Ubuntu Musings

The folks behind VirtualBox have released version 3.0 of the application. A lot of interesting and useful new features and bug fixes, which you can read about here.

But when I started the new version for the first time, I was presented with this registration form to fill out:

I thought it was a one-time deal. Guess what? The next time I fired the application up, the registration form appeared again. And there doesn’t seem to be a way to opt out of registering.

But wait … VirtualBox is Open Source. Why should I have to sign up for a Sun account to use it? What’s the point of turning a solid piece of software into something resembling nagware?

Update: My bad (kind of). I seem to be using the full version of VirtualBox, under the Personal Use and Evaluation license. What I find interesting about this is that before version 3.0, I never ran into the registration form. Hmm …

Why are personal, academic,  and commercial use lumped together? Doesn’t make as much sense as I think it should — personal and academic users should be given the option to register, as with OpenOffice.org.

Perhaps there need to be three licenses: Open Source, personal/academic use, and business/commercial. That would add an extra wrinkle to development and maintenance, though. Thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment.

scott Software

That’s more or less the question that this short blog post poses. And that brief read got me thinking.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Linux among the people I know who have actually heard of (and not everyone has). Most of them don’t know much about Linux, and what they do know is anywhere from five to 12 years out of date. That’s kind of scary considering the amount of information that’s floating around. Then again, considering the amount of FUD out there it’s not surprising.

The three biggest of these misconceptions that I run into are:

• Linux is hard to install, which I talked about here
• It has poor driver support, which I detailed in another post
• You need to use the command line to do anything in Linux

I’m going to take a look at the last one.

Guess what? You don’t

The command line is a powerful tool. With a few keystrokes (or by using scripts or shortcuts), you can perform tasks in one or two steps that can take multiple sets in a graphical user interface. For some tasks, the command line is just a faster and more efficient way of doing things. If you want more information, check this out.

But the command line isn’t an essential element when using Linux. In fact, I know several Linux users who have never opened a terminal and typed a command. In fact, the only time they’ve typed commands is when they’ve pressed Alt+F2 to open the Run dialog box or if they’ve used a task launcher like GNOME Do.

Every Linux distribution you’re bound to try has a graphical user interface. Everything you need to do is menu and mouse driven. Sure, these interfaces will take a bit of getting used to if you’re jumping in from the Windows or Mac world, but they’re not impossible to learn. You can adapt quickly.

The command line is always there. Sort of like it is in Windows and Mac OS — cmd.exe or Terminal.app anyone? Simply because the command line is there doesn’t mean you need to use it. Like some of my Linux-using pals, the Windows and Mac OS adherents in my circle have never jumped to the command line.

scott General, Linux, Opinion

Sadly, there are times when I have to play nicely with the Windows world. Not often, but often enough. That’s where something like CrossOver comes in handy. I’ve been using it for a few years now, and it runs most of the Windows software that I need to use.

Version 8.0 has been released, and according to the developers it includes support for Internet Explorer 7 and Quicken 2009. Office 2007 is said to run faster under the new version as well.

I installed version 8.0 earlier this evening and have to say I’m impressed. The Windows apps that I use load and run quickly — even faster than under Windows. There’s one application, which I use quite frequently, that I’ve never been able to get working under CrossOver, though. I’m going to try installing it later this week. Keep your fingers crossed …

scott Software

Are you an artist (or trying to be one) who works in audio, video, or photography? And do you use free/Open Source software to create your work? If yes is your answer to both questions then check out the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase.

The Ubuntu wiki describes the showcase like this:

At the heart of Ubuntu’s ethos is a belief in showcasing free software and free culture, and with each development cycle we open the opportunity for any Free Culture artist to put their work in front of millions of Ubuntu users around the world. Although the space restrictions are tight, and we are limited to how much content we can include, this is an excellent opportunity for artists everywhere.

You’ve got until July 16 to post your submissions. You can find details on the Ubuntu wiki.

scott General

• AsciiDoc was recently updated
• So was Moonshiner
• AbiWord – the underestimated word processor
• 10 things you can do faster at the command line
• How to create business cards with Inkscape
• New Zealand says no to Microsoft

scott General

Over the years, I’ve used a lot of Web browsers. Most of them are dead and gone, and most people probably haven’t heard of many of those browsers. So, when I run into a new (at least, for me) browser my friends shake their heads. They can’t understand my curiosity.

And that curiosity was piqued a week or so ago. I was going back and forth about browsers on identi.ca. In one dent, I mentioned that tried I’d a browser called Midori and hadn’t been impressed.

Somehow, that got the attention of one of Midori’s developers. He dented, suggesting that I try installing the browser from the project’s PPA. I gave it a shot. And even though I’ve only been using Midori for a week and a bit I am impressed.

Read more…

scott Software