Linux on the Desktop at Google

Yes, Google has a linux distribution it uses for desktops.
Yes, it’s called Gubuntu (a prize for anyone who can guess which other distribution it might be based on 🙂

For those of you in SoCal, Vince Busam, a current Google systems engineer will be giving a talk on Google’s use of Linux on the desktop as the USC LUG on Feb 23rd 2006. Details here.

No, there are no plans that I know of to release Gubuntu to the public 🙂

The hardest thing about working at Google..

I think I’ve figured it out.

At my last company, it was easy to become the superstar systems admin. All you had to do was learn the basics and then relentlessly tackle the tasks no-one else wanted to or knew how to.

The problem with working at Google however is that everyone else already knows everything. And you can’t really find anything that others don’t want to approach. It certainly makes life interesting.

Major surgery, part 1

About two weeks ago, the alternator on our car died. Replacing this was a minor task, completed in about an hour. A week later the fuel pump also died, requiring major surgery to repair.

The operation took two days of working in near-freezing temperatures. My brother-in-law Jaime came by to do the work, with me assisting, as you can see here. That’s me in the blue jeans.
After two very cold, very tiring days, the car started on our first attempt. A job well done I think. In the process, Brandy bought me a whole bunch of cool new tools to play with, here and here.

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