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The Linux Incompatability List   25 Sep 04
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Saw this on /.

"The Linux Incompatibility list is a wiki project that attempts to document hardware that is incompatible with Linux rather than list what is compatible. In the wiki, it is possible to add alternitives so as to push hardware manufacturers to make good binary drivers, publish specifications, or even better, publish open drivers."

Wine-Migration   25 Sep 04
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At Linuxtag in Karlsruhe I met during lunch one of the authors of ganymede. I am the last person in the world to promote the use of the Win32-API, but it can come in handy, when you have to use some legacy software on Linux and do not want to pay license fees for the usual suspects like vmware. Having to maintain only one code-base is sexy, too.

I asked David Guembel, one of the fathers of the software to email me a short describtion:

 On an abstract level, the idea behind our ganymede system is simple: To make
 an application run under Wine (a free Win32-API layer and Windows
 executable loader), it is neccessary to know what parts of the Windows API
 are actually required by that particular piece of software. Software has a
 modular structure - in this context, a module is a Windows executable
 (.DLL, .EXE, .OCX etc.) - and every module provides (exports) certain
 functionality and requires (imports) functionality from other modules.
 Thus, ganymede internally creates a dependency graph of an application's
 binaries. This method is static and does not require anything but a fresh
 installation of the software to be analyzed.

 Before x-raying a Windows application, ganymede parses and stores an
 analysis of the soure code of one or more Wine versions. It automagically
 determines the implementation state of the APIs provided by Wine. During a
 software analysis, the functionality required by the Windows application is
 compared to what Wine provides, and missing or incomplete APIs are
 reported. By storing Wine versions and the dependency structure of the
 analyzed applications in a database, automatic or manual re-analysis with
 different Wine versions is possible. Via the API ganymede itself provides,
 the collected data is accessible in several ways. One application of that
 API is our tool named sysiphus, which uses ganymede and a GUI-based
 approach to semi-automatically determine the best possible Wine
 configuration while providing for the possibility to re-use already
 licensed Windows DLLs to fill the gaps Wine still leaves.

The Rise of ``Worse is Better''   25 Sep 04
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(Source: Richard Gabriel) Good characteristics:

1) Simplicity-the design must be simple, both in implementation and interface. It is more important for the interface to be simple than the implementation.

2) Correctness-the design must be correct in all observable aspects. Incorrectness is simply not allowed.

3) Consistency-the design must not be inconsistent. A design is allowed to be slightly less simple and less complete to avoid inconsistency. Consistency is as important as correctness.

4) Completeness-the design must cover as many important situations as is practical. All reasonably expected cases must be covered. Simplicity is not allowed to overly reduce completeness.

www.jwz.org/doc/worse-is-better.html

A Metric Leading to Agility   25 Sep 04
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(Source: Ron Jeffries) Nearly every metric can be perverted, since up- and down-ticks in the metric can come from good or bad causes. Teams driven by metrics often game the metrics rather than deliver useful software. There is a single metric that demands that a team become both agile and productive.The result: better projects done in better ways. www.xprogramming.com/xpmag/jatRtsMetric.htm

Software for Slackers   25 Sep 04
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I need this program to stop my internet addiction.

Are you a slacker? So am I. Do you browse the Web, read the news, and write email all day in stead of working? So do I. Does it make you feel miserable and apathetic? Do you tell yourself to stop browsing the fucking Web and get some bloody work done? Do you have absolutely no discipline? I know your pain.

But recent technological advancements have made it possible… There is a cure for your disease!

Years of slacking at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology have resulted in a brilliant 461-line Perl script (which includes 130 lines of comments for free!) that makes it all possible! Your productivity will dramatically increase!

Today, I present Lockout: The Self-imposed, Computer-aided Work Enforcer. This program will help you get some work done by not allowing you to browse the Web. It won’t allow you to do anything but work. It’s a miracle! Your colleagues will respect you, your Ph.D. adviser will compliment you, and your boss, if you have one, will probably not notice the difference! It’s amazing! Scroll down! Read more!

Get the program

How to Construct Bad Charts and Graphs   25 Sep 04
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(Source: Gary Klass) A short but good article in the style of Edward Tufte, the big guru when it comes to displaying data in a meaningful way. Fundamental rule of efficient graphical design: minimize the ratio of ink-to-data The three fundamental elements of bad graphical display are these: Data Ambiguity, Data Distortion, and Data Distraction. link Make sure you check out these classic bibles about envisioning information by Tufte: Envisioning Information and The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Executive Dashboard   25 Sep 04
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Thanks to Sven C. Koehler. He pointed out me to Edward Tufte’s interesting forum. There are some interesting answeres in the thread, esp. the graphic about the patient. Isn’t every company a patient? :-)
 I'm developing an executive dashboard, and I haven't been satisfied
 with the business graphics that are widely available
 (e.g. gauges, dials, stoplights). I decided to make a "Zen" version
 of a KPI status indicator, using as little color as possible,
 and incorporating E.T's innovative "Spark Line" metaphor for display
 of trends. The graphic below shows the proposed KPI display across
 the top of a browser screen with a descriptive example in the middle.
 Any feedback would be wonderful!

 Comments: Because of complex KPI names (e.g. This Week versus Last Week
 Sales (All Divisions), KPIs were labeled with Roman numerals.
 Balloon help could display the KPI name when the cursor brushes the
 KPI indicator.

link

My LinuxTag 2004 photos   25 Sep 04
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Some photos from LinuxTag 2004 in Karlsruhe. I especially liked the Xbox booting Linux screenshots. pics

I need my daily dose of vim .. even in Mozilla   25 Sep 04
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mozex.mozdev.org/

Mozex is an extension which allows the user to use external programs for these actions:

  • view page source
  • edit content of textareas (possibly utilizing a spell-checker in the text editor)
  • handle mailto, news, telnet and FTP links
  • download files

Skolelinux: V1.0 with codename Venus is out!   25 Sep 04
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Skolelinux is made as free (as in speech) software, and is an overall computer solution based on school's resources and needs. It is based on Debian and runs very well on older hardware, too.
  • Skolelinux is a network architecture tailored for use in schools.
  • Skolelinux is designed to be easy and cheap to maintain.
  • Skolelinux gives the students their own usernames, home directories and services.
  • Skolelinux includes OpenOffice.org
link

 

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