Recently, I read an article describing some of the things people say about the author’s Ubuntu laptop. The post described the funniest quotes, not the most popular, but I was still interested to see that many people seemed to think that the Ubuntu laptop was running Mac OS X or a new version of Windows. While this is not all that surprising, since many people have never heard of Linux, it is unfortunate that people might see cool effects on someone’s Linux laptop and attribute it to OS X or Windows.

Luckily, there is a simple solution: just add an Ubuntu logo to the wallpaper. Though some might dislike having too much branding on their otherwise clean background, the logo could be integrated into the wallpaper such that it was not annoying. Additionally, there could be an alternative wallpaper without the logo. Plus, lots of other distros already have branding on their wallpapers.

Having some sort of simple Ubuntu logo on the Ubuntu wallpaper might help the less tech-savvy to correctly attribute anything that they like, or dislike, about an Ubuntu laptop and would help get Ubuntu’s name out there.

A little while ago I did a tutorial on upgrading to Flash Player 10 Beta. I still recommend most Linux users do this, since it fixes a problem with drop down menus disappearing behind Flash content, however I noticed one issue today. The issue is, in fact, quite funny. When clicking on a CNN.com video, I was presented with this error message (I am on Ubuntu running Firefox 3 with Flash Player 10 Beta):

Interesting error message...

Hmmm… “This CNN.com feature is optimized for Adobe Flash Player version 8 or higher. You are currently using Flash Player 10″

Last time I checked 10 was greater than 8. Anyway, for anyone who watches lots of CNN videos, don’t upgrade to Flash Player 10 quite yet. If you already upgraded, don’t worry. Just install an older version like you would install version 10 beta and you should be fine again.

I checked most of the other major news sites and they seem to all be fine with Flash Player 10 beta.

I have always been a big fan of web (or cloud) applications, because they make it easy to switch freely between computers and between platforms. With web applications, your applications don’t tie you to any platform, leaving you free to choose whichever platform suits you best. Recently, though, a Linux.com article and a post on a Clipperz blog got me thinking about how open-source and the cloud go together, or don’t go together.

As I first began to think about it, it seems putting the two (open source and web applications) together would be a challenge, but I soon realized that they are, in fact, a natural fit for each other.

Perhaps the best example of open-sourcing a web application is Reddit, which recently open-sourced all of their code. The biggest argument against open-sourcing code with an application like Reddit is that everyone can copy what you have done. That is true, but anything based on, for example, the Reddit code must be released back as open-source, assuming the original code was released under a GPL-like license that requires this. So for an application (if you call it an application) like Reddit, open-sourcing seems to make a lot of sense. This basic logic can also be applied to most other more traditional web applications, such as word processors.

In the case of partially or fully businesses-oriented web application, a further step could be taken by selling a subscription update service for businesses that wanted to host the application themselves.

You could pretty much summarize the last two paragraphs by saying that the arguments for open source in web applications are essentially the same as the arguments for open source in traditional applications, but there is one more (or at least one more) reason for open-sourcing web applications:

One frequent concern with web applications is privacy. How do I know that Google is not reading everything I make in Google Docs? Done correctly, it should be completely possible to encrypt the data before it leaves the client’s computer such that Google (or <insert name of web application company>) cannot possibly read it. Even if a web application provider claims they have done this, though, how do you know for sure? The answer is that you really cannot - unless the application is open source. If it is open source, tech-savvy people will almost certainly go through the code and ensure that your data is safe, but if the application is closed source, you just have to trust the company.

So for these reasons, I see the aruments for open source in the cloud as even stronger than the arguments for open source on the desktop. I just hope that the web application developers agree.

Like it or not, one of the most important features of any Microsoft Office alternative is being able to read Microsoft Office files. With the recently released OpenOffice 3.0 Beta adding support for importing Office 2007 (AKA OOXML, AKA .docx) files, I decided to test how it would handle files created in Microsoft Office 2007 saved in both .doc (the older version) and .docx (Microsoft’s new format.)

To do the test, I used three different files, one with basic formatting (highlighting, font size, bold, italics, underline, etc.), one with changes tracked, and one with charts and pictures and that sort of thing. Each file was also saved both in .doc and .docx. Overall, particularly for a beta, I was very impressed with how OpenOffice handled the files. As you might expect, there are really no deal-breakers on the .doc side. On the .docx side, there are, unfortunately, some, but these will, hopefully, be resolved soon. (Keep in mind, this is still a beta version.)

Problems I noticed with .doc (older, but still the most common) files:

• Formatting changes did not appear to import correctly. For example, if you are tracking changes in Office and you make a piece of text bold, the text will be bold in OpenOffice, but there will be no indication that that is a change.
• Bullets do not always display correctly. For example, in Office there might be a little check mark for a bullet, but in OpenOffice that check mark might be replaced by a box.

Problems I noticed in .docx (newer, but not widely adopted yet) files:

• Text does not always wrap to the next line at the same point. For example, if a line ended with the word “cat” in Office, it might end with a different word in OpenOffice.
• Changes are not correctly imported. For example, if you had changes tracked in Office, they do not show up in OpenOffice. Comments are there, but there are weirdly inserted into the body of the document and totally mess up the formatting. Hopefully this is just a bug in the beta.
• Word Art, charts, and elements of shapes do not work correctly/at all. For example, Word Art, shapes, charts, and other similar objects may not show up correctly or at all in OpenOffice.
• Bullets do not always display correctly. See above.

Yes, there are still some issues, particularly in the .docx format, but these may well be resolved before even 3.0 is shipped. To put things in perspective, I will be following this up with a look at how Office handles ODF files. Oh wait, I guess I will have to wait until 2009 to do that. At least they are doing it.

Today I saw the news that Cirgon is shipping a Fedora-based HTPC. I was glad to see the news, but, unfortunately, I was not impressed by the implementation.

Ideally, a Linux-baed HTPC could be a killer product. It would be a small, inexpensive, low-power computer (all of which Linux is very good at) that you would place under your TV. Most people would buy it for its ability to stream/play music, videos, and photos. Perhaps it would also have some TV functionallity. This alone would be pretty cool, but if you just add WiFi, and ethernet port, and a little software, this device could hook up to the internet and let you surf the web, watch YouTube videos, and, perhaps best of all, play Hulu TV shows and movies. A device like this, at least in my opinion, would be incredibly attractive.

In addition, since it would really just be a customized computer, you could easily make desktop functionality such as a web browser and office software available. If you are thinking “who would ever use their TV like a computer?” you have probably never tried it. It is really useful/entertaining to be able to look something up quickly and, better yet, be able to show people something without everyone having to stare at a small laptop screen. People might not buy the device for its computer-like abilities, but they would probably find them useful in the long term.

Once people get used to doing computer-like tasks on their Linux-based HTPC, they might even try out Linux on their regular desktop. My point is, a Linux HTPC could be really great. Unfortunately, the Cirgon device, called the Encore Media Server, didn’t quite do as well as it could have.

First, the $2000 price point. How is this $2000? I can’t figure it out. If you can, please leave a comment. Second, there is no WiFi and, presumably, no web browser. Great.

So when I saw the headline, I was excited, but after look closer, I looks like nothing more than some random box that a few people might buy. Oh well. Perhaps I am missing some hidden perk, but I doubt it.

Brilliant Brainstorms is a weekly-ish summary of some of the best/most interesting brainstorms from the Ubuntu Brainstorm site.

In order to promote sharing of really cool themes and to help anyone who likes to switch between a couple of different themes, it would be great to include an easy way to save a complete theme.
An easy way to provide some choice of theme would be to simply keep the old theme as an option for anyone that wants it. Eventually, a reasonable collection of themes could be available, just by including the old themes.
In the case of root applications and Wine applications, the theme on them often does not blend in well with the system. It would look much better if there was a theme for those applications that made them blend in, possibly with some indication that they were WINE/root apps.
When your screen is “locked,” either manually or by the screensaver, you just see a grey login box. Instead, it would be much better if the box was themed to match the rest of the system.
If you can have themes for your windows, why not for sounds, too? Now you can switch between lots of different annoying sounds. Can I have a “silent” theme?

The Ubuntu Eee project has just announced they will be selling SD cards pre-loaded with the latest version of Eee Ubuntu. This SD card can then be inserted into the Eee PC and you can run Eee Ubuntu right off of it. This is a great idea, but it would be even better if the cards were sold in stores along with the Eee PC.  Imagine this scenario:

A user walks into a store (or goes to an online store) to buy an Eee PC. They look at the options available and choose the model they want and then see that they can get either Windows or Linux on it. Familiar with Windows, and having never heard of Linux, they decide to go the “safe” way and pay the extra money for the Windows version. One more potential Linux user never gets to try Linux.

Now imagine that before that user walked out of the store with their new Windows Eee PC, they noticed a $40-50 little card that would let them easily switch between Windows and Linux on their new Eee PC. There might even be a discount if you bought both the Eee and the card together. Now a user who is curious about Linux, but does not want to risk trying something new can easily try Linux and decide which OS they prefer.

With this card, anyone can now try out Linux on their Eee PCs without any technical knowledge. I just hope that some company recognizes this good idea and helps get these cards on store shelves.

Since I did a look at Ubuntu’s early concept art and since I am usually very impressed by Fedora’s final art, I decided that it would make sense to take a look at what has appeared on the Fedora Art Team wiki. I have actually been waiting a few days to do this, since, as of just a few days ago, there were not enough submissions that I liked to talk about. My point is that there has been a new theme submission every one to two days, which is really impressive. Now on to the art:

“Solar”
The concept behind this theme is that the solar system is “the perfect system,” just like Fedora should be the perfect (operating) system.

The art has a cool explosive effect, making it feel active and lively. Also, at least in this piece of art, there is fairly clean space at the left, which is where icons usually go.

Wiki Page

“Simetrical Freedom” (Spelled as it is spelled on the Wiki page)
This time, the concept is that “the perfection that simmetry can offer with the freedom power of the possibilities of forms and states that it can take and reborn inside the same thing.” Yeah, umm… Let’s just look at the art, which happens to be quite cool.

Wiki Page

“Blue Fire”
While the art so far is not the most impressive, I can really see this concept turning into an amazing theme with some work. There is not much in the way of explanation for why blue fire symbolizes Fedora’s goals, but is that really that important?

Wiki Page

“Wing Anatomy”
Like “Blue Fire,” I can definitely see wings or feathers playing a role in the final theme for Fedora 10. The idea behind wings is that they represent “stability, balance and freedom,” which are, obviously, also goals for Fedora, and many Linux distros.

Wiki Page

“Neon”
While this idea comes in many variations, the idea of some sort of city scene particularly appeals to me. It would be very different from the past Fedora themes, but that is not necessarily a problem - it might even be a good thing. Perhaps something could be done with a city scene and the look of a long exposure picture of a highway at night, like this one.

Wiki Page

“Dice”
Though the current art is very simple, it shows the promise of becoming something more complex or, perhaps, staying nice and simple. I am not sure, however, if “dice like a symbol of the variability” is a very good message for an operating system.

Wiki Page

Overall, I cannot wait to see what Fedora 10’s final theme looks like. If the concepts look this good already, I bet they will look simply incredible when they are finalized. I guess we will have to wait for that, though.

Just a few days ago, the news appeared that there was a boxed version of Ubuntu being sold at Best Buy stores. While I, and just about everyone else, was excited, there is a reality, as a WorksWithU article pointed out, that just having the software hidden away on some shelf is highly unlikely to attract new Ubuntu users. This made me wonder if it would be a smart move for Canonical to introduce an Ubuntu PC, probably a laptop?

I have seen suggestions that Canonical should make “Ubuntu stores” in the same way that Apple has “Apple stores” and have always ignored them, because the likelihood of something like that happening is just about zero. I am not proposing anything like “Ubuntu stores.” My idea would be for Canonical to sell one, or possibly two, computers preinstalled with Ubuntu. These computers might be sold directly by Canonical, but the main point would be to get Ubuntu-based computers in major stores, both online and physical.

You might say that Dell and some other vendors are already selling Ubuntu PCs, so why not just promote those? The answer is that there are two potential problems with Ubuntu PCs from Dell:

1. Dell has no particular incentive to promote Ubuntu.
2. Dell (presumably) has Microsoft on their backs, quite possibly threatening to cut Dell a bad Windows licensing deal.

For these two reasons, Canonical could do a much better job of creating an Ubuntu PC that stores would really want to sell. How could this Ubuntu PC be differentiated from every other PC out there?

• Canonical would have to pay close attention to making an attractive design. Doubt the importance of design? Then tell me why there are reports of tons of Mac laptops at Linux events.
• Codecs for media playback and DVD playback should be preinstalled.
• The PC’s packaging should explain why you should choose Ubuntu on it, similar to how the boxed version of Ubuntu marketed itself.

Even if Canonical made little or no money on the PC itself, it would be a good long-term investment to make Ubuntu better known and it might even turn into a major source of revenue for Canonical. Either way, Canonical and other Linux distro sponsors should certainly consider creating and selling an <insert distro> computer.

Since I have been writing about Ubuntu a lot recently, I thought I would look at some proposed features for Fedora 10. No features have been officially approved yet, so these are just proposals.

1. Web-Based Software Portal - Somewhat similar to CNR or Linux Mint, it looks like Fedora might have a website users could visit and search for software on. To install the software, they would presumably download a small file that tells a special program how to install the program.
   Wiki Page
2. Live CD Without the CD - Instead of creating a program like Wubi to let you do a special partitioning-free installation from Windows, the plan here is to make a Windows program that essentially lets you run the live CD straight from the ISO image on your hard drive.
   Wiki Page
3. Improved Support for Fingerprint Readers - This means not only supporting the hardware, but also making it easy to use a recognized fingerprint reader as a primary (instead of a password) or secondary (in addition to a password) form of authentication.W
   Wiki Page
4. Fedora Lite - Similar to how Ubuntu has Xubuntu, a variant designed for older computers, Fedora could create “Fedora Lite,” a version of Fedora for older/less powerful computers.
   Wiki Page

Obviously, there is no guarantee that these features will be part of Fedora 10, but if they are, it looks like it could be an incredible release, particularly for new users.