Jamie's Random Musings on Video IM
Having spent a good part of the last year struggling with a variety of video chat and IM programs, I have decided to write a few things down and see what other people have to say about them.
Friday 4 July 2008, 3:23 PM
Quad Boot - Friday Update - It's Good!
After nearly a full week of working with this quad-boot setup in various stages of completion, I can say that I am very pleased. It is working well and it is allowing me to easily compare the three different versions of Linux, which is just what I wanted. Here are some notes about each of the versions as I went through the setup and configuration.
- Ubuntu: This probably wins the "dead easy" install and use award. Not only did it just install and run, it was the easiest to get the additional software packages installed on. Java, Flash, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, C-Kermit and the Gnome Partition Editor were all found in the Synaptic Package Manager, and Citrix, Opera, Gizmo5 and Skype all installed from downloads on their respective web pages without any trouble. This was also the only version on which I was able to figure out how to disable touchpad tapping without a lot of trouble. The automatic update manager seems to be efficient and reliable.
- openSuSE: This probably wins the "cantankerous" award. In the end, it can probably do everything the other can do, but it just seems to make a big fuss over everything. The pacakages are an odd mix; Firefox 3 is now being distributed as an update, but Thunderbird is still at 2.0.0.12 (two versions behind current). Opera and C-Kermit are included in the packages, but Gizmo5, Skype and Citrix are not. Citrix would not install properly from either of the downloads on their web page; I ended up having to figure out where the plugin needed to be installed, and make a symbolic link into it myself. The automatic update wouldn't work properly, perhaps because it was asking me questions that I didn't understand but I don't think so; but at the same time, manual update worked perfectly.
- Mandriva: This may very well end up being my personal favorite. But you have to be willing to accept that this is a very conservative distribution, they don't rush to include all the latest updates and every possible package. Firefox and Thunderbird are still at 2.x releases, Flash is still at least one release behind, and I couldn't find Java or JRE in packages at all. As with openSuSE, when I installed the Citrix client, I had to manually symlink the plugin to the correct directory before it would work. It is very flexible, it did an excellent job of recognizing and configuring all the hardware in my laptop.
Of course, all three of them are more stable that XP Professional on this laptop, and miles more stable than Vista was. But having XP there to boot when I absolutely need it for something is certainly nice.
Over the weekend and next week, I will get into a few more peripherals, and then perhaps try another Linux variant or two.
jw 4/7/2008
Wednesday 2 July 2008, 12:26 PM
Quad-Boot Fun, and A Correction
First, the good news. I now have my Fujitsu Lifebook S6510 set up to quad-boot XP/Ubuntu/openSuSE/Mandriva! That's certainly worth a few giggles. More importantly, it will make it a lot easier for me to track and compare the various Linux versions, on the same platform. It actually all went very smoothly; details below.
Second the correction. In an earlier post I said that the openSuSE installation did not recognize a previously installed Ubuntu partition and set it up to dual-boot. I was completely wrong; the problem wasn't in the boot setup, it was earlier than that. When I went through the disk partitioning in openSuSE, it came up with its own idea about how and where to install, and then gave me three options - accept, edit partition map, create partition map. I chose edit, and didn't realize that what it gave me to edit already incorporated the "suggested" layout it had come up with - nor did I notice that it had taken over the partition in which Ubuntu was installed, to be used as /home for openSuSE. Chalk that one up to a combination of inattention and inexperience. So, by the time the boot setup procedure came around, the Ubuntu partition was already history. This time, when I set up the quad-boot configuration, I chose "create" instead of "edit", and it gave me the original map as a starting point. I put openSuSE in its own partition, and the boot procedure recognized and configured the Ubuntu (and XP) partitions correctly.
Third, the details. The specific procedure and partitioning that I chose for this quad-boot setup are based on trying to keep the installations as simple as possible, and maximizing the multi-boot flexibility both now and in the future if I decide to add more to this. Therefore, what I did was install XP Professional in the first partition on the disk (I basically have to do that, because I am restoring from Fujitsu "Recovery" DVD, not installing from true Windows distribution media), then connect that disk to another system that is already running Ubuntu, and use the partition editor to create a FAT32 partition where I will keep my documents, pictures, videos and such, and an "Extended" partition which covers the rest of the free disk space. I then created multiple partitions within that extended partitions for Linux. It is interesting to note that all of the versions of Linux that I have tried so far (and I suspect all versions, period), use the same kind of swap space, so I was able to create only one swap partition, and they all use that. Then it was just a matter of installing the Linux versions one by one, and being very careful about disk allocation each time. As each one was installed, it recognized those previously installed, and added them to the "new" boot menu. Very nice.
More to come...
jw 2/7/2008
Tuesday 1 July 2008, 8:39 PM
Skype Hires New COO - from Motorola
Skype announced today that they have created a new position, Chief Operating Officer, and hired someone from Motorola for that position. Considering the performance of Motorola in the cell phone market recently, it seems to me like it should be a good fit. They also chose to continue to propagate the "309 million registered users" lie in the press announcement...
Other Skype news, their "Director of Product Management" wrote a blog entry addressed to the users of the Skype 4.0 beta. He repeats all of the same old empty promises about "we're listening", but of course there are absolutely no concrete results from that. It's the same old Skype mode of operation, tell the users you love them, tell them that you are listening, and do nothing at all, so eventually the fuss dies down because people get tired of complaining. It worked for the overhaul of the Skype User Forums, so I can only assume that the objective with the new release of Skype is the same - to reduce the number of users. If they don't make major changes to the 4.0 beta, it will be every bit as successful in that objective as the Skype Community was.
He also says in the blog that "we've had some very positive feedback from a lot of people"... but of course there are no examples of that. I'd be interested in seeing it, because the only comments I have seen, in blogs and on the Skype Community, has been blanket condemnation and rejection, even from very experienced Skype users. If 95% of the feedback is negative, maybe you should start to consider that you're going in the wrong direction, rather than having a party and trumpeting the 5% who make positive comments.
jw 1/7/2008
Tuesday 1 July 2008, 11:07 AM
Mandriva Linux - Wonderful and Maddening
Well, since I've gone through both Ubuntu and openSuSE Linux, and my curiosity about Unix systems in general has really started to kick in, I've decided to go through a few more variants to see what they are like, how they load on my laptops, and whether I might prefer one of them over my current favorite (Ubuntu). I might end up regretting this decision, but I assume there will be plenty of adventure and frustration along the way, and perhaps some learning and enlightenment.
The next candidate is Mandriva Linux, currently on what they term their "Spring 2008" distribution. The first thing I noticed was an interesting variation in the installation procedure - Mandriva simply boots the Live CD, and once it is up and running there is an "Install" icon on the desktop to start the hard drive installation procedure. The installation procedure itself was very similar to that for Ubuntu and openSUSE - identify where you are in the world, the language you want to install and the type of keyboard you have, then choose how you want to install on the hard drive, with options to preserve any current partitions and just install in available free space, or use the entire drive, plus an "advanced" option to use a partition manager to set up the drive the way you want it.
One thing about the Mandriva installation procedure really impressed me, though. It is the only one so far which recognized the Ubuntu partition on the drive, and added it to the boot list. Oddly, it did not automatically recognize and add the Windows XP partition, but when I went to "Add", and told it to look for Windows, it then found and added it. Perhaps this is a kind of "Linux Elitism", or is meant to be a thumb in the eye of Microsoft, but I thought it added a few unnecessary steps, and might easily be overlooked by a novice user.
On the negative side, the last part of the installation procedure wants you to register as a member of the "Mandriva Community". The window, buttons, and the text that tries to explain this and lead you through the procedure is a rather bizarre combination of bad English and at least one or two other languages that I didn't even recognize. This doesn't make a good impression, to say the least.
After installation, it booted from the hard drive with the aforementioned boot list (Mandriva/Ubuntu/XP). Very nice. By default, Mandrive installs the KDE desktop. Graphically it is quite nice, but it has what I considered an irritating tendency to ask, over and over again, if it is ok to continue doing whatever it was that I had just asked it to do. Shortly after booting, a notification came up that there were updates available online. Following that, and of course answering the "may I continue" question several times, it downloaded and installed a lot of updates.
I was surprised to find that it still has Firefox 2.0.0.14 installed, not even a beta or RC of Firefox 3, and even when I went into the Software Management utility, it didn't list Firefox 3. The same was true of OpenOffice.org 2.4.0 being installed, rather than 2.4.1. This seems a bit slow on updating to me, compared to Ubuntu (which has Firefox 3.0 and OpenOffice 2.4.1 already), and openSuSE (which at least has Firefox 3 beta 5).
Mandriva seemed to do an excellent job of identifying and loading drivers for the hardware in my Lifebook S2110 (AMD Turion 64) laptop. It got the ATI Radeon 200M video and the Atheros Wireless right (although I haven't had a chance to test the wireless setup yet), it handled the Logitech Alto USB hub with no problem, and it even recognized and configured the Logitech V-20 speakers that are connected to the Alto. Of course it got the Alto cordless keyboard right, and the Logitech VX Nano mouse, also connected to the Alto. In fact, I only saw two odd things with the hardware. First, I can't for the life of me figure out how to disable "tapping" on the built-in Alps Touchpad, and I need to do that because it drives me crazy. Second, it listed the integrated AC'97 modem under "Unknown" devices, but it seems to have loaded a driver for it. I haven't tested it yet to make sure that it is actually working.
Overall, my first impression of Mandriva Linux is very positive. It looks good, installs easily, and seems to work quite well. I will continue testing it, and eventually I will try installing it on my main laptop (Lifebook S6510) to see how it comes up there.
jw 1/7/2008
Tuesday 1 July 2008, 8:05 AM
Logitech Alto Cordless Laptop Stand
There was a review of the original Logitech Alto Laptop Stand here on ZDNet UK just over a year ago. Basically everything that was said in that review still applies to this newer model, so I will confine myself to mentioning the differences, and some personal opinion and speculation. (Gasp! Personal opinion from Jamie? Yes!)
The major difference, obviously, is that this Alto has a cordless keyboard. That's a big difference - I wouldn't even consider the original Alto, because I thought it was too inflexible. I find this one to be just right in that regard - the keyboard is good quality, as I have come to expect from Logtiech keybaords, and being cordless solves the big problem with my cluttered desk(s).
From what I see in the original review, the other difference is that this one includes the power supply, rather than selling it separately, although I don't know if it was really always separate.
As I seem to always have both laptops running on my desk now, but I keep telling myself this is a "temporary" situation, I don't want to set up the port replicator and associated paraphernalia for the test laptop. I also wanted to raise the laptop display to a comfortable height for viewing, so the Alto Cordless seemed to be just what I needed. Overall I am pleased with it, and it is accomplishing what I bought it for. But the drawbacks are significant, as mentioned in the original review.
As mentioned in the original review, the laptop rests on its front edge in the stand, which renders any front-side connections or ports unusable. If the laptop has a latch-release button on the front edge, that is likely to be blocked as well, so you have to remember to release the lid before you set it in place on the Alto.
Of course, you also have to connect/disconnect the laptop power, network (if you are using a wired connection), and the USB for the Alto itself. This is a bit tedious, but if you don't want to do that, then you probably need to be using a docking station or port replicator bar rather than an Alto. I find it curious, and unfortunate, that there are only 3 USB ports on the Alto; there's a lot of real estate around the edge of the thing, and I don't think it would take a lot of effort or cost to add several more USB ports.
In fact, it might be good to wrap up this mini-review with my dream about what Logitech could really make for the next generation Alto.
- Add at least another 3 or 4 USB ports
- Add a cordless mouse to go with the cordless keyboard
- Add integrated speakers - either reasonably small ones, along the lines of the wonderful V-20 speakers, or else integrate something like the Logitech Audio Hub into a thicker base of the Alto.
- Add an adjustable lift-bar to the surface that the laptop sits on, so those with smaller laptops can still get the screen up to a usable height. This is going to become more important as the mini-laptop generation (Eee PC and such) becomes more popular.
- Add some cable-clips to the back edge, so that the cables I still have to connect to the laptop don't fall on the floor behind my desk every time I disconnect them.
Unfortunately, doing all that would probably make the price of the next Alto astronomical. I already had to pay a very pricey 189 Swiss Francs for this one! Hopefully that is Swiss market silliness, though, and it is not so expensive elsewhere.
jw 1/7/2008
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