Off-Hook

Well, with BKW’s help, Ubuntu is not just up and runnin’ on my admin machine, it’s thriving. Took forever to get vnc to work the way I wanted. Java took even longer, but in the end, I’ve learned that newer Linux distros do NOT play well with older Java releases. VNC updates and installation ended up being a repositories issue. Apt-Get is AWESOME! Unfortunately, Ubuntu simply does not have the large, diverse repositories that its mother, Debian does. Solution: Update Ubuntu repositories to include Debian sources.

Another tip to the wise– Just use the latest version of Java. If the applications you use are designed specifically for older versions of Java, use a different application. Developers of Java-based apps should know that keeping up with the latest releases of JRE is the price you pay for developing software on it.

Anyways… Christmas has come and gone. Our Lord still reigns as the central meaning of Christmas. Hope yours was as happy as mine was! I got enough to get a couple more components for my home-built (mobo and power supply). Kid made out like a BANDIT! Lots to be thankful for.

So I’ve seen the extended edition now, and it is EXCELLENT!

And now… the easter egg.

The easter egg is an “interview” of sorts, but it is NOT an exclusive interview with Elijah Wood at the Berlin premier as we have been lead to believe by TheOneRing.net. I won’t spoil it for everyone by telling you how to find it. If you found it in the last 2 movies, you’ll find it in this one, too.

The “interview” is a mock interview with Peter Jackson (director of LOTR) by Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughan for the last MTV Music Awards, continuing the saga of MTV Music Awards LOTR skits. It’s pretty funny, actually, poking fun at Hollywood PR and hype (though it’s a bit long and tedious… I’ve seen funnier). You’ll have to see it for yourself for more info. That’s as much of a spoiler as you’ll get from me.

Go buy it. It’s worth it. Cost me a little over $25 at Wal-Mart, but worth much more than that. All the scenes mentioned earlier are here. Fans of the books will not be disappointed. The “Scouring of the Shire” is still not included, but who wants to watch a 6-hour movie? The screenwriting feels much more complete thanks to the extra footage. If you came away from the theatre with questions, you’ll get most of your answers. ‘Nuff said.

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?

How coincidental that I would score “Gandalf.” I just bought The Return of the King Extended Edition (at long last) and so far (I’ve only watched half), It’s all that has been promised and more! I’m VERY pleased with what I’ve seen already and HIGHLY recommend it for the Tolkien-lover in you!

I haven’t yet checked out the easter egg– I’ll probably do that after watching the entire movie.

Some others that are just out waiting for me to buy include I, Robot with Will Smith and The Bourne Supremacy with Matt Damon and Karl Urban (Urban was Eomer in the LOTR trilogy).

Well, Since I last posted (which has been quite a while now), I have addressed SEVERAL issues with the LSMS I keep going on about (the database that has become my ENTIRE job), seen my daughter’s school Christmas presentation (nobody puts on a show like kindegartners!), put my wife in the hospital (at least for a night), and, through experimentation with Linux Live CDs (like the ones mentioned in my last post), had a complete change of heart concerning my favorite Linux distro.

The new distro (new to me, anyways) is called Ubuntu. The live cd has proved to be VERY stable and intuitive. Clean installation won’t be as easy as with the Fedora or Mandrake, but the features you get, such as the advanced apt-get software and very user-friendly gnome desktop environment, plus the inclusion of Firefox and Evolution as default applications… Well, what can I say? This is one awesome distro! Based on Debian, it can boast not only superior stability, but incredible hardware compatibility. The livecd has worked on everything I’ve dropped it in so far. I can’t say that for Basilisk (the fedora live cd) or Mandrake Move.

Gnoppix is and EXCELLENT feature-packed live cd now based on Ubuntu “warty”. This one has pretty much the same look and feel of the Ubuntu live cd (and why shouldn’t it, both are based on “Morphix” live cd templates), but Gnoppix adds some flash and media apps. This live cd is what turned me on to Ubuntu in the first place.

So maybe you’re wondering, “What does ‘ubuntu’ mean, exactly?” Well, the site says it’s an ancient african word meaning “humanity to others.”

From the Ubuntu homepage–

“The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.”

“These freedoms make Ubuntu fundamentally different from traditional proprietary software: not only are the tools you need available free of charge, you have the right to modify your software until it works the way you want it to.”

Anyways– I’ll soon be replacing my permanent Fedora link with one to Ubuntu. My buddy, BKR, should be extremely pleased to have converted me. He’s a Debian/Ubuntu evangelist and I must concede that he makes a POWERFUL argument. The live cds only help to prove his point. Consider me sold. Ubuntu rules!

If you’d like to see how Fedora Core 3 would look on YOUR computer, try a nice little Linux “live cd” called “basilisk” from Linux4All. Just download the iso (only 1 cd, of course) and burn it. Drop it in the cdrom and restart. Presto, You’re on Linux Fedora Core 3! What’s more– You can take basilisk anywhere and use Fedora Core 3 on almost any computer. Great for hardware testing.

There are a number of live cds out there. The most popular is probably Knoppix (this distro really WILL work on pretty much ANYTHING!). Only slightly less popular is MandrakeMove. Both of these live cds feature the kde desktop, a very nice gui environment for linux. I, however, prefer gnome 2.8 for fedora/red hat, so for me, basilisk 1.4 is perfect. I don’t mean to say gnome is better– In the big picture, perhaps kde is better, I’m not really qualified to say. It is a matter of personal taste and learning curve. For me, this latest gnome for fedora core 3 is simply more attractive.

So what’s so cool about a linux live cd? How about you can use all the linux apps, connect to the internet as usual, cruise around the gui and experiment all you want without actually INSTALLING a new operating system? If you usually boot windows, when you take the cd out and reboot, windows looks just the way you left it, and your computer is none the wiser about having been a linux box temporarily. It’s a wonderful, low-risk, highly educational and non-committal way to explore Linux. And if you’ve been following my comparison of Fedora and Mandrake, live cds are an easy way to compare for yourself without any commitment of your hardware whatsoever. Hey– Give it a shot. Mikey tried it, and he LIKES it!