By JayR
Oh boy this has been a tough go around for me with the Cinnamon and Mate DE's, and it boils down to this, plain and simple, neither are ready for prime time yet. If I am offending any Mint Linux folks out there, oh well :_(
All I can tell ya is that both are very buggy, and that's expected considering the relative newness of each environment. I have high hopes for Cinnamon, I truly believe it will one day become a truly outstanding User Interface for the Linux OS.
The Mate DE, unfortunately I believe is loosing ground fast, perhaps in the hands of the Mint Linux team they can pull off a miracle, and eventually combine the two of them into one coherent Desk Top, as it stands right now the amount of conflicting LIB's, although rather small seem to cause very bizarre behavior once combined.
Both Mate and Cinnamon are forks of Gnome 2, and each has their own idea's of what is good, and what's not. For instance the Mint Menu extension ( exclusive to the LinuxMint distribution ) is horribly broken, slow as a snail, and completely worthless as far as editing the actual menu is concerned. For that matter Mint 17 ( the folks that are heading up the Cinnamon project ) feels extremely bloated and sluggish in comparison to just about every other DE I have tested so far, besides Gnome,Unity and the stock KDE. Believe it or not those are even worse, but at least they are not hopelessly broken, and once you figure out how to turn off all of the completely worthless Eye Candy Crap, you end up with a workable UI on all 3. Mate and Cinnamon are both broken right out of the box :_(
Bummer
JayR :_(
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
KXStudio Linux 14.04(b) : Have I Finally Found The Perfect Linux Distro ?
By JayR
I do not post here on this blog very often, mostly because I am usually busy trying to figure out all sort's of oddball Linux eccentricities. Those day's I am happy to say, may soon be coming to an end. I believe I have actually found the ultimate Audio / Video content creation operating system suite, so now it's time to get to work creating things.
KXStudio is a total mind blower ( in my opinion ) I'll admit to having an aversion to the KDE Plasma desktop, too much eye candy, and worthless garbage no one really need's, not to mention the toll on your GPU that the stock KDE desktop takes in order to run at a decent speed. KXStudio strips out all the crap and leaves you with a lean and mean working machine, it is nearly as fast as the striped down FluxBox X-screen environment, and I'll put $10.00 to a Doughnut it will keep pace with the XFCE Desktop that Ubuntu Studio uses. However that is not the total beauty of KXS, the removal of QjackCTL, and restriction of not allowing anyone to use Gdebi for installation of possible rouge applications is outstanding to say the least. This baby is rock solid, usable, flexible and simply might just make you think seriously about even bothering to boot into a MS Windows environment again.
I hope you can bear with me, as I intend to spend a lot of upcoming free time exploring KXS during the coming summer and fall months ahead.
JayR :_)
I do not post here on this blog very often, mostly because I am usually busy trying to figure out all sort's of oddball Linux eccentricities. Those day's I am happy to say, may soon be coming to an end. I believe I have actually found the ultimate Audio / Video content creation operating system suite, so now it's time to get to work creating things.
KXStudio is a total mind blower ( in my opinion ) I'll admit to having an aversion to the KDE Plasma desktop, too much eye candy, and worthless garbage no one really need's, not to mention the toll on your GPU that the stock KDE desktop takes in order to run at a decent speed. KXStudio strips out all the crap and leaves you with a lean and mean working machine, it is nearly as fast as the striped down FluxBox X-screen environment, and I'll put $10.00 to a Doughnut it will keep pace with the XFCE Desktop that Ubuntu Studio uses. However that is not the total beauty of KXS, the removal of QjackCTL, and restriction of not allowing anyone to use Gdebi for installation of possible rouge applications is outstanding to say the least. This baby is rock solid, usable, flexible and simply might just make you think seriously about even bothering to boot into a MS Windows environment again.
I hope you can bear with me, as I intend to spend a lot of upcoming free time exploring KXS during the coming summer and fall months ahead.
JayR :_)
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
My Thought's "Ubuntu Studio ~or~ KX Studio"
By JayR
These past few weeks I have been experimenting with Ubuntu Studio and KX Studio, both of which are excellent examples of how Linux can actually hold it's own as an Audio Video content creation suite, the former is based on the XFCE Desktop Environment and lightening fast on a wide range of hardware configurations, the later KX Studio uses KDE, a somewhat non-intuitive DE, however extremely flexible once you get a grip on things.
I'll sum this up briefly until I have more time available for further testing. Ubuntu Studio is a total no-extra brain power required installation and operation, you should be up and running within an hour, as a mater of fact I would feel comfortable installing this on a friends computer, wither or not they are interested in A/V content creation. KX Studio, will require some reading on your part. Myself being new to the current KDE Plasma DE, a lot of reading was required, but once I finally figured out the concept of Widgets and and Capsules ( similar to the old Next Step OS, it is a truly Object Oriented DE ) the amount of flexibility is unsurpassed in the Linux world. You can do virtually anything your heart desires.
KX Studio also ditches QJackCTL in favor of the in-house developed Cadence, and several other modules vastly superior to the aged and somewhat cantankerous QJack. No you wont have to relearn any of the old QJack trick's you have acquired of the years, just put them to use in a much more intuitive and easy to set up environment.
The KX Team has also done a major rework of the current KDE desktop, stripping it of most of the annoying and totally unnecessary eye-candy, gimmicky stuff no one really needs in order to be productive. As a mater of fact during the installation one of the final steps is to chose the KX desktop tweaks or continue with a standard KDE install, by all means choose the former, you wont see much difference ( performance wise ) between Ubuntu Studio with XFCE and KX Studio with the vastly improved ( KX Tweaked ) KDE environment. As a matter of fact I like it so much, I have decided to install it on all 3 of my workstations, and push my CinnaMateStudio project into the background as I wait for the Cinnamon DE to fully mature.
I can not say enough good things about either of these Ubuntu 14.04 based distributions. If you want fast and now total ease of use, go with Ubuntu Studio. If you don't mind doing some research, quite a bit of reading, and unlimited flexibility, then defiantly go for the gold and take KXStudio for a spin.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/
JayR :_)
These past few weeks I have been experimenting with Ubuntu Studio and KX Studio, both of which are excellent examples of how Linux can actually hold it's own as an Audio Video content creation suite, the former is based on the XFCE Desktop Environment and lightening fast on a wide range of hardware configurations, the later KX Studio uses KDE, a somewhat non-intuitive DE, however extremely flexible once you get a grip on things.
I'll sum this up briefly until I have more time available for further testing. Ubuntu Studio is a total no-extra brain power required installation and operation, you should be up and running within an hour, as a mater of fact I would feel comfortable installing this on a friends computer, wither or not they are interested in A/V content creation. KX Studio, will require some reading on your part. Myself being new to the current KDE Plasma DE, a lot of reading was required, but once I finally figured out the concept of Widgets and and Capsules ( similar to the old Next Step OS, it is a truly Object Oriented DE ) the amount of flexibility is unsurpassed in the Linux world. You can do virtually anything your heart desires.
KX Studio also ditches QJackCTL in favor of the in-house developed Cadence, and several other modules vastly superior to the aged and somewhat cantankerous QJack. No you wont have to relearn any of the old QJack trick's you have acquired of the years, just put them to use in a much more intuitive and easy to set up environment.
The KX Team has also done a major rework of the current KDE desktop, stripping it of most of the annoying and totally unnecessary eye-candy, gimmicky stuff no one really needs in order to be productive. As a mater of fact during the installation one of the final steps is to chose the KX desktop tweaks or continue with a standard KDE install, by all means choose the former, you wont see much difference ( performance wise ) between Ubuntu Studio with XFCE and KX Studio with the vastly improved ( KX Tweaked ) KDE environment. As a matter of fact I like it so much, I have decided to install it on all 3 of my workstations, and push my CinnaMateStudio project into the background as I wait for the Cinnamon DE to fully mature.
I can not say enough good things about either of these Ubuntu 14.04 based distributions. If you want fast and now total ease of use, go with Ubuntu Studio. If you don't mind doing some research, quite a bit of reading, and unlimited flexibility, then defiantly go for the gold and take KXStudio for a spin.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/
JayR :_)
Friday, May 16, 2014
Why 8-Bit Style Gaming Is Making A Comeback
By JayR
I don't know about you, but I just loved my Atari 800 and the original NES console. Some of those early 8-bit games were incredibly fun. Don't get me wrong here, I love the graphics capabilities of newer hardware, and all the very kool game-play of modern graphic game engines. But there is something to be said for the classic's.
Personally I think the reason is developing an 8-bit style game as an Indie Developer, is much easier and you have the opportunity to reach a much larger audience. There are some really great game development tools available on the Linux platform. It's time to start exploring them.
JayR :_)
I don't know about you, but I just loved my Atari 800 and the original NES console. Some of those early 8-bit games were incredibly fun. Don't get me wrong here, I love the graphics capabilities of newer hardware, and all the very kool game-play of modern graphic game engines. But there is something to be said for the classic's.
Personally I think the reason is developing an 8-bit style game as an Indie Developer, is much easier and you have the opportunity to reach a much larger audience. There are some really great game development tools available on the Linux platform. It's time to start exploring them.
JayR :_)
Thursday, May 15, 2014
UbuntuStudio 14.04 / Installing a Generic Kernel & Nvidia Graphic's / Does It Improve Graphic's Performance ?
By JayR
I have been playing around with UbuntuStudio 14.04 for about a week now, it is a very nice "Distro" I would highly recommend it to people that are new to Linux and are interested in Audio / Video / Game Creation, as a very solid starting point.
There are however some problems with the Nvidia drivers, ( ATI Radeon, I have no experience there, however it seems to be the norm now to default these cards to the Open Source alternative ) Anyway's I have been using Nvidia as long as I can remember.
So here's the deal I found, as you more than likely know using a Real Time Kernel, and a Generic or Server, and perhaps a Cloud based one produce different throughput result's depending upon what your ultimate goal is.
For Filming in a Virtual World such as SecondLife, Open Sim or Video Games more than likely you are going to prefer the Generic Kernel. However for final mixing you will require a Real Time kernel.
So here's the problem, getting the Nvidia driver kernel to to work on both boot option's is a real exercise in patience. I did manage to get it working correctly, by re-installing the Nvidia drivers ( all of them related to my hardware / minus a few I just did not need, mostly notebook related stuff ) on both kernels and multiple reboot's. And here is one thing that keeps rearing it's ugly head. The SUDO user command substituting for ROOT, don't get me wrong here, it's a double edged sword, for folk's unfamiliar with LINUX, it helps in preventing them from screwing things up too badly. I know there are some workaround's such as FAKEROOT and CALIFE, but I require actual ROOT and CHROOT privilege's, if I'm ever going to get anything accomplished.
Is it worth the amount of time required to install a Standard Kernel ? I'm going to perhaps go out on a limb here, but NO ! I can not really see much of a difference in FPS ( and that's not First Person Shooter ) performance, at least on modern hardware.
I have been playing around with UbuntuStudio 14.04 for about a week now, it is a very nice "Distro" I would highly recommend it to people that are new to Linux and are interested in Audio / Video / Game Creation, as a very solid starting point.
There are however some problems with the Nvidia drivers, ( ATI Radeon, I have no experience there, however it seems to be the norm now to default these cards to the Open Source alternative ) Anyway's I have been using Nvidia as long as I can remember.
So here's the deal I found, as you more than likely know using a Real Time Kernel, and a Generic or Server, and perhaps a Cloud based one produce different throughput result's depending upon what your ultimate goal is.
For Filming in a Virtual World such as SecondLife, Open Sim or Video Games more than likely you are going to prefer the Generic Kernel. However for final mixing you will require a Real Time kernel.
So here's the problem, getting the Nvidia driver kernel to to work on both boot option's is a real exercise in patience. I did manage to get it working correctly, by re-installing the Nvidia drivers ( all of them related to my hardware / minus a few I just did not need, mostly notebook related stuff ) on both kernels and multiple reboot's. And here is one thing that keeps rearing it's ugly head. The SUDO user command substituting for ROOT, don't get me wrong here, it's a double edged sword, for folk's unfamiliar with LINUX, it helps in preventing them from screwing things up too badly. I know there are some workaround's such as FAKEROOT and CALIFE, but I require actual ROOT and CHROOT privilege's, if I'm ever going to get anything accomplished.
Is it worth the amount of time required to install a Standard Kernel ? I'm going to perhaps go out on a limb here, but NO ! I can not really see much of a difference in FPS ( and that's not First Person Shooter ) performance, at least on modern hardware.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
UbuntuStudio 14.04 : Thumbs UP ! KXStudio Looking Great Too !
JayR
I just stared playing around with this Linux distribution.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
It's about as solid as your going to get. They are using XFCE and OpenBox for the UI, and it is extremely responsive, almost lightening fast on older hardware.
This is a really fascinating study in the ability of Linux and the gradual migration towards the open source platform in general.
I will be getting back with ya on this one, and the new KXStudio Linux is out and about, supposedly they are migrating to a pure ~or~ unsure total Debian or a mixture of Ubuntu. Either way it sounds good to me, for one reason or another I enjoy using Linux, it definitely keeps me on my toe's, so to speak :_)
JayR :_)
I just stared playing around with this Linux distribution.
http://ubuntustudio.org/
It's about as solid as your going to get. They are using XFCE and OpenBox for the UI, and it is extremely responsive, almost lightening fast on older hardware.
This is a really fascinating study in the ability of Linux and the gradual migration towards the open source platform in general.
I will be getting back with ya on this one, and the new KXStudio Linux is out and about, supposedly they are migrating to a pure ~or~ unsure total Debian or a mixture of Ubuntu. Either way it sounds good to me, for one reason or another I enjoy using Linux, it definitely keeps me on my toe's, so to speak :_)
JayR :_)
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Excuse The Mess Please : Lot's of stuff happening
By JayR
Anyone reading or following this blog may have noticed I removed several post's yesterday in order to refocus my energies on the new A / V studio here in Melvindale Michigan, and just get back to basics. I'm still a Linux nut-case, I use Window's and occasionally Mac's as well. Their all good :_)
I like Linux, and it's free, so it's a no-brain-er for me.
I intend to concentrate on the creative art aspect's of Audio and Video design, and have some fun while gaining knowledge too. This is not going to be a religious based blog, however since I will be working closely with the Faith Christian Community Church during the construction, and hopefully full time operation. Hey a little bit of Faith can't be all that bad :_)
I hope you'll check back here from time to time, I have no idea what's going to happen next. I am excited to be involved with a project from the ground floor.
John R Kostelnik
Anyone reading or following this blog may have noticed I removed several post's yesterday in order to refocus my energies on the new A / V studio here in Melvindale Michigan, and just get back to basics. I'm still a Linux nut-case, I use Window's and occasionally Mac's as well. Their all good :_)
I like Linux, and it's free, so it's a no-brain-er for me.
I intend to concentrate on the creative art aspect's of Audio and Video design, and have some fun while gaining knowledge too. This is not going to be a religious based blog, however since I will be working closely with the Faith Christian Community Church during the construction, and hopefully full time operation. Hey a little bit of Faith can't be all that bad :_)
I hope you'll check back here from time to time, I have no idea what's going to happen next. I am excited to be involved with a project from the ground floor.
John R Kostelnik
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