October 2006 Archives

I hadn't really given Ubuntu a fair shake the last time I looked at it. I decided to go another round with Ubuntu to see what it was all about. Ubuntu, as you may know, is a flavor of Linux, a free operating system with lots of open source applications. I specifically wanted to compare Ubuntu to SUSE Linux.

The initial act of downloading Ubuntu is easier than SUSE. You simply download a single CD image and burn that, whereas with SUSE you'll download 5 or 6 disc images or a single, large DVD image. Instead of putting all the application packages on discs, Ubuntu offers you a menu from which you can download from.

One of the downsides of the Ubuntu installer became apparent with my desktop. It installed fine with my laptop, but it didn't like my ATI video card in my desktop and switched to 640x480 resolution. This would be fine, except it wouldn't allow any change of resolution. It was resolute in its resolution. I tried booting up and using safe video settings, which prompted the X Server to crap out and dump me into a text-based mode.

I had run through the installer once on my laptop, so I knew which prompts to hit. Even though 640x480 was not enough real estate to display the installer's screens, I was able to successfully install it on my desktop. It was only after I installed the proprietary ATI driver that Ubuntu would allow a resolution besides 640x480. So okay, my initial impressions weren't great. It's nice to have only one CD to download for the installer, but it's also nice to have something that actually works with garden variety hardware.

My other initial impression is that Ubuntu is not as polished as SUSE Linux. I kept both machines dual-boot with Windows. The GRUB boot-loader on Ubuntu has a simple text screen, whereas SUSE Linux has a graphical screen for selecting which OS to boot from. It's a minor detail, but I think it's indicative of the differences I found between Ubuntu and SUSE.

Ubuntu has rethought some of the concepts of Linux and Unix though. For example, user control is easier to maintain in Ubuntu. You don't really need to worry about a separate root user or a root user password. In that sense it is similar to Mac OS X. The user's password is enough to gain access to superuser capabilities such as installing system-wide packages or installing updates.

Initially, I liked the system for installing software on Ubuntu. It's much simplified compared to SUSE. On the main application menu, you can select to add or remove programs. It will give you a list of available applications in a variety of categories that you can install.

If you're familiar with Linux though, you'll see that the list is a very short. You can click on boxes to list unsupported software and proprietary software. This is a more complete list, but somewhat unworkable in its quantity in the window as presented. Eventually, if you want more complete control of your Ubuntu system, you'll end up in the "advanced" mode, which is equivalent to the regular SUSE software installer.

The other thing I noticed is that Ubuntu has a much smaller array of default packages installed on its base system than with a SUSE system. I ended up in the advanced installer because I was looking for some packages that I needed to do work. While the initial install of Ubuntu is smaller and easier, you'll spend more time setting things up.

Ubuntu, once I had set it up, though was very appealing. With subpixel anti-aliasing turned on, the text was very crisp and nice. Nicer than SUSE I think. You'll definitely want to install the MSFT core web fonts, which is a package in the unsupported category. Overall, Ubuntu had a sharper appearance. The difference was subtle, and maybe someone who doesn't know about typography would even notice a difference. But to my eye it was significant.

I decided to give it a couple of weeks and see what I thought. And Ubuntu is a winner. I think for someone new to Linux that it's a better choice than SUSE. The complexity of Linux is all there, but Ubuntu abstracts it up a layer. Ubuntu would be easier to manage for the neophyte.

Ubuntu is Linux of course. It's built on open source foundations, but it feels like it's been given a bit of evolution. It's a shift in a new direction. Or perhaps, more accurately, it's a response to Mac OS X, which has BSD at its core.

I liked Ubuntu a lot, and I think for a lot of people — especially those who are new to Linux — it would be an excellent choice. In the end though, I like the way SUSE Linux is organized. And for me, it doesn't feel like I had kid gloves on when using it.

Of course, I want deeper penetration of Desktop Linux, and Ubuntu is definitely a step in the right direction. But I like using SUSE Linux because it doesn't hide the complexity as much. SUSE has more of the feel of a power tool. And strange as though it is to hear me say that, I like that.

I feel as though I've just come through the airlock, and I'm looking at the control deck of this technological cruiser, wondering what strange vessel I have entered. Ah, I see something familiar. Stamped into the surface of the deck are the words, "Movable Type." And then below that, it says, "Publishing Platform." Okay, it all comes flooding back in. I know where I am.

You may have noticed a lull in the usual posting patterns here at Manufactured Environments. And I'm glad you stuck with it. We're here...even if we haven't been here. It's been good to take some time off — time away from the electronic world. The strange thing is that even though I've been taking time away from my personal blog, for the first time, professional blogging has entered my life.

I took off two weeks in September, and most of October. It's been good to clear out some cobwebs and focus on some other things for a change. I've been taking a casual re-approach to my personal blogging, first doing some touch-up design work on the blog before getting back into it. You'll note the new orange banners. I've got a bunch loaded up in a random pattern.

And if you haven't yet seen White & Nerdy by Weird Al, then it's probably about time. Respect to the Al for his first Top 10 hit.

Filled in for Classical Music Show show Sunday from 12:00pm–2:00pm (CST) on KWLC.

Get ready for some future shock. In the future, not only will everyone be world-famous for about 15 minutes, but international phone calls will be made without paying international rates (local and domestic long distance charges may still apply). There won't any any accounts for which to sign up, intrusive ads to endure, or long pin numbers to remember. Your privacy will be respected too.

The future is already here---it's just unevenly distributed. Thanks to FuturePhone.com it is unevenly distributed in Iowa. Simply call 712-858-8883 (the only access number is an Iowa number). When the gateway answers, enter 011, then the country code, and number you want to reach.

If you only want to call China, try one of the access numbers (their only access numbers are Iowa numbers too) for Call China For Free dot com.

• 1-641-297-8888
• 1-712-429-8888
• 1-641-696-3188

Note

If this sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I smell a scam somewhere. The two web sites I mention are from different companies in different states, yet they both have the same information architecture, their content is very similar (sometimes verbatim), and their only access numbers are in Iowa. So, use them at your own risk. I know that New York Times' tech writer David Pogue wrote about it and the buzz is sweeping across the blogosphere, but there was plenty of blog buzz for things like Browzar and Ubuntu. Once bitten, twice shy.

What do you get when you pair one-pane comics from the Family Circus with random quotes from Friedrich Nietzsche? Why, the Nietzsche Family Circus, of course! Enjoy classic Nietzschean one-liners with the visual hilarity of the Family Circus. A strange combination perhaps, but one that works exceedingly well. Reload the page to get new comic / quote combinations.

Just when you thought you'd heard the last of newspapers and their ilk, here come the latest Nielsen/NetRatings numbers. The number of people visiting newspaper websites in the first half of 2006 went up 31% over the previous period. USATODAY.com has the Reuters story here. From the article:

The study, released by the Newspaper Association of America, underscores the Internet's importance to papers beset by falling circulation and advertising revenue in their print editions.

The average number of unique visitors to online newspaper sites in the first half was more than 55.5 million a month, the study said. That compares with 42.2 million a year earlier.

Even more stunning is the figure that page views at newspaper websites rose 52% for the same period. Page views is a key metric used to gauge traffic, and keep in mind that these are not MySpace-style inflated returns. Newspaper websites are doing well. The study also noted that the number of younger people visiting newspaper websites had gone up.

The full report can be downloaded in PDF format from this page.

In other news, I took Abigail to the airport this evening. She's off to San Francisco for a bit. Hello, West Coast!

Dan links to one of the strangest, grammatically-correct sentences I've seen:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

I'm sure the meaning is perfectly clear. Well, there are three different uses of the word buffalo in that sentence, namely:

• c) The city of Buffalo, New York.
• a) The animal "buffalo", in the plural (equivalent to "buffaloes"), in order to avoid articles.
• v) The verb "buffalo", meaning to confuse, deceive, or intimidate.

So to parse this all out:

Buffalo(c) buffalo(a) Buffalo(c) buffalo(a) buffalo(v) buffalo(v) Buffalo(c) buffalo(a).

Or, in other words:

[Those] buffalo(es) from Buffalo [that are intimidated by] buffalo(es) from Buffalo intimidate buffalo(es) from Buffalo.

Weird stuff indeed. There's a full Wikipedia entry will all this and much more here.

In other news, my Iowa Hawkeyes lost last night to the Ohio State Buckeyes on national television. As a member of the press, I got to stand by the sidelines and watch, which was a lot of fun even though the Hawks didn't make it. They're now 4-1 for the season.