Chayx.nettag:www.chayx.net,2011-04-24://12011-08-10T14:54:33ZAsia Open SourceMovable Type 4.361Emily Chen on the state of GNOME in Asiatag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.202011-08-10T14:50:38Z2011-08-10T14:54:33ZstefanSeeing how this year's GNOME & KDE Desktop Summit was held in Berlin, we didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to go and meet some of the people behind the great software we use every day. The Desktop Summit is a huge event for GNOME, KDE and free software communities in general, and is sponsored by some big names in the tech industry, such as Intel, Canonical, Google and Red Hat. We met with Emily Chen, organiser and founder of GNOME.Asia and the Beijing GNOME User Group to talk to her about the state of GNOME and open source software in Asia...]]>
How to install Japanese OpenWnn input method on Android via the Android SDKtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.182011-07-11T18:41:20Z2011-07-17T21:18:00ZThough we have covered installing Asian CJK language support for Android in an earier post, installing a Japanese IME for Android can still be a bit of a pain, since the semi-official OpenWnn IME included with Japanese Android systems is not available on the Android Market and its alternatives all require full internet access. If you feel uncomfortable with the thought of transmitting everything you type to a third party, this tutorial is for you. We will show you how to download and install the Android SDK and get the standard OpenWnn input method from there...stefanThough we have covered installing Asian CJK language support for Android in an earier post, installing a Japanese IME for Android can still be a bit of a pain, since the semi-official OpenWnn IME included with Japanese Android systems is not available on the Android Market and its alternatives all require full internet access. If you feel uncomfortable with the thought of transmitting everything you type to a third party, this tutorial is for you. We will show you how to download and install the Android SDK and get the standard OpenWnn input method from there...]]>
How to switch Firefox Java plugin to Sun Java on Ubuntu Linuxtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.172011-06-27T16:20:35Z2011-08-09T19:23:16ZWhen I recently tried to open my favourite Java webcam applet in Firefox on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, I was surprised to find it wasn't working. It turned out that, even though I had Sun Java installed, Firefox still defaulted to the open source IcedTea plugin. Here is how you switch your Firefox Java plugin to Sun Java...stefanWhen I recently tried to open my favourite Java webcam applet in Firefox on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, I was surprised to find it wasn't working. It turned out that, even though I had Sun Java installed, Firefox still defaulted to the open source IcedTea plugin. Here is how you switch your Firefox Java plugin to Sun Java...]]>
How to install Realtek RTL8188CE WiFi drivers (ThinkPad Edge 13) on Ubuntu Natty 11.04tag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.162011-06-14T16:24:45Z2011-09-05T14:56:33ZAfter a two-week long battle trying to get Realtek's RTL8188CE network card, a PCI Express Mini WiFi card commonly found in Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptops in Asia, to work on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, we have finally managed to beat the devil and get our system to establish a stable connection. We figured we'd share our findings with the world and save other users some trouble...stefanAfter a two-week long battle trying to get Realtek's RTL8188CE network card, a PCI Express Mini WiFi card commonly found in Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptops in Asia, to work on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, we have finally managed to beat the devil and get our system to establish a stable connection. We figured we'd share our findings with the world and save other users some trouble...]]>
IrDA (infrared) data transfer on Ubuntutag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.152011-05-24T16:27:45Z2011-07-17T21:14:18ZMany mobile phones in Japan still come equipped with IrDA ports which allow for data transfer with other IrDA enabled devices. It's a cheap and easy way to send contact details from one phone to another, or to transfer content from your phone to your computer, and it's a lot easier to set up on Linux than I had expected. In fact, I finished backing up my phone data so quickly that I had some spare time left and decided to write this short tutorial on how to set up IrDA on Ubuntu...stefanMany mobile phones in Japan still come equipped with IrDA ports which allow for data transfer with other IrDA enabled devices. It's a cheap and easy way to send contact details from one phone to another, or to transfer content from your phone to your computer, and it's a lot easier to set up on Linux than I had expected. In fact, I finished backing up my phone data so quickly that I had some spare time left and decided to write this short tutorial on how to set up IrDA on Ubuntu...]]>
Video game console emulation on Linuxtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.142011-05-19T12:44:57Z2011-08-09T19:22:27Z"It's a meee, Mario!" it was blurting out of computer speakers in 1999, more than a decade ago, when UltraHLE was released, the first emulator for x86 systems that was capable of emulating real games of the then only 3-year-old Nintendo 64 system. Since then, emulation software has become a multi-million-dollar business and even found its way into modern console systems. Today we present an overview of the most popular emulators of Nintendo systems for Linux, specifically Ubuntu....stefan"It's a meee, Mario!" it was blurting out of computer speakers in 1999, more than a decade ago, when UltraHLE was released, the first emulator for x86 systems that was capable of emulating real games of the then only 3-year-old Nintendo 64 system. Since then, emulation software has become a multi-million-dollar business and even found its way into modern console systems. Today we present an overview of the most popular emulators of Nintendo systems for Linux, specifically Ubuntu....]]>
Localizing Ryu ga Gotoku 龍が如くtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.132011-05-12T09:12:28Z2011-08-09T19:17:25ZThe Japan Subculture Research Center published an excellent post by Demian 'Ryu Ichinose' Smith about his experience translating Ryu ga Gotoku 龍が如く, a Playstation 2 videogame known in the West as "Yakuza". Demian's post is extremely interesting in how it highlights the challenges video game translators are typically facing when trying to localize a game with as much cultural background as Ryu Ga Gotoku. How do you preserve the game's original atmosphere and spirit when the deadline is just around the corner?...stefanThe Japan Subculture Research Center published an excellent post by Demian 'Ryu Ichinose' Smith about his experience translating Ryu ga Gotoku 龍が如く, a Playstation 2 videogame known in the West as "Yakuza". Demian's post is extremely interesting in how it highlights the challenges video game translators are typically facing when trying to localize a game with as much cultural background as Ryu Ga Gotoku. How do you preserve the game's original atmosphere and spirit when the deadline is just around the corner?...]]>
Android phones & East Asian language supporttag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.122011-04-27T15:15:44Z2011-08-09T19:21:27ZUntil a few years ago, if you frequently travelled to Asia or simply wanted to send a message in an Asian language, you had no choice but to buy an Asian mobile phone. Thankfully, with the advent of Google's open source Android operating system this has changed, and mobile phones have become much more international. Today it is possible to have one mobile phone and install support for a whole set of different languages. This tutorial will show you how to install Chinese, Japanese and Korean support on your phone...stefanUntil a few years ago, if you frequently travelled to Asia or simply wanted to send a message in an Asian language, you had no choice but to buy an Asian mobile phone. Thankfully, with the advent of Google's open source Android operating system this has changed, and mobile phones have become much more international. Today it is possible to have one mobile phone and install support for a whole set of different languages. This tutorial will show you how to install Chinese, Japanese and Korean support on your phone...]]>
Akihabara 360 degrees: AKB360tag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.92011-04-22T20:16:09Z2011-07-17T21:09:53ZAkihabara (秋葉原). Tech-mecca. Place of longing for whole generations of video gamers, tech nerds, manga and anime fans alike. Birthplace of the the famous otaku (おたく) syndrome. There are many ways to describe Akihabara, but whatever you say or write about it, words can't really do the place justice. You simply have to experience it. Before you book a flight to Tokyo and dive into the tech jungle, though, check out AKB360, a product by Japanese web development company DON Inc., that lets you explore Akihabara and walk into buildings...stefanAkihabara (秋葉原). Tech-mecca. Place of longing for whole generations of video gamers, tech nerds, manga and anime fans alike. Birthplace of the the famous otaku (おたく) syndrome. There are many ways to describe Akihabara, but whatever you say or write about it, words can't really do the place justice. You simply have to experience it. Before you book a flight to Tokyo and dive into the tech jungle, though, check out AKB360, a product by Japanese web development company DON Inc., that lets you explore Akihabara and walk into buildings...]]>
Chinese Internet Diagramtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.72011-03-05T16:45:10Z2011-07-17T21:07:27ZOSChina user Hongshu (红薯) has created a diagram of Western internet companies and their Chinese counterparts, featuring the likes of Taobao (淘宝网), China's version of eBay, Renren (人人网), China's Facebook clone and Tencent QQ, the most popular instant messaging network in China. More recent copycats include Sina Weibo (新浪微博) and Zhihu (知乎), China's Twitter and Quora clones respectively. The only Western internet business featured...stefanOSChina user Hongshu (红薯) has created a diagram of Western internet companies and their Chinese counterparts, featuring the likes of Taobao (淘宝网), China's version of eBay, Renren (人人网), China's Facebook clone and Tencent QQ, the most popular instant messaging network in China. More recent copycats include Sina Weibo (新浪微博) and Zhihu (知乎), China's Twitter and Quora clones respectively. The only Western internet business featured...]]>
Japan invents religion-free DVD playertag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.82011-03-01T14:25:28Z2011-07-17T21:05:54ZWith the global economy still staggering, many tech firms are having trouble maintaining their market share. Especially Japanese tech companies have long been under siege from Korean and Chinese competitors, and are under pressure to innovate. Yet, with budget cuts and layoffs throughout the industry, marketing departments have very little room to manoeuvre. Fortunately for Japan, LabaQ reports that one Japanese company has found the cure: religion-free DVD players...stefanWith the global economy still staggering, many tech firms are having trouble maintaining their market share. Especially Japanese tech companies have long been under siege from Korean and Chinese competitors, and are under pressure to innovate. Yet, with budget cuts and layoffs throughout the industry, marketing departments have very little room to manoeuvre. Fortunately for Japan, LabaQ reports that one Japanese company has found the cure: religion-free DVD players...]]>
How to run GIMP in a single windowtag:www.chayx.net,2011://1.62011-02-27T21:54:41Z2011-07-17T21:20:15ZIf you are as excited about the upcoming release of GIMP 2.8 as us, then it's probably for the new Single-window mode that will debut with GIMP's next release. If you are impatient to try running GIMP in a single window, but don't want to compile the latest development branch yourself, two Chinese developers have put together a nifty little script that will make waiting for the next release a little easier: GIMPBox...stefanIf you are as excited about the upcoming release of GIMP 2.8 as us, then it's probably for the new Single-window mode that will debut with GIMP's next release. If you are impatient to try running GIMP in a single window, but don't want to compile the latest development branch yourself, two Chinese developers have put together a nifty little script that will make waiting for the next release a little easier: GIMPBox...]]>
NateOn 네이트온 for Foreigners & Pidgin-NateOntag:www.chayx.net,2009://1.52009-03-30T10:00:00Z2011-08-09T19:20:54ZWhen you live in East Asia for a longer period of time, you will notice that a large percentage of people here don't necessarily use the larger chat networks like Windows Live (MSN) or ICQ to communicate, although the former is relatively popular. In China the most common chat programme is QQ, a network almost unknown of in the west, but one of the largest in the world. Now what QQ is for the Chinese, NateOn is for Koreans. NateOn itself doesn't differ very much from MSN, in fact it used to be compatible to MSN until some time ago, or so I heard :) But it has evolved into a separate independent network and has even overtaken MSN in South Korea in terms of user numbers. Its main advantage is its connection to Cyworld 싸이월드, South Korea's larget social network community...stefanWhen you live in East Asia for a longer period of time, you will notice that a large percentage of people here don't necessarily use the larger chat networks like Windows Live (MSN) or ICQ to communicate, although the former is relatively popular. In China the most common chat programme is QQ, a network almost unknown of in the west, but one of the largest in the world. Now what QQ is for the Chinese, NateOn is for Koreans. NateOn itself doesn't differ very much from MSN, in fact it used to be compatible to MSN until some time ago, or so I heard :) But it has evolved into a separate independent network and has even overtaken MSN in South Korea in terms of user numbers. Its main advantage is its connection to Cyworld 싸이월드, South Korea's larget social network community...]]>
The Chinese Nintendo 64: iQue 神游机tag:www.chayx.net,2008://1.42008-12-23T11:00:00Z2011-07-17T21:03:12ZA not-so-well-known and rather peculiar item on the video game market is the so-called "iQue Player", a Chinese version of the Nintendo 64. When the Nintendo 64 had already been abandoned in favour of the Gamecube in Western markets and Japan, Nintendo decided to re-release the system in China around 2003. The result was a System-on-chip machine that combined the Nintendo 64's hardware in one single controller...stefanA not-so-well-known and rather peculiar item on the video game market is the so-called "iQue Player", a Chinese version of the Nintendo 64. When the Nintendo 64 had already been abandoned in favour of the Gamecube in Western markets and Japan, Nintendo decided to re-release the system in China around 2003. The result was a System-on-chip machine that combined the Nintendo 64's hardware in one single controller...]]>
Downgrading Acer Aspire 2920/2920Z to Windows XP SP2tag:www.chayx.net,2008://1.32008-06-26T10:00:00Z2011-08-09T19:20:25ZYesterday was my first time to try Windows Vista -- and I instantly hated it. I wouldn't have bothered so much, since all I use my computer for is office work, e-mailing and going online. But when I compared Vista's performance against my five years older Windows XP system, the results brought me to the conclusion that there was no choice but to get rid of Vista. Compared to XP, Vista used about three times as much system memory -- in idle state! This is especially harmful to a small laptop like the Acer Aspire 2920, which heat up quickly. Also, higher hardware demands of the operating system translate into shorter battery life. I therefore decided to install Windows XP again...stefanYesterday was my first time to try Windows Vista -- and I instantly hated it. I wouldn't have bothered so much, since all I use my computer for is office work, e-mailing and going online. But when I compared Vista's performance against my five years older Windows XP system, the results brought me to the conclusion that there was no choice but to get rid of Vista. Compared to XP, Vista used about three times as much system memory -- in idle state! This is especially harmful to a small laptop like the Acer Aspire 2920, which heat up quickly. Also, higher hardware demands of the operating system translate into shorter battery life. I therefore decided to install Windows XP again...]]>
Seeing how this year's GNOME & KDE Desktop Summit was held in Berlin, we didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to go and meet some of the people behind the great software we use every day. The Desktop Summit is a huge event for GNOME, KDE and free software communities in general, and is sponsored by some big names in the tech industry, such as Intel, Canonical, Google and Red Hat. We met with Emily Chen, organiser and founder of GNOME.Asia and the Beijing GNOME User Group to talk to her about the state of GNOME and open source software in Asia...]]>
Though we have covered installing Asian CJK language support for Android in an earier post, installing a Japanese IME for Android can still be a bit of a pain, since the semi-official OpenWnn IME included with Japanese Android systems is not available on the Android Market and its alternatives all require full internet access. If you feel uncomfortable with the thought of transmitting everything you type to a third party, this tutorial is for you. We will show you how to download and install the Android SDK and get the standard OpenWnn input method from there...]]>
When I recently tried to open my favourite Java webcam applet in Firefox on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, I was surprised to find it wasn't working. It turned out that, even though I had Sun Java installed, Firefox still defaulted to the open source IcedTea plugin. Here is how you switch your Firefox Java plugin to Sun Java...]]>
After a two-week long battle trying to get Realtek's RTL8188CE network card, a PCI Express Mini WiFi card commonly found in Lenovo ThinkPad Edge laptops in Asia, to work on Ubuntu Natty 11.04, we have finally managed to beat the devil and get our system to establish a stable connection. We figured we'd share our findings with the world and save other users some trouble...]]>
Many mobile phones in Japan still come equipped with IrDA ports which allow for data transfer with other IrDA enabled devices. It's a cheap and easy way to send contact details from one phone to another, or to transfer content from your phone to your computer, and it's a lot easier to set up on Linux than I had expected. In fact, I finished backing up my phone data so quickly that I had some spare time left and decided to write this short tutorial on how to set up IrDA on Ubuntu...]]>
"It's a meee, Mario!" it was blurting out of computer speakers in 1999, more than a decade ago, when UltraHLE was released, the first emulator for x86 systems that was capable of emulating real games of the then only 3-year-old Nintendo 64 system. Since then, emulation software has become a multi-million-dollar business and even found its way into modern console systems. Today we present an overview of the most popular emulators of Nintendo systems for Linux, specifically Ubuntu....]]>
The Japan Subculture Research Center published an excellent post by Demian 'Ryu Ichinose' Smith about his experience translating Ryu ga Gotoku 龍が如く, a Playstation 2 videogame known in the West as "Yakuza". Demian's post is extremely interesting in how it highlights the challenges video game translators are typically facing when trying to localize a game with as much cultural background as Ryu Ga Gotoku. How do you preserve the game's original atmosphere and spirit when the deadline is just around the corner?...]]>
Until a few years ago, if you frequently travelled to Asia or simply wanted to send a message in an Asian language, you had no choice but to buy an Asian mobile phone. Thankfully, with the advent of Google's open source Android operating system this has changed, and mobile phones have become much more international. Today it is possible to have one mobile phone and install support for a whole set of different languages. This tutorial will show you how to install Chinese, Japanese and Korean support on your phone...]]>
Akihabara (秋葉原). Tech-mecca. Place of longing for whole generations of video gamers, tech nerds, manga and anime fans alike. Birthplace of the the famous otaku (
OSChina user Hongshu (红薯) has created a diagram of Western internet companies and their Chinese counterparts, featuring the likes of Taobao (淘宝网), China's version of eBay, Renren (人人网), China's Facebook clone and Tencent QQ, the most popular instant messaging network in China. More recent copycats include Sina Weibo (新浪微博) and Zhihu (知乎), China's Twitter and Quora clones respectively. The only Western internet business featured...]]>
With the global economy still staggering, many tech firms are having trouble maintaining their market share. Especially Japanese tech companies have long been under siege from Korean and Chinese competitors, and are under pressure to innovate. Yet, with budget cuts and layoffs throughout the industry, marketing departments have very little room to manoeuvre. Fortunately for Japan, LabaQ reports that one Japanese company has found the cure: religion-free DVD players...]]>
If you are as excited about the upcoming release of GIMP 2.8 as us, then it's probably for the new Single-window mode that will debut with GIMP's next release. If you are impatient to try running GIMP in a single window, but don't want to compile the latest development branch yourself, two Chinese developers have put together a nifty little script that will make waiting for the next release a little easier: GIMPBox...]]>
When you live in East Asia for a longer period of time, you will notice that a large percentage of people here don't necessarily use the larger chat networks like Windows Live (MSN) or ICQ to communicate, although the former is relatively popular. In China the most common chat programme is QQ, a network almost unknown of in the west, but one of the largest in the world. Now what QQ is for the Chinese, NateOn is for Koreans. NateOn itself doesn't differ very much from MSN, in fact it used to be compatible to MSN until some time ago, or so I heard :) But it has evolved into a separate independent network and has even overtaken MSN in South Korea in terms of user numbers. Its main advantage is its connection to Cyworld 싸이월드, South Korea's larget social network community...]]>
A not-so-well-known and rather peculiar item on the video game market is the so-called "iQue Player", a Chinese version of the Nintendo 64. When the Nintendo 64 had already been abandoned in favour of the Gamecube in Western markets and Japan, Nintendo decided to re-release the system in China around 2003. The result was a System-on-chip machine that combined the Nintendo 64's hardware in one single controller...]]>
Yesterday was my first time to try Windows Vista -- and I instantly hated it. I wouldn't have bothered so much, since all I use my computer for is office work, e-mailing and going online. But when I compared Vista's performance against my five years older Windows XP system, the results brought me to the conclusion that there was no choice but to get rid of Vista. Compared to XP, Vista used about three times as much system memory -- in idle state! This is especially harmful to a small laptop like the Acer Aspire 2920, which heat up quickly. Also, higher hardware demands of the operating system translate into shorter battery life. I therefore decided to install Windows XP again...]]>