In search of a different distro (term of endearment for Linux distributions) to try, I decided to try installing probably one of the harder distros to install, Arch Linux over the weekend.  I thought I would gather some thoughts into a post and share what I think of this interesting distro that doesn’t get the press that Ubuntu does.

Arch Linux is a bit different than most Linux distributions out there.  For example, it doesn’t have a default graphical interface.  It boots directly into a Linux command prompt from the CD.  You get into the install by typing in: /arch/setup in the command… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Yesterday Ubuntu’s community manager, Jono Bacon put up a post calling for people to test their brand new idea for the Unity interface they currently use.  They call it HUD.  HUD will be included in the next relse of Ubuntu, version 12.04, code named “Precise Pangolin”.

With HUD, you can do many different things like post to Twitter, Search your web history or find a drop down menu in Firefox or any other app.  You can do some of this even if you don’t have that app loaded.  Above is a video that shows you just what you can do with the HUD.

To try the HUD, you have to install Ubuntu… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When the rumors came across last week of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu coming to CES, I thought ‘Why?’.  What could they be introducing that could be worthy of a booth at CES?  Well all across the internet today Canonical has introduced their new Ubuntu TV product.  Ubuntu TV, based on the new Unity interface is what Canonical wants TV makers and content providers to consider for integration in their TV’s.

They also promise apps for Android, iOS and Ubuntu itself for interfacing with your Ubuntu TV.

While it really looks nice, I am not so sure how this will go for them.  First, companies who make TVs like… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

In the spirit of Joe ‘Zonker’ Brockmeier’s post over on Linux.com, I thought I would craft my list of 10 important open source desktop applications of the last year.  Now I know that not every Gear Diary reader is a huge Open Source fan or follower, but these are projects to watch in the coming year.  Some of this software works on Windows and Mac OS X as well so you may want to check them out if going full bore into Linux isn’t in the cards right now.  Most of this software is software I use on Linux every day.  Some of them are not just applications, but whole desktop environments or Linux distributions as well.

Note: These aren’t ranked in any order.  These are just… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It’s not often I do book reviews.  In fact, I’ve only done one other book review, and that was for Cooking for Geeks which wrapped my love of tech with my love of food.  In that book, there was a chef who shared recipes via Twitter.  In this book, by Don R. Crawley, we take sharing on Twitter to a new subject: Linux.

The full title of the book is Tweeting Linux: 140 Linux Configuration Commands Explained in 140 Characters or less.  This book explores one of the things that, once you go beyond just installing Linux, you come to realize is invaluable — and that is the command line.   Yes I said the command line.  What is… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

When the Grid 10 was announced by the ever-reliable Chandra Rathakrishnan last month, it was said to run Android apps but not be an Android device. This was later clarified to mean that it is actually an Android kernel running the show, but thoroughly skinned and possibly even forked to a version of Android incompatible with future Google-backed updates. We’ll see someday, maybe.

Now TechCrunch is reporting that Amazon’s long-rumored tablet will be hitting the market in a couple months, running a completely forked Android kernel. This one is apparently pre-2.2 (how far pre is undefined) and has been so modified that it in no way resembles Android at all… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It has been a while since I looked at ZaReason’s Terra HD Netbook.  I liked that one, but the integrated Intel graphics still held it back from those netbooks that are now shipping Nvidia Ion or Ion 2 cards for graphics.  Today I am checking out one of ZaReason’s smaller netbooks, the Teo Pro.

The Teo Pro is yet another netbook running Ubuntu Linux and equipped with the venerable Atom N450.  In fact, spec wise the Teo Pro is almost identical to the Terra HD except that the Teo Pro has a 10.1 inch 1024×600 LCD and one less USB port.  Everything else in the loaner they sent me is equivalent to the Terra HD… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Even though I work in a technology field, not often do I get a chance to look at brand new technology right after it comes out.  It is even rarer that companies choose to ship laptops with only Linux on them.  Companies like Zareason and System 76 are making it easier and easier to get a system that runs Linux 100 percent with every single piece of the hardware working from day one.  When System 76 offered to send a loaner of their brand new Gazelle Professional based on Intel’s new Sandy Bridge chipset, well I jumped at the chance!

The Gazelle Professional is one of the first laptops I have ever tried that has a Core… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It’s been a little while since Intel and Nokia came together to merge Moblin and Maemo together to create the MeeGo project.  Moblin started out as a project by Intel and the Linux Foundation to produce a Linux-based OS, interface and application stack for mobile internet devices.  In February of 2009, they merged with the Maemo project that was used by Nokia in the Nseries tablets like the N770, N800, N810 and the N900 smartphone.  Intel was nice enough to send me a Lenovo S10-3t convertible netbook with MeeGo preloaded so I could get a look at the state of MeeGo in version 1.1.  MeeGo has… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

A while back the OpenMoko project created the goal of bringing out a Linux based smartphone called the Freerunner.  Then Google brought out what became the most successful Linux based operating system of all time, Android.  Well, needless to say, the writing was on the wall.  The clunky OpenMoko OS, with the behind the times hardware, was enough to make OpenMoko irrelevant in the smartphone arena.  Well, it seemed to be such a waste to throw out the work they did on the OS, so the next choice was to bring out another device.  This time, they didn’t even try to look at bringing out another smartphone.  They, instead, brought out the Wikireader… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

OpenMoko’s Wikireader project has let you carry the entire contents of Wikipedia in the palm of your hand for about a year now.  While the device’s design isn’t as awe inspiring as the NookColor or Kindle, it still is an interesting idea.  Thankfully the developers have been hard at work and now have released a great update to the Wikireader that is sure to get some people excited.  

This update now let’s you carry Wikipedia and all 33,000 books from Project Gutenberg all in the palm of your hand.  While you’ve been able to read the classics on Project Gutenberg on your Kindle, the Kindle would not have the storage to carry all of them at the same… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Late on the December 2nd, Ubuntu released the first Alpha quality code of their next version, 11.04, due out in April.  An alpha release is code that isn’t ready to be used for production work.  This release is designed more to get people testing and looking for bugs that cna be fixed before the beta, release candidate and final release.  Today I downloaded the iso so I could share a little of the future of Ubuntu.

Those like myself already know a lot about this upcoming release as Mark Shuttleworth had announced in November that the new default desktop will be in 11.04.  The new desktop takes queues off of the desktop in the Netbook Edition… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Just getting ready to do a review of a upcoming product that Neuros is targeting for the Neuros Link and I spied a deal!  TODAY only in the Neuros store you can get the ultra quiet Neuros Link “Phantom” for $249.99 with a free upgrade to a 320 GB hard drive.  You will have to add a controller to your order or provide your own controller.

The specs of this machine are:

PC, it is customizable and expandable:

• Dual Core 2.5Ghz CPU
• 1GB DDR SDRAM memory (expandable up to 8GB)
• Up to 1080p H.264 video playback
• Support an extensive list of video and audio formats: MPEG2, MPEG4, .vob, .mp4

It’s been a couple of years since I reviewed a laptop from ZaReason, the UltraLap SR.  Now I’m reviewing something a bit smaller — the ZaReason Terra HD.

ZaReason is a different type computer company; every single computer they sell runs Linux, and they only ship Linux (or no operating system at all) on all of their machines.  They care about this to the point where they even include a screwdriver in the box of every machine they sell.  That is because any system you buy is your system, and they feel that you have every right to look at what makes it tick.  That’s one of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I’ve been watching Joe Born’s Neuros Technology for quite a while.  From the mp3 players to the Neuros OSD to the Neuros Link, Joe’s products have all had open source and technology in mind.  What if that idea was applied to remote controls?  That’s where Joe’s bright idea comes up.  Joe has worked on procuring some Android tablets with the idea of using them for controlling the Neuros Link without wires.  The Neuros Link is a computer that comes with what I like to call a couch interface.   That is a full screen interface that will allow you to watch content on your TV using Boxee, Hulu or even your own local content on your network or on… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...