What is Ubuntu Linux

A computer is a means to an end. What that end is exactly varies depending on who that final user is. On my two personal computers I run Ubuntu Linux as my operating system. What is Ubuntu? This is a question I field several times a week. Ubuntu is an operating system - like Windows or OSX. It is what allows the computer to perform all those tasks that we use them for in our everyday lives.

One common misconception about Linux is that in order to be able to use it you must be a programmer. This is no longer the truth, using Ubuntu requires as much coding knowledge as using Windows does. Ubuntu is a fully polished operating system that has been long ready for everyday use. Some of the things I like to highlight about Ubuntu when describing it to people are the following:

Ubuntu runs faster than the Windows platform on the same hardware for many reasons, but in short the operating system itself has less overhead to deal with. As such it leaves more resources for your other applications to utilizes thus allowing them to run faster.

Ubuntu is immune to viruses and malware. Now this isn't to say if you download a file that is infected with a Window's virus it stops being a virus, its just that the code that allows a virus to run a muck on a Windows system does not work on Ubuntu due to the permissions a Linux based operating system uses.

Ubuntu "just works". To any of you who have ever (re)installed Windows you are familiar with what goes into it. After installing the system you have to hunt down drivers and gather all those programs (office, firefox, anti-virus, ect.) that you need to go about your everyday tasks. With Ubuntu most all hardware works fresh off the disk and productivity software comes pre-installed, what few drivers are required Ubuntu will find, download, and install for you in most cases.

Ubuntu is free. Yep thats right, free as in free speech or free beer. It is available without charge for anyone who would like to try it out. It is just a download away.

All that being said I would like to again restate my first sentence: A computer is a means to an end. If Windows works well for getting you to that end then I guess you can stop reading here. How ever if it does not(or does so slowly), if you are interested in trying something new, or any of the above information sparked an interested in you - please continue on. Is Ubuntu for you? Ubuntu is perfect for casual computer user and programmer a like. There are only a couple cases in which I do not recommend using Ubuntu in your everyday computing:

1. Gaming - Try as we might gaming on Linux can be hard. Many commercial games do not have Linux installers and as such it can be hard to get some games to run on Ubuntu.
2. Specific Piece of Proprietary Software: This one is along the same line as gaming, certain applications (such as Adobe's CS suite) are not 100% functional under Ubuntu.

If either of the above two situations apply then Ubuntu is not for you. How ever if you are like most computer users out there and use your computer for things such as the ineternet (instant messaging, web browsing), research, media (music & videos), office or schoolwork (spread sheets, power point, text documents) - then Ubuntu is perfect for you.

Some of you might be wondering at this point if all of what I say above is true why don't more people use Ubuntu? If it is really more secure, faster, and free why is it such an unknown platform?

1. People are afraid of change, even though Ubuntu can do everything someone needs they are still resistant to using something new.
2. Money. There isn't as much money in promoting Ubuntu as there is Windows. If the Geek squad can bank on your Windows system being brought in at least once a year for them to work on why would they recommend installing something that would change this?
   

Ubuntu is all of what I have said and so much more. For those of you who are interested it is a free download. For those of you who would like further reading I'd like to recommend:
Why Linux is Better
and
Linux is not Windows

Anyone with questions about setup or installation feel free to drop a comment or shoot me a message. Anyone with suggestions on things I can add or edit in this little article please do the same.

~Jeff Hoogland

Size Matters

Technology and computers advance at a rapid rate. Each generation of systems is faster than the last and often times less expensive. In addition to growing quicker our computers have also been getting steadily smaller. When the first netbook came into mass production back into October of 2007 it seemed that perhaps technology hand finally reached it's limit in the means of size.

Enter the subject of this article - The Open Pandora

The Open Pandora is a project that again brings a notable size reduction to computers. Sporting a pocket size (140mm by 83mm) it is sure to be the smallest full computer the market has ever seen. Thats right - that wasn't a typo - "full computer". The Open Pandora is a full computer system you can hold in the palm of your hand. Sporting a 600mhz processor and 256megs of RAM (full tech specs) the Open Pandora is going to be running a customized Linux distro that will allow for both gaming and personal use. Since the Open Pandora is sporting a full Linux distro that means you will be able to do all those things you are used to on a computer - type documents and surf the net/instant message, with wifi functionality. The Open Pandora sports a good size (43 key) QWERTY keyboard, a D-pad, two rubber analog pads, a touch screen, a microphone, TV out, blue tooth, an 800x480 resolution screen,and two USB ports. The Open Pandora will support any USB device that works on Linux (so pretty much all of them).

How ever gaming is where the device really shines - this is what it is being designed for in fact on the homepage they boast "The [Open Pandora] most powerful gaming handheld there is." This statement is not a stretch by any means - take a peek at the types of games this little guy is going to be able to handle:

• Atari 2600, 7800, 5200, and Lynx
• Nintendo NES, SNES, Gameboy, GBA and NDS (with combination of inbuilt touchscreen and external TV)
• Sega Master System and Genesis
• NEC PCEngine (TurboGrafx-16)
• SNK NeoGeo, NeoGeo Pocket, and Pocket Color
• Sony Playstation
• Atari 400, 800, and ST
• Amiga
• PC (DOSBox)

Quiet the impressive list! Also worth noting at this point is that even though it will be running a full Linux distro the Open Pandora will not be able to run applications via Wine. The processor in the device is an ARM chip - not an x86 chip which is what Wine technology requires to run.

Unfortunately the only draw back to the Open Pandora is the fact that it hasn't been released yet! They are currently taking pre-orders for the first batch (limited to 4,000 units) The pricing is reasonable, it currently runs around the same cost as a netbook:

• Pandora $330
• TV Out $19.99
• Carrying Case $19.99
• Battery $28.99
• Power Adaptor $7.99
• Stylus $7.00
• Dev Fund $20
• Air Mail shipping $24
• UPS 24/48 hr shipping $49

The unit itself includes a stylus, battery, and power adapter (oh and note the Air Mail shipping - the Open Pandora is being produced in the UK). Obviously this is only a broad overview of the device, take a look through their wiki and their homepage for more detailed information. At any rate this is a project to be watching!

~Jeff

Linux Gaming - Performance Optimizations

Gaming on Linux is not as daunting as some may think. Running native games on Linux is as easy as it is on Windows at this point - how ever as many Linux users know there are not as many titles for Linux as there are for Windows. That being said - Wine technology has come a long way in recent years, not two years ago it took much tweaking and fiddling to get games such as Counter Strike: Source or other such games to work under Linux - now that is no longer the case. There are many applications with a Platinum Rating (meaning they run without extra configuration) in the Wine application data base.

That being said I'd like to move onto the focus of this article: Performance Optimizations. One of the most important thing in PC gaming is achieving optimum performance while playing. The following are things I have done to increase my games' performance on Linux:

#1 : Use nVidia - This one is straight forward. While ATI chips are typically physically on par performance wise with those of nVidia, ATI's Linux drivers are poor at best by comparison.

#2: Use the latest drivers - New drivers are released for a reason! I have seen a further performance increase with almost every new set of nVidia drivers that have been released (173 to 180, 180 to 185, and now 185 to 190 - You can always find the latest nVidia drivers here and install instructions can be found here)

#3: Look for optimizations for each game itself - Many games' "default settings" do not yield the best performance you can get! Optimizing varies depending on the game itself but for the most part every game out there has at least a few tweaks that gain you better performance. Search around online for things pertaining to your particular game.

#4: Check the Application Data Base for more Information - Whether you are using Wine, Cedega, or Codeweavers (And I have used all three) they all have their own application's data base. Be sure to check what it says about the game you are trying to run as often time there are further suggestions there on how to make it run better. (And most times the Wine application data base is applicable to all three as Cedega & Codeweavers are based on the Wine project)

If anyone else has other general optimizations that work well for most games feel free to let me know and I will add them to my list.

~Jeff Hoogland

Comments on Windows 7

Oh Microsoft... Odds are many of you know how I feel about Windows and this company in general – I stay away from it. How ever in light of Windows 7 being released I figured I would take a quick moment to stop and look back at the platform I used once upon a time before I was enlightened to the choices in the world of operating systems. As with my look into OSX/Mac I plan to try and be fair in my little review of sorts here but, as always if you feel I give some miss-interpreted information feel free to call me out on it.

The first thing I would like to point out there really isn't much truly “new” in Windows 7. In fact when I asked my older brother, who makes his living in the computer field, to highlight what makes Windows 7 so great he said something along the lines of: Its faster, more secure, and a lot less buggy than past Windows versions. Oh ok, so basically it is what an operating system is SUPPOSE to be. Leave it to Microsoft to get it's clients excited about new “features” it should have had from the start. That being said Windows 7 could quite possibly be the best Windows based operating system ever released. Microsoft has really worked hard to bug test it, Windows 7 is I believe the world's largest open beta for a piece of software ever, and get it working as it should so it will be ready to be installed onto production machines the day it is released. In short Windows 7 is gearing up to be what Vista should have been from the get go.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that if you feel that you must use the Windows platform for what ever reason – be it a hardcore gamer or for that one piece of proprietary software you cannot live with out – then it appears Windows 7 will soon be the best choice out there for doing so. And hey – the starting price for “home basic” is only 200$ (We all have that laying around right? The depressing part is this is down 60$ from the initial Vista home basic cost) and always remember – Ubuntu is free.

~Jeff Hoogland

Macbook Comparison

I work at the Beverly Arts Center, in Chicago. I have found that many arts people prefer Apple laptops to any other brand. Why is this? The long standing art-computer myth is that Apple computers are superior for doing art work and 3D design. Now I will concede that at one point in time this was true – but this is no longer the case and has not been for some time. The simple fact is that Apple computers use essentially the same hardware as any other computer you will buy: same processor, ram, hard drive, etc. In addition to the hardware all being essentially the same, all of the applications you are going to be running to do arts work (in most cases this is Adobe software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign) run on both the Windows and Mac platforms.

Following I am going to do a series of comparisons between a couple different Macbook Pros and other laptops, of different brands, that are of comparable price.* Note: I round off all prices to the nearest whole five dollars because I dislike that whole “1.99$” mind game.

Round – 1:
Macbook Pro #1
Cost: 1,200$
Size: 13 inches
Processor: 2.26GHz Dual Core
RAM: 2gigs DDR3
Hard drive: 160gigs – SATA 5400RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9400M – 256meg Shared

Asus G50VT-X6
Cost: 1,250$
Size: 15.4 inches
Processor: 2.53GHz Dual Core
RAM: 4gigs DDR2
Hard drive: 320gigs – SATA7200RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9800M GS – 512meg Dedicated DDR3

HP Pavilion dv7-1270us
Cost: 1200$
Size: 17 inches
Processor: 2.4GHz Dual Core
RAM: 4gigs DDR2
Hard drive: 320gig – SATA 5400RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9600 – 512meg Dedicated DDR2

Round – 2:
Macbook Pro #2
Cost: 2,500$
Size: 17 inches
Processor: 2.8GHz Dual Core
RAM: 4gigs DDR3
Hard drive: 500gig – SATA 5400RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9600

Asus G71G-Q2
Cost: 2,250$
Size: 17 inches
Processor: 2.0GHz Quad Core
RAM: 6gig DDR2
Hard drive: 640gigs – x2 SATA 7200RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9800M GS – 512meg Dedicated DDR3

HP HDX 18-1180US
Cost: 1,800$
Size: 18.4 inches
Processor: 2.0GHz Quad Core
RAM: 4gigs DDR2
Hard drive: 500gigs – SATA 5400RPM
Graphics Card: nVidia 9600M GT – 512megs dedicated DDR3

Alrighty, the information posted above is a wonderful comparison for those who under stand it all. For those who are a bit hazy, or want to read my thoughts on the above specifications, let me break down a few of the more important facts about the above information.

Round 1 – Breakdown

First off lets take a peek at the processors – all three of them are Intel Dual cores; two cores means twice the power. Your processor is like the heart of your computer, the stronger it beats the faster everything is going to run. The processor in each of the non-Apple laptops listed are quicker than the Macbook; in the case of the Asus over 10% faster, for nearly the same price.

RAM stands for “Random Access Memory”; it stores short term information on your computer and data that has not yet been written to the hard drive (among other things). The more RAM a system has the better it is able to multi-task (meaning having many applications running at once). I will concede that the Macbook is using the slightly newer DDR3, but even with this advantage the Macbook only possesses half the total memory of the other systems. Even with the slightly slower DDR2 the fact that they have 4gigs makes each of the other laptops far superior to the 2gigs of DDR3 the Macbook has.

Most people are familiar with the purpose of their computer's hard drive. It is where all your information is stored. This again is an area where the Macbook get crushed by other laptops of comparable price. The Macbook only stocks a 160gig by default while each of the other two have 320gigs – so twice as much. Also in the case of the Asus the hard drive is 7200RPM (reads per minute) as compared to the 5400RPM in the other two – meaning it will access your data faster.

Last point between the three systems is the graphics cards. Again the Macbook gets crushed. Possessing only a 9400M, it is slower technology compared to the HP's 9600M GS and the Asus's 9800M GS. In addition to being slower technology, the graphics card in the Macbook is “shared” memory. Meaning that it has to take from the already reduced amount of RAM the Mac has to dedicated to video processes.

Whew, Round 1 over! I think you can tell for yourself who the winner is here...

Round 2 – Breakdown

The first thing I am going to mention here is the price of the three laptops compared in round two – the Macbook is 2.5k, while the Asus is 2.25k, and lastly the HP is weighing in at 1.8k. The main reason for the price difference is that they where the closest Asus and HP I could find in price to the highest end Macbook (on the site I order from), but do not let their lower price mislead you the Macbook is still in for a tough fight this round.

Point one is processer once again, now at first glance it may appear that the Macbook is far superior to the other two weighing in at 2.8GHz while the other two are only 2.0GHz. Now take a closer look – I'll wait. Ok, notice anything? Thats right the Macbook is packing the same old dual core it had in round one only slightly faster. Each of the other two brands knows that a high end laptop needs a high end processor – they are packing quad cores. Just as dual core means that the system is as good as have two processors a quad core means it is as good as having four. Another way to think of it is cores is to a processor as horsepower is to a car engine, the more the better typically.

Moving onto RAM the HP starts to show it's price tag a small bit, it is still only packing 4gigs of DDR2. The Apple has upped it's game and is now stocking 4gigs of DDR3. Asus is not about to slack behind how ever, it is now stocking 6gigs of DDR2.

Hard drive is again a close comparison between the HP and the Apple, the both come in with identical 5400RPM 500gig drives. Have no fear though, Asus is again going to come in and mop up the competition. This time stocking dual 320gig 7200RPM drives (for a total of 640gigs of space), two hard drives is useful because this way if one is ever to fail you still have a second place too store stuff. And for you more intense computer users out there it means the system is raid ready.

Lastly are the graphics cards again. For the third time in a row the HP, which is 700$ less, ties with the Apple. Again, three for three, the Asus comes in and crushes the both of them with its 9800 compared to their 9600s.

Post game banter – Last Thoughts

A couple other things worth noting is that the Macbook does have a slightly lighter and smaller design. In my personal opinion though if you are looking for light and compact do yourself a favor and go get a netbook – they are easily under 600$ for a quick one. Another thing Apple boasts on it's website is a lengthy battery life time for all of it's Macbook, while I will say that odds are it is going to out last the HP or the Asus by a bit your battery life is directly linked to what you are doing on the system. If you are only typing papers your battery is going to last much longer than if you are playing a 3D game or even just connected to wifi or playing audio. One of my friends had said that the reason they liked Apple is because they are an international company (which I will agree is useful for warranties/services when traveling over seas) while this is true they are not the only international company out there. Asus is one as well along with several others. Lastly if some sort of great hate for Windows/Microsoft is what is keeping you buying Apple again (And trust me if anyone under stands disliking Microsoft I can), there are other alternatives out there other than Windows and Mac (Such as Fedora or Ubuntu).

Also worth noting is that for the average computer user out there looking to buy a laptop – all of the laptops listed above are easily over kill. Most people will not notice terribly much difference between these higher end laptops and one that only costs five or six hundred dollars in their every day tasks.

Anyone who has spent a bit of time with me knows that I am decently anti-Apple, for many reasons including them being over priced for what they are, even so I did my best to try and present a fair comparison here if anyone feels there is anything I missed please feel free to drop a comment here or send me a message and I will consider adjusting the information/adding to it. Also drop a comment if you found any of this useful or interesting.

~Jeff Hoogland

*All Apple prices/specs where accessed from http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro on 06/09/09. All comparisons prices where done via http://newegg.com/ on the same date.

Computer Applications Everyone Should Know About

Many people pay out large sums of money for software that many times has a completely free alternative they are simply unaware of. I've realized that some people do not realize the vast amounts of complex and powerful software that are simply clicks away, so I am going to take a moment and highlight some of what I feel are the best ones out there. All of these are legitimate pieces of software, that I have found often times work better than their commercial counter parts.

Web Browsing -
Application: Mozilla Firefox
Homepage: http://getfirefox.com

Many of us have at least heard of this one. It is easily the most popular piece of open source software out there. It job is to replace Internet Explorer if you are on Windows or Safari if you are on OSX. Firefox is a wonderful upgrade because in addition to running faster than most other browsers it is also the most secure. Meaning less viruses and Mal-ware for all you Windows users out there.

Office Suit -
Application: OpenOffice
Homepage: http://openoffice.org

To pick up the latest copy of Microsoft office odds are you are looking at spending a couple hundred dollars. OpenOffice is a full featured office suit, it contains a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Power Point, Drawing, and much more. It opens and saves files in all the standard .doc, .ppt, .xls, formats so it is full compatible with all MS office files.

Anti-virus -
Application: Avast
Homepage: http://avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

Many of us are aware that the quickest way to non-functioning Windows system is to catch a virus or two. Avast is one of the best anti-virus programs out there. It provides real time protection with minimal resource usage. It is free for home use so long as you are willing to register each year for a new key (which is a short and easy process)

Anti-Malware -
Application: Spy Bot Search & Destroy
Homepage: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

The Windows system is riddled with holes and exploits just waiting to make your life in front of the computer that much harder. In addition to having an awesome name Spy Bot S&D is the best program out there for hunting down malware that has found it's way into your unsuspecting system. The only slight draw back to this one is that it is NOT real time protection, meaning you need to remember to run the update for it and scan your system each week.

Archiving -
Application: 7zip
Homepage: http://7-zip.com
Compressing files is useful when you are trying to to send a large amount of files to someone or simply for storing files that is not often used often. 7-zip contains a custom archiving format, .7z, that is much more efficient than the standard .zip. In addition to having this custom format it also can compress into the more universally standard .zip in a more timely manner than the built in Windows compression software or commercial software such as WinZip

Instant Messaging -
Application: Pidgin
Homepage: http://www.pidgin.im/
Pidgin is a full featured instant messaging client similar to Trillian. It can connect to a wide range of networks, from AIM to Facebook, to Yahoo and MSN. It contains a logging feature that can be easily toggled on and off, along with a pile of other useful and fun plugins.

Photo Editing -
Application: Gimp
Homepage: http://gimp.org/
Gimp is a tool for manipulating images on the computer. In contains essentially all of the features the commercial soft Adobe Photoshop does. If you are already familiar with the Photoshop GUI there is also a plugin for Gimp called “Gimpshop” that makes Gimps GUI mirror that of Photoshop's.

I just highlighted a few of the more popular applications here but there are literally hundreds of free/open source applications out there for almost every task imaginable. From GNUCash (money management) to Kompozer (web-development) you can find just about anything you need. This website: http://osalt.com can help you easily locate what you are looking for.

~Jeff Hoogland