Gentoo Linux 2008.0 Released

July 15th, 2008


It's been little less than a year since my last post, and what could be more symbolic than a long overdue release of Gentoo Linux. Although 'release' in the classic sense doesn't really apply to Gentoo, it's always exciting when a new version is released.

From the Gentoo Monthly Newsletter:

The 2008.0 final release is out! Code-named "It's got what plants crave," this release contains numerous new features including an updated installer, improved hardware support, a complete rework of profiles, and a move to Xfce instead of GNOME on the LiveCD. LiveDVDs are not available for x86 or amd64, although they may become available in the future. The 2008.0 release also includes updated versions of many packages already available in your ebuild tree.

* Updated installer:
The installer now only performs networkless installations using the packages and ebuild tree on the LiveCD. It also contains numerous fixes for extended and logical partitions.
* Improved hardware support:
Moving to the 2.6.24 kernel added many new drivers for hardware released since the 2007.0 release.
* Complete rework of profiles:
Restructuring profiles allowed significant cleanup of redundancies, reducing developer maintenance and confusion. The difference for you is that profiles now appear in /usr/portage/profiles/ under default/linux/ instead of default-linux/. See the upgrading guide for more details.
* Xfce instead of GNOME on the LiveCD:
To save space, the LiveCDs switched to the smaller Xfce environment. This means that a binary installation using the LiveCD will install Xfce, but you're still free to build GNOME or KDE from source.
* No LiveDVDs on x86 or amd64:
In the interest of getting the release out, the release engineering team decided to postpone LiveDVDs because of problems in their generation. They may show up later—if so, we'll let you know.
* Updated packages:
Highlights of the 2008.0 release include Portage 2.1.4.4, a 2.6.24 kernel, Xfce 4.4.2, gcc 4.1.2 and glibc 2.6.1.
You can find the download, as well as more information on Gentoo Linux at their homepage
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Windows XP - Empty Recycle Bin From Right Click

June 9th, 2007


There is only one efficient way to empty your Recycle Bin in Windows XP; by right-clicking the desktop icon and selecting Empty Recycle Bin. This method works well for those casually browsing, blogging, and otherwise having fun, however for those of us whose livelihoods depend on their computer, this method of emptying the recycle bin can be somewhat irritating. Outside of just being a hassle, some of us really loathe having icons on our desktop and choose to have no icons whatsoever.

I was quite surprised when I came across a registry edit a few months ago that adds a Empty Recycle Bin entry to Explorer right-click context menus. I expect that most people won't find this tool exceptionally useful, but for those who use explorer as much and as extensively as I do, this will come as a godsend.

How to use:
  1. Extract the file from the zip. double click the .reg file and accept the warning that pops up
  2. Open My Computer/Windows Explorer; right click in any white space, in any folder, in any directory. You'll see the empty recycle bin option.
Guaranteed for use with Windows XP; I haven't tested this with Vista yet, but I plan on getting around to it eventually.

Download: Empty Recycle Bin Registry Addition

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Wakoopa.com - Software Social Networking

June 4th, 2007


You can add another tick to the checklist, as software has officially been socially networked. Wakoopa.com is a social networking site targeted to software usage and recommendations. It does this by use of a tracker program, which interestingly enough, tracks your software usage. The tracker keeps tabs on usage of active processes, while also keeping tabs on processes 'running in the background'. This all adds up to a nice overview of what applications you use, and how often you use them.

Wakoopa tracks what kind of software or games you use, and lets you create your own software profile. Ready for you to share with the world. Why? Because what you use on your desktop is who you are!
From a technical standpoint, both the site and tracker software should be considered beta. And not the Google, "this isn't beta but we're going to call it beta so as not to need support", beta... real beta. Not that the software is flawed by any means, it is simply lacking features that one would assume would come with it. For example the tracker doesn't do to well on full screen applications, leading to large discrepancies. For example I use Media Player Classic to watch video, movies, etc. My usage times for this are not accurate however as 99% of my MPC usage is fullscreen.

There are two reasons which make Wakoopa.com worthwhile to me: It allows me to see my software usage, which is good motivation to spend more time working, and less time on irc. Secondly, it's entertaining to watch trends of other users. For example, did you know that Internet Explorer uses generally use a majority of Microsoft apps? Outlook express, wordpad, notepad, calculator all see major use by IE users.

If you decide to join Wakoopa.com, don't forget to add little ole me to your friends list.

My screenshot

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QT TabBar - Windows Explorer Tabs

June 1st, 2007


QT TabBar, a small little program created by Quizo, is an extension of sorts for Windows Explorer that allows for browser-like tab functionality. I've been using this program for a couple of weeks now and it is undoubtedly one of the finest pieces of software I've used. The program comes along with a shortcut key editor, making it a piece of cake to add or change keyboard shortcuts. It also brings tooltip functionality to Explorer, allowing users to view the contents of a file simply by mousing over it. Here's a feature list straight from the site:

Features:
  • Tab bar for Windows Explorer
  • QT TabBar allows you to operates files and folders like tab browser
  • folder grouping, histories, etc.
Be warned that this feature list is not very complete and does not do the program justice. Anyway, as for the program itself I'm absolutely in love with it. It's pretty transparent right out of the box, not putting another icon in my system tray. It also uses very little resources, pretty much none whatsoever. I urge you to download it and try it out for yourself. The manual is online as well.

You can see some pictures from the site below, and soon I'll have some of my own screenshots to show.
Preview tooltips Subfolder tooltips My screenshot

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