Brandon's Blog » free software

Ubuntu 11.10 Released!

Brandon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:04:57 +0000

It is finally here! And the new features look great. Check out the video by OMG! Ubuntu that highlights some of the improvements.

I know what I will be doing with my evening!
Read OMG! Ubuntu’s post about the release.

Linux Turns 20 Years Old!

Brandon — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:38:04 +0000

This year the Linux Operating System turned 20. Here is a video with the details.

Quora asks and Asa Dotzler Answers

Brandon — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:14:12 +0000

Below is Asa’s answer to a question posted at Quora about WebM and H.264 media codecs.

Why are Opera & Mozilla/Firefox against implementing the H.264 codec in their browsers? If it’s a question of licensing H.264 or losing the HTML5 tag, you would think they’d choose to save HTML5. What am I missing?

Since the beginning of the Web, individuals and companies, commercial and non-commercial, have been able to produce and distribute content in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and text on the Web without paying licensing fees for the use of any of those amazing technologies.

Since the beginning of the Web, individuals and companies, commercial and non-commercial, have been able to create tools that helped content producers make and distribute HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and text on the Web without paying licensing fees for the use of those amazing technologies.

Since the beginning of the Web, individuals and companies, commercial and non-commercial, have been able to make clients (like Web browsers) that display HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and text on the Web without paying licensing fees for the use of those amazing technologies.

This is the critical feature of the Web that makes it different from all other media and communication tools that have come before it. This is what makes it possible for tiny little start-ups to become a Facebook or a Google or a Mozilla.

Simply put, this freedom from licensing requirements is what makes the Web great. We, the community of people who make the Web what it is, should not be so quick to toss that all important foundation aside just because some hardware or OS vendors think it’s the easy or most profitable path.

Asa’s blog post can be found here.

I am worried.

Brandon — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:06:11 +0000

I am worried about the future of the Internet. I would like to think that the Internet is an indestructible force. We the people are the power behind the Internet and our power comes from the ability to connect freely. I know the tech community understands my concerns but, what about those non-techies that do not understand how vital the open web is to democracy? I hope that they do not out number the tech community because I want us to have as loud of a voice as possible. I am also concerned that the United States Government will use Wikileaks as an excuse to establish control over the Internet. I also wonder if the politicians that have spoken out against Wikileaks fear what may be revealed about them.

Social Media

The Internet has enjoyed the benefits of Social Media like Facebook and Twitter. There are accusations that Twitter is blocking free speech. Facebook stated that they will not block the Wikileaks page for now. These examples are why if you want a presence on the web you should get your own domain and set up a website that YOU control.
I think Richard Stallman made a great point in the article “Who Does That Server Really Serve?”
I also think this comic from xkcd illustrates the point further.

Do you share my concerns?

Google Chrome OS Demo.

Brandon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:59:02 +0000

Google Chrome OS is an open source operating system for people who spend most of their time on the web built around the core tenets of speed, simplicity and security. This is a demo video to give you a feel for the Google Chrome OS user experience.

Fellow friends of Linux.

Brandon — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:50:39 +0000

Thanks to a tweet by @linuxalert I have stumbled onto a blog by a person who is a great friend to Linux. He goes by Helios on the blog. It sounds like Heal the OS to me. Ok all joking aside, He has a nonprofit organization in Central Texas which gets Linux computers in the hands of children who can’t afford the technology. I support his efforts and I wanted to spread the word about what he is doing. His blog can be found here.

Pandora Adobe Air App: Dorame

Brandon — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:01:13 +0000

I use Ubuntu Linux as my main desktop OS. I wanted to get Pandora out of the browser into it’s own little window. In the past I used the Pandora Desktop Adobe Air Application. Pandora has took the desktop application and made it only available for their Pandora One package. In my search for an alternative I found Dorame.
It is an Adobe Air Application and so far has been a very stable app. Dorame has color schemes to choose from for window border and background colors. It is basically Pandora in a small window. You have all of Pandora’s controls such as thumbs up and switching stations. When you minimize Dorame an icon shows up on your Gnome top panel. However, there are no controls when you right click on the icon. The only choices you have are to exit the application or “Active” which maximizes Dorame. I have been using this application for a month the sound is of good quality and I have left it running for hours with no crashes. If you are looking for a simple Adobe Air App for Pandora check out Dorame.