RSS feed for InstantSpot site Aaron Lynch

Reencode videos for Blackberry 8100

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:35:00 GMT

After much searching/trying stuff I have found a way to successfully re-encode videos that can play on my Blackberry Pearl.

mencoder -vf expand=:::::4/3,scale=240:180 "[entervideohere]" -o "[enteroutputhere]" -of avi -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=230:acodec=mp3:abitrate=64

Obviously you need to have mencoder installed

I am not completely sure what other dependencies there are, since I tried installing so many different tools....but I THINK you need the following: lame, ffmpeg .

Windows and Linux...at the same time!

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Be prepared ... cool geek stuff ahead.

I think I came across this blog entry on digg, but I can't remember for certain. But wherever the original source, it is awesome.

Long story short, you can run a virtual Windows machine (with vmware server) and connect to it via seamless rdp allowing you to interact with your windows applications right on your linux desktop.

Here is a screenshot example. You can see my Gnome panel at the top of the screen, and the Windows taskbar at the bottom.

While this is cool in a gadgety sort of way, it is also going to be so much nicer for IE browser testing and who knows what else.

Here is a blog post detailing exactly how to get your own symbiosis up and running.

NOTE: in the example below the "\" in his examples were removed for some reason... your launcher should look like this

rdesktop -A -s 'c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe' WindowsIpAddressHere -u YOURUSERNAME -p YOURPASSWORD

Windows-Linux-Symbiosis-Not-a-Dream-Anymore

Installing Vmware Server 1.03 on PCLinuxOS 2007

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:10:00 GMT

Recently I got the bug to try out a different Linux distribution on my laptop. I have been a die-hard Ubuntu user since I made the switch full time (haven't looked back since!), so after trying and failing to install Gentoo (guess I'm not L33T enough for that distro yet) I landed on PCLinuxOS 2007.

Once I got my development environment configured just like I like it, it was time to install a Windows VM so I can run some applications that I need at my day job (IE6,IE7, Flexbuilder, etc). For this purpose, I elected to use Vmware Server 1.03 (we already had that tarball downloaded).

When installing, I encountered an installation error that turned out to be somewhat commonplace.

Building the vmmon module. Using 2.6.x kernel build system.  make:  Entering directory '/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.22.15.tex2/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules  make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o In file included from /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:80: /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  error: expected declaration specifiers or ... before compat_exit  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  error: expected declaration specifiers or ... before exit_code  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21:  warning: type defaults to int in declaration of _syscall1  make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o] Error 1  make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only] Error 2  make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2'  make: *** [vmmon.ko]  Error 2 make: Leaving directory '/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only' Unable to build the vmmon module.

To get past this error, a quick Google search turned up a patch called the "vmware-any-any-update" that needed to be run. (get that here).

Ok, so that fixed the first error but then I ran into this...

Building the vmmon module.  Building for VMware Server 1.0.0. Using 2.6.x kernel build system. make: Entering directory '/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only' make -C /lib/modules/2.6.22.15.tex2/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules  make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driverLog.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/hostif.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/comport.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/cpuid.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/hash.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/memtrack.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/phystrack.o CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/task.o gcc: error trying to exec 'cc1plus': execvp: No such file or directory  make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/common/task.o] Error 1 make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only] Error 2  make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.15.tex2' make: *** [vmmon.ko] Error 2  make: Leaving directory '/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only'   Unable to build the vmmon module.

Another quick trip through the Google search told me that I just didn't have g++ installed. The easy way to find this package is to just open Synaptic and do a search for "g++".

Starting VMware services: Virtual machine monitor [ OK ] Virtual ethernet [ OK ]  Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0 [ OK ]  Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet1 (background) [ OK ]  Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet8 (background) [ OK ]  NAT service on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]   The configuration of VMware Server 1.0.3 build-44356 for Linux for this running kernel completed successfully.

Making progress with GIMP

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:07:00 GMT

I ran across a tutorial on how to create "Vista" like buttons with GIMP. If you have ever tried to use GIMP to do anything, you know how much different it is than most other graphics editors out there. For the longest time I just thought it was just terrible...but that was before I found some examples on how to use it.

I'm happy to report that by following along with this tutorial (read it here) that I was able to duplicate these buttons. Ok, so GIMP might not be so bad...what else does it do?

I then dug some more and found another cool tutorial on created "old" photos.

Once again...success! I got reallly close on this one, with a pic of my son. In this tutorial (read it here), I realized that there is a whole world of add-ons for GIMP. Some brushes from here were used to create the distressed looking scratches on the image.

For more GIMP Tutorials, you can check out gimp-turorials.net

Hardy Heron: First Impressions

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:42:00 GMT

Recently, Hardy Heron Alpha 3 was released so, being curious and an avid distro-installer I decided to download the iso and create a virtual machine to see what was new.

I am currently running Ubuntu Feisty (one version older than Gutsy) since I encountered some behavior with Compiz-fusion that I just couldn't stand. (I'm really picky about my OS!).

Get the Alpha 3 - 386 ISO HERE

Installing Hardy Heron Alpha 3

First I created my virtual machine using Vmware Server. And set the CDROM device to boot from the hardy heron installation iso file.

Once past the boot menu, I encountered this message: "Unable to register AppArmor" Not sure what the deal was but after hanging at this message for a couple seconds it went on through to boot into the live cd session.

[AppArmor is an alternative to SELinux, (which is pretty difficult to configure btw)]

Live CD: As you can see, this is pretty generic Gnome live cd.

From within the Live CD session, I choose to install Hardy Heron to my virtual hard drive. One thing of note here, the max screen resolution was 800x600 and the GUI for installation was slightly larger than that. So I had to guess my way to the "Next" buttons by tabbing and hoping :).

Eventually we got to a real session:

As with any of the previous pre-release Ubuntu's, you get to enjoy PLENTY of updates to your software. In this case we were greated with 199 updates available.

After clicking on the update notifier and selecting to install the updates, we ran into another little quirky issue...this is Alpha right?! ;) I was able to begin pulling the updates by going into terminal and typing:

sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade

After a reboot, once the updates were all downloaded and installed, I found out why the update manager didn't want to install these updates.

My Impressions

So, what do I think? I think it's just to early to really tell anything about the new features that Hardy Heron plans to offer.

I was really hoping to see the new enhancements to the desktop effects but I could not enable them for some reason. I did not see any Restricted Drivers Manager that would allow me to install the appropriate video card drivers.

So, if you are new to Linux and want to try out Ubuntu, be sure to try out a stable version (Gutsy is the current release version, go download it HERE). I on the other hand, am going to keep this little VM around and see what the next round of updates brings.

Upcoming Features

Among road-mapped features that I'm looking forward to in Hardy Heron:

hardy-desktop-effects
- To ensure the smooth operation of compiz as the default window-manager the integration work into the desktop has to be emphasized. The tools for controlling appearance, workspaces, keyboard and sessions have to be made more compiz-aware. The default behaviour (actions triggered via keyboard-shortcuts or by popping up dialogs) of compiz is not to be different from metacity. It has to be taken care of that shortcuts of applications are not overridden by compiz. Interaction with the underlying framework (RandR) provided by Xorg has to be ensured so hotplugging of displays, screen-rotations and resolution-changes work without causing compiz to quit or crash.
Kubuntu Hardy KDE 4
- Handle the 4.0 release, merge with Debian and get it in sync with Ubuntu features.
- I am really looking forward to this. I enjoy switching back and forth between Gnome/KDE/Fluxbox/e17. So a nicely integrated KDE 4 will rock!
Fix the Linux audio mess once and for all
- Currently audio on Linux is a mess. Sound servers like Esound, Arts, Jack, PulseAudio constantly fight for exclusive access to the sound device. Applications usually support only a small subset of the available sound server/device APIs, and need to be configured for their use. Sound APIs are generally incompatible. Audio applications usually come with a messy plugin systems to support every API available. Several abstraction APIs exist, however, none is good for all use cases. Professional audio usually requires shutting down all non-professional sound porgrams. On the other hand Apple managed to define a common sound system (CoreAudio) which makes nearly everyone happy - desktop users as much as professional audio people.

think GOS: Sub-$200 Ubuntu based PC at Walmart

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:46:40 GMT

Just saw this on digg but had to re-post it. Walmart is carrying an Ubuntu based computer, running the gOS operating system. "An alternative OS with Google Apps and other Web 2.0 apps for the masses"

Very cool!

Go get one here

From Walmart.com:

This exceptional value is built around a Via Technologies processor designed for low power consumption. It runs on the gOS operating system and features the OpenOffice.org 2.2 software suite that gives users the ability to create word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. Additional highlights include a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, Ethernet port and stereo speakers.


Key Features & Benefits:

	1.5 GHz Via Technologies C7-D processor
		Delivers energy-saving performance

	512 MB of DDR2 system memory
		Offers good performance and is expandable to 2 GB

	80 GB hard disk drive
		Provides space for documents, games, photos and music

	DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
		Lets you play DVDs and burn your own CDs for entertainment and data backup

	10/100 Mbps Ethernet
		Connects to a local area network or broadband Internet devices

	gOS operating system
		Enables you to use the supplied OpenOffice.org 2.2 software suite

Compiz Fusion: yet another reason to use Linux

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:58:21 GMT

Compiz and Beryl are remerging...and what you are about to see makes Bill Gates cry. From what I have read, the packages for this should be available in Gutsy Gibbon (the next Ubuntu release).

[youtube E4Fbk52Mk1w]

How to change FSCK (check disk) frequency in Ubuntu

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:02:02 GMT

If you are a regular Ubuntu user you are familiar with fsck checking your partitions every 30 mounts (by default!). Until now this has only been a minor annoyance to me as my partitions checked out quickly and the boot could progress.

The new laptop however, has a huge hard drive and seems to take FOOOOOORRRRRREEVVVVER to complete. So, I decided it was time to find out about changing that whole "every 30 mounts" thing.

No surprise here...a quick check of Ubuntu Forums yielded the answer I was looking for.

Basically you can change the number of mounts, set an interval for scanning, or do both, using tune2fs

If you'd like to add an interval argument, you can use the "-i" switch, then the number of (d|w|m).

Examples:

[codeshare jul8d9c2]

If you don't know the names of the partion devices in your system, you can run (in a terminal) df

[codeshare jule67f7]

Here is the source thread

Ubuntu based Linspire signs Microsoft deal

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:04:33 GMT

Linspire Inc. has signed a deal with Microsoft. What is the world coming to? The article seems to be making the situation a little more amiable that I think it probably really is. First Novell then Xandros...Microsoft is on the hunt, which distro/company is going next?

From the article on Yahoo.com:

"Under the agreement, Linspire will license Microsoft code related to Voice over Internet Protocol, Windows Media files and TrueType fonts. With the addition of the Microsoft code to Linspire's operating system, users will be able to voice-chat with Windows Live Messenger buddies, watch Windows Media video and audio files on open-source media players, and view and create documents using familiar typefaces.

Linspire also agreed to set Microsoft's Web search engine as the default on PCs that run its operating system."

full story here

Ubuntu VS Windows XP (part 2)

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:18:00 GMT

I figured I would post a follow up on this topic since it seems to be the most common way for visitors to find my site (google searchers). At the time of my first posting on this topic , I was a big fan of Ubuntu, but maybe not quite as experienced with Linux in general as I am now. (NOTE: I am by no means an expert, but I use Ubuntu every day both for work and leisure).

Things that I just absolutely love about Ubuntu:

Apt-get'ing software is fun, free and easy. I love knowing that almost an application I could want/need is just a nice little download away. Apt does a superb job of managing your dependencies (don't worry if you don't know what this means, just be glad you don't need to know!).
I really like changing desktops environments. I may be on a Gnome kick for awhile, then feel the need for something a little different and log in to KDE, then maybe get a bug to go REALLY different and use Fluxbox. The separation of the OS (kernel) from the UI is a beautiful thing IMO.
Themeability is fantastic in Gnome/KDE. There are countless ways to make your desktop YOUR desktop. www.gnome-look.org and www.kde-look.org are great places to start your customization.
Freedom from registration keys is hard to really put into words. I can't stand the Windows registration process, or really having to pay for an OS at all. Ubuntu is amazing and it doesn't cost you a dime.
Update Manager, if you choose to let it run, will notify you anytime there are updates for your system. Nothing crazy here except that it won't force you into updates/restarts like Windows does...man I hate that about Windows.
The performance is notable, especially if you run on older equipment. I have blogged about the PIII 450Mhz laptop that I installed Ubuntu on, and it runs like a top.
Gaming isn't bad at all, if you are concerned with that. I am just now realizing how many options there are for gamers who want to run Linux. I have just discovered openArena, Americas Army, Planeshift, and Nexuiz among others. There is an entire sub-forum dedicated to gaming here http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=93 .

So, in summation this isn't really an Ubuntu VS Windows XP post as much as it is a Ubuntu!!! post. I can't imagine ever switching back to a Microsoft product after the time I have spent immersed in Linux. I probably will switch back and forth between distros/desktops/etc, but that is the number one thing I love about Linux...

THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

Unlock keyring immediately on login

Thu, 24 May 2007 10:09:51 GMT

I use the NetworkManager applet to manage my network connections on my Ubuntu laptop and the gnome-keyring-daemon to store my network passwords/keys. One thing that is a little annoying, is that once you login to your system, you have to unlock your keyring (if you are attempting to join a secure network).

I finally found way to get past this!

(NOTE: This fix requires your user password, and your keyring password be the same.)

First... sudo apt-get install libpam-keyring

Then, simply add one line to your /etc/pam.d/gdm

sudo vim /etc/pam.d/gdm

and add

@include common-pamkeyring

to the end of the file and save.

More fluxbox: another pic of my desktop

Wed, 23 May 2007 18:44:03 GMT

So far so good on the full conversion to using fluxbox. Today I found a site that has some really great wallpapers (for free of course!) so I changed my wallpaper and thought I'd share the new look.

click for bigger res:

Fluxbox: My new favorite window manager

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:08:41 GMT

I have traditionally used Gnome as my desktop environment of choice, (Ubuntu) with a sprinkling of KDE here and there. I personally enjoy Gnome and KDE equally, they are fantastic collections of software. But, recently I was struck with the desire to find something different.

THE QUEST FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The other day, I downloaded Enlightenment .

What is the Enlightenment project?

Enlightenment began as a window manager for X. Its design goal is to be as configurable as possible - in look AND in feel. Enlightenment's current design aim is to become a desktop shell. That means it will manage your application windows, being able to launch applications, and also manage your files.

My Impressions:

It was very nice to look at, but right off the bat when I changed the theme, it became unusable...like, I couldn't click on anything. Restarting X didn't fix it, rebooting didn't fix it. I had to find the .e directory that Enlightenment writes to store configuration data and delete it, then restart it again. Next thing I did was attempt to change the font. That threw some sort of ABORT error and that was the end of Enlightenment for AJ.

Don't Do It: Next up...Looking Glass 3D. The Sun Java desktop. Not that great, don't even bother.

Finally, here comes the Fluxbox

After a quick sudo apt-get install fluxbox, you will notice right away how much smaller this is than anything else so far.

After unpacking 4698kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Oh yes, yes I do want to continue.

What is Fluxbox

Fluxbox is a lightweight window manager for the X Windowing System.

Fluxbox provides configurable window decorations, a root menu to launch applications and a toolbar that shows the current workspace name, a set of application names and the current time. There is also a workspace menu which allows you to add or remove workspaces. The 'slit' can be used to dock small applications, e.g. most of the bbtools can use slit.

Fluxbox can iconify windows to the toolbar, in addition to adding the window to the Icons submenu of the workspace menu. One click and they reappear. A double-click on the titlebar of the window will shade it, i.e. the window will disappear leaving only the titlebar visible.

Fluxbox uses its own graphics class to render its images on the fly. By using style files, you can determine in great detail how your desktop looks. Fluxbox styles are compatible with those of Blackbox 0.65 or earlier versions, so users migrating can still use their favourite themes.

Fluxbox supports the majority of the Extended Window Manager Hints (EWMH) specification, as well as numerous other Window Hinting standards. This allows all compliant window managers to provide a common interface to standard features used by applications and desktop utilities.

FLUXBOX IS DIFFERENT

One thing that you will notice is that once you boot into Fluxbox, is that it pretty much is up and running instantly once you have logged in. Username, Password, Done! This is a good sign.

Now, this stripped down window manager takes some getting used to. There is no desktop. You can't drag stuff to a desktop, you can't right click create shortcuts, etc. The most common thing about Fluxbox is that you have to hand write config choices to a file somewhere.

DESKTOP ICONS/SHORTCUTS

So in that fashion, there is a way to roll-your-own desktop icons using idesk (sudo apt-get install idesk). Lets say you want to create a desktop icon to launch gnome-terminal for example.

First, you need to create a folder under /home/yourname/ called .idesktop Now, under that new directory, /home/alynch/.idesktop we need to create a link.

vim ~/.idesktop/terminal.lnk

and write this to the file.

table Icon
Caption: Terminal

Command: gnome-terminal

Icon: /usr/share/pixmaps/gnome-terminal.png
end

Ok, so now you restart Fluxbox but still no icon? Thats because you need to start idesk when you start Fluxbox. Enter the “startup” file. (~/.fluxbox/startup)

I personally really like this startup file, it is simple and straightforward.

In order to start idesk on startup, look at the section of your startup file that has

#Applications you want to run with fluxbox and add idesk &

CHANGING YOUR WALLPAPER

There is no graphical interface for changing your wallpaper in fluxbox (that I know of at least). So there, again, is a place (a few actually) for you to write in the path to the image file you would like to use as your wallpaper. I choose to assign my wallpaper path at startup. You can add a line in your startup file like this

fbsetbg -f /home/alynch/Images/wallpaper/cooltuxnotxt5vq.jpg

You may or may not experience this, but I usually have trouble finding wallpapers to fit my resolution (1920x1200) so most wallpapers I have don't fill up the entire screen without a little help. (fbsetbg -f won't do it natively) so I installed a little program called feh (sudo apt-get install feh). Now, my wallpapers fill the entire screen.

EDITING THE FLUX MENU

You could probably guess by now, what it takes to alter the fluxbox menu. Go check out the “stock” menu config at ~/.fluxbox/menu and see what your options are.

Here is some of my personal ~/.fluxbox/menu config file:

[submenu] (AJL Stuff)

[submenu] (Servers)

[submenu] (Apache Web Server)

[exec] (Start) {gksudo /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl start}

[exec] (Stop) {gksudo /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl stop}

[exec] (Restart) {gksudo /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl restart}

[end]

[submenu] (ColdFusion Server)

[exec] (Start) {gksudo /opt/jrun4/bin/jrun start cfusion}

[exec] (Stop) {gksudo /opt/jrun4/bin/jrun stop cfusion}

[exec] (Restart) {gksudo /opt/jrun4/bin/jrun restart cfusion}

[end]

[exec] (Eclipse) {/home/alynch/apps/eclipse/Eclipse3.2/eclipse}

[exec] (Data Studio) {/home/alynch/apps/datastudio/datastudio-bundled.sh}

[exec] (Filezilla 3) {/home/alynch/apps/FileZilla3/bin/filezilla}

[exec] (Swiftfox) {/opt/swiftfox/swiftfox}

[exec] (Vmware) {vmware}

[exec] (ktorrent) {ktorrent}

[exec] (Nautilus) {nautilus --no-desktop --browser}

[end]

OTHER COOL STUFF

You can see some cool system monitor stuff on my desktop screenshot, this was done using conky. Take some time to check out conky if you want a highly configurable monitor that is really lightweight.

Coming from Gnome, I became really dependent on the fantastic applet for managing my network connections (nm-applet). I added it, along with gnome-keyring, to my startup programs.

I really have gotten used to Nautilus as my filemanager, so in order to launch this app without loading a bunch of gnome stuff with it, you can do this: nautilus --no-desktop --browser

SUMMARY

I really am digging the fluxbox so far, it is different than Gnome or KDE and I think that is what is keeping fluxbox as my default GDM session for now.

Linux Geek Test

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:52:46 GMT

This test if very simple. If you laugh/chuckle/grin at this pic you are a Linux geek.

And yes, I did laugh.

(I found this pic on http://linuxfud.wordpress.com/ufuntu/ )

KDE is better than Gnome: and other bold claims

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 14:58:52 GMT

My first experience with Linux was my (nervous) install of Kubuntu (6.06) on my laptop, wiping out for good my Windows XP instance. Immediately, I didn't really like the KDE desktop and I was a complete noob so I never really realized how much you could customize KDE.

So, after a couple short days running Kubuntu Dapper, I did a whole new install to wipe out Kubuntu, and start using Ubuntu (the Gnome desktop environment)...yeah, i know a better way now :)!

For nearly a year I ran and loved Ubuntu/Gnome and never looked back. I was very fond of trying different OS's/distros on my home desktop. I zipped through Vista, OSX, a ton of Linux distros...just playing.

Then, pretty recently, I gave Dave a computer which he ended up giving to his wife. He faced a big challenge getting Ubuntu to recognize the wireless card he was using, and he finally found a distro that made using the ndiswrapper a VERY easy task. In his research he discovered Mandriva 2007 .

Now up to this point, I was using Ubuntu 6.06 and was really loving Beryl/AIGLX but was really not liking how much processor use I was seeing.

Pic of my desktop running Beryl:

Mandriva 2007 was a nice answer to this, as it comes pre-packaged with a 3D desktop (via Compiz).

The answer was clear, I "needed" to a new OS. ;)

So, I proceeded to install Mandriva 2007, but used the KDE version just to see what I thought. Since I was wiping it all out anyways might as well try something new right?

After a few minutes setting up the "look" I was in love with Mandriva 2007.

Well, the love started fading pretty quickly when I realized the package management for Mandriva wasn't very good, the stock kernel didn't recognize all of my RAM, and it just didn't have the activity/support that the (k)ubuntu distros had.

But, what I realized in this journey, is that after a little customizing, I really enjoy using KDE instead of Gnome. This kinda fit as many of the apps I used happen to be K apps...Amarok, K9copy, ktorrent, KRDC (probably more if i think about it).

Now, the distro/desktop of choice on all of my computers is Kubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft). Can't get much better than this in my opinion.

Which RDP application do you use?

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 21:58:24 GMT

I am a full time Ubuntu user and I started out using the RDP application that comes with the distro - tsclient (Terminal Server Client). For some reason, I never really liked the way it "felt". One thing I didn't like, in order to full-screen it you need to do a ctrl-alt-enter, and that is just too much typing :). So I sudo apt-get install(ed) krdc. KDE's version of the RDP app. I have been steadily using that for all of my remote desktopping and for the most part I enjoy using it. I haven't really found it limiting, and it opens right away in to full screen if you want it to.

One thing I found annoying about both of these apps was that the username entered in the interface, wasn't the populated in the login prompt of the remote server. I happened upon a new (to me) RDP app called Gnome-RDP (sudo apt-get install gnome-rdp). Among other things, it allows you to set your username/password, whether or not to remember that password, and then will log you straight into the remote server.

I haven't spent much time with it, but so far it seems to be a cool solution to my multiple RDP sessions that I deal with on a daily basis.

Ubuntu and Automatix2

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:33:17 GMT

If you are an Ubuntu user and haven't checked out Automatix2 yet, you NEED to.

Automatix is a graphical interface for automating the installation of the most commonly requested applications in Debian based linux operating systems.

After several installations, configuring everything the way I like (codecs, plugins, etc) I discovered Automatix.

My favorites:

The Network Manager that Automatix packages is terrific, it works the way a wireless manager should. Searches for available networks, connects to open networks or a secure one you have established a connection to before.

The Check Gmail app is great, puts a gmail icon in you sys tray and notifies you of new email, you can also delete/mark as read from within the window.

Ubuntu vs Windows XP

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 16:16:25 GMT

I have been a Windows user since my first computer...that all changed with Ubuntu 's Dapper Drake release. My first experience with Ubuntu, was installing it on a spare laptop hard drive (I had doubts) in my HP nc6230 laptop. Needless to say, I was sold on that OS. It installed perfectly and very rapidly. And that spare hard drive became THE hard drive :).

I remember being worried that I wouldn't be able to control my iPod very well, or [insert stuff you do on your PC here] but lo and behold, Amarok has sweet iPod support and I have been able to find what I needed whenever I looked (and most often available through and apt-get from the repositories). Basically, I wasn't really limited at all, except for the Flash support which has been addressed recently .

I was so in love with Ubuntu, that I went on a 'rampage' installing that OS on a few older machines that just ran like crap under Windows XP.

For example, I have a Sony Vaio 500mhz processor laptop with 256 megs or RAM that was unbearable. The display was even somehow ruined with pink lines running through all of the white space on screen. I installed Ubuntu on that thing, it picked up the plug-in wireless card, ran like a top, and even fixed my display somehow (no idea on that one, but it is the truth). The performance difference was dramatic and my father-in-law (who I lent the laptop to) said he liked using it better than his 2.8ghz celeron powered desktop.

I followed that up by installing Ubuntu on a couple other AMD boxes (not sure of the exact processors but they were around the 1ghz range). To make a long story short, it was like getting new machines.

I'm running the new Ubuntu release (Edgy Eft 6.10) on my laptop now (the HP nc6230) and it does not disappoint.

(Sorry for the lack of benchmark stats, never got around to doing any. )

Robots and main page accessibility

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 06:00:00 GMT

On my quest towards e-stardom (aka a relevant and content-rich website), I realized that the navigation towards my older "news items" was somewhat lacking. My solution for this problem was to create a side bar menu that would contain all of the news item titles in descending date order (aka newest first).

A day or two after this change, I began to notice a positive side-effect to including all of these titles as links on the main page...The robots (spiders) were crawling all through my site! I'm not 100% sure, but I can't imagine how this increased indexing would hurt my chances of being returned in some search results.

In a possibly related subject, a Google search for 'Aaron Lynch' now returns this page in the top 10 search results (#6 as of this entry) and an MSN search returns www.AaronJLynch.com as #3!

Does anybody want my autograph?

UPDATE 1/25/06: Either Google has changed my ranking somehow, or my switch to BlogCFC has harmed my accessibility somehow. I now turn up on like page 5 or something terrible. Back to the drawing board!