I have been using Linux for about a year now. I started off using OpenSuse with the KDE desktop environment. I wasn’t all that impressed with most of the user interfaces in SUSE, so I quickly switched over to Ubuntu, which uses the Gnome desktop environment by default. I was much more pleased with Ubuntu than I was SUSE and never looked back. Being relatively new to Linux, I was never relay sure if my preference was from changing desktop environments or from changing distributions. After feeling conformable with the majority of task I have been doing lately, and hearing about all the great news with KDE 4, I decided to give it another try. So far I like it, except for on problem, I can’t get KDE 4 to load right. Worse case scenario, I’ll have to wait for April for Ubuntu/Kubuntu 8.04.
Archive for January, 2008
Giving KDE another try
Published 01.28.08 Computers , Free Stuff , Open Source , Technology Leave a CommentI was having some strange problems with my local ISP last night. Many websites I went to did not load. Some would load a login page, but when I tried to get past there, I couldn’t. Google wouldn’t load, but 9 rules would. I play an online game called Triabal Wars. I could get their login page, but when I tried to log into the game, only the ad on the right side of the page would load. I had been messing with programs that “optimize” the Windows registry, and thought that could have been my problem, although that didn’t make sense. So, I tried both my desktops, and they were also having the same problem (one Linux, one windows). I talked to Nick, who lives in same apartment complex, and he said he was having problems loading gMail. “OK,” I thought, “So it’s not a problem at my end.” So, I gave up on surfing the web for the night and kicked back with Guitar Hero instead. I’ll have to check if good old Comcast has fixed the problem by the time I get home.
So, I ran into a little problem while I was trying to install some software onto my Windows box. You see, I don’t have a DVD drive on my Windows box. I have one on both my Linux box and my laptop, though. So, my options were to try and access the drive via the network, rip the DVD to CD’s, or uninstall the drive from the Linux box and pop it into the windows box. Accessing the drive via the network sounded complicated, especially because I am running two different OS’s, so that was out. The software I was trying to install was a MS product, so without even trying, I knew ripping was out of the question. And moving the drive was out of the question because I’m lazy, and it would have taken me half the night just to get the two computers out and open. So, I was back to trying to get the drive shared over the network. I use SAMBA on my Linux box to do file sharing with all my other computers. Samba makes it really easy to share folders over the network, just a right click. I tried a right click on the optical drive, but didn’t find the share icon in the list. Oh well, time to head to Google. With a little searching, I found the 7 lines of code I had to add to a Samba configure file. Two tries latter after tweeking for specifics for my computer, and the drive was shared. Much easier than moving the drive over, as I would have had to pull out both computers every time I ran into this problem. But no more.
Google now has themes you can add to your iGoogle account. They have some neat themes already made up for you use, and you can also create your own, although I have not tried yet. Go, take a look, and add some extra flavor to your iGoogle start page!!
To any designers who need an idea, I would love to see a Linux/OOS theme. Some thing with the will known penguin or a combination of characters from different distros. I would try it myself, but I am no good a design and don’t know enough html/CSS, that’s why I have Nick!!
A guy by the name of Johnny Lee came up with some great software that I can’t wait to see in games. In the video, he explains how, using a Wii remote conected to his PC and either the Wii sensor bar or glasses he modified with IR LED’s, he can simulate 3D movement. Check out the video. What types of games would you like to see with this technology. Tell me in the comments.
So, today I will officially get my feet wet in the pool of programing. I wasn’t planing on taking a programing class for another few months, but after meeting with my dean, he talked me into changing classes this term and taking it now. I can’t wait!!!
If you have time, please check outmy mini city. I have created a town and want it to grow into a fine city.
It’s too bad the blade wasn’t pointing down. He obviously doesn’t need to reproduce.
Yesterday, I got to see one of my friends get married. As a married man, this was only my third wedding I have attended with my wife. The first wedding I attended, I realy don’t count with the other two, as it was only a week after our wedding. For me, though, I get this re-comitment feeling from attending a wedding. Now, I have only been married just short of two years, but my wife and I lead very busy lives. We both work full time, go to school part time, are active in our church, have a part-time job, and we have a two year old daughter. Some times I feel that we get streached too thin and miss the big picture. As I was watching my friend and his wife during the ceremony, I saw this spark that they both had. It’s this spark that isn’t seen often in cuples. I don’t know how to explain it. I know my wife and I had that spark on our wedding day, though. And I know many other cuples who have had the same spark durring their weddings.
Now, as I write this, I compleatly lost where I was going with it, other than the fact that watching my friend marry his wife help bring that spark I felt on my wedding day back into my life. However, if that spark was always in my wife’s and my relationship, nothing in our house would ever get done, because all we would do is stare at each other, smile, and giggle like little kids.
Thoughts and Observations from a peon 
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