ReneKMueller.com: Computer

I have grown up with computers, since apprx. 1980 - starting with Sinclair ZX81, then Commodore C-64, then Apple-II and some clones, then Suns and faster version, and finally IBM PC - when I started to use Linux and various other Open Source software.

For several years I didn't even own a computer, as I had access to academic computer infrastructure.

I was fascinated by the universality of the programming, in moment you discover the variable, and the conditional looping a huge realm of computing is possible. Out of my passion it became also my profession, and much of my income comes from computing.

I like the idea of Open Source, available software code in order to know what's running on my machine (even I have switched from Firefox to Opera I do not follow 100% this ideology, granted). I think it's important to have the software available in source, in order to be reviewed, debugged and refined. Unfortunately, some software does not good being in Open Source, whereas other software has and is a great success:

Desktop: no coherent desktop software available (yet), keywords: KDE vs Gnome vs Other Libraries
X11 : was once a success, now only hinders new innovations: slow even on fast video cards, antialiasing fonts or rendering still done with quirks, slowly catching up to be "ready" again

KDE : immitating Microsoft "Windows" and MacOS-X Quartz, partially bloatware, compared to MacOS-X still 2-4 years behind
Gnome : eye-candyness without options
WYSIWYG Word Processors: Kword as well Open Office.org still aren't mature enough
Firefox : great for average users, inacceptable bloatware for power-users

GNU.org : GNU C & C++ compiler - the base of all successful Open Source projects
Majority of script languages which made the WWW truly succeed and make it the way it is today, like perl .
FreeBSD.org : great server OS, truely reliable
Linux.com : making UNIX available to the masses
Kubuntu.org /Ubuntu.org : easy install almost all working Linux distribution (except KDE 4.0 and 4.1)
Debian.org : great Linux distribution, just outdated packages

I used various Linux distributions, and today usually install Kubuntu , Ubuntu with KDE, for friends, I carry a up-to-date intallation CD with me, whenever people get tired of Windows crap, I install within 10 minutes a working Kubuntu system, except Kubuntu 8.1 which was a let down as it shipped with KDE 4.1 which was not even Beta software.

For myself I use FreeBSD as I prefere the clean setup and more or less overall integrity of the system. I still spend a lot of time to finetune my desktop setup, too much time I have to admit, and I'm tempted to switch to MacOS-X more and more, especially when I try to get a older LCD to work with my multi-monitor system. FreeBSD itself is running like a charm.

I started my programming and consulting site in July 1998.

The-Labs.com , larger site with technical notes
Computer Diary, small notes

.:.

Computer

Open Source

Partial Failures

Not Yet Ready

Successes

Linux & FreeBSD

The-Labs.com