Let’s face it: Windows’ file copying functionalities haven’t improved much over the years. More details can be seen on the dialog, and the progress bar is prettier, but that’s basically it. There have not been any new functions added since… uh since forever? I have proof!
Sintel: Independent Movie Made Using Open-Source Software
Remember Big Buck Bunny? The short movie that was made using Blender, an open-source modeling and rendering software? Remember how good it was? It was made using freely-available software.
The feat has been re-iterated. The Blender Foundation and its team of international artists present to us, Sintel, which you can see below (Youtube), or download here.
The plot is not extremely captivating and it’s a sad one at that, but the point of the movie was demonstrating what is capable with free software. We have independent artists producing such a high-quality movie today, without relying on big-capital Hollywood. Imagine what we’ll have in the future!
For now, enjoy Sintel and its 14-ish minutes of greatness! 🙂
Note that the movie might not be suitable to young children due to violence, blood and maybe because of the sad plot (if they manage to understand it).
Internet Filtering Being Debated in Cabinet
I have recently blogged about the possibility of Internet Filtering being introduced in Mauritius.
I guess this is being confirmed now, with the publication of this piece of news in the local newspapers. Le Mauricien, if I’m not mistaken. For now, I think it’ll only be filtering out pr0n. No word on whether it filters everything by default, or whether you need to opt-in, or if there is an opt-out clause, or whether you need to install some client. Nothing.
Let’s wait and see. I fear that, it starts with protecting children, and ends with censoring websites the government or other powerful lobbies don’t like. Even legitimate websites with good-intent.
I still stand by my view that education is still the best way to inform children about the dangers on the Internet. So they may in turn educate their friends, and children afterward. Censoring the content is just denying the truth. Or, implement local censoring. This task is left to parents. ISPs could provide filtering software whenever there is a new customer registration, and inform the parents about how to install the software (or install it as part of customer support).
What are your views, dear readers?
Electronic and Technology Expo 2010 Review
I went to Infotech 2010. It was better than previous years. There were more things to see. There were more things to buy. But overall, it still did not impress me much since there was a lack of new technology. And no, the iPad is not considered new. For Mauritius it may be. But it’s not new, as compared to some Android tablets out there. Anyway, I saw this “Electronic and Technology” expo which is to be held at Free Port, Mer Rouge. I thought, hey it has a fancy title. It has some fancy graphic-prospectus with a cool-looking robot on it. Maybe I’ll get to see new technology there. I think that expo is a first for Mauritius, a technology expo that is separate from Infotech. Not a bad idea, that. So I went to see. And well… it’s somewhat of a misnomer…
Vim: Essentials Cheatsheet
There are many Vim cheatsheets out there. Some are very elaborate, listing almost every single thing you can do in Vim. I’d go as far as calling those reference cards instead of cheat-sheets. However much I searched, I couldn’t find one which I like, which is simple enough to give me the info I want at a glance. They usually have too many things, so that I have to search for what I want, or they are not organized as I’d like.
So I created my own. And I’ll share it with you. Enjoy, and please drop me a comment if you find it useful, or got some suggestions. 🙂
This cheat-sheet should interest you after reading my Vim Beginner’s Tutorial. You can see the cheat-sheet below:
[ PNG Version ]
Review: Internet Explorer 9: The Best IE Yet
Who’d have thought I’d ever write a title like that? I, who kept telling friends and other acquaintances for some time now: “Scrap the damn Internet Explorer (IE), and get a good browser! Download Chrome or Firefox!”. That’s a line most tech people yell at others, whenever the others say: “that page looks broken”, or if their machines is being overrun by viruses or other kinds of malware. So much that, when asked what was Internet Explorer’s use, some people even replied “to download Firefox”.
The first reflex nowadays has been to fire Internet Explorer, go to Mozilla or Google and download Firefox or Chrome. Or Opera. Or Safari. Whatever. As long as it was a “better browser” than IE, which up to IE8, was awfully slow, with an ugly interface and was a total nightmare for web designers when it came to standards and CSS.
After hearing too many complaints, someone at Microsoft must have raised their arms and said “F* it! Let’s make a good browser this time!”. And they succeeded. From the minds of the folks at Microsoft came Internet Explorer 9, whose Beta version is out, and available for download here.
There has been lots of hype around the new IE, promising HTML5 support and a huge boost when it comes to respecting standards. Guess what? For once, the hype turned out to be true. I’d go as far as calling IE9, the best ever browser made by Microsoft. This is not surprising, considering that IE9 looks almost like the excellent Google Chrome, both in terms of interface and features. You can’t fail hard when you copy from the best. I guess that statements has been proven true. For once, I’ll be using Firefox to download Internet Explorer. Feels kind of strange…
So let’s see what IE9 is made of.
Continue Reading »
Vim: Beginner’s Tutorial
Vi is a text editor that is usually found under Unix, Linux and other open-source OS environments. “Vi is one of the greatest text editors ever created by the human hand“. Just for fun, go scream the quoted line to a crowd of Emacs fans and watch as all hell breaks loose! I do not vouch for your safety!
But just like Emacs, Vi too is a great text editor. Each has its advantages, and disadvantages (Vi – High learning curve, Emacs – Pinky Syndrome). But once you have mastered them, they are really powerful editors. Choose one of them great editors (whichever you like), and master it.
To help you get started with Vi, I have written this small tutorial, because most beginners are usually stopped in their tracks by their first encounter with Vi. Now, this article will deal with Vim, which is actually Vi Improved. In my opinion, it is a bit friendlier than the traditional Vi, while including all the greatness of Vi.
So let’s start, shall we?