01.06.1999 - GnomeREPORT
Joe is a happy computer. Of course, he's also the one that gets picked on the most around here. When Be Inc. sent me R4 of their BeOS, I was extremely excited to get it up and running. I have to admit, the setup was simpler (and much faster) than expected. I believe I was up and running within 15 minutes--or so it seemed.
This was the Intel version of the OS, and it came with a boot manager which was as easy to use as it was to install. Heck, booting into Be on Joe takes a fraction of the time it takes to get into Windows 9x. Once I was up and running in Be for the first time, it felt odd. The user interface was different--but that's not a bad thing. I started snooping around like a kid in a candy store.
I suppose the first "big" thing I noticed was that the video seemed to be slow (which could either be attributed to the not-quite-polished video drivers or my ATI All-in-Wonder Pro). Beyond that, I found a decent set of "on board" utilities; the font viewer was the coolest thing (very configurable). The sound didn't "sound" any different than it did in Windows 9x (then again, sound is pretty much driven by the card and not the software).
I'd definitely say that Be is well on its way to becoming an "everyday" Desktop OS. The only thing that really bothered me about this revision was the video--it was too slow on Joe. My suggestion? Wait until BeOS is completely out of testing phases, then pick it up. By that time, there will be great BeOS resources on the web (to help you find great Be downloads). And who knows, perhaps even a Be Lockergnome?
-- Chris Pirillo
GnomePROGRAM
Local IP v1.2 [1.9M] W9x FREE
http://home.sol.no/~tmanneru/files/localexe.zip
http://home.sol.no/~tmanneru/localip.html
Where am I right now? Oh sure, I'm sitting at home in my chair...
but what's my IP? Yes, I could gather basic IP information by
entering "WINIPCFG" in the Run Command line, but what if I wanna
know more? This tool can help. It'll show your local, current, and
"decimal notation" IP address, as well as your Hostname, Media
Access Control address (NIC), Network Class, Winsock information,
and Asc / LongIP address. The values can easily be copied to the
clipboard, too. IP freely!
GnomeSYSTEM
IntelliMouse Wheel Does Not Work Properly
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q172/1/50.asp
"When you are using the IntelliMouse, the wheel functions may not
be available even though Device Manager correctly identifies the
mouse as 'Mouse with Wheel.' Also, when you click the Turn On The
Wheel check box on the Wheel tab in Mouse properties, you may
receive the following error message: IntelliPoint cannot change
your settings." I love my Intellimouse Pro!
GnomeCANDY
GIF Cruncher
http://www.gifcruncher.com/
Graphics are great things to have on websites (as long as they're
done tastefully, and load relatively quickly). 'GIF' is an
extremely popular format, although it is limited in several ways.
When you decide to use GIFs on your site, be sure they're as small
as they can possibly be (byte wise). By using the GIF Cruncher
site, you can make sure that no quality is sacrificed when you
attempt to shrink them. You can browse through images that are on
your computer or already online. Definitely crunchy!
GnomeFAVORITE
Interface Hall of Shame
Found by Philippe Lhoste
http://www.iarchitect.com/mshame.htm
When programmers ask me for feedback on their programs, the first
thing I usually complain about is the UI (user interface). If a
program doesn't look good on the screen, I'm not going to want to
use it often. If a program is functional, but doesn't look
inviting, it stands the chance of being lost in the shuffle.
Here's a site that's an "irreverent collection of examples of
common interface design mistakes". Send your favorite (or least
favorite) programmer here for tips.
GnomeDESKTOP
FONT: Bigheadmofo [7k]
http://www.fuelfonts.com/files/bighead.zip
http://www.fuelfonts.com/
My hair grows too quickly; it seems like I visit the stylist more
often than I reboot. Kids used to make fun of it (for good reason)
in gradeschool. When I finally discovered gel, it wasn't as
bad--my hair actually stayed curled for the early part of the day.
In college, I gave up and wore a hat everywhere. Er, of course,
there was the period of time that I dyed my hair orange. That
wasn't too bad, once you got past the initial shock of seeing a
fireball sitting atop my head.
GnomeTIP
"Hey Chris, how did you get so many people to read Lockergnome?"
Well, I suppose I count on the "satisfied subscribers" to keep
spreading the word about it. Some people forward newsletters to
their friends, and others talk about Lockergnome around the water
cooler in the morning. I discovered that the best way to help them
"talk" is through a well-crafted Recommend script. Smaller sites
can rely on Recommending web services, but larger sites might look
into making a script of their own. I strongly suggest using
MasterRecommend. Not only is the author a Lockergnomie himself,
but the script is easier than cake to install and implement. You
can grab it here: http://www.willmaster.com/MasterRecommend/ --
keep spreading the word!