Why Mark Shuttleworth Owes FOSS-Women an Apology

For the past few days, I've been reading several blog reactions (like here, here, here, and most recently here) against Mark Shuttleworth's controversial comments made from his keynote speech at LinuxCon, which turned into a huge sexism issue.

I refrained from immediately writing my own reaction since I'm still gathering my thoughts and have been waiting for the video of the said keynote address. And now that the video is finally up, here's what I have to say...

On Orgasm Joke

Shuttleworth said, "a release is an amazing thing. I'm not talking about the happy ending, I'm talking about a software release, the fresh meat."

I think only Linus Torvalds can get away with jokes like that one. But seriously, the Ubuntu leader needs to know when to be funny and when not to. He badly needs to learn the proper time to "release" a joke.


The Notorious Statement

..."How do we make this just awesome for end users" then we'll have less trouble explaining to girls what we actually do."

I can look at the statement in two ways:

The statement is not sexist if the word "girls" that Mr. Shuttleworth is telling us refer to some female end users who are not that interested in computers or in this case Linux and want it all easy and dumb-proof. I can understand him if that is what he meant since there are probably more men Linux users than women.

The statement is clearly sexist if the word "girls" that Mr. Shuttleworth is telling us refer to all the females in the world including women FOSS developers, advocates, and enthusiasts. If that is what he had in mind, then he should go back to space and stay there for good.


Why Mark Shuttleworth Owes FOSS-Women an Apology

From tons of blog posts and comments that I've read, majority of people think that Mr. Shuttleworth just made a sexist statement and should apologize. I don't mean to judge him or anything but I agree that he should make a sincere apology especially to all the women in FOSS. --I believe that it is the right thing to do at this stage even if he thinks that he has no fault and has no reason to say sorry. He must understand that there are girls who really love Linux and are very passionate about it who are offended by his remarks. He should take this opportunity to clarify a few things, like perhaps tell us that "grandmas" should have been the right word to say instead of "girls".

So Mr. Shuttleworth, be a gentleman, apologize, and give peace a chance.

7 Best Free and Open Source Vector Graphics Editors for Linux

A software application that gives users the ability to compose and edit vector graphics images interactively on a computer is called a vector graphics editor. CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator are some of the most popular proprietary vector editors for Windows. But if you are looking for a capable free alternative that can also work on your Linux box, there are a lot to choose from.

Here are some of the best Free and Open Source vector graphics editors that you should check out:

Inkscape
Inkscape is a well-known, full-featured vector graphics editor application for Linux. It has a main goal of becoming a powerful graphics tool while being fully compliant with the XML, SVG, and CSS standards. One of the prime concerns of the Inkscape project is interface consistency and usability. This involves efforts to follow the GNOME Human interface guidelines, universal keyboard accessibility, and convenient on-canvas editing. Inkscape has achieved important advancement in usability since the project started.



Xara Xtreme (Linux Edition)
Xara Xtreme was originally developed for Windows but an open source version was later released for Linux. Xara Xtreme is known for its usability and fast rendering. It is also notable for being among the first vector graphics software applications to provide a fully anti-aliased display, advanced gradient fill, and transparency tools, features now common to many vector graphics editors. With interface almost identical to that of Inkscape and CorelDRAW, Xara Xtreme is considered to be quite easy to learn.



OpenOffice.org Draw
OpenOffice.org Draw is a powerful graphics package that is part of the OpenOffice.org office suite. It features "connectors" between shapes, which are available in a range of line styles and facilitate building drawings such as flowchart. Currently, OpenOffice.org Draw officially supports exporting to SVG format, though with some limitations to be resolved. It is anticipated that as SVG and SVG filters evolve, users will be able to use Draw to edit the large-scale collection of SVG samples from Open Clip Art Library.



Skencil
Skencil is a unique drawing application in the sense that it is implemented almost completely in Python, a very high-level, object oriented, interpreted programming language, with the rest written in C for speed. In addition to the standard features (rectangles, ellipses, curves, text etc.) that you can expect from a vector graphics editor, Skencil also has some more advanced attributes like the possibility to bend text along a path.



sK1
From its project website, sK1 is described as an open-source illustration program that can substitute proprietary software like Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator. It supports professional publishing features like CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and press-ready PDF output. It also has CorelDRAW formats importers and tabbed multi-document interface. sK1 is a fork of Skencil and was started by a small team of Ukrainian professionals.



Karbon14
Karbon14 (formerly known as Kontour) is part of the KDE office suite (KOffice). The name is a play on KDE and the radioactive isotope Carbon-14. Karbon14 boasts a user interface that is easy-to-use, highly customizable and extensible. It is also loaded with great features making it ideal for anyone who wants to create clipart, logos, illustrations or photorealistic vector images.


Xfig
Xfig is an interactive drawing tool that runs under the X Window System. In xfig, figures may be drawn using objects such as circles, boxes, lines, spline curves, text, etc. It is also possible to import images in formats such as GIF, JPEG, EPSF (PostScript), and many others. Xfig saves figures in its native Fig format, but they may be converted into various formats.

Kahel Linux: Yet Another Philippine-made Distro

A proof that Linux on the desktop is very much alive and is growing in popularity here in the Philippines is the birth of yet another distro named Kahel. In English, the word "kahel" means orange, which explains the orange t-shirt, beak, and feet of its Tux mascot found on the distro logo.

Unlike AMA Desktop and Bayanihan that are both derived from Debian, Kahel is proudly based on Arch Linux and utilizes GNOME for its desktop environment. Kahel adapted the rolling-release model to give its users the most up-to-date FOSS applications without having to rely on a new version of the OS.

At present, here are some of Kahel's features:

* uses the most recent Linux Kernel (2.6.30)
* support for NILFS2 and BTRFS by default
* utilizes Pacman and Package Kit
* GNOME Applications for Office, Multi-Media and Web- Browsing
* applications are optimized for i686 and x86-64

Here's an interesting note from Kahel's project website:

"Kahel OS is not just an Operating System so to speak. IT is not just a Technology Product on a Linux and Open Source Platform added to the thousands of FREE Distros already available in the community. IT does not explicitly want to be different or to be set apart from the rest. However, among others, we simply would like Kahel OS (just like our team) to be the embodiment of our IT Values and Philosophy.

It is also a gift and a manifestation of the collaborating Filipino spirit that believes in the competence of the Global IT Community."

Some screenshots:



Learn more about Kahel Linux HERE.

Free and Open Source 2D Animation Software for Linux

After featuring some of the best Free and Open Source 3D animation software, it's time to take a look at some 2D computer graphics program for Linux users who are into creating two-dimensional models. These free 2D animation software is as capable as those that are commercially available so do take time to try them first before emptying your wallet.

Here are a few Free and Open Source 2D animation software for Linux that you may like:

Synfig
Synfig is a 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program that was originally the custom animation platform for the now discontinued Voria Studios. The main goal of the project is to create a program that is capable of producing "feature-film quality animation with fewer people and resources." The program offers an alternative to manual tweening so that the animator doesn't have to draw each and every frame. Synfig is capable of simulating soft-shading using curved gradients within an area so that the animator doesn't have to draw shading into every single frame.

Learn more about Synfig HERE

KToon
KToon is a 2D Animation Toolkit designed by Toonka Films animators for aspiring animators. It is designed to function in a similar way to popular proprietary animation packages, like Macromedia Flash. It currently lacks a scripting language like Macromedia's ActionScript, but it can export movies as AVI files and Flash animations. KToon uses OpenGL and Qt toolkit as programming resources.

Learn more about KToon HERE

Pencil
Pencil is a drawing and 2D animation software that is written in C++ and is based on QT. It uses a unique bitmap/vector drawing interface to produce simple 2D graphics as well as animation. Pencil is also available for Windows, Mac, and BSD.

Learn more about Pencil HERE

If you know of other free and open source 2D animation software that I failed to include here, please share them with us via comment.

Mac OS X cannot be installed on Macintosh HD... (Easy Fix)

I just upgraded to Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" yesterday and the installation didn't went smoothly, which is contrary to what I expected. An error message told me:

"Mac OS X cannot be installed on "Macintosh HD", because the disk cannot be used to start up your computer." It also displayed an image of a drive with a yellow triangle on it. So that means I was in trouble.

Actually, there's a long thread right now at different Mac forums where a lot of people are looking for a possible fix on this hitch. That's why I'm going to share how I solved my installation issue and successfully upgraded from Mac OS X Leopard to Snow Leopard.

I realized that the cause of this particular problem is the Linux partition alongside my Mac OS X. --I installed Linux (Xubuntu) using rEFIT. The simplest and safest solution that I tried (and luckily worked) is this:

1. Get a Linux Live-CD (preferably Ubuntu), pop it in, boot it up, and log in (don't install it).
2. Open a partition editor (preferably GParted).
3. Shrink the Linux partition that's immediately next to your OS X disk. You will need to free at least 128MB of disk space from your Linux partition.
4. Apply the changes and wait patiently. I waited for more than an hour for GParted to finish its task.
5. When completely done, restart and remove the Linux Live-CD.
6. Put in the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard installer and boot it up.
7. If you are lucky like me (hehe), the "Mac OS X cannot be installed on..." error should be gone by now and you can then proceed with your installation or upgrade.

I’m planning to write a quick review of Mac OS X Snow Leopard soon. So, to those of you who are interested, watch out for it.

Life Lessons Learned From Using Linux

It's no secret that those of us who have learned to appreciate Linux and in effect all things that are related to FOSS have gained some wisdom that can be applied to our daily lives. I'm not an inspirational writer but I would like to share to non-believers some of the wonderful life lessons that I've discovered from using Linux.


The best things in life are free

To be happy, there's no need for you to spend your money every time. And not all expensive things are better than those that are cheap. Before, I thought that the only way to get high-quality software is to spend more. But since I discovered Linux, and then Firefox, OpenOffice, Apache, and so on and so forth... I realized that I was wrong.


The joy of sharing

There's this saying that I like: “Wisdom alone is true ambition's aim, wisdom is the source of virtue and of fame; obtained with labor, for mankind employed, and then, when most you share it, best enjoyed.” With selfless dedication, Linux and the entire FOSS community have given so much for the advancement of technology. Like, thousands of FOSS developers from around the world share their knowledge not because their main priority is to earn millions or even billions of dollars, but because they want to create something that can be useful to others without expecting something in return. Indeed there's a joy in sharing.


Persistence is the key to success

Perhaps most of us know that perseverance is one of the keys to achieving a successful life. I remembered all the hassles and pains when installing and using Linux several years ago. But I managed to endure all the headaches and never gave up. Now that Linux is getting better or has improved a lot, I'm glad and proud that I'm still using it all these years because I've been more productive than ever.


Conquer you fears

To increase self-confidence and to live life to the fullest, you have to learn to overcome your fears. People (particularly Windows users) tend to be scared of Linux because they believe all the fallacies and lies that are being told about it. Just like riding an airplane, Linux may seem scary at first, but the truth is it’s more reliable, faster, safer and more secure than Windows.


Be passionate

If you want your dreams to come true, be passionate. I'm not surprised that there are plenty of Linux enthusiasts who are very passionate and are willing to evangelize other people to use Linux and other free and open source software. This is because FOSS is born out of passion, and that passion is passed on from its developers to its users.

How about you? How has Linux affected your life?

Motorola Dext, HTC Tattoo, and LG GW620 Android Smartphones

It's good to know that there are more and more handset manufacturers that use Android OS for their smartphones. Some of the Android phones that are officially introduced just recently are Motorola Dext, HTC Tattoo, and LG GW620. Let's take a quick look at some of their important features and find out if they can compete with other Linux-powered smartphones like the Nokia N900.

Motorola Dext (CLIQ)

Motorola Dext (known as CLIQ in the US) is considered as the only mobile phone that can automatically sync, organize and deliver data like messages, email and phone contacts, and other contents directly to the phone's home screen in a secure and easy to manage streams. They call this technology MOTOBLUR, and this makes Motorola Dext (CLIQ) a one of a kind and innovative smartphone.

Tech Specs:
Display: 320 x 480 pixels, 187 PPI; 3.1 inch HVGA touch screen
OS: Android 1.5 (Cupcake)
CPU: Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz
Memory: 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM
Storage: Up to 32GB with microSD card
Connectivity: 3G, GSM, WiFi, EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth
Camera: 5 MP autofocus, 2592 x 1944 pixels

More info at product website.


HTC Tattoo

From the manufacturer of the very first Android-powered mobile phone, which is the HTC Dream, HTC Tattoo could help bring Android to the masses. This is because of its rumored price tag of only $300 US dollars. Just looking at the photo below makes me want one.

Tech Specs:
Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 240x320 QVGA resolution
OS: Android 1.6
CPU: Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz
Memory: 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM
Storage: Up to 16GB with microSD card
Connectivity: HSDPA, GSM, WiFi, EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth
Camera: 3.2 megapixel

More info at product website.


LG GW620

LG GW620 is the first Android-powered smartphone made by the world’s third largest mobile phone company. According to Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, "The LG-GW620 will appeal to first-time smartphone customers by offering a new and different kind of user experience." I think LG GW620 has a consumer-friendly design, and with the usual Android killer features, it is too hard to ignore.

Tech Specs:
Display: 3.0 inch touch screen, 320×480 pixels
OS: Android (?)
CPU: (?)
Memory: (?)
Storage: Up to 16GB with microSD card
Connectivity: 3G/HSDPA, GSM, WiFi, EDGE, GPRS, Bluetooth
Camera: 5 megapixel autofocus, 2560 x 1920 pixels

15 "Really" Awesome Conky Configurations

After showing you how to install and configure conky, and then gave you the idea that you can display Twitter statuses on it, it's time for me to share to you some of the most highly-customized, unique, and awe-inspiring conky configurations. Take note that you can easily download and install the included conky scripts, but be sure to follow the setup instructions.

So without any more delay, here are some of the most awesome conky desktop monitor setups that I have collected:

Star Trek by steelcap

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Announcement Conky Package

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conky by Scarf

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Cherries Conky Package

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Fortress by Crinos512

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Goth by dmillerct

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conky by puma303

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Hungarian conky

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Fairy by AoSteve

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conky by Sarai the Geek

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

ConkyAir

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conky-colors

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conkyglass

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conkywide by dragonauta

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

Conky by arpinux

SEE DOWNLOAD PAGE AND SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

If you know a link or two to other excellent conky configurations, please share them with us via comment.

Open Source Load Balancer for Linux

I know this topic is somewhat advanced for some of you, but for others hopefully this will be useful. So what is a load balancer? To better understand the term, let me explain to you a bit the meaning of load balancing.

In computing, particularly networking, load balancing is defined as evenly sharing the amount of work or load between two or more computers, network links, CPUs, or other resources in order to achieve optimum resource utilization, maximize throughput, decrease response time, and increase reliability thus maximizing uptime. Load balancing is typically utilized to moderate internal communications in computer clusters.

There are several popular open source load balancers or load balancing software applications for Linux, which can be used with almost any kind of service, including FTP, HTTP, DNS, SMTP, POP/IMAP, VoIP, etc. Here are some of them:

Linux Virtual Server

Linux Virtual Server (LVS) is the most well known and widely used Linux load sharing and balancing software. The project's main goal is to build a high-performance and highly available server for Linux using clustering technology, which provides good scalability, reliability and serviceability. The architecture of the server cluster is fully transparent to end users, and the users interact as if it were a single high-performance virtual server. The major work of the LVS project is now to develop advanced IP load balancing software (IPVS), application-level load balancing software (KTCPVS), and cluster management components.

To learn more about Linux Virtual Server (LVS), go HERE.

Ultra Monkey

Based on LVS, Ultra Monkey focuses on local area network load balancing and other highly available services using Open Source components on Linux that includes heartbeat and ldirectord from the Linux-HA project. Ultra Monkey is also producing a scalable, highly available web farm, but it can be easily expanded to other services, like FTP or e-mail.

To know more about Ultra Monkey, go HERE.

Red Hat Cluster Suite

Available as additional programs to the highly reliable Red Hat Enterprise Server distribution, Red Hat Cluster Suite provides two different types of clustering namely Application/Service Failover and IP Load Balancing. Its Cluster Manager provides application failover, while its Load Balancer gives the ability to load balance IP traffic across a farm of servers.

You can learn more about Red Hat Cluster Suite HERE.


High-Availability Linux

High-Availability Linux (Linux-HA) project provides a high-availability and advanced solution across different operating system platforms. It promotes reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS). Its main product is called Heartbeat, a GPL-licensed portable cluster management program for high-availability clustering.

To know more about High-Availability Linux, go HERE.

How to Install Ubuntu

A little warning to all the advanced Linux users, gurus, experts, and ninjas who will be reading this post: Don't read further if you are already yawning upon reading the title, which is How to Install Ubuntu. However, there's a graph that I'm going to show to you that I hope you will find interesting:

The graph above taken from Google Trends shows that a growing number of people are searching for the term: how to install Ubuntu. The steep climb only proves that Ubuntu's popularity is exploding, and the way that it's going, the growth is sustainable. Perhaps it is another good example that can explain why Microsoft is so afraid of Linux nowadays. In addition, a recent data that I've posted here tells us that Ubuntu has become more popular than Windows XP.

There's another graph that I'm going to show to you:

Comparing the search-terms "how to install Ubuntu" with "how to install Linux", you will notice that the search volumes are now equal. Does this mean that Ubuntu has become equally or more famous than Linux itself? Based on the data, they are almost the same now. But the trend shows that there's a big possibility that Ubuntu will eclipse Linux's popularity any time soon.

Now, for those of you who came here via the search term "how to install Ubuntu", you can go HERE. --It's a link to a documentation page that will give you more than enough information about Ubuntu, and on installing it of course. If you are a complete newbie, I recommend that you read my HOW TO USE LINUX post.

That's about it. After Ubuntu, feel free to try other flavors of Linux like Fedora, PCLinuxOS, Mandriva, openSUSE, and a whole lot more. Have fun!

Choosing the Right Linux Netbook + Why You Should Avoid Windows 7

Instead of bashing Microsoft for deliberately spreading several great lies about Linux, I'm going to write something useful that I hope will benefit those who are planning to buy a netbook. I will be giving simple tips on what brand to choose, the right hardware, the operating system to use, and other important factors that should be considered before making a purchase. I will also be explaining why you should stay away from Windows 7 when buying a netbook.

So let's get down to business.


Hardware:

Since almost all the latest and popular netbooks have basically the same hardware specifications, I will focus on the more important stuff:

Size - I recommend that you choose a netbook with a 10-inch screen size because the display is less straining on the eyes. I also find the keyboard on most 10" netbooks to be a lot more finger-friendly compared to the smaller ones.

RAM/Memory - Netbooks are usually loaded with 1 GB or 2 GB of memory. 1 GB of RAM is quite enough but if you have extra money, why not make it 2.

Storage - Most netbooks nowadays have 80, 120, or 160 GB HDD, so choose a storage size that fits your needs.

Battery - Branded netbooks come with a decent battery. A 3-cell battery can give you around 2.5 hours, 6-cell around 5 hours, and so on. You may want to read the simple ways on improving netbook battery power.


Brand:

I wouldn't endorse a particular brand or model, but I will tell you that it's essential that you buy a netbook from a trusted and well-known manufacturer. Okay, I will name some to help you out a bit: Dell (Inspiron Mini); HP (Mini); Acer (Aspire One); ASUS (Eee PC); MSI (Wind);

Price:

At the moment, a good quality netbook is priced at around USD $350-$450.


Operating System:

I've used both Windows and Linux, and I can honestly say that Linux is perfect for any netbook. I've got plenty of reasons why, but I will only point out a few of them:

* Linux is fast and efficient
With Linux, your netbook will run a lot faster since it will be using less hardware resources when compared to Windows.

* Linux is secure
Because most you will probably be traveling around with your netbook, the comfort of bringing an ultra-secure OS with you is priceless.

* Linux is flexible
Since netbooks have limited screen real estate, you will need a desktop environment that can help optimize it. A Linux DE like GNOME will allow you to fully tweak the interface to help save some desktop space. You may check out my post on how to optimize a netbook's screen real estate.

* Linux is free
This is rather self-explanatory, but I would like to point out that using a free OS means spending less and having extra money to upgrade some key hardware components like RAM and hard disk.


Linux distro:

What's good about Linux is that you have plenty of flavors to choose from. The most widely used distros on netbooks are Xandros, SUSE, Linpus, and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Each of them has different features so I recommend picking the one that you are comfortable with. Don’t worry; Linux is as easy as using Windows these days.


Why You Should Avoid Windows 7:

With all the positive reviews that I've read about Windows 7, I still want you stay away from it if you are planning to buy a netbook. Why? Though it's a trimmed-down version of Vista, it is still a resource hog. Like, its minimum recommended RAM requirement is 1 GB. That means you will not be able to get the most out of your netbook if you use Windows 7. Another reason why you should be avoiding Windows 7 is its expensive price. Not to mention the added cost of maintenance; like for example buying anti-virus software. I can go on and on but since I said a while ago not to bash Microsoft or any of its products, I will keep it short and honest.

Before I’ll go, here’s a simple advice to all the prospective netbook buyers out there:

"Spend your money wisely and buy a Linux-powered netbook. Trust me, you will not regret it."


You may also like my article about choosing the right laptop/notebook computer.

Best Google Desktop Applications for Linux

Google has already released several desktop applications that works on different operating systems. As a Linux user, I'm grateful that all of my preferred Google desktop apps are well supported and can be easily installed on my favorite distro.

I have here a list of some of the best Google-made desktop applications for Linux:

Google Earth

If you have not heard about Google Earth, then you must have been living on Mars for the last couple of years. Google Earth is simply a fun way to look at our own planet. But it's more than just a virtual globe. It also integrates a powerful map, a street viewer, and even allows users to view stars and other celestial bodies. The most recent versions of Google Earth have a built-in flight simulator which will let us fly to any supported locations of the world using either an F-16 Fighting Falcon or a Cirrus SR-22.

Download Google Earth for Linux HERE

Google Chrome

Perhaps the most popular desktop application released by Google to date, Chrome is a web browser that aims to be fast, stable, and secure. The name is taken from the graphical user interface frame, or "chrome", of web browsers. Google Chrome for Linux is pretty much in development stage right now, but it's already usable and quite stable. In fact, I'm using it as my secondary browser (next to Firefox) and even installed some Google Chrome themes on it.

Download Chrome for Linux HERE

Picasa

If you want a digital photo organizer/image viewer with extra features such as file importing, tracking, sorting, and photo editing, then you should try Picasa. It has a simple, intuitive, and slick user interface for easy and attractive management of photos. What I like most about Picasa is its smooth integration with other Google web services like Blogger and Picasa Web Albums.

Download Picasa for Linux HERE

Google Desktop

Google Desktop is basically a desktop search application that allows text searches of computer files. Google Desktop search can index several different types of data, including email, web browsing history, office documents, instant messenger transcripts, and several multimedia file types. One of the best features of Google desktop is the Sidebar. --It can hold useful and fun gadgets like email viewer, RSS feed reader, some tiny games, plus a whole lot more.

Download Google Desktop for Linux HERE

What are your favorite Google desktop applications?