Unity and Application neutrality

News that Unity is going to be the default shell in Natty Narwhal has raised some questions about the road ahead for Ubuntu developers. On the one hand, there are some good reasons for adopting Unity as an alternative to Gnome Shell. The Unity interface which is associated with Ubuntu Netbook allows for Compiz to remain relevant, as both KDE and Gnome Shell are Compiz independent and are moving away from Compiz. On the other hand, Mark Shuttleworth has admitted that file management in Unity is not where it should be and future editions will have to rely on Nautilus.

The wisdom of deploying a single launcher for applications as Unity does, raises all sorts of issues to do with the overall look and feel of Ubuntu. While the Unity launcher is arguably an example of application neutrality, with a caresol that does not favour any one application, the design brings no immediately obvious benefits to the user. Cairo-dock for instance is a lot more attractive and there are already quite a few docks which perform better.

Is the design of Ubuntu being dictated to by the need to entertain a complex and diverse community with design objectives which are instantly realisable?  Instead of focusing on difficult productivity issues, for example, drag 'n drop and ease of use (The lack of a common drag 'n drop library is a case in point)? Ubuntu may be getting sidetracked by the plethora of handheld devices -- the need to compete on cutting edge hardware, instead of servicing the vast majority of users who have desktop machines.

What happens when Gnome eventually releases its next desktop? Will we end up with parallel development or will development within Gnome suffer because of Unity? I have my reservations and can't help wondering if the focus around Unity is merely a distraction from the work which needs to be done in Gnome in order to compete with Windows 7 and OSX.

Here is what Gnome Developers had to say about the decision.

Mixxx: DJ mixing software for Ubuntu

Mixxx is an open source mixing package for Linux. It handles the basic functions for all aspiring DJs: buttons mixing, scratch, loop, EQ, crossfader ... Mixxx is also capable of recognizing some external mixing devices, as shown in this video.

Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid) and 10.10 (Maverick):
Open a terminal, and enter:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mixxxdevelopers/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mixxx libportaudio2

This will install the latest version of Mixxx from the Mixxx Developers PPA on Launchpad.

Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick):
Our older Mixxx 1.8.0 release can be installed directly from the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Great script to clone GTK colours to WINE

You can change the color schemes of your wine applications to integrate better with the GTK theme you're using on the desktop.

Download the following python script which recovers the GTK theme colors you're using and applies the configuration to wine to make them look alike.

To run: -  download the script (requires python installed on your system)

Change permissions:

chmod +x Wine_colors_from_gtk.py

And run it:

./Wine_colors_from_gtk.py

THANKS: Ubuntu Life

Kdenlive 0.7.8 adds colour correction to Ubuntu

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="435" caption="The most basic scope, the histogram, in detail."][/caption]

Color correction is a really important topic in video editing. It starts with simple stretching of the tonal range if the brightness is not ideal, goes on with white balance to ensure that white remains white and not blue, and finally ends with creating looks which make your video look unique

Kdenlive 0.7.8  adds some awesome color scopes, used for displaying color information.  But in order to enjoy new features you will have to add a new ppa for Kdenlive stable series :

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sunab/kdenlive-release

Sunabs Notes : All packages are built against the standard KDE and standard FFmpeg in each Ubuntu version, so if you are using a backported KDE or backported FFmpeg, DO NOT USE THIS PPA or you will experience many problems.

P.S. : For users (knowing what they do!) who want to follow kdenlive development there is also a new ppa to track svn : ppa:sunab/kdenlive-svn (weekly build)
Use it to test kdenlive and file bug reports if needed on the mantis bug tracker. For this ppa same note as previous ppa : NO BACKPORTS.

Edit : FFmpeg recommendation
*for jaunty : a custom ffmpeg is included in my repositories (+libfaac) / webm unsupported
*for Karmic : a custom ffmpeg is included in my repositories (+libfaac) / webm unsupported
*for Lucid : use official Ubuntu repositories or the Medibuntu project repository "deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ lucid free non-free" (+libfaac+amr) / webm unsupported
*for Maverick : use official Ubuntu repositories, an internal acc encoder is activated in ffmpeg 0.6 series.

Note 2 : Sunabs  kdenlive packages force installation of -extra ffmpeg libraries in order to maximize codecs support, this is an "ugly" packaging but it is more simple for newcomers.

Edit 2 : Frei0r 1.2.0 is packaged for Maverick and Lucid.

October Wish List

1. Application control panel
Wouldn't it be great if there was a user-friendly control panel for all your apps, not just a few parts of the system? Raise your hand if there is a better way to do this in compiz. Advantages would be a central place to set up the attributes of each individual application such as the following:

A) When and where to open on which desktop
Sorry, I really don't want to start fiddling with compiz, just an easy way of doing this thanks.

B) Timed close of each application
I'm usually too sleepy to open a terminal when I want to tell an application to stop at a certain time.

C) Intelligent statistics.
You system could learn habits about particular applications and then prompt you for permission to open.


2. LibreFM scrobbler
Rhythmbox defaults to the LastFM scrobbler. I've tried to change over to a free scrobbler and even installed a LibreFM scrobbler plugin but it appears the plugin needs a bit of work. Thought I would just mention this issue, since not many people know about LibreFM, an open source scrobbling service which could benefit other audio apps.

3. Drag 'n Drop
While I'm encouraged by the work being done since I raised this issue, I still feel drag 'n drop is a Cinderella activity in a Ubuntu when it comes to most applications.. I am therefore including it in this months list to remind the community of where we fail miserably in comparison to OSX which has been intoning the mantra of drag 'n drop for years..

4. Home DJ Mixer plugins for Banshee,. Rhythmbox or Nautilus
I know this one issue grates a lot people, but wouldn't it be great if you could mix tracks in any one of your favourite audio applications? There has got to be an easier way to hold a party than using Audacity or LiveMIX.

5. No to bloatware
Users in the third-world don't all have high-end machines with multiple cores and tons of ram. Compare Rhythmbox to Banshee. Current releases of Banshee have turned the application into a whale. Heck, its worse than opening an instance of the latest Firefox, developed by people who believe, the browser should replace the OS in terms of weight. PS: I know this sounds hypocritical after I making a wish for more audio plugins, but the issue is related to elegance in programming and design. Achieving what you need with the least amount of overhead. Perhaps applications should come with design specifications, like "needs x amount of ram and diskspace to run" and so on?

Creating cool numbers in Inkscape

/ / / Form
From the toolbar, select the Rectangle tool tooltips: Create rectangles and squares (F4 or R) and draw a black restangle dimensions width: 165px, Height: 230px, then round off the corners of the rectangle, while the active tool Rectangle tool in an interactive toolbar Tool Controls Bar set Rx 0px, 14px Ry. Now create a duplicate of the black rectangles Edit> Duplicate (Ctrl + D) and paint it gray Object> Fill and Stroke ... (Shift + Ctrl + F). After staining lower gray rectangle Path> Inset (Ctrl + (), this last step, repeat two more times. Then align the objects horizontally and vertically, Object> Align and Distribute ... (Shift + Ctrl + A) as shown.

/ / / Gradient
Select the black rectangle in the background and the gradient tool-om tooltips: Create and edit gradients (Ctrl + F1 or G), assign a specific gradient, and then a floating palette Fill and Stroke, Object> Fill and Stroke ... (Shift + Ctrl + F) Linear Gradient tab and select the option edit, and open a new range for the initial color select the gradient 323232ff RGBA (color flow and gradient can be changed by editing line and gradient), and for Kranj RGBA 161616ff. Then click the gray rectangle in the foreground and assign a specific gradient, then when it is active tool gradient tool double-click Add another pivotal point in the gradient and define the start and end gradient color RGBA 000000ff, and the central color gradient RGBA 292929ff. Now Select the Text tool tools tooltips: Create and edit text objects (F8 or T) and enter the number in my case it is the number 2, Arial Bold size: 211px, then assign the number of gradient, the initial color select RGBA d6d6d6ff, Mid-RGBA f5f5f5ff, and for Kranj RGBA b0aea6ff. Eventually align objects in the picture.

/ / / Shadows
Tool Ellipse Tool tooltips: Create circles and arcs elipses (F5 or E) draw a black circle dimensions width: 150px, height: 14px palette in Fill and Stroke blur set at 20 and 88% opacity. Then duplicate the rectangle of the foreground and the Pen tool tools tooltips: Draw Bezier curves and straight lines (Shift + F6 or B) draw the object as shown (red loop line). Now take a copy of the rectangle and drawing object, and from the menu select Path> Difference (Ctrl + -). Then assign the resulting object gradient from white to transparency, and set the Opacity to 77%. After that, draw two rectangles measuring width: 151.3 px height: px 3.4 above paint a black color, and lower in RGBA 323232ff, and eventually align objects in the picture.


THANKS: Ubuntu Serbia

New Ubuntu Q&A site

Askubuntu is a great new site for questions and answers on Ubuntu Linux, run by stackoverflow.com

THANKS: Ghabuntu.com

Lernid @ Ubuntu Open Week

Ubuntu Open Week is the time when the long-distance learning application Lernid comes to the fore. Today I attended three sessions, the first was the tail end of a discussion on translating Ubuntu. Next up was how to help the Ubuntu Community, followed by an excellent Inkscape for beginners tutorial from DoctorMo in which I discovered the joys of drag 'n drop in a graphic application which is steadily developing into a power package. Just having some online interaction, with a mentor putting up pages does wonders for learning and I can see lernid being used in other pedogological /educational situations.

Party the Ubuntu way

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22efbYLj70&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Steelstorm for Linux

More great development in the world of Linux gaming. Whole first episode of Steelstorm is free to play. Check the licensing details here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fAVk05OyGQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Installation
Download the game from here, extract the archive and run the file steelstorm with executable permissions. The game graphics details is configurable so it will be playable on many system with few changes in settings.

More info at Official Website

THANKS: Ubuntuvibes

Dosbox Wizard

GR-Lida is a nifty Dosbox front-end which makes setting up games in Dosbox, ScummVM and VDMsound a lot easier. Nice piece of work for those who want to explore classic PC games.

http://www.gr-lida.org/

Ubuntu Anarchy

Ubuntu fits in with the broad anarchist vision of a stateless society where people live in cooperation with each other through voluntary aid, sharing of resources and non-aggression.

You can install the anarchism FAQ

sudo apt-get install anarchism

Check this site for an extensive library of articles:

http://www.anarchism.net/

70 000 free fonts for Ubuntu

I still remember the days when having more than 100 fonts on your system meant you were probably in advertising. This bowls me over:

http://www.fontpark.net/

At last, a Duke Nukem 3D port for Ubuntu

This discovery made my day. The classic first person shooter Duke Nukem is available on Ubuntu

EDuke32 is an awesome, free homebrew game engine and source port of the classic Duke Nukem 3D

Follow the directions on the wiki to install.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al7i_v1a0m0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

EDuke only comes with three levels, it is basically a port of the demo version which was released some time ago. To play more levels, you either have to purchase an original disk, or download the mods. Needless to say, there are quite a few mods available, as well as an editor, so you can create your own. Enjoy.

THANKS: Unixmen

Ubuntu micropayments & social cents

The utopian dream of a society based upon Ubuntu i.e Open Source, Freedom, Mutual Benefit, Voluntary Aid & Cooperation has taken another step with news that micropayment site Flattr is now officially open to the public.

In addition there are two other sites which allow users to make social micropayments in the way of donations. Both Rewrd and Kachingle further the aim of social cents as a means of rewarding producers of content and Open Source software.

And where would we be without a site dedicated to Flattr FOSS?