May 2003 Archives

Title make sense? Probably not. If you are interested in making your linux machine usable for two physical users, I came across the following link:
Multiple local XFree users under Linux
I wanted to bookmark this for myself and thought there might be others interested...

Every day, I learn something new from the net. (It is ironic that 300+ spam messages a day never teach me anything new...) Today I learned that two of my esteemed Hillsdale College colleagues are on the net:
Joshua N. Wiley: Through the Dark Wood &
Joshua Mercer: joshmercer.com
After watching Bongwater on Showtime, I realized that I really ought start doing something better with my time! So, finding old friends would be a good start...

Is weblogging an egoistic venture? Sometimes, when days have passed and I have posted nothing to either of my sites, I get a sense of urgency - the urgency to post something soon or people won't come back. The reality is that I think the only reason come to this site is due my translation of Oliver Lehmann's Qmail HOWTO. I get questions regarding other things once in a while, but the majority of my readers are obviously interested in one thing. In the end, that is why I split into two weblogs so that one could be tech based (this one) and the other, well, other stuff. Still, I have a sense of urgency about me when I haven't posted anything - as if it will really matter. Why do you blog? That is the question I asked myself and found only a few reasons for:
1) I would like to have a place to "publish" my writings because I like to write.
2) I would like to continue disseminating any information relating to open source software (tips, tricks and howto's).
3) Writing makes me feel good. When I learned the aristotelian meaning of catharsis, I realized that was what writing was to me. It is a form of release for me.
So, why do you blog/not blog?

One of the things that annoy me about discussion threads on a website (either a commentary section or forums) are layouts like these:

I wish I could remember a website I had come across a while back that did a great job at threads and providing readers with a "show all" link that formatted the page so that all of the comments were visible and whereby each thread was shown via indentation - i.e. each thread that was a sub-topic had its own indented area. This makes thread readability so much easier - especially for those of us on a dial-up connection who have to wait for page loads in order to read the continuing discussion. This is a perfect example of how ui design could be made much simpler through a simple script and click...

I have been mulling these ideas for a while now. I haven't been lack to post them because of anything other than laziness. I wanted to make note of two things I have noticed recently - and seen comments on. The first one deals with iTunes and the AAC audio format:
Some people may notice the difference between compressed music like MP3, OGG and/or AAC and the original CD track - some people may not. I am one of those people who can actually notice the difference - most of the time - even on a fairly poor set of headphones. The missing part of the music is usually something felt and not heard - similar to the way many tones of bass are actually felt and never heard. I don't have any high-end stereo equipment to speak of, so I am not a true audiophile, but I am conscious of the difference between say AAC and CD Audio. I thought there was a great follow-up article at MSNBC entitled iTunes Music Store revisited: Responses to some of your (printable) e-mails. I have never read anything from Gary Krakow (that I can remember), so I am not in tune with any latent biases he may have exhibited in the past regarding Apple or non-Microsoft related company. I thought his responses were pretty good - especially:

As I continue to sit by and watch this unravel, the whole case (or lack thereof) that SCO is trying to make about Unix intellectual property being stolen is curious to say the least. It really smacks of a company simply trying to make money through scare tactics. This thought brought to you by: SCO targets Linux Customers

I wholly admit it. The article is slanted. It is biased. It is even flat out wrong in areas. But, damn... John Manzione (@ MacNETv2) has hit a few point succinctly on the head. My favorite has to do with the Service Pack Ridicule that used to exist from Mac owners vented towards Windows users - e.g. the updates we have needed every two months look very much like mini or full-blown service packs for Windows. I still am stuck on Mac - even after my [mostly] agreement with the flame. Why? Because I refuse to get caught up with the Microsoft licensing scheme. On top of that, I am simply afraid of the DRM ideas that Microsoft seems to be supporting. I have written about DRM, I have written [lamentingly] about Microsoft licensing. I have yet to write any substantial complaints about Apple/Mac. The article I am referring to: Don't Read this Column hits on most of my complaints and I am not ashamed to admit I have them. If only FreeBSD could make my MiniDV, Firewire, Plug 'n Play, music downloading loving world easier...

I can't get enough of the DMCA topic. For the same reason people continue to watch a movie they consider disgusting/disturbing, I am fascinated by the DMCA debate that has just begun. With the RIAA sending out apologies for erroneous claims and threats, I am reminded of the concept that the government never has to say it is sorry because it controls the definition of error. I think my dad said that years ago in an ordeal with a state regulatory agency. Large organizations (like the RIAA) with ferocious laws behind them are the same. Regardless of the logic (or lack thereof) of a given law, we have bowed down to the statement that ignorance is no excuse for too long. I am appalled by that statement for many reasons. If ignorance is not an excuse under any circumstance, then we ignore the fact that humanity is fallible. The DMCA is a bad law and our lawmakers are ignorant for not realizing this. Maybe they will finally be hung by their own words.

This rant brought to you by: RIAA apologizes for erroneous letters

Before I happened across the world of *nix/FreeBSD and now OS X from Apple I never cared much about the idea of learning how to program. In fact, the idea of learning how to program was somewhat repulsive. Strong word? Yes, but really, I had a slight distaste for the very idea of spending my time on learning how to program. I've gone 180 degrees over the past six years. It all has to do with my encounter with the non-Windows universe (a universe I used to make fun of). Now, as I happen across awesome little utilities like Clutter, I find myself envious of those who spent their youth learning how to actually manipulate a computer instead of simply use and configure one. Those in the world of computing hopefully know the distinction I am making. I'm like one of those guys in a lab who is given the task of reverse-engineering products that come on the market. I have very little creative talent when puting theory (namely, numerical, programmatic and mathematical) into practice. So, I am envious. I am now simply working up the courage to learn... learn how to apply theory.

See the latest article at The Inquirer: RIAA an undemocratic, unelected, overpowerful regime I simply link to the article because it says what I feel best. The RIAA's fight against piracy reminds me of Voodoo Science. Please just read the article.

Eventually, open access will be defeated in the courts or through legislation. Aside from my distaste for such concepts (regulating use of private property for others at a discounted price - similar to rent control), it will bring about competing services only over the short run, stagnate investment in cable/telephone equipment and eventually create higher prices for consumers. It happened with the telephone companies until the FCC removed some of the open access requirements. It took 5 years for SBC to finally think about offering high speed internet via DSL in Delavan, WI - before then they had to compete with other operators (who eventually went bankrupt) who were offered services over their equipment at deeply discounted prices. I think that the only CLECs and DSL providers that survive will be those that have a stake in the capital investments required by cable and telephone companies. Until that happens, the prices are only subsidized by lack of services offered to the consumers. The comment in Court hears arguments in FCC cable internet case:

But an attorney for the state of California, which is challenging the FCC's decision, said that customers in California and Vermont "will be at the mercy of an unregulated cable monopoly" due to the lack of competition.

Customers are only at the mercy of someone if they are forced (through state regulated monopolies) to use a given provider's services. The best way to promote competition is to let a given provider to price themselves out of existence - or make their prices so high that competitors have a financial reason to invest in that market. Government involvement = stagnation, NOT progress.

Well, with my unmentioned and unplanned hiatus being declared over, I have some observations to make:
1) I wish people would not use the target="_blank" tag for href so liberally. I am very guilty of having done this for many years on my own site. I really regret it now. I hate pop-up windows and whenever someone uses the "_blank" tag in a situation where it really isn't necessary, I find myself unnecessarily irritated. Much of the use of "_blank" was due to my own ego and not wanting to let [you the reader] go. If my stuff is good enough to read, you'll return anyway. For those tech saavy people out there, you use tabs anyway, right?
2) The latest iTunes and Apple Music Store are addictive beyond belief. Now, this is music downloading I can sink my teeth into. If you don't know what I'm talking about - or have no interest in online music services - then skip to 3. The third generation iPod is also the first MP3/portable music player to really catch my attention. Why not Gen. 1 and 2? Because they are smaller and can hold more data. I am going through the process of ripping all my CD's to AAC files (I hate it when friends want to share MP3's, so I'm choosing a format that makes it more difficult) and am finding that I will be well above the 15Gb mark by the time I'm done. I want to take my whole collection with me when I go somewhere - it was so annoying to try and figure out what my music tastes would be ahead of time. In the here and now world, I like the concept of being able to decide when the time comes.
3) Of all the crap I have had to wade through, the worst was backing up my PowerBook because the trackpad started to work erratically (more specifically the click button). It made me really think about how fantastic my run has been with hardware running FreeBSD. I am not trying to make a comparison here, though - I know we are dealing with apples and oranges (one is a laptop that gets banged around and the other simply sucks juice from the nearest outlet and barely gets touched). It made me realize, however, how fortunate I have been to have implemented a system that needs very little attention. If you want a solid OS for server solutions, I would again highly recommend FreeBSD.
4) My wife, Stephanie, writes better in English than I ever did in German... (She's from Germany, I'm from the US and I lived in Germany for about 2 1/2 yrs all together.) So, anyone who has dealt with writing technical papers in another language, you know what a feat this is.
5) I don't like weblogs that don't use permalinks. That is, if you write in journal form (most notably using weblogging tools), you really should use some sort of permalink structure. Those using MovableType have no excuse not doing so. Why am I adimant about this? Because, it gives one the possibility of giving exact notation - i.e. I would like to credit someone where credit is due - and I would also like to make sure the credit is given for the correct text. I simply don't see a reason at this time why you wouldn't use them... Comment if you disagree.
6) Do you notice odd fade-in's and out's with iTunes?