Celtic Odyssey

Remember when I wrote that it wouldn't really be feasible to support Linux because there are so many to choose from? Well, MIT didn't feel that way. They selected Ubuntu and Fedora as their supported Linux OSes. Maybe there is hope for the rest of us then. ~~~ In the Love of the Three in One, Jack+, LC

All loving and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Okay. So the other day I posted a story about ‘Helen’ and her plunge into the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) world of Ubuntu . Well, just yesterday afternoon, another young woman comes in to my office asking for help installing Ubuntu on her laptop along side of Windows! Was there a meeting somewhere that I missed? When I explained that it’s not officially supported, she stated, ‘It's for research in my department’. As I was helping her with the general install questions, I asked the ultimate question, ‘Why are you installing this? What research are you doing?’ She stated that the DNA app they use . . . wait for it . . . only runs in Linux! Wow! You could have knocked me over with a feather! So, there is at least one department that is having it’s group use Linux. And the Linux distribution of choice? Ubuntu. That pretty much made my day. As I reflect on this, I need to contact the user and see if she needs a follow up with her install . . . ~~~ In the Love of th...

A few days ago, a young woman (we’ll call her ‘Gladys’) and her friend (we’ll call her ‘Helen’) came to see me at work. ‘Gladys’ was having an issue with her computer and needed me to scan it for bugs, which I did. It was highly infected and I recommended that she back up her data and think about rebuilding it (all the data on the drive is deleted, including Windows, and everything re-installed). She asked how she could back up her data so I explained it to her. She commented that she was worried about using her system since it had been infected so badly. I assured her that I removed all of the bugs but she was still wary. So I showed her Ubuntu . I booted it from a USB thumb drive and showed her how she could access her local hard drive and then back up her data on to another USB key or external hard drive. ‘Helen’ piped in about this time. ‘That’s cool! I want that!’ I explained that it can be downloaded from Ubuntu’s website and that it can be ran in a ‘live’ environment from a USB...

Give us Grace, O God, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of your salvation, that we and the whole world may percieve the glory of your marvelous works; with Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

...or, Linux will never be an ‘average user’ Operating System (OS) if all the tips and tricks start by saying, ‘Open a terminal...’ And by ‘average user’ I mean the 99.9% of the population that uses a computer - Moms and Dads, Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, heck even collage students, etc. While I understand where geekdom is coming from with regards to the terminal, the average user does NOT want to use the terminal! I don’t care what we geeks may think is ‘easier’, as soon as I read an article that states one can ‘easily’ install something by opening a terminal, I roll my eyes and get a little more irritated. Let me be as clear as possible: To the average user, using the terminal means one of two things - it’s too hard to use, or it’s not ready to use. Period. Think about it. The average person using Windows never has to open a terminal. If our computer language to them about making changes, installing software, etc. starts with opening a terminal, they will not like the experienc...

Loving God, whose child our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that Christ may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Father-Mother in heaven, who at the baptism in the River Jordan proclaimed and anointed with the Holy Spirit, Jesus your beloved Child: Grant that all who are baptized into Jesus' name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess Christ as Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Child to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.