Ext4 delayed allocation data loss

My Ubuntu (Maverick Meerkat) netbook crashed this week and completely wiped an open .odt document. The behavior was very similiar to what happened here. I'm not a file system guru so I wasn't aware until now of the long standing issue with Ext4 file system delayed allocation. From LinuxInsight:

In Ext4 file system, Delayed Allocation causes some extra risks of the data loss if your system gets crashed before all the data is written to hard drive.

This was also covered on slashdot over 2 years ago.

It appears that the transition to Ext4 requires applications properly use fsync() to prevent data loss. Theodore T'so, who played a major role in developing Ext4, includes a good summary here. In fact, Android devices which run on Ext4 are rolling out and preventing data loss has been a major concern.

I can't imagine the Open Office that ships with Ubuntu 10.10 doesn't adhere to the Ext4 spec and use fsync() properly but I've never had this problem in other apps. Very aggravating and perhaps another reason to use Google Docs or give Libre Office a try!

A good laptop for Java development?

I don't have the interest or time to worry about tweaking device drivers to get Ubuntu to work perfectly. I'd be willing to let an OEM like System76 handle this for me. Here's an article from zdnet reviewing one of System76's Pangolin Performance laptops. I suppose a Core i5 would be sufficient for the reasonable Java coding utilizing Eclipse I plan to do. I use the word "reasonable" because I don't need a billion VMs open. Is an i7 really necessary? The base RAM (2GB) and hard drive (5400 RPM) would need upgrades though. StackOverflow has a nice discussion by some more experienced folks than me about this very issue.

PCWorld - 7 Predictions For Open Source in 2011

Pretty good article from PCWorld about what trends to look for in 2011. Bullish on Android, tablets, and Ubuntu (as I am) but not sure I agree a true Linux distro will every really make it into the mainstream as the author seems to suggest. Casual users won't put up with the anomalies you encounter with Linux (even the slick, user-centric ones). Check out this post from Collin Pruit for more about the need for true Ubuntu stability/interoperability. Maybe the closest Linux will ever come "to the masses" is the Linux kernel which Android uses for its core system services...

My first program in a long time – don’t get excited

Until very recently, I the last line of code I typed was in September 2003 when I traded my programming career for a stint in the US Navy. I was lucky enough to sit down with someone very knowledgeable last month to give me some advice on how I could transition back into the SW world. After pointing out my LAMP Stack experience was pretty much useless in 2010, he advised to me get deep into cloud computing and/or mobile technology.

Application development has always been my preference and I am (was) pretty decent at Java so Android development seems like a good match. After installing the Android SDK on my Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat netbook (not an ideal development platform but isn’t Ubuntu great?!?) and banging out the requisite Hello, World rite of passage, I “developed” my first app in a long time. Here it is in all it’s glory – a button that does nothing. I am truly back: