The Lynx is finally out !

On the 28th of April , Canonical Ltd. announced the release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS , lots of people -including myself- were anxious to try it .and let me tell you this; the Ubuntu community have kept their promise and they have delivered one fine Operating System.

For those of you who are not familiar with Linux; Ubuntu is one of the most famous Linux distributions out there, it is based on Debian, and mainly maintained by Canonical Ltd. and a large community of volunteering developers.
The main reason behind its fame is because of its strong focus on usability and ease of installation for the average user.


Ubuntu 10.04 comes with many features:

Very easy to install: The install is nothing more than a few mouse clicks and basic options
like timezone, language and name. All these are explained well on the way, and the whole process is dumb-proof.


Hardware compatibility: once Ubuntu is installed, the Operating System recognizes almost any driver automatically;webcam, network card, sound, and even Graphics. this is a very good feature because whenever you install a fresh copy you don't have to look around for drivers in order to get everything working properly.



Secure: this is probably one of the most important features of them all , The very way a Linux system is designed makes it very difficult for a
virus to function as it does in Windows. This also applies to spyware,
malware, etc. The fact that almost no viruses are written for Linux also
adds a nicer sense of warmth.Wouldn’t be nice to read the almost
endless stream of security holes in Windows and know it does not apply
to you? Wouldn't it be nice to browse a flash card without having to worry if it contains 80 viruses or not ?


Ready for use out of the box: unlike Windows, Ubuntu comes with Pre-installed software like: firefox web-browser, Open-Office suit to process a wide variety of documents, Empathy chat client that enables you to chat with friends no matter what chatting services they are using... and many other software that you wouldn't find Pre-installed on windows...

Everything you need is in one place: Ubuntu provides a software center where you can find almost any software you need on any subject; Engineering , Games , Development , Internet , Music and video players you name it ! with a single click you can download and install any software ,and guess what: you can download as much software as you want because it is all free !



Ubuntu can run on almost anything: it only requires a 1 GHz Processor , 512 MB of Memory , and 5 GB of disk space ... and even if these specifications are too much for your machine you can use Xubuntu which is built to run on machines with less capabilities; it only requires 192 MB of Memory and 1.5 GB of disk space.Unlike windows Vista for example which requires a supercomputer to run, compared to the specifications above.

Very fast :you have no idea how fast Ubuntu can be, even on a relatively old machine, once you try it you will notice how fast the boot process can be.

Ubuntu is free: Do you know that when you buy a computer, a good portion of the money you pay goes to Microsoft in the form of license fees ? However this is not the way with Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular,because as part of the Ubuntu promise; Ubuntu will always be free of charge , you don't have to pay anything for software and software updates.

Fast development: Ubuntu is being developed at a very fast rate , this is because more people want to contribute and help Ubuntu in becoming more than just an operating system (they like to think of it as a life style).

Large support community: Ubuntu has one of the largest support communities on the web, mainly consisting of discussion forums, and blogs with lots and lots of tutorials . so whenever you come across a certain problem all you need to do is check the Ubuntu forums, there are people who are willing to help you and set your feet on the right track.


In my following post I will be explaining the process of installing Ubuntu , and getting it ready for use.

It is Summer time

Hey guys ...
After a tense round of final exams ... WE ARE DONE (at least for now) !
We now have some free time to blog.

stay tuned ;)

Rock Your Firefox Browser

In a previous post my friend Elias showed you some of the cool extensions for your Google Chrome. But today it’s all about Firefox.

Being a Firefox user for 3 years now, I honestly think that it offers the best internet experience you can get. I’ve never thought of switching  to the old Microsoft internet explorer,  or any other internet browser.

I like Firefox for three main reasons:

• Firefox is an  open source project which is developed by a large community of volunteering programmers from around the world, who simply believe that  internet browsing should be a good experience and available for everybody.
• There are LOTs and LOTs of cool extensions that you can easily add to your browser by a single click.
• Firefox has an outstanding support community on the web, so you’re never out there alone.

OK! enough talking now and lets cut to the chase and make your Firefox browser literally ROCK!

In order to use these extensions, you need to have Firefox running on your machine (DUH!) , you can download and install the latest version of Firefox from here.

ColorfulTabs: if you are tired of the way your tabs look , you can use ColorfulTabs; a cool add-on which allows you to color your tabs the way you like!

Foxtab: This is one cool extension that I really like ; It gives a whole new meaning to web browsing, trust me once you try this extension,  you will kiss tab browsing good-bye . ”just press both right and left mouse button at the same time to activate”

YouTube Video Downloader: I don’t have an internet connection at my place , and I really like to watch YouTube videos often, this add-on allows you to save any YouTube video in many formats allowing you to enjoy watching your videos without worrying about exceeding your internet download limit  :)   

Adblock Plus: Annoyed by adverts, banners and windows popping from nowhere ? then this is the right add-on for you, just install it and regain control of the internet and change the way that you view the web.

Firefox themes : There are lots of themes that you can use to personalize your browser the way you like, whether it is animal, geeky, or even simple themes, I am sure you will find something that will suit you !

Firefox’s philosophy is all about freedom and giving the user an ability to make a choice instead of sticking with a certain one. This is why I think Firefox is one of the best web browsers … you should give it a try !

Technorati Tags: firefox,ie,internet,browser,extensions

Best Extensions for your Google Chrome

We at BZU techies believe that the internet is our second home, not school, not university, and especially not work! (this doesn’t mean you should be lazy :D) So we believe that you should feel at home while surfing the internet…And what other tool do we have to do this except our favorite internet browser!

Now for me, Google Chrome is my one and only browser of choice! Google’s philosophy behind it is that browsing should be fast, intuitive and the browser’s interface shouldn’t keep from the good stuff (The internet content), and I couldn’t agree more…

To make browsing even better, Chrome supports extensions, which are tiny programs that add more functionality to Chrome. And while there are hundreds of them, I found some that you should definitely check out!

• IE Tab : Some websites can only be displayed using IE, so if you don’t have internet explorer or you hate it too much to use it, this extension lets you render websites in Chrome as if you are opening them in IE.
  
• Coorliris : If you spend a lot of time on websites such as YouTube, Flickr, Google image search, or you just like to view albums of your friends on Facebook with style, then this extension is for you. It transforms your Chrome into a 3D wall, so you can browse hundreds of pictures and videos effortlessly and have fun while at it.
  
• Speed Dial : If you open a group of websites frequently and your bookmarks bar isn’t big enough to squeeze them all, this extension replaces Chrome’s new tab with your predefined visual bookmarks, so that your favorite websites are always two clicks away.
• Lazarus: Form Recovery : Have you been in one of those situations when you’re working on a big form submission on the internet, and oops, you’re cut off, or an error occurred while you’re doing it, and the website asks you to rewrite everything! This extension saves you the trouble, it stores all your form entries so you can fill them again any time you want.
• Google Dictionary : With this extension, the definition of any word on the web is at the tips of your hands, just highlight the word in question and double click on it, and voila! the definition pop ups. English, French, German and Italian are among the supported languages.
• Feedly : RSS feeds are a way to be notified and receive updates about your favorite websites without the need to constantly check them. But if you have a large RSS feeds database, this becomes rather cumbersome, and tiring. So to keep things smooth, this extension lets you view your feeds in a stylish magazine like webpage with pictures and some sharing options.
• AdBlock : Basically, this extension is an anti-ads weapon, it removes ads from websites, it even removes ads that are embedded in YouTube videos! Install this extension and say goodbye to ads.

Your favorite extension isn’t listed here? Why don’t you share it with us in the comments section, we would love to see how you surf the internet…

Google Chrome isn’t good enough for you? Are you a Mozilla Firefox user? then stay tuned for Issa’s favorite extensions for the Firefox…

Technorati Tags: Google Chrome,Chrome,IE,extensions

A Good Python IDE

    In my last post (well… it was my first), I talked about Python programming language and how good and powerful it is … in this post I am going to talk about something very important, which is choosing a good IDE (Integrated Development Environment ).

    Some people argue that going simple is always the best way, like using a simple text editor would do the job , these people may have a point but trust me ; going this way can be very VERY messy !

    I have tested some  IDEs that claim to be the best when It comes to Python support , but I liked one in particular and it was (believe it or not) Netbeans IDE.

Netbeans is a well-known Java IDE, but I was surprised to find a cool plug-in that would allow it to extend its reach to Python.

The main reason i liked it, is its features that will make programming in Python even an easier job:

•  Code completion: This is the first thing I look for in any IDE that I come across; imagine using a certain class with many methods inside , don’t you just love it when that small menu drops down showing all the methods and data members inside, Instead of having to check the methods list of that class every time you have to call a certain one? This is the main reason I chose Netbeans over the other IDEs that didn’t have this feature.
     
• Smart indent, and pair matching: this is an important feature also, because Python uses indentation to separate code blocks from each other . if you use a simple text editor , there is a great chance that you will have an indent error , but this feature takes care of indentation for you, making it bullet proof.

• Code folding: when developing at a large scale it is very important to easily navigate between multiple fragments of your code, trust me this is a nasty experience if you have to scroll down 700+ lines of code in order to get to a certain code block that you need to work on.
     
•  Instant Rename: now Imagine that you had to change some function’s name ,however this function was called like 50 times in you project , this feature saves you time as it allows you to change the name of the function and all its calls simultaneously without having to go through your code and change them one by one !
     

Now for those of you who want to jump start coding…here’s what you need:

    You can either download Python EA as a standalone IDE , or  as a plug-in from the plug-in manager -if you have Netbeans 6.5 –or above preinstalled on your machine-

check the Netbeans website to get the latest version and install it!

Happy Coding !

Technorati Tags: python,netbeans,ide

CTIA 2010 Wrap-Up

Yesterday was the last day for the CTIA WIRELESS 2010® in Las Vegas, the president of the CTIA took the stage at the start of the day, he first reviewed previous days keynote stage speakers, he then went to discuss with Avatar’s director James Cameron and Twitter Co-founder Biz Stone, how mobile technology is transforming business, media, entertainment and the economy. The discussion was very interesting, make sure to check out the summary.

Now before we say goodbye to the CTIA 2010, I leave you with the two things that stood out in the show this year.

1. The HTC EVO 4G, the true iPhone killer at last has come. Where do i start when talking about this thing…maybe I'd start by saying it has 4G support, yes you read it right; it’s the first mobile to be equipped with this super fast data connection, and it’s going to be provided by Sprint’s WiMAX network. The 4G support will mean that you can share and stream live videos from your mobile on the go, and enjoy high download rates. Other features are also super augmented, like the 4.3 inches TFT touch screen, the 1 GHZ Snapdragon processor, the 512MB of RAM, and the 8 megapixel camera. The operating system on the phone is the Android which is enhanced by HTC’s own intuitive UI called Sense. The Phone will be available in the summer, for the sprint network only.
   
2. Well, if you read the first point, you’ll probably figure out the second thing that stood out this year, it is the 4G connection. I am not going to bore you with the technicalities, but here’s what you need to know:

• Most of today’s 3G networks offer up to 14 Mbps in download and 5.8 in upload, although in mobile and real life this is reduced.
• 4G is the fourth generation of cellular network standards and the successor of today’s 3G
• 4G means higher bandwidth:uploading and downloading. This means you can download big files wirelessly and upload live videos from a camera on the go. proposed data speeds can reach over 100 Mbps (and i am being conservative)
• 4G is still a work in progress, with very few network providers implementing it in select places only.
• There are currently two technologies that back the 4G transmission, the 802.16m, a.k.a WiMax, and the LTE Advanced.

One thing that bothers me about today's post is that we are still lagging in the 3G support here in Palestine. I have a 3G mobile phone that I only use for 2G communication, what’s the point? It’s really frustrating that the occupation has gone as far as to limit wireless frequencies and freedom!

Technorati Tags: CTIA,Mobile,HTC,4G

Tired Of Your Old Mobile?

Are you one of us who are simply tired of our old rusty mobile, all the other people have touch screen/full qwerty phones? Well, i think we just might be lucky, because in 4-5 months all their phones will be obsolete. Yeah that’s right, because the Samsung Galaxy S Android is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2010!

In its exhibition at the “International CTIA WIRELESS 2010® conference” Samsung has announced it new Flagship Android base mobile. It boasts a jaw dropping array of features:

• 4 inch super AMOLED capacitive display ( super AMOLED means that it’s the thinnest & most crisp display available at the market today, while capacitive means it responds to the slightest touch of fingers).
• 5 megapixel camera with HD video capture.
• Anroid 2.1 operating system (The newest version).
• A whopping 1 GHZ Processor (For making your life faster).
• Uses Smart Life interface from Samsung (The first phone to ever do so).
• Native GPS & 3D maps (so you never get lost)
• Other ( rather standard ) features are : Wi-Fi & 3G connectivity, tilt sensors, streamlined connectivity to social sites (like Facebook & Twitter) and much more

Well, if these features haven’t got you’re mouth to water, then i simply don’t know what will...

Now here’s the obvious down side; while the price isn’t announced yet, I predict that you’re going to have to dig deep in your pocket to own this beauty…

View Full Album

Stay Tuned for more news from the International CTIA WIRELESS 2010® conference.

Technorati Tags: samsung,galaxy + s,CTIA,wireless,mobile

Python Programming Language

Ever since I learned programming in the 8th grade (that is if visual basic counts as coding) I have built the impression that real programming had to be complex and hard, because a computer is stupid and it has to be fed with every bit of information needed to operate properly. But since I started working in Python this idea was completely changed.

The first time Python caught my eye was on one of the Ubuntu forums when I was looking for a way to get java working properly on my Linux machine. I noticed some guys talking about python and how good it is, I started searching ,and minutes later (I know this may sound geeky) I got hooked.

And this is why:

• Python concentrates on the productivity of the programmer, unlike other programming languages which tend to hold the programmer back sometimes. For example a certain algorithm that took multiple classes in java , can be performed in a little number of lines of python .
• Python is object oriented and this is something I was familiar with from programming in java
• Python runs on almost every machine out there; whether it is a mobile or a computer or even a robot, and whether it runs Linux, Windows, or Mac.
• Python is Free. Yupi!
• Python has a very large support community on the net, and this really surprised me. There are lots and lots of tutorials and forums where you can find solutions to any problem you come across.
• Python is shipped with most of the Linux Distros ; Like Ubuntu, Fedora and many others.
• You can link python programs to other libraries and even other pieces of code from another programming language like java, C and C++.
• You can find lots of python libraries that perform various tasks like: Science, Engineering, graphics, communication and gaming, most of which are free…

It is really easy to get started with Python especially if you have a programming background, but it is absolutely ok if you don’t have any experience at all! The first thing you need to is download the Python interpreter, you can do this here , and the package you download is about 15 Mb and includes:

• The python interpreter ;the most important of them all.
• Library documentation for Python's standard library.
• A very good tutorial to get you started from the ground up.

Happy coding…

Our First Ever Post

Hey future readers of our blog,

Welcome to our blog, this is our very first post so be nice… Now it’s only normal that we introduce ourselves, we’re two guys who are crazy about technology to the point of *coughs* obsession. We’re both 2nd year computer engineering students @ Birzeit University, Palestine. The idea of the blog came to us separately and when we told each other our ideas, BOOM there it was in about 2 hours, this very page you're reading was created…

Now about our blog…We’re thinking of making this blog our stage to share our thoughts on the latest technology issues, hardware, software and trends, in addition to that we’re gonna put up some useful/interesting sections, like the latest tech news and useful resources/links like programming tutorials, websites among other things…

Anyways, since a blog isn’t a blog if no-one reads it, we are asking you for your support and comments, comments, comments… tell us what you think, what you want us to write about, tell us anything that’s on your mind…

Thanks for reading and we hope we didn’t bore you with the lengthy introduction.