

Eww.

Watch Entire Animation

My Latest DIY Project

No! Don't throw out those old floppies just yet! You could still use them!

I came across yet another page on digg, which gave me an idea. They made a CD stand out of Legos, but rather than just put plain CDs in there or CDs in slim cases, they cut the top off their old 5" floppies, took the magnetic circle out, and used it as a CD storage case. So, I did the same thing.

Finally, a use for all those old disks that were collecting dust in my basement...

My stand can hold seven of these things. I think it'll be a Linux only stand.

I'm thinking about building anoter :-) I have seven more cases...

Page

Tech Tags: cd cd holder floppy cd case

Get Your Opera Registration Code NOW

Now! Yes right now! In honor of Opera's 10th anniversary, they are giving away FREE registration codes to get the ad-free version of opera, but it ends tonight at 12 AM PST! So go now! It only takes a second!

Opera Registration Page

5 Reason NOT To Use Linux

I came across this funny article today on digg. I like it, and would like to quote some of it here.

Reason number two: Linux is a pain to set up

It's true. After all, with modern Linuxes like Xandros Desktop or SimplyMEPIS, you need to put in a CD or DVD, press the enter button, give your computer a name, and enter a password for the administrator account.

Gosh, that's hard.

On the other hand, with Windows, all you have to do is put in a CD or DVD, do all the above, and then immediately download all the available patches. After all, Symantec has found that an unpatched Windows PC connected to the Internet will last only a few hours before being compromised.

Unpatched Linux systems? Oh, they last months, but what's the fun of that?

But he didn't even mention that with Windows, you almost always need to hunt down drivers for your sound, your video, your printer, your modem, and once I even needed a USB driver. A USB DRIVER!

He also didn't mention that Windows installation is more complex and almost always takes longer.

He also didn't mention that when you patch your Windows system, you install a couple and reboot. Install a couple and reboot... once you've done that a few times, you need to install SP2 which would take way too long to get over Dial-up connections, and probably longer to install (at least 1.5 hours)

Linux-Watch Article

Tech Tags: linux microsoft windows

Dell Trying to Remove Evil Stickers

Will Dell be getting rid of those annnoying and evil stickers that have been annoyingly staring at me since I got my computer? From the article:

With PC assembly time down to less than four minutes, the 30 seconds it can take to apply the ubiquitous security holograms and logos for Microsoft and Intel have become a significant manufacturing bottleneck. Talks are under way to eliminate what Dell production managers grudgingly describe as “other people’s advertising”.

Hmm... time reducing or not, I'd like those new Dells without ugly stickers.

FT.com Article

Linux 2.6.13 Released

Linus Torvalds has released the 2.6.13 Kernel. From the KernelTrap.org mailing list:

Linus Torvalds announced the release of the 2.6.13 Linux kernel. "The most painful part of 2.6.13 is likely to be the fact that we made x86 use the generic PCI bus setup code for assigning unassigned resources," Linus began. "That uncovered rather a lot of nasty small details, but should also mean that a lot of laptops in particular should be able to discover PCI devices behind bridges that the BIOS hasn't set up." He went on to note, "we've hopefully fixed up all the problems that the longish -rc series showed, and it shouldn't be that painful, but if you have device problems, please make a report that at a minimum contains the unified diff of the output of 'lspci -vvx' running on 2.6.12 vs 2.6.13. That might give us some clues."

KernelTrap.org Announcement
Kernel.org

Tech Tags: linux kernel 2.6.13 kernel 2.6.13 linux 2.6.13 linus torvalds linus torvalds

Kanotix First Impressions: uhh...

OK, I've been having some Kanotix problems. I was able to install it fine and it booted up fine, but the problems started when I tried to upgrade it.

I did an "apt-get dist-upgrade" (yes, while in KDE). It had to download a little more than 500 packages, downloading took about 8 minutes.

Then while it was installing, it asked me weather to use XFree86 or X.org. Knowing that X.org was better, I selected that. I got an error message that it was unable to infer the "keyboard/lang" layout from the old XFree config file, but I didn't think that there would be problems...

One reboot later, I was in text mode. I logged in and issued the command "startx" only to be greeted by "xinit: server error", and I couldn't figure out why it couldn't. I messed around with the config file, unable to get it working.

Following Pat's suggestion on the TLLTS IRC chat (scroll down to 20:38), I ran "xorgconfig" to try to generate a new config file. I am a good 98% sure that all of the settings I made were correct, but Xorg just didn't want to start...

Sooo... I re-installed Kanotix a few days after doing all this, but this time I was going to switch to init 3 before doing the upgrade... still no go. I was still faced with the same problem.

But... after logging into root and running "Xorg", I was able to successfully start the X server, but I don't know how to start KDE after that, and I can't run it as a normal user.

So that's where I'm at with Kanotix right now. I may be forced to use XFree, but I hope not. (If anyone can help, please do!)

But besides that, I still have a few bones to pick with Kanotix. Upon Live CD boot, everything is gorgeous. But when I wanted to install it, I couldn't find a program to do that anywhere. I had to Google it (which meant configuring ndiswrapper). I'll admit that it was easy to find out on the web, but it should be much more intuitive. Mepis had an icon on the desktop to do that...

Anyway, you have to run "kanotix-installer" as root to get it installed. The installer itself needs work, too. It's not Xdialog, but it looks pretty similar.

But after looking at the files on the CD, I found some things that would have made the distro easier to use. For example, in the same directory as the installer script, I found a script called "kanotix-ndiswrapper" which can setup Ndiswrapper to work with your wireless card if you have the .inf and .sys file.

But otherwise, it looked good. I wish I could use it with X.org.

Tech Tags: linux kanotix debian mepis xorg x.org xfree86 xfree xf86

Vista, Opening Doors for Desktop Linux

Could the release of Windows Vista possibly lead the way to Linux Desktop Dominance? I came across this article today on Slashdot, and they seem to think so.

From the article:

As the time gets closer and closer to the public debut of Vista the operating system seems to be constantly losing the luster which was associated with Longhorn. It seems that this new version was originally planned to be a large step forward from XP but as we learn more about it and Microsoft's plans for the future, the changes are constantly being scaled back from what was originally promised. Whether it's the lack of a new file system or the "Monad" scripting shell, the absence of innovation in this operating system is giving it a black eye, no matter how nice the GUI is or how much Internet Explorer 7 resembles FireFox.

If this was not enough to turn people off from Vista, there are the hardware requirements. Though the exact minimum system requirements have not yet been made clear, it has been stated that a "Vista Ready" system will have 512 megabytes or more of RAM, a dedicated graphics card with DirectX 9.0 support, and a will be "modern" Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon-based PC. An older system or one with integrated graphics will be able to run Vista but will probably have to do so in more of a legacy mode, without full use of the new Aero graphics package. Speculation is rampant about what the CPU requirement will be for optimum use, but consumers may need as fast a 3.0 GHz Intel P4, or the equivalent.

Article
Slashdot Page

Tech Tags: linux desktop linux tux microsoft vista windows windows vista

SUSE Has Got it Goin On!

As some of you have heard, Suse recently released SuSE 10.0 beta 3. OSdir has some cool screenshots of it, and I have to say that SuSE is lookin awesome - an easy, intuitive graphical installer, a great theme, and just tiny little enhancements that make it one awesome OS.

OSdir Screenshots

Tech Tags: linux suse open suse opensuse osdir screenshots

What?!?!?

Now take a look at this. How would you like going to an ATM to make a transaction... and discover that unreliable Windows has crashed? I'd get very annoyed very quickly.

Someone put together a Flickr album and has this shot as well as shots of the machine booting up.

Flickr Album

Tech Tags: linux windows atm flickr crashing

The Super $500 MythTV Box!

I came across this on Digg today. This guy spent just under $500 on parts to build a MythTV box (Case and all) from scratch, and has provided a guide on how to install Gentoo onto it.

To me, having Gentoo on a MythTV box just makes sense. You can only compile what you know needs to be on there, thus eliminating all the crap running that is usually in binary distributions (I wussed out and went with Fedora on mine :-) )

But not only do you get rid of the crap, but you also get cleaner binaries by compiling it yourself. Sure it takes longer, but too bad :-)

I'm thinking about getting this, except possibly getting some of the stuff on eBay and using some parts I already have (for example, I have a TV Card already, and I may get a smaller hard drive). Who knows?

Super $500 Myth Project

Tech Tags: linux myth mythtv gentoo 500 mythtv box

Gizmo Project for Linux Released

Yes, it's true. Gizmo has finally released their Linux client.
But I have a bone to pick with them - they only have binaries for two platforms: Linspire and Debian. I do think Debian is more widely used in different Linux distributions, they really need to follow Skype's example and provide RPMs for the popular RPM based distros, as well as a static and dynamic binary. If they decide to keep their code closed, they have to ensure that as many people as possible can use it.

Gizmo Project Download Page

Tech Tags: linux linspire debian rpm redhat gizmo gizmo+project

Google Talk is Up!

Google has now officially started Google Talk. You can connect to it if you have a Gmail account.

While it's great that they are using an open protocol that can be used by other clients, it would be nice if they released their client for other operating systems. Their client can do some things that others can't.

Google Talk

Tech Tags: google google talk jabber im instant messaging

Google Has an Active Jabber Server!

I found this on digg (as you can see, the link is on the sidebar)
Google now has an active Jabber server up (see screenshot). You can try connecting to it too. Open up any Jabber compatible client (I used Gaim) and connect with any username/password combination to talk.google.com

When you visit talk.google.com in a browser, it redirects to google.com/talk. Subdomains don't forward unless they are set up, so this is a sign that google is going to be doing something with this.

Google Talk

Tech Tags: google google talk instant messaging jabber

I'm digging!

I've just created a digg account, and will start digging things. I have the five most recent diggs on the sidebar as well as a link to my rss feed. Check it out!

Gizmo Coming for Linux Tomorrow

Tomorrow, a beta version of Gizmo will be coming out for Linux. I have had a number of problems in the Windows client, which just released version 1 (although it still has many bugs and should be in beta). Hopefully the Linux client will work a little better...

Anyway, I'm still debating whether to stay with Skype or go with Gizmo. The only real improvements in Gizmo are Voicemail and slightly better quality. But I'm not sure if it's advantages outweigh it disadvantages.

For example, if you buy any Call Out credit, calls to toll free numbers cost money, and you don't have the five free minutes of calling that I really like. With Skype, I've never had to deal with inconsistencies. Only time will tell...

Tech Tags: linux gizmo gizmo project skype voip

No Charge for Using Linux

OK, some of you have probably heard news that Australian companies have been charged for using Linux. NewsForge (one of my favorite Linux news sites) reports that buisnesses got charged for using the Linux trademark in their buisness name.

NewsForge goes on to report:

This is not news. It's been this way for years. Linux International, headed up by Jon "maddog" Hall, was set up primarily to protect the Linux trademark from being hijacked by a commercial IP pirate. All that has happened in Australia is that firms are finally being asked to pay for the use of a trademarked term.

NewsForge Article

Tech Tags: linux linus torvalds australia newsforge

More OGG Usage, People!

OGG is a great format. It sounds better than MP3, so can be encoded at lower bitrates and still retain the same quality, and lower bitrates can mean sizes smaller than MP3. Why aren't more people using it?

I think the problem has to do with two issues: Media Player support and Portable Player support (I'm not using the term 'MP3 Player' anymore)

Every Linux distro can play an OGG, but only a few can play an MP3. The sad truth is that on Windows cannot play OGGs out of the box. The only popular player I know of that can play OGGs is Winamp, and it's more likely that a Windows user has RealPlayer installed.

One company has to step up, whether it be Microsoft, Real, or Apple. We need MORE OGG SUPPORT! Come on Microsoft!

Aaron Seigo Interviewed

Linux Magazine has interviewed Aaron Seigo about the about the Plasma project. The interview is very interesting, and has some nice pictures.



This kind of thing really intrests me. I'm going to be more closely following KDE more closely.

Interview
Plasma Project

Tech Tags: linux kde plasma aaron seigo

The Mighty M$ is Checking Us Out!

Yes, it's true! Looking at the stats last night, I was surprised to get a hit from Redmond, but I was more surprised when the IP traced back to Microsoft's servers. Guess which pages they accessed? They accessed the two posts I made about the WGA being cracked. Go figure!

What's odd is that they didn't visit the blog index, they went directly to the permalink URL. I think this means that they are searching the web for these types of pages.

I know, you're thinking that this is just a bot. I don't think it's a bot because StatCounter indicated that the operating system was Windows XP and the browser was IE6. But it also had an entry for screen resolution and javascript was enabled... I am pretty sure that bots have javascript disabled.

Oh, and remember when I said that I was going to install Kanotix a few days ago? I lied. I'm going to be busy until next Tuesday, so I'll probably install it then or on Wednesday.

Tech Tags: microsoft ms wga bot linux kanotix

Zotob Virus Spreading

I read it on Slashdot last night and just heard it on our local news - The Zotob Virus (ok, worm) is spreading. It has already hit CNN, the Associated Press, New York Times, and I even heard from a friend that the Red Cross has been hit as well.

Want to know what I'm saying about this? Ha ha! Screw them, they should be running Linux!

While Viruses are bad, they can mean good news to us Linux fans: the more serious viruses hit large buisnesses, the more likely they are to switch. Let them learn from their mistakes.

Tech Tags: windows linux virus worm zotob zotob virus zotob worm

BashPodder GUI

In case you have been following comments, Jon mentioned that he tried out my BashPodder GUI and he likes it a lot.

In case you listen to podcasts, you can obtain it here. (thanks to Linc for hosting it :-) )

Here's what you need to run it

• A Linux Box ;-)
• Wget (you probably have this)
  
• Xdialog

If you don't have Xdialog, you can either download it from the site, or if you have Debian, get it like this: apt-get install Xdialog

Please note: there is this GUI that I made, and a GUI that Linc made. These are different. I developed mine seperate from his because I didn't like his GUI. I intergrated BashPodder and the GUI into one script so I could do things like progress bars and windows that alerted you as to the status.

Tech Tags: linux bashpodder bp bashpodder gui bp gui Xdialog

Going to Switch to Kanotix

OK... Reading different blogs and endorsement from Pat on TLLTS and his Blog have convinced me that Kanotix is awesome. The reason I didn't use Kanotix in the first place is because it didn't support my wireless card and Mepis did... but I guess that was out of sheer lazyness because I was able to compile Ndiswrapper to work with my wireless card on Mandrake, and Ndiswrapper comes with Kanotix... All I need is the driver.

So probably later today, I'll be backing up data onto my iPod (since I'm too cheap to waste blank CDs ;-))

Tech Tags: linux kanotix mepis blog tllts the linux link tech show

Go Skype!

I was browsing the Skype site today, and went to the Share Skype blog. They have posted an interview about the creator of Pamela, Dick Schiferli. I read on, and at the bottom they have links to download it. They are providing an MP3 and an OGG!

The OGG is a couple megabytes bigger, but that doesn't matter to me. After developing a proprietary protocal, it's nice to see they admire Open Source as well.

Tech Tags: linux skype mp3 ogg ogg vorbis voip

Want a Gmail Account?

I have at least six Gmail accounts with 50 invitations on each, so if you want one, just drop me a line

Maybe you want an inbox for storing voicemails when Gizmo gets released for Linux, maybe you want to use it as a virtual drive, maybe you want to send hi res pictures, whatever. I'll hook you up with one :-)

Please make sure when you send it, the title contains "Gmail Invitation". This way, I can label all incoming requests and seperate them from my personal emails.

Also, check out how to make your own Gmail signature like I did above and prevent spam!

Tech Tags: google gmail email gmail invitations gmail invite

OSX Runnung on PCs - OSx86

I know, this is old news, but I still find it interesting.
Who couldn't have seen this one coming - After obtaining OSX from the Developer Kit, hackers got to work and now are able to run OSX on their PCs natively, OSx86. From the videos avaliable online, it looks like it's running very well too. I couldn't tell the difference from a regular mac (except in the about window, it said it was an Intel processor ;-))

Apple, just give up. Hackers will ALWAYS find a way around any anti-PC protection you will impliment, so just make everyone's life easier and make OSX avaliable for normal computers.

OSx86 Project
Install OSX on a normal PC

• Be Advised - THIS IS ILLEGAL. I have not tried it and am not going to. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK

Slashdot Article

Tech Tags: apple mac osx86 osx mac osx tiger

Linking to Another Blog

Looking in the statistics today, I noticed that a couple of people were coming from another blog. I checked it out, and that blogger of Judland Waste Travels was kind enough to put a link to my blog on his, so I only saw it fit to do the same for him. Us Linux guys gotta stick up for each other.

Check out his blog - It's in the sidebar.

The Coolest Penguin-Powered Car in the World!

Have you ever met someone so geeky that they want a computer wherever they go? I'm definately one of them, but I'm nothing compared to this guy. He actually has a Gentoo system set up for his car, the CarPC. It uses a customized MythTV frontend and a plethora of shell scripts to do what it can do. This is why we love Linux and Open Source so much - it is so customizable and versitile. It is simply not possible to get all these programs and scripts to sing together on Windows.

But this is the most awesome car in the world. He has it set up so he can watch DirecTV wherever he is! His CarPC has bluetooth functionality, so it is able to connect to his Cell Phone, which in turn gives the CarPC access to 500 KB/s functionality anywhere thanks to Verizon's EVDO network. Through a few scripts and SSH access, he can connect to his MythTV backend server at home, change channels, and use VLC to stream live TV into his car - HOW COOL IS THAT?

My second favorite Penguin feature of this car is also equally cool. He has a USB GPS adapter and a WiFi card. What can you do with these working in conjunction? Plot WiFi Hotspots! His CarPC is constantly searching for WiFi hotspots. When it finds a new one, it uses GPS to plot it's coordinates and then Google Maps API to publish them to the internet. What's more, it even identifies which networks are locked and unlocked by a Green/Red indication. A good half of them are unlocked

What else can this car do?
Taken from his website:

• Listen to music
• Watch videos/movies
• Control audio with steering wheel control. Since the audio is fed into the HU with a P.I.E adapter, the steering wheel is my "master" volume control.
• View Pictures in a slideshow
• Sniff wireless networks and plot them with GPS - I've plotted the APs I've found, and integrated it with Google's Map API
• Download and view local Weather info, including 3 day forcast and doplar radar
• Browse the web with Firefox
• Connect to my cell phone with bluetooth, and connect to Verizon's EVDO network
• Stream DirecTV from my house. <- This is my FAVORITE - Basically I am using ssh keys and scripts to connect to my MythTV box at home, change to the channel I want, start vlc, which does on the fly transcoding of the signal, then connects to it from my CarPC. The result is a list of channels in my videos menu, I select the channel I want, and it all happens auto-magically.
• Remote start my car, and connect to it from inside my house. I can SSH in, and transfer files without even getting off my couch :)

(note: he can't use the computer to start the car, he uses the dealer-installed remote start and then can connect to the computer)

The only thing it can't do is turn by turn steering. There just isn't software like that for Linux.

But what is the best part? The PC is hidden under the car seat, and the LCD display and controls for MythTV are very well hidden into the car. He also has a wireless keyboard and mouse to control it as well.

CarPC Site
WiFi Hotspots
MythTV Site

Tech Tags: linux gentoo mythtv carpc directv penguin geeky geek

Systm - A Show by Kevin Rose

You probably remember all the MythTV adventures that I had. MythTV is a great program for someone who wants a DVR, mainly because it's free, you don't need to pay monthly costs to use it, and you can use it without special software, aka any computer (I'd say 1 GHz or more) that has a Linux supported TV tuner card.

I was browsing the Theora site today and found a link to a show done by Kevin Rose called Systm. I checked it out. The second show is all about MythTV. Here's the description:

Tired of shelling out hard earned cash to download the program listings of your DVR? Want to backup your videos but don't want to deal with the hassle of DRMed files? Kevin Rose & Dan Huard show you everything you need to know about the free and open source PVR alternative, MythTV. Build yours today!

The best part is that they have gone to great lengths to ensure that everyone can view the video, independent of Operating System or platform. Heck, you could play it on an Xbox if you wanted to. The video is available in:

• H264
• Theora
• WMV
• XviD (and I assume that's DivX compatible)

And each format is available in a high or low quality.

I watched this and I think that this is really great. They explain point-blank how to easily set up a Myth box and talk about common scenarios and problems. They used KnoppMyth, which I didn't because the machine I used has unusual hard drive configuration (KnoppMyth is easiest to install with one hard drive that is hda. Anything else needs a manual install which I wussed out and went with Anaconda :-) ). They said that the system coasted $300 to get all the parts (but of course, excluding things such as Monitors and Cases).

But the reason that I like it is because they have done some research and really prepared themselves. They really know what they are talking about and make the whole setup process seem like a breeze. And they don't seem to know MythTV only, but they also know about Linux in general. I like it.

Also check out some of their other episodes. I haven't yet, but they look interesting.

Systm Website
Theora Website
MythTV Website

Tech Tags: linux mythtv knoppmyth theora ogg systm kevin rose

Man, What Doesn't Run Linux?

Well, technically Unix, but who cares.
Technologic Systems has come out with a NetBSD Toaster.
From their website:

The toaster on display now in the NetBSD booth at the LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco, is as high-tech as they come. This toaster features a 4 line LCD, USB keyboard, 10/100 ethernet port and a RS232 serial port for the external console. The toaster's internal circuit boards have been bypassed and routed through the CPU board allowing NetBSD complete control over the toaster's features. A keyboard connects through a USB port on the side of the toaster and the 4x40 LCD displays a NetBSD/toaster login prompt. The burner element is also controlled by the TS-7200 via an internal relay. Unlike previous NetBSD toasters which were nothing more than a glorified PC case-mod, this toaster can actually toast bread!

You have to love a computer that can toast bread. Think about it: you're using the computer and don't have to go to the kitchen to make toast!
Toaster Page
Slashdot Article

Tech Tags: linux unix netbsd netbsd toaster toaster toasters

How Fast Can You Overclock a P4?

Well, the Japanese have proven that they now master the art of overclocking. They have managed to take a 3.8 GHz Pentium 4 and overclock it to 7.1 GHz. Whoa, talk about computing power. I can only imagine sitting in front of that computer... except screw Windows Server 2003, I'm putting on Tux! Then we'll see how Penguins like 7.1 GHz...

Softpedia Article
Blog Entry (Translation via Google)

Tech Tags: linux tux overclock overclocking pentium 4 7 ghz windows server 2003

IBM SoulPad

I just heard about the IBM SoulPad on Engadget. The SoulPad allows you to hibernate your computer to a removable device (Like an iPod), plug that iPod into another SoulPad and resume working. IBM claims that it takes about 30 seconds to Hibernate and about 3 minutes to resume.

When you plug the device into the USB port, the SoulPad will detect it and boot up, you guessed it, Knoppix to detect any changed hardware (I guess Windows is too stupid to do that for itself). Then it asks for a password. You can stick a USB stick in another USB port and hit enter. It then loads Windows back up just as if nothing happend.

In my opinion, there are some problems with this. I know that Hibernation in Windows takes up about 500 MB. For iPods, this will be fine. For smaller things like Cell Phones, I'm not sure...

I also don't think Linux will be supported, but it damn well should be. Why the hell would they use Knoppix to help restore the computer and not support it?

And what's the chance that you and your friend would both have IBM SoulPads?

Besides that, I really don't know why I would want to bring my work to my friend's computer. Especially if it is a Laptop. If you need to show them something, just bring it over there. We're forgetting the whole purpose of a Laptop!!!

Video (14 MB WMV)

Tech Tags: linux knoppix ibm soulpad ibm soulpad ipod hibernate windows

Yeah Ubuntu!

All right! I got my ten Ubuntu CDs today that I requested from shipit. I put the Live CD into my computer right away (Yes, each ten copies contain an installable version and a Live CD) and was surprised to see that it didn't work. No sweat, I tried another... same problem. I tried a third one, that didn't work. As a hunch, I tried my regular CD drive (my computer has a DVD burner and a normal CD drive) and it worked fine... something Ubuntu related doesn't like my DVD burner, which is odd since Kubuntu worked fine with it.

Anyway... It loaded up with good speed. It is faster than Mepis, but not as fast as Kanotix. It booted up and played this really awesome bootup noise (great, my sound works) and came up with GNOME. I must say that this is the fastest, quickest responding Live CD I have ever used. Awesome.

Ubuntu guys - you rock. Not only have you paid for all these cool looking CDs but you have also paid to ship them from the Netherlands to my front door. I really have to had it to them for trying to spread Linux for free not only to those with Broadband connections, but those without too.

I have to give serious consideration to using Ubuntu or Kanotix. Both look really good.

Tech Tags: linux debian ubuntu ubuntu shipit live cd live-cd kanotix mepis

OpenSUSE Site is Up

Finally, OpenSuSE.org is up. Before, when I wanted to download the free version of SuSE after it was aquired by Novel, I could never figure out how to get it. Now, on this website, it is very clear where you can download it. So far I'm digging it. And it also is powered by MediaWiki. Hmm...

Oh, and it looks like the latest release is five CDs. Wow! And I thought Fedora was the leader in that (I suppose Debian is really, with 12 total CDs but you only need a couple)

Tech Tags: linux open suse suse mediawiki

I'm Popular!

Well, sort of. The post I did about Peter Jennings got to the Technorati Home Page, and the Popular page. If it's not there, I took screenshots.

Tech Tags: technorati popular peter jennings

Kanotix: Hmm...

Hmm... Lately I've been reading tons of great things about Kanotix (and had some personal experiences with it, too). Pat blogged about it and said some cool things that really appeal to me. He said that it is the fastest Live CD he has tried, which I 100% agree with; I have yet to find a faster Live CD. He also said that it works great with apt-get and did a whole apt-get dist-upgrade without any problems, which is impressive. As a plus, it contains the very latest release of KDE, which Mepis does not. As much as I love Mepis, let's face it, it does have it's problems. For example, some applications (mostly non K-apps) just look ugly (like Firefox or Thunderbird, that's why I used Konqueror).

So I'm seriously thinking about giving Kanotix a whirl...

Tech Tags: linux debian kanotix mepis apt-get

Linux Passes WGA Test!

Mmm... More Slashdot goodness. A user wanted to download DirectX 9 to see if it would work with Wine...

He goes to the download page, and he needs to verify that he is running windows... OK. Run it with Wine, and he gets a valid code. Simple simple.

It seems that Bill Gates has a soft spot for Tux after all, or at least isn't bothered about him downloading updates.

So wait a second, let's say I have an Illegal copy of Windows XP and Linux on the same machine. I want to obtain an update. So, I reboot into Linux, and with the help of Wine, obtain a valid code and download it. Sweet.

Slashdot Article
bit-tech.net Article

(btw, how do you like the tags below? Please leave a comment, I'd like to know)

Tech Tags: linux tux microsoft windows wga wine

Hack a CVS One-Time-Use Digital Camcorder

I stumbled across this Hack today that definately sounds sweet. CVS has a One Time Use Digital Camcorder. You can buy it for $30, record 25-30 minutes of DivX video, and bring it back to the store where they'll get the video off and make you a DVD.

But wait, here's the best part! Our good friends at I-Hacked.com have discovered a way to build a dock for it using a Palm III sync cradle, and an extra USB cable that you don't care about (and of course small screwdrivers, a soldering iron, solder, solder wick, and gorilla glue).

Hey, a digital camera for $30, you've got my attention. But CVS is likely to change the camera so the hack doesn't work, so I should hurry!

While this hack is designed for Windows, it uses a port of libusb and the driver is open source (using the Vorpal Bunny Public Lisence), so I don't see why we can't make a Linux version...

Read the Hack
SaturnDownload

Tags: hack hacking digital camcorder cvs one time use

Peter Jennings: 1938-2005

I just heard this on the news - Peter Jennings died last night. Probably being some of the biggest news on ABC, I checked out Technorati and - sure enough - "Peter Jennings" is the number one search this hour. This is definately not good news. His newscast is one of the ones I actually watch.

Oh, and sorry for the off topic post, I just thought this was important.

CNN Article

Tags: peter jennings abc news

Windows Genuine Advantage - Cracked AGAIN

Microsoft, why won't you learn - hackers will always get what they want. Maybe if your software wasn't so dang expensive, you wouldn't have these problems.

Apparently all you have to do to get passed it is to run the program in Windows 2000 compatibility mode.

CNet Article
Procedure

Skype vs. Gizmo

OK, I have seen far to many posts on the internet about these two. I have tried Gizmo before, but the first release I couldn't even run. The second one worked with Skype and SAM (an answering machine) open. So, my experience with Gizmo was not up to par.

Nedless to say, I'll be comparing them myself. I'll post a comparison, and will proclaim which one I think is better.

"Designed for Windows XP" stickers MUST DIE!!!

I've been getting really fed up lately with all these stickers that say "Designed for Windows XP" on them. They're beginning to really piss me off.


So you go to the store to buy a computer... On the box, Designed for Windows XP. What does that really mean? It means you will begin to hate your computer in a few months.

You go to the store to get a webcam. Still designed for Windows XP. In other words, this will not work without constant frustration and an extra serving of screaming.

Yet, I plug a webcam into a computer running Ubuntu (well, technically Kubuntu) and it works perfectly. Tvtime was able to display live video from it. That same scenario in Windows, you need to install the software. Reboot. Plug it in and hope it would work (and, in my experiences, it never worked the first time)

So what should we do about this? Let's create a "Designed for Linux" sticker. I'm going to start making one in Inkscape. Who's with me?

Vista Screenshots

I have taken a bunch of Vista Screenshots and posted them on Flickr.

You may view them here.

Trying out WordPress

Blogger is great - Unlimited bandwith, a subdomain, no ads, and complete control over the template. Although, I still would prefer to try something that gives me more control. I'm testing out WordPress right now. If all goes well, I'll consider using it instead.

You can see it so far here: http://mightylinux.mi.funpic.org/

Linux - Why isn't everyone using it?

Linux is the most versitile operating system. It can run on everything from ten-year-old laptops to iPods. It can make an "old" computer seem new again and bring new features to the desktop that others never thought possible. So why isn't everyone using it?

We all have to admit that there are some tasks that are just plain easier in Windows, particularly things like installing programs.

For example, look at Skype. There is one Windows download, get it and go. There are 6 Linux downloads. If you're not entirely sure which one to get, you may have trouble finding that one. "I think I need an RPM, but which one? Maybe I need a DEB... and what is a Dynamic Binary?" A task that would take seconds on Windows may take many times as long on a newbie Linux user.

But that can't be the main reason, since Distributions contain tons of software. Linspire has done a lot of work in this area, too, with CNR. I think the reason more people aren't using it is because they don't know about it. You go to BestBuy to get a computer, no matter what you get, it comes with Windows. The only popular retail store that has Linux computers is Wal-Mart (please correct me if I'm wrong).

But the truth is, Linux is easier to use in many other ways. For example, it is so much easier to maintain than Windows. Newbie Windows users (I'll call them "win-bies" from now on) probably turn on their computer only to be greeted with popup ads, excess icons in the task bar, and very slow speeds. To keep Windows running smoothly, you have to know how to do things. You need to have anti-virus that is updated to keep the computer virus free. You need to have an anti-spyware program installed. You need to analyze the drive weekly for defragmentation. And there are win-bies out there without administrator passwords.

So how can we get more win-bies on the bandwagon? Hand them a Live CD. Mepis, Kanotix, Slax, whatever. If they like it, explain that their applications on Windows probably won't work on Linux, but it is more than likely that there is an open source application out there that serves the same purpose. And if they like the idea but aren't ready to part with Windows, set up a dual-boot. A dual-booter is better than a windows user.

Syndication Buttons Added

I added syndication buttons to the right panel. Now, with one click, you can add this blog to BlogLines, My Yahoo, and News Gator. Any suggestions as to what I should add next? Leave a comment.

Microsoft's Anti Piracy System - Now Cracked

This is taken from PCWorld.com:

Microsoft says that hackers managed to bypass a process it had implemented several days ago to ensure that users of Microsoft's update services possessed legitimate copies of Windows before they could download updates and content from those services.

A posting on the Boing Boing blog claimed that a JavaScript command string could bypass a check that Microsoft instituted Wednesday through the Windows Genuine Advantage 1.0 program.

See the rest of the article
See the blog entry

Tux Magazine Issue 5 Out

I probably should have posted this earlier.
Today, there is a new issue of Tux magazine. You can download it here.

Also, if you have not made an account, please avoid using torrents, etc. and subscribe. The more subscribers they have, the less likely they are to have tons of advertisements in them. Subscribe here. You just need to input an email address and password, that's it. It takes only seconds, and trust me, it's well worth it.

MSN Virtual Earth: Hmm...

I just checked out MSN Virtual Earth for the first time. I loaded it in Firefox, expecting to be forced into using IE. Nope. It actually works very well with Firefox. I only tried out a few features, but they worked flawlessly. Things that I thought were "problems" (like the popup windows not being movable) were also present in IE. Just to compare, I loaded it in IE and only found one noticable difference. The blue area at the top was slightly transparent, so you could see the map underneath it. A useless feature. All other qwerks in Firefox were nearly invisible, such as the x button on windows being slightly larter than the bar. Otherwise, everything worked fine in Firefox, including the nice "locate me feature", which Google does not have.

As a sidenote, the map portion is fine, but as far as the satellite feature goes, Google still looks better. VirtualEarth is just too dark.

More Windows Restoration Adventures

I bet you think this article is about how Linux helped to save another stranded Windows user. Well, you're wrong.

I got a call from another friend, saying that their computer was not working. They said that they had a CD Burner, so I brought over Kanotix and turned it on to see what the problem was.

When it tried to boot up, it came up with a screen saying it needed to boot up in Safe Mode. I tried it, and got the B.S.O.D.

After that, I popped in Kanotix and rebooted. It worked nicely, and recognized all their hardware. I was able to browse their hard drive and could have backed up their data onto a CD except for one problem - they don't have two drives, just one CD burner.

What I thought was an unfortunate situation, they informed me that they didn't have any important data that they needed to be backed up.

They have an HP computer, and being an HP computer user myself, I know a few tricks. The HP bootsplash on my computer informs you that you can press F1 (or is it F2? I don't know, I pressed both) to go into setup and F10 to use the system recovery partition to restore the computer.

We first tried the Non-destructive option (which just copies system files and application files back over). A half hour later it was finished, only to find out that Windows wouldn't boot anymore, period. It said something about a missing file...

Another reboot, pressing F10, and we were back into the system restore feature. This time we did the complete recovery. Surprisingly, this didn't take as long. It took about 20 minutes from the hard drive (but on my computer, 7 cds...)

OK, now Windows works, so now what? I installed Firefox and Thunderbird, so they would not be succeptable to security problems in IE.

Now to Windows Update... It installed one update and then had to reboot. OK. After the reboot, Automatic Updates informed me that it downloaded 18 updates and wants to install them.

OK. 20 minutes later it is done, and another reboot. Now it wants to install SP2. It downloaded the 80 MB file (thank god they have broadband) and installed it. About 45 minutes later, it was rebooted and finally ready to go. I put on OpenOffice.org (becuase WordPerfect and Office suck), MS Anti-Spyware, and AVG Anti-Virus (yes, the free version).

I NEVER had this many problems with Linux. If it ever broke, I can use a Live CD to save my data and then do another 10-15 minute install. Done.