My Musings

These are relatively-short notes that I have written about my opinions on various issues that interest me. I wrote most of these notes to mailing-lists I subscribe to, so they are all in English, mostly unedited, and mostly deal with a narrow subject-matter (so please don't think that what you see here is the only things that interest me - that is far from the truth).

I have also written longer essays, which are better thought-out and better edited. You can find them in this page.

In the short text files linked below, text preceeded by '>' sign is quoted context which I did not write (i.e., I was replying to somebody else's question or comment).

Freedom

Freedom to use cryptography, guns.

Free Software

The freedom of free software is important, despite arguments to the contrary. But other values are also inherent in free software. Freeness does have something to do with freedom.

Contributers vs. talkers. Free Software vs. Open Source. Miscellaneous free-software issues. Fake interview with Richard Stallman. Were Stallman's gloomy predictions justified? redundant work isn't always bad.

Education

Education for software pluralism. Giving kids equal opportunities. Educational software should be free, and so should software created during university research. Universities should not overemphesize teamwork.

Nettiquette

Bad things: Legal-type signatures, please don't reply tests, crossposting, badly-phrased questions, domains with 'www'.

Good things: tolerance, Reply-To header, boycott spammers.

Work

Consulting compared with asking questions on a mailing list. Don't be afraid to try.

Research

Peer-reviewed journals are good, but Google Scholar is even better.

Unix and Linux

Vanilla Linux kernels vs. Redhat's. Is Linux easy to install? Should we call it Linux or GNU/Linux? Reiserfs. Novices should not be messing around with individual RPMs.

Internet

ADSL assymmetry issues. use standards!

Intellectual Property

Property vs. intellectual property. Why software patents suck.

Language

Hacker vs. Cracker. Coining new Hebrew words.

Food

Restaurants: Nandos, Burger King.

Nadav Har'El