Hehe, Microsoft just keep making it worse for themselves. Look what they published today:
"Microsoft has said that the Windows 7 Starter edition won't feature:
- Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
- Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
- The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
- Multi-monitor support.
- DVD playback.
- Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
- Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
- Domain support for business customers.
- XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7"
* No Desktop Effects - That's strange, on Linux we have a thing called Compiz that works on netbooks, but I suppose Microsoft have my best interests....
* No Personalization Features - Well silly me, all these years I thought it was my computer and I had the freedom to customize it. What was I thinking...
* No Fast User Switching - Even weirder, I can do that on my netbook with Ubuntu and the FUSA...
* No Multi-Monitor Support - So does that mean I can't plug in an external monitor and use it as a second desktop? Oh I don't even care anymore...
* No DVD Playback - This is possibly the only justified point, however it doesn't allow me to plug in an external drive...
* No Windows Media Center & No Remote Media Streaming - No media for me!
* No Domain support for business customers - Why even bother putting this on the list? What percentage of the netbook market is business customers? it just makes this already huge list look longer.
* No XP Mode - Well I suppose it is MY FAULT for wanting the use a program that works perfectly well until you brought Windows 7 out...
Well at least Windows 7 has removed the 3 application limit ?!
Why Not to Put Windows 7 on your netbook
Free Software in a Nintendo DS Game!
A while ago, I completed a game called Soul Bubbles for the Nintendo DS (good game by the way) however recently I discovered something very important in the ending credits.
During the section where the developers thank others, there is section thanking developers of free software! A screenshot of this is below:
It says:
on the following Free Software:
Qt
GTS - The GNU Triangulated Surface Library
Libxml2
CQuantizer by Jeff Prosise & Davide Pizzolato
Inkscape
Wow that is first time I have noticed Free Software getting press on a console!! What makes it even better is that the game was actually really great to play, proof that free software = good games (if we ever needed one :-] ).
Below is a video of the section in the credits:
Microsoft Makes Me Angry
I suppose it is appropriate that just after watching Louis Leterrier's 'The Incredible Hulk' (great movie) that I should see something that makes me angry.
Microsoft has just announced their 'specification list' for Windows 7 Starter on netbooks. The list basically states that Windows 7 Starter will only be allowed on machines that:
* Have a screen smaller/equal to 10.2 in
* Have no more than 1GB RAM
* Have a maximum HDD size of 250GB/ SSD size of 64GB
* Have a single core processor no faster than 2Ghz
I'm sorry but who do Microsoft think they are? Who are they to tell computer manufacturers that they don't have free choice on their hardware? I fI buy Windows 7 Starter and put it on a dual core desktop, will I be breaking the law?!
This is a new kind of arrogance even more Microsoft, somehow they think because they are a large Software maker, that they now own all computing markets?
Not only are they being awkward, but they are now prohibiting the development of netbook technology. What manufacturer is going to want to incorporate a dual core ATOM in their netbook, or a large HDD, or a new SSD, if they:
* have to put Windows on their device, as Microsoft have convinced everyone that anything else is a cancer
* have to pay more for the version of Windows (ie. Basic rather than Starter)
* will suffer reduced performance because of using said version of Windows
Thanks Microsoft, as a result of your arrogance, the netbook market has just stalled and no new technologies will ever come out.
It sure is a good time to be a Linux user.
Via [Computer Buyer]
Claws Mail Webkit Plugin - Deb Avaiable
I have now made a Debian package for the Webkit Plugin for Claws Mail I spoke about.
It is located in my PPA. It is called claws-mail-fancy-plugin.
Instead of adding my PPA, you can just download the debian packages below (however they will not get updated, only the ones in my PPA will.
Remember, to activate the plugin, open Claws Mail and go to Configuration > Plugins. Then click Load and select fancy.so. now the plugin is activated, it will render html for you. you may also want to go into Configuration > Preferences, Plugins > Fancy and select the options you want (I checked all the boxes).
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(64.9 KiB)
WebKit Claws-Mail Plugin
Hi Everyone.
I have been using Claws Mail for a while now (I love it's speed and lack of memory footprint) however there was one thing that was bugging me, rendering html email.
I had been using the gtk2html plugin, however sometimes it would not render html emails correctly, and it took a long time to render any html, it didn't fit in with the speedy profile of Claws Mail.
I was thinking today about the speedy webkit rendering engine, and how that would fit in with Claws Mail, luckily for me, a quick google found out that someone was one step ahead, they had created a webkit plugin for Claws Mail.
The author? Salvatore De Paolis . His blog post here showed me how to get the sources and so I downloaded them straight away.
After a few compiling woes, I found there was one more package I needed to install (libenchant-dev) and I was away. It compiled and installed successfully and I am now using the very speedy webkit plugin :-)
I shall try to make an Ubuntu Package, however I have exams this week so it may not be for a while.
Anyone who needs the library instantly, can email me (email located at launchpad) and I shall send them the library file (compiled for 32-bit only).