Something Swift this way comes…

Well will wonders never cease? Stick a thermometer in the ground. Hell just froze over. I’ve got a legitimate post for the “Linux” category.

I read the swiffer-wet-jet’s article. Interesting. I downloaded the latest distribution of Knoppix, loaded it on a CD and said “what the fuck can it hurt?”. I loaded it. I must admit, I’m pretty impressed. It loaded my sound drivers no problem. It did not load the keyboard controls FOR those sound drivers, but that’s after the fact. It loaded video, no issue, and it loaded network, no issue. The media player is damn near identical to winamp, and after exploring to find where my music WAS (external hard drive has a USB icon, not an HD icon, that took some figuring) it played my music flawlessly….to an extent. The drivers for the sound card are apparently “Joint Stereo” not the 5.1 surround. The left rear and left front had exactly the same sound…the right rear and right front had exactly the same sound…and the center had no volume at all. I didn’t check the sub. I assume because my eardrums didn’t burst from the treble that it worked fine. Internet. It’s firefox. I use that now. I found that to be far better than that konquerer stuff that was in there…and happily went for the firefox. Now, given that this was Knoppix, and not an HD install, I couldn’t fullly load the Flash plugins etc to make stuff like myspace and youtube work to their full extent….and I’d like to learn how to do that with knoppix (HINT HINT..COUGH COUGH…JAMIE..HINT HINT)…but again, that’s after the fact, and I have full confidence it would work flawlessly having seen it run everything else. Gaim..the instant messsaging client…seems to work very well on Linux…in fact it runs better on Linux than it’s windows counterpart, which I do have, have used, and have uninstalled due to it’s buggy bullshit and it’s inability to keep a connection. Score one for the SourceForge boys there. I’m still fuzzy on the whole ‘/’ and ‘mnt’ thing but once i figured out that there was ‘c’ and ‘d’ in the actual shortcuts on the desktop…it seemed to be okay. Momentary frustration figuring that out…but it worked okay…. Now to go digging a little….what’s this thing that looks like a tic tac toe board in the taskbar…four desktops…bleh..who needs it….mental note…figure out how to get that thing to go away….menus…fairly straightforward…photoshop….OH FUCK…no photoshop….what was that shit swiffer called it….GIMP..that’s it…hell that’s what my boss calls me. That can’t be good. Okay…load that….hrmmm….looks like a photoshop clone….not sure if that’s good or bad….eh – standard tools…looks like it could possibly…possibly do the trick with some learning…will play with that more… Office. I have office 2007 on my computer. I like it. A lot. The open office leaves a LOT to be desired, but I’m fucked on the sheer fact that I’m a gui-guru…and I like the 2007 interface. And then it happened…..from the other room…I heard it “MOTHERFUCKER…ARGGGHHH!!!” Amy…my wife. Frustration that her computer (which the swiffer and myself not-so-tenderly franken-putered back together in several attempts) shut down…again….BSOD…again. “I want somethign that will fucking work long enough to check my email” she said. Eh…what the hell. Got nothin else to lose. I’m already not getting laid until I fix her computer anyway, right? Might as well confuse her in the process. Popped my knoppix CD out….stuck it in her CD Drive and hit that dreaded ‘reset’ button….while mine was re-loading windows. It booted…perfectly…on hers. Loaded sound…loaded video…loaded everything. No crash. No Smash. No Frustrated Wife….hey….wait a second….. I sat amy down in front of the computer…running linux from a CD…and backed away slowly as the funny looks came to her face…came in here and signed back on to windows…said “either she’ll go for it or she won’t”…in about three minutes…she popped up on messenger….so that means she found the gaim client – and successfully set up at least a yahoo account…on her own (she’s by no means stupid, she just hates new stuff). and then she said “oh…I got an email”..she’s on webmail…which means she found the internet…and it works…so…….it looks like I’ve pacified her long enough to get to circuitboard and get her a laptop…it’s got sound, email, myspace, internet and messenger…and it’s not crashing….she’s happy..and so am I! So..I came back in here….burned myself another knoppix disc, and will spend until midnight noodling with it and typing out a post for this blog I thought I’d never post. And yes, you can check it if you have the means to do so. It was posted from a linux browser. That’s one small step for Steve-O….one giant ego trip for the swiffer.. Shut Up Jamie.

Okay, this isn’t going to be a flame war, not even close. Steveo, you’re right, there /is/ a problem with linux, and it’s in the image. I’ll admit, I’m a huge proponent of linux, and everyone that talks to me for more than 5 minutes knows it. And no, I’m not going to get pissy about the picture, as I think it’s funny, and if you’ll read the comment I left on steveo’s post, and the subsequent article, you’ll see why. Now, on to the problem with linux. The problem is in the image that has been built up around Linux, generally by two seperate factions: Microsoft users that know nothing about Linux (and generally very little about how an OS works), and the Linux Zealots (people like me and worse, people who sneer at anyone who uses anything they deem ‘lesser’).

I’m going to deal with these in reverse order. Zealots first: You’ll notice that I lump myself in as part of the problem. That’s because I realized some time back that I was being part of the problem. Nobody wants to be thought of as dumb, stupid, less worthy, or in any way have a bad light cast on themselves. As a linux zealot I have done that before, without even meaning to. Yes, I despise windows, I hate everything which they stand for and I think they overcharge for a piece of shit operating system and then do unconscionable things to their customers – who’ve already paid through the nose for a piece of closed source, proprietary software that they are then vendor-locked into using. In the linux circles we call these people ’sheeple’…because they’ll swallow any lie told them by Microsoft – they would jump off of Cliff v2.1 if Uncle Bill told them that’s what was good for them. And while all of that may well be true…who likes being told that they’ve been a moron for the past 20 years? Better still, what kind of moron tries to prosteletize people by calling them fucking morons? “Hey won’t you join my club, you blithering idiot??” Yeah…doesn’t work so well for me either. So, that’s why I’ve backed down off of stuff. Rae helped me realize that I was being an idiot about it when she finally started heaving great big sighs and saying ‘here we go…’ whenever I would talk about linux. So now when someone asks me a computer question and it gets around to operating system I just say ‘I don’t use Microsoft….I use linux’. If people want to ask me why or ask questions, then I can answer their questions, but it does not behoove me to rub ash on my forehead and dress in sackcloth and start beating my breast about the apocalypse of microsoft – It’s a waste of my breath and it actually turns away more people than it garners to the open source community. So now, by backing off, I’ve been able to mention small things to people like Rae and my sister Bru – both people initially dead set against linux, that has gotten them interested enough that they’re actually considering trying it out…and what more can I really ask for?

The second group of people – first in the list – that have hurt the linux image are the microsoft users who either know nothing about linux or about how an Operating System actually works. Steveo falls into this category, along with my wife, my parents, and most of the people I and, likely, you know. This is not to say that these people are not technically saavy – do not think that’s what I’m saying. I’m not. But they have a very narrowly limited slice of knowledge. For example – Take Steveo, simply because you know and love him just like I do. Steveo is a genius when it comes to photoshopping the shit out of an image, he really is. But if you ask him how to scan for open ports on your system, or what type of protocol DHCP or DNS uses, or how you set up a home based DNS stub server, then chances are you’ll get a good bit of mumbling and either a blank stare or a promise to research it….most likely something in between – usually a referral, because, well, we work like that in the field of computers. You scratch my back, and I’ll pass you a problem I know you can probably solve. Now, Steveo, he knows a metric assload about different subjects on the computer…shit I could no doubt tell you absolutely nothing about. But…Steveo doesn’t know much about linux. He’s got an image in his mind that has been cultivated by Microsoft and other Windows users. This idea, this image, is that Linux is hard to use. It’s sooooo different from what Microsoft is, and Microsoft is ‘easy’ to use, so Linux has to be completely difficult to use! Actually the truth lies in a slightly different direction from that. The truth is simple: Linux is no easier or harder to use than Microsoft. (that’s not /exactly/ true, but stick with me for a minute) Linux simply is, as Microsoft simply is. Now, the untrue part of that is this: To use linux for more than browsing the internet, writing papers, doing email, blogging, listening to music, stuff like that, you have to rearrange how you think about how you interact with the operating system. It’s really no different than sliding behind the wheel of a car you’re unfamiliar with – you take some time to orient yourself with the controls, usually after you’ve already started driving it. Find the lights, test the gear shift, make sure the tree is the same as yours if it’s a manual, how many gears does it have, check for any warning lights, where are the wipers at, adjust the mirrors and the seat so you’re more comfortable. Linux is just like that. now the fact that you have to relearn some things about the operating system…that’s not as bad as you thought is it? Nope. In fact, when you upgraded from Windows9x to XP, you had to virtually relearn the OS all over again, didn’t you? Yeah…not everything was where you anticipated it, shit had been changed around, and guess what? It will be again. Vista’s the same way…they’re going to change stuff around within Vista (and Office 2007) so that it’ll be subtly different enough that you’ll have to relearn steps. Learning linux for the standard user is pretty much the same way. There is no more C:\ drive….but there is this funny thing called ‘/’. If you grok that C:\ is the root of your file tree in Windows and / is the root of your filetree in linux, then you can draw a comparison. Of course there are other differences beyond filesystem heirarchy, but that’s a perfect example. And yes, you have to look for programs that do what you want them to in linux, or use some sort of emulation software like WINE, Xen, or VMware…until major vendors realize that Linux isn’t going to go anywhere and start writing their apps for linux, that’s going to be the way it is….the good news is this: There are apps out there that can do pretty much everything that you do in Windows. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to find a program that does exactly what you want it to do right off the bat. I can attest to that with the struggles I’ve had trying to get my webcam up and running for use with the Yahoo protocol. But, the secret is this: the more people that use linux and ask the developers for features, the more programs will be written for, or tailored to, those users. However…ask yourself this: when you’re using Microsoft, does it always do everything that you want it to do, the way you want it done, the first time you try to get it to do that? The answer is probably ‘No’. In fact, I bet Steveo could probably give a hellaciously long tutorial on tips and tricks on how to tweak photoshop to get it to do what you want it to do since – you guessed it! – it doesn’t come set up straight out of the box exactly like everybody likes it. And that whole ‘Well, windows works with every piece of hardware’ argument? Piffle. I can say after the many years of building and troubleshooting computers that windows definitely does /not/ recognize every piece of hardware out there. And that is an ironclad bitch when you’re trying to install drivers for a Network card that you can only get from (where else??!?) the Internet. Compared to Windows, Linux has one of the best driver bases (especially for nic cards) that I’ve /ever/ seen, and they come on the disk that you install from 99.9999% of the time.

The point is simply this: The image that is there is a false one. Linux is what it is. Yes, originally it was written by programmers, for programmers, but by this date it has become so much more. Yes, you can do virtually anything with linux that you want to. But that’s beside the point. The image is one that has been built up by careless people on both sides. You’ve been told by Microsoft that linux is evil….but Microsoft would of course say that about their competition. What sane business wouldn’t try to get you to stay with them instead of trying out their competitor. The thing you have to ask yourself is this: Would you entrust your business to a company that lies about the competition, lies about their own abilities to produce bug-free software, and lies to you about its licensing structures forcing people to sometimes have to buy two and three licenses for one peice of hardware they’ve run it on? I know that I wouldn’t, but that’s just me personally. People ask me why I prefer linux over microsoft? Simply this: Microsoft doesn’t do what I need it to, and linux stands for something that I can believe in.

As an aside, for those of you who wonder about things like this, here’s a small list of programs that I run on my linux desktop:

Open Office – Office suite comparable to Microsoft Office (yes it can handle MSOffice formats)

The Gimp – Gnu Image Manipulation Program (photoshop style program for linux)

Gaim – Instant Messenger that handles most IM protocols (Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, IRC, Jabber, AOL, etc.)

Skype – Voice over IP telephony.

Firefox – Internet web browser

Blender – 3d image modeler

Tinyfugue – mush client

All the above programs work in windows as well as linux. Please note that Skype is not Open Source software, but it is free software.

Amarok – MP3/OGG/FLAC media player

Evolution – email/groupware suite with calendaring capabilities, memo’ing, and task’ing.

Beryl – Window manager

Gnome – Desktop environment

Vim – text editor

Akreggator – Rss feed reader

Xchat – IRC client

Mplayer – Movie/video player

Etc.

There are (obviously) lots of programs out there, these are only a few that I use, and of all the ones I use, those are only a few that exist en toto for linux. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave one, and yeah, I know, this was a really long post. Maybe I’m done talking for a while. As I get time later, I’ll likely add linky goodness to the aforementioned programs’ respective websites.

It took me five minutes to post this. I had to restart five times before it would allow me to post this. Hope that cheered you up old man.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball. What can you do when this happens? Sometimes all you can do is stand there and get run down by a freight train….other times you can sidestep it and watch as it rolls past you. I haven’t figured out which I’ve done yet, but it feels like this freight train has run me down. Add on top of things the fact that I’ve got a cold – something I never get…okay, well, /rarely/ get, and it leaves me in a particularly weakened state.

Rae is right, I’m a humongous suck when I’m sick. I can’t help it….I’m so rarely sick that I don’t know how to handle it, so I end up being really pathetic. *shrugs* It’s what I know. And yes, I know that some of you are going ‘huh? WTF? What are you talking about??’ well, sometimes this place is just good for me to do random ramblings, and you just have to ride along with me. Maybe when I’m not so sick I’ll make more sense. Of course most of you are saying ‘yeah, well, you’d have to post to make sense.’ yeah, well, screw you too buddy. I know I haven’t posted. The reasons being: sometimes I sit here wanting to post and not knowing what to write about because, let’s face it, my life has a boring rythm…a grinding sameness from day to day that would bore the tits off a hog. And yes, I revert to my southern roots when I’m sick. Don’t like it? Tough..it’s what I’ve got.

On the good side of things, I’m helping my monkeybru get a laptop and get a wireless net connection set up at her house. She’s finally catching up with the year 2000 techwise! WOOT (ya know I love ya monkey, but I’ve gotta pick on ya just a bit). My bro Debarry only has the rest of this year left in school and then he can begin his masterplan of genetically engineering a monkey with four asses! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!! We could take over the world bro.

My folks are doing well, staying as healthy as they can, though mom still works too hard. What can I say? I got it honest. Most of my friends don’t let me talk about how lazy I am…they tell me I work too hard, that I need to take a break. Well you monkeys, you got your wish, I got sick and now I’m taking a break! Maybe I should slow down, learn to take it easy…but I won’t. Yeah, you saw that coming. Nobody else to get shit done, so I’m the one that does it. That’s okay. Anyways, I’ve rambled enough from one topic to the next, skimming over the surface, not actually delving deep into any one subject. What can I say? I am, afterall, a window made of broken glass.

Love you guys,

S

In 2004, when guitarist Edward Van Halen and his drummer counterpart brother, Alex, joined forces after nearly eight years with popular front man Sammy Hagar to tour North America, the press was everywhere. CNN covered the event on both the internet and television. Newspapers around the country flocked to arenas to see if it was really true. Now, in 2007, as word from the band’s official web site enters the world that original lead singer David Lee Roth has rejoined the band for a forty date tour of North America, and the announcement of the band’s upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, Van Halen fans are left wondering, “where’s all the hoopla now?”. Indeed it seems that there may be a dim air of discontent surrounding the bands’ reunion with their prodigal son, as some fans looked upon the press release with a bitter distaste. “In 2004, we got new pictures, a web site update, new music, and interviews with all the band members” said a fan “Now we get a multi-color text release, no pictures, and one line from Eddie, and not even any new music to support on tour…it’s a little disappointing.” Some fans hesitate to believe the announcement without proof, and some yet are more reluctant to believe it until the band actually performs together. Said another fan, “When I actually see them on stage together, and they make it through an entire show, I’ll call it a reunion”. Fans are also reluctant to commit to a band who they feel may be unable to coexist with each other offstage and is only reuniting for the financial value of the tour. Namesake Edward Van Halen was reported to have been intoxicated on stage during several of the 2004 shows, and singer Sammy Hagar refused to work further with Van Halen until “Ed gets help”. Despite taking $55 million dollars, it was revealed in Rolling Stone that the promoters had actually lost money on the tour. The final date on the tour appeared to bring tensions between Van Halen and Sammy Hagar to the surface, culminating in Van Halen violently smashing his guitar before leaving the stage on the last date. Some say Hagar’s refusal to further associate with Van Halen forced a reunion with Roth, a reunion that does not include original bass player Michael Anthony, who was ousted from the band last year for touring with Hagar. The two toured as “The Other Half”, which some consider an insult to the legacy of the band. Anthony also stated that Eddie regularly performed in an alcoholic stupor. “I hate to talk smack about anyone in the band or whatever, but, y’know,” said Anthony, “Eddie, you know, he’s still doing a bit of drinking and everything. There were nights where it was kind of like a rollercoaster, up or down, and myself, I would have liked to have seen him totally clean up if we were going to take this further”. The roll of bass player on this tour, however, isn’t being filled by a studio musician, or even Randy Jackson. Van Halen has tapped his son, Wolfgang, to be the new bass player for the band. “Wolfgang breathes life into what we’re doing.” said Van Halen. “He brings youthfulness to something that’s inherently youthful. He’s only been playing bass for 3 months, but it’s spooky. He’s locked tight and puts an incredible spin on our (work). To have my son follow in my footsteps on his own, without me pushing him into it, is the greatest feeling in the world.” Persistent rumors indicated that the Van Halen brothers were in talks with David Lee Roth to rejoin the band for a tour and/or new material. In the February 2007 edition of Guitar World magazine, Van Halen again talked about working with Roth during the summer of 2007, and the recent announcement seems to confirm, officially, what everyone else already knew. Van Halen is back…but for how long? Still, the press frenzy of 2004 doesn’t seem to be repeating itself. On a day when the entertainment industry could be buzzing with anticipation of this new reunion and tour, the biggest headline seems to be “Don’t kill off Harry Potter”