General | Max Manders

Ubuntu – Post-Install Links

January 16, 2012

Over many years of rebuilding my laptop with different versions of Ubuntu, I’ve accumulated a list of useful links to save me from remembering useful repositories, PPAs and packages to install. I’ve settled on version 10.10 (Maverick) as being the most stable for my purposes, albeit with a more recent kernel. So more as an aid to my useless memory than anything else, collected links to jog my memory. I could clone my package list regularly for use with ‘dpkg –set-selections’ and ‘apt-get –dselect-upgrade’ but it’s quite possible that at some point I’ll install some rubbish I don’t want.

Recovery Disk My Backside – Another Reason I Use Linux

January 16, 2012

I had planned on selling on my current laptop to invest in something more future proof. I very much like my HP Pavillion DV6; but the build quality isn’t as good as I’d like, and although the ATI Radeon graphics would be great if I was a Windows 7 user, Nvidia seems to be better supported as Ubuntu continues to evolve, and since Ubuntu is my Linux distribution of choice, it makes sense for me to opt for something with Nvidia graphics. I’d hoped to get something around the £300 mark as the laptop is in great condition and is very well spec’d. However, any potential buyer would more than likely want the laptop restored to factory settings, with Windows 7 installed. And so begins a hellish day…

Rude People

January 3, 2012

Some people are unnecessarily rude and passive-aggressive, one of my neighbours for example. When I got home from work, my wife Jo showed me a note that had been pushed through our letter box while she was in the bath.

2011 A Year In Review

December 31, 2011

2011 has truly been a fantastic year!

Without a doubt, the highlight of my year has to be marrying my darling wife Jo. It was a perfect, wonderful day, and we all enjoyed a brilliant reception in the evening. That was followed by an amazing honeymoon in the gorgeous French capital of Paris; and after 27 years, my first trip abroad!

The Highland Fling 2011 – Web Standard In Scotland

July 13, 2011

July 8th 2011 saw the welcome and eagerly anticipated return of “The Highland Fling — Web Standards in Scotland”. Set up and organised by Alan White in 2007 to increase awareness of web standards and best practice, it’s the only conference of it’s kind in Scotland. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to attend each conference, although there was a hiatus in 2009/2010. The inaugural event really set the bar high for what could be achieved by a dedicated developer passionate about his work.