Blog Jones

One thing I almost immediately wished for when I started using my linux machine was a way to use my keyboard and mouse with both it and my laptop at the same time. I wanted to be able to move the mouse off the edge of my monitor and onto my laptop’s screen.

It seems I’m not the only one: Synergy, a free, open-source utility, does exactly that; even better, now the machines can share a clipboard, meaning that I can copy stuff easily from one to the other.

It’s also cross-platform, meaning that it would work with two windows computers, two linux boxes, or, as in my case, one of each. Best of all, it’s really easy to set up and use, esp. when you compare it to a lot of other open-source software.

If you’ve got two (or more) computers on your desk, you really ought to check this software out.

I’ve taken another step into all-out über-geekdom: I’ve installed linux for the first time. I’m using the Ubuntu version of linux; like most versions (called “distributions” or “distros”) of linux, it’s available for free. I just downloaded the install software from the website, burned an install CD, plugged it in, and rebooted. I had to answer some fairly simple questions, and then it wiped out the old Windows ME data and replaced it with linux. (Good riddance, I say.)

It works quite well, from my first 24 hours with it. Unfortunately, because I’m a complete linux n00b, everything is taking forever to do. For example, it took me a good hour to figure out how to update FireFox from version 1.0.7 to version 1.5.

Despite the new user frustration, I find it fairly interesting and fun. For example, I think it’s cool that you can do everything from the command line (if you know what you’re doing). Another cool thing is that I’ve figured out how to set up both SSH and the Remote Desktop, so I can control my linux desktop from my laptop. (Right now, I can only do it from my local network, but it is theoretically possible to control it from anywhere in the world).

One thing I think is neat is the way it handles private data. Every user gets their own “home” folder which stores stuff like the Desktop and any documents you have. By default, these are “private,” meaning that someone who logs in on a different username will not be allowed to even look in your home folder, unless you explicitly allow it. This is, I imagine, possible in Windows, but it’s the default in linux.

It’s kind of a neat experiment. If you want to play with linux without installing it on top of your system, I’d recommend downloading a Live CD. After you burn the downloaded file to a disk, you put the cd in the cd drive, restart the computer, and have it boot from the CD drive. It will then load linux from the CD; it’s slower than if you install it on the hard drive, but it’s good for playing with and seeing if you like it.

In summary:
The Good: Free; good handling of user data; lots of free software available
The Bad: Much, much more complicated than windows; some software packages (like an MP3 player) can’t be included for legal reasons
The Ugly: The installation software looks primitive compared to other OS’s; the fonts are kind of “off” too.