Practical Technology

for practical people.

March 1, 2011
by sjvn01
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Splashtop: Linux for Windows users

Ever just want to turn on your laptop and get right to work on the Web without any delay? If that’s you, even if you’d never consider switching from Windows to Linux, you might want to give the new release of Splashtop a try.

Indeed many Windows users, especially those with newer laptops have already been using the Linux-based Splashtop-they just haven’t known it. On Dell laptops, it’s called Latitude ON; on HP laptops, it’s known as QuickWeb; and on Lenovo IdeaPad netbooks, its Quick Start 2. Whatever the name, it’s actually an embedded Splashtop Linux variation designed for quick and easy access to the Web. On each of these laptop lines, and many others, Splashtop is there to make it fast and easy for “Windows” users to check their Web-based e-mail; look up information, write a document in Google Docs, etc., etc. without waiting for Windows to boot up.”

Now, Splashtop has made it possible for almost anyone to give this a try with a downloadable version of its light-weight Linux desktop. Unlike almost all other Linux distributions you don’t need to download an ISO image of the distribution, burn it to a CD, DVD or USB stick, and then install it on a PC to give it a try. Instead you simply download Splashtop as a Windows installation executable, run the install program, and then re-boot. Splashtop will then appear as one of your boot-up choices. From there, you simply select it and in about half the time it takes to boot up Windows, you’re in Splashtop.

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March 1, 2011
by sjvn01
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Shuttleworth on the Ubuntu Banshee controversy: Mistakes were made

The conflict between Banshee and Canonical over what should be done with Banshee’s Amazon Store revenue stream, while it was finally resolved, was not Ubuntu’s most shining moment. At the matter’s conclusion, Banshee developers were not happy with the results. This is not how open-source communities should work together and no one knows that better than Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, who wrote, “We made some mistakes in our handling of the discussion around revenue share with the Banshee team.”

In his blog, which Shuttleworth often uses to discuss matters of importance to Ubuntu, open-source, and Linux in general, he started, “Money is particularly contentious in a community that mixes volunteer and paid effort, we should have anticipated and been extra careful to have the difficult conversations that were inevitable up front and in public, at UDS [Ubuntu Developer Summit], when we were talking about the possibility of Banshee being the default media player in Ubuntu. We didn’t, and I apologize for the consequential confusion and upset caused.”


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February 28, 2011
by sjvn01
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London Stock Exchange Woes not Linux’s Fault

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has had better times. First, it had reoccurring problems with its integration with large-stock market data players such as Thomson Reuters Eikon, Interactive Data, and Morningstar. Then, adding insult to injury, Google rightfully flagged the Exchange’s site as a malware danger, thanks to a third-party advertiser that was hosting malicious software. None of this had anything to do with the LSE switching to Linux as the basis of its new trading system.

I mention that because I’ve gotten several obnoxious e-mail messages claiming that all of LSE’s troubles are Linux’s fault. Sorry guys, it’s not. Here’s what, as far as can be told, is what’s really going on.

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February 28, 2011
by sjvn01
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BlackBerry’s Android?

In the Mirror, Mirror universe, Research in Motion (RIM) uses Android instead of QNX for its next generation of BlackBerry smartphones and its PlayBook Tablet. Now, there’s a rumor that RIM may well add support for Android applications to its BlackBerry line on top of its forthcoming QNX operating system.

According to BGR, a RIM representative has apparently been caught on video saying “‘We will also support Android apps when we release the Dalvik engine on top of QNX,’ while showing off a PlayBook. Oops. The newly uncovered video was filmed at Mobile World Congress earlier this month and while we can’t quite call it an official confirmation from RIM, it certainly seems to substantiate our report. Though the RIM representative mentioned Dalvik, conflicting reports have stated that RIM won’t end up using the Dalvik engine, but rather a different option.”

It never made a lot of sense to me in the first place that RIM would support QNX Neutrino RTOS, an embedded Unix variation, for its tablets or phones. QNX is an excellent operating system. It has a modular micro-kernel, an excellent Inter-process communication’ (IPC) system, a lightweight user interface, and network-transparent distributed processing. All of which is wonderful, but it still put BlackBerry years behind both Apple with iOS and Google’s Open Handset Alliance Android supporters. Can a mobile vendor really afford to start a new system so far behind its chief competitors? I don’t think so.

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February 27, 2011
by sjvn01
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Wires? We don’t need no stinking Wires! Gigabit Wi-Fi

I think Intel’s Thunderbolt technology with its 10Gbps (Gigabit per second) speeds and support for both for data transfer and displays sounds wonderful. And, yes, I like the idea of cutting down the number of wires coming out of my entertainment center and computers with Thunderbolt. But, really wouldn’t you rather have no wires at all? That’s what a quartet of Wi-Fi technologies are promising.

None of these technologies are quite ready for prime-time, but then, neither is Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt uses the DisplayPort and PCI-Express data protocols over two data transmission channels, and, in theory, can hit up to 10Gbps over copper. That’s twice as fast as USB 3.0. Eventually, optical connections are supposed to bring that up to 100Gbps in burst mode. Even the fastest commercial SATA drives can only deliver 6Gbps.

So, while Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 are all fine in their place, shouldn’t we really be looking to technologies like 802.11ac, 802.11ad, Wireless Gigabit aka WiGig, and Wi-Fi Direct? No, they’re not as fast, but they can everything that Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 can do without any wires.

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February 25, 2011
by sjvn01
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Ubuntu Linux for beginners: Tips for getting started

Maybe it was one piece of malware too many, maybe it was realizing that while Windows 7 doesn’t look like XP, there really wasn’t that much better about it, in any case the day had come when you decided to give Ubuntu Linux a try. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your new experiment in operating systems.

The easiest way to try Ubuntu is to just buy a laptop or PC that already has Ubuntu installed on it. Dell, system76, and ZaReason are all reputable computer vendors who have shipped Ubuntu equipment for years. You won’t go wrong with any of these vendors.

If you’re not in the market for a new PC, it’s easy to give Ubuntu a try on your existing PC. Indeed, you won’t have to change a thing on your computer to try it.

First, you’ll need to download a copy of the latest version of Ubuntu. Today, that’s Ubuntu 10.10. You might be tempted to try a newer version. Don’t give in to temptation. The alpha and beta releases of any Linux system are for expert users, not someone who’s trying Linux for the first time.

The fastest way to get a copy is to download it from the Ubuntu download page. Not sure which version to get? Just go for the 32-bit. Even if your machine can support a 64-bit operating system, the 32-bit edition will still run just fine on your PC.

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