A friend has informed me that by moving the entries from my website blog over to this one and leaving the original posting dates intact, I've created chaos. I realize that the orinial post explaining the move has been pushed way down the page, so I thought perhaps I should explain again so I wouldn't create even more chaos, because I suspect I'm at my limit for chaos creation this week.
I had 3 blogs going, which was at least one too many. So I moved all the content from the blog I had associated with my webpage over here, but left the original dates on each entry so the relation of content to outside events would remain consistant. The date at the top of each entry is the original one, the date at the foot of the entry is the date/time I moved it over. There...clear as mud.
Now the only other blog I'm using is a 30 day trial of Blogware, which is associated with Lockergnome. I like the layout just fine, but I'm not sure with my current financial situation I can justify paying even $10 a month for a blog.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend tacking a blog onto a website, unless you can afford Movable Type or something similar. Otherwise, like me, you'll have to wait until you're home, on your own computer, with access to your web authoring software (Dreamweaver, Front Page, Nvu, whatever) before you can make a blog entry. Not good. A real pain in the patoot. Stick with something that allows you to blog from anywhere, on any computer. Keep it all web based, and you'll never be locked out of your blog.
Saturday, June 26, 2004
But is it worth it?
A lovely day...a truly beautiful day. A light breeze, 73°F and 65% humidity with light cloud cover. On days like this I know why so many people want to live here. But I still don't understand how most of us can continue to afford to live in San Diego. To rent a one bedroom apartment will usually set you back around $1000 a month. How does someone working in the service industry, like 7-11 or Burger King, manage to pay their rent, cover their ridiculously high utility bill, buy $2.50 a gallon gas to allow them to get to their lousy paying job and still have any money left to buy food? If all the service people were to move to Iowa tomorrow, would the rich and well-off in Rancho Bernardo and La Jolla starve to death from having to fix their own meals or walk themselves to death first because there wasn't anyone left to fix their $75000 cars? I suspect the rich around here don't realize that money can only provide a wonderful life if you can use some of it to pay the poorer folk to do the work you aren't capable of.
OK, I admit that I'm an idiot for allowing a train of thought like that to ruin a great day like today. But that's just the way my addled mind works.
OK, I admit that I'm an idiot for allowing a train of thought like that to ruin a great day like today. But that's just the way my addled mind works.
Friday, June 25, 2004
So much for that
That wasn't so difficult. Thank you for bearing with me while I organize my life.
We now return you to your regular programming...
We now return you to your regular programming...
The last of the blast from the past
June 17th, 2004
I'm sure you realize that not only am I new to blogging, but that I'm learning as I go. Well, one thing I've learned as I've gone along is how much it sucks to have a blog attached to your website, one that isn't being updated through Movable Type or some such software. I have to use web authoring software, like DreamWeaver or Nvu (the same apps I use to update my web page, which you may have noticed has become a frequent activity of late), and those apps are only available from my own computer. So when I'm at school, and there's a computer sitting there in front of me on a DSL network, all I can blog to is my Blogger site. Even though I often have Gromet with me, it's not always convenient to set it up in class. Nor does my wireless modem work very well inside a building like the Xerox building, with who knows how many wireless networks being broadcast above me. So if you're thinking of getting involved in this interesting world of blogging, go with Blogger, or pay the cash and get set up with a service that will allow you to blog from any computer you may have access to. With the Linux Fanatics site to keep fed, and my Blogger account available to me from anywhere, this blog is going to suffer I fear. I mean, come on, there's only 37 hours in a day, and I need at least 4 of those for sleep. Let's hear a cheer for caffeine!
I'm sure you realize that not only am I new to blogging, but that I'm learning as I go. Well, one thing I've learned as I've gone along is how much it sucks to have a blog attached to your website, one that isn't being updated through Movable Type or some such software. I have to use web authoring software, like DreamWeaver or Nvu (the same apps I use to update my web page, which you may have noticed has become a frequent activity of late), and those apps are only available from my own computer. So when I'm at school, and there's a computer sitting there in front of me on a DSL network, all I can blog to is my Blogger site. Even though I often have Gromet with me, it's not always convenient to set it up in class. Nor does my wireless modem work very well inside a building like the Xerox building, with who knows how many wireless networks being broadcast above me. So if you're thinking of getting involved in this interesting world of blogging, go with Blogger, or pay the cash and get set up with a service that will allow you to blog from any computer you may have access to. With the Linux Fanatics site to keep fed, and my Blogger account available to me from anywhere, this blog is going to suffer I fear. I mean, come on, there's only 37 hours in a day, and I need at least 4 of those for sleep. Let's hear a cheer for caffeine!
San Diego bloggers and RAW
June 16th, 2004
I just found out there's a web blog of fellow San Diego bloggers (http://sandiegoblog.com). How very cool. I'm starting to travel around more often with my laptop and wireless Ricochet modem, yet I often fail to stop and blog a thought or observation when I really should. By the time I get somewhere I do set up Gromet (the laptop), I've forgotten what I wanted to mention. Frustrating to the max. To capture the moment, I've got to be ready. It's good to know other's are catching the weirdness that is San Diego. Now I need to do my share. After all, I'm a native. I've seen this city grow from a collection of small neighborhoods into this large, overgrown metropolis that it is today. S.D., I hardly recognize ya.
Over on Boing Boing (http://boingboing.net/), David Pescovitz has a post regarding Robert Anton Wilson, who was evidently as much an inspiration to David as he was to me. If you've never read anything by RAW, and you love a good conspiracy theory, run out to your local bookstore right now and grab a copy of just about any book he's ever written. If you have read him, you'll understand why my own thinking is so twisted. RAW has the rare ability to take a subject already beyond rediculous and making it fantastically believable.
I just found out there's a web blog of fellow San Diego bloggers (http://sandiegoblog.com). How very cool. I'm starting to travel around more often with my laptop and wireless Ricochet modem, yet I often fail to stop and blog a thought or observation when I really should. By the time I get somewhere I do set up Gromet (the laptop), I've forgotten what I wanted to mention. Frustrating to the max. To capture the moment, I've got to be ready. It's good to know other's are catching the weirdness that is San Diego. Now I need to do my share. After all, I'm a native. I've seen this city grow from a collection of small neighborhoods into this large, overgrown metropolis that it is today. S.D., I hardly recognize ya.
Over on Boing Boing (http://boingboing.net/), David Pescovitz has a post regarding Robert Anton Wilson, who was evidently as much an inspiration to David as he was to me. If you've never read anything by RAW, and you love a good conspiracy theory, run out to your local bookstore right now and grab a copy of just about any book he's ever written. If you have read him, you'll understand why my own thinking is so twisted. RAW has the rare ability to take a subject already beyond rediculous and making it fantastically believable.
My berry-berry good month
June 5th, 2004
This last half of May and beginning of June have been "berry berry good to me". Ironically, while my opportunities to be involved with the internet and the web have increased, the additional responsibilities have left me less time to actually make use of my added accesses. In late May I was moved up to an administrator role in both the Lockergnome and Scot Finnie's Newsletter forums, and am now writing entries for the Lockergnome Linux Fanatics blog. I also changed the look and layout of most of the pages of jeber.net. Getting used to the admin control panels, setting up the Linux blog and finding additional writers for it and changing my site's layout has taken so much time that my own blog and really bad advice page have been totally ignored for too long. But I promise you, my loyal reader (you are still there, aren't you?), that will be corrected presently. I can't say the content will be any better, but there will be more of it.
I've also been suffering from philosophical depression. Thirty-five years ago I was a campus radical, protesting everything from the war to oppression of minorities. I had such high hopes for our country. It's so sad to see those same issues being debated still. The bigots, isolationists and racists are still with us, and thanks in part to the internet I love, have found a new soapbox from which to spout their hate and intolerance. In the meantime we have made strides toward moderation, inclusion and tolerance, but certainly not the great strides we should have been able to accomplish in over three decades. And war, as history teaches us, is always with us.
This last half of May and beginning of June have been "berry berry good to me". Ironically, while my opportunities to be involved with the internet and the web have increased, the additional responsibilities have left me less time to actually make use of my added accesses. In late May I was moved up to an administrator role in both the Lockergnome and Scot Finnie's Newsletter forums, and am now writing entries for the Lockergnome Linux Fanatics blog. I also changed the look and layout of most of the pages of jeber.net. Getting used to the admin control panels, setting up the Linux blog and finding additional writers for it and changing my site's layout has taken so much time that my own blog and really bad advice page have been totally ignored for too long. But I promise you, my loyal reader (you are still there, aren't you?), that will be corrected presently. I can't say the content will be any better, but there will be more of it.
I've also been suffering from philosophical depression. Thirty-five years ago I was a campus radical, protesting everything from the war to oppression of minorities. I had such high hopes for our country. It's so sad to see those same issues being debated still. The bigots, isolationists and racists are still with us, and thanks in part to the internet I love, have found a new soapbox from which to spout their hate and intolerance. In the meantime we have made strides toward moderation, inclusion and tolerance, but certainly not the great strides we should have been able to accomplish in over three decades. And war, as history teaches us, is always with us.
A military rant
May 10th, 2004
When I was in the Army Security Agency in the 1970's, we interacted with many of the agencies under fire now for failing to investigate the handling of POW's in Iraq in a timely manner. This seems to me to be the most difficult aspect of this whole affair for our government to explain. In this age of nearly instantaneous communication, why it would take three months for potentially explosive information to wind it's way through the government before it made it's way to the Commander in Chief is nearly impossible to imagine. In times of crises, the last thing you want is a breakdown in communications. Yet that seems to be exactly the situation here. I remember one time we were tracking a Soviet satellite that was re-entering the atmosphere. Because it had a radioactive power source aboard, we were very concerned about the possibilty it would come down in a populated area. For two days, our agency and several others were on around the clock high alert, with everyone from the President to the lowest ranking signal analyst fully informed and waiting for the next bit of tracking information. It can be done...and now it's the task of the current administration to give us a credible reason why it wasn't in this case.
When I was in the Army Security Agency in the 1970's, we interacted with many of the agencies under fire now for failing to investigate the handling of POW's in Iraq in a timely manner. This seems to me to be the most difficult aspect of this whole affair for our government to explain. In this age of nearly instantaneous communication, why it would take three months for potentially explosive information to wind it's way through the government before it made it's way to the Commander in Chief is nearly impossible to imagine. In times of crises, the last thing you want is a breakdown in communications. Yet that seems to be exactly the situation here. I remember one time we were tracking a Soviet satellite that was re-entering the atmosphere. Because it had a radioactive power source aboard, we were very concerned about the possibilty it would come down in a populated area. For two days, our agency and several others were on around the clock high alert, with everyone from the President to the lowest ranking signal analyst fully informed and waiting for the next bit of tracking information. It can be done...and now it's the task of the current administration to give us a credible reason why it wasn't in this case.
Happy Mom's Day, Mom
May 9th, 2004
Happy Mother's Day, Mom, and to all moms who may be reading this.
According to Computer Times, Microsoft is going to allow people with pirated versions of Windows XP tp install SP2. They feel the security gains outweigh the licensing issues. While I don't condone piracy, I have to agree with them in this case. The fewer unpatched computers out there, the better. Perhaps you can never totally eliminate piracy, but you can limit the damage they can do to the rest of the computing community. Thanks, MS, for putting your priorities in proper order.
5/27/2004 Update: It seems Microsoft has changed their position on this, and have determined a range of bogus activation codes that, if detected, will prevent SP2 from installing on pirated versions of XP. Sorry, pirates...you're out of luck. But then, I suspect security isn't a real big concern of yours anyway.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom, and to all moms who may be reading this.
According to Computer Times, Microsoft is going to allow people with pirated versions of Windows XP tp install SP2. They feel the security gains outweigh the licensing issues. While I don't condone piracy, I have to agree with them in this case. The fewer unpatched computers out there, the better. Perhaps you can never totally eliminate piracy, but you can limit the damage they can do to the rest of the computing community. Thanks, MS, for putting your priorities in proper order.
5/27/2004 Update: It seems Microsoft has changed their position on this, and have determined a range of bogus activation codes that, if detected, will prevent SP2 from installing on pirated versions of XP. Sorry, pirates...you're out of luck. But then, I suspect security isn't a real big concern of yours anyway.
Geek in paradise
May 6th, 2004
Yes, I live in paradise, but even paradise isn't free from Mother Nature's occasional bad moods. Earthquakes seem to have absent from the headlines for a couple of years, but we still have our wildfires. After three days of above 90° F temperatures, 72° feels like heaven. The fire crews are also thankful for the reduced temperatures. When we get Santa Ana winds, those that blow from East to West from the desert to the coast, our humidity drops to the single digits, and the threat of wildfires increases. The winds tend to be higher in velocity during these periods as well. So we have an area that is essentially desert brush-lined canyons, baked dry by high temperatures and low humidity, just waiting for the stray spark or carelessly discarded cigarette to turn into an inferno. Once a fire starts, the heat it generates further dries the brush, and the high winds help it spread at a very high rate of speed. This year could be especially bad, as drought conditions prevail all over the West. So if your vacation plans this summer include the Southern California area, be sure and pack the sunblock and bottled water...as well as marshmellows and hot dogs. Might as well get some use out of the wild fires.
Yes, I live in paradise, but even paradise isn't free from Mother Nature's occasional bad moods. Earthquakes seem to have absent from the headlines for a couple of years, but we still have our wildfires. After three days of above 90° F temperatures, 72° feels like heaven. The fire crews are also thankful for the reduced temperatures. When we get Santa Ana winds, those that blow from East to West from the desert to the coast, our humidity drops to the single digits, and the threat of wildfires increases. The winds tend to be higher in velocity during these periods as well. So we have an area that is essentially desert brush-lined canyons, baked dry by high temperatures and low humidity, just waiting for the stray spark or carelessly discarded cigarette to turn into an inferno. Once a fire starts, the heat it generates further dries the brush, and the high winds help it spread at a very high rate of speed. This year could be especially bad, as drought conditions prevail all over the West. So if your vacation plans this summer include the Southern California area, be sure and pack the sunblock and bottled water...as well as marshmellows and hot dogs. Might as well get some use out of the wild fires.
Wil Wheaton and communities
May 5th, 2004
In his blog yesterday, Wil Wheaton mentioned how impressed he was with the response to his story about the health problems his cat was having. I just had to reply with the following;
Quoteing Wil, "over the last few years, we've shared more than just information. We've shared kindness, and support, and love, and all sorts of that tree huggin' hippie crap that I wish there was more of in the world."
I replied, "I agree. Last year I couldn't have been more proud, or inspired. After a hurricane took the roof off the house of one of the admins on a forum I moderate, 5 of our members got together, drove to her house, and spent the weekend putting a new roof up. No one got paid, but everyone got fed, and a great time was had by all.
It's great every time we see a virtual community extend it's reach to become a positive force in the real world.
It really is an amazing thing. Usually you only hear about geeks getting out of the house to attend conferences or 'fests. Just goes to show we're not all glued to our computer chairs. Now if we could just get our local LUG's to get out in the real world and start showing those who don't show up at their monthly install-fest how functional a Linux computer can be. Yes, you can work on your tan while still supporting our virtual communities."
I got to thinking tonight about all the abandoned websites, blogs, forum posts and stray files out there on the web, in all the various domains...on all those servers...and couldn't help thinking of space junk. Nothing to be concerned with, it's only a small bolt, until you see it coming at you at several tens of thousands of miles per hour. We need a way to pick up this electronic trash, to dispose of all the cyber litter. I sure don't want to be surfing the web one day and encounter an unforseen "My First Website" tossed out into cyberspace like a half-smoked cigarette butt. I've got a mean machine here, and I'd hate to suck one of those "Last Updated in MS-DOS" sites into the intake at mach speed.
In his blog yesterday, Wil Wheaton mentioned how impressed he was with the response to his story about the health problems his cat was having. I just had to reply with the following;
Quoteing Wil, "over the last few years, we've shared more than just information. We've shared kindness, and support, and love, and all sorts of that tree huggin' hippie crap that I wish there was more of in the world."
I replied, "I agree. Last year I couldn't have been more proud, or inspired. After a hurricane took the roof off the house of one of the admins on a forum I moderate, 5 of our members got together, drove to her house, and spent the weekend putting a new roof up. No one got paid, but everyone got fed, and a great time was had by all.
It's great every time we see a virtual community extend it's reach to become a positive force in the real world.
It really is an amazing thing. Usually you only hear about geeks getting out of the house to attend conferences or 'fests. Just goes to show we're not all glued to our computer chairs. Now if we could just get our local LUG's to get out in the real world and start showing those who don't show up at their monthly install-fest how functional a Linux computer can be. Yes, you can work on your tan while still supporting our virtual communities."
I got to thinking tonight about all the abandoned websites, blogs, forum posts and stray files out there on the web, in all the various domains...on all those servers...and couldn't help thinking of space junk. Nothing to be concerned with, it's only a small bolt, until you see it coming at you at several tens of thousands of miles per hour. We need a way to pick up this electronic trash, to dispose of all the cyber litter. I sure don't want to be surfing the web one day and encounter an unforseen "My First Website" tossed out into cyberspace like a half-smoked cigarette butt. I've got a mean machine here, and I'd hate to suck one of those "Last Updated in MS-DOS" sites into the intake at mach speed.
One man's prison
May 4th, 2004
A "friend-of-mine" tale for you, ending with a question. A friend of mine, now middle-aged, has led a slightly-more-than-interesting life. He's had a number of fascinating jobs, and enjoyed many an adventure doing them. That all ended in 1983. That year, at the age of 29, he gave into greed and stupidity for the first time in his life. This guy, who had worked in the interest of local and national crime prevention for 10 years, decided to steal. The theft was of cash, in an amount to make the charge felony grand theft. He knew what he had to do. He entered a plea of guilty, and arrived at his last hearing fully prepared to go to prison, the thought of which he dreaded, but felt he honestly deserved. Instead, he was sentenced to 3 years probation, a fine, and community service. He lost the job he had when he was arrested, so community service gave him a reason to continue on, as he was working in a field he enjoyed, and was good at. Unfortunately, it was for the city, and at the end of his service obligation, he couldn't get hired on, as he and the agency both desired,
being a convicted felon. With permission, he moved out of state to get a fresh start. To get his next job, he had to lie on the application when it asked if he'd ever been convicted of a felony. Having been in law enforcement, he knew his home state wouldn't release his criminal history without a more formal request than a job application. He worked that job, moving up to middle management, for 13 years, and every day was sure that this would be the day he was found out and tossed out the door. And since he knew he deserved such treatment, he wouldn't have resisted.
This is the issue. The state felt he'd be better off serving probation than going to prison. But my friend sentenced himself to a prison of his own design, in his own mind. And he's still serving that sentence 21 years later. Once he was an outgoing, adventurous, chance-taking funster. Since 1983, he's become withdrawn, introverted, quiet, nervous, self-critical, unmotivated and self-destructive in many ways, none of them physical. He moved back home after 13 years elsewhere, and found a job on whose application he didn't need to lie. They asked if he'd commited a felony in the last 7 years, and to this he could answer "no" honestly. Yet he still worried. He told no one. Even most of the members of his family have never been told, some with whom he interacts on a daily basis. You can imagine the mental strain this causes. Even most of those closest to him don't really know him as well as they think they do. And he's aware of this. And it tears him up.
How long should someone keep themselves in prison? How do they go about releasing themselves? I'm not asking in a religious context, neither he or I are religious at all, and it's not going to be a consideration. But it seems to me that there ought to be a sort of pardon one can extend to themselves, a period of time after which one can let themselves off the hook. He took a small step in that direction today. For the first time since his arrest, he answered honestly when asked on an application if he'd ever been arrested. And the interviewer mentioned it. This was a moment he'd dreaded for 21 years. But once he explained, and took responsibility for his crime, all the interviewer said was that it would prevent him from accepting certain government jobs. He said he was well aware of that, being a veteran and former government employee for a time. But that was fine. And the interview went very well otherwise. The weight began to lift...just a little. It's not a monkey on his back, it's an elephant. Today, the elephant took a dump, and lightened the load by a few pounds.
A "friend-of-mine" tale for you, ending with a question. A friend of mine, now middle-aged, has led a slightly-more-than-interesting life. He's had a number of fascinating jobs, and enjoyed many an adventure doing them. That all ended in 1983. That year, at the age of 29, he gave into greed and stupidity for the first time in his life. This guy, who had worked in the interest of local and national crime prevention for 10 years, decided to steal. The theft was of cash, in an amount to make the charge felony grand theft. He knew what he had to do. He entered a plea of guilty, and arrived at his last hearing fully prepared to go to prison, the thought of which he dreaded, but felt he honestly deserved. Instead, he was sentenced to 3 years probation, a fine, and community service. He lost the job he had when he was arrested, so community service gave him a reason to continue on, as he was working in a field he enjoyed, and was good at. Unfortunately, it was for the city, and at the end of his service obligation, he couldn't get hired on, as he and the agency both desired,
being a convicted felon. With permission, he moved out of state to get a fresh start. To get his next job, he had to lie on the application when it asked if he'd ever been convicted of a felony. Having been in law enforcement, he knew his home state wouldn't release his criminal history without a more formal request than a job application. He worked that job, moving up to middle management, for 13 years, and every day was sure that this would be the day he was found out and tossed out the door. And since he knew he deserved such treatment, he wouldn't have resisted.
This is the issue. The state felt he'd be better off serving probation than going to prison. But my friend sentenced himself to a prison of his own design, in his own mind. And he's still serving that sentence 21 years later. Once he was an outgoing, adventurous, chance-taking funster. Since 1983, he's become withdrawn, introverted, quiet, nervous, self-critical, unmotivated and self-destructive in many ways, none of them physical. He moved back home after 13 years elsewhere, and found a job on whose application he didn't need to lie. They asked if he'd commited a felony in the last 7 years, and to this he could answer "no" honestly. Yet he still worried. He told no one. Even most of the members of his family have never been told, some with whom he interacts on a daily basis. You can imagine the mental strain this causes. Even most of those closest to him don't really know him as well as they think they do. And he's aware of this. And it tears him up.
How long should someone keep themselves in prison? How do they go about releasing themselves? I'm not asking in a religious context, neither he or I are religious at all, and it's not going to be a consideration. But it seems to me that there ought to be a sort of pardon one can extend to themselves, a period of time after which one can let themselves off the hook. He took a small step in that direction today. For the first time since his arrest, he answered honestly when asked on an application if he'd ever been arrested. And the interviewer mentioned it. This was a moment he'd dreaded for 21 years. But once he explained, and took responsibility for his crime, all the interviewer said was that it would prevent him from accepting certain government jobs. He said he was well aware of that, being a veteran and former government employee for a time. But that was fine. And the interview went very well otherwise. The weight began to lift...just a little. It's not a monkey on his back, it's an elephant. Today, the elephant took a dump, and lightened the load by a few pounds.
More GUI ideas and web-based apps
May 2nd, 2004
The concept is simple; every major technology that takes hold in this country and becomes a part of our daily lives, seems at some point to branch into a business model and a home-use model. Radio telecommunications, television, motor vehicles; all started as a single product or invention. After a period of time, as the technology became more accepted and useful, there began to spring up specialized applications of that product for business and other applications for home use. Delivery trucks were not very useful to the average citizen, nor were convertables very practical for most businessmen. Television was develped with the family at home in mind, while video cameras became a necessary piece of hardware in many stores and offices. Cell phones, a personal-use offshoot of the field phone used primarily by big business and the government, has evolved even further into seperate models for both pleasure and commerce.
So it should come as no surprise that computers are approaching that same divide. Once the playthings of universities and DARPA, over half the homes in the U.S. now have, or have access to, a computer. Now our thinking has to change in how we regard this machine. In the same way I don't need a tank to drive to work, I don't really need complete office applications and server software on my laptop that I use for basic web surfing and email. In the same way, most businesses would prefer not to have instant messenger software or even web access on their workstations.
So is the next major shift in computer software going to be the expansion of affordable and practical web-based applications that can be used as needed, but don't have to be stored on my hard drive? Perhaps. But as we've seen often in this field, it's equally likely that some new concept will arise to make the seperation of business and home computers complete.
We're also going to have to rethink the GUI. The desktop that works well in the home is often useless and confusing in the workplace. How can we make the home GUI even more useful in that environment? How could we redesign it to make it practical and adaptable for the business user? Isn't it time we divorced the desktop from it's Microsoft Bob appearance and develope it into a proper access panel to the programs and files on the computer?
The truth is that the computer is still an infant technology. We're proud of having reduced a room-sized calculator down to a unit that you can hold in the palm of your hand, while we still use a GUI that hasn't evolved past the general look of Windows 95 (and even recent Linux distributions follow the same, tired "look and feel" of Windows) and require me to store huge applications on my drive that I may need twice a year.
What do you see coming down the road? Are we going to continue to follow the path layed out by the major players, or are there worthwhile sideroads we should be exploring?
The concept is simple; every major technology that takes hold in this country and becomes a part of our daily lives, seems at some point to branch into a business model and a home-use model. Radio telecommunications, television, motor vehicles; all started as a single product or invention. After a period of time, as the technology became more accepted and useful, there began to spring up specialized applications of that product for business and other applications for home use. Delivery trucks were not very useful to the average citizen, nor were convertables very practical for most businessmen. Television was develped with the family at home in mind, while video cameras became a necessary piece of hardware in many stores and offices. Cell phones, a personal-use offshoot of the field phone used primarily by big business and the government, has evolved even further into seperate models for both pleasure and commerce.
So it should come as no surprise that computers are approaching that same divide. Once the playthings of universities and DARPA, over half the homes in the U.S. now have, or have access to, a computer. Now our thinking has to change in how we regard this machine. In the same way I don't need a tank to drive to work, I don't really need complete office applications and server software on my laptop that I use for basic web surfing and email. In the same way, most businesses would prefer not to have instant messenger software or even web access on their workstations.
So is the next major shift in computer software going to be the expansion of affordable and practical web-based applications that can be used as needed, but don't have to be stored on my hard drive? Perhaps. But as we've seen often in this field, it's equally likely that some new concept will arise to make the seperation of business and home computers complete.
We're also going to have to rethink the GUI. The desktop that works well in the home is often useless and confusing in the workplace. How can we make the home GUI even more useful in that environment? How could we redesign it to make it practical and adaptable for the business user? Isn't it time we divorced the desktop from it's Microsoft Bob appearance and develope it into a proper access panel to the programs and files on the computer?
The truth is that the computer is still an infant technology. We're proud of having reduced a room-sized calculator down to a unit that you can hold in the palm of your hand, while we still use a GUI that hasn't evolved past the general look of Windows 95 (and even recent Linux distributions follow the same, tired "look and feel" of Windows) and require me to store huge applications on my drive that I may need twice a year.
What do you see coming down the road? Are we going to continue to follow the path layed out by the major players, or are there worthwhile sideroads we should be exploring?
My GUI thoughts
April 30th, 2004
The more I read, the more I'm becoming interested in the concept of the user interface, regardless of the operating system. I'm rereading Neal Stephenson's excellent essay "In the Beginning Was the Command Line", and with the words of Jef Raskin and Doc Searls still echoing in my head, am rethinking my whole attitude toward the UI. As has been said before, for many, the UI is the computer. For a lot of computer users, both at home and in the corporate environment, what they see as they sit down at their computer to read their email, surf the web or do their work is all they know of their computer. I know some who can't even differentiate between the desktop, browser and internet. It's all the same to them. And these are the same people who rely the most on the UI. So the UI is important, but are those who use it being provided the best UI programmers can develope? I don't think so.
Meanwhile, a quick thought I had today over lunch regarding the most recent batch of virus writers. Many people I know have nothing good to say about new computer users. You've heard all the same rants against these clueless, hopeless, point-and-click addicted users who don't understand a thing about computers beyond email, browsing and how to turn the thing on and off. But it seems to me that those who are causing the greatest harm on the web these days are those who are at least somewhat familiar with how computers work, and how to gum them up. Your average clueless newbie isn't the person writing viruses. I'll take someone who needs help logging onto AOL over someone who wants to use my connection to launch a DDoS, or spread a worm, anyday.
The more I read, the more I'm becoming interested in the concept of the user interface, regardless of the operating system. I'm rereading Neal Stephenson's excellent essay "In the Beginning Was the Command Line", and with the words of Jef Raskin and Doc Searls still echoing in my head, am rethinking my whole attitude toward the UI. As has been said before, for many, the UI is the computer. For a lot of computer users, both at home and in the corporate environment, what they see as they sit down at their computer to read their email, surf the web or do their work is all they know of their computer. I know some who can't even differentiate between the desktop, browser and internet. It's all the same to them. And these are the same people who rely the most on the UI. So the UI is important, but are those who use it being provided the best UI programmers can develope? I don't think so.
Meanwhile, a quick thought I had today over lunch regarding the most recent batch of virus writers. Many people I know have nothing good to say about new computer users. You've heard all the same rants against these clueless, hopeless, point-and-click addicted users who don't understand a thing about computers beyond email, browsing and how to turn the thing on and off. But it seems to me that those who are causing the greatest harm on the web these days are those who are at least somewhat familiar with how computers work, and how to gum them up. Your average clueless newbie isn't the person writing viruses. I'll take someone who needs help logging onto AOL over someone who wants to use my connection to launch a DDoS, or spread a worm, anyday.
My summit report
April 27th, 2004
Following is an artcle I wrote on my overall impressions of the Desktop Linux Summit:
The 2nd annual Desktop Linux Summit was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds north of San Diego on April 22nd and 23rd. The event was sponsored by Linspire (formerly Lindows) and featured 17 panels on such topics as “International Expansion of Desktop Linux”, “Desktop Linux at Play” and “Multimedia on Desktop Linux”.
Are you sensing the trend here? Every hour of both days one could hear references to “desktop Linux”, and yet, for most of the summit, there never was a concise and consistent definition given to that phrase.
Were we concerning ourselves with Linux on desktop computers, as opposed to laptops and handhelds? That wouldn't seem to be the case, as there was a panel entitled “Get Up and Go”. According to the event program, this panel would address the fact that “Linux is no longer limited to desktop computers:how mobile will it get?” We never did discover exactly how mobile Linux could get, unfortunately. Due to the unexplained absence of Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome fame (whose name was misspelled in the program as “Prillo”; could that be why he decided not to appear?) this panel was reduced to a discussion of Linux pre-installed laptops being sold on college campuses by Morgan Lim.
Were we there to discuss Linux on the home desktop. Not exclusively, as there were several discussions of Linux in the corporate environment. Brenno de Winter (Microcost) moderated the International Expansion panel mentioned before. Panel members spoke about their efforts to convince corporate IT managers to migrate their systems to a consolidated Linux platform. Mike Ferris (Red Hat) expounded on how an integrated, managed desktop Linux environment, like the one provided by Red Hat, will result in better productivity in the workplace. It was revealed that in May, a major unnamed British bank will announce their migration to the Red Hat desktop environment.
Perhaps the use of the term “desktop Linux” was meant to refer to the graphic user interface, slightly different in each version of Linux, and in the opinion of many, not truly user friendly in any of them. If so, coverage of the topic was practically non-existent. The keynote address was to be presented by Jef Raskin, best known as the creator of the Macintosh. Mr. Raskin's presentation was titled, “The Humane Environment”, a discussion of the user interface and it's affect on the overall user experience. However, due to a family emergency, Mr. Raskin was unable to attend. He did provide print-outs of his speech. I would have enjoyed hearing his impromptu remarks on this topic, and no doubt the question/answer period would have been lively. As it was, I had some insightful lunch-time reading, but felt robbed of the opportunity to explore this issue further.
On reflection, perhaps the use of “desktop Linux” was to set a goal; the need to increase the number of Linux distributions on desktops, any and all desktops, from the home to the office. If this is indeed the goal of those who attended the summit, it would seem we still have many hurdles to overcome. Perhaps the best summery of those hurdles was presented by Doc Searls (http://www.searls.com/) in a follow-up to his presentation at last year's Desktop Summit, “Crossing the Chasm”. This year's presentation, entitled “Inside the Tornado”, focused on what Mr. Searls sees as the solution to the many difficulties ahead in the effort to bring Linux to desktops everywhere, the lack of overall ease of use. His analogy was the car rental business. No matter which car you have in mind as you approach the rental counter, you will end up renting a Chevy Cavalier. When Mr. Searls asked for a show of hands to indicate how many owners of a Chevy Cavalier were present, no one raised their hand. He then opined that no one actually owned a Cavalier because it's a boringly basic car; no frills, no fancy controls, just a really fundamental car that anyone can get into and drive. This, he said, is how Linux distributions need to present themselves to computer users for Linux to succeed in the desktop market. It needs to be an operating system you can boot into and use, without months of preparation, training and angst. This sentiment was reflected in the speech that Mr. Raskin intended to present. “How about providing Linux with an interface that is blidingly fast to use yet easy to learn and understand? How about an interface that is tailored to the reality of today's computers and today's users both in the home and in the enterprise?” The bottom line, he insists, is that “Linux needs a user interface that is as good as Linux itself. It cannot be another GUI, they have outlived their usefulness. Remember that the interface IS the product from the user's point of view.”
I came away from this summit with new insights into the difficulties of realizing the goal of a worldwide migration to a Linux desktop, not the least of which is that many countries still lack the basic necessities of modern life, like sufficient food, water and electricity. A village that still generates electricity for lighting with a hand crank generator is not going to be very receptive to a pitch on which operating system they need on their computers. I also learned that many vendors anticipate an increase in the use of web-based applications, even for the home user. Storing office applications on the hard disk, for example, is a waste of space for those who don't use them daily. Applications like office suites, available on the web and scaled to be able to handle a multitude of users at the same time, is seen as the future by many of the vendors present. The summit also gave me an appreciation of the difficulty of convincing corporate IT folks in the United States that migration from a Windows environment, or mixed Windows-Linux environment, to a complete Linux one is in their best interest and cost effective. It seems our European counterparts have an easier time at this due to the lack of a 98% market share giant like Microsoft complicating their efforts.
But I did not come away from this summit with any idea how the average Linux user such as myself could have any impact on the growth of Linux on the desktop, or anywhere else for that matter. I had a great time, and met many interesting people, but didn't learn what I hoped to learn as I prepared to attend the summit. Perhaps just by using Linux everyday, as I do now, by wearing my “Tux” shirt every time I go shopping at the local computer store, and by encouraging my friends and family to adopt Linux I'm doing the most I can to spread the word. Once I become more proficient at Linux, I can contribute my efforts to providing applications, or adding to the kernal. One day perhaps I'll even by able to design my own Linux version, like Texstar (http://www.pclinuxonline.com/index.php) has recently. Meanwhile, I'll be saving my pennies so that I can attend next year's summit, where perhaps I'll not only find out how I can help computer users at every level discover the advantages of Linux, but also find out just what the heck we mean when we say “desktop Linux”. I just hope I don't have to get there in a Chevy Cavalier.
Following is an artcle I wrote on my overall impressions of the Desktop Linux Summit:
The 2nd annual Desktop Linux Summit was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds north of San Diego on April 22nd and 23rd. The event was sponsored by Linspire (formerly Lindows) and featured 17 panels on such topics as “International Expansion of Desktop Linux”, “Desktop Linux at Play” and “Multimedia on Desktop Linux”.
Are you sensing the trend here? Every hour of both days one could hear references to “desktop Linux”, and yet, for most of the summit, there never was a concise and consistent definition given to that phrase.
Were we concerning ourselves with Linux on desktop computers, as opposed to laptops and handhelds? That wouldn't seem to be the case, as there was a panel entitled “Get Up and Go”. According to the event program, this panel would address the fact that “Linux is no longer limited to desktop computers:how mobile will it get?” We never did discover exactly how mobile Linux could get, unfortunately. Due to the unexplained absence of Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome fame (whose name was misspelled in the program as “Prillo”; could that be why he decided not to appear?) this panel was reduced to a discussion of Linux pre-installed laptops being sold on college campuses by Morgan Lim.
Were we there to discuss Linux on the home desktop. Not exclusively, as there were several discussions of Linux in the corporate environment. Brenno de Winter (Microcost) moderated the International Expansion panel mentioned before. Panel members spoke about their efforts to convince corporate IT managers to migrate their systems to a consolidated Linux platform. Mike Ferris (Red Hat) expounded on how an integrated, managed desktop Linux environment, like the one provided by Red Hat, will result in better productivity in the workplace. It was revealed that in May, a major unnamed British bank will announce their migration to the Red Hat desktop environment.
Perhaps the use of the term “desktop Linux” was meant to refer to the graphic user interface, slightly different in each version of Linux, and in the opinion of many, not truly user friendly in any of them. If so, coverage of the topic was practically non-existent. The keynote address was to be presented by Jef Raskin, best known as the creator of the Macintosh. Mr. Raskin's presentation was titled, “The Humane Environment”, a discussion of the user interface and it's affect on the overall user experience. However, due to a family emergency, Mr. Raskin was unable to attend. He did provide print-outs of his speech. I would have enjoyed hearing his impromptu remarks on this topic, and no doubt the question/answer period would have been lively. As it was, I had some insightful lunch-time reading, but felt robbed of the opportunity to explore this issue further.
On reflection, perhaps the use of “desktop Linux” was to set a goal; the need to increase the number of Linux distributions on desktops, any and all desktops, from the home to the office. If this is indeed the goal of those who attended the summit, it would seem we still have many hurdles to overcome. Perhaps the best summery of those hurdles was presented by Doc Searls (http://www.searls.com/) in a follow-up to his presentation at last year's Desktop Summit, “Crossing the Chasm”. This year's presentation, entitled “Inside the Tornado”, focused on what Mr. Searls sees as the solution to the many difficulties ahead in the effort to bring Linux to desktops everywhere, the lack of overall ease of use. His analogy was the car rental business. No matter which car you have in mind as you approach the rental counter, you will end up renting a Chevy Cavalier. When Mr. Searls asked for a show of hands to indicate how many owners of a Chevy Cavalier were present, no one raised their hand. He then opined that no one actually owned a Cavalier because it's a boringly basic car; no frills, no fancy controls, just a really fundamental car that anyone can get into and drive. This, he said, is how Linux distributions need to present themselves to computer users for Linux to succeed in the desktop market. It needs to be an operating system you can boot into and use, without months of preparation, training and angst. This sentiment was reflected in the speech that Mr. Raskin intended to present. “How about providing Linux with an interface that is blidingly fast to use yet easy to learn and understand? How about an interface that is tailored to the reality of today's computers and today's users both in the home and in the enterprise?” The bottom line, he insists, is that “Linux needs a user interface that is as good as Linux itself. It cannot be another GUI, they have outlived their usefulness. Remember that the interface IS the product from the user's point of view.”
I came away from this summit with new insights into the difficulties of realizing the goal of a worldwide migration to a Linux desktop, not the least of which is that many countries still lack the basic necessities of modern life, like sufficient food, water and electricity. A village that still generates electricity for lighting with a hand crank generator is not going to be very receptive to a pitch on which operating system they need on their computers. I also learned that many vendors anticipate an increase in the use of web-based applications, even for the home user. Storing office applications on the hard disk, for example, is a waste of space for those who don't use them daily. Applications like office suites, available on the web and scaled to be able to handle a multitude of users at the same time, is seen as the future by many of the vendors present. The summit also gave me an appreciation of the difficulty of convincing corporate IT folks in the United States that migration from a Windows environment, or mixed Windows-Linux environment, to a complete Linux one is in their best interest and cost effective. It seems our European counterparts have an easier time at this due to the lack of a 98% market share giant like Microsoft complicating their efforts.
But I did not come away from this summit with any idea how the average Linux user such as myself could have any impact on the growth of Linux on the desktop, or anywhere else for that matter. I had a great time, and met many interesting people, but didn't learn what I hoped to learn as I prepared to attend the summit. Perhaps just by using Linux everyday, as I do now, by wearing my “Tux” shirt every time I go shopping at the local computer store, and by encouraging my friends and family to adopt Linux I'm doing the most I can to spread the word. Once I become more proficient at Linux, I can contribute my efforts to providing applications, or adding to the kernal. One day perhaps I'll even by able to design my own Linux version, like Texstar (http://www.pclinuxonline.com/index.php) has recently. Meanwhile, I'll be saving my pennies so that I can attend next year's summit, where perhaps I'll not only find out how I can help computer users at every level discover the advantages of Linux, but also find out just what the heck we mean when we say “desktop Linux”. I just hope I don't have to get there in a Chevy Cavalier.
Summit redux
April 25th, 2004
I won't go into all the fuss it took for me to get this page uploaded and linked properly. Let's just say I'm no webmaster, in any sense of the term. Couple that with the fact I'm trying to learn how to use the tools available in Mandrake 9.2, instead of falling back on Dreamweaver in Windows XP, and you're lucky to be reading this at all.
The Linux summit was intended to address the issue of gaining acceptance for Linux on the corporate desktop. But an interesting sub-topic was raised by several speakers; shall we approach this from an anti-Microsoft viewpoint or a pro-Linux one? Will we achieve our aims better by bashing Bill Gates at every turn, or by presenting the positives of Linux? Not being a negative person at heart, I'm more inclined to take the second approach. I'm also convinced that it's a good thing to be honest about the things that still make Linux difficult for those new to the operating system. Linux is almost ready for the prime-time, but not quite yet. For someone who approaches Linux from Windows and is not prepared to make some major adjustments in their way of thinking and performing common tasks, Linux can still be a major disappointment.
One thing I've noticed is a lack of documentation outside of the distribution. I have yet to see a book on how to work with Mandrake, perhaps one of the most popular distributions for those new to Linux. I wish I knew enough to publish such a thing myself. Instead, I'll try to provide links to sites that address that need.
I won't go into all the fuss it took for me to get this page uploaded and linked properly. Let's just say I'm no webmaster, in any sense of the term. Couple that with the fact I'm trying to learn how to use the tools available in Mandrake 9.2, instead of falling back on Dreamweaver in Windows XP, and you're lucky to be reading this at all.
The Linux summit was intended to address the issue of gaining acceptance for Linux on the corporate desktop. But an interesting sub-topic was raised by several speakers; shall we approach this from an anti-Microsoft viewpoint or a pro-Linux one? Will we achieve our aims better by bashing Bill Gates at every turn, or by presenting the positives of Linux? Not being a negative person at heart, I'm more inclined to take the second approach. I'm also convinced that it's a good thing to be honest about the things that still make Linux difficult for those new to the operating system. Linux is almost ready for the prime-time, but not quite yet. For someone who approaches Linux from Windows and is not prepared to make some major adjustments in their way of thinking and performing common tasks, Linux can still be a major disappointment.
One thing I've noticed is a lack of documentation outside of the distribution. I have yet to see a book on how to work with Mandrake, perhaps one of the most popular distributions for those new to Linux. I wish I knew enough to publish such a thing myself. Instead, I'll try to provide links to sites that address that need.
The Linux Desktop Summit revisited
April 24th, 2004
I spent the last two days at the Desktop Linux Summit 2004, sponsored by Linspire at the Del Mar Fairgrounds just north of San Diego, California.
Those who know me may be asking why a fellow with less than a year's experience using Linux on a full-time basis would be interested in attending such a conference.
It's because, even after such a short time as a regular Linux user, I've come to appreciate the complaints and concerns of those who are far more involved in the user's experience with this operating system. As I am currently without a job, spending two days at a summit seemed like a chance to meet with other penguin-lovers and gain some insight I could pass along to my friends at the forums of Scot Finnie's Newsletter and Lockergnome.
The best presentation of the entire event, in my own opinion, was given by Doc Searls (http://doc.weblogs.com/) . It was a follow-up to his presentation at last year's summit, which I'm sorry I missed. The point of his talk was that Linux needs to become the Chevy Cavalier of the operating system world. If that confuses you, good. Because that means you'll come back to read my expanded comments on his talk, and the others, that I'll be posting over the next couple of days.
It's was a fun two days. I met several interesting people and made up my mind that if at all possible I will be at next year's summit.
Bookmark this page...more to come soon on topics far and wide.
I spent the last two days at the Desktop Linux Summit 2004, sponsored by Linspire at the Del Mar Fairgrounds just north of San Diego, California.
Those who know me may be asking why a fellow with less than a year's experience using Linux on a full-time basis would be interested in attending such a conference.
It's because, even after such a short time as a regular Linux user, I've come to appreciate the complaints and concerns of those who are far more involved in the user's experience with this operating system. As I am currently without a job, spending two days at a summit seemed like a chance to meet with other penguin-lovers and gain some insight I could pass along to my friends at the forums of Scot Finnie's Newsletter and Lockergnome.
The best presentation of the entire event, in my own opinion, was given by Doc Searls (http://doc.weblogs.com/) . It was a follow-up to his presentation at last year's summit, which I'm sorry I missed. The point of his talk was that Linux needs to become the Chevy Cavalier of the operating system world. If that confuses you, good. Because that means you'll come back to read my expanded comments on his talk, and the others, that I'll be posting over the next couple of days.
It's was a fun two days. I met several interesting people and made up my mind that if at all possible I will be at next year's summit.
Bookmark this page...more to come soon on topics far and wide.
Blogged to death
I never seem to be able to slowly explore a new interest. I jump in with both feet, only to discover the water is much deeper than I expected. That's not always a bad thing...food and relationships come to mind as times when full immersion is a lot of fun and often rewarding.
But now that I'm trying to get into the swing of things with blogging, I find I've gotten a bit carried away. I currently have three blogs going. Unfortunately, my burned out little brain is fully taxed coming up with content for more than two. One would be ideal.
So my plan is to copy the contents of the one affiliated with my website over to this blog, then be content with two, with the goal of getting down to one eventually.
So the next few entries are actually older stuff. I'm including the original dates, to place them in context. And I'm transferring them over oldest to newest.
I know none of this is of any interest to you. Just be glad along with me that my blogging life is becoming a bit more organized and easier to maintain. And I hope you enjoy these spastic entries.
But now that I'm trying to get into the swing of things with blogging, I find I've gotten a bit carried away. I currently have three blogs going. Unfortunately, my burned out little brain is fully taxed coming up with content for more than two. One would be ideal.
So my plan is to copy the contents of the one affiliated with my website over to this blog, then be content with two, with the goal of getting down to one eventually.
So the next few entries are actually older stuff. I'm including the original dates, to place them in context. And I'm transferring them over oldest to newest.
I know none of this is of any interest to you. Just be glad along with me that my blogging life is becoming a bit more organized and easier to maintain. And I hope you enjoy these spastic entries.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
I've been Googled...
...in a sense. More accurately, I've sold my soul to them. It's almost funny when I think about it. I use Google search in Firefox constantly, use image search at least once a week, there's my Blogger blog owned by Google, my new Gmail account, and Orkut. I'm waiting for Google to open a retirement community, I'll move there immediately, despite retirement being a few years away yet. I'll move in while it's still a beta village, then send invitations to all my friends. We'll all have the best places, well before it becomes wildly popular...and Yahoo opens their own village down the road.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
One of those mornings
It's one of those mornings when sleeping just seems like a waste of time. Five hours ought to be enough, anyway. I couldn't sleep because suddenly I've got a whole lot on my mind. A partial solution to the unemployment situation was presented to me late last night, and of course my brain immediately went into overdrive looking at all the possibilities and permutations of the offer. It will involve selling advertising in a venue I believe in fully, so it's not like I'll be advocating something I don't support. But it will require time, and between my online commitments and school, I want to be sure I'll have the time required to do justice to the job. It will also involve working for a fellow I admire and would not want to disappoint. So I need to be sure that I can really do this job and do it as well as I want. It's often hard to work for family or friends. The work becomes more significant and personal. But I have high hopes that this may become a great opportunity not only to make a bit of money, but to get further involved in online technology. Beware: impending total geekiness ahead.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Gee, you've got mail...
Thanks to AdmiralJustin at Lockergnome, I now have a Google mail account. That makes two beta services from Google I'm involved with, the other being Orkut. What's cool about this is, one, I now have an email account with the same name as my web page (consistancy is the first step toward name recognition), and two, it should be nearly impossible to ever, in my lifetime, even approach the storage limit of this account.
As a former AOL beta tester (I've since received absolution), I don't mind trying out new apps and services. It's actually kind of fun to tweak things until they break, knowing that in doing so you're actually making it a better app or service for others down the road.
Does knowing that my emails will be scanned for the purpose of adding AdSense to every email I send out bother me? No. If I really wanted privacy for my email, I'd encrypt it. I just make sure I never send out anything I wouldn't want anyone else to see. Guess that disqualifies me from ever working at Enron.
So email me at jeberjabber@gmail.com. Let's take this puppy for a good, hard test drive.
As a former AOL beta tester (I've since received absolution), I don't mind trying out new apps and services. It's actually kind of fun to tweak things until they break, knowing that in doing so you're actually making it a better app or service for others down the road.
Does knowing that my emails will be scanned for the purpose of adding AdSense to every email I send out bother me? No. If I really wanted privacy for my email, I'd encrypt it. I just make sure I never send out anything I wouldn't want anyone else to see. Guess that disqualifies me from ever working at Enron.
So email me at jeberjabber@gmail.com. Let's take this puppy for a good, hard test drive.
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