Practical Technology

for practical people.

May 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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Why WiDi wins and losses for your computer/TV connection

When I first got started with personal computers, I often used a TV to show computer video. Well, to be more exact, I didn’t have any choice but to use a TV as a monitor to display CP/M-80 command line interfaces. There’s been a lot of changes since the 80s, but getting your PC video to your TV is still something of a pain. True, you can hook up an HDMI cable to do the job, but I’ve never been a fan of having cables running across my living room. I’m also no fan of using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, with their limited range, to talk to the PC media server. No, what I really wanted was a way to just have my laptop in front of me and then just throw my video from my 15.6” laptop display to my 42” HDTC TV without any fuss. That’s what Wi-Fi Direct (WiDi) promises. Unfortunately, there’s still trouble with it delivering the goods.

WiDi has been certified for over a year and a half now. Based on 802.11n technology, WiDi is backwards compatible with the 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi networking family and uses WPA2 security. However, it’s used more like Bluetooth, albeit it with much greater range, than a LAN technology.

It’s meant to make direct connection quickly and easily from PCs to printers, displays, and so on. To do this, instead of switches, routers, or access points, WiDi devices incorporate software access points to enable ad hoc point-to-point networks. The case I care about is the one of connecting my WiDI enabled laptop with a similarly equipped TV.

Why WiDi wins and losses for your computer/TV connection. More >

May 28, 2012
by sjvn01
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Dumb ideas? Facebook to buy Opera? Build own smartphone?

According to Pocket-lint, sources close to Facebook have told them that the newly IPOed social networking company is considering buying Opera Software, the Opera Web browser’s parent company. Another rumor has it that Facebook wants to build its own smartphone. I don’t see either move making a lot of sense.

If Facebook were to buy Opera Software, its price might be on the same order as the billion plus it paid for Instagram. Opera currently has a market cap of $679-million. In addition, Opera has a small, but loyal, number of users. Still, loyal as they may be, Opera has long trailed Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari in sheer number of users. In April 2012, by StatCounter’s numbers, Opera only had 1.72% of the world Web browser market. This leaves it, as it has been for years, solidly in last place in the Web browser derby.

In short, Facebook certainly wouldn’t be increasing its market-share with its own Web browser. Heck, Facebook doesn’t even list Opera as one of its supported browsers.

Dumb ideas? Facebook to buy Opera? Build own smartphone? More >

May 24, 2012
by sjvn01
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There’s trouble with three major Linux desktop application developers

The Linux desktop has long had most of the apps anyone could ever really need. Sure, it doesn’t have some specific applications, like Adobe Photoshop or Quicken, but it had other apps. Such as Gimp for Photoshop and GNUCash for Quicken and QuickBooks that can do the job. Lately, however, companies that have supported Linux are moving away from the Linux desktop and that worries me. These companies and groups are: Adobe, Google, and Mozilla.

The first one doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Adobe has long had a “difficult” relationship with Linux. We, the Linux community, wanted the full Adobe suite and what we got was Adobe AIR, Flash, and Acrobat. Well, we used to get AIR and Flash anyway. In February, Adobe announced that Adobe Flash Player 11.2 would be the last native version for Linux.

Newer versions of Flash will still be available for Linux… if you use the Chrome Web browser with its Flash Player browser plug-in. Listen, I love the Chrome Web browser, but I don’t love feeling like I’m forced to use it because Adobe won’t release a universal plug-in for any browser.

There’s trouble with three major Linux desktop application developers. More >

May 23, 2012
by sjvn01
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Google kicks Oracle in its patent teeth

I get to say I was right again. First, I told you so when I said the Facebook IPO was dead in the water and now I get to say I was right about Oracle’s Java patent claims being next to worthless in its case against Google and Android. Oracle vs. Google has been a dead lawsuit walking all along, and now as I suspected it would, the jury has ruled that Google didn’t infringe on Oracle’s patents. Game, set, and almost the match to Google.

To be exact, the U.S. District Court of Northern California jury ruled unanimously that Google did not infringe on six claims in U.S. Patent RE38,104 as two claims in U.S. Patent number 6,061,520.

Not mind you, that it would have mattered much had the jury ruled the other way. As Oracle’s own expert, Boston University professor Iain Cockburn had said earlier, even if Google were found guilty on all those counts, Oracle would had won maximum damages of $32.3-million. Oracle may have spent more than that every month keeping this case going.

After the verdict, Judge William Alsup dismissed the jurors, and said he’d be deciding on the related application programming interface (API) copyright issue next week. I find it highly unlikely that he’ll rule that APIs can be copyrighted.

Google kicks Oracle in its patent teeth. More >

May 23, 2012
by sjvn01
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Build your own open-source cloud with ownCloud 4

Big businesses use cloud services. You and I use cloud storage services like DropBox, Google Drive, and Amazon Cloud Drive every day. But, with each you have to trust your data on other people’s systems. With ownCloud, an open source file sync and share project, which began as a KDE project, you can keep your data on your servers and decide what other public cloud services you want to integrate into your personal cloud.

OwnCloud is primarily as an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud service. With it you can store your files, folders, contacts, photo galleries, calendars and more on a server of your choosing. You can then access that storage from your mobile device, your desktop, or a Web browser. You can also sync your date with local devices and share your data either with the world at large or specific approved users.

With the new, just released version, you also now get file versioning, which allows you to “rollback” to previous versions; file-level encryption, Web-based drag and drop file management, and a built-in Open Document Format (ODF) preview.

Build your own open-source cloud with ownCloud 4. More >

May 22, 2012
by sjvn01
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Sudo broken, sudo fixed

Linux and Mac OS X users and system administrators, and long before them, Unix users and sysadmins, have used sudo as an essential computer management tool. With it, users are given the power to make essential, but sometimes dangerous, changes to their systems. Recently a fundamental security bug in sudo was discovered, In some network this security hole could allow a cracker unlimited control of Linux, Mac OS X, and Unix systems. Fortunately, the bug has now been fixed.

Sudo broken, sudo fixed. More >