Calvusrex - bearded fellow in a black fedora, glasses and suspenders
My small outpost beyond the algorithmic frontier.

My Journal

Friday 5 June 2026

3.17pm

Two days of just all kinds of stuff!

Where to even start. I have an old HP i5, 16GB RAM computer sitting around and decided to do soemthing with it. So, I wiped it and installed Proxmox to use as a home lab to learn various OS's and in the future, who knows what!

The installation was pretty straight forward. I then created a plan so I am not just willy nilly installing OS's. The first one I intalled was OpenBSD, as that is the one I decided I wanted to learn how to administer first. That was an ordeal. Not just configuring the VM with the right settings, but not being familiar with BSD's install process. I'll admit, I had to tag Codex a few times to get through it. But now I have a fully functional OpenBSD environment to use as a learning lab! And, I also documented the process so I can repeat it in the future!

I then decided to try another install and went with OS/2Warp4. THAT was a mistake. Not only is Proxmox not really geared for an OS that old, I have never installed OS/2 and finally just gave up. HOWEVER, I do have 86Box isntalled on my ssytem and found the right old hardware settings to install OS/2 and got it to boot, but again, had to tag Codex for some assists. Now, I have a VM running with old school IBM OS/2Warp4!

Today, I've been reviewing a writing projhect that I want to have go in a different direction. Not going to say much about it right now, because it's still in the planning phase and may change. But honestly, I think it's going to be a pretty cool project. I have feelers out on the web getting some opinions. So while those are coming in, I thought I would try another Proxmox VM and decided to dig WAY back to my early Linux days and try installing Gentoo. Back in the early 2000's it was REALLY difficult to install. I tried many times and gave up equally as many times. Today, the handbook is considerably easier to follow with better descriptions. I am currently sitting in a SSH isntance of Gentoo configuring it. And that my friends is where I am sitting right now at 3:15PM on a Friday afternoon!

Tags: self-hosting, operating systems, openbsd, gentoo, 86Box, Proxmox, retro

Wednesday 3 June 2026

8.13am

To publish or not to publish, that is the question

My apologies to William Shakespeare 😂

To publish, or not to publish, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler to dwell within The walled gardens of the mighty platforms, There to harvest likes and fleeting notice, Or to take up domain, server, and editor Against a sea of convenience, And by persistence build a place of one's own.

To write, to host, no more. And by a host to say We end the tyranny of engagement, The heartache of algorithms, And the thousand manufactured urgencies That modern creators suffer.

To write, to host. To host, perchance to matter. Ay, there's the hope.

For in that quiet corner of the Net What conversations may yet bloom, When we have shrugged off metrics, trends, and reach, Must give us courage.

That is the spirit That keeps the small web alive.

Tags: smallweb, algorithms, Shakespeare, parody, humor

Tuesday 2 June 2026

8.28pm

Updated envs.dev page is safe!

Pretty much have this website designed and just need to do some minor tweaks and populate some info.

The nice thing is that in Brave browser, with Shields Up, I get 0 trackers, ads and more blocked!

That is the goal of my presence here. A safe, smallweb friendly, secure, comfortable place on the edges ofg the internet!

Tags: Brave, smallweb, safe, tracking, ads, website

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