Whoever has said or continues to say that there are no good applications on Linux, well, think again!
Here are some samples of softwares for daily use.
Graphical user interfaces for Linux
As of around March of this year, I have successfully switched over to Linux for my home PC – I will probably say a bit more about that in a future post – as well as at work. Specifically, I am using the Ubuntu variant (32-bit for home and the 64-bit version for work), running a Windows XP for accessing the Microsoft Office documents mainly in a free virtualisation program called Virtualbox. I must say, so far I am pretty happy with the transition. I mean, apart from a few nagging things like Java and some multimedia functions not working perfectly all the time, no issues about Windows-withdrawal… I mean, it does help that I am comfortable with UNIX/Linux since my PhD days. 🙂
Anyway, for people who are still afraid of trying Linux or free/open-source software in general, here is a list of 20 lightweight window managers that have been available for Linux for quite a few years, just to show that UNIX/Linux is not all about a blank terminal with a blinking cursor! So, why not give it a try? Or, better still, try alternative OSes using a virtualisation program such as Virtualbox.
More web resources
There is a mention of two exhaustive free tools for web developers over at OSTATIC – although strictly speaking I would categorise them as resources but that’s just being anal… :-). There are tonnes of useful tutorials that are very worthwhile to check out. By the way, W3 Schools has been my first point of reference for any HTML- and CSS-related questions to do with syntax and options for a long time.
However, after reading about it from a non-technical person who managed to pick up enough to start working on site development (an amazing story in itself in my opinion), I think I will add the Yahoo! User Interface Library and in particular the YUI CSS Grid Builder. It’s fantastic for doing a quick layout of websites.
You are needed
When this quote appeared in my email Inbox courtesy of the newsletter I subscribe to, I could not help but a smile. What a wonderful, wonderful idea!
You have a solemn obligation to take care of yourself, because you never know when the World will need you.
Rabbi Hillel, 30 B.C. – 9 A.D.
Jewish Religious Leader
Central processing unit
This is more for my own benefit so that I won’t need to search high and low for these links again. Note that the transformation from MHz (millions of steps per second) to GHz (thousands of millions) only took slightly less than 10 years, which is quite amazing if you ask me… Incidentally you can clearly see the rise and fall of AMD in the period 200 to about 2005-6, when the Core2duo architecture appeared.
- Intel’s 15 Most Unforgettable x86 CPUs
- The Mother of All CPU Charts Part 1 : Introduction
- The Mother of All CPU Charts Part 2 : AMD Processors From March 1994 To December 2004
- Tom’s Hardware’s Interactive CPU Charts (check out also the very illuminating tree diagrams of Intel and AMD CPUs up to 2006)
- CPU Socket Basics: Intel
- CPU Socket Basics: AMD
Sci-fi novel recommendations
Spotted this list of 32 highly recommended sci-fi novels over at How to split an atom in my Google reader yesterday.
Surprisingly, I have read quite a few of those on the list:
- Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. (and the rest of the Foundation series)
- Time machine, by H. G. Wells.
- Animal farm, by George Orwell.
- War of the worlds, by H. G. Wells.
- I robot, by Isaac Asimov.
- Ring world, by Larry Niven.
- Dune, by Frank Herbert. (and all 3 books from the originally intended trilogy)
- The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, by Douglas Adams (all except for the final book in the expanded trilogy)
- 1984, by George Orwell.
- Ender’s game, by Orson Scott Card. (and the rest of the Ender, Shadow series)
More sunsets
More shots of the setting sun taken using my iPhone.
Mac DIY
Was trying to find information regarding the RAM for my particular model of G4 Powerbook because I planned to upgrade the puny amount of RAM (512MB in total, 256MB soldered) that came with the machine, and happened on the following DIY sites. Very helpful, I must say. As an example, here are illustrated guides for upgrading the RAM.
Sunset
View of the sun setting, from the new seat in my office.
Work smart
I am a firm believer that if anything it is always easier to change yourself than others. Well, this is really taking it to a different level. Instead of the old saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” this is even more innovative, don’t you think? 🙂
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
Buckminster Fuller, 1895-1983
American Visionary, Architect and Poet