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Well, comrades, it’s almost here. Seems like it wasn’t that long ago I was getting excited about the arrival of Ubuntu 9.10, and here we are at Ubuntu’s next big milestone. Despite the fact that few, if any, of those I know or who read this blog will make the switch, but I’ll tell you why I’m excited anyway…

Sadly, Ubuntu 9.10 wasn’t exactly a beauty queen, a speed demon or a pillar of strength. I found it to be the buggiest Linux I’ve used in a long time, but we got along in hopes that 10.04 – being a LTS or “long-term support” release – would right the wrongs. Having tested the 10.04 beta and release candidate builds, I’m feeling confident that will happen. Gone is the flaky external monitor switching. Gone is the crumby printing stability. Gone is the annoying notification scheme and impossible instant messenger.

Oh, and here to stay is a new Corsair Reactor R60 solid state disk. When I slid this little monster into my HP and loaded up Lucid’s release candidate, the machine zoomed from BIOS to rock-and-roll in 8 seconds. Before I’ve even used it a day, I’m confident that anyone looking for a serious performance boost from their laptop should seriously consider switching to an SSD.

So tomorrow, you can count me among those who’ll be downloading the Ubuntu 10.04 ISO and loading it up. For some, it’ll be a new and perhaps scary experience. For others, it’ll be life-changing. And for me, it’ll just be a welcome relief.

File under “Just wanted to mention…”

Chances are most people have never noticed – and likely don’t care – that the Android mobile phone platform doesn’t have a native way to do Push Notifications. You know, something happens somewhere, and your phone buzzes and lets you know about it. You’d be surprised how much goes into making that happen – it’s a little more complicated than just shooting off a text message.

The folks over at Xtify have created a nice Push framework for Android, but (as a developer) you have to use their servers to push out your messages. I can just hear you asking now: Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way for Android developers to push-enable their apps without depending on an outside server? You weren’t asking that? Well, just stick with me here.

Never mind. Long story short? I decided to plug this gap by creating a new open-source project aimed at bringing push notifications to Android developers. It uses the Meteor web server as a back-end – effectively, it’ll just be a pure-Java implementation of a Meteor client. Maybe it’ll take off, maybe it wont – but I hope it can benefit someone at some point! You can read more about it at The Deacon Project.

Yeah, I know, I fell off the Project52 wagon. Things have been just a wee bit busy, and I’ll leave the bellyaching to that.

Why? Because in this day and age when it seems like the vast majority of people would rather spend time dreaming up reasons why they can’t do this or that, there’s a never-say-die amputee somewhere out on the continental divide that’s turning people from victims to victors at the helm of a take-no-prisoners off-road Econoline.

When I think of “making something of one’s life” and “people that do meaningful things” I think of people like Lance Blair. While I’d be fine with keeping both my legs, I hope I get the chance to do something half as meaningful as he does. Keep up the great work Lance – you’re an inspiration.

(Hat tip: Engadget. A great read.)

In Tuesday’s edition of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, a letter to the editor was printed that didn’t sit too well with me…

Pedestrians and cyclists a bad mix

On March 24, I took a hike on the Quaker Pond Trail at Mendon Ponds Park, a trail on which bicycles are not allowed, according to the signs. I was unpleasantly surprised to be forced off the trail by two men on off-road bikes who barreled past at high speed. In addition to biking on a trail where they shouldn’t have been, they were quite rude. When I politely pointed out that bikes aren’t allowed on that trail, one of them cursed at me. The wet parts of the trail are being heavily rutted by mountain bikes. The Monroe County Parks Department needs to do a much better job of enforcing its rules on bikes.

I am aware that the county has plans for shared-use pedestrian and bike trails in some parks as a result of intense lobbying by Genesee Regional Off-Road Cyclists. In my opinion, pedestrians and cyclists are not a happy mix. They get in each other’s way, and someone is bound to get hurt.

—JAY GREENBERG
BRIGHTON

So, I decided to write a response. In case they decide not to publish it, I figured I’d post it here as well:

I was dismayed to read “Pedestrians and cyclists a bad mix” in Tuesday’s edition. While Jay Greenberg and other outspoken Rochester Birding Society members have sought to paint off-road cyclists as out-of-control thrill-seekers, experiences in neighboring counties and across the country paint a decidedly friendlier picture: Those on two wheels are just another set of respectful trail users.

While off-road cyclists are the second-largest group of trail users nationwide, one need only look to Ontario County to see multi-use trails enjoyed by pedestrians and cyclists alike. Rather than ostracizing entire classes of taxpayers and creating an adversarial environment via public policy, park officials there welcome cyclists and encourage cooperative trail use.

As an off-road cyclist, I’m disappointed that Mr. Greenberg’s reported experience reflects poorly on the larger community of riders who courteously enjoy the precious few multi-use trails in our region. Before forming an opinion based on his letter, I hope others will take the opportunity to visit the excellent nearby parks that practice inclusion, rather than exclusion, of all who seek to enjoy them.

—DAVID REA
PITTSFORD

The standard yield sign that graces multi-use trails nationwide