HOWTO: Rotate JPG images in GNOME's Nautilus File Manager

Originally published 6 October 2007 in Free Software Magazine. It was pointed out in the comments there that Nautilus Extensions is another way of customizing Nautilus, and that the extension nautilus-actions should be used instead for what I'm trying to do here. I had seen Extensions mentioned as a more powerful alternative at gnome.org, [...]

Peach! (Free Software, Free Movies)

Originally published 18 September 2007 in Free Software Magazine.

Apparently I've been living under a rock, because I only recently found out about the Blender project's free and open source short movie, Elephants Dream, when I happened across Terry Hancock's review of it last year at Free Software Magazine.
The motivation behind the project was to create [...]

How dumb can GNU/Linux users be?

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 28 November 2006. This one picked up some diggs and I thought would make it to the front page with resulting praise, adulation, and scathing condemnation, but then it was cruelly buried. I suppose my provocative, attention-getting headline may have been frowned on. I paid the price [...]

Red Hat Film: 'Truth Happens'

I thought it might be fun to try hosting one o' thems fancy YuuuwToob videos here. Don't know if it's something I'll want to do that often. I'm leery of relying on another web site to provide a major component of a post, especially in this case where I don't know how long-term [...]

Free Tanks for Everyone! Good Gas Mileage.

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 6 November 2006.

I'm guessing many FSM readers will recognize the title reference, if like me you're a fan of Neal Stephenson's work. If you're not a fan, then... er... how could you not be?! I'm kidding. I realize tastes differ, but to me, Stephenson is essential [...]

Does Free Software Taste Great, or is Open Source Less Filling?

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 30 October 2006.

Which do you like best: the satisfying, rich taste of principle in free software? Or do you prefer the less morally filling and pragmatic goodness of open source? Do you wish people would stop endlessly rehashing the whole question of "free" versus "open source?" [...]

Free Software is a Weak Mode of Production?

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 16 October 2006.
Another digg front page item, with 375+ diggs to date, resulting in more than 10,000 reads at FSM.
This one sparked a lot more discussion both at digg and at FSM, probably because of the provocative title. Maybe it would have been less inflammatory to put a [...]

5 Ways to Save on Your Monthly Software Rental Bill in the Year 2056

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 9 October 2006. (With Diggage!)
Software bills got you down? Here at Intellectual Property Magazine (championing intellectual investment since 2012!), our studies show that the share of an average household's budget for software rental has increased from 10% to 23% from 2040 to 2056. Today our experts will share* [...]

Reformation of a Visual Basic Programmer

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 2 October 2006.

Last week I mentioned that I enjoy programming in Visual Basic and suggested that people shouldn't act so superior and look down at dweebs like me who program in dweeby languages. Today let's talk about why Visual Basic is an awful programming language and anyone using it [...]

Confessions of a Visual Basic Programmer

Originally published in Free Software Magazine, 25 September 2006.

In my first post here at Free Software Magazine, I mentioned that I actually like using Microsoft Windows. People seemed to let this go or find it not worth commenting on, maybe because my goal is to move away from it. Not that I expected [...]