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Matthew Helmke (dot) Net Posts

CUPS Administrative Guide

I was recently given a copy of a new book, CUPS Administrative Guide, to read and review. My initial thought was, “There is an entire book about the Common UNIX Printing System? Why?” You see, I have never had a problem configuring or using a printer with Linux, but my needs are simple, and I have always done my research first to see if the hardware is supported before purchase. I received the book this week. Not only is CUPS much more powerful and configurable than I previously knew, but the book’s author does a very good job of discussing…

An interview with Nicolas Valcárcel

Today’s interviewee volunteered to participate in the Ubuntu Community Interviews series some time ago. He is involved in some of the more technical aspects of the community, helping maintain and place packages in the repositories, working to keep Ubuntu up to date with security, and lots more. Enjoy! 1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc. I’m Nicolas Valcárcel Scerpella. I am a 24 years old male Peruvian student living in Lima – Perú with my parents, 2 sisters and a rotweiler. I’m coursing the 7th-8th…

On Being Thankful

No one is an island. None of us is able to survive, much less live, completely self-sufficient. Each of us need others. I am thankful for the many who have helped me during my life; family, friends, coworkers and colleagues, teachers, doctors, shopkeepers, assistants, the list would be very long indeed if I continued. It is important to take a moment on occasion and remember those who have been influential, helpful, or just plain loving, and say, “Thank you.” So, to all of you reading this, “Thank you.” And may you have a very happy Thanksgiving (even if you are…

Linux Identity and Ubuntu 8.10

I had the privilege of contributing several articles to the Ubuntu 8.10 edition of Linux Identity magazine, along with one I co-wrote with a friend, Ryan Troy (aka ubuntu-geek in the Ubuntu Forums). I even got to write the editorial at the beginning of the issue. Now, with a little bit of fear and no small amount of intimidation, owing to how incredibly much I respect so many of you in the overall Linux and FOSS developer and Ubuntu communities, I am letting you all know about the issue while I hope I got all of my facts and details…

Why is intellectualism looked down upon?

Do you ever ask yourself questions like “Why?” and “What if?” Do you enjoy reading and discovering diverse viewpoints, especially those to which you have not been exposed? I do. Often. I love to explore options, delve into ideas, and pursue opportunities, if only in my mind. What I discover when I do this is that there are perspectives and thoughts beyond those which I have previously known. These things stretch me. They enable me to better understand what others think and feel. They provide for me an opportunity to go beyond what I already know and hopefully better myself,…

An interview with Nathan Grubb

In this series, we have had the privilege of including a number of adults. In today’s installment, we are highlighting one of our younger forum members. Nathan Grubb (forum username: nathangrubb) is also a comparatively new Linux user, having joined the fun just over a year ago. He has a blog that you are invited to check out, and included a couple of screenshots with his interview, in which you will discover he uses wmii, which I have inserted below. 1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real” life – name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education,…

Come Together

I am hopeful that the world is changing. Whether it is or not, it is obvious that American, and I believe much of the world society is. The days of “us” versus “them” are diminishing as communication becomes faster and easier and we all start to realize that we have more similarities than we have differences. Those who seem to understand this best are the youngest among us, especially those under thirty or so, although that is not an absolute boundary by any means. Those who seem to fear this most are generally those with the most to lose; those…

FBML Essentials

I have been playing around with Facebook for a while now. It is a fun place to connect with friends, and I have been able to find and reconnect with some that I haven’t seen or heard from in years. Being a typical geek, I can’t leave well enough alone. I wanted to find out how to make this new toy do more. I wanted to personalize it, and see if I could make it do things it wasn’t originally designed to do. That’s where today’s short book review comes in. I read through a copy of FBML Essentials by…

Ubuntu Kung Fu

A while back, I was approached and asked to review a book that was still in progress. I read through it and made some specific comments and suggestions. Now, the final version of the book is complete and has been published. Not only were my suggestions taken, but I am privileged to have a quote of mine in use on the first page, just inside the cover. I liked the book when I read the earlier draft, and I like it even better now. If you get a chance, take a look and see what you think. http://www.pragprog.com/titles/ktuk/ubuntu-kung-fu He also…

I’ve been published again

Ryan Troy, ubuntu-geek of ubuntuforums.org, and I wrote an article about Ubuntu JeOS and VMware for the current edition of Linux+.