Why this note? It turns out that my wife’s laptop, a cheapie no-name, has a dying intallation of WindowsXP and it turns out that the CD/DVD drive crapped out about 6 months ago. It’s time to do a reinstall of Windows and this is how I’ll try doing it.
Why am I posting it here? Because I am in Ubuntu and will have to boot back to Windows to make this work. Sadly I say this booting thing because happily I have not booted into Windows in at least 6 months on this machine. Oh well, sometimes one has to make sacrifices. And I don’t want to loose the link.
I’m a big proponent in open source software for a few reasons, the best of which is the ability of anyone to work on anything and have anyone else help them if they wish. This really opens up the world to groundbreaking new ideas.
One of the biggest things, in my opinion, in ground breaking new ideas is Compiz-Fusion, the open source OpenGL accelerated desktop environment for Linux. I’ve talked about it in the past, but not really extensively. What Compiz Fusion does is turn over the rendering of your desktop from your CPU to your GPU allowing for some really awesome effects (AKA Eyecandy) without adding any additional overhead to the actual computing power of your computer. For instance, I can do just about anything, and a whole lot more, than Windows Vista’s Aero interface or Mac’s OS-X interface can on a machine that is generally considered sub-par by todays computer standards – a 2 GHZ Athlon, 500 Megs of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 6200 with 256 megs of memory on a 4x AGP port. This is top of the line 2003 hardware here, but in case you hadn’t noticed, this is 2008, 5 years later than my technology.
Now some developers have taken Compiz-Fusion to an all new level. The current 3d desktop is really just a rendered 2d desktop with some effects to make it look pretty. SmSpillaz and others have really made the Compiz-Fusion interface into 3 Dimensions! Take a look at the following video if you don’t believe me:
Well, hmmm… I guess it’s been a while. The holidays always get hectic and I had the distinc pleasure of following them up with a month long gig doing the Army Reservist thing. FWIW I teach Psychological Operations (I’ll let you do your own web search on that one!) at lovely Fort Hunter Liggett, Jolon, California.
Well, I’m back now and thought I’d post a little update.
Consider yourselves updated!
300 (The Movie) is absolutely outstanding! Why am I telling you this now, a year later? Because I’m a little slow on the uptake I guess.
Knight Rider, The Movie was absolutely horrible. I know they’ll make a series out of it only because they already paid the writers for it I’m sure. Even with the writers strike over it’s going to take some time to get things going again for the studios. If you want a recap without actually harming your psyche in the process, check out the Autoblog blog on the subject.
I want to aplogize for my rather unprofessional rant on my iPod Mini from last November. It was uncalled for (though it DID feel really good). I find it really funny that at this point most of the music publishers have moved away from DRM and I’ll be willing to bet that Steve Jobs is getting a little nervous about future revenue streams. If only they would make a Linux compatable version of iTunes. Really Steve-O, Your new-ish OS is based on BSD which is an open source variant of Unix on which Linux is closely based. It can’t be that hard to port it over… And all the necessary tools for Linux are already there for you to use, without cost to a single one of your Dev’s.
Lessee, what else?
I’ve been playing a lot with the recently refreshed Screenlets for Linux. Don’t follow that link though. It’s kind-a good, and sorta not good. I’ll make a new post all about Screenlets and hopefully drive some traffic their way.
I also bucked the trend by using Cairo-Dock rather than the ever popular Avant Window Navigator. I don’t know why but AWN was just difficult for me to use and configure, but Cairo-Dock went right together for me. I’ll post up a different entry on this as well.
Interestingly I am rolling up on 9 months my primary computer usage being with Linux. Come April it’ll be a year and I’ll actually screw up the courage to upgrade to Hardy Heron from Feisty Fawn. Maybe this is worthy of a new post also – Psyoppers Fears of Upgrading Ubuntu.
I’m trying to talk the wife into letting me use our tax return to buy a new machine to replace the aging Compaq that she bought when she burned up my machine in 2004 while I was in Iraq. So far it’s looking like I can make a decent quad core machine (Q6600) with 2 gigs of RAM, an 8800 GT and a 24″ Samsung monitor for under $1200 if I make a few concessions like reusing my current case and only upgrading the power supply.
I don’t get it, and I’m really fucking pissed off about it.
Why?
Why does everyone hate Linux? What are they afraid of? It’s my god damned computer, I’ll fucking use it how I want seeing as how I paid for it on my meager ass $10 an hour part time job.
It’s my fucking iPod, I should be able to use it how I want seeing as I also paid for it on my meager ass $10 an hour part time job.
What is with these people? I pay for music but I can’t listen to it because I don’t have the hardware or software YOU fucking want me to listen to it on? Bullshit. When I pay for music I have NEVER signed, consented or approved of any type of license or restrictions in my PERSONAL use of the music. If I want to fucking listen to music on my preferred OS, then fuck off and let me do it. If I want to put that music on MY fucking iPod then fuck off and let me do that too.
Fuck off Apple. Fuck off Steve “motherfucking” Jobs. Lets not forget that your blessed OS is a Unix variant, and a FREE one at that you cheap bastard! Take free shit, sell it for millions, and then sit back, collect the dough and don’t give a damned thing back to the people you took it from? Fuck you Bill G…, wait – sorry – I forgot who I was talking about for a second.
99 cent music? Fuck you! How much of that gets back to the artist? 1 penny? Is that why the Beatles haven’t signed iTunes yet? They’re afraid they’ll go broke waiting for their half penny to show up in the mail you cheap shit.
Fuck you Steve Jobs.
And take this goddamned iPod and shove it up your motherfucking stupid white pimpled hairy fat ass.
Easy – Ever take a lovely digital picture only to find later that some schmoe got between your camera and your stripper at just the right time? Take him out and fill in the blank!
The example is much more family appropriate, but something tells me that finding a picture of a stripper on the interporn … err… I mean Internet won’t be terribly difficult.
I came across this video today about a different (completely different) 3 dimensional desktop from OS X, MS Aero or Compiz. It’s called BumpTop and it’s interesting in that it is more like working with your Real Life desktop with documents scattered and strewn about your computer desktop, the ability to stack or pile them, sort them and rifle through them.
Check out the video, this is really compelling stuff!
Sorry Windows users, Compiz is only for Linux. Billy et al already tried to give you a pretty interface with Aero. What? You can’t use Aero because your computer isn’t fast enough? Maybe you should switch to Linux, it’s making a damned fine entry into the desktop market with distributions like Ubuntu and Linux Mint.
I’ve been running Compiz-Fusion just dandy-fine for the last month on my 2004 Compaq Presario with a whopping 2 GHZ Athlon, 512 megs of RAM and a Geforce 6200 AGP-4x.
The GIMP is getting a User Interface (UI) redesign and we can expect portions to be available now (the new select/crop tool) and more in 2.4 (like a single window to rule them all!)
Posted by psyopper 
The Copper Scroll 