OpenOffice.Org Games

Open office is an office suite comprising of many office productivity application, from a word processor to a spreadsheet application. However it seems that its not all work and no play with OpenOffice.org. By typing in =Game(“StarWars”) in OpenOffice.Org Calc (spreadsheet) application will be immersed into a space invaders clone.

Firefox Robots

Firefox, a browser that does not need introduction. Unfortunately some dubious alien race has began its efforts to take over planet earth and have already began to infiltrate earthly internet browsers.They claim to be peaceful, but are they???? You can view their message by typing about:robots into the address bar

Linux Secret Moo Power

Ever wondered why Linux systems are so efficient and so powerful, the secret lies in you terminal, by typing in apt-get moo in the terminal you will learn that Linux is in fact powered the ‘Moo’

Google Chrome Backbone

Did you know that the very core of the Google Chrome browser relies on an advanced battalion of goats who work tirelessly to ensure you internet browsing is a pleasurable experience. These goats make use of teleportation to achieve their goals and carry out their job properly. Google Chrome’s task manager allows one to see the status of goat teleportation. In the task manager right click anywhere with in the table and tick the ‘Goats Teleported” item.

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The new Ubuntu branding and theming is with out a doubt in tune with the original Ubuntu idea to remain unique in terms of design. The mantra around the new design, as punted by the Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life; Mark Shuttleworth, is light. This is the first major graphical revamp the Ubuntu operating system has received in its five years of life.

The idea of a major visual refresh in Ubuntu is nothing unexpected, as it was supposed to take place back in 2008 with the long term release of Ubuntu 8.04. The original refresh was to introduce a darker them with bright orange highlights. However that concept was abandoned probably due to concerns that dark default themes should generally be avoided. The new branding is a complete opposite of what was proposed back then, as the new branding is all about light.

The new look of Ubuntu is causing a stir of excitement on the internet is it clear that Ubuntu users and fans seem to be relieved that the much debated brown is to become an aesthetic of Ubuntu’s past

This refresh is in line with Shuttleworths efforts to make Linux beatiful, as he has on many occasions stated that Apple is a revered system for its design excellence, and though Linux might be an incredibly functional system it does lack the aesthetic edge

“I think the great task ahead of us over the next two years is to lift the experience of the Linux desktop from something that is stable and robust and not so pretty, to something which is art. Not emulate, but blow right past Apple in the user experience we deliver to our end users,” says Shuttleworth.

Ubuntu has in recent versions made great strides in terms of usability, most notable with its Software store and notification system, it however has lagged behind with quality  theming. The upcoming version of Ubuntu, stated to be released on the 28th of April this year, will with out a doubt impress as unlike any other release it has managed to generate quite a buzz and will include major updates to many parts of the system.

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Paul Rouget over at Mozilla Hacks has decided to compile a list of  46 features that many may be unaware of. While this list is mainly aimed at web developers, it will still surely find use among the tech curious crowd. View the full list here

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There is no doubt that IE6 is the longest reigning browser in history, however for the sake of web evolution and computer safety it is time that this browser be disbanded from use. There are many ways to upgrade, one can either visit the Internet Explorer download page and upgrade to the latest version 8 of Internet Explorer, or perhaps try a more internet standards compliant browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

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While Firefox has grown substantially in market share over the past few years, it has also managed to create a credible and solid reputation for the world of open source software. Then recently Chrome bounced into the browser scene, and has also shown considerable market share growth and introduced some very interesting and useful features.

The ‘versus’ argument, when comparing any two very good products in most cases has a negligible conclusion, which is the case with the Firefox vs Google Chrome debate. Both browsers offer similar features and are both developed with aggressive innovation and attention to security.

Firefox has grown a loyal user base who will most probably not just ditch the fox in a hurry. Firefox was a salvation to many for the Explorer 6 downfalls and with every new release of Firefox it just gets better. It is an extremely reliable and sturdy browser that allows for almost infinite customization through it’s wonderful extensibility.

Extensibility is a key feature to a successful browser and Google realised this quite quickly, and therefore later on in Chrome’s development the browser introduces add on features. The Chrome browser, like many other Google products demonstrates a certain level of creativity in its features as from early Chrome versions the browser had features previously unseen in any other browser, while it is true that Firefox has caught up and implemented similar functionality.

The main difference between the two is potentially the way Chrome is orientated, it is very online media friendly and obviously integrates well with Google Services. While Firefox tends to be a more one size fits all browser, as it performs well in all fields where Chrome is exceptional in certain.

After deep thought, a Firefox vs Chrome debate isn’t feasible as both these browser deserve merit for their efforts in constantly advancing the frontier of internet browsing technology. They both have their strengths and they both have almost identical features. The decision between the two, in most cases, has nothing to do with the operational aspects of each browser but the brand and identity that each browser carries.

We at Tecverse, absolutely love the Google Chrome however, Firefox will in the foreseeable future remain our default browser of choice!

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There is already a large library of Chrome extension available at https://chrome.google.com/extensions and http://www.chromeextensions.org including various excellent photo orientated extensions.

A selection of interesting Chrome imaging extensions

CoolIris

Cooliris is an extension that renders a 3 dimensional wall of online galleries for you to browse, it allows you to effortlessly scroll through all your images from Facebook, Flickr and more – download

Image Preview

This extension emulates the lightbox effect for every image link in encounters, for those who are unfamiliar with the lightbox effect, it is a javascript that is widely used in online galleries to open images above the original html page without opening any new pop up windows or leaving the current page. – Download

View on Flickriver

Flickriver is an online service that allows you to view Flickr images in an infinite river format, this extension allows you to easily initiate a Flickriver view for images views on Flickr via a simple browser button – Download

Facebook Zoom

An extension enabling you to quickly zoom in on images in your Facebook galleries without having to click on the images to view them larger and scroll through each one individually – Download

Slideshow

A simple extension enabling you to view a series of Picasa, Flickr, Facebook or Google images in an easy to use an non obtrusive slideshow interface – Download

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Portable applications are a wonderful solution for those who need the freedom of portability without the hassle of lugging around a laptop. Along with Firefox there is a superb collection of portable applications available online, like for instance a portable version Skype and a portable Open Office suite.

Portable Firefox is made available by PortableApps.com, who have taken the initiative to create an entire application suite of portable programs along with a fully featured portable start menu which allows for easy portable application management. Other portable resources include; the Wikipedia list of already portable applications.

Note: Portableapps.com software is available for Windows only, however many Linux and Mac software have portable capabilities.

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The Moovida Media Browser

The user interface was designed with ease of operation in mind as media centres are generally intended to be operated via a remote control. The main screen or dashboard of Moovida is a series of columns detailing the various media types and possible playback and viewing options.

Library

Moovida catalogues your media in a library format, be it music, movies or TV shows, it sorts into Albums, seasons or titles. This is especially useful for those who hoard TV series as Moovida makes it exceptionally easy to access all seasons of your favourite TV show with a few clicks.

Playback

Moovida, as mentioned above, is designed for easy navigation with a variety of devices, it therefore includes an informative control bar interface while in playback, allowing for full control of the media while being played, or the ability to browse the system without interrupting the media that is being played.

Extensions and Internet Media

Supposedly a media centre isn’t quite complete without networking capabilities. Moovida includes several plugins by default that enables you to access Flickr, YouTube and many other content straight off the internet. Moovida is an extensible media centre, meaning that new services and features can easily be added by third party developers.

See here for details on how to install Moovida on your Ubuntu Linux PC

Currently at version 1.0.9, Moovida is an open source application, licensed under the general public license, allowing you to enjoy this fantastic application freely.

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Ubuntu 10.04 will bring many changes, including quite a shake up in the selection of default applications.

The developers of Ubuntu have now decided to include PiTiVi by default into 10.04. One of the reason’s for it’s inclusion is that many other operating systems offer basic video editing software by default, so logically it would be beneficial both to users, popularity and usability of the Ubuntu operating system to include such functionality.

PiTiVi makes use of the Gstreamer media framework, it’s a non liner video editing tool that allows for basic video operations, such as trimming, snapping, splitting and cutting of clips. It also includes audio mixing capabilities, supported with curves. PiTiVi is developed to use the GTK toolkit, therefore allowing easy integration into a Gnome desktop.

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To install Global Menu follow these instructions:

1. Add the Global Menu Repositories, System > Administration > Software Sources. Under the ‘Other Software’ tab add the Global Menu repositories.

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/globalmenu-team/ppa/ubuntu karmic main

2. You will now need to import the repositorie’s GPG key in order to use it, you can download it here http://gnome2-globalmenu.googlecode.com/files/GlobalMenuKey.gpg

3. Import the GPG key under the authentication tab in the Software Sources application

4. If you have a previous version of Global Menu installed on your system, you will need to correctly remove it before you may continue to download and install the latest version of Global Menu

sudo apt-get remove gnome2-globalmenu

5. Install Global Menu:

sudo apt-get install gnome-globalmenu

Global Menu is now installed. To activate it, right click on you top panel and select ‘add to panel’, and then add the global menu applet.

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