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Quorten Blog 1

First blog for all Quorten's blog-like writings

When working on Windows, I had a problem with being unable to delete a file because it was being used by another process. Okay, but I really needed to delete that file, so how could I do that? Ideally, I could just run some PowerShell commands to identify which process was using the file, but I could not find such commands. So, I resorted to downloading a great Process Explorer utility by Mark Russinovich, then using that to find the culprit process and terminate it. The method on how to do that is documented here:

20190829/DuckDuckGo windows unlock file
20190829/https://www.howtogeek.com/128680/HOW-TO-DELETE-MOVE-OR-RENAME-LOCKED-FILES-IN-WINDOWS/
20190829/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

Unfortunately, I also needed to do this is a restricted computer environment, on a minimal Windows core installation that did not have a web browser. Okay, so I can download a file in PowerShell. But additionally, I needed to do this behind a firewall, and with custom security certificates. In the end, I simply disabled security certificates, which can be done using this command:

[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::ServerCertificateValidationCallback = {$true}

Read on →

Advantages of dialup Internet? Mainly, it is cheaper, especially in the United States where broadband Internet is fairly expensive compared to the rest of the world, and that you get a new IP address every time you connect, essentially doubling as a anonymous proxy.

20190828/https://jxself.org/dialup.shtml

Mysteries of the Nile and obelisks

2019-08-29

Categories: random  
Tags: random  

Does Wikipedia have anything to say about Mysteries of the Nile? The National Geographic video production? No. On the other hand, there is a totally different video production named Mystery of the Nile. And there are some pretty interesting things about obelisks. Particularly interesting is the unfinished obelisk, which shows key details on the construction process and methodologies of obelisks. It was abandoned because it had cracks develop in it.

20190828/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_of_the_Nile
20190828/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk
20190828/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_obelisk

In the middle of writing my bootstrap operating system, one thing that I want to have is good documentation. Out of all small public domain projects targeting the key components of an operating system, I want my project to stand out by being one of the best documented around.

But, there is an obstacle. Sure, I can write my own documetnation, but how do I know it’s good? The one true way is to have other people review the documentation, not just myself. It’s easy to write good automated tests for a new software project, but documentation review is a major hurdle due to the need to immediately grow the community to do a REAL review.

One thing that I was thinking about in the midst of developing my bootstrap operating system is race car drivers. What is the one personality trait that sets race car drivers apart from ordinary people? No, it is not speed in judgment or reflexes. Actually, it is an extreme urge to control their environment. Their immediate physical environment needs to be very structured and organized. Of course, because you can’t move fast in a sloppy environment!

When I think about my bootstrap operating system and this together, I realize this is exactly what I am doing. I am trying to build a more organized operating system, and matter of fact, whole software system, so that it can be a suitable foundation upon which other people can build to move faster than is possible in the existing, sloppy operating systems nad software solutions.

So, an interesting conversation developed on Twitter with another engineer.

[ME]: Unix old-timers loved printed manuals, and we can all see why before the advent of 4K monitors at reasonable prices.

[P1]: Who you callin’ an old timer, young whippersnapper?!

[ME]: Who am I calling an old timer? Anyone who was smart enough to step up to the plate when the PC revolution was at its finest in the late 1980s and 1990s. It’s an honor to know you, great master.

[P1]: Each generation has unique but equal challenges to overcome. I can’t imagine trying to start out these days with the sprawl of technology domains. There was a brief moment in the mid 90s when I thought I could keep enough in my head to be considered an a domain expert.

[P1]: But alas, I am ever-drawn to be a generalist.

[P1]: While your praise is unwarranted, it is also awkwardly acknowledged. [geek glasses emoji]

So, interestingly, this conversation reaffirms some previous statements that have been mentioned once before. Again, I reiterate, because this is important! I’ll summarize here.

Read on →

So, one thing that I am still disappointed about are the breaking changes made to GTK+ and SDL. Wow, well I wrote some software against these systems, and now it has been rendered obsolete. Where am I going to go next?

Luckily, I don’t need to look too far to answer this question. Windows API, Windows GDI, and X11, despite being feature limited and not feeling like your first choice when you want to write a new application rapidly, are still alive and well in modern operating systems, and they have maintained their backwards compatibility. And come on, these are more than 20 years old! Likewise, Qt is a rather old widget toolkit, but it has aged well with excellent backwards compatibility. So, the choice is clear. Don’t move forward to the new versions of GTK+ and SDL. Move sideways or even downward with Qt, Windows API, and X11.

Again, I reiterate, because this is important! Qt is one of the few to hold solid and true to backwards compatibility, and it has made them wildly popular in recent years when everyone else has failed.

Point in hand, if you are building a computer system from scratch, Windows API, X11, OpenGL, and Qt are the GUI and graphics standards to emulate. PostScript, PDF, and HTML rendering should be implemented as higher-level applications on top of these APIs. OpenCL and Vulkan… as I see it, those are for the bigger, more highly evolved systems.

Read on →

A good article for showing non-techies the value of logging meals served and collecting junk when they think it is just some arcane geek activity. Yep, this is for real.

20190828/https://letgrow.org/providence-students-returning-to-school-well-fed-happy-thanks-to-genius-program/

PuppetLabs Beaker

2019-08-27

Categories: ruby  
Tags: ruby  

What is PuppetLabs Beaker? It is a virtual machine system testing framework, one that is capable of spinning up virtual machines, running tests, and reporting results. Check here for the source code and documentation.

20190827/https://github.com/puppetlabs/beaker

Do you want to do some Windows 10 software test and development, but don’t have a copy of Windows 10 yourself? No problem, you can download Windows 10 development virtual machines for your personal use, at a trial license that expires after 30 days. Offer expires… eventually.

20190827/https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines