Neil Grogan's Blog

Will Google Buy Skype?

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

It's been all over the tech news world lately; apparently Google is muling over taking Skype off of Ebay's hands. Ebay has already written down the value of Skype as a large loss on their purchase price of $2.6 billion in stock and cash. But would Skype's G-branded future be any better?

I think it would be. Skype is a strong international brand for voice calls, instant messaging and video calls; but of course it competes directly with Google Talk. Skype as a company has made a lot of mistakes; but they actually produces some of the best technology for p2p VOIP out there in the marketplace. Skype is particularly strong in redundancy, cost of network operation (since it's p2p every user carries' each others traffic; most people have no idea of this fact) and routing around the most draconian network admins out their through their routers.

All of this is a strict propreitary network and is centrally controlled at the moment for Ebay. All voice is encrypted accross Skype; but it is well-speculated that Skype has a back door to snoop on anyone it so wishes (although it would never publicly admit to this). Legislation hasn't caught up to protect voice calls like they are on "traditional" PSTN [Pretty Simple Telephone Network].

I think Google could open up Skype's network; to what extent is anyone's guess. I hope they integrate XMPP like Gmail Chat capability (which is an open standard); and do the same for voice/video (could take a while based on patents) . I predict the client will most likely stay propreitary and closed-source; as opening it up could reveal back-doors; patent and copyright issues and more. But overall I think the transaction could go quite well for both parties...

Letter to EU Commissioner on 95 Year Copyright Extension [Updated]

2008-04-11T21:24:30-05:00

I recently read a Slashdot article "EU Commissioner proposes 95 year copyright". I am a staunch supporter of the European project; or at least the ideals it is based on to create a peaceful, demcratic union of countries with a common background and share similiar goals. Intrigued by the article I read it only to find out that a local man who used to represent my area was responsible. I had to write to him to ask how he lost his mind....

Dear Mr. McCreevy;

I am writing to you from Kildare. You have served our county over the years; and I even thought you would become Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) one day (being the Minister for Finance is a front-runner position- let's be honest) but then you went to Europe.

But that's not the subject of this correspondence. I am writing to you to voice my disgust for your proposed levies and taxes in conjunction with an even longer copyright extension. What are you thinking Mr. McCreevy? The average musician does not live for 95 years. I am responding to points made by you in the International Herald Tribune (Original article: AP Newswire; Published 14/02/2008) and the legislation proposed at your level in the commission (through which you will have direct influence).

1. Your Misguided view of copyright:
"If nothing is done, thousands of European performers who recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s will lose all of their airplay royalties over the next ten years," said EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, the union's internal market chief. "These royalties are often their sole pension."
I don't know about you Mr. McCreevy; but I will have to set aside money from my earnings for my pension;. why shouldn't artists? Copyright is supposed to encourage innovation; not reward old creations. Copyright on these works should have rightfully expired on these a long time ago; forcing these musicians to create more music we all love and enjoy, instead of idly collecting money for work done sometimes as much as fifty years ago. These Musicians were already paid for their works a long time ago; and they signed it over to a [record] company. You are only enriching a company that contributes zero cultural value back by extending a copyright term. This has been proven time and time again if you would do your research.

2. Extra Copies / Levies
The EU executive also wants to look again at reforming copyright levies charged on blank discs, data storage and music and video players to compensate artists and copyright holders for legal copying when listeners burn an extra version of an album to play one at home and one in the car.

Why should as a consumer I have to pay twice for a music recording? You know this will only have the effect of driving up the cost of a CD and increasing piracy? "You can't charge me twice if I choose to pirate it!"; and this is how a lot of consumers will see it; like double tax evasion only easier with less risk! You must recognise also that the music collection agencies are run by cartels that is the music industry (Big Four: SonyBMG, Warner, EMI, Universal ) which is almost never fair to artists? (Look at SoundExchange in the United States for this). What about when I use disks for backup of my data (which is the only reason I use them for) why should I pay royalties for music I never pirated? How also can you tell which artists deserves more royalties than the next? You can't; and that is why this idea is so stupid you should put it to bed now!

3. Who it benefits?
The extension would not benefit only stars such as French crooner Charles Aznavour or British pop star Cliff Richard, McCreevy said. Session musicians who played on a recording would also be able to draw on a new fund.

Ah-ha-ha-ha You see Mr. Mc.Creevy case in point! These men actually own; or have very liberal licensing terms with their record companies; allowing them in the first place to be spokespeople for longer copyright terms. The same cannot be said for the vast majority of artists; who don't have that luxury. Please remind me what exactly these men have contributed to society musically in the last few years? Oh riiiiiight; thats nothing; zero; zilch! What about others of that era? Elvis? dead and buried! Beatles? no longer around! and I could go on and on and on about how they are literally getting money for nothing..... The only beneficiary will be the record companies who own the recordings to 70's and 80's material which is lucrative (for this see Michael Jackson owning some of the Beatles catalogue).

My plea to you is to stop this insanity and work towards less copyright restriction not more. Copyright was originally designed to safeguard an original author to make back the time and the effort he/she put into the creation which benefitted society (ie. compensation usually in the form of monetary gain). With this understanding it's plain to see these people have long since got back many times the creative energy they put in and societies debt to them has long since passed.

Regards,
Your former constituent;
N Grogan

14/02/2008

P.S. I am eagerly awaiting you reply and any comments you have on what I have said...

I got a reply from someone in the commissioners office (I have removed the name); better than nothing but I'd still like to hear from him on the matter.... Anyway here it is:

Dear Mr Grogan,

Thank you for your e-mail of 14 February concerning the term of protection for sound recordings.

The Commissioner has noted your most interesting comments. These will be taken into account in the elaboration of the formal Commission proposal.

Why I think Amarok rocks....

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

I just purchased an Amarok hoodie and t-shirt; and I couldn't be happier supporting one of my favourite open source projects! What makes it so good? Have you ever heard of Amarok? Chances are if your an OS X or Windows user; you haven't. All this is about to change! The amarok team are busy porting it from it's UNIX underpinnings to Windows and OS X.

Whats to like about Amarok then?

The blazingly cool name: Amarok is an intuit name for a wolf and also is cool phonetically: am a rock!
Album covers in full glory (see picture right)
Full lyrics support; even for the most obscure songs you have laying around!
Wikipedia integration: truly a gem; you can do what Amarok says "Rediscover your Music" in looking up artist, song or album in the free encyclopedia.
Playlists form the backone of the player; great for people like me who like to compile sub-sections of songs for car journeys and the like!
Smart playlists: you get playlists which can update based on how your rate them; which artist or what genre; sorting conditions ar infinite! Example is a 5 Star playlisat with all my top rated tunes!
Dynamic playlists: built from your static and smart playlists; it can show the last X songs you played and Y upcoming. So I could select my 5 star faves and my Strokes favourites; set it to show 5 last played songs and 15 upcoming. I never need to edit the playlist again as it will auto choose and update the list!
Statistics: Show all your stats on your collection! From favourite artists to most played albums: it's all there waiting!
Last.fm & Tags: Tag and compiles your music listening tastes with integration in the most popular social music site online!
IPod integration is second to none (as well as many 0ther popular players!)! Amarok will convert it to mp3; sync podcasts and playlists; transfer ratings and even submit listened tracks to last.fm!
All the added extras: Equaliser with presets; Random and Repeat capability; Visualisations! You can even sort you collection by mood with Moodbar installed!
Scripts!?! One of the coolest thing is scripts: think Firefox extensions only slightly more powerful!
Built-in editing of song names; album names and all info! Don't bother telling Amarok to add the music you just ripped; as long as it's in your music folder its automatically picked up and added!
An intuitive interface: built for function and power: Amarok is almost perfect in its balance between feature and function. The OSD )On-Screen Display) with show you any details your playlist does; like Artist Name; Album name; Rating and how long a track is!

Man I am exhausted already and I haven't even covered all of the features; their is just too many hidden gems I wouldn't be doing you justice by telling you them all (see: Scripts)! That's why Amarok rocks my world! (As a side note: yes I will get my picture on this page eventually!)

A few days with A Nokia N810

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

I last discussed the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet in October; when details were only starting to filter out. It wasn't expected for Nokia to introduce an upgrade to the N800 Internet Tablet (which I also reviewed here) so soon. I certainly don't envy the position of a small team getting the hardware and software for a mini-computer right in such a short space of time. But needless to say the N810 feels right; in fact it feels more right than the N770 which I thought had the best design of all (be it functionality not so much style). The N810 has bags of style; in a flashy brand-new-car sort of way; it looks expensive and I believe Nokia plays to this in their pricing.

Well the best new feature has to be the operating system: OS 2008. It is clean; stable enough and illustrates beautifully in a Apple Mac sort of way when hardware and software are matched beautifully you get an unrivaled product. But that runs on N800 also; so why bother with the N810? GPS is inbuilt for one; but the mapping software is pretty horrible. Luckily the Open Source MaemoMapper is the original (and still the best) GPS program for any maemo platform (OS 2007, OS 2006). No offence to WayFinder but their software isn't ideal and feels like a shabby port to the Internet Tablets; like it was ripped off another device and thrown at Nokia's devices. Nokia also dropped the ball in other areas; such as keylocking and the home applets: home applets are little bubbles of information you immeadiatly see on the N810's home screen. The problem you ask? The move (by design; older OS ones were fixed) and the keylock made to keep them stable is not functional as I believe it could be. Why can't I set an auto screen lock when I flip the keyboard back in? That kind of commission is what I'd call a 'schoolboy error'.

Apps make any device

and the N810 has a few good ones; but nothing totally wow or killer just yet. Skype as many people are aware is semi-included in the device (after a download) and as of yet unlike its desktop Linux counterpart; it lacks full video support (on a device with a decent vga webcam camera - no sense here!). There is also full GoogleTalk integration; with SIP support coming up (perhaps with full video on SIP; maybe as of yet with GoogleTalk if they adopt SIP?). Other than that great apps include FBreader a great Windows/Linux ebook reader; and some fun pass the time games like TuxPuck, IceBreaker and LXDoom can be downloaded. What about the apps included I hear you ask? Well the Web Browser is quality from Mozilla and far outshines the Opera browser which graced both the N770 and N800. Updates are not really noticeable in the core non-essential apps like Email (an awful excuse for an email client), RSS reader (decent enough) and Filemanager. To the core I suspect they made a bevy of changes; but I'm not that hardcore so I'll skip technical details like that; needless to say its startup time was reduced; battery life seems longer; and it feels more responsive on OS 2008.

So should I buy it?

If you don't have a N800 I would say definitely go for it; as long as you think the price is right. As with any tech device; shop around for a bargain on the price over Nokia's retail listed price. Who is it aimed at? People in college like me who like to keep in touch with friends; read their pdfs docs; and cringe to be away from some sort of connectivity. This also applies to business users who would have similar uses with clients; but unfortunately the necessity of a second device in non-wifi connected areas kills this devices true potential until Nokia decides to inbuild 3G or Wimax.

Nokia N810 Tablet to hit the shops soon...

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

Nokia have announced an upgrade to the N800 Internet tablet, called the N810. I suspect its called that because it is more of an incremental upgrade than a total visual refresh it was going from an Nokia 770 to N800. Here it is:

(Picture Courtesy: Internet Tablet Talk)

It sports a nice new hardware keyboard; inbuilt GPS (For satellite mapping) and OS 2008 (an upgrade to the operating system it runs). The N800 will also benefit from OS 2008, which will include GoogleTalk, Skype, Mozilla browser, among the usual such as its email client, media player, file manager, control panel, assorted games and an image/PDF viewer. The one feature it will emit is an inbuilt FM Radio, which was axed to make the N810 a smaller tablet. It still retains the best screen size for web browsing, bluetooth connectivity, and of course Wifi which is central to the tablets existance! No word on what easter eggs are included if any; on the N800 it was a radio and the N770 it was the microphone. Engadget has a great writeup on it, choc-a-bloc full of high resolution photos with size comparisons to Apples iPhone.

Apple Mac OS X: the most popular Desktop Unix?

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

Apple does it again: explosive growth in the computer market, no doubt in part to its Macbook/Macbook Pro line of laptops. As Ars Technica points out:

As predicted last quarter, however, Apple broke its tie for third place with Gateway by shipping 1.33 million units and growing by a whopping 37.2 percent (double that of any other US vendor) from third quarter 2006 to claim 8.1 percent of the US market for the quarter. These numbers also continue the company's trend of steadily gaining market share every two quarters for at least the past year.

Here's the graph of the figures:

Is it the most popular desktop UNIX? No, as until Leopard comes out it is not officially a UNIX stamped and sealed POSIX compliant system; but then again neither is Linux. Apple has the benefit of reporting numbers with hard sales; something thats impossible for Linux. With estimates of 22 million Mac users, compared to Ubuntu and Fedora (the two most popular user-friendly distributions) which reported 8 million dynamic IP's updating from mirrors (16 million total). That doesn't include SuSe, Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Mandriva and other popular distributions, which means Linux has most likely a bigger install base, although Apple is gaining ground fast. As Rob Malda (founder of popular geek news site: Slashdot) said:

Linux will have a strong position on the server for a long time, but as GNOME and KDE bickered with each other, Appl e came along and gave the world a great desktop UNIX. It's sad, but true, and there's a huge lesson to learn there.

Linux and Patents: Just Patently Wrong

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

So I read the news Novell and Red Hat are being sued for patent infringement. This is all about multiple workspaces that can hold various graphical user elements, a Xerox Parc patent which dates to the early 1990's. Xerox Palo Alto Research center invented the graphical user interface in the 1980's, only to been, licensed and used by Steve Jobs in Mac OS Classic. Now IP Innovation, a submarine patent troll, who make no products and bought the patent want their payday. The logical step is to go after the biggest infringer to set a precedent for your patent, and then make your way to all the smaller companies who infringe. Well logically of course that would be Apple or Microsoft. Apple has already paid them a reported 20 million dollars, and well no-one knows what Microsoft has done, but this fish is smelly. From the Register Article:

The complaint, available here as a pdf, says "the Red Hat Linux system, the Novell Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop and the Novell Suse Linux Enterprise Server all breach held patents. The companies seek increased damages for the willful infringements of their patents and an injunction to prevent further infringements".

So we already know they bought a patent thats years old, are patent trolls, they extorted money from Apple and Microsoft appears to have no dealings with them. But wait! We see Steve Ballmer (Microsoft's CEO) saying recently Linux should have to pay like Microsoft does in the "IP Regime". Regime always seemed a rather nasty word to me, something your forced to put up with - like Robert Mugabes regime in Zimbabwe; come to think of it Steve, I would have said that exact same thing - a dirty rotten evil patent regime - but thats not what you meant. You meant you wanted a cut for every Linux support contract and if its free like Ubuntu - well though, you want money anyway. Steve you claim innovation Microsoft produced is in Linux, but refuse to show any evidence. Your bold statements which could be considered illegal under Sarbanes-Oxley in the United States hasn't stopped you. But a patent lawsuit has, you know it will destroy Microsoft and can never kill Linux- maybe Linux business but you'd settle for that (If we can't make money off it, no one can!). Now we have a patent troll, and Open Source legal resources Groklaw has exposed it to employ Microsoft employees who specialise in patents. We are well aware as a community you have a hand in this - how much remains to be seen. The community warned you through the Open Invention network ( a patent clearinghouse which vows to protect open source through pooled patents by Sony, HP, IBM, Google, Phillips, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat and others) and a petition of thousands of people to put up or shut up about patents. Now you have released SCO II when we are done killing off the first one - through copyrights - now its patents. Well we are not going to stand for this any more; I am hoping Red Hat and Novell stand strong and fight this; and I hope the lawyers at the Open Invention Network and the Software Freedom Law center seriously consider a pre-emptive attack on you. We're all peace loving hippies in open source right? Wrong, wrong and now I think it is time we make YOU pay.....

Planning the Computer Build

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

Planning to build a computer can be fun also. Researching parts, making sure they work well together (if they are on Manufacturers QVL). Making a list of all the parts you need is the beginning of the purchasing, assembly and then seeing your machine in action! Lots of guides online help with the planning stage; but nearly all are advice and tips. How do you know which is biased? Are the benchmarks relevant to what you are building your machine for? Probably not most of the time. If you're not a hardcore gamer like myself, your machine can mid-range and cheaper than a pre-built solution, saving you money. I am using my machine as a long term investment: I plan to have it long into the future and just replace components. I think that could save me at least €3000 over ten years (two €1,500 machines every 5 years, not beyond possibility) if not more. I can also re-use perfectly good parts when my other machines have departed to that big waste recycling plant in the sky.

One tool besides lots of online-based computer review reading is a custom made spreadsheet I created for the job. It allows me to see Part name, Quantity, Unit Price, Delivery Cost, Part Description, Link to Manufacturers site and best of all: it's easily modified for other items. I coloured it real nice too; so its easy to read and understand. I hope it's useful to anyone out there, so I am making it available under CC-BY-NC-SA.Here is a Screenshot of it:

Here is the Microsoft Excel (97/2000/XP/2003) Template For Computer Parts
Here is the Open Document Template for Computer Parts

Computer Parts by Neil Grogan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.dueyfinster.com-a.googlepages.com.

Computer Systems: Dismantling PC's is fun!

2008-04-11T21:24:44-05:00

I found a new passtime: dismantling pc's. It my not sound like great fun, but its a challenge to do it right and make sure you don't break your pc at the end of it all. Nothing feels of so much relief when you see the BIOS boot up again after ripping everything you can out and cramming it all back in. It stands to you in developing problem solving skills, which of course employers love. It is so much more visual than any theory, plus it is what the majority of people like: physical objects like lego going together. I am writing this on a computer I stripped everthing out of at the moment: a Dell 3100c, a Celeron D machine I bought in August of last year. Today I dismantled a very old Optiplex PIII, and the difference between the machines is marked, even though there are only a few years between them. I have included some photos below to show the inside internals:

Here is My Dell 3100c Internals:

Here is the shell of a computer I am building:

Apple: Play Nice....

2008-04-11T21:20:07-05:00

Is the much beloved Apple the new Microsoft? First there was IBM, the big all crushing corporate machine that was humbled by the next big giant in the form of Microsoft, so it seems Apple's turn is long overdue. The next few weeks are crucial to this crossroads in which Apple finds itself: It owes a HUGE amount to the BSD (an open source Unix clone) which is the foundation for not just OS X, but the iPhone and now the iPod Touch. Basically without the kernel that runs these fantastic devices, Apple would still be up shit creek without a paddle. Granted the iPod would have been a huge success probably still, but OS X's core is the foundation for the real money making Apple will do over the next few years, a point that is not lost on Mr. Jobs as the company intelligently markets different segments to different markets of which I have first hand experience of: Go to the Apple site for education and they extol the brilliance of a Macbook and make they deal sweeter by throwing in an iPod Nano. But if you go to a link I was provided in a college advert; they bring to a page pointing out key areas a mac can make a difference. I picked Computer Science naturally, and the site extolled the virtues of Open Source, a Unix base and programming tools like Xcode.

So whats the big deal? Well the fact the new iPods are locked solid with a new encrypted hash, meaning nothing besides iTunes will work with the new iPods. The iPhone also gets similar treatment, no third party development is allowed: no only Apple Applications are allowed. This stinks to high heavens of monopolistic behavior akin to Microsoft or IBM of old. Not to mention gouging both networks and customers with the iPhone. Apple may not yet be important enough to endure the wrath of the European Union Antitrust bodies or the US Department of Justice; but they are certainly on a slippery slope as the popularity of their products and lock in seem to increase day by day. Interestingly enough Apple may be also feeling the heat of Linux, with the much-famed poster child of the free software revolution now making it into Apple's marketing material; meaning Apple sees Linux as a future threat. After taking so much from Open Source, including the GNU Tool chain, the BSD Kernel, the Samba Networking protocols to interact with Windows (to name a few) Apple should be a good free software citizen and not aggravate core customers like myself of which Open source is a key factor in OS X.

Comp Sci: An Interview with Stanford's Undegraduate Professor

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

This is the guy who runs Stanford University Undergraduate programme. He talks about the future of computer science:

Computer Science will evolve more than most other subjects as it expands into other areas, especially Biology and other areas people don't normally associate with it
Industry ties with Colleges are going to be very important
Computer Science with Law is the next big area

Thanks to Robert Scoble for doing the interview.

Review of the Official Ubuntu Book, Second Edition (2007)

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

The Ubuntu Book (2nd Edition) is a nicely put together book for dealing with the Linux operating system in a number of clearly laid out and well presented chapters. Chapters are as follows:

Introducing Ubuntu
Installing Ubuntu
Using Ubuntu on the Desktop
Advanced Usage and Managing Ubuntu
Ubuntu Server
Support / Typical Problems
Using Kubuntu
Ubuntu Community
Ubuntu-Related Projects
Using Edubuntu

This book is a very complete introduction and contains suprising elements related to finding out and joining the community of users - which you will not find in other Ubuntu Books (such as O'Reilly's Ubuntu Hacks) which make it a unique and worthwhile addition to any Ubuntu users personal library. It is most helpful to new users to Ubuntu, which sections on installing and help with problems that could be faced. Having said that, it falls short on the amount of truly unique information that it contains - most of the books contents can be found on the web. What you are paying for is a well-laid out, well written account of the Ubuntu-sphere and all that goes along with it.

The price of €37.50 which I paid (less in the US, about $34.99 RRP) might be a bit much for some, but when you consider the operating system itself is free, you can easily justify the cost. A DVD comes included with the book which contains Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu, rather handy if you do not want to download the cd image.

The Server section is obviously a bit more for the advanced user, but still is a quint introduction to the basics which is 34 pages long - probably not enough to warrant a purchase by a sever administrator or other power server user. The Edubuntu section offers an introduction to the school-based flavour of Ubuntu which tips on how they differ and administration of multiple machines (including a nice introduction to thin clients and servers for schools).

Whos the book for?
People new to Ubuntu, people moving from Windows, School Administrators all fit the test case. If your an Ubuntu power user, don't mind taking down your system or messing with the kernel than you should stick to online help. However I bought the book to show to others and promote Ubuntu as a viable and successful alternative to Mac OS X and Windows - it gives a great impression of the project and it's success to date and I also bought it to support Ubuntu financially.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown

2008-04-11T21:19:36-05:00

I have got a place in a 4 year Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computing, or more commonly known as Computer Science (or comp sci as I am lazy and like to abbreviate). This means I might be blogging slightly less sometimes, but it should be a hell of a lot more interesting and I promise to keep my posts not too technical as I have up to this point.

I would like to thank you all for subscribing and I hope you'll enjoy what is to come in the future!!

Many Thanks,
Neil Grogan
DueyFinster.com sole author/blogger/all-round-technophile

[EDIT]: I thought I'd add this cool map of my Bus ride (I get the train from my house then its a bus)

View Larger Map

Microsoft settles with Eolas over Internet Explorer

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

Microsoft has settled with Eolas over a number of patents regarding browser plugins which chicago based Eolas filed patents for in 1998. A jury in Chicago then found Microsoft guilty of infringing on Eolas’ patents and was told to pay $521m US Dollars in 'damages'. That ruling was overturned and a fresh trial ordered which was due to start very soon, but it seems Microsoft has decided to pay out:

Details of the settlement have not yet been released but Eolas Technologies’ chief operating officer, Mark Swords, told the New York Times that a certain number of Eolas’ shareholders would get US$60 to US$72 per share.

I think it is a sign of a deep crisis in the technology industry as a whole when companies have to pay out over patents over which the holder has no product. With patents there should be a use em' or lose em' theme. My biggest concern now is that I hope Microsoft are not trying to validate the patent by paying out and then encouraging Eolas to use it against competitors, sort of like the Apple and Creative deal comes to mind.

Gutsy coming along, Update to Dell Windows Refund..

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

I just tried Herd 5 of Gutsy Gibbon, a beta release which will be Ubuntu 07.10 released in October. Obviously it is still early stages and a lot of things aren't working quite as they should, but it looks very promising. Here's some new stuff which should hit the final release:

Compiz Fusion - Pretty Graphics that leave you in awe...
Bullet Proof X - Making sure you'll never see a terminal prompt not of your own choosing, basically the graphics server should be 'bulletproof'
Appearance Manager - Making it easier to change yourbuntu's look and feel
Better Driver Support - More of those restricted drivers to make sure you can see your screen and use your wifi card
Simplified Codecs install - It will now be painless, install ubuntu-restrictedcodecs (or kubuntu-restricted codecs) and you can see Youtube in all its glory, play a dvd, watch that porno WMV file (just kidding but I think thats all WMV is used for) and other such niceties of the propreitry world we have to put up with
Firefox Codecs Plugin - Firefox will be hooked up to the package manager and prompt to install Flash/Java if you haven't got it already, much the same way it prompts to get a codec when you throw a file at it that it cannot play in the movie player. The free software Gnash replacement for Flash will come as standard and can play Youtube Vids.
Dual Screen Glory - If your like me you have a nice and small portable laptop, but that screen just won't do all of the time, thats why I personally have a 19" to plug my 13" MacBook into. With Gutsy I should be able to plug and play over DVI.

These are just some of the features that are being worked on for the final release. Probably not all of them on the list will get into Gutsy final, but lets hope they do! Gutsy+1 (slated for release April 2008) has been announced as "Hardy Hereon" and should be a long term release (5 years server and 3 years desktop updates and patches).

Dell refunded me €18.15 for Windows Home Edition, to be honest I thought I'd get more, but alas that's life.....

Dell refunds me for Windows!

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

As many of you know I am a Linux and Mac aficionado. For my Linux machines, all of them are Dell. I have been always pleased with Dells prices, how their machines work with Linux, their customer service and the fact they are made in Limerick, Ireland (I am from Ireland). I politely emailed Dell (well got up on my high horse), heres my first mail:

I would like a refund of Windows XP since I am installing Ubuntu Linux on the computer when I get it. When I turn on the computer I am going to decline the EULA, and I am within my rights to request this refund (as part of Irish consumer laws). This also applies in Britian, see here: ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6144782.stm )

So yeah I wasn't the most polite, but I was trying to make a point because I guessed they'd be not 'welcome' to the idea. Boy was I wrong, I got a lovely call from a Dell representitive telling me they would refund it:

As per our phone conversation I have arranged for you to be refunded for this part. Please allow approximately 5 working days for the money to show back on your credit card.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate in responding directly to this mail and I will be glad to assist you further.

All I can say is I am definitely a Dell customer from now on. The sad part of this story is perhaps Dell is out of pocket because of licensing deals with Microsoft. But they did the right thing, and that is honourable, it seems IdeaStorm and Michael Dell returning is working. I would gladly deny the refund. Why did I do this? I did it because I oppose the ridiculous notion every PC has to come with Windows, its like selling all black cars. People want choice and variety, and consumer laws are supposed to protect and promote this ;-) I won't be using XP and I will be true to my word and deny the EULA as soon as I receive the laptop.

Bootnote: Ubuntu Dells are available in France, Germany, UK and the US but not in Ireland. I ordered through small business and specced the laptop to the exact parts the Ubuntu Inspirons in the US have, all that is different is the model numbers. Come on Dell, sell those Ubuntu machines in Ireland, I'll buy another!!

Have you got viruses or spyware? Here's my tips!

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

I come into contact everyday with people asking how to fix their machines due to the inevitable spyware and viruses found on a Windows machine. Lately I have been switching people to Ubuntu, and even getting them to buy machines to install it on (Dell). But I understand and have no zealotry for Linux when it comes to fixing peoples' real world problems. I always mention Ubuntu as a matter of course, and also Macs. I follow up peoples Ubuntu installs with friendly emails explaining the free help open to them, but also as common (probably moreso) are my emailed tips to people guiding them how to fix there Windows XP computer. So I'll list the steps here which are generic and should help anyone out their with such problems; this is not a miracle cure and I fix these problems on a case by case basis, so expect better perfromance, but not a new computer!!

Go to Control Panel (Click on My Computer, then a link to it appears at the side) > Add/Remove Programs
Remove all Norton Antivirus and/or Symantec Security products
Download This: Avast Home Edition 4
When Avast installs and asks to perform a boot time scan, click: yes, then restart your computer as it suggests
Register for a (free) Avast Home Edition 4 Serial key
Start Avast from the Start Menu (Start > All Programs > Avast). It will flash an "A" on a round ball in the status area, click it and enter serial number recieved in email
Download: Spybot Search and Destroy
It will guide you through this when it starts up the first time: Backup your registry, download all available updates, immunise and then do a full scan (it sounds harder then it is), then remove all spyware

I should also mention the open source ClamAV, but I find Avast more suitable for this guide. I hope this helps fix issues that people have. I hate to see new computers being bought every day when the old ones can be made to run very fast with the right amount of TLC!

Seven financial reasons not to use Windows

2008-04-11T21:21:40-05:00

I recently read a very insightful article on 7 factors every company should seriously consider about Microsoft Windows, here they are summarised:

1. Licensing Costs

Everyone in the IT industry today knows that proprietary operating systems and the applications that run on them will cost you a lot of money on licensing fees. According to a recent Forrester study, U.S. companies overall are expected to spend $100 billion on software maintenance in 2007.

2. Hardware Costs

"You need to throw lots of hardware at it," says Central Desktop founder Arnulf Hsu about Windows. The minimum hardware requirements for Server 2003 call for a Pentium III 550MHz, 512MB of RAM, and at least a 3GB hard drive. Linux, on the other hand, can go on an old Pentium II with only 64MB of RAM and 1GB of hard drive space.

3. Inefficient Security Control

It's going to take more labor to keep a Windows system secure. Virus makers and crackers target Windows systems because it is easier to break into.

4. Heavy Vendor Influence

Because so many corporations have a company policy that specifies "Microsoft-only," it discourages independent thinking and technological savvy; many end up simply relying on the sales guy to tell them what applications they need.

5. Inefficient use of Manpower

While it is true that it is relatively easy to find Windows-skilled IT admins, it's still not exactly cheap. Though many Unix-based admins are more expensive, it takes fewer of them to maintain more servers, which saves money in the long run.

6. Feature Lock-in

Proprietary systems like Windows are not easily customizable. Companies that need the flexibility to drop in or remove features on an as-needed basis find themselves either paying for unneeded feature bloat, starving for the features they do need because commercial vendors rarely are willing to drop everything to accommodate a one-off request

7. Forced Upgrade Path

With Microsoft, you're on a forced upgrade path. Once it drops support on your version of Windows, you're out of luck when it comes to fixing those above mentioned security holes-if you can even continue to use that version.

The full article on CIO is here, and is a very interesting read (it expands on the points I quoted above). No person in a company responsible for IT should go without reading this, especially if your are a "Microsoft-Only" shop.

HP to Follow Dell into Open Source? & Ubuntu Home Server

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

HP it seems is responding to Dell's initiative to sell Ubuntu on their computers. With the Ubuntu Dells reportedly selling very well and Dell rolling out the program worldwide, this hasn't escaped the notice of the world's number one computer manufacturer - HP. This is speculation from blogs that has been going on for months since Dell started to offer Ubuntu. The Direct to Dell Blog states:

This recent post from Tom Dryer caught my eye a couple of days ago, and thought I'd comment on it here. If the rumors about HP offering Ubuntu are true, we're glad to see other vendors join us in support of Ubuntu and open source. We welcome HP and other system vendors that want to join in this initiative.

This is very good news indeed and I am glad Dell is being very receptive to the idea, they even made this humorous video about their new foray into Open Source:

Ubuntu Home Server is a newly announced project by Ubuntu community members to compete with Windows Home Server. Personally I think Microsoft is barking up the wrong tree with this, I don't think many home users will bother with this type of product, maybe it will take off in a couple of years, but most people are not tech-savvy, and even if they are, chances are there already doing this with Linux, Xbox360 or a PS3. Many people can't tell me even what a server is, never mind what it can do. Also it won't make sense because people expect to have everything on their pc ready to go, and to not have to purchase another one to throw in a storage closet. Nevertheless to paraphrase Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at D5 Conference: We Built things we wanted to have. So in that tone and considering the Home server product is just modified Windows (it would not cost as much as say a whole new project like Zune or Xbox 360), I can see where Microsoft is betting that this is one of many avenues in the future. Personally I think it will be specialised hardware devices that will win this space, like Intel VIIV, Apple TV or one of the many consoles I mentioned.

Windows Vista Security: Better than Linux?

2008-04-11T21:18:18-05:00

After reading a nice article written by Jeff Jones, a security researcher for Microsoft. He says he isn't biased, saying he worked over 75% of his career outside Microsoft, using Slackware Linux, Unix, HP Unix etc. He claims Windows Vista has less security holes than popular versions of Linux, such as Ubuntu (he also compares Red Hat, Novell, Mac OS X). First let me say why his facts are distorted, and why he knows his facts are distorted. His facts do raise an issue of slow patching of vulnerabilities across the software Industry, but Linux performs the best consistently because anyone can audit the code. Here's why his comparisons are uneven:

Linux is open source, so various tools can be used to find vulnerabilities. We don't have this luxury with Windows, any holes found are needles in a haystack, but the target of the Windows monopoly allows greater incentive to find these needles
Linux has used SUDO and ROOT users properly since its inception (Think of Administrator in Windows). Anyone who is not a root user on Linux cannot install programs, make system wide changes, and you can even stop them from using USB keys, CD Drives etc if you are paranoid. Now this has received much attention, Vista has retroactively inserted this kind of security, but by my experience, it is very obtrusive, and can be switched off. Root in Linux is alot harder to stop, and theres no graphical way to do it, so the average user won't.
A link to my second point above, Programs in Linux can only access what they need to, the home folder of the user that is running it and very little else. I don't know what the case is in Vista, but in Windows XP, almost any program could destroy your system, by picking at the much famed registry.

He provides pretty graphs, let me provide my own:

(click on Graphs to Enlarge)
As you can see, Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (released April) compares comparatively better to Vista, available since January. The Graphs are provided by Secunia, an independent security research firm. Microsoft often downplays vulnerabilities other companies like Secunia find, which is also a factor that Jeff Jones did not mention (maybe he forgot?). I forget where this famous quote comes from but I have paraphrased: "You cannot depend on a man understanding a problem if his salary depends on him not understanding it", which I think affects Mr. Jeff Jones.

Threats to Democracy

2008-04-11T21:25:14-05:00

After reading about Tom Cruise being banned from filming at certain German military sites because of his belief in Scientology, I was a bit outraged at first, despite my abhorrence of their beliefs, which I think are crazy and nonsensical.

Germany has barred the makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.
Cruise, also one of the film's producers, is a member of the Church of Scientology which the German government does not recognise as a church. Berlin says it masquerades as a religion to make money, a charge Scientology leaders reject.

So far this seems very unreasonable from the the German Government, to target a faith based group like that, akin to the Jews perhaps? No, it is not that at all, Scientology are part of Holocaust denial and masquerading, blaming it (the Holocaust) on Psychologists. Germany is just enforcing its rights as a state to use its own systems of law, and its right to debar anyone whom they see as unfit from entering the country. If Mr. Cruise was a German citizen, this case would be different, he most likely would end up in jail like Neo-Nazis do. Is this unjustified? No I don't think so, although the reporting of it is unclear at best and confuses people. The German Ministry does not wish to persecute Mr. Cruise, but as he is a member of an organization who break a law going back even before L. Ron Hubbard created the myth of Scientology, a post-World War II law.

What is the picture above you may ask? Well that is the "Threats to Democracy", a picture taken in Nuremburg, Germany (Photo Credit: Caesura). Once the bastion of hate that was the Nuremburg Rallies of WWII, it lists (left to right) Islamic Extremism, Scientology and Organised Crime as the biggest threats Western Democracy faces in the 21st Century, and I couldn't agree more. The are all forms of extremism practised by the fringes of Western Society, and contrary to Western values of the rule of law, freedom of faith, democracy etc.