About Me

PBX My name is Paul Bissex, and e-scribe.com is my consulting business. I build web applications using as much open source software as possible. From September to June I teach web design and other important non-photographic professional skills to photographers. In the '90s I wrote technology commentary and reviews for magazines, newspapers, and web publications, including Wired, Salon.com, FamilyPC, the late lamented Web Review, and the Chicago Tribune. Feel free to email me.

Book Project

I'm co-authoring a book, "Python Web Development with Django", with Jeff Forcier and Wesley Chun. It will be published by Prentice Hall in July 2008, but is available for pre-ordering on Amazon now.

Colophon

This site is built on a fresh trunk checkout of Django, running on Python 2.5.1, served by Apache and mod_python. The database is SQLite. The operating system is FreeBSD, on a VPS hosted at Johncompanies.com. Comment-spam protection by Akismet. Vintage topo imagery from the Maptech archive.

Pile o'Tags

Stuff I Use

Akismet, del.icio.us, Django, dpaste.com, Emacs, FreeBSD, Freenode, jQuery, LaunchBar, MacPorts, Markdown, Mercurial, OS X, Postfix, Python, SQLite, Subversion, TextMate, Trac, Ubuntu Linux, wmii

(Finally!)

Linux on the desktop

Over on the Well there's an ongoing discussion about the factors that will determine Linux's success (or lack thereof) in the desktop market. Especially the non-geek desktop market. I've been touting Ubuntu Linux as one of the most hopeful signs.

One of the things I like about Ubuntu for new users is that they've boiled things down to one app in each category, so the user doesn't have to evaluate multiple unfamiliar applications and criteria they don't understand just to, say, view a web page. That's an important first level to get people in the door. Then later, when they're curious, you show them how easy it is to add new apps (with a good package system like Debian's, it's easier than in Windows or OS X, which I think is an undersold point).

Matt suggested a directory that helps users find applications for specific tasks, perhaps a wiki. I like this idea, but I don't know if a wiki would provide enough structure. You'd probably want a search interface and structured info like platform (Linux flavor A, Linux flavor B, FreeBSD, Darwin, etc.), user ratings, categories or tags, etc.

If I were king of this directory I would forbid any entries from mentioning that FooApp was written in Java with GTK 2.4+ bindings and requires libkumbaya 2.3 or greater. No information that is aimed at programmers or admins. No applications that are in alpha. No dependencies that can't be handled automatically by the package system.

The gnomefiles directory is pretty well done. For new users it would need to be be significantly edited, but nonetheless it's cool. One might be able to build a simplified directory on top of gnomefiles or something like it.

I think the big barrier for beginners is not lack of information -- it's the difficulty of making decisions. As Malcom Gladwell brilliantly explains in Blink, more choices often means less ability to choose.

Friday, July 22nd, 2005
linux + open source