09.11.03
Not long ago the fantastic folk of Fluendo released the DVD Player for Linux and promised us Solaris folk that we were not forgotten and would in time get a version for our platform. That time is almost here!
Visually there is not much difference to be discerned between this version and the one for Linux except for the fact that it seems to integrate very well with the Nimbus theme used for OpenSolaris:
See the two side by side below (OpenSolaris left, Ubuntu right):
On the technical side OpenSolaris will miss out on S/PDIF support due to a lack of driver support in release 2009.06. Perhaps something that will be fixed with the work being carried out by Project Boomer to integrate and enhance the OpenSound system. Not too much of a hassle when you consider the following features:
Full DVD Playback with menu support, support for encrypted discs, support for all regions and integration with the GStreamer framework.
At €19.99 it offers much better value than comparable packages being sold for Windows whilst being a truly integrated Gnome application.
Expect the official release some time this week!!!
The release has been pushed back just a little bit and will be next week. Quality takes time :)
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Posted by Ché Kristo
09.10.18
As discussed in this thread there is a need for an OpenSolaris support option that is not “enterprise grade” for those in the community who just want to get security patches and package updates on stable releases of OpenSolaris. Sun has been pushing their “basic” option which includes Sun support that many of us do not need and which pushes the price up to 324 USD per year. If you are a home user or in a lean or non-profit company 324 p/year is pretty damn steep!
If you agree that there should be a much more reasonable entry level support subscription please add your name to this poll.
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Uncategorized | Tagged: open, open source, OpenSolaris, sola, Solaris, Sun, sun microsystems | 
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Posted by Ché Kristo
09.10.14
Picked up a new laptop today, the Aspire 3935. It runs OpenSolaris really well except for the ethernet device (broadcom) being unsupported.
Pro’s:
- Screen is great at 1,366×768 which is somewhat better than those shipping with other 13.3aptops (usually ~1,200×800), very crisp.
- Light but still feels sturdy
- 4 gig of RAM
- looks very elegant
- great value when compared to similar offerings from Dell, Apple etc
- Supports OpenSolaris very well except for the broadcom ethernet chipset, i use wireless so this doesn’t affect me anyway
- power saving mode that can be activated using a special function key above the keyboard
Cons:
- Forced to buy windows with the machine, acer will not refund unused Windows license :-|
- Graphics out is good ol’ VGA, no DVI or HDMI
- No docking/port accessory so fairly limited/fiddly for desk usage
It’s a shame that I had to go for this instead of the Toshiba/Sun Portege R600, but Sun have been really bad in communicating the release schedule and it can only be ordered in the US and UK currently. If anyone at Sun cares to address this, it is not so much that we have to wait, it is the lack of communication, because of this I ended up finding my own system rather than ordering one from Sun. I really hope Oracle give the underperforming parts of Sun a good kick in the arse. They deserve it!
The default Gnome takes up way to much vertical space so i did a bit of tweaking and have now got one panel off to the right for menus, launchers etc:
With the popularity of wide screens on most new computers and laptops I hope that the next designs of OpenOffice and Gnome do away with the vertical space abuse we currently see…
All in all very happy with this package :)
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Uncategorized | Tagged: acer, laptop, OpenSolaris, oracle, Solaris, Sun, unix, windows refund | 
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Posted by Ché Kristo
09.09.25
I ordered a MiFi 2352 ~ 2 weeks ago and it came in today…
The device is essentially a HSDPA/UMTS >> 802.11b/g router, it will take my Telstra NextG connection (Soon to be migrated to Internode) and turn it into a wireless hotspot for up to 5 devices.
The beauty of this device as that i don’t have to pay for multiple accounts for each device, I can simply carry this one device in my laptop bag and use it to access the internet on my work laptop, personal laptop, netbook and any future net connected device I pickup.
It also means that I don’t need to worry about having my HSDPA modem supported on operating systems like Solaris or even Haiku, I just need the system to support generic 802.xx wireless.
Overall I am very happy with it so far, thanks Novatel!
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Posted by Ché Kristo
Balibo Movie
Fluendo Multimedia codecs