i should be working (but i'm fixing my computer).

I read somewhere that linux users make up 1.67% of computer users.  Whoa!  IzWeAwesum? And then again, those of us who seem to leave a trail of (old but running) computers at multiple locations that we want to "synchronize" are probably, what? 1.67% of that 1.67%?

...

But ... I'm not complaining.   And the reason I'm not complaining [netflix sucks] is that the linux world has really awesome tools [netflix sucks] that solve most any problem if we put our minds to it [netflix sucks].

Well, it is true that in the middle of writing this post, I suddenly remember the other post I intended to write, something about Netflix [netflix sucks], but I was preoccupied and started writing about something else.

The "something else" is how great my computer synchronization is going!!!  As noted, I use lxpanels (from LXDE) on three sides of my screen, 22 pt. panels with 20 pt. icons (and I set the panels to autohide).  Why?  Well, I have a lot of programs and web links I regularly use.  Regularly.  So, I like to have a lot of icons readily accessible.

And the other thing I like is to have all of my computers look exactly the same when I sit down to use them.  I am a creature of habit -- I want the "google" icon in the right place.  Same for the "dolphin" icon, the software manager icon, etc., etc.

Now, I marked this post for reference to LXDE, Jolicloud, KDE4 and Gnome.  You might think this was a big heretical, since on the surface these are "competing" linux packages.  But I suggest "not so."  Every programmer brings his/her own creativity to the project.  Hard drive space is so infitesimally expensive now we can load up our computers with tons of great software, limited only by price and the learning curve to use it.  The price is right ...

Sometimes, it takes different tools to solve a problem.  For instance, I occasionally get pdf files that lock my printer from Okular.  But, Evince, xpdf or Acroread might solve the problem.  LXDE is a "package" -- but without big chunks of Gnome and/or KDE, LXDE wouldn't be very robust.  So, all of these packages are synergistic.

But back to the "synchronization" issue.  Sure, I'm solving a problem most people don't have.  That's because most people use one computer.  It's not that I go out and buy a lot of hardware -- I just put to use all the old and [almost] useless computers I have.

But, one issue is that each additional computer adds to the total time spent setting up, updating, etc.  So, I've been really, really happy to have "discovered" (or been introduced by Jolicloud to) dropbox and other online cloud services.  My dropbox account is doing an absolutely excellent job of synchronizing my LXDE panels and "bin" files they link to.  I've put icons on the panels that link directly to the panel configuration files, like this:  (a) make a "desktop icon" file that launches "kwrite /home/[user]/.config/lxpanel[etc...]/panel."  (b) Then I put a launcher link in "panel" to launch that desktop icon.  Simple!  Now when ever I want to change one of my panels, I click on the link, edit the file and save it.  Dropbox synchronizes my panel files so every change propagates to all of my Linux computers.   It doesn't matter that one is Jolicloud, one is OpSu 11.2 and the rest are OpSu 11.3.  Turn them on, the desktops all have the same panels with the same functionality.

It took awhile to develop an architecture for this system.  What's the best way to synchronize?  Which files/folders should synchronize and which shouldn't? What to do about programs that are actually specific to the individual computer?

In case you, also, are trying to do this, I will offer some suggestions that I have come up with.  First of all, I decided to put a space/separator/application launch bar for each computer that contains just a few icons that relate to "computer specific" programs and links.  That way, there will be a section that is "hot" on the computer I am using, and the section for each other computer will show broken links.  But again, this is not a lot of icons, just a few.  For instance, try as I might, I have been unable to get the kio sysinfo slave working on the Jolicloud/Ubuntu Jaunty install.  I did it once on an older Ubuntu install, but it was a lot of trouble -- and I really like the sysinfo protocol for Konqueror.  I managed to install the kio from a .deb file, but it doesn't work.  And the other things I have separated out are links to my remote desktop logins.

The reason for this is that each monitor has a different size, so I like size my remote windows to match the local monitor.  So, it may be 1400 on one computer, 1000 on another computer and so on.

But, I'm also considering another solution to this problem.  In my structure I have ~/bin/local, and the .desktop launch files are in /local (and referenced to /local by the LXDE panels).  However, another alternative would be to create an icon to my remote computer and reference it to a .desktop launch file in the /bin folder.  I would then have multiple .desktop launch files in the /local folder, say "work1400", "work1000", etc. -- and then on each computer I would drag a link (using dolphin) from "work1400" in /local to "work" in /bin.  That's because I am synchronizing /local but not /bin.  Notably, /local is actually a symlink to /local in my dropbox folder, in any event.  (I love symlinks ...)

Now, another thing I'm using -- and it's a bit more cumbersome -- is to make copies of .desktop files in the /usr/share/application folder.  For instance, Thunderbird installed on Jolicloud as Thunderbird-Mozilla-build.desktop.  But, on my other computers it's MozillaThunderbird.desktop.  I could drop a symlink and rename it, but what I did was copy the .desktop file and rename the copy.  So, now Thunderbird runs via the same app icon on each computer.  (Also, apps in the /usr/share/application folder can be added to the LXDE panel via the selection tool rather than via manually editing the config file...)

Similarly, my Jolicloud install doesn't have Yast, but it does have gnome-cc.desktop.  But, since I have a link to "Yast" on my other computers, I just copied gnome-cc.desktop to one named "yast.desktop", as I don't have the full KDE install and therefore no Yast on this computer.  I did the same thing with "package-manager" and "synaptics".  Cool! Now I get the control panel and/or the package manager via an icon IN THE SAME PANEL IN THE SAME LOCATION on each computer.  Yay!

Now back to the other topic of concern this p.m. -- Netflix Sucks.  Like so many Linux users, I have wasted valuable time looking for some way to run Netflix on my linux computers (other than running it in a virtualbox/windowsXP install on top of Linux, which quite franky works a whole lot better on older computers than trying to actually run grossly bloated 1,000 security-security-updates-later WindowsXP.

My family dumped our monthly Blockbuster pass about six months ago in favor of a Netflix account.  The primary reasons were (a) we were spending $25/mo. and keeping the same two movies for months at a time, meaning we may as well have purchased them; and (b) they never had anything we wanted to watch.

I feel sorry for Blockbuster, but in the same sort of way I feel bad for Warehouse Records/Video and Tower Records.  Or say, a company that process that stuff Kodak still produces for people who refuse to give up their "film" cameras.  [And I have a couple of really nice ones, too, but "oh, well ..."]

So, Netflix has been nice because we get a wider range of interesting movies from all over the world that about six other people have viewed some time or other.  Which is pretty much the sort of movie we like to watch -- car chase scenes are instantly disqualifying.  But, who wants to mess around mailing in movies?  What if we don't like the movie and quit watching it?  Now we have to wait until the next mail delivery.  Ridiculous.

Which is why I have a very elderly computer set up to show Netflix.  On Windows.  Very bloated, barely functional Windows.

So, when I read a direct interview with a Netflix executives by, I think "TechRepublic", wherein Netflix refused to consider offering a Linux platform -- even if Linux programmers provide it for free -- I became greatly discouraged.  The purported issue is DRM.  Linux already has "Moonlight," which emulates Microsoft's "Silverlight" -- and in fact does so via a collaboration between Novell and Microsoft.  So, what's the deal here?

Reading between the lines, the issue is probably not "DRM," but the fact that if Netflix streams to Linux, Linux users will be able to capture the stream.  I remember when the computer I expected to use for multi-track recording turned out to be useless-er than its predecessor because Microsoft and hardware manufacturers had decided to eliminate the ability to capture the playing stream of music.  All well and good, but what if you have a 12 track recording and need to "capture" it to normal stereo?  My software at the time did not have a mix down capability ...

But let's think this through ... if I wanted to engage in illegality, I would just go get the movies from bit torrent, right?  Are we missing the fact that I have actually chosen to PAY FOR LEGAL VIEWING?

And, to go one step further -- essentially Netflix is saying, we won't let you stream our videos, but we will mail them to you.  Ummm ... exactly how difficult do they think it is for a Linux computer user to rip a DVD?  The whole point here, which Netflix ought to "get", is that owning copies of movies is entirely pointless once we have broadband and a reasonable monthly price for the vast jukebox of movies we can watch.

So, you know, I may not have mentioned it previously, but Netflix Sucks.  One might hope that a competitor would arise offering an equivalent service that is not tied to Very Big Software Companies, but if we are talking about 1.67% of the market, who is going to bother?

Well, most of the movies I watch are made by tiny companies on tiny budgets -- but budgets that are often supported by various Governments Who Don't Hate the Arts (unlike at least one Very Wealthy Country I could name).  So, I can dream that these movie makers may someday skip Netflix altogether and just put the movies up on the net so people can see them.  And, there is a developing array of freely and legally available stuff on the internet that is either off-copyright, donated by the copyright owners or produced under a Commons license.   (See, eg., Internet Archive.)  There's also Hulu, but way too many commercials for me.  I'd much rather pay a monthly fee.  (I don't waste my time on regular tv either, other than Basketball -- but as my daughter has pointed out, Soccer/International Football is a better sports choice because they don't have timeouts for commercials.  If you don't mind the droning of Vuvuzelas...)