Weekly Ten (06-30-2008)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. Gates Says Yahoo Deal 'not Likely'
A deal between Microsoft and Yahoo doesn't appear likely to happen in the future, Bill Gates said in a TV interview on Friday.
More @ PCWorld

2. Tooling Around With Ajax
Web 2.0 operations like social networking sites have amplified the popularity of through-the-browser applications relying on Ajax. There are lots of toolkits out there for making life easier for Ajax developers. Security, however, remains a concern.
More @ LinuxInsider

3. Solving the mystery of Snow Leopard's shrinking apps
In response to a report earlier this week pointing out that many of the applications in early builds of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard are dramatically smaller in size, a number of developers have weighed in to explain where all those missing megabytes went.
More @ AppleInsider

4. LED serial debugging for cell phone hacking

More @ HackaDay

5. Battle of the Titans - Mandriva vs openSUSE: The Rematch
Last fall when the two mega-distros openSUSE and Mandriva both hit the mirrors, it was difficult to decide which I liked better. In an attempt to narrow it down, I ran some light-hearted tests and found Mandriva won out in a side-by-side comparison. But things change rapidly in the Linux world and I wondered how a competition of the newest releases would come out.
More @ Tuxmachines

6. Leaked Screen Shots Of Mythical Digg Recommendation Engine
Digg has been talking up a new Recommendation Engine that intelligently suggests new stories to users for almost a year. Well, a source says that the company will launch it soon, probably this week. We have some details and a couple of leaked screen shots, which may or may not be real (I’m betting on real).
More @ TechCrunch

7. Using data to fight webspam
As the head of the webspam team at Google, I'm in charge of making sure your search results are as relevant and informative as possible. Webspam, in case you've never heard of it, is the junk you see in search results when websites successfully cheat their way into higher positions in search results or otherwise violate search engine quality guidelines.
More @ Googleblog

8. Great Scott! The 2015 McFly Sneakers Are Now (Somewhat) Real

More @ Wired Blog

9. Do you need to be a programmer to run a software company?
The parade of articles and blog posts on Bill Gates’ legacy continue to roll out as Gates’ last day as a full-time employee (June 27) rapidly approaches.
More @ ZDNet Blog

10. Do You Want Inner Peace?
Nope, It Doesn’t Just Come From Being Quiet, Spa Treatments, Meditation, and Breathing Exercises. Let Me Tell You How You Can Have Inner Peace No Matter How Busy You Are…
More @ BoSanchez

Battle Royale: Ubuntu 8.04 vs. openSUSE 11

All things are set for today’s epic battle. Two major release versions of two major Linux distributions will take the stage for what could be the fight of the year. Dubbed as the Battle Royale, it’s Ubuntu 8.04 vs. openSUSE 11 for our mega main event.

Please pay attention for the formal introduction:

This distro has a long standing record of excellence. It is widely known for its beauty, usability, and features. Fresh from its highly successful key release, please welcome the #1 challenger, the green mean distro fighting machine, openSUSE!

This distro has taken Linux to the next level. Its fast rise to fame can be credited for its user-friendliness, stability, and outstanding community support. Riding high from its recent LTS release, please welcome the defending world distribution champion, the distro Superstar, Ubuntu!

Now, let’s stop this silly intro and get down to business. I know that all of you are already excited to witness this historic match-up. So without any more delay, let’s get ready to rumble!

Tale of the Tape:

Distro Name:openSUSE| Version:11| Weight:664MB| Country Origin:Germany| Distro Origin:Slackware| Package Mgt.:RPM| Default Desktop:KDE-Gnome| Distrowatch Rank:#2


Distro Name:Ubuntu| Version:8.04| Weight:699MB| Country Origin: Isle of Man| Distro Origin:Debian| Package Mgt.:DEB| Default Desktop:GNOME| Distrowatch Rank:#1




Note: I tested the GNOME 32-bit version of openSUSE 11 to match with Ubuntu 8.04

Distrowar Arena (Test Machine Specs):
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 512MB allocated to VM memory

Speed Test:
Installation Time- Winner, Ubuntu!
Boot/Start-up Time - Winner, Ubuntu!
Responsiveness- Draw!

Decoding...
Installation Speed:
We have carefully timed the installation from start to finish, and Ubuntu 8.04 finished faster than openSUSE 11. It took only 17 minutes for Ubuntu to completely finish the installation, while openSUSE needed 22 minutes to complete.

Boot/Start-up Speed:
We have meticulously measured the boot/start-up speed or the time it takes for a distro to boot from grub menu to the main desktop. After 3 tries, Ubuntu’s start-up speed average is around 41 seconds. openSUSE meanwhile came close with an average of 43 seconds flat. So, Ubuntu has a slim advantage over openSUSE in this category.

Responsiveness:
They are both wicked fast and responsive in their GNOME desktop so I had to call it a draw for “Responsiveness”.

Aesthetics:
Default Theme- Winner, openSUSE!
Artwork- Winner, openSUSE!
Extras- openSUSE!

Decoding...
Default Theme:
Both Ubuntu 8.04 and openSUSE 11 have a sleek and polished default theme, but I had to pick a winner on this one. I picked openSUSE because I think the elements of its default theme have blended well with the overall desktop look. --whatever that means ;-)

Artwork:
Artwork is judged based on the appearance of distro’s default boot slash image, login menu screen, and wallpaper. I handed it to openSUSE 11 because it has a more professional appeal. I also love the new green and black combination.

Extras:
Another openSUSE 11 win for “Extras” because I’m judging this category based on the added eye-candy that a distro can give you out-of-the-box. I just think Ubuntu lacks a bit of X-factor.

Features:
Pre-installed Applications- Draw!
Available Packages from Repo- Draw!
Ease of Use- Winner, Ubuntu!

Decoding...
Pre-installed Applications:
Since both Ubuntu 8.04 and openSUSE 11 comes with outstanding selection of free and open source software and has some equally amazing list of custom applications, I decided to give a draw verdict for this category.

Available Packages from the Repo:
Both Ubuntu 8.04 and openSUSE 11 also have plenty of available packages from their respective repositories, so it’s another draw here.

Ease-of-use:
Ubuntu is still unbeatable in this category because of its simplified desktop and excellent community support. However, openSUSE 11 is within striking distance.

Stability:
Hardware Detection- Winner, Draw!
Software Management- Ubuntu!
Error Handling- Draw!

Decoding...
Hardware Detection:
I can’t make a concrete judgment in this category because I have tested openSUSE 11 and Ubuntu 8.04 in VMWare only. However, they both performed remarkably well as they have properly configured all of the important VM hardware. So, I have to call it a draw.

Software Management:
Ubuntu 8.04 is the winner in this category because its “Synaptic Package Manager” performed better than the Yast2 software installer of openSUSE 11. Synaptic is much reliable in handling dependencies and it's a little quicker than Yast2.

Error Handling:
Since both Ubuntu 8.04 and openSUSE 11 handled some minor issues that I have encountered quiet well, and they are both quick to send updates and security fixes, it’s a tie for “Error Handling”.


The verdict:
Ladies and gentlemen, the gruelling Battle Royale has come to an end. Let’s now see the scorecard. In Speed Test, the score is 2-0 in favor of Ubuntu! In Aesthetics, the score is 3-0 in favor of openSUSE! In Features, the score is 1-0 in favor of Ubuntu! In Stability, the score is 1-0 in favor of Ubuntu! With the final total score of 4-3, the winner and still distro champion of the world, the distro Superstar, Ubuntu!

Conclusion:
In my own choice of categories and tests, and in my own judgment alone, Ubuntu 8.04 has beaten openSUSE 11 but only by a very slim margin. It only shows that openSUSE is worthy to be called the second most popular Linux distribution at the moment, and Ubuntu is still the cream of the crop.

I hope you enjoyed this one. Feel free to share to us your thoughts.

PS - Anyway, I almost forgot to remind you all that our distrowar is just for the spirit of fun and should not be taken seriously. However, you can always take it seriously if you want to ;-)

Linux Got Game: Urban Terror 4.1 Review

I had the time to play yet another exciting game on my Linux box. It’s a free first person shooter called Urban Terror. The game is a total modification of the immensely popular Quake III Arena. It introduces many elements of the tactical shooter genre --team-driven gaming in more realistic environments. Urban Terror is one of the best FPS games that I have ever played --you will know why later on.

Urban Terror, usually abbreviated as UrT or UT, is currently developed and maintained by FrozenSand, LLC. It is available for free, but unauthorised modification and selling is not allowed. The latest version of UT (4.1) is using ioUrbanTerror engine (rebranded ioquake3 engine) which means it can now be played as a stand-alone game even without Quake III Arena.

To get the party started, you will only need to download the ZIP file at Urban Terror website’s download page HERE. Then, extract the ZIP file to any directory that you want and look for the ff.:

ioUrbanTerror.i386 – for those with 32bit machines
ioUrbanTerror.x86_64 – for those with 64bit machines

You can start playing Urban Terror by simply double-clicking one of those files. But first, you have to make it executable.

To make it executable: right click --> properties --> click on Permissions tab --> tick the ‘program’ or ‘allow execution’ box.

That’s about it, no installation is needed.

Gameplay:

Since Urban Terror is primarily an online multiplayer game, I started playing it by joining an online server that hosted the game. The good thing is that there are plenty of available servers most of the time, so you can always choose those that suit your game level. Urban Terror also features several game modes such as:

* Free for All (FFA, DM)
* Team Deathmatch (TDM)
* Team Survivor (TS)
* Capture the Flag (CTF)
* Capture and Hold (CAH, C&H)
* Follow the Leader (FTL)
* Bomb Mode (BM)

Once inside the game, you can choose from a variety of realistic weapons. There’s an assault rifle, grenade launcher, sniper rifle, machine gun and much more. Players automatically spawn with a Ka-bar knife, pistol and a primary weapon as the bare minimum. A secondary weapon can also be chosen. Finally, grenades can also be carried. Both grenades and secondary weapons remove an item slot. If both are chosen, only one item slot remains. If only one is chosen, two item slots are available. If a player chooses to carry only the bare minimum, there are three item slots available. Weapons picked up after spawning do not affect the number of items that can be carried. Similarly, holding three items does not prevent one from picking up a secondary weapon or grenades from a dead player. Two pieces of equipment - the IMI Negev and the Kevlar vest - affect stamina drain negatively.

Urban Terror' allows players to perform superhuman feats. Damage is a key example; while damage taken depends on the part of body which is hit, one can keep going after receiving numerous hits. Further breaking from reality, Urban Terror includes wall jumping and power sliding. Wall jumping allows players to literally jump off of walls. Wall jumping has been made into a secondary part of Urban Terror but is not a full focuse meaning it's downloaded as 3rd party. Jump maps are focused around using wall jumps, powerslides and "circle jumps". Jump maps are done by working with curves, kicks, and slides. Power sliding lets them move rapidly in a crouched position. Urban Terror also retains the movement speeds from Quake III Arena which allows players to move through the screen incredibly quickly.

Sounds and Graphics:

Graphics wise, Urban Terror is as stunning and as solid as Nexuiz 2.4. The game environment is indeed very realistic and is full of details. I had no problems playing Urban Terror on my Xubuntu 8.04 Macbook Pro (Penryn) with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card. Although, I needed to custom set the screen width and height to match the optimum screen resolution of my MBP. The game’s audio like the effects and music sounded great even on my laptop speakers.

Recommended System Requirements:
CPU: Pentium 4 1.2GHz or higher.
RAM: 256MBs (512MBs highly recommended).
VID: NVidia or ATI card with 128MB RAM (256MB or more highly recommended).
HDD: 50GB, but the more the better for additional levels.

Conclusion:

Urban Terror is another action packed, fast-paced, and highly-addictive first-person shooter game that is available for Linux. Though I’m not really an avid gamer, I still enjoy playing this game even up to now. By the way, if you are a hardcore FPS gamer, there are several gaming leagues for Urban Terror that you might be interested in joining. For inquiries, just visit Urban Terror’s official website HERE.

Here is my rating for Urban Terror 4.1:

Sounds and Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Total: 8.5/10

Thank You Mr. Mint

I just learned today that my review of Mint 5 “Elyssa” got noticed by the creator and main developer of the hottest distro in town himself, Clem Lefebvre. I thank him for taking the time to write about my Elyssa review on The Linux Mint Blog.

I really appreciate it when my articles got feedbacks be it positive or negative. Hence, I’m very grateful about this latest comment from Mr. Mint. Here are some key excerpts from his review of my review of Mint 5:

As you can see, it’s not the first date and it won’t be last, and Jun’s wife Beth seems to be OK with it. The codenames encourage the personification of Mint releases and if you’ve been reading Jun before or the Mint Cafe/House in the forums you’re probably used to call them “her” by now… not to mention that it annoys a few people, so even better :)

My wife is OK with it just as long as she won’t catch me saying those names while I'm asleep (hehe). I think the use of women codenames is a brilliant idea. It made Mint really unique.

- Jun said: “Unlike Ubuntu, Mint utilizes a single panel with its very own MintMenu –a python-coded menu that allows for fully customizable text, icons, and colors. Some may like this setup but I still prefer the two-panel and classic GNOME-menu combination.”

–> People usually love it or hate it, and they’re quite passionate about this. I guess this is the kind of choice that should make its way into mintDesktop or mintAssistant.

You are right; you should consider adding it as an option in mintAssistant on the next release. Anyway, GNOME is highly customizable and I know how to tweak it to my fancy so it was never a big issue on my part.

I really enjoyed reading this review. The style was very nice to read and the part about the panels gave me an idea for the upcoming Mint 6. I keep note of what’s coming up here by the way: http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php?title=Felicia_RoadMap

Many thanks to Jun for this review and I look forward to reading about his date with Felicia.

Thank you Clem for the kind words, but most importantly, thank you for creating and sharing to us this excellent Linux distribution. The Free and Open source software community is lucky to have a dynamic and passionate developer like you. I look forward to meeting Felicia soon. --Best of luck to you and to all those who are part of Linux Mint.

8 Most Useful Commands and Keyboard Shortcuts Linux Newbies Should Know

To use Linux nowadays, you don't have to touch the command line to get going. This may be true. However, I still find it important that newbies and those who are still planning to use Linux should know some of the basic commands and keyboard shortcuts to make the most out of their Linux desktop and to start having a good time.

So here I made a list of 8 most useful Linux terminal commands and keyboard shortcuts that I think newbies should know:

1. ls

With this command, you can view the content of your current working directory. ls is often paired with options -l (to view a detailed list of files) and -a (to view the hidden files).

Use it like this:

$ ls -al

2. sudo

Allow users to run programs with the security privileges of another user (normally the superuser). By default, sudo will prompt for a user password but it may be configured to require the root password.

Use it like this:

$ sudo gedit

3. Ctrl-Alt-Esc

When an application hangs or fails to close, never worry. Pressing this keyboard shortcut and then clicking on the troubled application will kill or end its process.

4. find

This is probably the most efficient command to use when you are looking for some files. find searches through one or more directory trees of a filesystem, locating files based on some user-specified criteria. By default, find returns all files below the current working directory.

To recursively search for files that starts with letter j starting from the /home directory use:

$ find /home -name j*

5. apt-get

Since most Linux newbies are probably using Ubuntu, they should know how to use this command.

To install a package:
$ sudo apt-get install package-name

To remove:
$ sudo apt-get remove package-name

6. Ctrl-Alt-Backspace

This keyboard shortcut will kill the X server. Use this if X crashes and you can't exit it normally. This restarts the server and throws you back immediately to the graphical login screen.

7. mv, cp, rm

I know that it is a lot easier to move, copy, and delete files using the mouse. But, I find it important that newbies should also know how to do it from the command line just in case of emergency.

Use them like these:
move
$ mv oldfilename.txt newfilename.txt
copy
$ cp oldfilename.txt newfilename.txt
delete
$ rm oldfilename.txt

8. man

Most Linux commands and applications have manual pages, so man is really handy if you you want to learn more about a particular command or programs.

Use it like this:
man bash

A Date with Elyssa

After dating Cassandra and Daryna, I spend some time with the newest Mint girl in town. Elyssa is her name or you can simply call her Mint 5.

I was really impressed with the past versions of Mint, so I made a vow to always keep track of its latest development. Since Mint 5 is derived from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, I expect it to be filled with exciting new features and should be more of like a much polished "Hardy Heron". So, immediately after its release, I downloaded the "Main Edition" of Linux Mint 5 and thoroughly tested it to see if it was able to meet my expectations.

Here is how my date with Elyssa went out:

Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 512 MB allocated to VM memory

Installation:
Mint 5 installation was flawless as usual on my test machine, and I was not surprised. It's actually the same straightforward installation similar to that of Ubuntu. However, unlike in Hardy Heron, you are not given an option to install the operating system right away. You have to boot to the Live CD desktop first for you to install Mint 5.

An interesting and handy feature of Mint is an application called MintAssistant. It's a wizard that appears immediately after the installation (during first log-in) that asks you a few questions to customize Mint based on your level of knowledge and comfort with various Linux components. It will also give you options to enable or disable fortune-cookies in the terminal, and whether to enable the root account or not.



Look and Feel:
One of the things that has drawn people into using Mint is its elegance. Right now, I think it's next to openSUSE in terms of looks and x-factor. Mint 5 comes with 5 new themes: Peppermint, Wildmint, Aurora, Carbon and Lightning. These themes take advantage of the new Aurora and Candido GTK engines and they are fully customizable. The default dark wallpaper in Mint 5 is almost the same as that of Daryna, but there are plenty of pleasant-looking Mint-themed wallpapers that are available out-of-the-box just in case you are tired of black. The other thing that makes Elyssa gorgeous-looking is its set of icons called Mint-Green. Those who are not contented with the basic beautification and wanted more desktop bling can always enable desktop effects provided they have a capable graphics card. Overall, Mint 5 has a very polished and professional looking GNOME desktop.



Unlike Ubuntu, Mint utilizes a single panel with its very own MintMenu --a python-coded menu that allows for fully customizable text, icons, and colors. Some may like this setup but I still prefer the two-panel and classic GNOME-menu combination.



Software/Features:
Mint 5 has indeed plenty of improvements over its predecessor in terms of features and installed software packages. There are also improvements in mintMenu, mintUpdate, and mintInstal among others. You can read Elyssa's full list of features HERE.

The all essential list of software packages installed by default in Mint 5 is almost the same as that of Ubuntu 8.04. It has Firefox 3, GIMP 2.4, OpenOffice.org 2.4, and a whole lot more. Plus, important proprietary plugins like flash and multimedia codecs for playing DVD and MP3 are already loaded in Mint. If you need more software packages, you can easily get and install them using the very reliable Synaptic Package Manager, or you can install applications with one click of a mouse using Mint's very own mintInstall.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
From installation, Mint 5 has been running smooth and steady on the virtual machine environment. It never failed to detect and properly configure the VM hardware like USB, audio, CDROM, and Ethernet. Also, I have easily and successfully adjusted my screen resolution to my preferred setting. I’ve really never encountered major headaches while using Elyssa while doing some of my computing tasks.

For those who are using unsupported graphics and wireless cards, Mint comes with Envy, a proprietary graphics card driver installer, and a Windows Wireless Driver installer. Though I have not tested them both, I think they are very practical tools for those who want a painless graphics and wireless card drivers installation.



Conclusion:
With Elyssa, Linux Mint has cemented its place as my top rated distro for Linux newbies particularly those who have just migrated from Windows. It is so easy to use that you can call it Ubuntu for dummies. Plus, it is filled with necessary tools and applications that make desktop computing a breeze. All in all, Elyssa is yet another successful release for Mint. No wonder why Mint is really on the rise and has now overtaken some of the most popular Linux distributions.

As with several positive reviews HERE and HERE, I highly urge those who are not yet married to a particular distro to have a date with Elyssa. You can start by visiting her download page HERE :-)

Weekly Ten (06-23-2008)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. Robot Can Replicate Itself
English researchers have developed a robot that can not only create 3-D replicas of objects like shoes and door handles - it also can replicate itself.
More @ PCWorld.com

2. iTunes sells 5 billion songs; serving 50,000 movies per day
Apple announced Thursday that customers on its iTunes Store have purchased and downloaded over five billion songs to date.
More @ AppleInsider

3. Streamlined Firefox 3 makes browsing safer, more productive
Desktop users, developers, and reviewers all had their download managers aimed at the Firefox Web site Monday to grab Firefox 3 as soon as it launched and also help Mozilla set a world record. World record or not, the latest Firefox release is a world-class Web browser.
More @ Linux.com

4. Waterproof USB for underwater cameras

More @ HackaDay

5. Home-Brewed Entertainment the Open Source Way
There are plenty of companies offering to sell you the latest set-top box or media server for your home theater. However, many of them are tied up with proprietary technologies that limit what a true-hearted tinkerer can do with them. There are other ways. Open source software exists for those with the courage to do it themselves.
More @ LinuxInsider

6. Why is Microsoft sponsoring the Open Source Census?
The Open Source Census, a collaborative project endeavoring to quantify the use of open-source software in enterprises, got a new sponsor on June 16: Microsoft.
More @ ZDNetBlogs

7. Sun: Java will be free this year
Following the announcement of Sun's plans to make Java free and open under the General Public License (GPL) at JavaOne 2006, there have been a few struggles on the path to open source. At the time of the OpenJDK release in May last year, around five percent of the code--the portion not owned by Sun--was still closed.
More @ ZDNetAsia

8. Crapgadget: revolving USB hub, revolting MP4 watch, lavish amounts of lameness

More @ Engadget

9. Google Code Jam is back
If you're a great sprinter, you've probably been in a few races. And if you're a great chess player, you've probably had your share of matches. But what do you do if you're a great programmer?
More @ Googleblog

10. Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness; Money Buys Freedom
And I Urge You To Use That Freedom To Love God More!
More @ BoSanchez

20 Great Quotes from Richard M. Stallman

I have here a collection of 20 of my favorite quotes from the famous free software evangelist and living legend Richard M. Stallman. I hope you will all like this one. Here it goes:

1- "I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of building walls to divide people, and feel I had spent my life making the world a worse place."

2- "When I do this, some people think that it's because I want my ego to be fed, right? Of course, I'm not asking you to call it "Stallmanix"!"

3- "I'm always happy when I'm protesting."

4- "Geeks like to think that they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave you alone."

5- "People sometimes ask me if it is a sin in the Church of Emacs to use vi. Using a free version of vi is not a sin; it is a penance. So happy hacking."

6- "If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs."

7- "Fighting patents one by one will never eliminate the danger of software patents, any more than swatting mosquitoes will eliminate malaria."

8- "People said I should accept the world. Bullshit! I don't accept the world."

9- "Giving the Linus Torvalds Award to the Free Software Foundation is a bit like giving the Han Solo Award to the Rebel Alliance."

10- "Would a dating service on the net be ‘frowned upon’ . . . ? I hope not. But even if it is, don’t let that stop you from notifying me via net mail if you start one."

11- "Once GNU is written, everyone will be able to obtain good system software free, just like air."

12- "If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough--you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal. In other words, you need to be "pragmatic."

13- "No person, no idea, and no religion deserves to be illegal to insult, not even the Church of Emacs."

14- "Today many people are switching to free software for purely practical reasons. That is good, as far as it goes, but that isn't all we need to do! Attracting users to free software is not the whole job, just the first step."

15- "If in my lifetime the problem of non-free software is solved, I could perhaps relax and write software again. But I might instead try to help deal with the world's larger problems. Standing up to an evil system is exhilarating, and now I have a taste for it."

16- "I see nothing unethical in the job it does. Why shouldn't you send a copy of some music to a friend?"

17- "'Free software' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of 'free' as in 'free speech,' not as in 'free beer'."

18- "For personal reasons, I do not browse the web from my computer. (I also have not net connection much of the time.) To look at page I send mail to a demon which runs wget and mails the page back to me. It is very efficient use of my time, but it is slow in real time."

19- "Playfully doing something difficult, whether useful or not, that is hacking."

20- "Copying all or parts of a program is as natural to a programmer as breathing, and as productive. It ought to be as free."

If you have a favorite Richard M. Stallman quote, feel free to share it to us.

Free/Open-source File Managers

A computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems is called a file manager. It is considered as one of the most important software applications since its main function is to speed up interaction with files. The most common operations of a file manager are create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, attributes, properties, search/find, and permissions. Others have special functions such as network connectivity and the ability to extend operations utilizing user written scripts.

Since I have used several Linux distributions, I have already tried different kinds of file managers/browsers be it graphical or orthodox. So, here I made a list of some of the best free and open source file managers as a guide to those who are looking for one that will suit their needs.

Dolphin
Dolphin is a file manager for KDE. It is the default file manager for the current version, KDE 4, and can be optionally installed on KDE 3. Although replaced as the default file manager for KDE 4, Konqueror is still the default web browser, and can be used as an alternative file manager for power users.

Under previous KDE versions, Konqueror had served both as the default file manager and web browser. However, for many years users have criticized that Konqueror was too complex for simple file navigation. As a response, the two functions were divided into two separate applications. Under KDE 4, Dolphin was streamlined for browsing files, while sharing as much code as possible with Konqueror. Konqueror continues to be developed primarily as a web browser.


7-Zip
7-Zip is a free and open source file archiver designed originally for Microsoft Windows, and later made available to other computer operating systems. In the form of p7zip, the command-line version of 7-Zip has been ported for use on Unix-like systems such as GNU/Linux, BSD, and Mac OS X as well as AmigaOS. It is also compatible with DOS via either a DOS port, or by using the HX-DOS extender to run the Windows command-line version.

7-Zip began in 2000 and is actively developed by Igor Pavlov. In contrast to the market-leading programs WinZip and WinRAR, which remain as proprietary competitors, 7-Zip is distributed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) (with the RAR license restrictions), and as such is free software.

7-Zip was the winner of the SourceForge.net 2007 community choice awards for "Technical Design" and for "Best Project".


emelFM2
emelFM2 is an orthodox file manager which utilizes the GTK+ 2 for X11 on Unix-like operating systems. The default window layout is two filesystem directories in the left and right panes similar to that found in Norton Commander, a strip down the middle with commonly used commands to operate on files in one or both of these browsing panes, and a log which shows the output of commands at the bottom. This layout is configurable - for example, the panes can be reorganized so that the directory panes are stacked vertically or it can be set to have only one directory pane. The colors, icons, included functions and file descriptor columns are all configurable.

emelFM2 ships with the function keys bound to the common commands which keybindings can be customized.

emelFM2 can handle archives and mounted filesystems. Every feature, including user-created functions, can be used through the GUI or with keyboard shortcuts.


GNOME Commander
GNOME Commander is a 'two pane' graphical file manager for GNOME. It is built using the GTK+ toolkit and GnomeVFS. GNOME Commander aims to fulfill the demands of more advanced users who like to focus on file management, their work through special applications and running smart commands.

Konqueror
Konqueror is a web browser, file manager and file viewer designed as a core part of the K Desktop Environment. It is developed by volunteers and can run on most Unix-like operating systems. Konqueror, along with the rest of the components in the kdebase package, is licensed and distributed under the GNU General Public License.

The name "Konqueror" is a reference to the two primary competitors at the time of the browser's first release: "first come the Navigator, then Explorer, and then the Konqueror". It also follows the KDE naming convention: the names of most KDE programs begin with the letter K.

Konqueror came with the version 2 of KDE, released on October 23 of 2000. It replaces its predecessor, KFM (KDE file manager).


Krusader
Krusader is an advanced orthodox file manager for KDE and other desktops in the *nix world, similar to GNOME Commander or Midnight Commander (Linux), or Total Commander (Windows). It supports extensive archive handling, mounted filesystem support, FTP, advanced search, viewer/editor, directory synchronisation, file content comparisons, batch renaming, etc.

It supports the following archive formats: tar, ZIP, bzip2, gzip, RAR, ace, ARJ, LHA, 7-zip and RPM and can handle other KIO Slaves such as smb or fish.

GNU Midnight Commander
GNU Midnight Commander (mc) is an orthodox file manager for Unix-like systems (also works in Windows) and a clone of Norton Commander.

Midnight Commander is a text mode application. The main interface consists of two panels which display the file system. It is used in a similar way to many other programs run in the Unix shell. Arrow keys control file selection, the insert key is used to select files and the Function Keys perform operations such as renaming, editing and copying files. Later versions of the Midnight Commander additionally have mouse support for easier operation. Such versions are aware of running inside an X terminal, which allows them to react to the graphical pointer and update the name of the window in which Midnight Commander runs.


Nautilus
Nautilus is the official file manager for the GNOME desktop. The name is a play on words, evoking the shell of a nautilus to represent an operating system shell. Nautilus replaced Midnight Commander in GNOME 1.4 and was the default from version 2.0 onwards.

Nautilus was the flagship product of the now-defunct Eazel Inc. Released under the GNU Lesser General Public License, Nautilus is free software.


PCMan File Manager
PCMan File Manager (PCManFM) is a file manager application developed by Hong Jen Yee which is meant to be a replacement for Nautilus, Konqueror and Thunar. Released under the GNU General Public License, PCManFM is free software.

PCManFM is intended to follow the specifications given by Freedesktop.org for interoperability in free software.

ROX-Filer
ROX-Filer is a minimalist graphical file manager for the X Window System. It can be used on its own as a file manager, or can be used as part of ROX Desktop, a complete graphical desktop environment for Unix-like computer operating systems. It is the file manager provided by default in certain Linux distributions such as Puppy Linux and Dyne:bolic.

ROX-Filer is built using the GTK+ toolkit. Available under the terms of the GNU General Public License, ROX-Filer is free software.

Thunar
Thunar is a file manager for Linux and other Unix-like systems, written using the GTK+ 2 toolkit and shipped with Xfce version 4.4 RC1 and later. Thunar is developed by Benedikt Meurer, and was originally intended to replace XFFM, Xfce's previous file manager. Thunar was initially called Filer but was changed to Thunar due to a name clash.

The main goal of the Thunar project is to create a file manager that is fast, clean, and easy to use. It is designed to start up faster and be more responsive than other Linux file managers, such as Nautilus and Konqueror. Accessibility, another goal of the project, is accomplished using Assistive Technologies (i.e., GNOME Accessibility Toolkit). Like the rest of Xfce, Thunar is designed to comply with standards, such as those stated at freedesktop.org. Thunar is simple and lightweight by design, but its functionality can be extended through plugins.

openSUSE 11 is Here, My openSUSE 11 Review is Gone

openSUSE 11 has been released today as promised. It is said that this new version includes more than 200 new features specific to openSUSE such as a redesigned installer for a much easier installation, updated ZYpp stack for faster package management, KDE and GNOME desktop improvements, Compiz Fusion enhancements, and a whole lot more.

For more details, you can read the release announcement HERE, and the release notes HERE.

While openSUSE 11 has officially arrived, my openSUSE 11 review link is gone in Distrowatch’s openSUSE review section. I wonder why? It may just be an oversight since another review from ZDNET has also disappeared. I hope it will all be back soon.

Anyway, you can still read my openSUSE 11 review HERE. There is a lively discussion going on right now and you are always free to share to us your views.


To those who want to get openSUSE 11, you can go directly to the download page HERE.

Update: According to Anonymous, "when the final comes out, Ladislav removes all the developmental reviews." -- Now I know why my review is gone.

The First Free and Open Source Beer

Did you know that there's a widely recognized free and open source beer? It is appropriately called "Free Beer" --the name is a play on Richard Stallman's common explanation that free software is "free as in speech, not free as in beer."

Free Beer was created by a group of students at IT University of Copenhagen together with Superflex, a Copenhagen-based artist collective to illustrate how concepts of the free software movement might be applied outside the digital world. The recipe and brand of their beer is published under a Creative Commons license, which means anyone can use it for fun or profit.

Free Beer became popular when Wired.com published articles about it entitled "Free Beer for Geeks" in 2005, and "Free, as in Beer" in 2006. Here's an interesting excerpt from one of those said articles:

"Stallman is annoyed that Superflex calls its project "open source beer": "You should have called it 'free software beer,'" he said prior to the Free Beer launch. But he no doubt recognizes the potential of this hack. As thousands are surprised by the quality of this fantastic beer yet puzzled by its name, at least some will read the explanation prominently printed on its large and striking label."

Currently, Free Beer is on its third version. If you are interested in creating your very own homebrewed beer, you can find some of the recipes of Free Beer HERE. I just hope that if something goes wrong when making the beer, there’s still time for debugging ;-)

Geeks surely know how to have fun. Cheers!

10 Things Worth Doing While Waiting for Firefox 3

Firefox 3 will be unleashed any moment from now. Since probably tons of people are already eagerly waiting for the grand release of the latest version of the best web browser on the planet, I have here a list of things that's worth doing while killing some time.

1. Uninstall Internet Explorer. To Windows users, there's a way to save a few of your disk space, and that's to uninstall Internet Explorer. I have a link here and here that will teach you how. Or, if you have extra time, you can just install Linux.

2. Make a last minute effort to remind friends via email, IRC, IM, Twitter, etc. that Firefox 3 is coming.

3. Call your relatives abroad and tell them how much you missed them. Then, tell them that you have a favor to ask and that’s to download Firefox 3 on Download Day.

4. If you feel like celebrating once Firefox 3 is released, now is the right time to put the beers on the cooler.

5. Play a couple of board games with your friends. Be sure to keep your laptop on your side because you might have too much fun and completely forget about Firefox 3.

6. If you are a girl, head over to a beauty salon and color you hair and nails. The colors blue and orange would be perfect.

7. If you are a guy, head over to a donut store and get some donuts for takeout.

8. Have a total body workout. However, don't overdo it as you might sleep afterwards for a very long time and miss the Download Day.

9. Make a list of add-ons like themes and extensions that you want to install on your upcoming Firefox 3.

10. Reminisce the happy times you have with Firefox 1 and Firefox 2, and remind yourself how lucky you are to have known and used such magnificent web browser.

Weekly Ten (06-16-2008)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:




1. Charging by the Byte to Curb Internet Traffic

For years, both kinds of Web surfers have paid the same price for access. But now three of the country’s largest Internet service providers are threatening to clamp down on their most active subscribers by placing monthly limits on their online activity.

More @ Yahoo Finance

2. TomTom for iPhone lives; Jobs' true health; green iPhone 3G?

Despite reports to the contrary, TomTom is still working on a GPS app for the iPhone. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs' thin look may be permanent evidence of his cancer cure, Greenpeace is concerned about a toxic iPhone 3G. And a growing number of would-be iPhone programers are attacking Apple's backlog in approving their full developer status.
More @ AppleInsider

3. Our agreement to provide ad technology to Yahoo!

Today, we announced a non-exclusive advertising agreement that will provide Yahoo! with access to our AdSense for search and AdSense for content advertising programs on their U.S. and Canadian web properties. In addition, we will work to enable interoperability between our respective instant messaging services allowing users better, broader communication online.
More @ Googleblog

4. Universal joystick USB interface

More @ HackaDay

5. Microsoft Now Sponsor of Open Source Census

Microsoft has become a sponsor of The Open Source Census, a project started earlier this year that aims to track and catalog the use of open-source software in enterprises worldwide, the group announced Monday.
More @ PCWorld.com

6. Blueprint for nuclear warhead found on smugglers' computers

Blueprints for a sophisticated and compact nuclear warhead have been found in the computers of the world's most notorious nuclear-smuggling racket, according to a leading US researcher.
More @ Guardian.co.uk

7. How Firefox Outran the Hounds

Firefox has risen from humble beginnings -- it was assembled from the scraps left over when Netscape was left for dead -- to become a real thorn in the side of Microsoft. Now, as it prepares to go live with its third version, the open source project's leadership promises more innovation.
More @ LinuxInsider

8. Even more on Dell's Studio 1535 / 1536 and the Studio brand

More @ Engadget


9. IE8 development: Microsoft should learn from Apple, Mozilla

Internet Explorer 8 is set to be Microsoft's most standards compliant browser ever. After originally stating that IE8 would default to the same noncompliant behavior exhibited by IE7, Microsoft relented and plumped for standard-by-default.
More @ Arstechnica

10. Do Not Complicate Your Life

I was walking in the lobby of St. Luke’s hospital in Quezon City when this man came up and hit me with this very deep question.
More @ BoSanchez

Linus Torvalds: World’s Greatest Geek Daddy?

Though considered by many as the world’s greatest computer programmer, Linus Torvalds is not afraid to show everyone his softer side. Some of the photographs that I’m going to show to you should speak for themselves.

The little girls on the photos are Linus' daughters.

Happy Father’s Day!

10 Best Windows Games That Can Be Played on Linux

For most hardcore gamers, Linux is taboo since they probably think that they cannot play their favorite Windows-only games with it. They do have a point of staying away from Linux, but if they knew that they can play some of their most wanted games on Linux, will they take the switch?

A program called Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator) allows Unix-like computer operating systems on the x86 architecture to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows. Wine also provides a software library known as Winelib which developers can compile Windows applications alongside to help port them to Unix-like systems.

I have picked 10 of the most popular Windows-only games that are now playable in Linux for the hardcore gamers and for those who have just migrated to Linux and are missing these exciting games:

World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft (commonly known as WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). It is Blizzard Entertainment's fourth game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth, four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2, 2001. The game was released on November 23, 2004, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. It is currently the world's largest MMORPG in terms of monthly subscribers. World of Warcraft currently holds 62% of the MMOG market at 10 million subscribers. The current subscriber base for all MMOGs is 16 million.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life. It was developed by Valve Software Corporation and was released on November 16, 2004, following a protracted five-year development cycle during which the game’s source code was leaked to the Internet. The game garnered near unanimous positive reviews and received critical acclaim, winning over 35 Game of the Year awards for 2004. Originally available only for Windows-based personal computers, the game has since been ported onto the Xbox, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 video game consoles.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

NBA Live 07
The NBA Live series of basketball video games, published by EA Sports, is currently one of the leading National Basketball Association simulations on the market. Originally, the NBA Live series was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES with NBA Live 95. The naming was changed from utilizing the last two digits of the year to the entire year number from 2000-2005, but returned to the original naming convention with NBA Live 06. NBA Live 07 was released for the Playstation 2, Xbox, PC, Playstation Portable, and the Xbox360. The major new feature for this year was an evolution of the freestyle superstars system.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series, it was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than nine million copies sold worldwide as of 21 May 2007, it is one of the best-selling games for the personal computer. A Mac OS version was released in March 1999, and a Nintendo 64 adaptation co-developed with Mass Media Interactive Entertainment was released on 13 June 2000. With its storyline adapted and expanded through a series of novels, StarCraft has three expansion packs available and a sequel in development.

Many of the industry's journalists have praised StarCraft as one of the best and most important video games of all time, and for having raised the bar for developing real-time strategy games. StarCraft's multiplayer is particularly popular in South Korea, where professional players and teams participate in matches, earn sponsorships, and compete in televised tournaments.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

EverQuest
EverQuest, often called EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. It was developed by Sony's 989 Studios and its early-1999 spin-off Verant Interactive. It was published by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). Since its acquisition of Verant in late 1999, SOE develops, runs and distributes EverQuest.

EverQuest has earned many awards, including 1999 GameSpot Game of the Year and a 2008 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.

EverQuest II was released in late 2004. Set in an alternate universe similar to that of the original EverQuest, this "sequel" takes place 500 years after the awakening of The Sleeper. The game has also inspired a number of other spinoffs.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the PlayStation 3, Windows, and the Xbox 360. It is scheduled for release for Mac OS X in the third quarter of 2008. It is the fourth installment of the Call of Duty video game series, excluding expansion packs. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous games in the series and is instead set in modern times. The game is the first in the series to be rated Mature in North America. The title and game details were announced on April 25, 2007, and the game was released worldwide between November 6, 2007 and November 9, 2007. It became available on Steam on November 6, 2007 for pre-purchase, and was available to play on November 12, 2007.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received considerable praise and has won numerous awards from gaming websites, including IGN's "Best Xbox 360 Game". It was the top-selling game worldwide for 2007, reaching over seven million copies as of January 2008.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Warcraft III
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (War3 or WC3 or RoC) is a real-time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment in July 2002. It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and it is the third game set in the Warcraft Universe. An expansion pack, The Frozen Throne, was released in 2003.

The game proved to be one of the most anticipated and popular computer game releases ever, with 4.5 million units preordered and over one million additional units sold within a month. Warcraft III won many awards including "Game of the Year" from more than six different publications.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox 360 platforms, and was released internationally in March 2007. The direct sequel to the 1999 RTS title Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun by Westwood Studios, a now defunct company that was taken over and liquidated by EA in 2003, Tiberium Wars returns the Command & Conquer series to its roots in the Tiberium story arc of the franchise, once again featuring the factions of the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod, and also introducing a new extraterrestrial faction known as the Scrin. A first expansion pack to Tiberium Wars, titled Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, was released on March 24, 2008.

Tiberium Wars takes place in the year 2047, at the advent of and during the "Third Tiberium War" when the Brotherhood of Nod launches a worldwide offensive against the Global Defense Initiative; abruptly ending seventeen years of silence and crippling GDI forces everywhere. With the odds tipped in the Brotherhood's favor this time, GDI field commanders rally their troops and begin to combat Nod's second re-emergence, trying to restore lost hope.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Final Fantasy XI Online
Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square (later Square Enix) as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002. The PC version was released in North America on October 28, 2003, and the PlayStation 2 version on March 23, 2004. In Europe, only the Windows version was released, on September 17, 2004. An Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in April 2006 for all regions, as the system's first MMORPG and the first cross-platform MMORPG. The Xbox 360 version does not require an Xbox Live Gold account.

In January 2004, Square Enix announced that more than 500,000 users, using more than one million characters, were playing the game. As of 2006, between 200,000 and 300,000 active players logged in per day, and the game remains the dominant MMORPG in Japan. Four expansions for the game have been released, capitalizing on the game's success.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Guild Wars
Guild Wars is an episodic series of multiplayer online role-playing games created by ArenaNet, a Seattle game development studio and a subsidiary of the South Korean game publisher NCsoft. Three stand-alone episodes and one expansion pack were released in the series from April 2005 to August 2007. All Guild Wars games run on the Microsoft Windows platform.

The games in the Guild Wars series were critically well received and won many editor's choice awards, as well as awards such as best value, best massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and best game. Guild Wars was noted for being one of the few commercially developed games in the MMORPG genre to offer online play without subscription fees, its instanced approach to MMORPG play, and the quality of the graphics and play for computers with low specifications. In February 2008, NCSoft announced that 5 million units of games in the Guild Wars series had been sold. The sequel, Guild Wars 2, was announced in March 2007. It will have updated graphics and gameplay mechanics, and will continue the original Guild Wars tradition of no subscription fees. No release date has been announced.

Linux installation instructions plus other details about this game can be found HERE.

Those are my recommended Windows games that can be played on Linux. Feel free to add yours.
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Smart Wireless Broadband Kit vs. Globe iPhone 3G

I’m on a short vacation at the moment together with my family, and I have been strictly prohibited to touch any electronic device by my wife and child. But, they are already sleeping tight right now so I’m about to make a quick post to keep you all updated on what’s been going on.

I’m using this wireless broadband kit that I got recently from Smart (the leading wireless services provider here in the Philippines) to be able to connect to the Internet anytime anywhere. The connection speed is pretty decent. However, the device installer is only available for Windows and Mac. So for now, I’m stuck with Windows XP running as guest OS on VMWare. When I get this thing to work directly on my Linux box, I will keep you all updated.

Speaking of wireless internet, I just read today that the 3G iPhone has been finally introduced by Steve Jobs with a new smoking hot design and at a very affordable introductory price. The addition of 3G capability made the iPhone an even better internet device. It is said that it will arrive here in the Philippines real soon with Globe (second largest telecommunications company/Smart’s main rival) as the official network carrier.


I know that the title of this post sounds a little funny. But, I’m just wondering whether hi-tech Filipinos who want to get connected on the web all the time will still care about these wireless broadband kits when the 3G iPhones will be made available here in our country.

That’s all for now.

Related article: Globe iPhone 3G

Essential Linux Tool: SystemRescueCd

SystemRescueCd is a Gentoo-based Linux distribution that specializes in repairing unbootable computer systems and recovering data after a system crash. Since it is loaded with system utilities, its main aim is to provide a handy tool to anyone that needs to perform computer admin tasks.

I already have micro distros like SliTaz and DSL that I may someday use in case of emergency. However, I needed a more powerful and more complete rescue tool. SystemRescueCd is the answer. Just recently, I got the freshly released SystemRescueCd version 1.0.3 HERE , and then loaded it for a test drive.

Running SystemRescueCd
To run SystemRescueCd, you have to burn the ISO image first to a CD ROM. You can also install it to a USB stick in case your CD drive is inaccessible or is not available.

SystemRescueCd will start off by giving you several options since it contains four main boot images such as:

* rescuecd --the default choice for 32bits systems with Framebuffer disabled; best choice;
* altker32 --an alternative kernel for 32bits systems; Boot with this kernel in case you have problems with rescuecd;
* rescue64 --the default 64 bits kernel; Use it if you want to chroot to a 64bits Linux system installed on your hard disk, or if you have to run 64 bits programs;
* altker64 --an alternative kernel for 64bits systems; Boot with this kernel in case you have problems with rescue64;

Other boot option parameters are also available for performing special tasks. Here are some of them:

* docache --with that option the system will copy all the files it needs to the RAM of your computer. Once the files are cached into memory, you can eject the disc from the drive and continue using the Live CD. It allows you to insert another disc in the drive, and the system is running faster. That option requires at least 256MB of memory;
* setkmap=xx: --usually the systems ask you which kind of keyboard you have during the boot process. If you enter this option there will be no question to answer during the boot. Replace 'xx' with the keyboard you have: 'us' for USA, 'uk' for British, 'de' for German, and so on;
* ide=nodma or all-generic-ide --use these options if there is a problem related to the hard disk, for instance if the kernel boot process hangs on a driver related to the storage;
* doxdetect or forcevesa --use these options if you cannot get the graphical environment to work when you type startx in the shell prompt;
* acpi-off / noapic / irqpool --use these options if you have any problem when the kernel boots: if it hangs on a driver or if it crashes;

Working in console mode or in graphical environment

In console mode, you can mount partitions of your disks in order to troubleshoot an installed Linux or a Windows operating system. To troubleshoot Linux, you can mount any Linux filesystem (ext2fs, ext3fs, reiserfs, reiser4, jfs, xfs). SystemRescueCd is also able to mount FAT or NTFS disk used by Windows. If you want to mount your windows disk use ntfs-3g (eg: ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows). The well known vim and qemacs editors are also available if you have to edit files.

To start the graphical environment, use the "startx" command. You will then be taken to SystemRescueCd's JWM desktop where you can work with Gparted (Partition Magic clone), Leafpad graphical editor, and Firefox web browser among others.

SystemRescueCd will also allow you to make backups over the network, download some files, work remotely using ssh and telnet, or access files that are shared on a Unix server (with NFS) or on a Windows machine (with Samba). You also have a read/write access to MS Windows NTFS partitions using Ntfs3g. In addition, there’s a Test-disk tool to check and undelete partition that supports reiserfs, ntfs, fat32, ext2/3 and many others.

Conclusion:

SystemRescueCd 1.0.3 is an amazingly handy tool that's essential for system administrators and IT technicians. However, it's also very easy to use that I think even a regular Linux user can handle it. I'm so glad that I found SystemRescueCd because it has all the tools that I need to keep me from being paranoid of losing all of my essential files.
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Weekly Ten (06-09-2008)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. NASA: 'Extreme programming' controls Mars Lander robot Scooping up soil samples and searching for elements that could support life on Mars isn't just an adventure for the Mars Lander and the robotic arm doing the scooping.
More @ ComputerWorld

2. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
You may have noticed that Google has a new favicon, the small icon you see in your browser next to the URL or in your bookmarks list. Some people have wondered why we changed our favicon -- after all, we hadn't in 8.5 years(!).
More @ Googleblog

3. Virtual Space Travel, Part 1: One Small Step
With the help of virtual worlds such as Second Life -- which can release them from the burdens of physics -- everyday people are starting to explore space without actually going there. So far, NASA has begun to host avatars on two islands in Second Life: one for experimenting and another for exploring.
More @ LinuxInsider

4. IR controlled relays
More @ HackaDay

5. Run Xbox Media Center from a USB Drive
We've shown you how to turn your classic Xbox and Mac into a super-powered media center using Xbox Media Center, but what about everybody else? Well, if you've got at least a 1 GB USB drive and a computer that can boot from it, you're in luck.
More @ LifeHacker

6. From Mind-Blowing to Mockery — The iPhone 2 Mocked Up
The creative types that make up Apple's fan base have been busy dreaming up the ideal iPhone, Version 2. (Steve Jobs is expected to introduce the real thing on Monday.)
More @ Wired

7. Ultimate Edition: Not so ultimate
Ultimate Edition (UE) 1.8 is a remaster of Ubuntu Hardy Heron with custom software repositories and a distinctive theme. Its claim to fame over pure Ubuntu is convenience, due to preloaded updates and software.
More @ Linux.com

8. Philips debuts 22-inch auto-stereoscopic 3D monitor
More @ Engadget

9. Quantum computing advance—diamonds are a qubit’s best friend

Another week, another quantum computing story. Quantum computing is a very hot topic in the world of physics at the moment because, for the first time, we can actually contemplate the sort of control required to make a quantum computer.
More @ Arstechnica

10. “Bite-Size It!”
It’s The Secret of Champions.
More @ BoSanchez
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50 Most Eye-catching Linux Distro Logos of All Time

I took some time to look at several Linux distribution logos, and then decided to collect 50 of them that caught my eyes. I not only picked those that are well-known and good-looking, but also those that looked weird and ugly. Without any more delay, here they are in no particular order:

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It's up to you to decide which logos are beautiful, and which ones are plain ugly :-)

Linux Got Game: Warzone 2100

Warzone 2100 is a free and open source real-time strategy computer game developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. It is often compared to Earth 2150, a Windows-only RTS game known as one of the first commercial full-3D games of its kind.

I was pretty excited when I discovered Warzone 2100 because the last time I played a real-time strategy game was when Red Alert became popular way back in 1997. Warzone 2100 is available in the Ubuntu repository so it was within my reach and I had no trouble getting and installing it.


Gameplay:
Warzone 2100 is a typical build-defend-attack type of RTS game. However, it has some unique aspects that differentiate it from other traditional RTS. One example is that the Units can all be customized according to: chassis (e.g. takes weight and power into account); drive system (such as wheels or tracks); and mounted object (such as a weapon, or one of various support tools).


Warzone 2100 can be played in single player campaign or in multiplayer mode. The campaign mode begins with the Commander, the protagonist, sending teams to gather technology in Arizona that would help with reconstruction. While gathering said "artifacts," the Project fends off attacks from an organization called the New Paradigm, which is under the command of an organization called Nexus, which is actually one man responsible for the nuclear war. In the final campaign, the Project launches a full-scale assault on Nexus, destroying it and thus removing all significant, organized barriers to its reconstruction of the Earth.


These are some of the highlights and main features of Warzone 2100:
* 24 Fast play mission maps for extra action
* 400+ Technologies to research
* 2,000+ different units to design
* 3 large campaign maps to conquer
* Intelligence Display sets objectives dynamically
* Interactive message system
* Quick Screen Navigation
* Map Editor


Conclusion:
Though not as graphically pleasing as today's 3D games, I still enjoyed playing Warzone 2100. Maybe because I'm used to playing Red Alert on a low end PC (Windows ;-0) before and experienced occasional hang -- Warzone 2100 is just lightning fast on my new Linux machine and it has very low demand on RAM. I hope a new version of Warzone will still come out soon as I've heard that the current project's progress is slowing down due to the lack of game developers.

Here's how I rated Warzone 2100:

Sounds and Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Total: 7/10
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Big Buck Bunny, We Want More!

Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation, made another animated open content film entitled Big Buck Bunny. The short movie is created using only free and open source software. According to Ton Roosendaal, producer and Blender Institute director, the primary intent of the film was to stimulate the development of open source 3D software, but the quality of Big Buck Bunny on an artistic level as well as on technical ingenuity is what you would expect from large animation studios.

I watched Big Buck Bunny yesterday together with my 3-yr old son. While Elephant's Dream has a darker storyline, Big Buck Bunny is the complete opposite. It is fun-filled, and the characters are indeed very entertaining to watch. The movie is actually about a well-tempered rabbit named Big Buck who is bullied by three rodents. The fun begins when Big Buck decided to take revenge.

On the graphics/visuals side, Big Buck Bunny is really impressive. If I didn't know that it was created by the Blender Institute, I would have thought that it was made by Pixar. If you don't believe me, see the official movie trailer below:

Big Buck Bunny - Official Trailer from Andy Goralczyk on Vimeo.

You can download the whole movie files HERE. It's all yours for free.

A little geeky note: Images of the film were rendered on Sun’s Grid at Network.com. See how it works HERE.

My son really loves Big Buck Bunny, and since the movie only runs for about 10 minutes, he keeps on watching it over and over again. I hope there will be more Big Buck Bunnies to come :-)
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Distro Rankings According to Alexa and Compete

A website's popularity is often measured by its web traffic or the amount of data sent and received by its visitors. Alexa and Compete are two of the most widely accepted services in measuring a website's traffic data. What if we will use these two web traffic analysis services to measure a Linux distribution’s popularity?

To make this possible, I gathered the homepage address of the current Top 5 most popular distros according to Distrowatch’s ‘Page Hit Ranking’, and then utilized them to gather the web traffic information with the aid of course of Alexa and Compete.

Here are the results:
(click on the graph to enlarge the images)



Here is a chart to clearly see the outcome:

Notice the differences between the current Distrowatch (distro) ranking when compared to the rankings based on the traffic data from Alexa and Compete.

Is a site’s traffic stat a better measurement of a Linux distribution’s popularity? Share to us your thoughts.

PS: You might also want to check out this post -- Distro Rankings and Popularity Ratings through the Years
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openSUSE 11: Ubuntu Killer?

I have been an avid openSUSE user in the past as it worked perfectly on my main workstation. However, I switched to Xubuntu as I'm more obsessed with speed and simplicity nowadays more than anything else. Since the latest version of openSUSE is about to be released and it promises some major enhancements over its predecessor, I decided to take a look at my former favorite distro to see what's been going on.

openSUSE 11 (Release Candidate) is out already, so it's the one that I grabbed. At first, I was still contemplating on which flavor to get since openSUSE is available in both Gnome and KDE Live CD versions. I usually go for GNOME, but this time I got the KDE 32-bit edition. My main reason for this is that I wanted to finally try out the much talked about KDE 4.

So, what's up with openSUSE 11? Is it good enough to finally beat Ubuntu on the desktop? Read on to find out...

Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 512 MB allocated to VM memory



Installation:
This is the part where I'm really impressed. The installation was very straightforward that I think even my grandma can figure it out. The process is very simple and it only requires a few steps to get the system fully installed.

Here's my openSUSE 11 installation walkthrough -- The Live CD set-up kicks off after clicking the "install" icon, of course. The "Yast Installer" welcome screen will then open where you can set the "Language" and the "Keyboard layout". You will also have to agree to the "License Term" to go on. Then, you will have set the "Clock and Time Zone", followed by the easy "Partitioning". I said easy because there's already a suggested partition and you can just use it if it suits you. The last step is creating a new user, and then you will be given an option to double-check before the "Live" image can be copied to the hard drive. After the installation, you will have to reboot to use your newly installed system. -- Simple as that.



Look and Feel:
This is the interesting part. Almost all those who have used the most previous versions of openSUSE can definitely notice its trademark elegant and professional-looking themes and artworks. openSUSE 11 is no different and can surely satisfy those who loves a beautiful looking desktop. Everything looks polished -- the grub menu screen, the boot image, the login menu screen, and the default wallpaper.

Now let's talk about KDE 4. I'm not really a big fan of the K Desktop Environment as I've always said before. However, after having used KDE 4 in openSuSE 11, I must say that I'm loving it, although not totally. KDE 4 looked stunning indeed, and the good thing is that it didn't sacrifice "speed". It is very responsive even when running in VM (Virtual Machine) environment. If you have a not-so-old machine and want to experience desktop bling, then KDE 4 might satisfy your desire. It's true that KDE 4 is still quite buggy as I've encountered some of its minor glitches, but I think it's pretty much usable and stable enough for daily and productive use.



Software/Package Management:
openSUSE 11 is packed with plenty of important free and open source software. To name some, there's Firefox 3 (Beta 5) web browser, Kopete IM, OpenOffice.org office suite, Amarok audio player, Gwenview image viewer, and plenty more. I'm a little bit disappointed that GIMP was not included out-of-the-box, so I downloaded and installed it with the help of Yast graphical installer. I also installed the non-oss "flash player" for watching flash-based videos on the web.

Installing, removing, and updating software packages through Yast is hassle-free. To get additional packages, you have to enable the software repositories first, and then just search for the applications that you want. You can also easily browse for installed or available packages as they are well categorized. I must say that the Yast software installer has really improved through the years and has become much faster than before. In my own opinion, it's now almost as good as Synaptic Package Manager.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
openSUSE 11 worked perfectly well with the VM hardware as USB, CD-ROM, audio, and Ethernet were properly configured and were functioning immediately after the installation. SaX2 (YaST module used for configuring the X11 graphics system) worked flawlessly after I've tweak my screen resolution and other graphics options to my preferred settings. I also want to point out the faster boot/start-up speed of this new version. However, as noted on the release announcement, OpenSUSE RC1 is not yet fully cooked and has still some issues that need to be fixed.



Conclusion:
Based on my brief but thorough experience using openSUSE 11 (RC1), I'm expecting a very solid release for this Novell-sponsored Linux distribution. If those minor bugs that I've encountered will be ironed out before the release day comes, then this is going to be the best openSUSE version ever. Does it have what it takes to beat Ubuntu on the desktop? -- openSUSE has always been a distro of choice for mainstream and new-to-Linux users for so many years now, hence overtaking Ubuntu is not far from reality.

If openSUSE 11 can deliver the goods at the right time, who knows, I might give it another chance.

Weekly Ten (06-02-2008)

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:

1. 2012: The Year The Internet Ends
Almost all smaller websites/services will disappear over time and multinationals who are used to using big budgets to brute force their content into every media outlet will finally be able to approach the internet in the same way.
More @ IPower

2. Defrag Your Office for Increased Efficiency
One of the side effects of having so much stuff to help us get work done is dealing with the clutter it creates in our workspace. But just like you can defragment a hard drive—organize the bits and bytes so that related ones are closest to one another for faster access—you can also defrag your office to make it more efficient.
More @ Lifehacker

3. Subnotebook Blues: Lightweights in More Ways Than One
Those of us who carry laptops have different tastes and needs, of course, so it's unlikely computer makers will ever agree on the ideal compact. It always comes down to a balancing act over size, weight, price, features and ease of use.
More @ LinuxInsider

4. Picaxe tachometer
More @ HackaDay

5. Sessions and snacks at Google I/O
We hosted Google I/O at the Moscone Center in San Francisco this week, with 3,000+ developers in attendance. They took advantage of nearly 100 in-depth technical sessions, on-site massage therapists, and 3,500 pounds of assorted snacks (including 395 pounds of M&Ms and 190 pounds of Gummi Bears).
More @ Googleblog

6. Phishers Target New Victims on LinkedIn
Users of the professional-oriented social networking site LinkedIn are being warned that scam artists are using the site to nab lucrative bank account information from naive victims, say security experts.
More @ PCWorld

7. Ozzie: Open source a more disruptive competitor than Google
Google has nothing on open source when it comes to potential competitive threats to Microsoft, according to Redmond’s Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie.
More @ ZDNetBlogs

8. RCA intros three new Small Wonder budget camcorders
More @ Engadget


9. Phoenix to Earthlings: I’ve Landed! Awesome!

Whoever thought a NASA spacecraft could be so adept at social networking and Web 2.0?

More @ NYTimes.com

10. Random Favorites (Philippine Tech News and Blogs)

|JotSpot Reborn! - My Digital Corner

|Fedora 9: Drumrolls with Linux Hydrogen - SYSAD LINUX BLOG

|Firefox 3 Sets a Guinness World Record - Ubuntu Site

|Creating Tech Marvels Out Of A $40 Wii Remote - Ready To Be Rich

|Nokia BH-604 Bluetooth Headset - Techy Kid

|Palm is not a “dying platform” - MakaPalm

"Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone."
Anthony Burgess