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OLPC Mission Has Changed
2008-05-02 21:32:00
Has the mission of OLPC changed so much? I say it has. No longer are the five core principals initially employed when the project started valid. The original Five Core Principles were:Child OwnershipLow AgesSaturationConnectionFree and Open SourceIt's important to quote what is under #5 above:The child with an XO is not just a passive consumer of knowledge, but an active participant in a learning community. As the children grow and pursue new ideas, the software, content, resources, and tools should be able to grow with them. The very global nature of OLPC demands that growth be driven locally, in large part by the children themselves. Each child with an XO can leverage the learning of every other child. They teach each other, share ideas, and through the social nature of the interface, support each other's intellectual growth. Children are learners and teachers. There is no inherent external dependency in being able to localize software into their language, fix the software to...
More About: Mission

Linux Blog and Blogbridge Link Winners Announced
2008-04-30 16:24:00
In February, I asked for submissions for you favorite linux websites and offered up a link from Yet Another Linux Blog as incentive for those submissions. I've selected a few blogs to include not only as a link here, but also as a feature Linux site for inclusion in the Linux Expert Guide at BlogBridge.com.How it WorksSomeone downloads Blogbridge. During installation, it asks them what they are interested in. If they say Linux, the BlogBridge expert guide feedlist is given to the person. This is quite a nice thing for an up and coming blog or even an established one. Congratulations to those selected: Continue reading "Linux Blog and Blogbridge Link Winners Announced"

Foresight Linux and Conary Part I
2008-04-23 16:33:00
People flat out do not understand anything about Conary. What I hear the most:Why another package manger? Isn't there already too many of these out there? Why use Conary when I can apt-get? Apt-get is soooo much better. Dpkg gives you sooooo much more than anything could possibly give you. Conary is still beta quality...rpm and deb are much more developed mature.If the person(s) asking the questions above actually understood what Conary is and CAN do...they would see this is a very limited view of Conary. Not only is conary a package management system vis-a-vis a system that manages EVERY single package of software on your system...it is also a powerful version control system for software packages and packaging. It's an enabling mechanism for packaging software quickly and easily.I'd like to go over some of the things I think are great about Conary...clear up some of the "why is this needed" speak by showing how Conary actually gets things right and the common p...
More About: Linux , Part , Foresight

Foresight KDE Alpha-Alpha-Pre-Alpha-Pre Screenshot
2008-04-22 23:35:00
Is that Foresight Linux running a pre-pre-pre-alpha-alpha-alpha build of KDE 3.5.9 I see? Those of you interested in helping us develop, package, or use KDE are welcome to join us in IRC #foresight-kde freenode.  Plans are to build a 3.5.9 Stable version and wait until 4.1 is released to push out a 4.1 version.  Of course, we'll have 4.0.X builds available for testing and fun all the while :)  Please, lend us a hand and file those bug reports!
More About: Screenshot , Alpha

Thunderbird and Lightning .8
2008-04-07 18:38:00
I saw that Lightning .8, a calendar extension for thunderbird, had been released and my heart jumped.  Had they fixed the memory leak that forced me to abandon it in version .7?I used to use Lightning for my google calendar in versions before .7...When .7 came out, it caused Thunderbird to rocket memory usage above 80% which brought my computer to a screeching halt.  I figured I'd not use it until next version (and submitted a bug report as well).Today I downloaded .8 in hopes it would work better.  It doesn't.  Memory usage still skyrockets when attempting use the google calendar (provider addon) and the remember mismatched domains add on with it (otherwise you're unable to connect or get a popup every time you view).Is it one of these plugins causing it?  Is it Lightning?  I'm leaning toward the latter...even when uninstalling the extensions, I still get memory usage skyrocketing.  Either way, syncing your google calendar with Lightning isn't a very smooth thing to do ...

Why Business Doesn't "get" Desktop Linux
2008-03-24 00:40:00
I used to skateboard when I was a teenager. This was during the times when Tony Hawk was in his prime...Powell Peralta was the number one skateboard company on the planet, and Thrasher magazine was the number one choice of reading material.Most of my friends at that time all rode Powell Peralta boards. The thing is...I was always looking for an advantage...something that could give me a competitive street skating advantage or something that just plainly worked better.I found that advantage in H-Street equipment. I began riding a naked H-Street board with H-Street Arrow wheels. Switched from tracker trucks to independent and changed my bearings from German to Swiss. I watched Hokus Pokus and idolized Danny Way. I was ridiculed. I was told that I didn't know what I was doing. I was told that H-Street was no Powell Peralta. A year later, everyone had a Hokus Pokus poster on their wall and were trying to get the gear and equipment I had already purchased.I'm not saying I'm a...
More About: Linux , Business , Desktop

Get a Link from YALB, Become a Featured Site at Blogbridge.com
2008-03-12 23:27:00
I previously blogged about how your website/blog (or one you know of) could be a featured blog for BlogBridge.com. For those of you unfamiliar with what blogbridge is...it's a program that allows you to manage all your RSS feeds that is cross platform.This 'featured' list is a default list for the "Linux" feed that users can select after installing. If they don't want to add their own linux feeds and would rather use the "expert feed" built in function, they'll download the Syndication list I've created for blogbridge. Sound like something you would like to be a part of?The response to my initial post was a bit underwhelming...remember, this could be just a blog you read on a daily basis. If you have a linux website you can't do without and it has an RSS feed, let me know about it! If you don't feel like doing that, let the authors of those sites know that they can submit their site. Remember, those I choose will get a direct link from this blog to ...
More About: Site , Link , Featured

Foresight Users and Developer Conference 2008
2008-03-11 13:46:00
Are you interested in Foresight Linux or the Conary package management system? Are you located in or near North Carolina...specifically Raleigh? If so, join us April 18th through the 20th for the Foresight Users and Developer Conference !Even if you're not a Foresight User and are just curious about the Conary System Manager, Software Appliances, or software packaging...it would be a great boon to understanding how these things give Foresight an edge over most distros.Signup on the wiki page (add your name) to attend and we'll see you there
More About: 2008

Installing and Using RealPlayer on Foresight Linux
2008-02-26 15:40:00
Last night, I decided to install RealPlayer onto my fresh Foresight Linux 1.4.X install. I've replaced my main workstation with Foresight due to convenience (I use it at work) and I use RealPlayer from time to time for videos and music.No package exists for RealPlayer in the repositories, so head over to Real.com and download the .bin file. After the .bin file has been downloaded, use the following commands to install: chmod 755 RealPlayer10GOLD.bin && sudo ./RealPlayer10Gold.binIn the terminal, it will ask you what directory you'd like to install RealPlayer into. I chose /opt/RealPlayer (you'll have to type it in) because I'd rather have the files installed there than in my home directory, which is where I downloaded the file to. After this, you'll have a shiny, new shortcut inside Applications >> Sound and Video >> RealPlayer. Click on this to launch the program and follow the wizard. The wizard will setup the Mozilla (firefox) plugins for you but th...

Installing Openbox on Foresight Linux
2008-02-08 17:47:00
My friend Og Maciel originally introduced me to Openbox a while back and I’ve been using it ever since. I love the lightweight feel, the ability to customize and the center around having NO icons on my desktop. I don’t feel cluttered when I work! I published a version of this tutorial/how-to on my previous blog that I’ve retired. It was originally for Openbox 3.4.2 but I’ve now updated it for Openbox 3.4.6.1. This tutorial is tailored for Foresight Linux 1.4.X but the guide may very well serve other distros as well. Continue reading "Installing Openbox on Foresight Linux"

Mediawiki: Remove External Arrow from Links
2008-02-07 18:34:00
My main job here at rPath, Inc. is to document our technologies via the rPath Documentation Wiki. For this wiki, we use a Mediawiki Appliance. For those that don’t know, the “appliance” I refer to here is a software appliance...something rPath technologies make easy to maintain and create. For more information see the definition of a software appliance here.Moving on, I was ANNOYED by the fact that you have a small arrow “” that appears beside any image that references an external URL or any link that does the same. This is fine to let people know that links will take them to a different page...but what I was trying to do was to make a PDF Icon have the same link as the URL it was sitting beside:So in the above image, if one clicked on the PDF icon or the “Application to Appliance: A Hands-on Guide (PDF)” the PDF would download.Mediawiki doesn’t provide a fantastic way for you to do this. However, after some snooping around via go...
More About: Links , External

A New User Guide to Linux Communities
2008-02-06 17:29:00
Are you a new Linux user? Fantastic! Welcome to the world of freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom from vendor lockin. You’ve made an excellent choice. Now that you’ve chosen, installed, and are using Linux there are a few things you should keep in mind as you learn the ropes of your new system.1. Not all Communities are the SameEach Linux distribution has its own distinct community with their own ideas. Think of owning a vehicle or a certain brand of appliance...along with the ownership of this comes the lifestyle that is reflected by users/owners of the product. The same is true with Linux. Each community will have a different idea on what is important. What is important to you may not be even on the radar of those users and developers of that community. Find one that suits you. Keeping this in mind, be patient. Ask questions the smart way. Be explicit and tactful. Be precise and direct. Provide more information than you think is nece...
More About: Guide , User

Become a Featured Blog at BlogBridge.com Linux Topic Guide
2008-02-01 23:36:00
Would you like to have your blog about Linux become a featured blog on the Blog Bridge.com Linux Topic Guide ? How about a front page link in the “Blogs I Read” column on Yet Another Linux Blog?  If this piques your interest, read on.I’ve been a BlogBridge user for quite some time since discovering it with the version 4 release. It has consistently been the best RSS feed reader I have used since that time. I accept no substitutes. They offer the BlogBridge service for free which allows you to publish feeds on BlogBridge.com publicly and share feeds/tags of posts. You can also download Topic Guides to hit the ground running with pre-populated feeds. I am an author of one of those feeds.Previously, when I reviewed BlogBridge, I was asked to be the Linux Topic Guide at blogbridge.com. Specifics on how this works: I keep tabs on various Linux centric blogs and publish my feeds to blogbridge.com. Then, when someone installs Blogbridge, they may select the Topic ...
More About: Featured

The rPath Forum goes Live!
2008-02-01 21:57:00
Here at rPath we use our own Mediawiki appliance for documentation (what is a software appliance?). While this is an excellent way of getting things documented quickly (as wiki’s are) it is NOT a great place for community based questions to influx nor a good place for knowledgebase questions to be stored. Often, the discussion tab on wiki’s go ignored with issue tracking systems replacing problems users have.The problem with issue tracking systems is they have workflows of their own and often are impartial where they don’t need to be . Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place where like users of software could come together to ask questions and help each other reach conclusive answers? Hence, the rPath Forum was born.Stef created the Simple Machines Forum Appliance, which you can install and run in various formats such as VMWare, Xen, ISO, RAW, and even a Live CD (in x86 and x86_64 bit flavors!). What a wonderful concept...to be able to quickly download a...

gmrun and openbox
2008-01-27 01:02:00
My friend Og Maciel and I had a short package session today where we updated some openbox items that we use such as Nitrogen for wallpaper, pypanel, and something we didn’t package before...gmrun. Install it with:CODE:sudo conary update&nb sp;gmrunI’ve patched the default gmrunrc file so that when it executes, it places itself toward the top right hand side of the desktop. To override this, create a .gmrunrc from the default.CODE:cp /usr/share/gmrun/gmr unrc ~/.gmrunrcalter the left and top values to move it around on the screen. Width may also be adjusted. You can also use openbox to bind this to Alt-F2 or a key combo of your choosing. Open up ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml and add the following in the <keyboard> section:CODE:<keybind key="A -F2"></p><p><actio n name="execute"><ex ecute>gmrun</execute></action ></p><p></keybind>Th ere are also some built in macros...

Google Reader, You Suck
2008-01-26 21:07:00
When I’m not using BlogBridge (that is, when I’m checking my feeds from someone elses computer) I check via Google Reader . It’s been quite nice for me to check out what’s happening in the world of Linux while away from my standard feed reading environment.Recently though, they have changed the default behavior. Now when I want to mark an entire feed read (feeds with a large number of unread feeds), an annoying confirmation dialog box pops up and I have to confirm that I truly do want to mark all of my feeds as read (in true Microsoftian-esque style mind you).Whoever enabled this needs to be sentenced to a life of annoying popup dialog boxes. Make their primary desktop be Vista and make them turn on the UAC and make them do their normal job. Sentence them to an entire year of stupid annoying popups. I despise popup dialogs...the demon brain children of the department of redundancy department... (a department google must now have created...and here I thoug...
More About: Google Reader , Suck

Foresight KDE Alpha3
2008-01-23 17:58:00
NOTE: For clarification purposes...this is not an official release. It is only accessible to developers. It is called Foresight KDE Alpha3 because it is based on the underlying architecture in Foresight Gnome alpha3 release.For those of you with developer status or above on the Foresight Linux project, there is a KDE build available for testing (along with XFCE if you really have ambitions). Login to rBuilder Online, Click on the Foresight Linux Project, go to Manage Builds and search for Foresight Linux KDE Alpha3 and click it (DVD only). I downloaded and tested this build release to see how things are going.Foresight KDE inherits all the goodness from the Foresight Linux project. This means the install is tar based and completes in less than 7 minutes. It also means Syslinux, Compiz Fusion, and more from the Release Notes. If you are interested in helping us develop further, please visit us in freenode #foresight-kde.FindingsI found 3 major issues during testing. First, u...

Empowering the Linux Community
2008-01-18 18:58:00
From a Linux Developer point of view, when users are no longer developing with you...you’ve lost.  Empowerment is key to a successful community in Linux.  The day the community is no longer empowered to improve is the day the distribution dies.  What kills empowerment?  Helplessness.  Despair.  Inability.As an example, a user might not like it if you tell them their bug will not be fixed for the next release.  This is normal practice in many major distributions.  But if you tell a user that their bug won’t be fixed through 4 releases, you may have a problem.  Unfortunately, this also is becoming a normal practice for some major distributions. Continue reading "Empowering the Linux Community "

Use Foresight Linux? Add Some Spice to Your Life!
2008-01-15 21:32:00
Hot on the heels of the .4 beta release of Spice bird and a Life hacker article previewing spicebird (with many screenshots and functionality tests) I bring you the Conary package available for your consumption. To install spicebird on Foresight :CODE:sudo conary upda te spicebird=/foresight.rpath.org@fl :1-contribWhat is Spicebird? From the Spicebird.com homepage: Spicebird is your one platform for many collaboration needs. It provides e-mail, calendaring and instant messaging with intuitive integration and unlimited extensibility. View the DemoSee ScreenshotsCheck the RoadmapPlease remember that Spicebird is beta software currently so use it at your own risk. Enjoy!
More About: Linux

Is the iPhone killing the Playstation?
2008-01-11 16:48:00
What? The Playstation and iPhone? You bet. First, some background and reference material for that background. Now using the same information linked above, I can logically say that the iPhone may be killing the Playstation. After all, this comparison can be drawn...both have browsers right? Both are on platforms that aren’t PC’s. I draw this conclusion of course to show the fallacy represented in the article above.I love market share studies. They’re ultimately inaccurate. Yet many websites quote them and use them in drawing conclusions to appeal to readers. Good idea to get your click through rate to soar and score some cash on the old advertisements... Most market share studies are most likely based on two things: Computers that are sold and what operating system is pre-installed on the computerBrowser statisticsI’m going to assume that NetApplications, who published the chart, were using browser statistics...because it makes more sense than the pr...
More About: Iphone , Killing

Are You Secure?
2007-12-18 18:51:00
When I was little, I was afraid of heights (to a degree, I still am). Therefore, you hardly ever caught me climbing trees or swinging high...anytime anyone wanted to elevate past my head level in any shape and form I was grounded..literally. The feeling of security given when my feet touched the ground was comforting. I knew from experience that the ground would be there...it wasn’t going to swallow me up whole (didn’t know much about earthquakes at this time). There were no pitfalls that I was aware of.Fast forward to today.I still get a sense of security by the ground being under my feet...this time with my operating system. I know that Linux doesn’t have any pitfalls, no security breached backdoors...because I can SEE the code. It’s like I am Indiana Jones being given a map of every single boobie trap before he enters the temple to get the artifact. Continue reading "Are You Secure ?"

Follow-Up: BBC Caves on iPlayer - Linux Support Added
2007-12-14 06:48:00
Looks like the BBC buckled under backlash from bloggers (say that 20 times fast). They’ll be offering their iPlayer in Mac and Linux flavors I talked about what a crock they had begun to simmer with a Windows only version a few weeks ago. Glad to see that they have understood that the benefits outweigh the caveats many times over.It’s much like standards compliant web pages...you only limit yourself by making your page non-compliant...because it won’t display in all browsers. You lose business if you have an ecommerce site...you lost hits if you have a blog. The BBC now understands that by limiting the ability of those to use its player, it shut the door to those users. It also knows that a network of bloggers is a powerful force to be reckoned with.Whether Linux and Mac users be a small number or a large number, the BBC has set precedent here that I hope they follow in the future. Keep Open BBC!
More About: Support , Caves

Thoughts on Package Management
2007-12-12 23:28:00
The Change in Distro-LandDistros have changed. In the past, they were made up of a small, tightly knit group collaborators working toward a common goal. With distributions today we now have an informal, large group of collaborators...some of which may not even be aware of the main goal of the distro. That informal collaborator may just want package foo version 2.2 included in his/her distribution so that he/she can use it on their desktop. How does that informal collaborator become empowered? How can the developers reap what that collaborator sows and harness the collective collaboration of thousands of informal contributors? The answer for many software projects is version control. But how can this system benefit package management?What If?What if you could combine SVN/CVS/git behavior and packages? What if when you build the package properly, it is checked into the software development tree. You’d be eliminating an entire step in the process (i.e. working more effic...
More About: Management , Thoughts , Package

Alltray in Foresight
2007-11-28 17:45:00
I’ve recently packaged up Alltray, a handy tool for keeping items minimized to the gnome task bar, in Foresight Linux. For those of you who new to my blog...I’ve recently switched jobs to from the state of Virginia (project management) to work for rPath, Inc. rPath is responsible for some innovative software development tools centered around the Conary package manager and also creates a minimalistic linux distribution that serves as source for Foresight Linux. I’ve recently become active in helping develop the KDE Version of Foresight Linux. I’m by no means a programmer. I’ve been hired on as a documentation specialist. Yet, Conary is simplistic enough that I can roll my own packages. I’m quite impressed by it’s simplicity and power. If you’d like to help out or are curious about KDE Foresight or the Conary package manager, visit us on freenode #foresight-kdeFor those of you wanting alltray goodness...update via Packagekit by...

Print Readable Man Pages
2007-11-14 20:49:00
Ever wonder how you can get a man page in into a format you can read and print? There’s many methods of doing it (copy and paste is one) but one the easiest I’ve found is:CODE:man command | col& nbsp;-x -b  > &nbs p;command.txtWhere command is the Linux command man page you want to print/view.  From there, open up command.txt in your favorite gui text editor (gedit, kate) and you have a readable format that could be printed quite easily for reference.
More About: Print , Pages , Ages

Botnets: Storm, Rbot, and Bobax - How to Beat Them
2007-11-09 21:42:00
If your Windows based computer is running slow, having random popups, and doing all sorts of weird things...chances are you’re a member of a botnet. Hackers are using your computer to email, spam, and infect other computers and users around the globe. You’re being used by these people to make money on the misfortune and deception of others. There is hope though...you can be rid of this. You can win against them.Install Linux on your computer today and all that will disappear. Linux doesn’t have botnets. Linux doesn’t have viruses (only a few known and you have to actually type a command to start the virus running). Linux has no spyware. If you’re just getting your start, I recommend PCLinuxOS, SimplyMEPIS, and Ubuntu.If you don’t want to install Linux, you can buy a computer with it preinstalled from various vendors here at the Pre-installed linux vendor database.Once you are set free from having to worry about being infected by some virus...
More About: Storm , Beat , Botnets

Linux, the BBC and Your Rights
2007-11-09 02:56:00
Imagine a world where you were told how to think, feel, and act. You were told what to buy...told what not to buy. Having trouble imagining these things? Maybe I can help. Check out a short story I wrote on the subject of Digital Rights Management (DRM).We’re not as far off as you may imagine.Websites we visit tell us what browsers we must use to visit. Software tells us what operating system we must use to install it. CD’s tell us that we cannot use music that we’ve bought and own. Televisions will soon tell us that we must have cable as over the air broadcasting of free television ceases in 2012. Your Miranda rights no longer exist according to the Patriot Act; they only have to label you a terrorist and you can be held without charge indefinitely.It’s a wide scope of things to swallow that ranges from technology to social, political and economic portions of our world. How does one combat these issues? How do we make a difference? While I cannot ...
More About: Linux

The Absent PCLinuxOS Release Cycle
2007-10-23 18:31:00
During distro comparisons, many call a lack of release cycle for PCLinuxOS one of its negative aspects. In my opinion, this is the most attractive and positive aspects of the small distribution. Not to take away from a distribution that sets a release cycle...I understand that normal release cycles are a must with companies and software engineering. However, I think PCLinuxOS has a unique approach to releases and updates. Allow me a bit of time to show you the method in my madness on this one. Continue reading "The Absent PCLinuxOS Release Cycle "

Remove Root from PCLinuxOS Login Screen
2007-09-24 00:52:00
Just a quick tip on how to remove the root user from the PCLinuxOS login screen. This should work for most if not all KDE based distributions. Go to the Kmenu >> Run Command >> kdesu kcontrolEnter your root password when prompted for it. You should now see the KDE Control Center. The difference here is that you’re running this as the root user so changes will be made at the root (super user) level. Go to System Administration >> Logi n Manager. You should have something similar to the screenshot.Next up, go to the ‘Users’ tab and look in the center. There you can see all the system users. Check the box for root. This will hide the root user from the front KDM Login Screen . This won’t prevent you from logging in as root, but it will prevent it from displaying by default.More PCLinuxOS tips and tricks coming soon
More About: Root , Cree

KDE and Xorg, Fonts and DPI
2007-09-20 17:18:00
Today, I’d like to share a tip I found out while working with a beta release for a distirbution of Linux with KDE’s 3.5.7 version.  As many readers of this blog know, I use PCLinuxOS 2007 as my main desktop and have done so since about 2005.  The font configuration in PCLinuxOS is quite nice.  I have a 19 inch LCD Monitor at home with 1280x1024 resolution.  I notice no problems with the font on that monitor.Working on a separate 20 inch monitor with a distribution in development however is another story.  The fonts didn’t look beautiful at all.  After some installation of custom fonts, things looked better, but the resolution is a bit higher on this LCD at 1400x1050.  Easy to fix right?  Just increase the DPI in the KDE Control Center to 120 right?  Not so fast...even when it’s set to 96x96 there, it isn’t always set to 96x96.  So let’s take a look at how you can force KDE to run at the correct DPI for your monitor which will, in turn, m...
More About: Fonts , Xorg