The Argument of GNU slash Linux Vs Linux

Well, today I found a friend arguing about the basic stuff. Namely the difference between GNU/Linux and simply Linux. Apparently, call it simply GNU Linux also won’t make it because Stallman insists on calling it GNU <slash> Linux, emphasizing on the slash.

Well, I didn’t really want to join the argument for it’s just too stupid of a thing to be argued in. But I decided to take the bait anyway.

My point is he isn’t exactly wrong to say that it’s GNU/Linux because the Linux distributions are mainly created from Linux kernel plus supporting softwares that has GNU license. But he’s also not really right because nowadays the Linux kernel also uses some softwares that isn’t GNU GPL licensed and proprietary drivers (mainly for the graphics card, or GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), for a better term). Many distributions also contain proprietary softwares as well like Steam client, WPS Office Suite, Google Chrome, etc.

Users usually also go further by installing more proprietary softwares themselves. So the term Linux (distribution or Linux OS) actually more sensible than the insistent terminology that is GNU/Linux.

But be it. Let him be ignorant. It’s not my problem. Also, I’m not going to be the different but the same from Stallman by forcing others to call it just Linux instead whatever they want.

As for my stand, actually I believe that arguing over that kind of thing, be it GNU/Linux vs Linux, cracking using certain distro, Free Software Vs Open Source, Free Software Vs proprietary, or worst still, best distro evaaa(!) is simply stupid. Newbies might argue over those kinds of things. But old timers would simply use what’s available.

I myself would happily use Ms. Windows or even MacOS or other softwares, provided that I can use it for free with no charge and no responsibility whatsoever. I use Linux simply because it’s what’s available for my need. Not for any other reasons.

First Blender Post

Well, you know that I also learned about 3D modelling. So I’ll put some of the results here. For the sake of those who don’t enjoy Instagram much.

My Artistic Journey

Well, hello there. I know it’s been too long since I posted anything. And my last post isn’t that good anyway. But here I am. Trying to figure out my long lost passion for writing. Please bear with me for the first posts might lack in quality.

Dunno why. My skills are now dulled somehow. I looked back at my old sketchbook few weeks ago and I realized that my drawings back then are better looking than what I draw nowadays. It might be because I drew them all without the fear of messing up, or because I didn’t feel that I have an obligation to always draw well, or simply because I no longer have the time and patience and passion to sharpen my skills further.

End of last October, I even switched around to learn 3D modeling. I’m the kind of person who is easily get bored. If I already get the basic idea, I tend to get bored and try to do something else. Bad habit, I know. But couldn’t help it.

The same with writing. Particularly literature. I wrote short novelette at elementary school and I started writing poems since 7th grade. Or something. I even got the chance to write songs. It started as final project for the middle school and I continued to do as a development and newfound hobby. Well, I can’t play any musical instruments so the songs are basically poems too. But since I entered vocational high school, I no more have time and interest to continue.

But high school reignited my old hobby and passion for drawing. Short-lived though because I mainly had to draw technical stuffs and they left no place for artistry. And then comes the university.

My first attempt to university was a dark age for my artistic journey. I took Computer Science major and got my first computer. First time ever owning a computer made me turned to the dark side : gaming.

No, I’m not badmouthing gamers. Especially professional gamers. In fact I’m quite envious of them. They got to live their lives doing their hobby and got paid as well. What I meant is games really took over all my spare times. I had no time to do arts. The thought of doing art didn’t even come close. Technical stuffs were the priority back then. Thankfully, even in darkest days comes great light. It was when I first made commitment to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. I got babtized. It’s also when I first came into contact with Free Software world. My first contact with Linux.

And then, things happened. I quit the first university I attended. But I also got my first ever job. As a tutor for a course. The owner is a graduate from visual communication design. And here, partially thanks to him, my long lost interest for art reawakens. My second time attempting to get to university didn’t do much to halt my journey. It even broadened my insight on many new things. I’m really glad to have the chance to be part of Universitas Surabaya, albeit too bad I’m not good enough to finish the education there.

Now, after my fire in visual art dimmed, I think I’m gonna try to relit the fire for my artistic talent (LOL..) in literature. What makes me want to come back to the my root of literature art? Nothing in particular. Just boredom. And maybe because I read some good books few last months. To read makes you want to write. Because one can’t write before he learns to read. Well, serious reading anyway. Not casually reading cheap newspapers or cheap clickbait articles from random websites on the wilderness of the internet.

So please bear with me. I might have to relearn every single thing. But I guess it’s what it takes to get what I lost.

Asus Republic Of Gamer, Affordable Gaming Laptop with Godly Specs

Well, this is the first time I’m writing a blog post for a competition. Mainly, because I don’t like to be pretending to know stuffs and talking about it, and my luck on this kind of thing is practically non-existent. LOL.. But this time, it’s different. We’ll be talking about computers. And you know pretty well that I’m all about computers and technology in general. So, the competition is for the Asus Republic Of Gamer line of laptop computer. Right. A gaming laptop, that is! How awesome is that? Now, let’s start the journey!

So, what’s the differences between Asus Republic Of Gamer (Asus ROG) and the other competitors out there? Why should I care? That probably is your question now. So, I’ll try to explain the specifications and technobabbles for the ROG lines.

The main difference is the innovations Asus put on the line with no compromise whatsoever. For example, gaming gears are generally heavy, aren’t they? It definitely is not the case with the ROG. Asus put godly end hardwares into the ROG Zephyrus, namely Core i7 7700HQ, GTX 1080 Max-Q Design, 24 GB of system memory, and 512 GB of SSD storage that only weighs 2.2 kilograms. That’s even lighter than my current Acer Aspire laptop! And to add the greatness to the already awesome Zephyrus, it only has 1,7 centimeter thickness. Man, that’s sick. With it as my daily weapon, I can literally work my designs anywhere without the heavy burden. Well out of watery places of course.

Asus ROG consists of 3 series. The most affordable series is the GL series which the prize of the giveaway, GL502VM, belongs to. GL502VM in particular has two colors, black and silver. I’d like to have the silver one honestly. Although the black one would also looks cool.

This is the GL553,another part of the GL series

The middle one is the G series. The design of the G series should look familiar to the fans of Iron Man. Yes, the design of the G series is inspired by the Iron Man, Tony Stark himself. The highest end one is the GX series. The design is just too cool. It’s inspired by combat jetplanes. Anywhere you take them, you surely will catch the eyes of people around. The bragging right is strong with this one.

Looks alone will get you nowhere, right? That’s why all lines from the GL series (also called the Strix), G series, and the GX series are packed with the newest Intel i7 processors and NVIDIA GTX 10 series. Some units like the GX 800 are even loaded with two(!) GTX 1080 GPU for maximum performances. Coupled with water cooling, you’ll be able to have LAN parties longer than ever. And did I mention that it looks gorgeous? Yes, as a technophile, I’m drooling for the handsome pieces of hardware.

For display, all series are already equipped with IPS panel. For a gamer, designer, illustrator, or someone who plays a lot with color, IPS panel is a basic requirement. Typical LCD just won’t make it due to constant color shifts. Color shift is a nightmare for an illustrator like me because I might never get the colors right. Software side, ROG uses NVIDIA G-Sync to make sure you never miss any minute detail. Some units also have 4k display if you really want to push it further. I for one will settle on full HD although I won’t refuse the 4k one. Hahaha..

Wait a minute. Why should I, an illustrator, entering a competition for a gaming laptop? Well, that’s partially where ROG get it exactly right. The design is just so cool that an aspiring artist like me even able to go crazy about it. Moreover, who said that a graphical artist can’t use gaming gears? Move aside, gamers. An aspiring artist is also here to take a part for the market. Hahaha..

It’s all cool and awesome indeed. But what about the endurance? I know a certain guy who’s able to wreck his laptop on his first week alone. LOL.. that’s so me, you know. But I didn’t wreck my laptop on first week. Only on the third quarter of the warranty period, by wiping away the entire disk. I don’t even know what did I do. Windows is partly to blame, I think. LOL..

All ROG units are tested heavily to ensure the best quality possible, ranging from keyboard stroke counts, vibration test, shake test, drop test, etc. Additionally, all ROGs are covered with two years international warranty. You can rampage as wild as you can and still feel safe because of the quality control is so strict.

So, are you ready to be a part of the Republic? And which one of the ROG line are you interested in? #WEARERROG #ASUSROGID #ROG

Wannacry Craze

Well, you should have known what Wannacry is. It’s one of many kinds of Ransomware. What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your files as soon as it infects your computer. As usual, the target victims are Windows (LOL).

Last few days, Indonesian are crazed over this Ransomware. The main reason? It succeeded in infecting two big hospitals in Jakarta. Even the Ministry of Communication (Kemenkominfo, Kementrian Komunikasi) issued warning notice on this case.

But many of my friends are just laughing. I’m included. Why? We don’t use Windows. That’s why. Hahaha.. Many of my friends are Linux user. And some are also use Mac OS. So, the threat of this Ransomware is invalid to us.

So, still like to use Windows?

Using Your Notebook as Bluetooth Speaker

​Well.. We just found out that we can use notebook laptop computer with Linux as a Bluetooth speaker. We already know that notebook laptop computer with Windows can be utilized as wireless speaker via Bluetooth. And we wondered for 6 years about how to do such thing in Linux. Too bad we’re too idiot not to look for it on the internet. But we discovered it ourselves which make us quite proud of ourselves. LOL..

So, basically all Bluetooth speakers are using A2DP (Audio Advanced Distribution Profile) protocol to stream audio from the audio player to the speaker wirelessly. So, since laptops nowadays are all equipped with Bluetooth feature, you can do exactly the same thing with your laptop.

All you need to do is install the required package from the repository of your distribution. Disclaimer first. The exact name of the package may vary from a distribution to the other distribution. So use your brainware to figure out things as needed.

1. Update your repository list using the package manager of your distribution such as apt, apt-get, yum, or pacman. You need to have a working internet connection of course.
2. Find “blueman” and “pulseaudio-bluetooth” packages and install them.
3. Turn the Bluetooth connection on. Both the laptop computer and your intended audio source (e.g. smartphone)
4. Connect your smartphone to the laptop.
5. Set your smartphone as audio source.
6. Done. You can now play some music from your phone, and the sound would be heard from your laptop.

Another Resource for Troubleshooting

Well.. Another troubleshooting.

Configuring VMPK on Ubuntu

Well.. I’m messing around instead of doing review. But it’s due to the fact that I haven’t watched the latest episode of Kamen Rider Drive (Bima – X review will follow). So here I am. Messing around with new toy : audio processing. Still looking about how to make music without recording. I mean, all by using virtual instruments.

Unfortunate Incident

Well.. recently my laptop dies again. For no apparent reason. So I did no review for Kamen Rider Drive. But now it has revived, with new power. LOL.. Nope. It got overheated because the thermal paste dried up and the exhaust fan filled with filthy things. But not anymore. I sent it to the repair shop yesterday and now I’m back in action.

As a gift of apology, I present you my work in progress in perspective view I’m doing in Inkscape.

Microstock

Well.. since my freelance career is not making any progress (i.e. no client at all), I decided to do something else, which I’ve never really consider before. Selling microstock. So, what is microstock? Microstock is kind of stock image (Getty Image, Shutter Stock, etc). Usually, photographs, Here’s an example of stock photo (courtesy of aidsresearch.org)

But I don’t play here. My playground is vector images. I had quite a bad time just trying to submit the stock vectors. The agencies demand eps files and jpeg preview while I use Inkscape. Inkscape exports only to png (which actually has better quality), and saves natively to svg (the de jure standard for vector use in web, stated by W3 Consortium). So I spent so much time just to convert my hi-res png’s (some files scale up to 1080p) and svg’s to low-res jpeg’s and eps’s respectively. And yet, after all of those time-consuming efforts, I still don’t know whether my vectors are to be accepted or not.

Well.. I can only polish my skills. And let God do the rest.