Welcome
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Computers are complex tools. For many people they are user-hostile tools.
Technology (and science) distinguishes our modern world from that of our ancestors. Although technology pervades our modern existence, and although for many years I have been involved in writing about technology, I do not pretend to be a guru or subject matter on anything technological. I offer here only some of my personal experiences, observations, and ramblings. The appropriate Latin phrase for you the visitor is caveat emptor!
The theme of this web site might not be obvious from the site name. Computer programmers and engineers sometimes refer to certain kinds of information as being machine readable. I have read my share of technical documents, instructions, and How-Tos that I think were understandable only by machines rather than humans. Although my knowledge about computers is more extensive than some people, I am not interested in being a geek. I am interested in using computers proficiently. Geeky or complicated solutions might exist to solve a problem, but that does not mean the solution enables typical users in a proficient manner. I am always thinking in terms of the end-user — and the typical end-user. Hence, the name and theme of this web site.
Welcome!
Darrell Anderson
Musings and comments about my various attempts at migrating from Windows to GNU/Linux. I have been tinkering with GNU/Linux for several years. My current distro of choice is Slackware. I have migrated fully although for professional reasons I continue to use Windows in virtual machines.
Somewhat self-explanatory in this day and age of the world wide web, n’est pas mon ami?
A Slackware Desktop Enhancement Guide
The Slackware GNU/Linux distro is well-known for stability and speed. Slackware also retains a reputation for being difficult to configure and maintain. Some of this reputation is deserved, but with this guide you too can create a desktop environment that is enjoyable and pleasing to use, and will be built upon the stability and speed of Slackware.
About the Author
My vocational and professional background is in instrumentation and controls, computers, industrial training, and technical writing. I have taught computer classes. As might be expected, I am interested in several technology topics. Computers are an obvious interest.
I wrote my first “Hello World” program in 1976. The program was stored on punch cards. I’ve been around desktop computers daily since 1982. In that year I used an Apple II to write lesson plans and job aids. In 1983 I purchased a Commodore 64 with a 160 KB floppy drive. I used a TV for my monitor and taught myself to program in BASIC. Thereafter I owned an Amiga 1000 with an external 10 MB hard drive. Next was an Amiga 3000 with MS-DOS Bridgeboard and A-Max Macintosh emulators. I owned my first laser printer in 1990. In 1991 I migrated to the “PC” world with a then state-of-the-art ’486 machine with 16 MB of RAM and a 512 MB hard drive. My current box is a dual core 2.3 GHz BE-2400 with 4 GB of RAM and two internal hard drives. I use Slackware full time with KDE and run several virtual machines.
Throughout that period I have watched other people use computers. Most people know little to nothing about how a computer functions. They tend to learn only what they need for their job or the task at hand. Other than occasional curiosity, most have little desire or motivation to learn what is “under the hood.” Through this observation I have searched continually for a user-friendly operating system.
Although a hacker in spirit, I am not a trained developer or programmer. These days I limit my programming to shell scripts. I am skilled at using a computer and digging under the hood to solve problems. Because of my background and experience I have a keen eye for usability issues. Often I envision how a system should be hacked, but I do not always know the best method to provide the solution.
After more than two decades of owning a personal computer, I still tinker with them although today I treat computers more as a tool rather than a hobby. However, do not be led into thinking that I am fond of gadgetry. I am not. Additionally, as I age I notice that I grow more displeased with technology as the tools we humans now create become increasingly more complicated. I have been using computers for more than three decades and all along I have believed that computers are far more user-hostile than user-friendly. Nothing yet has changed my mind although I keep hoping for that change. As a friend often quipped when I helped him with his computer, “This stuff ain’t ready for prime time!”
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