Tech and Misc.

Ubuntu Linux has been upated to version Dapper Drake. The only issue I had while updating was when I tried to do it the night before release by poking around some config files and doing it the homebrew way. One reinstall of the old versoin later, I let the auto-updater handle things, and the rest was smooth as butter. Ubuntu literally upgrades itself to an entirely new version automatically, in the background while you do other things. One reboot later, and you're golden. No CD's to burn, no kernels to compile. Even better, it not only looks nicer, but works better too. It boots up faster, Mplayer installed from apt-get with no issues (I had to compile from source last time), and wireless now works out of the box. It has gotten to the point where I don't feel any need to boot back into Windows unless it involves loading up Steam.

This is a very strange sensation for me. I've always liked Linux for development purposes, but never did I imagine using it as a main, day to day OS. There seemed to be too many problems with it. Ubuntu, along with a new and improved version of GNOME, has changed all of that. This is not the stupid bullshit Linux I've known for three years. This is a working, stable OS that is both easy to use and powerful. It has a community of kind, helpful users. And the amount of good, useful programs it supports is staggering. It will be a while longer before Linux has a real strong presence on the desktop, but if the Ubuntu team keeps making updates like this, it will be a question of when, not if. So far this is the only distro I've seen that has a clue on how to make this an OS that doesn't just appeal to hackers and programmers, and I really respect that. If the rumors of Windows Vista requiring 10 gigs of drive space and ridiculous system requirements, then I would suggest Mark Shuttleworth spend some more coin and get some Ubuntu install discs in every Best Buy and CompUSA in America, each with a simple graphical install process. I know that as soon as my parents have an empty nest, its Dapper Drake that I'm installing on their old computer, and I would believe that many others would do the same if they could ditch Vista for a secure, fast, stable OS that runs for free and doesn't require a
CS bachelor's to run. You can do it guys. I believe in you.

Google is making an online spreadsheet thingie. I signed up for it, being a whore for google products. I hope they pick me for their team. Even if I don't need a new spreadsheet
program, I said the same thing about email and AIM not long ago, and now I can't live without the Google versions of each.
Edit: I got in. I'll take a look at it tonight.

Finally, any long time readers will remember that time where I went off of AIM for a week or so to see what happened. It was a fun experiment, and now I'm ready for a new one. This time, I'm going to spend a week (or two!) attempting to learn the Dvorak typing system. And I'm not even buying a special keyboard for it. Instead I'll just map the keys to my current keyboard and try to learn blind. Thankfully Ubuntu has a typing tutor for it, which may prove to be handy.

I'm not sure why I'm doing this experiment. I already know I won't like Dvorak, or even use it (since it doens't work for gaming, and many Unix commands were built for QWERTY). I suppose I'm tired of reading crazy testimonials from Dvorak users (possible hippies?) for a system that seems to have no real advantage, at least for a hardwired QWERTY user. The only way to prove or disprove the claims, however, is to investigate myself.