Microsoft Buys GitHub

For me, it’s a yeah-boo. Microsoft seems to do well with their acquisitions, staying true to founder DNA, just as quietly having converted to the evangel of Open Source as the Hippies quietly put on their shirts and ties in the 1970s and slipped out the back door to work. It’s a welcome change.

Microsoft would have my support if Windows became a fully-open Linux-ready, robust platform, supporting both Debian and RPM install packages. If “cloud as a service” is the monetizable future as much as purported by the roadmap form the closet Microsoft cult members leading FaithLife (owners of the good old classic Logos Bible software)—well, then Microsoft should go fully Open Source anyway.

I still hold a grudge against Microsoft for Bill Gates’ dream of a population reduced by billions of people, not to mention how Gates killed IBM’s robust OS/2—along with many great software startups—with his lies about the Windows 3 release timeline. Gates has a two-word legacy: deception and murder.

Then, there’s the whole manual updates on Windows 10. Apparently Microsoft developers never fly on airplanes where computers need to be shut off when the captain wants them off, not when Windows Update decides to allow.

Others feel the same way. But hey, nobody’s perfect. Let’s think happy thoughts so no one accuses us of being “negative”.

I hope and pray the best for GitHub, the latest acquisition of Microsoft and all it stands for. It will need all the prayer it can get. My projects will continue on GitHub until something better comes along. GitHub has been really good to me and I truly believe Microsoft will continue that and only help. It’s not Microsoft’s roadmap for GitHub that concerns me, but Bill Gate’s roadmap for the world. With all the “friends” Gates is so good at alienating, GitHub could see a new rival immanently. With the right UI, Fossil could become the next widely-used platform. But, I don’t plan to jump ship anytime soon.

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Copyright, Content & YouTube

In a recent video I uploaded to YouTube, some background music was playing at the place where I shot the video. That music’s copyright holder made a claim that I was including their copyrighted work. I had the option to let that copyright holder post ads in the video or else to cut out the audio—including myself talking. I chose to cut out the audio because I might monetize the video myself one day.

I advise everyone: Do not make YouTube videos if copyrighted music is playing, even in the background. Ask whoever is playing the music to stop, wait for the song to end, or make the video somewhere else. And, if you own a store or art gallery, do not play copyrighted music in the background. Play music published by more friendly people instead.

I mean, background music, seriously? The audio quality is terrible. Try putting music that bad in a TV series and see if a network airs it.  · · · →

Night and Day Theming

The punchline: We need flat/zen themes with push-button dark/light theme settings that apply both system-wide and dark/light theming per individual app.

I am firstly and lastly a writer. But, Ubuntu was just too attractive for me not to understand development life under the hood. I’m one of the chosen who identifies with both app users and app developers. I stand in the middle and see the future.

For almost two years, I have watched my VPS/Desktop Ubuntu hobby mature into verb.ink beta. In the process, I have come to understand two best-kept secrets about theming.

  1. Coders and media workers need “dark” desktop/environment themes; writers need “light/bright” themes.

  2. There are WAY too many desktop themes for Ubuntu.

Light/Dark Themes: Writers v Coders

Dark themes are all about eyesight and pupil dilation. We see pictures, videos, and computer code better by looking at light letters against a dark background.

But, desktop publishing apps prepare text as it will appear on white, printed paper.  · · · →