Why would you use Perl in 2024?
The rise and fall of the popularity of programming languages is fun to watch.
Quick disclaimer: I'm not a programmer. I've never held a programming job. I have been interested in programming as a hobby for several decades, and have written shell scripts as a part of my job in …
Read More
Which Linux Distro *shouldn't* I pick, and why?
I enjoyed The Linux Cast's recent video tackling the perennially-debated question of "the best Linux" distro, and I wanted to present my own somewhat tongue-in-cheek version of a recommended Linux Distro List, but more like a dis-recommendation list.
So here are some distros I (kinda sorta) do not recommend …
Read More
Android Messaging, Part II: Life Limped Along at Sub-sonic Speeds
In Part I, I discussed the state of "Native Messaging" services in FOSS Android forks/builds, and why RCS might never be coming to these OSes.
What does that leave us with? Well, SMS and MMS, of course, but using what client?
Unfortunately, there is (of course) no one good …
Read More
FOSS ROMS and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad State of Native Messaging on Android
Now that I've piqued your curiosity with an reference to a children's book I've never actually read (because I'm an alien, apparently), let me pause the narrative train by carefully defining some terms:
- FOSS: Free and Open Source Software
- ROMs [sic]: Custom builds of the Android mobile operating system from …
Read More
I'm not a gamer, an introspection
Since I haven't blogged in a couple weeks, I put out a challenge to my fedifriends to help me come up with a subject to blog on, which I would write in the next 48 hours. I put out a poll to decide what to write about, and the idea …
Read More
Gesture navigation is lame
In late 2017, Apple introduced what was to be a very revolutionary iPhone (by iPhone standards, heh): The iPhone X.
Gone were the archaic huge forehead (how much room do you really need for a speaker, camera, and proximity sensor?) and chin (with physical home button*). In its place was …
Read More
Nearly a Quarter Century of Mobile Phones
A fedifriend, Joel recently shared an older blog post detailing the smartphones he's owned over the years. It's an enjoyable read, so definitely check that out.
Since a lot of my blogging plans the past month got waylaid by various difficulties that I won't get into right now, I thought …
Read More
Amiga: My Alternate History
Just a few days before Christmas Day, 1989, I excitedly carried home one of the greatest Christmas gifts I have ever received. I vaguely remember going with my stepdad to the university computer store (The "MicroCentre," it was called; no relation to the large, currently-extant computer store chain) to pick …
Read More
So, I Guess I'm a Vampire, Now
As anyone who knows me on the Fediverse can tell you, I've been a bit of a light-theme snob. (If you're not sure what I'm referring to, I'm talking about whether text on a screen (computer or otherwise) is chiefly light colors on dark colors (dark theme) or dark colors …
Read More
The KGB, the Computer, and Me
Last night, I re-watched The KGB, the Computer, and Me, a 1990 episode of NOVΛ chronicling Cliff Stoll's efforts to catch a West German hacker who was using the Lawrence Berkeley Labs' computer systems to hack into military computers in the late 1980s.
I say re-watched, because I …
Read More