Posted by admin on February 11, 2008
- Kubuntu- The Ubuntu family are becoming the go to Distro for Linux Novices. With a slick user interface, a wide variety of apps, and a decent installation process, Kubunu would have been my favorite had it actually worked on my machine. Although I had it installed on my Daughter’s laptop, it froze up on mine every time, resenting me with a black screen while the CD happily spun away for eternity everytime.
- SLAX Kill Bill Edition- The first Live CD I had that ran perfectly. Kill Bill has both Wine and Qemu to try to get the Windows programs that you probably already use running. That, and the awesome yellow screen make it worth checking out.( Note:The SLAX homepage is down while SLAX 6 is being added to the site. Download Kill Bill here.)
- Knoppix- The first Live Distro is here primarily for that reason alone. There’s nothing inspiring or unique about Knoppix: It just works. It’s a rather generic distro that has a little of everything, but doesn’t excel at anything.
- Fedora- What I’m using right now, simply because it worked and was released recently. Fedora is a professional package, as it should be backed by Red Hat and SELinux.
And Finally, My favorite Live Disto of the Year:
- Custom Nimble X 2 – As if Linux wasn’t DIY enough, Someone decided that what Linux Users really wanted was a web app that let’s you create your own iso to download. Wait, that’s exactly what I want! Pick and choose apps and images, create a root and user account and hit generate, and you’ve got your own operating system, just like Bill! Only, less ieven nerdier.
Also, You might want to check out Christopher Negus’s Book Live Linux CDs This book walks you through exactly what to expect from a live CD, some major distros not mentioned here, some packages to build your own and examples of Task specific Live Linux distros that he built himself. The Sweet Creamy Center? An Included DVD that holds 12, count ‘em, 12 Distributions. 6 of them bootable from the DVD, and the rest as burnable ISOs.
Posted by admin on January 4, 2008
I had My first Experience with the world of DRM over The Holidays.
As I wrote about Earlier, We Stayed out on Black Friday to get Jamie a Zune
.
Later, I bought the Special Edition Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
from Target. This version came with a special disk that contains two digital versions of the movie: One for the PC and one for Mobile Devices.
I opened the disk, entered the CD-key and the whole thing blew up in my face.
Both files are on the PC. When I tried to open one, It asked for the key again. When I entered the key, It told me I had already registered the product for the maximum number of times. Eventually, I discovered that My Daughter was running Windows Media Player 9 and needed an upgrade.
That got them working, but right now both copies are only registered for use on the PC. Even though One is labeled “hp5_PC” by the distributor and the other is “HP5_Mobile”, there is no way to get it off the PC and onto the Mobile Device. I am waiting for a response from the help line, But am not holding my breath.
When I upgraded from VHS to DVD, I bought many of the same movies I already owned.There was a lot of value added to the DVD format: Increased resolution, the special features, Ability to skip to specific scenes and chapters. It never occurred to me that I already bought the right to watch them in my own house.
So the producers have gotten addicted to selling me the same product over and over again. If I don’t pay to see the movie or concert, they can sell it to me as a DVD. Or a Download. Or on Cable. One Use equals One License equals One Price.
There are two problems with this.
First, There is consumer push back. If I buy a Blu-Ray, I want to be able to play my old DVDs without upgrading. If I can use my DVD in my PC, I want to be able to save a backup. Once I have a backup, I want to put it on my MP3 Player. If I have it in my MP3, Why can’t my Wife? What about Jamie? Do I need to by three copies?
Second, How do I pay to keep developing these multiple formats I’ve become addicted to? How do I know whether consumers will embrace Blu-Ray or HD-DVD? Will iTunes or Zune or Napster shake out as the Winner? Xbox or Wii?
The answer, of course is DRM. The consumer has no “Fair use” rights, and instead purchases(or is Given” only limited rights to your product. Each new use requires the purchase of more rights. Want Harry Potter on three MP3s? Pay three times. Want your DVR on each TV? Pay for it again. And Again. And Again.
Posted by admin on July 15, 2007
Rogue’s Gallery CD
It was hard not to start this review with some totally lame-O pirate cliche.
I first heard about this disc on NPR, and knew immediately that I had to have it.
Basically, at the urging of Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski, decided to try to find actual sea chanteys to use in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This led to legendary producer Hal Wilner ( Also of the excellent spoken word CD,Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
).
This is excellent music for writers. The star-studded cast of singers just let it all hang out and have a blast. Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Sting and Baby Gramps are all standouts. Baby Who?:
Youtube video Here.
