XKCD

Alright, today's post isn't going to be some grand piece of technological insight. Instead, I offer a link to what I consider to be the cleverest thing said this year.

http://xkcd.com/548/

That's all, but it made me genuinely laugh, chuckle and chortle.

Palm Pre, iPhone, Android. Oh My! (smart phone extravaganza)

Today, we discuss the up-and-coming smartphone technologies, and how they compare to the established giants.

For many years the smartphone market has been dominated by two players, Blackberry and Windows Mobile.

Though Blackberry has enjoyed much success, Blackberry's newest offering, the Storm, has been widely panned by critics and users alike as being a rather ill-conceived mess. The same has been said about nearly all Windows mobile phones.

And so people were left with two options, neither of which offered much freedom.

Then, in a flurry of activity, several things happened at once:

• The iPhone was launched. It is a sleek, hip, net-enabled smartphone. On the surface, it appears to be everything anyone could ever want. But, it is tied to a proprietary app store, and requires iTunes to work. (And that leaves us linux dorks out on our butts.)
  
• Google announced Android. Android isn't a phone, but rather an operating system for phones, a free, Linux-based replacement for Windows Mobile. The only phone with Android on the market today is the G1 from T-Mobile. But oh, what a phone it is.
  
• Palm, rising from the ashes of five years with only one new product, announces the Palm Pre, boasting a new and improved Web OS. And, though Web OS isn't compatible with older Palm apps, it looks promising.
  

Of the three, the iPhone is by far the most popular. Although, as Android is introduced to more phones, it will probably overtake the iPhone in terms of popularity.

The rogue agent in all of this is, of course, the Palm Pre. Until it hits the market, no one can be sure what kind of an effect it will have on things. Although the folks over at Engadget seem to be quite smitten with it.

Here is a rough comparison of the capabilities of each Phone.

The T-Mobile G1

Image by Michael Oryl

The Apple iPhone

Image by Adrian Ilie

The Palm Pre

Image by Dave Malkoff

Hardware:

Size:

The phones are all roughly the same size. The G1 is the largest of the three, being slightly longer and thicker than the iPhone. (The extra thickness is to accommodate a physical keyboard, something severely lacking on the iPhone.) The Pre is slightly smaller than the iPhone when closed, but slightly larger when opened (to reveal the keyboard).


Multi- touch:

G1 Android
Technically the G1 is Multi-Touch capable, and some apps even support it out of the box. However, fearing lawsuits from Apple, the G1 does not support Multi-Touch yet.

iPhone
The iPhone is the standard by which all other Multi-Touch devices are measured. It can track up to three fingers at a time, and has intuitive gestures for many common tasks (zoom in/out, etc.)

Palm Pre
The Palm Pre supports Multi-Touch. The screen and the area under the screen, all the way to the edge of the phone, are touch sensitive. Though the Pre cannot mimic the iPhone's gestures, it does a fair job of coming up with its own.

Input:

The iPhone loses out here, in my book, as it is the only phone listed without a dedicated keyboard.

The Pre would have to come in the middle. It does have a dedicated keyboard, but it is rather small, and there is no option for a software keyboard.

The G1 is a clear winner on input. Not only does it have an excellent hardware keyboard, but there are also several options for software keyboards.

Software:

Interface

Each of the three new smartphones have a gorgeous interface. The most fluid seems to be that of the Pre. Palm has always had a smart clean interface, and though Palm OS 5 (as is on their current smartphone) seems rather dated compared to the iPhone or Android, WebOS (as we will find on the Pre) shines. Sadly, until the Pre enters into production, we won't know how the pretty user interface performs.

The iPhone is, at the moment at least, the final word on sleek user interfaces. All applications are tightly integrated with the phone and everything has a uniformed look. But the Pre is poised to knock the iPhone off its high horse.

The user interface is one area where the G1 falls short. Its interface is good, better than that of the Blackberry or Windows Mobile, but it is not great.

Applications:

Applications are another area where the G1 and the Pre are poised to outshine the iPhone.
Yes, the iPhone has a lot of applications. Yes, many iPhone applications are free, and most are cheap. But, and this is a big one, Apple must approve every app that goes into the app store. That means Random J. Developer can spend months working on his new iPhone app, only for Apple to tell him that it just isn't good enough for the iPhone.

Even large companies aren't free from this barrier, Apple refuses to work with adobe to bring flash to the iPhone. Probably for fear of loosing money on apps. (Flash is easier to write for, and will be available for the Pre and Android, meaning cross platform apps.)

The iPhone is a very closed system.

The G1 is on the other extreme. It is Linux-based, and most of its applications are written in Java. Nearly every programmer can write in Java and you can download applications for the G1 from anywhere. There is an app store, but for the next few months all apps in it are free, and most are planning to stay that way.

This does pose some security questions, which Google, T-Mobile, and the Android development team are working to correct.

The Pre strikes a happy medium here. Palm has stated that all applications will be written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making the number of potential developers HUGE. Palm will have an app store, and will require applications to be submitted for approval, but will only refuse applications for security reasons.

One of the greatest features of the Pre (though we have yet to see how it works in practice) is building your address book based on your various accounts (AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Gmail, Facebook, Myspace, etc.)

Operating System:

Oddly enough, the OS on all the phones have similar roots. The iPhone's operating system is based on OS X, which in turn is based on Berkly Software Distributions (BSD, which is based on the original UNIX, but that is a post for another time).

The G1 and Pre are based on Linux, which, along with BSD and Solaris, is a free Unix-like operating system.

Unix is, by nature, a multi-tasking operating system. Sadly, the iPhone can only run one application at a time, the G1 does a little better and the Pre seems to be even a step beyond that.

Misc:

The Pre is notable for being the only phone we have discussed today that has the ability to be tethered to a laptop. Meaning that you can use your Pre's Internet connection from your laptop.

The Pre will launch first with Sprint.

The G1 is currently T-Mobile only, and the iPhone, of course, belongs to AT&T.

Though with the open nature of the Android operating system, it is likely that phones like the G1 will be available on all networks soon enough, and Palm will not likely limit themselves to one carrier.

In my mind it is a close call between the G1 and the Palm Pre, the deciding factor being that I prefer the for-factor of the G1 to the Pre. But both are solid phones, and are poised on the precipice of greatness.

Further Reading:
The following three sites have far more information about these phones and various other gadgets--the search box is your friend.
www.Gizmodo.com
http://Gadgets.boingboing.net
www.engadget.com

* Full Disclaimer, Sadly, I am not yet high enough on the journalist's food chain to merit units to review, so all of this information has been obtained from brief tests and second hand sources.*

Make Linux Work For You--Today.

It is no secret the I am a huge fan of Linux and Free (open source) software. Of all the computers I own, only one (my new best friend, the HP 200LX) does not run Linux at some capacity.

A lot of my friends and co-workers have expressed curiosity about Linux, or confusion as to why I would use it, I hope to clear up those two questions in this post.

First and foremost, I use Linux because:

• It gives me the control I want over my computer (For example, The CapsLock key on all of my computers has been remapped to control. When I work with other people's computers I end up typing "Z END UP T" a lot).
  
• I didn't have to search through online auctions (or resort to piracy) to find a version that will work on my older computers.
• There are software packages to handle everything I would like to do.
  
• I feel safe. My netbook (Asus eeePC 701), which stays on me nearly all the time, runs Debian. It boots to a command line (there is a GUI, but I tend to prefer the command line for quick work). Most people, when presented with a Linux command line, would be lost.
• Its fun!

There are two linux distributions that I commonly suggest to those that express an interest.

Puppy Linux:
A light weight LiveCD. That is, a Linux Distribution that runs from a CD and does not require a hard drive. (In fact, I use puppy on several 'Diskless' workstations.)

Ubuntu Linux:
Ubuntu is a bit heavier than puppy, though it should run on any reasonably recent system. Ubuntu is much larger than puppy, and to use it at any real capacity, you need to install it to your hard drive. You also need a working internet connection.


Installation:


PUPPY
For those with older computers or generally weaker systems I would recommend the Official puppy linux CD.

For those with a bit more Ooomph, there is wNOP:


Puppy is fairly easy to use. Download the ISO file, use an ISO burner to put the file on CD. BurnCDCC works well. Put the CD in the CD drive and reboot the computer. If all goes well, Puppy comes up. There are simple wizards to setup video, sound, and networking, and most of the time things work well.


UBUNTU
The first few steps are the same. Download an ISO, burn it to CD, put the CD in the drive and Reboot.

Then things get a bit more complicated. Ubuntu will present you with a menu from which you can choose either option one or option two. If you choose option one, you are welcome to play with the included applications, before choosing the install icon off the desktop.

From the installation menu, just follow along. Ubuntu's developer's have made what is normally a frustrating process rather simple. The most complex part of the ordeal is setting up disk partitioning. If you are planning to take the plunge and make ubuntu your only operating system, the it is easy enough to choose the option of guided, use whole disk.
If not, you need to resize your existing partitions to make room for ubuntu. Ubuntu needs ~2 GB to be usefull, plus a swap file (The same size as available RAM on your system, if you plan on using the suspend to disk feature.)

Other than that, the installation is fairly simple. If you run into a hitch, the Ubuntu forums are a fantastic place to find help on a myrid of topics. And Google is your friend. (Search for "Ubuntu *version* *Name of your computer or device*".)

Ubuntu is a much more feature-rich distribution than Puppy. It includes a fantastic package managment system (found under Applications-> Add/Remove Programs.)
There are programs to do nearly everything you would want preinstalled. If you do need something more, the package manager has programs for every need.

If there is a specific program you feel you can't live without, or you are ever looking for a substitute, OsAlt is a fantastic resource.

Even some great games: first person shooters (Nexuiz, Doom, Doom 3); Guitar Hero (well, technically Frets on Fire, but who's keeping score?); platformers (Secret Maryo Chronicles, Super Tux) are available for Linux.

All things considered, installing Linux is a relatively simple thing to do. However, especially with some of the larger distributions, it is easy to make a mistake and leave your computer nonfunctional. (Then again, it is easy to fix it using the same tools.)

If you are serious about trying Linux, go for a live CD (if not Puppy, there is knoppix, DSL, featherweight linux, and many more.) And if you decide to take the plunge, don't be afraid to ask for help, whether here, in the forums or from a friend.

Atari 2600 Review - HERO

HERO, Sometimes referred to as H.E.R.O. (standing for: "Helicopter-Equipped Rescue Operation" or "Human Extraction and Rescue Operation") is one of my all-time favorite video games, and a big part of the reason that I own an Atari.

The graphics, though they don't look like much, were far beyond anything else available at the time.

The Atari 2600 had a lot of limitations. The system is only capable and aware of two sprites (the graphics for characters) at a time, and each sprite is only one color. (The three sprites and multiple colors seen in this picture are evident of how people pushed the system beyond what it was designed to do.)

Graphics aside, the beauty of this game lies in the game play. The concept is simple enough: Man enters mine shaft to rescue miner, but that alone would not make a good game. In order to insure that the game is interesting the rescuer is equipped with various amenities:

• A backpack ( With integrated helicopter) allows him to fly (and surprisingly enough, he has to fight gravity to do it.)
  
• A Laser cannon allows him to kill bats, spiders, snakes, and other bad things that stand between himself and the miner.
  
• A healthy supply of bombs, to break through walls (though the laser cannon can do this as well, slowly.)
• A battery (shown as a power gauge at the bottom of the screen) which serves to limit the amount of laser-beam-shooting/flying you can do per level (and add to your score).

You fly around a bit, shoot at things, rescue people. The first few maps are rather generic and, to be honest, after playing through them nearly 10,000 times, boring. But they quickly give way to more interesting and confusing arrangements. (I don't think I've ever gotten passed level 6, and I still love this game.)

All in all, HERO is a great example of what a good Atari game should look like, and if you haven't played it, I suggest you do. (If you're not keen on buying an Atari, there is all ways the windows remake, it was also included on the Activation Classics disk for the PS1.)

Of course there is always emulation, yet however much I disagree with current copyright laws, I do not wish to attract legal action, so I must discourage you from emulating the game.
(Though it runs well in most emulators, including StellaDS for the Nintendo DS).

Data Transfer on an hp 200LX

I Recently acquired an HP 200LX. For those of you too lazy to click the link, The 200LX is a PDA and a PC/XT in one pocket sized case.

It was released in the early 90s, a simpler time, when people had serial ports on their computers. It came with a null modem cable with a special plug for the non standard shape of the serial port, and software to transfer files from DOS, windows 3.X and windows 95.

And for a time things were grand. Windows evolved, as it is notorious for doing, Computers grew up and lost their serial ports, and slowly the little bubble of HP's perfect transfer scheme was breached.

But then, a miracle from the heavens, HP releases Transfile200. A majestic application that works on even the latest incarnations of Redmond's beast, even over USB (or for the adventurous, bluetooth).

Of course this all assumes that you still have the original null-modem cable, or any cable that will plug into the 10 pin slot on the palmtop. I, sadly, do not.

At this point things get interesting. There are three options for file transfer assuming that you don't have the connectivity cable:

1. Buy a cable, alot of websites (maybe even HP) still sell them.
2. Build a cable
3. Get a CF card and CF to PCMCIA adaptor.

Of the three, the Compact Flash card is by far the simplest option. According the the Documentation I have been able to find, any adaptor will work, and *most* CF cards are supported (although some need a special "acecard" driver, available here.)
Sadly, the SanDisk Ultra II CF cards Do not work with the Palmtop. This is probably because they are based on a newer technology (NAND Flash, or some such nonsence.)

So, that was a waist of $30 (Card + Adaptor), but we live and learn.

Since buying a cable from HP would have been too easy, I decided to subject myself to a little torture, and to build one myself.

The short version: The serial port on the palmtop is the same as a regular DB9 port, but smaller (the extra pin is another ground), you need to wire up a null modem cable, and then connect it to your computer.

The long version:

I ripped the serial port out of an unused computer case, for whatever reason there was one in the front with a nice little ribbon cable coming out of it.

I stripped the motherboard connection off of the wires, leaving just a little gold piece that slides onto the pins of the palmtop.

I put each wire onto the appropraite pin, depending on the context. ( [1-1 2-2 ...] for a mouse or other standard serial device)

The pinout of the LX looks something like this:

IR/ Backup Battery [12345 ] Power Port
[678910 ]

To do file transfer the wires need to be aranged like this:
Pin 1 of the cable to Pins 7-8 of the palmtop
Pin 2 of the cable to Pin 3 of the palmtop
Pin 3 to pin 2
Pin 4 to pin 6
Pin 5 to pin 5
Pin 6 to pin 4
Pin 7 to pin 1
Pin 8 to pin 1
and pin 9 can remain unconnected.









For those keeping score, this is actualy cheating just a little bit, but it works, so don't complain.

File transfer is slow (9600 Baud!) but it works, just don't wiggle the palmtop while its going, or things will come grinding to a halt.

Now those of you who actually read this far may be thinking to yourselves, but what good is it all?. All in due time, all in due time.

A Brief Introduction

I am a student, learning to program. I am a dork, a geek, a nerd. Call me what you will. I tinker with computers and graphic design.

I play old video games; I read old books; I listen to old music.

I am a bit behind the times; I play text adventure games (Or Interactive Fiction, as they are sometimes called); I just got an Atari and 40 or so games.

I collect old and obscure technology, hardware and software, trying to get a feel for where we have come from. At the same time, I try to stay near the front of the pack, keeping an eye on where we are going.

In my field of vision at the moment there are:

5 computers

1. The White Dell Inspiron 1420 I am typing this on (Tri-booting Ubuntu Linux, Slackware 12 and Vista, with Apple wireless keyboard)
2. A Black Asus EEE PC 701 (First Release, with 2GB RAM and 4GB SSD, running Debian)
3. An HP 200LX (An early palmtop, circa 1994, running DOS 5.0 from ROM)
4. A generic Desktop, kludged together from second-hand parts. (256 MB RAM, running Slackware 12 and FreeDOS.)
5. An IBM Thinkpad 380 Z (64 MB RAM, no hard drive, Booting FreeDOS from a floppy. Programs run from a thumb drive by some manner of sorcery.)

There are at least 6 other computers in the house, but I don't feel like hunting them down.
4 typewriters
Black LC Smith and Corona Portable, Circa 1932.
Burgandy LC Smith and Corona Portable, Circa 1929.

Underwood Manual (1926)

Reminton Quite-riter (Mid-Fifties portable).

1 Record player,
Some late 80's model that I purloined from the junk heap, held together with duct tape and rubber bands.



~300 Records;
Some new, most old. Working to catalog them all.