Recent content on Jason Eckert's Website and Blog

 The Cambrian Explosion (1969-1999) 
 In the beginning there was UNIX. 
 Historians will correctly point out that there were computers before UNIX (1969). These historians are technically correct, which, as every IT professional knows, is the worst kind of correct. 
 Before UNIX lay the Mainframe Era, a mysterious geological period populated by refrigerator-sized computers,…

 As you may know from reading my previous blog posts or bio, I’m an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking more actively about something I’ve always known about but was not able to put into perspective. It isn’t that I’ve been discovering new trails or chasing spectacular views. Yes, I occasionally do that. Instead, it’s…
This past Wednesday, a handful of us from the Kitchener-Waterloo Linux Users Group (KWLUG) gathered for one of our monthly social meetups. This month’s meetup was also part of LibreLocal , a Free Software Foundation initiative that promotes local free software communities. 
 Unlike our regular KWLUG presentation nights hosted at the University of Waterloo, these dinners are intentionally…

 I was a heavy UNIX user throughout the 1990s, back when powerful RISC UNIX workstations roamed the Earth. SGI Octanes, Sun Ultras, DEC Alphastations… all absurdly expensive and built for science, engineering, and development work. These workstations used RISC processors (because RISC was the future!) and cost a small fortune. God, they were powerful. And on many of them, I installed…

 I’m currently working on the next edition of my Windows Server book for Cengage, updating everything from Windows Server 2022 to 2025. As you’d expect, my primary lab machine is a high-end 14th Gen Intel Core i9 system running Windows 11, hosting multiple Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) for roles like Active Directory, IIS, DNS, DHCP, and more. 
 Out of curiosity (and honestly, just for…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast becoming commonplace in our daily lives. If you made it through the AI vendor hype in 2024 and 2025, you’ve probably learned at least a few things about what AI, machine learning (ML) models, and large language models (LLMs) are. And chances are, this year your organization is having you complete a plethora of different training courses in hopes you’ll become…
Friday marked the final class of our video game development program at the college. Technically, the program disappeared from the website in 2024, but the final cohort quietly finished this past Friday so it felt like the right moment to write this. 
 From January 2011 to March 2015 (and to a lesser degree until July 2018), I was responsible for the faculty and operations behind our video game…

 For those not familiar with the different types of dashes, you’ve got the hyphen (-), which is well-known for connecting words together. Then there’s the slightly longer en dash (–), mostly used to indicate ranges, like the years I’ve maintained a blog (1998–2026). And finally, we have the em dash (—), specifically designed to be a visual separator. 
 Long before AI allegedly…

 Back in October 2024, I got my hands on a Snapdragon Dev Kit . With a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite ARM64 CPU (the fastest model!), 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, it ran Windows 11 for ARM lightning fast. So I made it my daily driver, and it stayed that way until very recently. I even wrote a review of it one year later back in October.
Every December I like to step back and reflect on the past year… my own personal retrospective. Just as software teams use sprints to learn and improve, I’ve found that looking back helps me stay aligned with the person I want to become. And looking back, 2025 wasn’t just memorable. It was epic. 
 My outdoor hiking footprint grew yet again this year. Each month, I explored new sections…

 Earlier this year, NVIDIA caused quite a stir in the data-science community when they announced the DGX Spark: a desktop-sized AI supercomputer. It’s aimed at developers and data scientists who need to prototype, tune, and run AI models locally without constantly relying on expensive cloud hardware. 
 At the heart of the DGX Spark is the new GB10 chip, which combines NVIDIA’s 20-core…

 I’ve been using 5G Home Internet for well over a year now, and honestly, I love it. For my lifestyle and day-to-day Internet habits, it has hit the sweet spot between performance, convenience, and simplicity. If you’ve ever wondered whether 5G Internet is a realistic alternative to cable or fibre for your home, I’m going to share the details and my experience in this blog post.

 A little over a year ago, I got my hands on a Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite CPU, and that inspired me to share my first impressions of Windows on ARM . Back then, the platform felt polished but had a few quirks. Now, after a full year of daily use, here’s how it’s held up. 
 A year ago, I was curious whether this emerging platform could hold…

 What is Hugo? 
 Simply put, Hugo generates websites. More specifically, it creates static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files from your content and a chosen theme. Your content is written in Markdown, with additional configuration in YAML or TOML. There are hundreds of themes available at themes.gohugo.io , most of them freely available under the MIT License. 
 Think of Hugo as a house…

 Microsoft has officially set the end-of-life (EOL) date for the Windows 10 (Win10) OS to October 14, 2025. This means that as of that date, there will be no more security updates, bug fixes, or official support for most users. While that date may seem far off (I rarely plan what I’m doing this weekend), it’s wise to start planning now, especially if you’re running Win10 on older hardware or…

 As you may have read in my previous blog posts, my main developer workstation is an Apple Mac Studio with an Apple Silicon M1 Max CPU. But instead of running macOS on it, I run Linux – specifically Fedora Asahi Remix, which is Fedora Linux for ARM + the native Apple hardware support provided by the Asahi Linux project. 
 While I prefer Linux to other operating systems, the main reason I…
Janet Jackson might not be the first person who comes to mind when you think of a hacker. But she inadvertently created a malicious payload that performed a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on many different hard drive models manufactured in 2005 and later that rotated at a speed of 5400 rpm (rotations per minute). 
 How did it work? 
 If your computer had a 5400 rpm hard drive, all you had…

 Over 27 years of teaching, I’ve learned just as much from my students as they have from me, especially about what it means to be Canadian. One message consistently shines through their reflections: being Canadian means striving to do the right thing in the world. 
 We don’t put ourselves first. We put humanity first. And that’s something to be proud of. It’s also something the…

 While cleaning out a corner of my basement today, I stumbled upon a relic from the early days of portable computing: a 1992 Apple PowerBook 145 laptop. Just like that, I was back in 2006, reliving a summer vacation with my daughter. 
 It’s strange how a piece of outdated hardware can tie itself to a moment in time. Here’s the story behind it.

AI is rapidly transforming how we work, learn, and communicate. But as it evolves, we face new questions: What decisions should we let AI make? Who is responsible when it gets things wrong? And how do we ensure that the technology reflects – not replaces – our values and ideas? 
 In this post, we’ll explore the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) – and ideally, leave with more…

 When it comes to computers, most people today use either a Mac or a PC. In this post, I’ll explore how this digital rivalry began, how it shaped modern computing — and how Linux quietly carved out a space of its own. 
 The Early Days: Roots of the Rivalry 
 In the 1980s, personal computers (PCs) began appearing in homes, schools, and businesses across the world. A wide range of…

 Canada may not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of artificial intelligence (AI) and its underlying machine learning (ML) technology. However, Canadians have played – and continue to play – a pivotal role in pioneering and advancing the field. 
 So, who exactly helped shape the future of AI? Well, there’s one big name that stands out: Geoffrey Hinton , a…

 There’s quite a bit going on in the Windows 11 desktop pic shown at the top of this post. To see the details, you can pinch zoom the pic if you are on a phone or touchscreen device, or right-click the pic and choose to open it in a new browser tab if you are on a desktop computer.

 As I mentioned in my June blog post , AI is here to stay. It will be something we take for granted in several years as the tools we use evolve to seamlessly accommodate it. Until then, we should still avoid getting caught up in current AI hype, and no – there won’t be future job titles of AI prompt engineer once it becomes as ubiquitous as Googling. 
 Since AI will overhaul…
It’s important to pause and reflect every so often to stay grounded and focused. So, each December I look back on the year’s events and summarize them in a blog post. And after doing this again this year, I realize that 2024 was one of reflection, gratitude, and exploration. 
 I was fortunate enough to go on some epic winter hiking adventures with my dog Pepper in January before…
If you are developing or integrating software with a Large Language Model (LLM) to add chatbot or other AI functionality, then you may have the need to host and run an LLM on your local workstation for development or testing. There are several open source LLMs available that you can freely run on your system provided that you have enough resources to do so. 
 LLMs are just inert objects that…
Many professionals who work in Information Technology (IT) or software development use an ARM-based PC, such as an Apple Silicon Mac, Snapdragon Elite X Windows Copilot+ PC, or an ARM Linux workstation such as the System76 Thelio Astra. Similarly, many students learning IT or software development may also use an ARM-based PC. For all of these people, it’s commonplace to deploy Linux virtual…

 Back in 2017, I wrote a blog post predicting intense competition between Intel x86-based and ARM-based PCs. And finally, after many years of lukewarm development efforts on the part of Microsoft and Qualcomm, that competition is here with Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs running powerful ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPUs with built in graphics and AI acceleration. 
 As shown in the…

 I’ve always loved exploring nature on a good hike, whether it be with other people, my dog, or solo. Hiking builds both physique and mental clarity, and the “hiker’s high” is pure bliss. 
 There are many things I’ve learned over the years that have helped me maximize my own hiking experience. Some I learned from trial-and-error, while others I learned from…

 The Internet is a dangerous place. In this post, I’ll cover five basic Cybersafety tips that anyone (including those who aren’t tech-savvy) can use to stay safe online. 
 1. Protect against viruses and malware 
 Most computer viruses are small sections of code that are embedded into files such as PowerPoint presentations and PDFs. When these files are opened in a software app…

 There are a few reasons why I’ve avoided adding a comment section to my blog these past two decades. Firstly, it can promote inappropriate and low effort responses… especially if comments can be made anonymously. As a result, my home page encourages readers to email me directly. I’ve received well over a thousand emails from readers over the years, and I’ve enjoyed…

 As our world becomes more and more digital, so does the need for us to periodically evaluate our technology habits. A 2023 reviews.org study found that people check their phone around 144 times a day. And according to Statista , people spend over 3 hours a day online at a PC for activities not related to work or school. 
 Spending too much unstructured time on any device – whether…

 If you’re tired of all of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) buzz recently, you’re not alone. Most of us in the tech industry are as well. In this post, I’ll outline what AI is and how it works, why you’re hearing so much AI hype nowadays, and how AI functionality will eventually be built into the software products we use. 
 So, what is AI? 
 Firstly, AI is…

 Back when I wrote the first edition of my Linux textbook in 2002, I spent a massive amount of time planning every detail to ensure it had a strong prerequisite concept flow for those new to Linux usage and administration. I added more content on network services and security in the second edition, and dramatically more in the third edition. The fourth edition introduced Systemd, ZFS, and…

 During the rise of the Internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the software world underwent a paradigm shift towards “open source” software development. Open source software is any software that is released under a license that gives other software developers access to read and modify the original source code that was used to create the software. In other words, if you…

 Back in 2020, I wrote a blog post detailing 6 tips for working in the tech industry. And while these tips are sage for any tech worker, there is a 7th tip that applies to life in general: Adopt a growth mindset . 
 What is a growth mindset? 
 A growth mindset is a way of viewing challenges and setbacks. People who adopt a growth mindset believe that challenges can always be overcome…

 On Monday I had to say Goodbye to an old friend. She was an amazing dog that will live in my heart forever. This post is a tribute to her and the memories.
 
 When my daughter was growing up, she wanted to pet every dog we came across. She regularly asked if we could get a dog. 
 Being a single parent, I wasn’t too keen on getting a pet because of the added work and…

 The first Apple Macintosh computer was released 40 years ago (January 24, 1984) following an epic 1984 Super Bowl commercial two days earlier. 
 As the first mass-market all-in-one computer with a graphical desktop and mouse navigation, the Macintosh (and the Macintosh brand in general) was positioned to be the computer for everyone . 
 40 years later, the “Mac” is a…
Back in 2020, Apple introduced the first Macs that used Apple Silicon processors instead of Intel ones, and this transition from Intel to Apple Silicon was completed earlier this year across Apple’s entire product line. While Apple promised they’d continue supporting macOS on Intel-based Macs for the near future, those of us who remember Apple’s previous transitions from…
For me, 2023 turned out to be a year of learning, growth, adventure, and gratitude. And since there’s plenty for me to talk about, I’ve divided my review into two sections: one that summarizes my professional pursuits, and one that summarizes everything else. 
 The professional stuff: 
 On the college front, the new technology programs I’ve been pushing since 2020 finally…

 The Raspberry Pi has been the most popular single board computer (SBC) among computer hobbyists for the past decade. It can be used to perform a wide variety of very different tasks, such as running graphical apps, streaming media, performing home automation, and monitoring humidity levels in a greenhouse. This is largely made possible by the Raspberry Pi’s many interfaces (including…

 Following are some shortcuts that I believe all desktop users should be familiar with. It is not a complete list by any means, and does not include virtual desktop or app pinning shortcuts as I felt those were beyond the scope of common desktop shortcuts. If you feel I omitted a common shortcut, email me ( jason.eckert@trios.com ) and I’ll add it to the list! 
 1. Windows shortcuts…

 What is distro hopping? 
 In the Linux community, it’s not uncommon to install and use several different Linux distributions (or distros) over time - a process called distro hopping . After all, there are hundreds of different distros available - and because each one is often geared to provide the optimal experience for a specific user or use-case (e.g., gaming), it’s become…

The top three software developers that ever worked for triOS College are shown here from left to right: Orion, Bob, and me. Unfortunately, this week we lost Bob to a courageous and difficult battle with cancer. 
 I’ve known and worked with Bob Gunderson since the beginning of triOS College 25 years ago, when it was called triOS Career Academy and triOS College of Information…

 While most of my blog posts are technical in nature, I occasionally post a personal one - and this one certainly falls into that category. 
 I’ve been on vacation these past several weeks to spend some quality time with my daughter, her partner, and my grandson from Australia. It was the first time I’ve been able to hug my daughter in four years, and the first time I’ve…
It’s been a year and a half since the Asahi Linux project allowed us to run Arch Linux natively on our Apple Silicon computers. And while my overall experience has been excellent, the Asahi Linux project is switching their flagship Linux distribution (distro) from Arch to Fedora . 
 Why the switch from Arch to Fedora? You could argue that Fedora is a much more popular mainstream…

 Most of us who work in technology fields such as software development, systems administration, and cybersecurity often listen to music while we work at our computer. After all, music stimulates many parts of our brains, including the limbic system responsible for alertness, emotion, and memory. Psychologists have also shown that music also reduces anxiety and blood pressure, as well as…

 The impact of the digital revolution this past decade has made software development a mainstream news topic. After all, every software app you’ve used on your phone, tablet, and computer was made by software developers, as was every website, online service, and Internet-connected gadget. 
 Because of my software development experience and role at the college, I get plenty of…

 While I’ve written many textbooks on different topics over the past two decades, my favourite subject area by far is Linux. After all, Linux has evolved to be one of the most foundational topics in tech education. Information Technology (IT) fields such as server/network administration, cloud administration, cybersecurity, and software development now require a solid grasp of the Linux…

 This month marks the 25th anniversary of my teaching Information Technology (IT) courses for triOS College in Ontario, Canada. 
 Back in 1998 I was well on my way to becoming an academic bum that kept on taking university courses forever. But I had a wife and child and needed to think more responsibly. So, as my spring university semester was ending, I applied for an instructor job that…