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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. 🤣

Neither are being built to be a big commercial success. Both are just passion projects. Just for fun. Nothing big and professional. šŸ˜‰ 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". 🤣

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LCOS 1.0 Release Date: Nov 1st

65,000 Lines of new Code. Crazy fast. No weird politics. Brace yourself, The Lunduke Computer Operating System is coming.

Ship date announcement:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lcos-10-ships-on-november-1st

Support the work & get your name on the LCOS About window:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lifetime-sub-sale-plus-your-name

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

00:16:10
October 16, 2026
LCOS 0.9.4 Released

Bug fixes & improved hardware support as Lunduke's Linux distro moves towards a 1.0 release.

The Lunduke Computer Operating System:
https://lunduke.com/lcos.html

Lifetime Sub Sale, Plus Your Name on the LCOS About Window:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lifetime-sub-sale-plus-your-name

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

00:11:54
October 15, 2026
Linux Creator Says Banning AI is Utterly Stupid, Idiotic

Linus Torvals says, "we’re not going to make stupid rules that say you can’t use [AI for developing Linux]".

Lifetime Sub Sale, Plus Your Name on the LCOS About Window:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/lifetime-sub-sale-plus-your-name

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

00:23:09
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! 🤣

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
October 17, 2026
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LCOS 1.0 Ships on November 1st!

A release date has officially been selected!

The Lunduke Computer Operating System (LCOS) 1.0 will ship on November 1st… just two weeks from now!

A few quick tidbits worth mentioning:

Worth repeating: If you want your name in the LCOS About Window (see the screenshot below), you only have through October 31st to grab a Lifetime Subscription to The Lunduke Journal and make that happen.

Huge thank you to everyone who has contributed with both hardware testing and financial support. We’ve had absolutely tremendous momentum over the last few months, and that wouldn’t have been possible without all of you.

-Lunduke

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October 13, 2026
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LCOS 0.9.3 has Landed! Plus: How to Help.

The Lunduke Computer Operating System (LCOS) is flying towards the official, 1.0 release — with version 0.9.3 now available for testing!

Between now and 1.0, LCOS is laser focused on a) fixing bugs and b) making sure it runs (and runs well) on as much hardware as possible.

Right now, LCOS needs your help. Here’s how:

  1. Test the latest LCOS release on your hardware. Hit any snags? Report them on GitHub, the Lunduke Forum, or via DM on X.

  2. Donate to LCOS (and The Lunduke Journal), so that we can expand our hardware testing lab (among other expenses).

If you haven’t already, watch the LCOS Roadmap video, to get an idea for where we’re heading (in 1.0 and beyond).

Then check out this page, for details on how to support LCOS & The Lunduke Journal (and get your name on the LCOS 1.0 About window in the process).

A huge thank you to everyone who has already contributed (in both ways)! With your help, we are making LCOS into the best gosh darned system in all the land.

-Lunduke

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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 ā€œLifetime Wallsā€ 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 ā€œLifetime Wallsā€ 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.

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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 ā€œGive Onceā€œ.

  3. Enter ā€œ125ā€œ 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 ā€œLifetime Subscriptionā€ 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 ā€œbryan at lunduke.comā€ 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 ā€œbryan at lunduke.comā€ 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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