SaltyCrane: urxvthttps://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2009-12-22T01:00:05-08:00Wmii Python script to monitor remote machines
2009-12-22T01:00:05-08:00https://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2009/12/wmii-python-script-monitor-remote-machines/<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSes6lJdj5Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSes6lJdj5Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
<p>I like to monitor our web servers by ssh'ing into the remote machine and watching
"top", tailing log files, etc. Normally, I open a terminal, ssh into the
remote machine, run the monitoring command (e.g. "top"), then repeat for the rest
of the remote machines. Then I adjust the window sizes so I can see everything
at once.</p>
<p>My window manager, <a href="http://wmii.suckless.org/">wmii</a>, is great for
tiling a bunch of windows at once. It is also scriptable with Python, so I wrote a
Python script to create my web server monitoring view. Below is my script. I also put a
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSes6lJdj5Y">video on YouTube</a>.
</p>
<pre class="python">#!/usr/bin/env python
import os
import time
NGINX_MONITOR_CMD = "tail --follow=name /var/log/nginx/cache.log | grep --color -E '(HIT|MISS|EXPIRED|STALE|UPDATING|\*\*\*)'"
APACHE_MONITOR_CMD = "top"
MYSQL_MONITOR_CMD = "mysqladmin extended -i10 -r | grep -i 'questions\|aborted_clients\|opened_tables\|slow_queries\|threads_created' "
CMDS_COL1 = ['urxvt -title "Nginx 1" -e ssh -t us-ng1 "%s" &' % NGINX_MONITOR_CMD,
'urxvt -title "Nginx 2" -e ssh -t us-ng2 "%s" &' % NGINX_MONITOR_CMD,
]
CMDS_COL2 = ['urxvt -title "Apache 1" -e ssh -t us-med1 "%s" &' % APACHE_MONITOR_CMD,
'urxvt -title "Apache 2" -e ssh -t us-med2 "%s" &' % APACHE_MONITOR_CMD,
'urxvt -title "Apache 3" -e ssh -t us-med3 "%s" &' % APACHE_MONITOR_CMD,
]
CMDS_COL3 = ['urxvt -title "MySQL 1" -e ssh -t us-my1 "%s" &' % MYSQL_MONITOR_CMD,
'urxvt -title "MySQL 2" -e ssh -t us-my2 "%s" &' % MYSQL_MONITOR_CMD,
]
COLUMNS = [CMDS_COL1, CMDS_COL2, CMDS_COL3]
def create_windows():
for i, col in enumerate(COLUMNS):
cindex = str(i+1)
for cmd in col:
os.system(cmd)
time.sleep(1)
os.system('wmiir xwrite /tag/sel/ctl send sel %s' % cindex)
os.system('wmiir xwrite /tag/sel/ctl colmode %s default-max' % cindex)
os.system('wmii.py 45.5 31.5 23')
if __name__ == '__main__':
create_windows()</pre>
<p><em>Note 1:</em> The script above uses another
<a href="http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2009/04/scripting-wmii-column-widths-python/">
script I wrote previously, <code>wmii.py</code>,</a> to set the column widths.
</p>
<p><em>Note 2:</em> The remote server addresses are specified by the nicknames
<em>us-ng1</em>, <em>us-ng2</em>, <em>us-med1</em>, etc. configured in my
<code>~/.ssh/config</code> file as described
<a href="http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/11/creating-remote-server-nicknames-sshconfig/">here</a>.
</p>
<p><em>Note 3 (on using ssh and top):</em> I first tried doing <code>ssh host top</code>,
but this gave me a <em><code>TERM environment variable not set.</code></em> error.
I then tried <code>ssh host "export TERM=rxvt-unicode; top"</code>, but this gave me
a <em><code>top: failed tty get</code></em> error. The solution that worked for me was
to use the <em><code>-t</code></em> option with <code>ssh</code>. E.g.
<code>ssh -t host top</code>. This is what I used in the script above.
</p>
<p><em>Note 4 (added 2010-03-05):</em> I used "tail --follow=name" instead of "tail -f"
so that tail will follow the log file even after it has been rotated. For more
information, see the
<a href="http://manpages.debian.net/cgi-bin/man.cgi?query=tail&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=Debian+5.0+lenny&format=html&locale=en">man
page for tail</a>.</p>
<p><em>Note 5 (added 2010-03-05):</em> To prevent your ssh session from timing out,
add the following 2 lines to your <code>~/.ssh/config</code> file
(<a href="http://ocaoimh.ie/how-to-fix-ssh-timeout-problems/">via</a>):</p>
<pre>Host *
ServerAliveInterval 60</pre>
How to make urxvt look like gnome-terminal
2009-11-02T01:09:15-08:00https://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2009/11/how-make-urxvt-look-gnome-terminal/<p>My terminal of choice is
<a href="http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/rxvt-unicode.html">rxvt-unicode</a>
(urxvt) because it is fast and lightweight.
However, I recently opened up gnome-terminal and it was so much prettier than
my urxvt. Here's how I made my urxvt look like gnome-terminal. The last step
involves compiling urxvt from source because the latest source includes a patch
to configure horizontal spacing of letters.
</p>
<h4>Set up colors</h4>
<p>Add the following to your <code>~/.Xdefaults</code> file:</p>
<pre>! to match gnome-terminal "Linux console" scheme
! foreground/background
URxvt*background: #000000
URxvt*foreground: #ffffff
! black
URxvt.color0 : #000000
URxvt.color8 : #555555
! red
URxvt.color1 : #AA0000
URxvt.color9 : #FF5555
! green
URxvt.color2 : #00AA00
URxvt.color10 : #55FF55
! yellow
URxvt.color3 : #AA5500
URxvt.color11 : #FFFF55
! blue
URxvt.color4 : #0000AA
URxvt.color12 : #5555FF
! magenta
URxvt.color5 : #AA00AA
URxvt.color13 : #FF55FF
! cyan
URxvt.color6 : #00AAAA
URxvt.color14 : #55FFFF
! white
URxvt.color7 : #AAAAAA
URxvt.color15 : #FFFFFF
</pre>
<h4>Select font</h4>
<p>Also add the following to your <code>~/.Xdefaults</code> file:</p>
<pre>URxvt*font: xft:Monospace:pixelsize=11
</pre>
<h4>Don't use a bold font</h4>
<p>Also add the following to your <code>~/.Xdefaults</code> file:</p>
<pre>URxvt*boldFont: xft:Monospace:pixelsize=11</pre>
<h4>Fix urxvt font width</h4>
<p>This is the most difficult thing to fix. It requires installing urxvt from
CVS source.</p>
<ul>
<li>Install prerequisites:
<pre>apt-get build-dep rxvt-unicode</pre></li>
<li>Get CVS source code:
<pre>cvs -z3 -d :pserver:anonymous@cvs.schmorp.de/schmorpforge co rxvt-unicode</pre></li>
<li>Configure:
<pre>cd rxvt-unicode
./configure --prefix=/home/eliot/lib/rxvt-unicode-20091102</pre></li>
<li>Make & make install:
<pre>make
make install</pre></li>
<li>Link urxvt executable to your <code>~/bin</code> directory:
<pre>cd ~/bin
ln -s ../lib/rxvt-unicode-20091102/bin/urxvt .</pre>
</li>
<li>Edit <code>~/.Xdefaults</code> once again:
<pre>URxvt*letterSpace: -1</pre>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Also cool: Open links in Firefox</h4>
<p>Here is another trick (thanks to
<a href="http://ztatlock.blogspot.com/2009/02/configuring-urxvt.html">Zachary Tatlock</a>)
to make clicking on URLs open in your Firefox browser.
Add the following to your <code>~/.Xdefaults</code> (yes there's Perl in
your urxvt!):</p>
<pre>URxvt.perl-ext-common : default,matcher
URxvt.urlLauncher : firefox
URxvt.matcher.button : 1
</pre>
<h4>See also</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.mail-archive.com/rxvt-unicode@lists.schmorp.de/msg00554.html">
http://www.mail-archive.com/rxvt-unicode@lists.schmorp.de/msg00554.html</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>Screenshots</h4>
<p>Urxvt (default):</p>
<img alt="ugly urxvt screenshot" src="/site_media/image/blog/urxvt_ugly.png" />
<p>Gnome-terminal:</p>
<img alt="gnome-terminal screenshot" src="/site_media/image/blog/gnome_terminal.png" />
<p>Urxvt (modified):</p>
<img alt="pretty urxvt screenshot" src="/site_media/image/blog/urxvt_pretty.png" />
<p>If you're interested, here is how I printed the terminal colors:</p>
<pre>#!/bin/bash
echo -e "\\e[0mCOLOR_NC (No color)"
echo -e "\\e[1;37mCOLOR_WHITE\\t\\e[0;30mCOLOR_BLACK"
echo -e "\\e[0;34mCOLOR_BLUE\\t\\e[1;34mCOLOR_LIGHT_BLUE"
echo -e "\\e[0;32mCOLOR_GREEN\\t\\e[1;32mCOLOR_LIGHT_GREEN"
echo -e "\\e[0;36mCOLOR_CYAN\\t\\e[1;36mCOLOR_LIGHT_CYAN"
echo -e "\\e[0;31mCOLOR_RED\\t\\e[1;31mCOLOR_LIGHT_RED"
echo -e "\\e[0;35mCOLOR_PURPLE\\t\\e[1;35mCOLOR_LIGHT_PURPLE"
echo -e "\\e[0;33mCOLOR_YELLOW\\t\\e[1;33mCOLOR_LIGHT_YELLOW"
echo -e "\\e[1;30mCOLOR_GRAY\\t\\e[0;37mCOLOR_LIGHT_GRAY"</pre>
How to get anti-aliased fonts for Cygwin with urxvt
2007-09-25T14:15:00-07:00https://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2007/09/how-to-get-anti-aliased-fonts-for/
<a href="http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/rxvt-unicode.html">urxvt</a>, or rxvt-unicode, is a better alternative to rxvt and xterm that supports <a href="http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/Xft">xft</a> (read anti-aliased) fonts. Here's how to make your terminal pretty:<br /><br />
You need: Cygwin with X, urxvt, and <a href="http://fontconfig.org/wiki/">fontconfig</a> (all available through Cygwin's setup utility)
<ol>
<li>To see the list of available fonts run: <code>$ fc-list</code></li>
<li>Select a font and put it in your ~/.Xdefaults file. e.g.
<pre>URxvt*font: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=12
Urxvt*boldFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=12:style=Bold</pre></li>
<li>Run: <code>$ urxvt</code></li>
</ol>
For reference, here is the list of fonts I got:
<pre>Bitstream Charter:style=Bold
Bitstream Charter:style=Bold Italic
Bitstream Charter:style=Italic
Bitstream Charter:style=Regular
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:style=Bold
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:style=Bold Oblique
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:style=Oblique
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:style=Roman
Bitstream Vera Sans:style=Bold
Bitstream Vera Sans:style=Bold Oblique
Bitstream Vera Sans:style=Oblique
Bitstream Vera Sans:style=Roman
Bitstream Vera Serif:style=Bold
Bitstream Vera Serif:style=Roman
Charter:style=Bold
Charter:style=Bold Italic
Charter:style=Italic
Charter:style=Regular
Clean:style=Regular
ClearlyU Alternate Glyphs:style=Regular
ClearlyU PUA:style=Regular
ClearlyU:style=Regular
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Bold
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Bold Italic
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Italic
Courier 10 Pitch:style=Regular
Courier:style=Bold
Courier:style=Bold Italic
Courier:style=Bold Oblique
Courier:style=Italic
Courier:style=Oblique
Courier:style=Regular
Cursor:style=Regular
Fixed:style=Bold
Fixed:style=Bold SemiCondensed
Fixed:style=ja
Fixed:style=ko
Fixed:style=Oblique
Fixed:style=Oblique SemiCondensed
Fixed:style=Regular
Fixed:style=SemiCondensed
Helvetica:style=Bold
Helvetica:style=Bold Oblique
Helvetica:style=Oblique
Helvetica:style=Regular
Lucida:style=Sans
Lucida:style=Sans Bold
Lucida:style=Sans Bold Italic
Lucida:style=Sans Italic
LucidaBright:style=Italic
LucidaBright:style=Regular
LucidaTypewriter:style=Sans
LucidaTypewriter:style=Sans Bold
Luxi Mono:style=Bold
Luxi Mono:style=Bold Oblique
Luxi Mono:style=Oblique
Luxi Mono:style=Regular
Luxi Sans:style=Bold
Luxi Sans:style=Bold Oblique
Luxi Sans:style=Oblique
Luxi Sans:style=Regular
Luxi Serif:style=Bold
Luxi Serif:style=Bold Oblique
Luxi Serif:style=Oblique
Luxi Serif:style=Regular
New Century Schoolbook:style=Bold
New Century Schoolbook:style=Bold Italic
New Century Schoolbook:style=Italic
New Century Schoolbook:style=Regular
Newspaper:style=Regular
Terminal:style=Bold
Terminal:style=Regular
Times:style=Bold
Times:style=Bold Italic
Times:style=Italic
Times:style=Regular
Utopia:style=Bold
Utopia:style=Bold Italic
Utopia:style=Italic
Utopia:style=Regular</pre>
Cygwin, X, ratposoin, screen, rxvt setup
2007-09-04T17:48:00-07:00https://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2007/09/cygwin-x-ratposoin-screen-rxvt-setup/Here are my configuration files for my current <a href="http://www.cygwin.com/">Cygwin</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System">X</a>, <a href="http://www.nongnu.org/ratpoison/">ratpoison</a>, <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen</a>, <a href="http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/rxvt-unicode.html">urxvt</a>, <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/">bash</a> setup.<br />
<br />
<b>General Cygwin and bash</b><br />
<ul><li>I changed filename completion to be case-insensitive since we're on Windows. To do this, see the last line in ~/.bashrc and the last line in ~/.inputrc below.</li>
<li>I changed the "/cygdrive" prefix to just "/". To do this, type this command once: "mount -s --change-cygdrive-prefix /"</li>
<li>I added aliases to use "grep" and "ls" with color. And I added aliases to start various windows applications. See ~/.bashrc.</li>
</ul>
<br /><b>urxvt</b><br />
<ul><li>urxvt (rxvt-unicode) is a better alternative to rxvt and xterm. See the ~.Xdefaults file for my urxvt customizations. I chose an anti-aliased font, removed the scrollbar, changed the background to dark blue and the foreground to light yellow, and set the number of saved lines to 8000. (Note, to scroll, hit SHIFT+PGUP or SHIFT+PGDN).</li>
</ul>
<br /><b>ratpoison and screen</b><br />
<ul><li>GNU Screen is a terminal multiplexer which can be used to manage terminal sessions. Ratpoison is a simple keyboard driven window manager largely modeled after GNU Screen which is used as an alternative to complex window managers such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNOME">Gnome</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KDE">KDE</a>. Most of the ratpoison and screen configuration is copied from <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2007/03/15/good-easy-2007">Mark Pilgrim</a>. The layering, as I understand it, is: the <strong>Windows XP</strong> OS runs the <strong>Cygwin/X</strong> environment which runs the <strong>ratpoison</strong> window manager which runs the <strong>urxvt</strong> terminal emulator which runs the <strong>screen</strong> terminal multiplexer which runs the <strong>bash</strong> command shell.</li></ul>
<br />
Update 5/2/2008: I learned how to paste in urxvt (actually bash). See my post,
<a href="http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/05/how-to-paste-in-cygwin-bash-using-ctrl/">
How to paste in Cygwin bash using CTRL+V</a>.<br /><br />
<b>startxwin.bat</b> (windows batch file)<br />
<pre>@echo off
SET DISPLAY=127.0.0.1:0.0
SET CYGWIN_ROOT=\cygwin
SET RUN=%CYGWIN_ROOT%\bin\run -p /usr/X11R6/bin
SET PATH=.;%CYGWIN_ROOT%\bin;%CYGWIN_ROOT%\usr\X11R6\bin;%PATH%
SET XAPPLRESDIR=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults
SET XCMSDB=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/Xcms.txt
SET XKEYSYMDB=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/XKeysymDB
SET XNLSPATH=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/locale
if not exist %CYGWIN_ROOT%\tmp\.X11-unix\X0 goto CLEANUP-FINISH
attrib -s %CYGWIN_ROOT%\tmp\.X11-unix\X0
del %CYGWIN_ROOT%\tmp\.X11-unix\X0
:CLEANUP-FINISH
if exist %CYGWIN_ROOT%\tmp\.X11-unix rmdir %CYGWIN_ROOT%\tmp\.X11-unix
if "%OS%" == "Windows_NT" goto OS_NT
echo startxwin.bat - Starting on Windows 95/98/Me
goto STARTUP
:OS_NT
echo startxwin.bat - Starting on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
:STARTUP
%RUN% XWin -rootless -clipboard -silent-dup-error
%RUN% /usr/local/bin/ratpoison</pre>
<b>~/.ratpoisonrc</b><br />
<pre># initial frame and window setup
hsplit
focusright
exec urxvt -e screen -RD
# use Pause as prefix key instead of Ctrl-T
escape Pause
# use global cursor positioning (not per-frame)
warp off
# set appearance of ratpoison status messages and input line
set bgcolor black
set fgcolor grey95
set font -b&h-lucidatypewriter-bold-r-normal-sans-18-180-75-75-m-110-iso8859-1;
set inputwidth 1247
set bargravity ne
set barpadding 4 4
msgwait 3
# top-level shortcuts (don't require prefix key)
definekey top C-M-Up focusup
definekey top C-M-Down focusdown
definekey top C-M-Left focusleft
definekey top C-M-Right focusright</pre>
<b>~/.Xdefaults</b><br />
<pre>URxvt*background: #000033
URxvt*foreground: #ffffcc
! run "fc-list" for a list of available fonts
URxvt*font: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=12
Urxvt*boldFont: xft:Bitstream Vera Sans Mono:size=12:style=Bold
URxvt*scrollBar: False
URxvt*scrollTtyOutput: False
URxvt*scrollTtyKeypress: True
URxvt*secondaryScroll: True
URxvt*saveLines: 8000</pre>
<b>~/.screenrc</b><br />
<pre>shell /usr/bin/bash
# scrollback
defscrollback 8000
# Window numbering starts at 1
bind c screen 1
bind 0 select 10
screen 1
# Create initial windows
screen -t home 1
screen -t myproj 1
screen -t pydev 1
screen -t docs 1
screen -t misc 1
# Set the caption on the bottom line:
# window-list <nowplaying> <mm>dd</mm>yy> <hh:mm>am/pm
# from http://diveintomark.org/public/2007/03/screenrc
caption always "%{= kw}%-w%{= BW}%n %t%{-}%+w %-= %1` %m/%d/%y %C:%s%a"
# use backtick for prefix key instead of Ctrl-A
escape ``
# use regular audible bell
vbell off
# skip intro
startup_message off
# detach on disconnect
autodetach on</hh:mm></nowplaying></pre>
<b>~/.bashrc</b><br />
<pre># prompt
# see http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-tip-prompt/
export PS1="\n\e[31;1m\w\n\e[0m\$ "
# cygwin aliases
alias where='type -a'
alias grep='grep --color'
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias la='ls -dlAog --time-style="+%Y %m/%d %H:%M" .*; ls -Xlog --time-style="+%Y %m/%d %H:%M"'
alias ll='ls -Xlog --hide "*~" --hide "*.bak" --hide "*.orig" --time-style="+%Y %m/%d %H:%M"'
alias dir='ll'
alias ec='emacsclient -n '
# directory aliases
alias home='cd ~'
alias progfiles='cd /c/Program\ Files'
alias incoming='cd ~/incoming'
# windows aliases
alias firefox='/c/Program\ Files/Mozilla\ Firefox/firefox.exe &'
alias eclipse='/c/Programs/eclipse3.3/eclipse.exe -vmargs -Xms192m -Xmx192m &'
alias serena='/c/Program\ Files/Serena/vm/win32/bin/pvcsvmnt.exe &'
alias kdiff='/c/Program\ Files/KDiff3/kdiff3'
alias explorer='/c/windows/explorer /e /root,'
alias outlook='/c/Program\ Files/Microsoft\ Office/OFFICE11/OUTLOOK.EXE &'
alias taskmgr='/c/windows/system32/taskmgr.exe &'
alias word='/c/Program\ Files/Microsoft\ Office/OFFICE11/WINWORD.EXE '
alias excel='/c/Program\ Files/Microsoft\ Office/OFFICE11/EXCEL.EXE '
alias powerpoint='/c/Program\ Files/Microsoft\ Office/OFFICE11/POWERPNT.EXE '
alias acrobat='/c/Program\ Files/Adobe/Acrobat/Acrobat.exe '
# Get bash filename completion to be case insensitive - there is also a line in .inputrc
shopt -s nocaseglob</pre>
<b>~/.inputrc</b><br />
<pre># the following line is actually
# equivalent to "\C-?": delete-char
"\e[3~": delete-char
# VT
"\e[1~": beginning-of-line
"\e[4~": end-of-line
# kvt
"\e[H": beginning-of-line
"\e[F": end-of-line
# rxvt and konsole (i.e. the KDE-app...)
"\e[7~": beginning-of-line
"\e[8~": end-of-line
# VT220
"\eOH": beginning-of-line
"\eOF": end-of-line
# Get bash filename completion to be case insensitive - see also .bashrc
set completion-ignore-case on</pre>
My software tools list
2007-08-10T13:32:00-07:00https://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2007/08/current-configuration/<style type="text/css">
td {
vertical-align: top;
}
</style>
<p>Inspired by Mark Pilgrim's
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20101214224709/http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/06/26/essentials-2006">
2006 Essentials list</a>,
below is a list of my current software tools. If you notice a lot of
"I switched from ..." statements, keep in mind that I am a
<a href="http://undefined.com/ia/2006/10/10/the-fourteen-types-of-programmers-type-2-those-that-like-shiny-things/">
programmer who likes shiny things</a>.
</p>
<h4 id="other-lists">Other lists</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20101214234142/http://diveintomark.org/archives/2008/10/28/essentials-2008">
Mark Pilgrim's Essentials, 2008 edition</a>
</li>
<li><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081226033542/http://adam.gomaa.us/blog/essentials-cop-out/">
Adam Gomaa's Essentials (2008)</a>
</li>
<li>Here is a <a href="http://mark.pilgrim.usesthis.com/">2010 update
for Mark Pilgrim</a>. After 2 and a half years, I still have several items
in common: <a href="#operating-system">Ubuntu</a> running <a href="#terminal">rxvt-unicode</a>
and <a href="#editor">Emacs 23</a>, the <a href="#keyboard">Unicomp keyboard</a>,
an <a href="#mobile-phone">Android phone</a>, <a href="#email">Gmail</a>,
Google Reader, Google Docs, and Pandora.
</li>
<li><a href="http://salvatore.sanfilippo.usesthis.com/">Salvatore Sanfilippo on usesthis.com (2011)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://aaron.boodman.usesthis.com/">Aaron Boodman on usesthis.com (2011)</a></li>
</ul>
<h4 id="contents">Contents</h4>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
<ul>
<li><a href="#operating-system">Operating System</a>: Ubuntu</li>
<li><a href="#window-manager">Window Manager</a>: Qtile</li>
<li><a href="#editor">Editor</a>: Emacs</li>
<li><a href="#terminal">Terminal</a>: urxvt + screen</li>
<li><a href="#vcs">Version Control System</a>: Git</li>
<li><a href="#high-high-level-language">"High-high-level" Language</a>: Python</li>
<li><a href="#web-framework">Web Framework</a>: Django/Flask</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td>
<ul>
<li><a href="#web-browser">Web Browser</a>: Firefox</li>
<li><a href="#email">Email</a>: Gmail</li>
<li><a href="#graphical-diff">Graphical Diff</a>: KDiff3</li>
<li><a href="#keyboard">Keyboard</a>: Leopold Tenkeyless (MX Browns)</li>
<li><a href="#office-chair">Office Chair</a>: Undecided</li>
<li><a href="#mobile-phone">Mobile Phone</a>: Motorola Droid 4</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<h4 id="my-list">My software tools list</h4>
<table style="font-size:100%">
<tr>
<td ><b>Category</b></td>
<td ><b>Currently using</b></td>
<td ><b>Comments</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="operating-system" ><p>Operating System</p>
<a href="#operating-system" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td ><p><a href="http://www.ubuntu.com">Ubuntu</a> 14.04 Trusty Tahr</p>
</td>
<td >
<p>My first
Ubuntu install was in 2007 (dual-boot) and I got my first Windows-free machine
in 2008. I have used Cygwin
and coLinux when on Windows. Cygwin integrates better with Windows applications,
but coLinux is super fast and allows you to run a full Linux distro on top of
Windows. Windows does have some advantages, but overall I prefer Linux.</p>
<p><em>Update 2008-09</em>: Switching jobs means I can now use Linux at work.
I'm now using Linux about 90% of the time. My wife still uses Windows Vista on our laptop.</p>
<p>I don't have enough experience
with OSX to draw any authoritative conclusions, though I think
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pilgrim">Mark Pilgrim</a>
has <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/06/02/when-the-bough-breaks">
biased me against Apple</a>. Also, I think Linux's
<a href="http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?FreeAsInBeer">free as in beer</a> (and somewhat
related free as in speech) characteristics
vs. Mac's expensive (and somewhat related proprietary) characteristics
resonate with the cheap engineer in me.</p>
<p>Additional Linux vs. Mac commentary:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Zawinski">JWZ</a> 2000:
<a href="http://www.jwz.org/doc/linux.html">Unix/linux sucks less, but it still sucks.</a>
</li>
<li>
JWZ <a href="http://jwz.livejournal.com/494040.html">2005</a>,
<a href="http://jwz.livejournal.com/780264.html">2007</a>: Linux sucks more.
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Graham">Paul Graham</a> 2005:
<a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html">Return of the Mac.</a>
</li>
<li>
Mark Pilgrim 2006: <a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/05/30/bye-apple">
Bye, Apple</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a> 2006:
<a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/29/mark-pilgrims-list-o.html">
Me too</a>.
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Bray">Tim Bray</a> 2006:
<a href="http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2006/06/15/Switch-From-Mac">Me too</a>,
<a href="http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2006/08/16/Back-to-the-Mac">Back to the Mac</a>
</li>
<li>
Steve Yegge 2008:
<a href="http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/04/settling-osx-focus-follows-mouse-debate.html">
Switching to OSX for the fonts</a>
</li>
<li>
Of course, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds">Linus Torvalds</a>
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/q-and-a-with-linus-torvalds/2008/02/05/1202090403120.html?page=2">
"prefers" Linux</a> (2008)
</li>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Knuth">Donald Knuth</a>,
author of <em>The Art of Computer Programming</em>,
<a href="http://www.informit.com/articles/printerfriendly.aspx?p=1193856">
uses Ubuntu Linux for work, and Macs for play</a> (2008).
</li>
<li>Salvatore Sanfilippo (author of <a href="http://code.google.com/p/redis/">Redis</a>)
chooses to use
a Mac so he can <em>"focus on what <he's> doing without spending hours trying to
fix unrelated desktop stuff"</em> but says Linux is
<a href="http://antirez.com/post/linux-better-for-coding.html">
<em>"still better for coding"</em></a> (2009).
</li>
<li>Ted Dziuba: <a href="http://harmful.cat-v.org/software/operating-systems/osx/osx-unsuitable-web-development">
<em>MacOS X is an Unsuitable Platform for Web Development</em>
</a> (2011)</li>
<li>Bozhidar Batsov: <a href="http://batsov.com/Linux/Windows/Rant/2011/06/11/linux-desktop-experience-killing-linux-on-the-desktop.html">
<em>The Linux desktop experience is killing Linux on the desktop</em>
</a> (2011)</li>
</ul>
<p>History: 1987: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIGS">Apple GS/OS</a>,
1994: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1x">Windows 3.1</a>,
2000: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98">Windows 98</a>,
2001: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP">Windows XP</a>,
2007: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista">Windows Vista</a>,
2007: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28operating_system%29">Ubuntu</a>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="window-manager"><p>Window Manager</p>
<a href="#window-manager" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td ><p><a href="http://www.qtile.org/">Qtile</a></p></td>
<td >
<p>The WM written in Python,
<a href="http://panela.blog-city.com/fun_of_tiling_window_managers.htm">
recommended by Matt Harrison</a>.
</p>
<p>Previously, wmii: dynamic, tiling, scriptable window manager that doesn't
require a mouse. It sucks less.</p>
<p>I switched from <a href="http://www.nongnu.org/ratpoison/">ratpoison</a>
at the same time I started using coLinux because running native Linux
allowed me to use any Linux window manager as well.</p>
<p>Recently, some have switched from wmii to
<a href="http://xmonad.org/">xmonad</a>, the new
<a href="http://www.haskell.org/">Haskell</a> tiling window manager.
It has some nice features over wmii, including dual head support, but after
a brief excursion, I slightly prefer wmii's way of doing things.</p>
<p>If you're a hard core Lisper,
<a href="http://www.nongnu.org/stumpwm/">stumpwm</a> is the window manager
for you. It has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REPL">REPL</a>. This one
seems a little too hard core for me, especially since I don't know Lisp.</p>
<p>History: 2007: ratpoison, 2007: wmii, 2012: Qtile</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="editor"><p>Editor/IDE</p>
<a href="#editor" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p><a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs">GNU Emacs</a> 24.3</p></td>
<td >
<p>Switched from Eclipse in 2007. It was a slow transition, but
I think Emacs is worth the investment.</p>
<p><b>On Emacs vs. Vim:</b> I really like that Vim can be used easily on remote
machines. Currently, I use TRAMP for remote file editing. It is very cool,
but it is slow, and I sometimes fall back on nano (*gasp*) for a quick
config file edit when I am logged into a remote terminal. I also suspect
that the dual modes of Vim are more efficient than Emacs-- I'm just not
smart enough to get used to it. Maybe someday I will switch to
<a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/viper/index.html#Top">Viper
mode</a>. Why Emacs over Vim? I choose Emacs because it is more powerful
and closer to an IDE. Emacs Lisp allows you to do whatever you want.
</p>
<p><b>On Emacs vs. Eclipse:</b> I found Eclipse was too slow and heavy, used too
much screen real estate, and was too difficult to customize. Scripting
Eclipse required writing extensions in Java whereas Emacs can be extended
in elegant Lisp. I think Eclipse (and other IDE's) are better for code
exploration and they probably have features that I'm not aware of since
I don't use them. I figure, though, that with enough Emacs Lisp, Emacs
can do anything those IDEs can do. If you really want those features,
it's a question of if you want to spend the time achieving perfection
in Emacs or getting real work done in another IDE. I choose perfection. ;)
</p>
<p>Additional commentary:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.ianbicking.org/the-vs-emacs.html">
THE vs. Emacs</a>, Ian Bicking (2005)</li>
<li><a href="http://steve.yegge.googlepages.com/effective-emacs">
Effective Emacs</a>, Steve Yegge (2005)</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.ianbicking.org/other-editors.html">
Other Editors?</a>, Ian Bicking (2005)</li>
<li><a href="http://glyph.twistedmatrix.com/2008/04/structured-python-editor.html">
Structured Python Editor</a>, Glyph Lefkowitz (2008)</li>
<li><a href="http://chalain.livejournal.com/74234.html">
Editor Wars: Revenge of the... oh, whatever.</a>, Chalain (2008)</li>
<li><a href="http://metajack.im/2008/09/05/what-you-can-learn-from-emacs/">
What You Can Learn From Emacs</a>, Jack Moffitt (2008)</li>
<li><a href="http://glyph.twistedmatrix.com/2008/12/emacs-test.html">
The Emacs Test</a>, Glyph Lefkowitz (2008)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.redreddesign.com/blog/emacs-extensions-i-cant-live-without/">
emacs extensions i can’t live without</a> (2009)</li>
</ul>
<p>Screencasts:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://platypope.org/yada/emacs-demo/">I need a cool European accent</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vimeo.com/1013263">What You Can Learn From ido.el</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76Ygeg9miao#t=01m47s">YASnippet demo</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Install method:
<del><a href="http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/10/installing-emacs-23-cvs-ubuntu-hardy/">
from source</a></del>
<code>sudo apt-get install emacs</code>
</p>
<p>Useful packages:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/">
Tramp</a>: transparent remote file access</li>
<li><a href="http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/InteractivelyDoThings">
ido</a>: Buffer switching and more</li>
<li><a href="http://orgmode.org/">Org-Mode</a>: note taking, task lists</li>
<li><a href="http://github.com/yoshiki/yaml-mode">yaml-mode</a>: for yaml</li>
<li><a href="http://jblevins.org/projects/markdown-mode/">markdown-mode</a>: for markdown</li>
<li><a href="http://code.google.com/p/yasnippet/">YASnippet</a>:
Textmate-inspired templating. Great for making HTML less tedious.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/nonsequitur/smex">smex: IDO for M-x</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/magnars/multiple-cursors.el">multiple-cursors</a>: this is really fun *and* useful.</li>
<li><a href="http://web-mode.org/">web-mode</a>: for HTML/CSS/Javascript</li>
</ul>
<p>My emacs config on github: <a href="http://github.com/saltycrane/emacs">http://github.com/saltycrane/emacs</a></p>
<p>History: 2001: Emacs/NEdit/UltraEdit, 2006: Eclipse, 2007: Emacs</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="terminal"><p>Terminal</p>
<a href="#terminal" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p><a href="http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/rxvt-unicode.html">urxvt</a></p>
9.19
+ <br><a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/screen/">screen</a></td>
<td>
<p>urxvt supports xft (anti-aliased) fonts, real transparency (not that
I actually use transparency with Qtile), and fading (which I do use with Qtile)
and it is much faster and lighter than gnome-terminal or konsole. screen allows me to switch
terminal sessions without ugly tabs, attach to remote sessions, search through
the scrollback buffer, and more. <em>Update:</em> urxvt also has embedded perl.</p>
<p>Install method:
<del><a href="/blog/2009/11/how-make-urxvt-look-gnome-terminal/">from source</a></del>
<code>sudo apt-get install rxvt-unicode</code>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="vcs"><p>Version Control System</p>
<a href="#vcs" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td>
<p><a href="http://git-scm.com/">Git</a></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Switched from Subversion to Mercurial in June 2007. The merging in Mercurial
is very nice and can be done without thinking. I do miss Subversion/Subclipse's
revision history viewer, file compare, and ability to isolate files apart from
changesets. <em>Update 2010-04-05:</em> See <a href="#c8633">my comment
below</a>.
</p>
<p><em>Update 2011-05:</em> Switched my personal repos to Git. Use Git almost
exclusively now.
</p>
<p>Additional commentary:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jonchu.posterous.com/16445171">
DVCS: Why I chose Mercurial over Git</a> (2010)</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.extracheese.org/2010/05/why-i-switched-to-git-from-mercurial.html">
Why I Switched to Git From Mercurial</a> (2010)</li>
</ul>
<p>Install method: <code>sudo apt-get install mercurial</code></p>
<p>History: 2001: SCCS, 2003: Other, 2007: Subversion, 2007: Mercurial,
2010: Mercurial/Git, 2011: Git</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="high-level-language"><p>"High-level" Language</p>
<a href="#high-level-language" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p>None</p></td>
<td>
<p>Previously, I used C. Now I use don't use any statically-typed languague. Wouldn't mind learning <del>C++</del> Go. Although,
Linus <a href="http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/57643/focus=57918">
doesn't like it.</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="high-high-level-language" ><p>"High-high-level" Language</p>
<a href="#high-high-level-language" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td ><p><a href="http://www.python.org/">Python</a> 2.7</p></td>
<td >
<p>My love for Python is strong. I switched from Perl in 2005
and have no regrets. Object-oriented, easy to read (no more
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_is_more_than_one_way_to_do_it">
TIMTOWTDI</a>), and smart people use it. I also want to learn Javascript 2
becuase it is the
<a href="http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2007/02/next-big-language.html">
"Next Big Language"</a> and Lisp because it is the
<a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html">"most powerful language"</a>.</p>
<p><b>On Python vs. Ruby:</b> from what I've read, I characterize Ruby as the
more expressive language more similar to Perl (than Python is) and Python
as the more regimented language. Since I like regimented, I like Python.</p>
<p><b>On Python vs. Lisp:</b> I've concluded that I lack the intelligence to
harness enough of Lisp's power to counteract its non-practicality (e.g.
lack of libraries).</p>
<p>Additional commentary:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Graham">Paul Graham</a>:
<a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/icad.html">Python is
getting closer to Lisp</a> (2002)</li>
<li>Paul Prescod: <a href="http://www.prescod.net/python/IsPythonLisp.html">
no it isn't</a></li>
<li>Paraphrase of <a href="http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/~gjs/">
Gerald Jay Sussman</a> (one of the creators of Scheme):
<a href="http://blog.snowtide.com/2009/03/24/why-mit-now-uses-python-instead-of-scheme-for-its-undergraduate-cs-program">
Why MIT now uses python instead of scheme for its undergraduate CS program</a>
(2009)</li>
</ul>
<p>Install method: preinstalled on Ubuntu</p>
<p>History: 2001: <a href="http://www.perl.org/">Perl</a>,
2005: <a href="http://www.python.org/">Python</a>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="web-framework" ><p>Web Framework</p>
<a href="#web-framework" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td >
<p>
<a href="http://www.djangoproject.com/">Django</a> /
<a href="http://flask.pocoo.org/">Flask</a>
</p>
</td>
<td >
<p><em>2014-10:</em>I now use Flask at work. Previously, I used Django. I think I like SQLAlchemy and Jinja2 better than Django. Django has a lot more built in and is put together better. Flask's thread locals are convenient and messy. Probably <a href="http://www.pylonsproject.org/">Pyramid</a> is the best but no one uses it.</p>
<p>Here are some links:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ianbicking.org/">Ian Bicking</a>:
<a href="http://blog.ianbicking.org/theres-so-much-more-than-rails.html">
There's so much more than Rails</a> (2005)</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.ianbicking.org/2008/01/12/what-php-deployment-gets-right/">
What PHP deployment gets right</a> (2008)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.feedmagnet.com/blog/django-vs-rails/">
Django vs. Rails</a> (2009)</li>
</ul>
<p>Install method: <code>pip install Django</code> / <code>pip install Flask</code></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="web-browser"><p>Web Browser</p>
<a href="#web-browser" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p>Firefox</p></td>
<td >
<p>Not to be confused with <a href="http://www.konqueror.org">
Konqueror</a>, Conkeror is an emacs-like, keyboard driven, scriptable,
Mozilla-based web browser. I've used it almost full
time since January 2008. It is still considered alpha stage software
so there are a number of bugs. However, it is still pretty sweet. I use
Firefox as a backup (and IE Tab for Launchcast and Netflix on Windows).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, one of the annoying things in Firefox 2 is present in
Conkeror as well-- memory leaks. Based on
<a href="http://kb.mozillazine.org/Memory_Leak">this Mozilla article</a>
and some brief personal experience, Firefox 3 has made fixes in this area.
It would be nice if Conkeror could benefit from the Firefox 3 fixes.</p>
<p><em>Update 2010-05-04:</em> Conkeror is really awesome, but I had some memory/cpu issues with it
a while ago and haven't put in the work to merge my custom keybindings
with the latest Conkeror code. Also waiting to see if there will be
an Emacs version of <a href="http://vimium.github.com/">Vimium</a>
(since, after all <a href="http://vimperator.org/">vimperator</a>
followed conkeror).
</p>
<p>I'm currently using a combination of Google Chrome and Firefox.
Chrome is faster, especially for Javascript-intensive sites, but I really
<a href="http://superuser.com/questions/91334/alternative-to-arrow-keys-in-google-chrome-location-bar">
<em>hate</em> the Google Chrome Omnibar</a>. If you have a solution
or workaround, please post an answer. Firefox also has some Add-ons
that Chrome doesn't.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="email" ><p>Email</p>
<a href="#email" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td ><p>Gmail</p></td>
<td >
<p><em>Update 2010-05-04:</em>
Gmail. It's slow but it has a lot of features and it's in
my web browser and it's easy and it works and I don't really like using
email that much anyways. Oh, and, big plus, syncing works almost perfect
with my Android phone. (Actual full switch to Gmail was around December 2008.)
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="graphical-diff" ><p>Graphical diff/merge</p>
<a href="#graphical-diff" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td ><p><a href="http://kdiff3.sourceforge.net/">KDiff3</a></p></td>
<td >
<p>I started using KDiff a while ago on Windows and have
always liked it. I'm thinking, though, since I'm an Emacs person, I ought to
use <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/ediff.html">
Ediff</a>.</p>
<p>Install method: <code>sudo apt-get install kdiff3</code></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="keyboard"><p>Keyboard</p>
<a href="#keyboard" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td>
<p><a href="http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net//en104wh.html">
Unicomp Endurapro</a> /
<a href="http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,tenkeyless&pid=fc200rtab">
Leopold Tenkeyless w/ Cherry MX Browns
</a></p>
</td>
<td>
<p>I realize a keyboard is hardware and not software, but it is
hardware that can evoke strong opinions, so I made an exception.
</p>
<p>One problem with hardware is I can't try out all the different types
and choose the one I like the best as I can with software. So
my selection is based on reviews not on actual experience. And,
after buying the Endurapro, I found I actually did not like the
integrated mouse stick, so I should have bought a Customizer 104/105
and saved $30.</p>
<p><em>Update 2011-05:</em> Got the Leopold tenkeyless for work.
Tenkeyless is a must for quicker mouse access.
And I actually like the lighter touch of the
Cherry MX Browns versus the Unicomp's buckling springs. I like it
so much I want to replace my Unicomp at home with another Leopold.
</p>
<p><em>Update:</em> Got a second Leopold for home to replace my Unicomp.</p>
<p>Additional commentary:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/wrists.html">
my wrists and welcome to them.</a>, JWZ (1999)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dansdata.com/deck.htm">
Deck keyboard</a>, Dan (2005)</li>
<li><a href="http://bc.tech.coop/blog/060131.html">
Surviving Emacs - Part 4</a>, Bill Clementson (2006)</li>
<li><a href="http://glyf.livejournal.com/55780.html">
Keyboard Fight</a>, Glyph Lefkowitz (2006)</li>
<li><a href="http://diveintomark.org/archives/2006/05/30/bye-apple">
Bye, Apple</a>, Mark Pilgrim (2006)</li>
<li><a href="http://glyph.twistedmatrix.com/2009/01/meandering-review-of-logitech.html">
A Meandering Review of the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard</a>,
Glyph Lefkowitz (2009)</li>
</ul>
<p>History: 2009: Unicomp Endurapro, 2011: Leopold Tenkeyless (MX Browns)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="office-chair"><p>Office Chair</p>
<a href="#office-chair" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p>Undecided</p></td>
<td><p>Herman Miller Aeron or Steelcase Leap</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td id="mobile-phone"><p>Mobile Phone</p>
<a href="#mobile-phone" title="Section permalink" class="sectionlink">¶</a></td>
<td><p><a href="http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/Motorola-DROID-US-EN">Motorola Droid 4</a></p></td>
<td>
<p>After almost 10 years (and 3 generations) of the Palm Treo, I got the
Motorola Droid.</p>
<p>The Droid is pretty awesome, but I don't like switching
to landscape mode to use the keyboard-- especially when toolbars and headers
take up half the screen. I think Palm and Blackberry got this form factor Right.
Just as I prefer the keyboard over the mouse on my PC, I want to use the keyboard
and D-pad over the touchscreen on my phone.
<em>Update 2010-05-04:</em> The keyboard is mediocre and use of the D-pad
center button sucks. My Palm Treo 650 D-pad worked much better.
</p>
<p>My reasons for choosing an
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28operating_system%29">Android</a>
phone are: I <em>need</em> a physical keyboard.
I <em>want</em> to hack on my phone. I <em>think</em> Android has more potential than Palm's
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebOS">webOS</a>
or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maemo">Maemo</a>.</p>
<p>Useful apps:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://code.google.com/p/connectbot/">Connectbot</a>
Secure shell (SSH) client for the Android platform. Use this all the time. Awesome.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.android.com/market/#app=listen">Listen</a>
Listen from Google Labs brings podcast search, subscribe, download and stream to your Android-powered device.</li>
<li><a href="http://mytracks.appspot.com/">My Tracks</a>
Record GPS tracks. Monitor your performance. Share your outdoor activities with friends.
Really enjoy this one. Love tracking my romping.
</li>
</ul>
<p><em>2010-05-04 Updates:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/voice/">Google Voice</a>: Free text messages
and better voicemail. Another useful app. Makes voicemail suck a lot less.</li>
<li><a href="http://levelupstudio.com/foxyring">FoxyRing</a>: automatically
control the ringer volume based on ambient noise level. I was doubtful about this one,
but it actually works well for me.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.flixster.com/mobile/apps/android">Flixter (Movies)</a>:
Useful for checking movie showtimes.
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youversion.com/mobile/android">Bible (YouVersion)</a>:
This version is pretty good. I miss my <a href="http://www.plkr.org/">Plucker</a>
created Bible on my Palm though. I wish there was something like Plucker for
Android.
</li>
<li>DroidLight: use the LED camera flash as a flashlight. Simple and useful.
Works much better than using the screen as a flashlight.
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/">Google Navigation</a>: I
don't need my Garmin anymore. (Each has advantages and disadvantages, but I
have found it to be a capable replacement.)</li>
<li>Just want to mention that the Calendar sucks. It is great that I can sync
with my Google calendar, but I really hate the Android Calendar UI.</li>
</ul>
<p>Additional Commentary/Links:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://randomfoo.net/2009/06/15/thoughts-on-the-palm-pre-g2-and-iphone-3g">
Thoughts on the Palm Pre, G2, and iPhone 3G</a> Leonard Lin (2009 June)</li>
<li><a href="http://jwz.livejournal.com/1055120.html">
JWZ gets a Palm Pre</a> (2009 June)</li>
<li><a href="http://jwz.livejournal.com/1055369.html">
Emacs on Android</a> (2009 June)</li>
<li><a href="http://daringfireball.net/2009/08/the_android_opportunity">
The Android Opportunity</a>, John Gruber (2009 August)</li>
<li><a href="http://jwz.livejournal.com/1108212.html">
Dear Palm, it's just not working out</a>, JWZ (2009 October)</li>
</ul>
<p>History: 2002: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treo_180">Handspring Treo 180</a>,
2003: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treo_600">Handspring Treo 600</a>,
2005: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treo_650">Palm Treo 650</a>,
2009: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Droid">Motorola Droid</a>
2011: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droid_4">Motorola Droid 4</a>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>