Linux Media Centres
I’m toying with the idea of creating a Media Centre PC running Linux. Here are the main contendors for Linux Media Centres that I can find.
Boxee
MythTV
Freevo
Elisa
Geexbox
Linuxmce
Twonky Supported Clients
The latest firmware for the QNAP TS-101 (Version 2.3.0-Build 080618) includes an upgrade to TwonkyMedia V4.4.5
Here’s a list of compatible clients from their website.
Media Players
Buffalo LinkTheater (needs firmware update to version 8.32 or higher) Buffalo LinkTheater Wireless (PC-P4LWAG) Digital Rise Xstream Player (video problems with latest firmware)D-Link DSM-320 / DSM-320RD D-LInk DSM-520 Wireless HD Meda [...]
DeltaCopy – rsync for Windows
DeltaCopy is a free piece of software for Windows that allows you to interface with other computers running rsync. Basically, it is a “Windows Friiendly” wrapper around rsync. It is fairly easy to use, and also allows you to run rsync from the command line without having to install CygWin.
AJAX Libraries API
The “AJAX Libraries API” is a google-sponsored initiative that hosts key javascript libraries: -
jQuery
jQuery UI
prototype
script.aculo.us
MooTools
dojo
It handles the cache headers etc, and more importantly saves your bandwidth!
To use them, simply refer to them in your HTML. For example, to load Prototype version 1.6.0.2, place the following in your HTML:
<script src=”http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/prototype/1.6.0.2/prototype.js”></script>
Linksys WRT54GL Super Router
I’ve recently bought a Linksys WRT54GL Router. This is a great little unit that allows you to upload custom firmware.
After playing around with DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and Tomato, I finally settled on Tomato. The features are too many to list here so here’s a link to the Wiki.
There’s also a great article on Lifehacker here.
Multi-Platform Applications
CrossPlatformApplications.org is a great little website that gives a summary of software that runs on a combination of Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Great for if you have different PC’s running different OS’s and want to use the same software.
Graphs and Charts
Open Flash Chart is a great way to include fancy graphs and charts on your web site. There are plenty of examples and tutorials on the site – it’s really easy to use.
Nintendo DS Lite Homebrew
I have a DS Lite, and its great for running homebrew applications. The easiest way to do this is by buying a TopToy DSTT Multimedia Card (like this one) together with a compatible Micro SD card (such as this one).
After this, its a simple matter of downloading the software, copying the DSTT files onto the [...]
Web Page Backgrounds
Sometimes, you just need a simple background for a web page. BgPatterns is a great free website that allows you to create your own tiled/repeating backgrounds – ideal for web pages or desktops.
Book Comparison Website
Usually, I just order books from Amazon without checking anywhere else, but it’s worth checking on Book Butler as Amazon aren’t necessarily the cheapest.
