Category Archives: Mit liv

I have been using the KDE desktop environment since 2004, when I first switched to Linux, however in recent days I have been planning to start using GNOME, because of the dysfunctionality of the 4.x versions of the central KDE applications that I have used for years.

In my case, Kontact has just been a dog for two years, and it looks to get even worse for a while before it gets better given that the next version will be using the Akonadi storage framework, which has just worked absolutely abysmally for something as simple as a 20-entry addressbook. How on earth that Akonadi is going to handle 2000+ email archives like mine is completely and totally beyond me comprehension.

Another big drag has been the various the bookmarks editor in Konqueror. I have at least 1000 bookmarks, and every damn time I have tried sorting and arranging them, the damn editor has crashed, and ruined all my bookmarks, and even after several versions it still did it (I am using 4.4.3, however I have tested 4.5 and the problems persisted, and so far I cannot imagine 4.6 being any better).

Amarok has turned into the biggest hog I h ave ever seen, what the hell is with a 25 – 30 second start-up time? *sigh*

Kopete has been giving me problems for a while now, when adding people on MSN/WLM, they would not show up despite being online, and I would have to delete and re-add them several times.

So with all of these problems, I have been slowly gravitating towards replacing Kontact/Kopete/Konqueror with Thunderbird/Pidgin/Firefox, and I thought to myself, since all of these applications, which I spend the most of my time in, are GTK apps, why not just run GNOME and get a general GTK environment which would probably work and feel more integrated? It did not immediately occur to me, because I generally hate GNOME’s user interface philosophy of dumbing everything down to the lowest common denominator like the plague, however as a “shell” for applications, I find it usable. Having said that, there’s still some KDE applications that no GNOME equivalent even gets near in terms of functionality and power.

First of all is KWrite/Kate, because gedit just sucks, big time. Try writing some shell commands in gedit and skip through it using Ctrl and the arrow keys, and then do the same with KWrite, and you will see what I mean. A feature of KWrite I have always fond useful is the ability to quickly turn a bunch of lower case text to upper case, and vice versa.

Second is BasKet Note Pads, which is probably THE BEST note-taking program for Linux and UNIX, hands down.

During my research into using GNOME, which was done mainly with Debian Squeeze in mind, as that is what I am considering switching to. I wrote a small HOWTO for integrating Qt and KDE applications into GNOME or Xfce in case anybody out there finds it useful which can be found here: Integrating KDE applications into GNOME/Xfce on Debian Squeeze.

Last Wednesday (4th of March, 2009) when I sat down in front of my computer, after watching TV in the living room, I noticed that the Internet had mysteriously dropped off completely. Applications I use that depend on Internet connectivity had throw up error messages etc. I tried resetting my ADSL modem, my routers, everything, but nothing worked, the Internet was dead. So on Friday I called my ISP, and they ran a test on my connection and it showed that there’s a cabling problem somewhere. They did book a technician to look into it, but that wouldn’t happen for another 6 – 10 days. Really, really, really, REALLY annoying, when you pretty much use the Internet all-day everyday.

It’s said that you take stuff for granted until you loose it, or are otherwise without it. And holy crap, that statement really holds some truth in it! Except for the fact that loss of Internet connectivity is not life threatening, right now I feel like I was out, by myself, sailing on the open ocean, and my engine broke down, I called for help on the radio, but assistance wouldn’t come for another 6 – 10 days! It’s tough in many ways. I would probably feel lonely a lot more than I do without the Internet, it’s like it enables me to be on my own, but not be alone or lonely.

Now, I’m sure you’re asking “If your Internet connection is out, how the hell can you post on your blog?!!?!?”, well, desperate situations call for desperate action! I’ve snuck into the computer room of the school I went to last year, and with my laptop in hand, is snooping on their Internet connection. Think of it as you wish! 😛

I’m a big dreamer, both in terms of actual dreams when I’m asleep, and also day-dreams. Of course I’m looking forward to be back online for real, but also in a slightly dreamy sense. At home I have also erected a computer lab in my room, I run a very sophisticated firewall, a DNS server, a web server, and many other things, fairly massive given the location. When I can reconnect to the Internet, it’s gonna be like in episode 15 of the anime series Last Exile, when the Silvana (Big-ass, steam-powered, airborne capital ship), after almost being sunk, and some on-spot repairs by crew-mechanics, can finally take off again.

As I said a few days ago, on the 26th another attempt for me to get an education failed, luckily it wasn’t a crash landing like last time this happened in 2006. I was at Vejle Handelskole on the clarification of AspIT, a relatively new kind of education, the website for it says (Google Translate):

“AspIT is a customized training model for young people with Asperger syndrome. We started in Vejle, and today is a nationwide offer to young people with what we call talent focused on IT. At the same time AspIT also worth keeping an eye on for Danish companies looking for new employees with a unique flair to many of the IT tasks that other young people find it difficult to resolve.

AspIT is the world’s first IT training for young people with Asperger syndrome. And Aspi is not like other young people. They are characterized by being good at their profession, very loyal, very honest, and they have an intelligence level between normal and high combined with an excellent memory abilities. Our experience tells that it is properties that many companies appreciate.

The concept for AspIT is simple. We are starting with the young Aspi’ers strengths, and develop each student’s talent. We do this with special regard to the requirements of an Asperger have to acquire new knowledge. That means small teaching teams with personalized learning in a safe and trusting working day.

Teaching is a carefully planned combination of education at one of five vocational schools that offer training model, and internships in companies.

That young people can gain qualifications through a training course organized according to their specific needs, there is no doubt about that. After three years students have achieved verifiable, personal and IT-related skills which enable them to solve concrete tasks for companies implement practical training, and receive learning at a high level of IT.”

This all sounds great, and to be honest I think for some people this might be great, however for me, it proved to be very disappointing, humiliating, frustrating, confidence-ruining etc. etc.

So now I’m back at a total blank! I’m getting really tired of this education rush, everything I’ve been trying for the last four years (I finished public school in 2005) has utterly failed, or at least havn’t gotten me any further.

I believe in the concept of “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!” originally put forward by Karl Marx, and I am quite willing to contribute to society to the best of my ability, but nobody will give me a job, so what’s a guy to do? It’s quite depressing. Here I am with quite a bit of knowledge about computers, and society is increasingly using computers for more and more, and is at the same time in need of more people to administer those systems, yet nobody will hire me to do anything. Quite sad really, it’s a loose-loose situation if you ask me. I loose because I can’t get a job and thereby no money to live for, and society is without one more skilled worker in IT.