WINDOWS 10 - Food For Thought, Ubuntu (Linux)

NOTE:  Ubuntu is free for non-commercial users.  Also, I have a Ubuntu laptop.

"Windows 10:  is it finally time to migrate to Ubuntu?" by Maria Bonnefon, Ubuntu Desktop 8/27/2015

Public and private enterprises across the world have been using Microsoft Windows for years, but it calls into question whether this is in fact the best choice or simply force of habit?

With recent security and performance issues coming to the fore, an increasing number of companies are exploring the benefits of using alternative Operating Systems, and harvesting the benefits of ultra secure, robust, high performance options.  Plus, the cherry on the top is that royalty, maintenance and training costs for users can be reduced by as much as 70 percent!

Ten years ago, such alternatives were only something companies could dream of.   They were locked into proprietary models that financially squeezed them, yet still failed to provide all the services required.  This is slightly reminiscent of Henry Ford’s choice of color for ‘Model T’ …. ‘you can have a car painted any color so long as it is black.’

Increasingly, CTOs are questioning whether they actually need to remain in this locked-in situation.  Frequently asked questions include: can I deploy an alternate OS in our computer park without compromising on productivity whilst reducing costs?  Will the performance of the OS deliver on its promise?  Will I be able to drive down royalty costs without having to make hefty financial investments on technical support and training?  The answer is yes.  Ubuntu can offer this and more.

So, now that Windows 10 has been announced, customers should ask themselves is this the right time to transition?  The ‘comfortable’ next move would be to simply upgrade; however, the heavy resource constraints on devices and meatier royalty fees have turned off even the most fervent Windows followers.  Top media across the globe are analyzing ways to snub Windows 10 (see Le Monde August 4, 2015 article ‘5 operating systems to snub Windows 10’) and, in my opinion, for mainstream users who care about their privacy, this is probably the best possible time to take a closer look at other choices.

Ubuntu continues to grow in popularity, not only with mainstream consumers, but also with Fortune 500 companies.  Moreover, government and top notch education entities across the globe have realized they can save millions of dollars, and invest funds more prudently for social programmes.

Microsoft is offering a free download of Windows 10 for a limited time.  This is great for many users, but it’s only available to those running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and selected Windows Phone 8.1.  For everyone else, it’ll be available for $199USD for Windows 10 Home* or $199USD Windows 10 Pro*.

This is great if you are in the category of people that are able to spend this kind of cash.  However, that money might be better put towards more altruistic or even epicurean objectives, whilst still allowing you to benefit from a tremendous OS.  Food for thought?

LINUX - More Cities and Nations Ditch Microsoft

"Turin to Be First Italian City to Adopt Ubuntu, Unshackle from the 'Tyranny of Proprietary Software'" by Silviu Stahie, SoftPedia 8/8/2014

Turin wants to be the first city in Italy to switch completely to open source and Ubuntu and entirely ditch all the Microsoft products.

The number of local authorities that decide to switch to open source to match the IT needs of a city is slowly increasing and now it looks like the city of Turin in Italy is also doing the same thing.

One of the main tools that are available for the local governments to decrease the public spending is to make some changes when it comes to upgrading the proprietary software.  Usually, this procedure costs a lot of money and the only way that you can save funds is to adopt open source solutions.

In the case of Turin, that can be done by adopting Ubuntu, which is a Linux distribution developed by Canonical and which has complete support for the Italian language.  Ubuntu is a free operating system and it's supported for a period of five years.  Even when the support ends, the IT department only has to upgrade to the next release.

According to a report on repubblica.it, Turin wants to become the first city in Italy to move completely to open source for its 8,300 PCs used by the local authorities.

“The transition will begin this fall and it will take a year and a half to complete.  It will become the first Italian open source city and we'll to get a saving on expenses for the computers that will go 20-40 percent compared to today,” says one of the managers of the project, Gianmarco Montanari.

“If we abandon proprietary software we will save €6 million ($8 million) in five years.  The initial investment is low but, once installed programs and taught employees how to use them, the system will go ahead on its own feet, allowing the city to lower the cost even more,” notes the director of Information Systems, Sandro Golzio.

The complete price of migrating the PCs from a version of Windows to another, together with the Office suite, would cost the city €22 million ($29.5 million) over a five-year span, but with the adoption of Ubuntu, that price will go down to €16 million ($21,4 million).

A flurry of cities in Europe are doing similar things.  In Germany, the city of Munich has already finished the transition to their own Linux distribution, and in Toulouse, France, the process is ongoing and it will be over in a couple of years.

LINUX - Rules on Supercomputers

"Where Linux rules:  Supercomputers" by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet 11/25/2013

Summary:  Linux is everywhere, except on traditional PCs.  But when it comes to total platform domination, you can't beat Linux on supercomputers.

The latest Top 500 Supercomputer list is out.  At the very tip-top, you'll find Tianhe-2.  This supercomputer, developed by China’s National University of Defense Technology, is once more the world’s fastest supercomputer with a performance of 33.86 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second) on the Linpack benchmark.  Also on top, as it has been for more than a decade now, you'll find Linux.

When it comes to supercomputers, Linux is the operating system of choice and it has been since 2004.  The latest round-up of the world's fastest computers underlines just how dominant Linux is in supercomputers.

In the November 2013 listing, 482 of the world's top supercomputers run Linux.  The free, open-source operating system is followed by Unix, with eleven; four systems running a mix of operating systems, two with Windows and a single system running BSD Unix.  That's an advantage of 96.4 percent for Linux to 3.6 percent for everyone else, if you're keeping score at home.

The vast majority of these Linux hot-rod computers use cluster architectures with 86.4 percent.  Only 15.4 percent use a massively parallel processor (MPP) design.

A related development, behind the high-tide of Linux, is that most of these supercomputers use AMD and Intel chips.  To be exact, 82 percent use Intel Xeon chips with the Xeon E5 SandyBridge processor leading the way.  9 percent use AMD Opteron and 8 percent use IBM Power processors.  All of these chips can, and do, run Linux on supercomputers.

Just over 10 percent of supercomputers, 53 systems, use accelerator/co-processor technology.  Of these, 38 use NVIDIA chips, 13 systems with Intel's Xeon Phi and two use ATI Radeon.

Looking ahead, the supercomputer testers are well aware that the Linpack benchmark is dated.  Jack Dongarra, distinguished professor of computer science at the University of Tennessee, creator of the TOP500 and Linpack's inventor, is working on a new supercomputer benchmark:  the High Performance Conjugate Gradient.

We don't have a date yet for when the HPCG will appear.  We can, however, be certain that whenever it appears, Linux will still be the top supercomputer operating system.

LINUX - Opinion, 7 Suggested Improvements

"7 Improvements The Linux Desktop Needs" by Bruce Byfield, Datamation 6/7/2014

In the last fifteen years, the Linux desktop has gone from a collection of marginally adequate solutions to an unparalleled source of innovation and choice.  Many of its standard features are either unavailable in Windows, or else available only as a proprietary extension.  As a result, using Linux is increasingly not only a matter of principle, but of preference as well.

Yet, despite this progress, gaps remain.  Some are missing features, others missing features, and still others pie-in-the sky extras that could be easily implemented to extend the desktop metaphor without straining users' tolerance of change.

For instance, here are 7 improvements that would benefit the Linux desktop:

7.  Easy Email Encryption

These days, every email reader from Alpine to Thunderbird and Kmail include email encryption.  However, documentation is often either non-existent or poor.

But, even if you understand the theory, the practice is difficult.  Controls are generally scattered throughout the configuration menus and tabs, requiring a thorough search for all the settings that you require or want.  Should you fail to set up encryption properly, usually you receive no feedback about why.

The closest to an easy process is Enigmail, a Thunderbird extension that includes a setup wizard aimed at beginners.  But you have to know about Enigmail to use it, and the menu it adds to the composition window buries the encryption option one level down and places it with other options guaranteed to mystify everyday users.

No matter what the desktop, the assumption is that, if you want encrypted email, you already understand it.  Today, though, the constant media references to security and privacy have ensured that such an assumption no longer applies.

6.  Thumbnails for Virtual Workspaces

Virtual workspaces offer more desktop space without requiring additional monitors.  Yet, despite their usefulness, management of virtual workspaces hasn't changed in over a decade.  On most desktops, you control them through a pager in which each workspace is represented by an unadorned rectangle that gives few indications of what might be on it except for its name or number -- or, in the case of Ubuntu's Unity, which workspace is currently active.

True, GNOME and Cinnamon do offer better views, but the usefulness of these views is limited by the fact that they require a change of screens.  Nor is KDE's written list of contents, which is jarring in the primarily graphic-oriented desktop.

A less distracting solution might be mouseover thumbnails large enough for those with normal vision to see exactly what is on each workspace.

5.  A Workable Menu

The modern desktop long ago outgrew the classic menu with its sub-menus cascading across the screen.  Today, the average computer simply has too many applications to fit comfortably into such a format.

The trouble is, neither of the major alternatives is as convenient as the classic menu.  Confining the menu into a single window is less than ideal, because you either have to endure truncated sub-menus or else continually resize the window with the mouse.

Yet the alternative of a full-screen menu is even worse.  It means changing screens before you even begin to work, and relying on a search field that is only useful if you already know what applications are available -- in which case you are almost better off launching from the command line.

Frankly, I don't know what the solution might be.  Maybe spinner racks, like those in OS X?  All I can say for certain is that all alternatives for a modern menu make a carefully constructed set of icons on the desktop seem a more reasonable alternative.

4.  A Professional, Affordable Video Editor

Over the years, Linux has slowly filled the gaps in productivity software.  However, one category in which it is still lacking is in reasonably priced software for editing videos.

The problem is not that such free software is non-existent.  After all, Maya is one of the industry standards for animation.  The problem is that the software costs several thousand dollars.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are apps like Pitivi or Blender, whose functionality -- despite brave efforts by their developers -- remain basic.  Progress happens, but far more slowly than anyone hopes for.

Although I have heard of indie directors using native Linux video editors, the reason I have heard of their efforts is usually because of their complaints.  Others prefer to minimize the struggle and edit on other operating systems instead.

3.  A Document Processor

At one extreme are users whose need for word processing is satisfied by Google Docs.  At the other extreme are layout experts for whom Scribus is the only feasible app.

In-between are those like publishers and technical writers who produce long, text-oriented documents.  This category of users is served by Adobe FrameMaker on Windows, and to some extent by LibreOffice Writer on Linux.

Unfortunately, these users are apparently not a priority in LibreOffice, Calligra Words, AbiWord, or any other office suite.  Features that would provide for these users include:

• Separate bibliographic databases for each file
• Tables that are treated like styles in the same way that paragraphs and characters are
• Page styles with persistent content other than headers or footers that would appear each time the style is used
• Storable formats for cross-references, so that the structure doesn't need to be recreated manually each time that it is needed

Whether LibreOffice or another application provides these features is irrelevant comparing to whether they are available.  Without them, the Linux desktop is an imperfect place for a large class of potential users.

2.  Color-Coded Title Bars

Browser extensions have taught me how useful color coded tabs can be for workspaces.  The titles of open tabs disappear when more than eight or nine or open, so the color is often the quickest visual guide to the relation between tabs.

The same system could be just as useful on the desktop.  Better yet, the color coding might be preserved between sessions, allowing users to open all the apps needed for a specific task at the same time.  So far, I know of no desktop with such a feature.

1.  Icon Fences

For years, Stardock Systems has been selling a Windows extension called Fences, which lets icons be grouped.  You can name each group and move the icons in it together.  In addition, you can assign which fence different types of files are automatically added to, and hide and arrange fences as needed.

In other words, fences automate the sort of arrangements that users make on their desktop all the time.  Yet aside from one or two minor functions they share with KDE's Folder Views, fences remain completely unknown on Linux desktops.  Perhaps the reason is that designers are focused on mobile devices as the source of ideas, and fences are decidedly a feature of the traditional workstation desktop.

Personalized Lists

As I made this list, what struck me was how few of the improvements were general.  Several of these improvement would appeal largely to specific audiences, and only one even implies the porting of a proprietary application.  At least one is cosmetic rather than functional.

What this observation suggests is that, for the general user, Linux has very little left to add.  As an all-purpose desktop, Linux arrive some years ago, and has been diversifying ever since, until today users can choose from over half a dozen major desktops.

None of that means, of course, that specialists wouldn't have other suggestions.  In addition, changing needs can make improvements desirable that nobody once cared about.  But it does mean that many items on a list of desirable improvements will be highly personal.

All of which raises the question:  What other improvements do you think would benefit the desktop?

SUPERCOMPUTERS - Canonical and China Collaboration in Cloud Computing

"NUDT and Canonical bring OpenStack to world’s fastest supercomputer" by Canonical 5/4/2014

China’s National University of Defense Technology, NUDT , developers of the Tianhe-2 supercomputer, and Canonical , the organization behind Ubuntu, today announce a collaboration to bring OpenStack to the world’s fastest supercomputer for high performance cloud environments.

The new collaboration with Canonical will enable Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu OpenStack and Ubuntu’s orchestration tool, Juju, to run Tienhe2.  Today, Ubuntu OpenStack is running on 256 high performance nodes and this will grow to over 6400 nodes in the coming months.  The nodes will be available to Government departments in Guangdong province as well as other NUDT partners for analysis, census, and eGovernment applications.

Both OpenStack and Ubuntu’s orchestration tool, Juju, will run on Tianhe-2 to enable NUDT partners and affiliate to rapidly deploy and manage very high performance cloud environments.  The Juju orchestration tool makes it easy to design, deploy, scale and manage cloud workloads in OpenStack (cloud) environments.  Workloads running on Tianhe-2 will enjoy higher inter-connect bandwidth and computing power for point heavy or memory intensive application.

Professor QingBo Wu at NUDT comments; “NUDT is a pioneer of technology, especially in the area of high performance.  Tianhe-2, the world’s fastest supercomputer runs on Ubuntu Kylin and now with OpenStack and Ubuntu Juju, we are able to deliver high performance OpenStack.”

“To see the fastest supercomputer running OpenStack is already a beautiful thing,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu.  “To see it running OpenStack with workloads orchestrated by Ubuntu Juju is incredibly powerful.  We can’t wait to see it rolled out further.”

NUDT designed and built Tianhe-2, which runs on its own Kylin Cloud Linux operating system and has held the record for the world’s fastest supercomputer since 2013, having recorded results of Linpack Performance (Rmax)33,862.7 TFlop/s.  The servers use Intel Xeon processors, Intel Xeon Phi co-processors and a 160Gb per second interconnect for super-fast data transfer between nodes.

LINUX - Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

The latest Linux Distribution of Ubuntu is 14.04 (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS).  Note LTS = Long Term Service, which means five years of security and maintenance updates, guaranteed.

I upgraded (in place, via Ubuntu Software Update) from Ubuntu 13.10 with no problem, and only one minor utility did not work which is no problem (it is unsupported software).

My new laptop (which came with Ubuntu 13.10) is 64bit which means Ubuntu 14.04 is 64bit version.

My desktop:

Some features seen on desktop:

• The orange Ubuntu icon on the top-right Title Bar is the treed Classic Menu add-on (I hate using search to find applications)

• Note, you can get Steam for Ubuntu

• The blue icon with the arrow in the Unity Bar (left side of desktop) is Krusader split-panel file manager, which has an option to run in Root Mode (Root is the equivalent of Windows Administrator mode)

• As you can see Ubuntu comes with Firefox WEB browser

• And my favorite Desktop Calendar "Rainlendar Lite" (free version) which I also have on my WinXP Desktop rig

RAINLENDAR:

Rainlendar is NOT included in the Ubuntu Software Center but can be downloaded from their site.

Rainlendar Home - Rainlendar all version download
The install package is a .deb file, I used the 64bit Debian/Ubuntu version.

WARNING:  Do NOT use Ubuntu Software Center to install! (which is the default installer)

Use the GDeb Package Installer, which comes with Ubuntu 14.  Recommend this installer for any Linux Debian software NOT found on Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager.

HARDWARE - My New ThinkPad Ubuntu Laptop

UPGRADE  TIME....

My Clevo Ubuntu (Linux) Notebook was getting long-in-the-tooth, and having sound problems.

So I got an upgrade from the fine people at Linux Certified.  The same people who shipped me the Clevo.

Here are the main specs:

• Intel Quad-Core i5-3230M, 2.6 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache 64bit
• Hard Drive 500 GB SATA
• 3gb RAM
• Display 15.6" HD at 1366 x 768 (aka Widescreen)
• DVD Writer Dual Layer 
• Built-in 10/100/1000 LAN
• Integrated Mini-PCI 802.11 WiFi Card
• Smart Li-Ion 6 cell battery
• Had it pre-loaded with Ubuntu 13.10

Need I say, it's fast, and with that memory everything runs in memory.

This time I went with the Ubuntu (aka Unity) Desktop.

(click for larger view)

I had said in the past that I didn't like Unity, but now that I understand it, it's not that bad.  Also has less problems with some apps running GNOME Desktop.

The Unity Launcher (aka Strip) to the left is a combination Taskbar and Quick Launcher.  When you launch an app the app's icon will appear in the Strip marked with a white arrow that indicates its window is open.  If you minimize a window/app the Strip icon acts just like the button in the Windoz Taskbar, you click it to re-open the window

The addition is you can 'lock' an app's icon to the Strip, making it a quick-launch icon.  Every icon on my Strip shown above are quick-launch.

The main complaint I had against Unity is not having a treed-menu.  That is why I used GNOME Desktop on my old Clevo.  GNOME has a menu.

But there is a plug-in that puts a Classic Menu Button (Global Bar, top right) for Ubuntu.

You click this button and you get a classic tree menu, nice.








Here's a link to Lenovo's spec page.

Note that I have Steam installed.  Now I have a rig that can play games without a hitch.

HUMOR - Buying Linux

Dilbert
11/15/2013

Of course, Linux is OpenSource which means it IS free.

LINUX - Image for Linux

There is a very good drive imaging backup utility available Image for Linux from TeraByte Inc.

Startup dialog

As I have said in a previous post on backing up your hard drive, an image backup is the best.  Much better than any file backup.

Image for Linux backs up all USED sectors on your Linux hard drive, therefore [Restore] gets you your full (boot) hard drive back.  It can backup to CDs or another device, such as an USB Stick.  Well worth the price.

WARNING:  Make sure you have your USB Sick plugged-in BEFORE turning on your system to boot to the CD.  I use a 32gb USB Stick to backup my Ubuntu 13.04 laptop hard drive.

You get an eMail with your license keys, or you can copy/paste from your online recept.

Your download will be via an eMail with a special 24hr expiring link.  The downloaded ZIP file contains several other ZIP files.  You select the one you have the license for and.... see below... the ifl_en_gui.zip = Image for Linux (IFL) GUI version.

(click for larger view)

Extract ifl_en_gui.zip and you get all the other files seen above.

Run makedisk to write a bootable CD, and you will be prompted for your license key.  Just in case, you will need a CD/DVD drive that can write.

As noted in pic, you do not need to keep the files you unzipped.  AFTER you confirm you can boot to the CD and IFL works, you can delete these files.  You just keep the original downloaded ZIP file.

I highly recommend you get the PDF manual and save/print, and read.

I've used this IFL for a year now to backup, worked without a hitch.  But, thankfully, I have not used the Restore function yet.

Your IFL boot disk runs in Linux environment GUI with mouse.  You just go through each dialog.

LINUX- Ubuntu 13.04

Well, Ubuntu 13.04 is released.

My Ubuntu 13, GNOME Desktop (click for larger view)

Note the [Steam] desktop icon (launcher).  That's right, Ubuntu 13 has the Steam Client available from the Software Center.

The upgrade from Ubuntu 12.10 to 13.04, using the Software Updater when notified, was flawless.  Everything came back as before upgrade.  Only had to change a few settings because of new apps.

As to Steam:

The Steam Client runs very well.  The Store has a [Linux] tab that list Linux Games.  And there's the rub.  Not all games listed in the [Linux] tab run properly, which is NOT Steam's fault.  It is the game publisher's fault.

Here is a list of Linux games I've tried:

• Amnesia = Does not run at all.
• Anna = Runs, BUT the mouse speed is so high/fast that the game is unplayable.  And the Main Menu Option to set mouse speed cannot be selected.
• Postal (1) = Seems to run OK..... so far.
• Postal 2 = Runs the Running With Scissors [WARNING] dialog, that automatically closes, then nothing.
• Dungeon Defenders = Supposed to be new, but when started it goes through several Logo Dialogs [Press any key to continue], after those I got a blank-black dialog and that's it.  Even lost the mouse.  Had to use [Alt][F4] to force-close.
• Half-Life (1) - Runs very good, except for sound, an old reverb problem (need to find a way to disable)

The only reason I tried these?  They were cheap.

So when it comes to Steam's Linux game, beware.

LINUX - Ubuntu on Tablet Systems

"Ubuntu on tablets"

LINUX - openSUSE 12.1

Time for an update.

As I have said in previous articles, I have a laptop that I got for the purpose of leaning Linux OS.

It came with Ubuntu installed, I loaded Linux Mint 10 next.  I just loaded openSUSE 12.1 with the KDE desktop. This is an OpenSource version of  Novell SUSE.

This version, or distribution, comes with GNOME and KDE (default) desktops, so you can choose which to install.  I choose the KDE desktop because it looks more Windows-like.

GNOME Desktop

My KDE Desktop

Although I am still experimenting with my installation, I have already found some nice features:

• It can be upgraded without doing a full-install (Linux Mint 10 does not have this feature built-in)
• Right-click the [Application Launcher] icon (far left, Gecko icon) and it has a Menu Editor option
• Note ALL icons you see, including those in the Taskbar, are Widgets in this distribution, and I found out that you have to Lock Widgets if you don't want a screw-up
• It includes a Touch Pad utility that has the option to disable the touch pad if an USB Mouse is connected (nice, very nice)
• Note that the Taskbar is made up of Panels and Widgets, which you can add Widgets and move components IF you Unlock Widgets

My KDE Desktop with Application Launcher open

Note I had to change the launcher configuration (right-click Gecko icon to see option) to Disable Hover to make it easier to use.

My Taskbar close up

I am still playing around with openSUSE, but here's some things I've already found NOT-up-to-muster:

• The included version of System Information (sysinfo) does not work like the one Linux Mint 10 had which could generate a full report on everything on my system that I could print
• Finding some apps in the Application Launcher can be difficult, but it does have a Search Bar which occasionally shows an app that I could NOT navigate to (the search-result does not show location)
• I am still trying to get the [SHARE] folder to actually share with my WinXP Desktop (getting help from forum experts), it was much easier in Linux Mint 10

Well, that all for now. I'll likely be updating this post.

UPDATE (as promised):

 My run of openSUSE failed...

• Had 3  crashes that cause me to do a full reinstall
• Never got SAMBA sharing to work properly (caused one of the crashes)
• Since sharing did not work, of course I couldn't connect to my shared pringer

So, on to something else....

HARDWARE - My Home Computer Systems

OK, time for more bragging about my computers.

DESKTOP:

(click for better view)

• Manufacturer: MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD


• Model: MS-7222


• North Bridge: VIA P4M800 Pro/P4M800 CE/VN800/CN700 Revision 00


• South Bridge: VIA VT8237 Revision 00
  


• CPU Name: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4CPU 3.00GHz Hyper-Threading


• CPU Socket: Socket 775 LGA


• Max CPU Speed: 1500 MHz


• Maximum Memory Capacity: 1024 MBytes


• Maximum Memory Module Size: 32 MBytes


• Memory Slots: 2 (= 2gb memory)


• Memory Type: DDR2


• Disk C: 55 GB Available, 80 GB Total, 55 GB Free (Internal IDE HD0)


• Disk D: 166 GB Available, 217 GB Total, 166 GB Free (Internal IDE HD0)


• Disk E: 2718 MB Available, 19077 MB Total, 2718 MB Free (Internal IDE HD1)


• Disk F: 4 GB Available, 18 GB Total, 4 GB Free (Internal IDE HD1)


• Disk H: 51 GB Available, 149 GB Total, 51 GB Free (External Firewire)


• Disk J: 321 GB Available, 485 GB Total, 321 GB Free (External Firewire partition)


• Disk K: 398 GB Available, 445 GB Total, 398 GB Free (External Firewire partition)


• Video Card: nVidia Corporation GeForce 7900 GS 512mb AGP


• HP DVD Writer 1035r (Internal IDE)


• Memorex Recorder 1394/USB20 Drive IEEE 1394 SBP2 Device (External Firewire)

LAPTOP:

(click for better view)

CPU: 2x Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T3400 @ 2.16GHz

Memory: 2021MB (278MB used)

Operating System: Linux Mint 10 Julia

Kernel: Linux 2.6.35-32-generic (i686)

Compiled: #67-Ubuntu SMP Mon Mar 5 19:35:26 UTC 2012

C Library: GNU C Library version 2.12.1 (stable)

Default C Compiler: GNU C Compiler version 4.4.5 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.4.4-14ubuntu5.1)

Display Resolution: 1280x800 pixels

OpenGL Renderer: Mesa DRI Mobile Intel® GM45 Express Chipset GEM 20100330

DEVELOPMENT: x86/MMX/SSE2

X11 Vendor: The X.Org Foundation

WIN8 - "Borrowing" From Linux?

"Eight features Windows 8 borrowed from Linux" by Sandro Villinger, IT World 2/9/2012

Linux got there first, but does Windows do it better?

"Good artists borrow, great artists steal!" -- Pablo Picasso said it. So did T.S. Eliot. And, more recently, Steve Jobs. Let's face it: If something makes sense and succeeds, it gets imitated.

Though Windows 8 and Linux distributions differ greatly from each other in design, ideology and -- last but not least -- their primary audience, they're all built on the same basic principles of OS design so there's bound to be some overlap. And while Microsoft has long been accused of stealing from the open source community, according to some Linux fans, it's getting to the point where Microsoft simply appropriates good Linux features.

I've been following the Windows 8 development very closely and noticed some hefty backlash on some of the features of Windows 8. This was especially true in some Linux/Windows forums and the Building 8 blog, where Sinofsky and friends write extensively about the new upcoming Windows iteration.

All this fingerpointing made me curious about where some of the best new-to-Windows features in Windows 8 really came from and how Microsoft put its own spin on them (or not).

1. File copy dialogue
   
   In an effort to create more transparency, Microsoft implemented an improved copy, move, rename and delete dialog that doesn't just show the progress of each operation, but also a throughput graph and the ability to actually pause individual copy operations.
   
   Oh, did that cause a firestorm in the open source community! Pretty much the same dialogue has been part of Linux's Dolphin and Nautilus file managers -- the file transfer dialogue also lets users pause operations and view multiple copy jobs in one window. We've even got the gimmicky bandwidth graph that appears once the user hits "More details".
   
   The Microsoft twist: When there's a problem with a file operation, Windows 8 doesn't just stop the entire process but keeps these problems in the error queue. However, it's quite obvious that Microsoft took a good, hard look at the open source world here.
   
   What neither Linux nor Windows 8 have is a queue feature. Of course, you could manually pause and resume individual copy operations, but that's not helping you on a massive copy job. Users of both Windows (see the comments on this post) and Linux have been waiting for this for quite a while.


2. ISO mounting
   
   In Windows 8, Microsoft finally introduces mount ISO files. Once mounted, a new drive letter appears in Windows Explorer that represents the virtual CD/DVD ROM. And while it's a nice addition that lets users finally get rid of annoying third-party tools such as Daemon Tools, Power ISO or Virtual CloneDrive, both Linux and Mac have had this ability for quite a while.
   
   The Microsoft twist: No Linux distro does ISO mounting as easily as Windows 8, as it requires some command line trickery (or, again, third-party tools). Thanks to all commenters for chipping in: Of course, easy ISO mounting is part of various Linux distributions – both via the GUI and command line.


3. Windows To Go
   
   Windows To Go allows (enterprise) users to create a bootable Windows 8 environment on a USB 2.0/3.0 flash drive. It even supports unplugging the drive, which causes the OS to freeze momentarily until you plug the Windows To Go stick back in. Awesome.
   
   The Microsoft twist: Obviously, such "live environments" have been around for quite a while in the Linux world, but their performance was never quite up to par with a natively running OS. Since Microsoft optimized their NTFS file system for such a scenario, Windows 8 runs fluently even on USB 2.0. Upon testing Windows To Go, I found that both boot and overall speed were far superior to any Linux live distribution I have ever tested.


4. The Metro UI
   
   The basic idea for the Metro UI appeared in Media Center and Zune hardware more than 5 years ago. When you use the Metro UI for the first time, you'll see that it's a very unique way of working with a device. But Microsoft didn't pioneer the idea.
   
   Various Linux distros, such as Ubuntu, and the GNOME desktop environment, have tried to overhaul the user interface to fit the "one UI to rule them all" approach before Microsoft did. There's no denying that updates to the UI of Linux, especially Ubuntu, were made specifically with tablets in mind. But even the most ardent Linux users admit that touch support could by no means be called anything other than half-baked.
   
   The Microsoft twist: Microsoft is taking a very risky step in making the new Metro UI the default view of the new OS, but it's also much more comfortable to use either with touch or a pen.


5. Social integration
   
   Linux distributions -- notably Ubuntu -- have, for a long time now, included social media integration by default. The "Me" menu, which first appeared in early alpha versions of Ubuntu 10.04, allows you to update your status to all your accounts and get important feeds directly to your desktop. And when Microsoft finally added its Tweet@Rama, Photo Picker and Socialite app to the developer preview, loyal Linux users again pointed out that this has been done before.
   
   The Microsoft twist: No twist here. Microsoft was simply late to catch on to the trend.


6. Native support for USB 3.0
   
   In their very first blog post, the Building 8 folks explained their new native USB 3.0 stack and, of course, that news was greeted with comments of the "Linux has been doing that for three years" variety.
   
   The Microsoft twist: Move along. Nothing to see here. USB 3.0 devices work pretty well with Windows 7 already since hardware manufacturers provide their own drivers. Microsoft just finally implemented an industry standard.


7. Cloud integration
   
   Both Windows 8 and Linux sport features that let you sync data with the cloud. In Ubuntu 11, the Ubuntu One service offers a free online backup service with 5 GB. If you want more storage space, there's always the option of purchasing an additional 20 GB for $2.99 a month.
   
   The Microsoft twist: Windows 8 is going to tightly integrate with SkyDrive's 25 GB online storage, which is not just for photos or music, but also allows for hosting your user account (personal settings, backgrounds, some data...) for you to log in from anywhere.
   
   Ubuntu, however, counters with their new Music Streaming service.


8. ReFS
   
   The newly introduced ReFS (Resilient File System, codenamed Protogon) is Microsoft's next-generation file system. It will first debut in Windows Server 8, but client adoption is well underway.
   
   The system itself is strikingly similar to ZFS (the Z File System) and the Linux-derived Btrfs (B-tree file system) as it also supports copy-on-write snapshots when coupled with Microsoft Storage Spaces. For further security, it also provides integrity checksums and B+ Trees. Also, the increased file/volume/directory sizes are also strikingly similar to Btrfs.
   
   The Microsoft twist: Let's just say that Microsoft didn't do anything from scratch. While I did not dive deep into the file system drivers, I suspect that Microsoft looked very hard at some of the principles that worked years ago in both ZFS and then Btrfs and got the "inspiration" to develop something very similar.

Stealing or innovating?

While I won't deny that Microsoft has "borrowed" many ideas from the open source world, overall they're trying to find their own game in Windows 8.

SOFTWARE - Linux Ubuntu on IBM Mainframes?

"Mainframe Ubuntu Linux?" by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet 9/7/2011

When you think of “Ubuntu Linux,” you probably think of the community Linux distribution and the Linux desktop. That’s great, but Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, also wants you to think of Ubuntu as a server and cloud operating system platform. To that end, Canonical has been working with IBM to get Ubuntu certified on IBM’s high-end System P Power hardware line and System z mainframes.

Yes, that’s right little Ubuntu Linux may soon be certified and running on top-of-the-line IBM enterprise hardware. Before this, Canonical worked successfully with IBM on bringing Ubuntu certifications for IBM’s x86-powered System x and BladeCenter lines.

Officially, all Canonical has to say is “Our company policy is that we don’t comment on any rumors that might be circulating. We’ll of course keep you well informed of any news that comes out of Canonical.” Away from public relations though I’m hearing that Canonical and IBM have working hard on expanding Ubuntu’s reach on IBM hardware.

If all goes well, Ubuntu will be officially supported on System p within the month and it will be certified on the Z mainframes by year’s end. This is happening because Canonical is working hard on increasing its business market share. While Ubuntu is arguably the single most popular Linux distribution with individuals, it’s always lagged behind most Red Hat and SUSE, formerly Novell, in business. Canonical wants to change that.

In order to do that, Canonical has been improving its partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs); major server companies such as Dell, and its enterprise customers. This next step into high-end business computing with IBM makes perfect sense in pursuing this strategy.

As for IBM? Linux has been very, very good for IBM over the last decade and they’re getting to like Ubuntu. Historically, IBM has allied with Red Hat and Novell/SUSE. But, as IBM’s VP of Open Systems Development, Dan Frye told me recently, IBM is operating system and Linux agnostic. IBM will support what its customers want, and so, it appears to me, that IBM’s customers must now be asking for Ubuntu. Sometime soon it looks like they’ll be getting it.

This could be a very big win for the Linux world.

LINUX - Opinion, Mint vs Ubuntu

"Is Linux Mint a Better Choice than Ubuntu?" by Matt Hartley, Datamation 7/12/2011

Excerpt

Could the rapidly growing, user-friendly Linux distro attract converts away from the mighty Ubuntu?

For many advanced Linux enthusiasts reading this, I doubt that any recent changes to the Ubuntu desktop swayed you very much. Most of you already have had plenty of time to select alternative distros -- from Fedora to Arch Linux -- should you decide you want to.

Each distribution has its own set of advantages and differences. But for those people who cannot bear to part with some features that are considered to be unique to Ubuntu, Linux Mint might be a viable option to look into.

Linux Mint is perfect for new users

I've used Linux Mint GNOME edition off and on for a few years now. I have mostly used it in testing, as I'm really not the target audience for this distribution. Yet I continue to be impressed with how simple and user-friendly this desktop is. In addition, there are other factors that I think give Linux Mint a huge edge over Ubuntu for the casual user.

When running the Linux Mint software updating tool, you'll find things are numbered from 1 to 5. Packages numbered with a 1 are from Linux Mint developers while those packages with a "2" or higher come from Ubuntu or a third-party.

This numbering system all but guarantees that you won't hose a system with a bad set of updates from a rogue repository you added and forgotten about.

The next big thing with Linux Mint is how concisely the menu layout is presented. Unlike the old Gnome menus or even Unity, everything in Linux Mint is tightly laid out to make the entire experience as logical as possible. This menu setup makes migrating from another operating system much less overwhelming for newer users. For "old hat users" such as myself, I enjoy finding everything within reach. And if it's not visible, the provided search box takes care of anything that's missing.

Another huge push in the right direction for newcomers would have to be the introduction screen that appears on the first boot. Documentation, support, and so forth is presented right away. From there, items that I think should have been provided by Ubuntu out of the box are a given with Linux Mint.

Gufw (Easy to use Ubuntu Firewall) is installed and ready to go. There is a Mintbackup utility that not only offers the same functionality as SimpleBackup on Ubuntu, but it even backs up your application titles. This means you can take this list to another PC, run the program and install the same software list as before. That’s always been possible via the command line, and now it's nice to see this functionality provided for newer users with a friendly GUI.

Without any doubt, the biggest reason for me to love Linux Mint is that I can install software by name from the control panel -- with greater speed than I could have with apt-get.

Plus I can avoid all the package managers and directly type in the application's name, which presents me with the option to install it. Best of all, it's done very quickly and without the bloat of the software center. It's almost like being able to run the terminal without needing to know how. I love it!

It feels like Ubuntu

One of the biggest reasons I still rely on Ubuntu is because of the huge number of software packages available for it. If there's software for Linux, then there's an Ubuntu package somewhere for that application title.

Luckily, these same applications also work well for Linux Mint as it offers a release based on Ubuntu. This means that should Ubuntu's direction force me to drop it completely I can stick with the same applications.

Below is my laptop's Linux Mint-10 Desktop.

(click for better view)


NOTE: The calendar shown is Rainlendar which has Windows and Linux versions. Rainlendar Lite is freeware, Rainlendar Pro (allows calendar network sharing and MS Outlook sync) is shareware license-fee.

What I run on both my WinXP Pro desktop and Mint laptop is Rainlendar Lite.

INTERNTE - IPv6 World Test

"World Tests IPv6: Why 4.2 Billion Internet Addresses Just Weren't Enough"
PBS Newshour 6/8/2011

What I've discovered:

1. First and foremost, most of us desktop/laptop users will not have to worry about this, WEB sites you use today can still be accessed WHEN IPv6 becomes the world standard
   


2. Most major OS are IPv6 ready (examples WinXP, Vista, Win7, Linux, Mac)


3. Your ISP will have to implement IPv6, I found out that my ISP, AT&T will be doing that in the future and will notify me when they roll it out


4. The hardware you use to connect to your ISP (DSL/Cable Modems, routers, etc) will also have to be IPv6 capable; some hardware MAY be able to upgrade firmware or you'll have to buy a new model


5. The U.S., and most of the developed world, are IPv6 ready when it comes to the WEB as a whole

IPv6 is an extension of the IPv4 we use today, which is why most of us will not have to worry.

The industry I see as implementing IPv6 the fastest is the hand-held-devices; your iPad, Blackberry, new-gen cell phones, etc. This is the industry that is expanding the fastest and needs more IP addresses.

As for PC industry, newer products in the future will include IPv6 capable hardware.

Here's a link to Test Your IPv6 (from Netgear forums).

LINUX - Linux Mint

Being the techie I am, I recently changed my laptop from Ubuntu to Linux Mint. In fact, I'm using it as we "speak."

Screenshot of my customized desktop (not their default):

(click for better view)
Why? The ONLY reason is the upcoming Ubuntu 11 is changing the environment to UNITY, which I do not like.

Why Mint? Click the desktop pic for the better view and see. Nice?

The other reason, a Usenet post pointed me to Mint and stated his experience. He is a high school teacher and is converting the class lab systems to Linux Mint. He reported that his students (WinXP users) took only 15min average to become familiar with, and use Mint, without assistance.

You can see from the desktop screenshot that it is almost identical to WinXP. Click [Menu] (aka Start) and you get a WinXP-like menu.

In my short experience it boots slightly faster than Ubuntu did.

And it has all the features that Ubuntu had. One of Mint's Software Manager many sources is Ubuntu's Repositories.

The only issue I had with installation was enabling fileshare. But this was just me having a memory issue. Linux installs do NOT automatically install the Windows filesharing service SAMBA. This is done whenever you attempt ANY function that requires fileshare.

If you are thinking of going Linux, take a look at Linux Mint.


GENERAL LINUX ISSUE:

I've been using Linux (Ubuntu now Mint) for some time and no OS is without its I-don't-like issues. One of my personal grips is the File Browser (aka Nautilus).

See screenshot below:

(click for better view)
Note the File Browser sidebar. You drag-drop what you want displayed from the main pane. This is important because what is displayed in any Save in folder drop-down list shows ONLY what is in the sidebar.

See screenshot of the typical save dialog. Note manual entry of the filename.


(click for better view)

I prefer a 2-pane File Manager, which IS available via Mint's Package Manager (aka Synaptic Packaging Manager). See screen shot of Gnome-Commander below:

(click for better view)

Well that's it for now.

SOFTWARE - Oracle's NON-Support of OpenOffice

"Oracle Demonstrates Continued Support for OpenOffice.org" Oracle Press Release 10/13/2010

News Facts

• Further demonstrating its commitment to the OpenOffice.org community, Oracle today announced that it is participating in the ODF Plugfest, being held in Brussels, October 14-15.


• On the fifth anniversary of the Open Document Format (ODF) becoming an International Standard, Oracle applauds the community and OASIS for its efforts and renews its commitment to the ODF-based OpenOffice.org productivity suite.


• Oracle’s growing team of developers, QA engineers, and user experience personnel will continue developing, improving, and supporting OpenOffice.org as open source, building on the 7.5 million lines of code already contributed to the community.


• Oracle demonstrates its commitment to OpenOffice.org with new versions of this free product in collaboration with the community – OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 and OpenOffice.org 3.3 Beta – both representing advances in features and performance advancements with the introduction of new tools and extensions. Significant community contributions include localization, quality assurance, porting, documentation and user experience.


• Oracle’s ongoing support for OpenOffice.org reinforces its commitment to developing software based on open standards, providing IT users with flexibility, lower short and long-term costs and freedom from vendor lock-in.


• By investing significant resources in developing, testing, optimizing, and supporting other open source technologies such as MySQL, GlassFish, Linux, PHP, Apache, Eclipse, Berkeley DB, NetBeans, VirtualBox, Xen, and InnoDB, Oracle is invested in their future development and contributing back to the communities that produce it.


• With more than 100 million users, OpenOffice.org is the most advanced, feature-rich open source productivity suite, and continued contributions through www.openoffice.org will only improve this already popular software. Oracle views ODF as critical to providing OpenOffice.org with a complete, open, and modern document format, empowering interoperability and choice on the desktop.


• Oracle invites community participation in the OpenOffice.org conference, ODF Plugfests, and discussion groups, and welcomes contributions to the code base.

Bold-blue emphasis mine

Typical corporate behavior. NOT understanding that OpenOffice.org WAS an open-source community, NOT corporate owned. They think their engineers can do a better job than the open-source community that originated the software, the same arrogance that Microsoft demonstrates.

Note my previous post on this subject.

SOFTWARE - OpenOffice News

"New bid for freedom by OpenOffice" by Sue Gee, I-Programmer 9/28/2010

The open source community behind the free OpenOffice productivity suite is to create an independent Document Foundation and to rebrand its software as LibreOffice.

This move is being seen as an attempt to distance itself from Oracle which has so far declined to donate the OpenOffice brand to the project.

According to the new foundation's first official press release:

"After ten years' successful growth with Sun Microsystems as founding and principle sponsor, the project launches an independent foundation called The Document Foundation, to fulfill the promise of independence written in the original charter"

The Document Foundation has received support from almost the entire OpenOffice programming community, including Novell, Red Hat and Google, leaving only Oracle with the original OpenOffice repository. The Foundation said that it had invited Oracle to become a member of the new organization, and to donate the brand it acquired with Sun Microsystems 18 months ago but that until a decision is reached the LibreOffice brand will be used to refer to the Document Foundation's software development efforts.

Speaking for the group of volunteers involved in the development of OpenOffice, Sophie Gautier, former maintainer of the French-speaking language project said:

"We believe that the Foundation is a key step for the evolution of the free office suite, as it liberates the development of the code and the evolution of the project from the constraints represented by the commercial interests of a single company."

The beta of LibreOffice is available for download on the Document Foundations website and developers are invited to join the project and contribute to the code in the new friendly and open environment, to shape the future of office productivity suites alongside contributors who translate, test, document, support, and promote the software.

I was wondering if this sort of thing would happen when Oracle bought Sun Microsystems.

Oracle = big-money business NOT interested in supporting non-profit open source community.

UPDATE

"Oracle kicks LibreOffice supporters out of OpenOffice" by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ComputerWorld 10/19/2010

Well, that didn't take long. When The Document Foundation (TDF) created LibreOffice from OpenOffice's code, they let the door open for Oracle, OpenOffice's main stake-owner, to join them. Oracle's reply was to tell anyone involved with LibreOffice to get the heck out of OpenOffice.

This isn't too much of a surprise. Oracle made it clear that wouldn't be joining with The Document Foundation in working on LibreOffice.

What I did find surprising is that Oracle turned a fork into a fight. In a regularly scheduled OpenOffice.org community council meeting on Oct. 14, council chair and Oracle employee Louis Suárez-Potts wrote, "I would like to propose that the TDF members of the CC consider the points those of us who have not joined TDF have made about conflict of interest and confusion ... I would further ask them to resign their offices, so as to remove the apparent conflict of interest their current representational roles produce."

These OpenOffice.org council members, who are also TDF leaders, include Charles H. Schulz, a major OpenOffice.org contributor for almost ten years; Christoph Noack, co-leader of the OpenOffice User Experience Project; and Cor Nouws, a well-known OpenOffice developer with more than six years of experience in the project. In short, these aren't just leaders — they're important OpenOffice developers.

They haven't declared yet what they'll do to this de facto ultimatum. It seems to me though that they have little choice but to leave. Certainly Oracle wants them out as soon as possible. Suárez-Potts wrote that he wanted a "final decision on your part" as soon as possible. "It is of [the] utmost importance that we do not confuse users and contributors as to what is what, as to the identity of OpenOffice.org -- or of your organization."

I can understand how Oracle wants to quickly define this matter as Oracle vs. everyone involved with LibreOffice. But it's a really dumb move.

The Document Foundation wasn't so much about setting up a rival to OpenOffice as it was about giving an important but stagnant open-source program a kick in the pants. OpenOffice was and is good, but it's not been getting significantly better in years. TDF wanted to change that.

Oracle thinks it's more important to fight with some of the people who could have been its strongest supporters than try to work with them. Dumb! Cutting off your nose to spite your face is always a mistake.

Of course, this is all a piece of Oracle's "my way or the highway" approach to all the open-source programs it inherited from Sun. Oracle may support open source in general, but it's doing a lousy job of doing what's best for the its own open-source programs.

This is going to come back to haunt Oracle. I fully expect for LibreOffice to replace OpenOffice as the number one open-source office suite and chief rival to Microsoft Office within the next twelve months.

I agree with Steven's last statement. Oracle corporate leaders are just dumb. They just don't understand that open-source means that they do NOT own the source-code for the software. The source-code belongs to the community.