Latest News from Nicholas Petreley

Enterprise Open Source Magazine: GNOME vs. KDE Revisited

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 21:00:00 EST

I understand there are several different philosophies of application development. Some people prefer GTK not because it is the better tool kit, but because the approach makes more sense to them, because GTK is more granular than Qt, prefer C to C++, or another reason. I cannot address all of these factors, but I will try to take them into account wherever they matter.

Opera is better than Godounov

Mon, 09 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Opera is $39 if you want to buy it. It's not worth purchasing just to get rid of its embedded banner ad, but Our Hero thinks it is well worth the money for other reasons. (1,200 words)

SCO-Microsoft conspiracy theory

Tue, 27 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

The SCO vs. IBM lawsuit gives off a subtle, unpleasant odor I couldn't quite place. When SCO set its sights on Linux distributors and even Linux itself, the source of the stench became unmistakable — Redmond. A humorous look at a potential smoking gun. (1,900 words)

The latest and greatest ways to run Windows desktop apps

Wed, 21 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

CrossOver Office has matured to the point where I consider it equal to Win4Lin in desirability. Not equal in capability or ease of use, mind you, but equal in value. Win4Lin is still my favorite solution, and it's an excellent choice for those who already have a copy of Windows 98 SE or one of the other supported Windows versions. (2,000 words)

A new distro in town: Gentoo emerges victorious

Fri, 16 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

The 'meta-distro' Gentoo makes it possible to compile and configure everything on your system exactly the way you like, providing you with more structure and tools to ease the process and automate updates. Do I still like Debian? I absolutely love it. But until further notice, Gentoo is now my flavor of Linux.

Time for a new installation paradigm, Part 4

Fri, 02 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

If developers and packagers flesh out the details of these suggestions, modify them to iron out wrinkles and then adopt the practices, most if not all Linux software installations will be trouble-free and distribution-agnostic. (3,250 words)

Time for a new installation paradigm, Part 4

Fri, 02 May 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Time for a new installation paradigm, Part 3

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Given that the GNU utilities accomplish the more difficult goal of cross-platform compatibility, it shouldn't be at all difficult to design a packaging system that solves the compatibility problems between distributions of the same Unix system. (2,000 words)

Time for a new installation paradigm, Part 2

Fri, 18 Apr 2003 00:00:00 EDT

In Part 1, Our Hero examined many (though not all) of the problems with the current approaches to software-installation. This time, we take a closer look at the technological considerations behind one of the biggest issues for software-installation: shared libraries. (2,200 words)

Time for a new installation paradigm

Wed, 09 Apr 2003 00:00:00 EDT

Our Hero examines the problems with existing approaches to software installation, looks at the technical issues and alternatives, and proposes a framework for a solution. (2,100 words)

Adding eye candy to your desktop

Wed, 26 Mar 2003 00:00:00 EST

To each his own, but I like eye candy. For all its benefits and power, X11 and X Window System managers have been among the most drab and poorly rendered graphical environments for years. Recent versions of XFree86 began to support anti-aliased fonts, which helped. But that's pure protein. It's good for you, and it helps you get your work done. Only recently has XFree86 begun to add the sugary content that we shallow folks crave. (3,000 words)

Debunking the Linux-Windows market-share myth

Fri, 14 Mar 2003 00:00:00 EST

There are dozens of reasons why people have underestimated how quickly Linux has been grabbing Windows' market share. Windows starts out with a false boost and maintains its illusory market share even as it gets replaced by Linux. In 2004, don't be surprised when Linux overtakes Windows to become the main focus for developers.

KDE 3.1 vs. GNOME 2.2: How GNOME became LAME

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 00:00:00 EST

KDE is delivering a better version of what GNOME's goal has apparently morphed into: becoming a great component framework that you can write to in multiple languages. Nicholas Petreley rebuffs the common GNOME battle slogans and explains why the window-manager's name needs reworking. Part 2 in a series. (2,000 words)

A brief comparison of KDE 3.1 & GNOME 2.2

Wed, 19 Feb 2003 00:00:00 EST

Our Hero installs and compares the two most popular window managers for Linux & other Unixes. His recommendation? It depends... (2,000 words)

Secret Microsoft plot to promote open source exposed!

Wed, 12 Feb 2003 00:00:00 EST

Our Hero uncovers Microsoft's ingenious, covert marketing efforts to promote Linux and open source via its own products' security vulnerabilities. This column is intended for mature audiences with a keen eye for sarcasm. (1,600 words)

Jedit, Jext & J: Java-based editors compared

Wed, 29 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

There are times when I want a lean, mean editor and times when I enjoy a good, bloated editor packed with wizards. We compare the programming editors Jext and J to Jedit and offer a revised opinion of the best Java for Linux. (2,500 words)

Vive Java et Blackdown!

Tue, 21 Jan 2003 00:00:00 EST

Java performance on Linux has yet to reach its potential. That said, I am still impressed with the current state of Java for client applications. If you want to get an feel for how much I believe Java has improved, here's a point of reference ('benchmark' is too strong of a term) that should remove all doubt. (2,000 words)

Mandrake 9.0 & Xoops revisited

Mon, 23 Dec 2002 00:00:00 EST

Although Mandrake 9.0 is a breeze to install, there are a few important things that Debian does better. Nicholas Petreley lists the pros and cons of Mandrake when compared to Debian and sets the record straight about his first Xoops column and his opinion of Britney Spears. (1,900 words)

LinuX-Mas caroling we shall go

Wed, 18 Dec 2002 00:00:00 EST

Don't let the economy get you down this holiday season. Instead, just get down to the sounds of these holiday classics, rewritten with a tech spin by St. Nicholas Petreley. (800 words)

X-oops, I did it again

Wed, 11 Dec 2002 00:00:00 EST

Nicholas Petreley decided to perk up his VarLinux.org site by ditching the PHP-Nuke weblog package and examining his options with the X-oops and E-Xoops object-oriented portal packages. What he's seen thus far is encouraging. (2,500 words)

Readers react to phpBB & spyce series

Mon, 25 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

Nicholas Petreley answers reader criticism regarding his overview of phpBB and shows how you can pass parameters back and forth between dynamically included files in spyce 1.2.8. Part four in a three-part series. (1,500 words)

How to spyce up your data

Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

How to get started working with databases, and an introduction to the Python lambda function. Third and final installment in our series on tricks, tips and techniques for making spyce work with your server. (2,000 words)

Variety is the spyce of Python

Mon, 11 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

In my last article, I described a relative newcomer to the Python server-side scripting solution category: spyce. Spyce is a versatile means of integrating Python code into HTML and vice versa. Here are more tricks, tips, and techniques for making spyce work with your server. (1,500 words)

How to add spyce to your life

Mon, 04 Nov 2002 00:00:00 EST

There's a new method for doing server-side Python scripting for Web applications in town, and its name is spyce. Spyce takes an approach similar to PHP. It lets you intermingle Python scripts, statements and variables with HTML to produce dynamically generated Web pages. (1,300 words)

Don't like FUDforum? Give phpBB a try

Mon, 28 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EST

phpBB is a good forum package despite its limitations. It's snappy, has all of the necessary features for a basic forum and is incredibly easy to set up and manage. (1,200 words)

Stop your BBS shopping & try FUDforum

Wed, 23 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EDT

FUDforum is a remarkable piece of work, from the installation to the actual quality of code (programmers could learn a lot from browsing the code to see how things are done). I recommend you try FUDforum for yourself if you are even the least bit intrigued by what you're about to read. (1,800 words)

Can Linux build bridges to dummies?

Wed, 16 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EDT

The obvious solution to this problem is to lobby to get Linux pre-installed on as many PCs as possible, right? Wrong. That would help, of course, but it's not looking far enough into the future. (1,500 words)

Mallet fingers, DSL routers and unstable Debian... oh my

Wed, 09 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EDT

A snapped tendon, Klingon attacks and DHCP woes had Nick Petreley in the doledrums last week at his new home in North Carolina. Luckily, a SOHOware DSL/cable router was able to fix one of these problems. Can you guess which one? (1,100 words)

Trials & tribulations of moving to a Web host provider

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Our hero heads East, and has a parting shot for PacBell's DSL service. He discovers Web hosting deals today offer good value, and free him from DSL and server worries. (1,070 words)

Getting GNOME 2 going on Debian

Wed, 04 Sep 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Debian doesn't get nearly as much attention as other distributions when it comes to updating software packages, least of all desktop environments like KDE and GNOME. If you're running Debian, here's how to install GNOME 2. (1,200 words)

How to run both stable & development versions of KDE with Debian

Fri, 23 Aug 2002 00:00:00 EDT

I don't want to give up using Debian to run the bleeding edge versions of KDE and GNOME. I recently discovered how to have your Debian and eat recent versions of KDE and GNOME, too. You don't necessarily have to download and compile the source code to get them, either. (1,400 words)

Favorite minimalist file managers

Tue, 20 Aug 2002 00:00:00 EDT

When you give up GNOME and KDE for simpler tools like Ion, Pwm, and other minimalist window managers, you sometimes have to give up a few good things about GNOME and KDE along with the bad. File managers are one, but are easy to replace. A look at your options. (1,500 words)

Where Scott McNealy's wrong about the economics of open source

Wed, 07 Aug 2002 00:00:00 EDT

I found interesting comments in a recent interview of Scott McNealy. Let me sum up McNealy's views, and what I think is right and wrong with them. We examine how open source screws up revenue models, and who cares about an OS. (1,500 words)

Microsoft's smell of desperation

Wed, 31 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Those who relish freedom need to defend it. Here are some warnings about mistakes we could make easily that would undermine any effort to prevent the worst of all fates (1,300 words)

Ion a not-too minimalist window manager

Mon, 29 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

One of the biggest problems with desktop environments like Windows, KDE, GNOME, and others like them is that they're pretty, but they expect you to do all the work of arranging windows, minimizing applications, clicking on icons, and so on. (1,600 words)

Xfce, Icewm & Enlightenment compared

Wed, 17 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Xfce is mostly a CDE clone, I recommend Icewm to those comfortable with the Windows 9x taskbar, Enlightenment runs quite fast & is stable, but I'm appalled by the garish look of the themes. (1,400 words)

Window-managers 101: The desktop beyond GNOME and KDE

Tue, 09 Jul 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Nicholas Petreley explores desktop Linux beyond GNOME and KDE. In this column, he examines and compares several window-managers, detailing which of these applications is best for different types of users. (1,800 words)

Why KDE applications have a bright desktop future

Fri, 28 Jun 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Despite his personal preference for GNOME/GTK and the shortcomings of current KDE applications, Nicholas Petreley explains why KDE/Qt developers are likely to outbattle GNOME/GTK developers in the quest for mainstream desktop applications. (1,300 words)

GNOME vs. KDE: A license to sell

Thu, 20 Jun 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Continuing his discussion of GNOME/GTK vs. KDE/Qt, Nick Petreley explains why language support doesn't matter much, why technical merit doesn't necessarily translate to successful software and why he has a major problem with Trolltech's Qt-licensing scheme. (1,400 words)

GNOME & KDE docs & themes

Wed, 05 Jun 2002 00:00:00 EDT

A series on the strengths of GNOME & GTK, what programmers are getting into when they choose one over the other, and how the creators of GNOME & GTK can make their offerings better. (1,600 words)

Accepting the theory of Ximian's Evolution

Wed, 15 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Even if you don't have Exchange or an Exchange replacement as your back-end server, Evolution is still a powerful client for scheduling meetings with others who have similar tools. The Palm Pilot sync feature's the best for Linux users, too. (1,200 words)

Win4Lin a different good way to do the wrong thing

Wed, 08 May 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Win4Lin lets you run Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes from a Linux desktop. It works well. You need a valid Windows 9x license to make it go, which points out the price of running Windows on Linux can range from less expensive to more expensive than running Windows alone. (1,200 words)

Codeweaver's CrossOver Office is the best way to do the wrong thing

Mon, 29 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Microsoft's Licensing 6.0 should make you want to avoid its software. If you can't or won't and want to run Office and Lotus Notes on your Linux desktop, Codeweaver's CrossOver Office is the best way to go. (1,200 words)

No FUD about FUDForum

Mon, 22 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT

While it looks pretty, FUDForum also has a wonderful feature set along with many other things to recommend it. If you're looking for free forum software, look here. (1,900 words)

Last bits of advice for IMAP4 on the cheap

Wed, 10 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT

More on how to create an e-mail server with IMAP support that blocks spam and other unwanted e-mail using three free tools: Cyrus, Postfix, and Procmail. Part 5 in a series. (1,600 words)

How to set up IMAP on the cheap, Part 4

Wed, 10 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT

More on how to create an e-mail server with IMAP support that blocks spam and other unwanted e-mail using three free tools: Cyrus, Postfix, and Procmail. Part 4 in a series. (1,600 words)

How to set up IMAP on the cheap, Part 3

Mon, 08 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT

How to to create an e-mail server with IMAP support that blocks spam and other unwanted e-mail using three free tools: Cyrus, Postfix, and Procmail. Part 3 in a series. (1,600 words)

How to set up IMAP on the cheap, Part 2

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EST

How to to create an e-mail server with IMAP support that blocks spam and other unwanted e-mail using three free tools: Cyrus, Postfix, and Procmail. (1,500 words)

How to set up IMAP on the cheap

Mon, 18 Mar 2002 00:00:00 EST

How to to create an e-mail server with IMAP support that blocks spam and other unwanted e-mail using three free tools: Cyrus, Postfix, and Procmail. (1,368 words)

Can you help our hero debug his serial ports?

Mon, 11 Mar 2002 00:00:00 EST

Instead of offering tips or patches this week, in the great spirit of open source, I ask for your contribution to my end of the community. I experienced bizarre problems lately, two of which have me so stumped that I'll entertain almost any theories or advice. (1,300 words)