Archives for posts with tag: open source

Firefox 04 Beta test drive

August 29, 2010 //
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Its snappy, stable, and it still works like a charm.

It has been a while since Mozilla Firefox made headlines battling head-on with Microsoft’s IE monopoly; and since then the battlefield has changed with a lot of new players in the fray (Chrome, Safari, Opera). With their new update, team Firefox will not only have to compete with loading speeds, but also with simplicity, stability, security, and snazzy-ness.

Downloading and installation was a breeze. Since this is a beta, they won’t remove your existing installation, but your current Firefox data will be integrated to the new one. Heck, they even got my personas skin from the previous version. The add-ons are also there, but they are mostly disabled for stability purposes (since this is a beta).

The first thing people will notice in this version is a more minimalist look, more or less taken from the Google Chrome book, but still not losing its Mozilla identity (such as the big Back button to the extreme left). But if you wish to have your menus and bookmarks back, its just a right-click away. Loading pages will also show a clock beside the title in the tab, a nifty small feature I very much appreciate. Windows 7 users will also notice that Firefox takes advantage of the the new taskbar, where individual tabs are now revealed when hovered over.

Tabs utilize Windows 7's new taskbar

Another major feature introduced in this version is the tab grouping feature (Tab Candy), which makes you organize your tabs ala-Apple Exposé. For tab monsters, this is a dream come true: no more 30+ tabs dangling on top of your browser like an eyesore. You can opt to name and resize the groups as well.

For Firefox, its like reinventing the wheel

Stability-wise, I have been browsing crash-free for three days since downloading Firefox 4 beta, even under my crappy DSL connection that goes on and off every now and then. Mixing these conditions with several YouTube tabs loading, as well as a few interactive sites are browser disasters waiting to happen.

Firefox seems to be still very much in the browser game, with this beta as proof. I think I’d have to snag my default browser from Google back to Firefox for the time being…

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Categories Anything Tech, Tech Reviews

eSkwela ICT Camp Luzon 2010

April 21, 2010 //
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Ma'am Mel Tan Discussing eSkwela's concept...

Six days of teaching, learning, conceptualizing and just having fun. That was what CICT’s eSkwela ICT Camp was. Held at Bataan State University from the 12th to 17th of April, I was asked to tackle the Brochure learning track (teaching visual concepts and Scribus, afterwards) and assisting the Video Editing track (using OpenShot video editor).

The one thing that is really great about CICT’s program is that they use Open Source software as much as possible, installing Ubuntu in both their desktops and mobile learning laptops, as well as using (and teaching the learners/facilitators) productivity programs such as OpenOffice. They even took the extra step of using open source multimedia solutions such as Audacity and Openshot for audio and video editing, respectively. This only amplifies the feasibility of open-source programs as a great way to reach out to more for half the cost.

Despite my busy schedule, I always find time to participate on these events when I am invited to. It always feels good to impart to others what you already know; these are times where I don’t really mind about the pay.

I thank the guys and gals in CICT who made my half-week experience memorable. Too bad I had to cut my trip short because of my pending projects in Manila. I do hope they invite me the next time around.

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Categories GJ's

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic: perfect daily-work Windows substitute

November 28, 2009 //
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Ubuntu’s latest free OS alternative brings its interface closer and closer to the masses, with increased compatibility, quicker boot-up times and a snazzier interface, while maintaining its speed and stability advantage over Microsoft’s flagship OSes.

Installation was a breeze, with configuration settings easy enough for my mom to install it on a new computer (of course dual booting is a different issue). It took longer than my Windows 7 installation to finish, but I can attribute that due to its small footprint (they still manage to fit it in a 700MB CD, after all).

background

Karmic’s wallpaper is nifty and gives the modern look, as well as the interface that looks more “shiny” than its predecessor. Subtle but thoughtful.

Just like previous Ubuntu distributions, it is designed to work right out of the box (most of the times, that is). It did not have any trouble recognizing any of my essential hardware (since I’m running a fairly new i7) and has had no problems unlike my Win7 installation that encountered several BSOD’s before I could get the updated drivers running.

info_bar

My favourite information bar is still around, tightly integrated with Ubuntu’s built-in programs to inform me of this and that. Speaking of programs, it comes with Firefox 3.5.4, which is unfortunate because by the time most people have gone to 9.10, Firefox 3.6 will arrive already.

firefox_menu

For office users whose offices have adapted to Microsoft’s 2007 XML standard (just like where I work), there is good news: Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice 3.1 which supports saving in the new formats. More reason for Ubuntu to invade offices.

openoffice_options

Empathy replaces Pidgin as Ubuntu’s default IM client, which seems like a disappointment because though Empahty has a simpler interface, they seemed to carry some functionality away with it, too (as a friend was exclaiming, “where are my smileys?!”)

empathy_IM_client

Ubuntu borrows a leaf from the book of Windows, the right-click Format command. This makes it easier for me to reformat virus-laden flash drives from Windows PC’s which I use Ubuntu a lot for. No more going to Gparted or something.

format_command

Also, finally, Ubuntu has given plug-and-play support to my DSLR, which does not use the traditional USB Mass Storage device like other consumer digicams. In the previous versions I had to port it through Picassa, which was painstakingly slow.

Nikon_camera_detected

If you have a capable video card (by the way, Ubuntu detects your NVIDIA video card and asks if you want to install proprietary drivers from the company’s website), you can install CompizFusion and take file and workspace management to new levels. Talk about user-friendliness. Ubuntu can handle the work no matter how intensive you have it.

snaps_10

workspaces_view

In a nutshell, Ubuntu 9.10 is a good contender for daily tasks (such as typing and email). It offers stability, speed and security without sacrificing functionality, and best of all, its free! I spend most of my days in my Ubuntu partition and only go back to Windows whenever I need to play games or do some serious video editing.

I can’t wait what the next version has got to offer.

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Categories Tech Reviews