Technology and You - Software

Firefox 3 on Windows

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:13:23 +0200

Its no big secret that I have been a big fan of Firefox. I have been using Firefox 3.0 beta 5 ever since it got included as the default browser with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron). Needless to say, I was quite impressed with the new avatar. Ars has a great series of articles that cover the new features introduced in Firefox betas. However, the Linux interface had not changed much from Firefox 2.0.

Today, I was forced into trying the beta in Windows (yes, it's been that long since I've had to use a Windows maching on a regular basis). On one side, I'm disappointed by why a major interface overhaul was not included in the Linux release. On the other hand, I'm practically smiling with joy looking at the pure aesthetics of this release in Windows. The Forward/Backward button integration, the enhanced address bar, the default navigation buttons, the screen preview of text/graphics selected and dragged - wow! (Read this article for a summary of the changes)

The browser is said to be using significantly lower memory than previously releases, and is really fast. And the browser has not crashed on me even once (though, I have to admit, I have not exactly stress tested it yet).

You can download the beta here. As always, the normal warning of beta releases apply - don't use it for anything critical (like share trading, bank transactions, etc.), and don't blame me if anything goes wrong.

Professional Slideshows at the Click of a Button (well, a few at most)

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:28:46 +0100

I recently learnt about the Ken Burns effect and wanted to use it in a slideshow I had to make. The Ken Burns effect is a mixture of pan and zoom effects to create a really professional slideshow. During my extensive search for a tool I looked at open source alternatives (such as the dvd-slideshow tool for Linux) and proprietary software (Microsoft Movie Maker which comes bundled with Windows XP is surprisingly useful), I finally landed on the page for Microsoft Photo Story 3.

This tool is exactly what I was looking for. You customize start and end points in a photo, customize motion, add speech, audio, notes, and you're off. You can export your slideshow in a variety of resolutions (unfortunately, only in the windows media video format).

I believe in giving credit where it is due. This is the second Microsoft software after Microsoft Excel that I appreciate. The next time you want to create a slideshow, give Microsoft Photo Story 3 a run.

Should Youbuntu?

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:01:52 +0100

As a follow up to my post on Ubuntu, I'd like neo Linux-enthusiasts to read this wonderful article (titled - Linux is Not Windows) I found through StumbleUpon. The article describes the hardships that Windows users feel while transferring to Linux. Here's an extract:

You'd be amazed how many people complain that Linux is not exactly like Windows. They come to Linux, expecting to find essentially a free, open-source version of Windows. Quite often, this is what they've been told to expect by over-zealous Linux users. However, it's a paradoxical hope.

If you really just want Windows without the malware and security issues: Read up on good security practices; install a good firewall, malware-detector, and anti-virus; replace IE with a more secure browser; and keep yourself up-to-date with security updates. There are people out there who've used Windows since 3.1 days right through to XP without ever being infected with a virus or malware: you can do it too. Don't get Linux: It will fail miserably at being what you want it to be.

If you really want the security and performance of a Unix-based OS but with a customer-focussed attitude and an world-renowned interface: Buy an Apple Mac. OS X is great. But don't get Linux: It will not do what you want it to do.

If you want an OS that doesn't chauffeur you around, but hands you the keys, puts you in the driver's seat, and expects you to know what to do: Get Linux. You'll have to devote some time to learning how to use it, but once you've done so, you'll have an OS that you can make sit up and dance.

I couldn't have summarized it better. If you do decide to stay with Windows, read my previous post on securing Windows.

Goodbye Windows - Hello Ubuntu

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:41:05 +0100

There - I did it. I have totally shifted to Ubuntu. It's a breath of fresh air, and it has breathed new life into my old laptop (an HP Compaq nc6230). The latest release, Gutsy Gibbon is not exactly for the feint of heart, but with the right kind of browsing through the Ubuntu Forums, you'll get everything working. Well, it took me a sabbatical and a break from blogging - but I think it was worth it.

And if you think, graphics on the Vista are cool - check this video out - you are bound to be impressed (yes, the cube and the dock work on my laptop).

About the best thing of Ubuntu are its repositories. With a click of a few buttons (just click on 'Add/Remove' in the applications menu), you have access to programs that:

Convert metres to feet (ConvertAll)
Synchronizes your music collection with your iPod (RhythmBox, Amarok, Banshee)
Burn CDs/DVDs (GnomeBaker, Brasero)
Edits images as well as Photoshop (the Gimp)
Take notes - Wiki style (Tomboy)
Read comics off the Internet (Comix, Buoh)
Edit documents (OOO, Abiword), make presentations, create databases, and work on spreadsheets (all OOO)

And all are free!

Of course, popular applications seen on Windows like Firefox, VLC Media Player, BitTornado and Google Picasa work too.

Take a day off, install Ubuntu, and let me know of your experience by leaving a comment below.

You can download Ubuntu using normal download or a torrent (intel computers). You can even request for a FREE installation CD to be sent to your house by clicking here.

PS> This post has been written in 100% Ubuntu :)

Give Ubuntu a Test Drive

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:17:28 +0200

My first attempt at Linux was 5 years back when I had given it up with a 'too difficult to handle' tag. Just installing the operating system was a big event in itself with tons of caveats and configuration changes. The release of Ubuntu made things a lot better, but still, I wanted a safe and easy way to experiment without making any significant changes to my PC configuration.

I read about Wubi - a program for installing Linux on a virtual drive in a Windows computer and allowing it to be loaded at boot time. I craved for more ease. My efforts led to VirtualBox - a virtualization software that can install and run Ubuntu in a window within Windows XP. Virtualization is a method of creating a virtual computer for an operating system that makes the operating system believe that it is working in a computer of its own, whereas it is actually working in an environment created by another operating system. You can do whatever you want to inside the environment without affecting the main operating system. To see the results, click on the screenshot.

Here's a step-by-step of getting your own Ubuntu system up and running:

Download and install VirtualBox from here (choose the Windows x86 binary if you are running an Intel based PC)
Download an Ubuntu ISO (I would suggest the Desktop version) from this page (it will be ~700 MB in size)
Run VirtualBox, click on the New Virtual Maching button and give it a name (I chose Feisty after Ubuntu's current release codenamed Feisty Fawn), select the type as Linux 2.6
On the next screen choose how much RAM to offer to Ubuntu (I chose 256 MB on my 512 MB RAM laptop, and it worked wonders - Ubunty was quite breezy :)

In the next screen, click on 'New' to create a virtual hard disk for Ubuntu to use

You can create one that is 'Dynamically increasing in size' in the screen that follows

I chose to make the drive 6GB in size - this left a good 4 GB for me to experiment in

Back in the Virtual Machine screen, 'Finish' to create the drive
Your drive should appear in the main VirtualBox screen
Next, click on the settings button, and then select the 'CD/DVD-ROM' tab
Check the 'Mount' checkbox, select the 'ISO image file' radio button, and navigate to the Ubuntu ISO you downloaded
That's it, click on OK, and double click on 'Fiesty' to start Ubuntu's installation.

You'll go straight to the Ubuntu Live desktop. Click on 'Install' and just follow the instructions. When asked for hard disk options, let Ubuntu take the entire virtual hard disk you created. The installation will take some 20 minutes - so you can grab a cup of coffee in the meantime (or play Jetman!).

Once the installation completes, do remember to unmount the Ubuntu CD-ROM ISO so that 'Fiesty' goes to the installed OS and not the live OS the next time you start the virtual machine.

Wasn't that easy? I hope to open a world of Linux applications with this soon. Let me know if there is any particular application that you want me to cover by leaving a comment below. Also, do let me know if you run into a problem installing Ubuntu.

Optimus Maximus - A Keyboard on Steroids

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 14:20:03 +0200

Sometime back, I mentioned how using the keyboard (as opposed to the mouse) dramatically increases the speed of interaction with a computer. Well, the biggest drawback to using the keybaord is the lack of visual cues. A computer screen gives visual cues to what clicking an icon or button does (for example, clicking on the desktop icon in the Quick Launch toolbar will show the desktop, and clicking on the B button in the Word toolbar will bold selected text). That the same actions can be done easily and much faster with the keyboard (Win-key + D and Ctrl-B, respectively), are less known facts.

Well times are a-changing, and so are keybaords. The Art. Lebedev Studio in Russia obviously identified this shortcoming and came up with a (very effective) solution shown below. The Optimus Maximus has LCD screens under each key. The key displays change with keypresses and software events. You press Ctrl on the keypad, and the key displays change to show the options available to you.

One place I immediately see the advantage - games. I could never remember what all the buttons in a game such as Quake III, Half-Life, CounterStrike and the FIFA football series stand for. The keyboard can be configured according to any game and the displays change to help you change weapons, view your surroundings, move slowly and crouch.

Another area is graphic design and CAD, although I have yet to come across a graphic designer worth anything who does not know his/her keyboard shortcuts like the back of his hand.

Of course, the yet-to-be-released keyboard comes at a good price. It is currently slated for release in March 2008 at a price of more than USD 1500 - Ouch! Till the prices come down, I'm better off with a printout of this.

See a demo here. Read more here.

The Power of Open Support - Facebook

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:26:38 +0200

Let's face it - Orkut is slowly becoming passe. I took one look at Facebook and I admit, I'm hooked. Not because of the visual interface (frankly, Orkut's light blue color and link arrangement is better). Nor by the ease of use (both are pretty much the same). Not even by the wall-to-wall feature (takes the fun of piecing information together away).

But by the applications or widgets that you, me or anybody can make and add to our profile. I show the cities and places I have visited (log in to Facebook before clicking), send free gifts (digital, of course), show-off the books I have read, display a new LOLcat everyday (you don't know what a LOLcat is? Shame) and invite people to play games. I even proudly display a reason for which I will drink today :)

The difference - Facebook took the meaning of Web 2.0 different from Orkut. It's not only about letting the community interact with each other, it's about letting the community define the whole platform. Facebook's base site is painfully featureless (even fewer features than Orkut). However, giving programmers the tools and APIs to interact with the base database opened a world of innovation far beyond what even the maker could have imagined.

Are you on Facebook yet? If you are, do not, repeat do not install Jetman. Now that I've warned you, do not blame me later. If you still go ahead and do it, do let me know your Jetman score :)

The Open-Source Revolution (Open-source as in Free!)

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:03:19 +0200

I am always on the look out for open-source (as in free!) and freeware alternatives to paid applications. I found this list of open-source/freeware applications through Digg.

It seems like there is no paid application out there that is not under threat from open-source applications. From the mighty Windows (Ubuntu gets more popular by the minute) to Adobe Photoshop (you should really try GIMP) to Internet Explorer (switch to FireFox already - you won't regret it). You can get rid of all the Windows Media Player codec problems by using VLC Media Player or the Democracy player, and uninstall Winzip with its countdown because 7-zip does a much better job, and supports more formats (including rar). Even the basic version of Trillian incorporates more (useful) features than Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk combined (well - the emoticons could do with some redesigning). You could also try Pidgin (earlier GAIM). IrfanView is great for basic image operations and NotePad++ and Crimson Editor are good replacements for the basic Notepad.

The only place where I exercise caution is a replacement for Microsoft Office, and more specifically Microsoft Excel. I believe that the Microsoft Excel team has really made an outstanding product that I have no qualms in paying for. Don't get me wrong, OpenOffice.org's suite of products is a good replacement, but for official work, I'll stick with Excel. For the SOHO user, OpenOffice.org is a good alternative.

Unfortunately, most companies insist on using paid products citing them as 'industry-standard', even when good (sometimes better) alternatives exist. This paradigm needs to change. A good place to start searching is SourceForge. This site hosts open-source software. You can find solutions for calendars, e-mail, PIMs, graphics, and system utilities and lots more.

I am sure that I have not covered all the great open-source applications out there. What are your favorite open-source alternatives? Leave a comment...

Update: Amit's comment below reminded me of another solution. To remove dependency on Adobe Acrobat, try a combination of PDFcreator and PDFfiller. Create PDF files from any application using PDFCreator and add text directly to them using the PDFfiller online application.

The Online Answer to File Conversions

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 01:47:19 +0200

Ever been in any of the following situations:

You download a rar file but do not have Winrar installed
You finally find that elusive song but it is only available in Real Media, while you really hate Real Player
The movie you have refuses to play, and Windows Media Player says you do not have the required codecs
You desperately want to convert a Word document to a PDF, but do not have a converter

Everyone's been there. The solution - http://media-convert.com/. The one-stop-shop - and it's all online - so you do not need to download or install anything.

Note: The site got digged (read more about the Digg Effect here) today (October 7, 2006 - Happy Birthday Bro). So, it might not work for a couple of days. Definitely a site you would want to keep in your bookmarks for a long time though.

Easy Steps to Windows Security

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 00:29:10 +0200

I have seen so many spyware/malware/virus infested PC's that its finally time that I let the cat out of the bag. There are two steps you can take to ensure that your PC remains healthy and fast.

The first, of course, is to stay away from untrusted sites and NOT to open email attachments unless you're sure who they're from. No one is going to give you even a single dollar (let alone thousands) for free - so don't believe that mail. Similarly, do not download and install any program until you read its review on a trusted site such as Download.com (which gaurantees all downloads are spyware free).<

The second (drum roll please - big secret being unvieled) is to use a limited account in Windows XP or 2000 for casual surfing, gaming, document processing etc. Any program executed from a limited account cannot affect your Windows or Program Files directory. So the chances of an infection while you surf get reduced drastically. To create a limited account, go to the Control Panel and click on 'User Accounts'. Select 'Create a New Account' from the tasks list, enter the name of your new account (something like 'Everybody' or 'General' or 'Limited' will do), and select the 'Limited' radio button on the next screen. Click on 'Create Account' and you're done. Remember to logon using this account from now on.

To install a new program, to change settings, or to run a program with administrator priveliges, right click the installation/program and select 'Rus As..' from the context menu. Select your full priveliges profile (usually the one you create with your name during installation) in the dialog box that appears and enter your password (remember that this will not work if your password is blank). To start an Explorer window with administrator priveliges, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon on your quick launch menu, select 'Run As..', and enter the password. Activate the address bar of the window that launches and enter 'c:'. You should have an administrator priveliges explorer window. Any program executed through this window will run with full priveliges - so be careful. You can even uninstall programs, make changes to the registry, stop services - anything that you could do earlier.

There, now you have no reason to have a slow and buggy computer. I have been using a computer without an antivirus or spyware remover (highly unadvisable - unless you know what you are doing) without having any problems whatsoever just by following these simple steps.

Nano Nano - The Space Age iPod Nano - And iPodLinux

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 01:42:41 +0200

Mork would really be impressed with the iPod Nano - it doesn't look earthly. Trust me, I have one. I was introduced to my new iPod Nano this last Friday. Apart from office time (where I am not allowed to take my beloved), I have spent considerable time with it. Enough has been said in praise of the iPod family, and of the Nano, so I'll refrain from that. My only disappointment is in that the Nano does not have any charging interface apart from a USB port. That means I'll have to find a computer/laptop wherever I go. I guess I'll resort to carrying my Creative Nomad MuVo² during journeys - that comes with a wall adapter/charger, and the battery is a replaceable-rechargeable Lithium-ion (unlike the iPod that has a built-in battery).

Most of us already know a lot about MP3 players, in general, and the iPod in particular. But few know about iPodlinux. iPodLinux is an open source initiative to make Linux run on an iPod. And it promises some magic. Would you believe that it lets you play videos on a non-video supporting iPods (including the Nano, Mini, 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G iPods)? Well, to be honest, it currently only supports uncompressed videos (which can be HUGE!), but then they're working on enabling compressed video too. The Apple iPod interface is replaced with a new GUI named podzilla. There's even a boot loader that lets you choose between iPodLinux and the native Apple interface. The project promises to support a wider variety of formats, some more games, and most importantly, themes for the iPod.

And just in case you were wondering whether installing the software is legal, the site helpfully informs readers that they have confirmed from Apple that the iPod's warranty is a hardware warranty - and Apple will renew the iPod back to working condition. The site also goes on to provide elaborate instructions for reviving your iPod even when things go horribly wrong.

Gliffy - The Online Answer to PowerPoint

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:12:28 +0200

In yesterday's post I wrote about applications, including presentation making software, going online. I expected that one would be available. Coincidentally, I ran into Gliffy today.

Gliffy is your run-of-the-mill presentation creator. What immediately caught me was the familiarity and ease of use. All major shapes, options, tools offered by MS PowerPoint, MS Visio are available, and there is a promise to add more. You can shade objects, drop shadows, copy-paste, rotate, you can even use connectors. As with other online applications, you can share a file and many users can edit a file in collaboration. You can also directly link/include the final image in a blog or export as SVG, JPG or PNG. I'm sold.

Now, if only they also manage to export as PPT or VSD.

The picture below should explain everything (click to enlarge):

Microsoft Office 2007 - Test Drive - A Shape of Things to Come

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 00:05:20 +0200

Microsoft today released an online trial of Microsoft Office 2007. You can install a browser plugin and try your hand at using Office 2007 without downloading a hefty beta - all from within Internet Explorer.

Office has traditionally been a Microsoft product that everybody appreciates. I mean, there are many alternatives to Office (including the now famous OpenOffice), and most are free, but everybody uses Office. Heck, there are emulators for Linux and MacOS just for running Office. Critique for Office's features is rare (or very hard to come by). One reason is that the team responsible for Office is quite different from the team behind Windows and Internet Explorer.

Getting back to the topic at hand - the online test drive is a glimpse into the future of productivity software, such as office suites. Like many other applications, productivity applications including document editing, spreadsheets, presentations will all shift into an online model. This is what Google is trying to implement with the acquiring of Writely, and the launch of Google Spreadsheets. There are various advantages:

The server is always on and usually is more reliable than desktops
Updates can easily be implemented, usually transparent to the user
Backups can automatically be done so that losing a terminal will not result in loss of data

The biggest disadvantage, of course, is security and confidentiality. No organization would want to entrust their crucial business data in the hands of aggregators of information that can profit from it.

Which is why enterprise network applications are inevitable. Let me explain - applications will be similar to the online applications that we see currently (i.e., they will run in browsers). However, the applications will be deployed from inhouse servers, instead of a WWW server. No data leaves the office network, while all the advantages of an online application remain. This could also lead to a significant reduction in cost as compared to individual licenses that are currently given for each user in an organization.

Try out the Office 2007 online test drive. The final product seems to be quite an improvement with respect to the user interface (easy to reach what you want to). But beware - currently there's a 45 minute waiting time.

Google Spreadsheets Showdown

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 02:25:41 +0200

It's still early days for a review for the Google Spreadsheet - Google's latest offering, but then again here's my showdown. The timing for this software-as-service could not be better. With so much of hype surrounding Microsoft Office 2007, people will definitely consider this as a free alternative to the arguably expensive Microsoft offering. Plus, the Spreadsheet fits right into Google's growing portfolio of online replacements to traditionally offline software. That said, there is quite some work to do before Spreadsheets can have a widespread appeal.

Pros:

The interface seems very familiar and intuitive. In fact most of it is a direct import from Microsoft Excel. It will be very easy for the average user to adapt.
Most (if not all) functions are supported. I was pleasantly surprised to see Vlookup working right out of the box. Data can be sorted and relative references work as well.
Most (if not all) keyword shortcuts work as well. Your familiar F2 (edit), Ctrl-C (copy), Ctrl-X (cut), Ctrl-V (paste), Ctrl-Arrow key (next empty/filled cell), etc. are already implemented. Remember, a keyboard is way faster then a mouse.
You can import and export spreadsheets in XLS (Microsoft Excel default), and CSV (Comma Separated Values). You can also export to HTML.
Files are saved online and can even be shared. Heck, you can also chat with a friend as you both update your spreadsheet (though I can't think of a possible use for this).
Multiple sheets are supported, and surprise, surprise, you can refer to cells across worksheets, just like in Excel.

Cons:

It's just another Google AJAX application (ho-hum).
There are somethings that are better left as they are. The formula bar is conspicuously absent. It is replaced with a small formula corner at the bottom right of the browser window. The corner is not sufficient to display long formulae. It should ideally be placed right next to the spreadsheet name at the top (backward compatibility please!)
WE WANT MACROS! Working on a spreadsheet just isn't the same without them.
The help mentions that you can anchor cells($) in formulae with F4 (as in Excel), but it does not seem to work as yet.
I would really appreciate formulae tooltips. The tooltips in Excel really help me figure out the syntax for most formulae. Anyone who has used Vlookup would know how I feel.
Any home user could *easily* surpass a 101x20 spreadsheet. I hope they increase the limit soon.
(Not that I'm really missing this but...) You can't merge cells vertically.

For obvious privacy concerns, people working in companies would not (and should not) use Google Spreadsheets. However, this free alternative should prove as a boon for people not dealing with confidential data - students, home users, small business, even the local retailer. The impact of the tool to Microsoft Office's revenues will make an interesting market estimation study.

Back to the Basics - Super Mario 64

nospam@example.com (Rohan Dayal) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 22:36:46 +0200

In case you were wondering where I had disappeared off to, here's the answer: Super Mario 64! It started with a quest for finding more about the New Super Mario Bros. game. Before I knew it, I was hooked.

The Super Mario Brothers legacy started in 1983 with the release of Mario Brothers - an arcade game from Nintendo. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto - the man behind many of Nintendo's legendary video games. In 1985, the cult status was established with the release of Super Mario Bros., a side scrolling, first person action game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This game holds the Guinness record for the best-selling video game of all time. Most of you would have grown up with Mario (I for one have spent a small fortune playing it at neighborhood arcades). For the rest - if you still don't believe the cult status - check out the Mario Wiki which has 1072 articles written by Mario enthusiasts detailing every game in which Mario has featured (including guest appearances), every character, every place, etc. etc.

I have never been good at playing games that require more than three buttons (apart from the joystick, of course). This is pretty much why I had shunned gaming for quite some time. All of today's popular games - FIFA, NBA, Counter Strike, Quake III being good examples - require a complicated controller/keyboard configuration to play.

Super Mario 64 took me back to the good old days. It takes the Super Mario Bros. game play and gives you all you were really missing in the original. The world is 3D now - giving Mario a plethora of new moves - triple jumps, long jumps, slide attacks. Mario can also fly in 3D. Along with your old enemies - goombas, koopa troopas, piranha plants, bowser - there are tons of new ones. The levels are much more exciting. Last but not least - the graphics are fantabulous (screenshots follow).

Ever wondered what jumping into the green pipes in Super Mario Bros. felt like? You can actually see Mario fall into one in Super Mario 64.

Get your hands on it today. But be careful - Its very very addictive! Check out the screen shots below (click to enlarge):

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