How EdHewitt.co.uk is run
Just want to give you all an insight on how my website is made; tools and services I use to achieve this "awesome" blog.
Ubuntu - I use the most popular Linux operating system out on all my computers which I will manage my website from. I use Ubuntu for its speed, stability and security; unmatched on any other operating system.
Mozilla Firefox - In my opinion, 'the world's best browser'. I use it for all my web needs, which include managing the blog. Speed, Security, Add-ons; its a great browser. You see why its the best/popular alternative to Internet Explorer.
Tomboy Notes with Dropbox - Tomboy is an application which allows you to create 'sticky notes' on your computer. I use it to manage my life, which include listing future article ideas. I use Tomboy with Dropbox, which allows me to keep my notes synced and backed up across my computers, like it does for all my work.
Nautilus - The default file manager in the Gnome desktop/Ubuntu OS. I use it for its FTP capabilities. Not feature packed, but it does the job.
OpenOffice.org - Being total free and the best alternative to Microsoft Office, it is a very popular office suite. It is my favourite office suite, and I use it every day. If I have a long article I need to write, which I will post later, I will write it up in OpenOffice Writer.
WordPress - The blog is powered by the popular WordPress blogging publishing platform. I absolute love using it, mainly for its ease of use, themes and plugins support.
Pixel Internet - The hosting provider I use, apparently the most popular in the UK. I just wanted a host to be able to host this WordPress blog with 99.9% uptime, and they have, all for £20 a year!
123-Reg - The domain provider I use. Just wanted a cheap .co.uk address, £2.50 per year. Enough said.
Video Playback on GPU in Linux!
One of the major new advancements in nVidia drivers has been the ability to playback video on the GPU instead of the CPU. This is freeing up CPU usage, and putting all the work on the powerful GPUs. However, one of the major problems is getting the correct software to do the job.
In Linux, it appears that there is only one media player which fully supports VDPAU, which is the Linux API developed by nVidia which decodes video on the GPU. Gnome MPlayer supports this technology, which allows both 720p and 1080p video to play on the GPU, without the CPU usage going too high. This technology has allowed me to play HD videos on my Acer Aspire Revo, which if you tried to play on Totem (which renders video on the CPU), the CPU hits 100% and the video very choppy. In Gnome MPlayer, it can playback without a problem with the CPU sitting at 20%.
This is a plea to Gnome to implement VDPAU into Totem!
Gnome 3 Myths
I have found an excellent wiki article on the Gnome wiki explaining the myths of Gnome 3. From my past post about Gnome 3, I said that old computers may not be able to run it, due to the 3D acceleration.
Well, according to the wiki page, if you can run Gnome 2, you can run Gnome 3. Plus, the old Gnome interface will still be available! 
I have no problems with Gnome 3 anymore!
Gnome Shell, its not that bad!
Happy New Year to one and all!
2010 should be a brilliant year, I'm looking forward to:
- World Cup
- Six Nations
- F1 World Championship
- PS3 & Xbox 360 motion sensors getting released
- Ubuntu 10.04 & 10.10
One major event happening in the Linux world this year, is the release of Gnome 3. One of the head liners is Gnome Shell. An entirely new user interface for Gnome. It is focused around virtual desktops, moving in and out of them, moving apps in and around them.
When I first heard and saw Gnome Shell, I was very disappointed at the Gnome developers. Firstly, Gnome Shell is such a radical change from its two panel desktop to this virtual desktop inspired UI. Yes, I know, its Gnome 3, big changes can be made, but not this big. KDE4 was a big change, but the core UI stayed the same as it was in KDE3, it was just more shiny! Windows 95 to Windows 7, more shiny but same core interface. Gnome Shell is too much of a big change, it could scare people away from using Gnome 3. Secondly, Gnome Shell will require 3D acceleration. Two problems with this, it will stop users with old computers without a 3D card not being able to use Gnome 3. Linux attracts users of old computers to give a new life with Linux, now they wont be able to. Linux has for sometime had dodgy drivers for graphic cards, for example, open-source nVidia drivers do not have 3D support, which leaves some users unable to use Gnome 3. It seems the Gnome developers have shot themselves in the foot, many users including myself are likely to switching to Xfce or KDE when Gnome 3 ships.
The New Gnome UI! (click to enlarge)
However, after trying out the Shell, I was very impressed. It is easy to use and utilises the virtual desktops. Very slick, switching between desktops, moving apps around, dragging new apps into different desktops to load up, it all works very seamlessly together. I love the search feature, to type in the application or document, and it will instantly find matches. The interface is very different to what Gnome used to be like, but now having tried it, it is a step in the right direction. It is more suited to smaller screens, such as netbooks, since more screen space is available, but not sure if its ideal for desktops.
For a full review of Gnome Shell, we will have to wait until it ships with Gnome 3 in September 2010!
Me!
Ed Hewitt, 19, Studying @ Derby Uni, Blogger, Ubuntu user, Columnist & Podcaster for FCM, Gamer, Admin on Gfire.- Spotify is saved. Usa by the end of the year!
- Back home from work. 2:30am, time for IT crowd!
- Half way through my shift. Time for a double expesso.
