Cassidy’s Blog
A barebones place for my thoughts. Some of my writing is also on the elementary blog, and I’ve written a few pieces for Android Police.
How I Designed My Cantina Birthday Party Sat, Feb 14, 2026
Throwing the Star Wars party I always wanted!
Ever since my partner and I bought a house several years ago, I’ve wanted to throw a themed Star Wars party here. We’ve talked…
ROOST at FOSDEM 2026 Fri, Feb 6, 2026
Showing up for the Open Source community
A few months ago I joined ROOST (Robust Open Online Safety Tools) to build our open source community that would be helping to create,…
Looking back on GNOME in 2025—and looking forward to 2026 Tue, Dec 2, 2025
Help GNOME do even more next year!
This past year has been an exceptional one for GNOME. The project released two excellent releases on schedule with GNOME 48 in March and…
I’ve Joined ROOST Mon, Oct 27, 2025
Building community around open, scalable, and interoperable online safety tools
A couple of months ago I shared that I was looking for what was next for me, and I’m thrilled to report that I’ve…
Here’s to What’s Next Wed, Aug 20, 2025
a.k.a. I’m looking for work!
For the past three and a half years, I’ve done the most rewarding work of my life with Endless Access (formerly Endless OS Foundation)….
Elect the next GNOME Foundation Board of Directors for 2025! Mon, May 19, 2025
(Oh, and I’m running…)
It’s everyone’s favorite time of year, election season! …Okay, maybe not the most exciting thing—but an extremely important one nonetheless. For anyone who doesn’t…
GNOME Should Kick the Foot to the Curb… Mostly Fri, Feb 14, 2025
A distinction between the outward brand and a contributor mascot could provide some balance
Update: Thanks for all of the feedback and discussion on Mastodon and Matrix! I’ve revised this post a bit with some more nuance and…
Publish Your Godot Engine Game to Flathub Wed, Dec 11, 2024
Reach millions of users on the Linux app store with Flatpak
If you follow me on the fediverse (@cassidy@blaede.family), you may have seen me recently gushing about ROTA, a video game I recently discovered. Besides…
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism Fri, Nov 8, 2024
Excerpt from “Fascism, Anyone?” by Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry Spring 2003 (Volume 23, No. 2), Page 20
Over two decades ago, political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt studied well-known fascist regimes (Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, Pinochet) and identified 14 characteristics they had…
How & Why to Connect Threads to the Fediverse—including Mastodon Wed, Jun 26, 2024
Fancy (or cringe) name aside, “the fediverse” is a wider network where the people are in control
This week Threads announced it is rolling out wider support for connecting with “the fediverse,” and it’s a no-brainer to opt in to this…
Recovering the BIOS on a Dell XPS 13 (9310) Tue, May 28, 2024
I’ve had to do this too many times… here’s my guide
It seems like every few months my work Dell XPS 13 just… dies. Or at least, it seems like it for a few minutes,…
How and Why to Get Verified on Mastodon Wed, Oct 11, 2023
It’s fast, easy, and doesn’t cost anything
I run a little family Mastodon server so that I can have @cassidy@blaede.family and feel comfortable sharing random photos of my kids with people…
Use Commit from Flatpak Both Inside and Outside of Toolbx Tue, Oct 10, 2023
Is this terrible? Probably. But it works!
This one’s gonna be a short one, and is mostly for my own notes. :) I like to use the Commit app as a…
Endless ♥ GNOME at GUADEC 2023 Tue, Oct 3, 2023
Collaborating within GNOME to widen our impact far beyond Endless OS
In July, my employer Endless sponsored and attended the annual GNOME conference, GUADEC, in Rīga, Latvia. Endless has a long history of supporting and…
I’m back from GUADEC 2023 Sun, Aug 6, 2023
Here’s what I got up to in Rīga, Latvia
I’m back from Rīga, Latvia where I attended GUADEC 2023—the annual GNOME conference. It was my first time attending since 2019 due to COVID-19…
Stars & Thumbs Mon, Jul 31, 2023
Thoughts on app ratings and reviews
I’m on my way back from GUADEC in Rīga, Latvia and one recurring discussion (of many) was centered around how ratings and reviews are…
Toot toot! Mastodon-powered Blog Comments Thu, Jul 6, 2023
The Fediverse—and Mastodon’s API—is magic for static Jekyll sites
If you follow me on Mastodon, you’ve probably heard that I’ve added Mastodon-powered comments to this here blog. If you missed it, check it…
Give your SVGs light/dark style support Fri, Jun 30, 2023
prefers-color-scheme and media queries are magic
I’ve recently been contributing to Flathub and updating my own website a bit, and I found myself wanting to recolor SVGs for light and…
Accent Colors: A Proposal for GNOME Mon, Jun 26, 2023
Enabling user expression while considering the needs of distros and app developers
This is not an announcement or guarantee of implementation from GNOME! This post represents my personal opinions in tracking an ongoing discussion within GNOME…
3D Printing on Endless OS Tue, Mar 7, 2023
…or any other Linux OS with Flathub
I recently got a 3D printer for my birthday, and I have been absolutely loving tinkering, printing, and learning with it. There is such…
Moment Cases No Longer Support M-Series Lenses for Google Pixel Phones Sun, Jan 15, 2023
Despite an “upgrade guarantee,” there are no plans for M-Series photo cases for Pixel 7
Moment made a name for themselves by providing quality mobile photography lenses and cases for iPhones, Pixels, and Samsung Galaxy phones, but it seems…
Endless OS Foundation at Ubuntu Summit 2022 Tue, Dec 20, 2022
What we shared, enjoyed, and learned in Prague
Developing a GitHub Pages/Jekyll Site on Fedora Silverblue or Endless OS Sun, Dec 18, 2022
Documenting for my own purposes—but hopefully it’s helpful!
For the past decade, I’ve used Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based distributions like elementary OS. As such, I’ve gotten used to or put up with certain…
Use GrapheneOS to extend the life of a Pixel Fri, Sep 23, 2022
The security- and privacy-focused OS can be bent back into a Pixel experience
Important Update As of August 18, 2022, the GrapheneOS project considers their support of Pixel 3 finished, and effectively says users should stop using…
Run `gnome-info-collect` on Endless OS Wed, Aug 31, 2022
Opt in to share a one-time snapshot of your configuration
When gnome-info-collect was announced, I had a lot to say about it and the overarching direction: Privacy-respecting metrics is something a lot of smart…
Using Fedora Toolbox on Endless OS Tue, Aug 30, 2022
Another note-to-self I hope may be useful to someone out there on the web
Today I was trying to spin up a toolbox (or more recently rebranded to toolbx) container with Fedora 36 for some development/CLI tools on…
Simple scroll-to-top in vanilla JavaScript and CSS Fri, Jun 3, 2022
Continuing my series of documenting things for myself
I’ll probably expand on this in the future, but I am fairly proud of how this turned out! A client wanted a back-to-top button…
I’ve Joined the Endless OS Foundation Fri, Apr 8, 2022
A nonprofit with a worldwide mission I believe in
A bit over a week ago I wrote how I was moving on from my involvement at elementary, Inc. and the elementary open source…
Farewell, elementary Thu, Mar 31, 2022
I’m moving on; here’s to the future!
Over the last decade, I’ve worked to help build elementary into what it is today: a world-class operating system lead by a team who…
Cassidy on GNOME, Themes, and More Fri, Nov 12, 2021
The Linux Experiment interviews Cassidy for a video
Recently there’s been a lot of discussion within the open source desktop space about GNOME, LibAdwaita, and the future of “theming” on GTK-based platforms…
Google's polishing up its emoji—probably for Android 12 Thu, Jul 15, 2021
Nearly everything outside of faces has been tweaked or entirely redrawn
Ephemeral 7.1 is Out Now Thu, Mar 25, 2021
Introducing “Automatically Open Site Externally”
There’s a new update for the always-incognito web browser for elementary OS! Ephemeral 7.1 integrates even better into your workflow by introducing a new…
There’s No Good Replacement for Simple Thu, Feb 11, 2021
Alternatives exist, but they’re all lacking in one or more critical ways
Estimating “Read Time” in Jekyll Tue, Jan 12, 2021
See it in use right here on the blog!
I’m a huge fan of static site generators like Jekyll, which I’m using for my website and various elementary sites like the elementary Blog….
Ephemeral 7 is Here Mon, Oct 5, 2020
Developer tools, hard refresh, latest WebKit updates, support for elementary OS 6, and new site suggestions
It’s been nearly two years since I first released Ephemeral—the always-incognito web browser for elementary OS—on AppCenter. In that time, I’ve added zoom, a…
De-Googling: Chrome Fri, Aug 14, 2020
Probably the easiest migration
Moving away from Google Chrome was probably the easiest migration in my de-Googling efforts. I’m not a huge user of bookmarks, history, or extensions,…
De-Googling Fri, Aug 14, 2020
…if only just a bit to start
I don’t believe corporations can be inherently “good” or “evil.” However, I believe it is important to consider the motivations behind companies’ business models,…
Pinebook Pro Fri, Jul 24, 2020
Impressive hardware that gives a glimpse of a bright future
I recently got my hands on a Pinebook Pro from PINE64, and have spent the past couple of weeks using it—admittedly in rotation with…
A Look at the Slimbook Pro X Sun, Jul 12, 2020
Not a review, but some thoughts
I was unable to get all of the photos I wanted before my baby had to go to bed—but for now I have included…
Linux++ Interviews Cassidy Sat, Jun 20, 2020
An excerpt from Linux++ issue 20
Below is an excerpt of Linux++ issue 20. Be sure to read the full article. This week Linux++ is very excited to welcome Cassidy…
The “Uncanny Valley” Curve Fri, Jun 5, 2020
How creepy robots relate to skeuomorphism and UX
The Uncanny Valley is the idea that there’s a curve related to a human-like object’s level of realism and how acceptable we perceive it…
Flathub on elementary OS Tue, Apr 14, 2020
Note: this post contains some future-thinking from me, and doesn’t necessarily match up with any plans or thoughts of elementary as a whole. There’s…
What is a Raspberry Pi? Sat, Apr 11, 2020
Answering a question I’ve been asked several times in the past week
Sometimes I forget how much of a bubble I’m in. Every day, I interact with Linux users and developers, fellow tech geeks, etc. online….
Re: Email Thu, Feb 6, 2020
Hey, I loathe the experience of email. I have an unending, bottomless ocean of email. Inbox Zero is a myth that would require archiving…
elementary at GUADEC 2019 Thu, Sep 5, 2019
Hanging out with GNOME in Thessaloniki, Greece
Cassidy and fellow GUADEC attendees arriving at the Thessaloniki airport GUADEC is the annual GNOME User And Developer European* Conference where contributors to GNOME…
Welcome to the New Blog Thu, Aug 15, 2019
Why we left Medium, and how!
In 2016, elementary moved to a Medium publication to host our official blog. At the time, Medium was touted as a simple, clean, and…
The Need for a FreeDesktop Dark Style Preference Fri, May 17, 2019
It’s time for the FreeDesktop to catch up
In the past year or so, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Chrome OS, Safari, Chrome, and Firefox have begun testing or released a user-set dark…
2019 UI Study Results Fri, May 17, 2019
Regarding Custom Styles, Dark Modes, and Night Light
In my time contributing to elementary and GNOME, I’ve become familiar with pleas from users to implement official support for arbitrary themes — while that itself…
What’s New in Ephemeral 5 Wed, May 15, 2019
New features and snazzy UI refinements
Today I’m happy to announce the latest release of the private-by-default browser for elementary OS. Ephemeral 5 brought some useful new features, and 5.1…
Parental Controls & Metered Data Hackfest Fri, Mar 22, 2019
Working with GNOME on shared features
This week I’ve been in London, UK to attend the Parental Controls & Metered Data hackfest and work alongside folks from GNOME, Endless, Red…
Major Updates to Ephemeral Sat, Feb 23, 2019
What’s new with the always-incognito web browser
In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been actively developing Ephemeral, the always-incognito web browser, for elementary OS. My vision for version 1.0 was simple:…
Accessibility Features Are Just Features Sat, Feb 16, 2019
An OS-wide curb-cutting effort
Photo of an accessible curb cut by Dane Deaner on Unsplash For some time now, Daniel and I have been talking about how accessibility features…
Introducing Ephemeral Wed, Jan 9, 2019
The always-incognito web browser
Ever since Firefox Focus landed on Android, I’ve been a fan. It’s an interesting idea of making privacy a habit by default instead of…
Privacy and elementary OS Wed, Jan 9, 2019
How we protect your data from ourselves and others
With the release of elementary OS 5 Juno still fresh, I wanted to take a moment and talk about our continued privacy focus with…
We’re Back from LAS 2018 Wed, Sep 12, 2018
Sharing knowledge and wisdom in Denver, Colorado
This past week elementary contributors Daniel Foré, Felipe Escoto, Blake Kostner, and I met up in Denver, Colorado for the Libre Application Summit (LAS)….
A New Chapter Wed, Aug 1, 2018
tl;dr I’m going full-time at elementary
My Career at System76 In 2013 I was looking for a new high end laptop to help with my elementary contributions—I wanted it to be…
How the YouTube Music Rollout Should Have Gone Tue, May 29, 2018
Let’s Imagine an Alternate Universe
This whole YouTube Music thing has been really poorly handled. It’s not entirely clear where the overlap is between existing services and subscriptions, what…
Introducing Palette Tue, Apr 10, 2018
A new app for elementary colors
This past weekend, I realized I was opening a web browser to do something a native app could do better: referencing and copy-pasting colors….
Why the Looped Square (⌘) Symbol? Thu, Mar 1, 2018
Keyboard shortcuts in elementary OS are the same no matter if it’s a Windows-branded keyboard or not; we just use the ⌘ looped square…
Introducing Dippi Sun, Jan 14, 2018
A new app to calculate (Hi)DPI
Apparently writing a multi-part series on Medium isn’t enough for me; I just can’t stop thinking and talking about HiDPI! This time I’ve actually…
GNOME UX Hackfest 2017 Tue, Nov 21, 2017
Designing the future of GNOME Shell
I just got back from a week-long design hackfest in London focused on GNOME Shell and related components. It was a fantastic week with…
What is HiDPI Wed, Nov 23, 2016
and Why Does it Matter?
I’m a web developer and UX architect formerly at Ubuntu computer manufacturer System76, and cofounder of elementary OS, an open source desktop operating system….
GNOME West Coast Summit Wed, Jul 1, 2015
Danielle, Cody, Avi, and I (Cassidy) just left San Francisco and the GNOME West Coast Summit. It kicked off Monday morning at 9 AM…
Payments Sun, Feb 15, 2015
Or, “Why we make you type $0”
While our desktop developers are hard at work making Freya happen (we just released beta 2!), our web developers and many new contributors are…
A Music App Shouldn't Be a Podcast App Mon, Apr 7, 2014
Many popular music apps handle not only music, but podcasts. The thinking goes that since both are comprised of MP3s (or other audio files),…
10×10 Design Process Mon, Jan 21, 2013
The problem and a possible solution
As a User Experience designer for elementary, I’m often shown different pixel-perfect mockups or even in-code implementations and asked what I think. I typically…
Hello, Luna Beta 1 Wed, Nov 14, 2012
Developers and testers, today we are happy to announce the first beta release of elementary OS Luna. We’ve been working hard the past year…
Managing Criticism on Both Ends Fri, Aug 19, 2011
I’ve been working with elementary and the community for quite some time now, and I’ve gotten a pretty good feel for the individuals that…
Eating Our Own Dogfood Mon, Jul 11, 2011
Woof!
Eating your own dog food. Taking what you dish out. Talking the talk and walking the walk. It’s a seemingly simple concept that has…
Dell Precision 5530 Impressions Wed, Jul 10, 2019
A beastly Linux laptop, with some caveats
I recently raised funds for a new beast of a development machine for my work on elementary OS. After receiving the laptop, installing elementary…
Shortlist (June 2015) Tue, Jun 2, 2015
A year ago I explained what my personal shortlist is. It’s time to update it! To quote myself, a shortlist is: …a list of…
My elementary Wishlist x2 Wed, Apr 29, 2015
About a year ago I posted a list of four random apps or utilities that I’d love to be able to use on elementary…
Misuse of Terms in UIs Wed, Jul 23, 2014
Throughout the years, I’ve noticed several recurring misuses of terms in user interfaces. Designers or developers often don’t know when to use one term…
Shortlist: July 2014 Mon, Jul 7, 2014
I hate wishlists. Making a big long list of all the things you want just seems both tedious and selfish for some reason. I…
Life Changes Thu, Apr 24, 2014
There comes a time when you want a change in your life. After dating my girlfriend Katie for nearly six years, I asked her…
My elementary Wishlist Sun, Apr 20, 2014
Occasionally I think of random apps or utilities that I’d love to be able to use on elementary OS. I jot them down and…
5 Myths About elementary Mon, Mar 31, 2014
Whether I’m browsing Google+, responding to tweets from @elementary, or telling friends about elementary in the flesh, I’m bound to hear some random myth…
Random Music: Mystery Love Tue, Mar 25, 2014
Daniel Foré shared this song with me and I thought it was pretty groovy/funky. It’s by +Hugo Millwood’s band Galaxy Cat over on Bandcamp….
New New Blog Tue, Mar 25, 2014
That was short-lived. If you follow me on social media (or just randomly visit my website), you may have noticed I said I was…