Linux Against Poverty 2010 is a go...

Folks, I sincerely apologize for my absence the past three weeks. Important family matters needed attention and I attended to them. Many of you have called and emailed but I was out of pocket for the duration. Again I apologize. I will catch up as time permits.

It was simply necessary.

But boy, do we have stuff to talk about.

First, we have made the move to our new location in Lakeway Texas. Lakeway is a small community about 30 minutes drive from my home and sits on Lake Travis. It gives us not only room to work but room to grow...and that's a good thing.

Our new address is:

The HeliOS Project
2009 Ranch Road 620 North
Suite 530
Lakeway, Texas 78734
512 739 9707

We want to specifically thank Skip Guenter, Tom King and Jean-Claude Magras for their help in getting us moved and organized.

Of course, organized is relative and it shouldn't take me long to turn it into a shambles again. Trust me.





Now...for the important stuff. Lynn Bender of geekaustin.org has announced that he is beginning preparations for LInux Against Poverty 2010. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 25 people volunteered for the event within an hour of the announcement. That is roughly half of the geek/tech workforce we were graciously provided during the last event. As if this writing, there are 55 signed up to help....but that's good. we're shooting to double our machine intake from last year.

Lynn has some fairly spectacular options open to him for this years event but until they are locked down, I've been asked not to be too specific. The event is scheduled for the 16th of May this year. If you wish to participate in LAP this go-around, please leave your comments here or email me helios at fixedbylinux dott Komm. We'll get you slotted into a place where you feel you can do the most good.

There is also a google group for installers and hardware folks if you are interested in joining. Just ask for an invite. There is also a Facebook page for the 2010 event as well so you can RSVP when you are ready.

And it is at this time that I must announce to retirement of our beloved old Isuzu Rodeo. Thanks to Tano Garcia, we got an extra 20K out of the old girl after what seemed to be a terminal breakdown. Tano, at his own cost; replaced the crankshaft, clutch, throw-out bearing and other parts. All we had to pay was a partial 300 dollar mechanic's fee to do the work. Tano paid the rest. Bless his heart.

We now are in the process of gaining a new vehicle.

The same guy, Tano Garcia; has a mechanic's lien on a completely rebuilt 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This vehicle has a rebuilt motor, Transmission and replaced differential.

He's selling it to us for the remaining bill on the Jeep. I've already given him $800.00 of my money as a down payment on it but we are short $1800.00 to take delivery. We have applied for several grants in the past few months but with this economy, the competition is fierce and we have yet to be awarded one. If you are in the position to help us get our vehicle, we would be extremely appreciative. And as always, donations can be made via the link at the top left of this page.

We are having a meet and greet at the shop this Saturday afternoon...just a few Linux geeks getting together to look the place over and talk about upcoming events such as Linux against Poverty.  You are welcome to come out and we'll order some pizza and pass the time.  We might mess around and even enjoy it.  Come out and see our new digs.

So, we are almost caught up on what's been going on. Coming soon is a cool story about a family that reached their pain threshold and made the migration to Linux. Also, if I get the information, we'll talk about a visiting Scotsman that was hit by the Linux Thunderbolt and switched within a few minutes of playing with the Live CD.

Stay Tooned.

All-Righty Then

Linux Contractor Fired for Using Firefox/Linux

This is a complicated story but one that must be told. I'm not sure there is anything that can be done about it except rage at the moon...

But it needs to be told none the less.

Did I mention it gets complicated? It does, but it does so for a reason. Let's introduce the starting lineup.







The Players:

*Our Principal - In the US.

*An Indian Contracting Company

*A large computer/server company with three letters in their name.

*A large credit card company with four letters in their name.

*A friend of The Principal

The Principal is a guy who works with Linux Servers for a living. He was contacted by the Indian Contracting Company and asked to apply for a project position through the large company with three letters in their name. The contract was to patch the 1000+ linux servers with some proprietary SAN access software

With me so far?

Ok...so our Principal went through a grueling month-long process of applying for employment to be awarded this contract...a lucrative contract at that.

Of course, when you've been unemployed for any period of time, the term lucrative becomes relative.

He jumped through all the hoops...ran the gauntlet so to speak, and came to the very last step...a simple competency test to be taken online. He was given the URL and instructed to complete the test and notify the Project Manager at the computer company with three letters in their name when finished. He dutifully logged into the website and hit enter.

The page would not render.

At all.

Our Principal called the Project Manager and told her of the problem. It was soon deduced that our Linux Server Guy was using Linux on the Desktop with Firefox.

Now, I'm going to ask you to remember that he was dealing with a Project Manager that is employed by a huge computer/server company with three letters in their name. She was in charge of switching a large credit card company with four letters in their name over to Linux Servers. It isn't completely out of our realm of understanding that she didn't know what Linux on the desktop is. I will give her that. But I cannot let slide her next inquiry:

"What's this Foxfire thing?"

You've got to be kidding me...

No really.

But wait...it gets better, or worse...depending on where you sit.

The Project Manager mentioned that she would ship our Principal a laptop with Windows/Internet Explorer to him so he could finish the process and begin work. He was going to need it anyway to access MS Windows VPN only...it was how they would access the large credit card company with four letters in their name network. That was the setup for the project.

Not ideal, but it facilitated getting the job.

While waiting for his laptop to be over-nighted, our Principal decided that he might be able to contact someone who was in charge of the Windows/Internet Explorer site only, and see if there was something he could do at his end. IE4Linux had not worked and neither did trying to fool it into thinking Firefox was IE. He called them and asked for tech support.

They did not have a tech support but did take his number down and assured him he would receive a call back.

Turns out this probably wasn't the wisest move.

But who knew?

The company that ran the testing website ended up calling the Project Manager at a large computer/server company with three letters in their name and relayed the information they had received from our Principal.

Within a couple of hours, our Principal received a phone call from the Indian Contracting Company and was informed the project had been canceled. His services would no longer be required.

It stunk...it stunk of high suspicion if not outright lies.

Our Principal had spent a month of his time securing this contract and rightfully suspicious, he called his friend...the friend who had gotten him on the list for the project in the first place.

His friend made a couple calls. His friend called him back within the hour.

The Project had not been canceled. He had been fired. The reason?

The project manager reported that the Principal "refused to use Windows and Internet Explorer".

Which was not true.

Not only was the Principal taken off the project list...

It is reported that he has been blackballed from any future projects funded by this large computer/server company with three letters in their name.

So now let ME rage at the moon.

Because that's all I can do...

The irony? The "compentency test" was a Security & Privacy test from the four letter credit card company that HAD to be taken on MS Windows with IE?

I'll let you be the ones to point out the obvious...the fact that this large computer/server company with three letters in their name is reportedly a "friend to Linux". I'll let you talk about how a Linux Professional who uses Linux as their desktop environment was denied access to employment. Employment that was based on his knowledge of Linux. Yeah, the server side...but still...

Now let's brag about how much ground Linux has made...

And a Linux Project Manager for said company asking the question:

"What's this Foxfire thing?"

Stunning Breakthrough in Wireless Reception Technology

Wireless innovation is evolving...and Skip Guenter is the architect.

The call came in about 7 PM last Monday. It was from Skip Guenter.

"You on a secure line?"

"Yeah", I said..."I guess so".

"Well, I can't take the chance it's not secure. Stay there, don't leave and don't tell anyone I'm coming by."

With that he hung up.

Within the next two hours, Skip "skipsjunk.net" Guenter revolutionized the PC wireless world. His innovation, while shamelessly stolen, did miraculous things and I am here to present it to you today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the DSWD - V1 and DSWD- V2 .

Original night research at Skipsjunk's remote facilities to maintain highest security levels on development.























Note the surgical precision by which Guenter cut and splayed the metal mesh to insert the highly developed usb wireless adaptor extension. You won't find that quality of craftsmanship anywhere in today's manufacturing environment.

Of further note and interest is the high-tech USB signal routing cabling device used in this technological marvel. Yes, I know...it's breath-taking. Drink in the precision of its placement. Understandably overwhelming, I know.






















Of course, the calculations used to increase signal strength took hours. Using the Linux Super Computer at the secret night time testing location, Guenter was able to hone the signal from a constant 47 percent to a signal that ranged from 72 to 94 percent.

But despite his brilliance and tenacity, problems persisted. The signal would fluctuate between the afore-mentioned percentages. For anyone else, this vast improvement would have sufficed.

But not for Skip "94percent" Guenter.

After crunching the numbers for what seemed to be hours, Guenter began to develop an answer to the problem. Sheer genius prevailed, along with brilliant engineering to steady the signal to a 5 point fluctuation...an acceptable range for Guenter. While solid signal strength did drop from the previous peak of 94 percent - the constant range of 83 to 88 percent insured a steady signal.

Given the wireless router is 168 feet away and sitting behind two load-bearing walls, it's nothing short of amazing.

The new improved version (v2) provides steadier signal levels with the new specially designed and formulated "double backplane reflector".






















Not only was the engineering and focus of this project without peer, the mounting of the device was stunning.

Because of security concerns around the avant guard mounting method we've had to exclude any photos that depicted the mounting mechanism.

Besides the giant black zip ties don't show up so well at night and nobody has a lens that'll show the nail jammed between the sheet metal roof and the 2x4 beam it's hanging from.

Once the appropriate patents were applied for and all components of the DSWD- V1 and V2 deemed as proprietary, we were able to present the DSWD - V1 in the daylight.

















All kidding aside, this was built for about 30 bucks and did boost the wireless signal about 44 percent. What you are seeing is a Belkin USB dongle attached to an extension coupler and run inside through a crack in my door. The "parabolic" effect is actually a dumpling skimmer used by many Chinese eating establishments to dish dumplings and strain them from the cooking pot. You can purchase one at any Asian market for about 10 bucks. I've bought signal boosters that cost almost twice what building this did and it didn't increase the signal but by maybe 20 percent.

My thanks to Skip "operators-are-standing-by" Guenter for his time and patience in putting this together. Please note much of the descriptive or bold text is his.

All-Righty Then

Arabic Speakers Needed in Austin

Recently, we took on a project for a Iraqi couple who had spent 3 years in a refugee camp prior to finally getting to the US. Their names are Ziad and Mona and they need help far past my ability to help them.

It's not just a matter of the system we gave them being Linux...these folks are not computer users and the concept of right and left mouse clicking eludes them.

A challenge I know...

Now try to imagine trying to teach them with the Language Barrier in place.

We will be helping people like this from time to time. Their story would tug at your heart, but having seen a ten thousand refugee migration in 1991, I can only imagine. These are great people and need our help.

I have also been unable to find an Arabic keyboard or overlay locally so if you know of where we can get one without the wait induced by Internet ordering, we would appreciate your help as well. These folks live on North Lamar in North Austin so if you are able to spend an evening or two with them and help them learn to use their computers, I would be grateful.

This will truly objectify the "community" in The Linux Community.

شكراً

helios

The HeliOS Project Drawing Winners Announced

Try as we did, we were not able to do a live drawing via Twitter this time. We've had spotty wireless signal for over a week but hopefully, Skip Guenter's directional device to be installed later this evening will solve that.

Here are the winners of our drawing. Each winner will be notified by email and we should ship all prizes by this Wednesday. I want to personally thank those who participated. Your participation has allowed us to continue our work and for that I am grateful.




First Prize: Larado Quadrado Cube

Alan Jones

Second Prize: Toshiba Tecra M2 laptop

Jordan Schwartz

Third Prize: AMD 50x15 Internet Device

Samuel Seib

Live linux CD Do It Yourself Kits/Tuxbymail:

Sandi Raston
Phillip Marquez
Dana Johnston
Gregory Detrich

Edit: Our thanks to Alan Jones who has graciously refused the first place prize and asked us to use this computer for The HeliOS Project. We will post pictures of that install for Alan and the Linux Community when we do that particular install.

From the Directors and Volunteers of The HeliOS Project, we want to thank you for helping us do what we do.

All-Righty Then

Linux Dairy Council Steps to the Plate...

I've found myself in some pretty impressive company lately...

online anyway....for now.

Regardless, I am way out of my league here. They are called The Linux Dairy Council (got Linux?)

Here's a listing of the initial attendees of the first LDC meeting. If I missed you, it's my bad...please comment or email me and I will make the edits


Bryen Yunashko - Gnome Dev and OpenSuse Volunteer
Beth Lynn Eicher - Ohio LinuxFest Organizer
Mackenzie Morgan - Ubuntu
Larry Cafiero, Fedora Project and Redwood Digital Research
Joe Brockmeier, OpenSUSE
Nate Willis, - missed you at OSCON...hope to see you at SCaLE
Clint Savage, Fedora Project and Utah Open Source Conference
Alan Pope, Ubuntu
Will Smith (the Utah one, not the Hollywood one), Utah Open Source Conference

Many of us are stumbling around, trying to find the best way to get Desktop Linux into the awareness of the average computer user. There are millions of us already and I am fairly certain that even the most generous stats pertaining to Linux Desktop use are wrong.

There are more of us than I think many of us imagine.

But still...

on whole, the general computing public remains ignorant to the fact that they have a choice in how they use their computers.

Some that will read this blog will shrug and mentally file it under "WGAS"

(you'll figure it out.)

Well, there are many of us WGAS.

I'm going to equate it to a personal experience from a few years ago. I was in Tucson Arizona on Speedway Blvd, walking back to my seminar from lunch. At the curb, was a man in an obvious jam. He was trying to take some small but heavy boxes into a business from his car. I was able to observe him the entire block and while he struggled to keep them balanced and in his arms, maybe 25 people walked by him.

Like he did not exist.

Long before I was able to get within helping range, two young men spoke to him for a second and picked boxes from the top and helped him carry them to his destination.

I don't want to get into the social aspects of how we've become an untrusting society or how doing so might have been dangerous. We should help those who are struggling.

He was obviously on the downside of 60 and struggling with getting something done. He needed help. Could he have done it himself? Sure...stack them at the curb and take them in one or a few at a time.

Seeing the parallels here?

Windows Users do this almost every day. They've developed coping techniques to deal with the shortcomings of what they have to work with...from protecting their computers to transferring files from one folder to another. Tedious tasks most often that could be done much easier in most cases....and we all know examples of this beyond my simple two.

What The Linux Dairy Council prescribes is finding people that will stop and help someone in obvious distress carry some boxes inside.

Or show them that there is an easier way to use their computers.

The Linux Dairy Council Vision Statement:

The LDC is a project to help promote Linux in general, rather than specific distros. To help coordinate marketing and education activities around Linux by creating materials and organizing activities with other projects.

Many people might have some problems with being an active part of the Council...

You must, before anything else, check your distro bias at the door.

See, while we are seeking active and stable distros to take part in the LDC, it isn't a competition...we are going to attempt to use a cooperation model to get this done. Sure...you are a member of the LinuxMint or PCLinuxOS Community...great...get those distros onto as many computers as you want...after all, the goal is World Domination...right?

For Linux...not for any particular distro.

Within the LDC, distros are tools, not religious icons.

We are just now fleshing out some ideas to make this work. I am going to try my best to make it to SCaLE this winter and many of the LDC will meet there, hopefully having our own booth or one that we can at least form a presence. From there, we might be able to put some of our bigger projects into play...many smaller ones should be working by then.

But it's just starting and I wanted you to know. You are an important part of this...the most important part.

Marketing Linux will work...maybe not in the traditional sense, but it will work. We need your ideas.

And I wanted you to be a part of it.

All-Righty Then...

Moving Day Approaches for The HeliOS Project

Finally...

Luck broke our way and in a big way.

Darrel Raynor, the Director for Asset Management for The HeliOS Project has secured for us a warehouse and office. It will be free of charge for a while...

You have no idea what a relief this is.

Instead of working out of a large, converted metal building with minimal climate control (do closed windows count for climate control?), we will have an actual warehouse and repair facility for our work. I even get a desk.

Go figure.

At any rate, we are looking to move the first week of November I am thinking. What we might well need are a couple of volunteers to supply a truck/van to move the computers and various components/boxes we have as well as giving us a hand in bringing them into the facility.

There is quite a bit to move.

I realize this is short notice but we need to vacate the facilities currently being used in order to stop any further rental fees from being brought to bear. The 500 dollars we are now spending on space and facility rental can now go to more important things....

Like securing machines needed to do what we do. If you can help, please contact me at helios at fixedbylinux dott kom.

We are also going to need shelving and some fairly sturdy tables. Skip Guenter has volunteered to do some carpentry work for us with one condition.

I am not to pick up or even enter into the room where power tools are being used.

Agreed.

Thanks for giving us a hand.

Salting the Bones...

We've talked about killing Linux Myths before.

Whether it be security through obscurity or Linux is just not ready for the desktop.

Logic and current unbiased data have proven otherwise. But there is still one that persists...

Linux Users are cheap and Linux Users are not a profitable market for gaming developers.

Ahem...

I think we, at least on some scale, have disproved that. Flash Forward to 2dBoy and Frictional. While we agreed not to divulge some fairly intimate statistics about each company sales, we are able to, and did report at the time, that Linux Users slayed all previous sales records for each game.

See, some myths and even some cultures believe to stop a spirit or ghost from haunting you, someone must unearth their remains and pour salt on their bones...

Demons and Spirits, reportedly, cannot cross a salt barrier. Some say to burn it for good measure.

So metaphorically...we are trying to stop this persistent haunting...

Yeah right helios...initial Linux momentum for sales then the Win and Mac folks resumed their purchasing pace.

Wanna bet?

Please...bet me now. Baby needs a new pair of shoes. She wears a size seven, loves heels and is 38....

nevermind...

I not only want you to look at the numbers here...I want you to do the math.

It's pretty amazing. Now, given some of you are as mathematically-challenged as I am, here is what I am driving at. Taking the market share for Windows, the number of Linux Users both paying the most for this special "name your price" sale and the fact that they remain customers since they discovered 2dboy...

Well, all there is to do now is to salt the bones.

Linux Users will buy games they enjoy....but given DRM and other restrictions, there may be a caveat or two there.

From the 2dboy website (linked by graphic below)

Breakdown By Platform

We were expecting the average price paid to be highest for Linux users and lowest for Windows users, but the gap was larger than we thought it would be…

Also, the per-platform download breakdown was pretty surprising, with Windows accounting for 65%, and Mac and Linux pretty much splitting the remainder evenly:

As well, given that many Windows users feel it is fine to steal games and apps, these numbers are not surprising...

And stop it...you know who you are. Anyone who would rather steal a game from these guys than pay a few lousy bucks for it will mug girl scouts without hesitation.

So...is this going to get the attention of companies like EA and other big name game distributors?

Probably not...too bad...

Their loss.

All-Righty then

Linux - T + 180 days

Let me take this opportunity to remind all that the prize drawing for some pretty cool computers is still running. This drawing gives us the funding to run The HeliOS Project. Come see us here to see what we are offering.

It's been something we've been needing to do for a while now.

Time, or the lack thereof has prevented it.

So here it goes.

We looked back 6 months and chose 10 of our Linux computer recipients and spoke with them individually. More to the point , we presented them with a series of questions.

See, none of the kids or parents that received HeliOS Project computers had ever heard of or used Linux. One of the screening questions we asked was: "did you use or do you now use windows outside of your home?"

In order to qualify the people, the answer had to be yes...although they did not know it.

Our goal was simple. Gather empirical data to indicate whether a Linux user of 6 months was comfortable with the system and how they saw it in relation to Microsoft Windows TM

This was no where near scientific of course. And as stated, the data collected is empirical at best but it gives us an idea of what we are working with and how we personally might be able to make it better.

So here is what we found.

The people queried ranged in age from 15 to 31. Of the ten people agreeing to talk to us, there were six female and four males. Not that it should make any real difference, I simply note it as a statistical fact.

Seven of these people either worked with Windows at school or at their place of employment. So is Linux vs. Windows equal to mixing oil and water?

Not even close.

What we found most surprising is the way our Linux Users adapted and researched in order to make things work between their machines. They actively sought answers to their problems. Spreadsheets via Excel transferred to Linux machines caused some problems in formatting but not enough to cause any real issues.

Reportedly, documents originating from Calc which contained inserted graphs, diagrams and graphics did not hold their formatting perfectly when saved as an Excel document and opened on the Windows end. But to be fair, neither did the same graphs, diagrams and graphics when sent from a 2003 Microsoft Office Excel document to a Microsoft Office 2007 user. In fact, some of the inserted graphics were completely absent between the two MS offerings. A bit of fiddling with the Calc-created spreadsheet rendered the document completely usable.

DocX continues to be a problem for many.

Three of the Linux Users found themselves in a position to install Windows Vista either at work or at school. In speaking to these users, it was a bit amusing to listen to their complaints about the install process. Six of the ten had installed Linux for friends and family, so they were somewhat versed in the installation of a Linux distribution.

In all three cases, none of the folks had driver CD's or internet access after installing Windows. They found themselves having to identify the specific hardware on the computer, find another computer with Internet access and slog through the Google process of finding the needed drivers. One of the biggest complaints in finding the needed drivers were the PITA redirects to sites for Driver Doctor and Driver Robot which puts a ton of spyware on your computer in the name of helping you automatically update your drivers.

What stuck us as most surprising is that every person who used Windows at work has inquired to their employer as to whether they would be allowed to use Linux at work. All but one were told no. The young Intern at an insurance company was given permission to dual boot her computer with Linux. An install she did without any tech support or help.

This brings us to the conversations where eight of our people commented that when they got home, they experienced relief or happiness that they could use a computer that "just worked". They noted that there were no 30 minute update procedures to tolerate, no warnings of virus threats and no having to reboot because their mouse wouldn't move correctly or that the current page showing was locked up.

While the comments and answers were largely positive, we also asked how Linux could be better in their opinion. Here is a list of comments or suggestions from some of the participants. Note some of them may seem like "old issues" to many of us, but also keep in mind that these are relatively new Linux Users. Keep in mind as well, these users have either Linux Mint or SuperOS installed on their computers...both derivatives of Ubuntu.

"The only decent program I've found for my ipod is Songbird but it crashes constantly. Can't the people making other Music apps like Banshee make ipod support easier?" Traci - undergrad UT

I do not own an ipod or any type of device like it so I could not comment on the question. Maybe someone here can address this.

"I have a USB storage device plugged in where I keep my music and movie collection. At any given time, a box pops up saying that a device has been detected that has pictures on it and wants to open F-spot for them. It happens a dozen times a day and is really annoying. How can I make this stop?" Mike - high school senior

This is a problem I have encountered often myself. It seems that 2 usb storage devices are constantly being "discovered" and announced. Annoying indeed, but personally not bothersome enough for me to investigate. Any ideas here?

"I want to install a couple KDE applications on my computer, one of them is Kstars but I am worried that mixing KDE stuff with Gnome is going to screw things up. It's happened before and I had to start all over. Is this ever going to be addressed?" Lisa - ACC student

Agreed, it is a crapshoot when you do this. I personally found that SuperOS comes with many of the KDE libraries already loaded so when you install a KDE app into this Gnome environment, all the knots are already worked out. YMMV however and I've found that mixing environmentally-specific apps can cause trouble down the line a bit. Long enough away so that you can't remember what you installed that is now causing the problems.

"When I have desktop effects enabled, there are times when I click something and the screen darkens for up to a minute before anything happens and after that my computer runs slow. When I turn off the effects it fixes itself. I have a one year old computer running two gigs of ram. This should not happen." Juanita - restaurant server

Noted this myself and not quite sure why this happens. I only run effects on my demonstration laptop...only so long I can tolerate wobbly windows and pretty sparkles before they get annoying or in the way of my work.

"I like the way you install applications in Linux. It is so much easier than in Windows but sometimes I cannot find specific programs that I need. I usually end up going onto the internet and searching for something that comes with a deb installer but they crash because something isn't in the deb that is needed. Is there ever going to be a time when all packages work on all Linux machines?" Amanda - freshman TSU

No, probably not and I feel your pain. We either have to learn how to compile our own or go to the forums and ask someone in the packaging threads to do it for us. Slashdot had a piece on someone working on universal binaries but I don't think the politics will allow it to happen.

The thing that stood out most in these meetings was the overall happiness with the stability of their systems. What made a big difference in the majority of the users was the fact that they did not have to do the reboot dance after an installation or regular machine update. Of further interest was the non-issue of virus protection. Every person spoken with that used Windows at work or school voiced annoyance over having to deal with it on the Windows machines.

When asked about the "learning curve" when they first started using Linux, all but one just shrugged and said it wasn't a big deal. Of course, we sat down with each of them when we installed the computers and spent an hour showing them the system. However, no one stated any real problems in acclimating to the new system.

No this is not all-inclusive by any stretch but this gives us some idea of what the new Linux User thinks and how they adapt to Linux. I am sure there are many that took the dive into Linux and ran back to the safety of Windows. We plan to speak with 10 more users as they mature to 6 months use in May.

Let's see how they differ from the above observations.

Those who insist on reiterating the same tired line that Linux isn't ready for the desktop may have axes to grind instead of opening their minds. When we have Professionals of many walks using Linux on a daily basis and as their only OS, then you have to question the motive or experience of those making such statements. Besides, we have 12 year olds using it on a daily basis.

Maybe these folks would appreciate one of our kids stopping by and giving them a hand.


All-Righty Then

Linux - Fostering Hope

When Lynn Bender came to me with his grand plan for Linux Against Poverty, I never in my 56 years imagined the impact his efforts would have on not only us, but the disadvantaged kids of Austin and the surrounding area. Through Lynn's efforts, we were able to put together over 200 workable computers and give them away to those needing them most.

I don't know if many of you know or understand the numbers that are in need...I mean true need, not just a matter of bad family budgeting.

But it's like one of those troublesome dreams.

The faster you run toward your goal, the farther away it gets.

The goal posts moved on us again today...

but that's a good thing. They were moved by Carole Keeton Strayhorn. I have followed and supported her politically and always admired her strength and courage...not to mention her tenacity and thick skin. But after an hour and a half meeting with her today...

I'd charge the Gates of Hell with a bucket of ice water for this woman.

See, she's not just a politician, Carole is a person who takes personally the fact that many kids are in a hell of their own. As we saw at The Settlement Home, there are kids who's lives have been so disturbingly disrupted by death or disaster, through unspeakable abuse or neglect, that they need every break they can get. Not all foster children are like that...but enough of them to completely turn my insides to ice when I hear the stories.

They need to be shown that they are loved.

Carole Keeton Strayhorn has given us a shot at giving them just one of those breaks. We agreed today to be their computer supplier and technical support for her Foundation, Our Texas Grandchildren.

And we do so with a mix of pride and humility. Two attributes that are not necessarily mutually exclusive. We will start with a group home and a few individual home installs...I will personally attend these to give guidance until her volunteers are comfortable with the process. Her volunteers will take over the physical install of the Linux operating system and performing the installs.

We are honored to be a part of Carole's work.

So... This is as good of time as any to announce our Christmas Season hardware drive.

We will be needing P4 computers, flat-screen LCD monitors, keyboards, mice, decent Nvidia or ATI video cards, usb wireless devices and sound cards. Of particular need are DVD/CD rom drives and PCI wireless cards.

If you care to donate computers or equipment, contact me via helios at fixedbylinux dott komm. We are also posting a PSA with KUT radio, the public radio affiliate here in Austin.

We have earmarked 30 computers for Carole and her Foundation and have those machines on hand. That will leave us enough to finish Space12 and about two weeks of individual installations for kids who need a computer. After that...

We'll be out of machines.

So...

Here we go folks. Like my dad was fond of saying when life threatened to get chaotic...

"Hold on boy, things are fixin' to get western..."

It does indeed appear that this may be one of those times. We welcome it.

Now if you will excuse me...I need to go make sure I have a good supply of ice water.

All-Righty Then...

Unique Prizes Highlights HeliOS Project Drawing

We've had drawings in the past...drawings that fund our efforts. It's particularly challenging this time of year as we struggle to keep our doors open. It's been a tough six months for us but we've managed to hang in there. Many thanks to those who have helped us. I wouldn't be writing this announcement if you had not been there to help

But extraordinary times demand extraordinary effort...

And sacrifice....however we are glad to do it if it keeps us afloat.

Welcome to our semi-annual prize drawing. We have a unique if not a collectors item offered as first prize so let's get to the good stuff.

The Larado Quadrado

Last year, when everything seemed to be pointing to success for Loye Young, the economy took its nasty downturn and the computer manufacturing company, Issac and Young Computer Company had to close down. Loye and his company manufactuted the Larado Quadrado. A larger version of a shuttle computer with a dual core 64 bit chip, complete with ATI video, a gig of ram with dvd/cdom burner and a generous hard drive. It also has a pci wireless adapter. Loye put a lot of love and sweat into manufacturing these machines but he did not get a chance to make many.



Loye presented me one of these machines during a visit to Austin.

I am offering this machine as our grand prize. As much as I hate to, I think that this great computer stands as a testament to those who struggle until they win. What I like is the LED on the face that monitors hard drive and cpu temperatures. No need for widgets or panel apps...it stares you right in the face. In the 3 months that I used it, it performed in a stellar manner. I only put it away because I didn't want to put a bunch of hours on what may become or may already be a collectors item. Be aware though, we are only offering the computer...the picture is just to show you the machine in relation to the monitor and perephrials.









Note on the back of the machine, the serial number...that should fairly well verify the rarity of these machines.







The Toshiba Tecra M2

This is a great little laptop...not exactly new, but with Linux driving the 1.6 gig chip and with a gig of ram and an intel chipset, we've had great success with these machines. Our thanks to Andy Krell of Nfusion for giving us a cartload of these. This is the last of the bunch, as the rest were given away to our HeliOS Project kids.

For those that don't know of us, The HeliOS Project has given away just shy of 1000 computers to Austin and Central Texas children in the past 4 years. We have built two great computer labs in Austin and may be slated to be the donated computer suppliers for a foundation called Our Texas Grandchildren, founded by Carole Keeton Strayhorn, former Comptroller for the State of Texas.

These are the kids that have had the roughest times in foster care. They have a special place in our hearts and we aim to pave some of the uneven road that lies ahead of them.

AMD 50x15

And of course, our drawing would not be complete without a prize of dubious worth and mention. We are offering our last AMD-manufacured 50x15 mini computer. Unique in that we seldom offer anything that runs Windows but in this case, we will make an exception. It fits in a drawer or huddles on the corner of a desk, fully capable of web browsing, word processing and has apps for photo manipulation. USB ports abound for you various needs as well. And we promise, if you so state, we will not announce the name of the winner for this prize.

People do tend to talk...

Tuxbymail or do-it-yourself Certificates

Know someone who is serious about using Linux but is still hesitant? Give them a certificate for Tuxbymail? They ship us their laptop and we install Linux either as a dual-boot or clean install for them. They pay shipping and insurance but in return, new life is infused into what they might consider a doorstop. Also, we offer to send someone you choose a do it yourself kit from out HeliOS Solutions store. Live CD's for them to explore with the entire user manual for the distro. We are offering 4 of each prize.

Please bookmark this announcement as we have others who may add to the prizes. The drawing is 10 dollars per entry and you can click our non profit conduit icon at the top left of this page to enter. Or, you can click here. Each 10.00 entry gives you a different chance at one of these prizes... so a 30.00 entry will secure three chances. If you are unable to participate using this link, email me at helios at fixedbylinux dott kom and we can give you an alternative.

Because of shipping costs and ambiguous export laws, we cannot ship the machines overseas and I apologize for this. We've ran into problems before shipping even new computers so unfortunately, we cannot ship them outside of North America. However if someone outside those borders does win a Do It Yourself Kit certificate, we will be glad to send that anywhere in the world.

The drawing will be held on November 8th, 2009.

My warmest and most sincere thanks to those who help us do what we do. We count on your support and are most grateful for it.

All-Righty Then

The Grand Experiment - Linux Ads on Radio

For those that are not aware, two radio ads introducing people to Linux and our services/non profit recently ran on KLBJ AM radio in Austin Texas.

The results were surprising in part...some of them confirmed wide-held suspicions about computer users in general.

Some of them fostered thoughts of running knitting needles through my eyes...

often.

What follows is our analysis of those ads and some potentially important information that may prove useful for anyone wanting to do what we did.

The ads were scheduled to run multiple times during the week and weekend. The 30 second spots would run during the week and the 60 second spot would run exclusively during the Kim Komando show. It ran once an hour for the duration of her program.

In total, there were just at 100 ads played for a two week period. We had scheduled a month to do this but budget restraints just did not allow it. The first surprise is that our web traffic did not jump like we anticipated. People chose to call us and talk rather than visit a website and get their information. Those that did visit the site were there for a short period. noting the duration of visits and pages clicked on by the visitors...they went to the "contact us" page or to get the phone number.

The fact that many chose to call instead of reading a website for information, at least to me is telling. As well, Thomas Holbrook of freedomwareproject.org graciously placed our ad on The Oracle Broadcasting Network online radio site. To date, we have fielded four inquiries from that ad. One sale pending the upgrade of his current computer.

We fielded 179 phone calls, 63 emails and 4 personal visits of inquiry from the ads. There are three categories in which I have placed these communications.

Cautious and curious.

Interested but skeptical.

Should never be allowed to touch a computer without professional on-site guidance

The first group comprised the largest and ranked at just over 62 percent of the calls. Their questions were probing and showed sincere interest but almost all of them asked more about the legality of Linux than they did the efficiency of it. Once the Free Software concept was explained to them, caution dropped significantly, especially when they found that large corporations were involved with the effort. Many expressed concern that there seemed to be "no one at the helm".

We explained this to them to the point of becoming a potential and unacceptable time sink. Some but an obvious minority, thought that a loose-knit group of thousands of developers is superior to one company holding the reins.

It was this group that purchased our services with the exception of one.

The second group, the ones that I identify as skeptical, were so for a reason. The 60 second ad produced the majority of the calls. 83 percent of them to be exact.

The skepticism stemmed from the 30 second ad. I will take direct responsibility for this particular failure.

The trick was to encapsulate the essence of Linux, or the benefits therein within 30 seconds.

It was kind of like trying to fill a pillow with goose feathers using a fork.

I wrote the ad, thinking that if people knew what the various EULA's allowed Microsoft and third-party vendors to do in and to their computers, it would prompt them to investigate further. As well, I did not proof the final and consequently, there were some untrue things stated in that 30 second ad. "all the software you will ever need is free".

A third grader can pick that apart. My bad....

lessons learned.

The skepticism stemmed from that ad.

"No one can do that to my computer", said one email. "It's illegal and Microsoft didn't get where they are today by breaking the law."

Sigh...

Where do you go with that? Espeically when your phone has three calls waiting on hold.

You simply guide them to the EULA and wish them luck.

The third category made me sincerely consider large amounts of narcotic pain medications.

All of them, to the last one, thought Linux was a "program" they could run on Windows and solve these problems.

Question from us: "Did you go to our website and read about Linux and the advantages?"

Caller/emailer: "No, I just want to know how to get this free program"

Response from us: "Linux isn't a program, it is a different operating system. It is designed for security and ease of use."

Caller/emailer: "A what?"

Response from us: "An operating system. Microsoft Windows is an operating system, Linux is an alternative operating system that will stop the problems you are currently having with your system now."

Caller/emailer: "OK, then I want to install that program on my computer. Will I still be able to play online poker?"

And no, I didn't want the narcotic pain medication for pleasure purposes.

I thought it would dull the pain when the knitting needle penetrated through to the eye socket.

It was during these little talks that I sincerely wished that spontaneous combustion was a common occurrence...my end or theirs...

Either way would have provided the desired relief.

In all, we made six sales. out of all the calls and email inquiries we received, there were six sales. However, there is a fairly well-known employment agency that is working with us to migrate 30 percent of their clerical machines to Linux. That isn't sealed yet but should it become so, these ads, from our perspective, would be a success.

An interesting side note...four out of the six people that hired us to install Linux on their home computers were female.

As it stands now, even in my most delusional of days, I cannot present this grand experiment as a success.

Monetarily it failed. When you recover less than half of what it cost to run the ad, it just plain didn't work.

Now, had we run the sixty second ads exclusively...would the outcome be different?

We think so...we simply didn't have the money to find out. As well, maybe running fewer ads during the week but stretching them out over a 30 day period might have been more efficient.

So...the forkable ads are out there for whoever wants to use them. We may try it again with the 60 second ad at a later date, but for now...we are chalking it up to experience gained and moving forward.

knit one - pearl two...

All-Righty Then

Bank Robbery via Broken Windows

Most of us do it on a weekly basis...

bank online.

The majority of us have become comfortable with it just as we have most of our online tasks...

It's time to take pause...if you are a Windows User that is.

A recent story told of a new or re-engineered trojan that was allowing Russian, African and possibly US hackers access to bank accounts across the globe.

And as the media is fond of withholding, this isn't a Computer Problem...

This is a Microsoft Windows Problem.

Reports differ greatly but many report that millions are going to be stolen if they have not been already. Will they "patch" it?

Probably, until someone comes up with something new...some 15 year-old kid will have it ready within hours of the patch.

There is no sense in preaching to The Choir...you all know the sermon chapter and verse...

I won't bore you with the sermon.

Just let your Windows-using friends that Microsoft has again allowed thievery and shenanigans to reign supreme within the plastic, wire and metal that makes up their computers.

Windows User's are not all morons or lazy....or apathetic.

Some have gotten a clue.
(my thanks to Richie for the link)

Pass it on.

All-Righty Then

The Twisting Path To Linux

We all have our tolerance for pain...

some of us have higher limits, some just won't deal with something that causes us discomfort at any level.

Life's too short.

Dave Kaplan, a friend and colleague of mine who spearheaded the Portland Lindependence event, emailed me a few days ago and told me about a successful switch to Linux.

There were a few surprises to say the least...none as surprising as how it came about.

Bill Mathis is a computer user. His old machine just wasn't doing what he wanted so he did what most people do.

He bought a new computer...

It came with Windows Vista tm.

Now that wasn't the agent of change for Bill. Oh, let's talk about the path that led to the current situation.

Bill is a retired graphic designer. Bill did most of his work with pen and ink...there were no "graphics programs" to do what Bill did. Bill worked for an ad agency and his work was hand drawn. By the way...have I mentioned that Bill Mathis is 85 years old?

You might want to take that into consideration...especially if you know those that argue against Linux because it is too difficult to learn.

I would hazard a guess that any 85 year old person is fairly well set in their ways.

Unless something becomes t0o painful or inconvenient to maintain...

So Bill settles in with his new computer, but something bothered him about it. He couldn't get the fonts to look right, he didn't like the available color combinations and he found that making the computer do what he wanted entailed either downloading third-party software or purchasing said software.

Bill did what most Windows Users do when they are not sure how to proceed.

He called Microsoft.

Go ahead...groan, it's ok. I did too.

Bill was summarily told to call Acer...it was their problem. Since there was nothing "wrong" with the operating system, the ball was in Acer's court, not theirs. He called and searched until he found the right number for their support...the support that deals with new and warrantied computers.

Guess what he was told...told a few times actually because the tech agent had an accent that Bill found hard to understand...?

Take the computer to a local repair shop and let them deal with it.

Pain threshold reached.

Bill Mathis boxed up the computer and shipped it back, demanding a full refund, which he received.

Hang on, this twist will pull a few G's. Dramamine for the squeamish available.

Bill frequents a book/record/CD store. The owner, Scott; knows Bill well. Bill was complaining to Scott about the recent events and asked Scott if he know anyone that might look at his old computer...the one he had prior to purchasing and returning the new one.

Scott looked up and around the store aisles and then pointed...

To Dave Kaplan, who The Fates had dictated be there at that precise time.

Dave went over to Bill's house later and assessed the situation. Running 256 meg of ram, Dave 'splained to Bill that a memory upgrade was in order. For a small fistful of one dollar bills, Dave upgraded the machine to one gig and installed SuperOS on it. As well, since he had his money back from Acer, he bought a new LCD flat screen.

Good move.

SuperOS along with Linux Mint are the two standards for our HeliOS Solutions and HeliOS Project installs. No muss, no fuss...everything works out of the box...no futzing around with enabling Multiuniverse repositories...the average computer user wouldn't know where to look.

Hence, our choices of distros.

Bill was at home with the Gnome Desktop within minutes. He didn't care for the color theme so Dave showed him how to change it, modify it to his liking and get new themes to play with.

Bill was pleaseantly surprised at his ability to control his environment. That is extremely important to him.

So...for those that still want to carry on the argument that Linux is too hard to use?

Please...with a few minutes of personal support, we have 10 year olds using it as part of our project and they don't need any more help than Bill did...probably less as they have not been indocrinated yet.

Seems the Windows Way can be unlearned...

And I don't care how old you are.

Bill Mathis, my hat is off to you.

All-Righty Then...

Three Legged Ponies

If you were to give somebody something.... Something they honestly needed, and I mean needed badly...

Would you cripple it in anyway in giving it to them?

Of course not.

Unfortunately, I've been doing just that for a number of years now, but it wasn't supposed to be this way.

As The HeliOS Project nears its 1000th computer delivery, more than half of those computers are still without Internet service.

And trust me...I've been to the major broadband carriers. There is no help there. We've went above and beyond in trying to get a deal worked out.


I've in essence given these kids just over 500 three-legged ponies. To carry the analogy a bit further...I've inadvertently put blinders on these kids.

Gcompris and Childsplay along with other educational apps only go so far...they keep the child in the box.

As I've mentioned before, most of these families have to make financial decisions. Shoes for the kids or Internet? Car insurance every month or Internet...? There just doesn't seem to be much ever left over for the broadband service they need.

One of you is sure to suggest that they should just settle for dialup. Please...don't do that. You would not cripple your kids that way...don't ask me to do mine as such.

And yes, many of them have opted for dialup.... And found it sorely lacking.

The kids they have to compete against are not thusly hobbled. Recently, students in a middle school here in Austin were assigned homework to watch either the Presidential address to students or a YouTube video by an 11 year old prodigy giving a motivational speech.

Ever tried to watch YouTube on dialup?

Those who could not access the Internet were assigned to read three chapters from: "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make: A Guide for Teens"

Personally, I think the third option is the best but that's not the point.

Kids without computers or Internet access were asked to stop by the teachers desk and check out the book prior to leaving the classroom. Thusly gaining the stares and attention of the other kids while they filed out of the classroom.

I began to take matters into my own hands. Following Seattle's lead, I began building a Guerrilla Network in East Austin. We actually started doing so back when we first installed the initial computers at Space12. A project which will be completed now that Sam Lee has the room for the Learning Center remodeled and ready.

But our wireless network for East Austin...?

We've run into a bottleneck of sorts. USB wireless devices.

Trust me, we've field-tested 16 different makes or models.

Keep in mind, many of these computers are in "the projects"...multi-story brick and concrete structures that may be built in rows and blocks of buildings...many are denied wireless access by the other buildings around them.

The one device that we've found that works and out performs everything else we've tested is the Hawking HWUG1. it not only out performs more expensive devices, it has lasted for over 9 months so far, exposed to the elements without any measurable damage or degradation of signal.

The worst we've tried? the Netgear USB dongles.

They have consistently failed at 4 to 5 weeks of continuous use, and that is in an indoor environment. They just plain quit. We bought a bunch of them from Frys on sale for 7.99 per.

Now I know why.

We need to get as many of these USB devices and six foot usb extensions as we can. No they are not cheap until you realize that the price of one of these, especially at NewEgg equals the cost of a month of broadband service from Time Warner.

So is what we are doing legal? Marginally....as long as I don't juice the repeater output...

and we all know I wouldn't do that.

I am going to be purchasing a high-gain antennae shortly to facilitate the building of the East Austin network. I will have the expertise of two wireless security people guiding me, but for now, we need to get at least 20 of these folks online so I can start putting in the repeaters.

Should you have any experience or unique input into networks like these, I would like to hear from you.

If you have one of these beauties and can spare it, email me and we'll make the arrangements. Otherwise, we can see if we can't strike a bulk purchase deal with someone. We're talking with NewEgg now, although you may be able to find them cheaper.

If so let me know. Should you be so motivated you can donate to the project by clicking the icon at the top left of the page through our Non Profit conduit Software in the Public Interest.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

40 dollars a month for Time Warner Roadrunner or one single device that will easily deliver a years worth of wireless for that monthly price?

All-Righty Then

Bob Sutor - Here are your "Dead Ends"

The head Linux guy for IBM, Bob Sutor fairly well showed the poker hand of most Enterprise Linux entities.

Briefly, he said: Linux on the Desktop isn't worth pursuing. He called it a Dead End.

Yeah...?

Is that right?

I mean, that isn't news to me. Your guy at the 2008 Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit said as much when addressing my concern for the lack of Linux marketing.

And trust me...I got immense satisfaction from posing my question. It made the panel extremely uncomfortable.

I doubt if I will ever be invited back. Given what I heard, that's perfectly fine with me.

It brought out the truth as you see it.

Linux isn't a solution, it is a "device".

A "device" you and your corporation have used, as well as using community developers, our developers, to enrich yourselves. Sure you've contributed code...but who benefited primarily from that contribution?

You did.

But hey...that's cool. I am fully down with Capitalism...as long as it remains non-predatory....and it remembers that there are those out here who need some help.

And that you remember there are those out there who wouldn't even have a computer if it wasn't for Desktop Linux.

Hey...slip off that 1000 dollar suit Bob and change into jeans and a t-shirt, swap out those Gucci loafers for a pair of 25 dollar sneakers and spend some time with me. I'm going to show you why Linux on the Desktop is anything but a dead end.

Meet just a few of those that would call you "disconnected" for your statements.

Ken, We all wanted to let you know how much we appreciate what you do, not just for us, but for all the kids in Austin who need it. Simon and Sawyer love their computer you set up for us...they're having fun and learning at the same time. I am so grateful that their educational playing field has been leveled and that they are no longer in danger of falling behind due to a lack of technology and resource. You brought something to them that every child should have available to them, but unfortunately aren't always able to get no matter how hard their parents work. People like you are so special, and we're glad to have met you and had our lives touched by your generosity. Your dedication and hard work, coming over and giving your time to set everything up, help us with the system and to teach us new things, it's a rare thing. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Janna, Brad, Simon, & Sawyer

And Bob...that's only the beginning...the tip of the iceberg as it were...

Meet Joe Patrano and his family.

Bob, Joe works two jobs. He does so because he wants his wife to stay home and care for their children...Yes I know...how, uh..."traditional". Joe and I talked at length about the Hispanic community and their needs. See, here's the problem Bob. Most of these people have choices to make when it comes to their finances.

"Do I pay for my child's shoes and school clothing or buy a computer?" "Do I pay the car insurance or buy a computer?" "Do I pay for my child's Parent-paid school field trips for the next three months or buy a computer?

Meet Nadja and Leora LaPoint...Children of Julie LaPoint. Bob, don't these two girls deserve the chance at an even shot? They got one of our computers and they live in Dallas....four hours from me and that's without traffic.

You tell them no Bob...I don't have it in me to do so.

You seein' the problem here Bob? If I did not put Linux on the 973 computers we've built and given out, there would be 973 Austin kids without computers today.

And Bob...501 of them are still disconnected from the Internet because they cannot afford it. I've talked to Time Warner about this. They not so politely told me to go piss up a rope.

Pretty much just like you did.

So Bob, I could flood this blog with pictures and stories, from all races and creeds but somehow I get the impression that you will never slip off those Gucci loafers and put on jeans and a tshirt. You are so well insulated from the real world that it would be way outside your comfort zone to do so.

Oh, and you need to know that there is a community devoted to helping us do what we do. And yeah Bob...they too have decisions to make. "Do I help The HeliOS Project or take the bus for a few weeks to work..."

Wake up man...Desktop Linux IS important and viable...you just can't make any money from it. So a rag-tag bunch of people who care do the work, at least part of it, that you should be doing. In my opinion anyway.

Hey! I have an idea! Why don't you guys take some of that profit (fully tax deductable of course) and help me get these 500 + computers connected to the Internet so those kids can compete and grow.

Oh never mind...I forgot who I was talking to for a second...

Silly me.

All-Righty Then

Microsoft FUD An Unfired Gun In Austin

Or so it would seem.

A while back, I along with about every other Linux blogger got all bunched up over Microsoft "training" Best Buytm, Office Depottm and Staplestm in the art of besmirching Linux.

Honestly, it chapped my nether-regions.

Enough to go take a look. I looked a lot.

Best buy - 3 in Austin, 2 in Round Rock

Office Depot - 5 in the Austin Metro area

Staples - 1 in Austin...The one on Barbara Jordan Blvd

And I didn't just visit them once. All but one Office Depot, I visited twice.

Nada. Nothing....and some surprises.

There are no outward signs of any comparisons between Windows and Linux. Even more surprising was some of the responses from the sales staff.

Now I know...there were fears that I would go storming the gates, all wild-eyed and foaming at the mouth.

People that know me know that I don't do that. It's only those who know me by my blog alone that assume such a thing. Yes, I keep a level gaze and control the subject matter, but a rabid mad dog does nothing but get shot.

Or locked up.

Let me check my calendar. Nope. Neither are on my agenda.

Let me tell you what I did find. I visited these stores on Saturday/Sunday the 12th. the 19th and the 20th of September. I visited each store an hour after opening and an hour before closing...most multiple times. In the spirit of open and honest disclosure, I have a fairly new friend that works at Best Buy. See, after I did all this, he told his side of the story.

There are a bunch of closet Linux users and enthusiasts that work at Best Buy...even the Geek Squad has been known to demonstrate Linux after swearing the customer to secrecy.

Ahem...allegedly.

And they are just busting to tell their customers about Linux. But they don't.

Jobs are not easily found these days. Oh trust me on this one.

So they bite their lip and do their job...they sell the products their employer pays them to sell and they keep their mouths shut about anything else.

Most times.

I struck up a conversation with a lady at a Best Buy in North Austin this past Saturday. Ulterior motives aside, her name is Staci and she is an admin specialist for a County entity...I didn't say which county.

As she was browsing the netbooks I started a conversation with her and we began comparing the different models. I told her that it was odd that there were no notebooks with Linux pre-installed on any of them.

She cocked her head to the side as I pulled out my tagged and approved laptop and started it. There was a salesman hovering just out of hearing range, just like they are told to do once a customer says "just looking".

Of course, my laptop is set on kill. Fully optimized for the "holy cow what is that" response.

It didn't fail me.

As I spun the cube and made things blink and whirl, I explained to her that Linux was all but imune to Windows viruses and I demonstrated the OpenOffice suite, showing her how a document can be saved in .doc format.

She was honestly impressed. And confused.

"Then why are they not selling it?"

So I told her...the readers' digest version anyway.

I closed down my Acer and we talked about her problems with her computer at work. There were always tech-types asking her to get up while they stuck a usb key in and did some cryptic stuff to her machine. "Patches" they told her.

Yes, I explained to her...you always have to patch something that is broken.

The salesperson could no longer take it and approached us with a smile. He asked Staci if she needed any further help in making a choice. I believe it was the laptop opened for ten minutes with her full attention that got the best of him.

"Do any of these come with Linux". Her question was direct and without malice...she glanced over at me just for a milisecond after doing so.

"Um...no, we don't carry Linux products here. I'm sorry."

No "Windows pitch"....no "comparisons..."

Just no.

So...

What...maybe they are waiting for the release date of Windows 7? I dunno.

I get a phone call from an unknown number today at 7:25 AM. It was Brother of Staci.

Brother of Staci works at Tivoli here in Austin. Seems that Staci brought up the subject at a weekly family gathering Saturday night. Brother of Staci wasn't angry at me...

He called to ask me about my conversation with Staci in Best Buy.

See, he has been trying to get his family switched to Linux for over two years but they all refused to budge. Staci was the first to break and allowed Baby Brother to dual boot her Dell Inspiron with Ubuntu.

Over a conversation in an electronics store.

Mom and Dad should see the light soon...or so I am told. Mom is seeking reassurances about her data not getting hosed. Staci and I are going to talk about it at Chili's tonight.

With Brother of Staci in tow of course.

All-Righty Then...

Linux Events...Not Drawing The Crowds

Linux conferences and events... I don't attend as many as I should...but what I do keeps me chained here mostly. I was invited to the Linux Symposium/Conference a while back and did attend...not sure if I'd ever be invited again though. A little something about putting a panel on the spot about Marketing Linux.

Hey Redhat, IBM...Novell. It's OK man...we got it covered. At least it's a start.

At any rate, I spoke with Bob Krausen a few days ago and he told me that there was some concern expressed in a particular IRC chat...one in which John "Mad Dog" Hall participated; that attendance at some of these bigger functions is or may be dropping. Oh and John...It was a blast...hope to see you again soon.

Going by the pre-registration numbers that is...things are not as good as they used to be. Yeah, it's back to school time and college students don't have the time to travel now, that is a point. But what is concerning many is the slow but steady drop in attendance of many of these functions. Is this a trend? I dunno...

I've posted some information about upcoming/currently-running events just so everyone knows they are happening. If you get a chance, folks would like to see your face...and hear your voice. It's more important than you think.

ATLANTA LINUX FEST - September 19, 2009

Atlanta Linux Fest will be held Saturday, September 19th, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This coincides with the 2009 Software Freedom day, so come show your support for free software! The Atlanta Linux Fest is a free grassroots conference for the GNU/Open Source Software/Free Software community to gather and share information about fun and exciting existing and upcoming Linux and Open Source Software. Attendees of all skill levels are invited to share their experiences to benefit all users of Linux/Free and Open Source Software. Atlanta Linux Fest is the place to learn, make new friends, and have fun!

Speakers include Tom Callaway, Red Hat; Steve Conklin, Canonical; Ellen Ko, Google; Dan Chen, Ubuntu; and many more. A complete list of speakers can be found at http://atlantalinuxfest.org/presentations

Register now! Registration required to use wifi.

OHIO LINUX FEST - September 25-26-27

The Ohio LinuxFest is a conference for the Free and Open Source software communities. Featuring talks by authoritative speakers, a large expo, tutorials, and more, the Ohio LinuxFest welcomes Free and Open Source Source professionals and enthusiasts of all ages and from all places to join us as we celebrate 40 years of unix.

Speakers include Dr. Douglas McIlroy, UNIX pipes and tools developer working at Bell Labs during the birth of UNIX; Shawn Powers, one of the Linux Journal editors; Cat Allman, Google; Mike Badger, author; Dr. Alexander Bandar, Idea Foundry; and many more. A complete list of speakers can be found at http://www.ohiolinux.org/speakers.html

ONTARIO LINUX FEST - October 24, 2009

Ontario Linux Fest is the conference, workshop and community meeting place that is organized and run by the community for the community. This full day of presentations, workshops, birds-of-a-feather and social networking is ready to go for the third year. Everybody with an interest in using, deploying and developing Free / Libre and Open Source Software will find Ontario Linux Fest well worth their while. http://onlinux.ca/

Speakers include Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier, open SUSE ; Jim Elliott, IBM; Louis Suarez-Potts, OpenOffice.org; Emma Jane Hogbin, advocate and author; Dru Lavigne, developer and author; and many more. A complete list of speakers can be found at http://onlinux.ca/

All-Righty Then...

Interesting Times Ahead

For those in the Central Texas area...and I am sure this is not on your normal to do list...

You may want to tune into the Kim Komando show on KLBJ AM today (Saturday the 19th of September).

Particularly around 1:04 PM, 1:45 PM and 2:05 PM, CST.

You might find it interesting...

We'll talk more about it Monday.

Edit: Just heard the 30 second spot and it played at 10:51 when scheduled for 10:59...scheduled times are not exact but within 10 minutes...now they tell me...

h

Tux Takes To The Air

We've been talking about this for years.

We just never could seem to get it done.

Now it's going to happen. It began on Saturday, the 19th of September.

As far as we can research, the "concept" of Linux as a product has never been publicly advertised. Not as an ongoing advertisement...

Broadcasting several times a day for a month.

And contrary to popular belief...every shred of information available for human consumption is not on the Internet.

Shocking as that may be to some...we may be wrong on this one.

But we are seeing no evidence of anyone else launching a prolonged advertising campaign for Linux. And we've looked.

This may be "The Grand Experiment".

Or not...

Of course, it hasn't happened to this point because people will not invest in expensive radio air time without a return on that investment. It has to be tied to something...either commercial or non profit. Just throwing Linux out to the public could do more harm than good.

In 2006, when this first started, we were approached by "George". George is a professional voice talent and he offered to cut our commercial. Once we heard him, there was no way we could say no. George has requested to remain anonymous, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why...

We figured it out.

We've received several requests for George's work...pro bono of course, and as he did it for us, he might do it for others. That makes sense.

Well no, a man has to pay for a roof over his head and as competitive as the voice talent market is...he does well enough to find paying work. Once he's heard, the requests will increase. He just cannot do that much free work. As much as he would like to, he simply cannot at this time.

We were lucky....and we are extremely grateful.

The original track he recorded ran pretty long but it was done so anyone could edit the track to fit their needs. George has given us the rights to this and one other track and has emailed the radio station with his verification. He has indeed given this to the Linux Community.

We've stripped out all the private data about our enterprise...this isn't a marketing campaign for us.

It's simply news that Linux is now on the air. It will air on KLBJ AM. It's also a way for you to use the data without having to remove our taglines.

Yeah, that's me...Mr. Considerate.

Both raw tracks are available for download and released under Creative Commons Attribute-ShareAlike 3.0 license. We stipulate no attribution is necessary. You can download the short broadcast version we used, minus our info tagline in mp3 or ogg. You can get the long version in mp3 here and the ogg cut here.

Cut, splice, hack, lay tracks under it as you wish.

This isn't about our ad or endeavor, this is simply a notice that Linux, as a "product"...as an alternative to Microsoft Windows is available. Linux now has a commercial presence on the Austin radio airwaves. We also want to make the raw tracks available to anyone that wants them.

But here's the beauty of it.

Initially we were only going to make 30 second ads...budget restraints and all that, but once we started negotiating with KLBJ AM, we found we would have money left over so we had George do the 60 second track that currently plays on air and used Free Open Source software to mix and produce it. I did it at my own computer in about 35 minutes.

Oh, and where are the 60 second spots going to run?

The Kim Komando show...one spot for each of the three hours. Three times each show for four weeks. Why? Poetic justice...her show is full of ads for antivirus software, registry fixers and all the addons that slow a Windows computer to a crawl. She is unapologetic about her preferences for Microsoft products.

A pleasant surprise awaited us as well on that Saturday. Thomas Holbrook II of Freedomwareproject.org submitted our radio ad to the Oracle Broadcasting Network. It will air there for a month. And yes...some might not care for the political activism that resides there but we also realize that there are people there that dispise MS business practices and may be ripe for change. Our deepest thanks goes out to Thomas for his gift.

People need to know they have a choice.

So whether you just listen to the production or use it for your purposes, have at it.

Tux has taken to the airwaves.

All-Righty Then...

What Are You Prepared To Do?

One of my favorite movies of all time.

The Untouchables with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. And yes...The Malone/Sean Connery character utters the most profound line in the movie...one that carries over into real life.

"What are you prepared to do?"

No...now I am asking it...it's not a rhetorical question.

A recent Blog of helios reported, as well as many other blogs, that Microsoft is sending literature, and sometimes salespeople, to train and educate employees from Staples, Best Buy and now Office Depot, in the art of Linux FUD.

The outcry from our community has been impressive....as have the actual materials that have been handed out.

Wanna take a guess at which one will have an impact?

Anyone can sit behind a keyboard and express outrage and point out the obvious falsehoods and outright lies.

You can also apply online to take a space shuttle ride.

Both will have the same outcome.

Nothing.

What are you prepared to do?


Who is going to go to the city or county and get a permit to stand on the public entrance and hold well-made signs warning these various customers?

Who is willing to take a Linux laptop into one of these stores and let the salesman give his pitch then categorically prove him wrong?

Who is going to personally visit the Store Manager and tell him that millions of people are now aware of this campaign and sanctions are being prepared if they carry out this deception and FUD?

If only three people in each major city reading this would take just one of these actions...it could have a big impact. Of course, it has to be done professionally and with no outward sense of rancor.

Please remember...you may be dealing with a sales person who is only doing what he was told to do...if he's an MS fanboy, then he will give himself up immediately. YOU are the one that has to stay calm. They have families to feed just like we do. It's not their fault that their management are largely MS quislings...or at the very best, completely uninformed.

And no, I am not going to organize it...I've had too many disappointments in my life recently and I won't pile another one on the heap.

So what ARE you prepared to do?

Right now, I have a roster of people in Austin who are willing to do one or all of these things. There are a lot of stores to cover...and as of now, I am counting the number of people on that roster. As it stands now...the number is:

One.

All-Righty Then

The Words Are Important...

Semantics....

It's a game some of us play.

Some of us better than others and some do it very well...

Most times it is to gain an advantage.

Microsoft plays the game better than anyone in the bid'ness.

So comes a time when we have to be reminded of what is actually important and what is fluff.

It can make a huge difference.

Thomas Holbrook of The NIXED Report has written an essay...a Manifesto if you will that reminds us of just what we have...

And what is at stake.

With his permission, I have published his piece here. I sincerely want you to read it...

I will, as often as I need to in order to remind myself just how important words can be.

Thomas, the floor is yours.

The Freedomware Project Manifesto

Thomas Holbrook II

Steven Levy knew who the heroes were. In the 1950's, the Tech Model Railroad Club would transition from working on model trains to writing software for computers. Oh how they hated IBM and all of their restrictions. Can you believe that back then, one had to actually ask for permission to use one of their computers? The punch card system was horrible! It would take way too much time just to find out if the program worked correctly or needed to be fixed.

Today, saving information to storage is taken for granted. Whether it's the hard drive or some other medium, one never has to wait very long for the results of their labor. Programs can be debugged instantly, and documents can be revised with ease. Games can be played and the world wide web can be surfed for hours on end. The entertainment possibilities seem to be endless. However, it is the large media corporations that often try to dictate to the user how they are authorized to enjoy music and movies.

In addition, large software corporations often inhibit sharing of ideas by not allowing the user to share the software with other people. Software patents exist in order to prevent individuals from outdoing the large organizations who wish to retain that “competitive edge.” Having the source code was out of the question, and woe be unto those who shared copies with other people, despite the fact that the software in question was vastly overpriced. This is why organizations such as the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative exists.

Richard Matthew Stallman began the free software movement in an attempt to bring control of computers back to the user. He began work on GNU (GNU's Not Unix), a clone of Unix, a well known operating system that has survived to this day. Linus Torvalds, in an attempt to have the same power at home that Sun workstations provided him at the university, began working on Linux, an operating system kernel. Eventually, software from the GNU project was combined with the Linux kernel to produce a full fledged operating system. Control was brought back to the user, or so it appeared.

Courts in the United States ruled that citizens were not allowed to watch a DVD on a computer that used the Linux kernel. The movie industry wanted to dictate to everyone else when, where, and how their films could be enjoyed. It wasn't about money, but control. People who encoded their music in MP3 format were faced with patent fees. Without a kernel, there is no operating system, so by proxy, Microsoft is attempting to litigate Linux out of existence, while advocates are encouraging civil disobedience by using it anyway.

While the rest of the world is often free to ignore artificial restrictions set forth by the corporate multimedia entities, it will not remain that way forever without constant vigilance. Even nations such as Australia can be influenced to accept DMCA-like restrictions with enough lobbying and political gifts. For every DVD Jon who breaks the locks on movie discs, there shall be another Blu Ray that will rise up to take its place. For every helios, there shall be a Steve Ballmer. For every hero who does good deeds, there will be a corporate entity who sees such deeds as a threat to their control of the masses.

Yes, Steven Levy knew heroes. Many of them pioneered an entire industry. A great deal of them were opposed to the behavior of not allowing other people to look at and modify the source code. The Stallmans, Gospers, Greenblatts, and the Wozniaks of the world enjoyed tweaking things until they were better than they were yesterday. To the likes of Torvalds and others, it was about enjoying the development of software. That enjoyment is under threat now by the major institutions who want to control the thoughts and speech of others.

Yet “open source” does not really imply liberty, now does it? The availability of source code is emphasized. People are often allowed to share software under such licenses (but not always). The phrase “free software” comes closer, but there are too many connotations to the word “free.” Monetary cost is often applied to said word. Freeware is a term that implies that the software costs no money to obtain, but the source code is not always available. It's obvious that the word “freedom” needs to be a part of the equation.

This is why freedomware is a more important phrase. This term implies liberty and does not confuse people into thinking that one can not charge money for making copies available (they can give them away gratis if they so wish). So what is freedomware and what does it mean? Software is freedomware if the following is true:

• The user can run the software without restrictions.

• The user can make copies of the software in question.

• The user can have access to the source code and make changes if they so wish.

• The user can publish modified copies of the software, so long as recipients have the same rights as they had.

Freedomware means that the user is set free from artificial restrictions set by those who want to suck money out of them. With so called computer software “security vendors”, I believe that one word is appropriate; extortion! Due to large entities using software patents to stifle competition, users are often stuck with such products, or so they think.

With freedomware, most “open source” and all of “free software” can be placed under the same umbrella. People who look at the software will know that the primary goal is freedom, not monetary cost. To ensure freedom, we must be ever vigilant, and that does not simply mean watching the other entities and groups to make sure no transgression against such has occurred. It also means helping those who are willing to help us.

For starters, there exists the opportunity to improve 3D acceleration for graphics hardware from companies such as ATI and Intel thanks to the availability of hardware specifications. There is also an effort underway to reverse engineer the specifications of NVIDIA graphics hardware so that drivers can be written for them. OGG and FLAC are a great starting point for multimedia enthusiasts, but the software for the creation of multimedia must be improved. Effort has been underway for quite some time in the Austin, Texas area to give computers to children whose parents can not otherwise pay for them. Not only does such an effort need to be supported, but similar initiatives must be started across the country and around the world as well.

When computer users are liberated from artificial restrictions, they begin to have a better understanding of the technology in question. Those who do not understand technology will be controlled for the rest of their lives by those who do. When Steven Levy wrote his book about hackers, he was incorrect about one detail. The Computer Revolution did not start with the Tech Model Railroad Club. The Computer Revolution's true beginning is here and now.

You can contact Thomas here: thomas@freedomwareproject.org

All-Righty Then...

Incoming Rounds...Triangulating For Return Fire

Thanks to Dave Kaplan for the links...as well, thank you to my fellow blogger "PV" for posting the incriminating evidence.

AND...from the "this just in" room, we find that MS has been busy little beavers training Staples employees in the finer art of spreading untruths about Linux...I believe we are only seeing the start of this. Thanks to Rich C. for bring this to our attention. EDIT...Rich C has also discovered that Microsoft has spawned their efforts to Office Depot.

Let's just hope your boiling point is fairly high...good blood pressure is a terrible thing to waste.

Trust me.

It is a desperate move...

This one that Microsoft is making...

But should we expect anything else?

Probably not. Audacity is their calling card.

See Microsoft has no problem lying. They don't "misspeak". they don't "mis-represent the facts".

They lie through their gold-capped teeth.

If the above linked post is verified as true, and I have just fairly well verified on my own that it is; then the evidence is irrefutable....

They are liars....at the very best, they are withholding truths.

Or delusional...

All is fair in love and marketing...right?

The story is worth a read before you continue here...it's pretty compelling.

In the story, much is NOT said about the biggest weakness the Linux Operating System endures.

Marketing.

Oh, how did you know I was going to bring that up again? But this time it's different. Maybe a drop in the bucket, but all floods start with a drop.

As do small spring sprinkles.

Two years ago, I approached a guy we call George. George has a fantastic voice and he recorded a few cuts so that when we are ready, we could put some sort of Linux presence on the airwaves. It's been a long, tough road to get to this point.

But it couldn't be just about Linux...you have to tie it to something...a solid entity that could become actionable. That's when I got The Idea for HeliOS Solutions.

See, people have struggled from the beginning of Free Software/Open Source Software as how best to monetize it...to actually make a living from it. It's been a tough slog. Redhat's model seemed to work on a corporate scale.

Why not as a sole proprietorship? One that had the major intent of feeding the HeliOS Project.

In December of 2007, with the invaluable help of Sander Marechel from the Lone Wolves Foundation, the HeliOS Solutions website was build and published to the web as HeliOS Solutions.

Great idea...and we've had limited success with it. As it is now, it is just a speed bump some trip over trying to get to other places...but we have done some business. It now ranges from 50 - 300 dollars a month.

A veritable drop in the bucket....

But all floods start with one drop.

While I was a guest in the home of Mr. Ed Timar, a dear and loved friend (Ed is the one that gave us the money to rebuild the South Texas Montessori School Computer Lab), we had a lot of opportunities to talk. Through those talks, Ed decided that 1200 dollars was cheap enough to settle the argument.

Is Linux via a service company saleable? Is radio the medium to use to reach mass audience?

We are about to find out.

EDIT: many have emailed me and asked to hear the source from which we will cut the ad. It has been posted before but I will post it again for you to hear. Remember, some of this will be cut down to accommodate contact info for HeliOS Solutions.

In less than two weeks, KLBJ AM will run our 60 and 30 second ads. There will be 57 ads run each week for two weeks.

Why 60 second ads? How many of them are we going to run at 60 seconds?

Only 6.

The ads are strategically placed to do the most damage.

Damage?

Yeah Damage.

They will run once an hour for the three hour duration of the Kim Komando Show.

Poetic justice. She all but refuses to talk about Linux on her show.

See...There are three of us who tried for a 9 week period to get on her show. All three of us made it on varying occasions. We never lied. We always told the call screener that we were Linux Users and had a question for Kim. We were simply trying to see if any of us could get on to ask a Linux question.

Ain't gonna happen....ever. Stock Response?

We don't have any Linux Users Listening. I've listened to the program from time to time and it's basically a bunch of hand-holding for TSMC's (task-set mouse clickers).
It can make a Linux user want to weep..."Kim. I have viruses and it says I need to download their program...now my computer won't work at all..."

No Linux users Listening....

Probably not many. If you want Linux radio...I mean real broadcast radio...your best bet is Gutsy Geeks.

So...this is going to be a semi-public experiment. We will try to track sales, calls, responses and outcomes for the HeliOS Solutions commercials.

Flood or short-lived sprinkles...we don't know yet. We believe we might be the first in the US to try this.

Floods or sprinkles...

Either one starts with a single drop.

Let's hope for a deluge.

All-Righty Then

Let's Rock and Roll...

I've had about all the laying about I can stand.

Really I have. I've carefully tested the waters and have done 4 installs in two days...so far so good. No Red Bull, good diet (kinda) getting sleep...all the right stuff.

Again, thank you to those blessed folks who allowed me to seek the medical attention I needed...you are precious to me and I hold each of you dear, even though many of us have never met.

But it's time to get to work.

We are in fairly severe need of some perephrial equipment that many of you might have laying around. What we are short of are:

USB optical mice

USB wireless devices or internals

Inexpensive stereo speakers for the systems we install

More USB optical mice.

We are way short of those in particular.

If you have some laying around, comment or email me. I would really appreciate it.

As well, I am looking for someone who can write a one hour class syllabus on basic intro to the Linux desktop (gnome). If anyone has any experience with it, I would appreciate it. It will be for adults and kids alike...the classes that is.

Also, for those living in Austin, I need to re-arrange and organize the limited storage facility I have on site. It is a freaking mess. I am going to be more honest with you than I want to be.

I can't do a whole lot of lifting yet. I lost a lot of muscle tone and weight while I was recovering so this is gonna take me a while.

Tom King is pinging the volunteer list for LAP to see if we cannot meet out at our facility and make sense out of this mayhem.

If you can come out, that would be great. I am guessing around 10'ish this Sunday is good but after that is fine as well.

Thanks again folks for helping me get back on my feet.

I could not have done it without you.

All-Righty Then...

Next for Sainthood...? KDE Developers

ones
I'm not quite sure this group fits into the "Linux Luminary" pages, but they might not be far off.

KDE Devs...bless your over-worked. under-appreciated hearts. And I mean that with all my being.

See, I AM a KDE user, albeit a fickle one. When KDE 4.0 came out, I ran, not walked to Distrowatch to find a distro that would have the new KDE as it's backbone.

There were several. I thought it sucked.

There were also several million unified howls of anger, confusion and dis-satisfaction...to include mine.

Dante's Inferno seemed like a Kindergarten field trip in comparison.

So I did what any busy user would do...I switched to Gnome....kicking an screaming mind you....but switched none the same and became fairly comfortable in those confines. With caveat of course...Nautilus could, ahem...use some work.

Nautilus I know Konqueror,

Konqueror is a friend of mine...

and Nautilus, you are most certainly no Konqueror.

So, A close colleague and I have had a running discussion on this for months. Mark Van Kinsley is a business owner and Geek Extrordinaire out of Sidney New York. I also count him as one of my closest friends and confidants.

His advice? "It ain't going away Ken... You are gonna need to learn it eventually."

He's right.

Whether he or I likes it or not..."not" is often an option, given my insecent requests for help as I am convalescing. He made the trip thousands of miles on his own dime to take part and actually assumed a leadership roll in Lynn Bender's amazing Linux Against Poverty...a project that netted us over 100 usable and fairly up-to-date computers to give away to disadvantaged kids. He and Victor manned the pxe/distro install lab...assuring the whole thing ran smoothly.

Our rare but unified consensus?

KDE 4X isn't going away. If you are going to advocate, teach and mentor Linux Users, it's best to be comfortable and knowledgeable in all Desktop Environments. Van Kinsley is right.

Foolish me...diving in before sounding the depth of the waters.

While I found the initial attempts at "rebuilding" KDE4x to be inadequate as a solid DE, I turned to Gnome as my prime mover. See...the OS is important but only as efficient as the DE that interfaces with it.

There is no other way to look at it. Your desktop environment dictates the mood, speed, appearance and dexterity of your desktop.

Never underestimate my ability to overstate the obvious.

KDE 4X had plenty of the "inter"...it just lacked an easily-recognizable "face". So at least metaphorically, we have (or had) an incomplete DE.

That being said...here as well as other places and loudly by some, more measured and reasonable by others...

Consensus seems to be that KDE4X is fastly reducing it's measurement on the "This-sucks-O-Meter". The Turning Point?

KDE 4.3

Even after my illness I still find it almost impossible to sleep for 4 hours... given moderate strength pharmaceuticals for insomnia. I don't bother to toss and turn anymore, chasing the sleep I will never capture. It frustrates me.

I just get up and start my day....most days beteween 3 and 4 AM. Just the way it is.

Given that extra time my life is not being wasted in unconsciousness, I read a lot. I read exclusively about matters and decisions within the Linux Community. From the Kernel IRC channels to LXer.com and Carla Schroder's LinuxToday.com.

And from time to time, stumble into jewels like this. Don't gloss this over...within you will find some of the most honest, and heartfelt, if not angry responses by the KDE Dev group to their detractors...and it all makes sense.

I'm not particularly fond of immersing myself into various factions and politics...I have my own mission and I need to concentrate on that. Which of course, leaves little time to do much else.

Unless you are up at 3 AM and the info-mercials have gotten on your very last jangled nerve. That usually draws me to my computer and I begin looking for things I believe to be important.

I have found a new belief...or at least a fairly provable theory.

The KDE guys are:

1 - taking immense heat and facing almost unbearable pressure in making eveyone happy.

2 - fairly well slated for sainthood as none to this point has donned automatic weapons and hunted down some less-than-kind remarks and commenters.

You are stronger men than I. And please...I was just kidding about the automatic weapons. It's beyond absurd to think anyone would obtain automatic weapons to do their critics harm.

They are illegal here...semi-auto's would have to suffice.

At the very best, I am a Linux PowerUser. I can ssh/shell into my home box and use either the terminal or Konqueror to access my files. I can use Telnet, I install 99 percent of my software from the command line and I have even mastered google search via terminal. Not geeky, just easier. I can do a bit more than the regular user, but maybe not near as much as you. But what I can do...and often do with abandon.

I change the l0ok of my desktop to make it a showplace for Linux Demonstrations. I have created some nothing-less-than-stunning environments to demonstrate to New Linux Users...and they've all been KDE presentations.

KDE is working hard to make that not only possible again, but even more beautiful as well.

See...they had some problems at first...and please, I was the first to jump down their throats with file-sharpened Golf Cleats. An act I sincerely apologize for. See, these guys are doing good things...they ARE listening to their users...even the loudest critics that have evolved or shown themselves to be complete Arschloch's. Given some of the unreasonable or pointed posts on the above-linked site, they are not only Arschlochs...

They are Archloch's mit ohren.

Yeah, I have my gripes...KIO's didn't work forever but are getting better. I seem to be one of the only people on earth that actually use my mouse gestures in Konqueror. It was a pleasure to see OpenSuse implement these first. I came to depend greatly on them. Hopefully others will follow suit.

But gripes aside...I have nothing but respect, admiration and even a bit of envy toward the KDE developers. If ever given a chance to ask only one question of them, it wouldn't be about coding or api's.

I would simply ask what substance they take to supress homicidal rage.

Might come in handy some day soon.

All-Righty Then

Road Trip Anyone...?

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the unsinkable Stormy Peters at the Linux Consortium a while back in Austin.

What a great lady.

Her and I have parallel projects, albeit hers is focused in Mexico.

Stormy needs a hand...

She needs a laptop cart transported from LA to a school in San Fran.

Anyone available? I've already had someone volunteer to pay your fuel charges.

Man, I would consider it a personal favor if someone could do this.

And no Jerry...not you ;-)

All-Righty Then

Time to Face Some Facts

First off...

Thank you.

From the deepest part of my being, the place where all the Love and the Hope and the Joy within me dwells...

Thank you.

The outpouring of support and Love has been tearfully humbling and I cannot, in my most emotional and creative moments, express to you my gratitude. All I can do is promise you that I will live up to your expectations of me.

Notice the emphasis on "Live".

When I lost my job months back, I spent a lot of time in prayer and thought...through those mechanisms, I came to realize that trying to run The HeliOS Project from behind the wheel of a truck wasn't getting the job done. I knew we could do more.

With a leap of faith, I just started doing it full time. I am divorced with minimal child support, and that is thanks to my still-loving ex-wife Debbie. And no...I can't 'splain it...it just is. My needs are meager and I live as such. I would rather devote what I have to what I do. My deepest thanks go to David and Dee Rodriguez for making this possible.

I only have one real focus:

I want to make sure that every disadvantaged kid in Austin Texas has an up-to-date and Linux-Powered computer.

It's just that simple. It is my calling...it is my passion.

But, as I have recently found out, even passion must be metered in moderation.

So it's time to face some facts.

I can no longer build/repair and deliver 3-5 computers a day. I've been professionally warned and that warning was dire.

Bleak.

I believe I will heed wise counsel now.

So...The HeliOS Project is going to be making some logistical changes. Here is what we are going to need if we are to survive.

I need some truly dedicated people. And please, not to be flippant, look up "dedicated" before you commit to working with us.

See...we're not just giving computers away, we are brutally smashing open an opportunity that has been locked away from these kids. Be it through locked-down and proprietary software, lousy parenting, mismanaged finances or just being plain poor, I personally don't give a damn.

They will have a Linux-Powered computer...and they will have it just as soon as we can get it to them.

Now I need your help to do it.

Qualifications and rules.

*Commitment - let me know when you are available so I can coordinate the installation.
Being there means being there.

*No child-related misconduct convictions. We must check to protect ourselves.

*Absolute knowledge of Linux Distributions and networking procedures.

*Installers are never alone in the home or the room without one of their parents or guardians present.

Those are not tough things...I spent 6 hours in a large installfest with 50 local folks who easily matched them.

I don't mean to come off as authoritarian or being a jerk...these are just the things that have to be in order to keep what we do alive.

If you want to be part of the best thing someone could ever do, email me icanhelp@fixedbylinux.com. I am inviting you to come join the most joyful and fulfilling endeavor I have ever experienced. The pay sucks...

And oh...but we'll pay your gas most times.

All-Righty Then

Stairway To Hospital

Editors note - I want to thank, from the very center of my being...where my love lies, everyone who has helped me get these medical bills paid. With 1 more stay scheduled for testing, they are greatly appreciated. As the founder of a Non Profit, it would be disastrous for us on a professional level for me to go into unpaid debt. May whoever looks over you, place a loving hand on your shoulder and give you a gentle squeeze. - Ken

I don't have what you might consider a long attention span. I mean, sure...if you want to talk Linux, are pointing a gun at me, holding out a bag of cash, or are a stunning redhead that could talk a man into robbing banks...well sure, you have my attention. Outside of that, I am a poor candidate for a listening ear.

Just the way I am.

So when the little warning signs started popping up..Drinking RedBull by the gallon just to function, waking up as tired as I was when I went to bed...stuff like that. I did what I always do when faced with stuff like that.

I ignored it. SNAP another RedBull to start the day.

Physically, everything catches up with you. Carrying a computer to a third floor apartment, I lost consciousness and let gravity take its course. I'm sorry to say the computer didn't make the fall. I did, with seemingly no injury aside from a bruised leg.

Diagnosis: Excessive Fatigue Disorder.

"No big deal...ain't nuthin' broke...get to work."

That was my dad, circa 1968 after I was scorpion stung on our ranch.

So...even from the grave, he is right. I am under a friends care now, at least until I can walk without the aid of someone next to me. Once on my feet.

Good Lord Katy Bar The Door...we have kids counting on us. I told you...I'm not the best listener.

A good friend, Hugo Estrada has offered to do installs when he can. I only have two pending as of now due to this health issue...and I don't know how long my recovery time will be. Should I not be able to resume my duties, we are always looking for volunteers in the Austin area.

And Thank You...you humble me with your open hearts and generosity.

All-Righty Then

This was unexpected

Hey folks,

As some of you heard, yesterday I collapsed while carrying a computer uspstairs. Lost complete consciousness and was transported to the nearest hospital where I was admitted for tests.

Diagonis was extreme exhaustion and dehydration. I am home now with orders to stay either in bed or in my home as quietly as possible. I am still very weak...who knew...?

I do have a problem though. My copay for the stay is 300 dollars and I just don't have it. That's not counting the ambulance ride, which is outrageous I hear.

I have never come to the community and asked for personal donations, but being a non profit I cannot stand for any delinquent payments or bills. If you can see your way clear to give me a hand, I would sure consider it at 180 day loan.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Ken

Let Their Eyes Be Opened...

We've been threatening to do this for some time.

It is now a done thing...

Mostly anyway. A touch here and there...

Two months ago, Christina Collazo contacted me and asked if I was up to a challenge. She had been tasked with putting together an East Austin Computer Learning Center and didn't really know how to do it.

We do...

And we did.

For those that don't know, East Austin isn't exactly Beverly Hills...

Not by anyone's stretch of the imagination. Through it's reputation for violence, gang activity and drug trade, East Austin is populated with some of the nicest people there are.

I now know many of them. Hard-working and loving people that just haven't yet found their way out of that place. Others do not...they have nice, comfortable homes and for them this IS home...they wouldn't leave if paid to do so.

We decided to do what we could to give them a hand...a guiding hand out of there.

Roll Call...the answered calling.

Tom King
Roy Hall
Chris Scott
Skip Guenter
Ceasar and Christina Collazo

These were the people that assembled at the 2200 block of East 2nd Street on the 15th of August to make this Learning Center a reality.

With the temperature already in the mid-90's, we arrived at the back entrance of the Cristo Rey Catholic Church...this is the wonderful place that houses the Learning Center. Carrying in huge CRT monitors, computer boxes and various and asundry fixtures, this team went to work transforming a barren room into a place of learning and hope.

A place powered by the will of a global community.

A place powered by Linux.

There's not a lot to tell about the process...a lot of heavy labor, younger knees than mine crawling under tables to connect cat 5 to the adjoining sockets...testing, adjusting, testing, replacing, testing...and ultimately...

Success.

This place will be used by the entire community. We have pledged one person to teach classes a week and Christina Collazo, the Director of the Center, has another person coming in to do the same in Spanish. I want to personally thank Ceasar Collazo for his strong back, ultimate patience and warm smile. It literally made the day work for us.

I want to thank everyone who took part in this...and not just the folks mentioned above.



There was a huge amount of time and fuel expended in running to get missing or broken parts and components. The day cost us a few hundred dollars but you...the people that support us, made that possible by becoming a member of the "Walk A Kid Home" program. A simple effort to fund the building and installation of individual computers for these kids. We blew through most of it in a three day period...but that's three dozen computers built and delivered all over Central Texas. Thank you. You made this happen.

It's you folks that made this possible. My thanks go out to those who help us do what we do.



You are the architects of this project...

we are just swinging the hammer.


All-Righty Then...

Mission Accomplished

Three days.

2400 miles.

One Ford Super Duty Pickup Truck and Camper.

Two guys.

One mission.

To drive through or into 5 states, sleep little, load 45 computers and30 flat panel monitors, reverse direction.

Rinse, Lather, Repeat.

Most of you know what this is all about...some won't. Brian Henry, Tech Guru at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg Indiana contacted me a while back and said that he wanted to support The HeliOS Project. He stated that the various computer labs were being refreshed and that he wanted to donate the decommissioned computers to us. He explained that about half the machines were Pentium 4's and the other half was comprised of Xeon Desktop units. He wanted to know if we would be interested in these machines. And by the way...there were about 30 LCD flat screen monitors included.

Oh...ya think?

Not to be flip over his question....his offer and query had more to do with our ability to get them into our possession rather than our need for them.

The planning began... First, the obvious.

We looked into truck rental...that seemed logical. Unfortunately, even when the exhorbitant price was digested, there were other "additonal fees" that put this option well out of reach. We actually didn't realize the "additional fees" existed until we physically went to reserve the vehicle.

We had already come to the community and explained in helios' rush to get it done, he had neglected to figure in the fuel costs. As dumb a move as that was, our new hero and permenant Saint within these halls, Alex van Kaam, came through and gave us a hand...not to mention a few others. You will see them listed shortly in the Linux Luminary blogsite.

Nasty surprise those "additional charges"...and with only a week left, we would seem to be in a jam.

We had a plan B.

A reader of The Blog of helios had a neighbor who was an Executive at Fedex. He contacted me and said that they had spoken and there was a chance that Fedex would ship the computers and monitors to us for free. Unfortunately, the wheels in Big Business move slow...and with only a very few days until our window of opportunity closed, we had to disregard this as an option. My thanks to the great guy that tried to arrange this...we owe you much. He too merits the badge of Linux Luminary.

Plan C...and the least likely to emerge as viable...

From about 6 counties away and a three hour drive from me, lives a man that quietly goes about the business of Linux Advocacy. As we did early on, he works in Senior Centers, introducing those residents to Linux and makes their computing lives much less complex. He and his wife are retired, living on a fixed income and are not exactly wealthy. Regardless, he had been looking for a way to support The HeliOS Project for two years.

He found it.

He contacted me and suggested that he drive three hours to my place and pick me up, drive over 1100 miles to pick up this equipment and return me and said equipment safely home, then drive an additional three hours home. I was stunned.

He would do it for fuel, food and lodging...he refused a dime of recompense...

And he additionally refused to allow me to identify him.

He picked me up at 8:30 AM last Sunday....In what has to be the most superior traveling pickup truck I have ever rode in.

This was, in any respect, a cross-country jaunt. Now let me explain to those who might not have experienced something like this. Here you have two complete strangers, encased into a compartment roughly six feet by six feet by four feet, traveling a total of 2300 plus miles for hours on end. Two people with their own idiosyncrasies, habits and ways... What are the odds that a combination of ten fingers would be around a one or more throats halfway through the endeavor?

One would imagine very good...

Unless you were united in the same goal...belonging to the same community...sharing the same universal values that drive most of us.

It was an amazing trip.

Now on top of that, I got to meet Brian Henry. Brian towered over me by at least 10 inches. A comparative bearded giant, Brian greeted us as good and old friends. He wasted no time in getting the equipment loaded onto carts and out to the truck where the three of us loaded them and then spent a short time talking shop in his office. I don't think I've met a nicer, more gracious person. I want to thank Brian and his staff, to include a special thanks to another great Tech Guy there. I am absolutely horrible at names and make no excuses for the malady...I am remembering his name as Shawn. Shawn went out of his way to make us welcome and his firm handshake conveyed that warmth.

Returning to Austin at about 4:30 PM on Wednesday, we unloaded the computers and said goodbye for now...new and good friends...many computers richer and with the comforting cushion of less than three dollars left in the General Fund.

Talk about cutting it close...yet it would have cost us over 200.00 dollars more to do it by rental truck.

So...as I confessed earlier, my cynical outlook on the existence of the mythical "Linux Community" was not only wrong, it bordered on foolish...maybe crossing that border from time to time. The computers we obtained in this adventure will fuel the minds and imagination of dozens of children who, under any other circumstances, would have never had that chance.

Some of you have referred to me as a "hero".

Please don't do that any more.

If you want to see a real hero...you will have to take a journey of your own...you will have to navigate yourself.....

Only to the closest mirror.

All-Righty Then...

Almost there...Almost

And a day it has been...we've traveled across or into three states, and will traverse two more before we reach Sellersburg Indiana tomorrow afternoon.

It's been a great day. 766 miles traveled in a 2000 mile journey to pick up 40+ Pentium 4 and Xeon desktops and 25 flat panel monitors...monitors that were badly needed to finish a hanging project.

Again, our thanks go out to those that made this trip possible, to those that made the offer of the machines and those who supported us by picking up and storing those that we might not get into the vehicles. Thanks go out to Richard Stultz for the unselfish offer.

We owe you a lot and will work to put these machines to the best use possible. "Our kids" will know of the help you've provided. Now, I need to go wash approximately 766 miles of road off of me and get some sleep. Tomorrow we meet Brian Henry and Possibly Robert Stultz...our "Indiana Connection".

All-Righty Then...

Windows Users - The Charlie Browns of Computing

There is a pleasant surprise here shortly so stay with me for a bit. Cool surprises await....or not. Depending on your SEF . (Surprise Expectation factor)


What I have to say isn't necessarily directed at Linux Users...you know what I am about to say chapter and verse...most will anyway. But everyone personally knows a Windows User...lots of them in most cases. Many of you have went as far as to refuse free support for them...as have I. I too have tired of fixing the same problems over and over. So, when my home-care nurse bemoaned the fact that her Windows laptop was not responding, I took a look at it. Like I had a choice?

Oh, and just guess what I found?

Two keyloggers, 28 separate viruses/malware and two suspected java exploits. Norton Antivirus Premium caught only one of the malware exploits but claimed it could not delete or cleqn it. sheesh. Because "Nurse Cratchet" (her descriptor, not mine) pretty much dictates my life for the next week, I fixed her computer and showed her the actual problems and causes, and in doing so, we discussed much; and she came to some surprising conclusions. As a result I installed Mint Linux as a dual boot and after getting IE4Lin working, she was able to use Linux to log into her server at the hospital. Here is the joint article Megan (her real name) and I put together. She introduced factors I may had missed so I would like to give her partial credit for writing this. Pass it along to your favorite albeit belabored Windows user. - h

So...

Are you excited about the new Windows 7? Microsoft has promised you a "New and exciting environment". Secure past any other Windows effort and even 10 bucks cheaper than Vista.

Wow...ten whole bucks off of a multi-hundred dollar piece of software. How Generous.

What a deal you are getting. So you are looking forward to it I am guessing...and the promises this new system offers you.

Just like they promised in Vista.

Just like they promised in XP.

Just like they promised in ME.

Just like they promised in Win98.

Are we beginning to see a pattern emerge here? Every time Microsoft promises you a" new and secure environment for your computer", it ends up being the same old stuff with a fresh coat of paint and security features that take a 15 year old hacker about 12 minutes to circumvent.

If he's taking his time and is easily distracted.

And you know the morbidly funny part of this? You actually paid for this misery. And you continue to pay for it every time you take it to your favorite tech shop to "get it fixed".

"No really Charlie Brown...I won't move the football this time. Kick the football Charlie Brown."

Sadly, the majority of you will end up flat on your back again, blaming the computer, blaming the software...

Blaming everything but the real problem.

The Windows Operating System controlling the computer.

You don't want to explore the alternatives. You would rather listen to the false misconceptions about other operating systems and find comfort in that ignorance. You would rather be miserable and go through the rituals of fixing your computer over and over than using it. I don't think there is much I can do for you....aside from again charging you 75 bucks an hour to fix it.

See you in six months.

And let me dispel a common misconception. You paid for Windows on that new computer...it is written into the cost of the computer and the prices are set per unit by Microsoft. The majority won't even flinch. 2-300 additional dollars they didn't have to spend on a system that will ultimately fail them.

But I said the majority of you.

There are some that are ready to seek alternatives...and many of you don't know you have one.

I am the founder of The HeliOS Project. We obtain old computers, refurbish them to current technology standards and then give them away to disadvantaged Central Texas kids.

Every one of those computers have one thing in common...they don't run Microsoft Windows.

They run Linux.

An operating system born from the free spirit of tens of thousands of programmers and contributors all around the globe. Global Enterprises such as RedHat, Suse and Canonical also pay their developers to give us free software. Linux is created by the will of a global community. Many of them are unpaid, doing this work so you CAN have choice in how you operate your computer.

But it's not just John and Jane Computer User that can benefit from Linux.

Having retired from the US Army, I still have contacts within various units and groups therein. When I got wind that the Army had switched their battle gear computers and protective devices over to Linux, I phoned around until I found someone that remembered me....ahem...remembered me too well. After a bit of lies and other story-telling, I asked him what he could tell me about the Linux switch to their equipment and computers. His answer was short and without ambiguity.

"When a Microsoft System crashes at home or work, it's a pain in the ass. When a Microsoft System Crashes here, my men and women die."

That is serious food for thought. Oh, and the myth that Linux is too hard for the everyday user?

Before you make any premature judgments, be aware that we consistently have 10 & 12 year old kids picking this system up and using it in as little as 30 minutes. Linux is easy, and millions have used it in place of Microsoft Windows and never used Windows again. Entire nations have switched to linux...by the millions. And again...sure there is a bit of a learning curve...

As there will be with Windows 7.

As there was with Vista.

As there was with XP.

As there was with ME.

As there was with Win98.

This time, why not put your learning efforts into something productive.

Like a system you won't have to fight viruses...or even fear them for that matter. A computer that doesn't have to go into the shop every six months. That means you don't have to run all that antivirus software that messes up your computer. (hint...no more "$$$ubscriptions" to run out).

And folks...you can get it for free. There are exceptions to all the rules. like "If it sounds too good to be true, it is." Well, let me introduce you to that exception.

Linux

There really is no reason for you to do battle with your computer. I am going to link you to a webpage that explains the "whole Linux thing". From there, it's up to you. And if you should happen to find sanctuary in this great way to compute...

Pass the word on to Charlie Brown.

There is one particular nurse that has through, calm and logical demonstration, switched her laptop to Mint Linux, albeit dual boot. (simple training wheels). She actually squealed in delight when her Youtube video's played and Hulu.com delivered what it promised to deliver.

Even her favorite "Windows Certified repair shop could not make that happen in her Windows partition. Just a few minutes of measured, logical discussion and demonstration.


And you know...? Sometimes that's all it takes. Simply some calm and logical discussion.

All-Righty Then





-n- Nurse (RN) Megan. Thanks for keeping me down when I needed it. Of course, your placement of my IV had a lot to do with it. Smart woman that Megan...

Thank you for your concern, professionalism and compassion.