TJR Forum

How I over-teched myself
Editorial commentary
Written by Jem Matzan   
May 10, 2006 at 04:54 PM

Ever since I first had to use it for real work, I have known that I tend to get a lot more writing and programming done when I use the command line interface than when I'm in X11. Somehow, though, my increase in productivity didn't fully register with me until I put OpenBSD on my laptop computer. The lack of proprietary video drivers and Web browser plugins helped me overcome the distractions presented by my big, powerful, tricked-out GNU/Linux desktop machine. I'm hooked now -- there's no going back. I'm through being over-stimulated, over-styled, and over-teched.

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Beginning Ubuntu Linux review
Book reviews
Written by Jem Matzan   
May 07, 2006 at 03:17 AM

Most of the books about specific GNU/Linux distributions that I've read tend to be either too advanced to comprehend or too elementary to stomach. Apress's Beginning Ubuntu Linux tends toward the latter, but doesn't totally ignore more advanced GNU/Linux topics. Despite its shortcomings, readers who are new to GNU/Linux and are decided on the Ubuntu distribution will find some benefit in it.

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GoDaddy.com not so anti-OSS after all
Editorial commentary
Written by Jem Matzan   
Apr 20, 2006 at 01:53 AM

So domain registrar GoDaddy recently decided to move 4.4 million parked domain names (Web addresses that don't have sites yet) from GNU/Linux to Windows. Does that mean that the company is anti-Linux? Maybe, but GoDaddy certainly isn't against free software -- it just made a U.S. $10,000 donation to the OpenSSH project.

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Thinking in Java, 4th Edition review
Book reviews
Written by Jem Matzan   
Apr 18, 2006 at 11:23 AM

There are a lot of books that try to teach both object-oriented programming and the Java language to autodidacts, but few do it so effectively as Prentice Hall's Thinking in Java, now in its fourth edition. If you're totally new to computer programming, or if you have trouble concentrating on what you're reading, you may need a more elementary text, however.

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How to sync your Linux desktop and laptop
Articles
Written by Jem Matzan   
Apr 17, 2006 at 03:55 PM

If your laptop computer is a complement to your desktop machine, you're probably well aware of the need to synchronize data between the two. When you're in the middle of a big project and know you're going to be spending the afternoon in a doctor's waiting room or on an airplane, it's nice to be able to quickly transfer your project files--and maybe your email and contacts--to the laptop, then vice-versa when you return to your desk. This article will show you two ways to accomplish this on GNU/Linux-based machines.

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The Cult of iPod review
Book reviews
Written by Joe Fenton   
Mar 22, 2006 at 11:28 AM

Do you know someone who can't stop talking about their latest purchase from Apple? You've found a gift they'll enjoy. Do you know someone who spends hours trying to convince the first person they could have gotten a far better computer for much less from Dell? You've found a gift that they'll completely loathe. From the very outset, it is fairly obvious this book is aimed at Apple devotees.

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Beginning Python review
Book reviews
Written by Jem Matzan   
Mar 20, 2006 at 01:17 PM

The Python interpreted programming language is relatively easy to learn and use (especially when compared to C or C++), but that doesn't mean you should do it on your own. Whether this is your first foray into programming or if you're interested in adding Python to your repertoire, Apress' Beginning Python can assist you in your learning.

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When the debunkers print bunk
Editorial commentary
Written by Jem Matzan   
Mar 17, 2006 at 03:48 PM

Anyone who has been on the Internet for a few years has at least heard of Snopes.com, a site which seems to specialize in debunking popular Internet myths and urban legends. But what I recently found out about this site left me surprised and disappointed: Snopes knowingly publishes false information with the intent of teaching their readers that there are no informational authorities. How can we trust Snopes to debunk myths when the authors actively work to promote some of them?

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