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Everyone is using a video meeting/calling app these days. This is not new to me, I’ve been on them for close to 10 years now, so having my camera on for every meeting is the default. You may use Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, or like where I work (at the time of writing I work for Cisco) it’s Webex, so my setup is focused around that. When I have to join one of those other flavours (rarely) I revert to caveman times and turn turn on the lights manually.

The OpenWRT devices in my home are critical to the networking I have here. As OpenWRT is used primarily for embedded devices, rather than generic x86 devices, recoverability can pose some challenges. This is very true for myself, using Cisco Meraki hardware, as the console access is within the enclosure of the devices and requires a TTL Serial cable. See my journey into OpenWRT on Cisco Meraki in this post.

This is not a post on which Desktop Environment is finally going to rule them all! That conversation is happening elsewhere and I suspect will never end. This is a post discussing the ways you can optimise your windows within a DE. As a user of an UltraWide 21:9 monitor I am a fan of having multiple windows on screen at once. Tiling window managers are very interesting in their default abilities to arrange windows in a fixed fashion.

As a strong believer in FOSS I take what would seem ridiculous measures by others to utilise FOSS in my life where possible (this very site uses Bulma & Hugo). In many cases the FOSS version of something greatly improves the experience, there are some where it does not, this is an example with both perspectives. OpenWRT ‘is a Linux operating system targeting embedded devices’ specifically firmware for network devices, such as the home hub, or in my case a Cisco Meraki MX60 security appliance and Cisco Meraki MR16 access point.

Back in 2020 I wrote about a few ways you can manage window tiling in Windows and Linux. I am under no illsusions that Microsoft read my post, as far as I’m aware I’ve never met Satya Nadella, which in turn motivated them to built that functionality directly into their upcoming Windows 11. Wherever their motivation came from it’s great to see. Microsoft is calling this Snap Layouts, to see more take a look at The Verge coverage here.

My PC set-up consists of at least 2 OSs, one for everyday life, one for gaming. Occasionally there is another I’m playing with, or trying to learn something, but I always go back down to 2. Many people often dual-boot different OSs very successfully, right up until the point where one OS does something the other OS does not like. Having hit this scenario a few times, I decided to build a SATA power switch.

For a technically minded person, having a server at home doesn’t sound too strange. They can be extremely useful for anything from file shares, media servers, to development boxes, etc etc. A friend of mine uses theirs as a backup repository, as well as share files between machines with OwnCloud. Another friend runs VIRL, a virtual routing environment, so that he can build network designs and study networks. However, servers are not designed for home use, therefore pose some challenges when used at home.

Photo of Philip Whiteside Photo of Philip Whiteside Welcome to my home on the web, this is all about me, Philip Whiteside. I could list the mundane details that I’m a XY year old something etc etc, but that would bore everyone to death. So I’ll try my best not to do that here. For a more detailed history please checkout my LinkedIn profile.