Bryan Lunduke's Blog, page 23

Announcing Linux Sucks 2016 and… Linux Sucks: The Book!

Big announcements today!  Bigger than anything I’ve ever announced.  Bar none.

To start with…

“Linux Sucks” is coming to the Southern California Linux Expo!

Photo credit: Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jamie Pham

For the last 6 years, the “Linux Sucks” presentations and videos have rocked Linux Fest NorthWest — with the most recent video in the series having been viewed nearly 1 million times by Linux and tech enthusiasts across the globe.

And, while Linux Fest NorthWest has been an absolutely spectacular venue… it’s time to take this show on the road!

This coming January (Jan 21 – 24, 2016 to be precise), “Linux Sucks” will hit Pasadena, California and the Southern California Linux Expo (aka “SCALE”)!

Not only can this new venue accommodate a much larger audience (we, literally, had people hanging outside the windows during the last one) but, for the first time…

“Linux Sucks” is going to be professionally filmed and released on major streaming services!

That’s right.  No more shaky cam.  No more poor audio quality.  I’m pulling out all the stops.  We’re talking multiple cameras.  All HD.  And high-quality, professional grade audio.  And filmed entirely by a, professional, local film crew.  This is going to be a Linux event and comedy show (let’s be honest, that’s kinda what it is) like nobody has ever seen before.

To go along with that, “Linux Sucks 2016” will, for the first time, not be available on YouTube.

Say waaaaaaa?!

You read that right.  The next Linux Sucks is going to be something special.  And, as such, will be made available first to my Patreon patrons — in all its DRM-free, HD, multiple-format glory.  After those subscribing to my Patreon get to fully enjoy it — and gloat about the fact that the rest of the world has to wait for it — “Linux Sucks 2016” will then be released onto multiple, major video streaming services.

You read that right.  A comedy show about Linux.  On the major video streaming services.  Right on your TV.  How crazy is that?

If you aren’t already planning to attend the Southern California Linux Expo — and you can find some way to make it there — I highly recommend it.  Not only is it an amazing conference, but this is going to be your chance to show your friends and family a comedy show about Linux — on one of the multiple streaming services they already use every day — where you are right there in the audience.  Words cannot express how cool this is.

“Linux Sucks: The Book”

As amazing as this is, it does mean that we all have to wait another 4 months for a live version of “Linux Sucks”.  What to do in the meantime?

Well, as luck would have it, I’ve been working on something… a little bit different.

Linux Sucks: The Book.

This is exactly what it sounds like.  A full book — chock full of diagrams, info-graphics and essays — on why Linux Sucks so very badly (spoiler: it doesn’t actually suck).

And it will be released via my Patreon page on Thursday, October 8th (two weeks from today).

Because this is me, the book will be available in the following formats:

ePub
PDF
Open Document Format (so you can convert it to whatever other format you wish)
And a complete audio book version in both MP3 and Ogg formats

All, of course, DRM free.  But, and I can’t stress this enough, it will only be made available to my Patreon subscribers.  Even the lowest level pledges get full access to everything.  And the funds that are raised through my Patreon page go into making Linux Sucks 2016 even bigger and better.

See you all in Pasadena in January!

 

Going to Patreon!

Bryan Lunduke now has a Patreon page where people can obtain all of my content in one spot!

I’ve given this a lot of thought — and sought the advice of some friends (mostly podcasters and writers) using Patreon to great effect — and decided that setting up, and focusing on, a Patreon page could be hugely beneficial for not just me… but all of you as well.

What is Patreon?

For those unfamiliar with the platform: Patreon is, at its core, a place where the good people of the world can go to support content creators (writers, artists, podcasters, etc.) by pledging a small monthly amount.  In essence… becoming their “patron“.  And, in exchange, they get early/special/extra/exclusive access to the works of that creator.

Why is Bryan doing this?

For quite a long time, I’ve sold DRM-free, digital versions of my books via my own website (and Amazon.com).  This has worked fairly well.  But there have been a few drawbacks to my old approach:

There wasn’t a centralized community around the things I create.  No chance for my readers and viewers to interact with each other in a central spot.  And no easy way for me to interact with all of you.
Every time I got ready to release a new book, comic, etc. I needed to figure out pricing and marketing.  And update the (at present) hand-coded scripts that run my online store.  This, as odd as it may sound, has been both time-consuming… and riddled with mistakes and missteps.
The income stream from the things I release saw dramatic spikes and dips.  Which is annoying as heck to manage.
People who buy one of my books… only get to enjoy that one book.  They may not realize how much they’d get a kick out of some of the other things I create (or they may not want to take the chance on buying it).  Some of my best work (in my opinion) has been some of the most obscure, difficult to market stuff.

By setting up a Patreon page, and completely doing away with my own online store, all three of these problems are solved at once.

Plus, this allows me to show you exactly what the funds I receive are going towards in an easy, open way.  Which, I think, is really cool.  Example: The first $500, every month, goes into my “Live Event Fund” — which is what funds me doing more live videos at conferences, festivals and other events.

How does this work?

Go to my Patreon page.
Pledge at whatever amount you like.  Pledge a little.  Pledge a lot.  Whatever you feel comfortable with.
You, automatically, gain access to every book and comic book I have created in DRM free, digital format.
You also gain access to every single thing I produce while you are a patron.
Any video I make?  If it’s a public video, you get early access to it.  If it’s a video just for my patrons… well… it’s just for you.

That’s it.  Simple, right?

The more people become my patrons, the more resources (hardware, travel expenses, time, etc.) I can dedicate to generating more and better content.  Win-win for everyone.

What if I already own everything you’ve created?

First off: Thank you!  Your support over the years has meant the world to me.

If you already own digital copies of all of my books… feel free to wait to become one of my patrons until I’ve released another book.  Or two.  Or a few new videos.  I have enough new books and videos coming out over the coming weeks and months (including one in only a few days) that I have no doubt you’ll join in the fun pretty quickly.

Just be sure to keep an eye the Patreon page (and here on Lunduke.com).  I’d hate for you to miss out!  Some of the new items will be unveiled to the Patrons long before I tell the rest of the world about them.  That’s just one of the perks of being a patron.

I am super stoked about this.  See you over on Patreon!

There. That’s better.

This website has been through a number of redesigns over the last few years.  Some good.  Some… less good.

But all of them had big, hurking lists of links to click somewhere (usually on the side).  It was lame.

I’ve consolidated things down the the core elements of what I do on Lunduke.com: Books, Videos, Comics and Blog posts.  Four buttons.  Right at the top.  Simple.

I’ve also gone with the Ubuntu font for everything up there.  I may not be much of an Ubuntu user — openSUSE is more my cup of tea — but that is one freaking nice font.

Side note: This website doesn’t adapt itself when on mobile devices.  It looks the same everywhere.  I tested it out on every device I own (which includes some with pretty tiny screens) and it looks great on them all.  So that’s the way it shall stay.  Same experience for everyone!

Second Side Note: I was toying with going with an entirely new theme for Lunduke.com.  Something modern.  Something that has swoops and slides as you scroll down the page.  Something with big banners on the top with slogans and such.  Then I realized that was a stupid idea.  Simplicity for the win.

The BBS is Back!

The House of Lunduke BBS went live back in October of 2010 (closing in on 5 years ago) as my own, freely accessible, little shrine to BBS gaming — TradeWars, Legend of the Red Dragon… you know… the classics.

Over the years it has logged in tens of thousands of calls and eaten up countless hours of time that could have been spent not playing games.

Unfortunately, as with all good things, disaster struck.  And, the results of that disaster (coupled with my lack of spare time to fix up the BBS and get it running again), meant that the BBS has been offline for several months.  To say it has been a dark time in many BBS gamer’s lives would be an understatement.

As luck would have it, I finally had an afternoon with a little down time.  And the House of Lunduke BBS is, once again, alive and accepting connections.

TradeWars, LORD, LORD 2, Exitilus, DoorMUD, The Pit and BRE are all up and running.  And it is glorious.

The BBS server, once running on a tiny little EeePC 900 netbook, is now running entirely on a dedicated, quad core virtual machine located in a server farm far, far away from my clumsy feet.

You can connect to the BBS by telnet at bbs.lunduke.com or via a Flash-based terminal.  It’s all on the official BBS page.  Go there for the goodies.

“Windows is AWESOME” and “Year of Linux Desktop” at LinuxFest Northwest

LinuxFest Northwest descends upon Bellingham, WA in just a few short weeks — April 25th and 26th.

And, as is tradition, I’ll be there.

Unlike past years, I will not be recording my annual “Linux Sucks” video at this conference.  LinuxFest Northewest has been the home of “Linux Sucks” for over half a decade now — and it’s time to take that show on the road.  I’m currently on the hunt for a new conference to bring the next installment of that series to.  Preferably somewhere on the East Coast of North America or Western Europe to give some new folks a chance to be there in person.  (If you have an idea for a particularly fitting venue, drop me an email!)

But, fear not!  I have two presentations on the schedule that are going to be — to put it mildly — a freaking blast.

On Saturday the 25th, I’ll be presenting the following with James Mason (who was so much fun to co-present with last year, that I’ve decided to do it again with a new presentation):

2014 was the Year of the Linux Desktop. You missed it.

For years we’ve been hailing “the year of the linux desktop.” 2014 was no exception.  A relatively static set of complaints have stymied adoption of Linux as people’s primary computing interfaces — These complaints function as a set of core benchmarks for Linux adoption.

Over the course of 2014, those benchmarks were quietly surpassed.  Come see how Linux has, unexpectedly, finally fulfilled its desktop promise everywhere, from kids at school to professionals at work.

The second presentation, on Sunday the 26th, is one that I gave earlier this year at the Southern California Linux Expo — and it was so much damned fun that I just had to do it again (and get a good video recording this time):

Windows is AWESOME

Listen up all you neck-bearded, hippy-dippy Linux nerds!  You think Linux is all that and a bag of chips?  Well, you’re wrong.  Windows is the true king of awesome operating systems.  Give Bryan Lunduke a few moments of your time and he’ll prove it to you.  (Note: If you’ve seen the “Linux Sucks” videos, that’ll give you a hint for what to expect.  In other words… “watch the whole thing before you punch Bryan in the nose”.)

Both will be recorded, with videos posted to my YouTube channel after the event.

And, of course, when I’m not doing my dancing monkey routine I’ll be at the openSUSE booth.  If you happen to be at LinuxFest NW, be sure to swing by.  It’s where all the cool kids hang out.  

Updated site design

Lunduke.com is getting a bit of a face-lift.  If you experience any trouble, feel free to let me know (contact links up top).

That’s right. I have a puppet.

Mr. Lunduke meet the World.

The World meet Mr. Lunduke.

If you’re not already subscribed to my YouTube Channel, I recommend doing so.  This is going to be fun.

New Video show from Mr. Lunduke starts in January.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve done a regular, video podcast (unless you count my once-a-year “Linux Sucks” series).

Starting the first week of January, that’s going to change.  In a crazy big way.  Twice a week — Tuesdays and Thursdays — a technology show hosted by yours truly will be blasting into your eyeballs.

Did I say it was hosted by me?  That’s only partially true.  Technically it’s hosted by a puppet version of me.  That’s right.  A Muppet-y version of Bryan Lunduke will be interviewing guests and reviewing hardware and software.

Everything is in place.  The puppet looks awesome.  The guests and reviews are lined up for the first few weeks.  The audio gear and recording computer (running only Linux, of course) is all in place.  Even the artwork and production workflows are prepped and ready.

But I could still use your help on one final thing: I need a new video camera.  Because the one I have is kinda crap.

My (amazing) wife has been cool with me investing time and money into this new show… but if I suggest to her that I need to buy a fancy new video camera there is a chance that her amazing-ness will turn into “grumpy-towards-Bryan-ness”.  And I’d like to avoid that.  I’m also going to avoid asking for donations (all of you are amazing — and I don’t want to take advantage of you guys).

So, instead, I’m going to try to raise the funds for a new camera through a sale of my books and whatnot (basically everything on the front page of Lunduke.com in one bundle).

It’s one of those “set your own price” sales that we all love so much.

Plus I’m offering a “ready-to-print” gift card.  So if you want to give a cheap, nerdy, awesome present to someone (and you want to put as little effort as possible into it) this is the way to go.

Name Your Price!


1 Buck $1.00 USD3 Bucks $3.00 USD5 Bucks $5.00 USD10 Bucks $10.00 USD15 Bucks $15.00 USD20 Bucks $20.00 USD50 Bucks $50.00 USD100 Bucks $100.00 USD1,000 Buckazoids $1,000.00 USD

You can either pick up this bundle right here (using that little form above) or over on the official sale page.  Either way.  Works exactly the same.  And every penny goes directly towards the new camera for the show.  What sort of camera will the show be filmed with?  That depends, entirely, on how much money this sale raises between now and December 25th.  

I’ve gotta say, I’m pretty excited.  This project has been in the works for the better part of a year now — the planning, the designs, the production details… it’s been a heck of a process.  But well worth it.  I can’t wait till January 6th, when you guys get to see the very first video.

Oh!  In case any of you were wondering: I will still be a co-host on Bad Voltage, the audio-only, once-every-two-weeks podcast I record with Jono Bacon, Jeremy Garcia and Stuart Langridge.  No change there.

The laziest, cheapest, nerdiest [generic holiday] gift ever.

Buying a [holiday] present sound hard?  Buying a [holiday] card sound even harder?

Worry no longer!  I, your humble servant, can provide you with a nerdy gift option that is off-the-charts lazy (and cheap as heck)!

Here’s how it works:

Step 1) .

Step 2) Get an auto-magically generated email with a ready-to-print card (filled with DRM-free, nerdy gifts) attached.

Step 3) Print that card.

Boom.  Done.  [Generic holiday festival] shopping complete!

Super-duper lazy?  Don’t even print the card out!  Just forward the email to the recipient!  They’ll admire you for your dedication to laziness!

What lovely, nerdy gifts does this (extremely fancy) card include, you ask?  Why only some of the finest, nerdy books, games and comics on this lovely little planet of ours!

1) [book] – Linux is Badass

2) [book] – Linux for Hank

3) [book] – The Bible.  With Robots.

4) [game] – Linux Tycoon

5) [comic book] – 2299 Act 1

6) [comic books] – Road-Sign Hank and the Aliens issues #1 & #2

Normally that would cost $23 if purchased individually.  That’s right.  You’re giving a $23 gift and you .  And you didn’t even need to wrap anything.  Also you’re awesome.

Lazy?  Sure.  But awesome!

Seriously.  .  $10.  Shopping done.  Wham-O.

Linux is Badass: Slightly More Badass Edition

One year ago, I released my first book about Linux: the Amazon bestselling “Linux is Badass“.

As time marched steadily onward, two things became face-punching-ly clear: I suck (rather spectacularly) at eating spaghetti without making a major damned mess… and Linux increases its level of Badassery at an exponential rate.

It is with this crucial truth in mind — the Linux thing, not the spaghetti thing… I don’t even know why I brought that up — that I decided “Linux is Badass” deserved to be updated for 2014.  If Linux is going to be so much more mind-exploding-ly amazing in 2014 than in 2013, so too must this book step up its game.

This update has just been released in the form of “Linux is Badass: Slightly More Badass Edition”.

This new edition is completely free for everyone who already owns a copy of the original version.  All you need to do is find the original email from when you purchased “Linux is Badass” and download it again.  Both the original and the new version are included in the download.  (Everyone who buys the book now will get both versions also.)

And still entirely DRM free, of course.

So what’s new in this Slightly More Badass Edition?

Poetry.  Dirty Linux poetry.  Seriously.

Which makes this book chock full of badass essays, a badass choose your own adventure and now… badass poetry.  All about Linux.