Weird Linux Distributions that actually existed once!

Linux offers freedom and choice, the choice to use whichever distro out of the hundreds out there, and the freedom to create your own Linux distribution if you want! And because of this freedom, several developers from across the world have created a lot of Linux based distributions according to their needs. Some are functional, […]

Оживляем раритетный кассовый аппарат из девяностых

Приветствую всех!
Обычно, когда речь заходит о старых кассовых аппаратах, вспоминаются девайсы ещё советских времён, тогда как устройства девяностых и двухтысячных оказываются незаслуженно забыты. Тем не менее, среди них тоже были по-своему интересные экземпляры, о которых я и хочу рассказать.
Итак, в сегодняшней статье поговорим о кассовых аппаратах эпохи фискальной памяти. Узнаем, как они устроены, посмотрим на них в работе и разберёмся, какие интересные (и по нынешним временам порой нелогичные) решения в них применены.
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Bazzite OS – Long Term Review

I last reviewed Bazzite OS when it was in its early phase and even installing Steam on this distribution was done through containerization and installing that OS on a handheld device like the Steam Deck was a hassle. However, things have changed quite a lot for this distribution and now, you don’t even need a […]

How to enable or disable repositories on Fedora Linux?

Fedora is one of the most popular Linux distributions out there! The Creator and maintainer of Linux, Linus Torvalds, has even said that Fedora is the Linux distribution with most sane defaults. However, this Linux distribution only ships with Free and Open Source software and thus, does not include few important codecs which are required […]

Embracing the Future: New Omega2 Beta Firmware and Documentation Site

We’re excited to announce a major milestone in the evolution of the Omega2 platform. After months of development and community collaboration, we’re introducing a new beta firmware based on OpenWRT 23.05 and the modern 5.15 Linux kernel. This firmware provides a clean slate designed to make building your products and applications easier and faster than before.

To complement the new firmware, we’ve also launched a brand-new documentation site. This site is crafted to help you navigate the new features and enhancements with ease, offering comprehensive guides, tutorials, and reference materials.

Together, the new firmware and documentation site represent our commitment to putting...

On Linux MAINTAINERS file removal of Russian developers

I sincerely regret to see Linux kernel patches like this one removing Russian developers from the MAINTAINERS file. To me, it is a sign or maybe even a symbol of how far the Linux kernel developer community I remember from ~ 20 years ago has changed, and how much it has alienated itself from what I remember back in the day.

In my opinion this commit is wrong at so many different levels:

it is intransparent. Initially it gave no explanation whatsoever (other than some compliance hand-waving). There was some follow-up paraphrasing one paragraph of presumed legal advice that was given presumably by Linux...

Oral history transcripts: Pioneers of Taiwans Chip + PC industry

During the preparation of my current brief visit to Taiwan, I've more or less by coincidence stumbled on several transcripts of oral history interviews with pioneers of the Taiwanese Chip and PC industry (click on the individual transcripts in the Related Records section at the bottom). They have been recorded, transcribed and translated in 2011 by the Computer History Museum under funding from the National Science Council, Taiwan, R.O.C..

As some of you know, I've been spending a lot of time in recent years researching (and practically exploring + re-implementing) historical telecommunications with my retronetworking project.

Retrocomputing itself is not my main focus. I...

Back to Taiwan the first time after 5 years

Some of the readers of this blog know that I have a very special relationship with Taiwan. As a teenager, it was the magical far-away country that built most of the PC components in all my PCs since my first 286-16 I got in 1989. Around 2006-2008 I had the very unexpected opportunity to work in Taiwan for some time (mainly for Openmoko, later some consulting for VIA). During that time I have always felt most welcome in and fascinated by the small island nation who managed to turn themselves into a high-tech development and manufacturing site for ever more complex electronics....

So what exactly is Vanilla OS?

There are many Linux distributions which base themselves on Ubuntu, and for a good reason. Ubuntu is usually quite stable, and the developers provide security updates on time to this distribution. Linux Mint, Pop OS as well as many other Linux distributions are based on Ubuntu for this very reason. Vanilla OS is based on […]

Transform your GNOME Desktop into a Tiling Window Manager

GNOME is one of the most popular Desktop environment on Linux based distributions, it is the default DE in many distros such as Ubuntu and Fedora, and therefore it is the Desktop Environment which have been used by most of the Linux users at least once in their Linux journey. Now, Tiling Window Managers are […]