uzbl, the return - day 7

uzbl, the return, day7

so... uzbl has been doing strange things to me. all that "unixy-goodness" has started to go to my head...

... such that i installed slackware.

and slackware has been doing more of the same strange things to me....

... i now like delving deeper, getting to know more about my software. i'm not claiming i sit there reading throguh source code or anything like that... but just more about how the packages interact with each other, a few configuration files that are universal to all distros, i've never known much about, are now familiar to me, i now take a look at the project page for specific applications i want to use, i read about them more, i read README files, and so on.

and y'know what coems with all this extra engagement with my software? knowledge. it's got me off learning about stuff i hadnt been aware of existing. like yeahconsole!!!!!

yeahconsole is another piece of software that's really got me excited.

after tilda was segfaulting, i went first in search of fixes for it, but upon doing so, i discovered a link in one of the threads, pointing to yeahconsole. yeahconsole, isnt a drop down terminal.. it just adds drop-down functionality to your existing terminal of choice. how cool is that!!!

i've long wanted to explore all the rxvt terms n the like, but i've been so gleefully ingraned in the *uake/tild* paradigm that i couldnt bring myself to it.

a friend, rstcogburn/p0rksh3d suggested i check out his urxvt drop-down wrapper script once it was finished... well... thnx for the idea. ^_^ looks like i might have found a working one on my own already. i've not even typed a command into it yet, just configured it, launched it, and made it appear/disapear a few times, and i already love it. it seems properly crisp n clean. fluffless. i like that. ^_^

...and why am i rabbiting on about this in my uzbl series?

well... besides the point of it being MY blog, AND my disclaimer just under the title, because this is what uzbl has done to me. it's set forth a cascade of events (pebcak n all), that's bringing me closer to the metal, deeper into the interoperability of the operating system... the immense power that comes from your software being entirely "sh" friendly, so one app can use the output of another and do things with it... so all apps can work together, rather than distinct separate islands that you're just reliant on whatever features the programmer thinks you need.... which when you're in that prison, it often feels really great, because the programmer has diligently furnished it with everything they could think of you needing. and that's great, it really is, it works wonders, especially for many a specialist application (thinking of the highest couple examples of this like softimage|XSI and abletonLIVE)... and chances are, when the demands are high-end enough, you'll come full circle, and that pipeable interoperability will be on the cards again.

see... i know uzbl isnt the absolute zippiest nippy responsive browser out there... using the likes of "links" (as i'm doing on slackware just now, until i get uzbl installed..... i'll get around to it, dont worry) where everything seems instant, because there's no delay waiting for graphics to load, no wasted cpu cycles on anything but the text n links... yeah, it's fast... but uzbl wins, despite it's python lag, because of it's interoperability with the rest of the os, because of it's relative familiarity. if you've already learned a load of bash, there'l be more tricks availed to you in uzbl. if you havnt, and you learn to use and configure uzbl, you'll learn more tricks to apply to the rest of your os. ...see how clever it is?

... i still feel like i've completely failed to convey the boon of using software that strives to adhere to the unix-philosophy of "one job, well". when you couple this with "Free Software" (i.e. the 4 freedoms) it really takes off. without the freedom, it becomes insular, elitist, esoteric. with the freedom, it becomes a community, where we're all sharing and learning together. ...sure you still get elitism in some corners, but hey, that's kinda part of the freedom... it's "free to share", not "not free to not share" (or not "mandated to share", if that's clearer.)... as was proven just moments ago in irc.. there are of course still people who are in that place where they'd rather massage their own insecurities by calling others "noobs" rather than actually offer something helpful. human failings on their spiritual evolution aside, the 4 freedoms are still maintained, and that fosters the sense of community, encourages the notion that it's not only ok to share, but a very welcome benefit to US ALL. .... n that's the idea that proponents of the proprietary development model are fighting hard against. there, it's aledgedly not being a beneficial contributing member of society, but a leeching pariah criminal!!! see how utterly disturbingly wack that is?!? helping your neighbour is a crime??? helping spread enlightenment and knowledge is a crime? helping spread empowerment a crime??? utter maaaaadness!

centralisation, totalitarianism, want to keep you dependent. hard working dependents. slaves effectively. constantly reinforcing the idea in you that you cant know enough to be empowered, and that you always need to keep relying on what they have to offer you, and that what they offer you is the farthest extent of possible empowerment, so you'd better keep working to pay the piper.

... ok... ok... now i rly have stretched the relevence to uzbl a bit far... this is encroaching on the teritory of digit's ideals vs the incumbent socio-ecconomic paradigm. :/

... i suppose i'm just having a grumble about this because i have some wage slavery to get on with... or the nearest thing i have to it, freelance graphic design crap for commercial interests. :/

better stop procrastinating on that with my lamentations. ^_^