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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Why Mark Shuttleworth Owes FOSS-Women an Apology

Posted: 30 Sep 2009 01:21 AM PDT

For the past few days, I've been reading several blog reactions (like here, here, here, and most recently here) against Mark Shuttleworth's controversial comments made from his keynote speech at LinuxCon, which turned into a huge sexism issue.

I refrained from immediately writing my own reaction since I'm still gathering my thoughts and have been waiting for the video of the said keynote address. And now that the video is finally up, here's what I have to say...


On Orgasm Joke

Shuttleworth said, "a release is an amazing thing. I'm not talking about the happy ending, I'm talking about a software release, the fresh meat."

I think only Linus Torvalds can get away with jokes like that one. But seriously, the Ubuntu leader needs to know when to be funny and when not to. He badly needs to learn the proper time to "release" a joke.


The Notorious Statement

..."How do we make this just awesome for end users" then we'll have less trouble explaining to girls what we actually do."

I can look at the statement in two ways:

The statement is not sexist if the word "girls" that Mr. Shuttleworth is telling us refer to some female end users who are not that interested in computers or in this case Linux and want it all easy and dumb-proof. I can understand him if that is what he meant since there are probably more men Linux users than women.

The statement is clearly sexist if the word "girls" that Mr. Shuttleworth is telling us refer to all the females in the world including women FOSS developers, advocates, and enthusiasts. If that is what he had in mind, then he should go back to space and stay there for good.


Why Mark Shuttleworth Owes FOSS-Women an Apology

From tons of blog posts and comments that I've read, majority of people think that Mr. Shuttleworth just made a sexist statement and should apologize. I don't mean to judge him or anything but I agree that he should make a sincere apology especially to all the women in FOSS. --I believe that it is the right thing to do at this stage even if he thinks that he has no fault and has no reason to say sorry. He must understand that there are girls who really love Linux and are very passionate about it who are offended by his remarks. He should take this opportunity to clarify a few things, like perhaps tell us that "grandmas" should have been the right word to say instead of "girls".


So Mr. Shuttleworth, be a gentleman, apologize, and give peace a chance.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:05 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

7 Best Free and Open Source Vector Graphics Editors for Linux

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 06:40 AM PDT

A software application that gives users the ability to compose and edit vector graphics images interactively on a computer is called a vector graphics editor. CorelDRAW and Adobe Illustrator are some of the most popular proprietary vector editors for Windows. But if you are looking for a capable free alternative that can also work on your Linux box, there are a lot to choose from.

Here are some of the best Free and Open Source vector graphics editors that you should check out:


Inkscape
Inkscape is a well-known, full-featured vector graphics editor application for Linux. It has a main goal of becoming a powerful graphics tool while being fully compliant with the XML, SVG, and CSS standards. One of the prime concerns of the Inkscape project is interface consistency and usability. This involves efforts to follow the GNOME Human interface guidelines, universal keyboard accessibility, and convenient on-canvas editing. Inkscape has achieved important advancement in usability since the project started.



Xara Xtreme (Linux Edition)
Xara Xtreme was originally developed for Windows but an open source version was later released for Linux. Xara Xtreme is known for its usability and fast rendering. It is also notable for being among the first vector graphics software applications to provide a fully anti-aliased display, advanced gradient fill, and transparency tools, features now common to many vector graphics editors. With interface almost identical to that of Inkscape and CorelDRAW, Xara Xtreme is considered to be quite easy to learn.



OpenOffice.org Draw
OpenOffice.org Draw is a powerful graphics package that is part of the OpenOffice.org office suite. It features "connectors" between shapes, which are available in a range of line styles and facilitate building drawings such as flowchart. Currently, OpenOffice.org Draw officially supports exporting to SVG format, though with some limitations to be resolved. It is anticipated that as SVG and SVG filters evolve, users will be able to use Draw to edit the large-scale collection of SVG samples from Open Clip Art Library.



Skencil
Skencil is a unique drawing application in the sense that it is implemented almost completely in Python, a very high-level, object oriented, interpreted programming language, with the rest written in C for speed. In addition to the standard features (rectangles, ellipses, curves, text etc.) that you can expect from a vector graphics editor, Skencil also has some more advanced attributes like the possibility to bend text along a path.



sK1
From its project website, sK1 is described as an open-source illustration program that can substitute proprietary software like Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator. It supports professional publishing features like CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and press-ready PDF output. It also has CorelDRAW formats importers and tabbed multi-document interface. sK1 is a fork of Skencil and was started by a small team of Ukrainian professionals.



Karbon14
Karbon14 (formerly known as Kontour) is part of the KDE office suite (KOffice). The name is a play on KDE and the radioactive isotope Carbon-14. Karbon14 boasts a user interface that is easy-to-use, highly customizable and extensible. It is also loaded with great features making it ideal for anyone who wants to create clipart, logos, illustrations or photorealistic vector images.


Xfig
Xfig is an interactive drawing tool that runs under the X Window System. In xfig, figures may be drawn using objects such as circles, boxes, lines, spline curves, text, etc. It is also possible to import images in formats such as GIF, JPEG, EPSF (PostScript), and many others. Xfig saves figures in its native Fig format, but they may be converted into various formats.

Weekly Ten (9-28-2009)

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 10:54 PM PDT

10 Latest News, Blogs, Tips, and Reviews that I find Interesting and Useful:


1. Why the Evidence of Water on the Moon is Bad News
The big science story this week was the confirmation that the moon is covered in water. And not just in the shadowed, polar craters where scientists suspected it, but all over. Water on the moon--that has to be great news, right?
More @ IEEESpectrum

2. Free software is dead. Long live open source
One of the most inspiring things I've witnessed in my 10-plus years in open source is its gradual embrace of pragmatism. By "pragmatism" I don't mean "capitulation," whereby open source comes to look more like the proprietary world it has sought to displace. Rather, I would suggest that the more open source has gone mainstream the more it has learned to make compromises, compromises that make it stronger, not weaker.
More @ CNETNews

3. Jump to the information you want right from the search snippets
For most search results, Google shows you a few lines of text to give you an idea of what the page is about — we call this a "search snippet." Recently, we've enhanced the search snippet with two new features that make it easier to find information buried deep within a page.
More @ Googleblog

4. Steal the administrator password from an EEPROM

More @ HackaDay

5. The Linux Foundation's "Community" Doesn't Look Very Community
The first annual Linux Foundation's Linuxcon is in full swing, and it sure looks like the face of Linux is still a bearded one, despite the Linux Foundation's grand claims of Community. Perhaps they have a more limited definition of "community."
More @ LinuxToday

6. Android OS 1.6 "Donut" Is a Treat for Developers
Android OS 1.6, codenamed "Donut", has been released to application developers with relatively little fanfare, at least in comparison to the previous 1.5 "Cupcake" version. The list of new features suggests the public release will grab a little more attention from users; it includes a series of large fixes, frequently-requested additions, and a few surprises.
More @ PCWorld.com

7. There are Over a Million People Actively Using Facebook Right Now
A little over a week ago Facebook reached a major milestone: 300 million active users. The fastest-growth region continues to be Asia, but growth in other overseas regions such as the Americas and Africa have also been strong. Currently reaching only 1% of potential users in Asia and Africa, Facebook has barely scratched the surface in both regions.
More @ OreillyRadar

8. Murata Seiko unicycling robot gets an awesome upgrade

More @ Engadget

9. Intel Hints at Its Own Smartphone Operating System
Intel showed off a spiffy new version of Moblin, a Linux operating system designed for mobile gadgets. Initially targeted at netbooks, Intel has now hinted that it will extend the system's reach to mobile phones.
More @ Wired.com

10. Top 10 Movie Sound Effects We All Recognize
Have you ever noticed that whenever animals appear in a film sequence that they are making a lot of noise? What many people don't realize is that the sound effects we hear in movies are usually added later and very often don't signify reality, they signify our perception of reality. What people also often don't know is that many movies and TV programs use the very same sounds.
More @ Listverse

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:05 PM 0 comments

Friday, September 25, 2009

Kahel Linux: Yet Another Philippine-made Distro

Posted: 25 Sep 2009 03:45 AM PDT

A proof that Linux on the desktop is very much alive and is growing in popularity here in the Philippines is the birth of yet another distro named Kahel. In English, the word "kahel" means orange, which explains the orange t-shirt, beak, and feet of its Tux mascot found on the distro logo.

Unlike AMA Desktop and Bayanihan that are both derived from Debian, Kahel is proudly based on Arch Linux and utilizes GNOME for its desktop environment. Kahel adapted the rolling-release model to give its users the most up-to-date FOSS applications without having to rely on a new version of the OS.

At present, here are some of Kahel's features:

* uses the most recent Linux Kernel (2.6.30)
* support for NILFS2 and BTRFS by default
* utilizes Pacman and Package Kit
* GNOME Applications for Office, Multi-Media and Web- Browsing
* applications are optimized for i686 and x86-64

Here's an interesting note from Kahel's project website:

"Kahel OS is not just an Operating System so to speak. IT is not just a Technology Product on a Linux and Open Source Platform added to the thousands of FREE Distros already available in the community. IT does not explicitly want to be different or to be set apart from the rest. However, among others, we simply would like Kahel OS (just like our team) to be the embodiment of our IT Values and Philosophy.

It is also a gift and a manifestation of the collaborating Filipino spirit that believes in the competence of the Global IT Community."

Some screenshots:



Learn more about Kahel Linux HERE.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:08 PM 0 comments

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Free and Open Source 2D Animation Software for Linux

Posted: 24 Sep 2009 05:17 AM PDT

After featuring some of the best Free and Open Source 3D animation software, it's time to take a look at some 2D computer graphics program for Linux users who are into creating two-dimensional models. These free 2D animation software is as capable as those that are commercially available so do take time to try them first before emptying your wallet.

Here are a few Free and Open Source 2D animation software for Linux that you may like:



Synfig
Synfig is a 2D vector graphics and timeline-based computer animation program that was originally the custom animation platform for the now discontinued Voria Studios. The main goal of the project is to create a program that is capable of producing "feature-film quality animation with fewer people and resources." The program offers an alternative to manual tweening so that the animator doesn't have to draw each and every frame. Synfig is capable of simulating soft-shading using curved gradients within an area so that the animator doesn't have to draw shading into every single frame.

Learn more about Synfig HERE


KToon
KToon is a 2D Animation Toolkit designed by Toonka Films animators for aspiring animators. It is designed to function in a similar way to popular proprietary animation packages, like Macromedia Flash. It currently lacks a scripting language like Macromedia's ActionScript, but it can export movies as AVI files and Flash animations. KToon uses OpenGL and Qt toolkit as programming resources.

Learn more about KToon HERE


Pencil
Pencil is a drawing and 2D animation software that is written in C++ and is based on QT. It uses a unique bitmap/vector drawing interface to produce simple 2D graphics as well as animation. Pencil is also available for Windows, Mac, and BSD.

Learn more about Pencil HERE


If you know of other free and open source 2D animation software that I failed to include here, please share them with us via comment.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:04 PM 0 comments
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