Just some small updates, while I'm trying to get off my ass and migrate the site completely to Textpattern.
KDE presence in Ubuntu Love Day Manila
August 23rd, 2008Namely, me! 
Finally I was able to connect to the net. Probably the first geek gathering I’ve been to that I was able to have a connection. My talk about Kubuntu & KDE will be up soon. I think it’s being streamed live.
I’ll upload the slides after my talk.
*feeling really, really nervous*
Some short updates
August 15th, 2008…In bullet form
- School: The past 2 weeks have been stressful. First preparing for an exam and then cramming for an assignment in discrete math. My fault entirely though. Procrastination rears its ugly head again.
- Discrete structures/math: Except for the cramming I did last week, I think I’m doing ok with this subject. But I’m just not happy with our textbook’s presentation and content. I could buy another recommend book, but is this subject worth investing that much in? So far no one I asked has been able to give me a straight answer to the question “What are the practical applications of discrete math in actual software development?”. Any ideas, LazyWeb?
- KDE Talk: I’m giving a talk on the 23rd about “Kubuntu & KDE: Contributing to an International Software Project” at a gathering of the local Ubuntu community. It’s my first public speaking engagement as a FOSS and KDE advocate, and probably the first (and most probably not the last) time I’ll be using TeX (courtesy of KDE presentations templates). Hope everything goes well.
- CWG: So it’s official. The KDE e.V. has approved the Community Working Group of which I am a part of. To put it simply, its mission is to take care of the community and communication aspects of KDE. As almost everyone is still at Brussels, we haven’t put up anything official yet. Hopefully we can do that in the coming days. But one of the current projects of the group is the End User FAQ and KDE Glossary. This FAQ is by no means comprehensive nor finished. It’s mostly taken from FAQ’s I’ve encountered in #kde. I have plans to improve it, so stay tuned.
- Updating guides: After doing the FAQ and mirroring it on my site, I realized that I have quite a number of KDE/Kubuntu guides. I have to update them for KDE 4, specially the theming and autostart guides, since there are major changes for KDE 4. And there are some that I probably no longer need (or want) to update. Hopefully I can whip myself into action ASAP.
- My Non-KDE/Kubuntu/FOSS on Planets? I’m still quite undecided on this. I have a few posts in mind that I’d probably want to share with others and ask people’s opinions. However, they’re not exactly KDE/Kubuntu/FOSS related (at least some of them). So I’m kinda hesistant whether I should let them be aggregated here. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
For something that’s supposed to be short, I have again successfully made it long. 
Terrifik Katurday
August 3rd, 2008Yeah, it’s no longer a Saturday, but I was so dead tired yesterday (Saturday) that I didn’t have the strength left to blog. It was an action packed day, exhausting, but definitely fun.
OK, it didn’t really start out fun. I had to wake up around 04:30 to leave the house at around 06:00 to take a 1-2 hour trip to the city to take my midterm exams at 09:00. Fortunately for me, it was on a topic in programming (in C) that I already semi-mastered when I was studying it by myself in high school. But besides taking the exam, it was also one out of only two opportunities to meet my classmates, since we only meet for exams. It was a mixed feeling though. I’m surrounded by people taking up the same degree (Diploma in Computer Science), but with almost very little interest in the subject. Most of them are just taking it because their work or boss requires it. Kind of a big shift after being around so many people (online) whose passion for (free) software is quite contagious.
After the exams, I went to a nearby mall, first to eat lunch of course, but also to finally do a special project I had in mind for months now. More on that later. Meanwhile, while waiting for that project to be finished, I came across a book. I picked it up and couldn’t stop smiling or giggling.
It’s probably a predecessor of Caturday and Lolcats. I wish I could post a scanned image or two, but dunno if that would be violating copyright or something.
But the crowning glory of the day is this:
and the back view:
By the way, “Atin ito” means “This is ours” in Filipino/Tagalog. I’ve been wanting to have a custom made KDE shirt for quite some time now, but I couldn’t get around to finding a shop that does this kind of thing for a single shirt (there are those that do custom designs but for mass production). Find the right kind and color of shirt was an altogether different story. Anyway, it’s finally here, though I’m not exactly 100% happy with the quality of the work (it’s airbrushed). But given the situation, it’s as good as it gets. I’m definitely going to wear it on my talk about Kubuntu and KDE on the 23rd.
KDE 4.1: Good enough for ME
July 28th, 2008KDE 4.1 is coming! If all goes according to schedule, we should see it released in a day or so. While I have actually been partially using KDE 4 trunk (which was 4.1) since around March or April, I have been going back and forth between KDE 3 and KDE 4 sessions and using a different user for KDE 4 testing. But now I’ve migrated my main user to KDE 4 totally, except for a few KDE 3 apps here and there. I just want to share some of the things I’m loving in KDE 4 in general, and KDE 4.1 in particular. With screenshots, of course!
HUGE Disclaimer: This is not a “KDE 4.x is totally awesome, the perfect desktop, etc.” blog post. KDE 4 is far from over, and I believe that we have an exciting and probably bumpy road ahead. This is just me sharing my personal experiences on what makes KDE 4(.1) enjoyable and usable. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).
1. KWin Effects
Yes, despite ongoing problems with NVIDIA drivers (I have a legacy card), I still manage to get KWin working quite comfortably with desktop effects on. Some may call it “useless eye candy”, but there are just some effects that boosts my personal productivity (and isn’t productivity a personal/subjective thing? :P):
* Desktop Grid - IMHO much, much better than any cube or three-dimensional shape when it comes to quickly switching to a virtual desktop or moving a window to a virtual desktop.
* Present Windows - see all windows at a glance. “Search while you type” gives an added oomph!
* Shadows, Dim Inactive, Dialog Parent, and Dim Screen for Administrator Mode - helps me visually focus on the current task or call my attention to an urgent dialog
Click image to see a bigger version
2. Okular Annotations
This feature has been available since 4.0, but I only got a chance to really use it very recently. The ability to add comments and marks to my assignments and reading materials is really a great feature. And it keeps the original document clean and pristine. In other words, Okular doesn’t edit the document to add annotations. It is a document viewer, not an editor. Also, annotations are only visible if you use Okular. But I don’t mind. I don’t see myself using any other viewer anyway.
Click image to see a bigger version
3. KWrite/Kate Find “toolbar”
I’ve been spoiled by Konversation’s similar Find toolbar, which users of Firefox would already be very familiar with (by the way, Konqueror has a similar “search as you type” functionality, without the toolbar. Just press ‘/’ and start typing). The toolbar has the same functionality as the older dialog box, with the advantage of being unobtrusive. I do somewhat miss the old regexp editor, but for most cases, the new one also does well. I hope that Konqueror and other KDE apps (that use Find) would have similar implementations.
Click image to see a bigger version
4. Dolphin
This one really came as a personal surprise. Pre-KDE 4, I was one of the Konqueror loyalists rallying against Dolphin. But now I find myself using Dolphin more and more. It’s actually a pleasure to use, simple and direct to the point. And with the addition of tabs in 4.1, I have one less argument against it (lack of embedded viewer). I still do use Konqueror as a file manager from time to time, specially if I have it open already. But now I wished it were Konqueror that had Dolphin features (like the panels and the breadcrumb bar).
Click image to see a bigger version
5. KDE PIM
KDE PIM finally makes its way into KDE 4 this 4.1 release. That greatly lessens the amount of KDE 3 apps I have to keep around. I’m am heavily dependent on KMail and Akregator, and Kontact for keeping them together. Kontact itself is a bit rough around the edges, specifically the configuration dialog. But being the first stable release of KDE PIM for the KDE 4 series, I think it’s a bit understandable. However, I’m really looking forward more to 4.2 (and probably 4.3) when the fruits of their labors on Akonadi would probably start becoming more edible.
Click image to see a bigger version
Tip: If you want to remove a component in Kontact that’s not listed in its configuration dialog, you have to put the setting manually in the kontactrc file, in the format “kontact_kjotspluginEnabled=false”. By the way, that’s how I “divorced” KJots from Kontact.
6. Plasma
Last, but definitely not the least, is the most controversial KDE 4 celebrity. Two very important and unbiased facts: 1) Plasma still hasn’t reached it’s full potential but 2) It has come quite a long way since its “barely finished” state in KDE 4.0. But I’m not here to talk about the merits or demerits of Plasma, but on how I am personally enjoying some of the benefits of what Plasma has so far brought in 4.1. I am not your conventional desktop user. I have a very whacked mind. And I for one do not like the static nature of conventional desktops. But I’m not one to dismiss the usefulness of having desktop icons as well. What I liked most about Plasma is the freedom that it gives me to have both. I always wanted to be able to have desktop icons for different folders and placed in different areas of the desktop. And now, I can go crazy!
Click image to see a bigger version
Of course, not everything is perfect in 4.1, and we still have a long way to go. But the dust is settling. The pillars and foundations are well laid and sturdy. I’m still seeing an exciting, adventure-filled future for KDE ahead, with future releases of Amarok and KOffice just on the horizon. I just hope that I could share this optimism with others too.
P.S. Up to know, I actually haven’t figured out using Strigi and Nepomuk. Not that I really tried hard to. I just doesn’t work out of the box. Maybe I should make it my next project…
100th Post! KDE 4.1 Rocks, School, Textpattern, and C
July 9th, 20081. Yay! This is my 100th post on this blog. This is quite an achievement for me since I’ve probably gone through about 2-3 blogs/sites and was never able to really maintain them. I guess it’s quite different when you actually have an audience. 
I was hoping to post something special for this 100th post, but certain things came up and thus my plans changed. So instead, I’ll treat you all to a hodgepodge of stuff.
2. KDE 4.1 is so going to rock! At least it already does for me. And I include a disclaimer that I’m not your average KDE joe, so YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Seeing the project evolve as a whole (and not just focusing on some more visible part) is truly amazing. Of course, some will not like it, and some will. What’s important at this point IMHO is that things aren’t stagnating. Of course, it’s not yet complete (depending on your “completeness” requirements). But I firmly believe that it’s too early to really bang the gavel on KDE 4. Only time would tell (and there’s always KDE 3.5 while waiting). As for me, I’m planning to migrate my main user (jucato) to KDE 4.1 this week.
3. We had our class’s first online session last Saturday. We were told that we’d be using Yahoo! Messenger. Not knowing how it will be done, I opted to use the real client on Windows XP. It turns out we’ll be using the conference feature, which is perfectly supported by Kopete, so no need to switch for the next sessions. Right now I’m considering suggesting and helping setup a more permanent online session place (like IRC) for group studying (because people might prefer synchronous communication than forums). A friend suggested using a web app like Campfire. I’ll have to take a long look at it since it’s not something I’m familiar with and, thus, can’t confidently recommend. I’ll try to see if the university can setup something for us and make it more “official”.
4. I’m considering migrating my blog from WordPress to Textpattern. When I do that, I’d probably make all the static pages I have in my site also under Textpattern. I don’t have any problems with WordPress actually, and it has served me quite well. Textpattern just happens to come highly recommended by a good friend compared to WP. Other supposed advantages of Txp include: better and cleaner template system (no messy PHP, which I’m not really keen on learning right now), more CMS than blog (whereas WP is more blog than CMS), and created by writers for writers (like me?). Anyway, it’s probably not going to happen immediately as I still need to actually use Txp. And when that time comes, I hope I don’t flood the Planet and get kicked.
5. One of my subjects this semester teaches Principles of Programming using the C programming language. Having some previous experience gives me a bit of an edge in class. One of the things I’ve noticed is how our book really doesn’t say much about good programming practices. It’s a very short, direct to the point textbook. I presume that we are being encouraged to research on our own. For example, the book mentions that something like sum1 = sum2 - (x - (y = 10)) * 4; “makes the code unreadable, but certainly shorter”, either implying that “shorter” is to be preferred over “unreadable”, or not explicitly discouraging such kind of code. Anyway, I don’t really expect much from the book and the professor, since the study program is more or less based on independent studying, but I’m somewhat uncomfortable that beginning programmers aren’t being taught good habits as early as possible. Fortunately, the subject makes use of Moodle, which has a forums feature which I can probably share my thoughts, as well as solicit other people’s experiences.
Hm… I really need to learn to write shorter…