[PLUG-TALK] keithl via gmail, until I upgrade my systems and fix outbound

[Ben Koenig]

On Thursday, January 30th, 2025 at 10:35 PM, Keith Lofstrom <keith.lofstrom at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks, but I hope to have Postfix running on my Debian machines Real Soon
> Now. With access to the PLUG lists, I can ask occasional dumb questions
> ... which I recall asking decades ago, when I set up Postfix and
> Spamassassin and Mutt and vim on CentOS for the first time. Most of my
> questions will be about certifications and similar required proofs of
> civilized non-spammer intent.

Woah there. I must inform you that Real Soon Now (TM) is trademarked part of the Slackware release cycle. If you insist on using it, you will have to install at Slackware on at least one computer. 

> 
> BTW, my new outside-facing mail relay will be a Debian virtual at
> Rimuhosting (replacing an ancient CentOS instance). If I get stuck, their
> team fixes simple stuff for free, and I can pay them USD $120/hr for
> complex solutions. I presume there are expert PLUG members who can also
> help, perhaps for $$$, but if they are "Keith Packard excellent", they will
> charge more. My experience with most paid helpers is that they pee in the
> soup until they like the flavor, instead of tailoring the user interface
> the way I'm used to.
> 
> I'm 71 yo. What I understand about aging memory is that "peels backwards"
> towards earlier memories. Old dogs, old tricks. My M.D. wife will keep us
> alive for a LONG time; her father is still alive at age 106. He can't use
> a computer any more, but still uses his hand tools (note: his wedding
> present for my wife was teaching her to operate a bulldozer). I ponder his
> example when I plan my future.
> 
> I've used vi (aka "ed" visual mode) since Bill Joy wrote it in the
> computer lab across the hall from my lab in Cory Hall at U.C. Berkeley. I
> expect that vi (and FORTRAN, sigh) will be the last skills to go. Hence vi
> and mutt (plus well documented underlayers) instead of GUI mail browsers
> and goddam top posting for life (I dislike the way this gmail interface
> auto-tragically top posts), and doesn't have familiar vi keyboard control
> key navigation).

ed gets installed by default on all my computers :)
root at cesium:~# slackpkg info ed


NOTICE: pkglist is older than 24h; you are encouraged to re-run 'slackpkg update'

PACKAGE NAME:  ed-1.21-x86_64-1.txz
PACKAGE LOCATION:  ./slackware64/a
PACKAGE SIZE (compressed):  64 K
PACKAGE SIZE (uncompressed):  140 K
PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:
ed: ed (text editor)
ed:
ed: GNU ed is an 8-bit clean, more or less POSIX-compliant implementation
ed: of the standard Unix line editor. These days, full-screen editors
ed: have rendered 'ed' mostly of historical interest. Nonetheless, it
ed: appeals to a handful of aging programmers who still believe that
ed: "Small is Beautiful".
ed:


Package:    ed-1.21-x86_64-1
Repository: slackware64
Path:       ./slackware64/a/ed-1.21-x86_64-1.txz
Url:        http://lodestone/mirror/slackware/slackware64-current/slackware64/a/ed-1.21-x86_64-1.txz


> 
> But enough blather. I appreciate your offer; perhaps as you age we can
> find an impressionable young geek helper to help each of us do our things
> "our way".

My current day job involves installing data center infrastructure and wrapping velcro around bundles of cat6 cable. As such it does not require any sort of cognitive investment which leaves my biochemical compute resources available for.... other... tasks.

-Ben