Category Archives: Desktop

Moving to 64 bit Ubuntu

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Todd Huss

After 3 Ubuntu upgrades on my primary workhorse (a Lenovo Thinkpad z61t) I decided it was time for a fresh install to remove all the cruft. In the past I’ve always used 32 bit Ubuntu (even though my laptop is … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, Java, Linux | 1 Comment

MySQL ODBC Driver issues and Excel

Posted on September 12, 2006 by Todd Huss

Caveat: this post is probably only of interest if you’re running into this particular MySQL ODBC Driver problem. Hopefully other people running into this issue will find this useful or please add a comment if you find a better way! … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, MySQL | 2 Comments

Encrypting sensitive files on Mac OS X

Posted on August 20, 2006 by Todd Huss

I was looking for a solution to keep my financial data (quickbooks, excel, important documents, etc…) encrypted on OS X so that if my laptop were stolen, lost, etc… I wouldn’t have to worry about it. I also like to … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, OSX | 1 Comment

Apple is just as proprietary as Microsoft

Posted on August 18, 2006 by Todd Huss

People love to complain about how Microsoft is too proprietary, and rightfully so. Linux/FreeBSD users can make that claim freely but when Apple users make it I cringe. Microsoft has done some “bad” things with API’s and interoperability and is … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop | 19 Comments

Hibernate with the MacBook Pro

Posted on April 20, 2006 by Todd Huss

Thanks to Dion for pointing out how to get your MacBook to hibernate! When I wrote about switching to the MacBook Pro one of my complaints was that upon shutting the lid the laptop doesn’t hibernate, it sleeps, and they … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, OSX | 9 Comments

Disassembling the MacBook Pro

Posted on April 13, 2006 by Todd Huss

I had quite a scare today when my new MacBook Pro wouldn’t boot. It would turn on, the screen would go white, and after about 20 seconds it flashed a question mark in a box on the screen. I thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, OSX, Systems Administration | 4 Comments

Ruby on Rails Mac OS X Intel Binary

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Todd Huss

Update 8/13/06: Upgraded to Rails 1.1.6 Update 5/10/06: Upgraded to Rails 1.1.2 and built Ruby with the ri docs per Duncan McGregor’s comment Update 4/7/06: Upgraded to Rails 1.1.1 Update 3/28/06: Now that Rails 1.1 has arrived I’ve upgraded this … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, OSX, Ruby, Software Engineering | 26 Comments

Modal windows with Javascript and CSS

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Todd Huss

One of the side projects I spent a little time on today was researching the use of on-page modal dialog boxes using Javascript and CSS that shade or darken the rest of the page while they are open. It looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop, Javascript, Web | 2 Comments

Five aspects of OS X and the MacBook in need of improvement

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Todd Huss

I’ve gotten through my first week of work on a MacBook Pro after switching from Windows and before I go further let me say that overall it’s been a very positive experience, see my previous post on why I switched … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop | 13 Comments

Migrating from Outlook to iCal

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Todd Huss

Part of my switch from Windows to OSX involved figuring out how to get my Outlook Calendar data from Windows/Outlook to MacOSX/iCal. I was really dreading having to manually reenter the whole thing. Thanks to Norm Jones and Mike Baas … Continue reading →

Posted in Desktop | 3 Comments