PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a very nice gaming console. Actually it is much more than just a console. It is also the cheapest way to get some of the new technologies like Blu-ray Disc player and the Cell microprocessor. Another great thing about PS3 is that it is a very open console, which is also using a lot of open standards (like OpenGL for graphics) for game development. Sony even officialy allows you to install Linux on PS3 and the company is directly helping with development of support for PS3 in the Linux kernel. This openness has already enabled some of the very interesting uses of PS3. For example it is used to build an academic computing cluster (a cheap way to build super-computers), performs calculations to help with cancer/Alzheimer’s research and it is also used for some real-time ray-tracing.

But there is one important piece of hardware in PS3 that Sony (or nVidia) is still blocking direct access to: the RSX ‘Reality Synthesizer’ graphics processing unit (GPU). If full access to RSX was allowed to programmers people could create even more amazing and creative new stuff with PlayStation 3. In a hope to persuade Sony to open-up the full access to RSX a petition has been started. So if you are a PS3 owner or will become one in the future be sure to sign this petition. Hack, even if you are not interested into PS3 right now, consider signing the petition. Help bring more freedom and openness into game consoles.

Tags: playstation, playstation 3, ps3, sony, hardware, rsx, reality synthesizer, graphics, petitions, petition, linux

Yesterday I attended the fourth and the final part of a free Plone workshop that was organised by Kiberpipa (Cyberpipe) multimedia centre here in Ljubljana. My main motivation for taking part in this workshop was LUGOS. You see, the web page of our Slovenian Linux user group is running on Plone. So I thought it would be a good idea to learn Plone to also be able to help in this department.

Each part was about two hours long and during the entire workshop we’ve learned the basics about Plone. First about Zope application framework and server and how Plone is a product that uses it. Then we took a look at the main parts of a Plone-based portal. We also installed Plone on Linux machines there (it was very easy: unpack, run installation, start the server). After that we learned how to add various types of content and how to organise it. We also found out about packages that add functionality to default Plone, these packages are called Plone products. Portlets were introduced and techniques to modify the layout and looks of the Plone portal were presented. At the end even concepts like states, transitions, workflow, roles, groups and security couldn’t escape from us.

All in all it was a very nice workshop and I think I’ve learned a lot of useful stuff about Plone. It has also surprised me to see how many sites use Plone. I visit some of them (like Trolltech, The Free Software Foundation, Open4Business) more or less frequently and I didn’t even know that Plone is behind them. A special thanks to our mentor Rok Gerbas who has done a great job introducing us to the powerful Plone content management system.

Tags: plone, zope, cms, content management system, internet, web, web design, open source, free software, python, kiberpipa, cyberpipe

A couple of days ago a French company Mandriva released the final version of Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring (also called 2007.1). One of the major new features in this version is the integration of Metisse, an advanced window manager that provides an easy to use environment for designing and implementing new innovative ideas for computer desktops. They have also added the very popular Beryl, a 3D OpenGL-accelerated desktop which makes Windows Vista Aero look like an old and boring slideshow. In Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring you will also find KDE 3.5.6, GNOME 2.18. Firefox 2.0, Thunderbird 2.0 and OpenOffice.org 2.1.

I downloaded PowerPack DVDs two weeks ago, as I am a member of Mandriva Club where I was enrolled in Early Seeders program for BitTorrent sharing. First I upgraded my sister’s computer which was running Mandriva 2007. All went without a hitch and she is now enjoying the new Mandriva 2007 Spring. Later during the week I also installed the new version onto my laptop, where I have a special partition which I use for testing various Linux distributions. All works fine here too.

The only annoyance was the new Mandriva themed KDE start button. While it looks very nice it took up way to much valuable space in kicker (about 3 or 4 buttons long). This was quickly solved by following these instructions to switch back to default KDE K menu button.

In my opinion Mandriva Linux with the release of 2007 Spring remains one of the best Linux distributions for new Linux users (right next to Kubuntu). For more information about the new release check out:
Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring Release Announcement
Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring Release Tour (with screenshots)
Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring Release Notes

And of course, don’t forget to download Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring and check it out for yourself.

Another great thing is that Mandriva is back to 6 month release cycle. So work has already begun on the next version and Frederik Himpe has written about some of the features that might come with Mandriva Linux 2008.

Tags: mandriva, linux, spring, distributions, metisse, beryl, free software, open source, operating systems