Episode #164
I have a friend that uses ubuntu and I was wondering if anyone has used it.I have windows VISTA Crap home edition and hate it.
Bill, Sarnia, ON
Sean’s note: Ubuntu is a perfectly fine operating system these days — it’s come a long way since the early days of Linux, where you really had to be a computer mechanic in order to install any new piece of software — now, the package managers that are included with Linux variants will automatically figure out what you need in order to run a particular piece of software, and guide you through the process. True, you can still end up in a situation where you do something that kills off your ability to run a graphic user interface, but when that happens you can often fix the problem yourself if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves. True, it’s not the kind of operating system you’d use if you were scared of computers. True, it’s not the operating system you’d want if you want to play PC games. But for a growing number of users, Ubuntu is not only a perfectly usable operating system for day-to-day use, but it’s also got a lot going on under the hood for users who want to learn more about the computers that run a good percentage of web servers and mail servers and other online machines.
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Air Date: March 19, 2008
TranscriptCaller Questions
- Angelo, Toronto, ON
- Bill, Sarnia, ON
- Kelvin, Benalla, VIC
Yewell's Jewels
- VirtuaWinwindows
VirtuaWin is an application for the Windows user community that misses the wonderful virtual desktop functionality often used on Unix systems. It is simple, powerful and highly configurable.
Sean's Shinies
- Headplay Personal Cinema System
$499
Personal multimedia viewers are starting to become the “it” thing — now everyone is strapping on electronic eyewear, and the Headplay Personal Cinema System is one of the variants. With the Headplay unit, the eyepieces are tucked under the brim of a golf-style vison, and each eye can be adjusted to match the distance between your eyes, and your ability to focus (you have to wear these without your glasses). It can accept input from a few different sources, including VGA, S-Video, or from a USB drive or memory card. There’s a version with a built in battery for an extra $50 but if you’re planning to always be near a power outlet you can get by with the $499 model. The downside is the adjustable visor looks a bit dorky and it may shift on your head and mis-align the eyepieces. But when everything is aligned, the image quality is good —in fact, you could very easily use the Headplay as a viable (and private!) monitor for your computer.Shiny
- display quality good
- adjustable eyepieces
- connects to variety of sources
- can be used as secondary PC display
Dull
- bulky processor unit
- difficult to keep aligned
- looks silly
- pricyPersonal Cinema System
Headplay
Kate’s Tips
- copyblogger.com
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