Blogger updates, blog for dummies and useful stuff

As I mentioned in previous post, I am still in the search of blogging platform.In a meanwhile, I’ve decided not to switch from Blogger and do that as time will allow.

So, while I was thinking about it, I started investing a little more time to blogger customizations. There are few things that I’d like to do, such as: changing template, colors, links, layout etc. One of the most wanted features today is “digg button”. But I found digg’s own help inconvenient. So, I went to the blogger’s user groups, and made a search for “adding digg to a blogger”. That is how I found this cool blog: http://betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com/2007/02/digg-for-blogger.html.

First of all, it gives good definition of what the Digg means. Second, it explains in good details and in easy language the difference between different digg buttons. Third, it has a pretty easily understood explanation as to how can I add the “Digg me” badger to every post. That was the exact thing I wanted; that was the exact feature I was looking in the first place. You can now see “digg me” button after each and every post on my blog, and it’ll be great if you’ll use it when you think my posts worth digging.

Couple more things. Although I did like that explanation, what I’m missing (maybe still) is the instruction for adding “digg me” button with diggs counter (just as one I have on a sidebar) to the beginning of every post. And one last thing – I like this blog because I found there much of the useful stuff I can implement on my blogger blog and make it better.

What I need now, is the time for this all. Have a nice day everyone.

Note: while this post is all true, it was sponsored by betabloggerfordummies.blogspot.com through http://www.payperpost.com

Blog Update

OK, now I’ve decided that my blog has outgrown itself as “gentoo-only” blog.

I will keep using it for now, but many other things will be discussed here as well.

Have a nice day 🙂

Patents on …..gas pedals and software; posting from Google Docs

OK, this is the first time I try to publish directly from Google Docs.

This is interesting, because it seems that most of my online work is being moved to Google. Which is both good and scares me a little.

Good is being that me, as a sorta advanced user, moving to Google means that they have pretty good products. Search, mail (and especially spam filtering), Blogger (beta), RSS reader, analytics and now docs are all Google products which I now seem to use more. I do think they are good products for the type of usage I use them for, and they are good in more generic sense.

But what scares me in all this, is the thing that all my actions on the net, or at least many of them, go through one same central place, which is being Google, which in reality gives them all the info about my habits online, and also a lot of information about me as person. That, in fact, scares the hell out of me – if Google becomes evil one day, they could hurt many people as me. And what if they require a payment for all these? I don’t believe this will happen, but it might.

Now, to the matters. I’ve found interesting article, about some obscure patent, given for ….”gas pedals, the kind that make trucks go when drivers step on them…”.
Apparently, the outcome of the trial may serve as a precedent for other patent issues, so many companies, including Microsoft and Johnson&Johnson, tried to override the courts’ decision.

But, what’s to gas pedals and software licenses?

Quote: “Alliteration aside, we’ll defer that question to somebody with a law degree or at least a working knowledge of patent law. But, it’ll be worth following how the Supreme Court treats this case given that Microsoft is playing both sides of the fence here — dangling the patent sword above the head of Linux while at the same time politely asking the Supreme Court to make it harder for patent squatters to hit tech companies.”

Link to full article is here .

Feedback is appreciated.

My week with Gentoo

Ok, so few things are to be said first.

1. Blogger Beta kicks ass!! Not without few glitches, its much faster, has more features and just plain better than an old Blogger. The only problem at the moment is that Flocks’ blog editor doesn’t support it, but well, there is always online editor.
2. I had few talks with different people about my previous “weekly” post, complaining that I attack without reason and not necessarily rightfully. Although some of these comments are still do not seem right to me, I decided that it is correct in many ways, and as a future reference I do ask to provide a feedback when someone feels that I was, ahm, not exactly ok.
3. After what I said in 2), I decided to call it more simply “my week with Gentoo”.
4. I’m moving !! I have a keys to a new place, needs a lots of cleaning :-(, but I’m feeling a little depressed over how much money it will cost me. Not something impossible, just leaves less for myself.

Having these worked out, this is what I have this week:

1. Few posts about Gentoo’s past, present and some new directions. I find it really refreshing that seasoned developers, who have been around Gentoo for eternity see problems that need to be solved somehow (or worked out, choose whichever way you like). I think it is also good idea because any organization should review what the hell it does and how, and to refresh its ways from time to time.
2. There are some talks in dev community about Portage, about how it doesn’t (or does it ?) do some things well anymore (maybe it wasn’t built to scale well), and also about other package management tools. I’d suppose it should be working together with directions and “ways” chosen in 1) above, but I’m not familiar enough with any package management tool to have an opinion about internal structure. This can be either good for Gentoo, or bad – depends on how it will be implemented of course. As an initial optimist, I hope it will cause for good things.
3. There’s a new subforum on Gentoo Forums: Gentoo User Representatives. This subforum is monitored by Userreps team and is meant for all issues around Gentoo that Userreps can help you with. Start using it if you have great ideas, but mind – its not a tech support forum. Tech support threads will be moved out.
4. Xmms package was hard-masked lately, which brought to a lot of flaming on forums and bugzilla. Although opinions are split over it, I do believe that packages without a maintainer should not be in official tree. I’m not even giving a link here to any of these discussion, because there’s too much heat over it as it is. You want it – find it yourself (not that it’s hard or something).
5. Something different now. I’ve recently witnessed many developers saying they don’t care about users. Not for some user specifically, but in general. I won’t say names, because I don’t have personal issues with these developers or something, but it saddens me anyway. There’s a reason for that though – I do understand the argument, but I hoped that developers would care for a general user (not me personally) while thinking about 1) and 2) above. I still think that users are the main target, and without users (or, say, without enough happy users who are not developers) it will be worse place, not better. And I still hope that in case that 1) or 2) will be implemented in full or partially, general “user” will be considered where appropriate.

Thats what I had this week. It was pretty slow because I was kinda busy and a little depressed. Sorry.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated.