Thinking of ditching an iPhone for an Android? Do it!

One of my esteemed colleagues, at Gazzang, our lead Sales Engineer Robert Linden asked me a great question via email this week.  As I wrote my response to him, I realized that I've composed similar answers before to friends and family and colleagues who have asked me about iPhone and Android devices.  With Robert's blessing, I'm posting both his question and response here in my blog.  Enjoy!

On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 5:53 PM, Robert Linden wrote:In the spirit of open source, trying new things, etc...   I'm considering replacing my iPhone with an Android phone.  I've done some research, but wanted to get your thoughts on things.   I know "Ice Cream Sandwich" is the latest release of the OS, and next month the big wave of new phones will hit the market with this version of the Android operating system.   I believe that the Samsung Galaxy is the only one currently out with the latest OS already on it, right?

Some things I'm wondering about are... Is there a phone / carrier that is more 'open' than others?  I heard Eddie talking at the All Hands how he had just upgraded to 'Sandwich' on his phone... I know that this isn't always possible to do, is it? The "guy at Best Buy" mentioned a phone that had "less bloat-ware" and "free apps" installed (a desirable situation I think).   I didn't make note of this.   Can I "un-bloat" my phone? Do you have to "jailbreak" some Android phones, like you can do with iPhone to open it up?  I'd appreciate any advice / recommendations if I do decide to make the switch soon...

Hey Robert,

These are great questions!

As a rule, I always "root" my phone.  It voids the warranty (to some extent), in that if I have to return the phone to manufacturer, I'd need to "unroot" my phone before mailing it to them.  If it's still functional, that's possible to do.  If it's totally dead, then it's not possible.  In which case, if the manufacturer can tell that I've rooted, they *could* possible refuse to repair it.  I also have to "hide" the fact that I've rooted the phone from Sprint (my carrier).
Mostly, this just means being smart when you're talking to them on the phone.  It's about like hiding from your parents in high that you occasionally went to parties when kids were doing less than wholesome things :-)  Sprint *probably* knows that you've rooted your phone, but definitely don't flaunt it or even admit to it.

For me, it's a matter of personal choice.   I buy my devices out right, without any contract or rebate.  I often buy them used off of swappa.com.  I like to "take control" of my device, uninstalling the "bloat ware" and "crap ware" that comes with the device from the manufacturer, and re-installing the OS and all applications per my choice.  That's not for everyone, of course.  My wife, for instance, doesn't really care.  Nor does most of the waking population of the world.  But for hard core hackers, it often is important.  That's actually one of the interview questions we've started working into our engineering interview process...asking if the candidate has ever rooted their phone or tablet or router, etc.  :-)

So yeah, step 1 is rooting (unlocking, jailbreaking) the phone, which allows you to replace the bootloader.  This is easier on some devices, and harder on others.  Some are "development" models (like my old HTC G1, and my original WebOS Palm Pre), which basically come rooted by default.  I flash my bootloader with a tool called ClockworkMod (CWM).  This allows you to do two very important things...make a complete backup image of your phone, and boot any kernel/os you choose.  Note that most, but not all, devices are supported by ClockworkMod.  You'll need to check that website to see its compatibility with your device.  If you're buying something that just hit the market, it can sometimes take 3 months for the very smart developers to port CWM to it.

Next, I backup my stock image from the manufacturer.  This is what you'd need to re-image the device with, if you ever return it.  I've had to recover and send back to the manufacturer one phone (HTC Shift), and one tablet (Lenovo A1) for repair.  Both HTC and Lenovo fixed my device exactly as requested, no problem. 


Then, I typically install CyanogenMod (CM).  Cyanogen is a "distribution" of Android, much like Ubuntu and Red Hat are distributions of Linux.  Cyanogen removes all the bloatware and adds some really nice utilities and functions.  It's sort of like the DD-WRT of Android (if you're familiar with the DD-WRT Linux distribution for routers).  Cyanogen actually DOUBLED the battery life of my HTC Shift, having removed all of the crap ware that Sprint and HTC load the phone with, and tweaking a number of power settings.


Cyanogen has its own versioning scheme.  I'm running CM7 on my HTC Shift.  You mentioned "Ice Cream Sandwich" -- that will be CM9, which is currently in a beta testing mode.  Again, you'll need to check the
Cyanogen website for compatibility with your device, but if you want a stable CM9 installation for your device, you might need to wait a few more weeks/months.

Hopefully this all makes sense :-)  I usually allow about 2 hours nowadays for:
 - rooting
 - installing CWM
 - backing up
 - installing CM
 - configuring to my liking
However, the first time you do it, the first 2 steps might take you a bit longer.

If you don't mind buying something slightly used, I highly recommend swappa.com.  There, you can find many gently used Android devices that are *already* rooted, and some are already running Cyanogen. Perhaps do a little browsing there before you overpay "the guy at Best Buy" for a brand new phone brimming with bloatware :-)


--
:-Dustin

Kirkland 12.04 LTS Released -- Hello World!

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kirkland Family Life Enterprises are thrilled to announce the timely release of the first product of its next generation -- Kirkland 12.04 Ultra LTS (code name: Camille).

Chief Architect and Lead Developer Kimberly Kirkland (code name: Mommy) delivered a perfect new child process at 9:35am on April 12th, 2012 -- impressively, three days ahead of schedule.  As with most technical projects, the development team labored all the way through the night, having begun the release procedures with an all-night Sprint that kicked off around 7pm the previous evening.

Project Manager and Community Coordinator Dustin Kirkland (code name: Daddy) multitasked a stream of procurement and support requests, and helped ensure a smooth delivery.  He tagged each milestones with numerous snapshots, offering encouragement throughout each work item.  Kim and Dustin were bolstered by an expert pair of support engineers, Stephanie Carter (code name: Nanny) and Gerri Gros (code name: Mimi), who joined them on-site for the final QA and the initial release party.  Dustin wore an Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" t-shirt for the duration of Sprint, with Kim noting that the Koala face made her smile any time the going got tough.

Camille 12.04 is an "Ultra" Long Term Support release, with first class expert support for at least 18 years (wow, take that, Ubuntu!).  She is already showing tremendous input/output capabilities and impressive throughput performance on both ends.  A contract technician confirmed that her dual-channel stereo input is in good working order, and that her analog output volume, while still a bit inarticulate and compressed, is quite audible.  "I thought release day would never come," says Kimberly, exhausted but joyful.  Kim sheds a tear, "We've been waiting to meet her for so long!"

Complete release notes do state that Camille is currently prone to frequent, spontaneous reboots and random periods of inactivity.  Fortunately, her init and shutdown sequences are quite efficient.  Kim and Dustin shared the design responsibilities for Camille's look and feel.  They seem to have done quite an elegant job, having achieved a bit of unity around her outer shell.  She has a simply gorgeous greeter!  They are still getting used to the new user interface.  And they're working their way through the various documentation and manuals whenever she enters one of her multiple sleep states.

"We've wanted this for so long, we're going to cherish every second of uptime!" says Dustin, while dealing with Camille's un-handled garbage collection on the system console.  "We've actually decrypted and documented a few of her error codes."

Camille is currently in a limited-release mode, with access only granted to a few privileged associates.   But in another 6 weeks or so, she's expected to make her first GA appearances, with a formal release party still to be held.

While Kirkland Family Life Enterprises are most certainly still in start-up mode, their trajectory looks quite promising, as we confirmed with Board of Directors chairmen Allen Kirkland (code name: Paw Paw) and Robert Gros (code name: Bob).  "We're extremely pleased with our venture investments and they have our complete backing...in fact, they're looking reeeeeal good!" claims the chairmen.  Technical Advisors Donna Kirkland (code name: Gran) and Gerri Gros (code name: Mimi) said, "We're so proud of the whole team, they're really doing a fine job!"

Asked if there's a 2.0 update in the works, Dustin, wearing his VP Product hat, shrugged and noted that they still have plenty of development to do on this one.  "Let's work on maturing our 1.0 with a few stable release updates before we start talking about a whole new product line -- there's so many SRUs to process!  We're not on a time-based release schedule, so just ask me again in a year or two."

:-Dustin

For sale: 1999 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, 59K miles

Kim and I are expecting an addition to the family and baby car seats and Corvettes don't mix. And so I'm parting with my pride and joy (replacing it with a Cadillac CTS-V), but I'm hoping it finds a new home that will appreciate it and baby it as I have!

I'm the second owner, having bought it in May of 2003.  I have since put 31,000 miles on it over the last 9 years. Meticulously maintained and cleaned, it has always been garage kept, and rarely even driven in the rain (like count-on-one-hand times). The Pewter on Tan leather color combination is very classy and distinctive. Even with C6's cruising around, this car has plenty of speed, power, and handling and you'll always get 2nd looks when you
drive around with the top off ;-)

This car has the variable suspension package, allowing you to switch the ride from rigid, corner-on-rails "performance" mode, to deal-with-potholes-in-a-parking-lot "tour" mode. It's nice to keep it in between, in "sport" mode, and switch it up to "performance" when you know you want to hug the road on some tight turns, and switch it down to "tour" mode when you're on the interstate high way or between stoplights downtown. I typically get 22mpg driving around town and 28mpg on longer road trips -- which ain't bad for a 350hp sports car!

It also has "active handling", which keeps your rear tires on the road. Active handling is usually on by default, but you can turn it off any time with the push of a button and peel out in 1st, 2nd, and even shifting to 3rd gear. The removable hard top is really the best of both worlds. When the top is on, there's no interior noise and never any water leaks (like you'll find in a convertible). But the top comes off in seconds and then you're cruising in style!

Lots more pictures are posted at:

• http://j.mp/vette-for-sale

Features:

• 5.7 Liter V8, 350hp
• 59,500 miles
• Manual, 6-Spd
• Adjustable Suspension Pkg (Tour, Sport, Performance)
• ABS (4-Wheel)
• Bose premium stero
• Power Steering
• Tilt Wheel
• Air Conditioning
• Power Windows
• Power Door Locks
• 2 x remote key fobs
• Cruise Control
• Dual Air Bags
• Dual Power Seats
• All leather

Modifications:

• Premium 5-spoke chrome wheels from 2002 model
• Drilled, slotted high performance brake rotors
• Oversized chrome exhaust tips and Corvette emblem plate covering rear transaxle
• Oversized Blackwing air filter (adding 10-15 horsepower)
• 10-disc Sony MP3 changer added to the trunk, controls in the ashtray
• Cast aluminum gas pedal and dead foot pedal to match brake/clutch pedals
• Brushed aluminum gear plate on shifter
• Corvette emblem floor mats
• C5 fitted canvas cover in trunk (in case you ever have to park it outside)
• LS1 engine plate in glove box
•  Bypass installed to remove 1st-4th forced shifting

:-Dustin

Some Statistics on mondrian.byobu.co (as a honeypot)

Just following up on my recent post about Piet Mondrian and Byobu...

I had planned on running the guest@mondrian.byobu.co HP/OpenStack instance for just one day, but I've actually kept it running for 3 weeks now!

I compiled a few statistics for you over those 3 weeks.  There have been:

• 2,405 successful password authentications as the guest user!
• And only 5 of you have +1'd the Google+ post?  Yeesh :-)  I reckon XKCD is right :-)
• 308 successful public key authentications as the ubuntu user
• from 2 different IP addresses which I can confirm are both mine (home and office), whew!
• 16,002 failed password attempts for the root user
• seriously, people?
• 6,813 more failed password attempts for some 4,929 other random invalid users on the system, originating from the following malicious IP addresses, damn you!
• 108.15.99.40
• 115.178.77.152
• 115.238.176.98
• 118.67.249.136
• 119.10.114.200
• 121.14.46.119
• 123.125.149.134
• 123.215.30.134
• 124.238.214.46
• 176.32.184.75
• 199.119.204.3
• 211.91.224.131
• 216.196.184.5
• 216.230.144.226
• 222.174.35.3
• 60.31.123.54
• 61.135.199.195
• 61.50.247.173
• 68.169.46.31
• 76.176.60.100

Well that was a fun honeypot :-)  Does anyone know of some fun utilities that I could point at my /var/log/auth.log* for more in depth analysis?

So take this as a lesson....  Make sure you disable password authentication on your servers.  There are automated unsavory types out there, all of the time, constantly poking and prodding at your cloud instances, looking for an easy way in!

:-Dustin

Baby-buntu

As opposed to the traditional baby monitor, I've decided to put together something of my own system, in that Linux hacker do-it-yourself sort of way :-)

Here was my check-list:

1. Cobble together a little desktop machine from some scrap hardware laying around
2. Install Xubuntu 11.10 with automatic login
3. Add a Logitech C910 HD web camera
4. Install Skype
5. Create a new Skype account
• Set it to automatically accept calls from Kim and I (only!)
• Set it to automatically enable video
• Disable all of the annoying notifications and sounds
6. Add this new user "babyroom" to my Skype contacts, as well as Kim's; obscure it as much as possible

And there we have it ... a high definition baby monitor that Kim or I can check from my Laptop, PC, Android phone or tablet!  I would prefer using Google+ Hangouts for this, but I haven't quite figured out a way to have it auto-answer incoming hangout requests...ideas?

In any case, the high-def video monitor in the room sparked another idea -- to create the time-lapse video of us putting the finishing touches on the baby room you see above :-)

I recorded this in 1280x720 webm format using Cheese, over the course of about 35 minutes, while we assembled a simple crib and rearranged some furniture.

I then spent 4+ hours trying to figure out how to resample the frame rate and fit it down to a 1-2 minute video.  I struggled and fought (violently) with:

• OpenShot - slowing it down rendered it very choppy
• Pitivi - doesn't support modifying the frame rate
• Avidemux - should have worked, but the result wasn't very smooth and the colors were painfully distorted
• SlowmoVideo - never got it to work

Alas, all I needed was a trusty old command line utility that I hadn't used in years (not since my Mythbuntu days)...mencoder!

This command rendered the video you see below in about 5 seconds:

mencoder -fps 195/1.001 \
  -ovc copy \
  -audiofile soundtrack.mp3 \
  -oac copy input.webm \
  -o output.webm

My input file was 32:59, and I wanted my output file to be exactly 2:14, to match up with my chosen soundtrack, so I used a frame rate multiplier of 195/1.001.  It look a little toying to get it right, but it worked out very well, I think!

Special thanks to one of my oldest friends, and college roommate, Derek Bergeron who composed and performed the soundtrack.  This was a recording of his from several years ago that I borrowed as it just sounds perfectly frantic for the video :-)  In case you can't tell, Derek is one ripping shred guitarist!

Enjoy!

:-Dustin

Patchwork of Open Source Memories

One of the biggest differences in my new job is that I have to commute into the office every day.  And with that, comes the second biggest difference -- that I can't wear a t-shirt and pajama pants as I sit and hack the day away in my Eames lounger.

And so I drive 12 (scenic) miles from my house in the hills west of Austin right to the heart of downtown, fighting traffic if I sleep even a few minutes past 7:15am.  I wear a button-up shirt almost every day.  Not that that's formal -- I also wear jeans and cowboy boots.  But I'm dressing for the job I want, not the job I have.  A dude rancher, I reckon  :-)

The net result is that I had a closet full of awesome Linux and open source t-shirts -- shirts I had worn for years -- that just weren't getting their due anymore.  And my Etsy-awesome lovely wife Kim convinced me to part with a number of my favorites to create a t-shirt quilt that captures my last ~7 years in the Open Source world!

Now, mind you, I shed a tear or two as Kim's shears tore through a couple of these shirts that I've carried with me across six continents and most of the two dozen timezones...  :-/  On the other hand, a few of these weren't particularly my favorites, but did fit the color scheme she was going for.  In the end, her work was really quite beautiful!  And warm.

For those interested, I'll document the 6 rows by 4 columns:

• Row 1:
• Ubuntu Jaunty "I Ubuntu My Desktop"
• Puppet Labs, Peace/Love/Mozilla
• Linux Foundation 20th Anniversary of Linux
• Google Summer of Code (Mentor)
• Row 2:
• Texas Linux Fest
• IBM Community
• Ubuntu Precise Pangolin
• Linux Foundation (back of shirt, weird, hard to read, fit color scheme)
• Row 3:
• Linux Plumbers (Santa Rosa)
• Ubuntu Developer Summit (Orlando)
• OpenStack (Boston)
• Open Source Red Hat Summit (New Orleans, 2005)
• Row 4:
• Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat, Fedora Project (FudCon 2005, Boston), Ubuntu Developer Summit (2008, Prague), Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx
• Slashdot
• Ubuntu (simple, probably my first Ubuntu shirt, circa 2005!)
• Ubuntu (all release version and code names 4.10 - 9.04)
• Row 5:
• Google
• Ubuntu Developer Summit (Barcelona 2009)
• Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy (the most beautiful Ubuntu t-shirt ever, which either shrunk too much, or my belly grew too big; let's say it shrunk too much)
• VMWare Cloud Foundry (Kim wanted a black t-shirt in this spot?)
• Row 6:
• Gazzang, the little start-up that could (lure me away from an awesome gig at Canonical)
• Back of Texas Linux Fest
• Back of Ubuntu 10.10 random 1's and 0's
• Ubuntu Ensemble DevOps t-shirt before the Ensemble project name was deprecated in favor of Juju :-)

Ah memories...  So Kim enjoyed making this for me, but it was a heck of a lot of work, and I don't think she'll be doing it again.  But if you're looking for a quilt made of your own favorite shirt, check out our friend Liz who has her own Etsy site for this sort of thing ;-)

Cheers!
:-Dustin

Gazzang the Thang: Big Data

I'm thrilled to see Gazzang's next big thang is now out of the gate...

We announced today our comprehensive, turnkey encryption platform for Big Data, Hadoop, NoSQL, and several other cloud workloads.  Our encryption technology is built on top of eCryptfs and transparently encrypts data, protecting sensitive data at rest without requiring modifications to your applications, partitioning, or filesystems.

We've tested our Gazzang Encryption Platform for Big Data against Apache Hadoop, Apache Cassandra, and MongoDB, on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and Ubuntu 11.10, with both OpenJDK and Sun Java.

The news hit a good handful of tech news outlets today.  Enjoy!

• Gazzang Launches Big Data Encryption and Key Management Platform
• Hadoop Users Could Get Their First Taste of Real Encryption
• And a growing list of subtle clones...
  
  

:-Dustin