Some Time After The Move

I've been intending to write something to mark the "completion" of the move. I started this blog two years ago to write about free software and related topics, and to give myself additional motivation to finally make the switch from MS Windows to GNU/Linux.
So where am I at today?
I've been using Ubuntu as the [...]

Moving from MS Money to KMyMoney

At last. I'm free of Microsoft Money, and therefore very close to being free of all my old proprietary applications. I've settled on KMyMoney2 as a capable free-as-in-freedom bookkeeping replacement. It doesn't do everything that I was able to do in Money, but I can live with that while hoping some of my "wants" find [...]

This ain't no holiday

Oh no this ain't no vacation
(This is your chance to pay
The great casino foundation...)
Ain't no vacation anymore, anyway.
Twelve glorious days off work and now it's time to return to the grind.
So what have I been up to, besides miscellaneous family gatherings and activities?
Shoveling. We're getting a decent Minnesota winter this year, with more snow [...]

Hodgepodge of Miscellany, part 1 of 2: FSM, OO.o, Tomboy

I've been busy with this and that and wishing I had something more substantial prepared to post. I've been doing free software stuff, although nothing lately has generated a longer article. Here's some scrips and scraps on what I've been up to:
(Wait! One of the tidbits grew in to its own post! [...]

Free Software Money Management Quandary

Update, 10 January 2008: See "related" below for the latest on this topic.

I found myself facing a moral quandary yesterday. I considered using proprietary software for a job that has lots of free software alternatives. You see, I have these doubts and reservations about the free options.
The gravitational pull of 12 years worth [...]

Lines are Blurring

I still work on a Windows laptop for my day job (but thankfully also on a Red Hat Linux server), and I'm using VNC to remotely run Microsoft Money and a couple of Excel spreadsheets on a laptop at home, but other than that I've been all in Ubuntu at home (well, a little bit [...]

Using GNU/Linux: Happy, Happy

I'm happily setting up shop in Ubuntu. There's much to do, and now that I'm actually using it, I'm even more scattered in my approach. I run around getting this or that working as needed. All of which takes time, which is one reason I haven't written much lately.

Another reason is that [...]

On the other side...

Or at least: a foot through the door. Or maybe both feet, with a hand resting on the door frame.
I'm getting moved in at 1776 Freedom Lane. Just a few boxes unpacked so far. I have backups set up going to the slug, and am getting mail in Thunderbird. I [...]

I'm Going In. (Freedom, Yeah!)

Penguin Pete had a thoughtful post recently about struggling with technology, and it reminded me of things I know but often forget.
One of my problems in moving to free software has been a stubborn resistance to letting go of my old Windows ways and jumping in to the deeper end of the freedom pool. [...]

GNU/Linux Graphics Programs in Ubuntu

My graphics/image manipulation needs are relatively simple. I've gotten by pretty well with MS Paint and IrfanView in Windows.

In the past several months I've started using the GNU Image Manipulation Program (the GIMP!) for Windows and have learned how to fix red eye and make downgraded transparent PNG files that display properly in Internet [...]