Amazing picture!!

From other blog:

In the pic below you can see two faces.A normal face on the right and a wicked one on the left.Now get up from your chair and walk some 8 steps back and see the magic.The two faces interchange their positions:

Neat, isn’t it?

Push the Button

Zeth

While it is real flattery to hear that you liked “Push the button” song, I for once, don’t like it.

Tippex (which is their real name, as in “fixing fluid”, not packs of tee 🙂 ), is a great band and they have really great songs.

Why this one was specifically chosen for Eurovision and by whom – is a mistery to me.

Cheers.

-A.

Linux and pornography

Taken from: http://pcnews.ru/news/linux-microsoft-open-170187.html (link in Russian)

Fast translation (from Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs):
“The fact of installing Linux OS is not, unfortunately, considered a crime under the Russian law. It just absolute evidence that a computer user is feared that someone else may find what is he really doing on the computer and hence he/she is trying to hide something. Such a user is considered to be a hacker, and should be registered, listed, checked upon periodically and also should be called for explanation talks. Having a Linux on computer is the same as having a pornography: while not being strictly forbidden to have and store on users’ computer, its usage patterns such as production, distribution and child porn activities is forbidden by law and are definitely illegal”.

🙂

Ubuntu is SuperOS

Ubuntu. Humanity to others. That’s what it means, right?

For many of us, it is the Linux OS. For some, it is the only one. For others – its the show-off brother. An enemy for others.

What is it about Ubuntu, which in few years of its existence became one of the leading distros around, and the one for many? It gave a basis for many others and variations of sorts.
And what does it mean for the rest of us?

There are many explanations for many things, but I’m going to dig few important ones.

First. Ubuntu is GNU/Linux operating system. All those who jealous, please hold your peace. Ubuntu pushes forward the same thing that you do. It’s in a user experience, stupid.

Second. Ubuntu is made with usability in mind. All Debian zealots (who “translate” Ubuntu as “can’t install Debian”) are probably correct from technical standpoint. They just forget, that computer is a tool, and I (and many many many) other users do not use Ubuntu, or Debian or Gentoo. They use computer. Surfing the web. Reading email. Watching porn movies. These sorts of things. So we don’t actually care most of the time what operates our computer tool. That’s why many of us like Ubuntu.

Third. Ubuntu has a commercial support of involved vendor. This in turn means that there will be someone who will push it further while money is in the game. Given that Linux OSes came up greatly up until now without formal support of many distributions (except maybe Red Hat and Novell), another player is definitely a plus, even though Red Hat and Novell do not see it that way.

Forth. Ubuntu is about community. Everyone knows it by now. For such a project to be successful, it has to build a community around it. There was a basis for this community in the first place: Debian. But Debian folk missed the usability part. Ubuntu created a community which is fun to be in. This leads us to –

Fifth. Ubuntu is a successful business model. Take some niche but wanted and/or undeveloped area. Find negative aspects in existing offers. Make what other don’t. Eat them alive.

Sixth. Ubuntu is making it with a good planning and within the wishes of their users. Who said that I will always want open software? Yes, I’d prefer it to other one, but hey, first and foremost I want my tool to work. “No 3d drivers? You mean, not at all? Not even those non open source ones? No, thank you, I will use Ubuntu instead”.

Seventh. Ubuntu is doing it for every platform. Desktop. Server. Mobile. Internet Kiosks. Ubuntu is everywhere.

And you know what? They will succeed. Where Red Hat will fail, Ubuntu will pick up. Where Novell will piss some communities off, Ubuntu will be careful.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe for a second Ubuntu is perfect. I don’t think that any such project can be.

But I also remember, that their success will benefit me in all the ways possible.
Go Ubuntu!

-A.

Technorati : Gentoo, Linux, Ubuntu, technology

I have to post

Words are useless 🙂

Switching Blogger

Hi all!

First of all, this is my 100’th post on this blog! (applause please).

Second, with this post I understood that I’ve probably overgrown the Blogger‘s platform, and need a better one. More stand-alone, more of my choice 🙂

So, now I’m in blogging platform search. I am looking for the following:

1. Software platform – should I get something online or should I install my own?
2. Hardware – depends on 1) – should I use co-location service, virtual or my own server?
3. What’s is the best price/performance possible way to do it? (by performance I would probably mean allowed traffic).

I hope someone can suggest me something great! Thanks all.

Standard Linux – is it possible?

I’ve read a post by Dana Blankenhorn, who “has been a business journalist for nearly 25 years and has covered the online world professionally since 1985”.

Here’s a trackback to a story.

He’s talking about running a “standard” Linux distribution. Not choosing one, but rather, using one.

I like his way of thinking actually. If mostly used distribution is Ubuntu, doesn’t that makes it “standard”? Wouldn’t it be easier for all to create and distribute products that would work with this vendor? Wouldn’t it be great to optimize ourselves to work with/on it the best way possible?

Well, yes and no.

Yes because all Linux distributions (and Ubuntu in particular) are built alike. All of them include the kernel (it is a kernel what makes Linux after all), basic software, X server system (with great graphics support), management tools and software, which is generally the same on all of them. So, when an application or product is “ready” for Ubuntu, is will not be daunting or hard task to make it work with almost any other Linux distribution.

And no because it seems to me we already been in this scenario. Just imagine: a real alternative to Microsoft’s and Apple’s OSes, and a good one. It is so good, that many vendors start creating a products for it and based on it. Hardware vendors provide drivers and optimize their hardware. Accessories are made. Software is getting better. Ain’t it great? The world, where at least one distribution becomes as good as commercial operating systems?

But that is exactly the world we’re trying to change. We don’t want the “lock-in” on a single vendor. I don’t want to be forced to use something I don’t choose by myself. We already have such vendor in our midst. Wanna guess who that is?

Isn’t that the reason we do what we do with free software in the first place?

I’m all for innovation. I’m in favor of competition. I am in favor of trying to achieve high goals.

But I can’t stand a choice forced on me. Even with best intentions in mind.

Technorati : Linux, Ubuntu, technology

Dell rumors – Ubuntu, here we come

Well, I guess by now you all have heard the news.

It’s a May, 1!! The International workers day!!
Well, yes, but it is not what I meant. The rumor du jour today is Dell choosing Ubuntu Linux for its linux-powered products.

The article is telling us much of the story:

Dell will be announcing a partnership with Canonical to ship pre-loaded Linux models with Ubuntu,” stated Jane Silber, Canonical’s Chief Operating Officer. “They’ll be selling these models from their Web site with Ubuntu pre-installed. Canonical in turn will be working with Dell to certify those models to insure that all components are fully functional and will also provide support that will be sold through the Dell Web site.

I’m personally happy about it for 2 possible reasons:

1. I hope it will somehow bring prices down for Dell’s laptops (not that I’m fond in that department, but it is nice anyways)
2. I hope Dell will be building a machine with all-supported-by-linux hardware, which makes me really happy.

While the first reason is not that important for me (albeit too appealing).

But this is what they say about the second reason:

We’re working very closely with the Dell engineering team and they are working closely with us, in terms of… working with those specific models and ensure that all components of that system work properly,” Silber explained. “As a consumer, you can confidently buy from that Web site, know that its certified by Canonical, that Ubuntu will run on that without driver issues

That is exactly what is making me happy. That some major vendor will produce a laptop, whose components will be supported by a major Linux distribution and for which drivers will be provided to support all the hardware found within the laptop itself.
Is it the beginning of the great world of multiple vendors supporting Linux within their product lines? I’d be very delighted.
And, Canonical seems to agree with me (heh, 🙂 ):

Regardless of this deal’s origins, Canonical’s staff is pretty excited, seeing this as a validation not only for their own distribution, but for desktop Linux as a whole.

I think it’s the first time a major tier-one vendor is pre-installing and shipping consumer models on this scale,” Silber [of Canonical] stated.

Technorati : Gentoo, technology

WIFI "The new generation"

Hey all
It seems that new improved WiFi stack is heading into the mainstream kernel.
Ain’t this great or what?? Finally I can be able to buy a new laptop with supported Wifi (supposedly this year)…

[Technorati] : technology

On another note, Jürgen – I find what Patrick said hillarious. We all need some fun and relief in our lives 🙂

Tagging everywhere

Hi all

After I wrote about ‘tagging revised‘, I just came down to earth a little bit. To using “normal” tags.

I wrote in that post about tagging used in different applications. A special one, one which is close to my heart, is an email tagging. At the time of writing of that post, I noted that there’s a one desktop application which tags email, and there’s of course, Gmail.

But none of them works in corporate and enterprise environments at this moment. Not because they are not good. Both application are very good on their own, and provide very good user experience. But I don’t see them replace Outlook fast on the corporate desktop. And here’s why (albeit questionable):

There’s currently one king of enterprise messaging. It is a MS Exchange Server. While the reality is being slowly rebalanced with other software, there are features that only Exchange server can provide, and those features are very important in a business world. Please don’t start argument with me about how “the other” or “alternatives” are better. I know what are they better at, but still, all of the alternatives try to provide the very same list of features, just make it “better”, “easier”, “safer”, etc.
Now, the best client for MS Exchange server is Outlook, and there’s no point in arguing about it. I’m working with Outlook for a long time, and I came to conclusion, that it is one of the best collaboration applications out there. Why do you think Evolution looks the same? Because feature-wise, it is the same, and it aims after Outlook.

Well, fine, we can’t change Outlook to something else fast enough. I get it. And here lies my problem: I believe I desperately need tags in email. I need tags in Outlook.

Hence, I’ve been trapped in this situation: on one hand I do use Outlook (we do have an Exchange server in our organization), and I want to use the tagging feature that Outlook doesn’t support. Categories in Outlook are not the same, they won’t allow me features I require and that I can get from tags.

As a result of this problem, I made a search around for an add-on to for Outlook which could help and introduce me tags to Outlook. Recently I have found one: it is an application with connects to Outlook, called SideFinder.

This application would allow me to use tags the way I want. It would allow me to put my email in multiple folders. It would allow me fast finding of my items. It would allow me much easier work with my information.

There’s no product available for direct download, but one can sign to beta program. I’m already signed, and will get it soon enough. And then I will be able to see whether I’ve found the application I need.

Great day to you all.