Desktop Linux for Everyone
It always takes a bit for these changes to find their way into Ubuntu. Plus, I’m not always great about trying new features, because I’m old and set in my ways.
I’m psyched about the enhancements to Web and Boxes, which is my preferred virtualization tool now.
There’s also a release video:
GNOME 3.34 Released | GNOME
I found Drew via this interview and followed-up to learn more. I love Drew’s comment on Vim: “Nothing else can transfer my thoughts into the computer quite as efficiently and effortlessly.” It’s what so many of us are looking for: a frictionless experience that instantly moves thoughts and ideas from our brain to the screen. Although, in fairness to my text editor, it’s not always working with the best quality content…
You can find more of The Linux Setup here.
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I’m Drew DeVault. I write, maintain, and contribute to free and open-source software projects. Mainly I work on Wayland (wlroots & sway), SourceHut, aerc, Alpine Linux, etc.
Why do you use Linux?
So far as free-as-in-freedom kernels are concerned, Linux is the best compromise. It’s far from perfect, but it has extremely broad support for all of the features of a modern computing stack and heaps of buy-in from the community.
What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
My main desktop runs Arch Linux (for now), but everything else runs Alpine Linux.
What desktop environment do you use and why do you use it?
Sway, because I wrote it.
What one piece of Linux software do you depend upon? Why is it so important?
If I had to choose one single piece of software, I’d choose Vim. Nothing else can transfer my thoughts into the computer quite as efficiently and effortlessly.
What kind of hardware do you run this setup on?
There is also a laptop (Thinkpad X200), RISC-V board (HiFive Unleashed), and two ARM boxen (Raspberry Pi 3 and Purism Librem 5 prototype board), which I SSH into with some regularity for various tasks. Another laptop is booted up and plugged into the LAN over in the corner of the room and I’m gradually pulling over stuff from it that I worked on while recently on vacation.
Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Interview conducted September 11, 2019
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
You can follow me on Mastodon here, follow me on Twitter here and subscribe to the feed here.
This is very cool! Manjaro is looking to transition from an informal “hobby” to a formal project. I suspect it’ll really help with development. I don’t use Manjaro, which is based upon Arch, but we all benefit from successes like this.
I spoke with the Manjaro team just about six years ago this week!
Manjaro is taking the next step | Manjaro Linux Forum
These are very interesting points about how Firefox could help new, less experienced users make more privacy-favorable choices.
I’m not sure why people switch to Firefox, but it would be cool if Firefox asked the user why they were switching and then crafted an experience based upon that.
I switched to Firefox at work because I couldn’t, in good conscience, use the privacy sieve that is Chrome anymore, and it’s been a seamless transition, mostly involving my making Firefox behave more like Chrome.
You know. Except for the direct line to Google.
But I’m always pulling for Firefox.
Firefox has lots of room to improve if it wants to beat Chrome | the snazzblog
A cool interview with Drew DeVault, a software developer, that includes some questions (and answers) about his set-up:
My main workstation is a Linux tower with four displays in various configurations, as a means of continuously testing sway in various situations, and an AMD GPU. This runs Arch Linux, mostly because a few of my projects still have issues on musl libc (issues I intend to fix). I also keep a laptop on my desk running Alpine Linux, which I SSH into almost daily to work on Alpine, and which I travel with. I also have a Librem5 prototype courtsey of Purism on my desk, again for testing sway, and a HiFive Unleashed RISC-V board, for working on the RISC-V ports of Alpine Linux and musl libc.
An Interview with Drew DeVault | GitPius
I agree. Everyone should have a password manager. It makes it so much easier to make your passwords secure and unique. However, I strongly disagree with The Wirecutter that BitWarden is “complicated.” It’s just like LastPass, which I used for years.
And also, as always, KeePassX is the best for local password management.
Why You Need a Password Manager. Yes, You. | The New York Times
It should come as no surprise that I love Uses This. They recently profiled Eugen Rochko of Mastodon (the social network, not the band; feel free to follow me there!). Unsurprisingly, Eugen is a committed Linux user.
I was also interested in this Paul Ford profile. He uses Apple hardware but mostly seems to use Emacs as his OS.
Man I love Uses This.
Eugen Rochko, Developer of Mastodon | Uses This
This is an amazing story about an IT person going undercover to bring down a group that was scamming senior citizens. But the dramatic turn of the story involves Linux:
FERNANDEZ: And he called me on Sunday, and he said that this Linux server had crashed. And Linux servers don’t just crash. You know, it’s very hard for that to happen.
WARNER: So you knew it was a setup because he said the Linux server had crashed, and that was something only a non-IT person would say.
The punch line is that the server actually had crashed!
Great twist for a story. Less great for a Linux site.
Episode 931: The IT Guy Vs. The Con Artist | Planet Money
I found Sam via this post about using Vim to learn Linux. It’s an interesting concept: that Vim is almost a conceptual metaphor for Linux. Sam got into Linux starting with Arch, which to me is like an athlete beginning their career in the Super Bowl.
You can find more of The Linux Setup here.
You can follow me on Mastodon here and follow me on Twitter here.
I am a student at Gloucestershire University reading Computer Science. I love to experiment with open source software, seeing how far you can take it. I am also really interested in retro audio equipment, and am currently on the lookout for a reel-to reel deck for my dorm room.
Why do you use Linux?
My first experience with Linux was in college. I was introduced to it by the students in the year above me. I had only ever used Windows up until that point, but I was fascinated by how much was open to the user and wasn’t hidden behind closed doors. I installed Arch the same night and dived straight into learning everything about it I could. I have never looked back.
What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
I run Manjaro Illyria on my laptop that I use as my main machine. It’s fairly light and I like the Arch family of distributions.
What desktop environment do you use and why do you use it?
I use i3-wm with i3-gaps. I fell in love with tilling window managers when I migrated to Linux and i3 clicked with me straight away. More recently I have been delving into configuring the aesthetic side of i3 with the use of i3-gaps and Compton.
What one piece of Linux software do you depend upon? Why is it so important?
Vim. I love it. It was one of the first parts of Linux that I interacted with and it was so unlike any other editor I had used that it really caught my imagination. I have tried editors since but I keep coming back to it as it just does everything I need and does it really well. In particular, the use of snippets makes writing large pieces of code really quick and simple, cutting down on the number of key presses required and allows you to program closer to your speed of thought rather than being limit by your typing speed.
What kind of hardware do you run this setup on?
The laptop I use as my main machine I have had for eight years and I got as a present for when I started secondary school. It has 3GB of RAM and an Intel i3-2330M processor that I have underclocked to conserve power and extend the battery life. Part of the reason I installed Linux to begin with was to attempt to improve the battery life of my old laptop, which prior to my move to Arch was an abysmal 45 minutes. I have now got a new battery and can manage two and a half hours. Woo!
Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
This is my yellow themed i3 desktop. I will typically have a terminal session and Firefox open together on my main workspace, each taking up half the screen each.
Interview conducted August 24, 2019
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
You can follow me on Mastodon here, follow me on Twitter here and subscribe to the feed here.
Automattic, the company behind WordPress, bought Tumblr from Verizon, who had it from Yahoo! who bought it for way too much in 2013.
I used to host this blog on Tumblr and I really loved it there. I moved sometime after Yahoo! bought it. Or more than some time. But I started thinking about it right after I learned about the sale. It just took me a while.
I’m psyched that Automattic is interested, though, and they seem to understand what makes Tumblr so much fun. Maybe I’ll even move back there. Especially if they make it easy to move from WordPress to Tumblr…
What’s Next for Tumblr? | The New York Times
