other links ...
superkaramba ...
linux ...
weather ...
what is this ...
this is a page where I want to put some (mostly random) information/thoughts on desktop related topics that interest me, or where I think I can be helpful ...
dvd authoring ...
there is a bit of a dearth of software for dvd authoring on linux ...
however, there are some beta quality native applications available, and a very good windows application that works well using WINE. This article explores the options including some of the native linux options, and concludes (much to my own surprise, and annoyance) that DVDLab running on WINE is the best solution for easy to use, and comprehensive DVD production on linux at the moment. 
digital cameras ...
are all the rage now ...
and even though I've got one, I can't claim to be anything but a complete hack in terms of using one. I wouldn't know a light meter from a light lunch, but I have been round the traps in terms of useful software, for playing with digital images on linux and have some views on what's good and what's not. There are also some real gems out there, which don't seem to be very well known. It took me a while to find them, and by reading this, I may just save you some time.
home movies ...
were cool in the 70's ...
and still can be today. While there is a plethora of (sometimes quite expensive) video production software for Windows in the home and semi-pro market, it's a bit more of a challenge to get good software in linux. There are a number of projects like lives and kdenlive, I haven't found these programs to be particularly intuitive, or stable. They show promise, but I've never found them to have satisfied my need for a good tool.
shadows, translucency, wobbly windows ...
are the latest thing in eye candy on linux...
and OSX has had some of this for a long time and Windows Vista (due out in January if MS is lucky) will also have some of this. However, since the XFree86/x.org split, development of X has accelerated, and real shadows, translucency and accelerated X using openGL have now arrived. This article will set out what's required to get some serious eye candy happening on your linux desktop.
superkaramba ...
is a great platform for creating...
eye candy for the kde desktop. However, up until now, it was very difficult to create unicode aware themes, as the superkaramba developers suggested the use of the richText part of the superkaramba API, which was not particularly flexible in its implimentation. However, after a reasonable amount of time, and after being hounded by some users, I have worked out how to make a unicode aware theme, without having to use the richText part of the API. This article sets out how to do this.