I have started taking my computer with me to my Economics class every Tuesday and Thursday.  To be honest, I’ve wanted to do this since the beginning of the year, but the fact that my fan was often forced to spin up at high rates (creating loud noises), and the fact that neither [tag]OpenOffice[/tag] nor Notepad, while both valuable tools, provide much in the way of simple note-taking.

Again, [tag]Ubuntu[/tag] solved the problem.  Or at least, something that runs on Ubuntu.  Namely, [tag]Tomboy Notes[/tag].  Weird name, I know.

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Hello out there on the giant interweb. This is a smudge over due, but better late than never right?

I have no idea how I should start this off, but I’ll give it a shot. My name is Breland, and I’m a new blogger here on RyboMedia.com. I go to college with Rybo, and after meeting at a first year book experience of all things, we found out the we had some friends in common and that we were both pretty much computer geeks. I’ve been messing with computers since I was about five and my fascination with them has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years. I’ve participated in programming competitions (FBLA) and won first place in nationals. My favorite programming language is probably PHP, only because I know it best, but I have experience in many others. My passion is building databases, so if you ever need any help with anything database related, shoot me an email, I’d be more than glad to help you out. And I think that about sums it up for me. Check me on facebook if you want to know more (Breland Miley).

And now for the fun part of blogging, the actual computer stuff

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Over the past few weeks, I have been using my freshly installed Ubuntu almost every time I power up my computer. In fact, the only reason I have been using Windows is so that I can sync my iPod with iTunes (Banshee won’t work with the Classic). Feeling the frustration with Apple’s limitations on software use and compatibility, I felt a short article was needed, explaining my problems, not entirely with Apple, but with its customers.

I have absolutely no problem with Apple, Macs, iPods, or iPhones. In fact, I like almost everything about them. Apple is an excellent example of a company that understands usability, design, and features. The look of something has a great psychological impact on the performance. Because of their attention to detail, design, and usability, Apple has become known for having computers that yes, look good, but most importantly, computers that work. This creates a comparison and sense of superiority that Mac users typically form over Windows or Linux users. My claim that Apple electronics are the “Koolaid Computer” is based simply on the fact that they are the most expensive and best looking computers on the market, though users often pride themselves on having the best performance or most innovation while this is often not the case.

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This semester, I am in my first real programming course.  I say “real” simply because I do not consider Visual Basic particularly useful for anything – it’s Windows specific, weak, and somewhat tedious.  So far, I’m loving Java.  While the lectures are boring, the labs are really fun, and they are beginning to get really challenging as well.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I haven’t used many IDE’s before (Bloodshed++ for a little C++, Visual Studio), but I’ve grown really fond of Eclipse, which is what the university has us use.  Eclipse, just like any other IDE, is an advanced text editor, though it compiles code while you program, underlining errors and potential dangers, as well as spell-checking strings.

You can get Eclipse for Windows, Mac, or Linux (which is what I am currently running).  Ubuntu users need only perform a quick Add/Remove search to install it.  Beware, Windows users, that the splash screen, like most splash screens in Vista (and XP for that matter), can freeze up quite frequently.  Also, when test-running a program in Eclipse, be sure to terminate it once done, or several running programs will build up off screen and lead to slow system performance.

Eclipse

I have had my share of Ubuntu troubles over the last 72 hours. From wi-fi to nvidia drivers to boot loading problems, I’ve been a tad stressed. My biggest issue came when I got an Error 17! message when Grub 1.5 was starting.

For the first few hours, I freaked out, trying to boot something…anything!  Linux live cd’s were no option for some reason, and so I ended up having to boot to my external hard drive, on which I recently installed Ubuntu.  Upon doing this, I was able to mount both partitions of my internal drive.  Confusing, I know.

To put it simply, in the end I found something called SuperGrub Disk.  Thank goodness, or I wouldn’t be typing this.  This little disk allows you to mess with the master boot record in an easy and safe way.  It also allowed me to boot into Vista, where I was able to repair the bad partition.  Voila!  I have my computer back.

SuperGrub Disk

So I’ve finally made “The Switch”.  You know what I’m talking about, and you’re probably wondering why I haven’t done it before now.  Well, to put it simply, I’m lazy.  I didn’t want to partition the drive, figure out new menus, commands, or configure drivers.

Well, I’m glad I did.  It wasn’t easy, either.  First, apparently due to my HP coming with a rescue partition, deleting this basically just allotted more space to the main partition.  This means that instead of one untouched drive, I have a drive with one big partition.  While this doesn’t sound too bad, it made things very difficult when installing Ubuntu.  I ended up going into Windows Disk Management and cutting off 10 gigs of the main partition.

At the moment, I don’t have any swap space, but I plan on partitioning another 2 gigs, and hopefully this will make it boot and shut down faster.

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Recently, while checking my Google rankings and keywords, I found that my software was featured on NYTimes.com.  Now, keep in mind that this really just means that it was on CNET and linked from NYT, but still…I was (and am), excited.

So far, it’s only got one review, which was very helpful and critiqued it quite well.  I had not planned on continuing this project, though I will certainly change my mind if enough people would like it.

Take a look, let me know what you think, or let me hear how horrible it is.  Just talk to me.

http://download.nytimes.com/The-Desktop-Tool/9499-2074_4-10892426.html?tag=tab_ur

For those of you looking for iTunes alternatives, you may want to check out Songbird (for Windows).  Chances are, you’ve never heard of it.  Though many swear by programs like WinAmp, Songbird does a fine job, and looks better in the process (in my opinion).  However, the main reason I would like to see Songbird take off is the fact that it is a “Mozilla child”.

Songbird will index your music files, pulling your library from iTunes.  As in typical Mozilla fashion, it uses tabbed (3D tabbed, to be exact) browsing to navigate through the Library, Birdhouse, Downloads, Playlists, etc.  Songbird makes use of indie download sites, as well as SkreemR, an online mp3 seach engine, though they make sure to suggest that you purchase any music you download.

There are many other features in Songbird, and there are countless others that are available through Add-ons, which is almost identical to the Firefox and Thunderbird Add-ons.

The download is just 12MB, so there’s no harm or time wasted in trying it out.  I think you’ll be impressed.

Get Songbird

Here is yet another example of why I like Google so much.  While many companies would scoff at the idea of giving away code, graphics, and ideas, Google once again shows us why they are so successful.

In a recent blog post, Google explained that they intend to keep their Desktop Gadgets open source.  As always, Google shows us that you don’t have to be stingy to make money.

“Source code can be a valuable learning tool. The gadgets not only show you how to develop Desktop gadgets, integrate with Google APIs, but also provide other tidbits of knowledge such as how to calculate phases of the moon or StarDates.

The images and graphics are also Open Sourced. Being an engineer, I know how frustrating it is to work hard on an application only to have it dismissed because of hand-drawn stick figures and shapes. We hope people can take advantage of our graphic designers’ talents. If you’re a fan of clocks, I have something right up your alley.

We get warm fuzzy feelings by simply supporting the cause. It fosters a spirit of openness and collaboration between the team and developer community.”

Yet another example of why Web 2.0, as well as collaboration sites like these, as well as Wikipedia, Facebook, and others, are quickly becoming so successful.

So go ahead, dive right into Google’s code.  You can learn a lot, enjoy the scenery, and make them feel fuzzy inside.

http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2009/01/open-sourcing-google-desktop-gadgets.html

If you’re running Windows, especially Vista, you probably have tons of junk on your PC that’s eating up precious hard drive space, and possibly RAM.  It’s best to clean out old junk and unused programs and files to free up space and keep your computer fresh.

Windows Vista introduces a nice feature that downloads all files to a specific folder.  While this keeps things more organized, and eliminates clutter from the desktop, it is easy to forget about zipped folders, old installation files, etc.

I would suggest going through the download folder every few weeks to unclutter and delete anything you don’t need anymore.  You’d be surprised at how fast files, mp3′s, movie clips, and “setup.exe” files pile up, and the result can leave you withl imited hard drive space.

Often times, however, even this does not free up enough space, and you are left wondering where all you’re precious space went.  Use a little program called “TreeSize” to scan your drives and evaluate (in a “tree-like” manner), the size of each folder on your selected drive.

TreeSize (Free) 2.2.1