When I last talked about my computer it was on the problems and progress with using Gentoo Linux. I’ve since switched, first to Ubuntu and then to Xubuntu. Xubuntu is a light-weight version of Ubuntu that uses Xfce as its window manager instead of Ubuntu’s GNOME.
I recently switched once again, when Xubuntu 7.10 was released. I figured, since I have a 64-bit AMD processor I could try the 64-bit version of the operating system. Last time I tried was Gentoo a year ago, and I had trouble with getting flash to work in Firefox, plus a lot of other things that just weren’t mature enough. This time I haven’t had any problems yet, and I think 64-bit Linux has come a long way.
One of the main features of Ubuntu/Xubuntu is that everything works out of the box: you get Firefox and Thunderbird, it detects printers and scanners automatically and so on. But you also get a lot of stuff you don’t need, like media players and word processors you don’t always want anyway. I’ve wanted the option to choose what’s installed when installing Ubuntu, and this time I found out how. If you use the alternate CD you can install a basic command line system, without a graphical interface or any programs, and then complete the installation with the things you need. With one command from the freshly-installed command line I had Xfce, Firefox, Thunderbird and so on, without the extra media players and stuff. This slimmed the installation size and the system will hopefully run faster without extra processes running in the background.
I’ll list some pages that helped me, for later reference. Maybe I’ll add some more later.
If you’re curious about Linux and want to try something easy I recommend the Ubuntu default installation. You’ll get a complete system that keeps updating installed programs without nagging like that other operating system about authentication or illegal unlicensed downloads.
My site will look strange for the next couple of days, as I work on the design. The old design was table based, but I’m switching to a css-driven layout. Expect stuff to move around at random, change size or disappear completely.
I work in two steps. First I make sure it works in Firefox. Then I take a look at Helena’s computer’s Internet Explorer, stifle a cry, and try to make it look at least decent in IE. Everything would be much easier if browsers actually followed set standards.
I don’t need any bug reports now. I’ll let you know when I’m done so you can say how the page looks in your operating system/browser.
The feeds in this entry are no longer valid. I wrote the post before moving my blog. New feeds are available in the menu to the right.
Two years back I didn’t know much about web feeds. I didn’t know how to use them. Then I installed the Firefox extension Sage and was hooked. I hear Google reader is good, if you don’t use Firefox or if you want to reach your feeds from any computer. I think about migrating.
When I started using feeds I quickly realized I wanted to provide the same service for my own website. The first feed was for all entries, then a comments feed. Shortly after I added feeds for roleplaying game entries, film entries and entries on comics. Some people are only interested in my thoughts on roleplaying, and shouldn’t have to be notified of new film reviews.
That was it, until yesterday. You might notice a new link at the top of each entry called “Subscribe”. If you add that feed to your feed reader you’ll be notified of new comments to the entry. That’s a great way to keep in touch with posts you have commented. You’ll know if someone is talking to you, right away.
Please let me know if I can help you into the wonderful world of web feeds, or if something isn’t working on my page.
Some of the most popular Firefox extensions are ad blockers. I’ve never used one before, but instead developed surfing habits where I mostly didn’t notice ads.
Still, I wanted to try one to see if there’s any difference. I’ve chosen CustomizeGoogle, which does a whole lot of things, if you want it to. One feature is that all its features are optional.
If you’re interested in net privacy, CustomizeGoogle might be something for you. You can hide yourself from Google Analytics and from having clicks on ads count as actual clicks.
When you image search on Google, it links the results directly to the image, instead of that strange “half page” where you have to click the image once more to reach it.
Another interesting thing is that it allows you to “stream” the result page on Google searches. Instead of having results divided into pages, it adds results at the bottom as you scroll down. You have one long result page instead of many short ones. I used to guess pages’ importance by which result page they were on. I’ll have to see if I like the new way or switch back.
