kde · linux – 

Kourse 2 - First finished screencast

As some people already know, I’m mentoring a group of students on KDE Forum to create Plasma screencasts (from the upcoming KDE 4.2 version). After several adjustments back and forth, the first one (made by kourse student Primoz), showing off the various desktop settings, is complete. This version uses the Notes plasmoid to keep track of annotation, but we’re also evaluating subtitle-based versions. In the mean time, enjoy! (and spread the word). If you prefer a Free format rather than the proprietary Flash, you can download the ogg video version.
Read More ›

kde · linux – 

Why Plasma is the best thing since sliced bread

Today I was adjusting a bit the layouts of the Activities (as defined in Plasma) to better suit my workflows. To do so I was using the brand new Activity Bar which is present in KDE 4.2. It’s very neat, but takes up space on the desktop, and while it’s not a big deal on my main PC (1280x1024 resolution), it is an issue on my recently-resuscitated EeePC (1024x600).
Read More ›

linux · science – 

DataMatrix 0.7 has been released

Finally a new entry! I’ve been extremely busy with other things, that is why I did not have time to write more. One of the main reason is related to an important landmark in my professional career, but I’ll write more about it after January 1st (hint: those who follow my Twitter updates may have already understood).
Read More ›

science – 

The plague of cross-database annotations

Recently I had to annotate a large (10,000+) number of genes identified by Entrez Gene IDs. My goal was to avoid “annotation files” (basically CSV files) that a part of wet lab group likes, because I wanted to stay up-to-date without having to remember to update them. So the obvious solution was to use a service available on the web, and in an automated way. For reference, I just tried to attach gene symbol, gene name, chromosome and cytoband.
I tried many services:
Read More ›

linux – 

Alternatives to Kubuntu for the Eee PC?

Currently I have Kubuntu 8.04 (Hardy) installed on my Eee PC. Version 8.10, the Intrepid Ibex, is due on October 30th. However, I will not install it. The reason is that Kubuntu developers intentionally disabled the zoom function, and I have three activities on this machine. How come I’m supposed to use them? Also, space is pretty tight so install a build environment just to remove one patch seems overkill.
So, I’m moving away from it. Do you know any recent, EeePC and KDE friendly distro?
Read More ›

general · linux – 

DataMatrix page up

Ok, ok… my definition of “tomorrow” is not like what most people use, apparently. Although I took quite a while, now there is a static page on DataMatrix. There you will find a summary of wht I wrote in my other blog posts regarding this module. Of course, it will be kept up-to-date should I release a new version.
Read More ›

general – 

Posting from KOrganizer

Following the instruction from Mike Arthur’s post on planetkde, I tried posting on dennogumi.org from KOrganizer (KDE 4.1.1). Lo and behold, it works! It’s always better to use an application rather than a clunky web user interface…
Read More ›