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Fedora 16 meets Sony VAIO Z

Details: Last Updated on Saturday, 07 April 2012 00:19; Written by MrB

I put Fedora 16 64 bit on the latest Sony VAIO Z Series

MEETS

Fedora 16 has stuck with Gnome 3 which is a fantastic interface but has disappointed with the lack of further development on the surface.

Gnome 3 still has no built in desktop applets for multiple clocks, weather or RSS tickers (I only really miss the multi-clocks). That said, it still looks stunning. One welcome addition is the beginning of the online integration of the desktop. So far your Google account is the only one you can add but it is a start and if you're a power Google user (mail, calendar, chat, Docs etc) then your Linux world just became a lot simpler. Other chat accounts can still be added through Empathy for integration into the desktop (as per Fedora 15) but you still need to open Empathy to get it started.

I'll just jump to straight into how things went with the VAIO as Fedora actually hasn't changed a great deal since 15. For a re-cap check out the review here.

Firstly, unlike my previous Sony laptop the Webcam worked out-of-the-box which was a welcome surprise. Unfortunately though, the SD card slot in the laptop did not work (which did in my previous laptop, weird). Luckily I usually use the USB connection anyway but it would be a nice-to-have.

UFRaw

Details: Last Updated on Thursday, 02 June 2011 19:48; Written by MrB

UFRaw - Where have you been all my life?

I use a Nikon D40X and have been looking for a decent NEF (raw) file editor (or even a converter) for Linux and the search is over. UFRaw has arrived to save the day. I can't believe I've only just found this package. It works wonderfully.

If you have a camera that produces raw files I highly recommend this package

Install it in Fedora using your favourite package manager, or...

# yum install ufraw

Google Calendar in Evolution

Details: Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 June 2011 11:54; Written by MrB

I had some intermittent problems with the Google Calendar Plugin in Evolution. Turns out though, you don't need it and you can SSL without it. Here's how I set it up.

Using the CalDAV option in Evolution add your google calendar in the following format
- ```
caldav://www.google.com/calendar/dav/username@gmail.com/events
```
Don't for get to tick SSL.
Then add you Google username
Add and e-mail address (most likely your Googlemail address) that you want meeting requests to appear from (optional)
You can also select Server Handle Meeting Invitations (optional)

Click Read More to see screenshots...

Fedora 15 + Gnome 3

Details: Last Updated on Sunday, 17 July 2011 10:38; Written by MrB

Fedora 15 arrives with Gnome 3 & LibreOffice

It’ll take to a few hours to adapt. But you’ll never look back.

Aesthetically glorious
Fast and efficient to use

Stable

Fedora 15 has been released with Gnome 3 which brings a significantly new desktop experience with it. It’s definitely worth the effort of a few moments of your time to adapt to the changes. You will wonder how you ever put up with the old systems. And as a bonus it has the looks to turn the heads of Mac users.

Optus Prepaid Mobile Broadband for Linux

Details: Last Updated on Sunday, 08 January 2012 16:40; Written by MrB

Optus Prepaid Mobile Broadband for Linux - NetworkManager (NM)

Fedora 15

Updated 20110611

Fedora 15 presented some new complications getting the Mobile Broadband wireless going. When plugging the USB stick modem into the computer NetworkManager stared blankly back at me. To setup the connection I had to run the following command in a terminal.

nm-connection-editor

Go to the "Mobile Broadband" tab and click add. You Modem should appear in the drop down list (assuming you've plugged it in). Follow the wizard as per your specific provider details.