Ignacio Torres Masdeu

I have been a happy Mac user for a few years. Anyone should admit that using a Mac is one of the best user experiences available. But as we say in Spain, the better is the enemy of the good. Or something like that.

The thing is that lately I have noticed that an itch has developed in a serious grievance. I want to control what my computer does, and using a Mac is like driving with automatic gear. I feel like living in an enormeous and luxurious palace with no exit doors. I have everything I need, but I cannot do otherwise.

For example, I have been a subscriber of .Mac for nearly a year now and I still can't control what gets synchronized and how. When there is a conflict between my laptop and the main computer iSync states so, but sometimes I'm not allowed to choose what version I want to maintain. This is a nuisance with bookmarks or iCal appointments, but when it reachs the limits of my keychain passwords it's not that funny. And now that we speak about keychain sync... how is it done? Is it secure or not? Too many interrogants.

So I'm in the process of "unMacintoshing" myself. I'm starting by switching two applications for everyday use: Firefox for Safari and Thunderbird for Mail.app. With them I also leave behind the address book.

I can sync the mozilla suite straightforward via rsync. I could even work it out a bit and sync through a svn repository. Let's see where this leads to.

After hearing lots of people stating things like these:

• also of note. cron does not know your environment AT ALL. you need to provide full paths.
• The bigger problem is that cron doesn't know about the user's environment.

I think this is the moment of showing a small proof of concept that those statemens are not 100% correct. Cron does not know about your environment, but you can set it up.

19:09

Which results in this nice mail:

Subject: Cron <itorres@burnaby> env
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/sh>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/users/home/itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/usr/bin:/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=itorres>
Message-Id: <20051217191001.23041A74EA@burnaby.textdrive.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 19:10:01 +0000 (GMT)
USER=itorres
HOME=/users/home/itorres
LOGNAME=itorres
PATH=/usr/bin:/bin
SHELL=/bin/sh

And afterwards this:

19:12

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin
@reboot /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd -f /home/itorres/etc/lighttpd.conf
@daily /home/itorres/bin/stats
10 19 * * * env
14 19 * * * env

With it's own result:

Subject: Cron <itorres@burnaby> env
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/sh>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/users/home/itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=itorres>
Message-Id: <20051217191400.9B31CA745D@burnaby.textdrive.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 19:14:00 +0000 (GMT)
USER=itorres
HOME=/users/home/itorres
LOGNAME=itorres
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin
SHELL=/bin/sh

Interesting points to remember:

Playing even a bit more:

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin
@reboot /usr/local/sbin/lighttpd -f /home/itorres/etc/lighttpd.conf
@daily /home/itorres/bin/stats
20 19 * * * env
PATH=/opt/local/tomato
21 19 * * * env

19:20

Subject: Cron <itorres@burnaby> env
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin>
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/sh>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/users/home/itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=itorres>
Message-Id: <20051217192001.67C9AA743C@burnaby.textdrive.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 19:20:01 +0000 (GMT)
USER=itorres
HOME=/users/home/itorres
LOGNAME=itorres
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:$HOME/bin
SHELL=/bin/sh

19:21

Subject: Cron <itorres@burnaby> env
X-Cron-Env: <PATH=/opt/local/tomato>
X-Cron-Env: <SHELL=/bin/sh>
X-Cron-Env: <HOME=/users/home/itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <LOGNAME=itorres>
X-Cron-Env: <USER=itorres>
Message-Id: <20051217192100.E2EEFA7250@burnaby.textdrive.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 19:21:00 +0000 (GMT)
env: not found

I expect the point is taken. If you need any clarification, don't hesitate to contact me.

Ingredientes:

• Un pavo de tres kilos
• Una botella de whisky
• Unas tiras de panceta
• Aceite de oliva
• Sal y pimienta.

Preparación:

1. Rellenar el pavo con la panceta, atarlo, salpimentar y echarle un chorrito de aceite de oliva.
2. Precalentar el horno a 180 grados durante 10 minutos.
3. Servirse un vaso de whisky para hacer tiempo.
4. Meter el pavo en el horno.
5. Servirse otro vaso de whisky, bebérselo y mirar el horno con los ojos ligeramente extraviados.
6. Boner el terbostato a 150 gramos, grabdos y esberar veinte binutos.
7. Servirse odro vaso...odros vasos....
8. Al cabo de un drato, hornir el abro bara condrolar y echar un chodretón de pavo al güisqui y odro de güisqui a uno bisbo.
9. Darle la vuelta al babo y quebrarse la bano al cerrar alorno, bierda.....
10. Intentarr sentarrrrsse en una silla y serbirrrsse unossss > chupitosssssssss bientras pasan los binutos.
11. Retirar el babo del horrrrno y luego, regogerrrrlo del suelo con un brapo, empujándolo a un plato, bandeja o ssimilarrr.
12. Romperse lacrissma al resfalar en la grasssa.
13. Indendar lebandarse sin soltarr la vodella y dras barios indendos, decidir que en el suelo sestá de gojones.
14. Apburar la potella y adrastarse asta la gama. Dormir se.
15. A la mañana siguiente, tomar abundante café para el inexplicable dolor de cabeza, comerse el pavo frio con un cazo de mahonesa y el resto del día dedicarlo a limpiar el estropicio organizado en la cocina.

Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Here's to the crazy ones.
  The misfits.
    The rebels.
      The troublemakers.
        The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules
  And they have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
But the only thing that you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can
change the world, are the ones who do.

Esta va por los locos.
  Los inadaptados.
    Los rebeldes.
      Los alborotadores.
        Las clavijas redondas en agujeros cuadrados.
Los que ven las cosas de forma distinta.

No le tienen cariño a las reglas
  Y ningún respeto por el estado de las mismas
Puedes citarlos, estar en desacuerdo con ellos,
  glorificarlos o envilecerlos
Pero lo único que no puedes hacer es ignorarles

Porque ellos cambian las cosas
Ellos llevan adelante la raza humana

Y aunque algunos pueden verlos como los locos, nosotros vemos genialidad.

Porque aquellos que están lo bastante locos como para pensar que pueden
cambiar el mundo, son los que lo hacen

Apple - Think Different

Carceris ruina, presagium libertatis

Carceris mansio ruit cur? Tota Cathalonia praesidis est

Dum renascatur libertas, universa Hispania quoque

La ruïna de la presó és presagi de llibertat

Per què cau la casa de la presó? Perquè Catalunya sencera és habitació de presidiaris

Quan reneixi la llibertat, renaixerà també Espanya sencera

La ruina de la prisión es presagio de libertad

¿Por qué cae la casa de la prisión? Porque Cataluña es habitación de presidiarios

Cuando renazca la libertad, renacerá también España entera