Tsikbal: from my perspective

I really enjoy the experience that Android gives me as an user, which has been getting better with time. When I first made the jump to Android about 4 years ago, from Blackberry, I was somewhat weary about the whole thing. I've been a Nokia fan for quite some time, and only moved to Blackberry Bold because it was the only device available when the battery died on my Nokia E63 . While the Bold was quite good, I preferred by far Nokia's experience as a whole. To be honest, I was planning to move to a Nokia C3 or a Nokia N8 . From the Nokia C3 I liked that it had a physical QWERTY keyboard, at the time something really important for me. From the N8, it was a way to tryout a smartphone with a touchscreen from a company I trusted using and Symbian , my favorite mobile OS at the time. But time, and money, conspired against that.  So when the time came, I decided to give Android a chance. It was a Mobo MB405, and it cemented Android as my go to mobile OS. It ran Androi...

As time has gone by, smartphones have become both a fashion statement and a way to stay connected with what matters to us. In more than one way, it has filled the niche that many said would been filled by tablets. And is easy to see why, the form factor of the smartphone is better suited to be carried around a lot easier, while giving us a quick way to access information or share with others with ease. Smartphones allow not only share existent content, but to create content to be shared in real time without having to be physically at the same place with those we want to share it with. Just as important, it allows to do it in an asynchronous way if we choose. There is no need to be connected at the same time to be able to share the experience, since we can access the content later on. Why I consider smartphones fashion statements as well? Because, we choose what model of smartphone we'll buy considering its design. So much so, that in from the entry levels models to the...

Browsing though YouTube , I ran across KaiOS . Its a new OS for feature phones , that allows Internet connectivity. KaiOS can be be seen like somewhat of a successor to Firefox OS , which is now discontinued by Mozilla. The main difference between them, is that KaiOS is squarely designed for feature phones, while Firefox OS was designed for low end smartphones . Personally, I really hope the project is successful. It brings a solid option for those who don't want, or can't afford, a smartphone; while it allows them to remain connected. And being 4G capable, the devices that run it will be supported by carries since it runs on the same networks that smartphones do. Several things give me some hope KaiOS will become an option. To begin with, it already was the support of at least manufactures, including Alcatel and Nokia . Also that Google invested $22 millions on KaiOS . I know that we'll have to wait and see how all it plays out, but this gives me a bit mor...

As a long time Linux user, this article on Forbes by Jason Evangelho about his experience using Ubuntu after ditching Windows is a great example that the Linux desktop is more than good enough for most users. Personally, I would rather go for Linux Mint, but his overall experience comes to show how much the Linux desktop experience has come usability wise. Nowadays, the main reason to use Windows or Mac is mainly specific apps that don't exist, or have a replacement on Linux. Which, is less common thing to happen nowadays. Ever since I moved to Linux, I haven't missed Windows. Skype, Firefox, Spotify, and Dropbox have native support on both Linux Mint and Ubuntu. As such, I still can use them as I did on Windows. The only two apps that didn't have direct replacement where Songbird mainly because it was discontinued, and the Microsoft Office suite . The former was replaced by Rhythmbox , which has become a favorite of mine, and the later with LibreOffice , whi...

I admit that when music streaming services stared coming available, I was somewhat skeptical about them. Being used to having my music on physical form(being tapes or cds), or on my devices on a digital format, instilled my with a sense of security, control, and in a way of ownership. So, the idea of moving to a streaming service made me feel like I was losing something, while not having much in return. After being recommended Spotify by several of my close friends, and some family members, and reading several good things about it, I decided to give it a try. And to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the experience has been so far. While I still own quite a significant collection of music, I've come to enjoy using Spotify. I haven't lost any of the security or any sense of control over how I experience music. In several ways, it has been enhanced since I can discover new music while enjoy the music I love. One of the things I enjoyed from the ...

For me, the whole Android vs. iOS is starting to feel dated and more about fan boys arguing for argument sake. Both mobile operating systems are quite good, both having their own strengths and weaknesses depending on what Google and Apple believe their respective OS should work. The question for the costumers, is which is better for the needs she or he has. For some, an Android device will be the best option. For some others, an iPhone is the way to go. Personally, I prefer devices that run Android because it the platform that better fits both my needs and expectations. Though I do like some of the features of the iOS, and the design of the iPhone, they simply don't fit the way I use my smartphone, how I expect it to work, or my lifestyle. And I've people close to me that it goes the other way around. The iPhone does a far better job for them than an Android device could ever do. Its time to stop trying to fit people to Android or to iOS, and start fitting t...

I've been using MATE as my desktop environment(DE) for a week now, and I must admit it has become my second favorite DE after Cinnamon . As you can see, I like to keep my desktop itself rather clean. Yet, MATE feels rather snappy and it looks rather good for my tastes. It really makes me feel nostalgic about the all GNOME , but at the same time it makes me feel good about having a nice modern option. The personalization options out of the box are not all that many, but it you can get many more if you want. Yet, if you want to get your hand dirty you can go to their home page , or wiki , to help them out or just get some nifty options to make your desktop ever more of your liking. Personally, one of the best selling points for MATE is the fact that there is an official Ubuntu distro shipping with it as its default DE: Ubuntu MATE . Ubuntu is one of my favorite Linux distros, so having the option of installing with MATE as default to begin with is the way to go fo...

I've never been a big fan of GNOME ever since the version 3 was released. GNOME 2 was one of my favorite desktop environments , but it's place was taken by Cinnamon and Unity . I used Ubuntu 17.10 with Cinnamon, and I love the experience. But, when I jumped to 18.04, I've been having trouble using it, and I still don't really like using GNOME. Then I remember MATE , a fork of GNOME 2 which I've read many positive reviews and I used for a while. For the couple of weeks I used it, I enjoyed the experience. So, I've decided install it and see how it goes. If past experience is any indicator, it should do great and become my go to desktop environment on Ubuntu.

Though I've learned some technical stuff on the course of using Ubuntu and Linux Mint as my main operating systems, I understand why overly technical talk can be a turn off for many people when considering making their jump to Linux. Even some of the philosophical part of why someone should consider making the jump can be off putting. Most people care more if they can use Linux just as easily as they can use Windows or macOS. And the answer is yes, there are distros that are just as easy to use. Some are already using one, since they are using Android on their phones on the daily basis without giving it a second thought. For some users that might have some technical questions, those concerns tend to be more specific to their end use than on the whole operating system at large. They just need to know if their going to have the apps they need to make the move, and keep being able to work without that many problems. There is a need to stop using language that obfuscat...

Among several reasons why Linux isn't more popular on the desktop, is the culture that surrounds it. For the most average, not to mention beginners, Linux seems like a really difficult OS to use. It's not hard to see why, when the distros being push by most the experienced, or advanced, users are the ones like Debian or Arch . While both are solid distros, they are not ideal for most users. Beginners simple don't have the experience, or skills, to deal with the issues that come setting up  those distros. And for users with more experience, and skills, many simply don't want to deal with them, or need a distro that allows them to concentrate on what they need they computer for. Personally, I just want a distro that I just need to set up once and then just can use it without much of hustle. For that, there is a need for distros like Ubuntu and Linux Mint . These two distros as user friendly as they come, and allow the user to just focus on what they wa...

Nowadays, is easy to forget how much smaller the world has become with modern telecommunications, car, and air travel. The Internet, and mobile telephony, allows us to be in contact with just about anyone instantly no matter the time or distance between the people. And with the cost of entry, and of the services themselves, becoming lower with time, more people are joining the networks. In some cases, with the right tools or apps, teleconferences are possible; even when not everyone being at the same physical location. This allows for meetings that couldn't be done before because it wasn't possible to connect more than two points in a single call, or it was simply to expensive to do so. Even some international calls are becoming so cheap, that they are becoming trivial for a larger amount of people to make on the regular basis. For example, calls to the US and Canada are unlimited for me from Mexico for around $10.00 dollars a month. Cars, airplanes, buses, and...