linux.conf.au
Work
10:00AM Angus Kidman | Registration for Linux.conf.au 2010, which takes place in Wellington, NZ, has now opened up, and the organisers of the region’s premier open source software conference are offering discounted early bird prices until November 13. It’s an impressive schedule, and Lifehacker will be attending; if you’re also heading over, get in now for the best deal. [linux.conf.au 2010]
Registration Opens For LCA2010
10:00AM Angus Kidman | Registration for Linux.conf.au 2010, which takes place in Wellington, NZ, has now opened up, and the organisers of the region’s premier open source software conference are offering discounted early bird prices until November 13. It’s an impressive schedule, and Lifehacker will be attending; if you’re also heading over, get in now for the best deal. [linux.conf.au 2010] 
Communicate
9:00AM Angus Kidman | Linux.conf.au is one of the key geek gatherings down under. The schedule for next year’s event, which is being held in Wellington (New Zealand, not New South Wales), has now gone live, promising sessions on everything from Wiimote hacking to the impact of Microsoft on open source. More »
Linux.conf.au 2010 Schedule Now Up
9:00AM Angus Kidman | Linux.conf.au is one of the key geek gatherings down under. The schedule for next year’s event, which is being held in Wellington (New Zealand, not New South Wales), has now gone live, promising sessions on everything from Wiimote hacking to the impact of Microsoft on open source. More »
Work
1:30PM Angus Kidman | No matter how organised you think you are, there’s stuff you’re simply never going to get around to. Dumping those options from your future to-do list can make all the difference. Tech author Thomas A Limoncelli , author of the book Time Management for System Administrators, put it well during his keynote at Linux.conf.au earlier this week:
As geeks we often think priorities are the order we’re going to do things in, but really priorities set lists of things that we’re not going to do as well.
Not that this doesn’t mean you should ditch long-term goals — there’s nothing wrong with forward planning in that sense — but there’s no point in beating yourself up over stuff that simply won’t happen on your watch. Better to acknowledge that it won’t happen (and pass the baton elsewhere if it’s a work task) and focus on a realistic list. More »
Setting Priorities Means Ditching Stuff, Not Ordering It
1:30PM Angus Kidman | No matter how organised you think you are, there’s stuff you’re simply never going to get around to. Dumping those options from your future to-do list can make all the difference. Tech author Thomas A Limoncelli , author of the book Time Management for System Administrators, put it well during his keynote at Linux.conf.au earlier this week:
As geeks we often think priorities are the order we’re going to do things in, but really priorities set lists of things that we’re not going to do as well.
Not that this doesn’t mean you should ditch long-term goals — there’s nothing wrong with forward planning in that sense — but there’s no point in beating yourself up over stuff that simply won’t happen on your watch. Better to acknowledge that it won’t happen (and pass the baton elsewhere if it’s a work task) and focus on a realistic list. More »
Fix
9:27AM Angus Kidman | We all know hackers like their coffee, but just how do they like to take it? A relatively unscientific check — asking the staff on the coffee stand at Linux.conf.au 2009 in Hobart — reveals that the three most popular choices this week are long black, double espresso and flat white. Gorging yourself on coffee isn’t a wise idea, of course, but at least leaving the milk out makes it more slimming (except for the flat white lovers, of course). More »
Real Hackers Don’t Take Milk In Their Coffee
9:27AM Angus Kidman | We all know hackers like their coffee, but just how do they like to take it? A relatively unscientific check — asking the staff on the coffee stand at Linux.conf.au 2009 in Hobart — reveals that the three most popular choices this week are long black, double espresso and flat white. Gorging yourself on coffee isn’t a wise idea, of course, but at least leaving the milk out makes it more slimming (except for the flat white lovers, of course). More »
Fix
Building A PC Case From Spare Shampoo Bottles
4:30PM Angus Kidman | A feature of Linux.conf.au 2009 in Hobart is Batteries Not Included, a tech-influenced art event — and one of the more striking installation ideas is the Frank Zappa Project, a garbage bin for collecting plastic shampoo bottles from delegate hotel rooms to be recycled into casing for machines built as part of the OLPC project. As of Thursday, the bin isn’t looking too full, but I’d expect the volume to grow as the conference nears its end and people use up their shampoo. (Alas, I’ve been unable to contribute myself, as my hotel has fixed-to-the-wall dispensers rather than individual bottles.) More »
Work
10:00AM Angus Kidman | Enhancing any piece of software always requires a balancing act: what if the improvements also result in new problems for existing users? Over at APC, I’ve reported on what father-of-Linux Linus Torvalds had to say on the issue during a session at Linux.conf.au in Hobart. Linux is firmly built on the principle of not incorporating a fix, even for a well-recognised bug, if that fix in turn breaks something else:
The number of machines does not matter. you always hear about machines that break; you never hear about machines that work. If you tell me this fixes more than it breaks, I laugh in your face.
That’s a rather different attitude to, say, Microsoft, which sometimes consciously makes decisions that stop older systems from working (such as ripping the original Windows help engine out of Vista, for instance), and frequently bases its design choices on the relative number of machines that will be affected. Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Linus Torvalds on regression, laziness and having his code rejected [APC]
More »
Linus Torvalds On Why A Working OS Is Better Than A Revamped One
10:00AM Angus Kidman | Enhancing any piece of software always requires a balancing act: what if the improvements also result in new problems for existing users? Over at APC, I’ve reported on what father-of-Linux Linus Torvalds had to say on the issue during a session at Linux.conf.au in Hobart. Linux is firmly built on the principle of not incorporating a fix, even for a well-recognised bug, if that fix in turn breaks something else:
The number of machines does not matter. you always hear about machines that break; you never hear about machines that work. If you tell me this fixes more than it breaks, I laugh in your face.
That’s a rather different attitude to, say, Microsoft, which sometimes consciously makes decisions that stop older systems from working (such as ripping the original Windows help engine out of Vista, for instance), and frequently bases its design choices on the relative number of machines that will be affected. Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Linus Torvalds on regression, laziness and having his code rejected [APC]
More »
Communicate
9:00AM Angus Kidman | Lifehacker Australia will be spending the rest of the week at Linux.conf.au in Hobart, soaking up the open-source goodness and remembering that there’s almost nothing you can’t do from a command line if you try hard enough. If the mere thought of Tux makes you nervous, don’t panic; there’ll still be plenty of non-Linux content as well.
More »
Lifehacker Hits Hobart For Linux.conf.au
9:00AM Angus Kidman | Lifehacker Australia will be spending the rest of the week at Linux.conf.au in Hobart, soaking up the open-source goodness and remembering that there’s almost nothing you can’t do from a command line if you try hard enough. If the mere thought of Tux makes you nervous, don’t panic; there’ll still be plenty of non-Linux content as well.
More »
Communicate
12:00PM Angus Kidman | The “Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates Programme” might have an awkward name, but it has a simple aim: to improve the participation of women at Linux.conf.au, which takes place in Hobart in January 2009. (I’m a big fan Linux.conf.au, but like most tech events, there’s no denying it’s a bit of a blokefest.) Google is offering up to $500 for travel expenses and half-price registration to sponsor selected women delegates interested in attending the conference. The big G recently extended the deadline for the scheme until Sunday December 21 at midnight, which suggests there’s funds going-a-begging, so hit the link for application details.
Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates
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Google Sponsoring Female Delegates For Linux.conf.au
12:00PM Angus Kidman | The “Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates Programme” might have an awkward name, but it has a simple aim: to improve the participation of women at Linux.conf.au, which takes place in Hobart in January 2009. (I’m a big fan Linux.conf.au, but like most tech events, there’s no denying it’s a bit of a blokefest.) Google is offering up to $500 for travel expenses and half-price registration to sponsor selected women delegates interested in attending the conference. The big G recently extended the deadline for the scheme until Sunday December 21 at midnight, which suggests there’s funds going-a-begging, so hit the link for application details.
Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates
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Organise
Linux.conf.au Wiki Now Open For Content
5:30PM Angus Kidman | Linux.conf.au in Hobart is less than two months away, so it’s good news that the conference wiki is now up and running. If Hobart locals could add information on dining, entertainment and public transport, offshore visitors like me would really appreciate it! Linux.conf.au Wiki More »
Communicate
10:37AM Angus Kidman | Following the recent issues with its domain name (now fortunately resolved), annual Aussie Linux get-together linux.conf.au has extended its early-bird registration period to November 10. If you can’t make it to Hobart in January, don’t stress — Lifehacker AU will be there, gathering Linux tips and ideas.
linux.conf.au
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Linux.conf.au Extends Registration Dates
10:37AM Angus Kidman | Following the recent issues with its domain name (now fortunately resolved), annual Aussie Linux get-together linux.conf.au has extended its early-bird registration period to November 10. If you can’t make it to Hobart in January, don’t stress — Lifehacker AU will be there, gathering Linux tips and ideas.
linux.conf.au
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