Just read on article on slashdot today, which referred to why gentoo isn’t good for servers. I agree with that post, and here is what some people are missing:
When you have a server, you expect configuration file syntax to remain consistent. How regular, stable distributions do this, is we go through security patches and backport them to the stable version of the distribution. So the bug is fixed, but the program performed as expected. This is different than going from 1.2.33 to 1.3.0 because there may be slight differences in the way they behave, which may cause hours of end user hassle.

Vista Arrives

So I got my free copy of Vista Business edition today. It’s funny though, that I just can’t see myself actually installing it. In my field I do need to stay up to date with all forms of technology, so at the very least I should do so in vmware (unless it has some licensing restriction). But the fact is, I don’t really feel like installing Vista on just one computer, then if I have to move it etc, reactive and all the hassle that comes with that. Nor do I want to mess with WGA.

Ubuntu still here

I must be too close minded or stubborn, but I own several computers, and even with a free copy it feels silly to install Vista. Even if I had to play a game, Windows XP would more than suffice. And if I did like Vista, I would hate to spend the several thousands of dollars it would cost to license all my machines. That is a lot of beer.

Thanks Microsoft

I honestly appreciate the sending of Vista to me for free, it’s a cool gesture.

Check out dot kde, specifically this post.  That is true, useful innovation where ideas are slowly becoming reality.  They will have a task progress widget that will list all the current tasks your system is doing like burning cds, check email etc.  My explanation does not suffice, just look at their mock up.

If you tried to upgrade your system in the very recent past, and libc6 is giving you issues, visit this thread.

Credit: David Richards

“I think [making computer languages easier for average people] would be misguided. The idea of programming as a semiskilled task, practiced by people with a few months’ training, is dangerous. We wouldn’t tolerate plumbers or accountants that poorly educated. We don’t have as an aim that architecture (of buildings) and engineering (of bridges and trains) should become more accessible to people with progressively less training. Indeed, one serious problem is that currently, too many software developers are undereducated and undertrained.” – Bjarne Stroustrup

Yes, programming is a skilled trade, or even an art.  If I see one more line of code written for a commercial grade application written by someone with no experience I just might crack.  And it’s not just experience.  It’s the will to do something. Elegant.  Efficient.   Beautiful code.

Update 2: OLPC now claims it didn’t confirm laptops on sale to general public, rendering my arguments moot.

OLPC will be on sale for the general public

The BBC confirms that the OLPC will be on sale for the general public, the catch being that you must buy two, one for you, and one for a developing country. OLPC, or One Laptop Per Child, is “a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world’s children”.

Why this is wrong

What makes the OLPC people high and mighty enough to determine who is deemed worthy of paying extra, and who is deemed worthy of getting one for free? Being impoverished is global. My neighbor is mentally impaired, and is not able to function independently. Is my neighbor somehow better off than those in other countries? They don’t have health care, neither does my neighbor. The only reason my neighbor is my neighbor is because the property renter allows them to stay there out of the kindness of his heart.

You deserve free… But you… you deserve to pay double

How about in the more impoverished southern united states where people can’t afford school, computers, electricity etc. Why are they not given the same opportunity afforded to others? A child there may never be given any opportunity to move on to anything other than a gas station attendant, if they are lucky.

But Steve, that’s not true! In America they have opportunities!

Sorry, but if a community is devoid of industries and education, and this person chooses to stay there, these opportunities don’t exist. Atleast they don’t exist there any more than if someone from a “developing country” can move to a better country.

The Synposis – Help ALL Children

People will try and comment and dispute this, but until you have seen the parts of America I am talking about I suggest you broaden your scope. The point is we, as a world, need to help ALL those in need, not just the popular causes (“developing countries”). In fact, excluding affordable computers to those select groups, and not to all, is inherently against the goals set by Ubuntu. “Our work on Ubuntu is driven by a philosophy on software freedom that we hope will spread and bring the benefits of software technology to all parts of the globe.” — Emphasis on ALL

Update: I have already received in the first 10 minutes of posting this a huge base of support, so I submitted it to digg to increase awareness. (My blog has no ads etc, absolutely no financial goals here) Digg this story

Scope

This post will give you a brief introduction to installing SVN and using it. Just a working knowledge, which is all anyone can ask for right?

Installing a SVN server

On my network I have an old box that does a lot of services (dns, dhcp, samba etc). Since day to day I may be in different locations, I want this box to be the master repository for my code because of the easy access via ssh I have to it. I also want to install the web interface to svn so I can browse my code etc which I find easier to navigate then the svn interface itself.

The first thing we will do is install packages:

• sharms@huron:~$ sudo apt-get install subversion subversion-tools subversion-helper-scripts websvn enscript libapache2-svn
  

This will automatically install svn (subversion), apache, php4 and the svn web interface. The “enscript” entry is to highlight source code through websvn which I find nice. During this install, on dapper, when prompted I selected the following:

• Exim: local delivery only

• Websvn: yes – configure websvn now

• Apache2: select atleast apache2 on configuration screen

Creating a repository

Once the above steps were done, I needed to actually create the repository. I have chosen the default location of /var/lib/svn, which if you just hit enter on the install it will assume that path. To create a repository:

• sharms@huron:~$ sudo svnadmin create /var/lib/svn

And if you browse to http://yoursvnserver/websvn — there is your svn repository. To enable code highlighting, edit /etc/websvn/config.inc and uncomment the line:

• $config->useEnscript();

To enable your svn repository to be accessed / modified through http:

• Edit /etc/apache2/mods-available/dav_svn.conf
• Uncomment “DAV svn”
• Uncomment and modify “SVNPath” to read “SVNPath /var/lib/svn”
• Uncomment AuthType, AuthName, and AuthUserFile lines
• Run “htpasswd2 -c /etc/apache2/dav_svn.passwd sharms” where sharms is your username
• Restart apache

Actually using svn

To actually use SVN, I find the SVN cheat sheet useful.  Here is one command where I add a directory to svn:

• svn import testproject http://192.168.1.2/svn -m “Import to central svn server”

Does a program like this exist? Sort of like gdrive or .mac? I imagine its trivial to implement using unison, but maybe a simple gui-ified process would be neat for novice ubuntu users?

 Edit: It appears conduit might be going in the direction I am talking about