Grammerjack

Android system-level development can be done on either Linux or OSX. For the past few years I've been using OSX, but recently I've switched over to using Linux. Why? Mostly for the higher performance. The full Android system build takes about 30% less time under Ubuntu 8.04 LTS than it does on OSX 10.5 on the same hardware. Not to mention that it's much cheaper to buy a generic PC workstation than the equivalent Mac Pro. I have had some early troubles: It took me a while to get used to typing the "Ctrl" key instead of the "Command" key, and the ugly Linux fonts bothered me for a few days. But since I'm mostly using the exact same programs on Linux as I was on OSX (FireFox, Eclipse, Android), after a few days everything clicked, and I think that I'm just as productive as I was before. And the faster builds and file system stuff (like grep) are wonderful. It helped a lot to install the Blubuntu theme and some nice wallpaper to get away from the awf...

A few years ago I tried Ubuntu and predicted it would become a serious challenger to Windows, in about 18 months. Well, it's about 18 months later, was I right? Not exactly. Ubuntu seems to have stood still, if not actually gone backwards. In particular, the newer releases have much worse sound and video performance on my hardware (Intel CPU/GPU Mac Minis) than earlier releases. The sound driver issue is because Linux, in its typical decentralized fashion, is trying to figure out how to provide a standard audio subsystem, and has two or three competing standards that are duking it out. Since they all suck it seems odd that people defend them so much. Just pick one already. The video driver issue is because Intel decided to take several years to rewrite their Linux video driver stack, and Ubuntu decided to ship the new broken drivers rather than continue to use the old unbroken drivers. Very very lame on both Intel and especially Ubuntu's part. And Phoronix's performance te...

I just bought a Logitech diNovo Edge Mac Edition keyboard for my Mac Mini HTPC. I bought the diNovo instead of the Apple Bluetooth keyboard because: Built-in trackpad. Built in volume control slider. Dedicated media transport controls. Nifty dock / recharger stand. It's my first Bluetooth device. So far I think Bluetooth works a lot better than IR, because you don't have to point it at an IR receiver. The diNovo does have some flaws: No key backlighting, which makes it hard to use in the dark. The mouse buttons below the trackpad are mushy and hinged at the outer edges, making them hard to press. (Happily tapping works and there is a separete left-mouse-button on the left edge of the keyboard. So for typical Mac usage you don't need to use the mushy buttons.) A skim of the Logitech support forums indicates that the function keys are not as programmable as some people wish. I don't use function keys that much so this hasn't been an issue for me yet. My TV is a 40...