Kev's Development Toolbox

I installed and setup MediaWiki(the wiki system used by Wikipedia) this weekend on my Linux server for a local non-profit (I’ll publish the URL when it’s live) and I have to say this was one of the easiest installs and setups that I’ve seen for a long time. I’ve installed a number of other open source CMS/Wiki type systems in the past, and MediaWiki really stands out as the cream of the crop in terms of ease of use and installation.

Amazon have unveiled their e-book reader device that will allow users to seamlessly and wirelessly connect to Amazon via Sprint’s EV-DO network to browse, purchase and download electronic copies of books. There have been a few eBook type gadgets in the past but they have not caught on, so will the device plus the backing of Amazon be the key to success this time? Trouble is, at $399 for the device (called ‘Kindle’), this is definitely on the high side right now and I’ll be surprised if they sell many at that price point.

This article on Lifehacker shows how you can patch a purchased copy of Mac OS X with code from the OSx86 project that will allow you to install and run OS X on a non-Mac Intel based PC. What’s more, with some off the shelf components you can build your own non-Mac Mac with 2.2GHz, 4GB RAM and a 500GB drive for under $800.

I just got a T-Mobile Wing which is an awesome Windows Mobile PDA phone, and I’ve been really amazed with the features it is packed with. My oly complaint so far is the OZ Messenger client for Yahoo, AIM and ICQ Instant Messenging won’t close when you click the ‘X’ or from the Task List, and I just found out today that if you leave it logged in and turn off the screen, it drained my battery from fully charged to 10% within about 3 hours. This can’t be right. I haven’t found any posts of anyone having the same issues, so I’m looking around for a new IM client to try instead.

So far I’ve noticed Agile Messenger get’s a lot of comments in forums so I might give this one a try.