ZaReason Makes its Open Tablet: The ZaTab ZT2

Visiting ZaReason, a vendor of Linux PCs, I discovered that now they are offering a new device, ZaTab ZT2.  That's, according to their site, "the first open and hackable tablet":

"Some manufacturers consider "root" to be a four-letter-word. We don't. The ZaTab is an open device. The bootloader is unlocked. Root access is available. We welcome the community to develop custom ROMs and port other Linux distros to the ZaTab." 

I must say they got my attention.  I bought a laptop from them last year, an Alto 4330, and its specs and performance really satisfied me.  In fact, I am typing this entry from it.  

I've been reluctant to buy a tablet because I wanted an open device.  I've been waiting for the Vivaldi tablet, of course...but I think I may give the ZaTab ZT2 a try meanwhile.  It costs $300.

Unlike the other systems that ZaReason offers, you cannot choose the OS to be preloaded.  It is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. 

Here are the tablet's specs:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Allwinner A31 SoC (4-core CPU, 8-core GPU)
• 10.1" IPS 1280x800 display
• 5 point capacitive touchscreen
• 8 GB internal storage + microSD for additional storage
• 2 GB RAM
• WiFi (802.11 b/g/n)
• Front (.3 megapixels) and Back (5 megapixels) cameras
• Sturdy metal back
• Stereo Speakers
• High-capacity 6000 mAh battery
• Ultra-light 600 grams

Ports:

• Headphone
• microSD card slot
• miniHDMI video out
• microUSB port

Package includes:

• Tablet
• AC Adapter
• USB Cable
• Source Code

It's good to have vendors that offer open devices!

Advancements with Pisi Linux

Although Pisi Linux is still in developing stages, this little distro is very promising.  Yesterday, motivated by another Pisi user, I installed Enlightenment.  This is what I got after some minor customizing:

I found an issue, though.  When trying to activate my wireless connection, I found out that it was asking for EConnMan, a little package that was not included in the Enlightenment category.  No big deal, it was in the repositories.  After installing it, I got my wireless working on my new DE.

After reporting my experience in the forums, a developer kindly added the package to Enlightenment's dependencies.  Pisi may be a new little distro, but you can surely say its developers and community work passionately.  Another user is putting together a video tutorial site.

Back to my new DE, I must confess I still need to get used to my Enlightened Pisi...but I am very happy I got the options to explore different software and different DEs.  It makes you feel free and it gives you the chance to learn and keep your mind young!

Patience...

I've been waiting for Jetpack 2...but its release date is not in sight.

Apparently, I'm not the only one.  Another Kickstarter backer of the project posted this on JetpackHQ's forum:


As a Kickstarter backer I was thrilled to be able to back this game and really looked forward to being able to play it in December of 2012.
Here we are 8 months overdue and still nothing.
Is there a realistic update to the release date?

The developer replied the following:

I was overly ambitious with that date and since I missed it I decided to complete the mission pack idea.  I'm shooting for December of this year.
There should be the first beta release of the web game in about a month.
Thanks for your support!


I've been waiting for quite a long time, so I guess I can wait a bit more. 

Also, I'm waiting for Pisi Linux 1.0 to be released.  Both the forum and PisiLife have been silent in that sense.  Although they never mentioned a release date, I hope to hear from them soon.


Another release that has become a test of patience is MEPIS 12. The good thing with MEPIS is that there has never been a release date, so we are used to waiting (im)patiently :P

In the meantime, I'll keep using my beta releases of Pisi and MEPIS, which have been working perfectly.

On Linux and Fun

Jack Wallen, who writes fiction as well as articles about Linux, wrote this article in which he claims that if Linux wants to succeed on the desktop, what our beloved penguin needs is more fun.

As a relatively new and non-technical Linux user, I couldn't possibly agree more. All the people that have seen my Linux systems and have gotten interested in them, first noticed a rather "trivial" feature.  The list is more or less as follows:

AMOR

KDE's plasmoid Benma

Kaquarium (this was for old KDE 3)

Kfish

CircusLinux

PumpTux, a KDE splash screen

Cowsay

Package Manager PiSi

PicarOS MiniNO Linux "childish" UI

The command "whoami" (believe it or not!)

Mr. Wallen provides in his article an example of a "silly" app that many users could want and that Linux needs: "a social app, an app to create memes, an app to turn kittens into conquering Vikings."

What about an app that let you add themes of TV shows and displayed their image after a click, when the user has answered?  (pretty much like Auralquiz, but with images and more flexibility) 

Judging from what others are attracted to of my Linux systems, I think he is right. I myself have dreamed of having something like Benma, but configurable so that when clicking on her, the cute manga girl told me a joke, or gave me a random interesting fact, or even showed me some words to help me memorize my French vocabulary.  That would be a great break for the moments when my brain is simply overwhelmed with work and I need a very quick pause to keep my sanity.

What's the problem?  First, developers are far too concerned about waste of computer resources.  Well, that used to be true when computer's specs were very limited, but nowadays computers have evolved quite a bit.  Besides, a Linux computer won't be using as many resources as systems with other OSs.  Second, developers seem to think that users worlwide just care about productivity and that any feature not meant to treat humans as part of the computer are distracting and annoying.

Well, that may be true for work...but nowadays, computers have merged with all aspects of human life.  Working is only one of such aspects. As Mr. Wallen well said it, humans love to have fun.

Now, I am not a developer, so I don't know if Mr. Wallen is right when he said that "the majority of users are playing with apps that can be created in most developers' sleep."  I don't know how hard it would be to create a plasmoid like Benma that could be configured so that users added their own content and could activate a random display of such content by clicking on the plasmoid, but I would love to have something like that on my system!

OSS Spotted in a Student's Final Work of my University

I've been testing distros on a coworker's Toshiba NB-505.  So far, I've installed PicarOS, a GalPon MiniNo derivative because this coworker loved it when she saw it for the first time.

To take a break, I browsed the university's document repository.  I often do so to learn about new subjects.  Well, I found a final graduation work by a student of librarianship and information sciences that caught my eye.  Its title is "Didactic Strategies Supported with Free-access Resources for Educators."  It also had to do with constructivism, so I had to take a look at it

 I downloaded it expecting to find the same ideas that those who train educators keep repeating, most with an overtly optimistic attitude and also based on an oversimplification of technologies (usually, for them "technology" means "Microsoft software" or "Windows-only software").

The very first tool I found was Skype.  I said to myself "OK, here we go again!"... but I noticed something in the illustration:

Hehe...the orange buttons to the window's left tell you something, don't they?  Too bad he cropped the image, but you can easily read Skype 2.2. (Beta) for Li--

What could that be? :P

 
To my surprise, another tool being analyzed and recommended was LibreOffice.  I thought I had made a mistake while reading.  But no, it was LO and not MS Office 360 the one receiving credit for its contributions to education.

Then, I also found some other OSS friends, like Visual Understanding Environment (VUE), Openshot, and Openproj.

That was a breath of fresh air!
 

Even Cats Want to Learn more about Linux!

A couple of days ago, my mother saw the Linux Magazine in a store and kindly bought an issue for me.  I took the magazine home and got ready to read it, but this is what happens when someone faster sees your Linux Magazine:

This gives a whole new meaning to the Linux command "cat"!

Need to say who's the Superuser here? :P

Have Fun with Splash Screens in KDE

One aspect of KDE that some like and others dislike is its almost extreme customizing potential.  Nobody beats KDE when it comes to let users change virtually every single component of their desktop environment.

I personally love having so many options.  However, I've never tried changing my desktop's splash screen.

Well, yesterday I decided to see if I could add a little variety to my desktop for its loading sequence.

Changing splash screens is very simple in KDE.  You just go to System Settings, and once there, you click on "Workspace appearance" under the category labeled "Workspace Appearance and Behavior".

In the left panel of the window that opens, you choose "splash screen".

That will take you to the managing options of that category.  In the center panel, you'll see your installed splash screens.  If you want to add, delete, or even try some of them, you can do it by clicking on the respective button below that panel.  The rest of the window is a preview of whatever screen you select.

That is pretty much it.  I added one called "PumpTux" and slightly modified it to my liking using KolourPaint.  I like it because even if it is quite childish, its animation is funny and it is also pretty original: Tux pumps life to your system (literally!)  That reminds me of those good old times in which computers used to be fun and not simple corporate tools.

One important detail:  In case that you download a new splash screen, you must decompress it and place it in: /home/your_username/.kde/share/apps/ksplash/

Have fun!  ^___^