Category Archives: software

Using Email at McGill university: Ongoing suffering of an open-source user, year 9

Posted on October 29, 2020 by

It’s 2020, and the world has changed. Well, yes, there’s that, but I meant that the world of email has changed. For reasons I won’t speculate and rant about here, the problem of spam has not been solved, and email … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Alpine, Alpine, GNU/linux, McGill University, Microsoft, software, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ubuntu on Lenovo Thinkpad T450s

Posted on June 23, 2016 by

Lenovo’s T450s is another piece of high-production-volume hardware from a vendor with a fairly good reputation for Linux support … but a host of serious problems under Ubuntu’s flagship “Long-term-support” operating system.  I’d love to be in touch with others … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Product review, Ubuntu, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Composing and typesetting a funding proposal using LyX (SSHRC/ NSERC /CIHR)

Posted on September 24, 2015 by

This is one of the geekier posts I’ve written, in the sense that the number of people for whom this might be useful is… small and they are not likely to search for it. In Canada, submitting an application to … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, GNU/linux, LaTeX, LyX | Leave a comment

Review: System76 and their “Sable Touch” desktop computer

Posted on July 30, 2014 by

It’s still hard to buy a turn-key or supported GNU/Linux computer. I keep trying, and I especially prefer to avoid paying what’s called the Microsoft Tax, i.e. the hardware-bundled cost of Microsoft software, which is how they have built and … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Product review, Ubuntu | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Inline plots in ipython under Ubuntu (14.04)

Posted on June 14, 2014 by

This may be my shortest blog post ever, but I’ve been wondering (even with Google’s help) for years why I cannot get my matplotlib graphics to display inline in ipython. This is not always desirable, since they’re not editable/zoomable like … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, software, Ubuntu | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ubuntu 13.04 and 13.10 (updated for 14.04 and 14.10) on Lenovo X230/X230-Tablet convertible tablet

Posted on October 24, 2013 by

If you consider yourself a user, not a tinkerer, the number one rule of running GNU/Linux is not even to try it except on hardware that others have already tried with complete success. (Do not buy a laptop, desktop, or server thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Lenovo X230 Tablet, McGill University, software, Ubuntu | 16 Comments

Printing (PDF) to uPrint printers at McGill from GNU/Linux

Posted on October 13, 2013 by

It’s been six months since I notified McGill ICS of an update for their page on using the campus uPrint service from GNU/Linux. They haven’t updated anything, so this is to explain how to do it. This change is relevant … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, McGill University, software, Ubuntu | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Asus Eee PC X101CH review: Very Poor

Posted on October 30, 2012 by

No matter what positive characteristics this netbook may have, the biggest negatives are sufficient for me to conclude: do not buy this machine. My point of comparison is just one machine, an HP Mini 1116NR from nearly three years ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, hardware, Ubuntu | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

iClicker under GNU/Linux

Posted on September 4, 2012 by

Electronic “clickers” are personal wireless transceivers carried by every student in a lecture hall and are used for in-class feedback and assessment in teaching. At McGill, we have just switched to a new clicker system that is all about integration with … Continue reading →

Posted in GNU/linux, McGill University, Microsoft, software | 2 Comments

How-to: Alpine and maildir (and offlineimap (and GMail)) — no more maildir patches!

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

Abstract If you think non-graphical email clients are  efficient or otherwise desirable, and want offline access to your email, this post describes a step forward.  In particular, it describes the set-up of offline-accessible mail through the Alpine (formerly Pine, shortly … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpine, GNU/linux, software, Ubuntu | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments