I'm slowly getting my PC configured with Ubuntu (version 8.04 - also referred to as Hardy Heron). Part of that process has been experimenting with various linux clients for Twitter. So far I've tried gTwitter, Twitch, Twitux, one or two I don't remember, and Spaz: homepage, linux client. Despite the unfortunate product name (the author apparently didn't realize how offensive the word can be) ...this is far and away the best Twitter client I've found so far on Ubuntu. Great design to start and then running on top of Adobe Air resulted in a very, very nice interface.

The reality is that software seems typically to be developed first to run on Windows, then on Mac, and then - if we're lucky - on linux. Regardless, Adobe Air - even though the linux version is a beta - seems to be quite stable, and the Spaz Twitter client is feature-rich, and quite configurable. First, I wanted a client that would install easily, and Adobe Air takes care of that (I'm slowly getting better with the linux command prompt, but it's just so much nicer when an application includes a proper installer). Installation difficulties ruled out a couple of the potential Twitter clients right away. While I like apps that keep things simple, some of the apps were too simple - meaning the interface was so clean that it was not readily intuitive to do the basic Twitter functions; those apps were removed from consideration.

I've had TwitterGadget sitting on my iGoogle home page for a while now, but I really do prefer to have a separate client for Twitter at times, and happily, Spaz looks like it will do the trick.

And, btw, this post was created from Notes 8.5 running on Ubuntu :)

Hey! Want to win some pretty cool prizes ...and get some well-deserved recognition from the Domino community? Consider submitting a brief write-up about your coolest Notes application as an entry for the 2009 Teamstudio Spotlight Awards.

Come on! What are you waiting for? Christmas? ...actually that would be just 2 days too late. Entries must be submitted by 23rd December 2008. Winners will be announced during Lotusphere (but you do not have to be present to win). The entries last year were amazing, but I've seen some of the apps that folks have been blogging about this year or posted on OpenNTF. And I know there's a lot more stuff we've not heard about. This is the time to toot your horn. Go for it! You know you want to :)