text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45513419417977804012017-06-21T19:24:45.791-07:00The Linux ExperienceCheck out my experiences in the Linux world. Stay tunned for updates/reviews!Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-42109190718239467952014-12-12T01:10:00.002-08:002014-12-12T01:10:51.510-08:00Fedora 21... just WOW!!Really quick note to let you all know that Fedora 21 absolutely rocks!!... GNOME 3.14 is better than ever, slick-looking, fast and more intuitive than ever (even if there are some quirks which still need fixing, like the notification bar...).

 This thing is FAST. The work that Fedora next has put in place to create a common core and then build on that with specific components for each branch is great. The desktop reacts almost instantaneously to everything, and even animations feel snappy and smooth.

 The KDE Plasma desktop is slowly coming together and looks promising, but until it becomes a solid reality, GNOME is the king of Linux desktop managers, and Fedora the speeding track it flies upon!

 Download and install!!!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-81963471304045998342014-07-15T07:50:00.001-07:002014-07-15T07:50:57.588-07:00Plasma 5.0 is HERE!!!YES!!... Finally we get to see what a (nearly, still work in progress in some aspects) finished version of the DM looks like. I must admit I was wrong because my hopes were a bit low on this one, but it feels great to be wrong this time!... The video shows ultra-smooth performance (even when screen recording), LOTS of eye-candy (it simply looks beautiful, much more modern and clean) and a much flatter and no non-sense design. Here´s a quick video:

 Like I said, this is still work in progress and early days, so I would not recommend anybody jumping into it just yet. I am guessing many distros will grab this when they put out their fall releases, and the product will benefit from that breathing time.

 All in all, a big CONGRATS to the KDE developers and designers, a great work overall, keep it up!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-64909102145384014532014-04-07T07:46:00.000-07:002014-04-07T07:46:49.934-07:00Other GNOME AppsIn recent posts I have briefly covered certain popular GNOME apps, such as Files, as well as other newer ones like Maps, Software or Weather. Today I want to quickly talk about others that are maybe less popular, or that I didn't use before and have adopted due to their recent updates.

 GNOME MUSIC

 First off is GNOME MUSIC, a simple music player that looks (or should, I haven't been able to get it to work out of the box) into your Music folder and arranges music by Artist, Album and Song through a simple and clean interface.

 I find the artist section particularly well designed.

 Personally, I rely on Google Play Music to store all my music in the cloud, but for those who prefer a local music player, I believe GNOME Music will be a rather good option, especially if they appreciate a simple interface. Note that I am saying will be, because as of now, it still needs quite a bit of polish before it can become the default player in GNOME.

 GNOME PHOTOS

 GNOME Photos is a bit of a confusing one to me. Initially I thought of it as a photo viewer, maybe a more powerful version of EOG, but it is not. In fact, it depends on EOG for certain tasks. Photos is a simple picture management tool that only displays images from the Pictures folder, allowing users to create their own albums and choose favorites shots. As was the case with Music, Photos is still a young app and it shows. Performance improvements are necessary when displaying pictures, transitioning from one another, etc. Most importantly, though, my main thing with this app is that I don't see much use for it anyways.

 GNOME VIDEOS

 Just like Nautilus received a new name, so has Totem, now dubbed Videos. In this last update it has evolved quite significantly, and in the right direction, I must add.

 Video files can be imported to Videos and displayed in a grid arrangement. Double clicking on a video file from Files works just as well, but I must admit the visual appeal of this option is rather obvious.

 In a surprising and pretty neat twist, Videos offers a few video channels that over a variety of clips, from Blip to Apple Trailers, and apparently some others that have been added recently. I wonder if that will be a trend and more and more video channels will become available without the user actually updating the app. That would be great.

 I used to watch Apple Trailers before I started using Linux. Then, because I was testing so many distros, I ended up getting tired of whether the distro would include all the required codecs and the kitchen sink for Apple videos to be displayed correctly, so I started gravitating to watching trailers on YouTube and never looked back. With Videos, though, I have alternatives with none of the hassle.

 GNOME SOUND RECORDER

 Sound Recorder is a very simple app that does what it's supposed to do. Probably more meaningful in a mobile device, it can be useful in a laptop/desktop setting as well.

 As with the rest of the apps, the UI is clean and simple, never getting in the way of what the app is meant to do.

 GNOME WEB

 Formerly know as Epiphany, GNOME Web is another one of those apps I had decided not to use for a while, but I must admit that its latest offer is quite appealing.

 The UI is simply superb. The ugly URL bar is cleverly hidden when not in use, and the way tabs are implemented makes Web the best looking browser I can think of today.

 Beauty is important, but functionality and performance are key. In that regard, Web still is a bit rough around the edges. I have seen a few webs which are not displayed correctly, but they were the exception. In terms of loading speed, a few informal tests show it doesn't stand far back from Google Chrome, which is quite a good sign.

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-8314831025145540002014-03-25T09:07:00.000-07:002014-03-25T09:23:10.875-07:00GNOME 3.12 ScreencastA very recent update dropped GNOME 3.12 final and the final product, although not that much different from the GNOME 3.11.9x I had been using up until now, managed to surprise me, so I decided to put together a quick Screencast and share it here.

 The main thing I have noticed on the latest update is things going much faster. I am not sure why, but everything is way smoother and more responsive. Menu drop-downs, fade in and out effects, everything is amazingly smooth. Even with more than five apps open at the same time, the Activities Overview effects to show them all up is buttery smooth. In fact, part of the reason why I wanted to record a screencast is because GNOME 3.12 finally provided me with a tool to record my screen activity in Linux as it is supposed to be. The video recording does not drag the desktop to a halt, it almost feels as if you are not recording.

 Anyways, I have covered many things about GNOME 3.12 already, so I won't go into detail here. I can confirm that several bugs that were there in the prerelease compilations are now gone, but there are still minor things that don't work as expected.

 What I can assure you is that this is, by far, the best GNOME there has ever been and I very much encourage Fedora users to give it a go, they will not regret it. Users of other distros will probably have to wait a bit longer, but please give this latest GNOME a try!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-19849492599177089812014-03-14T02:48:00.000-07:002014-03-14T02:48:23.051-07:00The Future of KDE, a look at Plasma NextAnyone who's curious about the future of KDE will know that they are currently working on the next big milestone. This work is perhaps going quieter than usual in Linux World because the KDE team took the very wise decision to freeze KDE 4.x development, only providing bug fixes and changes on the application framework, while building the new KDE, which we will get a first taste of mid year. Well, we now have a first taste of how that will look like. I will let the video do the talking and share my opinion later.

 First thing that comes to mind is that it seems the new KDE will finally deliver on the promise of a Plasma desktop, it seems it is finally complete, which is great. According to their comments, the complexity of the DE has been reduced and streamlined thanks to the use of QtQuick, so contributing and maintaining all of its components should be easier now and performance should also benefit from this change.

 In terms of visuals, I don't want to go much into it because I know this is very much work in progress and I know some very talented artists at the KDE camp are hard at work to deliver once again a great visual experience, specially around a new icon theme. I have also heard that support for external icon themes should be improved, something that has always been a bit of a miss for me. What I can say, though, is that the direction they are taking looks very promising. The new calendar and network plasmoids look fantastic, and so does the new menu. Along with a tasty icon theme this thing is going to look superb. Congrats for the great work so far!!

 What I don't like, though, is that according to this video, the foundations that make KDE way more complex and difficult to grasp in 2014 remain intact. The Settings window is almost exactly the same, and I was hoping they would use this opportunity to give it a much, much needed redesign. At this stage it's really nonsense that so many categories are there in the window, it's overwhelming for anyone who's not fond of customization. Most users will only care about three or four elements to customize in terms of appearance, so why not just have an appearance category where fonts, icons and themes can easily be found and then bury everything else in that category under an advanced tab? That concept would apply to any and all categories and would make the settings window way easier to grasp and use. In addition, I hope they make all settings fall within the settings window, as opposed to now, where the menu settings are split from the overall DE settings.

 Anyways, I will wait for the final release to make up my mind, but I have mixed feelings thus far. Let's wait and see!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-86785920766476529642014-03-12T08:15:00.000-07:002014-03-14T01:28:22.687-07:00What's new in GNOME 3.12Following this recent trend of mine, where I like to write about my experience using GNOME and Fedora, I wanted to share a few cool things I have found after applying recent (almost final) GNOME 3.12 packages. I have applied these on top of Fedora 20, so if anyone is interested in learning how to do it, please drop a comment and I will share some basic instructions.

 First thing I have noticed is how GNOME 3.12 again makes things snappier and more responsive than they were in 3.10. If talking about desktop effects, well, GNOME Shell is not big on them, which I am happy with, but what bothered me was that the few there were weren't looking good. Frame drops and severe lag were all over the place, to the point where the overall experience was hit. Good news, fast forward to the latest GNOME 3.11 compilations and things are smooth and fast, even when having many windows open on the same workspace. The overall speed, from loading the session initially to opening apps and running daily tasks has also been improved throughout. For instance, showing the Activities Overview now loads faster than ever, with little to now delay in displaying all icons.

 A very cool and superbly implemented feature is that a software search is now part of the general search feature. This by itself is not news, Unity implemented something along the same lines sometime ago, but that's precisely why I am saying it is superbly done. When using this feature on Unity, right after I get the results, I am desperately trying to find a way to disable it. It's that bad. Performance is ridiculous. However, not sure how they have done it, in GNOME Shell the results appear as if they were part of a local search, pretty amazing.

 There have also been changes in the default GTK theme, which now gets renewed tabs and buttons, as shown below.

 The user and session menu is another perfectly implemented solution. Intuitive, aesthetically consistent, elegant and concise, only showing the right information within a couple clicks max. Genius.

 The Shell menus and popups have become a tad more transparent in this release, which I like.

 The new Maps application is nice, following the trend of no bells and whistles, it just works, albeit with limited functionality at this point.

 The lockscreen returns mostly unchanged, with the obvious exception of the main wallpaper, which looks great. It changes through the day.

 So there you have it, no radical changes, but the continuous improvement is now a trend in GNOME and I must admit I like it more on every release. Up until 3.8 I thought it was fun and had tons of good ideas, it showed potential, but lacked in certain areas. That usually meant that I ended up going back to KDE after a while. GNOME 3.10 was the first release I found 100% complete and with very few weak spots, and 3.12 seems to improve even further. I have been using it exclusively for weeks and I really don't see myself changing soon... Unless the promising work they are doing on KDE5 ends up living to the expectations it's raising! Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-55123922646766376332014-02-28T13:46:00.001-08:002014-02-28T13:46:16.182-08:00Fedora 20: A Visual TourI recently posted a quick article describing some of the Fedora 20 features and strengths. I was in a rush and couldn't get much done in terms of screenshots, but I knew I owed this fantastic release of both Fedora and GNOME Shell a proper show. In the following screenshots I wanted to show mostly GNOME native applications and what it looks like outside the box, perhaps with the exception of a custom icon set and a couple extensions.

 The desktop continues to be a joy to watch in Fedora 20 GNOME, so clean and uncluttered. The default wallpapers are gorgeous, like the one I am using here.

 The menus have changed slightly, but I personally believe the visual improvement is significant.

 With the help of the apps and places extensions, GNOME Shell can feel much more familiar while maintaining its modern look. The former one provides a somewhat classic application menu...

 ...while the latter helps users access locations easily.

 The Activities Menu has also been refined further, looking better than ever.

 The search, just like anything else in the Shell in version 3.10, feels snappier than ever, very responsive.

 Changing lock and desktop wallpapers is a breeze, intuitive and quite flexible, including wallpapers that change during the day.

 The Clocks app has a definite iOS vibe to it, but in a good way, works well and looks good.

 GNOME Tweak Tool has also received some much needed attention and it now offers more options in a much better looking UI.

 A very interesting little app is Weather, which looks fantastic while offering the usual forecast of one or more locations of your choice.

 Files continues to be a favorite of mine. Perhaps very advanced users may miss similarly advanced features, but for the activities a vast majority of users deal with, it works like a charm. It looks as clean and uncluttered as it gets, really!

 The new Software app makes a debut in Fedora 20 and what a welcomed new comer it is. Fedora lacked badly of a proper GUI Software Manager and it finally got one.

 The list of installed apps is consistent with the Shell approach: simple and intuitive.

 Updates are shown here when users proactively open the Software app to check, otherwise they'll show up in a notification and popup window. My disappointment is that this upgrade process always asks for a reboot to apply changes, which brings long forgotten nightmares from the days of being frustrated with Windows.

 The settings app continues to offer more options, but I am one of those who absolutely thinks it should merge with GNOME Tweak Tool.

 Notifications in GNOME Shell continue to be one of its strengths, delivering just the right information without becoming a distraction. They can easily be configured as shown below.

Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-16913729939217201652014-01-21T00:41:00.001-08:002014-01-21T00:42:13.096-08:00On Fedora 20It's been quite a while since my last entry, but I couldn't help but put together a very short post talking about the amazing Fedora 20 and the great work it does playing along well with both GNOME 3.10 and KDE 4.11.

 For the last few releases, Fedora has engaged in an ever improving quest to proving that being cutting-edge while providing solid foundations is certainly achievable. It has also managed to become my favorite distro in the process. Let's start by looking at its default flavor.

 FEDORA GNOME 3.10

 If Fedora's steps to offer continuous refinement, performance and polish are certainly noticeable, they are perhaps even more obvious in GNOME. I last posted about GNOME 3.8, which impressed my quite favorably, but 3.10 is surprisingly another leap forward at each and every level. Looks continue to be further improved, making it an art to create interfaces that are simple yet elegant and beautiful. The GNOME Shell looks modern indeed, but it also feels that way thanks to the heavy cloud integration with Google services, allowing users to integrate their email, calendar, contacts, IM, etc., almost with a single click. Performance is also better all around, perhaps with the exception of the boot and login processes, which feel a bit slow. The application suite is as good as ever, no surprises here.

 I can't hide it, I love GNOME and what they are doing with the Shell. This time around, I felt it was so good in terms of looks that I didn´t change a thing, perhaps only the icon pack. The Shell is more robust, consistent and snappy than ever, and while there are things that need work, GNOME 3.10 feels for the first time like a complete and well-rounded desktop for any kind of user, specially after the inclusion of the new GUI software manager. If anything, the only thing I don't like about GNOME Shell 3.10 and its new software manager is its tendency to ask for a reboot every time it has to update software. I am sure you remember how painful this has been in Windows for years and one of Linux strengths was precisely the absence of this behavior. I understand that the new software manager is there mostly as a proof of concept this time around and should be a mature product by GNOME 3.12, but let's just say they better fix it and get rid of the annoying excessive reboots sooner rather than later.

 FEDORA KDE 4.11

 It's funny how KDE and GNOME offer such opposite experiences, even in what they offer to the user. While GNOME started as a bare-bone experience and keeps adding more and more features with each release to cover gaps, KDE suffers from the opposite problem. It offers an overwhelming amount of options, perhaps too many, all packaged in an environment that has felt shaky and inconsistent for many, many releases.

 Fortunately, even if frustratingly slow at times, progress has also been steady at the K camp over the years, and it now finally feels like the mature, consistent, snappy and solid DE it should have always been. In fact, in the comparison KDE probably leads in most areas, feeling faster and (surprisingly) lighter, smoother (it's amazing how good Kwin effects have become) and more complete (K Apps like KTorrent, K3B, Kate, Gwenview or Okular really have no competition in the GNOME World). Even areas that have historically been a pain, like Akonadi, Nepomuk and PIM, work like a charm these days. I was finally able to get my calendar, contacts and email on Kontact to work perfectly, albeit with a more cumbersome setup than that in GNOME Shell. Getting the Plasma calendar to show events worked perfectly as well, gone are the crazy high CPU figures that plagued this functionality and more often than not forced me to disable it. Along the same lines, the inclusion of yet more plasma elements in the desktop makes the experience even more streamlined. It's certainly satisfying to finally see what the Plasma desktop should have always been... Well, 98% of it anyways, as there are still elements that are not fully Plasma yet (The home, clipper and sound menus are still pending, among other things).

 So what's my take on KDE? I love it as well, no doubt, but I always have the feeling that it could be better, partly because it's quickly becoming obsolete in many ways, rusty in its excessive complexity. In my opinion, the days of the heavy clients are over. As a power user myself, I truly see the point in having a UI that provides flexibility and plenty of features, but it is no longer acceptable that it does so at the expense of ease of use. Besides, the times are changing...

 For years now we are seeing an empowerment of cloud services and applications, which helps users concentrate and interconnect all their data across. Sadly, KDE developers seem to be deaf and blind to how things are being done elsewhere and continue to offer an incredibly overpowered desktop (with all the challenges that entails) when most users will be doing 80% of what they need to do from the browser. These days I have all my music on Google Play Music, do all my emails, agenda and contact management from Gmail, my IM on Hangouts, my RSS on Feedly, my Tweets on Tweetdeck and all the social networking on the respective online portals. Photo management and edition is now possible for free and without any limit in the amount of pictures you upload to in Google+. This incredibly powerful cloud service offers very smart image indexing along with very impressive photo (even auto) edition features. Granted I am no specialist, but whatever results I ever managed to get with GIMP, I get better these days with these simple and fun to use apps. Of course they are nothing but a joke for the professional, but the casual user, which makes up the vast majority, will roughly use 10% of what KDE has to offer. If on top of much better web apps and cloud services, we add the fact that the average user is quickly getting used to extremely intuitive UIs in the form of Android and iOS, it will be increasingly difficult to expect users to care, much less want, what KDE has to offer. In my opinion, once Unity and GNOME Shell finally close the gap (they are younger DEs after all), KDE is at risk of becoming a niche DE.

 All that said, I must admit using KDE these days is such a joy for someone like me, who's battled its quirks for so long. Thinks are surprisingly fast and responsive and almost never seeing a crash certainly improves the overall experience. On top of Fedora 20, it even feels faster and more solid than something like Kubuntu 13.10, while still retaining a reasonable ease of use. A novice user would probably enjoy it very much as well while only scratching the surface, but I can't help but wonder if s/he would get lost in the apparently never ending list of options and settings available, many of which most users wouldn't even care about anyways.

 AND THE CHAMPION IS...

 Well, this is a tough one and will truly depend on each user. For experienced users who have enjoyed KDE in the past, who know its apps and ways around it, it doesn´t get any better (yet) than this. I have tried several distros and I think that what Fedora is doing with KDE is superb. Less experienced users, perhaps those who are willing to try something different and certainly those who care most about productivity, will probably enjoy GNOME better. Its modern and elegant UI, unintrusive notifications and to the point approach are perfect for those who want to sit down and get things done without distractions. Needless to say, Fedora is THE distro when it comes to GNOME, don´t even think of looking elsewhere.

 As for Fedora 20, it continues to be my champion distro for the third release in a row. Performance is king, Looks and ease of use continue their ever improving path, and having the very latest from applications is something truly worth experiencing, specially if you come from the Ubuntu realm and have spent hours trying (potentially dangerous) PPAs to get that latest release from that app you love so much. When you get to Fedora, all of a sudden, things just work the way they should.

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-67027846980930895452013-09-12T05:09:00.002-07:002013-09-12T05:13:01.324-07:00The beauty of GNOME ShellSince its inception not long ago, the new GNOME 3.x series has confused some and frustrated others, but more often than not, it has also managed to conquer those few who actually got past the initial quirks and gave it a fair chance. Similarly, its desktop environment, simply dubbed Shell, left a lot to be desired in the early days, mostly because the customization options had been thrown out the window in favor of a to-the-point approach which meant to remove distractions. Unfortunately, such approach was certainly too closed to survive in the Linux realm.

 After a few releases, the Shell has seen a lot of improvements, polish and tons of customization options, sometimes through tools like Tweak Tool, or through a plethora of cool extensions. Long story short, customizing the Shell is now simple and the results can be amazing. Most importantly, the results will be what you want them to be, which is really what is all about, right?

 In this very short video, I used the built-in screencast feature to record my way through some simple navigation.

 Now, here's the desktop. I love how clean and non-intrusive it is. The calendar and the rest of the menus are elegant and very responsive.

Click for full size image.

Click for full size image.

Click for full size image.

 The search feature is very powerful and, unlike that of Ubuntu, very responsive, being as it is limited to local contents. Once again, search results are presented in a clean and beautiful way which is consistent with the rest of the experience.

Click for full size image.

 The lock screen is nice, modern looking. For those complaining that it was designed exclusively for touch devices, well, that's simply not true. Just hit the ENTER key from here to get to the login screen.

Click for full size image.

Click for full size image.

 Nautilus may have been stripped of some advanced features, but for the vast majority of users, it more than does the job. Its simplicity also enhances its looks.

Click for full size image.

 So there you have it, GNOME Shell continues to work and look better, definitely a great Linux DE which can look pretty!

Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-23544525244704662792013-07-09T02:59:00.001-07:002013-07-09T02:59:26.158-07:00Android Jelly Bean King at lastAt long last, Android Jelly Bean (meaning Android 4.1 and up) has become the most used Android version out there. Android 4 and up together make up for more than 61% of all Android devices connecting to the Google Play Store.

 As I write these lines, Android 4.3 is all but confirmed, probably to go live as soon as the new Nexus 7 is released. The long awaited Android 5.0 "Key Lime Pie" version of Android is expected by late this year, and one of the features it is rumored to sport is wider support for less powerful devices. If that turns out to be true, along with the amazing new approach based on Google Services that was introduced in Google I/O a few months ago, the different Google Edition models and the many new devices that will be introduced (all carrying Android 4.2 or 4.3) in the second half of the year, I think it´s quite probable that Android fragmentation will not even be worth discussing by the end of 2013.

 In fact, ironically, as Google continues to progress in fixing this problem, it is becoming more of an issue in iOS. Are we just months away from seeing one of Apple´s biggest arguments against Android become a shot in their own foot?

 Please visit the Android Developer Dashboard for full statistics. Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-38941214763457636122013-05-31T05:28:00.000-07:002013-05-31T06:43:30.402-07:00iMore, the daydreaming site for Apple fanaticsI am an Android user and fan, there´s no denying it. I love Google services, use them heavily and have also been a Linux user for years. Android is the best middle ground between the two, and the work Google and the Android developer community have done since its release is simply outstanding.

 Although they are not my cup of tea, I have also used Apple devices, such as an iPod touch 4 and currently an iPad mini. Apple as a company and their devices as a whole represent most of the stuff I dislike about software and hardware in general: Heavily overpriced, dumbed-down, snobbish products developed within a tightly closed and controlled environment. Having said so, I am not one of those who fails to recognize what is good about them, and I must admit there is a lot of that. They are well built and usually do the job they were designed to do reliably. If one adds up insane amounts of dollars spent in brilliant marketing campaigns on top of that, then it´s no surprise Apple does so well as a company. Today, that is.

 iMore.com is a site put together by Apple fanbois for Apple fanbois, but they are also expected to be serious and objective, which is what any respectable information media aims to be. This site is a good source of information regarding what Apple will do next, they usually nail it and don´t publish rubbish rumors you often see in other places. On the other hand, they are not that good when it comes to dealing with critics or not so positive news. They will often write opinion articles to demean Android success, Google success or anything that looks like their beloved company or set of products are not "winning".

 WHERE I AM COMING FROM

 To give a bit of context, I am just a user of Google services and products who enjoys using Linux and likes its open and collaborative spirit. In that sense, I see year after year how Google pushes so many initiatives and projects that help improve software in general and open software in particular, and that amazes me. Stuff like Mozilla, Ubuntu collaboration, the yearly summer of code events that have worked wonders for KDE and other similar projects, Chromium, Webkit and now Blink, and many more are examples of that.

 Android uses the Linux Kernel and even the Linux foundation thrives at how successful it is, and while neither Google nor Android are perfect, they are a heck of a lot closer to what I would like to see in technology as a whole than what Apple represents. In fact, it´s important to understand that Google does not have to do things this way. They could be way more greedy, close up their services and develop all of their products much more closely and never invest in open source projects. Luckily, they are not that way, so it is a good thing that we remind ourselves of that once in a while, because I see lots of people taking lots of things for granted and sometimes it surprises me. Does Google want to make money? Heck yes, but it´s how they decide to make that happen that matters, I think.

 Anyway, I digress, but I just wanted to give a bit of background so my point of view is better understood. I feel happy to see Android everywhere because I think it is the better option as a whole, not just from a performance-feature level, but also a philosophical one. I don´t hold any animosity against Apple or their products, I just wished they were managed differently.

 THE BEST GOOGLE SMARTPHONE

 What I don´t like, though, is when people blatantly lie, or tell only half of the story, or simply close their eyes to reality because it suits their agenda. That is exactly what iMore does more and more often these days. For instance, they recently put out an article comparing the HTC One versus the iPhone 5. In that article, iMore claims that the iPhone 5 is a better Google phone because Google apps are smoother in the Apple smartphone. Right, well, that´s simply false to begin with. I own a Nexus 4 and have tinkered with a Samsung Galaxy S4, as well as with an iPhone 5 and my own iPad mini, and the fact of the matter is that Google apps behave almost identically throughout. the iPad mini, with its more humble hardware specifications probably struggles the most, but performance is more than acceptable anyways. To find the difference between the iPhone 5 and the Nexus 4 performance, one must indeed be an iPhanboi, someone so utterly and exclusively impressed by the sheer stupidity of smooth scrolling that can spend hours trying the effect and consistently being amazed by it. Even then, the difference is negligible, both devices are as smooth as it gets, but again, it takes a specific type of person to give this concept such relevancy.

 The second argument they make, which is actually implied, is that Google apps in iOS are exactly the same they are in Android, both in terms of quantity and quality. Now, this is another example of dishonestly sharing only part of the information to suit their message. They of course don´t mention that Apple users don´t get every one of Google apps, as is the case with Google keep, My Tracks, Google Play Music, Car Home and others. Similarly, they skip the fact that iPhone users get Google apps weeks, sometimes months later than Android users do. Of course, they also fail to mention that all this Google app joy is only possible until the walled garden police decide to spoil the fun, as was the case when they removed Google Maps altogether.

 It is probably obvious to anyone except a misinformed iPhanboi, but the best Google experience is not defined solely by having a bunch of great Google apps. Android users know that it´s not just about having the app, but also about how they use it and the features it offers. Streetview and its compass mode or Google Calendar are great examples.

 On an Apple device, for example, one has to download and then sign in to each one of those Google apps, one by one, as opposed to the seamless experience that is core in Android. Similarly, apps have extremely limited sharing abilities, which is one of the nicest features in Android, one that greatly enhances the user experience. On top of that, Google apps are not, and cannot be defined as defaults (although Google are trying some smart workarounds to allow people to trigger Chrome when opening a URL from within a Google app, better than nothing, I guess). Last but not least, even if Google did a great job translating its design principles into iOS, their apps simply look out of place in iOS, offering a flat, modern look that simply doesn´t fit the obsolete skeuomorphism so popular in iOS.

 So no, the iPhone 5 is not even close to providing the best Google experience. It takes someone who´s never used a modern Android device for more than five minutes or someone who´s deliberately lying to say so. The iPhone 5 does (thanks exclusively to Google, by the way, Apple has only created problems to users who preferred Google services) offer the possibility to use several Google apps, but it lacks in features, gets the apps late if at all, is always under risk of losing those apps if Apple Police randomly so decides and overall simply offers a sub par experience. One has to wonder, though, how all of these concepts escape an iMore editor when something as insignificant as smooth scrolling is all that important to them... Are they not into small details? I guess they are happy as long as it scrolls smooth enough.

 Finally, that comment about being able to use other apps alongside google apps is simply ridiculous. Android users have tons of apps of their own that are similar, if not better, than iOS apps. Like Tweetbot? Well, Android users can enjoy Robird, Carbon, Tweedle, Neatly, Falcon Pro... All excellent Twitter clients, not to mention the official Twitter client app, which gets updated in parallel in both platforms. Fantastical? Well, the Official Google Calendar app is amazing, but there are many other apps like Digical which do a phenomenal job at it. Finally, Letterpress... A game? Really? Come on!

 MARKET SHARE IS NOT IMPORTANT, ONLY PROFIT MATTERS

 Another one of those phrases iPhanbois repeat like parrots. Years ago, when the iPhone dominated market share, that was such an important thing... which it quickly stopped being relevant when Android took over, of course. At that point, the relevant thing was that Apple was single handedly leading the tablet arena. Yet again, a concept soon to lose any relevancy as that dominance is about to die as Android tablets get in the lead this summer.

 That apparently random loss of relevancy is quite an interesting phenomenon, but nothing compared to the idea that losing market share, even if it happens as quickly as it is happening to (once market leaders) Apple devices, is of no relevance to Apple. The guys at iMore want their readers to think that is all good and dandy because Apple continues to make more profit than the competition, even if the difference in profit steadily shrinks when compared to the likes of Samsung. Who cares if Apple have lost the lead in almost any market they compete on? Who cares if the potential profit could have been 2-3 times higher if Apple would have as much market share as Android? Who cares if the Google Play Store is on its way to surpass Apple Store profits in two years (if current estimations turn out to be true)? All those ideas are just crazy concepts only trade investors care about.

 The ultimate bold idea, though, is to claim that the past of the company serves as an example to demonstrate that iOS devices have a bright future in front of them. The iMore editor shares a graph showing that Apple makes more profit today out of computers than any other manufacturer out there. This concept is used to try to debunk the notion that PCs killed Macs in the past. After all, the situation is somewhat similar, and if Macs enjoy leading profit today, why won´t Apple mobile devices follow suit? The iMore editor once again strategically forgets certain historical facts, like the surely unimportant event (for him) in which Apple was rescued from certain bankruptcy by Microsoft. The current crisis in the computer market, and the fact that PC manufacturers are turning into mobile devices manufacturers, something that will take time and will make them lose money, is also left out of the picture. Finally, the fact that profit could potentially be many times higher should Apple hold a bigger chunk of the market share is once again irrelevant, how convenient.

 WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

 Now, I don´t pretend to know what´s going to happen because technology changes by the minute, but I think it is not very intelligent to pretend that the current situation is optimum for Apple, or to ignore the challenges the company faces. Yes, they have had 5 amazing years and such results carry inertia with them which doesn´t disappear overnight. However, it is undeniable that they put together some innovative concepts out, had their cake and were eating it, yet their competitors systematically and quickly managed to turn the situation upside down and left them with a much smaller portion than they probably thought they would have at this stage. The potential Apple had 2-3 years ago was incredible, they had the best seats to the show and had everything to become solid leaders of a rapidly growing market. However, they have consistently failed to deliver in many aspects, have been stale in terms of innovation, specially in the last 2-3 years, and in yet another display of sheer arrogance, like claiming they knew what the perfect screen size was, have failed to understand what people truly wanted. All that resulted in Apple´s lead extinguishing way faster than most could foresee.

 Apple was not long ago defining the market, but just a few short years after is now, in most ways, playing catch up. The once perfect skeuomorphism is apparently to go out the window once iOS 7 is out. Rumor has it that a cheaper iPhone is on the way, perhaps even one with an even bigger screen. If those changes become a reality, they will confirm that Apple is no longer so clear on what the right strategy is.

 That´s all pure speculation, though, I firmly believe Apple has every chance to become the true market leader again if they make the right choices, but the current situation does not look particularly promising. Looking the other way and misinforming to offer cheap propaganda or downright fanboysm is not the right way to manage a website which supposedly offers objective information. Hopefully the iMore editors will do as good a job when offering opinion as they do when they inform about Apple news. In fact, it would be great if they could learn from other mobile nations editors whose attitude towards criticism and weak spots in the platform they most love are much better.

Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-3107067146076424242013-05-30T07:02:00.001-07:002013-05-30T07:02:31.518-07:00Remember Vivaldi and Plasma Active? Yes, again!It´s been roughly eight months since I wrote a bitter ARTICLE about the (hopefully!) upcoming Vivaldi tablet. Back then I discussed the terrible customer focus and business approach, as well as the fact that the idea behind the project is so far off what people are looking for today in a tablet that it is plain obsolete way before being available.

 8 months later, what exactly has changed? Well... Nothing, zero, niente, nada.

 The project official site still shows no information to help customers understand what happened with their preorders. As was the case back when I wrote my previews article, the only way to get a shade of information on the project, release dates and what not, is to proactively follow Aaron Seigo´s blog and hope that he will release an article sooner rather than later. Ridiculous indeed.

 Luckily, Mr. Seigo just published an update on the matter, which you can read HERE if interested.

 Apparently, plans are there to upgrade the hardware specifications a bit, but other than that, what we get once again are a bunch of excuses that don´t do much after a year waiting for a device that was first introduced as being imminently available. It almost feels like these guys were jealous at Google after the Nexus 4 selling fiasco, so they want to try real hard to come out as even more unreliable! Well, push no more, people, the jury is out and Vivaldi gets the worst customer service and attention accolade by a long shot!

 Personally, I think it is sad that some people are so thickheaded that they have to keep pushing for something that has no future and that, if anything, only has a negative impact in the open standards they claim to defend. As far as the average Joe is concerned, they just want to get a device, so things like these only help cementing the idea that the people behind open source projects and standards are unreliable, unprofessional geeks who´d rather play than delivering results.

 If Vivaldi comes out within the next 2-3 months, it seems it will come out around the same time as the second generation Nexus 7, and roughly around the same time as Firefox OS, Tizen, Jolla and even Ubuntu devices become available. The problem is that Vivaldi and Plasma Active are way behind most of them, light years away fron what Android has become... I mean, if the rumors are true, the second generation Nexus 7 is going to be a killer device, with an extremely mature OS, a huge ecosystem and user community and millions of active developers delivering quality software... and it will be available at roughly the same price as Vivaldi, but with much better hardware!

 Is Vivaldi really necessary? It´s not the nineties anymore, there are many open alternatives out there, several more in the works. Wouldn´t it be better to simply accept defeat than keep pushing a project that has been and most probably will continue to be an embarrassment?

 As I said back in the day, coding in your free time, as a hobby, is awesome. Projects coming out of sheer developer passion, for free, are a great thing, and people understand that they are delivered on a best effort basis. However, when you step up to the next level, start talking about preorders, a price tag, shipping charges, presenting specifications, pictures, demos, etc., then that´s when the game is over and it becomes a business which must deliver to expectations and timelines. That´s where this project has been a huge miss, consistently failing to deliver to its own promises and losing customers in the process, who will probably put their money on options they can trust.

 It is great to daydream about openness, freedom, making, playing and living, but the best way to convey that is to demonstrate that one can deliver under those principles. If the opposite happens, then it builds on the idea that only big corporations can be trusted, that closed environments are the only ones that truly work, and so the original intent of the project is jeopardized and the opposite goal is achieved.

 If the project is finally released in a short while, hopefully there is something there to make up for the endless waiting, but I highly doubt it. If, on the other hand, it is still not ready within a few months, I hope the project leaders simply understand that it is best to cancel the project, communicate accordingly and let other better managed initiatives carry the open standards flag.

Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-4454769829591682502013-05-22T07:36:00.000-07:002013-05-22T07:36:15.245-07:00KDE 4.11 to become a long term releaseAaron Seigo announced just recently that KDE SC 4.11 will be the last release before Plasma Workspaces 2. This release will be stable and supported for 2 years, getting attention and polish throughout that period. Here´s his blog entry explaining what, why, how and when:

 KDE SC 4.11 ANNOUNCEMENT.

 Personally, I love this piece of news. KDE has more features and options that you can shake a stick at, but even after the great SC 4.10 release, there are still basic things that could be heavily improved. We have come a long way with Nepomuk, it works fairly well now. Performance overall is amazing, it´s even hard to believe that KDE was ever considered a heavy DE, it feels light and snappy now. Improvements in Kwin have come a very long way. There have been improvements in pretty much every area you can think of, and yet, KDE still feels fragile, inconsistent and incomplete at times.

 Hopefully this long term release will help close those gaps and make KDE as good as it deserves to be.

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-88840780923028019082013-05-09T23:48:00.000-07:002013-05-10T10:56:06.850-07:00Ubuntu to suicide again after 2 lost years?
As I mentioned in a recent post, I have come to like Ubuntu 13.04 quite a bit. Raring Ringtail marks the first Ubuntu installation lasting more than a day in one of my machines since the Ubuntu 10.10 days. In fact, the more I am using it, specially after getting some updates that have improved stability, the more I am liking it. It´s been a two year hiatus and now that I am getting to love it again, I can´t help but being a bit concerned with everything I am reading about Canonical changing the core of Ubuntu.

News has it that Ubuntu will, over the next year, change its software packaging system to what they call "Click Packages", abandon X and forget about Wayland to embrace Mir and, last but not least, transition Unity entirely to Qt. The idea behind this sequence of changes it to provide a unified foundation for all the Ubuntu platforms (mobile + desktop, maybe TV?) to build upon. Given how quickly they want it to be ready, though, and the fundamental nature of all the changes, it is quite the ambitious plan, to say the least.

Looking back at the "promise-to-achieve" ratio Canonical has been able to score in the last couple of years (quite poor), the quality of what was being offered (again quite poor, requiring 4 full releases to get to an acceptable level) and the fact that there was a clear lack of direction, this all sounds a bit scary. If getting Unity to work as expected took two years an a half, when can we expect all these radical changes to work nicely? Ubuntu 14.04 is the target of all these changes converging together on all platforms, but does that mean the same as actually meeting expectations?

Lots of users like me were disappointed in Ubuntu after 11.04 and it took more than two years to finally offer something compelling enough to bring (some of) them back. If Canonical chew more than they can swallow now, if they get back into unstable, under-performing software for several more releases, it´s just going to be a pity and they may lose some users forever.

On the other hand, I must admit that, if Ubuntu is ever going to be a decent opponent to Android, iOS and the like, these changes might be not only critical, but also an absolutely must. Some are criticizing that Ubuntu is isolating itself from the Linux ecosystem and seeking more control, but let´s be honest, that´s the only way for it to become an alternative to the big names out there. Ubuntu must up its game big time in many respects if it ever wants to put up a fight, becoming more dynamic, flexible, reliable, better looking and way more responsive.

Let´s just hope they get it right this time and are able to complete these changes as planned, within the next 12 months. If Canonical pulls this off, it may be the beginning of Ubuntu for real, a serious distro that can truly compete out there. However, if they again take 2-3 years to actually make it happen, I believe their train will have left the station, probably forever.
Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-13786876761392533772013-04-29T02:51:00.000-07:002013-04-29T02:52:22.655-07:00My take on Ubuntu 13.04Ubuntu 13.04 was released last week, supposedly a polishing release that provides the best Unity experience to date. However, the response to this release from the media has been cold, why so?

 Raring Ringtail comes two years after Unity was first introduced in Ubuntu 11.04. Back then, and for several releases to come, Unity was a bit of a disaster. Ubuntu took something that most people loved and turned it upside down, many times introducing changes that apparently made no sense or that hinted at a total lack of direction. In my case, Ubuntu 10.10 was the last release I used and have only tested subsequent releases briefly, just to realize, time and again, that Unity was still far from being a proper alternative to other options available in Linux. In a sense, I guess I have to be thankful, because I don´t think I would know KDE, Fedora and other things so well had it not been for Ubuntu messing up. That´s probably something the Ubuntu community didn´t want to achieve when they introduced Unity, though.

 Ubuntu 13.04 is the first release I have actually installed and have been using for a few days, with quite some positive results, I might add. As with any release just days after it has been made available, there are some bugs that need killing, but the overall experience has been great. Performance is much (MUCH!) improved and so is aesthetics. Ubuntu now offers a much more consistent visual experience, from LightDM to the shutdown and logout dialogs, Wallpapers... almost everything looks and feel like a quality product. There are still areas that need work, like the never ending affair of Ubuntu getting its own (actually decently looking) icon set, pieces around the notification area (there is a bug I and others are suffering from related to CryptKeeper) and what not, but the release as a whole is very solid.

 Now, why the same media that just months ago criticized Ubuntu for adding nonsense features instead of concentrating on the important stuff are now saying that this is a "Meh", boring release because it adds few new features is beyond me. What the Ubuntu community has done with this release is exactly what we need the most in Linux. We have more features and flexibility than the majority of users will ever care for, yet we lack consistency, many times suffer from less than optimal performance due to half-baked products, fragmentation, too many reinvented wheels, etc.

 Ubuntu and other projects, like KDE and GNOME, are working very hard to offer viable alternatives to the big names in the business. People want good performing, secure and reliable products that are easy to set up and use. It´s not 1995 anymore, Windows and Mac are completely streamlined and consistent across a number of devices, way more robust and easy to use than they have ever been, and our "Linux has no viruses" line just doesn´t cut it any longer. We need top quality stuff, and while Ubuntu 13.04, GNOME 3.8 and KDE 4.10 are not entirely there yet, they are very good steps in the right direction, and they should be applauded for the efforts they are putting to become mature, fully functional pieces of software. That´s the behavior that should be encouraged, not acting like spoiled children when we don´t get a new toy to play with. We in the user community can greatly influence where the projects we love go, but we have to make it clear by giving clear feedback.

 As far as I am concerned, Ubuntu 13.04 gets a big thumbs up from me, I hope we get more releases like this in the future!

 PS: Talking of KDE SC 4.10, Kubuntu 13.04 is an AWESOME release, I recommend it to any KDE fan!Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-41270919185990567682013-04-11T11:44:00.002-07:002013-04-11T11:44:35.727-07:00New Boot Splash coming to Kubuntu 13.04Not much to talk about here, just watch and enjoy!

 Personally, I keep feeling Kubuntu boot splash screens are a bit boring. Ubuntu Studio, for instance, does a much better job in my opinion. Nevertheless, it's good to see a genuine interest in listening to the community and incorporating their feedback. What I don't understand is why Ubuntu distros keep using such a terrible looking GRUB2 menu... Fedora started using it a lot later and theirs is soooo much better looking.Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-27869596573716102932013-04-09T02:41:00.004-07:002013-04-09T02:43:44.891-07:00A look at GNOME 3.8I have talked many times about the things I like about KDE, to the point where many people reading my blog consider me a KDE fan. That´s not exactly true, though. In fact, in the last three Fedora releases, I have always installed KDE and GNOME side by side on the same box, so I could get an actual understanding of how they fair against each other.

 For several releases now, it would always be the same thing. I would like some of the concepts in GNOME Shell, but after a while, I would always end up going back to KDE. Applications were better, the overall feel was more familiar and, even if certain things worked better in GNOME, it was a trade off I was happy to accept... Until GNOME 3.6 came about, that is.

 GNOME 3.6 had improved significantly over the original, included several new applications that I loved, and it got cloud integration down perfectly. On top of that, its aesthetics had improved and the overall quality gains were interesting enough for me to actually LEARN HOW TO USE IT. I can´t stress this last point enough, because most of the frustration I see around GNOME Shell is essentially based on ignorance. People make claims that are most often not true and, if they actually bothered reading how GNOME Shell works instead of trying to make it work like legacy GNOME, they would have better chances of appreciating the amazing elegance, simplicity and performance of GNOME.

 Now, GNOME 3.6 is awesome, but if one looks at 3.8, things get even better! Here´s a quick video highlighting some of the most interesting new features.

 As part of the series of articles I am working on, which cover the stuff I use on a daily basis, I will cover GNOME Shell in depth, demonstrating some of its strengths, but mostly concentrating on some misconceptions or grey areas that have got people to ditch it without actually giving it a proper chance.

Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-9331566733544005732013-04-03T06:50:00.000-07:002013-04-03T06:51:11.693-07:00No MTP fun in KDE SC 4.10If you own an Android device and use Linux in your PC, chances are you've had issues when trying to browse your device through a USB connection. The fact that Android started using MTP made things difficult in Linux, because the latter was not really that ready to support it. For the most part, this is not such a big deal because there are great tools available in Android that truly reduce the gap and offer even better alternatives, such as AirDroid and obviously the Google all-in-the-Cloud approach. However, if you want to download/upload a really big chunk of data, sometimes using a USB cable is the best option.

 I was particularly happy to see KDE address this Linux gap in KDE SC 4.10, which was supposed to significantly improve MTP support. Unfortunately, after trying both in Chakra and Fedora, I am consistently getting errors:

 Has anybody found a fix for this or knows how to make it work?

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-27747352900642378742013-04-01T07:47:00.003-07:002013-04-01T07:47:42.500-07:00My Current Setup: DistrosI mentioned recently that I am no longer confortable with switching distros day in and day out. I have settled with a few things I love and my setup hasn´t really changed in months. Some people were curious of what my setup looks like, so this is the first article in a series that will be covering what I use, which distros, DMs, etc.

 MY DESKTOP CONFIGURATION

 My desktop computer is the main one I use, covering everything I do from plain Internet browsing to photo edition and audio recording. It sports two hard drives, which I then use in a triple boot configuration, which includes Fedora 18, Ubuntu Studio 12.04 and Kubuntu 12.10.

 Fedora 18 is the distro I use the most of the three and the main reason why is that it is, even with its consistent delays, the best GNOME distro out there so far. I absolutely LOVE GNOME Shell after what they have done in version 3.6 and, from the looks of it, 3.8 only improves even further. I will cover DMs on another article, though, let´s concentrate for now on Fedora 18 and why I like it.

 I was critical on Fedora for a while when they seemed to completely forget about standard users for a few releases. It seemed like all they cared about was keeping the programming features included up to the latest version available. Since Fedora 15, though, a change of direction became apparent and more and more features that could appeal to a wider user base started to get attention. Much needed performance improvements around SELinux, the recent Anaconda face lift and so many other important changes that I can´t keep track of, have made each recent Fedora release a success. In fact, I have seen much more agreement on that notion lately, the idea that each Fedora release is the best yet... It didn´t use to be like that, there was more of a love/hate deal with Fedora.

 So, yes, I like Fedora A LOT, but why exactly, what kinds of things appeal to me that differ from, say, Ubuntu? Here´s my list:

Living on the edge: Fedora is about being at the forefront of Linux. The latest Kernel, new partitioning defaults, new file system defaults and probably most importantly for standard users, a very up to date application catalog... As long as a Fedora release receives support, users don´t need to worry about their software getting rusty, as is usually the case in Ubuntu. Being systematically on the cutting edge of the spectrum is not always best, it has pros and cons and sometimes you may find nasty surprises along the way, but I have come to appreciate that Fedora is amazingly stable given its edgy spirit.

No PPA hassle: A direct consequence of the previous bullet point is that staying up to date results in no need to look for repositories to download updated versions of software. Fedora repositories are pretty significant in size, which in my case means that I have never downloaded anything outside of the official and/or fusion repositories. This makes using Fedora comfortable, but also very safe as one can rest easy knowing that software always comes from trusted sources.

YUM package manager: Unlike Ubuntu, Fedora does not have a great UI software manager, so you end up using YUM way more than you would use APT in Ubuntu. However, because of how great a package manager YUM is, after a while you come to appreciate it and it´s hard to get away from it.

Pure DM flavor: Fedora likes to keep the user experience with a certain DM as pure as possible. In that sense, you will not find a heavily customized KDE or GNOME here, it´s all pretty stock, and that´s something I love.

Security: Aside from the PPA bit I discussed before, I like how Fedora doesn´t go overkill with sudo, as Ubuntu does. Some things remain locked under the root umbrella, and while that may feel a bit less comfortable than usual if you come from Ubuntu, it quickly makes sense. Other features like SELinux and the onboard Firewall certainly help in keeping you and your data safe.

Flexibility and Power: Some distros out there have, for better or worse, a very defined scope. They target a certain set of users and what the distro does and how it works is very closely related to that scope. Fedora has a more flexible approach in that regard, offering all the power a very advanced user may seek while (specially in recent releases) offering a simple enough approach for starters. Now, don´t get me wrong, Fedora cannot (and probably doesn´t want to) compete with Ubuntu or Linux Mint in terms of ease of use, specially for someone new to Linux, but is accessible enough while certainly offering more flexibility and power in the top end.

 Obviously, there is a lot more to choosing Fedora than just distro-specific reasons. Desktop Managers have lots to do with it too, as do splash screens, login screens, etc., but I will cover those in future articles.

 Kubuntu 12.10 is another distro I use a lot. In fact, it used to be the most used before I started using GNOME 3.6. KDE is a great DE, no doubt about it, but some of its quirks are like an itch. I put up with them but they are still there, bugging me somewhat. Anyways, reasons why I choose Kubuntu over other KDE distros:

The Ubuntu community: Ubuntu is obviously a very popular distro with a huge user base. In my experience, it´s hard to experience a problem with a distro from the Ubuntu family that you cannot find information about in the Internet. Fedora is popular as well, but I have not seen nearly as much information about it out there.

The Ubuntu benefits, minus the problems: I must admit it, I can´t stand Unity. I have tried over the past couple years, but I just don´t like it. Performance problems are just a tiny part of the problem when you release an alpha project to the public and keep adding nonsense features instead of addressing basic issues... And who wants all the Mac-like design concepts? The lack of a decent icon theme is not a major thing, but still bothers me, specially since they have been announcing it for so long and it is important if they want to be a true alternative to Android, Windows Phone or iOS.
Kubuntu offers most of what is awesome about Ubuntu, with a solid KDE integration that still boots very fast, has probably the best installation wizard in Linux and all the other stuff that make Ubuntu great.

Drivers management: This one is indeed an Ubuntu benefit, but deserves its own category. Ubuntu does an EXCELLENT job at detecting and automatically downloading and configuring drivers needed for specific pieces of hardware. So does Kubuntu.

Software management: Fedora has improved recently with PackageKit, but I find Muon better. Not only do I slightly favor its UI, but it is also great that it incorporates ratings and reviews from Ubuntu.

LightDM KDE: While Kubuntu aims to be as pure KDE as possible, it stopped using KDM and embraced LightDM, as used in Ubuntu. Personally, I think this is the right way to go, as LightDM is faster, lighter, easier to tweak and theme, and most importantly, fixes many of KDM shortcomings that have bugged me for years. For instance, is it so difficult to display a message when a user enters an invalid username or password? In KDM both fields are reset and the user has no idea what the problem is... "Was my user account not created?" "Is my password incorrect?"
LightDM also fixes some of the inconsistencies around screen resolution, avatars, and the ability to add a guest account.

 Finally, Ubuntu Studio 12.04. In this case, there are not that many options out there to choose from if you want a Linux distro that is powerful, current, stable and media creation oriented, specially if you don´t like Unity. Ubuntu Studio raised from its ashes and, in my humble opinion, nothing in Linux does the job quite like it.

 So there you have it, a quick rundown of my distros of choice and some of the reasons why I use them. You´ll notice that some of those reasons are sometimes somewhat opposite, like liking Muon and Yum. This is alright with me, though, because Linux is all about choice. At the end of the day I want to experience the best of GNOME and KDE and Fedora and Kubuntu both match my expectations there.

 What do you use and why? Please add your comments below!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-51920812167095654732013-03-20T05:29:00.000-07:002013-03-20T05:29:47.152-07:00What happened to the Linux Experience!?Yes, it's been a long while since my last post and I thought I'd do something to clarify things a bit...

 So where are the new articles, you may ask? Well, always in the works, is the short answer. The blog is not dead by any means, but I have got to a position in which I am extremely happy with the distros I use and my current setup. In other words, I just can't see myself ditching it to rebuild everything the day after to get just a slightly different flavor of the same thing anymore.

 At the moment, I have a very good set of distros that serve their purpose perfectly and allow me to be both creative and productive. After testing tons of distros over a span of roughly four years, I finally settled in, found what works for me and I probably won't be writing reviews anymore, except for maybe new releases of distros or DEs I use.

 I plan to write articles about things that interest me in the Linux realm, like Android, GNOME, KDE, etc., but they will come at a much lower rate than before. As always, if there is a topic (outside of reviewing a distro) that you want to read about here, please drop me a line in the comments section.

 Once again, thank you all for your continuous support to my blog!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-57819258394504574872013-01-03T05:58:00.002-08:002013-01-03T05:58:16.617-08:00Ubuntu for smartphones: Better late...?HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!

 Yes, I am sure you have heard the news yesterday... Ubuntu for smartphones! Great news, right? Here's the official video hosted by non other than Mr. Mark Shuttleworth himself. This video is particularly interesting because it sums up what 2012 meant for Ubuntu, what milestones have been achieved (from a highly optimistic lens, I might add) so far and where it's headed moving forward:

 So it's all good and dandy, right?... Well, maybe not so. As exciting as this announcement is, as amazing and drooling it may be for us techies, it's just that, an announcement. Is it any different to what we have already seen about Ubuntu TV or Ubuntu for Android? Will it become a reality this time?

 If everything goes smoothly (which is never really the case), we should start to see Ubuntu smartphone(s) early 2014. Even in a perfect World in which Ubuntu would be released 100% ready and bug free, with all applications available and fully functional, I am afraid it would still be too late.

 SUCH A TIGHT ENVIRONMENT

 We have seen vast improvement in Android during 2012. Just a few months after Android 4 was released, we turned into 2012, and during its twelve months, everything about Android and its ecosystem matured exponentially. From stability and performance to UI design and the corresponding standards solidifying around the HOLO interface, Android finally became the stronger contender to iOS. Flexibility, openness and customization had always been Android strengths, but during 2012 they aligned with a robust, much more secure and faster OS. Along with that came tons of improvements to Google's own apps, the most popular being Google Now, Google Maps, Google+, Google Earth 3D, Gmail and Google Drive. However, Google did not settle at the OS or application level, they pushed like crazy to expand the ecosystem, improving and polishing the incredible Google Play store, which now sells all kinds of media in a wide array of countries. As if that was not enough, Google made a strong effort to make its own line of devices grow, and now the Nexus brand is very popular Worldwide, not just in smartphones, but also in tablets.

 Long story short, today there are two very well defined and fully mature ecosystems available, with a third one coming together pretty fast, Windows Mobile. Microsoft and their many partners are pushing hard to make Windows Mobile another strong contender, and it's hard to argue they will fail. Like Google, they offer a wide array of services, as well as native integration with the most popular desktop OS available today. Certainly, the Windows Mobile ecosystem is still a bit immature compared to the two big dogs out there, but I believe it will be on par, or at least fully mature, come 2014.

 That leaves us with three incredibly strong contenders by the time Ubuntu for smartphones should be ready to hit the market, but that's not it. RIM will present its much renewed Blackberry 10 OS in just a few days, and they seem in a good position to regain some of the enterprise leadership they had not so long ago. Last, but not least, it's important to remember that there are other open alternatives already available and ahead of Ubuntu, such as OPEN WEBOS, which has HP support and already has version 1.0 available and working Alphas:

 Also, let's not forget about MOZILLA OS.

 Is Canonical's offer so compelling to be able to make some room for itself in such a crowded market? What exactly is it offering that should attract OEMs over other more mature alternatives like the ones mentioned above?

 UNFRIENDLY CARRIERS

 Yes, it is indeed a very crowded market, but also one not very friendly to openness. The big names in the carrier market in the US, AT&T or Verizon to name a couple, have openly shown their disapproval for open mobile OS. They don't like people doing whatever they want with their phones because they want a controlled and profitable environment in which to make money. Android being so big may have the strength to push back on some of their limitations, but it is very unlikely that a poor underdog will cut it for them. Unfortunately, we have seen many examples proving that in order to survive in the mobile market, specially in the US, it is key to have the support of a wide range of carriers. Samsung VS HTC is a clear example.

 Will Canonical and their partners be able to get support from many carriers to guarantee some success?

 IT'S ABOUT SERVICES

 I have argued in the past that, as mobile ecosystems mature, it's less and less about the device itself, or a particular UI, or even apps, and more and more about what the services and the integration available to the user.

 I am a Google user, extensively using lots of their services, so for me it is clearly advantageous to choose Android and have all of my stuff seamlessly integrated, from the desktop to my mobile and/or tablet. On the other hand, I work in a company which went Microsoft's way, meaning Outlook, MS Office, Sharepoint, Internet explorer and things of the like are the tools of choice. In that case, it is clearly better to go Windows mobile, and the same rationale would apply if Apple services and products were there instead.

 Where does Ubuntu fit in there? In terms of services, it offers almost nothing, perhaps Ubuntu One and Music, but they are already available for Android and they are far from the industry leading alternatives out there. Therefore, what exactly does the Ubuntu experience offer to lure an Android or iOS user away from his/her services and devices? Little or nothing, I am afraid, and even less a year from now.

 GOOD LUCK!

 I know this article has a negative vibe to it, but I couldn't help it. We have seen how quickly industry leading solutions fell down to pieces overnight (RIM, Symbian) in an incredibly tight and competitive environment. To think that Ubuntu can make a difference because it is open and has a beautiful interface is simply naive and ignorant, specially since there are already open alternatives that are struggling and because a sleek and beautiful interface means little in a World of custom launchers like Android.

 I honestly hope I am wrong, I have been using Ubuntu for years and sincerely wish they succeed on this one, but it is clear Canonical face a massive challenge this time, probably bigger than the desktop one. In fact, I can only think of one little niche where they can enjoy some modest success: budget phones. If they manage to squeeze a decent performance on humble hardware, they may attract some attention and buyers here and there, but looking at some of the latest budget offerings from Nokia and other Chinese manufacturers... It will still be a huge challenge. Moreover, that would be the exact same strategy Mozilla is looking into!Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-3729600187545282692012-11-27T02:21:00.001-08:002012-11-27T02:21:31.882-08:00What´s new in KDE SC 4.10the KDE project released the first Beta for KDE SC 4.10, which will be released to the public sometime early next year. After KDE SC 4.9, a conservative (in a good way) release whose main target was stability, 4.10 takes us back to the more standard KDE release type, rich in new features.

 The complete list of features and changes is LONG, so I will only list a number of highlights here (from the Official dot.kde.org ANNOUNCEMENT):

Qt Quick in Plasma Workspaces -- Qt Quick is continuing to make its way into the Plasma Workspaces. Plasma Quick, KDE's extensions on top of QtQuick allow deeper integration with the system and more powerful apps and Plasma components. Plasma Containments can now be written in QtQuick. Various Plasma widgets have been rewritten in QtQuick, notably the system tray, pager, notifications, lock & logout, weather and weather station, comic strip and calculator plasmoids. Many performance, quality and usability improvements make Plasma Desktop and Netbook workspaces easier to use.

New Screen Locker -- A new screen locking mechanism based on QtQuick brings more flexibility and security to Plasma Desktop.

Animated Wallpapers -- Thanks to a new QtQuick-based wallpaper engine, animated wallpapers are now much easier to create.

Improved Zooming in Okular -- A technique called tiled rendering allows Okular to zoom in much further while reducing memory consumption. Okular Active, the touch-friendly version of the powerful document reader is now a KDE Application.

Faster indexing -- Improvements in the Nepomuk semantic engine allow faster indexing of files. The new Tags kioslave allows users to browse their files by tags in any KDE-powered application.

Color Correction -- Gwenview, KDE's smart image viewer, and Plasma's Window Manager now support color correction and can be adjusted to the color profile of different monitors, allowing for more natural representation of photos and graphics.

Notifications -- Plasma's notifications are now rendered using QtQuick. Notifications themselves, especially concerning power management, have been cleaned up.

New Print Manager -- Setup of printers and monitoring jobs was improved thanks to a new implementation of the Print Manager.

Kate Improvements -- KDE's Advanced Text Editor received multiple improvements regarding user feedback. It is now extensible using Python plugins.

 I left out some other things that were highlighted in the KDE announcement that I don't consider that relevant myself. On the other hand, though, there are some features that went by unmentioned that got my attention, specially around the Kwin area. For instance, a change has been merged to get the window menu inside the window decoration, which should make things look much cleaner. I don´t like how the separation between the decoration and the window is made evident sometimes when using wobbly windows, so here´s hope that this change will fix that. Martin Graesslin himself merged another interesting one thanks to which decorations inform the compositor about their transparency, a change that should provide more consistent looks when windows are maximized. Finally, I read not long ago from Martin again that they were looking at the translucency effect. This effect comes enabled by default when dragging windows, and surprisingly they realized it was hungry on resources and heavy on the system. The plan is for that effect to get fixed in KDE SC 4.10 as well.

 There are many more things in the works. In fact, looking at the complete list of features, it almost feels concerning that there are so many incomplete items at this stage, specially given the Beta stage we're at. I wonder if all those targeted goals will actually make it into KDE SC 4.10. We´ll have to wait and see.

 Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-6028601095409718762012-11-21T00:23:00.001-08:002012-11-21T00:23:40.570-08:00Linux Mint 14 "Nadia" releasedAs it is usually the case, not long after an Ubuntu release, there comes a new Linux Mint release. This time around, we get release 14 and probably the most interesting Linux Mint release to date.

 Since its inception, Linux Mint started as a "tamed" Ubuntu, a visually appealing take on Ubuntu with all the nerdy stuff taken care of (codecs installed, full support for all kinds of media, a more relevant application selection, etc.) As it gradually evolved, Mint started to deviate more and more from Ubuntu, very much becoming an entity of its own, which is what we see today.

 I have not tested Mint 14 yet, but I plan to soon. Those who have read earlier reviews from me probably know I am not a fan, but I am interested to see what this new release is all about, mostly because there seem to be many appealing new features. To take a quick look at what's new, please visit the official New Features ANNOUNCEMENT page.

 After I read that announcement, I must admit I had mixed feelings. It is clear that Mint is developing fast and it is exciting to see Cinnamon grow at such an amazing pace, but it is sad to see yet another Linux project reinventing the wheel. Workspaces? Notification applet? A shy take on activities? Much deeper customization?... This is all KDE!... Why on earth do we need another take on the same idea when it already works (and looks) better on KDE? Like I said before, I have to try it for real before I decide about Mint 14, but I would be hugely disappointed if it ends up being a watered down version of KDE on MATE.

 At the end of the day, I can only imagine what KDE would be like if all the resources and talent from the Linux Mint project actually joined in and a hybrid, much improved project, came out as a result. It is obvious that the Mint developers have talent and push hard to make their ideas come to life, but even more important, they also have more of a pragmatic approach that would fit in perfectly in KDE to simplify things and make them more practical.

 ...Of course, this is all daydreaming, good thing it is free!

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-4878817698302363042012-10-22T03:59:00.000-07:002012-10-22T03:59:09.984-07:00Kubuntu & Xubuntu 12.10 upgrade from 12.04?Just wanted to throw a quick note here after testing Kubuntu and Xubuntu 12.10 for a few days now. My original plan was to put together a review, but after using them I have noticed so little change from the previous LTE release that I am not sure I would have enough to talk about.

 In both cases, all we are seeing are DM updates for the most part. Yes, Xubuntu does include some improvements to LightDM and a few Look&Feel (welcome) changes, but the biggest thing in both cases is a rebase to the latest KDE SC and XFCE versions.

 Kubuntu 12.04 allows users to upgrade to KDE SC 4.9 through its Kubuntu backports (which are packaged and updated extremely well and fast) and there are similar workarounds in Xubuntu should a user absolutely need the latest from XFCE. The same applies to applications, thanks to the abundance of PPAs in the Ubuntu universe. Long story short, there is nothing in either case that should lure anybody away from the safety and stability of an LTS release, at least not in my opinion.

 In all honesty, after all the news about Blue Systems hiring employees to work on Kubuntu, I was expecting 12.10 to be a big jump in every sense, specially around every area specific to the distro (LightDM by default and an official theme, updated splash screen, more significant Muon updates and features, etc.) Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, so much so that I will be waiting to next release cycle to decide whether I jump off the LTS wagon.

 NOTE: For those not using Xubuntu and Kubuntu, or using older versions, I would recommend the installation of the 12.04 LTE release. 12.10 is by no means a bad release in either case, but I think its LTE counterpart is more worth it.Chema Martínhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551341941797780401.post-77584999812789603952012-10-15T01:23:00.000-07:002012-10-15T01:23:17.462-07:00Interesting features coming to Fedora 18After a number of delays in its early stages, the upcoming Fedora release should be available somewhere around December. After the very (in my opinion and experience, that is) amazing and successful Beefy Miracle, Fedora 18 has a tough challenge ahead, specially if it wants to top its predecessor.

 I was curious to see what's in store for Spherical Cow (yes, I know, awesome codename) and I must admit I am surprised at the number of interesting things that will hopefully make it to our computers some time at the end of this year. The things I am listing here are a very short list of personal highlights, please see the full list HERE.

Changes in default firewall: Seems like firewalld will at last become the default solution come Fedora 18. This was a bit confusing in the past because it was suggested that this change would have been complete by Fedora 17. Nevertheless, a welcome update that should add flexibility and ease of use in an important area.

GNOME 3.6 & KDE SC 4.9: Rebase to the latest from both desktop managers. As a side bonus, XFCE 4.10 is also included.

MATE Desktop: Now, this is an interesting one... The flagship GNOME Shell distribution bringing MATE (GNOME 2.x fork) with it? I won't read much into it, but I am glad to see Fedora being so flexible and supportive of its user community requests. Kudos!

Anaconda revisited: Yes, the Fedora official installer wizard will get a UI revamp. This was much needed and tipped for a Beefy Miracle release by some. I guess it was not ready then, but seems to be now. Bring it on!

Update to RPM 4.10: Now, this is one of those critical ones that users will not necessarily notice, but should bring improved performance and stability with it, specially around the software management area. YUM is already quite faster than it used to be, but any improvement is certainly welcome.

Active Directory: "Fedora should be able to be used on an Active Directory domain (or other kerberos realms, such as IPA) out of the box. It should be easy to configure domain logins on a Fedora machine, and then it should be intuitive and uneventful to login with those credentials." A must in the corporate realm.

Secure Boot: This is an interesting feature that should make Fedora 18 fully compatible with Windows 8 machines.

 There are obviously many more cool features coming with Spherical Cow, including further progress in systemd migration, updating Liberation fonts to version 2.0 and many more. I recently posted that Fedora 17 KDE is currently my favorite KDE (and GNOME) distro and will certainly be looking for this upcoming release as a nice Christmas present.

 Aside from specifics, I must say I like the approach Fedora is taking lately. Back in Fedora 15 and 16 releases, I was a bit disappointed to see most new features and updates concentrate around administrator and developer areas of interest. It felt like Fedora was a specialist distro only. I am happy to see Fedora expanding and concentrating on standard user areas of interest as well.

Chema Martínhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
WWF report: Making more effective energy savings policy at EU level
1. Energy savings are vital for decarbonising Europe's energy systems1 with studies suggesting that savings of up to 51% by 2030 are cost-effective.
2. The EU is not on track to meet its 20% energy savings target by 2020 because energy efficiency policy-making has been dragged into a cycle of under-achievement.
3. But all is not lost. This study is based on interviews with key players in negotiations over EU energy efficiency policy from which three key positive insights emerge:
- The new context of prolonged economic crisis puts a greater premium on saving money by saving energy – for example, meeting the 20% energy savings target would save households over €1,000 each;
- Measures whose primary aim is addressing the economic crisis also provide new opportunities for delivering energy savings;
- These new opportunities are bringing new actors into the energy savings policy sphere.
5. However, it needs to ensure that its positions are adopted by a critical mass of decision makers at EU level.
6. The energy savings advocacy community can achieve this aim by convincing new actors of its arguments and evidence.
7. The energy savings advocacy community should also take the actions required to ensure that saving money by saving energy becomes a central part of addressing today's economic challenges.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kitchen Dish Drying Rack
Item #: 047188650009 Stock Status: In Stock
Estimated delivery from 6/26 - 7/3 for continental US customers.
Overnight Shipping Receive by by 6/27 for the next .
Easily wash tons of dishes without having to stop every two minutes to dry dishes to free up space when you have this Double Dish Rack. You can use the components together or separately based on your drying needs at the time. The eight racks, expansive utensil bin, and glass drying platform provides ample room to store a wide variety of dishes. You can use the rubber lifters to raise the dish drying rack to allow water to flow underneath when placed in the sink.
Product Dimensions Additional Product Info
Kitchen Dish Drying Rack Features
- Two-piece dish rack makes it easy to wash tons of dishes at once.
- Dish rack can also be used as one unit when space is limited.
- Allows tumblers and glasses to air dry on the side platform.
- Three-section utensil bin can hold dozens of silverware.
- Store plates and cutting boards in the eight chrome holders.
- Use the rubber lifters so water can flow under the rack.
- Designed for use in the kitchen sink or on the counter.
- Durable grey plastic and chrome metal construction.
- Important Product Information:
- Ground shipping only.
- Gift wrapping not available for this item.
Product Dimensions Additional Product Info


text:
Google search
VB search
Wrestling Forum Related
Wrestling Forum Rules
Suggestions & Help
World Wrestling Entertainment
General WWE
Great Balls of Fire
Other Pro Wrestling Forum
Impact Wrestling
Other Wrestling
Be The Booker
Wrestling Women, Celebs & Models
Women of Wrestling
Non-Wrestling Forums
Video Games
Artistic Expression
Games & Trivia
Active Topics
Latest Posts
Remember Me?
Wrestling Forum : WWE, TNA, Indy Wrestling, Lucha Underground, Women of Wrestling Forums
Content Wrapper
Official DVD/Match/Show Discussion Thread
View Single Post
post #9551
Peter, Peter, you're a ....!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Winchester, VA
Favourite(s): The Phenomenal One, THE MAN, & El Ingobernable
Posts: 13,770
Points: 0
Re: Official DVD/Match/Show Discussion Thread
Extreme Rules 2011
Last Man Standing
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk - *** 1/2
United States Championship - Tables Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Kofi Kingston - ***
Country Whipping Match
Jack Swagger & Michael Cole vs. Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler - N/R
Falls Count Anywhere
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes - *** 1/4
Loser Leaves WWE
Layla vs. Michelle McCool - ** 1/4
World Heavyweight Championship - Ladder Match
Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio - ****
World Tag Team Titles - Lumberjack Match
Kane & Big Show (c) vs. Wade Barrett & Ezekiel Jackson - * 3/4
WWE Championship - Steel Cage Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison - ****
Overall: 8.5/10
- Feelings on Orton/Punk didn't changed on this watch. Very good match loaded with physicality, but I thought a lot of the spots were really predictable too. Orton's selling is really weird and I hate it when they book him to just totally bury people to win the match. Acceptable blowoff and a great opener though.
- Sheamus/Kofi has to one of my all time favorite table matches, most usually suck anyway. Love how they kept teasing the end with Kofi escaping every time, then BOOM, awesome spot to end it. Perfect match for its place on the card.
- Not gonna put a rating on the Country Whipping match. Did its job I guess but it's not like I cared about it.
- Rey/Cody is seriously so much fun. Loads of creative spots all over the building. Loved it when Rey's holding Cody's face up towards the mirror and he turns it into a disaster kick. For the build it had and its spot on the card, it could've gone longer, but it feels longer than 11 minutes anyway. The finish is real random.
- It's a shame no one in the crowd cared about LayCool's match. They brought the goods for 5 minutes, especially that late reversal into the Styles Clash that got like 2 reactions. Good match, super dead crowd.
- Maaaaaan, this was my 3rd time seeing Christian/Del Rio, and I raised the rating and liked it the most here. The drama is off the charts and the build is fantastic. The teases with Christian hanging inside the ladder thinking Del Rio's gonna win then when Christian's about to win and out comes Brodus were really well done. Glad they didn't edit anything either cause Brodus got busted open big time and Christian took that nasty bump against the steps in the middle of the match. Just a really damn good match with a finish that makes me mark out every time.
- Didn't have a problem with the Lumberjack match, besides not knowing who half of them were.
Did its job of creating dissension between Barrett & Jackson and that body slam was NICE.
- The main event over delivered on every level for me. Hell of a good watch with a lot of nice spots. Double suplex spot looked really nasty, plus Morrison channeling his inner Jeff Hardy and sacrificing himself a couple times. I seriously loved Truth's promo from earlier in the show and his interference here was perfect. The finish was awesome, although I know some people will probably be like 'well where the hell was Morrison?' No big deal, just selling the Truth beating. Shame those two never got a blowoff on PPV. Could've been real good.
- I haven't had the chance to rewatch Money in the Bank or Summerslam, but this is definitely a top 3 PPV from last year. Could even end up as my #1. So much consistency and two flat out great matches.
Corey is offline
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Corey
-- Wrestling Forum (Full - Red)
---- Wrestling Forum (Dark - Red)
-- Wrestling Forum (Full - Blue)
---- Wrestling Forum (Dark - Blue)
-- Wrestling Forum (Classic I)
-- Wrestling Forum (Classic II)
-- Wrestling Forum (Mobile)
Contact Us
Wrestling Forum
Privacy Statement
v1.4 Copyright ©2007,
PixelFX Studios
For the best viewing experience please update your browser to
Google Chrome
Terms of Use


text:
Joan of Arc Examined in LIGHTS OF MADNESS
Savannah, GA
Joan of Arc is an enduring symbol both in the religious and secular realms - embraced by Napoleon, Marxist ideology, French political parties and canonized as a saint in 1920. But was she really an exceptional military leader -or actually a man-or a liar, a saint or a witch, a visionary or a lunatic? In "Lights of Madness: In Search of Joan of Arc," (published by Xlibris) Preston Russell examines the Maid of Orleans from a physician's standpoint and in light of recent advancements in brain research.
Joan of Arc was burned alive in 1431, condemned for her heresy which defied both church and worldly authority. In his new book, Russell traces her extensive trial testimony, seeking to find her own voice from five hundred years ago. He also examines her many faces evolving in world literature, theatre and film, extending from Shakespeare and Voltaire to Mark Twain and George Bernard Shaw. The central point of this book, however, is its incisive examination of all medical and psychiatric attempts to explain Joan's experience as only a psychotic delusion. The work ends with 21st brain research, which is beginning to break down barriers between science and religion.