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http://elbitz.net/home.php is good, but they only open up registering every now and then (I remember I waited like 2 months to get my user). In general, though I just use the same popular torrent sites for everything else I get for books, too and I've gotten 6.28GB that way. Also, appear to have just found a .pdf with a huge list of ebook sites (and one for how to swear in all languages!). Haven't tried any of them, but go for it:
O'Reilly online http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/ | http://sysadmin.oreilly.com/ Computer books and manuals http://www.hoganbooks.com/freebook/webbooks.html | http://www.informit.com/itlibrary/ | http://www.fore.com/support/manuals/home/home.htm | http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/webbuy/freebooks.html The Network Book http://www.cs.columbia.edu/netbook/ Some #bookwarez.efnet.irc links http://www.extrema.net/books/links.shtml Some #bookwarez.efnet.irc fiction http://194.58.154.90:4431/enscifi/ Pimpas online books (Indonesia) http://202.159.16.55/~pimpa2000 | http://202.159.15.46/~om-pimpa/buku Security, privacy and cryptography http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~rivest/crypto-security.html | http://www.oberlin.edu/~brchkind/cyphernomicon/ My own misc online reading material http://www.eastcoastfx.com/docs/admin-guides/ | http://www.eastcoastfx.com/~jorn/reading/ Computer books http://solaris.inorg.chem.msu.ru/cs-books/ | http://sweetrude.net/~cab/books/ | http://alaska.mine.nu/books/ | http://poprocks.dyn.ns.ca/dave/books/ | http://58-160.skarland.uaf.edu/books/ | http://202.186.247.194/~ebook/ | http://hooligans.org/reference/ Linux documentation http://www.linuxdoc.org/docs.html FreeBSD documentation http://www.freebsd.org/tutorials/ Sun documentation http://osiris.imw.tu-clausthal.de:8888/ | http://uran.vvsu.ru:8888/ SGI documentation http://newton.unicc.chalmers.se/ebt-bin/nph-dweb/dynaweb;td=2 | http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/tpl/cgi-bin/init.cgi IBM Online Redbooks http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/ Digital Unix documentation http://www.unix.digital.com/faqs/publications/base_doc/DOCUMENTATION/V40D_HTML/V40D_HTML/LIBRARY.HTM Filesystem Hierarchy Standard http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.0/fhs-toc.html | http://www.linuxbase.com/ UNIX stuff http://ww

I think the main problem is a lack of high-tech companies. Pittsburgh definitely has some, including Marconi (formally FORE Systems), Lycos, Black Box, the recently IPO'd FreeMarkets, and for those of you wanting to get in on a promising startup, there's the newly formed Spinnaker Networks.

Pittsburgh isn't a technology city yet, but it's getting there.

Fore systems (they ave been purchased by Marconi plc)
Lycos (moved)
Freemarkets.com (remember the ipo)
Probotics, Inc. (makers of Cye)

I'm sure there are many more, but these are the big ones that stick in my head.

Admittedly, many may have started and then left pittsburgh.

Having lived here off and on since '83, I can honestly say I like "da burgh". There're good normal and more adventerous restaurants, mainstream and alternative cinema, good Rails To Trails, really excellent public theatre (Pittsburgh Public Theatre) and the Pittsburgh Symphony (site done by a friend of mine, FWIW), low traffic compared to other metro areas (Philly, NYC, Baltimore, and LA from direct experience), nice people, good high speed access in a growing number of neighborhoods, etc., etc. There's also an advocacy group of non-codgers trying to work on relevant issues for geeks and other young professionals.

And to note a few success stories: Fore Systems (now Marconi), Lycos, Free Markets Online (woulda liked to have a piece of that IPO), the Seagate magnetics research center, a mysterious whiz-bang startup, etc.

On the political scene, the local county (Alleghany) just switched from a three-headed-dog-of-county-commisioners system to a single county executive. UPitt, CMU, Pittsbugh, and Alleghany County are starting to cooperate better in attracting business and supporting spinoffs and startups. CMU's actually figured out that the wild-eyed innovator rarely makes the best startup CEO and is trying to support startups/spinoffs with more serios business support. Pitt's learned that lesson as well.

Now that's not to say that we don't have 'issues', like tax structure, crappy roads, a high codger factor, but things are definitely on the mend around here. We haven't gotten to the point of choking on our own success: housing's, food nad clothing cheap, traffic's low (relatively), no more choking pollution. We've got good and growing support for ADSL (which brings you this missive), cable modems, and CPDP support.

All said, I'm glad I moved here and it looks like things are going to be moving in the right direction very nicely over the next 10 years or so. Meanwhile, we don't need to cope with the crap you need to cope with in longer-standing "high tech" areas.

Oh, and the standard disclaimer: "just my 0.02 worth".

- Barrie

FORE Systems used to use BSD in their atm switches. I think they use VxWorks now.

• Basically no dress code
• Free soda fountain
• Monthly company-sponsored TGI Friday's parties with free beer and food

Alex Bischoff
---

The Burma Shave company found a town called Mars, or Moers, or something like that in Pennsylvania, and gave him a vacation there for his efforts.

Mars, PA. Not too far from Pittsburgh. Even closer to Warrindale, which is where Fore Systems makes its home. The only non-big city I've ever been in where I've actually seen rats running through the streets. (At night, anyway.)

Avoid at all costs.