Linux, netbooks, Intel and Moblin

I have a netbook. A Lenovo S10, as a matter of fact. My S10 is split into two partitions–one running Windows 7, the other various flavours of Linux.

A netbook is a pretty useful little device. It’s small enough that it can go pretty much anywhere. It’s just big enough to get work done, within a pretty narrow definition of “work”. As a net device, it’s excellent.

The biggest shortcoming of these devices is the screen size–more specifically, the resolution of the screen. 1024×600 is just barely enough to run a web browser in full screen mode (and I recommend Chrome in kiosk mode for this). Multiple windows? I don’t think so. More than 1 or 2 windows introduces a clutter that’s difficult to manage, especially if you’re using the trackpad rather than a mouse (it’s trivial to grab a window and flick it out of the way with a mouse–not so trivial with a trackpad).

In order to combat issues with screen size, I think we need to rethink the user interface. In Windows 7, I move the task bar to be vertical on the left and autohiding, and that helps a lot. It’s still not ideal, though, because the windows are still windows and still have the same properties that make them ideal for larger displays but not so much for smaller ones.

Several Linux distributions attempt to resolve this by modifying the UI elements to optimize them for the small screen. Jolicloud and Ubuntu Netbook Remix are two examples. Both are very nice Linux distros, both are optimized for netbooks, including the display. Both install and run on my S10 with no issues. The way they manage the “window management” issue is simple–each window is essentially a full screen, and you switch between windows as you switch between applications. You don’t ever (or hardly ever) see multiple windows on the screen, though you certainly do have multiple applications.

Which brings us to Moblin. Moblin rethinks the whole netbook package, not just the UI. UI changes are similar to other netbook Linux distros–one window, one screen. But the rest of the OS shows how much can be done when you go all the way back to the roots of the OS. On my S10, Moblin goes from power off to fully functioning in 30 seconds. Battery life on Moblin is better than Windows 7. Screen effects are crisp and sharp. Moblin takes advantage of every hardware tweak netbooks have to offer, and works around most of the hardware compromises. It’s crisp and clean and, after a little tweaking, ideal for my needs.

Moblin can optimize netbook hardware so well because it’s very foundation is created by folks at Intel. These are folks that have intimate knowledge of the Atom processor and the Intel GMA video chips that make up most notebooks. These folks know how to wring every drop of performance out of their hardware, which is as it should be.

Sadly, though, they cannot create a Linux distro. Sure, Moblin rocks. It’s very pretty and it works very well on my S10. But that’s after two days of dicking around with it in ways that your average consumer won’t, and shouldn’t have to, do.

First I had to hardwire my net connection so that I could download, build and install the Broadcomm drivers for the wifi card in the S10. Why? Moblin ships without support for these drivers because they are proprietary. That’s a decision the Moblin team made and I respect that. But there’s no reason why they couldn’t make a package available for people to install, rather than forcing them through hoops. Ubuntu does this with, for example, proprietary nVidia drivers.

Next, in order to get media support, I had to download and install gstreamer and it’s codecs. From source. This is unacceptable. The Linux Foundation knows that people listen to MP3′s. Again, there are licensing issues that make it difficult to include the codec support in the distro, but, again, organizations like Ubuntu have worked around this. Making Joe Consumer download and compile source code is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

If I install Jolicloud or the Ubuntu Netbook Remix, I get a similar experience to Moblin. But I’m good to go out of the box–there’s no need to hook up a wired connection to get wireless working. There’s no downloading and compiling source code for functionality that should be there from the get go.

I still think that, so far, Moblin is a better experience. I like the way app switching is done, for example: alt-tab shows all open windows in a miniature but live view. I can take a look at a mini version of a terminal and see if the job that was running has completed. Release alt-tab and I’m back where I started.

I respect Intel for getting into Moblin. The assistance they bring to the Linux community for optimizing their hardware is invaluable. I hope that other organizations, like Canonical, take advantage of this. I also hope that Moblin can grow into something much more consumer friendly and Linux-newbie ready. They’re at version 2.1 now. Perhaps with version 3…

It’s raining again… Wait. What?

Rain in January is very unusual in Ho Chi Minh City. Occasional sprinkles may happen, but today is the second straight day of rain. The temperature has not yet clawed its way above 23c. I get that that’s warm, but when you’ve acclimated to 30c and higher, it’s pretty cool.

On wizards…

Ocassionally, I like to pooh-pooh Windows admins and their “wizards”. Relying on wizards to get work done can, in my humble opinion, stunt your growth as an admin. You should know how to use the command line and edit config files by hand. The day your wizards fail you is the day you regret that lack of knowledge.

So. Today I went to install WordPress on a FusedNetwork account and the installation wizard failed me. It turns out the wizard relies on DNS working the way it should, but at this point we’ve not yet pointed the existing domain to the new site. We need to test before we do that. Completely forgetting the above, I emailed the support guys at Fused. They, of course, reminded me politely that a manual install would suffice.

I fell into my own trap.

An hour later, WordPress was installed and we’re ready to go with site testing. WordPress’s famous “5 Minute Install” takes an hour when you’re bouncing things off a client machine in Viet Nam. If I had full net access with decent bandwidth, it probably would have been pretty close to 5 minutes.

As an aside, FusedNetwork rocks. Their support guys are great. They are incredibly responsive. They’re not the cheapest hosts, but their customer service is what makes them stand out. It is, truly, second to none.

On ebook readers and tablet PC’s…

Finding good English language books (that aren’t counterfeits that fall apart an hour in) is difficult and expensive here in Ho Chi Minh City. For me, ebooks have filled a gap. I love to read and would feel truly lost if I didn’t have a book to fill idle moments.

For a while, I strongly considered buying a dedicated ebook reader. I researched and finally settled on Sony’s eReader Touch. I went so far as to almost have a friend visiting from Canada pick one up and bring it along for me. At the last minute, though, I changed my mind.

What made me change my mind was running through the differences between a dedicated ebook reader and reading on a more general purpose device. For the most part, I read books on my G1 phone, using FBReader for Android. Sometimes, I read books on my laptop. The Kindle and the Sony readers both offer huge bookstores that would let me buy pretty much any book I wanted if I had one of their devices.

But here’s the thing: both Sony and Amazon offer software to read these books on a PC. This means I don’t need their device–I just need a PC capable of running their software. I’ve played with both Sony’s software (kind of like iTunes for books) and the Kindle PC software (works, but still a little rough around the edges). Both work great, and both let me purchase books and read them. Coupled with FBReader, I have software that lets me read just about any ebook format out there.

Reading an ebook on a laptop is ok, but not ideal. For one, the laptop I have is a little heavy and warm on the lap. Reading in bed is a PITA. Ideally, I’d like something with the form factor of an ebook, but a more general device.

Enter the tablet, or slate, PC. These devices are creating a lot of buzz at CES right now, and Apple is rumoured to be ready to release their slate–an oversized iPod Touch (according to rumour).

The biggest complaint about tablet PC’s and laptops, when it comes to reading ebooks, is battery life. Dedicated readers have days of battery life. Laptops and tablets have hours at best. But for me, this argument is a non-starter. Everywhere I read tends to be within easy reach of an outlet. Power is not a problem.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to a dedicated reader is its display. The e-ink displays used in these things are terrific. They render crisp, sharp, incredibly readable pages. But is the display issue enough of an issue to change my mind? No. I’m quite used to a laptop display and a tablet PC would be colour–a bonus in my mind.

So I’m waiting a bit. Waiting to see what Apple releases. Waiting for the price of tablet PC’s to fall after a strong showing at CES. And, while I’m waiting, I’ll continue to read books on my laptop and my phone.

On driving a scooter in Ho Chi Minh City…

Right-of-way is not something you have, it’s something you take. Occasionally by force.

Christmas in Viet Nam…

We’ll be on the road again today, heading to Da Lat. In case I don’t get connected in the next day or two, I’ll take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas to all!

We left Ho Chi Minh City on Monday. Spent the first night at a beautiful beach resort in Mui Ne. Tuesday saw us arrive in Nha Trang. Spent much of Wednesday on the ocean–boating, a little SCUBA, fresh seafood. Christmas in a beach resort is a difficult thing to endure, but I’m taking one for the team.

I hope all my friends have a remarkable and joyous holiday!

Ho Chi Minh City traffic report…

I have a surefire way of determining if traffic is going to be totally nuts on any given day:

My phone has a GPS. In the morning, I fire up Google Maps. If I’m still in Ho Chi Minh City, I know the traffic it going to suck.

The Killing Fields and S-21

I visited two Genocide Museums: Choeung Ek, commonly referred to as The Killing Fields, and Tuol Sleng, commonly referred to as S-21 or The Schoolhouse. Although I took pictures, I decided not to share them. There are plenty of photos in the linked Wikipedia articles.

Although I’d read the history of the Khmer Rouge and the atrocities they commited, reading facts and figures about history is not the same as reading personal stories. The first I read, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.) , really brought home the horrific nature of the Khmer Rouge policies towards their own people. Stay Alive, My Son is a more straightforward, personal tale, but equally disturbing. And, of course, the movie The Killing Fields brings visual elements to the tale that are also very disturbing.

Going to the places, though, that are discussed in these books is an eye opening experience. Talking to the guides whose intimate knowledge of the history comes through in all of the details they share really brings home the sheer impact of these atrocities. Seeing the implements of torture on display with pictures of them in use brings you closer to the history then you probably want to get. (As an aside, anybody that thinks waterboarding is not torture (I’m looking at you, Dick Cheney) is welcome to come take a look and try it out. They’re also welcome to take a look at the other atrocities commited by a group that thinks nothing of a little waterboarding…).

Any museum with the word Genocide in its title is not going to be a happy place. These two museums are not uplifting at all, except when you step back and admire how far Cambodia has come since the Khmer Rouge were stopped.

One comment from an American tourist: “In New York, people are trying to raise money to build yet another monument to the World War II Holocaust. Maybe they should use that money to try and stop the holocausts that are happening now, in places like Darfur.”

George Santayana said: “Those who refuse to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”

More Angkor Wat photos…

I’ve put a bunch of photos up in my Picasa Web Album.

Note the sign in my hotel:

I was particularly pleased about the hand grenade ban.

Angkor Wat

I plan on updating my Picasa Web album with pictures from today’s visit. My initial thoughts are:

Wow.

One day is just enough time to realize that one day is not enough time.

In reading the history of Angkor Wat, it’s apparent that there are a lot of misconceptions about the temples being “lost”. On the other hand, it’s also clear from visiting the site that it’d be easy to “lose” a temple or two. The jungle is so thick and dense that you could be three feet from a temple structure and not know that it’s there. Angkor Wat itself involved excavating thousands of cubic meters of dirt just to uncover the original temple site. When you see the clear land in the photos, realize that it’s land that was cleared and is kept clear–it used to be incredibly dense jungle. One guide suggested that if maintenance work were halted, the temples would be completely overgrown in 20-30 years.

Archeological work on the temples has been going on for over 100 years now. Much has been done but so much more remains to do.

More pictures when I get better net connectivity!