Update on Dissertation & Ubuntu

If you're not aware, I am doing my dissertation on an algorithm called Coupling from The Past algorithm, also known as Propp-Wilson algorithm, an interesting part of Markov chain Monte Carlo. Interested readers can view the links to wikipedia.

Much work has been done on applying this algorithm to Markov chains (random fields) with monotonic structure. I've come up with a way to apply this algorithm to a specific model without a monotonic structure called the Potts model.

Download my "partly done" dissertation here, will be expecting to complete it within the next 2 weeks.

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On a lighter note, I've finally decided to give Ubuntu a try, well at least I'm fairly impressed with the reviews it's getting for Feisty Fawn(7.04).

I've always been an OpenSuSE user since 10.1. If you are a linux person, you would probably notice this website called distrowatch.com. It's a site which "watches" all the linux distros there are out there and rank them in terms of popularity(page hit rank). OpenSuSE has always been in the 2nd spot since the day I found out about it, and Ubuntu has always been the champion of champion there.

Needless to say, there must be reasons why they are the champion to the distro games. From all the reviews I've read about Ubuntu, it's always stated that it is THE EASIEST desktop linux to use ever. If you know how to operate windows, you WILL know how to operate ubuntu, period.

The reason why I chose OpenSuSE over Ubuntu is that I was curious on which windows manager I would prefer, KDE or GNOME. And since OpenSuSE provides the option to install both and use either one for each session, I ended up installing it in my laptop.



Go here if you're interested in giving ubuntu a try. They deliver free(and the CDs are free too) to anywhere in the world, even in Timbuktu. No harm right?


I'm definitely gonna go all out to promote Ubuntu if my leetle project MORSEHack kicks off.

Until next time, folks.

Linux pwnz Vista

Just to make my point, first check out the XGL of Linux working on touch screen.




In your face Vista, and that was something from over a year ago. Let's see the latest in XGL, called Beryl which ships with the latest Linux distros. Here's a video that shows you why I say Linux pwnz Vista, and we're not even talking about security here.


WINDOWS VISTA (AERO) VS LINUX UBUNTU (BERYL) - Click here for more amazing videos

More videos?



Ok the fact is XGL has been available on Linux for the past 2 years while Vista took forever to come up with this. Pwnz Vista BIG TIME! Aero my arse.

Oh if you're thinking I'm going to implement this function in the computers in Project MORSEHack, nah....... the coms won't be able to support the intense graphics.

I am reducing E-waste, are you?

Read this article here on EcoGeek.


Apparently using Linux can help reduce E-Waste.

How?

According to the article:

"A typical hardware refresh period for Microsoft Windows is 3-4 years. A major UK manufacturing organisation quotes its hardware refresh period for Linux systems as 6-8 years." A significant difference...a doubling even, of the lifetime of a computer.

That's doubling the lifetime of a computer. A possible explanation based on my experience using Linux desktop is that a user normally changes computer when there's a significant release of an operating system. For example:

• Windows XP ----> Windows Vista
• Mac OS X 10 ----> Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

The "problem" which is not really a problem for Linux desktop is that the upgrades come in flashes. 5 months ago when I first started using SuSE it was version 10.1, 2 months after that 10.2 was released as a stable version with 10.3 being offered as a preview currently.Phew, that was tiring. Basically you have to keep updating that you won't even have time to think whether your computer is good enough for a particular version. Let's face it, with Vista, we all know that the recommended configuration is 2Gb of RAM with a powerful graphics card etc(a requirement which I failed miserably).




Now questions for all of you to ask yourself:

How long do you normally use a computer before you change it? Is it about time you consider changing your computer because Vista is finally out? If you're thinking like that then.........



You're creating more dumps and people from poor regions will suffer.


Solutions? I have 3 suggestions, take a pick on your favourite one and implement it.

• Change your computer only when it is near the end of its life, meaning you can't even start it.
  
• Dump Microsoft Windows and embrace Linux.
• Donate to a fund teaching people form poor regions how to use Linux.

Why teach them how to use Linux? Introducing Slackware, the Linux that runs on systems satisfying these requirements:

• 486 processor
• 16MB RAM (32MB suggested)
• 100-500 megabytes of hard disk space for a minimal and around 3.5GB for full install
• 3.5" floppy drive

So which is your choice? Choose wisely, it's for making the world a better place.

Turning my back on Microsoft Windows

As most of my close friends know, my hard drive crashed on me a few months back, completely destroying the data and more importantly the windows program on my computer. You see, I'm using an IBM thinkpad t40 for the past 4 years now, and as IBM users will know, there's a pretty neat function called "Restore to Factory Settings" which would wipe everything out of your com and restore it to just Windows.

Well, so much for Windows now. I've decided at that time I should try something new, something exciting, something revolutionary. That's when I saw the come of one of my lecturers, he uses Linux. I remembered that I read an article about Linux sometime back in secondary school but heard nothing else since then. I thought they were just gonna succumb to Window's domination of the Operating System(OS) market.

I was SO wrong. Not only did they survive, they even evolved. Just for starters, there are so many distributions of Linux out there. And a lot of them provides very nice frontends and desktop environment.

For those who don't understand what desktop environment is, take a look at your Windows. That's a desktop environment.

Here's a screenshot of my desktop.
Now why do you think Windows has triumph over all the other Operating systems? Because they have such a nice and easy to use interface, and that's what the desktop environment is about.

Linux's strength isn't in this though. It's in the kernel, the supposedly powerful kernel that is customisable to do anything to your liking. While I'm not at the pro-level yet, I could already feel the power of the kernel.

Just think about this. You can run any program, any function, integrate any type of programming language into this thing. This little baby is a monster I tell ya. MONSTER!!!

An example of me running R(a statistical program) in it.
Basically there are two major types of desktop environment you can choose if you want to run Linux: GNOME and KDE. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I chose GNOME because its name appeals to me more(:D)

Also there are so many distributions of Linux out there and the best thing is that they are all free.

The bad thing about it is they are updated so often, and you can choose to use the latest available version (what we call the bleeding-edge version). I personally use SUSE Linux 10.1 but if you're a beginner, there's a distribution called Ubuntu, which is very user-friendly.

So why am I writing this article now you ask?

Well, I've been browsing around looking at new things and I came across this other FREE but not open source OS called Solaris 10. Solaris is developed by Sun Microsystems, the same company that brought java to us and changed our lives forever. Apparently Solaris 10 uses a java-based desktop environment, which could be interesting. A screenshot for all of you, introducing Solaris 10, using a GNOME environment too I see, well bits of it.
Anyway, if you're interested in testing this out, go over to their website here. Place an order and they'll deliver the DVD-image to you FREE!!! ANYWHERE in the world. Oh did I mention Ubuntu is doing this as well?

For more info why they deliver it for free, read this article by Jonathan Schwartz, our tai ko in blogging.


p.s. Jonathan Schwartz is also the CEO of Sun Microsystems. Yea baby, Sun Microsystems you have my support :D

p.p.s. WINDOWS I'M NOT GOING BACK TO YOU, NOT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.