Nikhil Dev

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

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.

A really hilarious scrap from one of my friend

If titanic was produced in INDIA….

1) There would be 10 times as many people on the ship.

2) There would be a song with Kate Winslet in a white saree and of course singing in the rain.

3) The movie would be called “Pyar Kiya To Marna Kya”.

4) Hero and Heroine would float in cold water for days and still survive, but the villian would die on the first dip.

5) The iceberg would be sent by the heroine’s father to teach the hero a lesson.

6) None of the women would float due to heavy designer sarees.

7) Himesh Reshammiya could not use his nose to sing as his nose would be running due to the cold weather condition.

And last but not least More Than Half of the rescue boats would be reserved for SC/ST/OBC.

Wanted to share a joke that really made me burst into laughter today;-

Little Lucy was not the best student in Sunday School. Usually she slept through the class.

One day the teacher called on her while she was napping, “Tell me, Lucy, who created the universe?” When Lucy didn’t stir, Little Johnny, an altruistic boy seated in the chair behind her, took a pin and jabbed her in the rear.

“God Almighty! ” shouted Lucy and the teacher said, “Very good,” and Lucy fell back asleep.

A while later the teacher asked Lucy, “Who is our Lord and Savior?” But, Lucy didn’t even stir from her slumber. Once again, Johnny came to the rescue and stuck her again.

“Jesus Christ!” shouted Lucy and the teacher said, “Very good,” and Lucy fell back asleep.

Then the teacher asked Lucy a third question. “What did Eve say to Adam after she had her twenty-third child? And again, Johnny Jabbed her with the pin. This time Lucy jumped up and shouted,

“If you stick that damn thing in me one more time, I’ll break it in half!”

When I made the switch to Ubuntu Linux on my desktop computer (that is, if you can call triple-booting Windows XP, Vista, and Ubuntu a “switch”), I was a little worried about finding the applications and tools that would make me as productive working in Ubuntu as I am working on Windows.

After a little searching around the interweb, however, I’ve been more than impressed with the number of great, full-featured applications available for Linux, many of which outshine their Windows counterparts. And what’s best - they’re all totally free. Here are my top 10 favorite applications and tweaks that made replacing Windows with Ubuntu a breeze.

Taking a page from Mark Pilgrim’s essential software list, I’ve included the necessary command line code to install most of the applications below; if you don’t like Terminal, you can use Ubuntu’s very friendly Add/Remove software application interface (Applications -> Add/Remove…). Where I haven’t included the apt-get line, follow the instructions in the link.

1. Automatix

As I said last week, Automatix will get your system ready to play nice with proprietary codecs and the like, but it can also install a lot of really useful apps, from Picasa and Google Earth to several of the apps on this list. Automatix is a great way to get a lot of applications installed in a hurry.

2. Beagle

Beagle is the Spotlight/Google Desktop search app for Linux. However, think more Spotlight than Google Desktop (which is a good thing, because Google Desktop can suck at times). Beagle indexes your files and lets you construct quick, powerful file searches.

apt-get install beagle

3. Gnome Deskbar Applet

The Gnome Deskbar Applet is sort of a cross between Spotlight and Quicksilver. Basically it’s a great app launcher and then some, with plugins designed to integrate more search options than you can shake a stick at, from live Google searches to integration with Beagle.

To use the Deskbar Applet, right-click the top panel and select Add to Panel… and find Deskbar Applet (incidentally, there are a lot of other great tools in the Add to Panel… dialog worth checking out). It’s no Quicksilver, but it’s better than any app launcher/search tool available on Windows.

apt-get install deskbar-applet

4. VLC

It’s no secret that we love us some VLC, so there’s no reason not to keep loving it on your new Linux distribution. VLC can play virtually any file format you throw at it.

apt-get install vlc

As a bonus, you can also setup VLC as a plug-in for Firefox.

5. Firefox

It should go without saying at this point, but no operating system would be complete without Firefox. Ubuntu ships with Firefox out of the box, but it never hurts to emphasize something you love so much. Of course, you will want to add any number of Firefox extensions.

apt-get install firefox

6. amaroK

I didn’t know that love between a man and a music player was possible, but amaroK’s seamless integration with Wikipedia, lyrics and album cover look-ups, and MusicBrainz have me questioning the laws of nature and propriety. Oh, and don’t worry - it’ll sync to your iPod with its eyes closed.

apt-get install amarok

7. CheckGmail

Even though Google doesn’t, for some strange reason, provide a version of the Gmail Notifier for Linux, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck - the resourcefulness of the open source community comes to the rescue!

apt-get install checkgmail

8. Add NTFS Read/Write support

If you’re switching from Windows, chances are you’ve got lots of data stored on an NTFS (New Technology File System) formatted drive that you’re not ready to get rid of. This used to be a major problem, since Linux isn’t able to write files to NTFS drives. Or at least that used to be the case. Luckily the Linux-NTFS project has built a driver to overcome those limitations.

9. Turn off the system beep

You know that annoying, shrill beep that comes not from your speakers, but rather inside the depths of your computer called a system beep? I hate it, but Ubuntu likes to use it when, for example, I’m searching for text in Firefox and I get to the point where the text doesn’t match anything. In Windows, this invokes a fairly annoying noise. In Ubuntu, it’s the system beep, which is even worse. Here’s how to disable it:

rmmod pcspkr

If you decide you miss it, this will re-load it:

modprobe pcspkr

10. XGL/Compiz = Purdiest graphics you’ve seen in a while

The XGL/Compiz one-two punch offers an incredible window management environment for your Ubuntu installation. My video card isn’t quite up to snuff for handling these kind of accelerated graphics (it’s really kind of a weenie), and the architecture hasn’t got all the kinks worked out, but this is definitely the most exciting GUI I’ve seen in a while. If you haven’t already seen it, check out the irritating yet wonderful video below:

Your mileage may vary with XGL/Compiz, but here are the instructions that worked for me (note: over-the-top thrash metal not included):

11. (BONUS!) Frozen Bubble

All right, I’ll admit - Frozen Bubble isn’t the most important app on the list, but I love this game, which is why it gets the coveted number 11 slot. Play it.

apt-get install frozen-bubble