Firefox Download Day

Hoje é dia de baixar o novo Firefox 3 em todo o seu esplendor.





... e viva o conhecimento livre!

Problems when publishing with Windows Movie Maker on Vista

This is not exactly the main theme of this blog - as a matter of fact I can't find a single connection to this post, but hey, who knows, maybe I'll be writing something truly helpful, just for a change...

After reading all FAQ's about the publishing problems going on with windows movie maker on vista and after doing all those intricate stuff people suggest, I finally discover one that really works with me: I have a sony vaio with vista 32bits installed and every time I tried to publish on movie maker, even though I can finish the project perfectly, either I received a "wmm stops working and need to be restarted" message or the publishing process stopped at the "you don't have enough free space on you hard drive" kind of message afterwards.

Ok, here's the deal: Not even one of the solutions actually posted online would solve my problem, so I just created another user's account, which must NOT be a administrator one, imported the files I would need for the project, work normally on the project and... hooray! IT WORKED! I could save it at the hard drive and even send it to my email account. And the video file ran perfectly. I don't even know how I got that idea and much less what is the logic of all this, but it also worked in two other pc's I was invited to help with.

It's been two weeks now and I've made a hole bunch of movies, large ones, with soundtrack and those ones with all the effects as well, and everything is running just as heaven. Couldn't be more simple than that! Just remember: a new user account that ought to be a standard one and... that's it!

Well, I hope it helped. And in order to prevent any other OS stupidities, my last advice is: DO WHAT I DID AND SWITCH IT TO LINUX.

Faça um test drive no Linux... afinal de contas, é gratis.

Perfect for a 2nd PC, you can run it alongside Windows if you want

June 21, 2007

BY ANDY IHNATKO

I really want you folks to try the free (free free free) Linux OS at some point in your life.

It has become a very credible operating system, even for typical PC users . . . though the whole concept is still alien and intimidating. Herewith is a list of Everything You Ought To Know Before Your First Linux Install:

1. Linux and its free software are a perfect choice for a "spare" computer, like the PC your kids use or the notebook that migrates throughout the house. For meat-and-potatoes Web browsing, e-mail, word processing, and media playing, spending $400 for legit copies of Windows and commercial apps can be overkill.

2. There's no "one" Linux. The Linux OS is a lot like English: It's all the same, technically, but the variants will prevent you from successfully ordering a submarine sandwich with fries and a Coke when you're 400 miles away from where you grew up.

3. Even with one specific kind of Linux, there are several distributions. A "distro" is a specific combination of the OS and various packages of drivers, installers, utilities, and user apps that make installing and using it either as smooth as silk or a nightmare from which you fear you shall never awaken. Visit distrowatch.com for a field guide.

My personal favorite distro is Ubuntu Linux (ubuntu.com). It has a huge, active support forum (ubuntuforums.org).

4. Your distro will arrive in the form of a "Live CD," which you can either purchase online for the cost of two X-Men comics or download as a 500 megabyte disc image and then burn. Boot your PC from this disc, and presto, you're using Linux, complete with a full suite of useful apps such as the Firefox browser and the OpenOffice suite of productivity apps. If you like what you see, you can install Linux directly onto your hard drive. If you don't, just shut down and eject. Your PC will be left untouched.

5. It's not necessary to choose between Linux and Windows. Your installer can create a "dual boot" system that can run both. Either way, use your PC's built-in utility to burn a "recovery disc" so you can re-install Windows.

6. The biggest stumbling block you'll encounter with Linux is getting it to recognize all of your PC's hardware. I mean you might have no WiFi. And your gorgeous 1600x1200 screen is downgraded to 800x600 resolution.

Sure, I've had Linux installations go smoothly. But that only happens when the distro you've chosen is exceptionally right for your PC, and includes all of the drivers you'll need. Google for the make and model of your PC plus "Linux" and "distro," and you'll quickly find a good candidate.

7. Don't be frightened off by some of the mega-complicated solutions you'll find in the help forums. Locating and installing the extra drivers you need is a job for Linux's built-in package manager.

So with Ubuntu, for example, getting your display running at full resolution merely requires that from the menu bar, you click on System >Administration >Synaptic Package Manager. Then search for the name of your video card, and then click a button to download and install the right drivers. Even better, package managers help you locate virtually any free software you might ever need.

8. Just creating a bootable, useful system is 80 percent of the install, and will take only 5 percent of your time. The next 10 percent of the project will take up to 50 percent. Getting the final 5 percent of your hardware working (like your notebook's headphone jack) might not be worth the investment.

9. Your existing peripherals will probably work fine. There are drivers for most popular printers, and if your digital camera or music player appears on your PC as an external storage device, it'll work with Linux media managers.

10. Remember that the world is a good and happy place, and that Linux's many creators and supporters wish you no harm.

* retirado do muito bem escrito artigo do The Sun-Times.

** for that matter, eu recomendo, além do Ubunto, o Conectiva como uma boa distribuição "reconhecimento de campo".

*** if you wanna go national, eu realmente adoro o Kurumin, que é lindinho, facinho e todo plug-and-playzinho.