iGADGETS » Linux

Whatever happened to…WordPerfect?

James Thornton — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:22:09 +0000

What causes an application that once ruled the software world to completely fall from grace? That’s the question we’ll be posing in a new regular feature on OnSoftware. To kick-start the series I’m examining perhaps the most dramatic demise in software history – that of WordPerfect.

The rise to fame

If you were using a computer in the late 80s or early 90s you’ll remember that WordPerfect was really the only word processing program worth using. The program started life in 1982 when Bruce Bastian and Dr Alan Ashton ported their Data General app to the IBM PC and called it WordPerfect 2.20. By 1986 WordPerfect 4.2 had overtaken WordStar as the word processor market leader on the DOS platform. But it wasn’t until 1989 that the app really hit the heights, with its most successful version ever, WordPerfect 5.1. Now with support for tables, simple spreadsheets and Macintosh-style pull-down menus, the software was viewed as the choice for office professionals. At this time the WordPerfect 5.1 file format was supported by all word processors, and most publishing companies and businesses insisted documents were provided in this format. WordPerfect 5.1 would, for years, be the most respected document editing format on the planet.

Is Twitter destroying blogging?

Nicholas Mead — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:56:07 +0000

While browsing through the comments on OnSoftware, I discovered the blog of one commenter who had written a post called Twitter is killing my blog and it got me thinking. One of the main reasons for his preference for Twitter was that it’s an “easy avenue to be connected” that he felt “a sense of participation” and that he got instant feedback when asking for opinions.

Some of this rings very true. I’ve also noticed a drop-off in blogging from blogs I follow whose writers have concentrated more on using Twitter. Communications consultant Mark Evans claims he also noticed the same thing a while back.

I think there’s several reasons for this:

Tweeting is quick and easy. Using a Twitter client involves far less fuss than a blogging interface such as

Friday Timewaster: The Great Flu

Jon Riggall — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:26:59 +0000

The Great Flu is a short strategy game where you have to try your best to limit a global flu pandemic. The Earth is split into areas, and depending on problems in each part you can direct certain policies at them. Distributing face masks, improving health care, stockpiling vaccines and more are available. As you progress, you’ll receive media stories and messages that help you make decisions. Once the pandemic hits, the growing spread of red dots over the planet is quite disturbing!

The game seems to be based on genuine medical advice, and it’s interesting to see which polices don’t work so well. I contained the Gamers Flu in 25 days, with only 161,746 deaths. OK, that doesn’t sound too good I suppose. This flash game plays in your browser, and is beautifully designed. It’s not the most cheerful concept, but it’s an unusually good mix of entertainment and education, an often cursed mix.

If you need a quick fix of mindless destruction after that, try Max Damage, a really basic physics game where you have to fire a cannon at domestic items, and do the maximum amount of damage possible. It’s not a new idea, or a clever one but it’s still fun.

Top 10 software songs

James Thornton — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:06:45 +0000

After I finally stopped laughing at Mashable’s round-up of the best songs about Facebook and Twitter, I’ve had time to compose my own list of the best software-related tunes. It’s amazing how many artists have felt compelled to write songs professing their love (or often their hatred) of applications and operating systems. Here are the ten that moved me the most.

Free Software Song

The crowd at Richard Stillman’s impromptu ‘gig’ were left dumbstruck by his mesmerizing performance of his self-penned Free Software Song. Don’t expect the founder of the GNU Project and Free Software Foundation to be getting an six-album deal anytime soon, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BH7poMtPVU

Photoshop

Check out this extravagant performance of Spark’s Photoshop song, recorded on the band’s Creatures of the Deep tour. Russell, we would never want to Photoshop you out of our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKAZGsVU-Fc

Mac or PC Rap

One of my personal favorites, this Flight Of the Conchords-style hip hop parody debates the nuances of the Windows and Mac OS interfaces.

How To: Make Firefox open an external program

Nicholas Mead — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:59:02 +0000

Have you ever clicked on a link in mac“>Firefox that’s supposed to open an external application but it can’t for some reason? I recently encountered this problem when clicking on a link for TVUPlayer for Mac. The error message reported:

Firefox doesn’t know how to open this address, because the protocol (tvu) isn’t associated with any program.

I tried the same thing on Firefox in Windows however and got a helpful “Choose Application” dialog that allowed me to select the correct application to open by browsing to it’s location on my hard drive:

The problem is when Firefox is asked to open something outside of the browsing environment on a Mac, it often needs a protocol which instructs it how to. This should be something that’s easy to address in Firefox Preferences but unfortunately it’s not. You have to access Firefox’s hidden settings to fix the problem.

Friday Timewaster: Frobot

Jon Riggall — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:25:04 +0000

Two words: Robot + Disco.

If you’re still reading this, and not playing Frobot, you probably never will. Just in case I can convince the non robot and disco fans out there, this is a kind of shoot ‘em up. It’s free, and plays in your browser with Flash. You control the Frobot, on a mission to save boring suits and government agents from themselves, and turn them into party loving disco dancers. Move with the keyboard, and aim with the mouse. You have to be careful – once you shoot a suit, they turn into a dancer, but will die if you shoot them some more! The music’s cool, the robot’s cool… it is a bit tough, but I can forgive that, as it’s got robots and disco in it!

Exclusive interview with Voddler’s co-founder

Nicholas Mead — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:03:06 +0000

Those canny Swedes have been at it again. Following on from the launch of music service Spotify, Voddler is a new service where the focus is the screen rather than music. Voddler promises to offer a service similar to Spotify except with films and TV shows on demand.

Co-founder Mathias Hjelmstedt told OnSoftware:

“Since 2005, we’ve been working on developing the streaming technology that’s allowed us to conceive this project. It will offer both TV shows and films on demand and eventually will be extended beyond home computing to become part of your living room viewing experience.”

The service is initially being rolled-out in Scandinavia first before being launched in UK and then worldwide and will work on Windows, Mac and Linux. Voddler has been in beta stage since 1st July and the development blog claims that 16,000 people signed-up for it on the first day. Once you’ve entered your name and e-mail address however, you’ll have to be one of the lucky ones selected for beta testing. OnSoftware has been granted an exclusive pass so watch this space for one of the first looks at this exciting app.

Asked if Voddler uses the same streaming software common to sites such as YouTube, Hjelmstedt says, “Not at all. If YouTube were to use our patented steaming technology, my guess is that they could save up to 90% of their streaming costs.” A bold statement indeed. Asked also if Voddler is anything like Hulu, Hjelmstedt simply replied, “No, it’s much better.”

But will paid-up users receive a better service than those only using the ad supported version? Hjelmstedt says, “It depends on the film. It’s quite possible that a newly released film at the cinema will be available the same day on Voddler to all users. However, some film studios only want paid-up users to have access to new content so it really depends.”

Eventually, Hjelmstedt sees Voddler as an essential home entertainment system. “Eventually there will be a Voddler box that plugs into your TV so that you won’t even need a computer.” Asked about the price of the premium service, he says, “Cheap. A little bit more expensive than Spotify though because it’s films and not music.”

Scanning the blogosphere, it doesn’t seem that many people have been invited at this early stage although Morten Skogly offers us an exciting sneak preview with high-resolution screenshots.

Apart from the screenshots on Skogly’s blog, the only other shot we have of the service is from the Swedish broadband organization that Voddler is currently being promoted with.

Watch this space for a full review of Voddler on OnSoftware soon!

Ubuntu Tutorial: How to install Ubuntu on your PC

Elena Santos — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:40:22 +0000

After reading dozens of articles about the wonders of Ubuntu and hearing some of my workmates constantly praising it, I was so curious to test it for myself that I couldn’t help it: I’ve downloaded the latest version of this popular Linux distro from their official website and I’m just about to install it. I want to see it with my own eyes and check if Ubuntu really deserves all those kind words. I plan to be using Ubuntu for a few days, not only to test it as an operating system, but also to test myself and see if I can manage to accomplish the most basic tasks (browsing the web, downloading software, blogging, listening to music, editing photos…) in a completely new operating system. If you’re also curious about Ubuntu, get ready because the trip is about to start!

They say that a thousand mile journey starts with a single step and in this case, our first step is obviously installing Ubuntu. After downloading the Ubuntu 9.04 ISO file, burn it to a CD with your favorite burning app, following these instructions if necessary. Insert the newly recorded CD into the CD drive and restart your system so that it boots from the CD drive and launches the installation. You may have to modify the boot-up sequence on your system to do this.

The first step is choosing the language used for installation. Note that this will also be the default language for the system once Ubuntu is installed.

Google Earth: Weather, sun and street view

Jon Riggall — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:30:48 +0000

Google Earth gets more and more features all the time. Its 3D mapping is always improving, the not very interesting ocean floors have been included as well as historical sites and lots of buildings.

You can now choose to add weather conditions and the sun to your experience. Clicking View – Sun, will add a time slide to the interface. You can now move time, and see the sun rise, set and create shadow all over the globe. All the information is astronomically correct – so you can see the change in sunrises over the year. The sun effect can be quite spectacular. With the weather, which is activated on the sidebar of Google Maps in your browser. It’s not quite as well implemented – moving around is definitely easier in your browser,but it’s still a cool feature. Incidentally, if you haven’t tried the revamped street view in Google Maps, it’s much improved. If you’re looking for a holiday experience, you can now visit a modeled Euro Disney site, and watch the sun go up and down, repeatedly! alternatively, try some mountains for a more epic view.