Mark Stosberg: Tech

I have a geek side. These are some of my musings about some of the different technologies I work with. These will mostly be of interest to fellow geeks who are using the same tools. However, I try to sprinkle fun photos throughout if you just want to browse.

Mark Stosberg: Tech

Interviewing Rafael Garcia-Suarez about Mandrakelinux's novel use of Perl
I'm a Perl programmer, and Perl is an uncommon choice for building graphical applications. Yet, Mandrakelinux has chosen Perl for over 50 graphical applications that set their Linux distribution apart. I interviewed a lead Perl contributor there, Rafael Garcia-Suarez, to find our more about this novel use of Perl.
Review of The "S" push reel mower
I took a break from reviewing software and other deeply geeky things to do a more light hearted review of my ancient push reel mower. With about a week of publishing the article, it broke down. I replaced with another push reel mower which I like, the Brill Luxus 38. Lee-valley.com seems to be have the best deal of those.
Benefits of a real world switch from CVS to darcs
I recently switched the source control management for a project at work from CVS to darcs. For others who may be considering such a switch, I'd like to explain those areas that I feel like have improved, and those where darcs is currently weak.
Looking Past CVS: The Future is Distributed
The field of alternatives to CVS has exploded. Alternatives have been documented and compared, but the trends deserve further analysis. Read on for my thoughts.
Open Source Alternatives to Dreamweaver templating.
As an open source enthusiast and Linux desktop user, I went in search of a free, open source alternative. This article explains the value of Dreamweaver's template system, and presents the results of my search.
Open Source: Culture-Shifting Software
Open source promotes software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review and rapid evolution of source code. I've put together some notes on my experiences in the open source community and the culture found there.
Profiles of Linux Switchers
help friends and family evaluate and switch to using the Linux operating system on their desktop computers when they are interested. Here are some profiles of people I've helped. For each case I'll present the unique challenges we faced, the solution chosen and the results.
Richmond, IN US
web theory
Read my ideas from 1998 on the potential of the web.
Journal Date: April 10th, 1998
New York, NY US 10001
The Role of Fuzzy Logic in Artificial Intelligence
I like Fuzzy Logic. A lot. This paper provides a layman's introduction to Fuzzy Logic and how it relates to Artificial Intelligence.
Journal Date: December 16th, 1996
Designing an 8-bit ALU
For one of Computer Science classes at Earlham, I designed at 8 bit Arithmetic Logic Unit, which is the sort of thing that might appear on a computer chip. I doubt I could answer your questions about how this works now. Some of the diagrams look intriguing, though.
Journal Date: December 12th, 1997
Richmond, IN US 47374
Interview with David Roundy of Darcs on Source Control
This interview I performed with David Roundy, he explains how CVS, Subversion and Arch were all considerations in the design of darcs, a source control alternative growing in popularity. Having just passed its "1.0" release milestone, David provides insight into the history and future of the project, as well as explaining the unique "theory of patches" that forms darc's foundation.