www.markholder.org

 I've taken a few steps toward resuming writing. I've written off and on over the years and now feels like a good time to get a few pieces started, maybe even finished. I have a long habit of starting more than I finish. As a Free/Open Source Software ( FOSS ) enthusiast, I plan to build my workflow exclusively around such software. The Linux operating system will be the platform; I have a strong preference for Linux Mint . Mint is a stable, conservative sort of operating system, an Ubuntu derivative that surpasses its foundation. This would provide an enterprise-grade platform for my writing and small publishing firm (more on this later). As mentioned, I want my writing and publishing to be done on a FOSS platform. I've used Ubuntu Linux for some time and find it works well, but their parent company, Canonical, appears to be drifting toward centralization, while the Snap application packaging is proprietary software, which is the opposite of FOSS. Canonical isn't a pu...

By Willi Heidelbach, CC BY 2.5 , Link I am the proud father of a young son who, for the last two school years, has won a writing contest for his grade level. Last year's piece was a retelling of the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War from the point of view of the engineer of the stolen train. This year's tale was of a zombie apocalypse in which I defended home and hearth with a large iron skillet. I cook with a large iron skillet and have full faith in its ability as a defensive weapon against the undead. My son has inspired me to take up writing, a practice I pursued as a younger man with little to say and not much experience to draw from. At midlife, I have more to reflect on and put to paper. I have a short story completed and am outlining another. After working in spreadsheets all day, I look forward to going home and working in a word processor. (That's not entirely a joke) My method begins with the Vim text editor, a piece of software more suited to progra...

After several years on a Chromebook, I've made a return to Linux. Truth is, I'm on a Chromebook that now runs Linux. Support for my Lenovo reached End Of Life a year or so ago, meaning it no longer received security updates. It also seemed a bit slow compared to earlier times, and so the research began. I knew I wanted a Debian-based distro but it had to be lightweight enough to run on the Chromebook's modest hardware. After consideration, PeppermintOS was chosen. Installation was a bit of an adventure, as I had to take the 'book apart and remove an internal screw to disable Write Protect in order to install an alternate operating system. Once the hardware hack was complete, it was time to test with a live session, which went well. Time to install. Installation was a nonevent. PeppermintOS is fast, light, and actually runs better than ChromeOS. As with all things Linux, I have access to programs far beyond those offered by the ChromeOS platform. My favorite is Gn...