* Posts by Orionds

9 publicly visible posts • joined 19 Mar 2010

A perfect marriage: YOU and Ubuntu 16.04

Orionds

Printer setup and controls in Ubuntu (actually Xubuntu - my favorite distro)

Some printers are actually supported much better in Linux than in Windows.

I have found this to be true with the Ricoh Aficio multifunction network printer/copier/scanner used in the school's library. Installation of the driver is like two minutes without any downloads needed.

The same goes for the Epson ink jet printers I have the R210 and R230 - kind of old - but still printing absolutely gorgeous color photos. The Linux driver allows micro-control of color density, resolution, gamma and even droplet size (which I have not tried). These controls allow me to make life-like color photo prints.

The printers are recognized and the drivers set up in less than a minute - again without any downloads whatsoever.

Canonical reckons Android phone-makers will switch to Ubuntu

Orionds

Re: It's about choice

I was wondering the same. I would like to use Xubuntu and not Unity. Xubuntu is lighter and runs a lot faster particularly on higher end hardware.

From what i've seen and read, Canonical's push is for Unity at the expense of other flavours of Ubuntu. For example, when the Munich government started to hand out install CDs free-of-charge to people through the libraries, I believe they started with Lubuntu (or maybe Xubuntu) but Canonical stepped in and persuaded them to change these CDs / DVDs to Unity.

If Canonical locks in Unity and gives no options to install other distros then it would be a mistake. Canonical would only end up getting users who like Unity. If Unity is locked in, I would stay away from both the Ubuntu phone and tablet.

Remember Netbooks? Windows 10 makes them good again!

Orionds

Lubuntu on eeePC and Xubuntu on netbooks

Lubuntu and Xubuntu run great on these little machines. On netbooks, I have a comprehensive set of full desktop software that include the Gimp, Libreoffice, Kodi, Handbrake, Kodi Media Center, XnView, etc. running nicely and smoothly with 1Gb ram.

Canonical and Spain's BQ team to put Ubuntu on a tablet

Orionds

Another Ubuntu distro and not Unity?

Anyone know if the desktop version can be another distro like Xubuntu?

'Linus Torvalds is UNFIT for the WORKPLACE!' And you've given the world what, exactly?

Orionds

Sometimes ...

it takes a dictator to get things done.

Here are some:

Napoleon: The French Revolution had got out of hand and blood was flowing in the streets with the Reign of Terror. The government was on the verge of collapse under another counter-revolution until they brought the "little corporal" in - aka Napoleon (shades of Steve Jobs?). He eventually made himself dictator but he not only restored order but also a sense of pride among the French people as well as putting into place law and order (the Code Napoleon), an education system par excellence, to name a couple.

General MacArthur: He rebuilt Japan after the WWII to the point that the Japanese learnt to love baseball, jazz and insisted on American teachers to help them learn English with an American accent.

General Patton: He drove his men and earned the nickname: "Blood and Guts". Yet, if he had not come in, the Allies may have had a much harder time on their march to Berlin.

These men were unrelenting in their drive and authority but it was these qualities that got things done and not stray from a unified goal. Were all their decisions perfect? Course not. Were they criticized? Frequently.

If Torvalds was a Mr. Nice Guy who said "yes" to everything, Linux would be very much fractured and nowhere near what it is today - from the tiniest devices to 95% or more of the super computers used. All these embrace Linux - from the hobbyist to multinational corporations and governments world-wide. This global vote of confidence would likely have never been given if not for Torvalds.

Yes, history has shown that sometimes it does need a d***head to get things done, if not perfectly, at least in a unified direction.

The LINUX TABLET IS THE FUTURE - and it always will be

Orionds

I ordered the PengPod

for the fact that I can use it on the go as an Android tablet with touch and then boot into Linux and use it with a keyboard and mouse.

The normal tablet is insufficient for more sophisticated computing work. There are apps for editing photos, audio and video but these are basic but for fine-tuning, precise cutting or cropping, professional colour tuning, full-blown movies with credits, subtitles, transitions, to name a few, the tablet is not the place to do this type of work.

Having said this though, a tablet running Linux will be a bit under-powered for the moment, until processors and hardware on tablets advance further bringing their hardware configuration closer to higher-end PCs. With 1G ram, the PengPod is very useable on the desktop. I am still using some single-core PCs with 1G to 1.5G ram running Ubuntu or Linux Mint smoothly and quickly (using about 250Mb ram after boot-up).

So, yes, a tablet that can boot into the Linux desktop will be a welcome addition. This probably explains why in about 21 days from about $14,000 the deveopers received a storm of pledges raising their total to over $70,000 by the time the deadline came (their target was $49,000).

If you read the comments, the donors (or buyers) do really want a tablet that combines Android and the Linux desktop. Note also many have ordered, or even separately, the keyboard case. I already have one and have found it surprisingly effective and comfortable despite its size (7-inch) and my size (6-foot-2). I even tried connecting a mouse along with the keyboard and this works too, albeit only on Android. So, I am looking forward to the Linux desktop on a mobile tablet because I can type fast and point and click quickly without swiping. Don't forget there are also keyboard shortcuts and copy-and-pasting is a lot faster, speeding up work (e.g. writing a novel on the go).

I do believe that the Linux desktop on the tablet will prove popular.

Orionds

Linux does it ...

in no more than 15 seconds using a good, old-fashioned hard drive.

The real test of boot-up speed is how long it takes from start to the opening of, for example, the browser. Windows continues loading startup programs, drivers, etc. even after the desktop appears and applications, though clicked, hang around until these have been pretty much loaded.

Try it. See how long it takes from cold start to the opening of the full browser window - I guess, Internet Explorer - in Win 8.

I don't know about Win 8 because I don't use it but when the desktop is boot up, when I click Firefox, it responds immediately and begins loading.

Ubuntu's high-risk Linux Narwhal beta floats

Orionds

Mint - not really

I'm not against Mint myself. I used it for some time and liked it. However, the funny thing is my students all prefer the Gnome desktop to Mint.

The good news is - students, one by one, are adopting Ubuntu and dropping Windows except when they want to play Windows games.

Dell bars Win 7 refunds from Linux lovers

Orionds
Linux

Other brands to consider

I recently bought (and typing on it now) a new mini-notebook for US$100 cheaper as it came pre-installed with Ubuntu 8.10. It's an Olevia X13D-815HK with 2G ram, 250G HD, dual-core AMD L325 cpu.

I'm absolutely delighted with it. With my older notebook, I could not get function-key compatibility with my BenQ projector. Now, I can through the HDMI link. I can view my desktop + video at the same time on the notebook and via the projector at the same time. With XP in my older notebook, I could view a video on the projector only when the notebook LCD was off.

Search for brands that offer you a choice of Linux or Windows. This is better because you know for sure that the hardware will be fully compatible with Linux. I had a bit of bother with the wi-fi because it was a newer version to the driver included in Ubuntu. However, a search of the Ubuntu forums directed me to a PPA that had the driver. Ever since then, it has been plain sailing.

More and more brands from Asia are including Linux in their offerings.