*NIXEDBLOG 3.0

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I am currently experimenting with Virgin Mobile’s Broadband2Go, and so far, I like the results.  I no longer have to search for WiFi networks that are unsecured.  Instead, I can enjoy broadband speeds wherever there’s coverage.  Virgin Mobile uses Sprint’s network for both phone and mobile broadband services.  Now I need to figure out how to get this thing working under Ubuntu and other distributions.  So why am I experimenting with prepaid mobile broadband?

It’s simple, really.  I plan on attending as many anime/scifi/gaming conventions as possible next year, and in order to do so, I need to make sure that I have a viable solution for getting onto the net.  You see, I’d rather not pay super high fees in a hotel room, and I’d rather not have to pay higher fees to have access on presentation floors and in panel rooms.  Thus far, it appears that I have decent coverage here in Warrensburg as well as near the St. Louis area.  I’ll keep everyone posted on how well it does when it comes to Ubuntu and other operating systems.

Thomas Holbrook II | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

One hears the mantra over and over again.

1. Ubuntu is not the Linux.
2. Ubuntu doesn't deserve to be popular.
3. Ubuntu is broken.

There are other statements against the popular operating system, but they will likely fall into one of the three categories of mantras.  I can understand frustration at times.  I've known of people who have struggled with the distro that's updated every six months.  Do things break from time to time?  Oh yes.  Just ask Ken Starks or Steven Rosenberg.  They will tell you about the many problems that Ubuntu currently has.  It is also important to keep this next part in mind.

Ubuntu was what ultimately gave me hope about using an OS other than Windows.  Other distros would have various problems with the Compaq Presario notebook that I had at the time.  I gave Ubuntu one chance, and I was surprised that it actually worked at all.  The sound even worked.  I was thrilled.  I had dabbled with Mandrake (now known as Mandriva), Red Hat, SuSE, and Fedora.  It was Ubuntu that got me asking, "What if I don't need Windows anymore?"  The thought excited me.  So is Ubuntu the standard bearer of Linux?

Of course not!  The only standard bearer of Linux happens to be the Linux kernel itself.  Rest assured that I do get it.  I recognized how popularity can eventually bring harm to any given project.  That is why I decided to do the one thing that must be done; join the community and participate!  It is important to note that I have changed in the past several weeks.

I learned that I needed to take responsibility for myself.  My destiny is ultimately in my hands.  For every action I execute there is a response waiting for me.  That is why I am attempting to offer constructive criticism when something does go wrong as opposed to referring to software releases as "garbage salad" or "half baked."  There are those out there who use such phrases and then complain when they get flamed.  It's like taking a baseball bat and beating up a beehive.  It may be fun initially, but the consequences may not be pleasant, let alone productive.

So the next time one complains about a peripheral not working or something else being broken, please keep the following in mind:

1. Not everyone is going to have the same problem.
2. Bugs do not make the entire project "garbage salad."
3. In order for a review to be decent, whether one is a journalist or a blogger, the positives and negatives must both be covered.

I am not encouraging rapid fanboyism by any means.  I am simply pointing out that there are more productive ways to bring problems to the attention of the appropriate people.  So how about we stop with the insults and be a bit more constructive, shall we?

Thomas Holbrook II  | *NIXEDBLOG 3.0

I have been at work (in my head at least) on the next issue of the magazine.  I am going to change the business model a little bit, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, I am also redoing the website.  Hopefully, it will be much easier to read.  The big question though is why I have chosen Ubuntu at long last.

I will still evaluate other distributions out there on other machines.  However, it occurred to me that I need at least two systems for productivity purposes; a desktop and a portable.  Allow me to introduce the two new members of the family that shall be known as The Nerdery.

Desktop

I found an Acer Aspire AM1100-B1410A at Central Pawn in the area that I currently live in.  This machine has the following specifications.

• AMD Athlon 64×2 BE-2350 Dual Core CPU
• 2 GB DDR2 Memory
• 320 GB SATA Hard Drive
• DVD Burner
• Multicard Reader
• Lots of USB Ports
• XFX Radeon HD 4350 with 1 GB of Memory
• Realtek Internal Audio
• HP w2007 LCD Screen

Pawn shops tend to have systems at very good prices, and they are wonderful if one prefers not to wait for an item to ship after winning it on eBay.  I am currently running Ubuntu 10.04 (currently in beta) on this desktop.  So far, everything seems to be in good working order.

Portable

At the local Office Depot, the HP Mini 311 Netbook caught my eye.  Since it was the display model, it was available for a reduced price.  A netbook with graphics that would put most other netbooks to shame?  I couldn’t pass it up.  I purchased a 160 GB Intel SSD drive off eBay and a 2 GB DDR3 memory module from Crucial.com.  Here’s where the system stands after the upgrades I made.

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270
• 3 GB DDR3 Memory (note: 1 GB is attached permanently to the motherboard)
• 160 GB high performance Intel SSD
• NVIDIA ION LE Graphics (a.k.a. GeForce 9400m)*
• LCD with 1366×768 resolution
• Integrated audio
• SD card reader
• HDMI Port!
• 3 USB Ports
• 1 Audio Port (a mic or headphones can be used, but not both at once in that slot)

Ubuntu 9.10 is currently running on this netbook, and when 10.04 is officially released, I will be upgrading.  I have a high performance solid state drive in the system for a good reason.  While it is cool to be able to copy hundreds of megabytes of data in mere seconds, there is a more practical purpose behind having one inside the system; battery life.  Since the drive has no moving parts, that means I can have it out longer while on the go.  Now that I have introduced the new members of The Nerdery, allow me to explain my decision in choosing Ubuntu as my productive operating system.

Why Ubuntu, and More Importantly, Why Now?

That is indeed an excellent question.  I know there are those who have had disdain for this distribution in the past.  Whether it be the idea that Ubuntu is not the Linux or the wariness of Mono applications being included, this distro has clearly garnered a lot of attention as well as controversy.  When I saw the screenshots of 10.04 for the first time, I was impressed.  I like the new theme being used at the moment, and as such, I will continue to use it.  There are a few reasons that I chose Ubuntu:

1. I need something that will stay the same when I write blog entries, articles, and more.  I need something that will essentially stay the same while I work on updating this entire media venue that I created.
2. At the moment, the speed of 10.04 alone is a good reason for me to use it.  Even on a system with a hard drive that uses magnetic media to store data, booting time is essentially small.  The system is very responsive at the moment.
3. Remember when I wrote about Mono being a red herring?  One of the prime reasons that The GIMP was removed in favor of F-Spot was apathy.  This is one reason why participation is so important.

The last reason is the most important of all.  I disagreed with the removal of The GIMP.  It was a useful application in many ways.  It demonstrated that one did not have to shell out hundreds of dollars for powerful graphics manipulation applications.  I also do not care for Mono as I see it as something that isn’t truly necessary.  If I wanted to run .NET applications, I would stick to Windows for productivity purposes.  In other words, I intend to participate a little more often in the Ubuntu community.

In order to push for better decisions, one must participate.  After all, it was via participation that Jo Shields became a a Master of the Universe (MOTU) in terms of packaging software.  It is through participation that improvement will happen.  Through participation, others can be reminded of the values of a project before it became popular.

In the meantime, I will continue to use the other computers I have to evaluate operating systems and applications.  Remember that participation is the key to success and the key to preventing disaster.  Participation.  Never forget that word, no matter what happens.