Just some small updates, while I'm trying to get off my ass and migrate the site completely to Textpattern.
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…
Life’s little (and not so little) annoyances
June 30th, 2008So my life has somewhat stabilized again, partly thanks to classes starting (so no more MMORPG playmates) and partly to my own classes having started. I only have 2 subjects this semester, so I thought it’d be easy. But alas! Things aren’t always what they seem. Here’s a series of things that suck or things I suck at lately.
1. Symbolic logic is a bit like math, specially algebra. You get one symbol, just one sign, wrong, and you get a whole bunch of stuff wrong. So when your logic book has lots of typographical errors, specially in rules or principles that are supposed to be the foundation of all other stuff, then you know you’re in a world of hurt. And like algebra again, it’s not simply enough to leave the student with the rules and one or two examples. For first time students, you need to explain how and why an answer was reached. Unfortunately for me, I lost the logic book I had in college years ago, and I can’t find it again on sale (not that I’d want to invest on such a big book for only 2-3 chapters in my subject). So more online research for me. Yay! Not…
2. I wish that web designing would be as easy as using QLayout. When I started learning HTML way back late 90’s, I was a big fan of frames. Then I soon learned that it would be deprecated and that layout using tables was the way to go. And then comes CSS, where structure/content and appearance are separated. The separation is actually very useful, and is sort of similar to MVC stuff in GUI programming. But the devil, as always, is in the details. And not only do you have to fight with flimsy “standard” CSS, you also have to wrestle with browser differences. A few years back, I was planning to do a bit of diving into web design and development, mostly just for my own site. But after this, I’m kinda hesitant to go deeper. I’ve tested the waters and it’s soooo cold.
3. It sucks when there’s some fighting in the community. Of course, no community is perfect, but that’s not an excuse not to hope and strive for an ideal. And even if no community is perfect, it’s still saddening nonetheless. Not to mention destructive and distracting. Developers lose time and motivation and then leave. Users lose trust and patience and leave as well. Nobody wins. Both sides lose. But what’s more disheartening is that there even has to be sides. Can’t we all try to get along? (Yeah, I’m dreaming, right?) I don’t know what effect it has on other people, but as an aspiring developer and programmer, I sometimes question whether it is all worth it…
4. Now it’s my turn to suck. I suck at tutorial-based learning. Tutorials are great for quick fixes and solutions. They are great at explaining what to do, and some even have a detailed explanation on how to do them. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to last that long in my brain. Most of the time, I end up just parroting what I’ve read, without really understanding what makes it work. So what happens is that when I try to apply the tutorial to a different context and it doesn’t work, I’m practically lost. I don’t know if it’s an epistemological anomaly or a neurological disorder or what. I just think that different people learn differently, just like how some are visual learners while others are more audio. I guess I learn more when things get explained more, when the “why” is answered as much as the “what” and the “how”. So I’m off to find non-tutorial, non-”for Dummies” type of materials… which is pretty scarce if you’re talking about dead tree books around here.
Right.. now back to proving arguments using chain of reasoning (direct proof)…
Distracted again… GNU/Linux Gaming… and School
June 16th, 2008The past two weeks went by like a rollercoaster ride. Just when I thought I had settled down and figured out my Ultimate Productivity Plan(TM), I got sidetracked by one of my strongest and most dangerous addictions: MMORPG’s. While that in itself deserves a post of its own (and indeed, I’ve been contemplating on writing one), I really like the RPG genre, specially fantasy ones (sword and magic stuff). So if the opportunity comes for a good, open-ended RPG that I can play online with my friends, I grab it. The bad thing about it (aside from being distracted and addicted) is that these Asian MMORPG’s popular in the Philippines (where I am) run only on Windows. Technically they can run in Wine as well if and only if they didn’t use the “anti-hacking” utility called GameGuard, which all of them do. So basically playing them on GNU/Linux is in itself just a fantasy. Sucks, really. I’ve been looking for good (MMO)RPG’s on GNU/Linux. Though I have seen a few recommended ones,they still seem a bit distant from the style that I’m used to. And I don’t know how I’ll be able to convince my friends to join me in such games. But like I said, this topic deserves a space of its own.
Fortunately for me, that short phase seems to be over. Or rather, will seem to take on a slightly lessened and more regulated pace. For the simple reason that summer vacation’s over and my friends and online buddies are mostly back to school. This means that I should also be getting back to what I’m supposed to be doing: learning Qt and KDE programming. My list of dream apps to start is getting longer and longer. So I better start hacking. I hope to produce something really soon. Though I’m not too confident in releasing them immediately for public consumption since I haven’t envisioned on them actually being popular in the first place. And then there’s still some conceptual/theoretical Qt/KDE issues I have to resolve (such as to go cross-platform or not).
Speaking of school, my classes formally started last June 7. Unfortunately, I have no idea on what we’re supposed to be really doing and how. The course guide (sort of like a syllabus) was supposed to have been distributed last month, but I still have to see even a shadow of it. We do have our textbooks already (custom made lessons and activities) so I’ll probably just go through them. For this semester (June - October 2008), I only have two courses: Discrete Structures in Computer Science and Principles of Programming. So far, the first subject is mostly about logic, a subject I’m quite familiar with from my Philosophy degree. What’s interesting is that both these books are more than a decade old, just reprinted. While the principles of logic haven’t probably changed for the past centuries, I’m not sure how accurate a very old book on principles of programming would be. Being principles, I suspect they haven’t really changed that much, but I still have that uneasy feeling. Only one way to find out, I guess.
Time to dig in and be, erm… “productive”!
The Disconnected Life
May 17th, 2008Two weeks ago, an idea struck me while I was extensively cleaning my room. Of course I had to turn off the computer and my modem since I was rearranging everything totally (I need to setup my internet connection and router in the other room one of these days…). I suddenly got the urge to try not to go online, or even open the computer for 24 hours. Knowing my attachment (read: addiction) to IRC, I believe it would be quite a challenge. And so I went through with it. From 09:00 to 09:00 of the next day, I, abruptly and without warning (sorry, online friends), disappeared from the Web.
And I’m glad I took that personal challenge. I’ve been able to give myself, for a full 24-hours, some time to think about my life, where it has been, and where it’s headed, as well as my goals. It came at an opportune time (just after a very hectic first quarter and right before going back to school) to think and reflect. And I actually enjoyed that feeling of being offline, specially from IRC (though I really missed my friends). That 24-hour, computer-free plan turned into (almost) a week without IRC, though I still needed to check my mail and RSS feeds… maybe next time I can try doing without those as well.
It was a great experience. I wish I could have spent a few days in a some sort of nature retreat like a forest or mountain (not the beach :P). I think every hacker should have a sort of “retreat” like this once in a while, to recharge and refocus and avoid burning themselves out. You may not be churning code in those few days, but it’s time well invested. Important, but not urgent, as Stephen Covey would say. Besides, you can also be productive at that time. Not only was I able to gain some perspective in my life, I was able to also able to think about what free software tools I wish I had at my disposal, or the KDE stuff that I want to do. I was also able to analyze how I spent, or rather, procrastinated, my time each day and where the time all goes (IRC and RSS… I love you and hate you at the same time.). Hopefully that realization would help me spend my time better in the future. Hopefully…
But for now, it’s back to the connected and distracted life.