Fred's believe it or not
It may seem odd, but my very commercial iBook is an awesome demonstration platform for FOSS. I just had a great chat at the pub with this guy who was working on airport security in Africa and I pointed out to him the savings of FOSS compared to traditional software. NeoOffice/J and other pieces of FOSS were used for demonstration purpose. I gave him a couple Google search terms, I hope he'll use them. I suppose a full blown Linux KDE or Gnome desktop demo would have been better but I had to do with what was at hand. I should have connected to my workstation but my home network link is down. And I can never find an open hotspot anyway.
Maybe I could get a grant from the FSS Europe for GPRS data connectivity for pub demonstrations.
That weird Mac keyboard
The problem with French is that it uses many more characters than English does (one of the reasons I never got one of those nifty Linux PDAs with a QWERTY keyboard, I just write too much French). So French keyboards have a layout that (supposedly, it's not really very good although you get used to it eventually) makes it easier to access all those extra characters (for the non typographically inclined, e and é are actually two different characters). It doesn't really help for stuff like "œ" or "«" which aren't on any standard map but we make do.
Quite a few of those extra characters are on the top keyboard row, where digits are on a QWERTY keyboard (digits are there as well but you have to shift to get to them). On the typical PC keyboard, you even get a third character on those keys via the right Alt key, usually called AltGR. Stuff like |, ], etc. On the Mac, those characters aren't even marked (you wouldn't want to confuse Mac users). Finding pipe was a lot of fun the first time (Shift-Alt-L if you were wondering).
On the Mac as with most French Unix key maps, you can use the CapsLock key to get the uppercase version of a character. For example the key with the “é” gives a “2” when shifted. However if you use the CapsLock key before hitting it, you get “É”. All well and convenient. Another key on that top row gives “ç”, and “9” when shifted. When you use CapsLock, it gives “ç” (huh?). However when you use CapsLock and then Alt-ç, you finally get “Ç” (took me a while to figure it out, I actually later found out that you can leave the Caps-lock out). Same thing with the “ù” key (which isn't on the top row but shifts to give "%"). As far as I can tell, the others behave as expected. I didn't try the whole keyboard though.
There probably is an arcane UI explanation behind this. I wish I knew what it was. Maybe I should read the famed Apple interface guidelines (like, Chapter seven : Randomizing Your Keyboard Mapping to Enhance the User Experience).
Dashboard again
I've been using the thing for a bit and now it's a bit clearer in my mind. While the concept behind Dashboard is fine, the fact that all the applets are all displayed at the same time just doesn't make sense since at a given time you only need one. And unless you have a huge screen, you're bound to only display a few of the ones that you might need. On a 12” screen, the problem is especially acute and I regularly find myself juggling with the various applets available on the system.
What's more a lot of applet writers apparently only use 30” screens (or only use a handful of applets) since they waste so much screen space with their interfaces. The point with applets apparently is to have the sexiest interface, regardless of the fact that it will have to share whatever little screen real-estate there is with so many others.
So standardising on JavaScript, XHTML, CSS, whatever, fine. Displaying everything at the same time, well frankly,no. It just doesn't make sense. What's the point in displaying a calculator when what you want is the system statistics widget ?
A hack would be a kind of menu that would let you pick which subset of the installed applets you want to display in a given situation. I've got to look for something like this, someone is bound to have thought of it before me. it would be a hack but still much better that the current app.
Dashboard alternative
I found this thing called Konfabulator (I heard about it because Yahoo just bought it and changed the licensing from shareware to freeware which made the news). It's basically the same thing as Dashboard except the widgets live on the desktop (or in shaped windows). And the engine is available for OS X and Win XP (but is still closed source so no ports to other systems for now). Technologically it seems to be pretty much the same as Dashboard, JavaScript, XHTML, CSS, etc., except you don't need a separate interface to display them.
There is a level of redundancy between both concepts. Time will tell which will prevail.
I found out that Konfabulator has an applet (the widgets widget) which lets you pick which set of applets you want to display according to what environment you're in. Just what Dashboard is missing. Hint hint Apple…
Writing on the Mac (and in general)
While I was dicking around on Mac software sites, i stumbled upon a category I hadn't really heard of before : writing software. Although writing software doesn't really begin to describe it. Writing organisers would be more like it. Anyway I found several items of software and in each and every one, comments would be along the lines of "yeah, well, if they're trying to clone CopyWrite, at least they could pick the good bits". So I downloaded a few of the clones and the famous CopyWrite to see what all the fuss was about.
And I finally got it.
For a while, I'd been jotting notes down about a writing application, but it was a bit of a mess since I didn't really know what to put into it. And CopyWrite, while not perfect, is almost there. If you seriously write structured documents, the kind of stuff that requires taking notes, that is broken into lots of bits (chapters, parts, whatever), that uses references, you should look into CopyWrite. Unfortunately it only runs on Mac OS, but lots of sites reference it as part of a software shootout.
Anyway if you have access to a Mac machine and you write, play with it (there's a demo version, or go crazy and spend 30€ for the full thing), it's full of ideas that could be tweaked or polished for a FOSS project.
I know I'm probably going to get around to it once I'm comfortable enough with Python, unless you beat me to it (wink wink nudge nudge).
So anyway, as I've said before, the iBook was for writing. So after sampling a few of the "writing assisting applications" (took me a whole of 20 minutes), I shelled out the 30€ for CopyWrite (I still can't believe how affordable it is compared to some other Mickey Mouse applications out there). I pasted my ongoing projects from OOo into it and started right away.
And really, this thing is awfully practical. I still have to look for reference and press the keys in the right order but it pretty much does every thing else.
I'm not using it for this column since no documentation (or structure for that matter) is required, but for fiction (or presumably anything a wee bit complicated), it beats a word processor hands down.
Because when you actually really think about it, word processors aren't for processing words. Word processors are for writing memos or letters or wanking at the office while you try each font you have on your system instead of increasing shareholder value (or whatever it is you're supposed to do at the office).
When you want to write, what you want is a text editor and text organiser and something to take notes in. Well CopyWrite does all that.
Of course, once you're done writing, feel free to use a publishing (wordprocessor or DTP) application to actually turn your writing into neon coloured Wired style print. Or just hand it out to someone who's job it is. Like an editor. Or dump it to your website. Or whatever. No reason why a wordprocessor should have anything to do with it.
Another great idea they had is that you can't save documents. It just saves whatever you wrote when you stop typing for more than X (X being set in the program's preferences). X is along the lines of 1/2 second. Or up to 10 seconds if you're feeling really safe with your power supply.
Anyway I really like the concept of CopyWrite.
LBW2005
Getting a decent laptop isn't easy. Especially if you're on a budget (of course if you aren't on a budget everything is easy).
At this year's LBW, there were lots of Apple laptops. I talked to lots of owners and they all got them for the same reasons I did. Unix (well, sortof), it works, cheap. Just like me, most of them weren't overly impressed with the Apple interface, they all liked it better than the Windows interface (but then everyone likes GEM better than the Windows interface) and most of them expected to drop their Apple laptops in a few years when Linux would finally become useable on laptops.
So if anyone from Apple reads this, don't count on the hardcore Unix geeks for long term revenue...
Oh and if you don't know what the LBW (LinuxBierWanderung) is, well, Google is your friend. And if you like what you see, why not join us next year ? :)
More iPhoto woes
After my trip to Scotland, I've used iPhoto to dump my cameras to disk every now and then (we had a couple other laptops, this was a geek reunion after all).
Since there were so many other users of Apple laptops I figured I could finally find answers to my old question : how the hell can you look at your photos once you've dumped them in iPhoto.
According to everyone, I was right. You can't. iPhoto is purely a front-end for Apples's commercial partnerships. Luckily, I was pointed to a great program : Phoenix Slides (http://blyt.net/phxslides/). It's an image display program, something apple users had until then never heard of apparently. It lets you browse directories and it can display images in sequence. Amazing. Essential.
At least iPhoto arranges images in a Year/month/Day directory structure which makes sense. That way it can just get dumped as is to your main machine for indexing and viewing with a proper program.
Still an awful lot of overhead for a copying script (ok, it handles non mass-storage devices such as my Canon G3, but still).
OTOH, and to iPhoto's credit, the book creating scripts create some very nice looking stuff and will let you save to PDF. This means that you can import cruddy pictures and turn them into a nifty looking PFD book file with very little work. You can then send the file to your non Mac using family which will ooh and aah while browsing it and be amazed at your prowess. Or you can order the real book which is apparently quite nice as well.
However should one of them actually own a Mac, it is likely that they will laugh at you and send you a dead hedgehog for Christmas.
Of course if you actually try to print the PDF, YMMV...
Overall, iPhoto still sucks.
Your mouse is unbuttoned
Every now and then, you see mini flame wars erupting between Mac fanboys and the rest of the world regarding the number of buttons a mouse ought to have. The first mice (in the 1960s) had three buttons. Very old models went as far as 20, nowadays the high end ones such as the Logitech MX-1000 have stabilised around 12 (from the system's point of view, a scroll wheel counts as 2, one for scroll up, one for down, possibly one more for the click), low end ones have 5 (scroll wheel again, plus the usual 3). And the Mac still has one.
Windows users still only use 4 buttons (scroll wheel plus right and left, no middle button because their system is too braindead), Unix users typically use all 5. Mac users still are stuck with one.
But, and they won't tell you this right away, Mac users have to use a number of key combos to actually make that single button useable. So instead of just "click", you actually have "click", "ctrl-click", "alt-click" and "command-click". So it's like a four button mouse. Except three of them are on the keyboard. And you still can't scroll without a hack.
Oh and there also is "long-click". Where you click and hold and wait for something to happen. Which sometimes does. Sometimes.
Well, surprises make users happy. Happiness is part of a good user experience isn't it ?
It should be anyway.
Of course, you can plug a normal mouse into any Mac and it will mostly work out of the box. Not with all applications, and not consistently, but mostly, at least the scrolling will. You might not want to do this in polite company though for you will be considered a heathen. Make sure there's no tar and feathers nearby.
Mac security (sortof)
Apple makes quite a big deal of it's filevault service. Filevault lets you encrypt your home directory. Then only your login password or a system wide master password will let you recover it. So far so good. However encryption doesn't seem to take place on the fly but only when you log out (apparently for performance reasons). And Apple recommends that you don't shut down your laptop for regular use but that you just let it sleep between uses (to save power). What this means however is that your data sits unencrypted until you actually log out. So should you loose your laptop while it's sleeping, whatever has been added to the disk since your last login (and that's an actual login, not just the last wakeup) is ripe for the taking if your thief wants to go bother taking the machine's disk out.
And that's just assuming that the Apple encryption is actually worthwhile, which is a bit of a leap of faith since it apparently isn't even open source (feel free to correct me on this).
So where does that leave us ? Would you trust your data to Apple's unknown implementation of some random algorithm ?
I know I didn't so I installed GPG. Well, I did install GPG but what I really did was 1. not save anything anything anything really essential on the iBook, and 2. rsync everything to my workstation whenever I went home.
Apart from that, yes, I do sort of trust the Apple crypto against the random thief. The kind that can't tell my iBook from a Dell. So if you have anything really worth anything, you might want to invest into a cardboard box. Or a safe. Or both. BTW O'Reily has a pretty good book on backups. You might want to look into it.