My start with BASIC programming
Here’s how I wrote my first BASIC programs on the Apple II.
Read long lines with getline
Getline offers a more flexible way to read user data into your program without breaking the system.
Rhythmbox is a great music player for GNOME
I like Rhythmbox as my music player on Linux because it’s simple and stays out of my way.
Reading the command line with getopt
You can make your program much more flexible if it can respond to the user every time the program runs.
How do I choose a Linux distribution?
I see a lot of potential Windows refugees asking this question on the two social media sites I still use, BlueSky and Mastodon. While it's...
Using QGIS and MerginMaps for Geospatial Data Work
Recently, a friend asked me if I could help him map his walk around the area where he lives. I use a pedometer to track...
Exploring GNU Algol 68: Formatting numbers as strings for output
As I mentioned in my introductory article to this mini-series, GNU Algol 68 is in development, and as of the date of writing this article,...
What you need to know when you buy a new computer
Author's Note: This article is based on parts of Chapter 4, "Using Linux – Choosing Hardware," of my book, "Linux for Small Business Owners," with...
Why beauty matters in computing
Why we should care about beauty as it applies to computing? And how do we define beauty in this context?
My oldest computer turns 20 today
My oldest computer turns 20 today, August 30, 2025. I use this data because, according to the Dell service information for it, that’s the date that this Dell Optiplex was shipped from the Dell factory. Unable to even install current versions of Windows, I keep it running using the most current versions of Fedora Linux.
Building a random text generator
Generate your own random placeholder text by writing a few lines in Bash.
Exploring GNU Algol 68
Since early 2019, I’ve spent some time here and there refreshing my appreciation for the Algol 68 programming language, courtesy of Marcel van der Veer’s...
Why I switched to Linux
When I first encountered Linux as an operating system, it wasn't exactly love at first sight. As a kid, I learned computing on an Apple...
10 reasons to use Linux
Southern humorist, newspaper editor and columnist, comedian, and author, Lewis Grizzard once said that there are two kinds of naked in the south. There's naked...
Good Reasons for Linux as your daily driver
Linux stands out as a consumer operating system thanks to its unique blend of freedom, performance, and community-driven innovation. Whether you’re on a budget laptop,...