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Software For Slackers: Lockout
Matijs van Zuijlen writes "Having trouble getting work done? Reading Slashdot too much? Lockout will enforce some dicipline. It will lock you out of your internet connection, and then lock you out of your root account so you can't unlock it. For a limited time of course. Use at your own peril."
But I use the internet to _get_ work done! This would only help me slack and smoke more.
Why not just reach behind the machine and unplug the ethernet cable? Won't do much for people on wireless connections, of course....
Gnome (2.6) has an 'typing break' program built in. Find it in the Keyboard control panel applet.
It only locks you out of the current X session, though, so it's easy to work around... still, it works well as a reminder to leave the computer for a while.
Get some self control, dammit..
I think it'd be a better idea to build some discipline, than intentionally crippling your PC. What if you need access to some internet-bound information during your work?
Just pick an activity (jogging, gym, studying, whatever) and involve a friend in it - if two people , however slack, are depending on each other at a set time to show up, they'll have much better luck sticking to it than if they were alone. Not wanting to let a friend down and all that.
- HOORAY!
Just disconnect your network cable and give it to your boss telling him that you can't work with the internet distracting you. Problem solved. Unfortunately(!), I don't have the discipline to do even this.
flossie
Write now. Defend liberty
Learn a little bit of self-discipline if you are a work time web junkie. Do you really need this on your machine? Sure, lots of safeguards to prevent it from irretrievably changing your root password (yeah, I RTFA'd), but how about this for two last sentences:
"Worst case scenario is that you have to reboot your computer. Well, that's not really true: worst case scenario is that things fail badly and you end up not knowing your root password. "
Well, you won't be browsing the web for quite some time while you restore from backup. Ooops, I forgot, you don't have enough self-discipline to keep from browsing the web and need a script to lock you out. Guess backing up would be asking way too much.
If you are distracted that much that you must have a program that not only locks you out of the internet, but also locks you out of root, then you seriously need some sort of procrastinators anonymous.
The Fine Article mentions that a reboot will restore root, but that brings up an interesting point. A system like this MUST have a way to turn it off if you need to, so what's preventing you from doing that when you want to slack?
Really all this is good for is a reminder that you should be working...and for that, simpler methods (PostIt?) would probably suffice.
Shoot first, read later...
How about this in /etc/hosts?
127.0.0.1 localhost slashdot.org www.slashdot.org
Soooo much easier...
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
I find it rather funny that just about NOBODY even read the article to realise that the program is a JOKE.
:-P
Sheesh!
Prioritization is often easy when you have well defined goals. Problems with sticking to this most likely occur when you have other goals that you haven't included in the plan, perhaps because you have an internal conflict about whether these goals are worth seeking or not.
Usually when i have to work I xinit the word processor and at least make cheating a little harder on myself.
Now back to work for 5 minutes.
only people that can't control their own actions would need something like this. it's a tragedy that such software even needs to be written.
This is Slashdot. We don't RTFA here.
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suwain_2