On Wordpress, Linux, and dying computers
Call it a multi-part post (this is very retro for me as I used to blog like this every time)..
On Wordpress: My last post made reference to a broken theme. I had a problem where I would choose a theme and after some length of time (I never figured out what that length of time was — definitely not a browser cache problem), my theme would revert to default (Kubrick). While I don’t have any great problem with that theme, it is not what I want for my blog. I created some test blogs in my development space, and saw no such problems. So, it’s a Wordpress upgrade path problem. This blog was started in the 1.5.x branch of wordpress, then upgraded to 2.0, and then recently to the 2.2.x series. I haven’t bothered to see what changed between the versions but whatever the problem was, it is gone with a fresh install. SO, while this blog looks the same, it is in fact a fresh install with imported posts from a previous export. I have to say that the process of exporting/importing (I call this backing up and restoring, but the lingo is different, as there is also a backup function) was very simple and easy. Finding the problem was a pain, and I am glad that I have a working knowledge of php/sql/linux so that I could quickly find the problem. I’d hate to have to explain the process to someone like my mother!!!
On Linux: After my mass computer exodus (read: two dead computers in one day, the two fastest I had.. also took out a couple hard drives and an IDE controller too.. mobo and psu problems in both I think), I was left without a usable desktop or laptop (my laptop died a year or so ago). Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my wife’s new laptop so I could claim the scraps (meaning, her old laptop), I began making a list of every application I used, if there was an alternative I could use in Linux instead of staying in Windows, etc. I found that I actually use cross-platform software for the most part (in particular, firefox and thunderbird, openoffice.org, starting to use Gimp, and I use eclipse and ViM for my development needs). I struggled for a few days trying to uncover that one thorn-in-my-side that I just couldn’t let go of… and found it in napster. Someone recently commented on a post I put up a while back about how I hated napster for their customer service, and I guess they are just like everyone else.. not wanting to lose a customer.. anyway, I have since re-joined and listen to whatever I want whenever I want. It’s the only one. I’m now stuck with a choice.. do I keep this service that I use, or do I cancel it again (i’m all for not spending that $$ per month, especially with the sirius in my car now) and free myself of the Windows empire. It’s a surprisingly difficult decision. I love the complete control I have in a *nix environment, and with Debian really having a coming-out party in the desktop world and add polished UI’s like the Ubuntu’s, it’s tough to not consider it. If in doubt, I can validate Ubuntu as genuine windows 
On Dying Computers: I guess I already talked about this. Had my main desktop cook itself last week (psu and mobo are hosed, and it may have taken out some of the circuitry on my hard drives, although they are readable once an OS is loaded).. and then had my “tv” box become a paperweight in the same 24 hours thanks to a dying IDE controller (again, will boot off of cd, but disks are not there). You can comment all you want on how I could check this and that and the other.. I don’t care — the one I did care about is really dead (that burning resistor smell.. i’m not joking when I said cooked!).. the other one is a dell from 1998.. it probably was due to die. My remainind computer which will probably become some kind of web testing ground is an IBM PC from 1996.. yes it is a pentium mmx.. ph33r the sp33d.
