IBM (Ubuntu) vs Microsoft Windows 7?

There is a lot of talk this morning about a rift between IBM and Microsoft? IBM saying that Ubuntu is better for business operation, once it so much cheaper per workstation. I have no idea what this is based on? Some argue that's time in training, but that makes no sense! Your time in training and installing is the same either way? It seems as though IBM choose to exaggerate the impact costs.

While I was in my Anti-Microsoft throws, I wanted all to follow me to Linux. But today, I could careless: I've become the Buddha; I've found my way, now you find yours! I sit here and use Open Office, and write programs that use PostgreSQL off my host's servers, and I'm happy. No need for upgrades, and unwanted licensing.

I can't tell you what the licensing says for any of these programs anymore. I just don't care, and I totally stopped reading them. I even got tagged as a Spammer on Blogger, because I ignore the rules now. I just don't care anymore what they say, or what they mean. It's; "Yah, yah, yah, Enter!" I'm not an attorney, I don't care, and I don't really even want to know. 20+ years in this business will do that to you!

Why you keep paying for use of an OPERATING SYSTEM is well beyond me? Is anyone really going to RUSH OUT, and invest in Windows 7? Really? Most of us buy a computer, and use what's on it, until it's worn out, these days. Why upgrade, unless you have to?

Dangers of being on the Iceberg

Things have gotten better, but historically, turning to Linux as your workstation had certain dangers! The greatest of these dangers, is multi-media. Windows rules Media. And you think to yourself, that's no big deal until your are stranded and can't get information because of Windows media files aren't supported by your browser!

I had this happen during one of the Fire Evacuations, just a few years ago. A website of locals had a scanner system setup to pass through the web. But I couldn't get to it, so I had to watch the transcripts. And there apparently was a transcriber, who took a Monday Night Football break. I'm worried about my house burning down, and he's watching football, but at least he was honest about it, and that was a normal Monday night blow-out, so I'm certain the right team won! Anyway, with this weeks events more California Forests going up in flames, brought those memories flooding back.

The first thing to do, about getting off the iceberg is to install the VLC media player, and make it the default application for media. Newer version of that has a Firefox plug-in. Which install itself quite seamlessly.

Second thing to do, is install Java Run Time. Which now has a plug-in for Firefox. So install it, go to a Java website (java.com) and go to the page of how do I know it's working. And watch to see if it doesn't tell you now, that you need to install a plug-in. I realized that you are now trained to ignore this missing plug in request, so look carefully for it. If Java is working the page is quite animated, and it's unmistakable. If it's not working, it's actually hard to tell, because it's just a page full of words, with no broken icon there or anything? So feel around in the dark, and get that fully installed, and functional!

Ubuntu comes fairly complete with support for Shockwave/Flash files already installed. Fedora, you might have to make a trip to Firefox.com, and go to the plug-ins page first.

Between Java, VLC, and the Adobe media plug-ins, you wont be stranded afar as I was in my last evacuation, no matter what? I'm still just as stumped as anyone else about how to play a movie from a DVD in Linux, but at least this will handle 99% of your portability problems, with media!

Those annoying passwords again!

As the saga continues, about my migration from Fedora to Ubuntu, once again I got slammed by a password, I had forgotten I had set. But let's back up for minute, and talk about the migration, before I talk about the password fiasco.

Much to my own surprise, most of the transition from Fedora to Ubuntu has been rather seamless. With the possible exception of Java, which had a second Plug-in for Firefox, that was not installed with the JRE, but most things have been well integrated, and are complete. That is to say ready to go, cross connected and hooked up, to the existing things. Which has had me rather spoiled, up until Java. While trying to debug the Java installation, I just happened to notice out the corner of my eye, the missing plug-in button on Firefox. It was almost like it was hiding in plain sight.

We talking about another annoying password today. See, a month ago I restored PostgreSQL and MySQL, along with the PHP support for Apache. And I'm sure I just lost all the newbies! So let's explain;
Apache = Unix Webpage Server.
PHP = Popular Built-in "Personal Home Page" language, giving you server side control without using compiled C programs or Perl scripts. PHP is generally the easiest way to connect your webpage to databases.
SQL = database engines!

Ubuntu out of the box is setup as a Workstation, and not a server. So Apache/PHP, and SQL's are things your going to have to install on your own. Once these are SERVERS (they want to talk and share), it is a very good idea to reset Administrator passwords from the default values, which is exactly what I forgot about having done!

So here I am, wasting a whole day, trying to start a new database, and struggling with the whole processing, and wondering if an automatic update, hadn't failed, and torpedoed me somehow? I was running Man pages, trying to find a clue, reading about every command line option. I have a personal database setup, so clearly I had it all working right at one point or another? But it sure wasn't working now, and the Blog engine I was trying test drive, required that I get it done on my own, before it could continue. So what had changed? Well, I'm not sure exactly what it was that clued me into the password issue, and trying some of my normal alternatives, but the problem turned out to be using wrong password on the administration account. Apparently the SQL guru's didn't want to clue you in too much about that problem, to make it harder to hack- I assume?

Once that problem was salved, I felt like a complete idiot. And I still owe you a tutorial or two about SQL servers to begin with... so stay tuned!

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!

Did I give up?

Hello dorks! The answer is NO! I'm still here, sorry about that. Although, the nature of Blogger, I'm not sure that I'm apologizing to anyone at all, even? Because, I know of no other Linux users by choice, other than myself- and it's only because I'm that cheap!!!

I haven't had much to report, because I'm stuck in this rut, with a machine that will not let me upgrade. I realize that it's something I've harped on, several times now, and I have recently taken action to correct the problem- BUT I'VE BEEN BACKORDERED! How annoying is that?

The new system with come with Ubuntu preinstalled. And frankly, I'm kind of nervous about it! I'm not an expert in Ubuntu, as you may know. It's one of the systems, my current motherboard rejects. So, I've got to learn how to become the root user, from a system I didn't install? I'm scared! There is some sudo kind of command, now isn't there, which is not how Red Hat operates, so I'm a fish out of water on this. And no, I'm not looking forward to reading... how ironic?

I ordered one of those Tiny ITX type of systems- one of the new Intel Atom ones. But they've turned out to be so popular, they tell me, that they sold out right away. I don't honestly know if that's the truth or not? So here I sit, just hanging. Wanting to post some new discoveries, but not having anything to comment on. Or even a new product to plug. The guys that have me back ordered aren't getting a plug, until they deliver- even then, they'd better fix it soon! Or it's; NO SOUP FOR YOU!

The Color Laser printer has worked out very well, indeed. However it does skip lines sometimes. There is an altitude adjustment in the software, that only seems to work in Windows. And while, I've downloaded newer versions of the Linux software- that feature still isn't working. And I don't know if it fixes the problem for sure or not? My only complaint about it, is that it doesn't offer the nearly the number of printed pages that it claims per cartage. However, I've also learned not to overreact to it saying that it's out of toner- run that puppy until the color actually starts disappearing before you replace them. It's only off by about 100 pages, with most printing.

Anyway, still here! Still using Linux. Almost happy. As happy as a person can be waiting... Meanwhile, I'm in a GUI place, with an Open Source Heart, watching the hackers fly by. Only wishing I could play an MP3 file!!! (Yes, I know about VLC, it was a joke- dork!) The one I struggle with, even with VLC is DVD movies- just can't get them to work. So Linux is still very close to the gates of Multimedia Hell, when compared to Windows.

I guess I should be writing about Databases, once that's one of the dark corners of Linux, yet, where you've got to be REAL GEEK to get that setup. That's about as important as anything, to businessmen- even though most will get by with just a Spreadsheet. I just wanted you to know, that I'm working on it, I really am. It's just a very big byte to nibble on!