30 12 | 2012

A desktop file managers failure: writing an USB stick image

Written by Tanguy

Classified in : Homepage, Debian, Command line, Grumble

Installing an operating system

When you want to install a new operating system, the first thing to do is to get an installer medium, which usually involves two steps: downloading an image, and writing it to a medium. There are two major types of media usable for that purpose: optical discs and USB sticks. There used to be a third one, floppy disks, but it is no longer used, and it was conceptually very similar to USB sticks.

Read more A desktop file managers failure: writing an USB stick image

27 12 | 2012

Tiling window managers

Written by Tanguy

Classified in : Homepage, Debian, Command line

Floating and tiling window managers

In the X Window System, the window manager is that piece of software that places your windows and allows you to move them, resize them, hide them, etc. If your windows have titles on top of them, with buttons to close them or reduce them, it is thanks to the window manager. There are two major types of window managers:

Floating window managers
They are the most usual window managers, that allow you to place an size your windows freely on the screen, in a way where they are independent of each other, possibly overlapping, just as you would be able to place sheets of paper on your desk.
Tiling window managers
They are a more elitist type of window manager, that adjust the size and position of the windows so there is no overlapping and no space lost between windows, thus tiling the screen.
Four computer windows managed in floating mode

Floating window management

Four computer windows managed in tiling mode

Tiling window management

The frontier between these two types is not very tight, because some floating window managers have limited tiling features, and almost all the tiling window manager have floating modes for programs that are not adapted to tiling.

For what it is worth, here is a report on my experience with three tiling window managers. Perhaps it may help people that are still hesitating to switch to tiling window management?

Read more Tiling window managers

12 12 | 2012

Pour une réforme du système de brevets

Written by Tanguy

Classified in : Homepage, Divers, Debian-FR, Libre, April, Pirate-FR

Couverture d'un brevet américain

La récente adoption du brevet unitaire européen est l'occasion de réfléchir au système de brevets, qui mériterait à mon avis une réforme pour mieux atteindre son but.

Read more Pour une réforme du système de brevets

06 12 | 2012

J'ai sauvé un chaton et soutenu les libertés

Written by Tanguy

Classified in : Homepage, Auto-hébergement, Debian-FR, Pirate-FR

J'ai sauvé un chaton et soutenu les libertés en achetant le Pack Liberté de l'April, Framasoft et la Quadrature du Net.

Read more J'ai sauvé un chaton et soutenu les libertés

23 11 | 2012

Mobile browsers, you suck (or: RTFM CSS media type)

Written by Tanguy

Classified in : Homepage, Debian, Miscellaneous, Grumble

Mobile devices

A number of people are using small mobile devices to read Web pages. These devices have small screens, which make it hard to read pages designed for a large screen width.

Read more Mobile browsers, you suck (or: RTFM CSS media type)

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