Always on Top

One of the thing most confusing out of Microsoft, has always been Modular, vs. Moduless Dialogue boxes. Lost you right there, didn't I? Basically, I'm talking about if a Window, remains on the top at all times. You can't make it go away without cancel/ok or closing it in some way. It's so confusing, that I frequently forget which is which, so I'm kind of sorry I brought it up.

What I'm thinking about here, today; Is that Linux will let you do this same thing with ANY window, not just those hardwired-programmed to be on top one. Which is a feature, I've been using more and more, myself. Yes, I'm the guy that uses the calculator program, while in the spreadsheet program- that would be me.

With Linux, more and more things, do operate this way, which is an extra step you need to know about- because it's not always automatic. Take K-Magnifier program for example (KMag); KMag follows the mouse around, and magnifies the area around the cursor point. Which can be quite handy on webpages for those of us over 40, where you can Expand the fonts, but not the graphics. But the second you want to scroll the webpage, bam, you loose the magnifier window.

Here's what you do! On the left-hand side icon of the window, you have control menu, as you do in Windows. However, this control window has some features not found in Windows; like a check box that says quite plainly; "Always on Top".

Then there's that "Always on Visible Workspace", too. One of the things, I'm sure you've already figured out in X, there are many workspaces (desktops), and you can switch from one to another. This can be handy for hiding confidential things from the person who just walked into your office, as much as the button that minimizes all open windows on the tool bar. Or for comparing things side by side, even full screen. Ubuntu has like two desktops, while Fedora has like the default 4. Always Visible means the window will shift from desktop to desktop with you, staying in the same place.

There you go, there is one of those differences from Windows things, totally in your control in Linux.

Coming to terms with Ubuntu

Yes, I'm in exile from my favorite, Fedora package, having to slum in Ubuntu. That's right, I say Fedora and you think Micheal Jackson. You say Fedora, and I think Red Hat. We're all a bunch of dorks!

Some like to jump to conclusions and think that I'm somehow belittling Ubuntu, which is not true either. I'm not much of a fan of Debian, which Ubuntu is based on. But Ubuntu is more favorable to me than Debian is. It's a joke, about slumming Ubuntu, and not a very good one, granted! Because people can read things into that comment that really aren't intended, at all. I'm just saying, my CHOICE in an operating system has always been Red Hat products, because that's what I know best- as an old timer, dork!

See, Red Hat was noted for many years of having THE most complete package of software that the consumer could want. Which is not true anymore, just about all Linux offer all the same packages. To get my Logitech webcam working, I jumped into Fedora 11 for a quick test drive, to find out what the program was called that they were so hot on- then added it Ubuntu, and sure enough, it worked just fine in both places. Not that it's worth anything! The point is that the Open Source catalog is the Open Source catalog these days.

What you notice with Ubuntu vs. Fedora, is that EVERYTHING is very brown. While Fedora is very BLUE, and kind of lava lamp trippy. Not that I'm not a earthy guy, after all I hosted Randy's Squirrel Cam for years and years, as a hobby. And I am, a professional wood craftsman too, who lives on the top of a mountain. Earthy should have been my middle name, but thankfully isn't!

Besides color of the desktop, nothing much changes really, once Open Source is Open Source.

However, I do have some issues with Ubuntu and it's selections of software programs that can be added. There are two seperate programs for adding software to the system. The first being the Ubuntu choice programs, I guess (in the Applications menu)? The second being the standard Debian installer (Synaptic Package Manager), hidden in the System/Administration menu. Understanding that there are two programs is important to survivability under Ubuntu, for any old SQL programmer like me.

Apache, PHP, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, are all missing from Ubuntu's choice list, and all essentials in my book. Ubuntu's list is all workstation client things, and not server things. That does not mean that they are not there, and loadable from the Debian side of things. But this version of Synaptic is a lot like finding a needle in a haystack, even using the search tools, and knowing what you want.

However, once I got all I wanted loaded into the operating system, it was fairly painless to get them configured and started. Which is still an article needing to be written, in itself.

My joy was discovering that so many of my Logitech devices are now supported- I seem to have a few. I can't tell you how I squealed like a little girl over my keyboard, kicking the box into sleep mode- NO, I will never power down again, while actually shutting thing off for a change! While being the leaner, meaner, greener, Randy! The restart is blazing fast from out of sleep mode, and everything is just right there, where you left it- vs. Shut Down, were everything is lost, and it has to reboot from Bios on up again, restarting every services, etc. I'll miss my trip for fresh coffee, and the wait- NOT!

Not that I'm really any leaner really, and I might be a little greener, but as an old man I'm sure not trying to become any meaner!

Peace out!
Oh crap, I think I'm a convert?

A month later

It took a month to get my new computer in. Happened just yesterday, so if they think they'll get plug after that, well think again! I can tell the hold up was not motherboards as first claimed. The hold up, was getting their BRAND embedded into the system boards cmos. Anyway it here now, and it appears to just be an AOpen S135. with Intel Atom processor.

I'm no stranger to AOpen. I have one that runs a Penteum II, and is still working! Slowly, but it never was exactly fast. We still have Windows 98 on it. And IE 5 was the last browser. IE6 disabled any number of programs on me, and caused me to fire Microsoft from my office. Which is why I now blog about Linux.

The new box came Ubuntu. And we hear a lot of rumbling about Ubuntu, so it was nice to see it in action (installed on a hard drive).

Clearly my old computer's manufacturer did something wrong on the video system, and none of the new software will work. Which is like a Microsoft trick, but it true in Linux too. I had heard that some manufacturers had some misunderstanding about Plug-n-play, but I didn't expect it to bite me, on equipment that is three years old, honestly.

Back to the new box, because you want to know about this ITX Atom processor, now don't you? Well, it seems to be fast, but while it's running something like a 80watt power supplies, but this thing is putting off heat like a toaster- which causes me to worry about reliability in the long run.

The thing is HUGE compared to what I expected. I really expected it to only be about half the size this turned out to be. So I'm really no closer to my ideal of a tiny box that could fit in a drawer, at all. By the way, don't ever stuff a computer into a cubby whole or a desk drawer.

Let's talk a little about computer placement. They need air circulation big time, and some computer desks don't even understand that. I've seen lots of computers fail from proper air flow around them, it's surprising how little it takes to overheat one. And just how much damage can happen to a motherboard overnight! Keep them out ON the desk! If there is a cubby hole, you might want to find a fan that can blow fresh air into it, EVEN IF THEY WERE DESIGNED TO HOLD A COMPUTER THERE. Otherwise, within days or weeks, you're going to be shopping for a new computer, and calling that brand a P.O.S.

I'm sorry to tell this industry this; but even $300 is a lot of money. Granted it's not $2000 we use to spend on PC's. And yes, they were that expensive back in 1985. What do you think kept Atari and Commodore in business so long? That and horrible graphics- gad they were bad! It's still under the what the hell was IBM thinking file?

Back to the size issue. It's 9 inches tall, and 2 1/4 inches wide, seems small so far? It's 13 inches deep. I expected something is a tad bigger than the second generation Play Station 2, and this isn't even close. 7 1/2 inches deep is what I had hoped for. Got to read those specs rather than going by pictures. It's the size of a full size ATX motherboard, which is extremely disappointing to me. This is even much bigger than a laptop, and I just don't get that? What's the deal here, guys, when they use the same parts inside?

The DVD burner on this thing, doesn't even have a servo driven door. Which makes it seem cheap and cheesy! Not to mention clumsy to handle.

Clearly I'm disappointed. But really only with size. The DVD isn't that important anymore, with Flash Ram coming in the size it is, these days.

Even though I've been around since the mid 80's building boxes. I'm always excited to have a new one on my desk. So there is always a Honeymoon Period. Granted it is one 3rd of the size of the ATX it will replace in the long run, so I'm happy about that, just not ecstatic. I wanted to be WOWed.

Anyway, here I am talking hardware, when I should be talking Linux, in particular UBUNTU. Next posting, I promise!