Yes, I’m a former English teacher, and I tend to be a stickler about word choice, phrasing, and grammar. I’m not ridiculous, though. If you want to split your infinitives, I really couldn’t care less. If you say you could care less when you really couldn’t care less, then I’ll get irritated. But I don’t… Continue reading Sometimes I will get PC about “PC”
Category: Ubuntu
How did Ubuntu end up so popular?
No one has hard numbers, of course, but based on how much it’s talked about on the web, Ubuntu appears to be the most popular Linux distribution for home use (as opposed to for servers). Every tech news article about Linux mentions Ubuntu and will often recommend Ubuntu to new users. Many YouTube videos about… Continue reading How did Ubuntu end up so popular?
Users tend not to read pop-up balloons
Moving from Windows to Linux can be a harrowing experience. One who does this may experience culture shock and then frustration at not being able to do things the way she was used to doing them. Every now and then (through Ubuntu Brainstorm, a blog post, or a Ubuntu Forums thread) I’ll read a Ubuntu… Continue reading Users tend not to read pop-up balloons
Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) on the Eee PC
Geek Warning: If you don’t use Linux or Ubuntu, a lot of this will sound like gobbledygook. As much as possible, I wanted to give the Asus Eee PC’s default operating system (a tweaked Xandros Linux) a chance. If I were another user (my mom, for example), it would be sufficient—good even. And that’s how… Continue reading Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) on the Eee PC
The writers who cried YOTLD
If you have followed tech news closely at all within the last ten years, you’ve probably heard the phrase year of the Linux desktop before. This is the year that Linux makes a breakthrough with home users, and suddenly Microsoft’s dominant market share comes toppling down. I believe people have been proclaiming various years as… Continue reading The writers who cried YOTLD
My online alter ego
Most people who know me in person (what some people refer to as “in real life”) don’t know that I have an online alter ego. Participating in a social networking site like Facebook does not mean you have an online alter ego (unless the people you are “friends” with are people you’ve never met in… Continue reading My online alter ego
Linux for home users – stop the hype!
I’m an open source advocate who has been using Ubuntu for the past three years and just bought my first Linux-preinstalled computer (with Xandros instead of Ubuntu, but that’s okay), but I hate it when people hype up Linux to Windows users. I’m not talking about Linux for embedded devices or Linux for web servers.… Continue reading Linux for home users – stop the hype!
The truth about open source and piracy
There are a lot of stereotypes about Linux users as socially awkward too-long-bearded 30-somethings living in their parents’ basements hacking illegally into government servers and indulging in “free” software that’s really pirated software. After all, isn’t that why Linux users use filesharing programs like Frostwire or visit sites like PirateBay? The truth is that many… Continue reading The truth about open source and piracy
Goodbye, Cowon; Hello again, Sandisk
My Cowon iAudio 7 crapped out on me after three months. I’m extremely disappointed, since both “official” (CNET and the like) and user reviews for it appear to all be positive. Well, I’m sorry to say that my experience is not. So either I happened to have the fluke lemon unit, or other people are… Continue reading Goodbye, Cowon; Hello again, Sandisk
What do grocery stores and operating systems have in common?
Who would have ever thought I’d be comparing Trader Joe’s to Ubuntu? Well, in recent years, a lot of the grocery stores in our neighborhood have been closing down, so Trader Joe’s is one of the few still around. When my wife and I started shopping there originally, we made a regular habit of shopping… Continue reading What do grocery stores and operating systems have in common?