Its the little things

I have been a fedora/RedHat user for a long time, and still am, where servers are concerned. However, I've started using Ubuntu on the desktop, and I'm impressed so far.

I started using Ubuntu because it was the only Distro that would work on my new laptop, a Dell Inspiron 1525. I tried Suse, Debian, Fedora, and several distros that came free in some Linux mags; they would install but not boot, or boot but not recognize major elements (USB, network, hard drives, etc.). I went on line and found that Dell was selling this machine in Europe with Ubuntu, whereupon I downloaded the latest Ubuntu and the rest is history. It works very well.

With one small glitch.

When I use vim, there was no context highlighting. I googled around and found this vim command:

:syntax on

So my question is: Why, why would this function not be turned on by default as it has been in every other distro I've used. What is the reasoning?

There are other weird little things. For instance, Dia on Fedora: When one is exporting a graph as a .png or .jpg, on Fedora Dia will ask you to define the size the graphic file (pixel width x height). But not on Ubuntu, with the exact same Dia version. Why? There is a way around this, of course, which is to run the export from the command line.

These are very, very minor issues. But why do different distros have different defaults for these very common applications? This, at least, should be standardized across all platforms.

Regards,

David

Cheese

Several years ago one of the things that was really missing from desktop Linux was the use of USB cameras, which were quickly becoming ubiquitous in both the Mac and Windows world. I spent a fair amount of time downloading, compiling, and tweaking, but it became very clear that USB cameras were not (yet) for Linux.

Fast forward to the present and Ubuntu 8 and Fedora 8. USB cameras have become plug and play thanks to the hard work of OSS developers (thanks!). And now that USB cameras have been incorporated into the Linux experience, we have Cheese, a USB camera utility to take pictures and videos from your USB camera (a la Mac). Developed by Daniel G. Diegel and Jaap A. Haitsma , this program is a great tool for engaging your kids (and having some fun yourself).

While it doesn't seem to have made it into the standard builds for Ubuntu or Fedora, it can be installed on each (apt-get install cheese, or yum install cheese). Its a great little tool and a must have for anyone using desktop Linux at home.

Regards,

David

First Post

I've been reading other people's blogs for some time now and have decided that I have a few things of my own to say. My concerns run to the future direction of our society. Will it be open, expansive, and growing, or closed, defensive, and moribund? My preference is for the former, but I see many trends that are pushing us towards the later, and I would like to point out both trends as I notice them, and see what others have to say about that.

Like everyone else, I am biased by my beliefs, so I will spell out the basics of my philosophy so that there is no mystery as to my motivations. I am:

• Socially liberal
• Fiscally conservative
• A believer in the scientific method
• Devoted to my family
• Proudly American (warts and all)
• Happy to be part of Western Civilization
• Optimistic about the future
• A fan of Open Source and Capitalism
• A believer if facts, not beliefs.

I am, of course, more nuanced than the above list, but the list still provides a guide to where I am coming from.

David