Kernel Race

Like a lot of programmers, I run off of two different machines. I have both a desktop and a laptop. My desktop was one built for gaming about two and a half years ago. At the time I thought it was the speediest of machines, which wasn't entirely true. It's still a fairly beefy machine though. My laptop has fairly "similar" specs and has been a pretty decent dev machine as well. The interesting part is that for my Desktop I went AMD, and for my laptop I went Intel.

It's kind of difficult to compare the two processors I am going to pit against each other. AMD has always had more processing power, but less cache. Intel has always had less processing power, a little bit more cache and hyperthreading. This should be an interesting comparison.

System	Maker	Proc Model	Clock Speed	Num Cores (Physical/Virtual)	Memory
Custom Desktop	AMD	Phenom II x4 955 BE	3.2 GHz	4/4	8 Gb
Lenovo T420	Intel	Core i5 2520M	2.5 (3.2) GHz	2/4	8 Gb

Operating System Specs

System	Linux Distro
Custom Desktop	Ubuntu 12.04 Standard install
Lenovo T420	ArchLinux with DWM

Let's see how they compare! For my test I compiled the linux kernel version 3.6.0 using the default config that came with my Ubuntu 12.04 install on my desktop.

Interestingly, after the first test the kernel compile times were relatively similar. I thought that the desktop would waste my laptop, but the times were very close.

LENOVO T420 :: Core i5 2520M
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
real 29m7.789s
user 101m37.572s
sys 7m35.954s

DESKTOP :: PHENOM II x4 955 BE
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
real 28m26.318s
user 74m27.363s
sys 7m1.530s

Review :: Linux Mint Debian Edition 201204 with MATE

I had been using Ubuntu Linux for several years when they released the Unity interface, and like many Linux enthusiasts I was put off by the "mobile" centric view Ubuntu had adopted. After being finding myself without a distro, home I settled into the comfortable familiarity of Linux Mint. It is build off of Ubuntu so it was a logical next step after giving up Ubuntu. I used Mint for a while and eventually made it to ArchLinux and now I have found myself wandering back to Linux Mint, but with a pleasantly surprising twist of Debian.  

Linux Mint, an Old Familiar Friend

Linux Mint Debian edition has almost everything I am looking for in a distro. The familiarity of debian commands from my Ubuntu days, the rolling distribution updates of Debian (and ArchLinux) plus my the nostalgic window manager that I never could give up - MATE (a Gnome 2 fork) . After having two weeks of using LMDE as my primary distribution on my Lenovo T420, I have been very pleasantly surprised. MATE has the stability and programs that Gnome 2 had, although it takes a bit of getting used to since the applications have different names.

Performance

Overall I have been very impressed by the performance of LMDE and MATE. Compared to the latest version of Ubuntu and Gnome 3 in general, the memory usage of LMDE is lower. My setup which I use as my my development station rarely uses more than 1.5 GB of RAM and usually hovers around 675 MB when I'm doing normal internet browsing. The availability of graphics drivers isn't quite as nice as Ubuntu or other version of Linux Mint which will display a notification if proprietary drivers are available. The same drivers are available for LMDE, you just have to install them yourself through the command line or synaptic package manager. For those of you who have a hybrid graphics card like Nvidia Optimus, LMDE works surprisingly well with bumlebee to run everyday programs through the Intel integrated graphics and switch to the Nvidia chip for more power.

MATE

Mate is the desktop manager of LMDE. After Gnome stopped supporting Gnome 2, the MATE project picked up where Gnome left off and began forking the existing Desktop Manager and application suite that came with it. They tweaked it into something called MATE. Besides the names of applications, you won't notice much of a difference between MATE and Gnome 2, which is absolutely fantastic. I grew up on Gnome 2 and haven't been the same sine I was forced off of it. The developers on the MATE project have done a great job bringing the useability back to the desktop. If you happen to have the opposite opinion that I do, LMDE comes with Linux Mint's Cinnamon desktop installed as well. It is as simple as selecting a different session from the login menu to add a bit of spice (pun intented) into your mint.

Battery Life

The length of your battery life depends greatly on the version of the kernel you are running (to find this run the command uname -r). LMDE currently has kernel version 3.2 which has brought some great improvements since early kernel versions. Out of several distros I have had installed on my laptop recently, LMDE has the longest battery life by at least an hour. If you are running a debian based system and want to take advantage of the latest and greatest kernel, take a look at my tutorial and compiling the kernel on Debian based systems.

Applications

LMDE comes with Linux Mints standard applications and philosophy on a distribution. The Linux Mint creators believe that a distribution should just work, which means they include almost everything you need out of the box.  The main applications are:

• Firefox for web browsing
• Pidgin for instant messaging
• Xchat for IRC
• The LibreOffice suite for documents
• Pluma (a gedit continuation) for text edititing
• Banshee for music

And much much more. One of the best things about Linux Mint is that if you are missing some application you would like to install, the Software Manager is only a few clicks away on the start menu.

Updating

Yes, updating the system has its very own section. My absolute favorite thing about LMDE is the Debian-based rolling release. This means that unlike Ubuntu where you have to upgrade EVERYTHING in your system to get the next version, you simply roll everything together. Basically once you install LMDE, you won't have to upgrade to another version again just to get the latest and greatest updates. This is a fantastic approach to software updates. It remains painless and easy to upgrade.

Summary

If you are just getting into linux, Linux Mint Debian Edition may not be the best choice for you. It takes more command fu in the console and knowledge of linux in general than running the standard version of Linux Mint. If you are more experienced LMDE is a fantastic desktop that brings the performance and stability of the Gnome 2 desktop back from the grave. The rolling release update style keeps takes the headache of major release upgrades away and replaces it with simple and normal updates. LMDE comes out of the box ready with flash and other codecs for listening to music and has a great repository of applications should you need anything else. I still haven't decided which distro is the right one for me, but Linux Mint Debian Edition has passed my stress test and checklist for my main Operating System. Thanks for reading and happy hacking!

Fixing minecraft with DWM and Arch Linux

In DWM minecraft doesn't work correctly, due to Java not recognizing DWM as a window manager, minecraft will appear something like this.

The fix is quite easy. Install the wname package using pacman and set the window manager name to something java will recognize.

# pacman -S wmname

# wmname LG3D

This is not a permanent change, so it is a good idea to add it to your .xinitrc file in your home directory

Geek Code

What is the geek code?

The geek code gives geeks a way to tell other geeks where their experiences and interests are. It's basically a programmatic way to sum yourself up by code. It is worth checking out.

For those of you who have never heard of the geek code, here is a link: http://www.geekcode.com/geek.html

My geek code.

For those of you who wish to see what my geek code looks like.

------BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK------
Version: 3.1
GCS/M/MU d- s++:-- a-- C+++(++++)$ UL+++ P+ L+++>$ E--- W++ N? o? K- w++ !O !M V? PS+++ PE+ Y+ PGP> t 5 x+ R+ tv+ b++ DI+ D++ G++ e++> h r+++ y+++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Linux Dual Monitor Script

As some of you may know, I run am running Arch Linux on my Lenovo T420. Being a programmer, I often use a second monitor. It took me a little while to figure out how to get this auto-configured on boot in Arch, but I've come up with the following script.



This script will autodetect if you have a secondary monitor (in my case VGA1) connected to your laptop. And set it up your screens accordingly using xrandr.

To get it to run at boot, I simply include it in my .xinitrc file in my home directory.

Feel free to use the script, although you may have to change the screens accordingly.

Top picks from the Ludum Dare game programming competition

If you don't know what the Ludum Dare game development competition is, you should definitely go check it out. It is free and anyone can join. You get 48 hours to create a game and then post it on their site. People can create accounts on the site and then vote for their favorite games.

I made a list of some of my favorites after paging through the submissions for a couple hours. (there are 891 entries currently)


Alone in the Gloom - hulahulahest

It is the dawn of the 20th century. A Cambridge scholar and explorer has led a team to the depths of the South American jungle to investigate a newly discovered temple complex claimed to predate the Olmec by several centuries, showing evidence of stonework thought beyond the capabilities of preclassical Mesoamerican masonry. As they begin to explore the strange temple, our professor accidentally falls into a pit and is separated from the group. All alone, he must find his way back to the surface, and maybe score some fascinating pieces of research data while he is at it...

This is a fun little game with some decent graphics.  You play as a gentleman with a monocle who is investigating a temple. There are keys and small puzzles that you have to solve your way through in order to get out. The graphics were very "SNES Zelda" - esque and were fairly pleasing. Overall it was a decent game with good gameplay. It actually has a story which is more than a lot of the submissions in this competition can say.


WEIRDLY ALONE. - xilefian

You work for Nicholas Snowwe, the most famous art collector in the country. He has purchased an old museum that has had no visitors for over ten years. Inside is a fresco by the painter Harld Forche. Find it for me.

This retro looking game looks like it came straight off one of the original gameboys. As you make your way through the museum, you run into different obstacles that require different items to get past them (logs can be burned with your lighter.) One tip: press z to sprint in the direction you are facing, otherwise it will take you ages to move anywhere.

A Gravekeeper - downsider

 ...a Gravekeeper who enters a crypt one night after hearing stories about a treasure inside

Although it doesn't have any sound, A Gravekeeper was a fun game to play through. It is a short platformer with good graphics and fairly solid game play. Basically you are dropped into a crypt and as you continue through you eventually find a gem and the cave starts collapsing. You eventually find you're way to the end of the cave and you win. Short and sweet. It doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay as the level is quite short, but it looks amazing and could really be expanded well.

Dungeons of Solitude - Knighty

Your only friend has wandered into the Dungeons of Solitude and has not returned. Can you survive the dangers of this place alone to find your friend?

This game was very well done. It is very reminiscent of a NES or SNES dungeon crawler. As you make your way through the dungeon, you find items (sword, throwing knives etc.)  that will be used to make it through to the next level. The sounds was a nice addition to the game, although there is no music the sound effects were well done.  The enemies who look like balls of goop were a nice addition. And generally just move towards you after they are aggroed. It was an enjoyable game to play that gets quite difficult as you progress through the levels.

Shaped - sendmorepeople

 A game from a two-man team about being alone, looking for others, and being shaped along the way.

This game is easily one of my favorites. The kind of like one of those match the shape games for kids except on steroids. In Shaped you start as the shape in the picture, your goal is to find the shape that matches you. You aren't left to searching though, as you can press E to send out a sort of tracer that will find your friend. Once you find your friend you simply bump into him and are tasked with finding the next one. Carefully make your way to the next shape without bumping into the others!

An all around great game that is simple and easy to play. The music in the background is superb and the gameplay is unique and relaxing.

Minicraft - Notch

 The goal of the game is to kill the only other sentient being in the world, making sure you'll be alone forever.

Game:
Although Notch created a great game, it would have been nice to see something branching away from Minecraft.Overall Minicraft is a fun little adventure with much the same feel as Minecraft. You can cut down trees to get wood and craft things at your crafting table. It is enjoyable to play and very similar to minecraft. Watch out for the zombies!

Source:
The real plus to minicraft is the code that Notch wrote. The source code is freely available on the Ludum Dare website.
The code for Minicraft is very well done. You can tell that Notch is a brilliant programmer. I had the opportunity to watch his live feed on twitch.tv during the competition. As a Java programmer, it was amazing to see the amount of skill and focus he was able to conjure up during the event. Notch's code is a great example of Java game code. If you are a Java programmer looking to get into game development but don't know where to start. I would suggest using Notch's code as a starting point.

T420 - Remap Back / Forward Keys

My Lenovo T420 has two keys above the arrow keys that I almost never use. By default they are forward and backward keys for browsing the internet. I decided to remap them to End and Home. This isn't too difficult.

To do this simply use the following terminal commands:
use xev to find the keycode for the key you would like to change the mapping of
use this link to find what you want the key to actually do
Use xmodmap to map the two together.

xmodmap -e 'keycode 167=End KP_1 KP_1 End'
xmodmap -e 'keycode 166=Home KP_7 KP_7 Home'