please speak up about your use of linux on your desktop

*hugs&hi* most software, web content, etc claims to react to 'user feedback'. although most of the time it doesn't feel like it. luckily as open source developers we usually do truly care about user feedback, and re-act to it. this survey is really quick and rather 'shallow' as an open source survey but it will help give everyone a broader perspective on how many people are using linux &what everyone is using it for. so please everyone using linux on the desktop, weigh in. lets see how well what projects are doing and thus give an overall view on who &how linux is being used over all.

clipped from www.desktoplinux.com Vote in the 2007 Desktop Linux Survey Aug. 13, 2007 DesktopLinux.com launched its 2007 Desktop Linux Survey on August 13, asking users of Linux desktops to identify what distributions they use, as well as their choice of windowing environment (KDE, GNOME, etc.), web browsers, email clients, and Windows-on-Linux solutions. Vote in the 2007 Desktop Linux Survey

confirmed: patrick norton's moved to revision3. kevin rose let the "valley wag" out of the bag. what i'd like to see though. &my 'new media' rant.

kevin rose owes tom merrit &roger chang a big *i'm so sorry* on the last diggnation kevin rose told the world that patrick norton would in fact be working for revision3. here's what happened: they were covering the obvious digg posting about patrick norton leaving dl.tv. than they begin talking about what he might be doing. *this is from my ditzy lil blonde brain* so its a rough quote: alex says he might be doing something in online video/iptv. kevin than says that he may be do something around technology. alex then say "maybe something with people he use to work with." and here's when kevin takes east-meets-west's exclusive when he turns to alex and asks: "huh, you haven't worked with him before have you?" alex than tries to cover over things by acting like "huh, what, who said anything about him working with me?" oddly enough what he does goes further to confirm patrick norton's move to revision3 than to defuse what kevin rose said so there you have it, its not just valley wag any more, and even though we all were pretty much 100% sure that patrick norton was going to revision3. lol, i thought, with zero doubt, "well he's off to revision3. but now we know for sure. what i'd hope in love to see, even though it would be one of the best viral jokes in the tubes lately if after he takes a break to be with his wife he returns to ziff-davis as the official executive producer of something like their own new media branch. something that would combine dl.tv, cranky geeks, and ziff-davis' podcasts like extreme-tech and many more. this is personally what i'd love to see, and it wouldn't surprise me, especially with ziff-davis and c|net collaborating more and more. but that's just my analytical day dreaming. regardless though, i'm still gonna listen to this weekends east-meets-west. their focus on an incredibly broad array of topics actually makes it one of my fave podcasts. &i know i'm slow to post this, but i've wrote this blog 3 times. its was i get for using gran paradiso, which still totally rocks! but its still in alpha development so its crashed several times as i've been writing this posting. and as firefox3 is switching to javascript 2 which is awesome, but since its not all not fully implement there's a price to using the cutting edge, like blogger's auto-save feature not working. but i find it worth it, if not abs necessary in my web dev. than a lil further rant, okay, so now i'm not a huge fan of kevin rose, or actually i'm ranting about online and media focus on &about kevin rose. which i don't actually blame him for but i gotta rant about it somewhere *wink* he's given so much attention over digg but he never mentions the actual artists, coders, designers, &developers. i me come on him on the cover of fortune, or was it time magazine? see that's how much i pay attention. but why aren't the coders-or at least the first coder. why doesn't kevin give them attention, respect, and credit they deserve. they should at least make the cover of fortune-or dr. dobbs maybe *wink*. but than 'everyone' seems to hate or get mad at jason calacanis cause he stole digg when he was at netscape. yeah like whatever, i wish netscape would have really ran with his idea. its would prolly be my number news source if they had. and than of course there's that digg was just an evolution of slashdot and that pownce is at least creepily similar to tubes. if not a straight copy.

1.) east-meets-west podcast 2.) patrick norton

[go to the beginning]

help test firefox3 while you rediscover the web!

join `Tubes` and stop waiting for an invite to pownce!

*i'm not affiliated with tubes in any way* actually being a linux chick i can't even use tubes. though i keep hoping to see a linux client. but more to my point tubes was designed long before pownce. and i wouldn't be surprised if pownce was prolly ripped off from tubes. at the very least pownce was inspired by tubes, or its a creepy coincidence which is just to hard to believe. but tubes is much more developed from what i have used(thank you qemu &bochs). neither are invites needed and you get to use something a much more mature product. one last note is that i find it so sad how everyone seems to get upset with Jason Calacanis cause he 'ripped off digg', like whatever. and no gets upset about kevin rose doing all kinds of things just as icky, if not worse. like digg, come on its slashdot except their news generally sucks more. pownce is a clear copy of tubes.

opensuse 10.3... *boo-hoo* i don't wanna switch.

podcast update personal note: my podcast is still waiting on on opensuse 10.3 audacity's build to work correctly, if it doesn't after a factory update i'll have to prolly either compile audacity from source and if that doesn't do it i'll be forced to switch distros. which i may need to do anyways. opensuse 10.3's not going to include x.org 7.3, despite it being released on august 29th. and i'm using an intel graphics chipset and because of the issue 915resolution resolves i have nurmerous random issues(which i'll save everyone from my graphic woe details. except to say i love xgl which won't work with 915resolution's patch/hack in place. than i need my virtual consoles[Shift+Ctrl+F1-6] without my laptop crashing. i know i'm picky; but i'm switching to x.org 7.3 asap and i have to have a workable audacity. yeah i'm dedicated to flipping some people on their heads, *wink*. of course i'm hoping that opensuse's build service or factory will have x.org 7.3 as soon as possible. and than i'll try compiling x.org 7.3 *shivers*, if i abs have to. i'd hate to be need to switch distro. mostly because i love most of opensuse's community. their online &mailing list communities. if you're someone who likes to talk and not just approach dev. from a military style than *avoid opensuse irc chat rooms like the plague!* it may not be that they're anti-social there, but at least several active people have like literally no social skills. hackers with no social skills just creep me out &they're not even worth my time or energy. anyways here's to hoping. no matter what i'll find someway to get audacity running tomorrow; even if i *boo-hoo* have to switch to a different distro.

`sql injection` free php; this blonde's easy answer.

*why is sql injection in php even a problem?* i know a lot of old code still needs updated, and old versions with exploitable code is still all over the net. but why is new code ever having this problem. i know that the best practices answer is to use mysql_real_escape_string() to avoid these problems. but why? i dunno, cause i have an easier answer use htmlentities($input, ENT_QUOTES); on all user input, and i do mean all. i've implemented this on my current open source project. a second way of easily solving this issue is to use base64encoode(), the only problem i have with that solution is that it ends up making my database like impossible to read outside of my interface. but with htmlentities() everything is simply encode to where quotes simply are no longer an issue, because they're no longer there. using ENT_QUOTES is abs a must for this to fix remove sql injection vulnerability. the way i've implemented this is that during my projects core object instantiation i have it parse all get, post, &cookie vars through htmlentities($input, ENT_QUOTES). i do this with abs everything that receive from web browser that i may end up entering into any database. by this i mean certain http headers too, but that's only in special cases. using htmlentities($input, ENT_QUOTES); removes any possibility for sql injection, from user input that is. so no more escaping/un-escaping string or etc, and i can replace &update to my hearts content.

I have 'it', thousands do, and you've probably never heard of 'it'. 'it' twists our bodies, 'it' can ruin our lives; and occasionally 'it' will take them... what 'it' cannot twist, ruin, or take is our DREAMS! 'it' is Generalized Dystonia!

help test firefox3 while you rediscover the web!

oh the atrocity: audacity has been eaten(for a lil while)

*i said 36 hrs... i didn't say which 36* seriously though i have to apologize on my podcasts' initial episode still being late. i'm running on opensuse 10.3 factory. and i can promise that opensuse 10.3 is gonna totally rock. but that said my latest factory update has kinda, well, eaten audacity. i'm working on getting my podcast put together as soon as i can &if i need to i'll try building audacity from source. but with a busy week with my doctor's appointment and other things, namely the flu, which i'm still trying to get over. but as soon as i feel well enough to focus on my screen &just focus in general, i'll have my podcast's subscription posted here.

help test firefox3 while you rediscover the web!

open source iptv: new episode. open source web dev: new podcast! *wink*

*\/\/00+*! okay, so i'm kinda late, but they are so way later than i am. lol, anyways just a quick post since i notice that there's a new episode of the_source. in case your head is in cased in stone or maybe you're just stoned. the_source is an iptv show all about the world of linux &open source and its made using all open source software, oh yeah and the best part, its the only one that's not german! its what keeps inspiring me to try and get my own open source vlog started. but until than i'll have to settle for my own podcast. *coming soon* it'll be an open source web dev. web2.0, lamp, &so much more. i'm on track to have my first episode produced &published within the next 36 hours. i know it won't prolly be perfect... but it'll get better with age, just like linux &open source. anyways get ready, and until then: go &watch the_source and scootch on back here... *smooch*

Help test Firefox3 while you rediscover the web!

firefox3... getting closer; alpha7 released(&so is 2.0.0.6).

*i use minefield* which is the name firefox has always used for its nightly builds. which means ever 24 hrs i get a nice-n-pretty update. but there also happens to be a reason that its call minefield. but i love it, and this time with the css3 &web app. stuff they're adding to firefox3, well its always more than worth it. dbly so as i'm working on my next open source web app, call realFriends. but i'm not writing to brag about my project, but on a weird tangent, since firefox3's first beta was pushed back. realFriends first beta release is actually (self)scheduled to arrive when firefox3's beta does. back on track though, when i got my nice nightly update i noticed that we're(nightly build testers) are now running pre-alpha 8. which means alpha 7 is out. there has been no official announcement on gran paradiso's homepage, yet. but anyone who's interested can grab it from mozilla's releases/ftp server. on the firefox2 side, version 2.0.0.6, has been released as well. i'm a lil late but i thought i should mention it too. if your version of firefox hasn't auto-updated yet than you can grab that from their releases/ftp site too.

download Firefox &rediscover the web!

700 mega-hertz, open applications, &open source?

700 mega-hertz, open applications, &open source? okay, so everyone should have read or heard by now that the fcc has set out the rules for their upcoming auction of the UHF portion of the 700 mega-hertz spectrum that will be freed up when we(america) switches over to digital broadcasting. wtf? what does that have to do web2.0 let alone open source? well Google had set out several points that they would pay the fcc for if they would require this upcoming auction to require several things. the one i'm excited about, and thus writing about, is their requirement that any device and any application be allowed to access the network. this could open all kinds of options for open source developers. for example the open moko or even laptop/pc devices that could access the network. not to mention the options for open source software developers. with this being basically a new network there could be new protocols, new standards, and of course just new web apps. there are so few details yet, not to mention that the fcc didn't leave the spectrum open to any company. so right now things are heavily up in the air, lol, no pun intended. but i'm excited about the possibilities... lets just hope that it lives up to its possibilities though i have my doubts; i'm dreaming off an open network with some wonderful new coding chances &challenges.

download Firefox &rediscover the web!

i still agree; danah boyd's completed essay.

danah boyd has finally responded to her original post that caused such a ripple in the internet culture.

i felt from the beginning that those negative responses were based on her posting's title, more than its contents. the most disgusting part of this entire thing is that its been used, its seems, by facebook members for pseudo-self-righteous indignation. its been as if those who where most up in arms over your original posting where doing so as a way of saying: "see we are better than you. but we aren't happy about."

its been truly laughable. and despite my fitting into both 'classes', my life experiences def leave me feeling more comfortable with those that hang out on facebook. so anyone who's interested my new myspace profile, for my blog and up-coming podcast, is http://www.myspace.com/uberchicgeekchick
*hugs* now go read her paper(&agree with me). lol *wink*

clipped from www.danah.org Responding to Responses to: "Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace" (If you have comments, please add them to the related entry on my blog. Thank you.) One month ago, I put out a blog essay that took on a life of its own. This essay addressed one of America's most taboo topics: class. Due to personal circumstances, I wasn't online as things spun further and further out of control and I had neither the time nor the emotional energy to address all of the astounding misinterpretations that I saw as a digital game of telephone took hold. I've browsed the hundreds of emails, thousands of blog posts, and thousands of comments across the web. I'm in awe of the amount of time and energy people put into thinking through and critiquing my essay. In the process, I've also realized that I was not always so effective at communicating what I wanted to communicate. To clarify some issues, I decided to put together a long response that addresses a variety of different issues.

Using ffmpeg to convert flv to mpeg2.

just a quick guide on converting an flv(flash video) to an MPEG2 video,

it doesn't cover the real benefits of doing this with ffmpeg. ffmpeg is one of the most valuable tools for any designer who works with multi-media in linux. the true benefits to this guide is that with just playing with these options you can get a handle using ffmpeg to take things apart and than even glue them together.

for example chopping a bumper out of your favorite podcast, taking sound out of a video clip, and many other things. my main use of ffmpeg, but not its most useful, is to have a cron job monitor my podcasts' directory for any ogg files that don't have mp3 files and it than auto-converts them. it also rewrites my rss feeds.

now i just have to get my courage up and actually publish my podcasts... *gulp*

clipped from fosswire.com Converting FLV to MPEG in Linux by Chris Fortunately, we have a fantastic tool in FFMPEG. FFMPEG is a collection of free software for recording, transcoding, and streaming digital video and audio. It is a fantastic tool for Linux users who need to convert. ffmpeg -i video.flv -ab 56 -ar 22050 -b 500 -s 320×240 test.mpg -ab : Sets the audio bitrate. Without this, it’ll be set to the default of 64kbps -ar : Sets the audio samplerate. Default is 44100hz -b : Sets the video bitrate. Default is 2000kbps -s : Sets the size. Default is 160×128px

Dell lays an ogg(theora &vorbis); supports the open standard!

ogg theora is an open &standard video codec for the ogg container.

not that i really need any pr videos. but its more that they keep doing lil things like this that make me believe that they really are serious about embracing open source. of course the day i get one of their catalogs with a linux laptop or desktop, that's when i'll know that they're serious. until then, i wish i would stop getting their vista pushers.

clipped from direct2dell.com StudioDell videos now in Ogg Theora/Vorbis Since we started posting Video Blogs on Direct2Dell, we've made sure the videos were available in the Free format Ogg Theora / Ogg Vorbis.   The team over at StudioDell has been creating lots of new videos, several about Linux, and now, they too are available in Ogg Theora, as well as Flash, WMV, and MP4.  Simply click on the title of the video you want, click on the Download tab, and choose the format you want.  All Linux distributions support Ogg playback natively without needing to download additional patent-encumbered or proprietary codecs.

GPL upheld; Skype guilty!

despite their wide spread use; open source licenses have very little, if any, legal precedence. well here's one more for the books. its an interntional case, but a firm win non-the-less. i hope to see many more of these. we especially need some in this country.

i know, first hand, how many companies just ignore the requirements of open source licences. often because they feel there is no 'power' behind enforcing our licences. so anything that helps them realize that they can't just make things better for themselves without contributing back the code.

this is an excellent case for all of us writing floss software.

clipped from www.linuxworld.com Skype found guilty of GPL violations Skype violated the licence by its failure to supply a copy of the source code to users along with the phone, and by failing to provide a copy of the GPL itself with the phone, the court said. The decision reinforces that companies must adhere to the conditions of the GPL just as with any other contract, and that "inaccuracies" aren't to be allowed, according to the court. The decision shows that companies may be held liable for GPL violations in any country, even if the GPL isn't upheld in their home country. The case was brought by gpl-violations.org, a German organization run by open source software developer Harald Welte, which aims to force companies to take the GPL seriously. Welte has said he aims to settle most cases out of court, taking companies to court only if discussions fail to make them abide by the conditions of the licence.   Continued

our lil open source web browser; she just keeps growing up.

download Firefox &rediscover the web!

*firefox is growing up* first, later today(or maybe already) version 2.0.0.5 should be available &auto-updating all of the wired. based on this message from the mozilla.dev.planning group. today will be firefox 2.0.0.5's official release day, &btw you can get RC2 here through mozilla's ftp server right now(i've been trying to get this posted for three days now) than there's firefox' next major upgrade, firefox 3, currently code named Gran Paradiso. they've just feature froze and released alpha 6. as an internet artist, web design, open source creator, &web developer; Gran Paradiso release has me like extremely psyched. they're putting a ton of work into implementing web application services into firefox 3. and, *giddy giggles*, css3. even though css3 support isn't as far a long as i'd like, they're web application services implementations are spot on. so much so that, even though its still an alpha release, Gran Paradiso has become my main web browser since so much of my time 'online' is spent working on my next open source project that Gran Paradiso just continues to impress me with every milestone they reach. indeed our lil fox, she is indeed coming into her own. and this uberChicGeekChick is joining her for the ride. in more ways than one *wink*.

yet another cross site scripting exploit.

*as an oss web developer i have to be aware of online security.* and as, in this *shivers* web2.0 world, every one should be. this latest exploit is not scary in and of itself, but because of its possibilities. this one thanks to rsnake over at ha.ckers.org

clipped from ha.ckers.org Ferruh Mavituna posted about a new tool he’s created to do XSS tunneling. Ferruh’s is in .NET instead of server side scripts. He built his tool to be a proxy, so that you could write other third party scanning tools that interface with it. So let’s say you’ve got Nikto, but you want your target to do the work for you. You can plug Nikto into this, use it like a proxy, and poof, the client is now under Nikto’s control, by way of XSS Tunneling, by way of JavaScript running on their browser. Crazy, but cool. Ferruh’s also got a nice writeup and video to go along with it. Very cool stuff!