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You defend Windows as if it were your lifeline, but tell me... How often do you actually walk into your server room, use the KVM switch to get to the proper server, administer the server in person while looking at a monitor? With a GUI, you almost need to do this.

Disclaimer: Windows is my lifeline. I'm paid to work on Windows machines. And to answer your question, I do it quite often if it's the most convenient way to get things done. Of course, I also have an admin workstation with MMC tools loaded, can telnet in, can run TightVNC, or Terminal Services for remote control, or can use a lot of tools (native Win2K + 3rd party) to administer from the CLI of my own box. Or, I can automate things via WSH using VBScript (my scripting language of choice) if it's something repetitive. Whichever suits me and the problem at hand at the moment and makes my life easier.

Not saying that UNIX is wrong in it's CLI, but saying that a GUI in Windows is not a good excuse for not being able to automate or run from the CLI if you want.

A server is not something that you should not have a mouse or a keyboard hooked up to. It's a little box, in a darkened and protected room. It should NEVER go down. Ideally, it should never even be touched after the day it's installed.

Servers DO go down, both UNIX and Windows. It's a cost of doing business. And you usually don't have to touch a Windows server after it's installed unless you want to change something. That's about the same as for UNIX, isn't it?

You say that open ports on Windows servers should be taken care of by a firewall. Tell me, if Windows were secure, why would a firewall be necessary at all?

So, do you run *nix boxes on the internet without a firewall? I don't. I'd say it's pretty standard practice to put webservers of all kinds behind firewalls, so the paper pointing out open ports is a bit of a red herring.

The imaging servers / multicasting solution you speak of is the lazy man's solution. It is the state of programming society that has lost the interest in efficiency, because modern hardware can cover up inefficiency. The inefficiency still remains. This lazy way is not the kind of mindset that a forward looking, intelligent individual should have. So what if the right way is sometimes a little more difficult?

When the "right way" takes more time, specialized skill, and effort, then it's the "more expensive way". And then you have to weigh the costs involved as well. A forward looking, intelligent individual uses the resources available to him to do the job in the most EFFICIENT manner. When hardware is cheaper than eeking out another .1% performance boost from recoding or optimizing, then throwing hardware at the problem is a viable solution. I can buy 512MB of RAM for less than what it costs for a client to pay me for 1 hour. If that solves the problem, then it makes more sense to buy the RAM. That's business.

Sometimes we don't have fibre, sometimes we don't have 1000BT. Most times, we don't have the massive RAID arrays and ultra expensive hardware that MS can provide.

Oh, and a *Nix can have just about everything turned off with exception of the kernel. I can load hardware drivers without rebooting, I can kill every process that isn't necessary.

Umm...you can kill every process in Windows that isn't necessary too. That's why they're called unnecessary. Admittedly, if your only tool is the taskmanager then you're not a knowledgeable admin, so Windows will protect you from yourself...but I see that as a good thing.

I can completely update my system without a reboot, yet every service pack I've encountered requires at least 1 reboot.

Like a reboot is that big of a deal. It takes all of 5 minutes, and can even be scheduled. Let's get off the uptime high horse, eh? If you need 24/7 uptime, there's ways to get it, but be prepared to pay for it...both with *nix or Windows.

I've run into situations where I couldn't "Stop" a service that was running on Win2k, but never with *nix.

Like I said, you're probably not a Windows admin. I am, and have never run into a service I couldn't stop. There are some I shouldn't have stopped, but that's another story. =)

Bottom line is that both Windows (2000) and *nix are good operating systems. Well suited to almost any task required of a server. They both require knowledgeable admins to be used to their fullest potential, but Windows has the edge in ease of use. A semi-technical manager can have a Windows network up in an weekend...not so for *nix. Of course, the price the manager pays is that his server isn't really set up correctly, but that's what you get when a manager or low skilled admin sets up a server. Same thing as when I work on my car, I know it's not up to the same standards as a professional mechanic, but sometimes it's worth the tradeoff. Linux and FreeBSD have advantages in that they're free, highly configurable, and can run on old hardware. Strong selling points for some, not so for others. Everything involves tradeoffs.

If you have more than 128MB RAM and greater than a 300MHz processor, Windows XP Home will run just fine. If you have less than 128MB RAM, buy more RAM. Seriously. RAM is cheap.

Don't go with Windows 98. What a pile of shit it was. XP Home boots more quickly and runs more stably than 98 ever did, and it can do everything 98 did.

"Measuring just 170mm x 170mm, the VIA EPIA Mini-ITX mainboard is 30% smaller than the smallest Flex-ATX platforms, while maintaining Micro ATX chassis compliancy. It also provides the smallest and coolest processing environment available, including an optional fanless configuration. The VIA Apollo PLE133 North Bridge features integrated graphics with 2D/3D acceleration and DVD Motion Compensation, accompanied by onboard SoundBlaster(TM) and SoundBlaster(TM) Pro compatible audio, delivering key multimedia capabilities. Onboard 10/100 LAN, TV-Out, an additional PCI slot, and a full set of I/O features provide ample connectivity and expansion options."

For more info, check out the unofficial source of mini-itx goodness... Mini-ITX.com.

Of course, there is still the issue of keyboard, waterproofing, touchscreens, and all that. But getting a nice, cool-running, system that fits in a 7"x7" square is a good start.

crucial.com

I bought an HP LaserJet 1200 and I love it. It doesn't have true licensed-from-Adobe PostScript, but it has something completely compatible, and I am perfectly content. Great quality, fast speed, convenient paper tray. And I do double-sided printing by manually feeding pages through a second time, and it works with no trouble.

Here is a tip if you buy one of these. It comes with 8 MB of RAM, but it is expandable; you can insert one memory module of up to 64 MB of RAM. HP sells these modules, but they are overpriced.

I went to Crucial.com and found that they sell a 64 MB module compatible with the LaserJet 1200 for under $25 so I bought one. My 1200 is maxed-out with 72 MB of RAM. For that price, why wouldn't you!

steveha

Here's the fixed link to Crucial's video card.

You're not telling the Slashdot crowd anything new. EVERYONE knows that Apple RAM is expensive. You didn't?

I've never bought more than the bare amount of RAM on an Apple system. I wish i could buy my computer without RAM. But don't come on here acting like you've discovered something new. WE KNOW ALREADY.

Three words for you. Crucial.com

Okay, $1999 for the 17" iMac.. That's NOT bad, if you consider the display itself is worth almost $700+ (comparing to a Samsung SyncMaster 171S), and the SuperDrive isn't exactly cheap on its own either. Sure, Apple wants a bit too much for RAM, so just get it with 256 megs and get on crucial.com to buy the rest of your RAM.

I've been a die-hard PC user for years, but I'm also a wireless nut (cell phones and such).. The Bluetooth integration and that display just excited me and gave me goosebumps...

I know this is the Mac I _have_ to own.

My boss just made a comment - he'd love to buy his wife one, but he's afraid she'd never touch a Windows PC ever again. :)

Is it wiser to spend money on memory or megahertz?

Unless, of course, you get the RAM direct from Apple. No offense to them or anything, but they rip you off when it comes to RAM. Go to Crucial Technology and get yourself just as much ram for half as much money.
Good Luck with the new machine!

and it made me want to poke around a bit. eventually i found this:

So what happens to the parts that failed testing? Some get thrown out, but many are re-tested and graded to lesser speeds and/or conditions (i.e. without guardbands). Others aren't even re-tested (even though they might not have gone through burn-in). Yes, these lower-grade modules will probably work today, but they're more prone to marginal performance and failures, especially over time. DRAM manufacturers often sell this memory to third party vendors who then re-label them with their own brand name. Third party vendors are often required to remove the original DRAM manufacturer's name from the chips. This memory is typically referred to as "generic memory."

The good prices aren't at the expense of service - I've never had a late or incomplete delivery yet.

My only minor proviso is that Aria tends to be low on stocks of memory; I buy it from source via Crucial Europe instead, who are also very reliable.

RAM: www.crucial.com
everything else: www.newegg.com

reviews: www.anandtech.com
general price updates: www.pricewatch.com
questions, web boards: www.arstechnica.com

Buy everything from NewEgg.com, But buy your memory at Crucial.com...

Roughly, when I built my home PC, I started here:

http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/index.html

They regularly update their 3 machine specifications: God Box, Hot Rod Box, and Budget Box, inorder or price and goodies, of course. But what they mostly include is advice on buying what parts, why to buy them, what to look for if you're not buying that exact part, and how to buy the parts you need for the best price. The last part is most important. You can buy the same piece of hardware you need at many places on the net. The key is getting it the cheapest. The price comparison places I've been using are:

http://www.pricegrabber.com/
http://www.mysimon.com/
http://www.pricescan.com/
http://www.dealtime.com/

Some other people said getting your cpu, mem, and mobo from one place. I'd like to say almost that. CPU and mobo, for sure. But I always buy my memory from

http://www.crucial.com

It's just not worth risking on something so cheap.

Before you buy from ANYWHERE, check out ResellerRatings. You may not thank yourself (or me :-) later, but at least you won't be cursing yourself and the fly by night vendor that screwed you. Just remember to keep in mind: People (in general) are much more likely to bitch about bad service than praise good service.

That said, I've been really happy with NewEgg for equipment. For some higher end (or rather specific) cooling equipment, 2CoolTek is really good. Crucial is great if you're looking for high-quality RAM. PCBoost has never given me any trouble when dealing with less expensive RAM. And everyone and their brother will mention Pricewatch. :-) And although they aren't always the cheapest, Axiontech has always treated me right as well.
People have said good things about MWave, but I ordered a pair of NICs from them a while ago and they shipped in an old motherboard box without any padding -- rattling around loosely! Luckily they both worked.

But these are just MY experiences -- yours may vary.

Advice: Don't unless you enjoy it and can accept a high-level of frustration. That said, two places to go for some good information about parts, prices and how-to.

1. Anandtech
2. Tom's Hardware

1. New Egg - parts (e.g. cases, cards, motherboards, etc...)
2. Crucial - memory

Generally speaking I try to buy the majority, if not all my parts from one or two vendors, because shipping can really make or break a deal.

See here. 256meg PC2100 DIMMs back down to $70 apiece. Kudos to amdmb.com for the heads-up.

"and a possible end to the decline we've seen in the price of memory."

A possible end?
The ram I'm using in my system, which I bought late August/early Septemer, has nearly tripled in price since then! At the time I bought it, I thought it was a reasonable price, but now it's just way too expensive.
Keep in mind that memory prices have a great deal to do with supply and demand (or so they say.) Here's a price FAQ I found at crucial.com when wondering why my ram had become so expensvie.

Here you go. Oh, and you wanted a slackware 3.x cd too, right?


Christ on a fucking rubber crutch. Lactating Mother Of God. WHO LET THE TROLLS POST STORIES?!?!?!

You can try Crucial.com. I was able to find three different 30-pin Fast Page SIMMs within about a minute here.

You can try Crucial.com. I was able to find three different 30-pin Fast Page SIMMs within about a minute here.

Around Christmas they were $70-75.

Today they are $97.19.

Around Christmas they were $70-75.

Today they are $97.19.

"Add (whatever) for RAM... it's SOOO cheap now. I just dug up 256mb from my closet full-o-parts. You can get that for about $30 from crucial"

Checked the crucial website recently? 256 megs of pc2100 is up to ~72$. Check Here

software. ~5 dvds that i paid about $5 to have shipped ground. ram from crucial, which is dirt cheap and has free 2nd day air shipping... lots of things you can buy at all sorts of places where shipping is less than tax... and most places have things online cheaper than you can find in the store... win-win situation...

Why do you want Corsair?

Buy Crucial RAM direct from the manufacturer.

What do you think goes in all those expensive RAM modules? Micron parts. So buy your RAM from Crucial, a wholly owned subsidiary of Micron.

--///--

Ellison's motives come from below.
Look in his eyes. What do they show?
You may think that smile is for the stockholders,
but his home is Hades, where all evil smoulders.

His Chief DBA is the Dark Prince of Lies,
His unholy power is version 9i.
You thought that this baby ate up RAM before?
For version 9i, you'll buy six times more!

What violence will come of these columns and rows?
SQL*plus is the reaper of souls!
To commit is sure folly; to roll-back, calamity.
A cartesian join will doom all of humanity!

Constraints are forged of titanium chains,
and triggers are hardwired into your brain.
A single long int marks your identity --
The mark of the beast is a primary key.

The language of Satan? PL/SQL --
How else would he store his procedures in Hell?
You'll live in dread fear of the keyword DELETE.
The mark of the beast is a primary key.

Oracle 9i is a harbinger of Dark!
(But I cannot say more; nor publish benchmarks.)
But you value your soul, so my words you will heed:
The mark of the beast is a primary key.

--///--

Thank you.

We have ordered over 30,000 megs worth of memory from Crucial in the last year, and have NEVER had a problem.

Before we found them, we used McDonald and Associates out in Iowa. Also a great company worth buying your memory from.

Personally for memory I don't even bother with Pricewatch anymore. Crucial has great prices and excellent quality (the link to crucial is 15% off instead of the regular 10%). I maxed out the memory on my Dell Inspiron 4000 to 512mb for less than $100 (remember this is a laptop so the memory is the more expensive SODIMM stuff).

Heck, I just paid $53 for a 256MB SODIMM for my laptop from Crucial. For most PCs not using SIMMs you should be able to do better than that. Heck, Crucial's featuring a 256MB PC2100 DDR DIMM for a whopping US$33, with free second-day shipping.

If your system can handle it and isn't still using SIMMs, there's no excuse for not getting at least 128MB in your system these days.

And, having researched this board before, I know it has 4 64 bit pci slots.

Mandrake (and other Linux) releases will continue to get bigger, whether you upgrade your RAM or not. Limiting your system's performance won't influence Linux development at all.

As an analogy, if you refused to wear your auto seat belt because you felt cars needed to be made safer, would the manufacturers go back to the drawing board?

List of needed components

Case
Power Supply
CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Floppy or LS-120
DVD/DVD-R/CD-RW, Pick your optical poison
Hard Drives
Sound Card
Modem
Network Card
Zip Drive/Other Removable Rewriteable Media

Don't forget to use wonderful tools like http://pricewatch.com or http://computershopper.com. Watch out for the deals that are too good to be true... though many of the places on either of those sites are obviously operating on razor thin margins, they do make PC building really really cheap.

Now given that list I would purchase a KT266A system or maybe wait for the nForce with a Palmino based Athlon. I would purchase a DVD/CD-RW combo and also another DVD drive, as I always support being able to make disk to disk copies. The Audigy would be a good card if you don't get the nForce based motherboard. DDR RAM is the way to go, it's also probably best to purchase that directly from http://crucial.com. Get yourself the Seagate Barracuda IV's for a quiet and relatively high performing IDE drives with big capacity... For video cards get either the Radeon 8500 or GeForce3 depending on how much you care. Don't forget to get a cool aluminum case like the Lian-Li PC-60 for show value...

That should be everything you need unless you want to go dual processor, which is always a good option.

That goes for just about all of them (though IBM seemed to have lower prices for upgrades and even has a "free" extra 64 MB upgrade for systems purchased). I just bought a pair of 128 MB PC100 SODIMMS for my Armada for ~$80 at Crucial, and I hate to think that Compaq was charging for it. Just make sure to the the correct specs (the Armada 7400 familiy uses CAS Latency 2 memory instead of the more common CAS Latency 3).

Memory prices are ridiculously cheap right now.

... or just trolling? here are the current DDR prices. $90 for 256MB module. The rest of this post is similarly BS.
___

They also have a decent FAQ covering issues like buffered/nonbuffered, registered/nonregistered, ecc/non-ecc, edo, etc. For ECC in particular, I believe that your system has to specifically be able to use it....

-- fencepost

Have you checked prices on DDR latley? Doesn't look too bad to me.

Sharky is an Intel whore. DDR doesn't cost anything near $206 for 256 MB. I just got 2 256 MB PC2100 CAS2.5 DIMMs from Crucial for $104 each. Now I see that their prices have gone up slightly (very high demand perhaps), but even $115 is very much lower than $206. So the price difference for 512 MB is more like $330.

/Dervak

As an example, consider my recent hardware upgrade. I looked up the parts I bought where I bought them, and then checked Pricewatch for the absolute lowest prices on the same items. For a 1.0-GHz Athlon (200-MHz FSB), Biostar M7MIA, and IBM Deskstar 75GXP 30GB (I bought the 45GB model, but it was no longer listed), the place where I bought them has those items at $425. The cheapest prices on Pricewatch for the same items added up to $390. That's not much of a difference, but that's only for three components (I bought the DDR memory for the motherboard from another vendor and used the other parts that I already had). Factor in the other bits that you need for a complete system and the disparity can only increase.

In any case, with the quantities Microsoft will be buying, I'm reasonably sure they can get better prices than you or I can get. They're also not likely to charge themselves the "Windows tax" (otherwise known as "license fee") that they charge other computer makers.

Also, can I use standard Adaptec PCI SCSI cards? Does anyone have a link to info on how to set those up? Or at the very least, can the Blades handle large (ie, 60gig) IDE drives? Tho I think putting 10K RPM Ultrastars in would be the most fun...

Any way to dual boot Solaris and SPARC Linux?

Are there any sites dedicated to upgrading Sun workstations?

Taken from Crucial's memory glossary:
Registered memory
Registers delay memory information for one clock cycle to ensure all communication from the chipset is collected by the clock edge, providing a controlled delay on heavily loaded memories.

huh? 256MB RAM costs $180, so 1GB is $720. If you are talking about a single 1GB module, that's not $7k either. Crucial sells it for $2429.
___

And I bought one a couple of weeks ago for $119...*sigh*.

---- Hey Grrl Geeks! Your very own geek news site has arrived!

"No sense paying for a reputation a company didn't deserve in the first place anyway, now is there?"

So you're saying that Dell and Micron don't deserve their reputations? Despite the fact that Michael Dell has garnered success for at least 13 straight years? Despite Micron's excellent reliability rating and even better SDRAM quality reputation? Despite both companies' support for Linux?

You desperately need to get your head examined. There are reputable computer manufacturers out there; it's just that your fear of Corporate America has chained you to the wall of non-conformity. Take a walk on the civilized side sometime.

... a new technology like RDRAM run at 800MHz ...

Crucial (Micron's memory division) is already selling DDR memory. The prices are only slightly higher than SDRAM. They only have PC1600 listed, 100MHz bus.