First Three Weeks with 10.04

I've been running 10.04 as the primary OS on my Samsung NC10 netbook for three weeks and so far have had no issues.  Improvements and changes are subtle for the most part.  Every six months when I move to a newer Ubuntu I am reminded that I need to understand more about the brass tacks of the OS in order to really understand where the improvements are being made.

The boot time and shutdown times are both improved, although improvements in those categories are becoming harder to recognize since 9.10 was fast as well.  10.04 is faster but by a matter of only a few seconds.  I guess keeping up with those stats is a matter of following the increments until it is instant on both actions.  Sooner than later you'll push your power button and be up and running instantly and you'll shut down just as quickly.  Improvements in hardware (like SSD's) and software (like removing a redundant HAL) categories at the same time will speed the course to instantaneous start and shut-down.  Then we'll all have a few more seconds in our life to...?

Changes to Gnome and the GUI are noticeable as well, especially the fact that you are faced with the color purple now instead of earth tones.  With Linux based desktop operating systems though there is so much customization available that really you can only talk about differences in the default settings.   And when you like to start adjusting those immediately defaults don't last long.  Not long ago I learned how to change the splash screen so I'm going to get to work on that now with the Lynx.

Android OS Review

I just bought myself a brand new Android powered phone!

As some of you may already know, Android is an operating system developed for phones by Google and runs a linux kernel. However, it has already been used for other applications such as netbooks.

I just thought I'd give a quick first-impressions review of the operating system after having the phone for a little less then a day.

So far, I have to say, I like it! I could go on and on about its positives so I will allow you to do some research on it if you wish. I will focus mainly on what I did not like. It does lag occasionally; However, its not nearly as bad as my old windows mobile phone in this respect. It probably slots in just under an iPhone as far as peppiness is concerned. This is also largely dependent on the hardware, which, on my phone (a Motorola Backflip), is not exactly the best hardware available. One thing I am surprised is how restrictive it seems to be... I actually have less control over this phone then I did with my windows mobile phone. There is not even an option to turn data on and off! I had to download an app for that (APNdroid for those that are interested). Perhaps as newer versions of the android operating system are released, the amount of adjustable settings will increase. Currently, however, it does not give you much control over its inner workings without the use of risky 3rd party apps.

Overall, I am fairly happy with my decision to get this phone, its positives definitely seem to outweigh its negatives so far.