Odd rhythmbox behavior

For years I've stuck with XMMS to play music, even when it was removed from Ubuntu's repositories due to outdated libraries. It was familiar--basically Winamp for Linux, seemed to use lower resources than its direct replacement (Audacious) and had the ability to directly delete files from within XMMS. It has some bugs--the biggest being that it displays a version of id3 tags that it can not edit, even when the version it CAN edit is present.

I started to use Rhythmbox when it gained support for my iPod tOuch--first to merely transfer files over, but then I started a project to properly tag, sort and de-duplicate my music files. Rhythmbox has search and bulk tag editing capabilities that made this much easier, and once I used it more, the new features outweighed the familiarity of XMMS.

Unfortunately Rhythmbox on my computer quit recognizing my iPod, although Wife's computer and my netbook still worked. I also discovered that a significant number of songs would play silently for the regular length of the song. These songs played fine in other programs. Under some circumstances, trying to play these songs in Rhythmbox would start another song going that could not be stopped without quitting Rhythmbox--trying to switch to a different song would leave both of them playing at once. I didn't try these songs on other computers.

Most mp3's are recorded at 44khz, the same as CD. When I looked for common features of the silent songs, they were all recorded at some other sample rate, mostly 22khz. Re-recording one of these at 44khz allowed it to be played, but that is fairly time consuming with my fairly old computer.

It turns out that both the playback and iPod problems have a common cause. Rhythmbox has a preference "use crossfading backend"--this should smoothly blend the next song, but winds up fading the beginning of songs too much. When I turned off crossfading, Rhythmbox was able to play the songs it couldn't, and it found my iPod again.

More on the Eee PC

I have been playing with my Eee pc, as well as a similar one I ordered for my wife a few days after mine arrived. Hers is a few months more recent, but a lower end model--no webcam, and only 4gig storage.

The included OS is fine, but upgrading to the latest versions of software is not as easy as it should be-I wanted Firefox 3 especially. It was not in the repositories for my computer, and there was not enough room on my wifes to add it after doing updates.

Rather than learn my way around the Xandros-based stock OS and figure out which repositories work for Eee, I have changed to Ubuntu-based operating systems on both of them. (Both are versions of Linux, and both based on Debian Linux) My wifes is now running Ubuntu Netbook Remix, a version of Ubuntu specifically for netbooks. Newer versions of Firefox, easier to add (and rem ove) software. Netbook remix has a slightly different interface-apps are accessed via the desktop, which has tabs along each side for categories of programs, and the selections appear in the center. This would be ideal for tiny screens, but I am not sure it is necessary for the 900 series.

I wound up using Eeebuntu, another version of Ubuntu, specifically designed for the Eee hardware. There are microphone and webcam issues with the stock kernel in the Netbook Remix, and I want to be able to use Skype on mine. Eeebuntu has a kernel designed specifically for the Eee hardware. The microphone still isn't configured quite right, but with some setting changes it works--Unfortunately I have not figured out how to keep the mic sound from routing to the speakers. (Easy-Peasy is a version that uses the same kernel as Eeebuntu, but the Netbook Remix interface--I will likely switch my wife's Eee to it soon)

Eeebuntu is closer to a standard Ubuntu interface. I am not sure I like the "task launcher" bar at the bottom--I think I would prefer the usual task bar, but set to auto hide, and I'm likely to set it to work like that. This the biggest difference in interface between eebuntu and the standard Ubuntu.

The version of Firefox that comes with Eeebuntu came with 'compact menu' and 'Smart stop/reload' add ons, that allow you to eliminate a row of toolbars without removing functionality--both add ons that I have used on full sized computers. I added a set of plugins that Lifehacker recently featured--Permatabs mod, faviconize tab, and Better Gmail. I always have Gmail and Google Reader open in the first and second tabs. With this combination, these tabs are reduced to the size of an icon and permanent, and the Gmail icon has the number of unread messages in the icon.

I also set up the touchpad so that it does not click while typing--with the tiny keyboard on the Eee, I was constantly finding that I had moved my cursor to the middle of a different paragraph in mid-word.

I am getting used to the keyboard, but I still have some problems finding the right shift key, and hitting enter instead of the quote or apostrophe key--as a result I am avoiding contractions... I have typed on worse full sized keyboards, and it gets easier the more I use it.

With Eeebuntu, I am very impressed with this little computer--It does just about everything I need in a computer, while remaining compact and very portable. I wold almost call it the J-frame of computers...With the added feature that if you can wait for these to show up on Woot.com, you can pick one up for under $200 including shipping.

I do not know how necessary changing operating systems is--people with less Linux experience may be completely happy with the stock setup.

If you are not going to give up your full-sized computer, you might also be interested in Synergy--This is a cross-platform app that lets you control one computer using the keyboard and mouse of another, just by scrolling off the screen, even if the computers are completely different operating systems.

EeePC

Last week, I bought an EeePC from woot.com. For the few people unfamiliar, it is a netbook, a tiny little notebook computer the size and weight of a hardback book.

It isn't a replacement for a full laptop, but it is so portable it is almost a fundamentally different thing. It is easy to read almost anywhere, even lying on my back on the couch.

As a computer, it is decent for what I use it for, basic word processing and internet. Came with flash already installed, and it works fine. It boots very fast.

Skype actually works better on my deck than it did on my laptop.

My biggest problem is fat fingers--the keyboard is tiny and requires a different typing method to make my fingers fit the keys. It is OK up to a blog post or comment, I don't think I'd want to write a novel on it. There isnt much that is possible to improve with the keyboard that would not require more size.

It uses a version of Xandros linux, which is itself a version of Debian. The stock system has a cut-down interface--Apps launch from the desktop instead of a start menu. I switched to "desktop" mode, more like a traditional computer. There is a version of Ubuntu, but it apparently has microphone issues on this particular hardware. I'll probably give it a try, but this version works fine for now.

iPod and ItUnEs

I just got an iPod touch as a replacement for my PDA--not so much to play music, but more to check mail, read blogs and keep track of phone numbers and such.

So far, I'm very impressed with the iPod--the touchscreen keyboard works better than I'd expect, the interface is fantastic, and Safari is a much, much better browser than either Windows Mobile (an old version) or the one on my Palm T/X. The Stanza Ebook reader (a free download) is very nice. The ability to watch youtube is also a plus, although it would be nice if it were generic video rather than just youtube.

iTunes, on the other hand..well, since my Mom reads here, I can't give my full opionion, but "sucks" is the edited version. I can understand complexity in dealing with DRM, but I'm not--I should be able to treat the iPod as a thumb drive, and just dump MP3's into the proper folder. Instead, itUnes has to process them in a couple of passes before they can transfer.

...and using a separate Windows user account on my wife's computer still brings up her songs and such. By holding the shift when you launch, you can choose which existing user's ituneS to connect to, or create a new user but this should be the default on a separate user account. It appears that itunEs objects to being used with two computers--When I decided to try on my wife's box after giving up on the crappy computer I've got Windows on, it gave me the option to erase the ipod and start over, or do nothing.

...and apparently they have changed how iPods work enough that Linux hasn't caught up yet.

File Managers

I'm planning to update to the latest just-released version of Ubuntu. Since there is a small but significant chance it will not be an improvement, a sensible thing to do is to back up my personal files to make it easier to go back. The easiest brute-force method is to hook up an external drive and just copy over. Time consuming, but my part of it is relatively short--hook up the drive, make sure there is room, and copy. Come back in a couple hours. In theory.

My home folder has more than 50,000 files, and is over 50 gig. Some of this is waste--I've got a copy of an old home folder which nearly doubles the size. With this many files, it is nearly inevitable that there will be at least one that the computer can't copy for one reason or another. I have no problem with this. My problem is that the computer will invariably use that as an excuse to stop doing anything, and ask you how to handle the error.

Linux is better than Windows here--I've never figured out exactly what "yes to all" or "no to all" means in Windows, since it would often ask the same question over and over even when selecting one of the "to all" answers. I suspect it was something to do with the directory a file was in, but I never bothered to investigate much. Linux at least has the same definition of "to all" as I do.

The absolute linear flow of all the file managers I've used bugs me. When it runs into a problem with a particular file it should of course throw up an error, but I don't understand why it can't continue on with the files it can deal with, and deal with the error later once I've given an answer.

What I should do is use proper backup software--I'm likely going to do that once I decide if the new version is acceptable. I'm already looking into which ones to use, but from the descriptions it is hard to tell if it meets my needs. I need the ability to do either incremental or differential backups (only what has changed either since the last backup, or since the last full backup) and the ability to back up to a USB drive. Backing up my wife's Windows box would be nice, but not essential, and backing up TO it automatically would also be nice but not essential. I don't need enterprise features, I would like a GUI, and I want some notification if there's a problem. (Apparently Sbackup failes this last step--if it fails to back up, it doesn't notify you)

Cord Control

We rearranged Wife's desk today. Our desks are homemade, with a fixed monitor shelf and an adjustable main shelf for the keyboard and such. Hers has standard outlet boxes wired in. The desks were built to fit a different area with a little more space, so we shortened her main shelf by 3 inches to fit the new room a bit better. While we had everything out, we decided to rearrange cords. Velcro cable ties are wonderful. These are strips of velcro with hook on one side, loop on the other. I've seen them in the garden department, at Harbor Freight, and at geek supply places. We stuck a bunch of big cup hooks under the desk for cable management, and occasionally a velcro tie to bundle the wires together. Wrap and unwrap as needed. When we were done, she said we still need to do something about the power brick for her speakers--It is large, and falls out of the plug fairly often, especially when the dogs lie under her desk. Velcro ties to the rescue! Poke a hole in the tie, run the screw for the cover plate through, and reattach the cover plate. Wrap the ends of the velcro around the heavy brick, and the dogs can't knock it loose anymore. I did mine, too.

Safe browsing

James linked to my last post with a story of an ex roommate who kept getting James' computer infected by visiting porn sites.

Some people get infected, some don't, and it does depend to some extent the type of sites you visit--it isn't just the porn sites that can infect you. Computers used by kids are especially vulnerable.

I've mentioned before what I've used to get rid of spyware. How do you prevent it in the first place?
On a Windows computer it is difficult. Things that can help:

• Set up one account as administrator, with a decent password and only use it to maintain the computer. Set up a User account with few priveleges, use that most of the time.
• Keep Windows up to date--I'd leave Windows Update running.
• Use a router, even if you don't have more than one computer. Make sure you change the password on the router. Set up security on the wireless, or better yet turn it off if you aren't using it.
• Use a software firewall. These can be annoying for a day or two--they will typically ask "Some program wants to connect to the internet, should I let it?" If it makes sense, let it, if not, don't. In a few days it will know which programs are OK and it will rarely bother you.
• Don't use Internet Explorer, especially for questionable sites. Instead use Firefox or Opera.
• Make sure your antivirus is up to date. If it came with the computer and the system is more than a year old, you will probably have to pay for updates. There are several good free antivirus programs--They typically work better than the paid subscription ones. AVG, and Avast are two I am familiar with-I use AVG on my wife's Windows box-It updates automatically, and doesn't suck up system resources.
• If you are on the internet, and get a dialog box that says anything about installing a program, scanning your system, infection, or similar, close it with the X in the upper right corner--Do not use the buttons inside the box--Even clicking "no" can give the box permission to install who-knows-what on your system. If the dialog box can't be dismissed with the X, close down the browser. If That doesn't work, re-start the system.
• Be suspicious if a link to a video wants you to download a new codec to watch it--These are often scams to install nasty crap on your system. Be especially suspicious if the video says it is of a current hot female star doing something naked or kinky.
  

If your computer ever gets to the point where you need to reinstall Windows (or if you want to prevent it getting that bad), give Ubuntu Linux a try instead. It (and most of the software used on it) is free, part of the Open Source software movement. It is easy--Installing a complete Ubuntu system is about as diffiuclt as installing Windows, and easier than installing a complete Windows system. Linux is more secure, partly due to low market share making it a smaller target, partly due to a more secure design. It can be installed instead of windows, or as an option to pick during boot. It can be run as a Windows program, and it can even be run (although somewhat slowly) directly off a USB drive or the install CD, without installing or using the hard drive. If you don' t have high speed intenet, you can even order CDs for free.

A tiny bit of Linux history: ATT invented Unix. Many colleges taught it, and many companies made their own versions. Tannenbaum invented Minux, a version of Unix for early (pre-Windows) personal computers, primarily as a teaching tool. Linus Torvolds used Minix to write his own version, eventually replacing all Minux code. He posted this to the internet with an open source license. The operator of the site called it Linux as a joke. The name stuck. Torvolds got lots of help in improving Linux, until it became as powerful and stable as Unix. Major corporations became interested, and added their own improvements, Various groups made "distributions" combining the Linux core with all the other programs needed for a working system. Linux was hugely popular for internet servers. Mark Shuttleworth, a dot-com millionaire founded Ubuntu, and sponsored a lot of effort in useability. Ubuntu quickly became the most popular desktop version of Linux.

Spyware removal

I'm cleaning up a massively spyware infected computer belonging to someone else. Spyware is something like a virus, with a different method of spreading. It will slow your computer down, show ads that you normally wouldn't have to see, and may expose your private data to others.

There are a lot of questionable or downright fraudulent anti-spyware programs on the internet. Several good programs are:

Spybot Search and Destroy
Adaware
Superantispyware

If a program says something like "Download our free version to scan your system. If the free version finds a problem, you can use our pro version to remove it" run away. These are very likely to be scareware--The free version will detect problems even if you don't have any, and won't shut up until you pay. Research any anti-spyware or anti-virus program before installing, and never buy from a pop-up window.

You shouldn't run more than one antivirus. You probably shouldn't run more than one "real time" or "preventative" anti-spyware, but it is fine to have more than one anti-spyware installed, and to run them at different times--Some programs have different strengths.

If spyware is found and removed, reboot and scan again until either you don't find spyware or you get frustrated. Once you get frustrated, google the spyware name for removal instructions. Ignore the ones that want you to buy stuff, or stress how dangerous and difficult removal is but have an Ea$y $olution handy if you'll pay them.

If you have a particularly stubborn spyware problem, the Spybot Search and Destroy people have a malware removal forum where you can get expert help. Before you post, read the "Before you post" post at the top...They have fairly strict rules to make things as easy as possible for the volunteer experts--They don't allow random people to give advice on this forum.

This is another post where I'll take suggestions in comments.

Blog problems

I'm trying to get my domain set up so this is AT sevesteen.com, not just forwarded TO sevesteen.com. I've got a Google Apps for Domains account and a Blogspot account. Google has some issues with keeping these two services straight. At the moment, when I refresh, I might get the blog, I might get the Google page, and I might get a 404 "Page not found" error--All without doing anything else.

It seems to be working itself out--I'm getting this page more and more often.

Sitemeter

I set up Sitemeter here a few days ago, (coincidentally just before their glitch) and have been peeking at the Google Searches that bring people here. Of all the varied things I've blogged about, the post that attracts the most Google searches is my adult trike comparison.

XMMS

I finally gave up on Audacious, and installed XMMS from source. There is a good guide at Sartek.net that worked fine, once I cut and paste the commands he gives properly. Don't copy the #, and where he has a /, it should be replaced by the next line before you hit enter.

Audacious is a case of doing more stuff I don't care about, but not doing the stuff I find useful well. The final straw was Audacious inability to delete a file from disk by itself. If you are sorting through a bunch of new downloads that you may or may not want to keep, you have to figure out the file name, then switch to the file manager and find the file. Winamp and XMMS let you select and delete from the playlist.

Comments

TD from The Unforgiving Minute pointed out that only people with a Google ID could comment here. Until the spammers come, I've opened it to everyone.

Windows trick

The way Windows copies files is incredibly annoying. When you copy a large batch of files, and an error occurs, Windows just stops and waits for you to tell it what to do, instead of continuing with the files it can deal with. Worse, if it runs into a corrupt file, it will just quit, with part of your stuff copied, part not.

When you have to re-start a copy of a large folder, you will obviously wind up with a lot of files that already exist. Windows asks if you want to replace the old file with the new one, and gives you options--Yes, Yes to all, No, and cancel. The most useful option here would be "no to all", but it doesn't exist.

...except I just found out it does, sort of. Hold shift while clicking "No" counts as "no to all".

I'm copying my music to my new work laptop, and waiting for Windows to show me the duplicate file error--I know it is going to, because I've already copied half my music before I had to leave for work. Perversely, it appears to be copying the files in a different order than my first attempt. I know it is going to complain about duplicates and wait for instructions, but apparently it is going to wait for me to go to bed first...

Ubuntu Hardy Heron

I've updated to the latest stable version of Ubuntu, Hardy Heron. Not a whole lot of change that I can see. Firefox is updated to 3 beta 5. I'd already tried it--On my work laptop it worked fine, but here it gave fits with Google Reader, which was a dealbreaker. I looked again for a fix--Turns out to be maybe the simplest fix ever--Type CTRL-O. (Apparently on some machines where you've played with font sizes, something goofs reader up) The other thing that irritated me was that it deleted XMMS, the Linux version of Winamp, without suggesting an alternative with a similar GUI. I've been using the Winamp GUI for long enough that a competing player would have to be really compelling for me to make the switch. After a bit of research, I found that Audacious has a similar interface. Not sure if it is as stable, I've had a couple of GUI glitches in the little bit I've used it. The login has a glitch where the username and password are 10 times normal size (in a normal sized window)--This is similar to a glitch I had the first time I tried Compiz (does nifty but ultimately useless things with windows), except this time limited to the login dialog. I think I know about how to fix it--Add a line back to the xorg config file, but I'm too lazy and it isn't annoying enough to worry about looking up the exact details. Suspend still doesn't work right--It did a few versions ago, but the update 6 months ago broke it, this update didn't fix it. My laptop will suspend, but won't wake up without a hard power reset.

The good news: I can now play movies on my PDA.

The bad news: The only movies we have ready to transfer are my wife's favorites. To say we have different tastes is an understatement--Until I prepare some of our other DVD's, my choices are "Godzilla vs. Something" or "Steven Seagal kicks ass and moralizes".

PDA Alarms

I've relied heavily on a PDA for probably 10 years, starting with a Palm Pro. About a year ago, I upgraded from a battered Sony Clie to a Palm TX. In most ways, the TX is better than the Clie, but there was one minor difference with surprising impact-The Clie had a custom alarm sound that went on and on--Long enough that I'd be forced to open it and look at it to shut it off. This kept me from mistaking one of my daily alarms with something else "I can ignore that, it's just my 'go to work' alarm".

This is one of those things I meant to Google, but only remember when I'm in the car. I finally downloaded Emerald Sounds. I now have 140 alarm tones to pick, and some of them are quite long and annoying-Just what I wanted.

Ubuntu Update Manager continued

Update manager still doesn't measure up to the rest of Ubuntu. Still interrupts needlessly, still a resource hog. This is one of those things that bugs me about lots of software--The hard part is done well, but easy user interface issues are barely adequate.

Dead Hard Drive

Had the hard drive die in my laptop. Not totally dead, but bad enough that it wouldn't start, and I couldn't reinstall my stuff on it. I was able to boot with an Ubuntu live CD, boot from it and back up a bunch of stuff to a portable hard drive.

The whole recovery process has been relatively painless, considering. The physical installation of the hard drive is even easier than on a desktop--2 screws for the cover, 2 for the bracket. The drive plugs in, no cables to deal with. I found a SATA laptop drive at CompUSA's going out of business sale for $62

A neat thing about the Ubuntu Live CD--you put it in the CD and boot, and it comes up as a working and fairly complete Linux system, although a bit slower than a hard drive install. Click on install, answer a few questions, and it starts installing to your hard drive. However, while it is installing you can still work--I was on the web and IM while it was installing. You can also use the CD to play around with and see if you like linux, and if it will work easily on your computer, without changing anything.

I don't think I lost any important data--I was able to get my music moved over (most of which is backed up already) and I use Google for mail and RSS. I saved the profile from Firefox, and when I put it back and re-started Firefox was exactly like it was on the old computer.

Plug the printer in, and it just worked, no driver disks needed. Same with my PDA. This is the first time I've lost a Linux hard drive, and it is far easier to recover than when I've lost a Windows drive. Everything I need is online, and the system automatically finds it--I don't have to remember where I put the printer disk, or look up drivers for my printer and PDA.

This install has Compiz, the new fancy windows manager. A lot of what it does is just eye candy with little use--When you move a window, it stretches and wobbles into place, and when you close a window it shrinks and goes transparent. One thing I like is that alt-tab doesn't just show an icon of the programs in use, but a preview of the actual window, including motion. It doesn't seem to slow stuff down, so I'll leave it.

Ubuntu Update Manager

I use Ubuntu Linux on my laptop, rather than Windows. Overall I like it better than Windows, and it suits my frugal nature. Generally works well, with few gripes--At the moment, the biggest is Update Manager, a very un-Linux like program. It does the job well enough, but it has some significant user interface flaws that are unusual in a modern version of Linux.

It is slow. When it tells you there is an update available and you click to install it, there is a pause. Then you look at the list, confirm that you want to install those updates. Pause. It asks for your password. Pause. If you start doing something else, it will pop a few windows up as it installs stuff, then finally it will tell you it is done.

How I would like it to work:

The notification icon should have different colors--Red for critical security updates, yellow for enhancements, green for up to date, and maybe blue for can't connect to the update server. You should have the option to re-set the icons for the updates it has found, but still have it check for new ones. You should have the option to download the updates in the background, but not install until you approve of them. Finally, once you enter your password, the program should leave you alone until it is finished, and then just the program icon should blink. You should also be able to enter the password, but defer installation until a selected time later

Update Manager just installed an update of itself...So we'll see how much has changed

E-Voting

I don't know how much mainstream press the problems in touchscreen voting has got, but it is an amazingly scary situation.

This is just the top result from Google "Ohio Voting" on Google News.

An article from Wired: Magnet and PDA can change votes

It may seem odd to non-geeks, but the most secure cryptographic systems are the ones where the program source code is public--This lets experts verify that the code works as stated, and that there are not back doors. The code is public, but without the proper keys, the data is still secure. This is a bit like being able to examine the design of a lock to make sure that only your key or combination will open it, and there isn't a passkey or default combination.

Many (possibly most, or all) of the voting machine companies resisted having a human readable paper ballots as part of the system--Coincidentally the only way to verify that their machines are working properly. The problem here is not (primarily) random error, but either biased error or more importantly intentionally introduced error. In the Wired article they found that a person with a PDA and a magnet could make significant changes to iVotronic systems, even if they didn't know the passwords. In addition, there is an undocumented account that bypasses security--Essentially a master key, not unique to a particular machine, but common to all of them that lets an unauthorized user take complete control of the machine. iVotronic is not the only system with poor security--All the top systems have significant, exploitable flaws.

Premier Election Systems used to be a part of Diebold, who also makes Automatic Teller Machines. Odd that they have figured out security there (which includes a mechanically-printed audit tape...)

Various quotes from the voting machine companies say things that basically amount to "not fair, we fixed that in the next version". I reluctantly believe that this is incompetence and laziness rather than deliberate action. It doesn't matter though--Incompetence exploited by others is just as dangerous, and the amount of paranoia that is reasonable in this situation is nearly infinite.

The bare minimum standard is that there is a voter-verified paper ballot printed and saved. Machines should be randomly spot-checked, to make sure that the paper ballots match what is being reported. Any company that resists that should be immediately disqualified from building voting machines. Encryption, security and all software specific to the voting machine should have the source code available for examination--Ideally, all code would have source available.