Comments on: Friday5: Indispensable Web Apps http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/2008/04/18/friday5-indispensable-web-apps/ Computers, Cooking, Cars, Christianity, and More ... Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:18:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Matt http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/2008/04/18/friday5-indispensable-web-apps/#comment-38 Matt Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:54:12 +0000 http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/?p=48#comment-38 @Josie's side note: Being a Debian-based distribution, Ubuntu uses .deb packages for installing pre-compiled software with specified dependencies. It is similar to the way Red Hat-based distributions use .rpm files. If you're having trouble finding a program that's not in Synaptic Package Manager, you might try a site like <a href="http://www.getdeb.net" rel="nofollow">GetDeb.net</a> to see if you can find what you're looking for. When you download and install a .deb file it will automatically check for and install any applicable dependencies. I hope that helps! Also, be sure to check back soon for my upcoming post on Ubuntu 8.04 aka "Hardy Heron." Now that it's out of beta I'll be loading it up on my machines in the next couple of weeks. How about that ... this comment ended up not being so far off-topic after all! @Josie’s side note: Being a Debian-based distribution, Ubuntu uses .deb packages for installing pre-compiled software with specified dependencies. It is similar to the way Red Hat-based distributions use .rpm files. If you’re having trouble finding a program that’s not in Synaptic Package Manager, you might try a site like GetDeb.net to see if you can find what you’re looking for. When you download and install a .deb file it will automatically check for and install any applicable dependencies. I hope that helps!

Also, be sure to check back soon for my upcoming post on Ubuntu 8.04 aka “Hardy Heron.” Now that it’s out of beta I’ll be loading it up on my machines in the next couple of weeks. How about that … this comment ended up not being so far off-topic after all!

]]> By: Josie http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/2008/04/18/friday5-indispensable-web-apps/#comment-33 Josie Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:59:08 +0000 http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/?p=48#comment-33 I guess I still avoid betas unless I am willing to invest the time into sending suggestions on fixing an app or at least dealing with semi-constant crashes and major problems. On a side note, I was looking at Ubuntu and I noticed that it seems awfully hard to get packages that work with its package manager. Is there a seachable package database out there with SPMs? If I can t find one then I think I will stick with Linux that uses RPMs. I would probably be eventually able to figure out the installation, but I am so prone to forget some dependency with a manual install. I guess I still avoid betas unless I am willing to invest the time into sending suggestions on fixing an app or at least dealing with semi-constant crashes and major problems.

On a side note, I was looking at Ubuntu and I noticed that it seems awfully hard to get packages that work with its package manager. Is there a seachable package database out there with SPMs? If I can
t find one then I think I will stick with Linux that uses RPMs. I would probably be eventually able to figure out the installation, but I am so prone to forget some dependency with a manual install.

]]> By: Matt http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/2008/04/18/friday5-indispensable-web-apps/#comment-23 Matt Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:18:43 +0000 http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/?p=48#comment-23 @ Chris - Er, um ... actually, 4 out of the 5 are. The only one not labeled as "beta" is Google Reader. I think that the whole beta thing is tied to the fact that companies don't want to admit that all programs might have some bugs in them and they feel that calling their products betas will mean their customers cut them some slack. Gmail is a great example of this since it's been out for years and is used by thousands of people all while being branded as a beta. In many ways I think that the current "beta craze" can probably be traced back to Google leaving Gmail as a beta for so long. I've gotten to the point where I hardly even notice when something is labeled as a beta because it's become almost meaningless in its usage for web-apps. I'm also starting to see a similar trend in pre-1.0 branded offline applications, particularly in the open source community. Such apps are launched publicly at something ludicrous like 0.1.38.4 and then might slowly, over the course of a few years, work their way up to 0.47.9.2 as they slowly strive for the coveted "1.0" release. I think both these practices simply lead end-users to ignore labels like beta and version numbers since they're used in such confusing and sometimes misleading ways. That's my 0.2.56.9 cents. @ Chris - Er, um … actually, 4 out of the 5 are. The only one not labeled as “beta” is Google Reader. I think that the whole beta thing is tied to the fact that companies don’t want to admit that all programs might have some bugs in them and they feel that calling their products betas will mean their customers cut them some slack.

Gmail is a great example of this since it’s been out for years and is used by thousands of people all while being branded as a beta. In many ways I think that the current “beta craze” can probably be traced back to Google leaving Gmail as a beta for so long. I’ve gotten to the point where I hardly even notice when something is labeled as a beta because it’s become almost meaningless in its usage for web-apps.

I’m also starting to see a similar trend in pre-1.0 branded offline applications, particularly in the open source community. Such apps are launched publicly at something ludicrous like 0.1.38.4 and then might slowly, over the course of a few years, work their way up to 0.47.9.2 as they slowly strive for the coveted “1.0″ release. I think both these practices simply lead end-users to ignore labels like beta and version numbers since they’re used in such confusing and sometimes misleading ways. That’s my 0.2.56.9 cents.

]]> By: Chris http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/2008/04/18/friday5-indispensable-web-apps/#comment-21 Chris Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:58:41 +0000 http://www.mattmckimmy.com/blog/?p=48#comment-21 So, what does it mean the 3 of the 5 apps you named are still in "Beta"? :) So, what does it mean the 3 of the 5 apps you named are still in “Beta”? :)

]]>