This page is dedicated to articles I’ve written for other sites or have been printed and later optimized for the web.
Linux Format
I’ve written for Linux Format (Future Publishing) continuously since June 2009, though works of mine have appeared before then. The articles listed below aren’t an exhaustive list of my printed works, but these have been adapted and posted on TuxRadar by the editorial team. They’re usually cut-down and optimized to stimulate reader responses, but still provide a sample of my work that’s free for all to read.
Build your own Linux distribution the easy way
Originally sold as an 8-page title feature named ‘Remix Linux’ back in LXF125 (December 2009 issue, printed 15/10/09) this is once again a cut-down web-friendly version. It covers distro-respinning from the basics with Ubuntu Customization Kit all the way through to Linux From Scratch. Also covered in-depth is Suse Studio and Arch Linux, with references to Gentoo and Revisor. Published online via TuxRadar 12/11/2009. This one gets the best reception online as the subject matter still endured long after its original print date.
How to install software in Ubuntu
A web-optimized version of a 4-page feature article explaining how to install Ubuntu PPAs, third-party repositories and dpkg. Originally published in LXF124 (November 2009, printed 17/09/09) issue, it was optimized for the web and posted on TuxRadar 11/11/09.
The article is filled with tips to optimize components of your Linux systems for speed, providing increased boot-times and overall responsiveness. Originally an 8-page cover feature named ‘Power Up Linux’ and printed in LXF 124 (November 2009 issue, printed 17/09/09), it was optimized for the web and posted on TuxRadar 30/10/09. Please note that this is a cut-down version compared to the original printed copy and a new round of Linux distributions had rendered parts of the article out of date, hence the reason it saw a few critical comments.
A review of the latest version of Scribus and whether it’s ready for professional use. Originally published in LXF 124 (November 2009 issue, printed 17/09/09), it was optimized for the web and published on TuxRadar 25/08/09 (so was available before it was actually published as printed copy).
Plus XP
A website created by Rob Bunce (a.k.a ‘Garvaos’) who I’ve known from school, and is all about reviewing the latest and greatest games as well as pondering the latest issues and the future of gaming. It seems to be going from strength-to-strength, gaining exclusive press passes and now has a number of staff writers – and even a video partner site! Linked below is the stuff I’ve written as a guest writer.
What is the Future for Gaming?
A speculative article about what the ’10s have to offer gamers that I once again wrote as a guest writer for Plus XP. Published 28/01/10.
A glowing review of FIFA 10 I wrote as a guest writer for Plus XP. Published 15/10/09.
eAnswers Articles
A tech column I wrote for the college magazine ‘HAMMERED’, the magazine for Wiltshire College Chippenham. These were the PDF versions I published online (the real printed copies were often mis-edited or not published at all – here’s posted the ones that actually made it into print):
eAnswers 1 – Opinion piece on DRM then a brief workshop & tooltip section. More of a kind of ‘pilot’ article (Published October 2007)
eAnswers 2 – Opinion piece on christmas gadgetry and feature answering Office 2007 FAQs (Published December 2007)
eAnswers 5 – This was the 3rd article published, but after 2 instances of HAMMERED not getting published at all, this was the last one I published (as there were only 3 issues of HAMMERED published in 2 years, despite their best efforts!). The left page is packed with news while the right-hand side answered plenty of Office 2007 FAQs I’d recieved from people by email. The double-page printed correctly at the time (the PDF conversion skewed things a little!) and the final printed article was misedited to show a blue Intel rather than a green one (among other things!). (Published October 2008)
Shout Out
Shout Out is the school newspaper of Malmesbury School and one I spent 3 years contributing to and 2 years editing. Blood, sweat and tears kept it going generally but it was a great way to learn what worked and what didn’t in written copy. Below is the last surviving record of my contributions.
Shout Out: December 2006 Issue
My oldest surviving published work (containing a write up and a speculative opinion piece on Casino Royale). I’d been contributing since Year 7 (2002/03 academic year), edited the paper itself for both 2004/05 and 2005/06 academic years then assisted Steven Anderson (the editor who took over when I stood down to focus on GCSEs) for 2006/07 academic year. This was published online originally in January 2007.
Steven carried on editing Shout Out for most of 2007/08 before it was taken over by Ali Gray (and this continued until they both left in 2009). It’s no longer a printed work, but is an online scratchpad for up-and-coming writers at Malmesbury School on their VLE: http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupID=85936.
i love to read tech blogs because i am a technology addict, always looking for new hi tech stuffs ‘