The Ultimate Mish-mash Blog

Hi… Well it turns out that WINE, a project that allows a user to run Windows software seamlessly within Linux, BSD and Mac OS X alike, is approaching the version 1.0 milestone mark. Quite frankly, I was wondering when this would finally happen since WINE is a work in progress and has been for well over a decade. Anyway, this means more for the consumer that is interested in the open-source operating system route without leaving support for many Windows applications. Surprisingly, WINE has come a long way with software compatability and is a very important asset in anyone’s Linux/BSD asernal. If you haven’t tried this out yet, I would strongly recommend it.

So maybe you don’t want to spend crazy cash on a USENET newsgroup reader. Hey, I totally feel for you. That is why I want to tell you about this nifty application called alt.binz. This is freeware and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to download binaries off of USENET with ease. Heck, this product even performs very thorough searches for content since it harnesses the power of several NZB search engines into one mega search. The interface is also organized, simple and easy to use. There is also support for SSL for end-to-end encryption and WINE for Linux so that you can enjoy downloading binaries in Linux as well as in Windows. As of this posting, the latest public version is 0.25. If you wish to get the very latest version, you need to pitch in a small donation in order to access the restricted “contributor” section (which contains the latest build).

So anyway… I am sure most of you computer literates have heard about Ubuntu, a linux distribution of sorts that is making great strides in terms of hardware support, ease of use and commercial recognition. I will admit that Ubuntu has come a long way since its introduction in 2004 and has become a model for other linux distros to follow. However, if one were to look at the big picture of open-source operating systems, there are other choices that may very well be worthwile. One operating system that I am testing now, PC-BSD, is a very n00b friendly OS that has alot in common with Windows in terms of functionality and ease of use. For instance, instead of a central package manager, you can download software packaged in .pbi files (most of which can be had from the pbiDIR website) that make installations much like those found in Windows-based software. KDE is also more Windows-ish looking with the Emerald theme making for a very fimiliar desktop experience. So far, I am liking this OS and I would highly recommend it for anyone wishing to step outside the Microsoft sandbox and enter into the realm of open source without having to learn complicated commands and routines.

So you wanna sell some software, right? Well I found a site that you should sign up for should you ever need a way to sell your product online easily. SWREG (pronounced as “swerg” in the Pittsburgh dialect) is an awesome e-commerce website that specializes in, you guessed it, software sales. The site is fast, safe and easy to use. I would highly recommend them for all your software sales needs so give them a try.

Ok… so for no particular reason, I am doing some research on the Amiga computer (a fine machine for its day if you ask me) when I happened to stumble across the name of an interesting person, Andy Warhol. I knew about him before, but until just then, I had no idea that he was an Amiga fanatic (along with Dick van Dyke). Just then, my curiosity piqued and I have decided to haphazardly divert my attention from the Amiga to Andy Warhol to see the kind of artwork he did on the Amiga. Of course, I knew that he was a local homeboy from my hometown of Pittsburgh and that he had some male-leaning sexuality that was the driving force behind his amazing “pop” artwork. However, I had not known anything about his religious beliefs and such. As I took a dive into several biographies and epithets on Mr. Warhol, I discovered that he was a Byzantine Catholic who apparently went to church quite frequently. I found that interesting and I want to continue looking into this much more since the guy was very colorful (and strange). Who knows what else I will find next. If anyone knows other things about ol’ Andy, please feel free to comment here.

EDIT: Oh, for the record, I found some information about Warhol’s faith from GodSpy, a Catholic website. The article can be read by clicking here. Read that and tell me what you think.