Category: development

It’s articles like these that make me think. You know, I love Linux. I also love OS X and have no real hatred for Windows (I do have real hatred for Microsoft). The point of the editorial is basically to watch out for Linux on the desktop. Ummm, duh. Just the other day at Lowe’s buying paint, I caught a glimpse of the terminal in the wallpaper department… Linux on a small IBM machine running XWindows. That is how Linux will grow on the desktop. I think Linux is perfect for single application terminals / limited use in stores, or other places where those using the computer should have 1) no ability to change the functions of the machine or 2) limited access to functionality outside of the intended use. So, for a call center, you could give each rep access to a web browser, like Mozilla, with e-mail and web browsing, their own home directory with a disk quota for bookmarks and documents, and put your customer tracking database online behind a firewall. Voila, no site-wide Windows License and almost perfect security.

When I was in tech support, we made a hobby of breaking the Windows Policy Editor settings that were supposed to keep us from running our own applications. We ALWAYS found a way around them. In Linux, those functions can be removed from the terminal completely, and each user will only be able to run applications in the directory they’re assigned.

The problem with adopting Linux across an enterprise is converting the business folks who 1) aren’t geeky, and 2) set in their ways when it comes to Microsoft Office. I fear the conversion for them will never happen, unless Microsoft’s licensing scheme becomes completely overbearing and financially unbearable. Even then, I think that business folks might start looking at OS X as an option (ok that’s COMPLETELY wishful thinking).

As enterprises become more creative, and Microsoft charges more and more for licenses, Linux will make gains. First at the bottom levels of organizations where it’s easy to dictate to the user base what they will use to perform their job functions.

Personally, I don’t use Linux day-to-day as my desktop. I like Gnome, and it’s perfectly servicable for navigating through installed programs. I’m still a slave to Windows, although I find myself using my Powerbook and Quiksilver G4 with OS X more and more. I may make the switch eventually. It’s about inertia and having benefits of switching that outweight the time involved in learning new behavior. That’s the key. If I haven’t switched, and I’m a geek, I can’t expect the non-geeks out there to switch.

Unfortunately, it’s up to the Linux community and associated companies to provide that incentive, or Microsoft’s to keep providing cons for using their’s. The linux community has proven it can innovate, drive new technologies and make a difference. The linux desktop still has a ways to go, and a few more apps to provide. I honestly believe it will get there and Linux will start challenging Windows outside of the data center where Linux is already making huge inroads.

The problem with writing about this is that there are so many things to say on the topic. I think this is a topic for the Geekery. I think I’ll start a decision guide, and a “Here’s What I Would Use For X” doc. Not sure where it will go, but I guess we’ll find out.

You know what I love ZDNet’s TalkBack feature? It doesn’t matter what the article, the rhetoric is the same. Every single article seems to break down into the same argument. I just couldn’t resist this one though: News: Xbox goes online… with Linux

I posted yesterday about VirtualPC and how slow it was. It’s still slow, but not a complete loss. I was playing around yesterday, trying to get RedHat installed on a new virtual drive. It was taking FOREVER, so I put the machine to sleep in the middle of the install. I came in this morning, woke it up, and what happened? The install kept right on going. Well done.

I’ve always loved the idea of VirtualPC. But, in practice, it doesn’t quite live up to the hype. I got work to pony up for VirtualPC 5 w/ Windows 98 (which was waiting for me when I got back). It’s all installed on my lovely Powerbook. The problem is it’s dog slow. This was my experience with the 3.0 on my previous Mac. I love the idea of being able to build a new site on my Mac with BBEdit and then pop open Windows 98 to see how it looks in IE without having to switch machines. Now it’s possible, but it’s so slow, it’s almost not worth it. Keep it up, Connectix, you’ll get there eventually.

In a different life, I worked in Tech Support. My friends set up a site called Tech Hell where we all posted sad and depraved stories of calls we had to answer. Some of them have been published in a book called Techmares. One of my stories (maybe more than one) is featured in Chapter 3. How cool is that?

And on the “why haven’t you been posting” front, I pulled a bunch of muscles in my neck this weekend carrying Max around Target (he’s big now). He was leaning over the whole time forcing my head forward at an odd angle. It didn’t hurt at the time, but as soon as I got him down, I couldn’t move my head back to its normal resting location. I could only turn maybe 15 – 20 degrees either left or right, and was in a great deal of pain. So, I spent all weekend on the couch with heating pads around my body. I went to the chiropractor yesterday morning and found I’d only been making it worse with heat. So, after much pain and contortions over two days, I’m covered in ice packs. But, I can turn my head almost all the way; I can type; the pain is gone from my right side and all that’s left to fix is my left side.

So, that’s why I was gone. Good excuse, huh?

If you blog, check out BlogTree (my branch). I’m not usually into memes, but I think this one could be really interesting, not only in giving credit to those who inspired us to get started, but in seeing the growth of the blog community and a timeline. Go check it out.

If someone really had it together, I mean if someone really had it together, they’d build a message board module for Movable Type. Then, Movable Type would be pretty much the perfect Intranet system. Everyone in the group could have a blog, and you could create message boards where everyone could collaborate, ask questions, etc. Wouldn’t that be cool? Now, if someone would just get off their butts and learn Perl, it could happen. Yeah, sure.

So, my favorite thing about Movable Type so far is the modules. My whole pages are modular, and I love it. I can change one file and rebuild, and it changes everywhere. You wanna see? Here’s my homepage template:

<$MTInclude module="pageHeader"$>
<$MTInclude module="menuHeader"$>
<$MTInclude module="menuLastTenOffset"$>
<$MTInclude module="menuLinks"$>
<$MTInclude module="menuFooter"$>
<$MTInclude module="blogHeader"$>
<!-- start entries -->
<$MTInclude module="blogFrontPage"$>
<!-- end entries -->
<$MTInclude module="blogFooter"$>
<$MTInclude module="pageFooter"$>

And the stylesheet’s even better. Change one file, and I can change pretty much anything I want about the layout. I love the web. You’d think after all this time, I’d get bored and go do something else. But nope, still hooked.

More random goodness, it’s a mechanical dinosaur!!

Here’s a tip for all you frustrated pixel pushers who really really want to love CSS but can’t seem to get things where you want them: using margin, margin-left, margin-right, margin-top, margin-bottom is just as good as top, left, right and bottom. In some cases, it’s better. Why? Because IE for Windows 5 and 6, IE for Mac 5.x, Mozilla (and therefore Netscape 6.x and 7) all seem to support margin attributes equally. So, if you want something positioned 10 to the left and 10 down, don’t use top:10px; left:10px. Use margin:0px; margin-left:10px;margin-top:10px; Trust me, it works. When the new lawver.net launches in a couple weeks (that my new deadline for the big launch – 8/1), you’ll see. I’ve finally figured out how to get a groovy menu on the right without killing myself, and margins did it. Yessiree bob, I love me some margins. I love me some padding too, but that’s a whole different story.