Linux computer for under $255 in the UK (click to enlarge)

ithin this post lies my main argument as to why Linux (or complimentary Open Source streams or movements) will rise hugely in less than a decade. The cost of production continues to slide while human intellect (development) is among the more expensive commodities. The Zipit demonstrates that by using Linux, the leading free operating system, a PDA with WiFi, 320×240 pixels display and stereo DAC can sell for as little as $99.

$299 for the entire package

In Britain, Dabs are now selling a Mandrake 9.2 Linux box (quicklinx 3QV3WS, no monitor is included) for 140 British pounds ($245) excluding VAT. Elsewhere in the world, the fully-featured MOBILIS computer (shown above) goes for only $299 list and speculations are made as to why commercial software will perish once hardware costs equate to it.

Enterprises still need software, and lots of it, to run their operations, but they are buying few new licenses. Part of the story is that the market is mature and buyers have enough software already. Part of the story is that offshore outsourcing makes it cheaper to build your own. A big part of the story is the appearance of more efficient alternatives, such as open source.

With such low prices across the market, buying a larger number of computational units is possible for prices that are comparable with that of several Windows PC‘s or Apple Macs. Server rooms will benefit in terms of performance, as they do already. Homes will be able to offer a computer to each member of the family or exploit computers for otherwise remote uses like home entertainment, productivity and automation in the garden , the kitchen (see kitchen of the future) and even the car.

PDF‘s, text files, HTML‘s and
directories in the KDE Desktop with previews (click to enlarge)

ver had the experience of staring at a collection of files, wondering which one is which and puzzled by the best way of finding the text or images you are after? This was a wide-spread operating system deficiency in the nineties (there was a brute-force barrier). Nowadays, directories reflect on their content and file previews are generated on-the-fly, even over FTP, i.e. remote data.

With a large enough icon size as shown above (an example from KDE), even entire documents reflect on their content. Similar types of previews exist for animations and — oddly enough — sound.

By obtaining this reflection on content, there is no longer a need to open files in vain. Location of content becomes an easier task as it can be done visually rather than relying on filenames. Files are simply more recognisable since they express their purpose in the most natural way. If a pictures is worth a thousands words, the user is able to scan more data, more quickly.

Preview are not the only way of improving productivity. Work is being done on extending the “drag-and-drop” functionality for items, e.g. animated folding and dropping (videos included) and richer desktop interactions. As a matter of preference, I like keeping my Desktop clean, making it a ‘yet-to-complete’ list. Previews on files cannot resolve the issue of clutter and scale; they can, however, compensate for the expressiveness of filenames.

For those who do not know yet, Windows Longhorn was intended to introduce WinFS. This new filesystem, rather than using filetables (notably FAT32), was aimed at getting rid of traditional file management and filenames altogether. Nevetheless, Longhorn ended up incorporating none of the promised innovative features though.

My machine at work, which
runs Ubuntu Linux (see daily photolog)

buntu is a Linux distribution that is based on Debian and resembles it too. This Gnome-based (also see KDE version) distro from Canonical is self-contained, very reliable and comes as a 1-CD installation (will be shipped to your home for free), which is a big pro in many people’s eyes. Its simple user environment and low level of verbosity make it friendly, much like Mac OS and Windows. Under the hood, it still offers the full strengths that Linux possesses.

Ubunutu is well-known as a great distro for Linux beginners. Moreover, its straight-forward and fast installation process (took me 20 minutes to install), as well as stability made it the subject of envy to many. It comes with many excellent programs, e.g. Open Office, the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), Firefox and Evolution. Quite amazingly, all are contained in the single CD, not to mention a wide range of drivers and add-ons.

As a final cautionary word, do not judge the whole of Linux based on Ubuntu. I run Ubuntu in the office only to function as a node by which to SSH my SuSE box at the University. Ubuntu is reliable, but somewhat weak compared with pre-loaded operating systems.

More KDE goodness with the introduction of Plasma (source)

lasma is an exciting project in progress, which will enrich the Linux desktop environment even further. Mac OS X is still ahead of Linux in terms of eye candy, yet KDE is close to catching up with the foreseeable release of KDE 3.5.

Similar items with screenshots: Next Generation of X, Operating Systems Eye Candy

Maui Beach under KDE (click to enlarge)

have recently come to grips with my slight wallpapers obsession. I currently have 370 megabytes of wallpapers that suit dual-head (two-monitor) displays. I get most of them using keyword-based searches in Webshots and PBase. Older sources which I made good use of are mentioned in my Utilities Section.

KDE has many powerful features built-in and they are relatively well-integrated. Among these many features, it allows users to specify a random cycle of wallpapers and applies colour blending on-the-fly. Maui is shown above with a hue shift applied (the colours are not manipulated off-line, only when loaded). Background pictures get shuffled every 2 minutes and similar third-party applications offer these features to Windows users.

Even on a rainy day you can get absorbed in this illusion that your surroundings are as peaceful as you choose for them to be. The variety and choice of wallpapers is endless. Moreover, the frequent change of wallpapers requires no user intervention. I use KDE under SuSE (one of the best Linux distributions). Unfortunately, Gnome which is yet another desktop environment that I happen to use at work, does not provide me with similar, much-needed options (under Ubuntu Warty Warthog).

Related item: comparison between KDE and Gnome.

LinuxDevices.com have put together a detailed review of the Aeronix Zipit instant messenger appliance which runs atop Linux and in many senses is a fully-functional PDA with WiFi built-in. The extremely low cost of $99 proves how advantageous free operating systems can be in terms of affordability. Hackers are already in the process of manipulting this device for other, more general purposes.

…priced at $99, in colors that include white, silver, blue, red, and pink. It includes an 802.11b WiFi radio, 16-color greyscale LCD with QVGA (320×240) resolution, and a thumb keyboard with rubber buttons. Also included is a stereo DAC (digital audio converter) connected to a speaker and headphone jack.

There is a growing trend which involves installing Linux on mobile devices, Palm handhelds included. It has already been determined that Palm O/S will migrate to sit in tandem with Linux if not be replaced by Linux.

Cited by: PalmAddict

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

Some time the past I composed a little tool from various scripts to correct for the differences between Windows and Linux servers. To quote just the gist:

The Linux filesystem behaves differently from that of Windows. For example, Linux treats index.htm and INDEX.htm as if they are separate files; Windows does not.

In the logs, I repeatedly observe errors like the following (from half an hour ago):

[Tue Jul 12 05:48:11 2005] [error] ...
[client 207.46.98.35] File does not exist: ...
/home/schestow/public_html/guestbook/spam/

The correct URL is in fact /home/schestow/public_html/Guestbook/Spam/ (note case)

Performing a reverse DNS lookup, I discovered that MSNBot was the culprit. Its Windows-egocentric requests invoke errors again and again, making false positives and adding noise to the error logs. Phrased differently, whenever requesting non-existent pages (by manipulating their names), MSNBot flags errors which result in a chaotic mess (I view my error logs several time a day).

Are Microsoft intentionally tempering with Linux servers? Are Microsoft punishing us because we did not buy their expensive server software? That’s what it boils down to.