David Russell

The last few months, I have spent much of my free time really investing in learning Linux. (Free time, by the way, is time available after God, family, work, etc., and for me that has been unfortunately slim of late.) Sure, I’ve used Linux a lot in recent years and have almost always had at least one Linux VM on every machine I own, but for the most part I depended on the desktop side of Linux which, while great, isn’t really what holds the power of Linux.

Late last Fall, I converted a laptop that had a broken screen into a headless Ubuntu server. I have mostly set this up as a media and file server (to the PS3) and use it also as an HTPC hooked via HDMI to my HDTV. It’s great for both applications. But since I mostly manage the server remotely via SSH, I started getting really used to the command line.

So I started to do more there, but also on the plethora of existing external web servers that I manage, both personal and business. I’d figure out some really nifty way of doing something, like automating the backup of a MySQL database, on my personal servers, vet the process there and then incorporate them into the business side where practical.

Once I tasted the automation pie, I was thoroughly hooked on the power of Linux and the terminal. I started learning shell scripting, got pretty good at vim, firmed up some existing knowledge of CRON, and more. I also started learning more about Linux at the system and network levels, learning how to get data about running processes, analyzing RAM and CPU usage, viewing log files, manipulating data and configuring network interfaces. I’ve since set up several more web servers that are now in production for various sites, but instead of depending on a managed VPS with some prepackaged host configuration, I’m doing the work from scratch. Much more fun and rewarding.

I’ve used several distributions, mostly Ubuntu, but also Arch, Debian and CentOS, even toyed with FreeBSD. I’ve used CentOS a lot in web server environments, but I am currently using and loving Debian for home servers, web servers and just general use. It helps that my main introduction to Linux came by way of Xandros and then Ubuntu. But Debian seems to be just right for a solid server environment. It gives me the familiarity I want from my experience with Ubuntu (apt, etc.) but without all the extras that are mainly geared toward improving the desktop.

I still use Ubuntu for the main media server/HTPC in my home, but I have another server set up with Debian and have really enjoyed tweaking it for various uses. All my work servers are CentOS and that will remain. But I also have a personal hosted VPS running CentOS that I may change that out to Debian.

Now I’m into window managers, namely awesome. It’s a whole new blend of desktop and command line. I love the simplicity and speed of it. This entry is being written using Debian and awesome WM. Rad stuff.

I have a bunch of friends who love Linux and who will likely comment below to add their two cents on a fave distro or use for Linux. I’ve had some great inspiration along the way. But I have to give a lot of credit to Scott Wehrenberg (@swehren) who has been a go-to-expert for me these past few months. His full-time use of Linux and superlative command of the system has inspired me to really dig deep. And he’s always on for a 1:00 AM instant message session when I have a question about some syntax for grep or need a better approach to tune a bash script. Thanks, Scott.

The bottom line for me is that I am having a ton of fun learning Linux. Hopefully, that will inspire someone else to grab a distro and bash around a bit. :)

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I have been a little torn lately with where to publish the technical side of my life. Twitter seems to be morphing into more of a place where I talk about life and ministry and lighter tech as opposed to the heavier geek stuff. But I really have a passion for the technical, even though I’ve never considered myself much of a developer. I figure if I do have an outlet for more technical conversation, this is probably the best place for it.

So I might throw up a few posts over the next few weeks about things I have learned or are learning about Linux and UNIX. Perhaps it will benefit someone else.

What’s the latest?

Flickr and company have just released an awesome app for iPhone. It’s the perfect blend of both worlds, feeling native to the iPhone with that Flickr experience you expect.

Until now, I primarily used Mobile Fotos (iTMS link - $2.99) for Flickr on iPhone. It’s a third-party app that works fairly well, but the first-party app easily outpaces Mobile Fotos. Not to mention the fact that the new app from Flickr is completely free.

For mobile uploads to Flickr, I generally use the upload by email feature. It’s fast, easy and can hit Twitter, too. But the upload options on the new Flickr app are very comprehensive and I am considering the option of uploading via app. For some instances, it might be more ideal.

Flickr App for iPhone [iTMS link]

Tagged: Flickr, photos, app, iphone

National Community Church is an absolutely amazing assembly of people who love Christ and are devoted to seeing the people of Washington, DC experience Him in a real way. At the helm of this community is one of the finest leaders I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Mark Batterson loves his family, serves this local church and edifies the global church. To serve Pastor Mark and the church over the past three-plus years has been the experience of a lifetime. If you don’t know about this community, you should. And if you do know about this community, you know exactly what I’m talking about. This place is grand.

Missy and I love life with our young son Andrew and we are anticipating with sheer excitement the arrival of our baby girl, due just one month from today. In fact, parenthood has really re-shaped our thinking. Lately, we have grown to miss “home”, the place where our families live and work and play. Yes, Washington has felt like home. We have been very comfortable here, truly blessed to live and work in such a stunning city. But as our hearts started to shift earlier this year, our definition of home was slowly re-structured. Sure, we’ve hopped on many planes and visited Alabama often during our tenure in Washington. But we know now that what we’d really like is the opportunity to once again call Alabama home, to see our kids grow up knowing well the faces of their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

In the midst of this came an opportunity—one that makes a great deal of sense and one that really feels like God has prepared! In two weeks, Missy, Andrew, our yet-to-be-born baby girl and I will move to Birmingham, Alabama, where I will join the team at Church of the Highlands. Chris Hodges is truly one of the great church leaders of today and I am excited about joining the Highlands team. Pastor Chris is an inspiration to many and I count it an honor to serve under his leadership.

At Highlands, I will be working within the Technology Department, under the expert management of Denny Hodges. I’ll tackle all things web and work alongside a great web designer, Bradley Koltas. It is truly a full-circle experience. In 2002 and 2003, I played guitar at Church of the Highlands and led a Highlands small group at the University of Montevallo before departing on a journey to help plant a church in Montgomery, a journey that ultimately led to our arrival here at NCC. (Like I said, full-circle!)

As much as we are thrilled for the new opportunity, we are also saddened to depart National Community Church. It is not an easy goodbye. We have close friends here. Even Andrew loves his little buddies! There is no doubt we will miss these friends, our great church and this fine city. What an amazing experience it is to live and work in the most important city in the world! I have high expectations—true faith—that God will continue to use NCC to reach people who desperately need the love of Christ and that He will amplify the efforts of this community in order to build the Kingdom in unprecedented ways!

Thank you, friends and family, for offering up a short prayer regarding our transition.

Missy’s Perspective on our Transition

This morning, Google announced a new operating system named for their recently-released Web browser, Chrome. Google Chrome OS is a PC-architecture-based operating system that Google claims will be “open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks.” It will be built on the Linux kernel and feature “speed, simplicity and security.”

Personally, I am very excited about this. There are definitely many opportunities to expand our thinking when it comes to the operating systems we use every day. In fact, our mobile phones have already begun stretching our thinking about this. Think: iPhone OS, Google Android, yes, even Windows Mobile, et al. They all work much more simply than our desktop operating systems, reduce overhead and form factor and yet still allow us to get a few things done. No, we aren’t designing in Photoshop or having serious coding sessions on these devices, but that might not be as far off as we might think.

Generally, I am a proponent of the cloud. But there are reasonable concerns about the drawbacks, namely privacy and security. As soon as we relinquish control of our data to services like Flickr, Facebook, Google, even Twitter, there are certain risks that come into play. In a sense, this would be no different with a Google OS, which will merely create a specially-tuned environment to host the Chrome browser and allow the user to very quickly boot up and access the Web.

Applications on Chrome OS are Web applications. Developers building apps for Chrome OS won’t build them for Chrome OS, they’ll build them for the Web. It’s not exactly mind-boggling by today’s standards, but it’s obviously shrewd of Google to approach a competitor like Microsoft or Apple with something completely different and with less legacy than what those competitors offer consumers (much like Google did when they released the Chrome browser last year.)

This is the start of something very cool. When I first heard the news, I quickly wondered if the world really needed another operating system (even as much as I am in favor of choice and competition.) Upon hearing the general idea for the execution of the Chrome OS, I feel confident this will be a very usable product even though as it stands it will probably be somewhat niche for a time. Netbooks are an obvious first playground. But I’m sure there will be a natural tendency for some to migrate all of their use to an OS like this. If you live on the Web, why not have your OS get you there in a flash?

Google Chrome OS is the start of a new trend in operating systems. The Internet is the new OS.

Google Announces Chrome OS
Would You Miss Windows With A Google Operating System? - NYT Bits
Fascinating analysis of a 2004 prediction that Google was crafting an OS - Jason Kottke