TechShorts

I’ve tried several Linux distributions: Redhat, Coral, Suse, Mandrake, Damn Small Linux, Knoppix, Gentoo and finally Debian.  Of all of these I was most loyal to Gentoo because it was the distro I learned the most with.  The problem with Gentoo though is you spend so much time getting it to run and tweaking it that you don’t really get to use the machine for what you want to. For example, I tried and successfully setup a Gentoo desktop on a couple of occasions.  But, I will never do it again.  I have no desire to spend a week or more building KDE or Gnome when I can have a fully running desktop in less than an hour with other distro. My main file server is Gentoo and I am leary of updating it.  Every time I emerge -u system I have to spend another hour or two cleaning up config files.  Then when I reboot the machine I cross my fingers and hope it comes up. I have started using Debian and so far I like it.  Simple to install, apt-get is just as good as emerge and I don’t have to wait d

Those Who Ignore Standards Are Doomed to Reinvent Them The most Prophetic words I have ever heard. This has come into play several times where I work and where I have worked.  It boils down to each developer thinking his set of Standards is better then my set of Standards . The others should just face reality:  I know best so do it my way. 

I’m sitting in a Dallas Hotel watching the Astros play the 6th game of the play offs.  Hope they win! I hate traveling for this type of work.  It is not challenging at all but it is etremely boring. Jez…

I am back in Dallas working at the EPA RRC, assisting with the data management for the Hurricane Katrina and Rita response.  It is not something I want to do since I am having to use MS Access. My loathing for MS Access is growing on a hourly basis.  I feel like an amature doing mundane BS all the while dreaming of building an Eifal Tower.  One day…. There is desention amoung the ranks and the captions are unaware…….