Doc / Linux / How I Work

Introduction

I've been in the computer industry for a long time -- I was working with Unix of various flavors long before Linux existed. As a result I've developed my own ways of working in the Linux environment that are probably rather different from what most other people do.

Think of these articles as looking over my shoulder while I work and, from time to time, explain what I'm doing. You may not like the way I do everything, but you might pick up some interesting tips. If nothing else it may make you think a little about why you do things the way you've always done them.

Articles

Done

#1 Playing With Multiple Distros

Setting up a workstation so that you can experiment with multiple Linux distributions, and even multiple operating systems.

#2 Documents are Directories

Every web document should be a directory. Why this document is called docs-are-directories/ instead of docs-are-directories.html.

#3 Managing Websites (WURM)

How I use cvs, make, rsync, and ssh to manage a sizeable collection of websites and open-source projects.

#4 The Daily Ping

How I know whether all of my far-flung systems are up and running happily. Peace of mind in two lines of code.

#5 Keeping Backups

How I make backups and keep them safe.

Planned/in progress

#6 The Project as Website

You have an open-source software project. Of course, the project has a website. It also has a CVS source tree, and each developer has a working directory. Here's why your working directory should be a website in its own right.

Backing Up with rsync

Backups don't have to be time-consuming, complicated, or hard to restore from.

My X Desktop

I started using the X Window System back when it was still X Release 10. My desktop, based on ctwm and xrdb, isn't for everyone, but it works for me, and I'm no longer tempted to spend hours tweaking it. Not very often, anyway.

Fun with make

It's not just for building software -- make is a general-purpose engine for applying rules based on dependencies and dates.

Are You Being Served?

You want to turn that old PC and a couple of new disk drives into a file server. Good idea! Now you have to decide what goes onto it, what doesn't, and where to mount it all.

Dealing with Disconnection

You don't have to have a laptop to experience that disconnected feeling. Sometimes the network is hosed, or the server is feeling flaky. Sometimes you just need to be alone. And sometimes you have to move easily between two networks. How I set up a machine so that it can be part of a network, but doesn't have to be.

Home on the Strange

My browser's 'home page' is something that nobody else would want to see, and it's not the 'welcome page' of my website. Instead, it's a page of bookmarks organized the way I organize my (physical) desk: sprawling piles of cryptic links that put me only a click away from any site I use on a regular basis.