Links:

• Ati HomePage
• Ati Linux Driver (x86) Page
• Ati 8.5 drivers release notes

WorkAround to (A little watermark on the right lower corner —> “Ati - Testing use only”)

Open a terminal and:

• sudo nano /eti/ati/signature
• delete UNSIGNED
• copy and paste this string into /etc/ati/signature
• Reboot

“You know the planets of our solar system, each a unique world with its own distinctive appearance, size, and chemistry. Mars, with its bitter-cold, rusty red sands; Venus, a fiery world shrouded in thick clouds of sulfuric acid; sideways Uranus and its strange vertical rings. The variety is breathtaking.“

scienze.nasa.gov

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/08may_marvels.htm

Stranglehold – Official Site for The Only Authentic John Woo Video Game Experience.

“A cached pacman implementatioin”

Pacman Description

Tupac (rapper) R.I.P.

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

New Compiz-Fusion Plugins

I’ve just updated compiz fusion (git) in the repo… You can install it from there adding this and then:

sudo pacman -S compiz-fusion-git

“Allows you to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript. Hundreds of scripts, for a wide variety of popular sites, are already available at http://userscripts.org. You can write your own scripts, too. Check out http://wiki.greasespot.net/ to get started.”

by “https://addons.mozilla.org/it/firefox/addon/748″

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

“When scientists peer at distant galaxies, it’s like looking back in time because their light has taken so long to reach us.“

by “http://www.space.com”

Update 8/04/2008

• Added some links

Links:

• Naked-eye Gamma Ray Burst
• Smallest Black Hole found
• Galaxy Evolution seen in action
• Space Radiation too deadly for mars missions
• Venus and Mars: Surprising Similarities Found
• Io Creates Spots on Jupiter
• Five Volcanic Episodes On Mars Identified by Scientists
• First Solar-Powered Satellite Still Flying at 50
• The Vanishing Rings of Saturn
• Evidence for Ocean Found at Saturn’s Moon Titan
• Oldest-Known Asteroids in Solar System Identified
• Seeds of Life Found Near Saturn
• The Mother of All Meteor Storms
• Star Theory Gets New Spin
• Massive Star Mystery: Do They Explode?

“Non ho mai visto tanta vecchiaia in un solo uomo!!”

“Edwin Powell Hubble (November 20, 1889 – September 28, 1953) was an American astronomer. He profoundly changed astronomers’ understanding of the nature of the universe by demonstrating the existence of other galaxies besides the Milky Way. He also discovered that the degree of redshift observed in light coming from a galaxy increased in proportion to the distance of that galaxy from the Milky Way. This became known as Hubble’s law, and would help establish that the universe is expanding.”

From WikiPedia

Thanks to the Telescope which has his name… we can give a look to things which will never be seen without it.

Links:

• Edwin Hubble
• Hubble Telescope
• Hubble Main Page
• Hubble Pictures (Wallpapers)
• Hubble Multimedia

Let’s see how to install it on ArchLinux…

Update 10/04/2008

• Gnome 2.22 in [extra]
• Gnome 2.22.1 released

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

The Space… An infinite universe where I think we aren’t lonely… but we have to do great steps to know if there is intelligent life in the other galaxies.

Today we’ll talking about a great software written by Chris Laurel.

CELESTIA

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

” There are many things that are broken, non existent or flat out ugly, and we are well aware of that. Some things also work rather well. The purpose of this release is to inspire folks to stand up and help us finish Amarok 2.0.”

From Amarok Main Site (21/01/2008)

Waiting for the next great release of this wonderful music player. We’re going to see how to install version 1.4.8 and configure postgresql to manage collections.

(See how to install it and configure it clicking on the right “pages”)

Here is the link of the article (from www.tomshw.it):

Tomshw

After we talked about Sylpheed which is a very light email client… It’s time to pass to another one… which has surely more features… but it consumes almost 40 mb in ram…

That’s Thunderbird! (From Mozilla Labs… So we can use add-ons with it to extend its functionalities)

Links:

• Main Site (2)
  
• Main Development Site
• Nightly Builds
• Add-ons
• FireTray add-ond (to minimize your firefox or thunderbird to the tray!)

Here’s a Screenshot (1/03/2008 nightly build):

ArchLinux Installation:

1. Pacman

sudo pacman -Sy thunderbird

2. Using Nigthly builds

• Like Firefox we could have nightly build directly from here
• extract it to a folder
• cd to the folder
• click on “thunderbird” executable

I’ve chosen IMAP protocol… why?

Because i don’t want to download all emails as the pop does… but i want to get more integrated with the email itself.

“ What’s the difference between IMAP and POP?

Unlike POP, IMAP offers two-way communication between your web Gmail and your email client(s). This means when you log in to Gmail using a web browser, actions you perform on email clients and mobile devices (ex: putting mail in a ‘work’ folder) will instantly and automatically appear in Gmail (ex: it will already have a ‘work’ label on that email).

In addition, IMAP provides a better method to access your mail from multiple devices. If you check your email at work, on your mobile phone, and again at home, IMAP ensures that new mail is accessible from any device at any given time.

Finally, IMAP offers a more stable experience overall. Whereas POP is prone to losing messages or downloading the same messages multiple times, IMAP avoids this through its two-way syncing capabilities between your mail clients and your web Gmail.

If you’re trying to decide between using POP and using IMAP with your Gmail account, we recommend IMAP. “

Google Gmail

Then I repost this image which helps to get your thunderbird working with gmail settings:

“PulseAudio is a sound server for POSIX and Win32 systems. A sound server is basically a proxy for your sound applications. It allows you to do advanced operations on your sound data as it passes between your application and your hardware. Things like transferring the audio to a different machine, changing the sample format or channel count and mixing several sounds into one are easily achieved using a sound server.”

http://www.pulseaudio.org/

Updated 20/03/2008

• libtool update to 2.2-2 problem [Fixed]

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

In the last times (but i’m sure that this exists since apple’s born)… I noticed many changes between new apple users…

After buying their new ipod… (or some macbook… or whatelse apple has made…)… they begin to say other products are sick… “MacOs is the most secure operating system… It doesn’t have and will never have bugs“… “My ipod is the best and it never freezes“… “MacOs is cheaper than Vista… buy a MAC”… ecc…

” That’s the image Apple wants people of have of the Mac: the anti-Windows. The clever Mac vs. PC commercials underscore that promise, pointing out some of the early problems with Windows Vista and smugly implying that Macs are free from such frustrations. The problem is that’s simply not true. Mac owners will encounter problems during the life of the product, maybe not as many as Windows owners, but frustrating, on-hold-with-tech-support types of problems will happen. ”

Tom Krazit

And then we have to say:

1. There aren’t “bomb proof” OS… Every System has bugs… Every System could be rooted… The most secure system is a switched off PC (with cables disconnected).
2. I’ve got an ipod… And i can say it freezes everyday… and then when i try to play to the trivia game about my db songs… 2 times on 3… i can’t listen songs because there is no sound.
3. Yes… it’s true… MacOs is cheaper than Vista… but to run MacOs… i’ve got to buy a MAC that is 3 times (and more) expensive than a PC with the same specifics. And then there is LINUX that is free :)

You can’t have a discussion with an apple user about PCs or whatelse… because they begin to say… “Steve Jobs is a GOD”… “With an apple system this would be never happend” (even if they don’t know on what we are talking about…)… and other (stupid) things… It seems as a brain washing made by apple…

I don’t want to say if apple’s products are good or not, because it depends on situation… on what an user can do… on how many money a person could spend on a PC, but i want to say that apple’s products are normal (closed) ones (with good and bad things… they aren’t perfect)…

Links:

• Problems with the MAC promised land
• The Apple Product Cycle (funny)
  

Firefox 3 will be a great release… especially for one thing all linux users want… OS INTEGRATION

This doesn’t want to be a minimization of what firefox changed inside (and surely will change)… But at a first look… it seems that we (linux users) won’t have to use workarounds to get our favourite browser more pleasant to see.

Update 02/04/2008

• Added Firefox 3 with system cairo
  

(click on the numbers on the right to change pages)

I don’t know why… but this wallpaper gives me a pleasant sensation of relax :)

I associated it  with this gtk engine which is available in 2 versions…

• based on clearlooks
• based on aurora

I’ve chosen the first one… (MOTIVATIONS)
It’s name is Caramello

Links:

• Gnome-Look
• Direct Download

After downloaded… extract it to a folder and install it with “Appareance Preferences”…

I’ve updated (and added) some packets…

Current list is:

• compiz-fusion-plugins-extra-git-20080222
• compiz-fusion-plugins-main-git-20080222
• compiz-git-20080222
• compizconfig-python-git-20080222
• emesene-svn-1069
• fusion-icon-git-20080222
• geany-svn-2275
• gnome-mplayer-cvs-20080222
• gtk-engines-svn-1096
• libcompizconfig-git-20080222
• libgpod-svn-1949
• metacity-svn-3585
• pidgin-msnp14-2.3.1-5
• xcursor-oxygen-svn-628071-2
• new-murrine-configurator-1.4-1

Tango generator is a great script…

It uses this different icon themes to create a new one:

• Collected Application Icons
• Custom Application Icons
• Upstream GPL
• Custom Mime Types
• Sane Emblems
• Gnome
• Tango
• Tango Common
• Gtk Stock Icons
• Tango Unabashed
• Tangerine
• Gion
• Foxtrot
• Old Tango
• Industrial
• Gnome Alternatives
• Foglie
• Dark Media
• Tango Materia Red
• Tango Materia Green
• Ubuntu Studio
• Mist
• Si
• Crux

This is the last Changelog:
3.2.3: Fixed bug occuring due to missing archives. Added download timeout. Added more application icons. Updated icon themes (notably Discovery). Improved icon coverage.

Some Links:

• Gnome-Look
• Main Site
• Main Site Download
• Main Site Configuration Files
• Main Site Forum
• Main Site Discussion

My Current Screen (with customized tango theme (by tango generator)):

ArchLinux installation:

3 ways to install it:

1. AUR:

• get the tarball Tango Geneator
• extract it to a folder
• cd to the folder
• makepkg -i

2. Yaourt

yaourt -Sy tango-generator

3. Manual Installation (best thing) (All distributions)

• get it from here
• extract it to a folder
• cd to the folder
• open a terminal (it’s important to see if something goes wrong)
• python tango-generator

After verified all dependencies are well satisfied…

Go Forward… Load a configuration file (Download compressed zip file from here):

and now see if loading bar go to the end after downloading all icons.

If something goes wrong… see on terminal if there is a timeout error…

If it is so… reopen tango-generator and uncheck Discovery (It gives me timeout)…

Retry… if there is same error… try to delete links related to timeout in this file:

tango-generator/data/themes.xml

and retry still you have no errors (because all remaining links are up).

Good Luck! :)

PS: If you had other solutions to the tango-generator script problems… just comment it and i’ll add them to the post.

There is a program that benchs every kind of gtk engine…

The name is GTKPERF.

Have you ever asked: “What’s the fastest gtk engine?” (in everyday actions…)

I used gtkperf to bench some of the most famous gtk engines:

• Clearlooks (from gnome-themes-svn)
• Nodoka
• Human (from Ubuntu)
• Murrine (thanks to CIMI (like new Clearlooks) :))
• Aurora
• Mac4Lin
• Clearlooks Classic
• Crux
• Glossy
• Glider
• Mist
• Nova
• Simple
• ThinIce
• Rezlooks (gilouche)
• Industrial
• Experience
• QtCurve
• Bluecurve
• Mythbuntu

Updated with xfce-gtk-engines

• Xfce
• Xfce-4.0
• Xfce-4.2
• Xfce-b5
• Xfce-basic
• Xfce-cadmium
• Xfce-curve
• Xfce-dawn
• Xfce-dusk
• Xfce-kde2
• Xfce-kolors
• Xfce-light
• Xfce-orange
• Xfce-redmondxp
• Xfce-saltlake
• Xfce-smooth
• Xfce-stellar
• Xfce-winter

My Pc:

• Athlon64 3000+ @ 2300 Mhz
• 1 Gb RAM
• Nvidia 7600GT (169.09)
• ArchLinux with kernel: 2.6.24-zen3

Add it to your pacman.conf

• sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf
• append this to that file

[gianvito]
Server = http://xoomer.alice.it/gianvitorepo/arch/i686/

I will try to update it as soon as possible at least 1 (and more) time(s) a week.

Reason: dialup connection

Packets updated at 19/02/2008:

1. emesene-svn
2. geany-svn
3. gtk-engines-svn
4. libgpod-svn
5. metacity-svn
6. xcursor-oxygen-svn

It’s very frustrating to open everytime gmail applet to check email… even if there are many firefox add-ons to do that (like gmail-notifier).

Link: TomsHw Firefox add-ons article

So it’s a good thing to have a small email client installed.

My choice is SYLPHEED. It’s an email client which consume less than 9 mb in ram…

Here is a screenshot:

ArchLinux installation:

Sylpheed is in community repo… so it’s installation is very simpler

Only a command:

sudo pacman -Sy sylpheed

Or if you want svn version use AUR:

• get the tarball SYLPHEED-SVN
• extract it to a folder
• cd to the folder
• makepkg -i

or YAOURT:

yaourt -S sylpheed-svn

After that it’s time to configure it:

GMAIL

Here is instructions on gmail.com:

Remember to enable SSL

Interesting News:

HwUpgrade Link

New iPods don’t like LINUX…

Why?

Because Apple wants to integrate more & more his iPods with iTunes and its services…

Everybody know that.

We understand apple don’t like us… An hash code to protect itunesdb is a bad thing… but we haveLIBGPOD & GTKPOD that ensure us a good handling of this (bad) player.

Everyday they update their svn repo with better and featurefull code.

So let’s see how to install them.

Update 17/03/2008

• IPOD CONFIGURATION (FWID)
• Changed direct link to compiled packages —-> repository link

Now it’s time for GEANY… A lightweight editor…

Here is a screenshot:

I replace gedit (gnome default editor) with this good editor with a lot of advanced features…

ArchLinux Installation:

3 ways to install it

1. yaourt

• From terminal:

yaourt -S geany-svn

2. From aur

• get the tarball
• extract it to a folder
• cd to the folder
• makepkg -i

then to update it makepkg -i everytime you want…

3. Get it compiled directly from here

• then type on a terminal where the package is: sudo pacman -Su (package name)

If you have another distribution then checkout from svn with this command:

• svn co https://geany.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/geany/trunk geany

• cd geany
• ./configure –prefix=/usr
• make
• sudo make install

For update:

• svn up (in the folder)

Here they are:

Zen sources is a branch of “linux26 git sources” (the original linux sources)

It’s aim is to be “A stable and featurefull kernel patchset.”
as there is written on the official thread on “GENTOO FORUMS”

I use it in the last month and i have to say it’s very stable and fast thanks to his custom configuration panel in the “make (x)gconfig” window… Sometimes there are problems related to compilation process but i have to say that they’re soon fixed in the git repository after a few hours.

Some links:

GIT REPO

OFFICIAL THREAD

STABLE SNAPSHOT PATCHES

Installation on Archlinux:

1. Create a folder in the home called for example “kernel” (example)

2. Open terminal and enter this

git clone git://repo.or.cz/linux-2.6/zen-sources.git

3. Wait (it’s about 370 mbs)

4. Now create these 2 files in zen-sources folder or download them from here:

PKGBUILD kernel264.install

PKGBUILD

# BEGIN

pkgname=kernel264zen
basekernel=2.6.24zen
pkgver=2.6.24zen
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc=”The Linux Kernel and modules”
arch=(’i686′)
url=”http://www.kernel.org”
depends=(’module-init-tools’)
provides=(kernel264zen)
install=kernel264.install
build() {
# build!
cd ..
_kernver=”${basekernel}${CONFIG_LOCALVERSION}”
make || return 1
mkdir -p $startdir/pkg/{lib/modules,boot}
make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=$startdir/pkg modules_install || return 1
cp System.map $startdir/pkg/boot/System.map264zen
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage $startdir/pkg/boot/vmlinuz264zen
install -D -m644 .config $startdir/pkg/boot/kconfig264zen
# set correct depmod command for install
sed -i -e “s/KERNEL_VERSION=.*/KERNEL_VERSION=${_kernver}/g” $startdir/kernel264.install
}

#END

kernel264zen.install

# BEGIN

post_install () {
echo “>>> Updating module dependencies. Please wait …”
KERNEL_VERSION=2.6.24zen
/sbin/depmod -A -v $KERNEL_VERSION > /dev/null 2>&1
}

post_upgrade() {
echo “>>> Updating module dependencies. Please wait …”
KERNEL_VERSION=2.6.24zen
/sbin/depmod -A -v $KERNEL_VERSION > /dev/null 2>&1
}

op=$1
shift

$op $*

# END

5. Configure kernel with make gconfig (GNOME) or make xconfig (KDE) or make menuconfig (ALL)

6. type makepkg -i on a terminal opened in the zen folder

7. Wait

8. When it’s over type sudo pacman -Su kernel264zen-2.6.24zen-1-i686.pkg.tar.gz

9. Type ls /lib/modules

10. After that we have to create kernel264zen.img with mkinitcpio with this command:

sudo mkinitcpio -g /boot/kernel264zen.img -k (here we have to copy the folder’s name related to our kernel)

11. Add new kernel entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst (if you have grub)

12. Enjoy new zen kernel.

If you want to update it…

just type git pull in the terminal after changed directory to the zen’s one. and repeat points from 6.

Remember to reinstall video-card driver everytime you update kernel

(Update on furester advice)

Alternative ways:

If you don’t want to compile everytime your zen sources:

1. Yaourt

yaourt -S kernel26zen-git

2. Using a repository

And precisely… pierluigi’s one

• Add to your /etc/pacman.conf

[pierlo]

Server = http://pierlo.luckylinux.org/repo

• type pacman -Sy kernel26zen-git to install it

Now we talk about emesene… A really interesting MSN MESSENGER clone.

In the last revisions… Has been introduced “Send File Support”

Even if this support is still a little bugged (as all software at all)… it’s a good thing… and now we haven’t to change to another messeger client to send files

ArchLinux installation:

If we want to checkout everyday developers work… we can use PKGBUILD on aur related to emesene-svn (if we use archlinux)

PKGBUILD is available here

Same operation everytime

1. Extract tarball

2. Open terminal in the folder with PKGBUILD

3. write makepkg -i and then press enter

or we can install it with YAOURT:

yaourt -S emesene-svn

If you have another distribution then checkout from svn with this command:

• svn co https://emesene.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/emesene/trunk/emesene emesene

• cd emesene
• ./configure –prefix=/usr
• make
• sudo make install

For update:

• svn up (in the folder)

Enjoy emesene

Today i want to talk you about an interesting clipboard manager for GNOME.

How many “right and copy” have you done in a day… Glipper collects them for you.

So if you want to go back to your previous “copy” with glipper you can

So let’s see how to install it on archlinux

It’s so simple… If you have Community repo enabled… open a terminal and write

sudo pacman -Sy glipper (or only -S if you don’t want to update your repos)

Then click with the right mouse button on the panel and click on Add to panel…

So select Clipboard Manager and add it

Use it. :)

Archlinux is a really fast