tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45917906401772363522011-10-13T11:34:08.528-04:00My take on operating systems"Knows how"noreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-7159095672357253652011-03-14T21:44:00.001-04:002011-03-14T21:44:29.923-04:00

HTC has a beautifully designed user interface on top of Android operating system. Having said that, one of the joys of using Android is being able to change application launcher. I changed mine to Launcher Pro. It is heavily customizable and sports.many nice features.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-75680902167506349952011-03-13T13:55:00.001-04:002011-03-13T13:55:35.373-04:00

Ok, I'm posting this from Google's Blogger application for Android operating system. It's very easy to use and well designed. I can move the application to SD on my Android 2.2 (froyo) powered HTC Desire HD.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-74674869029551995012011-03-07T20:02:00.003-04:002011-03-07T20:03:52.372-04:00

I recently switched to an Android powered phone, HTC Desire HD. So far, I like the OS. It runs Android 2.2 Froyo and I have to say this is a mature mobile operating system.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-55833718240471752922010-06-24T01:40:00.003-04:002010-06-24T01:49:08.137-04:00

I recently upgraded operating system of my iPhone 3G to iOS 4. iPhone 3G is already slow and sluggish. For a smartphone that has been introduced hardly 2 years ago, 128 MB of memory is so small. My fridge has more memory than that! Now with iOS 4, it is even slower. Maps and Calendar applications are slow to the point of being unusable. I lunch Maps application and I have to wait quite a few

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-37471121080891252822009-06-15T08:43:00.001-04:002009-06-15T08:56:27.255-04:00

Twitterfon is a simple yet practical and useful application for iPhone users to kill even more time, this time with twitter. It's available for free in Apple app store, through iTune. -- Post From My iPhone

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-33962287068761207822009-06-07T10:18:00.000-04:002009-06-13T23:40:25.326-04:00

Surprisingly, there is no official iPhone application for posting to blogspot. But I finally managed to find this very nice and hang application, called blogpres. It can post to many blog services. It is simple and to the point. I have used it for few days and so far I'm happy with it functionality. You know where you can find it. Go to app store on iTune and search for blogptess. -- Post From My

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-88177311484405988732009-06-05T21:56:00.001-04:002009-06-05T21:57:54.224-04:00

One of the things that many iPhone users are waiting for these days is iPhone OS 3. Among many big and small new features, copy and pasting ability is a welcome addition. It's expected that Apple will unveil a new iPhone with faster processing power. It might lead to a whole bunch of new software designed for added power. Then old iPhone/iTouch users will be dissapointed. I hope wireless service

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-77895620522493273722009-06-05T16:08:00.002-04:002009-06-05T16:36:40.404-04:00

It's been more than a year I have switched to a Mac. It's been really a pleasure to use OS X.It's partly because it is a well designed operating system. MS Windows plays a role here though. It sets the bar so low.I used Ubuntu Linux for a while and it was an amazine piece of code. I enjoyed struggling with it to tweak every single part of it. But something was forgotten. I needed some time to get

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-7806207273569842932009-01-05T20:24:00.006-04:002009-01-05T20:31:31.084-04:00

Picasa 3 for Mac is finally released. I have been waiting for this soooo long!Here is the link:http://picasa.google.com/mac/

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-33436820333057609122008-09-26T17:51:00.004-04:002008-09-26T18:08:47.802-04:00

Google calendar is of the most useful web-based application, I believe. It is user friendly, simple and feature rich.Until very recently, you could not directly synchronize your Apple's iCal with Google calendar and you had to use third party applications/services for this purpose.To enable this feature in Apple's iCal, follow the instruction provided by Google (Google Calendar CalDAV support).

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-66352701662408060722008-06-14T12:17:00.008-04:002008-12-09T02:52:02.819-04:00

I just received my Macbook. It is my first real experience with this operating system and I should admit that I feel that working with windows has been a waste of time! Not that I didn't know that. That was the reason that I switched to Linux as the main operating system for a while. I don't want to give a lecture on pros and cons of Mac OS X as there are countless reviews and articles everywhere

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-68248309442133539392008-06-02T23:01:00.004-04:002008-12-09T02:52:02.939-04:00

I am going to buy a Mac, at last. I knew it was coming. I just tried to deny it and somewhere down in my heart I was hoping someone convince me to convert to OS X and buy get a Mac. well, it happened and I am going to buy a Macbook (maybe Pro or Air or just a simple macbook).As I continue using Vista on my desktop, there should be some interesting compatibility and connectivity issues. If I find

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-79454235595179098352007-12-03T08:15:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:03.207-04:00

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-8548421292984605162007-10-20T11:25:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:03.330-04:00

I finally managed to install Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon. As I wrote in my earlier post, it was not such a straightforward experience.Tweaking firefox is usually the first thing I do after installing any operating system. The very first thing I do is to set home page to www.google.ca .I was shocked to see that the main google page took many seconds to come! After trying few other addresses, I

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-9472893801714594902007-10-19T01:23:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:03.524-04:00

I have been impatiently waiting for the release of Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon.I finally managed to download the DVD iso image, burnt it into a DVD and just waited for the right moment. Late in the night, I grabbed my coffee, dimmed the lights, and fired up my computer with the DVD. For me, the most exciting aspect of Ubuntu is its visual appeal. Very recently, with the introdoction of Compiz

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-51890211017756050902007-09-10T10:44:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:03.686-04:00

This is an update to my previous guide on installing compiz fusion in Ubuntu. I have used a new repository in this new guide. The following steps are those which worked for me. I have installed compiz fusion in Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn 64 bit edition and it should work in 32 bit edition as well.1. Go to Synaptic and remove compiz (and preferably anything with compiz in its name!).2. Again in

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-18384432046418656802007-08-31T05:39:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:03.823-04:00

It is really nice to see that "Outlook® 2007 Update for Palm OS Devices" is out and lets Palm devices sync with outlook 2007 easily and almost flawlessly. Though I should mention that sometimes it refuses to sync when outlook 2007 is running. I have to close outlook and try again.My happiness did not last long when I found out that "quick install" is not compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-61168499811962601962007-08-25T09:45:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:04.116-04:00

Some users in Microsoft Windows Vista have a strange problem. Here is what it looks like:Flip 3D does not work, i.e. when you try flip through windows a simple effect of task switching comes up. It doesn't mean that Aero is off. There are shadows under windows and glass effect in place.At the same time running control panel is impossible. Control panel window appears for a very very short time (

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-65464270709751304212007-08-25T01:32:00.000-04:002007-09-01T12:03:29.856-04:00

[Update: Poll is now closed. An analytic report is coming soon.]I just noticed that blogger has added a new gadget to its arsenal of add-ons, polls!It is poll time folks! I have arranged a poll as to what your preference is when it comes to operating systems war. I will write a detailed report and analysis after the poll is closed.Please kindly spare a few seconds and express yourself.Cheers!

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-51709998659604198922007-08-09T14:40:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:04.224-04:00

Having moved from Ubuntu Linux to Windows Vista, one of the very first thing I missed was expose-like effect. Expose is originally a Mac idea that is also implemented in Compiz.We do know that Windows Vista comes with its own flip 3d effect, but let's be fair, it is not as useful as expose in fast and visual switching between running applications.Switcher is a very small and capable application

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-59430111170647835972007-08-04T01:35:00.001-04:002008-12-09T02:52:04.437-04:00

It happened at last! In the worst time imaginable. When I had loads of things to do my computer (the old, the only) simply refused to live any longer. I did the autopsy and the cause of death was motherboard failure. In a laptop computer, when the motherboard is gone, we have to let it go.I was expecting to move to an Apple but I was in rush and as you know iMac line is to be revived shortly (it

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-68498179105506075252007-07-21T14:33:00.000-04:002007-07-21T20:42:18.667-04:00

I’ve been using linux for more than half a year as the main operating system on my computer. I’ve tried to do almost everything in linux. That includes word processing, working with spreadsheets, compiling presentations, watching movies, listening to music, you name it. I should admit that this experience hasn’t been an easy one. You are when aware of the fact that starting using a new operating

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-91248670077058988572007-07-16T12:28:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:04.562-04:00

I had a post here as to how to install Avant Window Navigator.You might have noticed that reflection is the new hot topic in user interface everywhere. And we have it here in Avant Window Navigator (AWN).The effect I am discussing here, makes AWN very similar to the effect seen in upcoming OS X 10.5 (Leopard). So you have a chance to experience this cute visual effect in your lovely Linux

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-39175404481118822422007-07-09T15:35:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:04.981-04:00

This is a particularly useful feature that has been around in Beryl. But Compiz users have not enjoyed this plugin until now. If you have installed Compiz Fusion (a merger project of Beryl and Compiz), you can activate this plugin.Run compizconfig setting manager from the preferences menu.Find and activate Viewport mouse switch. That's it! Now if you place your mouse pointer over any empty place

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-64110271214257594902007-07-05T09:55:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:05.145-04:00

I admit that it is more the matter of personal taste, but come on! Let's face it! When I installed Ubuntu for the first time, and after recovering from astonishment shock, I was annoyed by how ugly fonts were rendered on my LCD screen. Many say you can correct it by changing font rendering settings for LCD. I did it and it didn't help much. I finally figured out that it stems in the fonts gnome

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-43661826433126940852007-07-04T12:21:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:05.562-04:00

[Important notice: I have posted a new guide on installing compiz fusion. I encourage you to use the new guide]As you may know by now, Compiz and Beryl have merged and the resulting composite manager is called Compiz Fusion. As the name implies, Compiz Fusion has the best of two. The good news is that it is not just an amalgamate of Compiz and Beryl. It shows very good features and eye candies

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-63523770667180863812007-05-30T01:42:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:05.775-04:00

As you know, Nautilus is the default file manager in Gnome. It is the application you open your drives and folders in. Nautilus has some very useful features that are not installed by default.For instance, what would you do if you wanted to do something with a file and you were required to have administrator privilege? Or, How would you resize a picture from within Nautilus without having to open

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-76744892853640049662007-05-24T12:32:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:05.785-04:00

For some reasons, web controls are rather ugly in Firefox when it runs under Linux. (as a reminder, I am talking about running Firefox under Ubuntu Linux and Gnome)It is particularly the case with radio buttons. Here are comparison screenshots of what it looks like and what it will look after you follow and implement the following instructions:Fortunately, I found a solution in ubuntuforums.org

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-28661683290698682082007-05-24T02:10:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:05.932-04:00

Systemstatus, as its name implies, shows system status in time intervals. It is essentially a screenlet (widget, gadget, desklet) and can show a range of system informations about your system. Most of these informations are those found by "top" command. However it is nice to have them sticked to desktop all the time. System temperature is particularly useful and nice.As with other screenlets, you

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-78062514210636351542007-05-17T14:48:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:06.125-04:00

If you have installed and used screenlets (or widgets of Linux world), you have noticed that some screenlets do not start right away when you click on them. The solution is easy. Right click on the screenlet file with .py extension. In permissions tab of properties, make sure Execute box is checked. This allows the file to be executed as a program.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-92103343126201154252007-05-14T23:57:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:06.357-04:00

This is probably one of the most interesting features of compiz (or beryl) when it comes to making Linux look like Mac OS X. In Mac world, it is called dashboard. The basic idea is to have some hidden widgets (or screenlets in Linux world) and bring them into focus in front of all other windows, and desktop of course, by hitting a key.When you install Ubuntu Linux Feisty Fawn (7.04) the default

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-90296351546604684462007-05-12T22:19:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:06.469-04:00

Have you ever wondered how you can design your own theme in gnome? I have recently found a very good and understandable source of information for this. Here is the link:Designing Metacity ThemesHave fun!

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-56602882214313682312007-05-08T20:01:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:06.758-04:00

There are some nasty websites out there that resize your Firefox (or browser) window as you visit them. It is annoying and irritating.Is there a cure for this? Yes! We can pray that they stop doing this. In the meantime we can tell our Firefox not to obey this request from websites.In Firefox, go to Preferences then click on Content tab. Find "Enable Javaascript". It should be checked by default

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-58531776667796557232007-05-08T14:21:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:06.860-04:00

There isn't anything easier than making a pdf (adobe acrobat pdf compatible) file from your word document. As you know the alternative to Microsoft Office in Linux is Openoffice. Openoffice Writer is the counterpart of Microsoft Word. The current version of Openoffice which is pre-installed in Ubuntu Linux is Openoffice 2.2.Back to our story, in order to save your document as pdf, open you

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-44280911174618439552007-05-07T12:24:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:07.688-04:00

Having a dual boot system (Ubuntu Linux Feisty Fawn 7.04 and Windows XP), it is essential for me to have full access to my NTFS partitions. By full access I mean read and write access. I should be able to read files, write new files, edit existing files and delete files and folders.It has always been a bit on the tricky side to enable all these possibilities in Linux but not anymore.By installing

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-85370431176424055512007-05-06T02:33:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:07.846-04:00

My laptop computer is more than 4 years old. I have never liked it that much, though I have been using it days and nights, in highs and lows.I assume there is no need to say it is running Windows XP, or is it?Not anymore! Ubuntu Linux is the new operating system on this laptop and I have started to see it in the new light. It is an old piece of hardware by today's standards. Pentium 4 1.8, 512 Mb

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-25727221196867051262007-05-03T19:54:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.254-04:00

Avant Window Navigator (Awn) is a dock-like bar which hosts shortcut links and open windows and applications. Therefor you may consider replacing your windolist applet in gnome panel with this one. It is also almost like the other windowlist screenlet that I talked about earlier.It has good looking visual effects, you can set background patterns or jusr use its default semi transparent glassy

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-67799836233776183592007-05-02T16:00:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.370-04:00

I have been searching for a nice and useful windowlist/dock for gnome desktop environment in Ubuntu Linux.I recently started using windowlist screenlet. It works fine, looks nice and makes it possible to get rid of the panel in lower part of my desktop. The main reason for me to have that panel was for hosting the window list applet, pretty much like taskbar in windows.If you have already

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-31811982036359194742007-05-02T10:11:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.532-04:00

For making Ubuntu Linux look like OS X, one of the most important things is to have titlebar buttons left aligned instead of their default location on the right side.It can be done easily and regardless of the theme in use.Metacity is a compositing window manager used by default in the GNOME desktop environment. We can change metacity's setting through "configuration editor".In configuration

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-37216995159586929912007-05-01T22:17:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.621-04:00

You might have seen some screenshots from desktops with a full scale system monitor running on them. They usually have some CPU load monitor, memory usage, running task list ...One good example of such an application is "conky". conky is a light-wight system monitor.As usual you can either install it using mighty "synaptic" or use command line in terminal.In termminal type:sudo apt-get install

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-62377120230212488632007-04-29T13:57:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.703-04:00

[Update: also for Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon]Having these nice looking and even useful pieces of mini-applications on desktop have become a trend in modern operating systems. Apple has nicely implemented the idea in OS X. Vista have them and even windows XP users can enjoy playing with them if they install Konfabulator (yahoo) or google desktop. Therefor I don't see why we, Linux users, cannot

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-37185120875486650092007-04-27T14:41:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:08.856-04:00

It happens all the time that you need to change sound volume very quickly. You should know by now where the sound volume applet is located on the panel.move you mouse pointer on it, and use the scroll button on the mouse to turn up or down the sound volume. No clicking is required.

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-87768010037209204052007-04-26T21:50:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:09.097-04:00

There is a nice looking analogue desktop clock, but again, it is not pre-installed in Ubuntu Linux. This time instead of using Synaptic we opt for command line in terminal. Synaptic is no different from this command. It is just a graphic shell.In terminal type:sudo apt-get install cairo-clockWhen it is installed, you may add it to startup programs in sessions or run it whenever you want from

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-86611177109437127792007-04-25T23:27:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:09.296-04:00

There is a fairly good alternative to MS-Excel and that is Openoffice Spreadsheet. But it is not without incompatibilities and glitches.One example of incompatibility I found was datedif() function. It is missing in Opneoffice Spreadsheet but present in the other spreadsheet application available for Linux, gnumeric. It is a native application of gnome (the default desktop environment of Ubuntu)

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-81352347060050521152007-04-25T12:14:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:09.427-04:00

You have installed Ubuntu 7.04 and you have activated "desktop effects" and now you have drop shadows under windows and menus and a rotating desktop cube. After a couple of hours you will start looking for somewhere to fine tune compiz. Compiz is what makes all these desktop effects possible.In fact, there is a compiz manager. It is just not installed but no worries. Start synaptic, find and

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-40542221558451342552007-04-25T02:42:00.000-04:002008-12-09T02:52:09.540-04:00

Have you ever asked yourself how long your computer has been up and running?In Linux, it is quite easy to know "up time".In terminal type:uptimeHere is an output example of this command:02:44:01 up 1:23, 2 users, load average: 0.73, 1.60, 1.32The first part shows current time, then "up time" in hh:mm format, then number of users conected to your computer, then system load averages for the past

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591790640177236352.post-4024539952939761982007-04-24T22:48:00.001-04:002008-12-09T02:52:09.762-04:00

If you are using firefox in Ubuntu Linux, you might have wondered how you can change mouse scroll speed.To do that, you should roll up your sleeves and go to the hidden firefox settings. In address bar type:about:configYou will see a textbox and a long list of options and settings. In the "filter" textbox type:mousewheel.withnokey.sysnumlinesChange the default value to "false". Then type:

"Knows how"noreply@blogger.com28