Trying to be All Things to All People

You can't please all the people all the time.

If so, what are the implications, particularly in an open-source world? Trying to please everyone might be a noble ambition. But is that realistic enough and practically achievable? If yes, then all is well! If not, then what..?

Devuan releases a candidate.. finally!!?

The Register has just published⁴: "systemd-free Devuan Linux hits version 1.0.0".

My views on systemd still stand. I was hoping to be proved wrong, perhaps in the long-run. But sadly what I see, has only just served to entrench those views.

busybox .config in gentoo

busybox can be configured, just like the kernel :)

Phasing out Arch Linux

ref: Phasing out i686 support

Arch Linux is great at what it does.. always chasing that elusive bleeding edge and providing no other choices to users. I don't want either of that, and I am now phasing out arch from my stacks.

runit openrc gentoo

I decided to have another go at runit, this time on my gentoo.

I had been thinking about this, since I noticed this on

The Monolithic Cabals

A few decades ago, there was a great big flame war called the Monolithic vs Microkernel debate^[1], between Andrew Tanenbaum (minix) and Linus Torvalds (linux). It is said that the debate was won by Linus, and that is why #linux became more popular.

I am a fan of Microkernels. But I am even more a fan of Open Source. I believe that is the sole reason Linux became popular, not because people loved a monolithic architecture. Folks embraced it because it was #opensource.

gentoo portage

ref: http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/portage

Gentoo is Portage. Portage is Gentoo.

Getting portage settings right is vitally important. It's not the end of the world, if you don't. But you sure will expend a lot of your time staring at the matrix flowing past, as you compile everything yet again one more time..

gentoo second install x86 btrfs debian

Now that my Gentoo Phase 2 has been put on hold for the near future, I have to satisfy this itch to install gentoo on my main laptop. Having it on my primary rig, would allow me to use it more often than pulling out my backup system.

My blind first attempt, at a gentoo install, gave me a lot of confidence in the gentoo community. This second attempt substantially lessens the time/aggro I spent previously installing gentoo.

How to WiFi: wpa_supplicant + systemd

I don't prefer systemd, but sometimes you can't avoid demandware. Below is my how to wifi with systemd. This method now works with all distros

wpa_supplicant dhcpcd systemd debian

The leanest cleanest way to connect to wpa/2 networks is wpa_supplicant. Optional wpa_gui provides a GUI and System Tray icon, if need be. All other applications are bloat, building additional layers and too complexity. Goodbye Gnome/NetworkManager!

Since moving to systemd chasing the gnome dragons, the debian ecosystem has broken down. Many debian ways of doing things have since become invalid

gentoo install x86 btrfs

this as a quick start guide to the much longer and more comprehensive gentoo handbook. but please understand what i have done, and not blindly copy. you should definitely read the gentoo install handbook a few times before even attempting an install.

gentoo first attempt

i finally decided to jump in, and created another btrfs partition for gentoo with two subvolumes. with btrfs i don't have anything on the root subvolume.

i really didn't expect an install to drag on for so long. i don't like to give up part-way, unless i feel it is a lost investment.. and i was losing it! i would have, but for some kindly folks on the gentoo forum. the gentoo forum is one of the most responsive and helpful forums i have been in.

debian to gentoo

as debian builds more & more complexity/layers obscuring internals from users, i get more & more disillusioned by the current crop of debian decision-makers. jessie, the current debian stable seems no longer stable, and an unstable init at it's core.

wheezy is/was the last stable version gone oldstable now. oldstable is expected to be even more stable than stable. but recent updates have littered wheezy with systemd and ubuntu garbage including upstart. even oldstable has had more than a few days downtime recently, due to buggy updates. sad debian :(

debian no systemd

debian testing jessie was steam rolling in to stable with talks of this oh-so-wonderful systemd. it all sounded so good.. then i wanted a preview at the internals of systemd, and took arch for a spin. and o boy, what a spin that was.. for my poor head! that was when i decided not to let that garbageware into my stables. it never was (and still isn't) stable, is it? this long love affair with debian, seems to be coming to an end with this episode!

systemd - the shameful episode in debian annals - forcing the debian tc (technical committee) to make a dodgy decision without giving them proper choices or time - three of the five tc resign soon after, and the debian founder allegedly commits suicide after having received death-threats! wonder who's pulling the debian strings??