MLB and Apple TV get App Fixed for 2012 Season

Well it appears the MLB and Apple TV have got the MLBTV application fixed for the 2012 season.  Now we are able to watch spring training games.  The fix came in just a few days before the Apple TV software version was upgraded to 5.0.0.  Last night, I took in the Yankees spring training game against the Atlanta Braves, and all appears to be working as it should.

As for the update to the new software on the Apple TV, there does not appear to be anything earth shattering to talk about.  They just updated the interface and are using tiled icons to make menu selections.  Their also seem to be more audio adjustments to make, which I have not explored yet.  Otherwise, you get pretty much the same options.

Now if you do decide to splurge on a brand new Apple TV, then you get to upgrade to 1080p HD, and at $99 price point, that comes in as a pretty fair deal.  Waiting for the day when the NFL divorces itself from satellite TV providers and makes its games available via the Internet. If that happens, then I will dump cable altogether.

Apple TV Leaves MLB Subscribers Hanging on 2011 Season

Sure this is a blog about Ubuntu, but I also indulge in watching MLB on my Apple TV. So, you can imagine my chagrin when I turned on my magical little black rectangular box that would have allowed me to watch the first Yankee spring training game yesterday and found that the MLB TV Application on my Apple TV was still stuck on the 2011 season.  Yep, the MLB App was still showing last years World Series game and there is no sign of any spring training games anywhere on the interface.

After searching around the net, I found that this problem is also plaguing some Playstation subscribers to MLB TV.   We all paid for a subscription to MLB to the tune of $124.95 and are getting gyped out of watching MLB spring training games.

The latest word on when the 2012 season will start to be available from MLB is some time in early March.  Well folks, it is early March and spring traning has begun!  Lets get this taken care of!  If you want to stay up to date on discussions about the problem, you can check out this Apple Discusison Thread.

If you see any changes on your Apple TV, please do leave a comment here.   But please, spare me the "Yankees Suck..." comments.  They probably will have a hard time winning the AL East this year anyways...

Now a quick plug on Ubuntu for MLB subscribers.  Yes, you can watch MLB games from your MLB account on Ubuntu and Xubuntu.  However, the HD and DVR options do not work unless you have a Mac or Windows machine.  I was able to watch a MLB game on my Xubuntu 12.04 box without a hitch.

Canonical taking on Microsoft with Ubuntu Business Remix

A new tab has appeared on the Ubuntu.com website along the top menu. It appears that Canonical, the lead development company for Ubuntu, is looking to take on Microsoft by directly entering the business PC area. If you click through the links and attempt to download the Remix version of software, you are even asked to sign off on some licensing agreements. This new version of Ubuntu contains some proprietary software. I have not downloaded or tried out this latest version of Ubuntu. It appears to be running the Unity desktop. The oft criticized Unity desktop just may be seen as a slightly better evil to work with than the upcoming Windows 8 version.

Microsoft has continued to dominate the business PC desktop world over the past couple of decades with its Windows based operating system. However, support for Windows XP is coming to an end, and Windows 8 is creeping on the horizon. Many businesses have already upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7, and may be looking at shelling out more dough to upgrade to the next version of Windows. Ubuntu Business Remix may be the ticket for businesses to convert to to avoid the Windows update costs.

However, Canonical's launch of Ubuntu Business Remix may still be coming about a year too late. They could have really taken advantage of Microsoft's Windows Vista debacle. Windows 7 is a much improved version of Windows. Since Remix is free, it may still make significant inroads into the business arena if Windows 8 comes in at a premium price point, especially in the cost cutting era phase of the economic downturn.  

Kubuntu Loses Funding Support from Canonical

Kubuntu will lose its funding support from Canonical after the 12.04  release according to a recent e-mail to the Kubuntu Developers List .  In the e-mail, John Riddell stated that it was "unrealistic
to expect it to continue to have financial resources put into it" since the Kubuntu desktop has not been a business success for Canonical.

This does not imply that Kubuntu will disappear from the Linux scene.  It will simply slide further on down on the Ubuntu totem pole.  Down with the likes of Xubuntu, not bad company.   It seems that Cannonical just wants to do away with the GNOME vs. KDE desktop war by turning to Unity, a desktop interface that still leaves a lot to be desired.

Unity may work great on Tablets, TVs, and smart phones, but for desktop PCs, it is just not as productive.  Maybe Unity in Precise Pangolin will work better?

Changes for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin in April 2012

The next version of Ubuntu, called Precise Pangolin 12.04 , will be released in April of 2012. An early development version has already hit the streets. It is available for Ubuntu users to download and test. The upcoming release of Ubuntu will be a Long Term Release (LTS). This means that the operating system will be supported for five years. This is an increase from the usual three years for Ubuntu desktop releases.

The alpha release of Ubuntu are usually full of some rough edges. If you decide to try it out, be sure to use not to use it on a computer that is involved with key production. Be prepared of an occasional crash or process failure, and be prepared to file a bug report or two to help the developers of Ubuntu.

Here are some changes of note for next release of Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin. Since April is still a little ways off, some more changes may still be on tap.

Old to New Linux Hardware
Ubuntu will continue the trend of losing its luster when it comes to running on older hardware. The introduction of Unity and its bulky and slow interface, along a beefier Linux kernel in recent Ubuntu releases makes this operating system a less than suitable Linux distribution. when it comes to running on my older hardware, recent Ubuntu releases have been steadily getting slower.

Precise Pangolin continues the trend of shedding compatibility with older hardware, by making a 64 bit version the default. A meeker 32 bit version will still be available for older computer systems, but don't count on Ubuntu winning speed tests when running on older systems. There are better options for running Linux on older computers, like Linux Mint LX, or Xubuntu.

Ubuntu Precise Pangolin will also shed CD install disks. The new release will only be able to fit on a DVD or USB device that can hold about 1GB. Daily builds of the alpha release of Ubuntu are coming in a little over 700 MB which is too big to fit on a CD. You will need a computer that has a DVD drive, or is able to boot from a USB device.

With the move to DVD, Rhythmbox makes a return as the main media player. It was replaced by a slimmer Banshee a couple of Ubuntu releases ago. Now that the Ubuntu developers have more space available in the Precise Pangolin Linux distribution, Rhythmbox returns to the Ubuntu stage as the main desktop media player. The move for Rhythmbox may only be temporary, as it seems that Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder, favors Banshee.

Despite Complaints, Unity Hangs On
According to statistics from Distrowatch, Ubuntu may have lost some of it popularity due to the Unity interface. But these stats do not give a real indication about the actual number of users still using Ubuntu. But Precise Pangolin will stick to this very same graphical user interface and Ubuntu will look to expand its horizons into tablets and mobile devices in the future. The new release should have some tweaks tucked in to help appease the many complaints that Unity has received.

Ubuntu starting to Fade Behind Fedora?

There is no question that Ubuntu dominated the desktop Linux world over the past few years. Yet if recent statistics from distrowatch.com are to believed, then the Ubuntu star is starting to fade.  Even Linux Mint, which overtook Ubuntu in the number of times.  In the statistics, you can also see that Fedora is rising fast.  I am inching toward giving Fedora a try, at least on a live CD, just to see what it has to offer.  I am fairly sure I will run into hardware issues, since some of my machines are a little bit more of the vintage kind of PC!

This certainly does not mean that the number of desktop Linux Mint users, or even Fedora users now outnumber Ubuntu users. But it is strong indication that Ubuntu users are unhappy with the complete devotionby Canonical to the Unity desktop.

The Unity interface is something that I abandoned earlier this week in favor of GNOME Classic on every single one of my computers.  Even my netbook is now GNOME  classic.   Yet, even with the switch back to GNOME, there was no need for me  to completely leave Ubuntu.  I simply installed GNOME from the Ubuntu Software Center and moved on with my life.

It is amazing that I lasted for so long with the slow Unity interface!  My computer is so much faster and zippier with GNOME.  Then again, these are older PC.