Terminally Incoherent

I love Vi and Eclipse for very different reasons. Eclipse is a kick-ass Java IDE, and vim is possibly the best text editor out there. I wish I could combine both applications into one - giving me both the convenience of an IDE and the raw editing power of vi. Komodo Edit which I reviewed recently comes very close to what I want. It essentially aims to emulate vi behavior inside it’s own editor. This has both advantages and disadvantages.

Main advantage is that you can still use the IDE’s advanced features such as tool-tips, auto complete, code folding, bookmarks and etc. Downside is that few more obscure and advanced vi features simply won’t work. I’m perfectly fine with that compromise, and working in Komodo Edit has made me more productive than ever.

I would love to have the same functionality in Eclipse so that I can totally kick ass when I code Java as well! Unfortunately, I have yet to find a solution that could even remotely compare with what Komodo did to my PHP coding environment.

There is a plugin out there which does exactly what I want - it’s called viPlugin. It integrates with Eclipse and seamlessly emulates VI editing patters exactly like Komodo does. Unfortunately it’s not free. The pleasure of using this plugin will cost you $20. The author offers a free trial version, which is essentially unusable - it pops up a modal, focus stealing dialog that nags you to buy a full version every 3 minutes or so.

Let me recap this for you: this is a plugin, which adds a non-essential set of features to a completely free IDE. Who in their right mind would pay $20 for a plugin to a free product? I certainly don’t need these key bindings that badly! If the price was less steep and the nag-dialog was less annoying I would seriously consider spending few bucks on it. Hell, I’d even consider donating few bucks to this guy if I would find myself using the plugin extensively.

But that dialog is just rude, and inconsiderate. It’s like the author is so afraid that someone might actually use his app without paying he will go to great lengths to make trail version unusable, and downright annoying. I hate this way of thinking - it makes you look like a greedy asshole who doesn’t give a shit about end user experience.

In clear conscience I can’t support this sort of behavior. So viPlugin lost me as a customer. Too bad, because this was really what I was looking for.

No one else seems to be working on this sort of project. There are several Vim/Eclipse mashups out there, but none of them seems to actually provide Komodo like experience.

For example Vimplugin is an Open Source project that actually lets you use a full blown vim instance inside the IDE. They accomplish this by using the JTA terminal emulator. You provide your own command line version of vim, and it will get loaded as a tab in Eclipse interface.

Upside of this is that you get a full blown version of vim, configured the way you like it. Downside is that you loose most of the cool Eclipse features such as folding, tooltips, auto complete and etc… I tried the plugin and it works fiine. It’s just not what I was looking for. I might as well launch vi by itself in a separate window for the same effect.

Eclim project does something completely opposite from Komodo. Instead of trying to bring Vim key-bindings into an advanced IDE, it tries to bring the IDE features into Vim. I haven’t tested it, but it looks intriguing. You get code completion, inline error checking and all that good stuff directly in your Vim window. I’m not sure if all the Eclipse features can work this way. For example, I can’t imagine how would they implement the built in Eclipse debugger this way.

I also found a project dubbed Viclipse on sourceforge. It seems to be very similar to the viPlugin in scope, but it is in a very early development stage. It also seems abandoned - no one has checked any code into the CVS in a year.

I guess I’ll have to code without vi key-bindings in Eclipse. Unless of course you can point me to a better solution than the ones I listed here.

Guy calls me today, and you can hear from his voice he is on the verge of tears. He is literally about to have a nervous breakdown - his computer just stopped working. Nothing works! He can’t do anything. Everything is messed up. He is going to miss the deadline and loose his job. Yeah, like he is the first guy who missed a deadline around here - I actually built an app that automatically emails these people 3 days past due date and nags them for their shit. Anyway, sky is falling, people are dying and it is über emergency.

Turns out he tried to “import” a Word document into a spreadsheet and somehow managed to associate all .doc files with Excel. It took me about 25 minutes to extract this information from him, and about 30 seconds to show him how to fix it. Sigh…

Another dude has a wireless 10-key for his laptop. It stopped working - the USB dongle lights up but the key presses do not register. The thing takes AA or AAA batteries - so most probably it’s just out of juice. I told the guy to just flip it over, open it and replace the batteries. He was trying to open it for 10 minutes and couldn’t figure it out. Sigh… I’m sending him a wired 10-key so that he won’t have to worry about changing batteries anymore. I don’t know the exact model he had but I’m pretty sure it’s not rocket science. And I don’t think he just wanted a new one - if he just said his 10-key is old, uncomfortable, or cuts out I’d replace it with no questions asked. No need for the whole “I can’t figure out this battery thing” song and dance. I truly believe that the guy is just that clueless.

How do these people survive in this world? How do they manage to hold on to their well paid, white collar, desk jobs? Not everyone has to be a computer whiz, but Jesus Christ people! How about just learning some basic stuff so that you don’t have a heart attack every time your computer or electronic device does something unexpected?

Sigh, you just can’t make this shit up.

So full of win:

click to embiggen - © Rebecca Gunter

I have no clue who made this. It’s signed RIG or RLG or something like that. If anyone knows the sauce let me know so I can give proper credit to whoever made it. I originally found it here.

Finally found the author. Her name is Rebecca Gunter, and she officially wins the internet.

I hate that fucking commercial.

It seems that Keanu Reeves might be playing John Osterman, aka Dr. Manhattan in the upcoming movie based on the cult graphic novel The Watchmen. Somehow, I really don’t see it:

Personally, I think that playing a super-intelligent, all powerful being is a bit out of Keanu’s league. He pretty much has three modes of operation: a surprised surfer dude mode, a stoned surfer dude mode and pissed off, drunk surfer dude mode. This might have worked ok for The Matrix but since it was original work, we just have to buy into the fact that Bill of the Bill and Ted fame is humankind’s virtual messiah.

Constantine was not all that bad either, but then again I never read the comic so I can’t tell you if he really accurately portrayed the original. But John Osterman - the living god? Seems a bit of a stretch.

Then again, if you read the comic you will probably notice that Dr. Manhattan mostly just blankly stares into empty spaces - which is something Keanu can do really well. Hell, it’s one of the few acting techniques he actually excells at. Can there be a method to this madness then?

Something tells me that I need a “shit that no one except for me cares about” category around here. But that won’t fit in the sidebar, so instead I’m filing it under Gigi Edgley. I could also file it under “unhealthy obsessions” but fuck it.

In August 2006 I mentioned a Sci-Fi flick titled Alien vs. Alien. It is a low budget, shitty monster movie it seems but Gigi is playing a lead role in it so I’m dying to see it. Since August they actually appeared on IMDB.

I was also able to locate a picture from the set:

click to enlarge

IMDB does not list a release date or any useful info. Neither does the blurb on the publisher/distributor website. So it seems that the movie, while completed is still in some sort of post-production limbo.

Nu Image - the production company that made this move seems to specialize in churning out cheesy movies by the dozen - just read the titles they are responsible for. But then again some of their cheese is bound to make big bucks at the box office - they seem to be producing Rambo IV. This means they do have money, and they are capable of producing big budget movies. I don’t think Alien vs. Alien is one of them of course, but perhaps the quality won’t be as crappy as I suspected initially.

The movie looks like a straight-to-DVD, or made-for-TV release. But then again you never know. It would be awesome to see Gigi on the big screen.

Few days ago I got dugg for the second time in my life. Last time this happened it was smooth sailing. This time around, diggers literally buried my server. I’m guessing part of it was the fact my post included several sizable images.

As many other people measured before, Digg effect is as earth-shattering as it is fleeting. I got dugg on the 21st-22nd, and by today the digg traffic all but dissipated. You can see a sharp spike in traffic on the day my post hit the front page - but the next day it falls down significantly. Interestingly enough there is some residual inbound traffic few days after the digg:

I’m suspecting that this is caused by all the trackbacks and links from other blogs. Funny thing but when you are dugg, people start linking to you more - it’s like a chain reaction. Here is a more detailed breakdown of my traffic:

My website seems to be an anomaly compared to the rest of the internet, because most of my visitors use Firefox and it’s forks:

Then again the post that got dugg was about Linux applications so perhaps that really skewed the average here. I’m proud to attract the right kind of readership though.

Surprisingly enough, the Digg effect did not translate into huge adsense earnings. If you think I made some serious cash on 22nd you are mistaken. My total adsense revenue from that day was $6.96. This basically what I usually make over 3-4 days with my regular traffic, so in proportion it is actually a pretty good result. But it just doesn’t seem all that much considering that the traffic killed my server.

Why? I see two reasons:

First, it was the topic matter. I’m guessing that command line linux applications do not bring up many high paying adsense keywords. In fact there are few people selling anything relevant to that particular niche, so my ads were not directly targeted at my audience.

Second, as you can see most visitors user Firefox. Most Firefox users, use Adblock. Thus it is very likely that a high percentage of my visitors never even saw my ads. This is the price you pay for writing stuff that will be read mostly by savvy linux users.

One more side note: digg effect does not help you to grow subscriber base. It is mostly a hit and run thing. Check out my RSS feed stats:

The 22′nd is the first Tuesday counting from the Right. As you can see the subscriber numbers are astonishingly stable. In fact my subscriber base was higher at the end of April, than directly after getting dugg. It seems that most digg users just won’t subscribe to your feed.

I saw 28 Days Later a long time ago, on TV, while doing something different and not really paying attention. At this point if you asked me about this movie I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything. So I’m reviewing 28 Weeks Later on pure merit - since I can hardly recall anything about the first part.

Formal review aside, let me complain about the plot now. Spoilers below!

The whole explanation for the second outbreak in the movie was totally lame. How lame was it? Let me count the ways:

1. Two kids sneak out of the tightly controlled “Green Zone” by jumping the railing on the bridge and walking on the outside past heavily armed guards
2. The area in the walking distance around the “Green Zone” is still full of bodies. You’d think they would sweep it clean by now, but no…
3. A sniper positioned on a roof sees the kids sneaking out, and reports it. When he does this, the kids are just beyond the bridge. All that needs to happen now, is for one of the bridge guards to open the gate and bring them in. They let them go instead. WTF?
4. Instead of immediately capturing the kids, they let them loot a pizza place, steal a delivery bike and drive all the way to their old house where they find their mother still alive
5. Finally the army wakes up and sends a helicopter and a heavily armed team after the kids which conveniently arrives at the house when the kids figure out that mom is kinda-sorta infected
6. They take mommie to the base, run some tests and find out she is a carrier - she has the Rage virus in her, and can infect others, but she does not exhibit any symptoms except for the bloody eye thing.
7. The kid’s father is some sort of mega super/janitor who conveniently has a master key to everything - including the high security quarantine room where they hold his wife
8. So he goes to see her, and gets infected

I have no clue why the dude had a key to that room, but I’m pretty sure he shouldn’t have it. I mean, come on!

And why the hell did they send a decked out commando squad in full gear with an air support to get the kids? As far as the army was concerned the last infected died months ago. All they needed was one or two dudes in a Humvee. Go figure.

They are here! The coveted Dell Linux Systems are now on sale, shipping preinstalled with Ubuntu! This is so awesome, I feel obliged to bring the Dell Dude out of retirement.

Dell Dude! Show us how awesome is the Dell Ubuntu line:

Dude! You’re getting a Dell!

Jeff Artwood is right - it is the beginning of the end of the Windows Tax. Whether you like Linux or hate it, it is a good thing. For the first time in a very long time we have a major hardware vendor offer it’s customers a working, fully functional non-windows alternative. The FreeDos machines they sold before were just a half assed attempt. This is the first time the non-windows machines actually work right out of the box.

Let’s hope other vendors will follow suit, and start releasing Linux and BSD based package deals to give customers some more choice. Hopefully Windows Tax will soon be a thing of the past.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes recently wrote about five crucial things we apparently do not understand about average computer users. I decided to respond in kind by pointing out the things that Mr. Hughes and his average computer user Linux and it’s users.

1 - On the whole, users aren’t all that dissatisfied with Windows

Adrian, you are right about one thing - most people who encounter a problem with their computer don’t just go blaming Windws and searching for a new OS. You know why? Because they don’t know any better. Most people are not aware that there are other alternatives. I deal with clueless users every day at my job, and believe me - most of them don’t know about Linux, and think that OSX (and I quote) “won’t not be compatible with all the stuff”. No one really knows that that “stuff” is but they all know they need to be compatible with it.

This is what happens when you have a practical monopoly in place. People don’t switch from windows, because no one is educating them about alternatives. Apple is now making a valiant effort with their ad campaigns, but it’s not enough. We need to start in schools and get them young - show them alternatives in introductory computer classes. We need more big companies and governmental agencies taking the plunge showing an example.

I’m not saying that there are no people who are happy with Windows. It’s just that your assumption (which would be absolutely correct under normal marked contitions) does not apply to a market saturated and overrun by a convicted monopolist.

2 - Too many distros

Oh noes! I have to much choice! Let me cry about it! Seriously Adrian, do you really think that the average Joe User knows the difference between the different Vista editions? Hell no! Users ask me every day which Vista to buy, or is it a good idea to upgrade. Why is it ok for them to ask a tech-competent friend or coworker about choices relating to Windows but not ok to ask which Linux distro is good for them?

Let’s face it - average users don’t know what the fuck they are doing or what they want. They will need help installing it and setting it up anyway so they might as well go with a recommendation of someone who has a clue. Users who do know what they want will appreciate the choice.

Besides, all the distros are similar. All you have to do is to show the users KDE and Gnome and have them pick one. Everything else is pretty much non-essential. Most users won’t even care about package system as they will likely be using some sort of GUI front end over apt or yum to get them.

Oh, and Adrian - what the hell do you want us to do about this problem? There is absolutely nothing anyone can do at this point to change this. This point is moot, because there is just no way to consolidate linux and somehow provide users with less choice.

3 - People want certainty that hardware and software will work

Hardware is a problem. However, I think you once again overestimate the average user. In my experience most users consult any soft of hardware installation with a technical person. I have people come to me with things as simple as setting up printers and scanners - not even mentioning replacing any kind of internal hardware.

Most average users will have no clue what kind of graphics or video card they need. Most people also don’t know what kind of wireless card to buy. So I think it’s safe to assume that a linux specialist would be able to advise people as to what kind of hardware is appropriate for their distro. It’s all just a matter of support.

As for software - it is a non issue. Finding alternatives is just a google search away. Average user does not have very sophisticated software needs. They need something that will let them use Myspace, read their Email, chat with their friends and type documents. Most distros will have appropriate applications conveniently labeled as “Web Browser”, “Email Client”, “Instant Messenger”, and “Word Processor” available on the desktop or from some menu.

Also, more and more things are done online. Fewer and fewer people actually utilize clients for their personal email. Most people I know either use the webmail interface provided by their ISP, or Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail. Online clients require no setup, and are available from anywhere making them very attractive to clueless users.

That leaves us with just a browser, IM client, and a word processor and miscellaneous stuff such as PDF reader, media player, music player and etc. All of these will ship with the OS, and work out of the box - all the user needs to do is to double click appropriate files, and correct applications will start opening up.

Once again, this is a non issue for an “average user”. For a power user who utilizes many specialized software packages this is a real problem, but then again such a user would be able to do appropriate research to decide on switching systems.

Besides, switching OS is a very significant change, and no one really expects it to be easy or straightforward. It’s kinda like switching from driving a tiny sports car to a big truck with a trailer. Both are cars and do the same things, but will handle very differently so an adjustment period is to be expected.

4 - As far as most people are concerned, the command line has gone the way of the dinosaur

I don’t get what you are saying here? So the ability to use powerful shell applications is a bad thing? No one is forcing anyone to use command line anymore. Last time I checked all the big distros had nice, user friendly GUI tools all the configuration options. Most of them have nice graphical installers too. So I have no clue what are you whining about here.

5 - Linux is still too geeky

Have you actually ever used Ubuntu? The automatic updates system they have really isn’t that different from the windows one. Most users have no clue what are all these windows security updates about anyway. Las time I checked you can also configure Synaptic to install updates automatically very much like windows.

Besides, if you give me 100 random people who aren’t windows geeks and sit them at a windows box for the first time in their life and tell them to do stuff I will bet you that more than half of them will become confused at some point. You don’t think people ever get confused by Windows? Of course they do!

This is a fucking double standard. I get calls from freaked out windows users every day because their computer did something unexpected. Eventually they learn via repetition how to react to certain behaviors, and how to do certain things. But sitting a random person in front of an OS they have never seen before and expecting them to use it without any confusion is just plain silly.

My Response

With all due respect Mr. Hughes, you seem to have no fucking clue about linux or the needs of an average user. I think that all your points are either completely inaccurate, irrelevant to the topic (like the CLI argument) or based on false assumptions, double standards or re-hashed FUD arguments that have been debunked many times in the media.

Aside

Sometimes I wonder why do I even bother to respond to obvious flamebaits like this one. Yes I know Mr. Adrian is whoring for hits by posting rubbish about linux. But you know what? Sometimes I enjoy a good rant.

Lost just brutally raped my brain and left me pregnant with a bastard child of unspeakable confusion.

Everything below is full of season finale related spoilers, so don’t read if you haven’t seen it yet. I have so many questions it’s not even funny!

Whose funeral was it? Could it be Ben’s - and that’s why no one showed up, and Kate didn’t even want to consider it? Some people are saying it’s Locke but I think at least few people would show up for his funeral. He might have made some enemies by trying to keep them on the island, but he also saved them several times. I think people would forgive him and show up.

Maybe it was Juliet? It would explain why Jack was so upset when he found out that she died. All the Lostie’s hated and mistrusted her - especially Kate.

I’m guessing the newspaper clip he ripped up was the obituary of whoever has died. My cousin pointed out the coffin seemed small. It did not seem to be a full sized coffin. But then again it might have been the camera angle or something.

In the hospital Jack says something among the lines of:

Get my father in here right now, and if I’m more drunk than him you can fire me

WTF? If the flashback is really in the future, then his father would be dead. But he says it just as if he was alive! Who says something like that about someone who is dead? Also, he has a prescription from his father in the pharmacy. Would he really be trying to sign a dead guy’s name on a perscription? Granted, he was a mess, but he is not that stupid - is he? Is this some sort of alternative time-line?

Who was Kate talking about when she saw Jack at the end of the episode? Was it Sawyer? Was it someone else? Why would he care about her seeing Jack?

If they really got off the island, what the hell are they going to show for the next 2 seasons? This is so weird! And why does Jack want to go back so badly? Why is he such a mess to begin with? Why does he thing they were supposed to stay there?

WTF was Ben talking about? What is this Temple he was referring to? Whose boat is it? Who did they just call onto the island? Who are these people and what are they looking for? Does Ben know who they are? Or at least what they are after?

Why was penny able to connect directly to the Looking Glass station as soon as the jamming signal was disabled? How did she know the frequency and whatnot? This just didn’t make any sense. The only way she could have called in this quickly was if she knew about the station and was monitoring it. So what is Penny’s connection to the Island?

I was half expecting the show to end with bunch of armed mercenaries descending on the island and taking the losties hostage leaving it to Locke, Sawyer, Hurley and the gang to rescue them (perhaps even cooperating with the Others). I surely haven’t expected this shit.

Why didn’t Charlie at least try to swim out the blown window once the room filled up with water? If Desmond was able to swim down there on one breath, Charlie could have surely made it to the surface if he tried. They are not that deep, so he really wouldn’t even have to worry about decompression. I’m sorry but it was a stupid death. He could have easily reach the surface, take the boat to the shore and radio Jack to stop them from using the phone.

Was this Walt or the Smoke Monster? I’m betting on Smoke Monster. Btw, that damn kid grown a lot since we have last seen him.

Oh man… This is not even a cliff-hanger. They are just plain old messing with our heads at this point!