Old MIT Quotes file

I found these quotes on a random blogger’s site, who in turn found this whole file randomly looking through a Terry Pratchett ftp directory on an MIT machine, back in 1995 or 96. He luckily saved a copy and I’m reposting here because I don’t want to lose them to the fickleness of the Net.

Awesome KDE, Java composite hacks

I’ve been experimenting with the awesome tiling window manager as a replacement to KDE’s kwin, and I’ve managed to hack together a recipe for getting them up an running. It’s surprisingly simple, although the learing curve was a little steep.

This post documents what I’ve done to get things working nicely with the basic awesome config. No customisations here, see the awesome wiki for some ideas.

MS-Windows focus-follows-mouse Registry hacks

I like the “focus follows mouse” window-focussing model from X11, because

• I don’t have to click on the window, just move the mouse and the window it’s over is focussed
• I can focus a window without bringing it to the front, which is sometimes handy. If I want it in front, I can click it.

However MS-Windows follows the old-fashioned, Macintosh/Smalltalk style of having users click on a window to focus it for the keyboard. How do you make MS-Windows behave more like X11?

Asus kEeeboard — way kewl

Asus just unveiled their prototype Eee keyboard at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It looks so much like my first ever computer (an Amstrad CPC 6128). Check it out:

Asus Eee keyboard

German Amstrad CPC6128 keyboard

Microsoft Vista keyboard?

I spotted a “Vista compatable” keyboard in K-Mart the other day, which set me thinking… what would a Vista keyboard actually do that a “non-Vista” keyboard can’t?

Then I Googled for “Microsoft Keyboard Vista” and found this ad from Microsoft (Google Cache).

What the? “Designed to make it easier than ever to control PC media from your desk, your lap–or even from the comfort of your couch”. So… if I use this keyboard’s Play button to try and play media that Vista’s DRM system thinks I shouldn’t be playing, does it administer an electric shock? What if I have the keyboard in my lap   Ouch! No so comfortable now…

Thanks, Microsoft, but … ahem, no thanks!