Ubuntu is cool
So one of the things I hadn’t gotten around to yet was setting myself up to browse my windows network at work. We have a windows 2000 server with Active Directory. I needed something on the server today and wasn’t pressed for time so instead of going to another computer or rebooting into Win, I decided to take the opportunity to see if I could get it done in Linux.
I started out by looking for instructions on installing Samba on Ubuntu. I was familar enough with previous linux experiences to know that Samba was what I needed. But the search didn’t really turn up any detailed instructions. I looked for a while, but then noticed in Nautilus it has “Network” right there. I clicked it, and low and behold, my windows network was right there. Double click, it asks for my domain password, and bingo, I’m looking at every computer on the network. Not only do I see computers, but I see printers, and even external USB devices that contain the files to which we digitally record focus groups. Voila!
I literally did not have to do ANYTHING. My linux distro handled it seamlessly. A windows computer would have needed to be configured to connect to our domain. Pretty cool stuff.
A note to interface designers
When designing an OS, or, for that matter, any kind of interface between human beings and machines, remember what an interface IS. It’s a tool. It’s not your friend, companion, advisor or inquisitor. It’s not an extension of yourself. It’s not a manifestation of your inner zen. It’s a tool.
The first tools were knives; rocks chipped into blades. Knives are the epitome of what tools should be – you pick them up, use them and put them down. You interact with your task, not with your tool.
That’s exactly how an interface should work.
Thank you,
Ziege – was just forced to use Windows Vista for a while
You know what Linux needs?
Switching has not been very hard for me at all, but still, on occasion, I still find myself needing to boot into Windows to accomplish something. For the most part, it is for Microsoft Access. My company uses some custom tools that I created in Microsoft Access and they are (not to blow my own horn) so useful that we literally can’t do business without them. Word and Excel work fine with WINE, but Access not so much. I’m in the process of recreating the entire application in PHP/MySQL so that it can be used remotely and platform-independantly, but that’s a long process.
The problem is that, as for all computer users, seconds feel like hours and rebooting just to do that is a pain – so I find myself booting to Windows and staying there. I’d be willing to forego a Linux solution if moving from one OS to the other during work was faster. So get to work on that, geeks, mmmk?
Goinglinux Podcast
If you’re switching, like me, I highly recommend the Going Linux podcast. I like it a lot for the following reasons:
-They cover topics at a beginner level without sticking merely to beginner topics. So often, I found myself needing very basic advice, like how to install a package, and getting only granny-instructions. “Ok, just click the start button, click Terminal, and type “sudo apt-get install — apache2″ Well, that’s great, but it doesn’t help me learn. What does ‘sudo’ mean and what does it do? What are the dashes for? What is going on when I type this command? Linux geeks seem to have a tendency to explain things either for granny or for other Linux geeks, with no in-between. These guys are perfect for power users who know what terms like packets, IP, file system and command switches are, but who are unfamiliar with the way Linux handles them.
-The guys are jovial and likeable. Think the Car Talk guys, but for computers.
-They keep the Microsoft bashing down to a minimum. There’s plenty of valid criticisms to make of Microsoft. There’s also plenty of valid ones to make of Linux and MacOS. That’s not to say that I think all three are somehow equally good or bad, but I do prefer my geekery to be free of ideology and dogma. Linux users that refuse to acknowledge that WinXP is a stable operating system make me feel like their goal isn’t to inform me, it’s to push their agenda, and it’s a big turnoff for me.
I recently took a long solo drive from Detroit to Denver, and I loaded a few of their casts on to my mp3 player. I liked each episode, but for the technical parts, it’s better to be in front of a linux box so you an follow along.
Anyway, I recommend their show.
Random Thought on Open Source
Was just talking about Microsoft Office 2007 with business partner. Like most, he hates the ribbon. I did too at first. Gradually, I learned to like it. I still think it’s screen-hogging size is a problem, but overall I think Microsoft did a good job making it usable and organized. The true problem with the ribbon is that it takes away your option of using the old interface that you learned. It’s biggest flaw is that you can’t turn it off; it is forced on you.
If Office was open source, there would already be addons that let you turn it off, use a classic menu bar, and make the buttons smaller to save screen real estate.
The meme is that the for-profit model ensures that where there is demand, demand is met. But that’s not what we see here. Instead, we see profits interfereing with choice in the market. Just thought it was an interesting point worth making.
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