elsteve.com/computer

I like computers. In particular, computers running free software.

I was farm raised on Macintosh, then moved on to Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, then Microsoft Windows 2000. I discovered GNU/Linux back in 2000 when I was interested in running a web server. My first web server ran on Red Hat Linux.

I was drawn further into GNU/Linux when I wanted to use LaTeX for writing technical documents. I found that working in a pure GNU/Linux environment made things easier than running a mish mash of free and non-free software programs on the non-free Microsoft Windows. I found GNU/Linux to be easier, more fun, and more productive. GNU/Linux gave me more control over my computer, and I found it crashing rarely. When running lengthy simulations, my computer remained snappy and responsive allowing me to do many things at once. I also found the free software community of users and developers knowlegable and helpful.

Then I learned about the philosophy of free software. To me, these principles make good sense, so now—for better or worse—I'm an advocate, and I have a poster, and I have a sticker, and I have an emblem.

Basically, I run Ubuntu, use Konsole, Vim, LaTeX, Octave, Firefox, KPDF, OpenOffice.org, Xfig, Evolution, rsync, Gnuplot, Gnucash, The GIMP, and so on. I encourage you to try free software too!

Below are some articles, notes and links.

Articles

20070610: It's Time to Consider Open Source Software
20070320: Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software
20070312: Linspire to be Based on Kubuntu, first Ubuntu-based distro to have Click and Run
20070312: The French Parliament switches to Ubuntu
20070305: ODF threat to Microsoft in US governments grows
20070212: IBM to lower cost of using Linux, Apple PCs
20070208: French kids get open source on USB
20070208: Russian Schools to Switch to Linux After Microsoft Piracy Case
20070118: Kerala's draft IT policy released (Another Indian State Moving To FOSS)
20060508: Linus vs. Tanenbaum
20060404: The unabridged selective transcript of Richard M Stallman's talk at the ANU
20060228: BSD vs Linux
20060111: Microsoft vs. Computer Security: Why the software giant still can't get it right
20060109: Switching to Windows: Not as easy as you think
20051102: Opinion: Is free software communist?
20051012: Gary Edwards: OpenOffice.org 2.0 leaping over legacy lockdown with clean XML
20050901: Massachusetts software switch set to hit Microsoft
20050830: Opinion: Five reasons NOT to use Linux
20050627: Norwegian Minister: Proprietary Formats No Longer Acceptable in Communication with Government
20050609: Richard Stallman's Guardian article: Patent absurdity
20050614: Stanford's Lawrence Lessig's The People Own Ideas!; the University of Chicago's Richard A. Epstein's rebuttal, The Creators Own Ideas; then Lessig's rebuttal to Epstein
20050509: The assault on software giant Microsoft (The BBC observes that free software is undermining the Microsoft monopoly)
20050509: Ditching Microsoft can save millions (Teaching children to use free software)
20050423: Open source developers provide 'glimmer of hope'
20050419: RMS: BitKeeper bon-voyage is a happy ending
20050419: How Software Patents Actually Work
20050418: The SCO Boomerang and the Strength of Linux. More and more, people understand the lesson of the Internet, that there are some things that are better when they are standardized. Proprietary software, as epitomized by Microsoft, has obvious drawbacks -- from security issues to license fees -- that you don't face with Linux. Plus, there is the dependence on a single vendor and its whims regarding support. Clearly, Linux has arrived in the mainstream
20050411: IBM calls for patent reform
20050405: GNU/Linux advances on NSW
20050329: Brazil: Free Software's Biggest and Best Friend
20050323: Microsoft criticised for 'IPv6-like' patent: The software giant has come under fire for 'yet another example of how patents can kill or inhibit standards'
20050319: An Interview with the OpenOffice.org Team
20050319: The war on copyright communists (20050111), Gates up to old tricks over intellectual property rights (20050315)
20050317: Learn about “Trusted Computing” from Ross Anderson. See Richard Stallman's take on this issue
20050303: A Linux Nemesis on the Rocks
US v Microsoft
20050301: One /. reader's take on Linux, MacOS, and Windows
20050219: Linux desktops have internal role at Cisco
20050218: IBM puts cash behind Linux push
20050218: EU software patent law faces axe. Patenting your weblog?: Patently Absurd. IEEE's take on the current state of the US patent system: Patent Prescription. In related news, Microsoft granted patent for creating insecure software
20050212: Opera to MS: Get real about interoperability, Mr Gates. This article was written by Hakon Wium Lie
20050210: The SCO v Linux case isn't looking good for SCO: Judge slams SCO's lack of evidence against IBM
20050207: An Economist article about the economics of sharing
20050129: One man's love for the GNU general public license (GPL)
20040715: Articles by Dan Bricklin: Software That Lasts 200 Years; Thinking about software licensing for a small ISV and the issue of open source
20040215: Warning: Microsoft 'Monoculture'
20031119: Why Linux Is Wealthier Than Microsoft
20031023: How Microsoft's Misunderstanding of Open Source Hurts Us All
20030909: Did Blaster worm play a role in August 14 blackout?
20030823: Microsoft Windows: Insecure by Design
20030812: Internet Worm Plaguing Computers Worldwide
20030123: Repeal the Microsoft Tax
20020321: In the spring of 2002 some interesting things happened in Peru. Microsoft sends a letter to Congressman Dr. Edgar David Villaneuva Nuñez who, on 08 Apr 2002, sends back a reply. In 2005, Peru passes free software law: USE OF FREE SOFTWARE IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
20020128: Ralph Nader and James Love HSR comments on US DOJ on proposed MS antitrust settlement
19970808: Hiroo Yamagata's interview with Richard Stallman
19970521: Eric S. Raymond's The Cathedral and the Bazaar
19830927: Initial Announcement of the GNU Project

Notes

20070330: Compile MEX-files with Octave
20060821: How To Recover X Windows From A Nasty Shutdown
20060819: How To Disable Your Laptop's Touchpad, Trackpoint
20050607: Sarge Upgrade Snags
20050320: Setting up an SSH Server on Mac OS
20050320: The Impressive Kubuntu
20050219: Octave C++ Examples
20050131: Free Software on ~~MS Windows~~ a Free System
20040522: APM on Dell Inspiron 4000 Running GNU/Linux
20040506: Zoph installation notes
20031216: Lilo problems
20031106: GNU/Linux on a Dell Optiplex GX270
20030815: GNU/Linux on a Dell Inspiron 4000 Laptop—Customizing Kernel
20030711: Random Number Generators
Use Free Software
GNU/Linux Usage Notes
LaTeX Usage Notes
Digital Photo Notes
Matlab/Octave Combatibility
Vim Tricks
Word Attachments Are Bad
HTML Email is Bad

Links

Streaming NPR in the Ogg Vorbis Format

How a computer works
Desktop Linux Summit 2006
Slashdot: Why Do People Switch To Linux?
Philosophy of the GNU Project
GNU Radio
The Australian government has a Guide to Open Source Software
OpenOffice.org KnowledgeBase
The Free Software Magazine project
Configuring Mail Clients to Send Plain ASCII Text
F5D7050 ver 3000 - USB ID 050d:705a - Ralink rt73 Driver Installation
How to change default kernel in Ubuntu
How to set up a mail server on a GNU / Linux system
Viewable With Any Browser
DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN
Tip #145: Changing DOS style end of line to UNIX, or vise-versa
Preparation of Quality PDF Documents
GIF or PNG
Ohloh: Explore Open Source
Running Microsoft Windows? Want to install GNU/Linux with one click? This website offers the click: goodbye-microsoft.com/

Ubuntu's Comprehensive Sound Problem Solutions Guide
Upgrading from Dapper to Edgy, swap memory might vanish. It did for me. This bug page solved the problem.

GNU Coding Standards
How To Write Unmaintainable Code
Code Vectorization Guide from the MathWorks, concerning their Matlab product. (Generally useful, but beware to their crummy coding style: [1 2 3] (bad), versus [1, 2, 3] (good); V(n) = 1/12*pi*(D(n)^2)*H(n); (bad), versus V (n) = 1 / 12 * pi * (D (n) ^ 2) * H (n); (good), etc. Also, as if I could resist, use GNU Octave.) A related links is Tim Love's Matlab vectorisation tricks. Peter J. Acklam has created MATLAB array manipulation tips and tricks; his book on this topic, in the portable document format, is here.
Francesco Potorti's GNU Octave benchmark script.
Michael Creel's screencast showing a 2 node virtual cluster, running under VMware, which is using Octave and MPITB to fit univariate and bivariate data.
The Iterative Solutions Coded Modulation Library

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