--- title: "Computer Floss" url: https://computerfloss.com/ description: "Computer Floss: delightful digital distractions in free/libre/open source software." --- # Computer Floss Free/libre/open source software Delightful digital distractions in free/libre/open source software. $ read computer-floss Original posts by Karl Beecher on teaching, FLOSS, Saros, Eclipse, Linux hardware, and software engineering practice. [Read the Computer Floss Blog](https://computerfloss.com/latest-posts/) $ ls /latest ## New files Recently published notes added to the directory. [`Sep 28, 2026`**SEOWriting.ai vs Autoblogging.ai for Product Reviews**→](https://computerfloss.com/seowriting-ai-vs-autoblogging-ai-for-product-reviews/) [`Sep 24, 2026`**Karo.bot vs Tasks.Bot for Report Generation Automation Software**→](https://computerfloss.com/karo-bot-vs-tasks-bot-for-report-generation-automation-software/) [`Sep 18, 2026`**7 Mistakes to Avoid When Picking Tools for WhatsApp Marketing Automation in 2026**→](https://computerfloss.com/7-mistakes-to-avoid-when-picking-tools-for-whatsapp-marketing-automation-in-2026/) [`Sep 17, 2026`**No Code Automation Builder Pricing Guide: What Should You Pay?**→](https://computerfloss.com/no-code-automation-builder-pricing-guide-what-should-you-pay/) [`Sep 14, 2026`**How to Use Em Dashes in a Sentence**→](https://computerfloss.com/em-dashes-in-a-sentence-a-decision-first-guide/) [`Sep 10, 2026`**What Is the Best Ritner Digital Alternative in 2026?**→](https://computerfloss.com/what-is-the-best-ritner-digital-alternative-in-2026/) [`Aug 25, 2026`**A Practical Guide to Payment Collection for Customer Support Teams**→](https://computerfloss.com/a-practical-guide-to-payment-collection-for-customer-support-teams/) [`Aug 22, 2026`**How to Choose the Best AI Task Automation Tools for Scheduled Tasks**→](https://computerfloss.com/how-to-choose-the-best-ai-task-automation-tools-for-scheduled-tasks/) [`Aug 16, 2026`**Top 7 Alternatives of Vograce**→](https://computerfloss.com/top-7-alternatives-of-vograce/) [`Aug 15, 2026`**10 Best Frizerly Alternatives Worth Trying**→](https://computerfloss.com/10-best-frizerly-alternatives-worth-trying/) [`Aug 09, 2026`**Complete Network vs Charlotte IT Solutions for Security Compliance Frameworks**→](https://computerfloss.com/complete-network-vs-charlotte-it-solutions-for-security-compliance-frameworks/) [`Aug 09, 2026`**Who's the Best for Dedicated Account Support: Panda Patches vs The Monterey Company**→](https://computerfloss.com/who-s-the-best-for-dedicated-account-support-panda-patches-vs-the-monterey-company/) [`Aug 05, 2026`**Why Is Charlotte IT Solutions the Best for IT Support Services?**→](https://computerfloss.com/why-is-charlotte-it-solutions-the-best-for-it-support-services/) [`Aug 03, 2026`**Top 3 Books on Generative AI SEO**→](https://computerfloss.com/top-3-books-on-generative-ai-seo/) [`Jul 30, 2026`**Best AI Task Automation Tools for Smart Reminders (2026)**→](https://computerfloss.com/best-ai-task-automation-tools-for-smart-reminders-2026/) [`Jul 11, 2026`**8 WhatsApp Marketing Software Solutions for Faster Conversions**→](https://computerfloss.com/8-whatsapp-marketing-software-solutions-for-faster-conversions/) [`Jul 09, 2026`**8 Best Alternatives of SurgeGraph**→](https://computerfloss.com/8-best-alternatives-of-surgegraph/) [`Jul 08, 2026`**7 Best AI Article Writers for Low-Competition Keyword Targeting**→](https://computerfloss.com/7-best-ai-article-writers-for-low-competition-keyword-targeting/) [`Jul 08, 2026`**10 Best AI Article Writers for Founders**→](https://computerfloss.com/10-best-ai-article-writers-for-founders/) [`Jul 04, 2026`**WriteRush vs Autoblogging.ai**→](https://computerfloss.com/writerush-vs-autoblogging-ai/) [`Jul 04, 2026`**Katteb vs Autoblogging.ai**→](https://computerfloss.com/katteb-vs-autoblogging-ai/) FLOSS Python Saros Eclipse Java Linux Research Training Software engineering Open source ## Featured writing Selected from the original Computer Floss posts and publication pages, with the old sidebar clutter removed. [30 October 2015 / HackingA little adventure with Haskell and GoI recently decided to brush up on my functional programming skills. My day job increasingly involves building and operating large-scale distributed systems and I became interested in the intersection between this and...](https://computerfloss.com/2015/10/a-little-adventure-with-haskell-and-go/) [11 August 2015 / General software engineeringSoftware sucks - put simplyBe very worried. Software is eating the world, and it sucks. This is a quote from a great article called Why the Great Glitch of July 8th Should Scare You by Zeynep Tufekci . You should go and read it (but finish this...](https://computerfloss.com/2015/08/software-sucks-put-simply/) [May 7, 2012 / General software engineering, OpinionWhy choose Python for teaching?I recently read a tweet by a computer science educator claiming the superiority of a particular programming language for teaching purposes (Pascal, if you must know). Now, I don’t really go for religious wars — each to...](https://computerfloss.com/2012/05/why-choose-python-for-teaching/) [March 29, 2012 / NewsPartnering with Agile WorkersMore exciting news. Mirko Böhm, co-founder of Agile Workers Software , has invited me to become a partner in the company. I’ve gladly accepted. Agile Workers is a cool, new Berlin-based start-up that offers a diverse...](https://computerfloss.com/2012/03/partnering-with-agile-workers/) [December 2011 / SarosSaros: Needs-based synchronisation and a greatly upgraded WhiteboardI’ve been so extremely busy the last six weeks that I’ve had no time to blog. During that time a new release of Saros went out and I almost let it pass without telling you about it. Version 11.12.9 of our distributed...](https://computerfloss.com/2011/12/saros-needs-based-synchronisation-and-a-greatly-upgraded-whiteboard/) [Methods & Tools, Fall 2011 / PublicationsDistributed Party ProgrammingExcerpt: "Writing software in a team is hard enough when everyone is within easy reach. Working with people based far away presents a whole new challenge. If you've ever tried distributed collaboration you'll already be...](https://computerfloss.com/distributed-party-programming/) ## About the site Karl Beecher wrote Computer Floss while working across software engineering, teaching, research, and open source communities. [ProfileAbout Karl BeecherKarl Beecher is a freelance consultant, teacher and writer who specialises in IT and computer science. He tries to straddle the line between industry and academia. In the past, he has worked as a software engineer, but...](https://computerfloss.com/about-computer-floss/) [WritingPublicationsA list of recent publications: Karl Beecher. Saros: An Eclipse Plug-in for Distributed Party Programming. Methods & Tools , Fall 2011, pp. 44–47, Martinig & Associates, ISSN: 1661-402X. Lutz Prechelt, Karl Beecher. Four...](https://computerfloss.com/publications/) [ProjectAbout SarosThis page gives an introduction to the Saros project for any interested parties. It is a distillation of a number of resources, most of them available at the official Saros website . What is Saros? Saros is an Eclipse...](https://computerfloss.com/about-saros/)