(A tall gringo sticking out like a sore thumb in Machu Picchu, Peru)
Other pictures from the Great Peruvian Excursion of 2007
This is the corner of cyberspace inhabited by Terrell Prude', Jr. and his friends. I use it to host email and Web service for certain people that I think are cool.
I'm a Free Software advocate and have been "Microsoft Free Since 2003", as my email signature sometimes says. Free Software is not just technically excellent--though it surely is that--but it is also a form of exercising and demanding your right to basic civil freedoms. It's much more than just "open source."
I am a fan of LTSP, especially
in education. I am also a minor warrior in the fight against email spam
and have written an article or two on the subject.
While I personally have way too many computers already (what true geek doesn't?), if I needed another one, I'd certainly buy one of these. Yes, they run Linux...and yes, they're rock-solid.
A Review of Fedora 8 on the PowerPC Architecture
Yes, a Fedora 9 PPC article is in the works...once I can
get the GUI to actually start up!
Reducing Spam with OpenBSD and spamd (Part 1 of a 2-part series)
Installing and Configuring OpenBSD spamd (Part 2 of a 2-part series)
Watching DVDs on any GNU/Linux Distribution-HOWTO
GNU/Linux on the desktop--one MCSE's experiences
The OLPC "Controversy" regarding wireless chipset documentation
This is an article by Dave Gutteridge describing why so many people
continue to use MS Windows, Dreamweaver, and other proprietary
software. It's because it's still so easy to pirate it. Despite some
press releases to the contrary, Microsoft doesn't really want
to stop piracy. Highly recommended reading; Mr. Gutteridge clearly gets
it. I have seen exactly the same thing here in the United States that
he aparently is seeing in Japan.
Why So Many People Continue with Proprietary Software--One Major Factor
This is a piece by R. Scott Belford, Founder and Director of the Hawaii
Open Source Education Foundation (HOSEF). As one who deals with
schools a lot, he has noticed an interesting phenomenon that he calls
"OPM Addiction," especially in public schools. I had heard this term
many times from my Dad growing up. It dovetails very nicely with Dave
Gutteridge's article.
This is something that we, as taxpayers, need to hold our school boards accountable for.
"OPM Addiction" in Public Schools
This article by Richard Stallman describes the dangers in succumbing to the above. The issue is "social inertia," as Stallman describes it, and he nails human nature spot-on. He describes perfectly why so many people casually pirate software. Microsoft counts on this "social inertia" to keep its monopoly. We must fight this. Using GNU/Linux or a BSD operating system (e. g. OpenBSD) is one very effective way to do so.
Michael Robertson, of Linspire (nee Lindows) and MP3.com fame, did a
great piece on why OEM's continue to blare "we recommend Microsoft
Whatever" on their Web sites. It's not because Microsoft software
is better (it's not). Rather, it's because of annual kickbacks
and "co-marketing dollars" that Microsoft gives to these big OEM's like
HP, Dell, Gateway, etc. It's much like how big-money lobbyists in
the United States donate to both the Democratic and Republican
parties. The implied threat is, "if you don't tow our line, we'll
cut off our money supply--but only to you, not your competitors--and you'll thus lose in the election/marketplace." Hmm...sounds a lot like OPM Addiction....
The real reason OEM's keep saying "we recommend Microsoft"
The Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP). This is how businesses should be setting up their LAN's.
The K12 Linux Terminal Server Project (K12LTSP). This is how schools should be setting up their LAN's. It is a turnkey LTSP setup, using Red Hat's Fedora GNU/Linux. There is also an "Enterprise Linux" version using CentOS, which is what I use at home. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
The OpenBSD Project. This is my
primary tool against email spammers. With OpenBSD, I have achieved a
99.5% spam rejection rate. This is just with OpenBSD's spamd program;
it's so effective that I do not currently use SpamAssassin or any other
server-side tools. Despite the project leader's well-known acidity, the
OpenBSD team's commitment to Free Software, security, and open
specifications cannot be denied. Through their amazing work, they have
helped the online community immensely.
The OpenOffice.org Office Suite.
This is Free Software's answer to Microsoft Office. Available for
GNU/Linux, MS Windows, and Mac OS X, OpenOffice.org is a true drop-in
replacement for Microsoft Office. I use it at work all the time
with all my MS Office-using colleagues, and they have no idea that I'm
using "something different." It's that seamless. I haven't
used MS Office in five years...I haven't had to.
Why Dell and Apple don't include OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Works or AppleWorks is beyond me.
The Mozilla Firefox Web Browser. This is the browser that everybody should be using, especially Microsoft Windows users. Internet Exploder is just too insecure and is a vector for far too many malware attacks.
The Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client. This is my favorite email client, not only because it works exceedingly well, but also because its junk mail filter is the best client-side junk filter I've seen yet. In my case, it doesn't get very much exercise, thanks to the OpenBSD spamtrap mentioned previously.
The GNU Project. Without the GNU Project, started by Richard M. Stallman, the Free Software Movement as we know it would not exist. I thank him and the FSF every day that I use a computer. In January 2007, I finally joined the FSF as a card-carrying member, and I am firmly behind the new GNU General Public License, Version 3. If we don't fight for and defend our basic civil freedoms, including those involving computers and technology, then we deserve what we get.
Email
spammers can
email
me
at any
of
these
locations.
