The Linux Advocate

 

by Scott Dowdle
dowdle@icstech.net
ICQ UIN: 15509440

Linux Advocate
Column #51
June 18th, 1999

LOGIN:

Hmmm, while it hasn't exactly been a slow news week... there just wasn't much news that interested me. :) It seems the big controversy this week was over the fact that the term "Open Source" was not actually trademarked as was previously thought. A trademark had been applied for by the Open Source Initiative organization but it turns out that the term is too generic to be trademarkable. Hmmm, if "Windows" can be trademarked, I don't know why "Open Source" can't. In any event, it really wasn't much of a controversy so far as I'm concerned so I'm not providing any links to  the vast array of stories I found on the subject. The Open Source homepage may be found at: http://www.opensource.org

In a not so related, but kinda related story... it turns out that Microsoft has invited Eric S. Raymond (Mr. Open Source) to speak at Microsoft headquarters or some such. Rather than provide a link to the various stories I found that announce the invitation, I think I'll wait until Mr. Raymond has actually spoken before the Redmondites, after I found out what he said, after I find out what they felt about it, and so forth... before I treat it as a real news
story.

NEWS:

Item #1: Linux and Microsoft, together at last - Remember all of the Mindcraft noise from several weeks ago? Well, they are at it again. A Salon magazine article details some of the pre-battle moments. We'll know more specifics next week but be sure and check out the following URL: http://www.salonmagazine.com/tech/feature/1999/06/16/linux_shootout/index.html

Item #2: Linus Torvalds World Tour 99: Balug Chinatown - Marc Merlin has done it again... put up yet another page for a Linux event. Sheesh, that guy gets to go everywhere. I especially like the first picture on the page... fast car with a cool license plate. Peaked your interest? I tried... visit: http://marc.merlins.org/linux/balug9906/

Item #3: Dell Linux resources - While I believe Dell Computers has had a Linux page for some time, until recently I hadn't checked it out. Wanna be like me? If so, check out the following URL: http://www.dell.com/linux/wpaper.htm

Item #4: Making money with Linux and Open Source Software? - I've been finding more and more of these types of articles. Nicholas Petreley followed up his wonderful article (that I mentioned last column) with one on making money. The second article is pretty interesting too. Check'em: Making money in the next (free) economy http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-1999-06/lw-06-penguin_2.html

How to Successfully Sell Linux
http://linuxtoday.com/stories/6713.html

Item #5: Linux's threat to Microsoft - A run of the mill story, like so many others... about how Linux is becoming more and more a threat to MS. Just in case you want to read it, the URL is provided: http://www.herring.com/mag/issue67/news-editor.html

Item #6: Fortune's Cool Companies: VA Linux Systems - Wow, look mom... a Linux hardware vendor made it on Fortune magazines cool companies list. Who would have thunk it? Read it for yourself: http://www.pathfinder.com/fortune/cool/cool7.html

Item #7: Negative Linux Stories - Is it about time I started mentioning some of the negative Linux articles I run across? Ok, I will. Read the following two and let me know what you think: What's with all This Linux I Hear? http://www.osOpinion.com/Opinions/JustinKing/JustinKing1.html

Look Before You Leap Into Linux Adoption http://www.internetwk.com/columns/logic061499.htm

Item #8: Open Source Grows Up - The following URL is a decent article that summarizes what's been going on in the Open Source community lately... stuff you already know about if you have been paying attention to this column... but anyway... a nice to print out and give to a friend article, right? Read: http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/20170.html

Item #9: IBM adds Java and XML messaging, JVM for Linux - IBM, IBM, IBM... how much stuff do I have to put in LA about IBM? Actually, I found about three more announcements from IBM this week regarding Linux and/or Open Source but I said enough is enough. :) Now put together IBM, Java, and Linux and you have the following URL: http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?990615.ecibmjava.htm

Item #10: Compaq develops Linux handheld - Hmmm, I'm not sure why these Itsy stories keep popping up but here is another one. If you don't recall the "Itsy" name, its a cool, handheld device made by DEC/Compaq that runs Linux. Just think of it as a PalmPilot with MP3's in mind. Find  the tiny story at the following URL: http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,37798,00.html?tag=st.cn.1fd2.newstkr.ne


SPOTLIGHT: SETIatHOME, yes, even on Linux

I think I've read about a dozen stories on the SETIatHOME project. I never really checked it out until the other day. I don't know why. I mean, Jodi Foster is nice enough and all, and besides she is a babe... and CONTACT was a great movie... but wouldn't installing a program on my machine that contacts a SETI server, downloads recorded space noise and analyses it, and then ships the results back to SETI be a pain in the butt to set up? The answer I found was NO. In fact, it is painlessly easy to setup and use.

What's SETI? Ok, so maybe I'll get lucky and find a handful of people who haven't heard about SETI yet... and I can be the one to tell you about it... that would be cool. SETI stands for Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. SETI is an organization funded from various sources that has as a   goal, to find life out there in space. Ok, so I didn't do a great job of explaining it all, so go rent a copy of CONTACT already would you?!? Sheesh.

Anyway, you can find out all about SETIatHOME by visiting their web site located at the following URL: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu

So, I'm thinking to myself... hey, self... you need to put more screenshots in the column... and it would be nice to have an original SPOTLIGHT or two more often. Hey, look... tons of front end programs for SETIatHOME.. do it, do it.

While the SETIatHOME program for Windows is a beautiful, graphics delight, the Linux version is bland and all text. Of course the Linux version gets done in about 1/4 of the time as the Windows version (for various reasons) but who cares... fancy graphics on the end user's screen are important, right? Ok, so I found some frontend programs for the Linux version of SETIatHOME. I've personally been using X-SETI but screenshots and links for all of the frontends I've been able to find are below. Please note that I have not tried out all of the programs personally; I borrowed some pics from the homepages listed.


X-SETI homepage - http://www.nccn.net/~gc_kumon/xseti/


Tk-SETI homepage - http://www.cuug.ab.ca/~macdonal/tkseti/tkseti.html


Setiherder homepage - http://www.sackheads.org/setiherder/


SETIView homepage - http://www.guildsoftware.com/setiview/


PerlSETI homepage - http://ude.org/jan/perlseti/

So as you can see, there are tons of cool looking frontends for SETIatHOME for Linux. Speaking of cool, another thing that's cool is that the source code to all of the above packages available/included so not only are the applications useful, they can help you learn how to program too. Open Source, what a concept, eh?


SPOTLIGHT: Letter from Warren Sanders - Ok, so if you write a decent email to me about this column, you might become a spotlight too! (hint, hint)

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Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 13:17:23 -0600
From: Warren Sanders wsand@wtp2.wtp.net
To: Scott Dowdle dowdle@icstech.net
Subject: Linux Advocate

I was carousing through this weeks latest column and was quite gitty on the Corel plans for the distribution and mostly the planned releases of the Corel graphics suites. In my study of the Gimp this past week I have found many things in common with the CorelPhoto and CorelDraw programs. They (GIMP) will need to hustle faster to compete with Corel in this market. I am an avid Corel user in the windows environment and use it mostly with all my raster graphic needs. I also use Paint Shop Pro for many other uses with the raster images that Corel is much slower at such as ripping to printer or rotating. On the other hand Corel can crop faster than Paint Shop Pro. Getting a little off subject now but I am looking forward to the Corel releases. I will probably only use them with Red Hat as separate packages first off, and maybe later look at their distribution and it's bundle.

I want to thank you Scott for cranking this column out every week despite all you hard times with the family life. Keep up the good news!
--
Warren Sanders
CAD-Graphics manager/MIS assistant
Maxim Technologies, Inc.

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Thanks for writing Warren. Speaking of GIMP, while at my local Barnes and Nobles store I found a book on GIMP. Since I've mentioned B&N, I might as well give some Amazon.com references to two books on the GIMP. I'm sure either of them would be great to enhance your GIMP usage: Artists' Guide to the GIMP http://www.thegimp.com  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1578310113/qid=929686474/sr=1-2/002-3805878-7091019

Teach Yourself Gimp in 24 Hours
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672315092/qid=929686474/sr=1-1/002-3805878-7091019

I actually bought Teach Yourself Gimp in 24 Hours but haven't had a chance to read it yet. B&N had two copies in stock. In fact, they had a book on KDE, an book on QT Programming and a full 4-foot section on Linux... and that's why I don't mind mentioning them here. Oh, for the record, I'm not  receiving any sort of kickback for the mentions here. Maybe someday, huh?


LOGOUT:

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to email me with any comments or questions. I've actually received quite a bit of email over the past year but I'd sure like to get more. No, I post everything piece of email I get to the column but you might get lucky. Perhaps I'll buy a big batch of cheap Linux CDs and offer them up as prizes.  Anyone want to sponsor that?

Scott Dowdle

 

 

 

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