Thumb Drive Woes

I recently purchased a 2GB USB thumb drive to use for work-related stuff. And as foolish as it may seem, I've already hit the limit on it several days in a row. With the size of files nowadays, I should've known that it wouldn't take me that much time to fill it up. Now I've resorted to classifying things into essential and not-so-essential and deleting the latter to makeit all fit in there. Darn...

PC Troubles

Well, I did it again. I tried installing Fluxbuntu earlier and it failed to install. I must have a borked installer again. The installer kept stalling the point where it should be finishing the install. It wouldn't have been such a problem had I had installers for x64 Ubuntu. I really want to install the x64 port now. I have ISO's, but without an extra optical drive I can't exactly burn a CD running a live CD session.

Yet Another Notebook Deal

Found the Gateway MX6447 on Newegg.com. It's a refurbished unit, but for the money this is actually worth every cent. It's selling for $399.99. The notebook is powered by an AMD Turion 64 MK-36 2.00GHz processor, has a 15.4" Widescreen LCD and has 1GB of DDR2 memory. Storage is 120GB drive and it has a Dual Layer DVD Burner. You can view it here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101121

Low Cost Laptops

Been thinking about the Asus Eee PC as a low-power, low-cost (as low as $350) alternative to my desktop. What's holding me back is the fact that for $100 more you could get more features for the money: Tiger Direct - HP 530. If you don't mind refurbs, you could go lower. $249, in fact: Tiger Direct - Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600. Another good refurb deal is the $340 Dell Latitude C61. Both refurbs are quite dated though, and would be a pain to reasonably upgrade. At least with the $349 Asus Eee PC, you have the option to easily upgrade the memory up to 2GB with current PC parts or aftermarket USB-based devices. You won't be scrounging for old parts at all. And it runs at half the power most laptops consume.

Recent news would have it though that it would be prudent to wait a few more months for new notebook models that would follow the Asus Eee PC's footsteps. Intel's announcement of plans to create even more low-power, low-cost processors to add its already beefy line of mainstream processors bids well for users who are demanding more 'green' technology. Add to this the side benefit that cost reduction brings, and you've got one very competitive notebook market niche for emerging markets.

More "Green" PCs - Update

It seems I may have been mistaken with the price of the SolidLogic Little Valley 5677. I quoted the price off a review site and closer inspection of the Logic Supply list of Intel-based systems leads me to believe the 5677 is pricier than I had first thought. If you look at this page, you'll see most of the complete systems are priced in the $500 range. The only exceptions are the Aopen mini-PCs, but those units do not come with any processor, memory or storage options in their sub-$400 configurations.

Now going back to the 5677 . In my experience, when a product is listed with the comment "call" or "call for pricing" it means it is more expensive than the other products in the same page or the price is negotiable. If the former is the case, then it would be better to consider something like System76's Koala. It's a bit more powerful, has twice the memory and has a faster hard drive. It does come with a higher price tag, but if the 5677 is indeed in the $500 price point then the Koala would be a better option at $539.10 USD. I'd ask Logic Supply but I'm not about to call (international) to get a price quote.

Anyway, here are the specs of the Koala Mini according to the official product page:

• 1.46 GHz Celeron 410 processor;
• 512 MB of DDR2 Memory;
• 40 GB 5400 RPM SATA drive;
• CD-RW / DVD-RW (slot-loading);
• 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet;
• Intel 802.11 abg wireless built-in;
• Extra ports (that the other PCs in my previous post did not have): DVI, FireWire 1394B, S-Video.

The specifications above are for the lowest-priced configuration. You can go with a faster processor, bigger capacity hard drive and more memory if you opt to spend a whole lot more. The configuration above costs $539.10 USD. If that's the price I could spend on a low-power system, I'd rather buy a laptop that can output to an LCD screen. There's a lot to choose from when it comes to satisfying that need. Here's great list from HP. Or maybe even consider a low-end Dell Vostro 1000. It would probably cost almost the same as the Koala Mini with the added benefit of an LCD screen (albeit, small in laptops) already included in the price tag.

So if you go back to my previous post and read it, ignore the SolidLogic Little Valley 5677 in the meantime. Until I confirm its in the $300 range that is.

More "Green" PCs

As I've been wandering the Net the past few weeks looking for interesting "Green" PCs to eventually replace my hulking desktop, I've found very interesting alternatives. Two of them can run XP decently, but all are optimized for Linux - hehehe. The price point is certainly arguable considering they don't have that much power to begin with. But since we are talking about saving energy and since these machines are mostly for "everyday" tasks, then that is how their purpose should be viewed. Some talk on most forums complain their lack of power or their limitations. I say these people should look elsewhere before they shoot off their mouth about how under-powered these systems are. They just don't get the point.

Anyway, here they are (all information here was gathered off the official sites and product reviews. I have had no actual hands-on experience with these devices and cannot vouch for the accuracy of the product specifications):

1. Zonbu PC

• 1.2GHz VIA C7 ULV (ultra-low voltage) processor, 512 MB RAM, 4GB CF Card for storage, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, 20-watt power consumption;
  
• Pros: Supports 2048 x 1536 display resolution (good enough for 19" LCDs!), comes with Gentoo installed (customized for the hardware) ;
  
• Cons: Limited storage -- uses CF Card that are still quite expensive if you want to expand storage.
• Price: $299 USD.

2. Koolu PC

• 500MHz AMD Geode processor, 512MB RAM, 80GB 2.5" Hard Drive for storage, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, 10-watt power consumption;
  
• Pros: Supports 1920 x 1440 display resolution, large hard drive for storage, comes with Ubuntu pre-installed;
  
• Cons: Not the fastest processor, hard drive support is up to 80GB only (as far as I can tell);
  
• Price: $299 Canadian.

3. Fit-PC

• 500MHz AMD Geode processor, 256MB of DDR RAM (soldered on-board), 40GB 2.5” hard drive for storage, 100 Mbps Ethernet, 5-watt power consumption;
• Pros: 5-watt power consumption, video up to 1920x1440 resolution, large enough hard drive for storage, comes with Gentoo (optimized for fit-PC) or Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty);
• Cons: Not the fastest processor, RAM isn't expandable;
• Price: $285 USD.

4. SolidLogic Little Valley 5677

• Intel 1.33 GHz Celeron 215 (soldered on to D201GLY mainboard), 256MB DDR2 RAM, 40GB 2.5" hard drive for storage, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, 22-watt power consumption;
• Pros: Memory and hard drive can be upgraded with standard PC parts;
• Cons: Has the highest power requirements among the four, no OS (you can order Windows XP from them at standard OEM prices);
• Price: starts at $202 USD .

Among the four, the SolidLogic Little Valley 5677 is the most flexible in terms of what hardware you can chuck in. That is, within the limitations of the system's Mini-ITX case. But it is expandable. It's also compatible with DDR2, the current standard in memory, so you don't have to worry about that particular part phasing out in the near future. All of the above though will require the use of an external optical drive and an (optional) external hard drive for additional storage to expand their capabilities. I find the optical drive a must-have for my personal use.

In closing, all these devices would fit what I call "everyday" computing -- basic internet, email, spreadsheet, word-processing and movie watching. Paired with an LCD, these devices will save you a substantial amount in energy costs in the long-run. Add Linux to the mix and you get a completely customizable set-up that you could tune to your needs. Best of all, you have a clean "green" conscience knowing that in your own little way, you've done the planet a favor.

Linux Counter Badge

Had to create a new one after I realized I already lost the email addy for my original number. I upgraded machines from the last time I registered anyway, so this is still a valid count - LOL.

My Nov '07 Build

As a memo to myself, and since I'm checking all the time anyway, I might as well publish the configurations I suggest to friends and co-workers when they ask me what parts to buy. This will also give me an excuse to send them over to my blog instead of creating a fresh file for every curios asker - hehehe.

The prices are based off the Enigma Tech (a local shop here in Angeles City, Pampanga) pricelist, unless specified. I would only resort to special ordering if I find adding a few hundred pesos would increase the quality of the parts I put in there substantially. The first option presented is all Enigma. The second option considers special ordering a better board from Manila.

If you are based in Manila, good sites to scout for prices would be Rising Sun, PC Gilmore and the TipidPC forums. All prices are in Philippine pesos. Another thing before I finish. If you are wondering why I would want to spend 700 extra for another board from a little known brand, then go over to this review at PinoyPC.net to whet your tech appetite.

Updating My Rig

I'm selling my motherboard and CPU so I could buy a newer pair that isn't as much of a power hog. The Athlon LE 1600 isn't a dual-core processor, but its cheap enough. I've been burned by last year's upgrade, choosing to buy RAM when it was still so expensive. Now I'm a bit more grounded and I will make choices based on price point rather than performance, simply because I don't need the performance boost offered by dual-core processors. Why upgrade, then? The newer Athlons and Semprons have a 45-watt TDP. That's a huge drop from my current processor's 62-watt consumption. That's potentially a 20-watt difference when the procesor is working under full load. That's reason enough for me to buy a new processor. Anybody else with me on this?

Really Getting Into It...

I'm too lazy to upload to Imageshack. It's been too long, I've forgotten my password and the email I registered. I'll post 'em here and link to 'em so I could use them as badges on my sidebar.

Tekzilla 6

Yay, Firefox!

2007 Weblog Awards

Please vote for This Week in Tech in the 2007 Weblog Awards. While you're there you might as well vote for your other faves.

Tekzilla 5

If I had the money and the wherewithal to stand Steve Jobs's arrogance, I'd get a Mac. I'd get Leopard. I'd get an iPhone, even. Alas, I do not have both! I'll settle for PCLOS Gnome and the fake Steve Jobs (he's funnier, anyway)...

Funny Linux Commands

Saw these on LiveLeak.com ^_^

<tt>
% cat "food in cans"
cat: can't open food in cans

% nice man woman
No manual entry for woman.

% "How would you rate Quayle's incompetence?
Unmatched ".

% Unmatched ".
Unmatched ".

% [Where is Jimmy Hoffa?
Missing ].

% ^How did the sex change operation go?^
Modifier failed.

% If I had a ( for every $ the Congress spent, what would I have?
Too many ('s.

% make love
Make: Don't know how to make love. Stop.

% sleep with me
bad character

% got a light?
No match.

% man: why did you get a divorce?
man:: Too many arguments.

% !:say, what is saccharine?
Bad substitute.

% %blow
%blow: No such job.

% \(-
(-: Command not found.

$ PATH=pretending! /usr/ucb/which sense
no sense in pretending!

$ drink matter
matter: cannot create
</tt>

Tekzilla 4

Now what could be cooler than a show inspired by the Internet Wayback Machine? View the show here:

Tekzilla 3

Took me a while to download this episode. Been busy with other stuff. Anyway, if you can't download it, might as well watch it:



Morgan Webb (another TechTV alumna) guests.

decTOP (formerly AMD PIC)

Just when I thought I knew about every product that would be an alternative to the big honking desktop I have at home, I come across another product that just amazed me.

The decTOP used to be a project of AMD (known as the AMD PIC) until rights to it were bought by Data Evolution. Now it's selling for $99. This low-power PC device would be perfect for the casual internet-going home user. It may look dismal if you look at the specs. But I think for a home PC you plan to run 24/7, with a few hours of daily internet use, this would be ideal.

It doesn't come with an operating system, so be forewarned. The installation process is quite tedious, as explained in this Ubuntu Howto and in this Xubuntu Howto. There's another Ubuntu guide here, lest I forget. It is still doable, and that is the great news. One of the guides link to this game site, and it's being hosted on a decTOP. See for yourself.

Good news is they ship to the Philippines. They are very vague about shipping charges,though. I was unable to find any info, even after I registered as a buyer. As far as I can tell, shipping charges won't appear until the very last moment of the checkout. I think I've found the solution for me. I'm really considering buying this machine in the near future.

"Cult of Linux" on L J

Found this post on Linux Journal . Had me half-believing by the end of it. Can this happen in real life?

I've been in situations where I've restrained myself from sounding a little over-zealous, because it scares people. I am an advocate of OSS, but I've tried and based most proselytizing off my personal experience. I've trained myself to start conversations with, "I feel that Linux is better because..." before extolling it's praise-worthy values. I avoid quoting statistics or hit propritary software. I compared objectively and deftly avoided ranting.

I've also met my share of people who were quite rabid about Linux. I've had "experts" scoff at me for asking questions like, "how do I compile this?" or "how do I (GPG) clear sign a text file?" That's probably why I had stayed with Ubuntu for such a long time. I rarely had to post in forums or chat with the "experts" because answers were just a Google away. There is such a huge community around it that so many people post solutions online. I never really needed to interact with "experts" that way. I just consulted Ubuntuguide.org, read forums or browsed blogs that had HowTo's. I avoided actual conversations, because frankly I was scarred by the way the "experts" looked down on newbies.

I've seen both ends so to speak -- that of the newb's and that of the zealot's. That why this post struck a nerve. I half-believed this could happen. My more pragmatic side says it shouldn't happen. But then again, looking inwards at the way my temper has flared in certain situations... Well, I'm not all that sure this is entirely impossible.

Jessica Corbin's Back

Oh, yeah! And Jessica paired up with Patrick Norton to boot. Two of my favorite ex-TechTV hosts were brought together to host Tekzilla, a new video netcast from Revision 3. Here's a sampling:

Low-Power Computing, On The Cheap

When I read this ZDNet blog post an idea began to form in my head.

My wife and I have been talking about selling my desktop and buying a laptop. Her concern is clearing some deskspace, because right now the desktop IS the only thing on the desk. She wants a more spartan look. I was going along with the idea as it made sense to save a few hundred on the electrical bill.

But then I read George Ou's post, and began toying with an interesting idea. Why not sell my desktop, build a PC based off the Intel D201GLY and use old parts I have lying around. The goal would be to get the same power savings at half the cost of a low-end laptop. The Celeron 215 processor included with the board runs at 1.33 GHz consuming around 27 watts. That's quite low compared to the usual 60+ watts of a desktop processor.

Running the numbers, I came up with the following options:

You'll notice the only thing different in all three options would be the LCD screen size. Price increased by roughly 800 pesos for each increase in screen size. I deliberately chose to go with a large hard drive as well. Three-and-a-half inch disks generally run faster and are sturdier that their mobile counterparts. The downside is that they eat more watts and produce more heat. I did not include the ATX case in the list as well, since I have a spare tower at home gathering dust. The small footprint of the board would have fit nicely with a micro-ATX case like the Focus Nemesis, but that would up the cost by 3,500 pesos. That's money better spent on something else.

Now the better equipped of the value niche in the laptop segment is usually in the 25,000-30,000 peso range. Compare that to the above, consider that the only constantly running power hog in that configuration would be the hard drive, and you've got yourself a comparable system at a little over half the price.

I'm going to wait for the D201GLY2 though, as that version of the board will use a 15-watt CPU and incorporate SATA support.

Here's more information about the board from Intel: Intel® Desktop Board D201GLY Overview

Libravox

The spirit of volunteerism has always amazed me. People find varied ways to contribute to the intellectual growth of others or of their communities. Prime examples would be Project Gutenberg and many Open Source projects. While browsing around the audiobooks in Manybooks.net, I downloaded a few and found Librivox. This is a boon for anyone into audiobooks. I'm not going to go into the value of audiobooks. Anyone who has tried them will give you different reasons why its useful to them or why they find it bad for lit in general.

As for me, I downloaded a few books. One of which I plan to let my son hear. I got the audio version of Poems Every Child Should Know from Kara Shallenberg's site. Maybe listening to them will have a positive effect on my son. Poetry is a beautiful thing to have in one's mind. It brings the mind and the heart together in a harmony that speaks to the soul.

Anyway, try it out. And while you're at it, subscribe to the Librivox podcasts. Oh, and you might as well use Gpodder or Jpodder to subscribe. Keep everything Open Source and support the them to encourage participation in these projects that benefit the public.

The Home Front

Stuff happening at work may have an effect on the way the wife and I use the home PC. I foresee an opportunity to pitch for linux in the homestead. This is just a blurb, pay no attention to it :-)

Treo 500v

Been a while since I've been excited about anything Palm has been releasing. I just found out about the European launch of the Treo 500v. And let me tell you I like the idea. The Palm user community has a healthy mix of opinion. A lot of long-time users decry this as another step towards failure for the company. Others like myself see this as Palm's way of extending it's market share to the bigger niche of traditional mobile phone users.

I think my wife will appreciate this device, however pared down it is. I love my Treo 650 and all, but the fact remains that the wife isn't impressed and she doesn't want a Palm at all. I emailed her about the Treo 500 and after talking to her about how its going to work she told me she would be "OK" with trying one out. Ah, finally! My chance to convert my wife to one of the Palm faithful.

PCLinuxOS

I've finally given in to my curiosity. Having had a conversation with a friend about PCLOS 2007, I decided to try it. I previously tried it back in version .93, but have not since. That was back when I just signed up for a broadband connection and I was distro-hopping every week or so. Back then, I would typically have 1 windows partition and 3 linux distros installed in a single 80GB hard drive. Mad, eh?

Well, after reading two months worth of PCLOS' Magazine, I was convinced to try it again. I'm now on the Live CD, surfing while Draklive preps my harddrive for another round of torture - LOL. Ooops! Gotta reboot, it's done now :-)

Reading Again.

I've been meaning to do some serious reading while on my day-off, and read I did. You've probably read from my Jaiku page that I had read Blind Shrike (Richard Kadrey), which I really didn't like but still finished as was my habit with fiction. I started reading Halo (Tom Maddox) shortly after that and like the light way the story presented what a future with machine-intelligence would be like. It was a light read and entertaining. I finished Halo late-morning yesterday. I promptly started reading Geek Mafia (Rick Dakan) after that, which is a bit more contemporary and somethign I liked since it was about a comicbook-geek-turned-con-turned-fugitive-turned-redeemed-hero. I just finished Mafia and I went online to briefly update my blogs. And here I am again, searching through ManyBooks.net for any interesting eBooks I might find.

I am reading again, is the good news. I've always loved to read, though my love for books has waned over the last few years. I've only read an occasional book or two each year. Having a Treo650 has changed things a bit. I save all these books on it, and since I always have it with me I just flick it out whenever I feel the urge to read. No more I-want-to-read-but-I-forgot-to-bring-the-book situations. I'm using eReader (and the associated file format) to read these books. I've found it better than PDF , even if I do have PalmPDF on my Treo. I've reserved it for the "need-to" situations when I have no other choice but to view documents in PDF. I hate the fact that its so resource-hungry, especially when loading long books. I simply find it hard to read stuff using PalmPDF. eReader files are small by comparison, so I get to save more stuff to my media card. Who could say no to that?

Anyway, I'll post about more books I read as time goes by. Right now, I need to catch some ZZZ's...

Scrub Your Browsing Clean

I found this great article from PCLinuxOS' monthly magazine about
changing browsing habits to protect your identity online. Although the
article is centered around Tor (The Onion Router), ordinary Firefox
users still stand to benefit from the tips the author suggested.
Basically it boils down to: a.) assume that someone can eavesdrop on
your browsing; b.) trust a site with your information only when using
SSL and even then be wary of giving any information out; and c.)
change your browsing habits to protect yourself.

Read the article from here:
http://mag.mypclinuxos.com/html/Issues/200702/page3.html
Read about Tor here: http://tor.eff.org/overview.html.en

Thinking Green

The best motivation you could ever say to push going green would be to highlight how much money a company could save. Xerox and Userful are on their way to helping other companies go green with their useful discoveries. Xerox created high yield paper that does not require as much pulp (therefore less trees) to manufacture. Userful's Discover Station pushes the idea of thin clients to another level, maximizing computer use to save on electricity.

Even simple changes in the way things are done could mean huge savings. UltraSpeed is claiming its setup can save 40% off their previous operating expenses, just from switching to DC power and using more power efficient chips on servers. Of course, they were also harping about a particular piece of technology they are implementing that can influence customers to go to them -- called 'Diskless' server implementation. It's similar to somewhat to the Diskless Node,(for servers and workstations) but uses instead a centralized NAS to serve up software to servers without disks. Pretty neat, huh? It's also more fault-tolerant, as NAS setups are more reliable owing to the fact that if one disk dies the backups are there to take over.

And in the bigger scheme of things, one can't help but wonder if IBM's promoting of it's System Z mainframes truly makes the case for going green. They say mainframes work more efficiently and require less space than the now more popular server setups. Question is if they are doing this to revive the market for mainframes. Upside is the System Z mainframes will run on Linux and are optimized for virtualization.

For all businesses concerned, going green should also mean making green. It's the win-win formula that has the potential to win over all of those suits who don't care about the environment.

Xfce Did The Trick

I download Xfce and I now have a working desktop again. No more disappearing title bars in the apps I open. I downloaded Conky, its working well now. The .conkyrc file from Ubuntugeek.com worked just fine. Seems like all that was wrong was updating everything after a clean install prevented the Gnome WM from running 100%. I didn't muck around the configuration anymore, as I just wanted to get a working desktop that I could use Ubuntu in, and as fast as possible. The Xubuntu-related files downloaded and installed in less than half an hour.


I downloaded my usual stuff -- Firestarter, Xmms, VLC, Aria2, Firefox themes and extensions. I tested each before I started doing what I was supposed to be doing a week ago -- backing up our precious pictures over on MediaMax.com. I used to use Xdrive, but free accounts were limited to 5GB and the uploads were faster at MediaMax. Plus Xdrive didn't want to play nice with Ubuntu :-( I'm sticking with MediaMax.

I've a few more gigs to upload ;-) Bye for now.

Kernel Goes Green II

Here's an update. Click on the title above to go to the article.

More Linux in Consumer Phones, Please...

With the cellular phone market still in a flurry over the uber-expensive iPhone, it's easy to overlook some rather nifty development is occuring. Just take a look at this article from Computerworld. It stresses the strengths of Linux, mainly how deep customization can go and that it is free (both in cost and in licensing), 2 reasons that could push app development to a rapid pace. I'd like to see more function-laden Linux phones for the low-end market ;-)

Back With Ubuntu

I was able to install Ubuntu this afternoon. It took a while to update
the whole thing. I used an old copy of Feisty for 7.04 and it took
about 2 hours and a half to get it all down.

I was hoping to get Conky (http://conky.sourceforge.net) working so I
could have a system monitor that was a bit more detailed, but it
didn't want to play. I don't know what I did wrong but I messed up my
desktop after mucking up the the config file (.conkyrc). I initially
found settings from Ubuntu Geek
(www.ubuntugeek.com/conky-a-light-weight-system-monitor-for-ubuntu-linux-systems.html
) which I copied over to my .conkyrc file. I wanted it to display
somewhere else so I tried using different settings and eventually had
to restart. When I got back, any window I opened would only open on
the top left side of the desktop. The title bars also disappeared and
I could move any of the apps I opened, so it was a pain. Every new
window would open on top of the previous active window and obscuring
the one behind it, all on the top left side of the desktop.

I had to return everything to what it was and uninstalled Conky. I
didn't find out what caused it but I have a gnawing suspicion it could
have been enabling the the double-buffer and windowed mode at the same
time. I'll try and install it again tomorrow in windowed mode.

Turning to Wine

After having been hit with a virus yet again, I am contemplating on totally abandoning Windows (yet again). After I get my hard drive in order, I'll be experimenting with Wine to see if I could get a few Windows apps (I need) to work. I've been doing some research and I'll see if I could get IE, M$-Office 2000 and AOL to play with Wine. These are either apps I test (for friends) or something the missus just needs to ease her apprehensions about editing work-related files from home. Wish me luck!

TurboLinux Agrees to Support OpenXML

CNN Money has a story about Turbolinux agreeing to support Micro$oft's
OpenXML document format
(http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQM04009072007-1.htm)
for the Asian market. M$ needs a backdoor into the Asian market and
TurboLinux may be key to them establishing an acceptance by porting
OpenXML translations to Asian languages.

M$ is also gaining headway into having it recognized as an "open"
standard for documents. I enclosed the word "open" since Open XML is
to a great degree as open only to the point M$ wants it to be. Meaning
its still proprietary software in essence and not as open as Open
Source. M$ only opens mechanisms for other software to translate to
and from it Open XML MS-Office formats. Nothing more.

Lenovo's Selling Them Again!!!

Goes to tell you... Linux is making sense to many businessmen who want
to do business in Asia. Nice article written up about Lenovo's
decision to offer Linux on one of it's high-end laptop lines:
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8001895768.html

M$ Threatened with GPLv3?

I would love to see how this will eventually shake out... Microsoft: 'Your Puny GPLv3 Can't Hold Us!'

It would be sweet revenge if indeed Microsoft led itself into a legal quagmire by entering into those deals with Novell, Xandros and Linspire.

The Kernel Goes Green

I dream of a day when I would be able to do all the computing I want
and still help reduce the electricity I consume. A good sample of
consumer level energy-saving PC would be the Zobu PC
(http://www.zonbu.com/home/). And with the advent of energy-saving
hardware, the software eventually followed. The Linux kernel is going
the opposite of the behemoth we know as Micro$oft. Linux's maintainers
are making the kernel go green for practical and environmental reason
(http://news.com.com/Linux+coders+tackle+power+efficiency/2100-1007_3-6192865.html).
It's a win-win, if you asked me. A win for the consumer and a win for
the environment.

AvantGo on My Treo650

I've started using AvantGo
(http://my.avantgo.com/home/index.html?learn_more=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.avantgo.com%2Ffrontdoor%2Findex.html)
to download webpages ("news channels" in AvantGo lingo) to my Treo.
Its a great convenience to be able to sync your Treo of your PC and
read the pages without having to be tethered to the internet. Useful
when travelling in areas without a decent wireless signal. Or when
you're just trying to save on data charges -- like me! I hate Smart's
metered GPRS (http://www.smart.com.ph/SMART/Value+Added+Services/Data/AV_Text_Gprs.htm).
The only downside was the darn app ate up a huge chunk of my phone's
internal memory. I might just have to find something lighter.
Suggestions, anyone?

Nvidia Joining the High-Performance Chips Fray

A few months back, I was surprised when ATI launched it's Stream Processors. I posted about how simple the idea was that I was surprised nobody really thought of it before ATI did. Nvidia is now joining the fray with its Tesla Processors. The Folding@Home project could really use one of these babies...

Defiant

In the face of FUD-inducing inveigled threats of Microsoft to sue, Ubuntu and Red Hat remain defiant. I expected nothing less from these Linux behemoths. I especially like the fact that Mark came out and published his take on the whole affair.

As Microsoft refuses to say what patents the Linux kernel is violating, it should have been obvious from the start that this is nothing more than saber-rattling on the part of M$. The beast is baring its teeth, gnashing as it goes, trying to scare all that care to look. They refuse to say what these patent infringements are because they know once they disclose them the whole Linux community will come together, modify Linux and make it impossible for them sue. If they're not willing to say what patents Linux is violating, then I say have Novell, Xandros and Linspire disclose the all the details of the deals they inked with Microsoft. Or better yet, induce Microsoft to start suing today! So the Open Invention Network (OIN) can start filing counter suits against M$. Using patents as canon fodder -- now that's an idea!

Linux System Administration

It would be nice to receive this as a gift, wouldn't it?

Gadgets on a Budget

Clearly the best benefit of the ever-advancing nature of technology is
the development of cheaper devices that enhance our personal
functionality.

A few days ago, I received a parcel containing the Treo650 that an
aunt of my wife had sent me. It was a gift, a very generous gift. And
I would like to thank her publicly. Thank you Aunt Edna! Your
generosity is boundless :-)

The Treo renewed my interest in handhelds and personal computing
devices. I had previously owned a Palm Tungsten T3 and I've been
yearning for another Palm handheld ever since I sold it. The only
thing holding me back was the price. These devices are not cheap. I
have been, in the months in between, content with reading press
releases of Palm, Inc. Can you tell I'm a fan? Anyway, the launch of
Palm's UMPC(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-Mobile_PC), the Palm
Foleo(http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/), did not
escape my notice.

With Palm's entry into the UMPC bandwagon, my other dream (owning a
laptop) was slowly coming into reality. The prices, I predicted, would
come down. As Moore's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law)
bears its full weight on the pace of chip development, we see products
coming out of the pipeline a lot more cheaper and smaller. My hopes
died when I saw the $599 price tag. I also chanced upon this article
(http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/05/seven_sexy_alte.html) proposing
alternatives to the Palm Foleo, albeit just as expensive or even more
so.

My hope's were revived when I saw Asus' announcement in Taiwan's
Computex expo that it is launching a spawn of Intel's Classmate PC
program (http://www.intel.com/intel/worldahead/classmatepc/). The Asus
Eee PC701 (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/06/05/intel_classmate_becomes_199_asus_eee_subnotebook_pc.html)
was unveiled in the midst of spectators' "oohs!" and "aahs!". They
said the units would come to American shores as early as August this
year for $200. That's cheap! It's very barebones (specs here:
http://www.gadgettastic.com/2007/06/09/asus-eee-specs/). However, if
most of your computing time is spent surfing the internet and
retrieving mail, then this PC is for you. It even has built-in WiFi to
boot.

I'm eagerly anticipating it's release in Asia and I sincerely hope
this thing reaches Philippine shores. It would definitely be a great
device for my wife. She thinks she's a technophobe and half the time
she asks me about the computer. A simple connected device like this
could simplify things enough for her to do her extra work at home at a
fast enough pace. I just know she would love something as convenient
as this. I still have to convince my wife about how wonderful it is to
have a small personal device you can take with you all the time. I
love it when technology shrinks technology, the shrinking price tag
being a wonderful side effect of it all. My wife does too, she just
doesn't know it yet.

The Little Box That Could

I just read about the $99 PC (Gizmodo article here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/exclusive-hands_on/22-things-to-know-about-the-99-zonbu-linux-pc-262952.php).
With the right mix of hardware and open source software, cheap PCs for
everyone can become a reality. And to boot, it was designed with ease
of use in mind so even non-geeks wouldn't be apprehensive about using
linux. The PC connects you to the internet with minimal fuss. It saves
on electricity by using a low-power chip and a Compact Flash card for
storage (in lieu of a hard drive that needs more power to spin its
disks), so it "green". Its all pluses as far as I am concerned. I'm
looking forward to this piece of technology. I hope they'll market
this outside the US or at least make it available (ship it)
internationally. Check it out.

Removed

I'm not sure why but my blog was removed from Ubuntu-PH's planet. Hmmm? Maybe I've been classified persona-non-grata. Checked my mail and I didn't get any notice or anything. I haven't been checking planet for at least 2 weeks, as I go directly to the blogs of the people who's blog entries are posted there. I wonder how long it's been.

Confessions...

In the past few months, my use of Ubuntu has been severely limited due to the fact that my darned board's chipset is not supported. In the interest of saving money, I invariably caused my self grief. I had upgraded last December, working on a tight budget and the motherboard I got was the cheap option that was available at the time.

See, the chipset is a new one that combines the functions of the northbridge and southbridge. So instead of 2 physical chipsets, the board only has one. I'm not really sure how that has affected the innards of the chip, but bottom line there are no drivers for Linux just yet. Which brings me to 2 major difficulties when using Ubuntu. I can't adjust the frequency for my aging CRT monitor, hence I get a skewered shaking image on my monitor. I can't connect to the Internet using the built-in LAN as well. Without access to the Net, everything from the repositories to my mail are virtually inaccessible.

So now I impatiently wait for Feisty's release, hoping it would have the necessary drivers (and other dependencies I'm unaware of) already built-in. Ubuntu has always served me well. I'm anxious to use it again for most of my computing.

Gadgets and Ubuntu

My interest was sparked by Dom's blogging on Ubuntu and Gaming. I've also heard a lot of buzz during the PS3's launch late last year about Ubuntu diehards wanting to run it on the console. Good to know there's another facet to the game gear and Ubuntu love affair:

Proudest Monkey ... Driving

Earlier this afternoon, I had finally transferred MP3's I had ripped from my wife's Dave Matthew's Band CDs. I put several tracks on my phone so I could listen to them while I commute or drive to work. Most of the tracks I picked were from Crash.

I found myself driving to work some 20 minutes ago and this cold breeze was cutting through the thick humid air. It was so refreshing! Then Proudest Monkey started coming out of my player's earbuds. The melodic tune, the cool cool breeze... It was relaxing, to say the least. I was lulled back into reality when a car behind me honked rather rudely and swerved to my left and passed me. I didn't notice I was driving 40 km/h, way below the minimum 60 per hour in that part of Clark. Oh, well... DMB still rocks! :-) All the cars in the world could pass me by and I wouldn't mind at all.

Plain cool...

Who says you can't be geeky and cool at the same time?



Found a link to this through Jerome's blog.

Added...

Add 2 new features on this blog, an RSS feed from Distrowatch.com and source code search from Koders.com. Both are on my blog's sidebar. Enjoy :-)

P.S.

Try out the source code search from this post (same interface is on the sidebar):

Updated My Blogchalk

This is my new blogchalk:
Philippines, Pampanga, Angeles, Philippine, English, Ed,Male, 31-35, Ubuntu, Linux. :)

Alay sa Albay

Posted this on my personal blog. I've been getting emails and text messages encouraging participation in a fund drive for Bicol. You can read more from my personal blog.

D-I-Y Media Center

I'm itching for another device. The Mediagate MG-35. Three reviews after I see an ad and I'm convinced this would make a great media device for my home. I've been wrestling with storage lately, as three years worth of burned media is starting to pile up. I already have three large CD wallets stealing closet space from my wardrobe. I just bought a fourth one from CDR-King. I'm having second thoughts about storing my music and movies on my PC, since I usually reformat my hard drive regularly. My first thought was to get a NAS, and that idea I've given up on. It would be extra handy if I could carry my storage device around.

Then I see an ad in PC Buyer's Guide for the Mediagate MG-35 and the idea grows on me. I can solve several problems with one device. It's small enough to lug around. It connects to PCs for managing media. It doesn't require MS-Windows to manage that content :-)) It can connect to your LAN, you can use it as network storage (NAS). It can play movies or music on it's own and supports the main plethora of codecs you'll need, including Ogg Vorbis, Divx and Xvid. Its outputs can connect to your TV or stereo. It supports (at max) a 500GB hard drive. This is one flexible device. I want it! There is the question of money, though. Haha... It's a bit too expensive for my means. So I'll have to be content with writing about it and why I want it.

BTW, here are the reviews that I read:

• http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?cid=5&id=5823
  


• http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/article.asp?SCID=&amp;CIID=36918


• http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/index.php/taxid;2136212605;pid;199;pt;1

Tibuan, New Blog

I just started this other blog to chronicle the adventures of a local band that I really like. They are called 'Tibuan' (the Kapampangan word for 'origin' or 'roots'). Please check the blog out at tibuan.blogspot.com and come back every now and then for gig updates and pics. Link to it too if you like what you see. :-)

Protect Your Wireless Network

I recently saw several news articles online about drive-by pharming. Researchers posted a proof of concept online and the attack is made possible by the fact that so many people use their routers with the default passwords on. Because of the nature of my work, friends often ask me how they could secure their home networks or how they could set-up wireless at home. To them I offer the following advice (just sharing here) :

• Change the router's default username and password - this should be the first thing anyone should do. As indicated in the news article I linked to above, you'd be securing yourself from a lot of exploits just by changing your password. Router defaults are well-documented in user manuals and help forums online. Anything from default passwords to factory settings can be found online. Even lesser known models will have some obscure user documenting his use of it somewhere in the vast Internet. So change the default password 'admin' on that WRT54G, right now.
  
• Change the router's SSID - a brand name is a start. These default SSID names are well-documented online. Once snoops know what router your using, they could choose the best attack to speed up breaking into your network.
• Disable SSID broadcasts - don't advertise your network to the neighbors. Routers with SSID broadcast turned on inform every computer or wireless device nearby that your router is there. Piggybacking on your connection is just one concern. What if they're bright enough to break into your network and snoop on your computer? If its there, with big signs and bright lights, its bound to catch some bad guy's attention.
  
• Turn on the firewall - when you set your router up, it will in most cases ask that you set rules for your firewall. Routers are great firewalls because they're "dumb". They don't reply to strangers knocking on the door. If some other computer on the Net wanted to connect to yours, the router simply ignores the request if it were unexpected and doesn't reply back. The effect is the other computer will think nothing is there.
  
• Use WPA-PSK, not WEP - WPA-PSK is quite a common feature now in wireless routers. WEP is older and easier to hack into. WPA2 only comes in the newer (and more expensive) routers. So right now WPA-PSK is the best choice. How to use it? Go to this Windows guide, a bit old but the basics are still the same. For Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Guide provides a kernel of wisdom in that direction. One additional piece of advice I can give is to use a Pre-Shared Key by generating a random one from https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm. This page generates very strong random passwords that you can use on your router. I use the 63-character printable ASCII set because that's what most routers (I've tinkered with) accept. Note: the more random it is, the harder it is to crack it.

These are not professional grade tips but rather lessons I've learned while tinkering. I hope they prove as helpful to you as they have been to my friends. :-)

XM-Sirius Merger

The uneven ground upon which the XM-Sirius Satellite radio merger stands was clarified in a news article on the Washington Post. I was first exposed to XM radio stations when I stumbled upon it while using AIM. I never really gave it much attention until I realized how good the music selection was in their channels. So naturally, it interested me when I found out that XM's merging with Sirius, its direct competitor in the satellite radio business. Anti-trust and monopolistic concerns aside, I think the merger can make a difference in their collective bottomlines. Competition between the two has gotten so worse that they're losing a lot of money and satellite radio isn't taking off that fast. Investor confidence wasn't taking off as well, that is until they announced they'd merge. If they get past all the regulations and do merge, I hope their next step would be to go international. Maybe accept subscriptions from some country near the Pacific with long historical and cultural ties with America? ;-)

Anyway, I was just thinking. If everybody had such a wide selection of music playing on good high quality radio, wouldn't that discourage file-trading? Wouldn't it be easier to just change the channel instead of downloading music online from strangers who's computers might be loaded with viruses and malware? Convenience would be another advantage. I play music from my phone's MP3 player. I have the CDs tucked away somewhere. It's a hassle to juggle the files around when your mood suddenly changes and you want to listen to something different. If only satellite or hi-def radio were available here. I'd buy something like this to keep on myself or something like this in the car. If only...

AMD Updates Athlon 64 Line

AMD beefed up its line of processors with new models. They released the 45-watt Athlon 64 single-core processors in 3500+ and 3800+. They also introduced the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor 6000+, yet another option for all you speed fanatics with deep pockets. These newer models are continuing the trend of low-power high-performance chips that AMD churned out the later half of last year. Everything looks promising. Looks like the days of dual-core Semprons (budget chips) are drawing nearer.

Ubuntu Ultimate

I just recently found out that is such a thing as an ultimate Ubuntu. I think this will be the easiest thing for switchers as they don't need to get hassled with a learning curve for getting everything to just work. Granted I found many of the things I needed to work easily by participating in the Ubuntu community. My experience though is contrary to those I've given Ubuntu CD's to. They find the solutions I have to be puzzling. Ubuntu Ultimate is headed the way of the keeping it simple for new users. That is something I like.

Now, I know most of the people who are directly involved with Ubuntu's development will probably frown upon this, much like they did at Automatix. But for users who aren't necessarily as tech savvy or as patient as the regular 'Nix user, these solutions are a godsend. You can get info on Ultimate here: http://www.ubufied.com/2007/01/28/ubuntu-ultimate-edition/

Isn't it a nice coincidence that this free Ubuntu variant is similarly named as another $400 OS ?

When the Law Does Not Protect the Innocent...

Case in fact, a substitute teacher is in trouble for being in the same room as computers that exposed kids to pornographic pop-ups. Sounds like Adware to me, which is something most Windows users don't really have control over. Adware is everywhere on the net and its hard enough to avoid getting them. Why put a subbie in jail for 40-something years for something the school's IT person was probably in more at fault with? I don't get it. Or was it just a technology-shunning judge or district attorney that made it possible? An erring defense attorney, maybe? This woman should not go to jail for this. It's just wrong.

Shout Out...

Barely a day after the official launch of Vista, a novel hack had already been publicized. Several news articles covered the hack that was made possible through Vista's voice recognition function. I remember hearing someone on a podcast say that if there is a system, someone will hack it. This was exactly what he meant by that. This must be a record of some sort, a hack exposed the day after the OS was launched. I bet you many are now going to adopt a wait-and-see on Vista, at least the people following the news.

Put More G's in Your Pocket

Seagate unveiled yet another use for tiny hard drives. They seem to be churning out smaller and smaller hard drives every six months or so - LOL. In yet another twist to the mobile storage arena, they are marketing a portable 20GB hard drive with WiFi and Bluetooth. Oddly enough, they're calling it D.A.V.E. and its being marketed as a wireless storage appendage to mobile phones. What's even stranger is that they used to call the thing "cricket". It ain't as cool as that Scion xB they had at CES, but yeah I reckon I'd buy me a D.A.V.E. of me own.

Moore's Law Proven Once Again...

Recent announcements by Intel and IBM have again proven that Moore's Law still hold true to this day. Both companies announced advancements that will cram more transistors per processor, effectively creating more powerful and efficient processors. This other article does caution that the thinning profit margins may threaten the fast pace of the microchip arms race. Over on the consumer side though, its all good news. I feed off the bottom of the technology ecosystem, being a proponent of budget computing, so this is definitely good news as it will push down the prices of older chips even more. More value for your money, so to speak. Add to this AMD's recent announcement of the DTX form factor standard that will allow manufacturers to create components for a unified Small Form Factor standard royalty-free. We'll see smaller, more powerful machines in the not-so-distant future. I'm already filling up my piggy bank in anticipation! ;-)

Linux Bible '07

Just found out Amazon is already accepting pre-orders of the 2007 edition of the Linux Bible. This would be a great geek gift, especially for someone like me :::hint, hint::: ;-)

This is way cool...

Heard of Metisse yet? Mandriva is promoting it as an alternative to 3D desktop switchers like Compiz/Beryl. Check out the demo videos they have. It's quite impressive: http://www.dailymotion.com/mandriva/metisse. It's definitely better than the rolodex on Vista