wolli: random thoughts

RIP my English blog

2007-04-24T23:30:00.000+03:00

In the last 12 months I've managed to post whopping 14 articles into my English-language blog. That's six and a half times less than what I published on my main, Estonian-language site. Since the new Blogger has labels that you can use for filtering the content, I've decided to move all the articles over to wolli.blogspot.com and tag them as "english".

ppmotskula.blogspot.com is now officially obsolete.

Skype in parallel universes

2007-03-07T09:12:00.000+02:00

Jaanus Kase bragged about running four [different] Skypes in one box, and Jim Courtney asked how would someone come up with (and have the time for) doing this.

Well, there are several reasons I could come up with quickly (in no particular order).

Testing. You may want to test the new versions of Skype (and/or Skype Extras) every now and then. On Windows, uninstalls are almost never complete and clean, so if you don't like your machine's registry and other places getting clogged with all sorts of leftovers of the stuff you've taken a look at. Furthermore, "scientifically" good tests must be done in controlled environment, and a system contaminated with random remnants of previously installed software would not exactly qualify.
Features. Skype does not offer identical feature sets on Windows, Mac, and Linux. While the Windows is still the most-used desktop operating system worldwide, there is a growing number of people who prefer Mac OS X or Linux. So if you're one of the "heretics" but still want to occasionally use the newest features that have only made it into Skype for Windows thus far, firing up a virtual machine with Windows on it would make sense.
Hack value. Hey, it's a freaking cool hack, isn't it? ;)

As I do have to test new stuff, and as I don't boot my computers into Windows (I've been on Ubuntu Linux for nearly two years, and see no reason to switch back — but that's another story), I have a VMware Server and a bunch of (licensed) virtual OSes installed. So it takes me less than 5 minutes to unzip and boot into a "virgin" Windows XP or Vista without ever having to go through the entire re-installation of the operating system.

One thing I can not do (yet) is using Skype for Mac OS X on my Linux box. Apple's licensing policy does not support running OS X on virtual hardware, and although several hackers claim they've got OS X to run in VMware on Linux, I've not taken the trouble.

Installing Vista in VMware on Ubuntu

2007-02-07T10:56:00.000+02:00

After several failures and a lot of web browsing, I finally succeeded in installing Windows Vista Business in VMware Server running on Ubuntu 6.10.
At first, I just created a new VMware virtual machine with default settings for guest OS Windows Vista (experimental). Booted it from Vista DVD, answered a couple of questions, entered the product key, started the installation and got as far as "Expanding files (0%)". On the next morning, the installer was still expanding files at 0% (the process had not crashed, it just failed to do anything useful).

Then, I tried to play with the virtual machine settings. Googling around led me to a configuration with 512 MB RAM, 20 GB IDE HDD, NAT networking, and 1 CPU. Booted from Vista DVD, and ended up exactly where I did before.

Finally, I resorted to a workaround provided in VMware's Guest Operating System Installation Guide (with regard to Vista beta; I was using the officially released version, though), installed Windows XP Pro into a clean virtual machine, and then upgraded that to Windows Vista without any further major problems.

However, I had to conclude that Vista's installer is designed by morons — just as those of any previous Windows versions. While all the Linux installers I've come across recently ask all necessary questions first, and then allow you to safely go to have a cup of coffee, a lunch, or even sleep, the "geniuses" at Redmond have put a question about whether to allow automatic updates or not somewhere halfway down the installation process. Smart, eh?

HOWTO leave your computer

2006-11-22T09:25:00.000+02:00

Joel Spolsky thinks that Choices = Headaches, discussing the OFF button in Windows Vista with its 7 choices and 2+n ways to access these choices.

The 7 choices are Sleep, Hibernate, Lock, Switch User, Logout, Restart, and Shut Down. By the way, I've got the same choices on my Ubuntu Linux.

If you've spoken to a non-geek recently, you may have noticed that they have no idea what the difference is between "sleep" and "hibernate." They could be trivially merged. One option down.

Agreed. Both choices are really about "I'm going away from my computer for a while, and want to find it in its current state when I return -- including the battery level." Leaving the decision when to hibernate a suspended/sleeping computer should really be left with the power management software.

Switch User and Lock can be combined by letting a second user log on when the system is locked. That would probably save a lot of forced-logouts anyway. Another option down.

Agreed. There is hardly any reason why one should switch user from a state other than locked. By the way, on Ubuntu the "Switch User" choice is there whenever the computer is locked.

Once you've merged Switch User and Lock, do you really need Log Off? The only thing Log Off gets you is that it exits all running programs. But so does powering off, so if you're really concerned about exiting all running programs, just power off and on again. One more option gone.

This is where I think Joel misses one really important point. Log Off does not exit all running programs. It exits all userspace programs started by this user (unless specifically set to survive their owner logging off), but keep the system running so that other users (or myself) can still use its shared resources over the network. Well, Windows has traditionally been a PC (personal computer) thing while Unixes are built to be used in networks.

Restart can be eliminated. 95% of the time you need this it's because of an installation which prompted you to restart, anyway. For the other cases, you can just turn the power off and then turn it on again. Another option goes away. Less choice, less pain.

"An installation which prompted you to restart" means kernel update. Oops, not in Windows where you may be required to reboot your whole operating system after installing another word processor or web browser. How pathetic!

On the other hand, there are cases where you don't have physical access to the power button to turn your computer back on -- for example, if you're accessing it over a network. That's where shutdown -r comes in really handy.

Of course, you should eliminate the distinction between the icons and the menu. That eliminates two more choices.

What distinction? There are different ways of doing things. Alice loves the simplicity of icons, Bob prefers the choice available in menus, Charlie appreciates the power of the command line, and Doris just closes the lid and leaves.

---

Many people nowadays think about "personalization" as ability to change your wallpaper, screen saver, and (if applicable) ring tones. I think that real personalization would mean the ability to modify your menus, keyboard shortcuts, preferred applications, and so on.

But then again, I'm a geek. And while I want to be able to fine-tune my working environment to my needs and likings, I agree that an IT specialist providing desktop support to 100 colleagues should really standardize the system configuration, and lock it up so that these support-needing colleagues would not be able to modify it. After all, they'd be calling in from a remote office, saying that their Word just refused to print, and you've got to be able to tell them which buttons, and in which order, to click.

Freewheeling leader

2006-11-15T02:25:00.000+02:00

Free-Wheeling Leader

Personal DNA test says I am a freewheeling leader. I can agree to most results of this fun and quick personality test, but, heck, it's based on the answers I gave about myself. Want to assess me? Give it a try, and share the results with me if you dare ;) I would be happy to return the favour if you care.

Spam (1337)

2006-10-22T23:02:00.000+03:00

As you can see, my Gmail spam folder just reached 1337 status :)

IE7

2006-10-21T00:20:00.000+03:00

Did you know that IE7 is out?

Now you do ;)

Thank you, terrorists!

2006-08-16T12:22:00.000+03:00

The trip to London began perfectly normally.

Shortly after the boarding was completed, the aircraft was pushed back from the gate, taxied to the runway, and took off. Soon, the seatbelt lights were switched off, and a male voice sounded: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain. Welcome on board this Estonian Air flight from Tallinn to London. We have reached our cruising altitude of 10600 meters. Our ground speed 800 kilometers an hour and the outside temperature minus 48 degrees centigrade. We expect to arrive at London Gatwick airport in two hours and five minutes -- that's twenty minutes ahead of time."

Everything was still normal. A female voice said over the airliner's PA: "Ladies and gentlemen, in about 30 minutes we will start offering food and beverages. Passengers in Premium and Flexible Travel classes will be served warm lunch with complimentary drinks. Passengers in Travel class will be served a sandwich with complimentary coffee, tea, and soft drinks."

Wait a moment! Estonian only sells food and drinks to the Travel class passengers. They must've got it wrong. Or so I thought. But, alas, they did offer complimentary sandwiches and drinks. I asked the stewardess whether this was some new European regulation or Estonian's own idea. The smiling lady said it was Estonian's response to the British airport authorities' new cool idea of allowing no hand baggage.

Now I am one of the select few thousand ordinary people who have actually benefitted from the attempted terror attacks. ;)

Douze points, Estonian Air!

Culture Shock

2006-08-03T10:01:00.000+03:00

American Man: "You know, I'm totally colour-blind."
Estonian Man: "So that's why you called me a nigger the other day!"
British Girl: (gasps, then silently exits room)
AM and EM: (chuckle)

Love you to death,

2006-07-27T22:29:00.000+03:00

Israel and U.S.A!

Open Source, Open Funding

2006-07-18T18:15:00.000+03:00

Benjamin Horst, an open source enthusiast and a long-time OpenOffice.org user, is running a fundraiser to publish a full-page ad (or a few if he manages to raise enough for reruns) in New York's Metro newspaper. At the time I write this post, they're less than $100 short of the first ad, so if you've got a few bucks to share, please do so. And if you don't, then you can help just by sharing the word.

I can already imagine some hardcore capitalist types grinning and saying "Free software ain't free at all, you see?". Now there are at least three answers to that.

First, free software is about freedom, not price. And freedom has always been expensive. Slaves were fed and housed by their masters, but for some strange reason even those who didn't get beaten or molested tried to save up and buy themselves free.

Second, there is no such thing as free lunch. Free software is another business model -- one that is built not around direct monetary compensation to a single (individual or corporate) developer, but numerous contributions from the community to the community. These contributions vary according to the abilities of contributors: while a large software house could donate a few patents or several man-years worth of coding work, an individual user can help by reporting a bug or kicking in $10 to help get the ad published. Most of free software -- including OpenOffice.org -- is free to use, distribute, and modify. You are not required to contribute anything. But you can help if you want to.

And last but not least, if you don't have the money (or willingness) to pay several hundreds of dollars or euros for a proprietary office suite, then you effectively have three options: resorting to pen and paper, installing a pirated copy, or using free software. The first is terribly ineffective and the second is illegal. The choice is yours.

Lawyer

2006-06-05T15:40:00.000+03:00

How do you call 50 lawyers at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean? -- A pretty good start!

Well, I just defended my thesis titled "Free software: opportunity or threat? Perspectives of the legal protection of computer software in networked society" and received the mark "A". The official graduation party is scheduled to start at 12:00 on June 15th in Estonian National Library.

Apple waiting to fall... on Microsoft

2006-05-11T10:37:00.000+03:00

I’m not the only one who thinks Mac OS X is a skin on Unix — an amazingly good one indeed, but still effectively a skin. And although Apple is damn good at building software, the company’s approach has grown from the idea that the business is in selling hardware. Now if (notice that I didn’t say “when”) they decide to let their hardware business dwindle away, they might be able to pull this skin onto another BSD core, and make it a Mac OS x86.

Now where do you think this move would put Microsoft?

Short-sighted stock markets

2006-04-29T23:23:00.000+03:00

Stock markets were once meant to allow the bright meet the rich. By bringing together people who had bright ideas and no or little money with people who had some money for which they couldn't think of any other use, the markets allowed enterprises to be founded and expanded.

Back then, investors invested in companies. They bought shares in anticipation of receiving a piece of the company's future profits. And they usually had at least a rough idea about the business "their" companies were in.

Nowadays, this is no longer the case. Most investors are only concerned about how their stocks are doing; they don't really care how -- and often don't even know what -- the companies they own a share of are doing. The stocks no longer represent corporations, they've started a life of their own. The means have become the ends.

In the fast-paced action of today's stock market, the sights are set short: a broker has to focus on what's going on now, leaving long-term thinking to scientists and philosophers. You don't need to stick with the company to enjoy the benefit of its ability to create value -- you sell on the day it announces a bad quarter, and buy something else that is expected to go up.

"Microsoft's stock closed at $24.15, down $3.10 a share, or 11.4 percent, after the Redmond software company indicated plans Thursday to invest more in its businesses — including a battle for the Internet with Google and Yahoo! — at the expense of higher short-term profits," writes Benjamin Romano in LA Times.

And, while juggling their money where it grows fastest, the stock players -- or at least the smarter-than-average ones -- earn much more than the companies whose shares they buy and sell.

Innovation? Who cares! The future is now!

Dear reader,

2006-04-23T01:08:00.000+03:00

welcome to my second blog. Since you have already landed on this page, you might just as well spend a few more minutes to find out what's it about -- and what not.

Why create another blog if I already had one? The reason is quite simple: I used to blog in my native language, which is unfortunately not understood by at least 97.2 percent of the world's online population. But every now and then I feel the urge to discuss issues that might be of interest to non-Estonians as well. That's why.

You might want to check back here if you're interested in information society, network economy, disruptive business models, free culture, freedom of speech, participatory democracy, green thinking, intercultural relationships, science fiction, skydiving, and maybe a few other issues.

You should never visit this page again if you can't stand politically incorrect expression of ideas.

Should some my writing spark a flame in your mind, feel free to share your point of view with me -- and the other readers: commenting is enabled. I do admire reading well-argumented statements -- even if they don't support my own point of view.

DISCLAIMER: Unless clearly stated otherwise, the views and opinions expressed in the posts herein are mine and mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or anybody else. The comments belong to their authors; I don't censor out anything except spam.

LEGAL NOTICE: Unless clearly stated otherwise, all content in this blog is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.

Peeter P. "wolli" Mõtsküla