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Oh, the delight of having so many programming side projects!

When I got out of the programming-as-a-job game -- and became a full time "whatever the heck I do now" -- I told myself that I would now have time to finish all of those fun little side projects that I'd been wanting to program for so many years.

And, to a certain extent, that happened. Sorta. Almost.

While I definitely got some good programming time in, over the last few years, I kept getting distracted by different projects. So I only finished a couple projects. The perennial problem of the software developer, am I right? As soon as you get heads-down on a projects... OH LOOK OVER THERE A SHINY NEW IDEA... and off you go on that new project.

Over the last year or so -- give or take -- the number of projects that distract me has rapidly dwindled. Down to just two projects that I now tend to hop between in my spare time

Not sure if that narrowed field of projects that excite me is because of age... or maybe just a focusing of my interests. But, regardless, it's nice to be able to not be distracted by TOO many programming projects at this point.

Like earlier this week: I did a podcast episode where I fantasized about a theoretical Linux distribution. It was fun to dream about... but it wasn't really a project that grabbed me and pulled me away from the two core projects that seem to hold my attention nowadays. In my younger years... such a dream of a Linux distro would totally have distracted me from just about any other programming project.

But not at this point.

Nowadays I have two projects that get at least 90% of my "hobby programming" time:

  • My Lunduke OS project (which is basically just a whole smattering of TUI tools built on top of FreeDOS).
  • And a (very) small little office suite. (I spent so many years working on MS Office that I ended up with some STRONG opinions about how such apps should be designed.)

Both are long term projects. Shoot. Think I started the office suite... 5 years ago? Maybe more? And Lunduke OS is a few years old now too.

I'm trying to convince myself to ignore one of the projects so I can focus on just one. Hopefully, if I can keep from getting distracted, I can get to a "release-worthy" point for one of them.

Sometimes I think I'll focus on the office suite. Then Lunduke OS distracts me.

Then the opposite happens. đŸ€Ł

Neither are being built to be a big commercial success. Both are just passion projects. Just for fun. Nothing big and professional. 😉 Which makes it 10x harder to focus on just one.

I know so many of you have similar projects you bounce between. I just felt like rambling about mine a bit this evening. When I probably should be working on finishing writing the things that are my actual "job". đŸ€Ł

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September 24, 2026
LCOS 0.6 : Rust-Free Kernel, New Text Editor

The 2nd Beta release of the Lunduke Computer Operating System adds new software, a custom Linux kernel, and lots of fixes.

LCOS GitHub Page:
https://github.com/BryanLunduke/LCOS

LCOS on DistroWatch:
https://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=lcos

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:17:57
September 24, 2026
KDE Leader Calls Omarchy Funders a "Rouges Gallery of Villains"

Official KDE Statement: "KDE does not harbor fascists", "We neither have nor want a relationship with Omarchy."

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:10:55
September 23, 2026
Linux AI Patches Soars to 17%

Yet another record week for AI / LLM development of the Linux kernel, with 1,634 AI generated code submissions.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:09:52
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! đŸ€Ł

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
September 26, 2026

The Vivaldi browser has finally added support for chrome extensions. I had no idea the browser lacked such a basic feature.

September 25, 2026

New Models - Yes, They Keep Getting Smarter and More Capable.

This week Gpt-6 Sol and Luna were released as was Opus 5.5. These are models that figure significantly in my work so I benchmarked them and started using the right away.

Conclusion? Sol-6 Medium for most things with Opus 5.5 for code review. Or whichever I use for coding, I should use the other for code review.

Here comes a big revelation - for me - as to the wisdom of benchmarking yourself on your code and usage patterns. As well as logging model statistics as you code.

The consensus is far and away in Opus 55's favor. I'm not sure I came across a single review in favor of Sol. So I asked Claude (who I had do a study using Opus 5.5 medium) how is it that my own work keeps saying Sol 6 Medium.

My AI said: 1. Your reviewer turns Sol's misses into cheap repairs. When people say "Opus is clearly better," they usually mean better per attempt: better first-pass code, fewer regressions, stronger terminal work. That's real. On Forge, Opus...

September 25, 2026
Lunduke Lifetime Discount Ends in 1 Day; Zelda, Larry, SQ, & Keen Walls Available

TL;DR: Lifetime Subscription discount ends in one day. There are currently 4 “Lifetime Walls” with space available for more names (the Oregon Trail Wall is now full).

We’ve been running a massive discount on Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriptions for the entire months of June and July. And it has been an absolute blast. There are now 21 (twenty-one!) retro computer walls overflowing with your names.

Pure insanity. Huge thank you to everyone who has supported The Lunduke Journal.

But the discounted price only runs through July 31st
 and that moment is just about here.

When the calendar ticks over into August (just a hair over 24 hours from now), the Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription price goes back to normal.

  • If the calendar still says it’s July, the Lifetime price is still discounted to $125.

  • If the calendar says August
 the price returns to $300.

There are, as of this exact moment, 4 retro game themed “Lifetime Walls” which still have some space for more names (check Lunduke.com for the full list):

  1. Legend of Zelda

  2. Commander Keen 4

  3. Space Quest 4

  4. Leisure Suit Larry

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (scroll down for the details), then email Lunduke (bryan at lunduke.com) with which Wall you’d like to appear on.

 

First come, first served. Once a Wall is full, it’s full. So if there’s a specific Wall you’d like to be on, don’t dilly dally.

How to Grab a Discounted Lifetime Subscription:

There are 3 different ways to pick up a Lunduke Journal Lifetime sub. All of them work great. Choose whichever works best for you!

Remember: These discounted prices go back up to normal ($300) on August 1st.

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “125“ into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

Get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

Bonus: Save an extra $10 with the Bitcoin option, as Bitcoin processing has fewer fees associated with it.

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  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

-Lunduke

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Oregon Trail, Keen, & Leisure Suit Larry Lifetime Walls

Holy frijoles! There are now 20 (twenty!) Lifetime Subscriber Walls, filled with the names of roughly one bazillion Lunduke Journal supporters.

Just amazing.

Two super quick updates:

  1. The “Desqview/X”, “NeXTSetp”, & “TRS-80 Model 100” Walls are now full! (Check them out on Lunduke.com and at the end of new shows.)

  2. There are 3 new Walls available to put your John Hancock on
 and, just for kicks, these ones aren’t from Classic Operating Systems
 they’re Classic Games:

    1. Oregon Trail

    2. Commander Keen 4

    3. Leisure Suit Larry

 

I don’t expect space on these Walls to last long. First come first served.

A huge thank you to all of The Lunduke Journal subscribers. Your support is deeply appreciated. You make this possible.

-Lunduke

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TRS-80 Model 100 joins The Lunduke Journal Lifetime Wall party!

Buckle up, Buttercup. Because The Lunduke Journal is about to blow your mind.

  1. The “BeOS” Wall Lifetime Subscriber Wall is now full (see all of them on Lunduke.com)!

  2. We’ve added a new “TRS-80 Model 100” Wall (because we can)! That’s the 19th Lifetime Subscriber Wall! 19!

  3. The discounted Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions are still available through to the end of this month (July).

Which means there are, as of this exact moment, 4 Walls with space available (see Lunduke.com for the full list of Walls). But these fill up wicked fast.

  1. Emacs (only a few spots left)

  2. Desqview/X (a little less than 2/3rd’s full)

  3. NeXTStep (still plenty of space)

  4. TRS-80 Model 100 (just launched)

 

Nice, right?

Worth noting: The “TRS-80 Model 100” has very limited screen resolution (240 x 64), which means only a small number of names can fit on that wall. If you want on it, I’d let me know right away.

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (if you don’t already have one), then let me know (email “bryan at lunduke.com”) which Wall you’d like to see your name on.

Huge high five to everyone who has already added their name to a Wall. At the current rate, we’ll have over 20 retro computer themed walls, filled with all of your names, by the end of the month.

And, doggone it, that’s amazing.

-Lunduke

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