(59th)Chrome on Linux

I read something promising from the Lifehacker Feed today. I've been waiting for quite awhile for this brilliant lightweight browser to appear on other operating systems than on windows. It would be really nice to e.g. write this post in Chrome instead of Firefox. Which is a great browser, but lacks one thing, the simplicity, like I've mentioned previously.
The reason for this post is just the thing, that Google has some sort of Open Source-ish reputation and still the work that they do in the first place is with Windows. Is that because they'd like to dig a hole beneath the slow feet of Internet Explorer and by that get a bigger piece of cake? Or is this the fact (like it seems to me) that most of he Google application development is done above windows anyway. What is Googles open source strategy? Do they even have one?
I have my doubts and opinions, of course. As far as I can understand, Google is a company, which main purpose is to make profit by creating solutions and innovations, I suppose that is the reason for the lack of Linux -support in their product catalogue. At least I sincerely hope so, since the other possibility is that they haven't even thought about it, and if so, it's not that magic and innovative company to play with. Might be that it still isn't, since the lack of openness.

(32nd) Simple Browsing

First of all. I'm not a windows -hater. Not that I'm a big fan of any of the operating systems at the moment. Or any software, as I see them, too. It seems that more powerful they get, more features are added. And the way the features are added really seems to suck. I don't know if anyone of the development circle in open or closed software side of the web can actually look outside the box they are coding. Nice features and plug-ins are added to the programs and OS:s, but then again they are not thought through.

For example the web browsers, who needs the title bar? I mean really, who? You can use the Google search -box to find the page you want. OK, some might need it, but why it has to be visible. Or the default encoding. After you've set it up, how often do you change it? Usually (if the web page is properly done) auto
-setting should work.
And any of that toolbar- stuff, in the other hand. From my point of view they could be thrown away from the screen. And be hidden in a cleverly designed pop-up that can be activated with secondary mouse button, for example.

Then there's this social web browser, Flock. It is neat and it stores the web 2.0 social blah blah in one place. Nice idea, but even more toolbars and whatsoever, check it yourself. It's not that bad, still.

All the settings you need to set for your browsing environment could be asked from you in the installation phase, while the files are unpacked and the registry is tweaked. That sort of a settings- file can be then stored locally before the first boot when it is read as an input to the executed program. When the program is shut down, it would store the settings in to the registry instead of the default file. At least in windows :D Hmmm. This makes me think twice about the security issues that were in my mind when writing this part down. Have to check it anyway, if I'm about to actually develop this sort of tweak.


Actually, I'll have to check if somebody has done it already.There's simply no point to re-create the wheel. Unless the pre-released wheel is a triangle ;)

BLING! (sound of the darn triangle, then)

But anyhow, I think the same approach can be taken in to any OS development, too. Windows is nowadays quite easy to use, but still, the start menu? And Vista sidebar? Sidebar looks neat but the gadgets suck. Really. At least the default ones. I suppose there's a bunch of really talented developers in Redmond (or in India;), but they are concentrating to more serious business than creating gadgets for the end-users. Who then develop them themselves. Which is ok, but the overall quality of the gadgets is poor.

And Linux, oh my god :D Ubuntu has been the only distribution ever to work at least when you help it out of the box. There's usually way too much to choose from, even though, the latest releases have been awesome. You can actually use this as an everyday computer, and you don't usually have to tweak anything. IF you own a computer that is commonly used and uses common hardware. And if it doesn't, you usually find your way through by reading forums and blogs. Unlike in windows, in linux-world the word is somewhat more free. But then, if you want to tweak it, you can do whatever you want, if you just have the abilities to do it. In the other hand the overall quality of the software made for linux is better than in windows, but the usability still sucks.

Mac (The apple stuff) has been pronounced as a highly sofisticated and user-friendly operating system. And I do agree. The native OSX -applications are highly usable, but still, there's the toolbar. And it seems to be always there. I just can't still see the point. :D

Overall, I think that the usability of different types of software has been studied carefully for years. Why do we still have to stick in to these old-fashioned toolbars and UI:s which seem to be designed to show how much different types of properties we can fit in to one application. As long the software works, you don't need to change the settings.

Talking about the usability, have you tried to write a SMS with cellular phone? Or make a call with the latest ones? This could go on and on... (and it will ;)

(31st) Ubuntustudio 8.04 beta and Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Li1703

Dirty thirst? Oh yes, I definitely need to fool around with words. Especially without a descent meaning.

And back to the lost point. I tried to get my lousy laptop (Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Li1703) display-drivers to work with Ubuntustudio 8.04 Beta on friday. And actually, I did, thanks to the marvellous amount of support pages across the web. So, here's the steps as I remember them (next time I'll blog at the same time):

1) Search for the help, Google with Amilo Li1703 ubuntu unichrome (VIA display drivers)
Don't remember ALL the links I tried, but managed to find this link:

• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/OpenChrome

2) Compile openchrome -drivers according to the found instructions.

3) Compile the 3d -effects to the desktop according to the found instructions.

4) TRY to use the compiz effects on the desktop. Setup works, but nothing happens or seem to happen on the display anyhow, which is weird. Actually, it is ok, since I'm anyhow using the laptop to mix my recordings or making music, not for swallowing eyecandy ;)

5) I'll have to keep on digging what's the actual problem for this. I actually do have now myself a working desktop, which is also kind of fast, since the 3D -glitter is somewhere else. Still, it would be nice to have it ;)


And to be honest, laptop itself is good, it's only the SW support that the HW needs that is missing. In Windos XP & Vista it sucks, so no wonder it's hard in Linux, too. :D Yeah right, I hope someone sees the ironic blink behind that sentence...


PS. As you could see, I swallowed my tasty pride and changed the title decoding. Just for someone who'd like to see something else than an ordering number and the amount of posts in my blog.