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Test Drive Debian at Compaq
Jacob wrote in to tell us about Compaq adding Debian (potato) to the list of systems available for use in Compaq's "Test Drive" program. From the press release: "By registering for a shell account at http://www.testdrive.compaq.com
developers can evaluate the Debian distributions running on Compaq
AlphaServers and ProLiant Servers. Current Debian systems are:
AlphaServer DS20 (ev6), AlphaServer XP1000a(ev6.7), and ProLiant
5500 (x86 PIII). All systems have at least two (2) gigs of ram and as
much as 100 gigs of '/home' storage courtesy of a network file system." Wicked-slick.
They've also got an 8 node 500 mhz 21264 beowulf cluster available... ;)
so, are they trying to make friends in the developer community, or are they trying to test new hardware?
Doing a test povray image, povray compiled with gcc finished in 12 minutes, with their Alpha compiler, just over 4!
This compares with 15 on my Celeron 300a.
The Compaq compiler was available on the Red Hat machine, I hope it is available under the debian one, too. If it isn't, ask for it!
-- Erich
Slashdot reader since 1997
Ok, this is a test run that we haven't really had access to in the past. Pretty sporting of Compaq to show their hand. However, AlphaServers and ProLiants are not exactly new, or exceptional hardware. When are we going to see the communal tests on something that is more in the range of a Turbo Laser 8400? After all they do own DEC.
More race stuff in one place,
than any one place on the net.
I tried it out when they started the program, it was really cool! Of course it only really matters if you're a developer or an OS nut or something, but still...
;)
Bottom line: if you've got an app that you want to compile and run, cross platform, get an account!
Oh yeah, and to all the Trolls: they've got a Beowulf cluster, too!
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
It sounds like the big beige box folks are beginning to see the profitability in offering Linux. Now, hopefully, they'll start adding pressure to application companies to begin porting more major programs over. Perhaps we may see more name-brand boxes offering more desktop systems with differing flavors of Linux, which will find their way into corporate american cubicals. With horsepower like this, we can only hope.
"First things first, but not necessarily in that order."
- Doctor Who
When I tested Tru64 on their Alpha 21264 6 months ago they sent me a free model car (ala Test Drive) in the mail (Canada). I also managed to get a licence plate that says:
Compaq 1999
LIVE FREE OR DIE
LINUX
EraseMe
Not only is this the _THIRD_ time this has been posted on /., but they also used to run banner ads for it.
On another note, I signed up for this, and the guy running it is a friggin geek GOD. The whole thing is automated, runs NIS, etc, etc.
very, very cool toys indeed.
--
blue
i browse at -1 because they're funnier than you are.
what are you talking about?
what compaq is doing is allowing developers to have shell access to a bunch of 'test' systems, so people can play with them. you telnet to them and play around. that's it.
-----
Do you even know anything about perl? -- AC Replying to Tom Christiansen post.
That none of us do something stupid and try to crack the machine. That sure would be a good way to pay them back for their "generosity"...
For the love of $DEITY, try to behave...
If you can't figure out how to mail me, don't.
For linux tips: http://www.linuxtipsblog.com
you my friend, are different...if you troll, it is most likely funny, I enjoy that, it breaks the dullness of the world. What I don't like are trolls that go off on some sort of tantrum like a kid that was told he/she couln't have ice cream. The ones that argue back and forth with each other, completely off topic, screaming nothing but obscenities at each other, taking up 4+ pages of browser space.
I, like a lot of people, use this site for information, news, research, or whatever, not to come and read some person that is trying to blame someone else for something that didn't go right in their life...so what, that's life, inconveniences happend and sometimes people have to grow up and accept them.
And, to the AC that wrote the long statement to Rob at the top, we don't all feel that way. When you assume, you make yourself look dumb and you make the community look dumb...if you have something prudent and important to say, at least have the guts to post it non-AC. AC is nothing but a method of hiding, because you're either scared or unsure whether you are true.
Sure, anonymitity is a good thing, but when it is something like this, it accomplishes nothing.
I'll tell you what is about to happen though, someone will come along and read this comment and not agree with me, they will reply to me and probably type a lot of obscenities at me in CAPS, thus starting what I wish to not start. If it does, I cannot blame anyone for myself, for I am a hypocrit(sp?) if it happens. Just remember, that some of us really enjoy the articles and the news; that is why it is called "Slashdot: news for nerds. stuff that matters".
Um, so who is the person running a distributedn.et client?
Debian is an excellent distro, it works great and has a devoted following (I prefer SuSE though, but I have Debian on a 486 just to play with it). If the software does what you want, and the price is right, you should get it. Personally, I don't care what his personal ideologies are, I don't care that he's an admitted socialist. That's his right. If it disturbs you, you have the same right not to do business with his. While I may not agree with his philosophy, I will defend his right to choose and voice it.
Debian does offer a bit of bloat, but it's still optional what you want to install. BSD also offers great options, but I prefer a bit more of the bloat. To be honest, it's just because I'm too damn lazy to configure a lot of the mundane items manually. They're offering different options... something even the most devoted socialist-phobic should agree is good for everyone -- choice! I personally enjoy the options available in Linux, it's a far cry from Micro$oft's idea that what's good for Bill is what's good for you.
Boycott Debian if you think it's important. I don't think you'll get too much support, though.
"First things first, but not necessarily in that order."
- Doctor Who
Incidentally, I've wondered . . . when you sign up for this thing, do you get a permanent account, or is it something where it lasts like two weeks and then you have to sign up again?
It sure would be useful for test-building stuff, at least before SourceForge gets them Alphas . . .
iSKUNK!
Hey, is it me, or can you not connect to the outside world? its like they have a fiter or somethin.. it blows..
--Sean
--Sean
hehe, i like people with a sense of humor :)
I heard that on Alpha Linux supports only 1 gig of RAM because of something to do with PCI cards. If you put more then 1 gig of RAM in an Alpha box running Linux, the 32 bit PCI cards will stop working. Has this been fixed or what? What's the memory limit now? Is it the full 64 bit memory space?
Oh, also does anybody know when Debian 2.2 will be released? I'm itching to install this baby. In fact I actually did install it on one box and I like what I see so far. So how long till the release?
___
___
If you think big enough, you'll never have to do it.
For this heresy, I condemn thee to read ESR essays until sundown.
Remember: Chairman Torvalds loves you.
ds20. make me laugh. that's like the crappiest alpha there is. thats like me giving a panhandler a penny.
compaq is the enemy (i'm typing on a compaq keyboard, using a compaq mouse, on a compaq deskpro p2 box, with sessions open to two different alphas (both better than ds20, i don't have a session to that server open right now) using m$ft software all around (except vms).
compaq is the biggest computer company in the world (yes, bigger than 'big blue'), they make me CRINGE!!!
but then, i'm at work right now so it can't be all that bad...
"..Constructive critizism is always welcome however."
If you don't like Debian's distro, don't use it.
But if you don't approve of RMS's ideology, and refuse to use any of his SW, then that's GNU/* out for you. I don't know what you use alongside your kernel, I use GNU/tar, GNU/ls, GNU/etc.
I have the option of using commerical or other non-GNU OSS software. But I don't know of anyone who has bothered to write ls with a GPL...
The difference between what BG3rd and RMS think are good for you are: BG: Whatever I spew is good for you RMS: Whatever is free is good for you Personally, I'm using RedHat with GNU tools.
If you're pro-capitalism (and why not? My Dad is), then use a capitalist OS - incl. M$, RedHat, others. Personally, I'm a techie and somewhat socialist. Linux (Remember, it's a KERNEL, not an OS, UTILS and APPS) suits me fine.
It depends on what you stand for. But I can't see what you stand for which RMS prohibits, unless it's ripping off GNU code.
Steve.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
Dictionary.com: [Middle English communite, citizenry, from Old French from Latin commnits, fellowship, from commnis, common; see common.]
Dictionary.com: communism \Com"mu*nism\, n. [F. communisme, fr. commun common.]
So, same word.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
OOP is a sick joke. Don't make me laugh. No useful software has ever been written with it. Name one exception. ONE exception.
public class FooBar {
public FooBar() throws ZealotException {
throw new ZealotException();
}
}
public class ZealotException extends Exception {
public ZealotException() {
super( "Zealot on the loose!" );
}
public ZealotException( Object o ) {
super( o.toString );
}
}
What he actually says is:
RMS: First, the meaning of the word "free". This is "jiyuu" in Japanese, and it doesn't refer to money.
Also, people have lots of assumptions that they unconsciously make. Some people assume everyone is either a Capitalist or a Communist. Since I'm against proprietary software, they think I must be communist. Or people assume I'm jealous of people making a lot of money from software. People are so used to thinking that the important issue is money, it is hard to understand someone with a different priority.
I've never opposed making money, and I'm not against selling copies of software. I'm opposed to taking away users' freedom. That's the issue.
I think that says it all.
Steve.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
Sorry, but I don't find any piracy advocating going on here.
Steve.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
Um... read the MOTD when you log in...
<ROUGH APPROXIMATION>
Telnet: in only
FTP: in only
x|x is a protocol: none
...
Some message about how its for developers, not a ISP shell account.
</ROUGH APPROXIMATION>
I don't know whether or not your programs can get out or not...
Actually, I thought that picture was kinda funny. Some people just have wayyyyyyyy too much time on their hands.
They can't. Also, any programs that listen on a port can't be reached from outside.
For the last freakin time whether you are for Open Source or not doesn't necessarily have a damn thing to do with whether or not you are a capitalist or a socialist or a libertarian or whatever.
Just because you don't understand markets and can type words like monopoly and make empty accusations, don't assume that your assertions actually make any sense much less that they are accurate. There is a difference between striving to be the best and striving to control. But perhaps this is too deep for you.
Sometimes I wonder if human beings are actually intelligent at all.
My post attempted to avoid any patronisation. But if you think OSS started in '95, you're wrong. That's when you joined it. Personally, I started using OSS around that time, since you ask (specifically 92/3). But it was going since way before then. I didn't create it. I never said that I did.
I, too, *PAID* RedHat for my 5.1 CD. But not for the code that's on it; I paid them (I think about UKP30) for the CD media + postage; that seems reasonable. Plus they added their work on rpm, etc. to that. For free. It also included, par example, gcc, written largely by RMS.
What's the issue? You've paid RH for some SW. You want to know what lines were written by RMS? I personally don't care *who* wrote what; it's free (as in speech) and it works. RMS is a great spokesperson for OSS. (Personally I'm not too keen on ESR
I don't see how BSD is more free than GNU; maybe you can explain?
I, too, if I chose, could make money from OSS. I never called myself a Marxist, though you applied that label to me. As it happens, I work on behalf of (DISCL: Not directly for) Sun Microsystems, a Capitalist
I have a question for you:
You seem to assume (old-world) that it's capitalism vs. socialism. I believe that OSS and the Net in general defies that simplicity. I also make a (pretty) decent living. I'm getting married in August and will have a wife and (eventually) family to support. I'm no great fan of a money-centric society, but I have to live in it. Like you, I have responsiblities.
I find the word "normal" to be very dangerous. It's the kind of emotive word most people use to mean "people like me" - I dread a world of NORMAL PEOPLE.
This is the C21st. A new order comes. It's not capitalism, socialism, nor nettism. It's just different. People incl. RMS, ESR and others have failed, so far, to define it. But I like it and I use it because it works for me. If "Modern Society" is M$, then Modern Society is not for me. If the future lies in OSS, I'm with it.
So in summary, you accuse me of being a naive Marxist. I'm neither. I want the best for my customers, who include Major financials, Mils (unfortunately), and .COMs. I believe that for me, and for certain customer requirements, OSS is the current best answer. Where it's valid, I say so. Where it's not, the same.
Balance is the key.
(This is getting somewhat off-topic from the original message posted here, but seems to be on-topic for the discussion sparked by this article.)
This response isn't perfect, but I'd like a response so I can talk to you...
Steve.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
This is not at all what we need.
We're all OSS advocates.
Fragmentation is *exactly* what M$ and others are looking for to fuel their FUD.
Author, Shell Scripting : Expert Re
I'm registered and I like playing around with these things. If you are trying to find out some new changes to the kernel, or see how a compiler has improved, this is great. But what about GUI things? It would be kind of cool to have a method to be able to do something graphical, maybe kind of like VNC for MS stuff. Just a thought...
How YOU feel, you mean. Rob Malda needs to know how _you_ feel. I'd suggest emailing him.
I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
Yup, it says it right there :-] (I didn't see anything about that the last time I was there, so I didn't bother checking this time)
So it's thirty days. I sure hope they don't mind, um, repeat customers <g>
iSKUNK!
That said, I have always wondered about Compaq's commitment to the Alpha and to Linux. This goes back to when Compaq bought DEC. Did they do this for DEC's established base of user support licences (to me this would be relatively short sighted) or was it to get the Alpha? /. had a discussion when this takeover happened and the speculation on this issue was obviously mixed.
Is Compaq committed to Linux or is this merely an attempt to recoup their losses? What is the future of the Alpha? Will Transmeta make the Alpha old news?
Sorry if these questions are mundane but I not an expert on these subjects. However, I am interested in learning more about this and to really figure out if the Alpha has a future.
We've been using Debian potato on our servers for months now with no problems (they broke X forwarding for a day or so this week, but that's not really horrible). I definitely don't use slink on anything anymore...potato has been done as far as I'm concerned.
WMBC freeform/independent online radio.
I don't think SourceForge will eventually use Alpha.
Remember SourceForge is sponsored by VA Linux, a company which main investor is Intel. They've lately become "its master voice" regarding CPU policy.
But again, I might be wrong.
Erhm, GNU has been around for about 15 years. And RMS was writing free software for about another 5 years before that. So it's been around for a bit more than 5 years.
And how many did RMS write himself? None? I thought so. I use them because I *paid* Red Hat for them. You see, in a market economy that's how things work. Clever, no?
Where did you get the idea that red hat wrote the GNU tools?? The GNU shell, fileutils, and textutils were written long before redhat, possibly by RMS himself, although I don't know who specifically at FSF wrote them.
You seem to have ignored the fact that the BSD utilities predate GNU by *years* AND they're more free. You can use them without bying into Stallman's "Slavery is Freedom" (ie, the GPV) philosophy.
No, the BSDs used GNU fileutils and textutils until very recently (98 or 99).
"RMS: Whatever I say is free is good for you" BSD is free, but he regularly attacks it, its users and its developers. Why? I don't know. Jealousy, most likely.
RMS:
Not exactly fightin words.
That's what I do. That's why I can make money. I can't do that with Deviant GNU/Linux because they make you sign away your code to RMS or put it under his license. And you can't make money doing that.
You realize, of course, that RMS gives you way more freedom than anything you buy from microsoft. All that's really going on here is that RMS is saying he dosen't want you to take his code and resell it without the code. The BSD ppl are saying they don't care what you do with it. And the proprietary developers are saying they don't want you doing anything with it unless you pay them, and they don't want you changing anything unless you pay them a lot of money.
I find your arguments to be rather hypocritical, since obviously you are interested in creating proprietary software. So isn't your argument much like Microsoft calling Red Hat proprietary? :o
Thou shalt not read the words of the fake prophet! Our only hope for salvation can be found in the arms of our loving lord, RMS !!!
:)
Regards,
Denny
# Using Linux in the UK? Check out Linux UK
Police State UK - news and
While this is strictly off-topic, you're wrong when you say "if I were to release my code under the BSDL, a company can use it without even mentioning my name or giving me a penny". BSD-style licenses use the following:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Of course, if you're wanting to protect your code so that you can't not make money out of someone using it in a commercial product, neither GPL (after an extended period of time where people return patches to you) nor BSD are for you.
The patches you receive if you use the GPL are also under GPL, and copyright to the originator of the patch. The resulting work is GPL and shared by you and each contributor, and thus you'd need to get all the contributor's permissions before you can sell the end product.
Hopefully you'll read this, it would have been nicer to send you an email.
They'll should see a positive return for letting their creative people do some interesting things with their own systems, instead of just boot licking the same ol' same ol' boring Monopolsoft boots.
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
We all know how well Linux performs on mid range to low end hardware. (I run 2.2 on mid range Dell Poweredges and a am very pleased with its performance.)
;-) )
However, various recent benchmarks and editorials have pointed out Linux'es problems when it comes to perfroming well on high end servers. If memory serves me correct, this was mainly due to the SMP support in the 2.2 kernel and the TCP/IP stack, along with other problems with device drivers. (eg. Ethernet Card). It was my understanding that the kernel SMP support was being re-written for 2.4 to address some of the shortcomings and to help performance in general on high end machines.
So my question is, how much actually has been done in the 2.3/2.4 tree to address these performance issues? (Feel free to correct me if anything I have said here is wrong - but then you would probably do that anyway
Thanks for your time!
I normally read /. at with my filters set to '2 and above' so as to avoid this sort of flame fest, but this one attracted my attention and I backtracked it.
Some observations: it's notable that the people (or possibly just one person) attacking RMS here doesn't choose to reveal [his|her] identity.
Secondly, there's some extremely sloppy thinking going on. For example, the assertion that just because you paid for RedHat, anything you develop under RedHat you can automatically sell on. You can't. The C compiler RedHat distribute is the Gnu C compiler; the standard libraries RedHat distribute are the GNU libraries. If you use those tools, and if you believe software licences have any validity at all, you must abide by their licences. RedHat cannot issue those tools to you under any different licence than the GPL, and don't try.
Then there is the assertion that RMS, the Free Software Foundation, and Debian want to stop you making money out of software. This is just simply obviously untrue. RMS makes his living out of software; so did the guys at Cygnus who have done so much of the maintenance of the GNU toolkit over the past several years. What RMS wants to persuade you not to do is make money out of hiding the source of software, restricting the freedom of users of software.
Finally, there is the assertion that Marxism is the same as socialism, and that both are the same as standing up for the right to freedom of speach. Anyone who can believe this is either so politically naiive, or so indoctrinated, that their other opinions are invalidated.
Face it: RMS, for all his querkiness and his occasional displays of ego, is necessarily one of our heroes. Without him, there would be no GNU toolset; without the GNU toolset, there could be no Linux. There's no sense in the sort of argument you see frequently between supporters of different free software/open source heroes. All of them - RMS, ESR, Linus, Alan Cox, even Larry Wall - have contributed hugely to making the movement we find ourselves in. All of them are human and have their querks, but we all owe them all a huge debt of gratitude, and this sort of anonymous attack is simply childish and undignified.
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
Please consider revealing your identity. I'd simply love to nominate you for a net.kook award. And do tell if commander Spock has a beard in your reality.
Just to fill you in: in this reality the very definition of "Open Source" is based on the DFSG, the Debian Free Software Guidelines, which were written in mid-1997.
I have a Deskpro 6000 (6300MMX) and I am running Debian Potato on it.
The Thunderlan support works fine, and the Matrox Millennium II works nicely in X at 1152x864x32bpp.
Potato was easier to install than Redhat. I was having a lot of Anaconda (Python) errors in RH's install script, but with 5 floppies from Debian (rescue, root, and the 3 drivers disks), I was able to download the 13 meg base install over the net in record time and had the machine up and running in no time!
F.
...and...raped by Customer Service? I guess that's pretty appropriate for Hump Day, dontcha think?
Bob Malda's the wrong "Bob!"
--------------Rev. C.C.Chips---------------- For the real truth, visit
Alphas nice systems and I hope this helps the Debian GNU/Linux Alpha port! It's been needing help lately...
rbf aka pulsar
I think you may have read the final sentence out of context.
I said that neither GPL nor BSD will allow you to force a company to pay you if you want to later sell them your code, because at the end of the day, with the BSD license, they can just take it, and with the GPL, you probably won't own the end copyright.
Thus, you can't 'sell out' and give it to the company with a non-GPL license without first getting the permission of the other contributors.
I'm sorry if my final sentence was ambiguous in this regard. I know very well that you can sell GPL binary products, on the condition you make the source available, and allow anyone who receives a copy to pass on that product under the GPL license (roughly paraphrased). I recently convinced a local (South African) company to do this.
well, considering they send you your password via an e-mail, it's no big deal anyways, is it? not your personal machine they are breaking into.. (just don't change the password to say.. the same as the root password of your server at work or something...)
www.jackasscritics.com
Oh no! A SOCIALIST! Run away, screaming in terror! Hey! I know, I'll really scare the hell out of the poor American! I'm a socialist too!!!! So are many others! And we like to laugh at silly people who think that socialism is evil!
Intolerant people should be shot.
Ha!
I edited the Inodes by hand!
With Magnets!
It's a fine line between trolling and karma-whoring... and I think you just crossed it.
--
- Sean
It's a fine line between trolling and karma-whoring... and I think I just crossed it.
- Sean