Boot time: 1.6Ghz Dual Core with Vista vs. 300Mhz P3 with Ubuntu

25 10 2008

I just got Ubuntu on my old 300mhz, 256mb RAM computer and decided to see what was the difference in boot time between this and my 1.6ghz Dual Core, 2gb RAM laptop.

I pressed the power button on my laptop 5 seconds after I did on my old desktop PC and waited. I expected Vista to beat Ubuntu by a minute because of the huge difference between the two computers, and I was wrong.

Vista obviously had updates to install before booting because at always have damn updates that asks you to boot every 10 freakin’ minutes with no “Shut the fuck up” checkbox. Then Vista got to the login screen where I quickly entered my password while Ubuntu was still loading.

However I decided to wait until both hard drives go idle. Well it turns out Vista never gives your HDD a rest but I’d say it was done loading completely AFTER the Linux computer was completely idle.

This computer ran slowly on Windows 2000 and it can challenge Vista at boot time without biting the dust. Also the installation of Ubuntu took 10 minutes of setup and about 45 minutes of waiting. Everything worked out of the box and I got all the applications I need including a complete office suite without paying a dime.

I think you get the message: Get Ubuntu, NOW!


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Categories : Fun stuff, Linux, Technology

Giving the repository project its wings

13 10 2008

I mentionned earlier that I took interest in a repository project for Windows Mobile. Well we brainstormed the idea a bit in a thread on XDA Developers tonight and a typed a few lines of code already.

One of the main problems with Windows Mobile is that new users are totally confused when it comes to installing software on their devices. Some applications install over ActiveSync (a method I don’t like), some others use .cab files and some even require manual installation!

A simple solution is used by Apple (the AppStore) and Linux (package managers) to make installing applications an easier process. These are repositories. They are basically a place where you can find a ton of applications and install them without any hassle. They have proven their usefulness already and are partly behind the success of Apples’s iPod Touch. Since Microsoft is not likely to field anything similar, it’s up to us, developers, to get the job done.

However it’s easier said than done. First of all it takes a lot of time and some money to maintain such a project. Apple makes a lot of profit by taking a percentage of the developers’ revenue whenever an application is sold. Generally such stores take a huge part of the profits (up to 40 percent!) and make development even less profitable. Instead of doing this, I (we?) will only charge a tiny one-time insertion fee to shareware developers (1$?). This fee will help me pay for my studies and development tools and will ensure the repository remains up-to-date.

Unlike the other applications, this project will not be entirely open source. Instead, I will give away the source of the client for developers to make their own but I will not allow anyone to edit the software database. Developers will have to submit a request to get their aoftware added (just like on software sites) so I can filter what kind of content ends up on the list.

To make sure the costs stay low, developers will have to host the applications themself. The client will not sell software neither so it will only provide demo versions of the shareware applications.

If you want to provide feedback or help us with this ambitious and interesting project, stay tuned! We also have a thread in Development & Hacking on XDA Developers.


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Categories : Linux

A repository for Windows Mobile

13 10 2008

If you have ever used Linux, you probably fell in love with the Package Manager. This sweet application lists most of the programs available for your computer so you can download one of many of them in a convenient way with having to search for the application.

Why not make such a thing for Windows Mobile? Simply leave one or more servers with a crapload of properly named CAB files and a client for Pocket PCs to list and download the applications. This would allow people that find the standard installation procedures too complicated to have an easy way to install their favorite freeware and shareware applications without any hassle.

Unfortunately I don’t have the required skills to start such a project but if anyone is interested I’m more than willing to help!


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Categories : Linux, Windows Mobile

A few more suggestions to improve Ubuntu

15 08 2008

After a bit over two months, I’m still using Ubuntu and I’m proud of it. I like how fast it boots, how it barely uses power and how mostly everything is already there.

However, because there is already a “however”, there are some stuff that are painfully obvious that the respectable developers behind this wonder forgot or left behind. I’m not an advanced Linux user but I sure know how to surpass my problems with Google and the friendly Ubuntu community, but some problems seem a bit too hard to figure out for simpletons just looking for something more stable than Vista.

Here’s a few more problems that make me booth into Vista until I catch a new virus or get tired of the laptop fans blowing like there’s no tomorrow:

Installing stuff

Okay, first, the Synaptic Package Manager is the best thing to have ever graced a desktop OS. However the lack of an efficient executable file for applications downloaded from the web is deceiving. A lot of applications require you to copy and paste files here and there, something a bit complicated for newbies.

Wallpapers

I know you can set a picture as a wallpaper in the Image menu of F-Spot, but why not include an option in the right click menu of pictures to set them as a wallpaper (or “add” them to your wallpapers) too?

Permissions

I don’t really understand it yet, but when I move files from a NTFS disk to my Ubuntu partition, I always end up having “locked” files, which requires me to go in Properties and set the permissions as they were before. I’m not an expert so I’ll have to let you figure that one out, sorry!

If you are reading this, don’t let this keep you away from Linux! If you are slightly tech-savvy enough, Linux offers much more speed, customization and community support than Vista.

Sure, there’s a lot of work left to be done, but seeing how well you’ve got things done, I’m sure there’s only improvement to come. Keep up the good work!

EDIT: I am getting a lot of feedback from visitors concerning my article. You might want to read the comments as they provide some great tips for Linux users. Feel free to add your own tips, thanks a lot!


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Categories : Linux

A few suggestions to improve Ubuntu

21 07 2008

It’s been a month since I burned and installed Ubuntu for the first time. Since then I fell in love with it and don’t plan to stop using it soon. However there are some features that are obviously missing and quite important. Most of them involve file operations, something I found quite crippled on Ubuntu.

On of them that got me quite frustrated is the overwriting/renaming tasks. I have two SD cards for my camera and I had to transfer the pictures from both cards to my Pictures folder. Since pictures have the same name on both cards, I had to rename them prior to moving them. However it’s apparently impossible to rename multiple files at once. I was really deceived and simply rebooted on Vista and did everything from there. Vista now has this neat feature that when you move files with the same name, you are prompted to either overwrite the files, rename the new files or cancel the operation.

The trash sucks too. There is no restore button so you have to copy/paste your way through your problems. Thankfully, you can add a “delete” option to the menu to skip the trash. For some reason, they also decided removable media also had to have the trash system. It’s not such a bad idea, but since the “deleted” files are still on your card (in a Trash??? folder), this hogs all the space on your card, especially when you deal with big files. They should instead ask you if you want to put it to a trash folder on your computer or simply delete it instead.

I also found that the “autorun” for storage cards is quite limited. I’d love to see a menu like on XP/Vista where you can select what to do.

I guess that’s all, from what I noticed. I’m just throwing in my two cents because I doubt I’m the only one being frustrated by these problems. Nonetheless Ubuntu is still excellent and worth a try. I guess you can always use F-Spot to sort your photos too.


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Categories : Linux, My opinion

My take on Ubuntu vs. Vista, without fanboy bullcrap!!!

15 07 2008

Remember when I installed Ubuntu a few weeks ago because Vista fucked up during an update? Well once I restored the system I decided to permanently install Ubuntu along with Vista. Since then I pretty much abandonned Vista except for syncing my Pocket PC and installing applications on it. Do you know why I stopped using Vista? Here’s why!

Booting up Vista is long, very long. In fact, booting Ubuntu from closed to the moment everything is loaded takes under a minute. With Vista, I can enter my password and take a piss and the thing is still loading.

Then you realize Vista is a power whore. You boot Ubuntu and after a few seconds the hard drive is idle and everything is calm. With Vista, even if you don’t touch it for hours, the laptop’s hard drive will still spin endlessly until you power it off.

There’s also the fucking updates. You are asked to install 250mb of important updates everywhere, along with antivirus updates, driver updates and the list goes on. Ubuntu notifies you daily of updates too, except they take a minute to install, won’t require a reset and feature 99% less nights of Googling around to find out the update fucked up everything.

Uninstalling software is much faster on Ubuntu. When I first tried to uninstall something (”something” being the ton of bloatware that came with the laptop), I was wondering how the heck the average person could find the “Programs and functionalities” in the Control Panel. In Ubuntu? Simply click “Add/Remove software” in the applications menu. Also, you don’t have to Google for an hour every week to find a solution to a problem that randomly appeared.

Finally, probably the best thing about Ubuntu is that everything you need to start is there. You have an IM client, Internet browser, organizer and all the rest at hand right after installation. 

There is much more stuff that made my switch definitive, notably the fact everything is free, the virus are not a worry, errors are not clueless messages, incredible community support and the infinite customization.

On the other side, Ubuntu has its load of disadvantages, but as long as you are not a programmer or a gamer, few of them really hamper the experience. Ubuntu is so fast… so simple… you never have to worry about anything!

I will stay on Linux.


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Categories : Linux, My opinion

I want your cash

26 06 2008

Click to see the comic.

(Still playing with Sketch)


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Categories : Linux, My "art", Other stuff

How to make Wi-Fi work on HP laptops running on Ubuntu

22 06 2008

Wi-FiFor those who decided Vista doesn’t cut it and tried to run Linux on their HP laptops, you might have discovered everything works except WLAN. Well folks, it’s possible to make it work and the process can be done by newcomers like me. The workaround applies for HP laptops (DV, TX and ZV series) but also for some Dell, Compaq and Acer laptops.

I can confirm this work on my HP Pavillion dv2422ca with a Broadcom 4321AG card.

The guide can be found here:
Installing BCM9431MCG WLAN mini-PCI on 7.10 and 8.04 - Broadcom wifi on a HP dv9000 (Ubuntu forums)


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Categories : Linux

First minutes of dualboot…

20 06 2008

I finally made the move and decided to run both Linux and Vista on the same laptop. So far everything works well on both side.

While I’m still a new user of a non-Windows system, I hereby make the promise that I will not annoy every Windows user because they refuse to switch to Linux.

Also, I promise to stop posting about nerd stuff like this and actually blog about interesting stuff.


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Categories : Linux, Other stuff

I’m writing from a Linux computer

20 06 2008

Running short on options with Vista being impossible to run, I had to boot Linux from a CD in order to get back my files stuck on my zombified computer. Well this accidentally made me discover how awesome Linux is. I might get into that dualboot nerd stuff someday…

Here’s a screenshot, I shit you not!

Oh and happy birthday Marina!


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Categories : Linux, Other stuff