As a follow-up to Macs are just computers, not magic and Macs are computers, not magic (part 2), I have to say based on recent events that people who say “There’s a reason 90% of home users use Windows” (and mean to imply it’s the quality of Windows instead of consumer inertia) or “Linux is… Continue reading Please stop pretending Windows “just works”
Tag: Linux
My top ten favorite Ubuntu Brainstorm usability ideas
Anyone who has read my threads on the Ubuntu Forums or my posts on this blog knows I think a lack of properly advertised and thoughtfully tested preinstalled Linux solutions from major manufacturers is the main barrier to the bulk of average folks switching from Windows to Linux. Dell recently releasing and semi-advertising the Ubuntu… Continue reading My top ten favorite Ubuntu Brainstorm usability ideas
Linux-for-the-masses narratives
I’m going to present you with several possible narratives that outline how Linux could be adopted by “the masses” in the future, if ever: Narrative 1 People continue to buy Windows-preinstalled computers but at one point the Linux developers are such geniuses that they are able to make a foolproof installation that detects and automatically… Continue reading Linux-for-the-masses narratives
Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on the Eee PC 701
I did it. I wiped Mandriva clean off my computer, backed up my important files, and installed Ubuntu 8.10 beta on my Eee PC, and so far the experience has been wonderful. There were a few bumps along the way, of course: The first time I copied the live CD contents to my bootable USB… Continue reading Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) on the Eee PC 701
What to do after a failed Windows-to-Linux migration
Did you read an article or blog post hyping up Linux as a cure for all computer problems? Did it give you the impression that Linux is for smart users and Windows is for suckers? Did you think Linux would do everything Windows did… but better? More importantly, after being misled by pro-Linux propaganda, were… Continue reading What to do after a failed Windows-to-Linux migration
The varying degrees of rich
I grew up in one of the wealthiest towns in its state. If you told people you were from my town, they’d call you a “Richie.” Nevertheless, many people in my town identified themselves as “middle-class” or “upper-middle-class” instead of as “upper-class” or “rich.” There were many people in my high school who, when applying… Continue reading The varying degrees of rich
Dell Inspiron Mini Pricing “Scandal”
Linux users love to be outraged. Ever since Dell started selling certain models with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled, Linux users on forums and blogs have been complaining that Dell hasn’t been doing Linux justice. Why did they pick Ubuntu instead of another distro? Why is Ubuntu available in that country and not my country? Why is… Continue reading Dell Inspiron Mini Pricing “Scandal”
Photorec saves the day again
Every now and then my friends seem to accidentally have their files deleted. You can read here about last year’s incident. This year, another friend, who keeps her photos on one laptop with no backups had some folders mysteriously go empty. I had no idea how they got deleted, but I assured her we could… Continue reading Photorec saves the day again
Installing Adobe Flash 10 Beta in Ubuntu
Some people have found the new version of Adobe’s Flash player to offer greater stability (fewer crashes) in the Ubuntu version of Firefox. Others just like to try cutting edge software. Either way, this is how you install Flash 10 beta in Ubuntu. Probably the easiest way to do it is to download the .deb… Continue reading Installing Adobe Flash 10 Beta in Ubuntu
Make a “browse as root” launcher in Ubuntu
Like Mac OS X, Ubuntu includes by default a privilege escalation system that invokes sudo, which allows certain users (in the admin group) to operate as limited-privileged users for almost all tasks and to temporarily escalate (after a password authentication) to administrative privileges for specific tasks. For more details about sudo, check out the Ubuntu… Continue reading Make a “browse as root” launcher in Ubuntu