Expect some disruptions over the weekend

I'm moving to a new blogging and cms system over the weekend. There will be some changes on and off, but I expect things to be back to normal by Tuesday.

Open Source Testing

Open Source Testing is a great site listing several open source tools that are aimed at the testing world. A very nice resource if you are looking for free tools in your testing process.

Papers Please

According to Boston.com local cops are going to start doing random ID checks in the subway.

MBTA transit police confirmed yesterday they will begin stopping passengers for identification checks at various T locations, apparently as part of new national rail security measures following the deadly terrorist train bombings in Spain.

Although officials would release few details about the initiative, the identity checks will mark the first time local rail and subway passengers will be asked to produce identification and be questioned about their activities.

Out of Gmail Invitations...Again

Well, again they went very fast. I'll try to respond to everyone who asked for one, and I'll post again when I get more.

New Gmail Invitations

I've gotten a few more Gmail invitations. They'll go on a first come first served basis. If you want one email me.

UPDATE:

I'm out of invitations. If I get more I'll post a new entry on the blog. Until then please stop asking for them.

Derek's Rantings and Musings: Movable Type Migration Options - A Comparative Chart

There is a nice chart and comment thread on Derek's Rantings and Musings about some of the different blogging software options out there right now.

I've been looking at different systems as I prepare to move away from blogger, and this article looks to be very helpful.

For me there are a couple of more requirements, but an SQL Backend is probably the highest priority.

Bummer

Well, I've played with the new blogger on and off all day, and I'm sorry to say that I'm pretty disappointed. First it ate my template, and then I found that it now takes a very long time to rebuild my blog. My permalinks are completely hosed and it doesn't even support many of the features I was hoping for.

For example, I don't see any support for tackbacks, or alternative ping servers. The comments support is nice, and I like the page-per-post permalinks, but I was really hoping for more in this redesign. It looks like ATOM support is enabled in this build, so maybe I can find a decent editor for my mac.

Overall, however, I'm not all that happy right now, and it's making a move to another solution look more and more attractive.

Changes

Blogger has updated a their engine, finally brining it close to parity with a modern blogging client. This is funny to me because I spent a good part of the weekend examining different blogging applications that I could use to replace blogger.

I'm willing to give blogger one more try with their new code. So, there will be some service disruptions on the site for the next few days as I work out the templates.

The good news is that my posts now have comments.

Linux as a Work in Progress (Jeremy Zawodny's blog)

Jeremy posted an entry last night responding to a comment on Kasia's blog which pointed out that linux is a work in progress.

While I agree that several linux distributions are a work in progress, they are almost all hobbiest distributions. In her original entry Kasia says:

So what did I have a problem with? The RedHat (I installed Fedora core 1) up2date agent crashing on startup. Once again, I'm a geek, took me 2seconds to find a problem. Missing font! I installed all the default font packages, well it appears I missed some obscure Helvetica size whatever font. Give me a break guys. How do you expect Linux to ever make it as a desktop OS if an entire application silently (to the user not running this from a terminal it just disappears without a trace or an error message) fails because of a lack of a font!

My answer to her is that if you want a desktop linux OS, go buy one. There are several options for released, professionally managed, commercial linux distributions, that don't have this kind of problem. You could use Linspire, or SUSE for example. I'm sure that there are others out there as well, but I have less experience with them.

Fedora is, according to it's website:

The Fedora Project is a Red-Hat-sponsored and community-supported open source project. It is also a proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products. It is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc.

Does this sound like an OS that is supposed to be commercially deployed as a desktop alternative? It doesn't to me. Now let's look at the text on the SUSE website:

Your PC has more to offer than the market-leading operating system reveals - more stability, more reliability, and more variety. In several editions for various user groups and needs, SUSE LINUX provides more than a mere alternative to the Windows family. With an installation routine that even newcomers can easily master, and with all advantages of the Open Source world.

That sounds much more encouraging to me.

There is a basic system at work here that people don't seem to acknowledge. It goes along with the "You get what you pay for" adage. You get out of a linux system whatever you are willing to put into it. With Fedora, a system you download for free, you have to put a little more work into getting it installed and keeping it running. With Linspire you get a system that requires little or no intervention at install-time and very little work to keep it running, in this case you put in money to get that system.

In the end, nothing really comes for free. If you want a desktop unix system that is as easy to install as MS windows, then I suggest you look into Mac OS X. If you are really after the linux kernel, then look at Linspire or SUSE. If you want something that you only have to pay for with your time, then look at Fedora.

Firetide Launches Outdoor Wireless Mesh Router

Firetide has announced a new outdoor mesh router.

LOS GATOS, Calif  - May 5, 2004 - Firetide, a leader in mesh networking for quickly, easily and affordably deploying large wireless networks, today announced the HotPoint 1000R wireless mesh router designed for outdoor network deployments. Firetide, a Best of Interop finalist for wireless networking, will be demonstrating the product at the NetWorld Interop conference in Las Vegas May 11-13.

The New York Times > National > Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush

The New York Times is reporting that Disney is blocking the distribution of Michael Moore's new film on what looks like a purely political basis. Under normal circumstances I would be all for this, since it isn't the government doing the censorship, but with so few media companies out there today, this kind of practice has a chilling effect on the ability for people to speak freely in the country.

The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes President Bush, executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday.

The film, 'Fahrenheit 911,' links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis — including the family of Osama bin Laden — and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve -- May 2004

Jenna and I went out to the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve on Saturday for a hike and some fresh air. We've been having some very nice weather, so we didn't want to miss out by staying at home on the computers all day. We borrowed her parents dog, Nikki, and set out for a couple of hours walking in the hills. I snapped a couple of pictures which you can find in this album.

Jenna and I would love to own a dog, but given the fact that we live in a small condo, we just don't think it would be fair to the dog. So, every once in awhile, we have to borrow Nikki. She's a great dog who is always up for a walk in the park.