Dr. John v. Kampen

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Posts tagged with "software"

The most useful 45 minutes with Linux

Monday, July 23, 2012 3:39:50 PM

what's Linux, software, computers, servers ...

Link: http://youtu.be/_gCwCOhMcog

John

2 comments

CrossOver Impersonator - doing Windows on Linux and Mac

Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:15:17 PM

Windows, PC, mac, software ...

CodeWeavers released their brand-new "CrossOver Impersonator" as a follow-up of its bottled CrossOver versions and WINE. It isn't an emulator, but an 'impersonator', allowing you to run Windows' software on a Mac or Linux OS. Not that this new version has no 'bottles' to sandbox and separate programs from the base-OS, but their functionality has been improved and automated. In other words: "C.I." runs far better than earlier versions and is easier to use. Put a program-CD in a drive and it recognizes it, ready to install without further hassle. In a next post I'll come back on this issue and the use of WINE, CrossOver and the Impersonator. I have tested some important tools for photographers that so far were a 'no-no' for Linux users. No more. But first take a look at this new CrossOver Impersonator...

16 comments

Linux Mint Debian, Compiz, Tint2 and more explained

Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:29:14 AM

users, Mint, desktop, Gnome ...

Much a-do about Desktops these days...
Last week I spent my spare-time investigating the Linux desktop situation, some new distros and Linux Mint Debian. The latter I assume to become a 'replacement' for Ubuntu now its producers have confirmed to abandon the (for them) 'classic' desktop per October 2011 switching to their new, toy-like Unity desktop system. Gnome 3 ('shell') is a rather inflexible alternative for those afraid of loosing track of their data. Both obviously aiming at the blossoming 'tablets'-market with touchscreens.

A lot of questions from users and economic considerations of producers come into play here. Should we, as average users, follow the whims of the volatile consumer electronics market, or do we prefer products surviving the on average 5.000 hours usage cycle? Are we supposed to be(come) fun-users of short-lived mobile gadgets (locked-in by software and expensive service providers)? Can we -at the same time- be (semi-)professionals wanting efficiency and continuity at work with effective tools having user interfaces apt for the given tasks? Or do you prefer your bookkeeping on a BlackBerry perhaps? What about the list of failed attempts to integrate incompatible technologies (f.i. a TV-set as all-round home communication and AV-center)? Are we considered fools not being able to organize our own data and select our productivity tools and communication devices. Are some Linux-factions trying to impose on us what to buy to bind us to the bleeding edge of those volatile markets? Do we truly need to 'communicate' 24/7? How much time do we have left for ourselves, to read a book, meet friends face to face in privacy?
I really wonder! Not so much an issue for Debian, capable to run on virtually any computer. Let alone a question for Linux Mint Debian. Here you'll find all freedom to design, set-up and secure your Linux-based OS, choosing from about 31.000 software packages - most of them free of charge. Not in the first place for very small tablets or WiFi-phones, but rather for normal laptops and PC's. LMDE is still in 'raw' mode. Mint warns for some sharp edges and even more that for now it isn't preferable to be used by n00bies. Well, I willingly spent some 180 hours (!) to look at all this from my 'not-so-n00by' viewpoint: that from a regular, average Linux user with a desktop-PC. What I found out resulted in not wanting to return to the earlier 'trusted' Ubuntu-range of OS's. The agility, speed, responsiveness and freedom-with-elegance (raw edges, where?) of LMDE convinced me that we should bet on this brave race-horse for the year(s) to come. Here is why:

15 comments

LibreOffice released - but have Office Suites a future?

Sunday, January 30, 2011 8:36:33 AM

software, people, computers, OpenSource ...

I have a distinct hate-love relationship with so-called 'office-suite' software.

Complex and seemingly chaotic as their menus and icon-bars appear I don't know what to do with them that task-dedicated software on separate workspaces can't do better.
In times of electronic communications, where even e-mails appear outdated, the 'cloud' is taking over the desktop and not some 'office suite'. Only now and then I used Sun's 'OpenOffice' software that is present in nearly any Linux distro. No longer though, then Canonical Ltd., producer of Ubuntu, announced to switch to the new "LibreOffice" package per April 2011. Their upcoming Ubuntu 11.04 will be released with it. By the way: "LibreOffice" (pron.: lée-breh, meaning 'free' in Spanish) is "OpenOffice", but as its offspring. It is a 'fork' of the latter. After Oracle bought Sun Microsystems its open-source commitment gradually became questioned by a group of 33 software developers. That meant the start of a new organisation, the 'Document Foundation', that since September 28, 2010 intends to manage 'LibreOffice' and further its future development. Having started their work in October they succeeded in releasing a final, stable version 3.3.0 these days, that looks quite promising indeed. The differences with 'OpenOffice' are minimal at best and reside mostly under the hood with some new code and some refinements. Later this suite is expected to take its own course.
Who could be interested in this free office suite? I think that new small businesses and independents, as well as new desktop users might benefit from this development. It is refreshing to see something happen here. The office-suite market is stagnant for years already. Why this new foundation? Well, it is interesting to know that this appears primarily inspired by uncertainties, controversies and some resentment, rather than by plain common sense. Aspects that make me believe that personal ideologies and perhaps some cultural aversions may have played a role as well...

30 comments

Improving your digital photography

Monday, January 24, 2011 1:37:25 PM

tricks, photo, software, digital camera ...

Digital photography has become what the CD was for audio: causing a landslide in long-standing, nearly traditional buying behaviours.

Suddenly the market for photography switched to digital, virtually overnight. Digital cameras are everywhere today, from tiny compact cameras to expensive, professional equipments. The grey-zone still being the digital movie cameras, that are getting better and smaller, merging into a new generation of photo-video cameras with high definition. What we as simple users often forget is, that digital photos need to be processed for a best result. How many of us take the time to use a computer and improve the images? The difference between 'raw' and refined images can be significant!
A reason to look into 3 programs that could assist achieving better results, even with the most simple digital cameras. I am not talking about computers this time, then these examples run on Windows, as well as OSX or Linux. A new trend in software we see emerge here.
My choices for improving my pictures are Noise Ninja (stand-alone), Portrait Professional Studio-9 and LightZone. The above picture is from Portrait Professional Studio showing the 'raw' portrait, noise-reduction using Noise Ninja (NN) and the improvements of the 'raw' photo when using Portrait Professional Studio (PP). With their different, in a way complimentary qualities they can replace Adobe's Photoshop, that is far too expensive and complicated to use for most simple digital camera owners.
But first: what is digital photography?

2 comments

Nautilus + Gloobus Flow, from hog to must-have?

Saturday, August 7, 2010 9:03:14 PM

users, Nautilus, Ubuntu, people ...

Suddenly the discussion was there, about the Linux Gnome file manager "Nautilus".

It would be a memory hog for those with small computer footprints, small memories in particular. I looked up when my Opera-friend Aadil (MadScientist) noticed low memory when working with Nautilus. See comments and links there. But Nautilus is what Windows is for MSDOS and Microsoft: it contributes to the visual impression of the Mint/Ubuntu and other Gnome desktops. And precisely there appears to be the difficulty with memories. Nautilus uses a part of RAM where it hides file information, so it can call it very rapidly and not by seeking on the hard drive alone. The hide-away is the cache. Depending the quantity of file information this cache is larger or smaller. It depends on the Preview settings of this file manager (in its Preferences). It depends on its clearing this cache from things no longer relevant, as ought to do other software (but often just leave that to the file manager). Should we then use a different file manager? There are several around for Linux. Or can we update Nautilus? See the link to Aadil for more. See the PS for tips and download hints to use Nautilus Elementary and Gloobus-Preview. Below are a few inputs for this Nautilus discussion...

11 comments

WINE 1.2 on 64/32Bit Linux - basics explained

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 7:26:43 AM

users, software, Windows, people ...

Over and over again I am asked about Windows software on a Linux box. You can run most of the Windows software on Mint 9, Ubuntu 10.04, PCLinuxOS 2010 and all your other favorite Linux distros. Some pretend that the "compatibility layer" which WINE is, is new and hence not very suitable. However, its development started in 1993. Evidence that WINE is nothing 'new', but a rather evolving tool, not more than the Windows API (application programming interface) to accommodate Windows software. For Linux with a different 'interface' (interpretation) of the (in)famous Windows DLL's (dynamic-link libraries) and some drivers. It in fact is a separate world from Linux, running upon the Linux OS. See the short movie on how to set-up and apply this useful tool. And please don't come tell me that your fine Windows programs won't run on Linux...

25 comments

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