To get me on the way towards Linux, I've decided to start using more open source software and see if I can head away from my dependency on Microsoft.
Nearly a year ago I switched to Firefox for my browsing. Finally there was an alternative to IE which would still work with most websites. I've never looked back from that decision and IE7 has held no appeal for me.
I've mentioned in a previous post that I run my mobile TV website under Apache. The flexibility Apache gives me over IIS is not insignificant. It's also very important that I can run ASP.NET under that too, because with all the will in the world, I'm not going to switch to PHP etc when I use .NET all the time at work. I have time for technology, but not that much time ;-)
The next step was to move away from Outlook. This is hard, because it works, and it works well for me. I can also easily synchronise my mobile with it via bluetooth.
I recently heard that Thunderbird 2.0 was out, and having not been that impressed with V1.5, I wasn't that sure about it. Fortunately it's moved on a lot and now definitely could replace Outlook Express with no question. It being cross platform also bodes well for the Linux move later.
Mozilla also have Sunbird which is a calendar program. I don't need anything too flashy for my scheduling, but it needs to do the basics and allow me to synchronise my phone. The Lightning addon for Thunderbird also allows me to get an "outlook feel" by integrating the two into one application.
A website (which is currently free) called Schedule World provides the crucial link between Thunderbird/Lightning and my mobile. This site works much like Google calendar, providing a web UI on your schedule, but also has a SyncML interface which is required by my phone to synchronise itself with it. Tie that together with an addon for Thunderbird to sync it with ScheduleWorld, and I have all my requirements met.
I've been using this combination for a few weeks and it seems to work for me. Lightning is a bit shaky in comparison with Sunbird, but it works ok. I've set up a WebDAV site under Apache to allow me to store the calendar centrally on my network, but be accessed from any machine. Once again, Apache has come to the rescue here!
Similarly, my mail accounts and profile under Thunderbird also sit on the network for the same purpose. With them stored on a network share, the start up time is slowed a little, but being able to access them from any machine on the network is an important feature for me.
I did have some problems with timezones when getting Lightning/ScheduleWorld and my mobile working, but eventually I managed to turn off all that functionality and get it to work. The reality is, I don't have entries coming into my calendar from multiple timezones so 10am is 10am is 10am wherever I am.
Monday, 28 May 2007
Friday, 25 May 2007
Ubuntu
Everyone is raving about Ubuntu. For the first time in a long time (IMHO) Linux has a variant which might actually replace Windows for the average user.
With my new HTPC in mind, I set off to set up both Ubuntu and Kubutu (the KDE desktop equivalent) on a virtual machine to test whether all the common applications I need to use on my HTPC are available or replaceable under Linux.
In case you've not used them, VirtualPC (free, from Microsoft) or better still VMWare Workstation (commercial, from VMWare) allow you to install another operating system and have them run inside your existing OS. I use them a lot at work for software testing purposes, but they work great for this Linux test as well. VMWare supports Linux better than VirtualPC, but I have got both of them working fine.
Ubuntu install was painless, and immediately I was surprised how much Linux has come on since I last looked at it a number of years ago. Certainly, the Ubuntu team have worked on making the OS more friendly and with a nice add/remove programs screen to handle the delight(!) of package dependencies, it's really not difficult to get results on Linux now.
I'm mainly looking at Linux because it's free and therefore can help me reduce my costs in building the HTPC. Also, it's a better operating system than Windows at its heart and has great community support. It's also hard not to pick up on other people's success stories with Linux as an HTPC, such as the Win XP MCE "competitor" MythTV. There's even a Linux distribution available (KnoppMyth) which installs from scratch ready configured to run Myth.
That said, KnoppMyth is a bit too far for me because I want a normal desktop as well as a nice big screen experience, much like I get from WinXP MCE at the moment.
Whether you go for Ubuntu or Kubuntu seems to be a personal preference. I like the look of Kubuntu because you can set it up to look pretty close to MacOS (which you have to admit is nice). It also feels a bit more integrated than Ubuntu in my opinion. Having said that, I did encounter a problem or two with some Kubuntu applications and didn't with the equivalents in Ubuntu, so for the moment due to the lack of issues I've had with it, Ubuntu is my choice linux flavour.
With my new HTPC in mind, I set off to set up both Ubuntu and Kubutu (the KDE desktop equivalent) on a virtual machine to test whether all the common applications I need to use on my HTPC are available or replaceable under Linux.
In case you've not used them, VirtualPC (free, from Microsoft) or better still VMWare Workstation (commercial, from VMWare) allow you to install another operating system and have them run inside your existing OS. I use them a lot at work for software testing purposes, but they work great for this Linux test as well. VMWare supports Linux better than VirtualPC, but I have got both of them working fine.
Ubuntu install was painless, and immediately I was surprised how much Linux has come on since I last looked at it a number of years ago. Certainly, the Ubuntu team have worked on making the OS more friendly and with a nice add/remove programs screen to handle the delight(!) of package dependencies, it's really not difficult to get results on Linux now.
I'm mainly looking at Linux because it's free and therefore can help me reduce my costs in building the HTPC. Also, it's a better operating system than Windows at its heart and has great community support. It's also hard not to pick up on other people's success stories with Linux as an HTPC, such as the Win XP MCE "competitor" MythTV. There's even a Linux distribution available (KnoppMyth) which installs from scratch ready configured to run Myth.
That said, KnoppMyth is a bit too far for me because I want a normal desktop as well as a nice big screen experience, much like I get from WinXP MCE at the moment.
Whether you go for Ubuntu or Kubuntu seems to be a personal preference. I like the look of Kubuntu because you can set it up to look pretty close to MacOS (which you have to admit is nice). It also feels a bit more integrated than Ubuntu in my opinion. Having said that, I did encounter a problem or two with some Kubuntu applications and didn't with the equivalents in Ubuntu, so for the moment due to the lack of issues I've had with it, Ubuntu is my choice linux flavour.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
Why not Mac?
You might wonder why I don't just go and buy a Mac mini? They look fantastic, they work well, the 1.66 Core Duo is not even that expensive...
Well let's just say that I've not ruled it out. I guess my tendencies have been towards PCs for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to move over just yet. I also have an inner geek which means I'm disinclined to head for the easy option, but that could change if I hit any walls via the PC route.
Generally, I also have issues with "mac fanboy smugness", which usually turns me off so much I head in the other direction. Maybe that's my loss in the end, but that's where my reluctance comes from.
So I'll be heading in the PC direction to start with to see where that leads me and only if I'm not happy with the results will I look at a mac mini instead.
Well let's just say that I've not ruled it out. I guess my tendencies have been towards PCs for a long time, and I'm not quite ready to move over just yet. I also have an inner geek which means I'm disinclined to head for the easy option, but that could change if I hit any walls via the PC route.
Generally, I also have issues with "mac fanboy smugness", which usually turns me off so much I head in the other direction. Maybe that's my loss in the end, but that's where my reluctance comes from.
So I'll be heading in the PC direction to start with to see where that leads me and only if I'm not happy with the results will I look at a mac mini instead.
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
ITX vs ATX
I've been looking at ITX as a form factor to base a quiet pc on. These are generally used for embedded systems as far as I can tell. A site which sells them is http://www.itxwarehouse.co.uk/. The ITX form factor is pretty tiny, so much so you can comfortably use it in the car.
The downside from what I can gather however is that the processors are relatively low powered. That wouldn't be an issue except that I do want my new quiet pc to be able to decode HD video. A minimum of 720p but ideally up to the full 1080p.
I've found it hard to find out what the minimum spec of CPU required to playback 1080 is, and only by running my own tests have I decided it needs to be a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo to manage it comfortably.
The other issue with ITX is the expandability. You usually get a number of USB2 ports, so that's good but forget about a graphics card for example.
That probably puts an end to the ITX idea, even though it sounds great..
The downside from what I can gather however is that the processors are relatively low powered. That wouldn't be an issue except that I do want my new quiet pc to be able to decode HD video. A minimum of 720p but ideally up to the full 1080p.
I've found it hard to find out what the minimum spec of CPU required to playback 1080 is, and only by running my own tests have I decided it needs to be a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo to manage it comfortably.
The other issue with ITX is the expandability. You usually get a number of USB2 ports, so that's good but forget about a graphics card for example.
That probably puts an end to the ITX idea, even though it sounds great..
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
New (quiet) PC
Part of the grand plan for the media network at home is to add more boxes in other rooms.
I've kept up to date with the new media player boxes like the Netgear MP101 and Philips Streamium, but they're either too expensive for me to justify, or more often than not, just too limited in their functionality.
I'd really like to be able to surf the web, or read my email. Limiting the box to media playback just isn't good enough for what I have planned.
One of the key points however, is to keep costs and fan noise to a minimum. If I have multiple boxes, they're going to have to be quiet and I don't want to be paying through the nose for them. The trouble is, "quiet" and "cheap" do not normally go hand in hand.
One of the options I've been looking at is a lower end processor and Linux as the operating system, moving slowly away from the relatively expensive Windows or MacOS. It's a long time since I've delved into Linux however, so that will be an interesting task in itself..
I've kept up to date with the new media player boxes like the Netgear MP101 and Philips Streamium, but they're either too expensive for me to justify, or more often than not, just too limited in their functionality.
I'd really like to be able to surf the web, or read my email. Limiting the box to media playback just isn't good enough for what I have planned.
One of the key points however, is to keep costs and fan noise to a minimum. If I have multiple boxes, they're going to have to be quiet and I don't want to be paying through the nose for them. The trouble is, "quiet" and "cheap" do not normally go hand in hand.
One of the options I've been looking at is a lower end processor and Linux as the operating system, moving slowly away from the relatively expensive Windows or MacOS. It's a long time since I've delved into Linux however, so that will be an interesting task in itself..
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Mobile access
Once again the TV guide has bowed to feature creep.. New this time is control of the scheduling via a mobile phone!
Just imagine, you're down the pub and you suddenly remember that you've forgotten to set the timer for that new programme you heard about last week. No problem, just connect to the website sat on your home PC and set the timer from your mobile. Nice!
The website is written in C# ASP.NET mobile, and based on the existing code from the main guide, only took a few hours to write. It's designed to be as plain as possible because I get charged by the Mb to surf the web on my mobile at the moment, so minimalistic = less bytes = cheaper!
In setting this up, I discovered something pretty amazing. Not only is Apache now available and reliable enough on Windows, there's a mod for it which lets it serve up ASP.NET. That's great, because IIS on WinXP Mediacentre will only host one website at a time. Add to that the ability for me to control who gets to log onto my home PC via Apache and there's no contention with IIS in my opinion.
Just imagine, you're down the pub and you suddenly remember that you've forgotten to set the timer for that new programme you heard about last week. No problem, just connect to the website sat on your home PC and set the timer from your mobile. Nice!
The website is written in C# ASP.NET mobile, and based on the existing code from the main guide, only took a few hours to write. It's designed to be as plain as possible because I get charged by the Mb to surf the web on my mobile at the moment, so minimalistic = less bytes = cheaper!
In setting this up, I discovered something pretty amazing. Not only is Apache now available and reliable enough on Windows, there's a mod for it which lets it serve up ASP.NET. That's great, because IIS on WinXP Mediacentre will only host one website at a time. Add to that the ability for me to control who gets to log onto my home PC via Apache and there's no contention with IIS in my opinion.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
An introduction
Ok so what's this new blog all about? Well I've had a PC in my living room for the last two years, and combined with the LCD TV via DVI, we can watch TV on it and also surf/email etc.
We've got so used to it, I doubt we could now do without.
One thing which I've worked on since I got the PC is a TV guide to help with the scheduling of recordings. What started off as a way to see what was on, has expanded into a Tivo like application. Now, we define recordings by a set of rules and the recording is done automatically. Repeats are ignored and we can search for programmes by genre, name, actor etc. We can even get the DVD cover on screen for a film..
And what's the best thing about it? It does exactly what we want and nothing else!
Here's a picture for reference, you can click on it for a full sized version:
The data comes from XMLTV and the guide is written in C#. I like the vertical appearance rather than the (more common) horizontal type I guess because I find it easier to read.
All this is well and good, but my plans don't stop there. This works so well in one room in the house, I want it available everywhere!
This blog will detail my trials and tribulations of trying to get there. Once we're through, you might need to wash several times to get all that geek out of your hair ;-)
We've got so used to it, I doubt we could now do without.
One thing which I've worked on since I got the PC is a TV guide to help with the scheduling of recordings. What started off as a way to see what was on, has expanded into a Tivo like application. Now, we define recordings by a set of rules and the recording is done automatically. Repeats are ignored and we can search for programmes by genre, name, actor etc. We can even get the DVD cover on screen for a film..
And what's the best thing about it? It does exactly what we want and nothing else!
Here's a picture for reference, you can click on it for a full sized version:
The data comes from XMLTV and the guide is written in C#. I like the vertical appearance rather than the (more common) horizontal type I guess because I find it easier to read.
All this is well and good, but my plans don't stop there. This works so well in one room in the house, I want it available everywhere!
This blog will detail my trials and tribulations of trying to get there. Once we're through, you might need to wash several times to get all that geek out of your hair ;-)
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