Ubuntu Hardy Heron running in full-screen mode on a Macbook, courtesy of VirtualBox.
WHILE looking for a way to run some Windows video software on my Linux PC last year, I stumbled upon VirtualBox, an open source program that enables you to install and use different operating systems on the same computer. Last week, I turned to VirtualBox again because I wanted to watch the speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and the Web site that streamed the video used Microsoft’s Silverlight plug-in that works only with—surprise, surprise—Windows and Mac OS X. When I downloaded the latest version of VirtualBox, I found that it is now owned by Sun Microsystems, which bought Innotek in February. Fortunately, the program, a 27MB download from Sun’s Web site, is still free for personal use.
THERE’S something a bit desperate about the way Microsoft is pushing Windows Vista. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft is spending $300 million on an advertising campaign featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld as the key pitchman. Starting September, TV ads featuring Seinfeld and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will seek to address what the company’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, calls “lingering doubts” among its customers about Windows Vista. That such doubts persist even after Microsoft has spent $450 million to launch and market the product since its introduction more than a year ago can’t be too good.
WHY would anyone want to emulate the iPhone on his desktop computer? That question crossed my mind when I heard that some people were using a Firefox add-on called User Agent Switcher to do just that. You’d think the only people who would want to shrink a beautiful wide-screen display to a fraction of its size would be developers who were writing software for the iPhone. Think again. The Phone’s popularity has created so much content designed specifically for it that even PC users want a piece of the action. The digital newsstand Zinio (http://www.zinio.com), for example, lets iPhone users browse many of its best-selling magazine titles for free. Don’t have an iPhone? Then pretend you’re using one.
ACER’s Aspire One is a solid netbook, but it can be much more. In the last two weeks, I’ve been using it as a full notebook, running office applications, editing digital photos, surfing the Web and watching videos on a robust, full-featured system. The remarkable thing is, I’m doing it on a such a small, lightweight computer (less than a kilo) that has only 8 gigabytes (GB) of storage and 1GB of memory. The key to unlocking the Aspire One’s power was to replace the Linpus Lite Linux operating system that comes installed with the netbook with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron).
Zimbra Desktop accommodates multiple e-mail accounts on one screen, using Prism, an open source, site-specific browser for Web applications.
IN the kerfuffle over the failed Microsoft takeover bid, people tend to forget that Yahoo is about much more than online search. Sure, Google is far ahead of Yahoo and Microsoft in search, but those who believe putting No. 2 and No.3 together will miraculously change the equation are ignoring some inconvenient facts. For example, shareholders who simply want a quick way to bump up Yahoo’s declining stock price are turning a blind eye to—or simply don’t care about—the likelihood that selling the company to Microsoft would hurt, not help the company’s long-term prospects. The reason is simple: Microsoft has no record of turning a profit online. The folks at Yahoo do.
IT’S difficult to write about the Aspire One from Acer without gushing. Out of the box, this mini-notebook is the perfect traveling companion for anyone who simply needs to surf the Web, send e-mail and perform typical office tasks such as typing up documents, working on spreadsheets or giving a presentation. Its compact size—6.7”x9.8” and less than an inch thick—and weight—less than a kilo—make the Aspire One extremely easy to bring along anywhere. The netbook is slightly longer than the pioneering Asus Eee PC, but Acer has put that extra space to good use by building in a larger keyboard that most touch typists will appreciate (about 85 percent of a full-sized one) and a glossy black frame around the LCD screen that makes it look brighter.
At this point, whether you’re running a small company with a few PCs or a large corporation with thousands of computers running Windows, it makes sense to consider shifting some of them over to Linux. Ubuntu, because of its ease of use, growing user base and a large, active and helpful community, is a particularly attractive option. What follows are answers to questions you might have before considering such a shift.
Although its Windows operating system has a lock on more than 90 percent of the PC market, Microsoft is smart enough to know that this is no guarantee of survival. That’s probably why it has tried to bludgeon any threats to its dominance. Unfortunately, the struggle for commercial supremacy--which looks almost desperate--doesn’t seem to be matched with any compelling new vision.
First shot of Dell’s mini-notebook, courtesy of Gizmodo
In the next month or two, it should be interesting to watch as Dell, the world’s third largest computer company, rolls out its “Dell E” series of mini-notebooks. The company has not announced the new line, but the new netbook has been making waves on the Internet ever since Gizmodo bumped into Michael Dell at the All Things Digital conference in May and took pictures of his shiny new notebook that sported a fire-engine red high-gloss finish. Since then, more intriguing details have surfaced.
IN the four years since Gmail was introduced, Google has done much to improve its free Web-based e-mail service. Still, there are a number of ways it might be improved. This week, while watching the progress bar crawl toward completion on a slow connection, I realized that speeding access to the inbox is one such way.
Photoshop runs in a window on my Compiz-enhanced Ubuntu desktop.
I revisited Wine last week, two years after I made the leap from Windows to Linux. To my surprise, Wine finally reached Version 1.0 earlier this month, ending 15 long years of testing. Quite an achievement for a project that a group of hackers began in 1993 as a way to run Windows 3.1 programs on Linux. Installing and configuring Wine was much easier this time around. Installing Photoshop was as simple as popping in the CD and double-clicking on the right “.exe” file. After installing the program, I could launch it from the Wine menu under Applications. It ran flawlessly.
NOT many sports fans knew it, but the champion Boston Celtics had a secret battle cry—one that many Linux users already know. The word was “Ubuntu,” an African word that roughly translates to “I am because we are.” This is the same philosophy that drives Ubuntu, a popular version of the free Linux operating system sponsored by Canonical Ltd. and developed by a community of programmers and end-users. The software is free—and its users are encouraged to contribute to it in any way they can as a way of giving back to the community.
Want to tell the world you're a Linux user? Feel free to grab this logo and stick it anywhere on your Web site or blog.
About
Digital Life is a blog that features a technology column by the same name that appears every Tuesday in Manila Standard Today, a national daily from the Philippines. This blog gives readers easy access to the column, which started in November 2002. Copyright 2007 Chin Wong.
Ubuntu Hardy Heron running in full-screen mode on a Macbook, courtesy of VirtualBox.
THERE’S something a bit desperate about the way Microsoft is pushing Windows Vista. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft is spending $300 million on an advertising campaign featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld as the key pitchman. Starting September, TV ads featuring Seinfeld and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will seek to address what the company’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, calls “lingering doubts” among its customers about Windows Vista. That such doubts persist even after Microsoft has spent $450 million to launch and market the product since its introduction more than a year ago can’t be too good.
WHY would anyone want to emulate the iPhone on his desktop computer? That question crossed my mind when I heard that some people were using a Firefox add-on called User Agent Switcher to do just that. You’d think the only people who would want to shrink a beautiful wide-screen display to a fraction of its size would be developers who were writing software for the iPhone. Think again. The Phone’s popularity has created so much content designed specifically for it that even PC users want a piece of the action. The digital newsstand Zinio (
Zimbra Desktop accommodates multiple e-mail accounts on one screen, using Prism, an open source, site-specific browser for Web applications.
Ubuntu on a mobile Internet device
Gates and Ballmer, with the best line at D6
First shot of Dell’s mini-notebook, courtesy of 
IN the four years since Gmail was introduced, Google has done much to improve its free Web-based e-mail service. Still, there are a number of ways it might be improved. This week, while watching the progress bar crawl toward completion on a slow connection, I realized that speeding access to the inbox is one such way.
Photoshop runs in a window on my Compiz-enhanced Ubuntu desktop.
