Linux: April 2008 Archives
I upgraded my home desktop's Ubuntu install earlier today.
It was a relatively painless exercise, though I was trying to do it unattended, which naturally enough didn't work due to a few custom configs I had.
I'm used to Ubuntu upgrades wreaking havoc on my graphics settings, but this time everything seems to be working as before.
It's interesting to see that the Ubuntu developers opted for the beta release of Firefox rather than a stable one.
Of course I've only had the new install up and running for a couple of hours so far, so there maybe issues and new features that I haven't spotted yet. No news is good news!
It was a relatively painless exercise, though I was trying to do it unattended, which naturally enough didn't work due to a few custom configs I had.
I'm used to Ubuntu upgrades wreaking havoc on my graphics settings, but this time everything seems to be working as before.
It's interesting to see that the Ubuntu developers opted for the beta release of Firefox rather than a stable one.
Of course I've only had the new install up and running for a couple of hours so far, so there maybe issues and new features that I haven't spotted yet. No news is good news!
A new look and feel was unveiled for Dilbert.com
You'd think that people would be delighted, but the opposite is the case.
Why?
Well whoever is responsible for the screwup that is the new site seems to be living in the past.
The new Flash animations are simple Flash. There's no reason why they wouldn't work in most browsers on most platforms, but if you visit the animation section using Linux you get a lovely message:
Doh!
You'd think that people would be delighted, but the opposite is the case.
Why?
Well whoever is responsible for the screwup that is the new site seems to be living in the past.
The new Flash animations are simple Flash. There's no reason why they wouldn't work in most browsers on most platforms, but if you visit the animation section using Linux you get a lovely message:
So you grab yourself a copy of the UserAgent Switcher extension for Firefox and "spoof" a "supported" browser. And of course the entire thing then works fine.
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows XP Media Center 2005, Mac OSX 10.3 or Mac OSX 10.4 is required to view this page
Doh!
It looks like the next release of Ubuntu will be hitting a mirror near you in a few days. According to the main Ubuntu site the next stable release will come out of beta in a mere 12 days.
So what kind of new features will it bring?
What is likely to break? (something nearly always does! :) )
I'm seriously considering doing a completely clean install on my home desktop, as a number of things have been acting a bit flaky over the last few months, probably due to my annoying habit of installing stuff to play with it. (It's annoying me more than anyone else!)
So what kind of new features will it bring?
What is likely to break? (something nearly always does! :) )
I'm seriously considering doing a completely clean install on my home desktop, as a number of things have been acting a bit flaky over the last few months, probably due to my annoying habit of installing stuff to play with it. (It's annoying me more than anyone else!)
I'd been hearing quite a bit about Adobe's Air over the last few months, but I hadn't had any reason to install it.
While I use a Mac running OSX in the office, I tend to spend more time using my Ubuntu desktop when I'm at home. I may have a MacBook Pro, but sitting at a desk is more comfortable if you're working on anything that matters.
Since I seem to spend a lot of time and money trawling eBay for bargains I was looking for some "helper" applications. Stewart pointed me in the direction of eBay's homegrown Air app - the eBay desktop
Unlike Microsoft's much vaunted "cross platform" Sliverlight which still isn't available for linux, Adobe have released a linux version. They describe it as "alpha quality" but it actually worked first time.
Installing the eBay desktop application was as simple as downloading the installer and running it. Once installed you're prompted for your eBay login details and off you go.
Now why can't Microsoft do something similar with SilverLight? I thought they'd got over their entire "Linux is evil" trip.
While I use a Mac running OSX in the office, I tend to spend more time using my Ubuntu desktop when I'm at home. I may have a MacBook Pro, but sitting at a desk is more comfortable if you're working on anything that matters.
Since I seem to spend a lot of time and money trawling eBay for bargains I was looking for some "helper" applications. Stewart pointed me in the direction of eBay's homegrown Air app - the eBay desktop
Unlike Microsoft's much vaunted "cross platform" Sliverlight which still isn't available for linux, Adobe have released a linux version. They describe it as "alpha quality" but it actually worked first time.
Installing the eBay desktop application was as simple as downloading the installer and running it. Once installed you're prompted for your eBay login details and off you go.
Now why can't Microsoft do something similar with SilverLight? I thought they'd got over their entire "Linux is evil" trip.
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