Last night I finished reading "Exit A" by Anthony Swofford. I had decided a while ago that I didn't like it, but it wasn't so bad that I had to put it down, so I stuck with it to the end. It wasn't a bad book, it was just poor in places, and disappointing overall.

I did prefer the act of reading the book to the book itself though. I have just read 10 or 20 draw-droppingly good books in a row. The previous book was "Disgrace" by J. M. Coetzee, which is stunning. Read it. I was beginning to think that I just possibly enjoyed most books a lot. Reading a book I didn't enjoy showed me that I just read a lot of good books.

I saw this one as a new release in a bookshop, and it had a piece of card with it, written by one of the members of staff in the shop. The card said something like "Swofford could have been forgiven for writing a poor second book, but he doesn't need to be, he can really write." I agree for the most part, he certainly could have been forgiven, and this book isn't bad enough that he really needs to be. It however not a great book, unlike "Jarhead", which I haven't changed my opinion on.

It wasn't just the act of reading a mediocre book that buoyed my spirits though. I wanted to like the book, so it wasn't just that it's not a famous classic like "Disgrace", so I'm not that much of a book snob. Also, it was really the card that caused me to buy it, even though I was drawn by the author's name, so it shows that my instincts are good, which gives me confidence when choosing books in the future.

The final aspect is the one that makes me happiest though. I know why it's not a great book. I can point to places in the book and tell you why they are bad. At school I was terrible in English classes, I didn't understand the first thing. Reading this book gave me confidence that I am learning while reading. Not only learning about life and the world, which I was already concious of, but also learning about language and writing. Even though I'd never be able to write like I would like to, I can at least comfort myself with the knowledge that I am at least able to partly understand the mechanics of good writing.

The server team asked me to write a blog post to ask for help removing the use of "multiuser" as an argument to update-rc.d. This used to be the way that we sped up the shutdown time a little, but we've changed the approach now.

This is great, as it means that we can get rid of some of our diff to Debian, as well as helping Debian to get the improvements (the original approach was never accepted by Debian, the new one has been).

However, I no longer need to write the post. Thanks to a few people most of the work has now been done. In particular I would like to thank Didier Roche, Nicolas Valcarcel, and Cesare Tirabassi, as well as the sponsors that uploaded their work when needed.

However, I thought I'd write the post anyway, as there is still loads of work to do, so if you are interested in helping out with development then come and get stuck in. I'll try and post about some specific tasks in the future, hopefully before somebody does all of the work next time.

-- This belongs to Lionel Richie

I recently attended Lugradio Live in Wolverhampton. During the live recording of the show they were discussing how things have changed since the started the show. Aq was saying that things are less interesting nowadays, as everything just works. I disagree that it's less interesting, not spending time compiling drivers for my video card means I can spend time on other things.

I bought another laptop this week, and so I can personally attest that the developers involved should be proud, all of the hardware was supported out of the box, with just a few minutes following instructions on a wiki page to get everything working properly. Also, all of those little tweaks won't be needed in a few months time, as the developers have fixed the problems.

However, I also disagree that everything just works. Even though it took me only a couple of hours to install and get all of the hardware working, I'm still setting up the laptop. Why do I have to spend ages configuring all of the applications, even though 90% of the settings will be the same as on my other laptop? I could copy across my dotfiles, but there could be more done to help me move just those that make sense to be on another machine. (I don't think I would want to copy the whole of .mozilla/)

There's more though. Though I have two laptops running linux next to each other, it's not that easy to move a file between them. Why do I have to enter details of my contacts more than once? Why isn't it trivial for me to send off an email to someone I am chatting to on IRC? I could go on.

The work on the kernel, drivers and installers that meant that it only took me a couple of hours to get up and running is a fantastic achievement; it's what allows us to ask questions like these. There is more that needs to be done in these areas, but we need to expand our ideas of what should just work.

I don't wish to discredit those that are working on this sort of problem, there should be more people helping them. We need other developers to appreciate the issues, and support those trying to tackle them.

If you agree with me then don't complain about it, fix it. Find a project working on a problem that you care about and support them however you can. I realise the irony inherent in telling everyone this at the end of a post like this, I hope you will forgive me.

-- This belongs to Lionel Richie

Next month we have another Ubuntu Developer Week. It's still in the planning stage, and there will be a proper announcement later, so if you are interested in attending wait for that.

This post is for those who are in a position to give sessions. I want to get several MOTU School sessions included in the schedule, but for that I need presenters willing to give them.

There's a list of some ideas for sessions at

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/School/Requests

as always. If there is a session there that you would like to give then get in touch with me. It doesn't have to be one from that list, I'm interested in any session that you are willing and able to present.

In particular I'm really keen to see the sessions on Java this time. I'll speak to the Soyuz team to see if they are willing to present a session, as that one has several votes. I'll also probably present a bzr session with David, and a packaging with bzr session.

If you want to have a session during the week on something then stick your name and the title on

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDeveloperWeek/Prep

or grab dholbach or me to discuss it.

Speaking of dholbach, let's make this developer week ROCK!

I'll leave you with Eugene O'Neill:

There is no present or future,
only the past happening over and over again,
now.

Hello Planet Ubuntu.

This feels like I've just made it on stage with my favourite band.

Today I was accepted as an Ubuntu member through the Universe Contributors group. Thanks to all those that helped me achieve this. There's been a load of other people join this group recently. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, and we're going to have some great releases coming up.

It's an interesting time to be joining planet, with yesterday's CC meeting discussing what role the planet should play in our community. I think that Emma had a good post touching on how we should conduct ourselves. (Hey Emma, when are you going to become a member so that more people see your insightful posts? And the animal ones too, I like those)

Emma refers to a poem by Robert Frost in her post, I had heard of it before, but I had never read it, so I hunted it out. I recommend reading it.

Mending Wall
Robert Frost (1874-1963)

SOMETHING there is that doesn't love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbour know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
"Stay where you are until our backs are turned!"
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, "Good fences make good neighbours."
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
"Why do they make good neighbours? Isn't it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down." I could say "Elves" to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbours."

From http://www.bartleby.com/118/2.html