For anyone running Ubuntu specifically, or just GNOME on another distro, I would recommend you check out GNOME Do:
http://do.davebsd.com/ (It will also allegedly work with KDE and other desktops, but I'm sure it's the sort of thing where the further you get from the original development environment, the more problems you're going to have configuring it and using it.) Do is a keyboard launcher, much like Quicksilver for OS X. It allows you to launch applications, open documents, search your music library and play songs, search your browser favorites, etc. etc. etc. -- all without touching the mouse. It is developed by a friend of mine, Dave Siegel, and he has managed to grow quite a large user base over the last few months. The only downside is that it's written in C# using Mono, so just paging it in to memory (including the Mono virtual machine) takes between 20 and 40Mb of RAM. My Ubuntu box has a total of 256Mb, which I hoard to keep Emacs and Epiphany or Firefox running smoothly. But if you've got enough memory to run the snazzy new graphics, you've got enough for Do, so give it a look! Richard On Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 6:49 AM, Rick White <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Nick, > > Yes, there have been several unexpected events, always as a > result of one or another application--never a system crash. The > Add/Remove feature has once or twice failed, (and Evolution > once) but it just disappeared in the middle of a change of > software. I've been able to just keep going (so far) if > something odd occurs. I have not sifted through any log files to > find the origin of any anomalies, but I stay in userland most of > the time. My next visit to Dr. Flint may reveal the specifics of > any bugs. Mostly it just works fine. > > I can't tell you the exact specifications of graphic cards > needed to use the Extra choice, and the wording of the choice is > misleading. Here is the description of the Extra radio button: > "Provides more aesthetically pleasing set of effects. Requires > faster graphics card." When I first read it, I thought it meant > the card in my machine, but when I clicked it anyway it didn't > object. I think they should have dropped the -er from the word > "faster" so confusion would not arise. I suspect if you chose > the option without having the required capabilities that it > would toss up a dialog to that effect, and the machine would > default back to Normal, which is kinda cool (window > opening/closing is quite snappy, etc). The None button "provides > a simple desktop environment without any effects", and it feels > like the old way of doing things. Once you taste the candy, > plain vanilla is pretty dull. > > Another plus for the beta: it updates itself automagically as > beta versions are released, and I believe it will upgrade to the > release version as well with no further operator intervention. > > Unmentioned in my earlier post is the blazing speed that the > machine now exhibits. I'm also running Firefox 3 version 3.05b > and it is much snappier than I recall 2.0.0.14 ever being. My > only problem so far is accidentally switching desktops (8 are > the default) by moving the mouse a certain way. I haven't quite > figured out the trigger for these events, but that is minor. > > Hth, > > Rick > > > > --- Nick Husher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Have you run into any bugs or instability? I know that 8.04 is > > set to > > release next week sometime, but I'm looking to burn a disk now > > to > > start testing a new mini-itx machine I'm putting together. > > Also, do > > you happen to know what the requirements are for enabling the > > extra > > graphical candy? I know it works on my scary-powerhungry > > gaming > > machine, but I'm curious if my new little Jetway will cough on > > it. I > > suppose I could give it a loot myself. :) > > > > Anyway, thanks for the review, I'm looking forward to testing > > it out > > myself. > > > > Nick > > ________________________ > > "Cheap. Fast. Good. Pick two." > > > > Nicholas Husher - nickol.us > > 85 Winoskik Falls Way > > Winooski, Vermont, 05404 > > > > telephone: 802 598 6715 > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > aim: char NickHusher > > interwebs: http://nickol.us > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ >
