Following up on my previous post, NeonLicht suggested I try out the Ion window manager. Being a big fan of alternative window managers etc, I decided to give it a whirl. Turns out that the most current version of Ion, Ion3 has been branched and reborn as the Notion window manager. After some general use I’ve come to the conclusion that while it’s not for everyone, it’s a terrifically interesting and forward-facing implementation of a window manager. Also, providing you’re willing to compile the source from git (instructions after the jump), the setup for an ideal programmer’s desktop becomes rather simplified from my last post. Read on for all the detailed info.
Compilation and Installation
First you’ll want to checkout the project from git. Create a nice working directory, then execute a git clone git://notion.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/notion/notion<br></br> in said directory. This will check out the Notion source code. This comes with a nice writeup on how to install. For other Ubuntu/Debian users, it basically boils down to a quick 4-step install.
While not famous in any sense of the word, I’m pretty used to having folks come up to me in public and ask me questions. These are usually along the lines of “I’ve never seen a laptop like that before..did you build it?” (yes I did) or “how did you get it to do that?” (Linux, mostly). Lately, I’ve had a few people comment on my somewhat unique desktop “wallpaper” I use on my laptop, and I thought I’d do a quick tutorial for those coming in off google searches :). This is basically a 5-up devilspie embedded application background consisting of terminals, text editors, and conky. I keep these on my primary desktop in Ubuntu at all times, and this is the configuration I’ve found to be optimal. Read on for the detailed setup guide and rationale behind this configuration
A very cool and strange thing (for me at least) has happened. Having spent a great deal of time digging through my Google analytic reports, I can say with certainty that my personal site traffic is on the rise. What’s most interesting to me is that a good portion of that new readership linked into my site from my corporate blog. Even more interesting, our corporate blog over at www.discursivelabs.com has far eclipsed the readership of my personal blog here at www.hunterdavis.com. As such, I thought I’d share the link to my newest article.
As the title implies in our latest article over at Discursive Labs we walk you through the creation of a fully distributed compilation system (i.e. a fully federated system not based on DistCC, Sun’s DMAKE, or other existing distributed compilation tools). The scripts are available in the article and can be dropped into an existing compilation node or as a base for future development. While I have posted a few articles over at Discursive Labs since I last posted here, I thought this one in particular may be of interest to anyone wishing to make their own cluster for compilation or scientific computing. If you’re interested in cross-compiling, low power ARM clusters, virtual clusters or distributed computing and you’re not reading our continuing series then you should really catch up.
Are you looking for something new and interesting to run on your Pogoplug after reading that last article on emulators? Ever considered using it to compile software that runs natively on your X86-64 machine? Did you even know this was a possibility?
As most regular readers will probably know, I’ve got a thing for low powered devices. In my daily work life, I build clusters with them and write/run scientific computing and visualization software on them. At home though, I’ve got a thing for game consoles, emulation, and USB. I’ve especially got a thing for getting people playing games or running consoles on unusual systems that they would have never thought to use. I think the Zipit and IM-ME communities are fairly well aware of this already. What amazed me though, is how few people I found seriously discussing the idea of using a pogoplug device as a game or emulation console. Allow me to get the conversation started with a bang.
First thanks to everyone who applied for beta status over at Discursive Labs. Your name is on the list and we’ve got an extra secret upcoming project that will be landing in your inbox soon :). If anyone else is interested in becoming a beta tester, send us an email with “beta” in the subject line and we’ll get you on the list.
For those of you who are not on beta list over at Discursive Labs, this is the sort of thing you are missing out on. If you follow our corporate blog over at www.discursivelabs.com, you know that Source Tree Visualizer is an entirely new way to interact and understand the complexities of source control in a meaningful, intuitive way. Rooted in the most current research in computer graphics and visualization, Source Tree Visualizer may literally change the way you think about your source tree forever. Head on over to the Source Tree Visualizer media page and find out how Discursive Labs is bringing you a whole new kind of source tree visualization.
Ideas are wonderful things. They can inspire us to work harder, dream harder, live harder. The ideas we have, these are free. Servers cost money. Health insurance costs money. Employees, computers, conference rooms, software licenses, these things cost money. Big time. So when you’re looking to nurture an idea into a business, these costs can seem daunting. For those not interested in (or who have no opportunity for) traditional funding methods such as angel investing and bank loans, how do you actually accumulate the funds necessary to really free your idea? This is the question I asked myself in late 2008. Flash forward to 2010. I’m the CEO of a (becoming successful) startup, completely bootstrapped. How did I go from cubicle worker (and part time hacker) to CEO (and full time hacker)?
Live For Free is an ebook I wrote and distributed in part on www.liveforfree.net from 2008 to 2010. In it, I chronicle the trials and tips I accumulated whilst saving for my startup, Discursive Labs. In a series of 27 easy to digest chapters, I detail the methodologies and money saving practices which allowed me to “live for free” and save the capital necessary to bootstrap a successful startup. From selling items online to gauging market fluctuations and historical pricing metrics, these concrete examples can help you save tremendous amounts of money, while still living the cutting edge high tech lifestyle. An enjoyable afternoon read, I present you this eBook in the hopes that it helps you, in a concrete and direct fashion, achieve your dream. It helped me achieve mine.
