Hello From California
Sunlight seeping through a thick cloud of smoke from California’s wildfires on I-15 between LA and San Diego on October 25, 2007:
Archive for October, 2007
The Ubuntu Inspiron is up and running!
I finally got around to unpacking the boxes and installing the new computer. Pretty much everything worked out of the box, but I had to tinker with screen resolution as only the default set of 640×480, 800×600 and 1024×768 was available initially, and in the end I had to connect the monitor via VGA – DVI was giving me problems I could not resolve at this point. More later.
I Cancelled my Rhapsody Subscription
… prompted by the court decision in favor of RIAA in Jammie Thomas case. I’ve been feeling increasingly uneasy about paying for my subscription since the music biz started demanding settlement from alleged music file sharers, and this was finally the last straw. I do not want to support the industry that uses extortionate tactics to get its message across, although I have no opinion of the merits in the case.
Got a Dell Inspiron 530n with Ubuntu pre-installed
I finally splurged on a Dell Inspiron 530N with Ubuntu. I need a computer for my music workstation, and with the latest developments in good quality multi-track recording software for Linux I felt it’s time to give it a serious try. I was thinking of building one myself instead of buying a ready made one, but did not feel adventurous enough. I guess I’m getting old :) This is actually my first brand name PC purchase!
I’ve received it very quickly – placed the order last Friday, and yesterday it was here! I’ve ordered the cheapest configuration without the monitor for $379, $410.74 with tax, with free shipping.
As for the monitor, Dell needs to get real: $170 is too much for a Viewsonic VA1703wb – a widescreen 8ms 1440×900 monitor with no DVI, 500:1 contrast and 250 nits brightness, so for just $10 more plus shipping I’ve got a superb 20″ Acer AL2016WBbd with 1680×1050 resolution, 5ms response time, DVI, 800:1 contrast and 300 nits brightness from NewEgg. Dell should consider partnering with Acer on monitors – Viewsonic is a good brand but Acer beats it hands down.
Stay tuned as I get it into production, and post questions if you are considering a Dell computer with Linux but still undecided – I will try to answer them here.
