MSDOS

I just thought of something funny.

If I ever create an operating system and have a big enough ego, it will be named "Michael Swinick DePaulo Operating System." MSDOS

Connecting to Penn State on Linux

I have mostly completed a guide to connecting to penn state, both for wi-fi and network resources. Screenshots included.
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcznzv55_29f6mf8rdq

My Recommended Ubuntu Packages

I'm preparing a list of Ubuntu Packages that I recommend. These are the specific package names, but they should generally translate to the names in add/remove or in the software center.
I have them listed by category too.
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcznzv55_19g2t9k5xb

Good Options and Categories for Netbooks

There is no shortage of netbook models now. NewEgg alone has 65 choices. But which ones to buy? I have some suggestions.

1. Value Model on Sale

Price: $200 to $260
Availability: Now when on sale
A 9" or 10" model (if 10", it will have a 10" keyboard but most likely a 9" screen) with the Intel Atom N270 CPU. Most likely 1GB, but if it has 512MB, you typically can easily upgrade. May come with XP or With Linux. Either a Solid State Drive (usually very fast like Dell's are, but avoid the acer SSDs) at 8 GB or 16GB, or an 80GB to 160GB HDD. 3 or 4 cell battery.
Good Examples:
1. This rebranded Dell Mini 9 http://www.dealigg.com/story-Dell-Vostro-A90-8-9-Laptop-Atom-1-6GHz-512MB-RAM-8GB-SSD-Linux
2. This acer http://www.dealigg.com/story-Dell-Vostro-A90-8-9-Laptop-Atom-1-6GHz-512MB-RAM-8GB-SSD-Linux
How to find: Follow dealigg, show all deals

2. Basic Model

Price: ~$300
Availability: Now
A 9" or 10" model (if 10" phsyically/keyboard-wise, it will have either a 10" or 9" screen) with the Intel Atom N270 CPU. 1 GB RAM. Comes with XP. Has a hard drive, 120 to 160 GB. 3 to 6 cell battery.
Good Examples.
1. This Asus 9" model with a 4-cell battery. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220441
2. This MSI 10" model with a 3-cell battery http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152093
3. This Asus 9"-screen/10"-keyboard with a 6-cell battery http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220442
How to find: Any Online Store (especially newegg) May be able to find a deal on dealigg.com

3. Slightly-Upscale Well Rounded

Price: ~$350 (on sale), $390 (regularly)
Availability: now
There really is only one model for this category due to it's amazing battery life, faster Intel Atom N280 CPU, and all around quality. This is the Asus 1000HE. It is a 10" model. 1 GB RAM. XP. 160GB. 6-cell battery. Upgraded 802.11n wi-fi
Everyday Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220504
Sale Link: http://www.dealigg.com/story-ASUS-Eee-PC-10-Laptop
How to find: any online store, or find it on sale on dealigg.com (search for 1000HE)

4. Larger and/or Thinner Model

Price: $500 to $700
Availability: Coming out now
These tend to vary more. They can have other processors, such as a faster Intel core solo or the Via Nano. 10" to 12" screen. Often very thin and light, such as the macbook air. Assume XP, 1 GB RAM or 2, 160GB, and who knows what for the battery. Likely to have upgraded 802.11n wi-fi.
Example Link:
1. Samsung VIA 12" model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131031
2. Asus Super-Thin and a little-bit light: 10" model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220530
How to find: Many online stores

5. Nvidia Ion Netbooks with great graphics.

Price: $500 to $550
Availability: June
The highlight of these models is the Nvidia Ion graphics processor. It does not use up much more power, yet it enables 1080P video playback (when run properly) and far better 3d game performance. Games will be far more likely to not run because of the CPU rather (roughly a 2.0 ghz pentium-4 equivalent) than the GPU (graphics). Intel Atom CPU, prefer the Atom N280. 1 GB of RAM or 2. 10" to 12" size. 160GB HD, or larger if not using XP (getting XP at all and for cheap means max 160GB.) Likely a 6-cell battery. Likely to have upgraded 802.11n wi-fi.
How to find: follow http://www.ionbased.com and http://netbookupdates.com/

Preview Link: http://www.ionbased.com/2009/05/lenovo-ideapad-s12-hands-on-video-and-details/

6. ARM Netbook

Price: $250 to $200

Availability: June at the earliest

These are models based around ARM Processors/Systems-On-A-Chip. This ARM architecture enables them to be very low-power, thin, light, and even fanless. However, ARM can only run Linux (and android before too long) and not Windows. They will have a less powerful CPU and probably less RAM, but make up for it by being able to decode 720P video. Expect 7" to 10" screen sizes and flash memory.

Preview Link: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39617753,00.htm

How to find: follow http://www.ionbased.com and http://netbookupdates.com/

Personally, I'm looking for a 10" Ion netbook for gaming. That 12" Lenovo is too large and heavy.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of good options right now.

How to not review the Nvidia Ion

There's been a lot of buzz lately surround the Nvidia Ion Platform.

For those of you who don't know, the Nvidia Ion platform is an Intel Atom CPU combined with the Nvidia Geforce 9400 core logic chipset. The Intel Atom is a regular, but very low-power, CPU. The Geforce 9400 core logic chipset is everything that a northbridge and a southbridge typically do, a memory controller, audio, LAN, storage (Serial SATA) controller, and of course, the best integrated graphics every made. The point of putting such a nice GPU with such as weak CPU is to run 3d simulations (games) better, offload (upto 1080p) video processing to the GPU, or offload general purpose calculations to the GPU (CUDA, openCL.)

Now, the intel Atom isn't brand new. Models came out with it last year roughly around August. Combined with the old Intel GMA 945 GSE chipset, it was not a stellar performer. It had a FSB of only 533 mhz, and the memory controller on the intel chipset would only provide 533 mhz memory.

But performance was not the point of the Atom, as the intel atom was low power (a maximum 2.5 watts for the netbook model @ 1.6 ghz) and low price ($43 for that model.) Performance showed that the atom was roughly as fast as 2.0 ghz pentium 4 CPU. That fact is important. In the days of CPU's with model numbers like T7100 and E2220, it is hard to have any clue how a processor compares to another processor. However, considering that LegitReviews found the Atom 230 (1.6 ghz, 533 mhz FSB, just like the netbook N270) to get 477 CPU Marks in 3DMark06, and a sample score from the Online Result Database shows a 2.0 ghz Pentium-4 to get 524 CPU Marks, it's obvious that they are pretty similar.

So from now on when deciding what games to test a single-core atom CPU with, we should look for games that require nothing more than a 2.0 Ghz Pentium 4. Since cranking up the graphics detail puts more stress on the CPU, and the minimum requirements are for minimal graphics settings, logic would dictate that we would run the games at minimum detail if they require a 1.6 ghz to 2.0 ghz pentium-4. If a game requires something greather than a 2.0 ghz pentium-4, we shouldn't waste our time testing it. If a game requires something between 2.0 ghz and 4.0 ghz in processor speed, it is worth testing it with the dual-core atom N330, and the results will likely depend heavily on how well multi-threaded the game is.

Guess what professional reviewers did? First XbitLabs tested the Atom N230 (1.6 ghz) with three games; Quake 4 (minimum CPU: 2.0 ghz P4), Trackmania: Nations Forever (minimum CPU: 1.6 ghz P4), and World of Warcraft (minimum CPU: 1.3 ghz P4 or Athlon XP 1500+).

Considering these requirements, it would make since definitely to run Quake 4 on low detail. Trackmania and WoW should be tested out definitely on low, and probably on medium detail.

What did they do? They tested out all the games on medium! The results were pathetic, but they hardly gave it a chance. Remember that 30 FPS or so is necessary for a game to be playable.

In fact, the supposedly 5 to 10x faster Geforce 9400 wasn't much faster in trackmania than the Intel chipset. This highly suggests that the game was CPU limited at that detail level.

Next I came across Hot Hardware's Nvidia Ion review. Much like XbitLabs, they prepared a very professional review, with meticulous detail as to how they tested the system. I am glad they tested out the Atom 330, which proved to be far superior to the 230 at certain games. However, they tortured the poor Atom CPU even worse. They ran Left 4 Dead, which has a minimum CPU of a 3.0 ghz Pentium 4, and Quake Wars, which has a 2.8 ghz Pentium 4 requirement! Again, the Atom 1.6 ghz Pentium-4 CPU is only equivalent to roughly a 2.0 ghz Pentium 4. Only the Atom 330 deserved to run these games. However, they then did something even worse. They tested them "with gaming quality settings set to medium or high, depending on the feature!"

Here are the lackluster results:

I'm honestly impressed with the Intel Atom's ability to run games that greatly outclass it, but the average reader has no clue how fast the atom is supposed to be relative to the games requirements.

I believe testing these games was unfair to the Atom N270 and the Atom N230 CPUs, as well as the Ion platform in general. It made them look like they were incapable of gaming, when at the appropriate detail level on the appropriate games, it could have performed well.

I'm guessing the reason this mistake was made was that reviewers aren't used to testing integrated graphics chipsets like this. Typically, they test them with the fastest possible CPUs, where the minimum CPU requirements of a game are never an issue. When testing the Ion Platform, they are testing the Geforce 9400 with either a very weak CPU (the Atom N230 or N270) or a very specialized CPU (the Atom N330.)

What games could Hot Hardware have tested the atom with? Let's look at the top sellers on steam. Civ4 complete edition is up there, and Civ4 itself only requires a 1.2 ghz P4, Athlon, or equivalent.

So please, next time you test out either a low-end CPU or a low-end GPU, make sure you test it under conditions it is made for. By default, test it out under games with low or minimum detail, and include games that it matches the minimum requirements for.

A Windows Moment and the Bigger Picture

Many people criticize Windows for its bugs. But sometimes there are deeper issues; design flaws. Follow along with this story and try to identify them.

I have windows XP also on my server (hegemon) as it is sometimes used for gaming.

I haven't booted it in a while. I plug in my wireless keyboard/mouse which I don't think I ever used on it.

So sure enough when I boot it up and it automatically logs in, it detects the new hardware and begins the long process of installing it. Were it to simply go to the login screen, it would have installed the wireless keyboard/mouse drivers automatically at that point. But because I automatically log in (like most home users do, although I have a password that will come up with the screensaver,) it wants to install all the hardware. It wants to install the PSC (printer) driver before the keyboard/mouse driver. However, the printer driver installation requires you to use a menu! It will not install the keyboard/mouse driver until you use the menu, but you need the keyboard/mouse driver to use the menu. I decide to go into safe mode as that will properly install the USB keyboard/mouse drivers if they are plugged in beforehand.
So I press the power button. It won't power off because Windows is waiting for an HP printer application to respond. So I do a hard reset. GRUB loads up fine and I can control it using my wireless keyboard. I choose windows and repeatedly hit F8, in order to bring it into safe mode. Doing that doesn't work. I then come up with another idea, use remote desktop.
That doesn't work. I believe it is becauase of a bug in the older nvidia drivers.
Finally I try one last thing. I plug in my old USB keyboard. It doesn't work. I tried the other unused USB port, and it finally works. I can control my computer with this keyboard only, which is enough to manipulate menus (alt + tab and tab are your friends) and cancel out of the printer installs. The wireless keyboard and mouse are then install.

So these are the design flaws I was able to identify:
1. A keyboard and mouse should not require a complex install. And if they do for some reason, it plugging them into a different USB port should not require a reinstall. On linux, installation of keyboards and mice are seemless and near instantaneous.
2. Windows should either install the essential hardware (keyboard/mouse drivers) before it gets to the graphical prompt or before the less essential hardware (printers). Linux does the former and probably the latter.
3. An application should not be able to prevent a power button from doing it's job. Or at least pressing it twice should override that app. You often need to power off your computer quickly if you hear a fan hitting something or if theres a thunderstorm. In Ubuntu 9.04, pressing the power button opens up the power off menu, which defaults to shutting off after 60 seconds.

The only thing I can say in Windows' defense is that XP originally came out in 2001 and design, and USB only started to become common around then. Design needs time to evolve. It's too bad Vista took design in a worse direction.

$200 and $100 Netbooks

I previously covered the decreasing cost of netbooks.

Recently, they have gone down even more.
Dell has offered their inspiron mini 9 netbook with Ubuntu for a starting price of $200 recently.
The SSD upgrades may be expensive, but this a real netbook with an intel atom @1.6 ghz, a 9" 1024x600 LED screen, a 4 cell battery, and other usual specs for $200.

Unfortunately this was just a temporary promotion to get rid of the old stock in preparation for their newer model coming out. It is now currently $250.

Recently there was also a model with 1 GB of ram and a (presumably slow) 16GB SSD by acer for $240.

Now on the ARM processor (power efficient but can't run desktop Windows) front there's even more progress. Freescale expects to be able to make a model for $100.

"Freescale believes netbooks built around its technology will be able to be made at a cost of about $100."

These $100 models may very well run Ubuntu and Google's Android. At least higher end models with a Freescale ARM processor will.

You can read the original announcement here on the Freescale based netbooks here.

They cite the possibility of these netbooks being used for Indian schoolchildren once they are at $100. The OLPC could face some competition unless they move from the soon-to-be-abandoned AMD x86 Geode to an ARM processor to match the price. At least the OLPC still has other factors going for it still like the sunlight-readable screen and its rugged design.

Still, even if you aren't a schoolchild and you will merely be using a netbook indoors without roughing it up, the social implications of a $100 computer are enormous. At that price there will be no reason (in the 1st world) not to own a computer if you want one and have internet access. More less-committed people and impoverished people will be able to own one. People will also be able to buy their small children real computers. Linux will gain an advantage as Microsoft will not be able to port Windows XP Starter Edition or Windows 7 Starter Edition so easily, and even then they would need companies to port their proprietary software, including drivers. Open-Source software is more readily ported to these platforms, and that's why Ubuntu is nearly complete at being ported.

Yes the future looks bright for affordable computing.

Microsoft Releases 4380 MB Patch

So I went to run Microsoft Update (including Windows Update) today. Look what I found.

Full-Size Screenshot

Let's take a closer look





WOW! 248 MB patch download, and it requires 4380 MB of space? What could possibly in this?

Microsoft Description of this .net framework 3.5 SP1

Hopefully this is just the SP1 installer that is being downloaded, and then that will only download and update only the components installed. Perhaps those components installed could include a large API.