Time, and the past!

Well, today (after being awakened at 5.15am for a callout) I learned an important lesson:
"If your BIOS is ever set to use local time, and you run Linux, fix it so that you can set the BIOS to UTC!!"

I dual boot Windows/Linux on my laptop for a couple of reasons (remote logging into work, some video games, the nvidia optimus drivers) - but am usually in Linux.

I have found that my time has always been off, but I just thought that it had to be something to do with it being off the network and some sort of NTP foul-up.
.... NOPE!!

I found that seemingly 2 parts of the booting sub-system (hwclock and the kernel) didn't work together correctly, and seemed to shift the time back by exactly an hour on bootup (and saved it that way too).
The way to fix it?
Set your BIOS to using UTC time, correct /etc/adjtime (UTC instead of LOCAL on the third line), then get a registry entry for Windows called "RealTimeIsUniversal" (this should probably be the first step - but like I said, I usually use Linux).

I also learned that setting your clock in the future can cause problems with mounting filesystems on bootup - so keep a USB stick handy!!

ok, so it has been a while...

ok, so I thought I would try and post stuff up semi regular like, get into a routine.
more also to type up about what software and hardware I've been fooling about with, and what my plans are.... With minor life stuff thrown in sometimes.

So, brief summary of my last 2 or so years since my last post: shit happens.

I've moved a couple of times, and bought various things. Read various books, sung various hymns (yes, a sort-of ryhme on purpose!).
But overall, where I thought I was making progress in the past, I haven't. Where I hoped things would change, they haven't. And instead of things getting better I lowered my expectations.

Now, onto the tech stuff.
I'm typing this on my Motorola XOOM tablet, I have a raid-mirrored PC, which has Fedora Linux on it. I have 2 laptops, again both with Fedora on them.
The hardware stuff I plan to do soon (in no particular order) is:
1) Root the xoom and put a different ROM on there (Motorola have pissed me off!)
2) Symultaniously upgrade/migrate my pc to have raid 2tb drives (currently has raid 1tb drives), and also upgrade Fedora to the latest version.

... I will update any further actions but I am not much into hardware...
I'm more into software!!!
1) Correct my linux auto-installer method to re-install to previous partitions instead of recreating the volume group (good if I wanna keep a snapshot of a filesystem)
2) Investigate GIT some more (currently understanding it bit by bit)
3) read through and help contribute to the bumblebee project on github.com (project to help get my graphics card working better on linux).
4) sync up my data in a better fashion (I need a pop up box to tell me I have to sort out any errors).
5) investigate integration of git into work, how it may help there
6) progress my c++ and opengl knowledge, get some stuff done here!!
7) fix my backup system to be a bit more smoother and backup only the valuable things.

This last week I've been looking at git, and how it works.. I've also been reading through systemd, the new linux boot initialization system (very interesting stuff)..
I shall try to give an update soon and it should be much better...

See you then!

Windows vs Linux

OK.. I have to rant - and I have to rant NOW!
I hate all these "why linux will succeed on the desktop" or "linux v windows" posts everywhere, and there's one reason I hate them:
THEY STATE THE BLEEDING OBVIOUS!

Yes, I know why windows is in use in businesses, and yes I know that people will find it difficult to move to linux. Yes yes yes yes bleeding yes!
But there's also the replies to such entries, who are either one or the other - they are either FOR linux, and say "yes it's ready for mainstream BUT user have different problems to worry about" (and they try to ignore the problems users will have from the very first second) or they're very biased against "windows pwns j0o! My programs are only available in windows. I am uber great at windows and you can't manage linux the same!" (pointing out old, or totally irrelevant details like 'oh, you can't use the user management capabilities in linux"... DURR - LINUX IS DIFFERENT).

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty shall we? My thoughts!?
Linux is great on the desktop, all I need and more. It seems to be like a marching band to windows' electric organ. Sure you have to go around giving individuals music sheets, perhaps changing the instrument, adding in a musician or two, but you have an all encompassing solution which is highly dynamic, certain parts are highly specialized which improves their working, and the general why things work is 'better' (also a typical install may be a bit 'bulky'.. I think *my* default system is about 5 gigs - but that does include office suite, games, gnome - which I need for certain config apps etc as I use KDE, screensavers, development tools, graphics programs - compared probably to 3 or 4 for windows with fewer apps).

Now windows does have certain things correct. I was just moving from WEP to WPA-TKIP encryption on my wireless (I didn't trust wpa_supplicant until recently) network.
Trying to do it through 3 different approaches:

1. config files (damn they're horrible in Fedora.. not one or two - but 3 locations for identical files!? - maybe more..)
2. Network adaptor GUI (edits those config files for you - nicer interface.. I still had to do some deleting though)
3. Wireless networks gui (wlassistant and wpa_gui).

Now between them all, the configuration was only mildly annoying (the mildly being wpa_gui not saving anything to the config file - the same for wlassistant. They both HAD to be run as root(!?) and the network adaptor GUI didn't delete the keys files from the WEP encryption). It was very manageable and a reset to sort out the interface problems I caused means it now works correctly for my laptop.

Back on subject, windows has directx - which is a whole composite of input/output/graphics/audio/gadgetry/device/networking solutions. YES, there are alternatives (ALSA/OpenAL/OpenGL/OpenNA(new to me)/SDL(quite a good overall alternative - cross platform too)/etc) but they are not 100% comparative to (OpenGL lacks certain features which make Direct3D desirable - from what I've read) windows.
Windows (XP at least) had a good config layout. You'd go to networking options for IP address etc - and then to hardware if you wanted to fool around with the lower layers. Linux seems to mix these a little.

BUT - and here's the stinker - linux can give you 98-99% of what you want to do right now. It CAN use encryption, it can play your (non-DRM) movies and it CAN give you a nice way to see wireless networks and it CAN allow you to open up MS word documents and it CAN give you 3D, flash, audio, networking pleasure. It can provide you (I suddenly had an 'outer limits' moment there) with 1000 more customizations than your average windows user on the interface ALONE (again - KDE user here). You can use 80% of all hardware on the beast (those left out are mostly in the wireless section of the hardware isles) which only mean that 20% will have to be 'botched' (yes, you can make them work using windows emulation*).
*I know it's not really emulation but rather an abstraction layer which translates - but emulation is crude enough to inform the not-so-knowledgeable while the elders know what it means.

SCREW FREE AS IN BEER/FREE AS IN SPEECH.
Who the hell wants to debate politics!? I use a computer because I like the way it acts, it does WHAT I want, HOW I want to use it, it PERFORMS how I want it to and most importantly nowadays - I get it for a price which I am happy with (~£0 money, ~10 mins time-wise,on average, learning curve-come-config).
Yes windows is closed source, so what? Yes MP3 codecs are closed source (and patented due to those stupid yanks) - SO WHAT!?
Sure, I would prefer the free/open option. Sure I would use them by default - if given the choice.
Some would say "free as in speech" is all about freedom of choice - I say bollocks to you. Freedom of choice is to be able to choose closed source if I want to!
I'm locked into several needs (MP3's need to be used for my Ipod, flash needed for website satisfaction). I have one friend who needs windows for some musical application needs (I say he doesn't - but oh well).

So this rant is coming to a close: the outcome being that I love Linux. Everyone would love linux if they gave it a chance and could learn what needs to be done, or do without some games, or use a different application... But not everyone wants to. We all know why windows is still up there - because it comes by default, because less talented people (I include the rest of my family in that list) can't learn new methods quickly and because games are locked into windows (yeah, other lock-ins too but for the desktop it's games).
For those - I simply say fine. Wait for the march of progress, which is inevitable. I'm not saying linux desktop is coming as such, I'm not going to say when, or that it's soon. I'm saying it's here but that the people aren't ready to learn the quaint twists of linux. Linux will develop more user-friendly tools, and will emulate* windows to ease any transition. The companies will see an increase of activity and will adopt linux too one by one - bit by bit.
If you want to continue using windows - fine. I have no objection to you using it. I won't continue on at you, or force you - there's no point, microsoft are doing that already.

But you people please stop complaining about one or the other? Would they please stop trying to judge the other, put the other down and just try to actually make a good use experience while they can?

BTW - labels in this thing... when I type 'linux [comma] [space]' I don't expect 'santa linux story' to be substituted. What the hell!?

Ding-Dong santa's dead!

Hahaha.
Very original - and so very, very true!

Sorry I haven't posted again fella's - been a bit busy having a week off work and so I've been cleaning, organising, playing the guitar, eating... Well, mostly the last two - but you get my drift!

Last night for instance, I was up looking over what my Fedora 7 laptop had installed - doing basic maintenance
- and noticed that for some reason rpm (one program which says what's installed if you're not into linux)
reported wine as not being installed (it is and was).
I rebuilt
the database just incase - but it occurs to me that there should be a backup shouldn't there? By default.

I do a 'yum list |grep installed > installed.txt' or 'rpm -qa > installed.txt' which allows me to see what is installed on a system and lets me restore the programs just fine without too much hassle.

I've been writing a little bit to my story - hopefully I'll have something to put up in the next year for that one. I am trying to come up with 'short story' ideas - I do have one or two which I may be able to grow.
Those will most likely be put up on here in the next month or two.

Until my next post..