PenguinREPORT

I hope your weekend was as good as mine.

After months of struggling through with a dual-boot Linux development and Win2k machine, my wife has finally taken the plunge into a full Linux-only system. I spent part of the day on Saturday working to meet her minimal computing requirements in Linux - a browser that works with our secure bank server, a good email client and an acceptable solitaire game. Up to this point, the mere mention of going with nothing but Linux on the computer at home has brought rolling eyes. It’s not that Linux is too tough - it’s just that it took her a long time to reach this particular point of interest in using the computer. It’s only been in the past year or so that she’s really started to find her feet with it, and she’s none too thrilled about change in her newfound computing routine. Me? I tend to be all about change, sometimes, especially when it comes to computers. So, when she expressed some willingness to go completely Linux - with some conditions - I jumped at the chance. I set up a user account for her, made KDE the default desktop environment (with the Redmond look and feel), and customized the desktop with a wallpaper she’d like. She’s now the proud user of Evolution, Galeon and Pysol, and I’m happy as a clam to be finally running a Linux-only box at home.

The other fun Linux-related event of the weekend was an outgoing care package. You’ll remember that I gave you a firsthand account a few months ago about the power of the Internet to reunite people. I was, at that time, just in the early stages of establishing communication with my father. Well, things have progressed nicely, thank you. We’ve spent a weekend talking face to face and have communicated coutless times via email, phone and Yahoo! Instant Messenger. In a lot of ways, the similarities are uncanny. In particular, both of us like a good challenge. In that spirit, he recently expressed an interest in trying Linux. Hmmm. I might just know someone who can help. So, I sent out a care package on Friday, consisting of RedHat 7.3, Mandrake 8.2, “Weekend Linux Crash Course,” and some other odds and ends tools to make the transition a bit easier. He received it today and fired off an excited email. We’ve been IM’ing this evening and it looks like he might just rise to the challenge.

Like son like father - even if you never realized it.

Tony
Steidler-Dennison