(Un)usability

I know, I know, a lot of good work has been done on making Linux usable by normal people in the last few years. I'm happy for them.

I'm NOT normal. I miss the features of windows managers like sawfish, E and evilwm. I think window manager development needs to go forwards, not backwards, and a linux desktop that doesn't look like a half assed windows clone is far sexier to some, than others. I got a lot of people hooked on E, at one point.

I wrote this entire blog entry in the time it took for firefox's new whizzy "Choose Helper Application" while I waited, and waited, and waited for it to prettily format all the entries in /usr/bin.

This, on a dual 1.6Ghz opteron!!!!

Yo, developers of nifty new interfaces? Some of us can type. Please - Let us type - please?

All I wanted to do was type "/usr/bin/xmms" so I could listen to "It's a small world after all">.  ¶ 2:48 PM 0 comments

  Stars Die

I just got utterly choked up by hearing the audio sample of Nixon's phone call to the moon, embedded at the end of "Stars Die", by Porcupine Trees

(Houston): Go ahead Mr. President. This is Houston out.

(President Nixon): Hello Neil and Buzz. I'm talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made. I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you've done. For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives. And for people all over the world, I am sure they too join with Americans in recognizing what an immense feat this is. Because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to Earth. For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one. One in their pride in what you have done. And one in our prayers that you will return safely to Earth.

Tree cracked and mountain cried
Bridges broke, window sighed
Cells grew up and rivers burst
Sound obscured and sense reversed
Idle mind and severed soul
Silent nerves and begging bowl
Shallow haze to blast a way
Hyper sleep to end the day

  ¶ 6:55 PM 1 comments

  Vacillation Road

Today I face an oddity of the new millenium - Two job offers, presented at exactly the same time.

Good offers. Very good offers.

Both offers are roughly equivalent, a slight nod to company #1 for more money
and better benefits, a slight nod to company #2 for more (theoretical) options and a higher projected growth rate.

Company #1 has been around 5+ years, and is stable-ly growing in an established market (embedded Linux)

Company #2 has been around for 2 years, and is entering a high growth mode in a brand new market (voip)

I like mostly everybody, on both sides. They all like me.

I've got every concession I've asked for, from both sides.

I must be a lousy negotiator, because I've been refused very little.

Only a few years ago, I'd have chosen company #2, because I get off on creating startups. These days I've slowed down a bit, and I've been through a bunch of companies like #2, and so company #1 seems more appealing from a stability perspective.

#1 and I have been negotiating for 3 weeks. #2 just leapt back into the picture with something substantial at the very last moment. (a few months back I turned down an offer from them that was very insubstantial, pre-first-round sort of fluffy stuff)

Company #2 leads me closer to my life's goals - at higher risk - offering me a chance to become bi-coastal, among other things. In the voip world, I'm a one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind, although there are people way better than me, I'm way ahead of the curve of most on understanding how it all fits together.

Company #1 lets me work on issues closer to my engineering heart, in a world that I get around in best. In the Linux world I'm just another very knowledgeable hacker.

I've been doing linux for 13 years, embedded Linux for about 7 years now, voip pretty intensively for the past 2, and embedded Linux/Voip for the past year, so I'm qualified to do either gig.

I've got a little burnt out on voip recently, but I gotta admit I know the code base and want to keep pushing that technology forward, and certainly use it, day to day. That said, recently I've been stuck in the 2.4 kernel and I want to be able to work in 2.6 again....

No matter which company I choose, one will be disappointed. A bunch of brilliant people on both sides have spent a lot of time trying to convince me to work for them.

No matter which company I choose I will wonder if I chose rightly - possibly for years - but I will force myself not to look back, only go forward.

Both are pressing me hard for a decision ASAP. Since this decision is going to direct my life for the next couple years, I'm stalling as much as I can, but I have to decide, today.

I really wish that there was some radical difference between the two offers that would make the choice easy, but there isn't.

I think, after talking more with my gf, that I'm going to go surfing, or take a long walk, and talk to myself a lot more.

And the other thing that has worked so well for me has been to blog about my problems. And perhaps, a clear solution will show itself in a couple hours.  ¶ 11:02 AM 0 comments