Opensource pragmatism

I just wanted to revisit the discussion of software as dogma.  I think it is very important that the open source community get the preference when the software is equal to or better than the closed source version.  But when the closed source version is well ahead of any open source competition, there is a requirement as a professional that I am as effective and efficient as possible.

Yes, this is a declaration that I use closed source software.  Absolutely NEVER when I can avoid it, but always when it is a difference between doing my work/play well.  If I have to get something done and it means I have a binary blob in my Linux installation, then so be it.  Most of us make these compromises often with flash or java as a start, many more even with binary blobs for video drivers, skype and more.  So while I am an open source advocate and recommend transitions to linux and migration from corporate systems for infrastructure to open source servers and software.  But only where they are equal or greater than the closed source solution.

I don't want this to sound like I don't have respect for young software projects who are struggling to reverse engineer and create the replacement software.  I do have a vast respect for the persons who, scratching their own itch are looking to produce the open source alternative, and I've contributed to a couple of those projects in the past doing documentation and testing (I can't program).  I know how daunting and huge such an activity is.

I just wanted to write this post since I've heard, more than a few times, in the last months very derogatory statements against members of the community who participate and contribute just because they have a windows computer for playing video games.  And I have a strong sensation that most of the people to are very critical of that, probably have already binary blogs on thier own systems and that makes them hypocrites, even if the insults are being cast at the wider OS level of consumption, my argument is that a little closed source is just as bad as a lot.  So, unless you are running GNU Hurd linux on your system, then you probably need to silence any condescending remarks to any of the open source community who do use a Mac or Windows for specific tasks that fall outside the area of expertise and excellence by the closed source community.

--
CafeNinja
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

GPG Encryption - Attention in the details

I was working the other day, after setting up a new computer. When I noticed a strange item on the mailserver...the unencrypted copy of an encrypted message I had sent.

I realized later that it was the setting inside the mail client that had set "fcc_clear" option set. There was a simple option to deactivate it. Let me explain a bit the logic.

The reason you might wish to store a clear, plain text copy of your outgoing encrypted email, is that if the message is encrypted to a key that is _not_ yours, you won't be able to decrypt it later. So to be able to see, what you wrote in your last encrypted message to someone else, it saves a copy in the clear.

The problem then enters the room. When your message is actually being saved to a network server, it is just as subject to compromise by the forces of evil as the corporate monster. So, my point being, that you should be vigilant about the software you are using and suspicious of any new or unknown computer system.

I've personally gone to signing all of my emails with gpg both personal and professional as a point of guarantee of origin. Mobile is possible, but I'm working on the easiest/best way to manage that. I would HIGHLY recommend that everyone look to make it a part of their email life. If we get a critical mass of real people signing emails, we can start making that a receipt condition and watch the spam just stop.

--

CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Tin Foil Hat Show - Episode 017

Episode 17. I'm proud to present the latest entry into the Tin Foil Hat Show Archive :). Only a minor rant but I think a good discussion. I did hope to have more stuff for the interwebbing section of the show, maybe I'll do an extended segment on the next show.

This episode's Podcast review was of the The Command Line by Thomas Gideon. I've done a review of this podcast back in June of 2009. And I have to say that over the time the quality of the podcast is the same, the output much more regular than mine and I would recommend this show to anyone as much today as I would have back in 2009 if you had asked.

The new episode should be in your favorite podcatcher for download already. If you haven't added me to your podcatcher software, please add the RSS feed on the right.

The podcast is also available to play directly online at the Fuzion Podcast Network.

For the instructions to get the show notes please see the instructions as posted in the post from the first episode. These instructions haven't changed.

Feedback as always is welcome, tinfoilhatshow@gmail.com or you can contact me by any of the other methods listed here on this blog. Please remember that the show is very new and still settling in, but constructive criticisms are always appreciated.

Enjoy and please do send me feedback and corrections, it can only make the show better. A permanent link to the show's rss feed is listed on the right side of the blog.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Patriot Act, still?!?!

I know that the Patriot Act has already received it's extension on life with only minor powers added.  I'm releived that the normal extension time of two years was reduced a good deal.

Folks, I think most of you know where I might stand on this issue if you have read my blog at all for the last two years.   I feel that the patriot act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security were the two worst possible answers to the events of 9/11 than could possibly be imagined.  I have my reasons for this and I didn't write this to debate them at the moment.

I just wanted to take a moment to ask that even if you disagree with me, stop and consider with a critical eye the Patriot Act legistation, why it was created and what purpose it serves today.

If you are one of the free-thinkers who already agrees with me and feel like I'm "preaching to the choir" please take this chance to grab one or both of these posters provided from the ACLU website and put it on your blog, email it to your favorite mailing list or post it in your community bulletin board as your active participation in awareness. 

In my good book the meek inherit nothing because the pigs ate it all.  Don't be one of the silent who lets the world spin on without knowing how YOU felt about the things that happened in your time.  Find your voice for this if nothing else.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Tin Foil Hat Show - Episode 007

Episode 7. I had guilt as to my late release, so I made up for it in this and this episode is a little longer than usual.  I'm thinking to bring up some of the topics that didn't make it into the show here in the blog.  But I am also hesitant to do that since I really do want that in the show.  I've more thinking to do on that.

Second podcast review appears in this episode.  I reviewed my other partner in crime at The Fuzion Podcast network K5TUX and his QSK podcast.

The new episode should be in your favorite podcatcher for download already. If you haven't added me to your podcatcher software, please add the RSS feed on the right.

The podcast is also available to play directly online at the Fuzion Podcast Network.

For the instructions to get the show notes please see the instructions as posted in the post for the first episode. These instructions haven't changed.

Feedback as always is welcome, tinfoilhatshow@gmail.com or you can contact me by any of the other methods listed here on this blog. Please remember that the show is very new and still settling in, but constructive criticisms are always appreciated.

Enjoy and please do send me feedback and corrections, it can only make the show better. A permanent link to the show's rss feed is listed on the right side of the blog.

--

CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

MythTv troubles

Well, I have had a couple of issues this month with mythtv.  I should clarify that statement, not with mythtv so much per se as with the mythtv frontend builds.

On my home network during the run of Ubuntu 10.04 I had the server, 4 Ubuntu desktops and 2 Mac's all using the mythserver that was in the standard 10.04(.01) repo's without any issues.

When Ubuntu 10.10 was released I did a single clean install on my netbook to ensure the clean install went well and there were no other issues when I discovered that the 10.10 Ubutnu mythtv backend and frontend had been upgraded to 0.23+patches (build 26437). 

While independently this gave me no worries since I knew once I upgraded all Ubuntu machines everything would jive up and be right with the world.   And to their Apple-ish credit, as long as I did just that, everything worked out dandy and without issue.  Five complete in-line upgrades of the server and desktops and all worked smashingly well.

Oh, save two.  Turns out there haven't been any "nightly" builds of the MacOS version of the frontend of myth using the 26437 build, so any version of the mythtv frontend of MacOS just fails claiming the database is 9 versions too old.

This issue would normally not even raise an eyebrow since one of the two machines actually dual-boots to Ubuntu so I can watch from that side however the last machine in question would be the Mac Mini in the living room attached to the large screen TV.  When it's easy, the family is good at managing the situation and watching their media in comfort, but now, I have no answer and only hope and pray someone updates the MacOS frontend.

I love open source and I know this is one of the perils of version control that isn't strictly released and maintained by some monster company.  But I would like for this article to serve as advise for anyone deploying "systems" or "servers" on their own.  Beware, there is a reason why SysAdmins and Network Eng get paid the money they do and it is very easy for a home user to forget to check such things and he/she should do their due diligence if they don't want to break things that they and their family depend on, which happens if you build it well :)

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Apple App store - Best news

Well, there was an Apple event and the "Master -o- Disaster" opened that hole under his nose to my own personal delight.

While others rant on about the 2nd usb port on the new Air or the "Jobs Reality Distortion Field"™ I was resting, non-plussed.  Then came my bombshell.

In the next iteration of the Mac OS X operating system they are going to include a lot of IOS4 features including an app store.  Really?!?!?! An app store?!?!?  I think only two things, both I mentally scream at the top of my lungs:  1.) No greater validation of an idea that was birthed in Ubuntu 9.10 (to much ridicule) and 2.) fantastic, they will just give me another avenue to speak to and convert mac-heads.  I can already imagine the pitch line of "An app store, we have had one in Ubuntu for years!" only to see their eyes light up and beg me to install Ubuntu on their old Mac hardware.

Apple, if the best you can do with OS 10.7 is make an app store and copy Ubuntu, BRING IT ON!  I truly used to hold Apple in high regard for their design and user interface features, but this single action has pushed them to the modest position of "even" with Ubuntu and truthfully, a step behind since they had to copy it and there is "prior art".

Long Live Ubuntu.  Thanks Mac.  You are no longer my hero, just my pimp.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Click to support

Our model isn't much different, it just for the right purpose.   I have seen, reviewed and supported the AdBard network, which I have to confess while not actually earning me money, is doing better than the google ads on this same blog.  I think it's like $2.00 vs. .36¢.   The point I'm making here is the AdBard network actually do generate revenue.  And by the two (very weak) metrics I have, it earns more faster than google ads.

Let's just take a moment to stop and think about how ad supported stuff works.  This thought occurred to me when listening to some of my IRC buddies talk about the scripts and apps they were using to interface with ideni.ca.  While I think the technical aspect of some of these apps are new, noteworthy and interesting, I'd just like to make sure that everyone takes the time to visit the identi.ca page, reload until they seen an interesting (or not) advertisement and click on it.

I remember when there was this new search engine out there.  And my wife enjoyed it so much that she would visit the page and JUST click on the advertising links on the side in order to support them...and they are google.   If service companies that we use like identi.ca don't get that revenue it means they must look for other ways, which could be invasive posts in your feed or could be the kind of stuff twitter (yuck) is doing.

Help your favorite open source movement, project, etc. by clicking on their ads to help them get the funding.  If you enjoy opensource software and see a chance to help out, not by donations, but clicks, you will actually be helping!  do it!

-- CafeNinja

 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

I was h4cked - episode 38

For those new readers of my blog, I had written podcast reviews of most of the stuff I have in my podcatcher.  One of those shows was h4cked.com.  The guys over there asked me to join their "oval table" review panel of Ubuntu 10.04.  Since I already had it installed, I joined in.

I'l like to give fair warning to anyone who might go over there to hear the show.  It is not safe for work, and unless of a mature age, I would not recommend you play this for your kids.  But if that doesn't scare you off, go over to h4cked.com and play the episode that I took part in.

Enjoy.


-- CafeNinja
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Maybe Linux is *not* for everyone

Well, I've been giving quite a bit of thought to the ongoing discussion of 1.) Year of the linux desktop and 2.) Commercial decisions of Canonical for yahoo search and the music store.

I just wanted to dialog here some of the internal discussions and my point of view on the subject. That seems to split irc channels the way the American Civil War split families so many years ago.  Of notice just like with the Mono debate it seems this conversation has no one "on-the-fence".

I don't want to in any way imply by my blog post that opinions on the matter aren't important, or that anyone should just "be quiet".  Like with any points of disagreement, listening is as important as stating.

So, for the purposes of this article "we" shall refer to the Linux/OSS community, I fancy myself one of these and will include myself in the possessive plural pronoun.  And I think that we should stop and consider the overall situation and view.

So the "Year of the Linux Desktop" seems to ever evade us.  And on one hand I sigh as I feel many (if not most) distributions are up to snuff and completely usable, even by grandma.  Someone has to make the "labeling on the box" up to par with the commercial options, which is no exception in any other OSS application we try to offer for buy-in by the general public.  It has to do at the very least what the other one does.  I mean, none of us suggested Firefox until it was baked enough to stand up.  No one got an office manager to use OpenOffice in the first version after StarOffice since it was junk then.

I can appreciate vocal concern over the commercial decisions of Canonical, but I would argue two points.  1.) They *are* a company and need to make money.  2.) If they don't do things like a music store, Linux will never have buy-in on the Desktop everywhere since people expect the "iTunes" experience.   To the gist of it, if Canonical doesn't make this kind of commercial decision, who will?  We hated Novell for making deals with Microsoft, but it has come to serve them since some server business comes there way when server customers "downgrade" to Novell.

I say good on Canonical and may the force be with them.  They stated quite clearly in their early days was to make a linux that anyone could use and I see these steps as logical in the progression of that goal and not in conflict with anything they "promised" to the community.

I have now decided for myself, and myself alone, that I'm quite glad that everyone isn't using Linux.  I would prefer that Linux stay lean and svelte, and always retain focus on what made it a better functional operating system since it's beginning.  If losing even one ounce of that to gain "market share" is what is needed, then I would prefer not to do it at all.  My Linux, the one I came to know and use worked fast and better than any other one out there, if we have to make the entire OS bloated to anticipate every non-thinking end-user action, then we will just end up with a different version of Windows.

So, in conclusion.  Yes, I'm an elitist.  I don't want grandma to use Linux unless she is willing to learn enough to use the command line without releasing a shoulder dropping sigh.  She can use windows.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Paranoid security or just modern Privacy?

As many of you have noticed I'm posting in my social networking streams using base64 decode statements.  I just wanted to explain that I will be doing this even for the mundane.  I have had the ephifany that "some is good, more must be better" is maybe not the way I intended for my social live to be.

I should explain that I expected that these would be mostly walled gardens with each social networking service offering it's unique and special approach to the broadcast communication issue.  As more of these services have started integrating, using back door API's and making it a giant collective, that while my single voice is not important, it adds to a logarithm of what is the collective whole. 

I am not foolish, I don't think that my posting the command to decrypt what I post keeps my messages "secure", and that is not my intention for them.  What I do hope to succeed in is that my messages aren't being grokked for the commercial, financial and statistical benifit of corporate entities for whom I hold no allegiance, holding or care.  It's mine, and I made it for public consumption.  As I see venture capitalist investing millions of dollars in companies who scrub what is the internet collective for profit and gain, I am saddened.  I would understand if doing this created a benefit for the consumer or the internet as a whole. 

My goal is to allow me, my family and my friends to continue using the tools as they were originally designed without offering my portion of mind-share away.  I feel that, especially in the case of the base64 posts, I achieve the goals of:

1. communicating with family and friends with miniumum tech overhead.
2. make it easy for someone to ignore me on a broadcast stream.
3. upset the machines on the far side of the services I use from gaining profit over my ideas and opinions.

I would be lying if I didn't see the added benifit of this preparing myself and family for secure communications in the case we feel corporations or the state care far too much about what we say or limiting our freedoms.  This is just an advance warning that it only escalates from the base64 posts.  It is my humble opinion that what used to be called "paranoid" measures, by todays standards, can at best be referred to as moderate privacy.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Twitter is dead to me

This is my official blog post to explain my reason for migrating from Twitter to Identi.ca.  I have to say up front that both of these services do about the same job and I have very nearly the same list of folks I follow on both.

Let me just get these points out there and you may all comment as you wish.  I hope that maybe you will consider that my dive into social networking has been quite telling to me in that I still hang with the same geeks in the same IRC channels and some of them have basically become my social network.  I realize that maybe being on every service, and feeling an obligation to make different posts isn't the right way.  I feel that this step will not reduce the number of people who will see my stuff or make suffer anyone who follows me on either network.  This is also just one more step for me to try and reduce the number of social networking interfaces I have to deal with.

1. Open source.  I should put my money where my mouth is and promote the service that is open source.
2. The commercialism of services that scrub Twitter and have profits from the words of the masses bothers me.  You may feel different, and this is not a condemnation of you.  My "boycott" will not make/break Twitter.
3. Function: I enjoy that I get an email to direct reply to my posts on identi.ca
4. Function: I enjoy that conversations are now visible in context.
5. The community on identi.ca seems to be populated with folks who are more like me.  Twitter has just gotten too big for my tastes.  It is too mainstream and I probably won't hang out there.

With all that being said, I think it important in this internet age that I keep my presence and moniker present in the Twitter system therefore, I will be keeping the Twitter account, but all of my posts will be made to identi.ca where there is a "connect" feature that will forward posts to Twitter.   The poor part is that I will never know about folks who @cafeninja me on Twitter.  I would ask that if you don't have an identi.ca account, please DM me in twitter so that I receive an email.  Again, I won't be logging into twitter directly anymore.

If my choice has managed to sever some sort of communication channel for any of you, please post a comment.  I'm human and fallible, maybe there is something/someone I haven't considered.

--
CafeNinja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Software Freedom: Sentiment or Cause

So, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about all the issues going on recently in the Open Source community. Warning: this is a rant. If you don't want to read it please skip to the next article in your rss reader, or navigate away now. Last warning.

The most recent stir is Mono based applications, but previous discussions have hovered around binary blobs in Linux distributions, proprietary drivers, and pure free vs. quasi pure free vs. free-as-in-price.

I do have some opinions about this, but no firm convictions. I mean to say that I am moderately educated on both sides of the discussion but that the discussion itself has recently turned into a "pitch fork and torch" kind of affair. I am far more hurt by the conduct from groups talking about these points than the points themselves.

I've been a computer user for many years. Part of my interest in computers as a hobby was the hacking and tweaking to get things just working. It is surprising to me that the tone of voice used by these people is borderline zealot. It feels like most people are missing the forest for the trees because they are hugging them too tight. Let's remember that we can roll with this one of two ways. We ostracize the average user completely or we do what needs to be done to let most folks into the fold if they so choose.

I can honestly say that I don't have the resources to install asterisk boxes on two continents so that my mother and I may speak using home brew voice services. We can both, with relative ease install and use skype. I know that might disappoint a few out there, but if a binary blob in my distro prevents my computer from being an overheated paperweight, then I'll use it. If I rely on an application that is available in the repos of my distro, then I really don't monitor what language the thing is written in, so long as it works when I launch it.

We all have known people in our Linux lifetimes who would be happy to try and switch and give Linux the "old college try", but when they do so much of their hardware was unsupported that they could not justify the loss in functionality for the moral choice of open source software. Why should we condemn our own for something of less importance at the end of the day. I mean really, curse words are the correct way to respond to my choice of note taking application because some programmer used a different language? I know there are issues with this licensing and that, and even further discussions could be had with other programming languages (not mono) if you really wanted to make that such a point.

I would like to make a formal request to the Linux community that if you have an opinion about programming languages or issues with certain licenses, please verbalize your opinion. You can even use words with more than two syllables. But don't make others in the community out to be a villain, or the embodyment of evil just because they don't agree with you. I like to think that we are one of the largest brain trusts on the planet, and it is more than a little disappointing when the best word you use in a debate is "sucks".

I hate to sound like everyone's mother, but grow up. You may be passionate about your cause, but be respectful of those who do not share your view. I think there are many good conversations to be had, as long as they are honorable and mature. In my heart of hearts I feel like we (as a community) come up with the best solutions when we try to solve a problem. But we are also the best at creating problems that aren't really that bad.

Now take a time out, and go sit in the corner while I cool off.

--
CafeNinja