Are there any downsides to living with Linux? Depends! If you are fortune enough to have Linux pre-installed it is no different than Mac or MS, point n click. But like any new country you visit you must do a little homework or your tourist status gets changed to ugly problem child with issues, attitudes, unreasonable preferences and demands, can we deport him now!?!
Homework means you read a little to get what Linux and Open Source is about. The newly acquired freedoms and liberties (copy-left or GPL) are often misinterpreted and effaced by the folks use to the other PC platform legalities (copy-right and user license agreements). Find net info or books about the applications and browse. A little knowledge goes a long way.
Now if you need help beware of support sources, Linux enthusiast are varied. Some gurus will tell you to read the manual in colorful terms. They are not representative of us all. So if you want something fixed, who you ask flavors the answer you get. Realize you are a noob, nubi, newbie, padawan learner and you are actually a new class of Linux person, the desktop user. Most experienced Linux users are more likely to be System Administrators, Network Administrators, Software Engineers or high end engineers of other sorts. Finding one with "desktop user friendliness" is a blessing. While Linux has had a desktop for many years, the support of personal computers running Linux is still a rough area.
My example is this: I just switched my ancient laptop from Ubuntu to Xubuntu. They are the same but Xubuntu is leaner, faster and a less user friendly setup. Some of the setup tools are not in Xubuntu. I had to figure out how to get sound to work. The drivers were there but the app to interogate and test the system was not there. I hit the net, searched around. I learned that applications that did the job were not called what they should be called and the recipe (repeatable results) to put it together not in one place. The applications that run in the background are called a server. So I figured you need sound chip drivers, a sound server and a controlling front-end (mixer). I didn't have to use the commandline to type in commands I didn't understand. Mostly it was checking boxes and testing if I got sound, yet. I got sound!!!! The full-bodied Ubuntu has setup and testing tools but is a little rich for my acient laptop. Xubuntu is just right, takes a little work, but works fine now.
My point is this, system admin and server folks might be dap with connecting networks but desktops are a speciality by itself. So, each desktop user should have skills to manage their own desktop or take it to a Linux desktop support person. Linux desktop support needs to be created, with mouseside manners, user empathy and application know-how. Right now the internet is very good support but you must do your homework. If there is a local Linux user group near you, you have resources, use them!
This is why the Linuxville guide chateau is in the hood. The Linux server side is well cared for, the Linux desktop side needs more support. Don't take my word for it, check out Fullcircle Magazine for Ubuntu users. http://fullcirclemagazine.org/
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Living the Linux life.
PC users are of several kinds, the casual user, the business user and the enthusiast.
I guess I fall under the enthusiast, because my love for computers extends beyond what they can be used for. I became a guide by virtue of hands-on experience but I am not an expert via training or ego. I make no claims of guru status though my wife will exclaim to friends a certain nerdiness and geektatude. I am compared to a hot rodder knowing enough to detail a car but not to make the show circuit and collect trophies.
I read all about computer operating systems in Byte magazine before I even had a computer. DOS and DOS front-ends were replaced by MS Windows 3.0 thru to XP. I stumbled upon Linux in a library book. LST Linux was a German distribution I almost got to work on my 286 DOS machine. I still am not a programmer, if I load it on, push the enter key and it doesn't work I'm done. I tried Slackware, at that time formatting separate partitions for each system folder was my understanding. Today I make one partition for the system and one for a memory swap area. I think one for the home or user files should be done so that upgrading is less a pain. The part many don't get is that they don't have to install it to use it. Just pop in a live-CD Linux, reboot, use it, save to flash drive, shutdown, remove CD and done, without changing your PC. Do your homework if you plan to install and/or get knowledgeable help.
Once you have a working system you don't usually go around comparing your system to others. But, because you do get to use other systems, you notice what annoys you and what sparks your praise. The system you use the most is the standard and defending that is normal. Believe me, no one is objective, bias is rampant and spin is everywhere. It's cool but, nice but, ugly but, expensive but, and cheap but. Butts are standard on users and concerning their PCs.
Linux was like a mystery to be solved. How did Linux run on equipment meant to run Microsoft? I had to pay for every Microsoft software and so-called free-ware for it was awful. Here is Linux, not great but OK, with open source free and better than any free-ware for Microsoft. The improvements over the years were steady and the cost did not go up, what is this? How can this go on and people not regard? I think because I was willing to go a little deeper into PC stuff, I got hooked. Linux lets me play with my collection of PC hardware and get stuff done too. Hot rods for show are cool but to be able to drive it like any other cars is what makes it cooler yet.
My kids visit, I don't dual boot for their sake. They have few questions or no questions about Linux. They use what's on my machines, it's not difficult or different. To me the Linux desktop is simplicity and works well. Sophistication and polish often gets in the way of efficient working. I'd rather have simplicity and polish. Linux does this, especially the Gnome and XFCE desktops, though some would say this of KDE desktop, I don't feel that way. What ever is your fav, I am sure the simplicity and polish factors are high for you.
I guess I fall under the enthusiast, because my love for computers extends beyond what they can be used for. I became a guide by virtue of hands-on experience but I am not an expert via training or ego. I make no claims of guru status though my wife will exclaim to friends a certain nerdiness and geektatude. I am compared to a hot rodder knowing enough to detail a car but not to make the show circuit and collect trophies.
I read all about computer operating systems in Byte magazine before I even had a computer. DOS and DOS front-ends were replaced by MS Windows 3.0 thru to XP. I stumbled upon Linux in a library book. LST Linux was a German distribution I almost got to work on my 286 DOS machine. I still am not a programmer, if I load it on, push the enter key and it doesn't work I'm done. I tried Slackware, at that time formatting separate partitions for each system folder was my understanding. Today I make one partition for the system and one for a memory swap area. I think one for the home or user files should be done so that upgrading is less a pain. The part many don't get is that they don't have to install it to use it. Just pop in a live-CD Linux, reboot, use it, save to flash drive, shutdown, remove CD and done, without changing your PC. Do your homework if you plan to install and/or get knowledgeable help.
Once you have a working system you don't usually go around comparing your system to others. But, because you do get to use other systems, you notice what annoys you and what sparks your praise. The system you use the most is the standard and defending that is normal. Believe me, no one is objective, bias is rampant and spin is everywhere. It's cool but, nice but, ugly but, expensive but, and cheap but. Butts are standard on users and concerning their PCs.
Linux was like a mystery to be solved. How did Linux run on equipment meant to run Microsoft? I had to pay for every Microsoft software and so-called free-ware for it was awful. Here is Linux, not great but OK, with open source free and better than any free-ware for Microsoft. The improvements over the years were steady and the cost did not go up, what is this? How can this go on and people not regard? I think because I was willing to go a little deeper into PC stuff, I got hooked. Linux lets me play with my collection of PC hardware and get stuff done too. Hot rods for show are cool but to be able to drive it like any other cars is what makes it cooler yet.
My kids visit, I don't dual boot for their sake. They have few questions or no questions about Linux. They use what's on my machines, it's not difficult or different. To me the Linux desktop is simplicity and works well. Sophistication and polish often gets in the way of efficient working. I'd rather have simplicity and polish. Linux does this, especially the Gnome and XFCE desktops, though some would say this of KDE desktop, I don't feel that way. What ever is your fav, I am sure the simplicity and polish factors are high for you.
Friday, October 22, 2010
upping the downside of dreaming
Dreaming is a very useful aspect of life. Dreaming lifts you out of the mill of practical stuffs to look ahead. Smart folks will use that vision as incentive and motivation and devise a plan toward a goal or as energy to move forward toward a hoped for end.
The downside is when all you can do is dream because the practical means and or the knowledge to do it is obscured. In my case I could have been an engineer or architect had not high school been totally screwed up. I still have those dreams but I had to realize them in a different way. Life moves on rapidly and I am no longer a young man. Dreams have a molecular structure that can be re-arranged to be realized through the means at hand.
Now, let's get down to the crux. The advertisements display the glitz and the flash of a wonderful operating system called Microsoft. The latest Windows 7 can do things the previous version couldn't. The cost for a new PC and this new Win 7 is OK if you can afford it. But is stands to reason you can not get all what's advertised unless you spend the top dollar. You gotta love how technology promotes you must buy new.
Say it with me, "only my XP operating system is obsolete, my hardware is fine. My PC is older but mechanically, it still works fine."
Here's the situation, you can not buy a new PC, the support for Win XP has joined the retired ranks of Win95 and Win98. The PC you have is under powered because memory upgrades were and still are expensive. My laptop only has 512MB of memory, ooh I am doomed to use old software and old applications. Even the dust bunnies in my old PC has gray hair, err fuzz.
I am writing this blog on an antique Gateway 4026gz laptop. It has 512MB of board memory and 1ghz+ Celeron CPU. It has a wireless card, 20gig hard drive, PC card slots, USB ports, a heat problem and one missing key-cap. For the heat problem I took a small Masonite panel and glued three wedges on it so that when I set my laptop on it the fans which vent through the bottom are unobstructed. It used to heat up and cut off in 10 minutes, now it runs all day long, no problem.
And I use near the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. Just as a reminder, Linux is free in cost and in user rights (what you acquire is yours!). Then to top it off, the Open Source community has supplied every imaginable application, 99% of them also free. Now my PC use is not strained, I am not a gamer or a multi-media maverick, or a social net junkie. I blog, write emails, view videos, do digital artwork, etc. Linux does all this and I have the latest versions of all I use. I can't and don't do it all, who can?
My dreaming down side of not being able to acquire the latest and greatest PCs with all the so-called professional applications, has been met with Linux and Open Source software. My dream has been fulfilled at quite a high level, with the stuff I already have. If and when I do get "mo-betta" hardware, I will put Linux on it because I am into Linux.
Now when you come into Linuxville it takes a while to get over the surprises. The oohs and aahs are normal, but the big event is when you finally relax into a blissful Linux wonder. The collective sigh is felt throughout Linuxville.
The downside is when all you can do is dream because the practical means and or the knowledge to do it is obscured. In my case I could have been an engineer or architect had not high school been totally screwed up. I still have those dreams but I had to realize them in a different way. Life moves on rapidly and I am no longer a young man. Dreams have a molecular structure that can be re-arranged to be realized through the means at hand.
Now, let's get down to the crux. The advertisements display the glitz and the flash of a wonderful operating system called Microsoft. The latest Windows 7 can do things the previous version couldn't. The cost for a new PC and this new Win 7 is OK if you can afford it. But is stands to reason you can not get all what's advertised unless you spend the top dollar. You gotta love how technology promotes you must buy new.
Say it with me, "only my XP operating system is obsolete, my hardware is fine. My PC is older but mechanically, it still works fine."
Here's the situation, you can not buy a new PC, the support for Win XP has joined the retired ranks of Win95 and Win98. The PC you have is under powered because memory upgrades were and still are expensive. My laptop only has 512MB of memory, ooh I am doomed to use old software and old applications. Even the dust bunnies in my old PC has gray hair, err fuzz.
I am writing this blog on an antique Gateway 4026gz laptop. It has 512MB of board memory and 1ghz+ Celeron CPU. It has a wireless card, 20gig hard drive, PC card slots, USB ports, a heat problem and one missing key-cap. For the heat problem I took a small Masonite panel and glued three wedges on it so that when I set my laptop on it the fans which vent through the bottom are unobstructed. It used to heat up and cut off in 10 minutes, now it runs all day long, no problem.
And I use near the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. Just as a reminder, Linux is free in cost and in user rights (what you acquire is yours!). Then to top it off, the Open Source community has supplied every imaginable application, 99% of them also free. Now my PC use is not strained, I am not a gamer or a multi-media maverick, or a social net junkie. I blog, write emails, view videos, do digital artwork, etc. Linux does all this and I have the latest versions of all I use. I can't and don't do it all, who can?
My dreaming down side of not being able to acquire the latest and greatest PCs with all the so-called professional applications, has been met with Linux and Open Source software. My dream has been fulfilled at quite a high level, with the stuff I already have. If and when I do get "mo-betta" hardware, I will put Linux on it because I am into Linux.
Now when you come into Linuxville it takes a while to get over the surprises. The oohs and aahs are normal, but the big event is when you finally relax into a blissful Linux wonder. The collective sigh is felt throughout Linuxville.
Monday, October 18, 2010
....buzz, chirp, psssssst! What's an iCar?
America, land of the mono-cultured everything is going back to the roots that the Asian folks never left. Business wise we have individual companies that have tightly focused on narrow product lines, where as the Asians have industrial conglomerates. So under one brand-name you will find electronics, appliances and autos. Here in the American mono style we merge and absorb then consolidate and downsize for efficiency, er a profit. The Asians gather companies under an umbrella brand-name and each industry concentrates on it own product with the caveat of sharing production ideas, technology cross-overs and innovations, bypassing the legal constraints and copyright and patent restrictions of individual companies. It's just an impression folks, but mono has plagued America from the industrial revolution till today.
Look at farming. Because farming is what it is we have fast food eateries, pre-processed foods and canned goods out the kazoo, all laced with sugars, starches, salts and dyes, on top of pesticides, fertilizers and preservatives. Now ask yourselves why the medical "industry" is an industry. We save time and shorten our lives at the same time. It is also why you need a big honking grid sucking refrigerator to store and preserve. Thinking out loud we should have one refrigeration unit in a house that will chill the house and the food too.
Back to the food, if food was grown local, consumed local, though you would go to market more often, you would need less storage. Oh, did I just turn big city living into a small town life. We have hurried lives and we rest in front of the TV. Going to the market every other day is........oh wait, there is so and so, haven't seen him since he sold his big screen TV. He looks good, healthy, rested. Oh and by the way, cooking is not a lost art, stop watching it on TV and cook your own grub. Where's the book on low powered cooking? and does microwave cooking really alter the molecular structure of foods so that they are less healthy?
Somebody should write an illustrated book about low powered lighting, how to do it with style, get enough of it and how to energize it with local solar and wind (vertical wind turbines are less intrusive), with special emphasis on city dwelling. You can do it in RVs and space stations but not in a typical city house. I would call this a hybrid power thing. Take lights off the grid and use that power to fuel your big honking refrigerator, air conditioner, washer and dryer and for backup. Gee!, you don't need to cover the whole roof with solar after all. This kicks starts a domestic industry by getting some green product on every house and sold by Lowes and Home Depot etc. The deep cycle battery business will be off the hook and people will be off the grid (at least for lighting).
Every laptop I have worked on had a memory card reader slot and a PC card slot. Instead of loading the operating system onto the hard drive, it can be burnt onto a memory card or solid state device for the PC card slot. The PC would be generic until the operating system card is plugged in. The applications and user files would be in separate partitions on the hard drive. Or you put two card slots in a laptop, and a bios app lets you single/dual boot or run one OS as a virtual machine within the other OS.
Oh wait, there is a disturbance in the force, you are calling me nuts. Just like Sith lords, there's one or two.
Look at farming. Because farming is what it is we have fast food eateries, pre-processed foods and canned goods out the kazoo, all laced with sugars, starches, salts and dyes, on top of pesticides, fertilizers and preservatives. Now ask yourselves why the medical "industry" is an industry. We save time and shorten our lives at the same time. It is also why you need a big honking grid sucking refrigerator to store and preserve. Thinking out loud we should have one refrigeration unit in a house that will chill the house and the food too.
Back to the food, if food was grown local, consumed local, though you would go to market more often, you would need less storage. Oh, did I just turn big city living into a small town life. We have hurried lives and we rest in front of the TV. Going to the market every other day is........oh wait, there is so and so, haven't seen him since he sold his big screen TV. He looks good, healthy, rested. Oh and by the way, cooking is not a lost art, stop watching it on TV and cook your own grub. Where's the book on low powered cooking? and does microwave cooking really alter the molecular structure of foods so that they are less healthy?
Somebody should write an illustrated book about low powered lighting, how to do it with style, get enough of it and how to energize it with local solar and wind (vertical wind turbines are less intrusive), with special emphasis on city dwelling. You can do it in RVs and space stations but not in a typical city house. I would call this a hybrid power thing. Take lights off the grid and use that power to fuel your big honking refrigerator, air conditioner, washer and dryer and for backup. Gee!, you don't need to cover the whole roof with solar after all. This kicks starts a domestic industry by getting some green product on every house and sold by Lowes and Home Depot etc. The deep cycle battery business will be off the hook and people will be off the grid (at least for lighting).
Every laptop I have worked on had a memory card reader slot and a PC card slot. Instead of loading the operating system onto the hard drive, it can be burnt onto a memory card or solid state device for the PC card slot. The PC would be generic until the operating system card is plugged in. The applications and user files would be in separate partitions on the hard drive. Or you put two card slots in a laptop, and a bios app lets you single/dual boot or run one OS as a virtual machine within the other OS.
Oh wait, there is a disturbance in the force, you are calling me nuts. Just like Sith lords, there's one or two.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
the crystal baldhead guy speaks
Technology converges always. It started with a four function calculator and will end with a universal controller someone will retro into a four function calculator case.
I think it is crazy no matter which device you use, cell phone, PDA, tablet, netbook, notebook, desktop, TV, it will all look and work the same and display the same media, the same information.....buzz, chirp, pssssst! gone fuzzy again. Difficult to see the future is (Yoda!). What's an iCar?
If you want a personal computer ditch the ethernet cable and pull the wireless card. There will be the same warning label you find on your mattress on your PC, warning you not to disconnect from the "net". You will get a cellphone call, Mr. Johnson we noticed you are no longer connected to the net, is this intentional or is there a personal emergency, do you need tech assistance, we can send someone to re-connect you. And yes there is a charge for both disconnect and reconnect processing.
Mr. Johnson your new pacemaker has built-in defibrillation. We can monitor your stats and give you a jump when needed. OnStar is always here for you, please keep your account current.
Criminals have all their electronics removed. The ankle bracelets are no longer needed because lawful people are connected and tracked. Lawbreakers have to use word of mouth and barter. We sentence you to 30 days in the natural state.
Buses are obsolete, someone found a way to link Segways together for family outings and carpooling. College kids form largest linked Segway ring, ride in a circle for 10 days non-stop. Amish invent peddle powered Segway gets hit by folks driving regular Segways. The hottest new venue in sports, the Segway races at Bonniville Salt Flats. Featuring the "Loaded Pedestrian" 100 mph tire burning turbo powered Segway.
The typewriter keyboard refuses to go away in spite of the new voice input software. The OS is burned into a solid state device, plugged into any PC and just works. A laptop is just a keyboard and large screen for your PDA device. A Steampunk cult brings back the 8 track and the word "icon" is replaced by "avatar". And remember here in Linuxville, tomorrow is only a day away!
I think it is crazy no matter which device you use, cell phone, PDA, tablet, netbook, notebook, desktop, TV, it will all look and work the same and display the same media, the same information.....buzz, chirp, pssssst! gone fuzzy again. Difficult to see the future is (Yoda!). What's an iCar?
If you want a personal computer ditch the ethernet cable and pull the wireless card. There will be the same warning label you find on your mattress on your PC, warning you not to disconnect from the "net". You will get a cellphone call, Mr. Johnson we noticed you are no longer connected to the net, is this intentional or is there a personal emergency, do you need tech assistance, we can send someone to re-connect you. And yes there is a charge for both disconnect and reconnect processing.
Mr. Johnson your new pacemaker has built-in defibrillation. We can monitor your stats and give you a jump when needed. OnStar is always here for you, please keep your account current.
Criminals have all their electronics removed. The ankle bracelets are no longer needed because lawful people are connected and tracked. Lawbreakers have to use word of mouth and barter. We sentence you to 30 days in the natural state.
Buses are obsolete, someone found a way to link Segways together for family outings and carpooling. College kids form largest linked Segway ring, ride in a circle for 10 days non-stop. Amish invent peddle powered Segway gets hit by folks driving regular Segways. The hottest new venue in sports, the Segway races at Bonniville Salt Flats. Featuring the "Loaded Pedestrian" 100 mph tire burning turbo powered Segway.
The typewriter keyboard refuses to go away in spite of the new voice input software. The OS is burned into a solid state device, plugged into any PC and just works. A laptop is just a keyboard and large screen for your PDA device. A Steampunk cult brings back the 8 track and the word "icon" is replaced by "avatar". And remember here in Linuxville, tomorrow is only a day away!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Boom out the box, not flash-boom
Boom means you get basic functions for basic hardware. It's the middle of the road, high and dry and useful. You usually get internet access if you have a service or DSL like I do. You get applications like a web browser, music player, picture viewer, document writer or the Open Office suite and the GIMP (picture editor). So you have to see what's included. Of course if you install it, you have access to a very large online catalog of applications, so you can add and remove to your hearts content.
Flash-boom depends on the hardware you got. You must have enough system memory or the flash will slow down the boom. I have 512MB in my laptop. I can flash ok but the boom suffers a lot. 1 or 2 gig of system memory allows lots of flash and lots of boom. The next thing is the video chips. Usually ATX desktops don't have a problem as you can swap in a new video card at will. Laptops have to deal with what they have. In any case if there are enhanced video drivers for your chip set, you are prompted to install them. The better drivers allow the flash to be big.
The next part of the flash is selecting the configuration to make the pyrotechnics work. In Linux this is called compositing. Compositing has come a long way. You can get windows that wobble when you move then, windows on a spinning cube, all kinds of fade effects, and combinations of eyecandy that will rot your retinas. I have turned them off on my laptop so it remains snappy. On my desktop I kept just the drop shadows for that 3D look.
Other add-on features are icon bars that rival Apple's Mac and side panels that mimic dashboards. Some features are only available on certain Linux desktops. The Gnome desktop is one way and KDE is another and XFCE (on my laptop) is another. They are mostly the same but have different user strategies, different styles, different looks and different features. Same but different.
It all sounds hard to do but that's because most don't know this stuff until they've messed with it a little while. So find a Linux user group, Linux savvy PC shop, or something already! There are lots of advice givers on the net, forums, videos and such and me. I'm no expert, just a humble guide with some experience. My forte is the desktop not servers. I think the Linux desktop needs more support so that users have help on their own level. I hope you find Linux of any flavor a restful retreat and a reprieve from the other setups.
Flash-boom depends on the hardware you got. You must have enough system memory or the flash will slow down the boom. I have 512MB in my laptop. I can flash ok but the boom suffers a lot. 1 or 2 gig of system memory allows lots of flash and lots of boom. The next thing is the video chips. Usually ATX desktops don't have a problem as you can swap in a new video card at will. Laptops have to deal with what they have. In any case if there are enhanced video drivers for your chip set, you are prompted to install them. The better drivers allow the flash to be big.
The next part of the flash is selecting the configuration to make the pyrotechnics work. In Linux this is called compositing. Compositing has come a long way. You can get windows that wobble when you move then, windows on a spinning cube, all kinds of fade effects, and combinations of eyecandy that will rot your retinas. I have turned them off on my laptop so it remains snappy. On my desktop I kept just the drop shadows for that 3D look.
Other add-on features are icon bars that rival Apple's Mac and side panels that mimic dashboards. Some features are only available on certain Linux desktops. The Gnome desktop is one way and KDE is another and XFCE (on my laptop) is another. They are mostly the same but have different user strategies, different styles, different looks and different features. Same but different.
It all sounds hard to do but that's because most don't know this stuff until they've messed with it a little while. So find a Linux user group, Linux savvy PC shop, or something already! There are lots of advice givers on the net, forums, videos and such and me. I'm no expert, just a humble guide with some experience. My forte is the desktop not servers. I think the Linux desktop needs more support so that users have help on their own level. I hope you find Linux of any flavor a restful retreat and a reprieve from the other setups.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Hey, where'd he go??
It's October and I haven't posted in over a month. Been doing some non-computer stuff, interrogating the Holy Bible and looking into Black history. I plan to keep the focus on Linux and on digital art, but the background world view has changed a lot in the past few weeks.
During all this time I have had neither glitch, hiccup, crash, or shut-down. I did build a platform with small wooden wedges to lift the back edge of my laptop off the table. Now I can run it all day without overheating and I run it each and every day.
On October 10th a new Ubuntu, version 10.10 will be out. You can't get it in stores, but if you go to the www.Ubuntu.com web site it will be there for download or you can buy a CD, I think for the cost of shipping. I usually just download it. There are versions for server, desktop/laptop and netbook, 32 bit, 64 bit, etc.
There are several ways to use Linux. The live-CD is very cool as it runs directly off the CD without installing. When you remove the live-CD your computer is unchanged. What ever applications are on the CD can be used by you and you can save your work to a jump drive. You can install while running the live-CD or not. You choose to make a hard drive partition or use the whole hard drive. If you want to run both MS Windows and Linux, a program called Grub gives you a menu to choose at boot.
If you have MS Windows running when you put in the Ubuntu Linux CD a program called Wabi will let you install Ubuntu in a MS Windows folder so that it runs sort of like a Windows application. I call this a pseudo virtual machine.
For me if you want both MS Windows and Linux on the same machine, dual booting is best. That way the two different operating systems are separate, not needing extra resources. Be sure you install MS Windows first to minimise booting problems. You can select the default OS in the Grub OS selector afterwards.
Another option is virtual machines. You can run Linux as a virtual machine on a MS Windows system and vice-versa. VirtualBox is my favorite application for this. There is a MS version and a Linux version. Virtual machines is about sharing resources, so running two OSs needs more memory and some hard disk space.
The last option is called Wine. Wine is a MS Windows compatibility layer which runs in Linux. Wine lets you, within limits, run MS Windows software on a Linux system. I can't run Photoshop Professional, but my Photoshop Lite runs fine. Can't tell you if MS Office will run, I use Open Office. But a special configuration of Wine called Crossover Office seems to handle MS Office products. I don't have experience with this.
The most cool thing is that you can slide the Linux live-CD into any MS compatible system, reboot and try out Linux. I recommend Ubuntu. If you have it installed or install it yourself, you gain access to the online repository of free installable applications. Some versions of Linux have live-DVDs so that the large selection of installable software is on the DVD. With my DSL internet it takes 1 hour to download the CD and 3 hours for the DVD. Once you have it, you own it, you can install it on as many machines as you want. You can copy it and give it to friends.
Now I will warn you, Linux is not as flashy as some like. This is so that it appeals to a broader swath of users and works on a broader swath of hardware configurations. You can tweak it up or dumb it down, that is what makes it what it is. So that's boom out the box but not flash-boom. You can add flash later.
During all this time I have had neither glitch, hiccup, crash, or shut-down. I did build a platform with small wooden wedges to lift the back edge of my laptop off the table. Now I can run it all day without overheating and I run it each and every day.
On October 10th a new Ubuntu, version 10.10 will be out. You can't get it in stores, but if you go to the www.Ubuntu.com web site it will be there for download or you can buy a CD, I think for the cost of shipping. I usually just download it. There are versions for server, desktop/laptop and netbook, 32 bit, 64 bit, etc.
There are several ways to use Linux. The live-CD is very cool as it runs directly off the CD without installing. When you remove the live-CD your computer is unchanged. What ever applications are on the CD can be used by you and you can save your work to a jump drive. You can install while running the live-CD or not. You choose to make a hard drive partition or use the whole hard drive. If you want to run both MS Windows and Linux, a program called Grub gives you a menu to choose at boot.
If you have MS Windows running when you put in the Ubuntu Linux CD a program called Wabi will let you install Ubuntu in a MS Windows folder so that it runs sort of like a Windows application. I call this a pseudo virtual machine.
For me if you want both MS Windows and Linux on the same machine, dual booting is best. That way the two different operating systems are separate, not needing extra resources. Be sure you install MS Windows first to minimise booting problems. You can select the default OS in the Grub OS selector afterwards.
Another option is virtual machines. You can run Linux as a virtual machine on a MS Windows system and vice-versa. VirtualBox is my favorite application for this. There is a MS version and a Linux version. Virtual machines is about sharing resources, so running two OSs needs more memory and some hard disk space.
The last option is called Wine. Wine is a MS Windows compatibility layer which runs in Linux. Wine lets you, within limits, run MS Windows software on a Linux system. I can't run Photoshop Professional, but my Photoshop Lite runs fine. Can't tell you if MS Office will run, I use Open Office. But a special configuration of Wine called Crossover Office seems to handle MS Office products. I don't have experience with this.
The most cool thing is that you can slide the Linux live-CD into any MS compatible system, reboot and try out Linux. I recommend Ubuntu. If you have it installed or install it yourself, you gain access to the online repository of free installable applications. Some versions of Linux have live-DVDs so that the large selection of installable software is on the DVD. With my DSL internet it takes 1 hour to download the CD and 3 hours for the DVD. Once you have it, you own it, you can install it on as many machines as you want. You can copy it and give it to friends.
Now I will warn you, Linux is not as flashy as some like. This is so that it appeals to a broader swath of users and works on a broader swath of hardware configurations. You can tweak it up or dumb it down, that is what makes it what it is. So that's boom out the box but not flash-boom. You can add flash later.
Monday, August 23, 2010
snap, snap, crackle and pop
Here in the chateau of Linuxville I tend to try and experiment and torture my laptop in the name of comfort. My Gateway 4026gz is ancient by many standards but Linux runs wonderfully with a few caveats in play. First memory is 512MB so you can't really get away with Gnome or KDE and whiz-bang. They run, but it's.....well, hmmmmm, OK. I did install Blackbox and it is cool but not great as I don't like to fidget too much. Now I have installed XFCE, it pretty much is Xubuntu. Man what a difference. Snappy! Somebody snap me!
What does having a desktop that uses less resources do for you? The first is less overhead for PC operation. The second is more RAM to run applications. Yes, things run better and it does. People are always saying that Linux doesn't compare with MS XP or Win7. I say yes you are right and I hope you get your money's worth..........eventually. Meanwhile, I am feeling no pain, why? Because all of my exploits fit within typical PC use without the aid of special drivers and hardware set-ups. Wisdom says if you put a light weight desktop on your big powerful PC you will gain so much power it will be faster yet.
My daughter just gave me her newish HP Pavilion Entertainment laptop to fix, "dad I got a virus" Music plays in the background, the return of the man from heck. Not much I could do, two boys who search the net, play games and music, got mugged in the OS. Heck man I don't much about Win7. Good thing the hard drive didn't crash HP like others put the restore partition on the same drive as the installation, what if.........your sunk.
Anyway I started about 9am and finished at 5pm. I backed up some files, formatted the drive and pooped in the restore CD. It took forever, then I installed the anti-virus and the Java and waaa-laaaaa, well.......
I'm not too thrilled with Win7, it's good looking, but this laptop is beefy and fast still the OS is sluggish. Then all the stuff you have to add or take off is like weaving with knots. I look back at my old Gateway. Everybody thought the Hummer off-road-vehicle was so cool, then they made a street legal and class conscious vehicle out of it. Just a fancy high-priced box with no wow! My Ubuntu Gateway is snappy and clean and simple. Remember simple, not complex and it works. I can dress it up if I had more resources but I don't need to impress myself, just get stuff done. You heard it once more, right here at the Chateau of the Linuxvlle guide office by your truly, the Linuxville guide himself. "nuff said!"
What does having a desktop that uses less resources do for you? The first is less overhead for PC operation. The second is more RAM to run applications. Yes, things run better and it does. People are always saying that Linux doesn't compare with MS XP or Win7. I say yes you are right and I hope you get your money's worth..........eventually. Meanwhile, I am feeling no pain, why? Because all of my exploits fit within typical PC use without the aid of special drivers and hardware set-ups. Wisdom says if you put a light weight desktop on your big powerful PC you will gain so much power it will be faster yet.
My daughter just gave me her newish HP Pavilion Entertainment laptop to fix, "dad I got a virus" Music plays in the background, the return of the man from heck. Not much I could do, two boys who search the net, play games and music, got mugged in the OS. Heck man I don't much about Win7. Good thing the hard drive didn't crash HP like others put the restore partition on the same drive as the installation, what if.........your sunk.
Anyway I started about 9am and finished at 5pm. I backed up some files, formatted the drive and pooped in the restore CD. It took forever, then I installed the anti-virus and the Java and waaa-laaaaa, well.......
I'm not too thrilled with Win7, it's good looking, but this laptop is beefy and fast still the OS is sluggish. Then all the stuff you have to add or take off is like weaving with knots. I look back at my old Gateway. Everybody thought the Hummer off-road-vehicle was so cool, then they made a street legal and class conscious vehicle out of it. Just a fancy high-priced box with no wow! My Ubuntu Gateway is snappy and clean and simple. Remember simple, not complex and it works. I can dress it up if I had more resources but I don't need to impress myself, just get stuff done. You heard it once more, right here at the Chateau of the Linuxvlle guide office by your truly, the Linuxville guide himself. "nuff said!"
Friday, August 13, 2010
will it ever end.......!
Your life is too busy if you work just as hard sitting down as standing up. I mean I now have the habit of grabbing 5-20 minutes between odd jobs, errands and destinations to sketch or jot down a thought. The bad thing is when this gets engrained into your brain so that when your not scurrying about you get creative block.
Things have settled down at the chateau, moved my main PC from the upstairs penthouse-tech lab-artist nest to the downstairs bedroom so that my bodily presents can be available for duty by the wife and mom-n-law (poor me!). If I have to run one more errand I'm gonna bust! What I have discovered is that one can have multiple computers but usually one has all your stuff. Believe me is a hassle to sync 3 PCs. A better solution might be a network file storage server whose resources can be tapped by the other PCs on the network. In my case this is weak because my laptop needs more memory and a new battery to be powerful and float about too. Time for a new up to date laptop.
I cry about more memory all the time, Ubuntu 10.4 doesn't run on my laptop. I suspect 512MB is not enough. I used Sweet Home 3D and it crashes after I get going good. I am using Gnome desktop and I have loaded Blackbox which is a leaner desktop. It is kind of hard to switch desktops back and forth, you get used to a certain way. Why don't I upgrade? Because memory for old laptops don't get cheaper with age.
Did I tell you about Alchemy? Alchemy is a drawing program that manages chaos or random drawing elements. You can even use sound as a driver of events. It runs on everything because it is a Java app just like Sweet Home 3D. I used to hate Java apps, they were awkward and slow, no more. I used to and sometimes still regard myself as a Linux and Open Source purist, but as an artist I use the tools I have access to, even Microsoft tools if I have to (darn!). I am looking at printing my artwork and most wide format printers have print drivers for the MS OS and not Linux, it is a wrinkle but not a crimp. Hey, I'm not a whinny prima donna, one day my prints will come. lol
Things have settled down at the chateau, moved my main PC from the upstairs penthouse-tech lab-artist nest to the downstairs bedroom so that my bodily presents can be available for duty by the wife and mom-n-law (poor me!). If I have to run one more errand I'm gonna bust! What I have discovered is that one can have multiple computers but usually one has all your stuff. Believe me is a hassle to sync 3 PCs. A better solution might be a network file storage server whose resources can be tapped by the other PCs on the network. In my case this is weak because my laptop needs more memory and a new battery to be powerful and float about too. Time for a new up to date laptop.
I cry about more memory all the time, Ubuntu 10.4 doesn't run on my laptop. I suspect 512MB is not enough. I used Sweet Home 3D and it crashes after I get going good. I am using Gnome desktop and I have loaded Blackbox which is a leaner desktop. It is kind of hard to switch desktops back and forth, you get used to a certain way. Why don't I upgrade? Because memory for old laptops don't get cheaper with age.
Did I tell you about Alchemy? Alchemy is a drawing program that manages chaos or random drawing elements. You can even use sound as a driver of events. It runs on everything because it is a Java app just like Sweet Home 3D. I used to hate Java apps, they were awkward and slow, no more. I used to and sometimes still regard myself as a Linux and Open Source purist, but as an artist I use the tools I have access to, even Microsoft tools if I have to (darn!). I am looking at printing my artwork and most wide format printers have print drivers for the MS OS and not Linux, it is a wrinkle but not a crimp. Hey, I'm not a whinny prima donna, one day my prints will come. lol
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
living to tell the tale
When you come back from heck you deserve something great to play with. Google has all sorts of apps and mostly I pass. I don't like to get used to using apps that are hosted on a server somewhere. To have software and data on my PC is what makes it personal. There is one Google app that is the coolest thing I ever saw. It is called Picasa, looks like this:
Yeah it is cool, has a little lever to size the thumbnails, which are as clear as day, and buttons that do other stuff. The absolute coolest feature is that it reads your hard drive to display all your pics. You can also grab a pic and reorder or move it. I can view my sketchbooks and reference pictures very fast. I kept saying when is a Linux version going to happen and BAM!
I have a couple of Linux picture viewers, this is the best by far.
On the art front I am working away in hard pursuit of the African art aesthetic. This started back when I was in college. I won a years scholarship to study architecture at a big name school through a work study program. When I enrolled into the regular classes, Art History was a big part, only the class was set up for art majors intending to become art researchers and curators. After months studying Greek and Roman architecture, I was disillusioned and in a rage. It was the height of the Black awareness movement and I could not find the relevance. I adjourned to the campus library, read all about African architecture, art and the counter culture green technology. I ask the question, What was the African art aesthetics that Matisse and Picasso and others "borrowed" from. And is there a Black or African style rather than just an "influence"?
Hey dude, you talking nonsense! No, wait! How many Black architects, or engineers or interior designers or industrial designers or artist can you name. I can't, I have to look them up, then I can name a couple. The internet is wonderful the way you can patch up a shoddy education with facts that pertain your origins.
But more to the point the idea that I don't have to borrow what should be my heritage and cultural imprint. I just looked.
Here is a shot of my exercise so far:
The back panel I think is wonderful using one of my drawings, the carved African door is so cool, the sofa is called Diysofa from Must Italia. My target is not the museums but the space behind and above your sofa in the African Modern style or whatever it will be called. And of course I use free and open source software for this.
I have a couple of Linux picture viewers, this is the best by far.
On the art front I am working away in hard pursuit of the African art aesthetic. This started back when I was in college. I won a years scholarship to study architecture at a big name school through a work study program. When I enrolled into the regular classes, Art History was a big part, only the class was set up for art majors intending to become art researchers and curators. After months studying Greek and Roman architecture, I was disillusioned and in a rage. It was the height of the Black awareness movement and I could not find the relevance. I adjourned to the campus library, read all about African architecture, art and the counter culture green technology. I ask the question, What was the African art aesthetics that Matisse and Picasso and others "borrowed" from. And is there a Black or African style rather than just an "influence"?
Hey dude, you talking nonsense! No, wait! How many Black architects, or engineers or interior designers or industrial designers or artist can you name. I can't, I have to look them up, then I can name a couple. The internet is wonderful the way you can patch up a shoddy education with facts that pertain your origins.
But more to the point the idea that I don't have to borrow what should be my heritage and cultural imprint. I just looked.
Here is a shot of my exercise so far:
Saturday, July 17, 2010
the man from heck
I just been to heck and back. You see I am applying for a job the requires MS Excel and Autocad. It has been a little while since I have used these products but I have used similar Linux applications.
First I used my Ubuntu laptop. I installed Wine which emulates just enough of MS Windows to run some Windows applications. I have Photoshop Lite (2001 vintage) works fine. I tried to install a 30 day trial version of Autocad 2010 and then Autocad LT 2010 to no avail. The real deal is two fold. If you don't have the actual XP or 7, good luck. Then if you don't have enough hardware beef, forget it. Oh, did I tell you it took a couple of hours before I found out Autocad would not install.
The final straw was I put a second hard drive into my desktop Ubuntu machine, installed XP and then Autocad LT 2010 on it. It took forever.............but I now can dual-boot into XP and Autocad LT 2010 does work. My best recommendation is if you are using serious MS platform software, you must have serious resources on hand (lots of disk space and main memory). I have 1gig of main memory and things are slow. My PC will take 2gig. That should speed things up a bit.
It really makes me mad as I love Linux so much. I could run XP as a virtual machine but not having enough memory and or a CPU that is faster, anything practical is a pain. I have PCs of various ages and I have been able to use Linux on them with good success. The economics has always been a pain at this time in my life. The cost of memory does not get cheaper with age. As the memory becomes harder to find for older machines the cost goes up. It is cheaper to get a new machine trimmed to the max, than beefing up an old one.
You'd think I am enraged about XP, Ubuntu 10.04 also gives me heck. I have an older laptop with a lower spec than my desktop. Ubuntu 9.10 runs just fine, 10.04 won't even boot past the logo screen, and this is the live-CD. So here is my unsolicited advice. If when buying a new PC and they try to dazzle you with a huge honking hard drive, pause, take a look at how much system ram comes with it. If your system takes 2 gig of ram, fill it up now or feel up-graders lament. Hard drive cost go up and down but mostly down, you can always get a good deal. System ram though is costly, buy it up front while you can still breath. With system ram to the max, you can run anything, no sweat.
First I used my Ubuntu laptop. I installed Wine which emulates just enough of MS Windows to run some Windows applications. I have Photoshop Lite (2001 vintage) works fine. I tried to install a 30 day trial version of Autocad 2010 and then Autocad LT 2010 to no avail. The real deal is two fold. If you don't have the actual XP or 7, good luck. Then if you don't have enough hardware beef, forget it. Oh, did I tell you it took a couple of hours before I found out Autocad would not install.
The final straw was I put a second hard drive into my desktop Ubuntu machine, installed XP and then Autocad LT 2010 on it. It took forever.............but I now can dual-boot into XP and Autocad LT 2010 does work. My best recommendation is if you are using serious MS platform software, you must have serious resources on hand (lots of disk space and main memory). I have 1gig of main memory and things are slow. My PC will take 2gig. That should speed things up a bit.
It really makes me mad as I love Linux so much. I could run XP as a virtual machine but not having enough memory and or a CPU that is faster, anything practical is a pain. I have PCs of various ages and I have been able to use Linux on them with good success. The economics has always been a pain at this time in my life. The cost of memory does not get cheaper with age. As the memory becomes harder to find for older machines the cost goes up. It is cheaper to get a new machine trimmed to the max, than beefing up an old one.
You'd think I am enraged about XP, Ubuntu 10.04 also gives me heck. I have an older laptop with a lower spec than my desktop. Ubuntu 9.10 runs just fine, 10.04 won't even boot past the logo screen, and this is the live-CD. So here is my unsolicited advice. If when buying a new PC and they try to dazzle you with a huge honking hard drive, pause, take a look at how much system ram comes with it. If your system takes 2 gig of ram, fill it up now or feel up-graders lament. Hard drive cost go up and down but mostly down, you can always get a good deal. System ram though is costly, buy it up front while you can still breath. With system ram to the max, you can run anything, no sweat.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The classic battle of closed source vs open source
The classic battle of closed source vs open source
They stare intently at each other, the light sabre warriors. When ready to engage they take turns lighting them up. Microsoft a red laser, Mac a green laser and Linux in blue. We anticipate red and green but blue takes us aback. Blue laser, what kind of weapon is that? "Ah yes, Gnubian, we got a lot of that!"
The reputations and market share (usage) of Microsoft platform graphic software and Mac graphic software is legendary and that of Linux questioned, ridiculed and marginalised as being not professional enough. It's just a Jedi mind trick, blue lasers will slice off an arm like any other laser. The truth is MS and Mac out of the box, plug-n-play light sabres are made for market products. Linux requires some understanding. "I see you have constructed a new light sabre! indeed you a skilful and powerful Jedi!"
I always hear the chants, I want the best stuff out there, the most used and the most supported and what is the most used in the industry. When art is an industry and you are in that industry, you use what the industry uses. There is a road less travelled......... Like the artist wearing his/her beret, on a riverbank or hillside, recording the view on a minute canvas. Paintbox and pallet and easel and brush, charcoal, pencil, camera or laptop. To this artist every tool is generic and useful from brushes whose hairs were plucked from his chin to the imported zoo-fur brush from an exotic hard to pronounce country. Every artist boast in his tools and wraps a mystique of power around them. I use what I choose, that is what makes them superior over what you choose for yourself. I bend them to my will and in that is the magic. Besides I like blue.
"But you don't know the power of the closed source." Not deeply and I don't like it when sith lords insist I "pirate to try it" or get it for free with a new hardware purchase. I tend to strip it all down anyway, install open source and fire up the blue light. "But no one uses open source for.....Then I shall be the no one that no one knows, for the open source is with me."
They stare intently at each other, the light sabre warriors. When ready to engage they take turns lighting them up. Microsoft a red laser, Mac a green laser and Linux in blue. We anticipate red and green but blue takes us aback. Blue laser, what kind of weapon is that? "Ah yes, Gnubian, we got a lot of that!"
The reputations and market share (usage) of Microsoft platform graphic software and Mac graphic software is legendary and that of Linux questioned, ridiculed and marginalised as being not professional enough. It's just a Jedi mind trick, blue lasers will slice off an arm like any other laser. The truth is MS and Mac out of the box, plug-n-play light sabres are made for market products. Linux requires some understanding. "I see you have constructed a new light sabre! indeed you a skilful and powerful Jedi!"
I always hear the chants, I want the best stuff out there, the most used and the most supported and what is the most used in the industry. When art is an industry and you are in that industry, you use what the industry uses. There is a road less travelled......... Like the artist wearing his/her beret, on a riverbank or hillside, recording the view on a minute canvas. Paintbox and pallet and easel and brush, charcoal, pencil, camera or laptop. To this artist every tool is generic and useful from brushes whose hairs were plucked from his chin to the imported zoo-fur brush from an exotic hard to pronounce country. Every artist boast in his tools and wraps a mystique of power around them. I use what I choose, that is what makes them superior over what you choose for yourself. I bend them to my will and in that is the magic. Besides I like blue.
"But you don't know the power of the closed source." Not deeply and I don't like it when sith lords insist I "pirate to try it" or get it for free with a new hardware purchase. I tend to strip it all down anyway, install open source and fire up the blue light. "But no one uses open source for.....Then I shall be the no one that no one knows, for the open source is with me."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
the dance of the art
Every living thing does its dance, amoebas, bees, birds, elephants and people. We dance according to our body structure, muscle toning and mind-body coordination. Watch people on the dance floor, it is telling. Or running, all are mobile but some are tuned for speed. There are natural athletes and ones who overcome natural physiology with training and practice.
In my experience there are natural artist who seem to do art in the natural process of their living and the trained. It is possible to study the principles of art and apply them. Just like with running. Your knees may bump and you gasp for air and flail your arms. The coach will teach you good running posture, good breathing management and put your arms in sync for power and energy conservation. And don't forget runners psychology, you need to think like a runner for the sprint or the long distance. With all the elements in play you teach your body the dance. When the body knows the dance, creativity comes out on top of what has become second nature via practice. The body does what it has been taught freeing you for tweaking, pushing and improvising.
Just worked with a master brick layer. His moves were honed by years of doing the job. He was effortless in his process, the moment decisions and adjustments. He asked me if I wanted to try it. I said, not me, you have all the moves down. For me it was not the stacking of bricks on gunks of mortar, it was the practiced moves. Man, he made it look easy as he danced his art. I just mixed the mortar and looked with wonder and awe. The wall is beautiful.
I have some natural ability that runs in my family. I and my cousins grew up drawing. They more than I loved to draw, I liked puzzles and erector sets and model cars. Like any kid I watched cartoons, Saturday was my time. Before the cartoon show there was a home show where they showcased new houses. I was intrigued and started sketching houses. First awkward front views, then really bad perspective views. After learning a bit about perspective my drawing had that tinge of reality. At the same time I explored pencils and pens and various papers. I didn't know I was teaching myself to dance. I was not so good at sports as my older brother could attest, but then he couldn't draw either.
I know that there are those prodigies who seem to do it from birth, but I consider myself lucky or blessed as I have learned to dance over time out of the frantic push for stardom or the urging to get an art job. I am still learning and enjoying art. Many I have known are trained, over worked and tired of it all. Even my retired mom-in-law, artist, school teacher is so much a critical perfectionist, she doesn't let art flow its own course. She never learned "good enough for now, when I learn more I will do more". She tried so hard to agonize and perfect every work. That is her dance. My point is that sometimes it is the artist that needs the tweaking more than the techniques and skills.
That is my sincere advice, learn the techniques, skills and be mindful of yourself the artist. Your body will learn to dance the moves you want to make, yet if you don't take care, your appearance in your work will be telling. That telling is the part that speaks to your viewers. They may not know the force, but they can sense it.
In my experience there are natural artist who seem to do art in the natural process of their living and the trained. It is possible to study the principles of art and apply them. Just like with running. Your knees may bump and you gasp for air and flail your arms. The coach will teach you good running posture, good breathing management and put your arms in sync for power and energy conservation. And don't forget runners psychology, you need to think like a runner for the sprint or the long distance. With all the elements in play you teach your body the dance. When the body knows the dance, creativity comes out on top of what has become second nature via practice. The body does what it has been taught freeing you for tweaking, pushing and improvising.
Just worked with a master brick layer. His moves were honed by years of doing the job. He was effortless in his process, the moment decisions and adjustments. He asked me if I wanted to try it. I said, not me, you have all the moves down. For me it was not the stacking of bricks on gunks of mortar, it was the practiced moves. Man, he made it look easy as he danced his art. I just mixed the mortar and looked with wonder and awe. The wall is beautiful.
I have some natural ability that runs in my family. I and my cousins grew up drawing. They more than I loved to draw, I liked puzzles and erector sets and model cars. Like any kid I watched cartoons, Saturday was my time. Before the cartoon show there was a home show where they showcased new houses. I was intrigued and started sketching houses. First awkward front views, then really bad perspective views. After learning a bit about perspective my drawing had that tinge of reality. At the same time I explored pencils and pens and various papers. I didn't know I was teaching myself to dance. I was not so good at sports as my older brother could attest, but then he couldn't draw either.
I know that there are those prodigies who seem to do it from birth, but I consider myself lucky or blessed as I have learned to dance over time out of the frantic push for stardom or the urging to get an art job. I am still learning and enjoying art. Many I have known are trained, over worked and tired of it all. Even my retired mom-in-law, artist, school teacher is so much a critical perfectionist, she doesn't let art flow its own course. She never learned "good enough for now, when I learn more I will do more". She tried so hard to agonize and perfect every work. That is her dance. My point is that sometimes it is the artist that needs the tweaking more than the techniques and skills.
That is my sincere advice, learn the techniques, skills and be mindful of yourself the artist. Your body will learn to dance the moves you want to make, yet if you don't take care, your appearance in your work will be telling. That telling is the part that speaks to your viewers. They may not know the force, but they can sense it.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
the hand that holds the light saber
What about technique, what about practice. That's the easy part. You repeat and repeat again until your body can move the tools along-with your mind. Half is training the body memory, the other part is harder. Drawing on paper is intimate, you embrace your writing tool, anchor your paper, focus your mind to put it on the paper. The years of writing on paper makes this second nature. Folks who draw should know this well. It takes a while before you can treat computer drawing the same as drawing on paper. Depends on your tools, your focus and your practice. I talk and type more than draw so it's taking me a little longer.
I am pretty comfortable using a mouse. The mouse is fine for vector drawing, a more constrained technique. The digital pen and graphic tablet is wilder because you feel the drawing. First the pen doesn't have a rolling ball that grips the page and lets out ink or is not lead that dislodges from the pencil and smudges into the paper. The smooth tip glides across the smooth tablet surface, so that the feel is different. With practice you get used to this. Second there is pressure, it is adjustable but getting it to feel right takes time, plus you also can use this to great advantage. Then if you don't have a direct view pen tablet, like the Wacom Cintiq tablets or a tablet PC, the tablet is in your lap or on your desk and you look up at the screen. So, you are not looking where your pen is but where the cursor is on the screen. Thus the Jedi theme, "stretch out with your feelings Luke!"
Every application is a special case and a new skillset. Though there is some crossover, each app has it's own interface, tools and quirks. In GIMP, you can paint, draw, photo touch-up and do some vector. In Inkscape vector is prime but it will export a bitmap if you need it. Blender 3d is a world that can incorporate elements from either GIMP and or Inkscape. You don't have to know them all really well, just what you need to know to get the job done. Over time you will amass a huge basket of skills, some not written in any book or tutorial.
The fuss over digital art is huge. Digital art covers simple pixel art all the way to animation and film. It can be viewed on small screen, large screen or be printed on anything. How it is applied depends on our focus.
A guy I know in the IT field said if you want to know IT hang with the geeks. I will say it is true also with digital art on some levels. While we artist tend to disappear into our own cave of wonders to create without distraction, the art community is how we calibrate ourselves, get tips, give advice and become apt at the business of art. Digital art is still gaining respect in traditional media circles and becoming a class act in its own right. Art schools, museums and galleries tend to be gated communes that is, tightly controlled. There are also more open venues, art shows and such. Because we use computers, perhaps we could virtually gather, still I think local face to face is warm and encouraging.
Go dabble!
I am pretty comfortable using a mouse. The mouse is fine for vector drawing, a more constrained technique. The digital pen and graphic tablet is wilder because you feel the drawing. First the pen doesn't have a rolling ball that grips the page and lets out ink or is not lead that dislodges from the pencil and smudges into the paper. The smooth tip glides across the smooth tablet surface, so that the feel is different. With practice you get used to this. Second there is pressure, it is adjustable but getting it to feel right takes time, plus you also can use this to great advantage. Then if you don't have a direct view pen tablet, like the Wacom Cintiq tablets or a tablet PC, the tablet is in your lap or on your desk and you look up at the screen. So, you are not looking where your pen is but where the cursor is on the screen. Thus the Jedi theme, "stretch out with your feelings Luke!"
Every application is a special case and a new skillset. Though there is some crossover, each app has it's own interface, tools and quirks. In GIMP, you can paint, draw, photo touch-up and do some vector. In Inkscape vector is prime but it will export a bitmap if you need it. Blender 3d is a world that can incorporate elements from either GIMP and or Inkscape. You don't have to know them all really well, just what you need to know to get the job done. Over time you will amass a huge basket of skills, some not written in any book or tutorial.
The fuss over digital art is huge. Digital art covers simple pixel art all the way to animation and film. It can be viewed on small screen, large screen or be printed on anything. How it is applied depends on our focus.
A guy I know in the IT field said if you want to know IT hang with the geeks. I will say it is true also with digital art on some levels. While we artist tend to disappear into our own cave of wonders to create without distraction, the art community is how we calibrate ourselves, get tips, give advice and become apt at the business of art. Digital art is still gaining respect in traditional media circles and becoming a class act in its own right. Art schools, museums and galleries tend to be gated communes that is, tightly controlled. There are also more open venues, art shows and such. Because we use computers, perhaps we could virtually gather, still I think local face to face is warm and encouraging.
Go dabble!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
the play makes the difference.
When I was in grade school learning to write, we first traced the letters, then under the watchful eyes of the teacher drew letter forms. Circles, curves, humps, horizontals, verticals and slants, over and over, then letters one by one. There was one standard, one look till we moved on. Some kids kept the forms and some veered off. Our own style crept in to alter the standard forms. Believe it or not this also happened in drafting, despite how hard the teacher enforced the standard forms, we eventually migrated to our own style even ever so slightly.
You would think with the mathematical precision of a computer, drawing would be mechanical. It can be or be as haphazard as any doodle on a napkin. This is why I bring up play. I play a lot to discover what I can do, like to do and might do. It is almost easier to approach say water color like painting on a computer and hang with that for a while. But since you can simulate many approaches, the temptation to explore other styles is always present. You can be a purist or break all the rules, who's to stop you. I myself come from a drafting background, thus vector drawing is very similar. Combining shapes with hard edges is old school to me. I also have kept sketchbooks over the years. I don't care for pencil sketching that much but any kind of inking device is fun, nib, quill, felt or ball-point. I have also painted in acrylics on canvas, years ago. Right now I getting used to using a graphics tablet and pen. This contraption is not easy to use if you cut your teeth on a mouse. And since I am leaning toward a more sketchbook kind of drawing to record ideas I'm not worried about life-like perfection. But who knows what talent is to be discovered, this is why play is so important.
In my playing around or dabbling I use a program called Inkscape for vector drawing. Like Adobe Illustrator, it handles vectors well. Perhaps there are some things I can not do that Illustrator can, but I have not hit that wall. For raster stuff I use GIMP. I am a dabbler and freelance artist so I don't have to listen or worry about what the so-called pros say about GIMP. If you have access to Photoshop and use it, please shut-up about GIMP and use your Photoshop. Oh yeah, Inkscape and GIMP are free and open source. I can't get what I paid for because I didn't pay anything. Both quite good for free. Come on, I heard about a famous artist picking the hair from his beard for the hairs of his paintbrush, curious, cheap or totally not true?
And what about that talented artist who did portraits on an Etch-a-sketch and dumped the gray stuff out so that they couldn't be erased. Don't tell me about artist and their tools. If you can make great art with Microsoft Paint or Open Source Tux Paint, who is going to condemn you? I have complete liberty to kick commercial aspirations to the curb or not. I am saying if Photoshop is what you must have and use, do that. Otherwise don't feel obligated when so many good choices that do the same stuff are available. The way of the force is to use what you have access to. The tools are a channel, PC and software and your efforts. How the force is expressed depends on you. Go dabble!
You would think with the mathematical precision of a computer, drawing would be mechanical. It can be or be as haphazard as any doodle on a napkin. This is why I bring up play. I play a lot to discover what I can do, like to do and might do. It is almost easier to approach say water color like painting on a computer and hang with that for a while. But since you can simulate many approaches, the temptation to explore other styles is always present. You can be a purist or break all the rules, who's to stop you. I myself come from a drafting background, thus vector drawing is very similar. Combining shapes with hard edges is old school to me. I also have kept sketchbooks over the years. I don't care for pencil sketching that much but any kind of inking device is fun, nib, quill, felt or ball-point. I have also painted in acrylics on canvas, years ago. Right now I getting used to using a graphics tablet and pen. This contraption is not easy to use if you cut your teeth on a mouse. And since I am leaning toward a more sketchbook kind of drawing to record ideas I'm not worried about life-like perfection. But who knows what talent is to be discovered, this is why play is so important.
In my playing around or dabbling I use a program called Inkscape for vector drawing. Like Adobe Illustrator, it handles vectors well. Perhaps there are some things I can not do that Illustrator can, but I have not hit that wall. For raster stuff I use GIMP. I am a dabbler and freelance artist so I don't have to listen or worry about what the so-called pros say about GIMP. If you have access to Photoshop and use it, please shut-up about GIMP and use your Photoshop. Oh yeah, Inkscape and GIMP are free and open source. I can't get what I paid for because I didn't pay anything. Both quite good for free. Come on, I heard about a famous artist picking the hair from his beard for the hairs of his paintbrush, curious, cheap or totally not true?
And what about that talented artist who did portraits on an Etch-a-sketch and dumped the gray stuff out so that they couldn't be erased. Don't tell me about artist and their tools. If you can make great art with Microsoft Paint or Open Source Tux Paint, who is going to condemn you? I have complete liberty to kick commercial aspirations to the curb or not. I am saying if Photoshop is what you must have and use, do that. Otherwise don't feel obligated when so many good choices that do the same stuff are available. The way of the force is to use what you have access to. The tools are a channel, PC and software and your efforts. How the force is expressed depends on you. Go dabble!
more on jedi training
Speaking of baselines, If you just got your used or new graphics tablet, jump over to http://blog.dustyghost.com/?page_id=9/ and link, copy, read the graphics tablet tutorial. Do you remember when you first took interest in drawing with a pen or pencil? Sketching with a digital pen is the same but different. The more you use it the more it is useful. The cool thing with todays digital drawing tools is that you can sketch on one layer and draw on another. You can put a base image on one layer and draw over it on another layer. What you draw can be edited, erased and altered. It is actually better than paper if you can get used to it, but drawing on paper is cool also.
If you are like me you need to have all your art stuff in one place. A studio arrangement that is dedicated to the creation task. If you like a more movable situation still the idea is to have what you need in a portable way. I always see the scene painter with folding easel, paintbox, bottles of spirits, brushes, rags and whatever else is needed. Trying to duplicate this with my laptop PC is harder than it looks. If you only have one PC it is hard to dedicate it to just drawing. Those other functions are so intoxicatedly present to distract you from your focus. Seems a shame to bridle so powerful and flexible a tool to one occupation. But the computer in your car is dedicated to running the car, so it's a matter of concept. Besides the traditional painter really likes to comeback to his/her work and continue on where they left off. When you share your PC with other functions it is mind numbing to find your way back. Your paintbox is your paintbox.
I think I am brainwashed to be connected, so hard to turn off my internet. I unplug the ethernet and the wireless kicks in. It's like saying "wait, you need me!" If I was doing paint on a canvas in my room, it is not connected and I would want no distractions as I work out the process. Is it any less with digital art processes? All you trained commercial artist can ignore me, I am talking to the dabblers mostly.
So, my stuff is evolving, I have a main PC, a desktop I can do anything on and a laptop that is becoming my artbox. You know the PC is meant for keyboard input and I have to attach my drawing tablet. I wouldn't mind it the other way around. Put my drawing tablet into the laptop and I attach a keyboard when I need it. I wouldn't try to make it multifunctioned for games, and lots of text input or playing movies. To me those things are counter-productive to my art work. This is what my desktop PC is for. The end result is that my laptop becomes my dedicated art machine. When I look at it I see my creative energies going in and my art coming out.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in the work of others our own focus is diluted. Looking at others stuff is so intoxicating, we get drunk to the point our own work is neglected. Our competing spirit beats us, "oh they are so much better than I!" Use others for a reference, limit yourself to a recalibrating peak once in a while. In other words you are like the main PC, you can do anything, everything, now you need to become a person dedicated to a process to get your art done. All athletes do full body workouts, only runners say "legs go faster!" Basically it is about building body memory and experience, then exceeding. Same with art. I am giving you the play by play as I teach myself.
So, now you got the place, the space, the tools and time, put yourself in there.
If you are like me you need to have all your art stuff in one place. A studio arrangement that is dedicated to the creation task. If you like a more movable situation still the idea is to have what you need in a portable way. I always see the scene painter with folding easel, paintbox, bottles of spirits, brushes, rags and whatever else is needed. Trying to duplicate this with my laptop PC is harder than it looks. If you only have one PC it is hard to dedicate it to just drawing. Those other functions are so intoxicatedly present to distract you from your focus. Seems a shame to bridle so powerful and flexible a tool to one occupation. But the computer in your car is dedicated to running the car, so it's a matter of concept. Besides the traditional painter really likes to comeback to his/her work and continue on where they left off. When you share your PC with other functions it is mind numbing to find your way back. Your paintbox is your paintbox.
I think I am brainwashed to be connected, so hard to turn off my internet. I unplug the ethernet and the wireless kicks in. It's like saying "wait, you need me!" If I was doing paint on a canvas in my room, it is not connected and I would want no distractions as I work out the process. Is it any less with digital art processes? All you trained commercial artist can ignore me, I am talking to the dabblers mostly.
So, my stuff is evolving, I have a main PC, a desktop I can do anything on and a laptop that is becoming my artbox. You know the PC is meant for keyboard input and I have to attach my drawing tablet. I wouldn't mind it the other way around. Put my drawing tablet into the laptop and I attach a keyboard when I need it. I wouldn't try to make it multifunctioned for games, and lots of text input or playing movies. To me those things are counter-productive to my art work. This is what my desktop PC is for. The end result is that my laptop becomes my dedicated art machine. When I look at it I see my creative energies going in and my art coming out.
Sometimes we can get so caught up in the work of others our own focus is diluted. Looking at others stuff is so intoxicating, we get drunk to the point our own work is neglected. Our competing spirit beats us, "oh they are so much better than I!" Use others for a reference, limit yourself to a recalibrating peak once in a while. In other words you are like the main PC, you can do anything, everything, now you need to become a person dedicated to a process to get your art done. All athletes do full body workouts, only runners say "legs go faster!" Basically it is about building body memory and experience, then exceeding. Same with art. I am giving you the play by play as I teach myself.
So, now you got the place, the space, the tools and time, put yourself in there.
Monday, May 31, 2010
the force is with you but requires control
Either we are natural artist or we have developed skills to that end. In any case artists need instruments to channel the force. In digital art the tool of choice could be as clumsy as a mouse or as sensitive as a pen. With my drafting background I got used to drawing with a mouse. Mice are adequate for drafting which is more akin to vector drawing. Vectors are all about lines with end points, connected lines to make shapes and shapes filled with color. Of course it all depends on the type of drawing and vectors do tend to be rather precise.
Drawing with a mouse is like drawing with a bar of soap. Being the average input tool, many of us are used to using a mouse. Drawing with a pen is so awkward at first, it requires a lot of tweaking to match the working end to your way of drawing. The genius of todays pens is that they can simulate pressure and mimic most any drawing tool, brush, ink pen and airbrush. So, the software does one part and you control the other part, as to the line quality. Digital pens require a tablet to transfer the magic to the screen. Pen and tablet is by far the best combo for digital art. My advice, buy Wacom stuff new or used, especially if you are using Linux. Linux has a Wacom driver project and the drivers work well. If you are using MS Windows or Mac, your choices are a little wider. The whole point of a digital pen and tablet is simulating natural drawing instruments. Trying to tweak the pen and tablet and software for the right feel is the trick.
I have a vision of one day using my laptop in remote locations sporting a built-in pen tablet and focusing all my energies into my artwork. Believe it or not this is hard. One reason is the PC can do so much, seems a shame to dedicate one PC to art work alone. As soon as it is connected to the net or internet or you click a non-art application icon your PC transforms into other uses. I lose that artist focus and artist mystique and who wants to have a PC that only does one thing?
Yes we always have to recalibrate ourselves to make things fit us or us things.
Then lets get to the part they don't show you in the movies, actual training. It's hard to believe the force is with anyone when you first hold a digital pen. The best approach is set it and draw and ask stupid what if questions, and don't forget to read stuff. Online searches will yield how-to info, tutorials, but if you don't play with it, you'll never harness the force. The force is different with each of us and to make it flow effortlessly we must practice till the software and the hardware are transparent or second nature to us. Think of a jazz musician who has a tune in his head. If he doesn't know his instrument well, he simply can't make it play what's in his head. That is the whole point, tools are a channel a shaping instrument. I like your humming and air guitar but can you play that on a real guitar in real time? Your fingers need to feel the strings, you must apply that english to bend and stretch notes and use silence with sound to create drama. So, you must do equal amounts of serious study with serious play. Fooling around is skill building and discovery. Don't get lost, study and play.
I am also looking for kindred souls, because when you have a group you can challenge each other by encouraging help. You can inflame egos and put them out too. When you leave the group to do your thing, you are not alone. That is called community. It's good to venture out, good to come home to friends. You can calibrate yourself and break the rules, because you got a baseline.
Drawing with a mouse is like drawing with a bar of soap. Being the average input tool, many of us are used to using a mouse. Drawing with a pen is so awkward at first, it requires a lot of tweaking to match the working end to your way of drawing. The genius of todays pens is that they can simulate pressure and mimic most any drawing tool, brush, ink pen and airbrush. So, the software does one part and you control the other part, as to the line quality. Digital pens require a tablet to transfer the magic to the screen. Pen and tablet is by far the best combo for digital art. My advice, buy Wacom stuff new or used, especially if you are using Linux. Linux has a Wacom driver project and the drivers work well. If you are using MS Windows or Mac, your choices are a little wider. The whole point of a digital pen and tablet is simulating natural drawing instruments. Trying to tweak the pen and tablet and software for the right feel is the trick.
I have a vision of one day using my laptop in remote locations sporting a built-in pen tablet and focusing all my energies into my artwork. Believe it or not this is hard. One reason is the PC can do so much, seems a shame to dedicate one PC to art work alone. As soon as it is connected to the net or internet or you click a non-art application icon your PC transforms into other uses. I lose that artist focus and artist mystique and who wants to have a PC that only does one thing?
Yes we always have to recalibrate ourselves to make things fit us or us things.
Then lets get to the part they don't show you in the movies, actual training. It's hard to believe the force is with anyone when you first hold a digital pen. The best approach is set it and draw and ask stupid what if questions, and don't forget to read stuff. Online searches will yield how-to info, tutorials, but if you don't play with it, you'll never harness the force. The force is different with each of us and to make it flow effortlessly we must practice till the software and the hardware are transparent or second nature to us. Think of a jazz musician who has a tune in his head. If he doesn't know his instrument well, he simply can't make it play what's in his head. That is the whole point, tools are a channel a shaping instrument. I like your humming and air guitar but can you play that on a real guitar in real time? Your fingers need to feel the strings, you must apply that english to bend and stretch notes and use silence with sound to create drama. So, you must do equal amounts of serious study with serious play. Fooling around is skill building and discovery. Don't get lost, study and play.
I am also looking for kindred souls, because when you have a group you can challenge each other by encouraging help. You can inflame egos and put them out too. When you leave the group to do your thing, you are not alone. That is called community. It's good to venture out, good to come home to friends. You can calibrate yourself and break the rules, because you got a baseline.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Linux desktop light saber of choice.
Most of my life I have been thrust into jobs I wasn't quite up to the task. You learn on the job, notice holes in your armor and fix them. To date I am not a Linux system administrator in the corporate world. The title implies that all Linux users should have those skills. The fact is that many of those skills aren't needed to care for a single PC, yet when Linux is explained they are customarily unleashed upon new users. I purpose a fork in the System Admin moniker to focus on the skills of desktop maintenance. A Linux Desktop Admin would be a wonderful focus. Though some skills may overlap, it would make things clear to users who need no clue about the depths of server work.
A concise how-to set up a Linux desktop would be wonderful. With live-CDs this is almost instant. But certain things are not always so clear, like configuring sound cards, video cards, embedded sound and video, Linux only networks and of course wireless. Mixed platform networks are well documented.
I've been struggling through several Linux distros trying to find one that would work on my ancient Win98 vintage laptop (Gateway 4026gz). I've tried a dozen or so and most fell short in one way or another. Fedora 9 and 10, OpenSuse 11.2, Xubuntu, Ubuntu, Elive, #!Crunchbang, Mandriva, and a bunch more. The final choice was Ubuntu 9.10.
The reason was setup. Even though all the other distros had strong points, when it came to setup, I was able to setup wireless and sound with ease in Ubuntu. I don't care how savvy a techie you are (savvy = macho), if you are a typical desktop user, setting up wireless and sound should be painless. Like step one scan hardware, step two apply drivers, step three test system, done. Ubuntu has a System Testing module that test various systems that require drivers and protocols. This makes it easy to change drivers if the present one doesn't work.
The reason being not every Linux user is going to be an OS mechanic. The whole idea of a popular Linux is not to dumb it down but make it so it takes less specialized configuration knowledge. Still, if that deep tweak is your passion, your ma-cheese-mo glory, you can do that. I have seen many compile every kernel and application to make their own distro because they could. But please don't think I'm not a true believer because I don't compile. That works for you but not for me. Linux users no longer have to be extra savvy to use it.
So, in my experience I have suffered through many very good looking Linux distros that didn't have the conveniences built-in that Ubuntu has. But Ubuntu is so bloated, it can't run fast! What does fast mean? If you have the resources, it is fast enough, else you need to shut down services, get a leaner desktop or try another distro that suits your needs. That zippy fast distro may require hand tweaking of config files. This is just like sport cars, many like them, few buy them (real need over speed).
Now if you are still hooked into "Linux the sacred OS" it is still there, only now the desktop GUI has been well developed. You can click an icon which is a shortcut to a script or command that runs a function or app. I don't have to remember and type a script or command. I capitalize on the work of others to save me time, effort and mental band-width. I am quite impressed with the variety of Linux desktops, and I can change it if I am not.
A concise how-to set up a Linux desktop would be wonderful. With live-CDs this is almost instant. But certain things are not always so clear, like configuring sound cards, video cards, embedded sound and video, Linux only networks and of course wireless. Mixed platform networks are well documented.
I've been struggling through several Linux distros trying to find one that would work on my ancient Win98 vintage laptop (Gateway 4026gz). I've tried a dozen or so and most fell short in one way or another. Fedora 9 and 10, OpenSuse 11.2, Xubuntu, Ubuntu, Elive, #!Crunchbang, Mandriva, and a bunch more. The final choice was Ubuntu 9.10.
The reason was setup. Even though all the other distros had strong points, when it came to setup, I was able to setup wireless and sound with ease in Ubuntu. I don't care how savvy a techie you are (savvy = macho), if you are a typical desktop user, setting up wireless and sound should be painless. Like step one scan hardware, step two apply drivers, step three test system, done. Ubuntu has a System Testing module that test various systems that require drivers and protocols. This makes it easy to change drivers if the present one doesn't work.
The reason being not every Linux user is going to be an OS mechanic. The whole idea of a popular Linux is not to dumb it down but make it so it takes less specialized configuration knowledge. Still, if that deep tweak is your passion, your ma-cheese-mo glory, you can do that. I have seen many compile every kernel and application to make their own distro because they could. But please don't think I'm not a true believer because I don't compile. That works for you but not for me. Linux users no longer have to be extra savvy to use it.
So, in my experience I have suffered through many very good looking Linux distros that didn't have the conveniences built-in that Ubuntu has. But Ubuntu is so bloated, it can't run fast! What does fast mean? If you have the resources, it is fast enough, else you need to shut down services, get a leaner desktop or try another distro that suits your needs. That zippy fast distro may require hand tweaking of config files. This is just like sport cars, many like them, few buy them (real need over speed).
Now if you are still hooked into "Linux the sacred OS" it is still there, only now the desktop GUI has been well developed. You can click an icon which is a shortcut to a script or command that runs a function or app. I don't have to remember and type a script or command. I capitalize on the work of others to save me time, effort and mental band-width. I am quite impressed with the variety of Linux desktops, and I can change it if I am not.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
further revelations in Jedi training.
I am used to working at a desk, even at home. I need a PC to be up and running all day long. To this end a desktop PC is fine. I have an old laptop that no longer charges the battery, it overheats and shuts down. I don't have experience running a newer laptop all day, I would hope they are engineered better. I have several desktops in my computer room, I can't use them all at once to any real advantage. So, I am thinking of putting one in the upstairs, one in the living-room.
This means I will have to get wireless cards so that I can avoid stringing cables all over the house and LCD screens (they take up less room). I plan to keep my working data on flash drives or devise a file server on the network.
There are advantages to being mobile, but I'm not in the habit of taking my laptop out into the public space. Laptops are energy lean and space saving, regardless. At home the desk is my peaceful place, other spots are too busy, I can't concentrate so good or feel I can stay without interruption.
Users are a strange lot, their PCs an extension of their personal strivings. I've met ones who retreat into a gaming closet, ones who game everywhere and families of gamers. I've met small business owners and folks who bring work home. I know some IT people who seem more involved with networked systems than single PCs. And a few who are just plain geeks, like me.
Computers run cars and spaceships and weapon systems, I've met a few who are into those areas. The scariest people are the ones who don't need nothing but a cell phone or PDA. The iconic figure of a person hunched over a keyboard and staring into the glare of a monitor has nothing on a PDA/cell phone user seen everywhere. We have virtually invented the virtual phone booth. We are in a crowded mall, shoulder to shoulder, the cellphone rings (buzzes, clicks, chirps or jams), we evoke the cone of silence as if walls of glass surround us.
Mark my words, first the cell phone privacy force field, then the cell-portation device. People will get lost in the network and their DNA recaptured on a server. Soon DNA sequences and digital technologies will be parallel, then merged. Doctors will convert you to a DNA stream, run you through a filter and reconstitute you healthy on the other side. All divergent DNA will beamed into space out of the galaxy via laser or stored in giant underground server bunkers. Prisons will be replaced by server farms. So behave yourself or you'll get the bits blasted out of you or you could wind up as a PC operating system in a robot.
Meanwhile, back at the Linuxville chateau, I am wondering how I got in this PC business in the first place.
This means I will have to get wireless cards so that I can avoid stringing cables all over the house and LCD screens (they take up less room). I plan to keep my working data on flash drives or devise a file server on the network.
There are advantages to being mobile, but I'm not in the habit of taking my laptop out into the public space. Laptops are energy lean and space saving, regardless. At home the desk is my peaceful place, other spots are too busy, I can't concentrate so good or feel I can stay without interruption.
Users are a strange lot, their PCs an extension of their personal strivings. I've met ones who retreat into a gaming closet, ones who game everywhere and families of gamers. I've met small business owners and folks who bring work home. I know some IT people who seem more involved with networked systems than single PCs. And a few who are just plain geeks, like me.
Computers run cars and spaceships and weapon systems, I've met a few who are into those areas. The scariest people are the ones who don't need nothing but a cell phone or PDA. The iconic figure of a person hunched over a keyboard and staring into the glare of a monitor has nothing on a PDA/cell phone user seen everywhere. We have virtually invented the virtual phone booth. We are in a crowded mall, shoulder to shoulder, the cellphone rings (buzzes, clicks, chirps or jams), we evoke the cone of silence as if walls of glass surround us.
Mark my words, first the cell phone privacy force field, then the cell-portation device. People will get lost in the network and their DNA recaptured on a server. Soon DNA sequences and digital technologies will be parallel, then merged. Doctors will convert you to a DNA stream, run you through a filter and reconstitute you healthy on the other side. All divergent DNA will beamed into space out of the galaxy via laser or stored in giant underground server bunkers. Prisons will be replaced by server farms. So behave yourself or you'll get the bits blasted out of you or you could wind up as a PC operating system in a robot.
Meanwhile, back at the Linuxville chateau, I am wondering how I got in this PC business in the first place.
Friday, May 21, 2010
We are making progress
Right here in the heart of the city, my local public library is making progress. Aside from the flurry of Windows 7, Microsoft Office version whatever and Photoshop books, there is now a spanking brand new GIMP book. This is the GIMP Bible by Jason van Gumster and Robert Shimonski. I am excited because for years Photoshop has ruled the roost with 50+ books and it cost how much?? GIMP does what most folks would use it for and it is free. That's free for folks who have no need to purchase professional level software just to tweak family photos and dabble. I also saw two new Open Office books. Open Office is also free and I am speaking especially to you students who need word processing but don't really need or can't afford M$ Office. Go figure, a public library with a truck load of software books on software no one can really justify the cost of and very few on freely available software. It is even more tragic because open source software is 100 times better than the freeware of the past. And quite a lot of it is enterprise quality, yet not fluffed with fancy trimmings and embedded security problems.
Even if you love or are work bound to Microsoft Windows, Open Source Software can relieve many mental stress fractures and plug financial black holes in wallets and purses. I always hear from ones who try open source but it doesn't work well in their situation. These are usually business folks who rely on Microsoft products and folks with the name-brand loyalty thing. I also see so many who would greatly benefit, who are clueless. Why clueless? Because Open Source stuff is not on the store shelf. Open Source doesn't have that cute mind sticking advertising thing going on.
I have lots of tutorials by users and videos but, I still do not own a printed GIMP reference book. I have PDF docs and users guides and yet there is something about a printed book that is handy and reassuring. Still I am like most, I lightly use many kinds of software. Of late my realization is that to do graphics I need to get more in-depth experience. And if you profess to know anything of anything, people expect you to be somewhat an expert. Sorry folks I use what I use the way that I use it. I am open to learn new tricks if it's something I can use. But overall, GIMP expert and graphics guru I am not. Let's face it, there are some who like to be seen as authoritative. For me to do or be that I would have to study all kinds of stuff I am not interested in, then make myself available to you. In that case I would definitely write a book.
This brings up another good thing, community information. Linux and Open Source both have a history of posting up-to-date information on the internet. And much of that information is maintained by the whole community of users, not just the authors of the software. This is because uses often find innovative ways of using and redefining intent of a software. They discover bugs, flaws, shortcomings and devise work-around, patches, scripts, customizations, tips, etc, The community from the noobe to the developer/maintainer all put in to support software. This is not true with customer/client based commercial software.
So, getting back to GIMP or any other software application, If you want to use it either dabble with it or set aside some time for structured learning. If you can not find a formal class or hire a tutor, I tell you the online and downloadable video tutorials are the way to go. You might find a surveying Open Source Software class before you find a specific class for Open Office or for GIMP. If you have a local computer group, use that as a focal point to gather like interested people and start a SIG (Special Interest Group). Even if you just have email communication, the fact that you are pursuing together is great encouragement and support. As a friend of mine said to me, "if you want to learn IT, hang with computer geeks." To associate and commune is great for learning stuff. This is even more appropriate for graphics because we need to show and tell.
The cool thing is that you don't have to use Linux to use Open Source Software. Some will run on Windows, Linux and Mac. The point is it is out there and not different than other software doing the same thing. It may have a different look and feel or have more or less features but for sure you won't need a defibrillator to revive your wallet.
Even if you love or are work bound to Microsoft Windows, Open Source Software can relieve many mental stress fractures and plug financial black holes in wallets and purses. I always hear from ones who try open source but it doesn't work well in their situation. These are usually business folks who rely on Microsoft products and folks with the name-brand loyalty thing. I also see so many who would greatly benefit, who are clueless. Why clueless? Because Open Source stuff is not on the store shelf. Open Source doesn't have that cute mind sticking advertising thing going on.
I have lots of tutorials by users and videos but, I still do not own a printed GIMP reference book. I have PDF docs and users guides and yet there is something about a printed book that is handy and reassuring. Still I am like most, I lightly use many kinds of software. Of late my realization is that to do graphics I need to get more in-depth experience. And if you profess to know anything of anything, people expect you to be somewhat an expert. Sorry folks I use what I use the way that I use it. I am open to learn new tricks if it's something I can use. But overall, GIMP expert and graphics guru I am not. Let's face it, there are some who like to be seen as authoritative. For me to do or be that I would have to study all kinds of stuff I am not interested in, then make myself available to you. In that case I would definitely write a book.
This brings up another good thing, community information. Linux and Open Source both have a history of posting up-to-date information on the internet. And much of that information is maintained by the whole community of users, not just the authors of the software. This is because uses often find innovative ways of using and redefining intent of a software. They discover bugs, flaws, shortcomings and devise work-around, patches, scripts, customizations, tips, etc, The community from the noobe to the developer/maintainer all put in to support software. This is not true with customer/client based commercial software.
So, getting back to GIMP or any other software application, If you want to use it either dabble with it or set aside some time for structured learning. If you can not find a formal class or hire a tutor, I tell you the online and downloadable video tutorials are the way to go. You might find a surveying Open Source Software class before you find a specific class for Open Office or for GIMP. If you have a local computer group, use that as a focal point to gather like interested people and start a SIG (Special Interest Group). Even if you just have email communication, the fact that you are pursuing together is great encouragement and support. As a friend of mine said to me, "if you want to learn IT, hang with computer geeks." To associate and commune is great for learning stuff. This is even more appropriate for graphics because we need to show and tell.
The cool thing is that you don't have to use Linux to use Open Source Software. Some will run on Windows, Linux and Mac. The point is it is out there and not different than other software doing the same thing. It may have a different look and feel or have more or less features but for sure you won't need a defibrillator to revive your wallet.
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