Version 6.3 now, and I like it.

If you haven't noticed the new look, please get something checked. I put a new theme on because the old one wasn't ready for v6. I'm actually working on a new one, and it's coming along quite nicely. For some reason, it's easier when you RTFM. Odd.

In other news, I'm going on vacation as of the end of work today (less than an hour). Definitely necessary, and it'll be nice to be able to sleep past 5:30 again.

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted... anything.

I've been around though, don't worry. Of course, I only have a half-dozen readers, so I'm not too worried - I talk to most of them on a regular basis. Here's what I've been working on lately:

Ubuntu
I have a desktop and laptop running Xubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04), and another desktop running Ubuntu Hardy Heron Server. The more I use Ubuntu, the more I like it. It just seems like there's a lot more that I can do with less work... compared to Windows. This isn't going to turn into a review, but check it out - you can run it as a Live CD (no install needed), or even install it like a program in Windows.

del.icio.us
If you check out my del.icio.us page, you can see what I've been bookmarking. I've added something at the end of this post to show the last fivepages I've bookmarked.

dropcase.com
It's time for another upgrade, and I'm making the move into version 6.2 of Drupal. I'm a little lacking in the updates category, but nothing serious... it's more a matter of getting more functionality and usability in place. I also want to do a total redesign, but I'm not sure where to start.

aStore
So I decided to play around with Amazon's aStore, just to see how it works. Don't worry, I'm not trying to push anything (although I won't stop anyone from getting something either), I just want to know what people think of it in general. Does anyone else use affiliate links for Amazon? I'm still not sure how I feel about them.

Knitting
Yes, knitting. There are two projects to start on: first, I'm getting ready to embark on the road to socks. I've been reading up on them and trying to find a pattern, and I think I'm going to go toe-up this time, so I can get a feel for how much yarn I need. Project #2 is a muffler for my wife. She got me some really nice yarn for it, and I want to make sure to do it justice...

Everything Else
Yes, very vague, but true... and if you'd like to know, feel free to ask. Between work and home with two kids and three cats (and my wonderful wife, of course), I wonder how I have time to get anything started, much less completed...

I definitely can't say it better than they did, so from drupal.org:

Downloaded and updated on my localhost. It's nice, although I haven't had a chance to play with it much so far. The update process was really smooth, with no errors throughout. We'll see what happens when I try it on this site. Time for the checklist, starting with a full backup (just in case).

How long to wait though... that's my next decision. I think I just need to have a chance to make sure I have modules and themes ready to go when I make the jump. 

Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading, start here for information and download links.

It is done.

I did the upgrade from Drupal 4.7 to v5.3 yesterday, and finished up some of it this morning. It went smoother than I thought it would, and I have to say it a definite improvement. On the administration side, the admin pages seem to be cleaner and easier to navigate, as well as being more helpful. Cheers to Drupal for making the process as easy as it is.

To be sure it went well, I actually remembered to RTFM on upgrading. All of the old files were removed, and the new ones put in their place. This was especially important for the modules, most of which would've been broken. If anything, the site seems to be working better.

Next step: re-doing the look of the site. I'm using a theme called NewsFlash from RoopleTheme (in green, of course). Once I get PHPTemplate down a bit more I should be able to put something decent together.

not to switch to... probably.

I was looking through one of my email lists when the often-asked question, "What CMS should I use?" was posted. As usual, WordPress, TextPattern, Drupal, and a couple of others were mentioned, and for good reason - they work, they're well supported, and popular.

Then another came up, called MODx. I checked it out, and I liked what I saw. It's PHP/MySQL based, and it's been pretty solid so far. The management console needs a little work, but that's something that the devs are working on (from what I've read). The management area allows for a lot of changes, including navigating your site's files. Although limited in some ways, it's easier to make changes "on-the-fly" and see the results. There's also the ability to use chunks of raw HTML and snippets of PHP code to add into templates and posted content.

If you want to see an example of it, they have plenty listed on their site, and I've put a site together [almost] from scratch using it: All Things Outdoor.

Has anyone else used this CMS? I'd like to know...

Now that it's been almost a week, I'm starting to understand that I don't know what to write. One of the biggest parts of having a site is that there needs to be some form of content. Like Sean asked in the comments to the last entry:

That's a really good question. Some of the things I write about include meatspace, bitspace, and grayspace. Yes, that's vague, and covers just about everything, but it's a start. Maybe I just need to start writing, then you'll all see what's happening.

meta information

It's usually called a colophon, but I'm not a huge fan of the word. Now for the info...

hosting

This site is hosted by No Monthly Fees. I've got Linux and PHP and MySQL running around in the back.

content management

The MS that I'm using for my C is by Drupal.

copyright info

Almost everything on this site is © dave lawson, at least as far as the content is concerned. Feel free to check out the bottom of the page if you're not sure.