Whar did February go?

So I haven't posted a peep since January, and I have no viable excuse.

Updates:
The hinge for my tablet pc is non-functional. Well, that's an exaggeration. I mean, it DOES hinge, and open and close with ease. As a matter of fact, it is so easy to open and close, that it will do it on it's own. So I guess, in a way, it is working better than ever before. However, the inability for the screen to stay up with it's own strength is not helpful for my needs. Grr. Currently, it is leaning against my document camera, looking like the situation is under control, just waiting for the opportunity to snap down on my fingers like an evil piano.

In better news, my parents bought an Eee PC which they decided that they didn't want. So yours truly is now the owner of an Eee PC. Its an odd machine, being just too small to comfortably type on, and a bit slow. I could type documents on it all day, but things like checking mail or browsing while typing documents takes its toll on the machine. This Eee Pc has a 700 Mhz Celeron, with 512 Meg of ram, so there is definitely room for improvement.

I worked with my students through a week of Linux, and it was an eye-opening experience for me. I have never tried to teach anyone other than myself how to operate linux. The great part was their surprise that a free operating system could do everything that we were talking about in Windows. However, to most people, an Operating system IS free. Students walking into the library, or into a classroom, are not going to care how much we paid for the operating system.

What IS evident, however, is the experience with the operating system, which to this point, is still buggy enough to be an issue when you get away from the things it is really good at.

Our journey:

Boot into linux. The newest version picked up our wireless cards immediately, and was able to connect to the internet. We needed about 200 MB in updates, which was fine, and then we were in good shape.

I showed the students the Synaptic Package Manager, and they were able to install Wine, and a few games.

FIRST SNAG: They didn't have all of the software sources checked, so they couldn't find Wine at first. Most people fixed it in a minute or so, but there were a few who couldn't search for Wine in the package manager for whatever reason.

We installed compiz fusion settings manager, and everyone was off to the races making desktop cubes, 3d fire effects, and wobbly windows to enhance their desktop experience. So far, they seem to enjoy it, but I'm not sure if it's enough to break people of the windows experience that they are used to.

Student poll: What would be neccessary to do for all computers here to run linux?

-Training Sessions

-Program Compatibility

Not too much of a lofty goal?

Frontpage woes.

A little research has turned up this tidbit:

The biggest problem your going to have is if your already using FrontPage then that means you also have FrontPage Extensions installed on your web server (whether your aware of that or not) in order for FrontPage to actually work. If you try to upload or alter the HTML files or anything else on your web server with anything but FrontPage your going to break your FrontPage extensions and they will have to be reinstalled again on the web server in order to work again. Much of the content and security in the pages FrontPage creates for your web site depends on these extensions to be installed and working on the web server in order to actually work when your visitors come to your web site.

Microsoft has stopped supporting FrontPage entirely so you can't even get updates or anything else for it anymore, certainly making it a good time for you to break away from it and seek out alternatives. Their new Expressions Web is a real mess, better than FrontPage, but still a real mess none the less, it also requires ASP.NET in order to work on your web server, though I hear rumors a PHP version is in the works to be released soon.

From esoterica on ubuntuforums.org May 18th, 2007

Progress!

1. Create handouts with lists, pictures, underlines, and all the other goodies people like to put on documents.
2. Create slideshows with animation, graphics, and sound.
3. Create slideshows that integrate with the CPS system.
4. Create Spreadsheets with formulaic goodness.
5. Play DVDs, and CDs.
   
6. Connect to the Epson Wireless Projectors, reliably.
7. Browse the internet (with flash)
8. Print to printers throughout the school
9. Connect to network drives
10. Take attendance
11. Access and edit the gradebook
12. Connect to the school's wireless network
13. Use the SD card slot to transfer files
14. Use the Stylus/Touchscreen
15. Have a notetaking program A la OneNote
16. Have all email accounts and contacts in one program
17. Be able to have a iTunes-like music database for personal and classroom use.
18. Transfer pictures taken in class to the computer
19. Sync my 755p to the computer
20. Get the fingerprint scanner to work to lock/unlock the pc, and enter passwords online
21. Install new programs
22. Install new WINDOWS programs (ugh)
23. Capture an image of the computer so that it can be duplicated
24. Configure the screen so that when it is flipped closed, the screen rotates
25. Have a Webconferencing client so that teachers and students can talk remotely to other teachers and students
26. Use GIMP to create images, manipulate photos, and use Photoshop plugins
27. Find an easy way to create and upload webpages a la Frontpage

OpenOffice.org

Ok, so although I have used OpenOffice.org many times, I decided to create a document, just to prove that it is the equal of Microsoft's product.

To get to the open office writer, you have two options. First, there is an icon on the bottom dock:

Or, by using the program menu in the top left:

Once it opens, you will find it very similar to Office 2003 or XP. I tacked out a little assignment to show how similar it can be. This took me all of about 3 minutes.There are scads of tutorials available here: http://www.tutorialsforopenoffice.org/category_index/wordprocessing.html

There are hundreds of free templates as well here:

http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/

Conference

Well, this was odd.

At the conference this weekend, I tried to connect to an unsecured network at the hotel, and for whatever reason, it wouldn't connect in linux. That's the only time I haven't been able to connect to a wireless network. Odd.

The PIM has been going quite well. I used Evolution, and it synced to my palm, and pulled in all my contacts and dates. It pulls in all my email accounts nicely. The two things that aren't working yet are pulling contacts from the LDAP directory. However, in speaking with the tech staff, I'm not entirely sure that we are still even running an LDAP server. The notes on the d211 website may just be out of date.

I haven't tried to sync to the domino calendar yet. And I'm not super excited about attempting that.

On a surprising other note, evolution can sync to google calendar, so I synced to the calendar for the All-State Theatre Festival for next year. I am also going to sync to my calendar on there where I put all of FHS' important dates. Neat-o!

Triumphs and setbacks...

Well, it's been a love hate relationship so far.

The whole system seems fluid and stable, and easy to use, until I hit something like having to take attendance.

Oof. Can't do it.

Or the stylus. Haven't got that working yet.

This process is reminiscent of working on a beautiful old car. It has the capability to be incredible, but right now is frought with minor frustrations.

I am going to work on the PIM (personal information manager) for now. There is a neat project called "Chandler" in the works that could be just what the doctor ordered, but unfortunately, it is still in alpha, not ready for prime time.

For now, I will start by using Evolution, since it is closely tied in with the Gnome desktop (which is what gOS and Ubuntu use by default.)

To do:

• Connect to d211 email via pop
• Connect to personal email account
• Connect to junk email account
• Sync contacts from Phone/Organizer
• Sync contacts from LDAP Server
• Sync Calendar from Phone/Organizer
• Sync Calendar from lotus notes (is it possible?)
  

Well then.

Loading into windows today to do attendance, I was met with the following:



Gr. So attendance doesn't work on WINDOWS even, what hope do I have? Despair not, I shall prevail!

Maybe it will be just rock solid stable in linux, moreso than windows.

A guy can dream.