Coding on Codex.org

Setting up Ruby on WSL2 using Rbenv

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 17:59:37 -0400

This should be no different than on regular Ubuntu
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The machine that I do most of my work on is my Lenovo Carbon X1 Laptop running PoP_OS!. But, because of reasons that I will not go into today, my main desktop runs Windows 11 and on that I run Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). WSL2 has a few Linux distros that you can run on it. For simplicities sake, I have gone with Ubunutu

How good is Pop!_OS in 2020?

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 13:08:15 -0400

I have been using MX_linux, and while I think the premise behind it is good, the implementation falls a bit flat. As someone that has used Linux for years, I was avoiding using my small and light laptop because I did not want to deal with the system that was running it. That is not a good sign.

So, I decided that I was going to install a new Linux distro on my system and get back to writing and doing things. Out of curiosity I dropped in to distrowatch to see what the flavor of the month was currently. To my surprise I saw MX_Linux on the top. After the issues I have had with it, that was interesting to see. But, sitting at spot number 5 was Pop!_OS. Huh? I had heard of it, but thought that is was some simplified version for kids. I was wrong.

Trying to Help Other Learn Programming

Tue, 12 May 2020 22:34:39 -0400

Having worked in the industry for a very long time, sometimes I forget how much I have learned (and forgotten) over the years. What seems trivial now, was once a complex idea that I had to wrap my head around, and after learning the fundamentals, there always seemed to be more to learn. This was at, in my mind, a golden age for learning computer systems and how to code. Installing Linux was not what it is today with flashing installers and disk configurators. Heck, X-windows did not start by default and you had to fiddle with configuration setting for ages to get a gui environment up to work in.

Should I stop work on CfnMason or any project?

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 08:55:09 -0400

Off and on for years, and at various companies, I have developed various tools to manage complex AWS CloudFormation templates and stacks. This came out of the lack of tooling that was associated with CloudFormation itself. It was not that CFN was bad, (it is notoriously picky) it is just that it was designed with the intention of being a way to treat your infrastructure in code based manner. That is really not true. CFN was created as a templating language with defined spec.

How to configure environment for Python Poetry based project.

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 14:36:20 -0500

How do I get started?
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I recently switched over to Poetry as a package manager for my project CfnMason. ( CfnMason is a tool related to CloudFormation stack management, but you can read about that on the Readme as it is updated. ) The question is, how do you use Poetry when you are working on a project across multiple machines and operating systems. I guess I am going to attempt to address the issue.

How do I setup a new python project?

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 21:27:23 -0500

Python prides itself on there only being one best way of doing things. However, if you have ever had the desire to create a package that can be distributed in python, then you may have run into some frustration. Out of the box, there does not appear to be a single clear concise way of creating a new project. After hearing over and over again, that the correct way in Python should be obvious, in this area, it seems that this is definitely not the case.

Writing Tech Blogs are Hard Work

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 21:31:23 -0500

I once read an article that said more people need to write technical blogs. That the problem with much of the technology field was that people did not write in-depth articles on the stuff that they are doing. And, if more people were able to take the time and post a blog entry here and there we would all be better for it. As nice as that sounds, I have to say that writing technical posts are difficult, time consuming, and can quickly go out of date.

Making Adafruit Pixel Goggles

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 20:40:10 -0500

Let me start with the motivation for this project. On one hand, I had never really created a solution with a micro controller, and on the other I wanted to create a cool Halloween costume. The rest of my family was getting dressed up in steampunk outfits, and for a change, I wanted to add something to the mix. But, to do this, I was going to have to learn how to program this micro controller, solder, and how to get the code on the NeoPixel. I know that some people would laugh and say that this would be an easy project, but when you have never worked on this before, it is a completely different case.

Micro controller Hacking coming soon

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 23:46:50 -0400

I have been hacking on my costume, and as such, have not gotten around to posting the code and pictures of the project that I am currently working on. As soon as Halloween roles by, I should be able to get that up here. Hopefully, you will enjoy the costume and the work that I have done on getting the goggles up and running.

Normally, I would have tried to add it in chunks, but I have been learning how to solder, learning how to code this thing, and have been trying to get the rest of my costume configured.

Time to Hack On an Adafruit Trinket

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 14:40:14 -0400

I don’t know much about microcontrollers. Somewhere along the lines, I never learned about them, how they work, or how to wire them together and use them. Up until a few years ago, I did not even know what a bread board was. Heck, I still do not even really know how they work, but I am going to learn. And to that ends, I am starting with an Adafruit Trinket.