17 Mar 2013

Checkpoint: Certified Linux Admin Edition

by | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

checkpoint-certified-linux-admin-edition

I’m now a Red Hat Certified System Administrator. It wasn’t something I sought out; I was offered the opportunity and said: why not? Even after this first certification (going to take the RHCSE in a week) I’m still not a big fan of Linux in a role other than server.

User friendliness and compatibility with games I care about is a big road block for me. Red Hat, Fedora and CentOS distributions are just not very user friendly. Ubuntu is superior in the friendliness department but it too doesn’t supplant Windows or Mac OS X in my books. As for game compatibility? That’s a huge issue at the moment — even id Software who were big supporters of Linux in the past didn’t release a version of RAGE on Linux. If I were to pick a Unix based OS to switchover to, I would choose Mac OS X. At least Apple’s operating system is actually on the radar of high profile game developers.

I haven’t incorporated a Linux distribution into my home network and I don’t have any plans to do so. If/when I go through with my VMWare project, I’m planning to run it with FreeNAS, Mac OS X and Windows Server 2012 but since Plex Media Server is working so well with Windows Server 2012, I don’t know if that’s going to happen any time soon.

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I just finished the last level of Rayman: Origins but I’m not 100% done with the game. It’s one of those titles that I’m going to 100%. I have Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, God of War: Ascension, Tomb Raider and a copy of BioShock: Infinite coming but I’m still playing Rayman.

Oh and Mechwarrior: Online. I can’t put that down either.

11 Mar 2013

Goodbye PMS. Hello PMS.

by | posted in: Gadget Impressions, Previews & Impressions | 0

plexWhat am I talking about here?

I’ve retired PS3 Media Server and changed over to Plex Media Server. I’ve heard of Plex before but I always thought it was just a front end application like XBMC. I looked for alternatives to PS3 Media Server but I only found Serviio which is another Java based media server. It’s a good thing I conducted another search a few weeks ago.

Major Plusses

I’ve been trying to move from a Java based media server in order reduce memory usage and having to provide upkeep on Java itself. Plex doesn’t require Java and consumes very  little memory.

Plex is also incredibly flexible with its viewing clients including web browsers, iOS apps and DLNA clients. I don’t eve need the iOS app; I can stream by hitting the webpage via Safari. There’s one more trick up Plex’s sleeve which I have yet to try out: myPlex. If/when I sign up for it, I will be able to stream my videos from anywhere in the world.

A Minor Shortcoming

The only shortcoming worth mentioning thus far is the inability to install Plex Media Server as a Windows service. There is a workaround developed by a Plex forum user but I would like to see the developers include a native option.

So Far So Good

The next step is to try myPlex and maybe even get a copy of the iOS app. I’m also toying with the idea of getting a Plex compatible streaming client. Maybe this Roku 3?