FF Mobile In Action

Today I’d like to tell you about Firefox Mobile on the N900, running in conjunction with the new Mozilla Weave web service. I’ve been testing them out on my handset for about a month now since the beta release of Fennec (the codename for Firefox Mobile). The N900 is the first device to get Firefox Mobile but it should also appear on Google Android phones in the near future. There is talk from Mozilla of an iPhone version too, but Apple are so draconian with 3rd party software I’m not sure that’ll happen. I just can’t see them allowing another browser on the iPhone to compete with Safari. (correction: According to Fab the iPhone has allowed some 3rd party browsers already, see link in comments) Anyway, here’s my thoughts upon testing Firefox Mobile for some time.

Facing The Critics:
It seems fashionable with some people to bash Firefox right now and use it as the butt of their jokes. I think many of them are too quick to forget the great work Mozilla have done for us in spreading Open Source software to the masses. Many users get their first exposure to the wonderful world of FOSS through the likes of OpenOffice.org and Firefox. Sure it’s not perfect, it has it’s bugs and it can be slow at times too. But I think the emergence of real competitors like Google Chrome has and will continue to improve Open Source browsers in general. I like Chromium but Firefox is still the browser of choice on my desktop. Weave is also an interesting prospect and I’ll talk more about that in a minute. I was curious to see if I would like this new compact Firefox quite as much as I like it’s big brother. Read the rest of this entry »

Nokia N900

It’s been a while since my last substantial review but I’m back with something a little different for you today. I’d like to talk about the Nokia N900 Linux-based phone I’ve been testing for the past 6 weeks. It’s the first Maemo powered device to feature phone functions. Does this move signal a new direction for Nokia? Nobody seems quite sure just yet, but the hardware and software are causing a lot of interest in the Linux community. Here’s my thoughts on the experience so far.

Vital Stats:

• Processor: ARM Cortex-A8 600mhz, PowerVR SGX graphics
• RAM: 256mb
• Storage: 32gb internal memory, 16gb MicroSD slot for expansion
• Camera: Carl Zeiss, Tessar 2.8/5.2, AF 5MP
• Operating System: Maemo 5 (based on Debian)
• Kernel: 2.6.28-omap1
• Connectivity: GRPS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA, Infra red, microUSB v2.0
• Other Features: FM Radio transmitter, GPS, TV-out

Introduction:

Back of Device

In the interests of full disclosure I should start off by pointing out a couple of quick things. Firstly this handset was sent to me for trial by Nokia, I didn’t buy it and it has to be returned at some point. I’ve had it 6 weeks at the time of this writing. Secondly I’m no phone expert. I haven’t used a lot of smartphones, so I can’t compare this directly to Android devices or others. I’ve only used them in passing. I do know a thing or two about Linux though and hopefully that will balance this out. Read the rest of this entry »

Default Mint Desktop

I’m a bit late with this review I know, but the distro releases have been so thick and fast lately I just couldn’t keep up. Today I’d like to talk to you about Linux Mint 8, AKA Helena. I’ve said this many times before, but the codenames still sound a little tacky to me. The distro itself is anything but tacky though and it’s been one of my firm favourites in the past. How would this release stack up? Well, I’ll tell you…

Vital Stats:
Distro base – Ubuntu (itself based on Debian)
Packaging – .deb (Managed by the mighty Apt)
Linux Kernel – 2.6.31-14-generic
Default Desktop – Gnome 2.28

Installation:

Setting Time Zone

I began by downloading the standard Linux Mint 8 install CD, foregoing the Universal version. For those interested in the differences between the two, the Universal version is actually a much larger download and contains support for a lot more languages. I suppose the name should have made that obvious really, but I always thought there must be more technical differences. Firing up the LiveCD worked like a treat as expected and I was soon loading into a live session, from which I could install the new system. The look of Mint is always very nice and they seem to take a lot of time over the desktop themes, wallpapers and so on. This release is no exception in that department and it looks beautiful. Clicking the install shortcut located on the desktop I wasted no time in getting into business. If you’re new to Linux or just the whole LiveCD model in general, don’t be fooled by the slowness of a live session. This usually bears no real reflection on how the final install will perform on your hardware. It’s just that constantly loading data from a CD is much slower than a hard drive, so don’t panic. Read the rest of this entry »

The Default Desktop

Today I’d like to talk about my experiences with Fedora 12 over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been running it as my main desktop and really getting a feel for how it ticks. Fedora is the community release from corporate Linux giants Red Hat. I’ve used it on and off since its inception back in the early 2000′s, it’s fair to say there have been big highs and lows in that time. I considered Fedora 11 a definite high though, and I was interested to see how this release would stack up.

Vital Stats:
Distro Base – Red Hat
Packaging – RPM (Managed by YUM)
Kernel – 2.6.31.6-162.fc12.i686
Default Desktop – Gnome 2.28 (KDE4.3 LiveCD Also Available)

Installation:

Plymouth Bootloader

I began by downloading the standard Gnome LiveCD. I noticed they were heavily promoting the KDE4 version at the Fedora stand during Linux Tag in Berlin, but the Gnome edition still seems the most established to me. I booted it up and was greeted by the rather funky looking Plymouth bootloader. Plymouth is a Red Hat/Fedora development, it’s been in use for a couple of previous Fedora releases and it’s quickly becoming dominant in the Linux bootloader world; even Ubuntu recently announced they will use it in their next release, despite initial resistance. For some reason the live session was a very slow to boot, taking about 10 minutes in total and I have no idea why. Booting from a CD is always slower than a hard drive of course, but not usually by this much. Once the desktop was loaded it was quick and responsive, so I thought no more of it. The stock Red Hat installer – known as Anaconda – is very polished, it’s been refined over many years. It takes you through all the usual steps you’d expect, choosing keyboard layout, language and time zone; before moving to setting up disk partitions. I always choose to configure my disk partitions manually with any distro. I keep my home folder with all files and settings on its own /home parition you see. I use about 12gb for the system root (/) and another 4gb as swap space. This allows me to hop between distros quite happily without losing data. I back it up to external drives as well though of course, I can’t emphasize the importance of that enough. There’s no such thing as too many backups, so be warned. Read the rest of this entry »

There’ve been a lot of big releases in the Linux distro world lately, and none bigger than OpenSUSE 11.2, the latest offering from Novell. Novell can be a controversial company in some parts of the FOSS community, but whatever your personal view you can’t deny they’re also contributing to progress in many ways. They employ a lot of important Linux kernel developers for one example. The last time I did a really in-depth review of OpenSUSE was 2 years ago with 10.2, though I did do a quick review of version 11 last year for Linux Planet. I decided it was high time to take a took at look at how things are developing in the SUSE world. So here’s how I got on.

I also talked about OpenSUSE 11.2 on episode 123 of the Linux Outlaws podcast.

Vital Stats:
Distro base – None (Slackware if you got back to 1994. See the discussion on this in the comments)
Packaging – .rpm (Managed by Zypper)
Linux Kernel – 2.6.31.5-0.1-desktop
Default Desktop – Gnome 2.28 or KDE 4.3

Installation:

LiveCD Boot Menu

I began by downloading the OpenSUSE 11.2 install DVD, which contains both the latest Gnome and KDE desktops, along with a raft of other packages. Most of the major distributions focus on live CDs rather than DVDs still and I’m not really sure why. I realise some parts of the world aren’t blessed with the download bandwidth and cheap DVD writers we have here in the UK, but I like the SUSE approach of offering you everything on one disc and then supplementing it with live CDs. The likes of Ubuntu seem to be struggling to fit everything into a CD image these days anyway, and I wonder how long it will be before they’re forced to follow suit. The DVD image downloading in lightening quick time from Mirrorservice.org and I got to work. This DVD doesn’t offer the option of a live session which I find puzzling. I realise they have the live CDs for this, but it would seem sensible to offer a live session on the DVD as well to me. A choice of Gnome or KDE desktop is one of the first things you see on the installer. I chose Gnome initially but would have liked to install both, there wasn’t an obvious option for that. I figured I’d move to KDE later and try that out too. I found the disc partitioning tool worked well but didn’t have the most intuitive UI I’ve ever used. It took a bit of trial and error to get things how I wanted them. You have to right-click on a partition to edit its properties, but this isn’t immediately obvious. The ability to import an existing partitioning scheme from the drive is a really handy feature though. I keep a separate /home partition and it detected the appropriate mount points automatically, even which partitions to reformat. I was highly impressed by that. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I’d like to take a look at a newly released distribution, Mandriva 2010. In the past I’ve found it to be a well accomplished and easy to use desktop distro, even if the last release wasn’t quite as stellar as I’d hoped. How would this version stack up? Let’s find out.

I also talked about Mandriva 2010 on episode 121 of the Linux Outlaws podcast if you want too hear more.

Vital Stats:
Distro base – Red Hat (Forked many moons ago though it has to be said)
Packaging – .rpm (Managed by URPMI)
Linux Kernel – 2.6.31.5-desktop586-1mnb
Default Desktop – KDE 4.3 or Gnome 2.28

Introduction:

Boot Menu

I still remember the first time I saw Mandriva, or Mandrake as it was then known. It was way back in 2002 when a university friend introduced me to this alternative operating system known as Linux. I really knew nothing about it at the time, but obviously that’s changed over the years. Real old school Linux users who were bootstrapping Slackware back in 93 will laugh at that, I’m still wet behind the ears in comparison. But this was the moment my world changed, at least in software terms. I defend Mandriva when people make jokes about it being yesterdays distro, perhaps because it was my first exposure to Linux as a whole, but also because I think it has a lot to offer. It’s true that after the heights of 2000 Mandriva fell off the pace a little, and then Ubuntu burst onto the scene in a brown blur, but it shouldn’t be written off by any means. I returned to it with Mandriva 2008 and would still rank that as one of the best desktop distro releases of recent years. 2009 wasn’t quite as good, I had some problems getting things working on my hardware, but 2010 offers renewed promise. With these thoughts floating around my excuse for a brain, I downloaded both the Gnome and KDE versions of Mandriva One 2010 on release day. Read the rest of this entry »