tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-193804492024-03-19T09:08:19.307+00:00Les CannoniersAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-1779566095440996012009-05-12T09:21:00.003+01:002009-05-12T09:30:20.453+01:00Renoise LicenseWell, after lots of evaluation I have bought a license for Renoise.<br /><br />The more I use it, the more I like it, and it definately helps you lay down ideas very quickly. There are lots of features I haven't even explored yet, so I'm confident that I will find even more useful stuff in there. It is great that they have a native Linux version, and it is <span style="font-style:italic;">very</span> stable.<br /><br />I have also been playing around a lot with QTractor, an open source DAW/Sequencer. While it has a lot of features that I like, it is not yet ready for everyday intensive use - this is no surprise as it is still described as being Alpha software. Even though I have bought Renoise, I will still use Qtractor here and there - when I find bugs or missing features I will be sure to report them in the interest of product improvement.<br /><br />But for now, Renoise is King - I have been using it to put together my entry for the Depeche Mode remix contest. Stay tuned for more news on that.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-22741186431602239422009-04-03T08:03:00.003+01:002009-04-03T08:17:08.944+01:00RenoiseI've been spending quite a lot of time lately checking out the Linux version of <a href="http://www.renoise.com/">Renoise</a>. I must admit I was a bit bemused at first, as I had never used a tracker type sequencer before, but the guys at Renoise have a lot of useful documentation to get you quickly up and running.<br /><br />Since I've been playing with it for a few days now I can say that I really like it. It is quick to lay down tracks, and editing is quick and painless (I do more MIDI sequencing than audio tracks). I like the fact that it has it's own built in sampler (which is very flexible), and it happily co-exists with LADSPA so you have a bunch of effects at your disposal from the off. It also integrates well with JACK.<br /><br />There are a couple of limitations - it doesn't host DSSI plugins, so you have to use them as external MIDI devices and there are no dedicated audio tracks.<br /><br />I'm not quite done with my evaluation yet, I haven't tried recording any audio yet, but I'm pleased with it so far. It has proved to be very stable. Other options I'll be checking out are QTractor & EnergyXT (I've all but ruled out Rosegarden - I've tried it before and didn't like the plugin setup workflow amongst other things). <br /><br />As I've said before, I don't mind paying for a decent bit of software if I have to, what is more important to me is that I have something reliable and flexible to work with.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-49794760000640581642009-03-27T11:21:00.003+00:002009-03-27T11:37:55.714+00:00Some more native Linux VSTsI've found a few more native Linux VSTs - I haven't tried any of these yet, but they are in my downloads folder ready to try! These are all free by the way.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mucoder.net/hypercyclic/">Hypercyclic</a> - This is described as an 'LFO-driven MIDI arpeggiator, gate effect and step sequencer for mangling MIDI input chords.' This won 2nd prize in the KVR Developer Challenge 2007.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thepiz.org/mralias2/">Mr Alias 2</a> - Not really sure how to describe this synth, so here is their own description of it: 'Mr. Alias 2 uses non-bandlimited oscillators which can be transposed near to and beyond the Nyquist frequency, causing most of their spectra to be aliased back into audible non-harmonic frequencies. The sound can then be further processed by a number of crude "effects."'<br /><br />Also from the same developer as Mr Alias are a number of <a href="http://www.thepiz.org/dl/?p=vst#pizmidi">MIDI processing</a> VST plugins. <br /><br />I am especialy keen to try Hypercyclic and Mr Alias, and will report back when I have done so.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-70980740860040960202009-03-26T13:00:00.006+00:002009-03-26T13:27:01.421+00:00Loomer Aspect VST for LinuxWhile trying out Renoise and various other sequencers, I have also been trying out the demo for <a href="http://www.loomer.co.uk/aspect.htm">Aspect</a>, a commercial VST synth plug in. After Disco DSP's Discovery, it is only the second commercially available Linux VST.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRJlfCu8Mgd1hRKYm11UUZLdJ6O8ANs2glrj35gNpEp_hYotpA7SrZUt6hIVEn1sPoewE6zX_j9CqY5CwEzOf-hb2mtRx-ipM7dwFXCm72ESKzoT78EFtKdtf_mn3geTklsNbJQ/s1600-h/aspect_sml1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRJlfCu8Mgd1hRKYm11UUZLdJ6O8ANs2glrj35gNpEp_hYotpA7SrZUt6hIVEn1sPoewE6zX_j9CqY5CwEzOf-hb2mtRx-ipM7dwFXCm72ESKzoT78EFtKdtf_mn3geTklsNbJQ/s320/aspect_sml1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317481641229446722" /></a><br /><br />This is a very flexible synth, with lots of modulation routings possible. With so many routings possible, it is nice to see a decent number of modulation sources available - 3 envelopes & 3 LFOs, as well as the ability to use the Oscillators and Filter outputs as modulation sources too.<br /><br />It also has an easy to use MIDI learn function, so you can map your controllers to the various parameters - I have been able to map the 16 or so sliders/knobs on my Evolution controller keyboard to key parameters; it makes editing so much easier.<br /><br />CPU usage can be quite high on patches that use a high number of voices or unison, although recent updates have bought the CPU usage down, so this shouldn't be a big problem.<br /><br />It is quite difficult to categorise the sound the synth produces - it can sound quite analog at times, but also can sound quite digital. That's not to say it can't do either very well, but more like it has quite a distinct sound, and a very good one too. I'm very happy with it and have gone ahead and bought the full version.<br /><br />Loomer also have two Effects VSTs available for Linux, but I haven't tried those out yet. It is good to see some commercial VSTs available for Linux - although there are a few good synths available for Linux, most have been around for quite some time so it is good to freshen things up a bit.<br /><br />The Loomer plugins are built using the JUCE development kit, hopefully this is the first of more commercial Linux releases, as more developers start to use JUCE.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-59750398978644289722009-03-24T09:09:00.003+00:002009-03-24T09:29:39.525+00:00Choosing a SequencerNow I have a reliable audio setup, I need to choose a sequencer. In the Linux world, there is quite a choice, both free and commercial - Rosegarden, Qtractor, Muse, SEQ24, EnergyXT (commercial) & Renoise (commercial). There may be others, but they seem the most widely used.<br /><br />I'm looking for something that has a quick and simple workflow, is reliable and can also work with audio files. I don't mind using a commercial program if I need to. <br /><br />I used to use Tracktion in my Windows days, and loved the simplicity that it offered - vitually everything was accessed from the main screen without needing to delve into various menus. The only thing that let it down slightly was the MIDI editing was a bit weak, but I would happily use it again now. In fact, it's a shame there is no Linux version available, after all it is built with the JUCE toolkit, which is a cross platform development library which is available for Linux.<br /><br />I'm probably going to rule out SEQ24 straight away - it is a MIDI sequencer only, and to be honest when I briefly tried it I didn't get on with the workflow.<br /><br />I am going to try <a href="http://www.renoise.com/">Renoise</a> first. I've heard good things about it and it supports native Linux VSTs. I've never used a tracker before so it should be an interesting ride...Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-644588046008017062009-03-17T09:06:00.004+00:002009-03-17T09:25:01.719+00:00JACK ConfigurationAfter checking that the Lexicon Omega was working under Ubuntu, it was time to configure JACK properly for realtime support and low latency.<br /><br />If you don't already know, <a href="http://jackaudio.org/">JACK</a> is the system used for handing low latency, real-time audio in Linux. It can take a bit of trial and error to get it working OK...<br /><br />When I first enabled the real-time option, JACK wouldn't start at all. It was throwing up an error:<br /><br /><blockquote> cannot use real-time scheduling (FIFO at priority 10) [for thread -1210643584, from thread -1210643584] (1: Operation not permitted)<br />cannot create engine</blockquote><br /><br />After looking around, it seems this is a well known issue, and after reading the <a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudioPreparation">Ubuntu Studio</a> guide, I needed to add a few settings to /etc/security/limits.conf, specifically:<br /><br /><blockquote>sudo su -c 'echo @audio - rtprio 99 >> /etc/security/limits.conf'<br /> sudo su -c 'echo @audio - nice -19 >> /etc/security/limits.conf'<br /> sudo su -c 'echo @audio - memlock unlimited >> /etc/security/limits.conf'</blockquote><br /><br />However, even though JACK now started, I was still getting lots of xruns and other errors, of the type:<br /><br /><blockquote>delay of 21343.000 usecs exceeds estimated spare time of 21075.000; restart...</blockquote><br /><br />I tried in vain for hours to get rid of these errors, when I realised that at some point during the various reboots I was doing, the hardware device in the JACK copnfiguration had switched to the internal sound card, rather than the Omega. Although the same hardware device was still selected in JACK, the system had swapped the USB Omega to another device. I had also added the same configuration settings in /etc/security/limits.conf to my user name.<br /><br />Now JACK is running with no xruns at all, except for when starting or exiting applications, which is normal. Now I need to start seriously playing around with the various sequencers/DAWs/plugins and see which works best for me.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-15040531513278430382009-03-14T13:41:00.005+00:002009-03-14T13:52:52.824+00:00Lexicon Omega running on LinuxI ordered a Lexicon Omega, which is a 4 input audio/midi interface to use with my Linux laptop and external gear. I opted for this as I had seen a couple of reports that it worked well in Linux.<br /><br />Sure enough, after plugging it in it was immediately recognised by the system and was picked up by Jack.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-7NwhDyRDTJ2owdzHvFqCxGqx-SKw73Fxu7K0lcS61huOWcYaHAM3nh2YXFJcIL3w14QInRMV3rDvWgp7LG0J0xD9k25Dm-AjORzgpp9soRb2ul2ezOTjCWeD9Eok4FVvfiLCA/s1600-h/Screenshot-Connections+-+JACK+Audio+Connection+Kit.png"><img style="float:center; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-7NwhDyRDTJ2owdzHvFqCxGqx-SKw73Fxu7K0lcS61huOWcYaHAM3nh2YXFJcIL3w14QInRMV3rDvWgp7LG0J0xD9k25Dm-AjORzgpp9soRb2ul2ezOTjCWeD9Eok4FVvfiLCA/s320/Screenshot-Connections+-+JACK+Audio+Connection+Kit.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313038737068628962" /></a><br /><br />I was a bit confused at first, as under the audio tab it doesn't appear under it's own name like it does on the ALSA tab, it just appears as 'System'.<br /><br />Also visible in the screenshot you can see that my USB keyboard, an Evolution MK-449C has been recognised by the system without having to install any drivers.<br /><br />With these two pieces of equipment working well I can now use them to control my external synth as well using the audio software in Ubuntu Studio.<br /><br />Now I just need to try and configure Jack properly so it is working optimally with the Omega.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-21767695810609262632009-03-12T09:20:00.007+00:002009-03-12T10:00:20.369+00:00Using Ubuntu for creating MusicMany moons ago, I used to have a home recording studio in the spare bedroom. As more children came along, this unfortunately had to be sacrificed as we had run out of space. I kept my modular synthesizer that I had built, but sold everything else and instead bought a laptop. Over time I used this less and less (unsurprisingly with small children keeping me busy), but would often try and tinker around with it.<br /><br />Although I mainly used the laptop for Music only, the inevitable happened and Windows managed to corrupt itself. After replacing it with Ubuntu, even worse things were to come when one of the children trod on it and broke the LCD. <br /><br />To cut a long story short, I now have a new laptop (Dell 1525) with Ubuntu, onto which I have installed the Ubuntu Studio packages. I am now trying to make a concerted effort to get back into making music again, and am going to try to do it all on Ubuntu/Linux.<br /><br />I have ordered a Lexicon Omega audio interface (which apparently work well in Linux) so I will see how I go. I will blog whatever problems/triumphs I encounter along the way!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-79784491702215890252008-11-21T09:24:00.002+00:002008-11-21T09:36:26.228+00:00pygtk Recent File ChooserI have started working on a new opensource project, using pygtk and Python (details on the project at a later stage). I wanted to add the ability to select recent files from the main menu. While pygtk provides classes to enable this (RecentManager, RecentChooserMenu), I couldn't find any code examples. So here is an example that adds a Recent Files submenu to a menu item.<br />The code assumes there is an existing menu item 'self.mnuRecent' that the recent files sub menu will be attached to.<br /><br /><code><br />#Add a recent projects menu item<br />manager = gtk.recent_manager_get_default()<br />#define a RecentChooserMenu object <br />recent_menu_chooser = gtk.RecentChooserMenu(manager)<br />#define a file filter, otherwise all file types will show up<br />filter = gtk.RecentFilter()<br />filter.add_pattern("*.avi") #set this to whatever file type you want<br />#add the filter to the RecentChooserMenu object<br />recent_menu_chooser.add_filter(filter)<br />#add a signal to open the selected file<br />recent_menu_chooser.connect('item-activated', self.recent_item_activated)<br />#Attach the RecentChooserMenu to the main menu item<br />mnurecent = self.mnuRecent<br />mnurecent.set_submenu(recent_menu_chooser) <br /><br />##<br /><br />def recent_item_activated(self, widget):<br />"""Activated when an item from the recent projects menu is clicked"""<br />uri = widget.get_current_item().get_uri()<br /># Strip 'file://' from the beginning of the uri<br />file_to_open = uri[7:]<br />#code here to open the selected file <br /><br />## In your code where you open a file, you need to add the file to the recent items manager<br /><br />manager = gtk.recent_manager_get_default()<br />manager.add_item('file://' + file_uri) <br /></code><br /><br />Hopefully someone will find this example useful.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-28841073363760926032008-11-21T09:21:00.002+00:002008-11-21T09:24:07.974+00:00phoNIX BetaIn my previous post I mentioned the educational software I have been developing, phoNIX. This has now reached beta release status, and is available for download at the project <a href="http://phonix.org.uk">website</a>.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-4247056496040688002008-07-15T10:41:00.005+01:002008-07-15T11:03:53.184+01:00Developing software for UbuntuBy day, I am a software developer. OK, software developer is a bit grand, but I work in the development department for a fund manager, developing reports, applications, SQL etc., all on Windows.<br /><br />After running Ubuntu for some time now on my home machines (desktop, laptop & file server), I have been keen to try developing for Ubuntu/Linux. Python is a popular language for developing Linux applications so I decided to try and learn python by creating some applications.<br /><br />The trouble is trying to think of something worthwhile to develop. My first attempt, a media cataloguing application, started off quite well and taught me quite a lot about developing in Python & GTK. However it became obvious that there was already a very good solution out there, so not wishing to reinvent the wheel, I stopped working on that.<br /><br />My next idea for an application came about while looking for some software for my young children. At school, they use the Phonics system of learning to read and write. I was looking for some phonics software that ran on Linux but couldn't find any - so I thought I would create my own.<br /><br />So that is what I have been doing for the last month or two. The application is nearly finished, the only thing remaining is to record the sound samples it will use. I have setup a website dedicated to this (free, open source project) at <a href="http://phonix.org.uk/">http://phonix.org.uk</a>.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-3921679478248931562008-05-08T10:18:00.003+01:002008-05-08T10:31:31.653+01:00Upgrading Ubuntu 6.06 LTS to 8.04 LTSMy Music/File server has been running 6.06 for some time. Now that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS is out, it would soon mean an end for security updates for 6.06, so it seemed like the right time to upgrade to the most recent LTS version.<br /><br />The upgrade itself ran smoothly, although a bit slowly (the server runs on a VIA 1.2 Ghz processor, so no surprise there).<br /><br />What did fool me though, was that during the upgrade Slimserver was uninstalled. I didn't notice any messages about this during the upgrade. After trying to connect to Slimserver via a browser, it was apparent that it wasn't running. Trying to start the Slimserver service resulted in a load of errors. The confusing thing was that although it had been uninstalled, there were plenty of Slimserver files left behind, which made it look as if everything was still there.<br /><br />After about an hour and a half of messing around I found a post on the Slimserver forums which stated that Slimserver was uninstalled after upgrading to 8.04. Once I knew this, it was easy to download the Slimserver deb and install it again. Fortunately all my previous plugins and settings had been left untouched, so I didn't have to set it up all over again.<br /><br />That leaves me with two other machines to upgrade (desktop and laptop), although there is no hurry for them as they both run 7.10 so are still getting updates.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-77124650362876121902008-01-22T15:24:00.000+00:002008-01-22T15:33:07.365+00:00Do the BBC make it up?Compare the squad published by the BBC in their preview of tonights Semi-Final against Tottenham:<br /><br />As published by the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7197913.stm">BBC</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><b></b></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b></b><blockquote><b>Arsenal (from):</b> Fabianski, J Hoyte, Gallas, Senderos, Traore, Diaby, Denilson, Gilberto, Eduardo, Walcott, Bendtner, Mannone, Sagna, Rosicky, Randall, Gibbs, Lansbury, G Hoyte.</blockquote></span><br /><br />As published by <a href="http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=News&article=486674&lid=NewsHeadline&Title=Fabregas,+Adebayor+and+Hleb+included+in+Carling+Cup+squad">Arsenal</a>:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><b></b></span><span style="font-size:85%;">DIABY, SAGNA,<br />FABREGAS, EDUARDO, GALLAS, HLEB, DENILSON, FLAMINI, GILBERTO, FABIANSKI (GK), ADEBAYOR, BENDTNER, TRAORE, HOYTE, WALCOTT, MANNONE (GK)</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-90722096543429904952008-01-11T09:30:00.001+00:002008-12-10T14:26:31.129+00:00What's happened to Usmanov?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmwFfQL3lB5g-07BX3LS3AoisjME8IfEJvF-5Z25laKlGMSVh-FiEwDD0I-mpWi-7TpdOJIwhnclTOaVx1inGMK-nsoQEux7cuyq3Gxu1J0eo6lQTZOnZKBcEhdeeQKYCJNA6Rw/s1600-h/jabba.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmwFfQL3lB5g-07BX3LS3AoisjME8IfEJvF-5Z25laKlGMSVh-FiEwDD0I-mpWi-7TpdOJIwhnclTOaVx1inGMK-nsoQEux7cuyq3Gxu1J0eo6lQTZOnZKBcEhdeeQKYCJNA6Rw/s320/jabba.jpg" alt="Usmanov hasn't bought any shares for a while" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154149547776436146" border="0" /></a>Has Usmanov given up in his pursuit of Arsenal shares? There have been no trades in Arsenal shares since 17th December, where previously trading had been taking place on most days.<br /><br />He may have reached the limit on who was prepared to sell, as there are still plenty of hard core supporters who have small shareholdings. The Arsenal Supporters Trust has also recently backed the Board's lockdown agreement, meaning there aren't that many potential sellers left.<br /><br />Or maybe he has just lost all his wealth in the recent credit crunch ;->Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-4646389271125653582007-11-27T13:24:00.000+00:002008-12-10T14:26:31.350+00:00Firefox SQLite Manager extensionA number of desktop applications use SQLite as a datastore, as it is lightweight and require no configuration to work out of the box.<br /><br />I have a few applications running in Ubuntu that use SQLite, and I am currently learning pyGTK programming by writing an application that uses SQLIte for a backend.<br /><br />I was looking for a management tool to use to query the various databases (especially my database under development) when I found the Firefox extension.<br /><br />As with all Firefox extensions, it installed easily enough after the browser was restarted and is accessed from the Tools menu.<br /><br />It opens in its own window, with a list of databases appearing in a tree in the left hand pane. Three tabs in the right hand pane give you access to the structure of tables, a browse window and a query window.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIOkpDwumgEfybnLJRTmMJfp_2FK3TmxfbCn1V3M8bBR66gzSS5luf1SXssruUN-IzS9EpVEojhdXUn9iOt1BtFsobDQ7E0nLSVs23zVbc8O6ks2oYQlyJzCnAYjz1aPex-NyuA/s1600-h/1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIOkpDwumgEfybnLJRTmMJfp_2FK3TmxfbCn1V3M8bBR66gzSS5luf1SXssruUN-IzS9EpVEojhdXUn9iOt1BtFsobDQ7E0nLSVs23zVbc8O6ks2oYQlyJzCnAYjz1aPex-NyuA/s320/1.png" alt="SQLIte in Firefox" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137513540434905778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is a really handy extension which performs well, you should give it a try if you need to query your SQLite databases.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-51939842156001375022007-11-20T13:43:00.000+00:002007-11-20T13:55:29.134+00:00Gnumeric vs Open Office CalcBack in the days (not so long ago) when I ran XP, we would use Excel 97 for spreadsheets. Once it started getting a bit long in the tooth, I tried to encourage the Wife to use Open Office. She could never get on with it, mainly due to the mappings of the keyboard shortcuts. Despite suggesting we change the mappings, she still came up with a few other problems with it.<br /><br />So once I changed our PC to Ubuntu, she was more or less forced to use Open Office all the time. A few other problems came up, notably setting print areas. As my Wife is the main user of Spreadsheets in our house, I was forced to put up with her complaints - I often suggested she boot back into XP (as the machine is dual boot) if it was that big a problem, but she seemed to persevere.<br /><br />Recently I read a few good comments regarding the 'other' Gnome spreadsheet, Gnumeric, on the Ubuntu forums. I thought I would give it a try. As with most other apps on Linux, it is free and easy to install, and a quick visit to the Add/Remove Applications menu had the application installed and running in under a minute.<br /><br />Although it has only been a short while, early signs are promising. Much to my Wife's delight, the shortcut key mappings are the same as Excel (at least the ones she uses are), and the set print area feature is much better implemented.<br /><br />I don't want this to sound like an Open Office bashing post, as I generally like it. I especially like the export to PDF feature. It is just that the major bug bear my other half had after changing to Ubuntu seems to have disappeared under Gnumeric. Hurrah!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-10494980441442125372007-11-07T07:55:00.000+00:002007-11-07T08:11:52.155+00:00Windows Update vs Ubuntu UpdateSince I installed Ubuntu on my desktop, I have been running a Dual Boot system with Windows XP. While I hardly use XP now, I still need to fire it up once every few weeks or so - now I have got a Cisco VPN installed on Ubuntu for work, I will use XP even less.<br /><br />Last night I needed to log in to XP for half an hour or so. While I was using it, I thought I had better check Windows Update, as it had been a while since I had applied any patches. Off I went to the Windows Update site. What a painful experience it was. First, after a half a minute or so check, I find that I need to install an updated Active X control. I allow the browser to install the control. Then, up pops another dialog asking if I want to run the install or save it to disk. I allow it to install (even though I thought I had just done that in the Browser).<br /><br />Then it starts checking my machine for updates. This takes a minute or two. Then lo and behold, I get prompted again to install another update to allow me to check for real updates. Finally, after installing that update, the real list of updates finally appears.<br /><br />Compare this process to the Ubuntu update process. In the Update Manager, I press the Check for Updates button. After a few seconds check, up comes the list of updates. I press apply and they are all installed (without any need to reboot, I might add).<br /><br />The Windows Update process is a reminder of why I got cheesed off with Windows and installed Ubuntu.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-49104808542923719492007-10-29T14:03:00.000+00:002007-10-29T14:26:36.744+00:00Ubuntu 7.10I have been running Ubuntu 7.10 since I upgraded my 7.04 install to the 7.10 release candidate a week before the final release. That was a good tip I picked up frm the Ubuntu Forums - upgrading a week before the final release avoided the release day rush.<br /><br />The upgrade ran smoothly enough with no problems during the install. Before I upgraded I ran a backup of my 'Home' folder, just in case. What improvements are there in 7.10?<br /><br />Compiz-Fusion is installed by default, and this seems a lot more stable than Compiz-Beryl was in 7.04. A new application is 'Tracker', a desktop search tool. I haven't noticed any performance hit due to Tracker, which is quite remarkable considering it must have run a full index search after the install. This seems an improvement over Google Desktop, which I had just started to use in 7.04.<br /><br />In 7.04, I had also started to use the <a href="https://launchpad.net/awn">Avant Window Navigator</a> (AWN). If you don't know about this, it is a 3d dock that sits at the bottom of the screen, and can be used to replace the standard Gnome panel. A new version was released shortly before the 7.10 release, and this is a marked improvement stability wise. Combined with a number of optional applets, AWN makes the standard Ubuntu desktop stand out.<br /><br />Another improvement for me has been the shutdown process. Upon shutting down, my PC would regularly hang, which meant I would have to force the shutdown by holding in the power switch. I have no idea what the cause of this was, so whether the improvement is due to Ubuntu itself or a third party application I'll never know.<br /><br />I also love the new elephant skin wallpaper (although not enabled by default). Very nice.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-70500620776476595502007-09-26T16:30:00.000+01:002007-09-26T16:33:31.095+01:00Arsenal Holdings letter to ShareholdersWhen Arsenal announced their financial results on Monday, the club sent the following letter to all shareholders:<br /><br /><pre style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Arsenal Holdings plc (the "Company") announces that a letter, reproduced<br />below, has been sent to all shareholders.<br /><br /><br />24th September 2007<br /><br />Dear Shareholder,<br /><br />Enclosed you will find the Club's latest annual report and results. The Board<br />believes that these results speak for themselves. The Club is clearly in a<br />strong financial position. We are also buoyant on the football front with<br />manager Arsene Wenger extending his contract with us until 2011 and the team<br />making an excellent start to the season.<br /><br />You will be aware over the last twelve months the Club's shareholder base has<br />changed significantly. Stanley Kroenke now owns 12.2% and Red & White<br />Holdings, a company controlled by Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri, now<br />holds 21%. The Directors of Arsenal continue to hold 45.5% and have no<br />current intention of selling any of their shares as evidenced by their<br />statement of 18th April 2007.<br /><br />Against the backdrop of the strong financial and playing position of the Club,<br />if you are contemplating the possibility of dealing in shares, we would<br />suggest that you take appropriate financial advice and consider the stance<br />taken by the Directors in committing not to sell their own shareholdings.<br /><br />In closing, we recognise that many shareholders retain shares because they are<br />fans of the Club and wish to support the Club to the fullest extent possible<br />rather than holding shares solely as a financial investment. <br /><br />We welcome shareholders' continued support at this time.<br /><br />Yours faithfully<br />P D Hill-Wood<br />Chairman</span></pre>Clearly the board are hoping small shareholders will hold out so that Usmanov cannot reach the 25% holdings barrier.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-74810077994458300322007-09-06T12:13:00.000+01:002007-09-06T12:50:08.603+01:00Music Review: Dragons, Here Are The RosesI first heard of this band from a mention in the gig guide of the evening paper. Their 2 line description of the band made them sound pretty cool, so I thought I'd check them out. It took a while to track them down on the web, but I'm glad I did.<br /><br />Best described as Indie Rock with sprinklings of Electronics, the album starts with the title track and first single, Here Are The Roses (video below). This track, like some of the others on the album, features some very Peter Hook-like bass guitar, plus some nice synth work sitting behind the guitars. Give the video a whirl and see what you think.<br /><br />The second single, Condition, is a more up tempo number with more focus on the guitars. Along with the rest of the album, the lyrics and vocals are very strong throughout.<br /><br />Another mention must go to the drumming - throughout the album the drumming is top class, which adds to the energy already present.<br /><br />There are plenty of strong tracks on the album besides the singles: Trust (could easily be a single), Where Is The Love? (more down tempo, even goth like) , Rememberence and Forever.<br /><br />A lot of albums seem to suffer from putting too many tracks on, running to 12 or more tracks. They often suffer from this, as they become over long with the inevitable fillers. Thankfully, at 10 tracks the album doesn't suffer in this way.<br /><br />The single Here Are The Roses featured two tracks not on the album, Redemption and Love Like This - both of which are strong enough to be album tracks in my opinion. So it is well worth checking out the single.<br /><br />This is by far my favourite album of the year - the only danger is I'm likely to play it to death.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dragons.cc">Dragons Web Site</a><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="353"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3M-AjLP7LL0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3M-AjLP7LL0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="353"></embed></object>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-14027237787033055582007-09-03T22:02:00.000+01:002007-09-03T22:08:05.641+01:00Champions League Group stages squadArsenal have submitted the following squad for the group stages of the Champions League:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Goalkeepers</span></span><table class="hidden"><tbody><tr><th><br /></th></tr></tbody></table><table class="uefaPlayersList"><tbody><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Jens Lehmann</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Łukasz Fabiański</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Manuel Almunia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Defenders</span><br /></span><table class="hidden"><tbody><tr><th><br /></th></tr></tbody></table><table class="uefaPlayersList"><tbody><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">William Gallas</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Philippe Senderos</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Justin Hoyte</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Gaël Clichy</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Kolo Touré</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Johan Djourou *</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Bacary Sagna</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Emmanuel Eboué</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Paul Rodgers *</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Armand Traoré</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Havard Nordtveit</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Midfielders</span><br /></span><table class="hidden"><tbody><tr><th><br /></th></tr></tbody></table><table class="uefaPlayersList"><tbody><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Tomáš Rosický</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Aleksandr Hleb</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Gilberto</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Cesc Fabregas *</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Mathieu Flamini</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Abou Diaby</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Alexandre Song</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Mark Randall *</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Denilson</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Kieran Gibbs *</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Forwards</span><br /><table class="hidden"><tbody><tr><th><br /></th></tr></tbody></table><table class="uefaPlayersList"><tbody><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Robin van Persie</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Eduardo da Silva</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Emmanuel Adebayor</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Nicklas Bendtner</td></tr><tr class="on"><td class="playerName">Theo Walcott</td></tr><tr class="off"><td class="playerName">Jay Simpson *</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="legend"><strong></strong><br /><dl><dt> *Player list B</dt></dl></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-75246591034008537562007-09-02T09:21:00.000+01:002007-09-02T21:09:58.962+01:00Who's firing the £50 notes now?Now David Dein has dumped (or more likely, been dumped by) Stan Kroenke, he is full of his usual self serving quotes. Even before the club has announced that Wenger has signed a new contract, Dein is trying to take the credit for it:<br /><blockquote><br />“I wouldn’t have advised him to if I didn’t have Arsenal’s best interests at heart."<br /><br />"I want to see Arsenal become the best team in the world, and to that end I’ve been instrumental in getting Arsène to sign a new contract.”</blockquote><br />Grating to say the least. Remember this is the guy who wanted Arsenal to share Wembley. What a farce that would have been.<br /><br />I have been surprised by the board not upping their stake - holding 45% of the shares leaves them in a vulnerable position, even if they have friends among the other share holders. Lets just hope they are trustworthy.<br /><br />The other option available to them is to invite Kroenke on to the board and form an alliance with him. He is in a position now where he can't get his hands on many more shares, and can't effectively mount a takeover without co-operation from the Board, so he maybe content with a seat on the Board. It is obvious Kroenke doesn't want much to do with Dein, so he may be prepared to sign up.<br /><br />I just hope all this doesn't distract from our excellent start to the new season, and weigh everyone at the club down.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-72511126126761738152007-07-31T11:25:00.000+01:002007-07-31T11:46:57.383+01:00Arsenal 2-1 PSGI took the opportunity to get tickets for the PSG game in the Emirates Cup. I thought it would be a good time to take my six year old daughter for her first visit to Arsenal.<br /><br />The first half was fairly dull, the highlight of which was my daughter asking if there were any girls playing. I wasn't expecting much from the second half, as the usual raft of half time substitutions usually ruins the game. This time, it worked the other way and brought the game to life. Hoyte and Eboue combined well on the right, with Traore and Clichy doing the same on the left. On plenty of occasions we got to the box, but with only Bendtner on his own up front, chances were slim. Diaby did well in Midfield, getting in plenty of tackles with his long legs.<br /><br />Despite missing a penalty near the end, we held on for the win. There was a surprisingly good atmosphere, probably helped by a group of PSG/Arsenal fans on the lower tier giving it a load of verbal - resulting in more than a few ejections.<br /><br />Now Reyes has gone, there will be more money in the pot for another signing, and with Wenger saying he is still looking for 1 or 2 more players, more transfer action seems likely. However, as the Eduardo work permit situation is still up in the air, Wenger may wait until he knows if he needs to get a replacement for Eduardo before moving for anyone else.<br /><br />On another note while there are plenty of good Arsenal blogs around, you have to wonder at some blogs posting articles like this:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>Had a very short chat with my son before he went to work.</p> <p>I went upstairs and he was standing on the landing doing up the buttons of his sky blue shirt.</p> <p>Michael : "What's happening ?"</p> <p>Myles : "We've sold Reyes to Atletico Madrid for £8 million."</p> <p>Michael : "Good, that means we'll buy somebody tomorrow for £8 million. Any idea who it is ?</p> <p>Myles : "No. We can't get Quaresma for £8 million."</p></blockquote><p></p><br />Fascinating stuff.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-43144278415240490062007-06-26T08:42:00.001+01:002007-06-26T09:03:01.368+01:00Never trust Politicians or FootballersHow many times do we have to put up players or their agents coming out with bullshit?<br /><br /><blockquote>I’ve never played in Spain and never will. This is my last contract. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thierry Henry-May 2006</span><br /></blockquote><blockquote>No such meeting took place. That is absolute rubbish. There’s never been any question of him not being at Arsenal next season. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jerome Anderson - 11th Jun 07 on reports of Barcelona agreeing a 4 year deal with Henry.<br /></span></blockquote>Now, of course, we know differently. Henry blaming the departure of David Dein for his decision is nonsense. Prior to his departure there was all kinds of rubbish being printed in the papers - tales of Wenger spending £40 million on players to keep Henry happy. I'm sorry, but there is no way Wenger would ever spend that kind of money just to keep another player happy.<br /><br />Now we have the task of replacing a 25-30 goals a year striker. It is difficult to imagine Wenger would allow the sale of Henry unless he had a replacement lined up. Long term, I think Van Persie is capable of getting 20 goals a season, if he stays fit. What we need is everyone else to chip in, especially the Midfield players, then perhaps Henry's goals won't be missed as much.<br /><br />Who knows, now Henry has gone, maybe Jose Reyes will change his mind about returning to Arsenal. Henry was forever berating him on the pitch, and that must have been a factor in Reyes not settling.<br /><br />Whatever happens, I hope we make our signings quickly. The last thing we need is someone arriving on deadline day, missing the pre-season and then needing a few months to settle in.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19380449.post-64610465857156347032007-05-30T13:52:00.000+01:002007-05-30T14:01:21.190+01:00Broadband: Part 2After getting a MAC code from Orange to enable me to change suppliers, the next step was to sit back and wait for the changeover date. My new supplier, IDNet, had advised me within an hour or so of signing up when the switchover would happen. After my previous experiences with Orange, I was a bit skeptical as to whether the changeover would happen when it was supposed to.<br /><br />But lo and hold, at the appointed date/time, I checked my router and saw there was no connection to Orange (not that unusual of course) so I tried logging my router in with my new IDNet details. Voila! The connection was there, and a massive improvement in speed too. I was typically getting around 400kbps with Orange - now with IDNet I was getting around 4Mbps.<br /><br />Now after a couple of weeks, the connection has settled down and runs at around 3Mbps, without the continual disconnections I was getting with Orange. This has made the Internet usable again, and it is a relief to be finally rid of Orange.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02135931443135577713noreply@blogger.com0