Category Archives: computers

Spidermonkey on Ubuntu Karmic

Posted on May 21, 2010 by ehurst

There is a noteworthy conflict on Karmic if you try to install libmozjs-dev because it conflicts with anything based on xulrunner 1.9. I can’t begin to explain why the Mozilla developers hold Spidermonkey to 1.8, but because of how the … Continue reading →

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Open Source, Closed Mind

Posted on May 18, 2010 by ehurst

This is a rant aimed at the Open Source Software Development Community as a whole. We recognize in the Social Sciences we have no choice but to make generalizations and stereotypes; otherwise, we get nothing done. Every grouping of humans … Continue reading →

Posted in computers, social sciences | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Thunderbird: Another Good Idea Trashed

Posted on May 8, 2010 by ehurst

Decided to test drive Thunderbird on my Lucid Lynx system. Big, big mistake. Upon trying to configure my first account, the application grabbed my details and aggressively ran off with an automatic configuration. But it got things wrong. When I … Continue reading →

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First Brush with Lucid Lynx

Posted on April 30, 2010 by ehurst

This time, I chose the upgrade using the Update Manager. Naturally, due to the massive competition from thousands of others doing the same thing, it took five hours over my cable connection. That’s no big deal. The jump from 9.10 … Continue reading →

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CentOS: Fixing Ugly KDE Fonts

Posted on March 30, 2010 by ehurst

On CentOS/RHEL 5 in particular, I found the fonts in KDE 3 were ragged, and unresponsive to efforts to clean them up via recompiling Freetype2 libs with bytecode hinting turned on. After reading up on it a bit, I decided … Continue reading →

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Mission First

Posted on February 24, 2010 by ehurst

I stole the title from an Army slogan. It’s state-speak demanding you turn off your conscience. My mission now is a direct reflection of my conscience, and the very title of my blog reflects an interest here in practical applications … Continue reading →

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No, I Don’t Hate Linux Now

Posted on February 18, 2010 by ehurst

A few questions I’ve gotten privately seem to call for a generalized response to save time. I don’t hate Linux or BSD. Actually, I still love Linux — on the CLI. Indeed, I’m currently negotiating a trade for an old … Continue reading →

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Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Posted on February 3, 2010 by ehurst

It’s like escaping an abusive relationship. Something about it keeps calling you back, but every time you go, some new bruise, some new heartbreak, and you walk away, vowing not to do it again. It’s not good for you, always … Continue reading →

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Computers: What Happens After You Catch Your Own Tail?

Posted on February 1, 2010 by ehurst

I’ve been chasing my own tail for some time over computer issues. Sure, there’s a part of me that likes trying new things. I’m still planning to put NetBSD on my old laptop, and spend some time learning to use … Continue reading →

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Linux Failed Me

Posted on January 27, 2010 by ehurst

First off, you need to realize this is not an angry rant. I have loved Linux from the first experience, when I installed RedHat 5.0 on an old 486. Once I understood it, and some of the philosophy behind it, … Continue reading →

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