Linux

The GPG Program is the Devil

Jan 22, 2025 · 4 min read · Language Linux

GPG (GNU Privacy Guard) is better than good, it's necessary. But the gpg UI inflicts more pain than 100 Microsoft Office licences combined. The Autocomplete Options Typing gpg<TAB>, I get this nonsense: 1gpg gpg-wks-client gpgsm 2gpg-agent gpg-wks-server gpgsplit 3gpg-card gpgconf gpgtar 4gpg-connect-agent gpgparsemail …

WTFM

Dec 4, 2024 · 4 min read · Linux

The absolute fucking state of Linux documentation shows undeniably that nobody ever reads it. Open a terminal, and just try, in earnest, to learn about what is happening: 1$ ? 2$ help 3 4 5GNU bash, version 5.2.37(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) 6These shell commands are defined internally. Type `help' to see this …

Learning IT

Oct 19, 2024 · 5 min read · Prattle Learning Linux

Among certain circles, there is a general agreement that university Computer Science courses don't teach practical basics, or equip students to work with actual computers. This begs the question, what would a reasonable course look like? When I worked at an IT outsourcing company, I would test people's computer skills. …

Code Checkers Make You Boring

Feb 21, 2024 · 2 min read · Prattle Linux

I can't stand coding helpers which suggest auto-completions, and this is why. When the spelling checker came along, it helped writing a great deal. Nobody wants the job of looking up how to spell words. Then one dark day, I wrote a twisted sentence, subverting some standard English phrase in order to emphasise a point …

Arch Linux: The Easy OS, No Joke, Not a Meme

Feb 8, 2024 · 4 min read · Prattle Linux

Arch Linux often does what Ubuntu tries and fails at. I started with Arch due to a simple problem; every so often I'd read on some cool new program I wanted to check out, then feel disparaged as I read over the instructions. 1sudo apt update 2sudo apt install lib-xyz kitchen-sink python3-kitchen-sink In the early days …

Reality Check on Why People Don't Use Linux

Nov 5, 2023 · 2 min read · Prattle Linux

I cannot fathom why anyone debates this topic, because the answer sits plainly in front of you. Shops Schools Advertising Games Precedent Before you use a computer, you must buy it. You buy it from a shop. The shops have no Linux laptops. Linux laptops only come from new and obscure computer manufacturers. If people …

The Zen of i3-gaps

Oct 12, 2023 · 2 min read · Prattle Linux

I feel that the i3-gaps window manager perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. If you haven't read it, I won't repeat it, but perhaps this will make sense anyway. For a perfectly Romantic desktop environment, we have the classic Mac (and please picture every stereotype you think …

A Review of Soft Server

Jun 21, 2023 · 2 min read · Review Git Linux

Soft Serve is a git server for the command line. You can see the maintainers' version here, with ssh: 1ssh git.charm.sh It looks like this: 1 2 Soft Serve 3 4 • Repositories About 5 6 ┃ Bubble Tea 7 Updated 31 minutes ago 8 ┃ A powerful little TUI framework [mirror] 9 ┃ git clone git@git.charm.sh:bubbletea.git 10 11 …

Automation Creation

Jan 9, 2023 · 2 min read · Prattle Linux

Automation is more than time-saving, it lets you do and create what you otherwise never would. I publish these little articles with as much automation as you can imagine. If I did this manually, the steps would be: Add a publication date for the future to evenly space articles (I write loads, then stop for ages) …

Slowing the Terminal

Nov 20, 2022 · 2 min read · Prattle Linux

The original terminal interface let you type to the computer in a type-writer, and the computer would type back - no screen required, just typed-text. Since then, computers have become so fast that no human could possibly read the text spat back out at the user. I don't think proper distinctions have been made with a …