Digg adds editing of submitted stories

At about 9:30 p.m. CST I submitted a story to Digg.com. Then I visited my submitted stories page. What's this? An edit button beside my submitted story!

Clicking on the Edit button results in this page:


As a frequent submitter to Digg, I've been waiting for this feature. Hopefully, they'll add the same functionality to comment posting.

Update: Apparently the edit feature is disabled a few minutes after the story is submitted.

Why Do Computer Games Claim Lives?

The recent deaths of several people directly or indirectly related to excessive playing of computer games have raised fresh concerns.

read more | digg story

Debugging microsoft.com

How do you debug a site that gets more hits than Digg and Slashdot?

read more | digg story

PirateBay goes RSS

RSS is a subscription format that gives you the option to instantly get notified when new torrents are added to our site. If you have a torrent client with support for RSS you can even let it search for your favorite series and automatically download new episodes as soon as they show up.

read more | digg story

Hire Me!

Do you need a Java/J2EE or C++ developer? Then I may be able to fill your needs. I received a B.S. in Computer Science in late 2004. I have six months of professional experience as a Java Developer.

Most of my programs have used SQL databases. Getting experience with connecting Java applications to huge databases was an eye opener. It has forced me to make more performance conscious decisions while programming.

I also do web development. I started with basic HTML and CSS in high school. After learning C++ and Java in college, PHP and Perl were considerably easier. As I mentioned earlier, I also have exposure to J2EE and Tomcat.

I am looking to work at a company where I can reach my full potential. A place where I can take my programming skills to the next level and beyond. If you have a position to fill or know someone else who does, please email tagnani_NOSPAM@_NOSPAM airpost. net for a resume.

Site Relaunch

This site will relauch in a few days at Agnani.com. I will transfer my hosting from blogger to Dreamhost. So check back in a few days.

Thanks to a comment on my "Web Host" post, I was reffered to an awesome deal on Web hosting by Dreamhost.

Dreamhost is having a special promotion if you sign up for their Crazy Domain Insane. If you enter the code "777" during Step 5 of your order, they will take $100 off the order. This means you get one year of web hosting with following features for $9.24.

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What's the Deal With Family Guy?

First of all, let me say I'm a huge fan of Family Guy. The first three seasons were part of me. I was a living, breathing Family Guy encyclopedia. I would quote the wise Brian or do a pretty close impression of Chris but somewhere along the line it all stopped.

Well for one reason I graduated college so I can't have a serious conversation about FG anymore. But something else has changed. I just don't enjoy FG as much as I used to. Just a few weeks ago I was counted the days till Season 4. Now it's Just Another Show. My main criticism is that it's just plain not funny anymore. I'm averaging three chuckles per episode which is pretty pathetic. The dialogue from Seasons 1-3 was so sharp and crisp. Season 4's lines can't hold a candle to previous seasons.

I've watched every episode this season so you can't tell me I haven't been patient. I understand the challenges and demands of creating a weekly animated series. I've talked to people who love the new season. I've also met others who agree with me.

My post is more a cry of concern than one of dislike. I want to like the new episodes. I just hope they can fix any problems they might be having so we can again be a Big Happy Family (Guy).

Gutenberg++

If you're a Internet veteran, you'll recognize Project Gutenberg as one of the greatest resources online. The Gutenberg catalog contains thousands of public domain e-texts such as H.G Wells's The War of the Worlds. The only "problem" with the site is its lack of additional formats. All works on Gutenberg are available in plain text and HTML. This is fine for your computer, but for PDAs that's a different matter.

This is where Blackmask comes in. They have converted e-texts into popular formats such as PDF, Microsoft Reader, and iSilo. You pick the format on Blackmask. It's as simple as that.

Over the years Blackmask has been one of my "can't live without" sites. I have a PDA which I load up with books. It's extremely convinient when I'm on the go or waiting at the barber. Check it out.

Free Nero Replacement

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I bought a new DVD burner. The only bad part was that it was OEM and didn't come with any software.

At the time my DVD burner was installed I downloaded the Nero 6 demo and used it happily. That was until the demo expired and I needed a replacement. I came across CDBurnerXP Pro, which is a CD/DVD burning software. I was quite impressed as I looked through the features page. I told myself it was too good to be true. This had to be some bad spyware-ridden hack of a burning suite.

Boy was I wrong. After installing and using CD Burner XP Pro, all my fears vanished. It is stable and works very well. Sure the interface isn't quite as professional as Nero's but it still exceeded my expectations. With a little bit of work, I got CD Burner XP Pro can do everything I could do with Nero.

Main Data screen

The software is frequently updated and they have some nice forums for those having problems. CD Burner XP Pro is perfect for those of us who need a functional and stable Windows burning suite and are on a budget.

Pushing the Boundaries of Tech

A discussion over at This Week in Tech Episode 11 about Ultra Wide Band (UWB) got me thinking about how technologies evolve. We all know computers are built on standards. We have hardware standards such as PCI and IDE and software ones such as HTTP. How exactly did these standards evolve?

The trend I've seen is there are two or three possible standards for any emerging technology. The driving force behind these competing psuedo-standards are corporations such as Sony or Phillips. For example, a media standard will replace DVDs in a few years. But which one? We don't know yet. Blu-Ray and HD DVD are fighting it out to answer that very question.

The only certain thing is that the market makes the final decision. There is no guarantee the "best" technology is the one that wins. Betamax was a much better standard than VHS but it didn't win.

I'm interested in learning if there is a way we can predict which standards will emerge victorious. Is there a way to look at data from past standard wars and make a good guess for the future? If there are any trends, how can we use them to better technology for all of us? In a way it's like predicting the outcome of an election. Instead of the voting population we have the market. Emerging formats are the candidates.

I'm planning to do extensive research on this subject. I'm hoping to find something of value that can answer the questions above. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.

Coming Up Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will post an article called "Pushing the Boundaries of Tech". Stayed tuned for that. Right now I need to get some sleep!

Good night

Web Host

I am considering moving to a new web host. I've had the domain name Agnani.com for a few months now. Right now Agnani.com forwards you to this site. I used to host my site on my university account, but that ended when I graduated. Since then I've been looking for good web hosting service.

All I really need is PHP and mySQL. I'll probably run the Mambo Content Management System. I might play around with Perl too, but PHP is my main weapon of choice. The content I want to serve is mostly text and a few graphics. The host should be able to handle a bit of traffic now and then. For example, the PC-BSD review article I wrote got linked to OSNews. So far I have about 3000 4500 hits for that article in about 12 24 hours.

I'm just looking for a webhost that can handle the requirements I mentioned above at a reasonable price. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

PC-BSD 0.7.5: A Review

Introduction

Now and then a new wind comes along in the ebb and flow of Linux distributions. OK, so I know PC-BSD is not Linux, but it's close enough. It's fair to say without going into technicalities and politics that BSD and Linux are cousins in the operating system world. It is also true that there is some cross-pollination between the two. I'm sure some BSD users have ogled at Linux distributions. Many a Linux user has flirted with the BSDs and or even fantasized about OS X. I know I have. This is exactly why I found PC-BSD attractive. At any rate, let's get to the review.

PC-BSD Vision (bullet points):

1. The software must be easy to install.
2. The operating system must be minimalist.
3. Software must be available, and easily installed.
4. The system must be dynamic, yet backwards compatible.

You can read the entire PC-BSD Vision here.

The Installation

The installation is a simple, graphical one. I'’m not sure what toolkit they use for the installation but it looks fairly nice. The installation does just that and not much else. A minimal set of questions is asked. You don'’t even get to select the packages. From the vision, we can see that PC-BSD is targeted at desktop users and the functional and simple installation is appropriate for this purpose. Version 0.7.5 adds the ability to define a custom partitioning scheme.

PC-BSD partition editor

Installer progress

The Desktop

Since I wasn't given a package list, I had to wait till the installation finished to find out what the default desktop is. After the usual post-installation reboot, the system automatically logged me into a nice KDE 3.4 desktop. Most desktop oriented distributions use KDE so this wasn't a surprise.

I was a bit disappointed with the complete lack of GNOME. More than that, Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird and other popular applications were missing in action. The desktop looks like a standard KDE desktop with a few modifications. There are no unneeded packages or extra bloat. PC-BSD fulfills its goal of being a minimalist distribution (Pt. #2, Vision) quite well.

As you will notice from the screenshot, there is a familiar "My Computer" icon which gives you quick access to hard drives, CD-ROM drives, local network, and settings. In my daily use of PC-BSD, the "My Computer" icon has been very handy. It is also convenient for new users as it functions as a gateway to commonly accessed places. The PC-BSD developer's
choice to place this prominently on the desktop is a good move.

Default Desktop

Package Manager

While fiddling around with the menu, I ran across an entry for "PC-BSD Program Manager (Remove Programs)" but clicking this only gave me a empty list. What I really wanted to do was to learn how to install programs. I'd heard about FreeBSD's ports system, but I had a feeling that if the system had a remove programs component, an install component was also likely to be present. I headed over to the PC-BSD website which, sure enough, had a list of downloadable packages.

Let me explain the package installation procedure. After you download, unzip, and double click the downloaded PBI file, the PC-BSD installer launches. Security is honored by asking for the root password. A wizard guides the user through installing the package. The user is also asked whether to install desktop or KMenu shortcuts. A slick progress bar is displayed while the actual installation takes place.

I followed this procedure with Firefox and it worked like a charm. Desktop and menu icons were installed as promised. Then I ran the Remove Programs utility again. Now instead of a empty list, it listed Firefox and gave me the option to remove it. I did so just to test the uninstall procedure which worked well. I went ahead and installed some other packages that I required for my day-to-day computing.

In my experimentation with the package manager, it works very well. Any Windows or Mac user will easily follow the procedure. In fact, since all PC-BSD packages use the same installer so adding packages is a more consistent process than Windows.

Another point worth noting is that PC-BSD packages are as self contained as possible. Each package is installed in its own separate directory. For example, Firefox is installed under "/usr/local/MyPrograms/Firefox1.0.4/". This directory contains the executable as well as any libraries it needs. This is a different approach from the majority of distributions that use global libraries.

This method of installing packages has these advantages:

1. Changes to system libraries don't break individual packages. Since all the libraries Firefox needs are in it's own neat directory, any changes to the system libraries doesn't affect Firefox.
   
2. While this method deviates from tradition, to the user it is transparent. The package installer takes care of all the messy details and the end result is a system that is less likely to break. It's a win-win situation.

The end result of all this work the PC-BSD team has done is that Joe User can download and install software the same way that he does on a Windows machine. And that's a big deal.

Package Creator

I ran across the third component of the packaging system called the "Package Creator" on the package database. I was expecting it to be a hacker utility to created those pesky PBI packages but it was actually a graphical one. While I didn't create any packages of my own, there is a good tutorial on the subject. Package creation is a complicated by dependencies on every UNIX-like system. The separate libraries solution that I discussed earlier simplifies this problem. This means it's easier for more technically inclined users to create and upload packages and that's always a good thing. I'll have to play out with package creation under PC-BSD a bit more until I give my final verdict.

The Fine Print

While the project is off to a solid start, there are a few components that need catching up. Like most projects, PC-BSD's documentation lags the development process. At this moment, the only resources users have is the FAQ and the forum. There is a handbook that is planned, but is under construction.

I'm not saying that the developer team is lazy. It's only natural for a system to be developed before documentation gets written for it. Quite to the contrary, PC-BSD's development has been progressing at a furious rate. The lack of formal documentation is made up by a burgeoning community of eager users on the forums. The developers have a good level of interaction with the users on the forums. This collaboration will hopefully iron out some of the smaller issues with PC-BSD.

Speaking of issues, I ran across a few things I'd like to forward to the PC-BSD crew. Since PC-BSD is a desktop operating system, a Windows user should be able to install and use it. At this point, after the installation, there is no "Getting Started" screen or anything of that sort. This could be as simple as implementing Konqueror to the PC-BSD website on the first boot. The user should be shown how to use the system, install and uninstall packages etc. Without a Getting Started document, a less experienced user will get stuck.

Similarly, it would be nice to see a document that lists key differences between Linux and FreeBSD. As someone who runs Linux as well as PC-BSD, I'm aware of the many technical differences pertaining to device names, commands, and runlevels. I've been educated well by the FreeBSD Handbook, but for users who are just starting out with FreeBSD, a less thorough guide is needed.

Another issue is the lack of packages such as Flash, Java, and other such plugins. I understand that inclusion of these packages is legally questionable but it may be something that needs looked into. The developers haven't completely ignored this problem, though. JavaWizard
is a PC-BSD package that downloads and configures Java for your system. Hopefully something similar will be implemented for Flash. The presence of JavaWizard is a clear indication that unlike some other developers the PC-BSD team actually use their software. They are aware of the problem and are addressing it. Moreover, you can still use the FreeBSD ports to install some of the above packages but that involves hacking at the command prompt.

Conclusion

It's easy to see that PC-BSD has a lot of potential. Note that PC-BSD is beta software. Version 0.7.5 is stable enough in my experience, but your mileage may vary. When it comes to the basics of installing the operating system and applications, PC-BSD wins hands-down. It is backed up by the solid and slick KDE 3.4. It is a welcome change to the mundane and ordinary. As I was wondering what lies ahead for PC-BSD, I found a Wishlist page that shows a roadmap. With further improvements, PC-BSD will be the next big thing. I recommend you try out PC-BSD today!

New DVD Burner (NEC ND-3520A)

I hardly purchase new hardware, but when I saw the 16x DVD +/- burner for $49 at Newegg.com, I couldn't resist. I've had about a month to make good use of it and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a fairly cheap drive. I also bought a 100 pack 16x DVD-R Verbatim media for around $40 from my local computer store. I could have got a better deal with the media online, but I didn't want to wait to use my drive.The drive works perfectly. Burning speeds at 16x are around six and a half minutes. I haven't had the time or the need to try more exotic media like DVD-RW or Double Layer. This NEC trumps my now retired 8x Sony burner by burning CDs in a quick three minutes.
The only snag I've had so far was while trying to backup my movie collection. The drive uses a technology called RipLock which results in slower but more accurate rips. I use DVD Shrink
to backup my DVD movies which takes about 50 minutes per DVD including burning. Not too bad consider how much data processing is involved. Apparently there is an unofficial firmware available that disables the RipLock technology for faster rip speeds while making the drive a little noisier. This, of course, voids any warranty you have.
I haven't experienced a single coaster or bad burn with this drive. I usually use my computer while I burn DVDs and haven't seen any buffer underruns. By now, I'm sure there is a newer NEC model than the one I have. If you still haven't purchased a DVD burner, buy a NEC. I couldn't be happier with mine.

Open Source: New Religion or Viable Business Model?

I was channel-surfing tonight and I ran across a show entitled "Open Source Software" on UWTV. That channel is for University of Washington students but it is also one of the "public channels" included with DISH Network. I'm aware that UW has a pretty good Computer Science department so that got me interested in the show.
After I finished watching a very poignant discussion (which included a speaker from Microsoft), I wish I had recorded it. Not to fret! The UWTV website provides convinent streams here.
They usually have interesting shows about IT but this was the first one specifically about OSS. If you have DISH Network, try tuning on channel 9404 for other shows.

Look Ma...I'm on NPR!

I love NPR and one day they ran a story about illegal immigration. They profiled they Gonzalez family, who have been living illegally in Jefferson City, MO for the past 14 years. What separates them from other illegals is they managed to get caught and are facing deportation.
As a legal immigrant myself, the story touched me personally. I fired off a quick email to NPR. The next day, I got a reply from some producer who wanted to put my email on the air. So he called me later that day and we set up a audio sync to their recording studios in Washington D.C. I had to do several takes of my letter and that was that.
A couple of days later, I had a real surreal experience. I was in a half-awake state and I could hear my own voice on the national news. They actually put it on the air. It was extremely weird knowing my voice and opinion traveled all over the nation.

Anyway, you can listen to the section of the relevant program from the NPR archives. Also, more on the Gonzalez family blues.