A Man and his Penguin

Changelog: Fixed a race condition

I always wanted to say that I "fixed a race condition". Until fairly recently, I didn't know what a "race condition" was, I just thought it sounded cool.

Well, I did actually fix one today in Blacklight, that had been haunting me for a long time. I think it was a race condition. I also fixed (hopefully!) the problem involving the different directory names under Ubuntu 8.04.

I'll just package it up as a Deb, put a new little picture inside the Walkman screen in the icon, and put her up on Sourceforge.I found that a number of Linux users have these Walkmans, you see, so I want to make the program as good as possible.

Messages of thanks

I saw this posted on FS Daily:

This post is for all of you out there
who have developed or contributed to Linux/Ubuntu projects and all of the open
source coders who read this.I do not know where to send a post like this so I hope this one email will find its way in the sea of posts out there.


I thank you to the point of tears. 

Earlier this week I installed Kubuntu
on a refurbished AMD computer I purchased for $184 from a discount
online vendor, it came with no OS. It now runs like a champ. 

We cant afford much and this was my 14
year old daughter's birthday present this past week. She is
overjoyed. And she is already trying to tackle Adept Manager and
exploring Linux; adding bling and her music, of course. 

I cant tell you how much I appreciate
the work you all have done. Its a work of art. If I could thank each and every one of
you I would. 

You have given her the world to learn and explore. 

So if you get frustrated or tired in
your work for Open Source/Free Software, just remember that somewhere in Missouri
there is a 14 year-old girl named Hope, an A-student who runs on the track team,
who is now your biggest fan and one of the newest users of
Linux/Ubuntu. 

Thanks most sincerely,

R.B.A.
Missouri

I was touched by R.B.A's message. So I decided to write back:

Dear Robert,

I'm sure you've received a lot of e-mails thanking you for your letter of gratitude, but I'd like to add my own.

I develop a program for transcoding video to use on the Sony Walkman MP3 players; not a lot of people use it because those MP3 players aren't terribly popular. As such I've let the program's development stagnate a little.

I do also send bug reports to open-source software projects to do my bit towards making other Linux software better. Knowing that there are people out there who are truly appreciative of what us Linux-based developers do, makes it all worthwhile.

Your message gave me the impeteus to fix the two bugs in my program that have just been reported to me. I'm so glad you and your daughter are getting so much out of Free Software, and I wish you both the best of luck for the future.

Chris
Developer of Blacklight Walkman Manager

No problems

I noticed recently that I haven't recieved any automated e-mails from my workmate containing her IP address. She came in today briefly, so I asked her about it. Her response? "Everything's going great".

I'm really happy with this. I just need to find her a printer; preferably not HP as they seem to be very expensive to change the ink cartridges. Canon I believe makes drivers for their printers under a reasonably unrestricted license, which is great.

I'm also thinking of getting a Bebo credit card and hiring some web space; and then get this computer-building lark really underway making some money for me.

Where's the upsell?

There's definitely something shady going on with this Windows XP EeePC, being cheaper than the Linux version.

In retail, there's something known as upselling - that's where you try and get the customer enthusiastic about buying something more expensive than what they originally intended. Often, a cheap product will be advertised in a catalogue to get people into the store, and then hopefully a certain percentage will choose to pay more to get a better product. Sometimes, if you advertise the cheap product, people will call or come in seeking out the more expensive product.

If Asus were acting normally, under no undue influences from Microsoft, the Windows XP version would always be a little more expensive than the Linux version. Most people would happily pay an extra 5% ($30) to get Windows. It would be an easy upsell - "this is the interface that you're familiar with; it works with all your existing programs". Sure, some people won't care and will save themselves $30. Or a bigger margin; Windows' familiarity will still sell for an extra $50.

Who, apart from Linux users, can upsell based on a bigger SSD and a less familiar operating system? I'd try, of course, but it would be incredibly difficult. That's why Asus is taking that option away from retailers.

Putting the Windows XP price below the Linux price doesn't make sense when you're selling the product. It does when you're being strongarmed by Microsoft (or they make you an offer you can't refuse).

--------

On the topic of selling, the president of News Corp says that Blu-ray's take-up has remained slow because of a lack of Blu-ray players on the market and in stores.

Bollocks.

There are eight Blu-ray players on the market today, not including integrated with home theatre systems. That is plenty, as most of the major brands have them - Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, and Sharp.

Blu-ray players are mostly an add-on purchase - someone buys an HD TV, and gets convinced to add a Blu-ray player too. We can add an $89 power board to the sale easily enough, but it's difficult to sell a $599 blu-ray too.

The recent promotion with Samsung giving extra cashback if you buy a Blu-ray player with your TV, has actually sold out our stock of Samsung Blu-ray players, showing that if the players were $150 cheaper, they would sell better.

If Linux is the destination of the computing highway, the EeePC is not the onramp

Asus, who makes the hugely popular EeePC, has just released an edition with an 8.9 inch screen.

Oh, and no Linux.

In Australia, the 8.9 inch edition will be available in department stores, retail chains, and specialist computer stores. The problem is, unlike with the 7 inch edition, this will only be available with Windows if you buy from any retail chain.

Most people who go and buy an EeePC will go to a Myer or Retravision or Harvey's, and therefore automatically get the Windows XP version. This will definitely deprive everyday people from experiencing Linux. It will also have the knock-on effect of increasing virus transmission and damaging the good reputation these machines have due to lower battery life with Windows.

Who will go to a specialist computer store to buy an Eee? "Enthusiasts" and "Tech-savvy" people. I know I shouldn't really complain as at least we still have the option of buying Linux preinstalled, but this now touches on one of my pet hates. The self-fulfilling prophecy of "Only geeks use Linux".

If you want to install an ATI or Nvidia graphics card driver, those hardware vendors expect you to manually install kernel headers, go into the terminal and put in commands to install the drivers. If you want to install Flash Player, Adobe expects you to go into the terminal and type a manual path to your Firefox installation. There's a mentality of "We don't need to make our software easy to install on Linux, because only geeks use Linux, and the geeks won't be intimidated by our installer". It's a self-fulfilling prophecy because if an everyday person tries to install those drivers, they can quickly get frustrated and give up with Linux.

Thankfully, the distributions tend to have systems to make it easy to install those drivers. Restricted Drivers Manager, Envy, binary repositories; if the distributions can write easy installers for those binary drivers, why won't the vendors themselves?

In the same token, if you make your Linux-based laptop readily available only for geeks, then only geeks will buy it. It's also outrageous that the Windows XP version of the 8.9 inch Eee is $50 cheaper than the Linux one!

I was also seriously pissed off at the Asus notebook product manager, Albert Liang. He described the Windows XP version as the "mainstream edition", which IMHO is a direct undermining of the tireless efforts of Linux-based developers to make an excellent and user-friendly Linux desktop. Once again, self-fulfilling prophecy: Linux will never be "mainstream" because we keep saying that it's not. I feel like Liang's statement is a personal attack: I wrote some easy-to-use software that transcodes video for the Sony Walkman, so I guess I'm working to make Linux as user-friendly and mainstream-appealing as possible.

Linux adoption won't increase at a greater rate than before unless something else comes along. Asus' actions have shown that we can't pin our hopes of widespread Linux adoption on the EeePC. If Linux is the destination of the computing highway, the EeePC is no longer the onramp.

DON'T buy Panasonic Full-HD Plasma

We just got in a TH50PZ700A for the floor. This thing sucks arse. The contrast and brightness (especially whites) are terrible compared to the 42 inch regular HD (TH42PX7A). To add insult to injury, the 50 inch uses 650 watts (the 42PX7A uses 350 watts), and requires 3 cooling fans at the back.

Really, don't buy this plasma. If you want something in 50 inch and full HD, for god's sake, get an LCD. Or the Samsungs might be okay.

EDIT: Just watched a little bit of Neighbours on it, which is broadcast in 1080i. The picture is just sharp enough to be able to tell that it's 1080i. But the contrast, black levels, and brightness still all suck.

Why the Eee won't bring people to Linux

The EeePC originally ran Linux only; anybody who wanted an ultraportable laptop for $499 would have to buy a Linux-based machine. However, Microsoft has realised the threat that the Linux-based EEE placed on its Windows operating system, and now Asus offers the EeePC with Windows XP preinstalled.

I told you earlier of my workmate who wanted to buy an XP-based Eee for her son. She was going to choose the XP version because the rep told her it would be "easier to use if you're familiar with Windows". In the end, I built her a Linux computer and she gave her broken XP/Vista laptop to her son.

Somebody who I met on Friendster a long time ago e-mailed me to ask my opinion of the EeePC. I think she was reading this blog, as before I said that I had wanted to get one. I advised her to buy the Linux version:

• It's a better fit for the computer's small screen
• It runs faster with Linux
• More flexible
• It's simpler to use
• No viruses or spyware
• Bigger flash storage (or lower price)

She's going to buy the XP version, because "I know it will work well with my XP desktop, and I love XP".

So there you go. If they've already got Windows, they'll continue to use Windows, despite being told that Linux is the superior operating system, and especially the better OS for the EeePC.

It's great that we can buy a Linux-based laptop from a brand-name vendor, but the idea that the EeePC would bring people to Linux is simply not happening. This probably also means that competing ultra-portable Linux laptops will fail to find market share. Not because Windows is "better", or because it costs more, or because of any interoperability issues between Windows desktops and Linux laptops; but simply because they don't have the shiny Windows XP sticker on them. Sad, isn't it?

Here's a gratuitous Compiz screenshot (yes, you can run Compiz visual effects on an Eee!):

And another one:

Click the thumbnails to view full-size.

Small world!

Facebook has proven one thing to me: It's a small world.

Facebook suggested that I might know "Loryn Tozer". She's the friend of a couple of my primary school friends. Someone called Lisa posted a comment to her wall, and when I went to "Lisa"'s profile, I found that she was the friend of one of my *high* school friends.

None of my primary school friends directly knows any of my high school friends. Yet one of my primary school friends knows someone who knows someone who knows one of my high school friends. Amazing.

Feeling of Power

My workmate phoned me this evening, asking me about something to do with K9Copy. I think the sole purpose of her computer is to pirate DVDs.

Anyway, after I finished on the phone, I checked my Hotmail inbox, to find that she'd double-clicked the program that sends me her IP address. For some reason, VNC didn't work to her box... it just gave me a blank screen. But SSH happily connected. I scouted around her computer and found some files she was missing (DVD images, of course), set up the IP-address-sending program so it launches every time she logs in, and left her a message on her desktop.

And I loved the feeling of power it gave me. I guess you've never experienced what it's like to be a Linux user until you've used SSH.

I bought Linda an older copy of Linux Format magazine, so maybe she'll find some inspiration from that to use her computer in different ways. I hate the thought that she's bought a $620 DVD copier.

Like the glory days of Napster

I just had a look online for the Kelis song "I Don't Think So" for my boss. He loves singing along to the Big Brother commercials whenever they come on, and that's the song they use.

Usually when you try to find Mp3 download sites, they're always shady paid sites - where you have to pay 85 cents for an MP3. Or, you can click the link for free, but that just takes you to another Mp3 site, and you find the song there and click the link, and it takes you to yet another site.

But today I discovered Bee MP3 (URL is what you'd expect). Bee MP3 actually works - I think the songs are hosted at other sites, but they actually all seem to work, and it's all quick and painless. Good selection too - who says you need iTunes to get Mylene Farmer albums? I'm very happy.

(I also downloaded the song "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi, because I think it would be a great song to have in the background of an Ubuntu TV commercial; this idea is still cooking).

Obviously I'll still buy CDs, but for one-offs this site is tops.