web page bloat!

Finally I see someone big (Tim Berners-Lee) talking about web design of todays. Earlier web information came in 1 page, later they use frame, but quite a number of people don't like frame, they display as 2 column and 3, 4... Earlier best view by 800x600 and now is 1024x768.

They either mess up everthing into 1 page, or end up something like this, the information only occupied one third of the display, and all other are blanks. In another word you are just looking at 640x480 diplay on an 1024x768 resolution.

Some people switch from Yahoo to Google for just one reason, simplicity.

We have code bloat, now we have page bloat.

It will be an endless debate, we should design general web page which work on all browsers, but in real life we have a lot of IE only web page, don't talk about mobile.

Not Just Java!

Eight year ago, I want to learn java programming, at that time, no broadband, connection to internet is expensive, so I decide to buy buy a java book. There is quite a number of books about java from Sun Press, I know nothing about them, but I need 1, so buy the cheapest java book, and it look so thick. I am so happy and go back. I flip through the thick java book, can't understand and is so boring, I just put it on book shelf for showing off, and never read it again! The book call 'Graphic Java' (AWT). Obviously I bought the wrong book, that shuold be the last book I should bought among all the java books from Sun Press. Even though java is version 1.5 now, all those java book are still valid(80%?), except this 'Graphic Java', because java is using SWING for it GUI and not AWT since java 1.2. Few years after, I pick up java from friends and the 21 days series book. The Sun Press series are still good, so my advice for those who want to pick up java, read these books from Sun Press:- Just Java, get some knowledge about java development, a very good book to start with Core Java, get deeper into java programming Java by example, I don't think this is a good book(at lest for me), it just in the series Graphic Java, this the the book that I bought, you may need it or may not. If you need it, buy the SWING version. Not Just Java, an interesting book about java history, for developer and manager. Just go to amazon.com, you will find these books.

History about OS X

Some history of Mac OS X, now you know why OSX is using Mach Kernel, BSD services and Objective C, is just all about NeXT and Nextstep. The history talk about the Pink OS, join venture by IBM and Apple, it used to call Taligent Software which I think many people have forgotten, it was one of the greatest vapourware. Writing a operating system is not easy, even though there are so many talented programmer out there, many of the 'do it right' OS, came from DEC, MS, Apple(BeOS, Nextstep), IBM... Apple computer have spend quite some money(USD 427 million) on NeXT, but Apple is doing a right move, OS X is a great OS especially for Apple itself.

Supper Shuffle

Another big joke (atlest is for me) in the digital music industry, Luxpro Corp showing it supper shuffle at CeBit, is just look (and feel) like iPod Shuffle, with extras, FM tuner. Even the advertisment photo is just like iPod. Steve Jobs must be mad about this. Heard the supper shuffle from taiwan.

Yahoo acquired flickr

Yahoo acquire flickr(cnet news), and Google had blogger, and I am linking my photo from flickr to blogger, so will yahoo stop the service? ha ha, let see what will happen next. I like both Yahoo and Google, especially the later, they are inovative. flickr name is hard to remember, I have take a few try before I can key the the correct url for flickr.com.

Linuxfab

For some reason, I am looking for a website name linuxfab, and I found this, dated 2002 February, someone (should be rollaned) wrote this down, he have to close down the website. Linuxfab once was the biggest chinese Linux and opensource portal, it has news, forum, technical article, review...I have write some article on it before, I never meet rollaned face to face before, but communicate through internet. There are new website about linux news, like asiaosc from jaring, but not sure how long it will last. The last part of the post (but Linux is not just that bad) :- "我恨那些厂商，个个都说要帮助本站，事实上根本没有，沽名钓誉而已 我恨我自己，未能早点看清事实，早点脱离这里"

Open up iMac mini

iMac mini is cute and nice, you can't find a screw on it, how to open it up, there is an article (with pictures) to show you how to open up iMac mini with bamboo-made chopsticks. If you are not a hardware guy, please don't try, is still not easy. Just in case anyone will ask, why doing it? Upgrade ram and hard disk.

VAIO VGN-T17GP

Saw this Sony 10" notebook from newspaper, 1.38kg with almost 8 hours of battery life. This sounds like the notebook I want, but not sure Linux work well on it. Vaio is a good brand name from Sony, but the model description-- VGN-T17GP, which is really terrible, I don't think normal people will remeber it. Look at Canon Ixus 30, 40, 50, are just simple naming and work nice.

Debian drops mainframe, Sparc development

Debian drops development on a few computer architecture, left with x86, AMD64, PowerPC and IA-64(?), as reported in theregister.

I seldom use debian, but should keep track of this main distribution, ubuntu base on debian as well.

Opensource promotion

John Haller have build a portable firefox (1.0), which can run directly from usb drive, to promote firefox.

Linux LiveCD is another way to promote Linux and Gnome. This is how technical people can penetrate marketting using technical skill.

ubuntu LiveCD

I am quite interested with the Linux ubunto LiveCD now, I download a PPC ubunto hoary LiveCD, and try to book on my ibook. Oh! It works, next time should try on the iMac mini. You can download the ubuntu LiveCD image from here, there are LiveCD and installation CD for x86 and PPC.

ubuntu LiveCD is not new, when I 1st heard of Knoppix LiveCD is about a year a go, but ubuntu can get popular in these days, there must be something interesting with it. Only check when I am free, some other day.

ubuntu seems like is an africa word.

Gnome 2.0, hot!

Gnome 2.10 is out(about last week), I am so lazy to upgrade my system to try is out, so I download the LiveCD.

I try the LiveCD on 2 of my friends' notebook, an Acer and Asus M2 notebook, can't get it boot up. Try on my office IBM machine, not working too. Finally get it running on another HP machine in my office, don't have time to try out yet, but the (ubuntu) LiveCD look nice.

iTunes with chinese display on Windows XP

I am quite surprise when I see iTunes with chinese support on my friend's Windows XP, because I can't get it in my OSX systems!

I just try on my current Windows XP desktop.

After enable chinese support under Control Panel, Regional and Language..., is either Language or Advanced tab. If can't work just, try and error.

If I switch to chinese system in OSX, may be it will work.

Eclipse 3.0 on Windows

Just finish download Eclipse, is about 90M, eclipse will become the defacto of Java IDE, plus it can put in C IDE plug-in. I just try run the eclipse, seems running quite well on Pentium 4 3.2GHz HT, 512M Ram machine.

I try to create a c program, but I don't have the compiler, and I have out of IDE for quite a long time so can't get it work, may be next time.

What is Apple MacOS X?

The equation shuold look like this: Darwin = Mach 3.0 + BSD services OS X = Quartz + Arqua + Darwin

Torvalds switches to Apple

Nothing much to say abaout this, Torvalds just use Apple machine(for fun!?).

You can read the news here.

The most interesting part about it is, Torvalds comment on the Mach kernel(is a creep) in September 2001. Mach kernel used by OSX, after Apple buy NeXT.

Definately Torvalds is not comment on Apple OS, but just on the mach kernel, reason? mach kernel is linux kernel compitators. rember the HURD project from GNU/fsf.org?

PenDrive driver for Windows 95 and Linux

I have a usb driver for windows 95 but never use before, yesterday I just try to install to a Windows 95 operating system, hopefully it will work, but unfortunately it can detect the usb chipset but not the PenDrive. PenDrive or FlashDrive, is just a usb storage. Since the driver is not working, I just simple remove it from windows, but it corrupt the vmm32.vxd file, results the machine can't boot anymore, I simple copy a vmm32.vxd file from another machine, it just don't work. It spend me another extra 2 hours to find the proper vmm32.vxd file to get the system up again! In Linux, you just need to need to enable 1. the chipset (USB Support, UHCI or OHCI, just try 1 which will work) 2. USB mass storage (module name usb-storage.o) (may be you need to enable scsi support too) I am using kernel 2.4.x, it work. I never give up windows 95, I believe there may be a patch or update for the usb storage driver.

NeoOffice/J

Have to take another one and the half hour to download NeoOffice/J, because the 1st time I download half way but fail, so have to download again, is about 117M. After install is 300M, wow! The different NeoOffice and OpenOffice is, NeoOffice use OSX interface and not X11.

OpenOffice.org 1.1.4 for OSX

The OSX version of OpenOffice is 158M, double than the x86 linux version. Take about 50 minutes to download. This is a X window version. I though 2.0 beta is out, so would like to try it on OSX too, but seems like they have not compile a OSX version yet, is still 1.1.2. 150M is a bz compress file, after uncompress is 370M, this is terrible! I think is time for OOo to slim down, before it is going too far. Seems like I didn't install my X11 on my OSX system, it need panther CD3, I abort, may be try next time or try Neo/J office.

micq, text base icq

Looking for a text base icq on windows, found a text base icq--micq. Is available on many system including Linux, BSD, OSX, Windows, even on PS2! The power of opensource!

OpenOffice.org 2.0beta

This could be the last time I install OpenOffice software in my office, because I told that can't install any Linux machine and unauthorize software(including license or non-license) in office anymore.

The new OpenOffice.org look nice, support chinese, but some of the effect(eg. text drop down) is not working anymore.

The package I downloaded is rpm. It will be install /opt. Take note, you will always need to install the core07 package(contain the soffice program), but the rpm dependencies never told you.

firefox 1.0 with Java plugins

Earlier I have some problem with running Java plugins(v1.4) in firefox (v1.0) browser, so I disable the java plugins in my firefox. Since these people suggest to use java 1.5, I download the 1.5 (finally!) from sun java site. The reason, why I don't like the new java, because my applet was develop on java version 1.1, and new java take up too much hard disk space. jre 1.5 (without compiler) 86M jdk-1.3.1_13 (with compiler) 58M This is a lot of difference. Anyway java 1.5 is working ok with my firefox browser on my Mandrake 10(Linux) now. So remove away the java 1.4, is useless.

RedHat/MYOSS (join) March Meetup, Kuala Lumpur

Date: 3 March 2005
Vanue: Training Choice office

I drive to city after work, reach Training Choice office(MUI Plaza) about 7.15pm.

This is the 2nd meetup host in Training Choice office, and is a join meetup of redhat and myoss.

Today we have 2 presentation, "CLI tricks" from Ow (Mun Heng) and "network cabling (basic)" from Yeak.

We start about 7.30pm after the presenter ready. Silvia(Training Choice) has a "ice breaking" game for us, Ow won the price, eventhough I complained, but I think Ow is qualified for that. :)

There is about 20 people attended, I can't remember everyone's name, almost half are first time to the training choice office. Jason(MYOSS organizer) miss the previous meetup, but he attended this time, Miguel(from US), Izak, William, Cheung Long and other new faces, sorry I can't name you all here.

Ow's presentation on "CLI tricks" start 8.05pm end about 9.00pm, everyone was give 15 minutes, but he is over time, I have to signal him to speed up his presentation(and he got the signal!), make sure everyone can go back on time.

Ow suggest we can upload the presentation slide on the internet, so it will be on the internet soon.

Yeak's presentation on "network cabling", something new and interesting to me, because I never do cabling myself, he show us how to clam a network socket on the presentation.

If you miss out yeak's presentation, you can always refer here.

We have a discussion on the vanue, the conclusion is we will still stick to Training Choice for sometime, because the member may have problems with new location.

Silvia update us, there will be some free and short(3 hours?) courses for linux beginners, I just glance through the content topics, I think is a good start for new linux users, if interested you need to register, check out with Training Choice office.

Ow thrown out a question for the fist timer here. Miguel get a notification from meetup when he change his location from Washinton to Malaysia, but he never attended any meetup while he was is Washinton. Cheung Long and SledgeHammer get to know this meetup from low yat forum. Jason do a good job on advertising the meetup.

Other discussion that I miss out, Ow has a detail blog.

zinf 2.2.5

zinf is not freeamp. I though freeamp is difficult to compile, but zinf seems to be a lot more easier, I need to intall another 2 more libraries to get it compile: libmusicbrainz libgdbm but they still need to improve the compilation script, because when I try to static link libgdbm, but it always link to gdbm dynamic library.

Firefox on Windows 95

Earlier I have problems install Firefox 1.0 on Windows 95. I found a link, explain how to do it, basically is:- - windows update - Microsoft Library update for Windows 95 - download firefox I have tried portable firefox, the normal installer should work now.