MuddyGeek’s New Home

Operating Systems

Let me tell you a story about my wife’s Motorola Droid.  When the 2.1 update came out, she dutifully updated her phone.  It bricked.  The system constantly rebooted.  Being tech savvy, I could have Googled the solution and fixed her phone perhaps.  However, I figured the fine folks at Verizon would just reload the firmware.  Oh, how wrong we were!  She ended up with a refurbished Droid.  We spent $200 on a brand new phone to have it replaced with a refurb due to an update error.

Now you could blame Verizon for this and I’m apt to do so but if Android had something akin to the WebOS Doctor.  The WebOS Doctor is a program for your computer that allows you to reload the firmware for your woeful Palm at home.  If there had been a similar program for Android, my wife would still have her original Droid.

Form Factors

I’m quite use to my Centro with its small keyboard.  I’ve tried the keyboards on the Droid and LG Ally (which has a reputation as an excellent keyboard).  I’ve also tried touchscreen keyboards.  For anyone doing any serious typing, touchscreen can’t compare to a physical keyboard.  Plus, I can text one handed on the Centro or the Pre although two is much quicker.

The portrait slider on the Pre is also easier to flip out and text on in a hurry compared to the Droid or Ally.  As a bonus, this gave the Pre a smaller form factor and makes it more pocket able.  I don’t like bulky phones and if I can’t through it in my pocket, it won’t work for me.

Upcoming Devices

I’m concerned about the trend to constantly make phones with larger screens.  As I previously stated, I need pocket size.  The Dell Streak is 5 inches!  5!  Five!  Yes, that’s huge.  Even the Droid X or HTC Evo coming in around 4 is quite large.  If I need to use a large screen, I will hop on a computer.  This is supposed to be a portable alternative to a computer or even a tablet.  The Pre fit the bill for me.

I suspect that upcoming renditions of the Pre will feature larger screens and thus becoming heavier too.  That’s not what I’m after.  I rather get the Palm Pre while its still available.  There’s also the issue that there’s no perfect time to buy.  I could have waited for the next greatest thing but I’d be using my Centro for years.

Comments

I’m curious why other people settled on the Pre or have stuck with it.  Do you think I made a good choice or are these superfluous considerations?

Thus MuddyGeek is going to be a lot more about my garden and ongoing “homesteading” projects than about cool nature stuff online. Technology will still be mentioned. Its just going to be in a more personal approach. Maybe as I come up to buying a new smartphone soon, I’ll have some commentary there. Or I may switch from Ubuntu Linux to Linux Mint.

The Likes

The customized installation – I was able to include Gnome, KDE 4, TWM, Xfce, and IceWM in my installation.  Beautiful!  Plus there is customization in the other packages installed too.

Oh, speaking of beautiful, KDE 4 looks rather lovely.  Gnome is not too shabby either.

Dolphin File Manager is functional and helpful with file information laid out next to the files.  This even allows rating files (1 to 5 stars), adding comments, and tagging.

Widgets are neat.  I had some difficulty with relocating them on the desktop to where I would have preferred them.  Mostly they clustered in the upper left portion of the screen.  Hmm…  who knows.

One of my biggest priorities has been Internet access.  As this is a bigger concern with my laptop (as its my test machine) than my desktop, I place even more emphasis on this.  Fortunately, Suse did awkwardly allow me to enable my wifi card (Broadcom 4318) and get it working.  I was off handedly sent to dnmouse.org where I found the necessary information and file.  Oddly enough, this worked on Gnome but not KDE.  KDE recognized my card and made some attempt to connect to my access point but failed miserably.  Not sure I’ll even investigate that.

Other hardware worked:  Sound, video, touchpad, keyboard, ethernet.  Drivers are apparently installed correctly.

YaST2 worked reasonably well installing a game.

The Dislikes

Default Gnome menu is odd.  A few basic apps are initially available.  The rest are brought up in a seperate file manager style view.  Its rather counter intuitive to me.  KDE did not have this issue although its hierarchial menu system is rather drawn out.  I like quick access to the various apps I require.

Under KDE, YaST did not list available apps but instead made me search for apps.  Sometimes I just like to browse and see what is available.  Also, from a previous attempt at installing Adobe Flash Player, YaST finished installing what was supposedly done.  Under Gnome, Yast 2 did display all available packages by default but apps were not listed.  This makes it more difficult for the common person to browse through the lists and actually try new programs.  Once more, its odd behaviour.

Finale

Suse 11.1 is functional and I would ever consider using it mainstream.  However, the odd behaviour encountered (while it shows my own bias) definitely puts me off from this distro.  I am definitely willing to hear out anyone on further virtues or vices of Suse but please, keep your comments noted specifically to the distro and not involve the author.

Recommended sites for Fedora and Suse users:

OpenSUSE 11.1 Screenshot slideshow Great idea of what and how the system will show and do

dnmouse.org (mostly for Fedora though)

HandBrake (v 0.9.2) is handy for converting the movie into different file formats (MP4, MKV, AVI, OGM).  This allows you to take the movie along on an iPod or just keep them all your laptop while you travel.  The downside to HandBrake is copying to another disc.  HandBrake’s default setting is for DVD and will create a “video_TS” folder when ripping.  I just wish it would be also burn the disc.  You can download HandBrake direct from their website www.handbrake.fr but it is a tarball for Linux.  Mac and Windows installers available too.   I will soon have a DEB file available for download.  Keep in mind you need to also install Mono to meet the dependencies.  In the short time, Linux Crypt has the how to for installing HandBrake.  The easier way:  download the two deb files and open them once they’re downloaded on your system.  Skip the terminal business that’s mentioned.

HandBrake

The other option is Shrinkta.  This app is vastly simpler than HandBrake. Shrinkta never did work for me though.  It had trouble recognizing my DVD drive.  When it finally did, it locked up and I was done with it.  If it works for someone, it looks promising.  A DEB file is availlable at GetDeb.  Oddly, this program is also called DVD Movie Backup at some sites and it shows up that way once its installed.

Shrinkta

Note!  All my work was done on Ubuntu 8.04 Hary Heron.  I cannot say what will happen on an older system.

What I Liked

I’m a fan of Ubuntu to start with and being that Mint 5 is Hardy Heron underneath and minty goodness on top, its getting a slightly biased boost.  The minty goodness is definitely aesthestics.  There are several wallpapers included for standard and wide screen displays.  I went for the steampunk style.  The themes included weren’t anything special but a dark one called peppermint somewhat complimented the steampunk wallpaper.

EnvyNG is included to take care of installing ATI and Nvidia drivers.  Before running this, absolutely nothing was readable.  Installing the proper Nvidia driver did the trick and is now functional.  So I opened EnvyNG, chose Nvida (which includes automatic hardware detection), and let it work magic.  That said, EnvyNG is not unique to Mint and I could install it in Mint.  However, I wouldn’t do that.  Its a nice touch to include it and make it easier on the user (and I love easy).

Compiz works fantastic.  Given that I have an integrated Nvidia 6150, it works well.  On top of that, I was still able to play Urban Terror better than Vista handled it.  The FPS was higher and the settings were better in Mint.

Like Ubuntu, I plugged in my Canon Pixma iP4300 and it worked.  It just worked.  Plug and Play.  Eat that Microsoft.

My wifi worked.  Once again, plug and play.  (I’ll get the full wifi card specs in the machine spec page later)

Software selection in Mint is as standard as they come…Firefox, GIMP, et cetera.  I do like Transmission for quick and simply bit torrent.  A lot of proprietary codecs are included as well.  Installing software is a bit odd though.  Synaptic is available though I don’t suggest it for first time users adding applications.  MintInstaller, aka the Software Portal, allows users to add software as they please but it opens up the browser in order to actually do it.  Adding software from Mint’s site causes you to download a .mint file which starts the process.  I do like that GetDeb.net and Apt are included in the Software Portal menu.

What I Abhorred

I can’t say there’s much.  Mint just works.  I still don’t know about the application menu layout.  I’ve found several distros using this and its just odd at first.  I like that once its set, I can quickly open my regular apps from the Favorites menu.

The Software Portal needs work.  I understand the need for it.  It allows for screenshots and user reviews.  Now I would like to see some.  The selection of software is still minimalistic compared to Ubuntu.  I realize I can still install all that same software but why isn’t it listed in the Software Portal?

MintUpdate is still a bit contentious with me.  There can be newer kernels available but on a break-your-system basis.

Finale

I like Mint better straight out than Ubuntu.  The setup was easier and it just seems more polished.  I don’t understand somethings Mint does.  However, I would have no problem handing Mint 5 over to a new user and expect them to figure it relatively quick.

Update

Mint 5 is still handling nice on the desktop outside of a graphics issue with Urban Terror.  I did reinstall it on my laptop with success so yay!

Ubuntu cola is fair trade which is good.  Just work on the name.  And maybe have a stronger green push.

So…  when will help arrive?

If you have suggestions on how to fix this problem, let me know, please.

P.S.  Did I mention that the LiveCD work perfectly?

• Compaq Presario V2000z
• 14.1″ LCD
• AMD Sempron Mobile 2800 1.8 GHz
• 2 GB DDR RAM
• Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200M Graphics
• 160 GB Hard Disk Drive (though I only use a small portion for each install)
• DVD-ROM
• Broadcom 4318 wireless card

Let me know if I forgot anything important in here.

What I Guess I Liked

Mandriva did give me the option to use Compiz during boot up of the Live CD.  Definite advantage there as some don’t even ask.  You just get it or you don’t.  I really like options.

What I Really Abhorred

The Live CD recognized my wifi card (Broadcom 4318 POS) successfully.  Its a real shame they didn’t include a reasonable way to find, oh, a wifi hotspot.  That’s a huge ding.  I treat this from a newbie (though I am not one) angle.  If the distro can’t do that much,  how easy with it be with other things?

Secondly, money.  I don’t pay for Linux.  I don’t pay for software.  So I’m not going to pay for a version of Mandriva that supposedly offers more when other distros give me the same (or greater) capabilities for nothing.

Finale

This only being a Live CD review, I can’t knock Mandriva too much.  There’s a very good possibility that it would have recognized the card and given me the tools I need to get online.  Mint and Ubuntu don’t recognize the card until they’re both installed and connected via ethernet.  The first distro that beats even that will win me over for a few months.

I’ve never been a fan of Mandrake, Connectiva, or Mandriva.  So perhaps I am biased.  I wouldn’t recommend Mandriva to anyone.  Go with Mint if you want very easy.