Rob Knop's Gratuitous Computer Nerd Page

I'm not just a computer nerd, I'm an open source / free software wacko... mostly. Wherever possible, I like to use free software... especially for stuff I use. For some things such as games, I have no objection to proprietary software, any more than I have an objection to watching a movie without necessarily seeing all of the stuff that went into making the movie (although I do object to copy projtection on such things, because they hamper legitimate legal users).

---

Debian GNU/Linux is the distribution of Linux I use on my desktop nowadays, and I love it. I don't know if it would be the easiest for a Linux neophyte to use, but after converting only a couple of weeks ago, I've come to believe that it is a great distribution for the knowledgeable Linux user, and perhaps even for the "faintly knowledgeable" Linux user. I also use Ubuntu, which is based on Debian but is a bit more neophyte friendly. I use that on my laptop, and on my MythTV/DVD Player box. Ubuntu is what I'd recommend to the new person who wants to try out Linux. I've used Red Hat and Slackware in the past, but it's been years since I've really played with either.

OpenOffice.org (OOo) is a complete, highly functional office suite available for a number of operating systems including Linux and various Unixes, as well as that extremely popular operating system Who May Not Be Named. It includes a complete word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program (which I've used for talks and classes). Mind you, for most of my serious writing needs, I still prefer LaTeX, but OOo really brings what many would consider basic functionality to Linux. And it's free, in every sense of the word. You can download it at zero cost, you can install and use it on as many computers as you want without worrying about licencing issues, and you can give it away to your friends. Install it on your computer at work, and bring a copy home for yourself: that's not only legal, but encouraged. This is most definitely not the case with proprietary office suites.

If you have any digitzed music, you've probably heard of MP3. What you may not know is that MP3 is a patented format with increasingly restricive licencing terms on its use. Depending on the encoder and player you use, there's a good chance that it's not even legal. (And I'm not talking about the illegality of distributing copyrighted music; that's illegal regardless of format. I'm talking about your own private use and format shifting, which can be legal.) Many players will have paid the licencing fees, but free ones typically have not. Fortunately, there's a format out there which is both technically superior and legally unencumbered. If, like me, you think software patents are a serious problem, you should avoid MP3 on political grounds: even if your player is legal, don't support a format that uses life-sucking software patents. Use Ogg Vorbis; it's widely supported by most computer music players nowadays, and there are even some hardware players that are starting to support it. Ogg Vorbis is what I use for all the music I compress.