💾 Archived View for lantashifiles.com › gemlog › entries › 2022-04-19.gmi captured on 2024-07-08 at 23:59:50. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2022-04-28)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I have 2 main computers that I use - my Librem Mini, and my Pinephone. I tend to do *a lot* of work on the Mini, my programming and my writing, as well as any GUI web browsing.
The Pinephone, with its 2 GB RAM and Allwinner chip, is a lot slower. But it is amazing that it works as a full computer. Right now I am downstairs, at a small monitor. It is plugged in, and I am typing away, writing this post, using Ghost Writer.
I really don't expect a ton of power from the Pinephone. I'm sure the Pinephone Pro is a lot more capable, but it is also a lot more expensive, and I don't plan to go out and buy one any time soon.
But I've taken to using the Pinephone, *as a computer*, more often. It actually helps me to focus more, probably because it cannot do as much.
In a way, the Librem Mini has "too much power". Don't get me wrong, the Mini is a great machine, a full computer for programming, graphic design, and entertainment. But... it is easy to get distracted by all the things the Mini can do, especially the blazing fast Internet, and the games.
What can the Pinephone do? I'm not disparaging it in any way. When I go out I have a little Linux computer in my pocket. That's amazing! And it was not that expensive, only $150.
As a computer, while docked to a monitor, I have to scale back my expectations a bit.
I love the Terminal, love TUI apps. And I am working on learning how to make them. I finished my C++ course a couple months ago, and now I am studying ncurses. I would love to create apps with an interface, but not have to go all the way to GTK to make them. I've also studied GTK a bit, and it doesn't seem that hard, but I think I prefer ncurses :) TUIs for the win.
I like Emacs. Compared to Ghost Writer, Emacs feels "heavier", but it has so many cool functions in it - everything from a web browser to a diary, to games, to a "computer pyschiatrist", and the Lisp interpreter. That interpreter is on my list of things to learn as well... I need more time! The Free Software Foundation has a large, heavy book on Emacs. It is on my list of things to buy.
For writing, Ghost Writer is probably among my favorite editors. There is barely anything to it, just straight, distraction free writing. It isn't great for organizing... for that I use Manuskript. All of my stories, no matter what word processor I use initially, eventually ends up in Manuskript. It is good for organizing, rearranging scenes, planning characters, plots, etc. But Manuskript is "heavy", and I don't want to use it on the Pinephone.
Ghost Writer is a good compromise. I like to panes open, the editor on the left, the "Live HTML Preview" on the right. I make it full screen on this little monitor I am sitting at, and I am good to go. I can easily transfer it to the Mini later on, for more full editing, when my scene is done, or gemlog is complete. I don't use the Pinephone as permanent storage. That belongs to the Mini.
I haven't been publishing much of my stories lately. Life is busy. And the world has gone crazy. I hope to do more. I have a couple of main stories that I've been working on. I've published most to the Hybrid Shadows story, though it is not the longest one I have. I tend to stall, and start, and stall again, not because I get burned out, but because there is just so much in life to do. Life can sometimes stifle creativity. Especially work. But creativity is where the fun is, whether it is writing or doing my own computer programs. For Lantashi's Dungeon (my in-progress Dungeon Crawler) I think my favorite part is going to be developing the language system, an old Zork-style interpreter.
For writing, I think I am going to put in random scenes about Lantashi onto my Gemlog. The "Lantashi" writing is fun, and not meant to be too serious. Also, she gets jealous if I go too long without writing about her, or using her as a Dungeons & Dragons character. So expect more just "random short scenes" that may, or may not, end up in in the official Lantashi's Dance story.