Weblogs and the future of Linux desktop development

by Steven Garrity

Gnome Desktop LogoThe future of development on the Linux desktop is being debated and deliberated on the weblogs of key developers this week.

If you are interested in computing platform decisions and open source software, then you may be interested in the debate. However, even if you are not at all interested in these things, it may be interesting in a more abstract sense.

On a campus in Redmond, Washington, smart and talented people are deciding what your computer is going to be like in the next decade. Here, in a parallel universe of sorts, smart and talented people are debating an alternative future for desktop computing — and you can read every word it.

Havoc Pennington, a Gnome hacker from RedHat, Miguel de Icaza, a founder of the Gnome project and Ximian, Robert Love, a kernel hacker with Ximian, and many others are batting around the posible platform options for linux desktop development. It’s strangely empowering to witness.

The debate and dialog continues and can be followed on Planet Gnome, an aggregated weblog of Gnome developer weblogs.

Mailing lists have generally been the primary communication method of open source developers. While mailing lists are still the core of the communication, weblogs have started to play an interesting role. They are especially effective for high-profile debate and dialog like this. Unlike a public mailing list, the signal-to-noise ratio is high.

 

by Steven Garrity

Interesting photos of the peace march in New York by Jason Kottke (from last year – not the one this week)

 

by Steven Garrity

Session #2 of Mathcaddy Radio

 

Acts of Volition Radio: Session Eight

by Steven Garrity

Acts of Volition Radio: Session EightAfter being vocally out of commision for a while due to a bad cold, Acts of Volition Radio is back. This is a special session dedicated to the late Gene Eugene. If you haven’t heard of Gene Eugene, that is why I do this. His songs are among the most important to me of any I have known.

Acts of Volition Radio: Session Eight (25MB MP3)
The music of Gene Eugene. Recorded Friday, March 19, 2004 by Steven Garrity. Run time: 27min.

Session Eight Playlist:

  1. Lost Dogs – Jimmy
  2. Adam Again – Worldwide
  3. Adam Again – Stone
  4. Starflyer 59 – Fell In Love at 22
  5. Adam Again – Every Mother’s Way
  6. Lost Dogs – If It Be Your Will

If this is your first time hearing Acts of Volition Radio, you may enjoy previous Acts of Volition Radio sessions as well.

Acts of Volition Radio
Acts of Volition Radio
Acts of Volition Radio: Session Eight
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by Steven Garrity

Is it just me, or does the singer from Switchfoot sound a lot like the dude from Toad the Wet Sprocket? Here’s an MP3 of their single

 

by Steven Garrity

Here’s a scan of a guest opinion in our local newspaper by a former philosophy prof of mine (572KB)

 

by Steven Garrity

My thoughts about the connecting and geography-busting power of weblogs in response to a post about the the local power of weblogs

 

Backwoods Nation, by Pedro the Lion

by Steven Garrity

I had the good fortune of seeing Pedro the Lion play while in San Francisco last month (I got one blurry photo). After a great set, they held the collective breath of the room with their encore, a B-side released on a label compilation:

Music File iconPedro the Lion – Backwoods Nation
4.3MB MP3 file

 

by Steven Garrity

Fine music recommendations from the guy who helped shape my musical tastes

 

Panoramas from the Left Coast

by Steven Garrity

While on a recent trip to San Francisco, I took about 400 photos with my digital camera. A few of these were adjacent shots intented to be stitched together with panoramic photo software.

All kinds of software packages are available to stitch photos together into panoramas. My friend Nathan recomended a package called Panorama Factory, and it is impressive. My camera (nothing high-end, it’s a 2MP Canon Digital Elph S330) includes a feature to help line up multiple shots for a panorama, but Panorama Factory is good enough that you don’t even need to use the camera aids (though I still did for the photos below).

These aren’t meant to be particularly good photos. As you can see by my photo gallery, I’m no photographer. However, I do manage to luck out and catch a few nice ones now and then (getting up at sun-rise always helps, as with this set from the North shore of Prince Edward Island). I thought I would post a few photos to show how easy it is to put together panoramas, to encourage others to try it out, and to point out the great software package I’ve been using (Panorama Factory).

Each of the files below are simple partial panoramas, but Panorama Factory is just as good with complete 360° panoramas. As I show below, it can export to flat images (JPEGs) or create QuickTime panoramas (it also exports to a few other proprietary panoramic formats).

Pacific Beach Panorama

A pitstop on the way from San Francisco to Monterey.
Pacific Ocean Panorama

One of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen (not really captured well here) – taken from the hills outside of San Francisco looking towards the Pacific ocean. As an added bonus, that’s the president of the internet on the right.
San Francisco Hills Panorama

A view of silicon valley from the hills – I’m not actually sure where we are at this point. That’s Stephen DesRoches on the right who was all about gettin’ the shots.
San Francisco Hills Panorama

Another shot from the same vantage point as the photo above. This one was with 3-times zoom.