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Tue, 18 Jul 2006
Upgrading by Deep Dependency
posted by Chip Witt
The technical analog to "Management by Shiny Object" would have to be "Upgrading by Deep Dependency". I am usually very quick to speak highly of Gentoo Linux as both a Linux distribution and general philosophy, but I have recently been stung by a requirement to upgrade a cascade of seemingly unrelated packages that ultimately "broke" my system in the performance of what I thought was a simple application update...an update intended to resolve a minor bug. Little did I know that I would very soon be begging for the minor annoyance of that bug to return just so I could have my life back. I've been a Gentoo user for at least 5 years, so I know that if I am frustrated, other less dedicated users must be leaving the distribution in droves.
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Wed, 21 Jun 2006
Correction: network-admin in Ubuntu
posted by Chip Witt
In my review of Ubuntu Linux 6.06 the other day, I mistakenly gave credit to the Ubuntu Team for the "Networking" applet (a.k.a. network-admin) I enjoyed so much. While it is probable Ubuntu contributed some code to create the proper "fit" for the version of the tool included with their recent release, the rightful credit for producing this useful tool should go to the Gnome Desktop developers. network-admin is part of the Gnome System Tools package, and is included along with several distros that use the Gnome Desktop. I had just not seen the current rev of the tool until my recent experience with Ubuntu. I guess I need to "get out" more.
My attribution error does not diminish the value of Ubuntu, or of the network-admin tool. I just wanted to clear up any confusion or ill will I may have generated.
Cheers,
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Mon, 19 Jun 2006
Kicking the Tires on Ubuntu Linux 6.06
posted by Chip Witt
As many already know, I am a die-hard Gentoo Linux user...I use it at work, at home, and anywhere else I have machines used (primarily by me) to "hack". Lately I've been hearing podcasts and reading weblogs that exclaim the virtues of Ubuntu Linux 6.06 as a desktop-user-friendly (read: suitable Windows replacement) distribution, so, despite my personal preferences, I decided it was high-time I take this Debian-based distribution for a test-drive.
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Tue, 13 Sep 2005
Linux, Laptops, and Projectors...Oh, My!
posted by Chip Witt
The time has come 'round once again where I will be regularly presenting information to hungry graduate students. This last Saturday marked the beginning of my second year teaching a business technology course in Dominican University of California's MBA Strategic Leadership Program, and the fourth year teaching in their Business Programs overall.
Last year I touted the benefits and usefulness of Linux in a business environment, but was not using Linux (or any other OpenSource programs) to present my slides in class. Instead, like so many others, I found it easiest to use my PowerBook running OS X, or to boot into the Windows partition of my PC laptop so that I could connect to a projector with very little fuss. I felt so much shame in leading this poor example that I set out to take corrective measures for this year's class. The following entry chronicles my trip down an interesting, but (still) bumpy road with the "modern" Linux, a laptop, and the configuration for using LCD projectors.
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Thu, 29 Jul 2004
Gentoo Linux 2004.2 Rocks!
posted by Chip Witt
I managed to give the latest Gentoo Linux a whirl just in time to rave about it at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in S.F. next week. I tried out a lot of the newer features they've bundled into the new x86 Universal LiveCD, and I'm here to tell you, I'm impressed.
The primary difference I appreciated most was the time that has been spent to massage and clarify the Gentoo Handbook. This serves as a complete reference to choosing an installation method, obtaining media, and getting you through the complex installation for whatever platform they support (more than most distributions) that you are using. When I first encountered this manual in preparation for installing version 1.2 several years ago, it was a sadder sight by far...incomplete, incorrect, and poorly worded througout. It was kind of like driving a Ferrari in rush hour traffic with both eyes closed. Exhilarating, dangerous, and frustrating. After going through the install several times with several versions, it seemed far less important to have good documentation than it was during the intimidating first time. The current manual is clear, and with a few minor exceptions particular to my personal preferences to building machines, very correct in its content. Although it is still not for the novice, it has a learning curve that is not nearly as steep as it once was. Good for the cow!
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Wed, 19 May 2004
Lack of "Official" Support for RH 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, or 9 Got Ya Down...?
posted by Chip Witt
If you're like me, the official end-of-life dates for operating systems never come at convenient times. I've either just recently got everything "just so", or don't have the time or resources to make an intelligently planned switch to something that is supported. Ah, but for those stuck in that boat with old, now, officially unsupported versions of Red Hat Linux, relief is just a few clicks away.
Red Hat made an official announcement that support for Red Hat Linux 9 ended as of April 30, 2004 (support for earlier versions ceased on January 1, 2004). After reading their suggested options, I decided to do a little research on alternatives (I had just arrived at one of those "just so" moments with a server I use for Web hosting at WETCatz, which placed me in a contrary mood upon hearing the news in March). Lucky me, I found an article referencing a community project that I had not yet heard of...The Fedora Legacy Project.
The Fedora Legacy Project's stated goals is, "to work with the Linux community to provide security and critical bug fix errata packages for select End of Life Red Hat Linux and Fedora Core distributions. This will allow for a longer effective life for those releases". This includes support for Red Hat Linux versions 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, and 9. Much useful information, as well as answers to most configuration questions are answered in their FAQ.
Now, I can wait until I want to upgrade my server(s) before actually having to upgrade. Thank you, TFLP!
Cheers,
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Thu, 15 Apr 2004
Linux, OSS, and other good stuff...
posted by Chip Witt
One of the simple pleasures of teaching is being able to expose people to things they might never have found on their own...or at least not as soon. This term I have experimented with Open Source in my business-level MIS course at Dominican University of California by making the evaluation of software from the TheOpenCD.org CD part of the midterm, and by providing extra-credit for the documentation of Linux "exploration " using the Knoppix CD over a five day (at least one hour per day) period. The experiment appears to be paying off, as I have consistently seen references to epiphanies in students' work highlighting changes in the view of strategic and knowledge systems in relation to the Open Source phenomenon.
The exposure to Open Source and Linux has given rise to more questions from some of my students wishing to explore further. Coincidentally, there have been several recent articles published online providing users and business decision makers with resources for making a switch to Open Source (most specifically Linux) from other proprietary options that I will not name here. To share what I have come across, I share these links below.
Tom's Hardware Guide began a multi-part series on the migration steps for moving to Linux late last month. The first part is here. The second part, published just this week, is here. IBM published a series of articles of its own looking at the more technical and organizational aspects of moving to Linux in an enterprise here. And if that wasn't enough information, you can find a comprehensive list of different Linux distributions, their target markets, and general descriptions here, compliments of those fine people over at Linux.org.
Just in case you are interested, the Linux distros I currently use are:
That's it for now. Cheers,
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Sat, 31 May 2003
Getting longer and longer between posts. With good reason...I swear. Between January and May I found myself in the position to teach a course in Management Information Systems at Dominican University. Along with my normal IT duties here and elsewhere, this left no time to "contemplate my navel", as they say in the philosophical disciplines. Happily, I have regained some "quiet time", and can once again begin to focus on my geeky, dark arts.
My day gig has found me up to my neck in Macs, and has leant itself to developing an eerie comfort with these oddly religious relics. I've owned a Ti Powerbook or two for a couple of years now just 'cause they're extremely cool and can run Linux, but I've most recently developed a true and deep appreciation for what Apple has accomplished with their development of OSX.
Used to be I hated Macs because I hated the old MacOS. It was user friendly. To a fault. It lacked the built-in "magic" necessary for my needs, and thus I had little patience for trying to understand how best to make it suit the needs of others. I have often jokingly stated that Microsoft's only edge over Apple way back in the day was to have the marketing foresight to see value in adding an FTP and telnet client in the default OS installation. Two tools that one could not do without in the modern computing world. Realistically, though, Microsoft was late to this party too...realizing only after much time passed that, despite claims of providing modern comforts for users, they still fell well short in basic functionality compared to their UNIX brethren.
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