The Kindle for $79 has blown the doors off of the E-reader market. A kindle with wi-fi that will hold more than a thousand books. A Kindle that will allow you to buy ebooks anywhere there is a wi-fi signal. A Kindle for $79! I wouldn't have believed the Kindle could come in at that price point, even if it has a few less features than the K3 Kindle: about half the memory, no text-to-speech, about half the battery power, no wall plug adapter, and ads. But you have a great e-reader with Amazon support and access to more books than you could ever think about reading on the Amazon web site, and also the ability to get free ebooks on loan through a library using the Overdrive ebook program. Yeah, life is good.
I don't recommend you do the following, but this is not the almost $200 K3 3-G prima dona of last year. If I wanted I might with no real concerns take this one to the beech, naked (the Kindle not me), or read it in the loo as the Brits call it, or while soaking in a bathtub, or drag it along on a fishing trip, or just about anywhere I would be too paranoid to take that more expensive Kindle. In other words--I can treat it like a book.
I wish I owned stock in Amazon, time and again they prove themselves wise in the ways of human entertainment consumption, from music to books and now movies. If this were not enough, they also have the Kindle Fire, yes KFire 7" $199 tablet is out November 15th and it is in color. Plays music, movies, searches the web, does email, Facebook, and oh yeah, you can also read Kindle books on it. Life is good it the everyman-techno-universe, thanks Amazon.
KBD
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Linux Desktops
One of the most important things regarding choosing a Linux distribution is deciding upon the desktop. The desktop interface is what you are in constant contact with when using any computer operating system. With MS Windows, apart from some configuration, you basically have one type of desktop. However with Linux you have many choices. I'm going to touch on a few of the better known Linux desktops.
After trying out many Linux desktops I've come to some personal conclusions about them which really boils down to this for me: Are you using a laptop or netbook with just a touchpad? or are you using a desktop computer with a mouse? Of course you could be using a laptop with a mouse in which case I would refer you to my thoughts about using a desktop computer interface with a mouse.
Two of the big boys now on the Linux desktop block are the new Ubuntu Unity desktop and the KDE desktop available for many flavors of Linux including the Ubuntu KDE: Kubuntu. This is a good place to compare where I draw the line on usefulness and ease-of-use regarding either a touchpad or mouse. Ubuntu's Unity while usable with a mouse in my view is better suited to a portable netbook or laptop using a touchpad. The dock with apps is on the left side of the desktop grouped closely together so that it takes little effort to maneuver about just using a touchpad. For more apps and control you simply drift up a bit higher to the top left corner of the desktop. You mostly only need to access the top right hand buttons when you are shutting down or rebooting. You can also type letters into a search box at the top left hand side of the screen to call up more apps. All in all I find Unity not bad on my netbook. It does not strike me as great for a large screen or for a regular desktop computer with a mouse where you would like more control and easier maneuverability between windows and applications.
The KDE desktop environment is going to be very familiar to those who have learned computing via MS Windows. You can say many bad things about MS Windows, but with a mouse in hand you could get around pretty well on a Windows desktop, and the same goes for KDE.
The image above is of a Mepis 11 KDE desktop. Anyone who has used MS Windows should find their way around easily enough on a KDE desktop. Your menu, like in Windows XP, is accessed from a button on the lower left hand corner of the desktop. You can easily add and remove apps from the desktop, and moving and clicking the mouse enables you to quickly navigate through the programs and applications. As a Windows user I had no problems learning to use a Linux KDE desktop, and my feeling is that those new to Linux cannot go wrong starting off with KDE. It makes the overall learning curve of Linux much easier.
Those are the two big boys in Linux desktops, but there are several others which I will touch on briefly. I want to get this out of the way quickly because it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Gnome. Gnome, the once favored Linux desktop that was much like KDE though with a slightly lighter footprint, Gnome which ought to be the leader in desktop environments because of its easy use and configurability, now completely sucks, and believe me, that is putting it nicely. Gnome 2 is excellent, but dead. Though you can still find it in the last release of Linux Mint and through the main edition of Ubuntu which allows a fallback position to classic Gnome if your hardware will not support their Unity desktop. But the new Gnome 3 sucks, very badly sucks. Imagine a wall between you and your computer--that is Gnome 3. Can they fix it, make it better? Heaven help them I hope so. But as of this writing--Gnome 3 sucks.
OK let's get to some other Linux desktops that do not suck. XFCE is looked at by some as the new replacement of the old Gnome 2 for those who liked old Gnome. I have to say that while I really do like XFCE it is not Gnome 2. It feels less configurable, but it is somewhat familiar to those who are used to MS Windows and it is perhaps a better choice for those who prefer to use a mouse over a touchpad, and interestingly enough--a mouse (as in 4 feet and a long tail) is the symbol of XFCE. I did install XFCE in place of Unity on my netbook for awhile, but was surprised to realize I had gotten used to Unity, so I switched back. Xubuntu is one of the main distros with an XFCE desktop. If your hardware is getting older and/or if you don't have loads of RAM (XFCE will work on as little as 256 mb of RAM) then XFCE is worth considering.
I will mention one other Linux desktop that I've spent a bit of time with: LXDE. LXDE is a very lightweight desktop. Should prove familiar to Windows users. Both XFCE and LXDE sort of cross the gap between those who use a touchpad and those who use a mouse. LXDE being even more simplified was fairly easy for me to maneuver around using only a touchpad. Because it is so basic and simple to use LXDE might be another good choice for those who are new to Linux. LXDE is very good for old hardware (runs on 256 mb RAM) and for newer hardware with more RAM it is lightning fast. Lubuntu is one of the main distributions with the LXDE desktop, but Mint LXDE is also worth considering.
I think ultimately it is a good idea for newcomers to Linux to burn several distros on CDs and try them out to decide what you feel most comfortable with. My conclusions:
Unity: A beautiful interface, very nice on a laptop or netbook, usable on a desktop computer, but better suited to smaller screens in my opinion.
KDE: A beautiful interface, easy to configure, will feel familiar to Windows users.
Gnome 3: Don't ask.
XFCE: Nice interface, user friendly, somewhat configurable, fast.
LXDE: Simple interface, user friendly, very fast and lightweight.
So there you are, my somewhat humble view of several of the Linux desktop environments. Try them out and compare them for yourself. Your comments are welcome. KBD
After trying out many Linux desktops I've come to some personal conclusions about them which really boils down to this for me: Are you using a laptop or netbook with just a touchpad? or are you using a desktop computer with a mouse? Of course you could be using a laptop with a mouse in which case I would refer you to my thoughts about using a desktop computer interface with a mouse.
Two of the big boys now on the Linux desktop block are the new Ubuntu Unity desktop and the KDE desktop available for many flavors of Linux including the Ubuntu KDE: Kubuntu. This is a good place to compare where I draw the line on usefulness and ease-of-use regarding either a touchpad or mouse. Ubuntu's Unity while usable with a mouse in my view is better suited to a portable netbook or laptop using a touchpad. The dock with apps is on the left side of the desktop grouped closely together so that it takes little effort to maneuver about just using a touchpad. For more apps and control you simply drift up a bit higher to the top left corner of the desktop. You mostly only need to access the top right hand buttons when you are shutting down or rebooting. You can also type letters into a search box at the top left hand side of the screen to call up more apps. All in all I find Unity not bad on my netbook. It does not strike me as great for a large screen or for a regular desktop computer with a mouse where you would like more control and easier maneuverability between windows and applications.
The KDE desktop environment is going to be very familiar to those who have learned computing via MS Windows. You can say many bad things about MS Windows, but with a mouse in hand you could get around pretty well on a Windows desktop, and the same goes for KDE.
The image above is of a Mepis 11 KDE desktop. Anyone who has used MS Windows should find their way around easily enough on a KDE desktop. Your menu, like in Windows XP, is accessed from a button on the lower left hand corner of the desktop. You can easily add and remove apps from the desktop, and moving and clicking the mouse enables you to quickly navigate through the programs and applications. As a Windows user I had no problems learning to use a Linux KDE desktop, and my feeling is that those new to Linux cannot go wrong starting off with KDE. It makes the overall learning curve of Linux much easier.
Those are the two big boys in Linux desktops, but there are several others which I will touch on briefly. I want to get this out of the way quickly because it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Gnome. Gnome, the once favored Linux desktop that was much like KDE though with a slightly lighter footprint, Gnome which ought to be the leader in desktop environments because of its easy use and configurability, now completely sucks, and believe me, that is putting it nicely. Gnome 2 is excellent, but dead. Though you can still find it in the last release of Linux Mint and through the main edition of Ubuntu which allows a fallback position to classic Gnome if your hardware will not support their Unity desktop. But the new Gnome 3 sucks, very badly sucks. Imagine a wall between you and your computer--that is Gnome 3. Can they fix it, make it better? Heaven help them I hope so. But as of this writing--Gnome 3 sucks.
OK let's get to some other Linux desktops that do not suck. XFCE is looked at by some as the new replacement of the old Gnome 2 for those who liked old Gnome. I have to say that while I really do like XFCE it is not Gnome 2. It feels less configurable, but it is somewhat familiar to those who are used to MS Windows and it is perhaps a better choice for those who prefer to use a mouse over a touchpad, and interestingly enough--a mouse (as in 4 feet and a long tail) is the symbol of XFCE. I did install XFCE in place of Unity on my netbook for awhile, but was surprised to realize I had gotten used to Unity, so I switched back. Xubuntu is one of the main distros with an XFCE desktop. If your hardware is getting older and/or if you don't have loads of RAM (XFCE will work on as little as 256 mb of RAM) then XFCE is worth considering.
I will mention one other Linux desktop that I've spent a bit of time with: LXDE. LXDE is a very lightweight desktop. Should prove familiar to Windows users. Both XFCE and LXDE sort of cross the gap between those who use a touchpad and those who use a mouse. LXDE being even more simplified was fairly easy for me to maneuver around using only a touchpad. Because it is so basic and simple to use LXDE might be another good choice for those who are new to Linux. LXDE is very good for old hardware (runs on 256 mb RAM) and for newer hardware with more RAM it is lightning fast. Lubuntu is one of the main distributions with the LXDE desktop, but Mint LXDE is also worth considering.
I think ultimately it is a good idea for newcomers to Linux to burn several distros on CDs and try them out to decide what you feel most comfortable with. My conclusions:
Unity: A beautiful interface, very nice on a laptop or netbook, usable on a desktop computer, but better suited to smaller screens in my opinion.
KDE: A beautiful interface, easy to configure, will feel familiar to Windows users.
Gnome 3: Don't ask.
XFCE: Nice interface, user friendly, somewhat configurable, fast.
LXDE: Simple interface, user friendly, very fast and lightweight.
So there you are, my somewhat humble view of several of the Linux desktop environments. Try them out and compare them for yourself. Your comments are welcome. KBD
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