I went through a considerably-dedicated OSS phase. The whole way. Debian Linux, Open Office, the works. After spending many months learning their beloved command line tooling and Python language, hunting down open source peripheral drivers and firmware, getting things working just so... and finally feeling at home with it; I went back to my real home. The Microsoft ecosystem ain't so bad these days. Surprisingly, Satya Nadella got behind open-sourcing a lot of key Microsoft technologies. The Microsoft BOD will probably never sign off on OSS Office because it's a cash cow. In reality, it would continue to be a cash cow anyway, but try explaining that to all of the major institutional investors in a quarterly call.
As for my mom, you know her well. She jumped right into grandma mode from the beginning. She's built for it, in a sense. She shines when caring for things that genuinely need her.
Here in the Calgary are, it is now a sunny and balmy -20C or -4F with 7hr47min daylight. The sun will reach a maximum 15.14 degrees above the horizon. A beautiful winter day.
Sounds like you are cross between a Hoosier (and Indianian, Kurt Vonnegut was a Hoosier) and an Inuit! Ever read the book "Kublana" (the Inuit word for white man) ?
I like that your articles are dynamic, informative and unpredictable. Thanks for the good reads, Tim.
I should also say that I'm impressed by the hands-on work you've done with spreadsheets to produce novel charts. They're attention-drawing.
Hey Sky-Bob !
Happy Holidays !
I'll bet your mom is having Phun wrapping a gazillion presents for your kids !
Yup, thanks, I like making "Pretty Graphs" -- a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm presently using Open-Source Libre Office.
Side-quest rant:
I went through a considerably-dedicated OSS phase. The whole way. Debian Linux, Open Office, the works. After spending many months learning their beloved command line tooling and Python language, hunting down open source peripheral drivers and firmware, getting things working just so... and finally feeling at home with it; I went back to my real home. The Microsoft ecosystem ain't so bad these days. Surprisingly, Satya Nadella got behind open-sourcing a lot of key Microsoft technologies. The Microsoft BOD will probably never sign off on OSS Office because it's a cash cow. In reality, it would continue to be a cash cow anyway, but try explaining that to all of the major institutional investors in a quarterly call.
As for my mom, you know her well. She jumped right into grandma mode from the beginning. She's built for it, in a sense. She shines when caring for things that genuinely need her.
Here in the Calgary are, it is now a sunny and balmy -20C or -4F with 7hr47min daylight. The sun will reach a maximum 15.14 degrees above the horizon. A beautiful winter day.
Merry Christmas and all the best in 2026!🎄
Thank you.
Sounds like you are cross between a Hoosier (and Indianian, Kurt Vonnegut was a Hoosier) and an Inuit! Ever read the book "Kublana" (the Inuit word for white man) ?
Best Christmas wishes to you too !