Mageia's Magical Movement

Category: Linux

Why did Mageia shoot up the charts in Distrowatch?   Now, before making anything else out of this, Linux users out there already know (or should know) that Distrowatch isn't all that accurate in terms of gauging a Linux distribution's adoption. It just tracks user interest, nothing more and nothing less. However, there's no denying that the increase in ranking of Mageia is suspiciously similar to the rise of Ubuntu-upstart Linux Mint almost a year ago.

Unlike Ubuntu, Fedora, and Linux Mint, however, I haven't seen much increase in blogs, articles, and general coverage about Mageia. I do believe that there are a few obvious reasons why Mageia is doing well and how there's a possibility that user interest may remain for quite awhile:

1. It's not Ubuntu - There are dozens of Ubuntu-derivatives out there, not to mention the still-popular parent version by Canonical and the user-friendly (and massively beloved) Linux Mint. Linux users have either settled into Ubuntu/Linux Mint or are sick of Ubuntu altogether. As Dell Inc. has formerly announced, there's a lot to love in using Ubuntu as a base system, but long-time Linux users bored with Unity and Ubuntu's hand-holding are all looking elsewhere for a different Linux system altogether.

2. No Mandriva and nature abhors a vacuum - Ok, so there's PCLinuxOS and other long-running Mandriva forks, but Mageia currently not only has the blessing of the Mandriva company itself, but is maintained by veteran Mandriva developers. As much as Mageia tries to move away from being associated from Mandriva, anyone who has loved and used Mandriva would recognize the signature style and workings in Mageia. No matter how bad Mandriva Linux's last releases were, Mandriva has a long history in the Linux community and it will continue on in one form or another - Mandriva, like openSUSE and Fedora, is a unique open source product even if it has to live on using a different name (Heck, it used to be called Mandrake).

3. Fedora and openSUSE are still awesome . . . but still not for everyone. As a longtime user of openSUSE, it doesn't really matter to me that the next release has been delayed. I'm pretty happy with openSUSE 12.1 KDE and my current setup is just fine as it is. As I detailed in my Fedora LXDE review, Fedora is a great choice for serious and above-average users. However, both Fedora and openSUSE are clearly not for the iOS and Android generation who are used to everything just working at a press or long press of the touchscreen. Mageia retains characteristics of the Mandriva of old where setup was done via a user-friendly GUI (Mageia control center). It also presents itself as a democratic product and flashy friendly product. . . and as Don Draper would tell you, presentation is everything.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with my current Linux boxes running on Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE. The first Mageia release, although slick in appearance, wasn't noteworthy. As I run tests on Mageia 2 I find myself wondering what are the compelling reasons to select this distribution. I haven't touch any Mandriva-esque distro since the ill-fated Mandriva 2010 so it's been awhile. Hopefully, I'll find out soon enough what is the magic behind Mageia.

Dr. Strange goes off to learn the magic behind Mageia 2.

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Apps for Technical Writers - iPod Touch Edition Part 1

Most technical writers will create their  HTML, PDF, XML, and EPUB documents on a desktop, laptop, or netbook then test them with popular browsers and viewers available on their Mac, PC, or Linux OS.  There's no arguing, however, that the majority of most digital documents today are consumed on a smartphone or tablet running either iOS and Android.  Take a ride on the subway or visit any international airport and you would understand why digital publishing professionals should start learning to think with these mobile platforms in mind.

 

The great thing about digital documents is that their platform independent  - the bad news is that you would still need to consider layout, speed, and reading experience. Anyone who purchased the first-generation ereaders would know that large PDFs fared pretty badly on devices like earlier Amazon Kindle readers and the Sony PRS series. Moreover, EPUB didn't flow as it should back then. Today, with Google Nexus 7, exceptional Android apps, and thousands of iOS apps available today, it seems that opening documents isn't as consistent as you would expect.  In fact, even using the latest Adobe InDesign to produce digital books is no guarantee your reader is going to view your document on a tablet or smartphone using a well-designed app. You might as well have just saved your money and used open source software such as Calibre or Sigil for Linux to produce your EPUB.

 

 

Would your department need to purchase an HTC Smartphone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy, and a Windows Phone just to test your document on various platforms? Of course not, but in a recent Adobe convention, the presenters certainly tried to display their documents in as many devices as possible to prove that using Adobe Creative Suite CS6 will ensure visual consistency. That said, there are a few applications out there that can simulate how a document would look on X or Y device. However, for this article, we'll focus on free apps available for the iPod Touch that can open the most common type of files you might export your work to.  The iPod Touch is cheaper than an iPhone but has pretty much the same screen dimensions and the same available set of apps. Obviously, the list below aren't the best apps out there but they are free and they don't need access to the Internet to work. The second part of this article, on the other hand, will deal with a handful of apps for the budding technical writer he may find useful on his iPod Touch.

 

Testing and Viewing Documents

 

1. Apple Safari browser - Love or hate Safari, iOS rules the world at the moment and many users are experiencing the same restrictions as Windows users did with Internet Explorer 5 so many years ago. Preinstalled with my iPod touch, it's the first browser I test my document with before moving on to others.

 

2. Google Chrome - Currently the most popular browser on iOS, Google Chrome is always a good testing environment for code and the latest web standards.

 

3. Opera - If your markup displays properly in Opera, you're good to go. Opera's small market share is somewhat misleading, but testing your markup in Opera is essential if you will be producing for a European market.

 

4. ViewCHM - CHM, Windows' help file format, is no longer as prevalent as it used to be and most companies don't produce .chm files anymore. However, there's a reason why Adobe hasn't discontinued Adobe RoboHelp yet. ViewCHM is a simple though unwieldy CHM viewer. It doesn't seem right to be reading CHM files on an Apple device, but there are ebooks out there that are still being exported or converted to .chm.

 

 

5. iBooks - iBooks isn't the most feature rich document reader but it still supports PDF and EPUB very well. Like Safari, test your PDF and EPUB in iBooks first before moving on to third-party apps.

 

6. Sidebooks, Stanza, Blue Reader, and Bookman (Lite version no longer available)- Although there are dozens of digital reader apps on iTunes, these are my personal favorite EPUB and PDF readers because unlike Zinio or Amazon you don't need a data plan to use them.  All you need to do is upload your PDF or EPUB and view them. They have different approaches to displaying text and images with the paid Bookman standing out among the four. Stanza is no longer a dependable app if you've upgraded to iOS5 but it's  still one of the most popular apps out there. The obscure Sidebooks is actually pretty good while Blue Reader can be inconsistent. In general, the iPod Touch will struggle will large PDF files such as those downloaded from Archive.org so if your technical document opens properly in all four of these readers you did your job well.

 

 

7. FlexPlayer - This free video player is great for testing out screencasts and tutorials on video. It supports a fairly adequate number of popular file formats. iOS' included video player is probably the best for .mp4 files for the same reason Safari and iBooks should be your priority for HTML and EPUB documents. FlexPlayer surprisingly supports the elusive FLV format on the iPod Touch (though don't try playing the old MPEG standard). For technical writers who are still using Adobe Captivate to produce content, scaling the video size isn't a problem though I recommend exporting to AVI than to Adobe Flash.

 

 

 

 

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Apps for Technical Writers - iPod Touch Edition Part 2

Category: Techwriter

 

Technical writers probably have their own favorite reference material ready on their mobile devices. I like keeping a digital copy of Chicago Manual of Style and Microsoft Manual of Style handy on my iPod Touch as well as various ebooks for XML, HTML5, and Docbook. However, iTunes has an infinite number of useful apps for technical writers from all industries. Some of my more practical selections are the following:

 

 

Foreign Language Dictionaries - Aside from reference materials inside your ebook app, foreign language dictionaries are better at searching for words and even translating phrases. My current favorites are English-Chinese dictionary, French English Dictionary, and the English Japanese Dictionary. Also installed on my iPod Touch is the free Merriam-Webster dictionary.

 

 

Converter - The Trelleberg Unit and Hardness Converter is a slick, easy-to-use converter for volume, weight, torque, speed, and others. It's indispensable for handling scientific documents which makes use of international standards of measurement.

 

 

Clock and Voice Memo - Apple preinstalls a World Clock and a Voice Memo recorder on iOS. Although there are plenty of better alternatives available in iTunes, I'm pretty happy with the World Clock, which allows me to add the time zones of my counterparts and engineers overseas. Some may not use audio memos very often, but they are great for capturing short, indecipherable interviews with Research and Development staff that you might need to review (and dissect) later on.

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Spider-Man: The Legend Begins Anew

Curt Connors (the Lizard) in ASM#313. Art by Todd McFarlane.

 

With the Amazing Spider-Man succeeding fairly well despite being a reboot and jostling for attention against the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises, old Spidey fans can still repeat the classic line from Amazing Spider-Man #300 with writer David Michelinie:

 

"The Legend begins anew!" from ASM#300 (1988) with art by Todd McFarlane

 

 

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The Art of Spider-Man (circa 1970-1990s) Part 5

*In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man and the release of the new Spider-Man movie, this blog will intermittently feature a month-long series of Spider-Man articles. The author was an unabashed fan of the web-swinger from the early 1980s and although gave up on the Marvel character in the mid-1990s, follows his adventures to this day. Prepare for some hardcore fanboy opinions!

**To check out covers, story titles, and credits to comic books mentioned in this article, visit Spiderfan.org, one of the oldest and most reliable Spider-Man sites on the Internet.

 

9. Ross Andru (1970s)

 

In the 70s Spider-Man's adventures expanded from Amazing to Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular Spider-Man. Due to his popularity, every penciller at Marvel Comics got a crack at the web-swinger. However, it was Gil Kane, Ross Andru, Sal Buscema, John Romita JR., and John Buscema that headed the regular rotation of breakdowns for obvious reasons - their art was consistent with the standards set by John Romita Sr. In fact, if you read the books today, the artwork blends almost seamlessly unlike today's inconsistent renderings of Spidey and his cast. An avid reader would of course notice how Ross Andru's Peter Parker was less good-looking than Romita Sr.'s or how Gil Kane drew the mask differently from the other ASM artists. Nevertheless, it was easy to tell it was the genuine Spidey through the distinct style of this select group.

 

Andru with Romita on inks drew a mean Spidey (ASM#125)

 

Ross Andru suffered from the same problems Alex Saviuk underwent - his art was featured in stories that were poorly written and his work popped only with a strong inker like Jim Mooney (or Romita himself). He worked in the 1970s with a horribly inexperienced Gerry Conway (who later improved however) and Roy Thomas, who didn't quite grasp Spider-Man's powers and abilities. Andru drew some of the worst stories of all time (the Jackal stories and the beginnings of the Clone saga in ASM#149) and even created the worst character in the Marvel universe  - the severely retarded Punisher (the idiot of idiots in ASM#129). His Amazing Spider-Man run also included the Rocket Racer (#172) and the Big wheel (#183). Ross Andru's art, however, flourished with Romita on inks such as #125 with the Man-Wolf and with Jim Mooney on inks in #126 with the Kangaroo. Unfortunately, his art in Marvel Team-Up #1 with Sandman and Torch was a disaster, matching Roy Thomas' poorly thought out script panel for panel. Ross Andru is still representative of Spider-Man's silver years, however, simply because he contributed so much to the era before Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen thundered into the scene. In many ways, Andru represented the many, many artists who followed Romita Sr. and Romita Jr. but never quite put a stamp on Spidey.

 

When Spidey tells you not to enter a nuclear furnace you better not.

Unfortunately, the loser Kangaroo did just that and died in ASM#126.

Art by Ross Andru

 

10. Gil Kane (1970s)

 

Gil Kane tag-teamed with the Romitas and Ross Andru in Marvel Team-Up and Amazing Spider-Man. Often, Kane would suddenly have an issue just after Andru's, which most readers probably didn't even notice back then. However, unlike Andru, Gil Kane was lucky enough to be working on exceptional and historical Spider-Man events. Although Romita's Spider-Man drawing appeared in most merchandise (as well as the then-famous CGI spider-Man jumping on top of the Marvel logo in Marvel TV shows), Kane took over Romita as the main penciller of Amazing Spider-Man. His run, however, featured artists popping in and out and wasn't as consistent as Steve Ditko's or Romita's run.

 

Peter wakes up to lovely Gwendolyne in ASM#90 with art by Gil Kane

 

Gil Kane drew too many lines on Peter's face, making him look older, but his drawings of Gwen Stacy and MJ were nearly as good as Romita's. Among other issues, Kane drew the controversial ASM#96-#98 which dealt with Harry Osborn's drug issues (and included an unconvincing battle with the overrated Green Goblin), ASM#100-101 where Peter gained an additional set of arms and fought against another overrated villain, Morbius the generic and boring artificial vampire (in the early 70s, vampires were all the rage - which will tell you something about today's fad).

 

Gil Kane shows how a real fight should be choreographed in ASM#90

with Spidey going up against Doc Ock.

 

Kane's art was consistent and smooth, mirroring Romita's though Romita's action scenes had more ooomph. The Romita's, Ditko, John and Sal Buscema could draw whimsical stories of adventure, danger, humor and swung easily to drama when needed but never to the level of Batman. Gil Kane was the first penciller who worked on darker stories, heralding the coming of artists like Rick Buckler (The Death of Jean DeWolff) and Bob Mcleod (Kraven's Last Hunt). My personal favorite issues with Gil Kane on pencils and Romita on inks is the 2-part Death of Captain Stacy (#89-90) storyline. The action was frenetic and fast and although Stan Lee's plot involving Doctor Octopus was thin, Captain Stacy's death was tragic and sudden. Also memorable was the fearless Spidey holding his own against the powerful Hulk (ASM#120). Lest anyone forget, Gil Kane pencilled the classic ASM#122 where Gwen (the real Gwen and not the garbage retconned by the talentless hack Joe Quesada and J.Michael Straczynski) faced her final fate.

 

A half-crazed Peter holds Gwen in the tragic ASM#122.

Art by Gil Kane.

 

EPILOGUE

 

Steve Ditko created Spider-Man, but John Romita and his son John Romita Jr. worked on the web-slinger the longest and defined the hero's classic look. Along the way, Gil Kane and a host of other artists such as Alex Saviuk, Ron Frenz, Ross Andru and Rick Leonardi chronicled his adventures, both well-written ones and bad ones. In the 80s-90s, Spidey's look was re-energized by the art of Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, and finally, Mark Bagley. Each artist in this list left their mark on the web-swinger, from the webbed armpits (Ditko and Romita Jr.), to the eyeholes (Larsen, Romita) to his musculature (Kane, Andru, Bagley) and his posture (Saviuk, McFarlane) . This list is a look of how awesome Spidey can look on the printed page and the wish that future artists can learn from these classic pencillers.

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Managing your Digital Comic Books using Comic Rack

Categories: Techtoday

 

With Avengers, Batman, Spider-Man, and a host of other superheroes proving that comic book stories and characters aren't passé, isn't about time you tried out digital comic books? And if you were ahead of the game and started accumulating manga or Marvel comics, then you should consider organizing them.

 

The press and the Internet is so focused on the "app" phenomenon for Android and iOS that users tend to forget that at the end of the day, you're either going to store all your files in the cloud or on your hard drive. And if you're one of those people who want to keep their files in your hard drive (and why shouldn't you?), there's no reason to learn about really good freeware. Linux users have an easy time of it searching and trying out free, fully-functional applications via software managers, but Windows users still have to undergo the painful process of trial and error. For digital comic book fans, however, look no further than Comic Rack for a comprehensive, free, and exceptional software for managing your .cbr and .cbz library.

 

Comic Rack is a great Windows comic book organizer – Here's Amazing Spider-Man

Annual #14 (1980) where Spidey and Doctor Strange team-up (art by Frank Miller).

 

Comic Rack goes a bit overboard with its features and comic book management, but if you just need to organize your comic books, add meta data and notes, and read comic books on your desktop, laptop, netbook, or ultraportable, Comic Rack is a fantastic application. The sheer amount of ways to view the books and organize them into lists is daunting enough, but you don't have to use all of them.

 

I honestly got lost in my own collection when I decided to add my library of Spider-Man comic books from the 70s to 90s at one go. I could barely find the great ASM issue where Spidey beats the tar out of that dork Namor (#211). The trick with Comic Rack is to add folders incrementally and then create lists to ensure that you can find them all in the right place even if the issues weren't named correctly or didn't have correct metadata.

 

In this example, I already have a folder containing a series of Spectacular Spider-Man issues.  To add a list based on this title:

 

1. Click Alt to display the Main Menu bar.

2. Click File then Add Folder to Library . . .

 

 

3. Navigate and select the folder (in this case my Spec issues #1-50)

4. The issues will be loaded into the Library folder.

5. Right-click on Library panel and click New List. Type a name for the new list.

 

 

6. Click and select all the issues on the thumbnail pane you want to add to the list. Drag them to the list. The issues will now be stored there like a music playlist.

 

 

Besides having exceptionally convenient Layout views for reading on a screen, users can add all sorts of metadata using the Info feature and can export a comic book page as an individual image file (for posting in blogs such as this).

 

Spidey shows Namor what a loser he is in ASM#211 (art by John Romita Jr.) – ahem, right-click

and click Export Page.

 

 

 

 

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Ode (dirge?) to Netbooks Part 2

Category: Techtoday

 

6. Bigger hard drive space - Tablets are great for reading and for watching videos, but even with expandable memory, they can't top the standard 500GB of HDD installed on a netbook. Call me traditional, but I don't like depending on the cloud, what's with problems with security and the limitations of wireless data transfer. Plus, I can't afford a data plan anyway. There's something about an old-fashioned HDD that is just satisfying (and cheap). I wouldn't invest on an SSD to soup up my netbook, but no one will stop you if you want to.

 

 

7. Perfect for Linux, coding, writing, travelling, and as a crash system - Linux works perfectly on a netbook. It's great for writing and programming, and just comfortable enough for an airplane tray while riding coach (much less a Greyhound bus). 14" and 15" are just too unwieldy while on the go. Plus, a netbook is a perfect machine for running and testing different applications, platforms, and Linux distributions, keeping you busy and productive as you web-swing across continents.

 

8. Netbooks are surprisingly tough and even if they aren't, it doesn't matter. I've had my netbook for close to 4 years now and I've traveled to various places toting this machine around. I've used it for work and during vacations to places where a full-size laptop just wasn't practical. The battery is still going. It runs openSUSE 12.1 KDE like it was designed for it, and it has never had any hardware issues. And knock on wood, even if something did happen to the EEEPC, the system has provided a great return for its cheap price. A tablet, on the other hand, will leave you crying if it fell off a table or got smashed to bits - bye bye $350++. Considering how much a high-end iPad or ASUS Transformer costs, penny-pinchers like me would hesitate to bring it around daily. (Yeah, I know about Google Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire but still . . . )

 

9. You have control. iOS and Android ICS are great operating systems for tablets, but while iOS is a closed system, Android isn't an operating system you don't really want to fiddle around with too much. There are plenty of web sites around that can guide you in customizing and working with Android like a desktop OS, but would you want to? Over the years, I've installed Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Windows 7, and Lubuntu and performed administrative tasks to customize the OS to my needs on the netbook. The luxury, as of now anyway, isn't completely available to casual users of smartphones and tablets yet. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't take much to set up Fedora or openSUSE on any machine.

 

 

9. It's a real computer. With great respect to iOS and Android, my Linux-powered EEEPC can serve as a desktop system, a server, and a portable entertainment device. Sure, I look like a doofus in Starbucks, with everyone toting an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab, but pound for pound, my netbook can perform as well as any of their machines. Plus, years of writing (blogs or otherwise) with a keyboard, even one as small as the 1000H's, is a hard habit to break.

 

I used to be one of those people who don't want having a lot of devices, but I also don't want chucking things to one side just because their "obsolete" by today's standards. Machines are only obsolete if the user is not able to use them productively and right now my ASUS EEEPC 1000H is still one hell of a workhorse. If and when netbooks are discontinued from the market (and they will be soon), they deserve a bow and applause for their success - no matter what pundits and ignorant "industry experts" say.

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Ode (dirge?) to Netbooks Part 1

Categories: Techtoday

 

Yes, the netbooks will eventually go the way of the dinosaur.  But ask any 8-year old about dinosaurs and they'll tell you dinosaurs are pretty cool even if they are extinct.  I feel the same way about my secondary system, an ASUS EEEPC 1000H that was part of the first generation wave of netbooks released a few years back.  Today, everyone craves a tablet, but if I was going to teach Linux or Windows to students, I would hand out netbooks than tablets. They would certainly learn more coding with a solid keyboard than a virtual one.

 

I'm quite attached to my netbook and spend as much time on it as I do with my primary notebook.  To wit, here's my ode to what is now considered an obsolete device:     

 

1. They're real "laptops" - They don't heat up unlike my Acer Aspire and Lenovo Ideapad and you can literally place them on your lap while watching a movie or typing away without fear of laptop burns.  They're much more quiet than the lumbering 15" or 17" desktop replacement notebooks equipped with noisy fans.  And you don't have to hold it up to your face with your arms for long periods nor do you need to buy an expensive tablet stand. Coding or watching "Fringe" on them is comfortable too.

 

2. They're cheaper than ultrabooks - In a few months or so, ultrabooks with fancy Thunderbolt ports and SSD storage will be able to match the price of standard laptops.  They're powerful machines and I'd love to have a Macbook Air or HP ultraportable myself.  But the truth is my netbook's 6-cell battery is still chugging away (3+ hours with an openSUSE 12.1 install) and is still 1/4 (or less) the price of an ultraportable.   

 

3. They're still more productive than a tablet - Even with a aged dual core Intel Atom processor, a netbook can run as a full system whether you have Windows 7 or Linux installed.  Although there are less choices for netbooks today, MSI, Samsung, and Toshiba netbooks sport AMD processors or a better graphics chip for watching videos on the go and can even support casual gaming.  As a technical instructor, I could certainly see doing volunteer work with a bunch of netbooks for my students. Tablets are great for consuming media but netbooks are efficient for coding and learning how an OS works. They're perfect for teaching Linux and markup language like HTML5 and DocBook.

 

 

4. They don't have clumsy keyboards - Unlike hybrid tablets that support docked keyboards or (worst) smartphone keypads, netbooks actually sport great keyboards by today's standards.  I remember a time when everyone was complaining (including sanctimonious CNET reviewers) about the keyboards on a netbook.  Reviewers complained about everything from the position of the number keys to the arrow keys.  Ironically, very few gripe about the discomfort of a touchscreen keyboard on a smartphone or tablet, so enthralled are consumers with the touchscreen fad.  Touch-typing with a netbook, on the other hand, is a breeze. It just takes practice if you have big hands.

 

5. They double as a portable USB charger and device manager - With a minimum of 3 USB ports and an excellent battery life, netbooks can charge several devices on the go.  If you have Windows 7 installed, it doubles as an iTunes server.  Even with openSUSE 12.1 installed on my EEEPC 1000H, I can charge and manage the content of my Sony PRS-600, Creative Zen, Nokia e63, and iPod Touch.  And of course, there's the multi-card reader slot for my Canon Powershot A2000IS.  Take that tablets!

 

 

 

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Adobe InDesign CS6 Review: From Print to Tablet/Smartphones Part 2

3. Liquid Layout is probably the most useful feature for writers who find themselves now producing documents that go beyond the static PDF or print. It's an improvement over Layout adjustment, where the document adapts to the new layout/dimensions you need. That said, I haven't tested how efficient it actually does this though I did get mixed results with a fairly basic layout. One thing I would like to warn users about when using Liquid Layout is to consider Layers (multiple layers can be a problem when adjusting layout using this feature).

 

Category: Techwriter

 

4. Adobe didn't exactly toot its horn with the new InDesign templates for iPod, iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook, and Android 10" screens and it's easy to understand why. I tested a document for my 2nd generation iPod Touch (exporting a straightforward article to EPUB) and it worked well enough though it was no better than an EPUB from Gutenberg.org or a PDF document printed in Linux. In the end, it really depended on the features of the app opening the EPUB or PDF, not so much the software that produced it. iBooks, Bluefire reader, and Stanza all had settings to make the document easier to read in case InDesign's template (or any EPUB or PDF software for that matter) wasn't accurate.

 

 

 

5. Preflight gets a slight makeover for digital publishing.

 

6. PDF forms and inserting HTML is easier than ever though I would hazard writers accustomed to print publications will still prefer Dreamweaver or Acrobat for adding controls such as List boxes and radio buttons and editing code. InDesign's markup isn't exactly standard XML and understanding how HTML5 markup fits in a WYSIWYG environment without a Code View or Split View can be a bit tough. Adobe Framemaker users are accustomed to this mixed approach but it goes without saying even veteran InDesign users might need to find their legs before playing around with forms and code.

 

Finally Here but not a must-have?

 

 

InDesign CS6 has some long-requested features such as remembering recently used fonts and styles, instant captions for images (which is a standard feature in structured authoring like Docbook and DITA), exporting a document to greyscale (which previously had to be done in Acrobat), align to selection, and a Text Frame auto-resize feature (which has been around in products like Microsoft Publisher and Corel Draw for years). The interface is also now much friendlier for newcomers and less obtuse unlike previous InDesign versions that lacked context descriptions and sported microscopic icons.

 

 

A clever time-saver is the Conveyor feature, a fancy way of reusing text, images, and even code to different parts of a document. It's nothing groundbreaking but the number of controls Adobe included with the Conveyor feature demands that users of InDesign CS6 should invest some time learning it first.

 

 

Get it now

 

Adobe InDesign CS6 has a lot of interesting and useful features. I would certainly love to try out the Liquid HTML5 more and create some media for the Kindle Fire and iPad using this release. As it is, however, I do fine with using Adobe InDesign CS4 (and a few open source Linux applications when needed). New versions of software from Microsoft (see Office 13), Corel, and Adobe are always fun and exciting for users who are devoted to the product. There's nothing like to trying out a new feature and finding out it really does make things easier. But in this economy, Creative Suite CS6's staggering price isn't exactly pennies for a freelance graphic artist. Even a company manager running the creative department would rather purchase a few new iPads or Core i5 machines than spend on a standalone InDesign even if it is an upgrade or discounted.

 

In the same way consumers are moving away from PCs to more portable devices like tablets, the use of desktop publishing software is somewhat being left behind by technologies that are interactive and dynamic. The physics of traditional print is just so limited compared to digital media. That's not to say InDesign is not an excellent platform to produce content, but there are cheaper ways to produce digital content – though you will have to get your hands dirty (i.e. code) and you'll have to do without the nifty toys in Adobe InDesign CS6.

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Adobe InDesign CS6 Review: From Print to Tablet/Smartphones Part 1

Category: Techwriter

 

Adobe InDesign is probably Adobe's third most popular Creative Suite product, behind Photoshop and Illustrator. Like most Adobe products, InDesign has legions of genuine and pirated users who nonetheless worship the product as much as Apple fans pray to their iPads every night.

 

So, as an InDesign user, should you empty your wallet or beg your technical department to upgrade your version of InDesign to CS6, Adobe's latest release for the beloved publishing application?

 

2-point Perspective

 

 

Everyone who has worked with commercial software understands that investing on an upgrade can be a waste of money. No matter how flashy the advertisements are and how many testimonials Adobe posts, upgrades to software such as Adobe InDesign just means time-saving tools that make work easier. You lose absolutely very little in using an older version – using an older version doesn't make you any less productive especially if you're skilled and experienced enough to use InDesign (or know how to research online for great tutorials). The truth is that most of the "new features" can be achieved using earlier versions. In fact, enthusiasts from InDesign sites provide even better ways to produce a desired effect or accomplish a task than a snappy new tool. Don't bother buying an InDesign book, independent users (who probably run cracked version of the Creative Suite) are more proficient than any "professional" out there just because they have more time on their hands to play with their software.

 

On the flipside, Adobe InDesign CS6 does have a few compelling features for Windows and Mac users. Why Windows and Mac users? Because the handful of new features included with InDesign focus on designing for mobile devices running on popular platforms (Heck, even Blackberry OS is included). The publishing industry is clearly more interested in going digital and there's little doubt that in order to stay relevant, InDesign has to get off its print publishing Adobe PageMaker roots and go HTML5. In redesigning InDesign CS6, it's obvious Adobe considered the possibility that Adobe Flash on tablets such as the Kindle Fire will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. EPUB quietly finds itself some much-deserved attention in InDesign CS6 - another step in trying to keep InDesign relevant in today's ebooks and portable surfing world.

 

 

Another reason why I mentioned Windows and Mac is because these additions to InDesign CS6 have long been present in open source software. Coding EPUB is practically obsolete with the number of Linux applications out there that makes the process easy (Sigil and Calibre come to mind). For those who do code, Bluefish and competent text editors such as Kate can pretty much produce all the effects and publishing requirements you need for the iPad or any Android tablet.

 

Digital Effects

 

Some features that are found in InDesign CS6 would've been odd seven or eight years ago when the focus was on typography and graphics. Today, it's all about making documents look sexy on a tablet or screen.

 

1. The Transitions effect option was impressive when MS PowerPoint had them a decade ago but in InDesign CS6 today, its inclusion seemed a bit of a surprise. It's still a great addition though because it prevents users unfamiliar with any type of animation from having to learn Flash, Javascript, or HTML5.

 

 

2. The Article palette, a feature that allows writers to reassemble bits and pieces of a document once exported to HTML and EPUB, is a fairly interesting feature though I don't know how useful it would be in practice since Tagged PDFs aren't all that popular.

 

 

 

***Adobe InDesign CS6 Review: From Print to Tablet/Smartphones Part 2***

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The Art of Spider-Man (circa 1970-1990s) Part 4

**To check out covers, story titles, and credits to comic books mentioned in this article, visit Spiderfan.org, one of the oldest and most reliable Spider-Man sites on the Internet.

 

Spidey teamed up with Ghost Rider when GR was still cool.

-Art by Todd McFarlane (SM#7)

 

8. Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man #60-onwards 90s)

 

Alex Saviuk is an odd choice for being included in a list of definitive Spider-Man pencillers considering that Ross Andru, Larry Lieber, and Steve Ditko are fairly more well-known artists. Saviuk, however, was the leading artist on Web of Spider-Man, working on a significant portion of the book with writer Gerry Conway before Conway went to write the Father Dowling mysteries TV show.

 

Saviuk was one of the last artists on the Spider-Man books to follow the John Romita Sr. style of rendering Peter Parker/Spider-Man (the other being Sal Buscema). He refined Spidey's webbing to look different from the old-school style but not up to the point of spaghetti as what popular artists Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen did.  Unfortunately, unlike Gil Kane or the Romitas, Saviuk wasn't a very creative choreographer when it came to fight scenes and always drew the same angles and movements (which consisted of Peter lunging forward with fist first or jumping over his opponent and then hitting him). Even worst, Saviuk was saddled with some of the worst writers in the Marvel Universe, with Howard Mackie and Terry Cavanaugh writing for his work during the 90s (leading up to Web of Spider-Man's cancellation). Saviuk's art also suffered when he was paired with a less competent inker than Keith Williams with his latter work a poor reflection of his earlier issues with Williams, who inked some of Saviuk's best issues.

 

Alex Saviuk and Keith Williams drew a mean Hobgoblin (Web#84)

 

Saviuk was a personal choice in this list as a definitive Spider-Man artist because he's the only artist I associated with the series Web of Spider-Man (1985), which actually had better stories than Spectacular Spider-Man (a title that actually came out first in 1976). Many of the stories in Web were inconsequential and forgettable but made for great and even funny reading. Saviuk memorably drew artwork for Acts of Vengeance  (#59-61 when Peter started using his Cosmic powers), pitting him against Goliath, Titania, and Dragon Man. "Spider-Hulk" (Web#69-70), a 2-parter, was actually well-remembered and even appeared in the Mark Bagley Spider-Man trading cards. Rocket Racer and the second Hobgoblin made plenty of appearances on the book with Saviuk on breakdowns. Despite being written by the talentless hack, Howard Mackie, "The Name of the Rose"(Web#84-89), was actually a gripping 6-parter (though the eventual core plot was ruined by the inept Terry Cavanaugh in a later story). Saviuk also contributed to the issue just prior to Pete and MJ's wedding (ASM#292), where Peter heads off to Pittsburgh to help MJ but ends up battling a vengeful Spencer Smythe and his Spider-Slayer.

 

Alex Saviuk had a distinctive way of drawing Spidey's Spider-Sense as seen in Web#61

where Cosmic Spidey went up against Dragon-Man.

 

Saviuk's art, which would eventually grace newspapers all over the world with Stan Lee's syndicated comic strip, actually works best with quiet stories. Alex Saviuk, with the aforementioned writer Gerry Conway, worked on the definitive Peter and MJ graphic novel – "Parallel Lives". "Parallel Lives" is one of the most underrated books in Spidey's long publishing history and explores the life of Peter and MJ up to their wedding. Saviuk's clean art shines in this graphic novel, reflecting a classic 60s-70s atmosphere while impressing 90s readers with excellent pacing and mood.  Finally, Saviuk, along with Williamson on inks, penned  three excellent issues (Web#66-68) which involved Harry Osborn attempting to become a hero as the Green Goblin, the return of Conway favorite Molten Man, and the mutation of the gangster called Tombstone to superhuman levels. Web #66 was actually my first ever issue of Web of Spider-Man and was a good read, too.

 

Spidey lectures Harry Osborn on being a hero . . . and ends up kicking his ass in Web#67

- Art by Alex Saviuk and Keith WIlliams

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If I was at the San Diego Comic Con . . .

Category: Techtoday

Comic Con is like any electronics show  in the world. Booth Babes can pass for sexy cosplayers  any day.  The smell of latex, Revlon, and sweat is as addicting as newly designed silicon, plastic, and steel. The enthusiasm of the fans is palpable. There are plenty of electronics and gadgets on site (though in Comic Con most of them don't work . . . like that lightsaber that guy is toting). Fans, from Twilight die-hards to Whedonites and Marvel zombies, are as devoted as Apple worshippers and fanboys.

She could pass for a cosplayer easy . . .

If I was at Comic Con San Diego, I'd bring along my meager equipment and do the following:

1. Set up all my Logitech and Genius remote webcams on all the booths so I get to record and watch Henry Cavill as Superman, the Marvel Comics panel, the "Lone Ranger" trailer, and take high-definition photographs of Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Jackie Chan, and the cast of Expendables 2.

2. Ask Summer Glau which Linux distribution Cameron (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) runs on . . . and then tag her with a Spider Tracer so I can stalk . . . ahem . . . find her later.

Someone from the future should send a Terminator to kill her boyfriend

3. Dress up as a Microsoft Surface tablet and hand out fliers for Windows 8.

4. Ask Zachary Levi if he can troubleshoot my Android Jelly Bean update and then ask for an autograph if it crashes.

5. Disguise myself as Peter Parker and get into the audio/video room, plug in a LiveUSB Knoppix and use it to copy all the previews and trailers for Oz, Iron Man 3, etc. while remotely uploading them to my DropBox account.

The security at Comic Con is tighter than I thought. . .

While I'm at it, I'll take photographs using my Canon and laugh at people who use their iPads, iPhones and Transformer tablets to take photos.

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How Linux and Mac OSX made me appreciate Windows 8

Category: Techtoday

 

At my office, Mac OSX and Windows 7 is the operating system of choice. At home, my primary machines have been running on Fedora/Mandriva, openSUSE and Ubuntu for years. After running hours of testing on an updated official build of Windows 8, I've realized that after using Linux and Mac OSX for so long, Windows 8 is definitely bringing something new to the table, bad press or not.

 

A cliche? It really is Different this time.

 

After spending the last five years or so testing and using various Linux distributions, releases, and desktops running versions of LXDE, KDE 3, KDE 4.x, Gnome 3, Gnome 2, Unity, and xFCE, I thought nothing could impress or excite me anymore. As stable and as successful as Windows 7 was as a production machine, it was boring and predictable. Windows 8's features and interface is well thought out and intelligent. I look forward to actually using the Windows 8 desktop in a production environment despite the bitter first taste with Metro some six months ago. Pending any foul ups in Redmond in the next few months leading to its release, Windows 8 is functional and (dare I say it) fantastic.

 

 

Shortcuts and Touchscreens

 

Any Mac OSX user would tell you they can't survive without the Apple button. It's the first key on the keyboard to go bad after spending your life savings on an iMac or Macbook Pro. In Windows, however, the Windows key just took up space on my keyboard - I'm a traditional mouse user. In fact, the only time I started using the Windows/Super button was after the Unity desktop was introduced in Ubuntu (Super triggers the Dash). But once I got started with the Windows shortcuts in Windows 8, I couldn't stop pressing Windows + I and Windows +D and traditional combinations like Windows + R (Run) and Windows + E (File Explorer). Getting acquainted with navigation in Windows 8 isn't as difficult as it may seem (though I still see people gripe about the absence of the Start button and the presence of Metro).

 

The shortcuts are great for keyboard-equipped PCs such as netbooks, ultrabooks, desktops, and possibly Microsoft Surface with its fancy stand/keyboard, but what about touch screens? Part of the reason I read up on the Windows shortcuts before running production tests with Windows 8 was because I'm a dinosaur and despite having small fingers struggle with touch screens. I suck at managing text and files using an iOS or Android device. Using the mouse in place of a touchscreen, however, I simulated accessing the Charms panel, switching applications, and configuring PC settings in Windows 8, trying to imitate the swiping motions and gestures. Like Linux, I felt that navigating around the Windows 8 desktop was easier with a keyboard than a touchscreen/mouse - but it was only a matter of preference more than a functional experience. If the hardware supports Windows 8's touchscreen features well (and there's little reason it won't), choosing between a touch screen or a keyboard is a moot point.

 

 

Windows Explorer, Task Manager, and Switching Applications

 

I've read comments about users up in arms over adding the Ribbon in Windows Explorer. I thought it was great having file-sensitive options, checkboxes for file extensions, access to File History, and all sorts of features available directly from Windows explorer. In fact, the addition of the Ribbon was hardly noticeable. I don't get the whole hullabaloo from haters - just click the twisty to collapse or expand the Ribbon. The new file manager is still missing a few convenient features such as the Column View found in Linux file managers such as Nautilus and Dolphin, but I'm hard pressed to think of anything else I need (accessing the network, creating a network drive, etc. are all there).

 

 

Search and Settings

 

I had no issues finding everything essential in Windows 8 even without any tutorial and even after the changes the Microsoft team implemented after they released the trial version. Using the Charms or Search panel did the trick for me. Many users accustomed to XP and 7 can wring their hands all they want but looking for administrative tools and configuring security and networking just takes a bit of getting used to. It's like learning Mac OSX - once you get used to the Finder and the Menu bar, there really is nothing to it. The best tutorial Apple has on Mac OSX is some guy on a forum raving how perfect OS X is - these guys and the Apple.com site will shame you into learning how Mac OSX's desktop works. As a tip, the Search panel in Windows 8 actually works unlike previous iterations.

 

 

Despite the numerous types of software managers, desktops, and peculiarities, Linux distributions is still Linux and follow the same rules. Transitioning from Windows 7 to Windows 8 is like moving from Ubuntu 10.10 to Fedora 17 (and learning YUM, Gnome 3, and SELinux while you're at it). The change can be jarring (think sudo and su-) but the benefits are there.

 

There are more revisions in Windows 8 than there were in Windows 7. The Paging system in Linux desktops has been around for years, but Microsoft decided to take several approaches to managing open applications which range from shortcuts to gestures to Metro. The new Task Manager is also a welcome addition. The data it provides is exceptionally more comprehensive, while also providing a basic view for the casual user.  I'm personally more interested in the backup system, File History, and new administrative tools.  Oddly enough, the press is focusing more on the Windows Store and the availability of Apps.  Can't they understand that there are enough applications supported under Windows as it is, especially since the Windows 8 and Windows Professional editions are backwards compatible?   

 

 

The Majority Argument

 

The question is whether the normal office worker, IT guy, or average joe is willing to give Windows 8 a chance (I already know that the guys from the old technical support department are cursing Windows 8). Most people hate change and one of the struggles Microsoft has had over the years is walking the line between remembering its successful past and forging on to the future. It's taking a risk with Windows 8, but it's about time. The problem is that their reputation is so bad these days, Wall Street and every other guy holding an iOS device has dismissed any effort by Microsoft. However, if people take a step back and take a look at Windows 8 without preconceived notions and blinders, they would recognize that Windows 8 is actually pretty good. Unfortunately for Microsoft, that's a big if and there's a huge chance that it's going to impact adoption.

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Top 5 Useful InDesign tools for Technical Writers

Category: Techwriters

 

Everyone has their favorite Adobe InDesign tool or feature. Visit any tutorial site on any Adobe product and you'll have rabid devotees ready to tear you a new one for declaring a different favorite tool.

 

This short list is a somewhat mundane but practical selection for technical writers, especially if you're using a WYSIWYG approach to authoring using Adobe InDesign. It's almost a prerequisite that writers using InDesign should at least know the basics of using these five tools when laying out their technical projects.

 

*Screenshots taken from Adobe InDesign CS4

 

1. Paragraph tools

Some users love the Transparency, Styles, and Effects tools in InDesign but if you're serious about writing, then understanding all the items in the Paragraph palette is essential. Correct Justification, Keep, Hyphenation, and Paragraph before and after settings will not only result in a readable and professional output but a clean markup.

 

 

 

 

2. Tabs

Although using the Tabs dialog box can be one of the most frustrating experiences one can get in InDesign (which I admittedly went through), learning how to use it properly can save a user from falling into bad habits when it comes to aligning and arranging text. Just don't try using it with a touchpad.

 

 

3. Align

Even with InDesign CS4's position sensitive guides and snap to features, I still use the Align palette frequently perhaps due to habits acquired from CorelDraw and vector-editing software. As any technical illustrator knows, alignment is everything when it comes to making a document or rendering look like right.

 

 

4. Pen tool

Admittedly, I have yet to master the art of vector editing, but the Pen tool in InDesign is more than enough when I need to modify a graphic or I need to draw complex callouts (since InDesign does not have a dedicated callout tool unlike CorelDraw or Corel Designer). The Pen tool does not replace a dedicated vector product like Illustrator, but it will do in a pinch.

 

 

5. Selection tool

This is a no-brainer, but the Selection Tool is the most important tool in InDesign. Its context menu alone gives you access to all the Transform tools as well as the ability to Group, Lock, and open up a different application to edit the image. Everything else in InDesign's arsenal is gravy but without the ability to move text boxes and frames and rearrange objects in a pasteboard you're going to have problems finishing a project. Don't forget that pressing V while you're on a different tool (except for the text tool) brings back this dependable mainstay.

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