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Posts tagged Software
Something that should be avoided in Traktor
Jun 15th
The last saturday my Traktor started acting really weird. I thought it was cos I upgraded to the latest version but the issue was something else. The startup latency was really high, the decks would auto sync even though the sync button the Numark Total Control was off. Just a small glance at the ‘preferences’ section showed something that you should avoid.
Under the Transport section in the Deck Preferences, uncheck Synchro Start and select a smaller cache. This was the decks would not Sync automatically.
Just thought there might be others who might have the same issue.
I will surely get a macbook and Vestax VCI-100. Heard really good reviews about it. Lets hope god rains some more money.
Gunite as for now
Ubuntu 8.04 beta released
Mar 22nd
This is something that people have been waiting from a long time. The next LTS version of the most popular Linux distro might soon be released in another months time. The beta is already up for download here.
Looking at what all has been talked about this new distro, this definitely pushes up the expectations. Let me just highlight some of the new features that are offered in Hardy Heron.(thats the code name for 8.04)
Brand new Xorg – People at canonical have the latest xorg 7.3 put into this baby. It allows greater customizability with minimal effort.
Linux Kernel 2.6.24 – Thats an impressive effort of upgrading the kernel. For some reason when I upgraded from 7.04 to 7.10 on my laptop, the new kernel refused to work on my laptop. Hopefully, the new kernel works this time.
Gnome 2.22 – I’ve heard great things about the new gnome. Still have’nt had a look at it. Lets see how good it is.
PulseAudio – People say this is the best thing that ever happened to Ubuntu. They have upgraded to a lot more stable audio handline software.
Firefox 3 Beta 4 – I use the new version of Firefox and it simple kicks ass. It was an obvious thing for Ubuntu to include the new Firefox.
Transmission – I have used Azureus on Ubuntu and its an absolute wastage of effort and is very ineffecient. Transmission was an obvious thing to include.
World Clock Applet – One of the most noticeable changes is the world clock applet which provides a lot more information than the previous one.
There is one huge upgrade in the 8.04 Hardy Heron. Its called Wubi. This is what the Ubuntu website has to say about it.
There is a new installation option for Windows users. Wubi allows users to install and uninstall Ubuntu like any other Windows application. It does not require a dedicated partition, nor does it affect the existing bootloader, yet users can experience a dual-boot setup almost identical to a full installation. Wubi works with a physical CD or in stand-alone mode, by downloading an appropriate ISO to install from. It can be found on the root of the CD as Wubi.exe. A full installation within a dedicated partition is still recommended, but Wubi is a great way to try Ubuntu for a few days and weeks before committing dedicated disk resources.
I am waiting to lay my hands on this thing. There are lot of things that the new version would be teaching to other distros.
My previous title was misleading but its just the beta which has been released. Sorry for the misguiding information
Firefox 3 Beta 4 proven to be the best of the lot browser
Mar 19th
One of the main reasons that I did not install Firefox 2 on my freshly reformatted Windows Xp laptop is because I have used it for more than an year at my work on a workstation that has about 4 gigs of RAM. My experience shows that the average browser used memory of Firefox 2 is about 650 mb. Now that is a Huuuuuuuuuge number for a single application to be using up. My laptop has just about 1 gig of Ram and I would not want half of it to be eaten by the browser itself.
I then heard about these great reviews about Firefox 3 and its memory management. I gave it a try and it exceeds my expectations by a huuuuuge margin. It tends to load pates as fast as Opera does and way too faster to IE 7.
Some of the main features that I like in Firefox 3 are its ability to remember the page titles, its new crash recovery, Download manager(my favourite) and the design. On the whole I give it a 8 out of 10.
In fact Cnet recently rated it as the best browser in the industry as of now. I tried giving IE 8 a try after I got to know about it but ended up getting dependency problems of other software. If installing a BROWSER is such a pain in the ass, then I can do without the internet.
The present version of Firefox 3 is Beta 4. You can download it here.
At first I was concerned with the extension compatibility of Firefox 3, but I you have read my post on making old extensions compatible, you will be able to get most of them working just fine on Firefox 3.
Its a MUST download.
Received what I was waiting for
Feb 28th
At last this Monday, Rachel brought in the Numark console that was with her all the while. I though that I can try it over the weekend but unfortunately I am going on a bike ride to Nirmal City on Saturday. So I think I will have to wait and take a day off during the week. I unboxed it and set it up and the work machine, installed the drivers but looks like the Controller was made with Numark Cue in mind. All the controls are arranged mainly for the Cue software. I tried to map the Traktor DJ Studio but with not much lunk. At last I found the controls map on their website for the full version of TRaktor. I think I will take some time on the weekend and try it with the TRaktor software. Cos Traktor is something that I am very used to.
Anyway, let me get some breathing space and I shall put up the first video of my setup.
Get a beer till then
Things you can do on Linux but not on a Mac or Windows PC
Feb 5th
Was going through this article and found something that really interested me. This is a short list of some of the things that you can do on a Linux machine but not on a PC or Mac.
1. Upgrade to the newest version legally and without paying money
2. Have the latest version of the operating system run faster than the previous version on the same hardware
3. Easily install and run different graphical interfaces if I don’t like the default setup
4. Install twenty programs with one command
5. Have the system automatically update all my installed programs for me.
6. Install the same copy of my OS (Ubuntu) on multiple computers without worrying about license restrictions or activation keys
7. Give away copies of the operating system and other programs that run on it without breaking any laws, governmental or ethical or moral, because it was all intended to be used this way
8. Have full control over my computer hardware and know that there are no secret back doors in my software, put there by malicious software companies or governments
9. Run without using a virus scanner, adware/spyware protection, and not reboot my computer for months, even when I do keep up with all of the latest security updates
10. Run my computer without needing to defragment my hard drive, ever
11. Try out software, decide I don’t like it, uninstall it, and know that it didn’t leave little bits of stuff in a registry that can build up and slow down my machine
12. Make a major mistake that requires a complete reinstallation and be able to do it in less than an hour, because I put all of my data on a separate partition from the operating system and program files
13. Boot into a desktop with flash and effects as cool as Windows Vista on a three year old computer…in less than 40 seconds, including the time it takes me to type my username and password to login
14. Customize anything I want, legally, including my favorite programs. I can even track down the software developers to ask them questions, contribute ideas, and get involved in the actual design/software writing process if I want to
15. Have 4+ word processor windows open working on papers, listen to music, play with flashy desktop effects, have contact with a largely happy community and have firefox, instant messaging, and email clients all open at the same time, without ever having had to beg someone for a code to make my os work, and without the system running so slow it is useless
16. Use the command “dpkg –get-selections > pkg.list” to make a full, detailed list of all software I have installed, backup my /etc and /home directories on a separate partition, and you are able to recover your system any time, easily
17. Run multiple desktops simultaneously, or even allow multiple users to log in and use the computer simultaneously
18. Resize a hard disk partition without having to delete it and without losing the data on it
19. Use the same hardware for more than 5 years before it really needs to be replaced…I have some hardware that is nearly 10 years old, running Linux, and still useful
20. Browse the web while the OS is being installed!
21. Use almost any hardware and have a driver for it included with the operating system…eliminating the need to scour the internet to find the hardware manufacturer’s website to locate one
22. Get the source code for almost anything, including the OS kernel and most of my applications
iTunes versions below 7.5 not compatible with iPod firmware version 1.2.2
Nov 26th
Last week I had a problem, that just drove me mad. This is what happened.
I was defragging my 80Gig iPod, and my desktop at home for some reason froze. I had to hard reboot, but to my horror, all my music, the songs and the videos now do not showup on the ipod. I connected the ipod again and I could see them in iTunes. Even media monkey showed that the music was there on the ipod. The ipod stats also showed that the content was there. Why the hell is the ipod library not able to detect the media. Is it that the library got corrupted. If yes, then there was not way to rebuild an ipod library. So my only solution was to copy all the music off the ipod to my work desktop using Yamipod. After that I had to restore my ipod to factory settings. And then put all the music back on the ipod. I dont use Auto sync. So it was even more tough for me. Things went smoothly until just 2 days back when I connected the ipod again to my home computer. The same thing happened again. All the music appeared to be gone. This time it was nothing that I screwed up. All I did was just update a few albums on my iPod.
This is the time, I had to research on this. I brought out my Compaq 3228AU. Connected my iPod to that and copy just one song to the iPod. Miraculously, the library now showed up on the ipod. So what went wrong??
This is really interesting. What I did not realize was that I had upgraded the ipod firmware from 1.2.1 to 1.2.2 which was the latest firmware for iPod 5G and 5.5G. Now when I connected it to my work comp, the iTunes version there was 7.5 whereas the iTunes version at home was 7.3. There is a major incompatibility between the iTunes earlier to 7.5 and the 1.2.2 iPod firmware update. If you want to stick to an iTunes version lesser to 7.5 you should not update the firmware to 1.2.2. If you want to still use 1.2.2 firmware, you better upgrade the iTunes to 7.5. I think this is a nasty way Apple is forcing the consumers to use the latest versions of software.
I have been able to fix this problem after quite some research. If you are having the same problem, do comment. We will try to fix it together. If you have already fixed it, it would be great if you can share it.
Just a simple list of steps to fix this again:-
1. Upgrade to iPod firmware 1.2.2.
2. Upgrade iTunes to 7.5
3. Connect the ipod to iTunes 7.5 once and disconnect. Or just copy one song so that the library is rewritten.
4. Disconnect the iPod.
Voila!!!!
—–Update——
Just today I noticed that apple has released it Firmware version 1.2.3 for the ipod 5Gs. I have’nt had any problems till now. but just in case there are any surprises, Will surely post.
How to install Windows Xp Service Pack 3
Nov 26th
As usual, when there is nothing to read, there is Digg. I was goin through one of these articles in that and something interesting that I saw there interested me. Microsoft has secretly launched the Service Pack 3 for Windows Xp. As for now this is available to only a selected number of users and is possible through a hack. Thats why I thought that I will write some detailed instructions on how this is achieved.
1. Open Notepad and type in the following into it
@echo off
reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\XPSP3 /f 2> NUL
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\XPSP3 /v RCPreview /t REG_SZ /d 1c667073-b87f-4f52-a479-98c85711d869 /f
echo XPSP3 registry key has been set. Please check for updates in Windows Update – Kudos to nikhildev.com
pause
2. Now save that file with any name like “windowsxpsp3.cmd” . Make sure that you have the double quotes and the .cmd extension.
3. Now double click on that file and let it do its work.
4. Once you have confirmation, log onto the window update website and look for any Windows update available.
5. You will see that Windows Xp Service Pack 3 is one of them listed. Just install that and reboot the computer once everything is over.
Thats all that you need to do to install the new Windows Xp Service Pack. Microsoft says that in the new Windows Xp Service Pack 3, it has included a lot of bug fixes and few features from Windows Vista. I I havent tried any of the features as I am writing this before rebooting my computer. Will keep the results posted about the Service Pack 3 for Windows Xp.
Do comment, if you need help or are stuck in some step.
One of the best Video players I have seen till date
Nov 15th
All this while what I have been looking for in a video playing software is codec support and stability with a lot of features. But just today I came across this WONDERFUL software that adds a whole new definition to what a video player should also do.
This one is called Miro and has been recently released and can be downloaded from http://www.getmiro.com/. The best about this software is that its a complete package fro video lovers. It can play almost any video format from MPG, DivX, 3GP, .MOV and lot more. In addition to this, Miro gives you the option to subscribe to video feeds that services like YouTube and Google Videos offer. So now I no longer have to go to the you tube site to watch a video.
Another awesome feature that Miro has is the ability to download YouTube video to your desktop. Just search up for a video and click on it. The video is downloaded from YouTube to your local hard drive in the .flv format. You can later play this directly from Miro of convert it using some encoder. I have always been looking for good reliable firefox extensions to dowloaded YouTube videos to the local computer but Miro has made it the easiest. And now that YouTube is allowing higher quality video uploads, you can use YouTube as a Video storage and download them back anytime using Miro.
Go Ahead. Give it a try. I am sure you will love it.
5 reasons why your parents should start using Linux
Sep 29th
I am back to my promotion of Linux for users. I have been working on a Linux box at office for more than a month and have never restarted the machine till now. The amazing thing is that it is as good as it was when I got it. I have worked with Dell in the Technical Support division and have been a rescue agent for friends for quite some time now. People have always complained to me about how slow their machines have become and how their brothers/sisters have screwed it up by installing some software. Well, its time that people realize that there is one permanent solution for this and this is what I will be talking about. The solution is simple. Switch to Linux. Reasons? Simple 5.
1. Security – Undoubtedly, the most secure computing environment you can work on. There is no need of an anti-virus or an anti-spyware. And it takes balls of steel to remotely screw a Linux machine. How cool is that.
2. Cost – The damn OS costs you nothing and runs on the most basic machines(even more than 5 years old ones). Almost all the software that you run on Linuxis for free and there is a replacement for almost all windows software that I will mention.
3. Hardware – I have tried Ubuntu on my 4 year old desktop and all the hardware is supported. And there is tons of support for forums online that you can use to fix things.
4. Administration – It requires hardly any administration. Just the basic installation and you are all set. All that a bummer might want to know is to click the button to update the libraries.
5. Dell – This is one move that I really appreciate from Dell. They are selling computer that run out of the box with all hardware supported.
One last thing which is my favourite is the software installation. I simply love my apt. Upgrading packages, adding repo’s and removing software has never been easier. It always makes sure that you have the latest software.
Now talking about the famous replacement that can help you with the most common tasks.
Windows: Internet Explorer
Linux: Mozilla Firefox
Windows: MS Outlook
Linux: Mozilla Thunderbird or Evolution
Windows: Solitaire
Linux: AisleRiot Solitaire
Windows: ITunes
Linux: Banshee or Amarok(My Favourite. checkout the auto retreival of album art. it kicks ass)
Windows: MS Word
Linux: OpenOffice.org
A final word. It will take some effort to get around the new environment. But trust me, the effort and patience is worth it. SWITCH.
Justice in India is done on Open Source
Sep 28th
I thought that the open source revolution might not catch up in India that soon(although all windows softwares for us are free 
, but I am impressed with the way this one case has adopted the open source revolution.
The article states that the high court of Uttar Pradesh has adopted the implementation of a Web Server and an Email server which is maintained by the Hight Court staff. This is something that is done for the first time in India.
