software: July 2008 Archives

Installed Linux this weekend » Ubuntu 8.04 (released April 2008). Woohoo! I'm stoked.

Installation couldn't have been easier. After creating a 20-gig Ext3 partition on my new hard drive (see previous entry), I answered a few simple questions, stated my time zone and » Voila!

But then I booted up and couldn't connect to the internet. Ugh. Learned since that 'Wireless' is one of Ubuntu's biggest weak-spots.

Gotta be the worst place for a weakspot. Cuz everybody is wireless these days. And without internet, your PC is pretty-much worthless.

I was tempted to give up. Tried many networking configs. Nothing worked.

"Shouldn't be this difficult," I murmured, getting frustrated. (Ain't like I've never configured a network connection before. Only so many variables.)

I even carried my laptop to the coffee shop, where they have free internet, with NO password (WEP/WPA), and I still couldn't connect. So it wasn't an encryption problem (like I thought).

Learning Photoshop. Been meaning to for a long time. I've tinkered for years, but now I'm learning the really cool (powerful, creative) stuff.

At one time, Photoshop was "the killer app" » a reason in itself to buy a computer (Mac). And the more I learn, the easier it is to see why. (It lets you do way-cool things .. with graphics and photos.)

Over the years Photoshop has grown complex, somewhat beastly, difficult to tame. These days, learning to wield its magic takes a commitment. (As I'm finding.)

I had really wanted to wade into some server-side scripting and database management, but that requires even more of a commitment. Been too distracted for that. (Tho it's still on my list.)

Now however, I'm glad I went the Photoshop route. Everybody I've told says, "Yeah, I wanna learn Photoshop, too." (And once someone knows it, they'll always know it.)