With a CD solution you have to burn music to a CD to enjoy in in the car. Personally, I love my empeg, and have had only needed to hook it to my computer a few times after the initial load. To me, hooking up a USB cable to an easy to cary car player isn't all that hard compaired to burning music to CD and having to maintain yet another CD collection.
The Mark II will be shipping June 9 with storage between 6 gig and 50 gig. With 50 gigs, I don't know anyone with a CD collecton big enough to fill it. Plus the new design looks sweet.
The empeg runs Linux and is very open to future modifications. The new player uses an external tuner to allow support down the road for Digital FM. People are working on adding GPS support to the unit, and in the end, you will wave your Palm in front of the empeg to get a hi res version of a map. And unlike the Clairon AutoPC, the processor is powerful enough for doing things today and in the future. (Playing an MP3 with visuals leaves 70% of the CPU open for anything else. Right now I run the D.net client to take up the rest of the CPU on the road)
Thats odd. The web site says nothing about playing MP3's. If I remember right, the processor in the origional one is not powerful enough to play MP3's. And it's always run WinCE, as it was codeveloped by Clairon and Microsoft.
If you want MP3 and future standards playing in your car, save yourself the trouble and buy an empeg. Look for the Mark II to ship June 9, and Mark I units to be for sale on eBay.
I definitly encourage anyone here to help support the effort to bring the game back. I played an early version of it at a convention in late 1997, and it was loads of fun to fly around a B5 station model. At that point, they had basic network support, and had 3 stations of 4 people fighting it out in Star Furies. The promise of the game at that point was awesome, and I hope to see it in stores some day.
The interesting thing is how well Peter Jurasik(Londo) does that accent. If you ever meet him in person and don't recognize him by his face, his voice will give nothing away. He has a way of just being able to turn on and off that accent, and it's amazing to hear the difference. Most actors will only slightly modify their voice for characters they are playing due to how difficult it is to keep a voice change up for a period of time.
There are a few solutions for this. I can't find one right now, but most are PCI cards that have a PCMCIA slot for X Brands wireless PCMCIA card. Some are removable and usable in a laptop as well, some aren't. Just check the sites dropped in the comments here by others. From the pictures at 3Com's Airconnect page, it looks like 3Com will have one, but it's not out now.
You will most likely still need a way to configure the Airport without a PC. Once I have my 3Com Airconnect cards working, I'll be able to tell if I configured mine right. You can get an SNMP configurer that will talk and change the Airport at http://www.karlnet.com/download/configsetup.exe
It can also import config files from the Apple Utility. Now if I could just get someone to send me a config set to bridged only mode.
The whole LCD and battery idea is a nice one. Type all you want, then go back to a computer, and hit a button that dumps the buffer as normal keystrokes.
As far as the usefulness of the product now, I don't see much being there. What legitimate reasons exist for this product? Figuring out where employees go on the internet is easier done via a proxy.
TiVo and Replay units are ok, but still offer little above a VCR that I would sink that much money into one. DishNetworks on the otherhand has some nice things in the pipeline. Right now, they have a DishPlayer unit that offers TiVo functions with somewhat better programming for recording multiple shows. I record a few programs that are on multiple times a day or week, and most of the time my unit says "Every Time 8:00 - 8:30" or something similar.
But the main advantage of an integrated unit is no Digital -> Analog -> Digital -> Analog conversions. The DishPlayer records the MPEG2 stream off the dish, so the unit puts out the same quality as live TV. It also offers a cheaper box, since no MPEG2 encoder is needed. The disadvantage is no local stations can be recorded through it, but thats a minor problem to me for now.
Also, the DishPlayers standard UltraATA33 hard drive can be replaced with ease. So adding additional hard drive space is easier then the TiVo or Replay units.
DishNetworks has partnered with Replay, and hints have been dropped in various DishNetwork chats that an HDTV Replay box is on it's way that also offers a tuner for recieving and recording local stations. This is definitly on my list of things to buy when it comes out.
I honestly think the X-Box will be just as stable as any of the newer consoles. The main reason Windows 9x tends to die is a problem in the drivers or the kernel working with hardware. In a console, the OS has to work with 1 video card, 1 sound card, etc. It dosen't have to worry about different hardware being there. I have yet to see Wince crash, because it runs on a few different hardware configs, not thousands. The biggest problem it will have with lockups is the same the PSX2 is having now. Heat is a definite issue.
All I can hope for though is that the X-Box tries to be a console. The PSX2 is not on my immediate buy list. Why? Sony dosen't intend for it to be a console, they intend for it to be a centerpiece for the home entertainment center. So they do stupid things like having a DVD driver on memory cards. Next you start getting PCMCIA and USB drivers on those cards, and a bit of corruption from your favorite game brings the worst things from the PC to your gaming machine. When I want to play a game, I turn on my Destination monitor and Dreamcast, and play. No driver worries here. (Destination 27inch monitors are on sale from Gateway, and kick ass as a gaming monitor for both your PC and favorite VGA compatible console.)
I've been using WantWeb's service since mid 98, and have loved it, as I have enjoyed 30-180k/s downloads longer then most of the people in the area. And it's all done with microwave range transmissions fron an antenna on a mountain several miles away to an antenna on my roof. From there, it has a cable going to my cable modem that has an 10baseT port and a 9 pin serial port for the uplink. The parent company American Telecasting has two way rights from the FCC, they just haven't changed the equipment in my city to support it.
I feel that some sort of wireless connection is the future for many people.
I didn't see a thing in the article that said anything about Crusoe. Nor did I see an official announcement from Intel. And I also see nothing out of the ordinary from Intel releasing info on future products. The release roadmaps all the time detailing the future chips comming out.
The other thing I don't understand is the people whining that the systems they bought today are going to be replaced. It happens all the time. Plus this is set to be released 2001, so it's a ways off. I will continue to get many good hours of use out of my Celeron based laptop and have been for the past few months. I decided not to wait for the PIII moble chips, and I am glad that I did this.
Oh, and for all those wondering, Linux will hit 2.4 and 3.0 one day. Intel will release a 64 bit chip. AMD will release a 64 bit chip. Palm will release a color Palm. Microsoft will release an upgrade to Win98. 3dfx will release a T&L based card, codenamed Rampage. Nvidia will release a card faster then the GeForce. I could keep listing things off that are down the pipeline, but they don't overly influence my buying choices today, so why should this information from Intel do anything different?
Does this work only if the phone is in use, or can it work from just the phone being on but not in use? I don't see this being overly accurate if it only works with the phone in use to get the measusement. But by what I understand, digital phones communicate with the network at regular intervals to prepair for a jump onto another antenna and such. Could be wrong here though, never completly looked into how they work.
Broadband ISP's need different rules
on
@Home UDP Lifted
·
· Score: 2
This whole UDP thing with @Home proves that Broadband ISP's need different user agreements and setups.
By having a faster internet connection and static IP's, the benefits to the end user are nice, but unfornatully the newbie Linux user installing every package in RedHat probably dosen't realise that his internet accessable machine can be used to read and post to newsgroups unrestricted. And since he has a fast connection, he dosen't notice a difference in the bandwith like a modem user would see if the connection is flooded. For ISP's sakes, they need to make sure their users understand their liability in situations like this.
I would have to question Linux on any gaming console. I want the gaming console running something that I don't know the name of, and don't care to, because it means it's so proprietary, it will work wonders with the proprietary hardware it runs on. And that means better peformance on what it was ment to do, and that is play games. This is exactly why the Dreamcast can run WinCE, but dosen't for any of the games out there today.
This is also why I would never buy the rumored X-Box. I don't want a console running the same OS that other devices use.
I hope that any media coverage that this event gets isn't like the Windows Refund Day coverage. Honestly, someone dressed up like people out of Star Wars isn't going to convince the general public of something, it's just going to make them think badly of what that person was representing.
"Oh, look at those freaks marching up to Microsoft demanding money back."
The day PDAs are more like computers and less like glorified calendars is the day the market will really take off.
I dread this day. I honestly want a PDA for the same reasons I bought it for, and thats to keep track of my plans and phone numbers, and provide entertainment at certain dull times. I want to hit a button, and start entering data, and not have to worry about setting anything up or installing whatever. Computers are far from being user friendly no matter what OS you run. I want a PDA to be simple, and allow me to enter dates right out of the box. It should be almost as easy as writing dates into a date planner.
Cell phones are getting really bad anymore with all that they are trying to cram in to a device. I want a small cell phone that lets me talk to people. Thats it. I don't want a PDA in the phone, because then it becomes hard to enter data while using the phone for it's purpose. I don't want to browse the web, thats what I have a laptop for. Stock quotes? Thats what channel 201 on my DishPlayer is for. (Push technology to the satelite box is nice).
I just have to ask why? Why do we need Linux on a PDA? I am completly happy with PalmOS on a PDA. I want my PDA to be a PDA and not a handheld computer. Sticking Linux or Windows onto a PDA makes no sense to me. I could care less what OS my set top box, PDA, toaster, and microwave run as long as I can use them and they can get along.
And as far as app compatibility goes, Linux on a PDA dosen't mean instant KDE or anything of the sort. It's still different hardware then the native ground for Linux. Programmers are still going to have to learn how to make programs run on it even though it runs Linux.
Gateway was doing several things with the Amiga department. The first thing they helped bring to life was the Destination system. A few enhancements to the Destination were underway, but, well, ummm, I can't talk about that here.
Also, it looks like something new will be comming from their efforts withen Gateway, but again, I can't say.
Public rumors have stated that the Amiga department was working on a Gateway settop box. This I have no idea on, but is completly possible. Keep in mind this is a transfer of what Amiga as a company was, and not the people. As far as I know, the people will stay employees of Gateway.
Y2K problems did exist, just not on 01/01/00
on
Apocalypse Not
·
· Score: 2
Most Y2K problems wern't covered by the medis because they hapened before the media hyped it. Most banks were compliant years ago before issuing credit and ATM cards with expiration dates in 2000. If any part of the system would have seen 00 as 1900, your newly issued cards a few years back would have been rejected. So banks either fixed the problem then, or never had a problem with it. They just wern't "compliant" as no person went into the systems to mark their Y2K approval.
My ISP that I worked for in 97 had their one Y2K glitch then when client had those CC's that expired in 2000. Every time it happened, we had to e-mail someone in the billing department to manually enter it for two weeks while it was fixed.
Well I just recieved the update to my unit and activated the service. (Dish Networks released the update on the 15th, but the system only checks for updates when powered on, and since I keep my unit on 24x7, the rearrangement of the equipment triggered the check)
The rewind feature came in handy today when I stopped watching a movie on DVD. A show that I wanted to watch was on, and since the unit is always recording, I hit rewind and watched the entire show minus the commercials.
Right now I am playing with the record. The system has no record quality settings, but thats understandable since it would have to recompress the MPEG 2 stream it is saving to disk.
The record will come in handy for any shows I want to watch while at work. And it's also useful for the Babylon 5 episodes on at 5am.
The system is nicer then the Tivo for a few reasons now. One is not having to feed it a phone line. The system gets all it needs from the satelite. The second is that it gives me all the nice Personal TV features that I want without the stupid ones the Tivo has, like the voting. True, the system has WebTV and games built in, but none of those features waste space on the slim remote. It also comes with the ability to record to a VCR instead by sending out the record and stop IR signals. Last, since it uses a standard IDE hard drive, upgrades are just a screw driver and spare hard drive away.
The DishPlayer from Dish Networks will do everything the Tivo does now here soon. Right now it pauses TV, allows searching of TV listings including descriptions, has a reminder system, and can record to a VCR. In the future, an upgrade will allow recording of shows to the standard Quantum hard drive they use, and allow fast foreward and rewind on TV shows.
The best thing about the DishPlayer is that it's all one integrated unit. And since Dish Networks broadcasts in MPEG2, the system records to the hard drive at a higher resolution then the Tivo.
It depends on where you applied. Since Gateway dosen't ship Linux on most computers, why would someone in the department supporting these systems support Linux? If a client called, and got help from one person, they would begin to expect it all the time. Standards on what is supported in tech support is a good thing.
You sure your thinking of Gateways? All desktop systems sold by Gateway comply with AT, ATX, or other form factor standards. Rarley is everything integrated, and when it is, the integrated stuff can be disabled when a new card is put into the system. If you look, the only non upgradable systems Gateway sells are the All in one Astro, and the Profile 2. (Both can be upgraded, just Gateway won't help in the process).
Apache on Debian automaticially backs up all site logs including all vhosts and such. It maintains two weeks of uncompressed logs, and the rest are kept compressed. Webalizer will support this with it's database. I'm not sure what it does, but I figure the information is worthwile anyhow.
I simply open up notepad, pound out some random stuff, and pick 8 characters out of it. I then retype it a few times, and start to use it. Typicially I write down the password on a postit to hold onto for the first week I use it. After that it's in memory. (And in a password protected file on my Palm V / Palm Desktop software just in case.
Slashdot Mirror
With a CD solution you have to burn music to a CD to enjoy in in the car. Personally, I love my empeg, and have had only needed to hook it to my computer a few times after the initial load. To me, hooking up a USB cable to an easy to cary car player isn't all that hard compaired to burning music to CD and having to maintain yet another CD collection.
The Mark II will be shipping June 9 with storage between 6 gig and 50 gig. With 50 gigs, I don't know anyone with a CD collecton big enough to fill it. Plus the new design looks sweet.
The empeg runs Linux and is very open to future modifications. The new player uses an external tuner to allow support down the road for Digital FM. People are working on adding GPS support to the unit, and in the end, you will wave your Palm in front of the empeg to get a hi res version of a map. And unlike the Clairon AutoPC, the processor is powerful enough for doing things today and in the future. (Playing an MP3 with visuals leaves 70% of the CPU open for anything else. Right now I run the D.net client to take up the rest of the CPU on the road)
Thats odd. The web site says nothing about playing MP3's. If I remember right, the processor in the origional one is not powerful enough to play MP3's. And it's always run WinCE, as it was codeveloped by Clairon and Microsoft.
If you want MP3 and future standards playing in your car, save yourself the trouble and buy an empeg. Look for the Mark II to ship June 9, and Mark I units to be for sale on eBay.
I definitly encourage anyone here to help support the effort to bring the game back. I played an early version of it at a convention in late 1997, and it was loads of fun to fly around a B5 station model. At that point, they had basic network support, and had 3 stations of 4 people fighting it out in Star Furies. The promise of the game at that point was awesome, and I hope to see it in stores some day.
The interesting thing is how well Peter Jurasik(Londo) does that accent. If you ever meet him in person and don't recognize him by his face, his voice will give nothing away. He has a way of just being able to turn on and off that accent, and it's amazing to hear the difference. Most actors will only slightly modify their voice for characters they are playing due to how difficult it is to keep a voice change up for a period of time.
There are a few solutions for this. I can't find one right now, but most are PCI cards that have a PCMCIA slot for X Brands wireless PCMCIA card. Some are removable and usable in a laptop as well, some aren't. Just check the sites dropped in the comments here by others. From the pictures at 3Com's Airconnect page, it looks like 3Com will have one, but it's not out now.
You will most likely still need a way to configure the Airport without a PC. Once I have my 3Com Airconnect cards working, I'll be able to tell if I configured mine right. You can get an SNMP configurer that will talk and change the Airport at http://www.karlnet.com/download/configsetup.exe
It can also import config files from the Apple Utility. Now if I could just get someone to send me a config set to bridged only mode.
The whole LCD and battery idea is a nice one. Type all you want, then go back to a computer, and hit a button that dumps the buffer as normal keystrokes.
As far as the usefulness of the product now, I don't see much being there. What legitimate reasons exist for this product? Figuring out where employees go on the internet is easier done via a proxy.
TiVo and Replay units are ok, but still offer little above a VCR that I would sink that much money into one. DishNetworks on the otherhand has some nice things in the pipeline. Right now, they have a DishPlayer unit that offers TiVo functions with somewhat better programming for recording multiple shows. I record a few programs that are on multiple times a day or week, and most of the time my unit says "Every Time 8:00 - 8:30" or something similar.
But the main advantage of an integrated unit is no Digital -> Analog -> Digital -> Analog conversions. The DishPlayer records the MPEG2 stream off the dish, so the unit puts out the same quality as live TV. It also offers a cheaper box, since no MPEG2 encoder is needed. The disadvantage is no local stations can be recorded through it, but thats a minor problem to me for now.
Also, the DishPlayers standard UltraATA33 hard drive can be replaced with ease. So adding additional hard drive space is easier then the TiVo or Replay units.
DishNetworks has partnered with Replay, and hints have been dropped in various DishNetwork chats that an HDTV Replay box is on it's way that also offers a tuner for recieving and recording local stations. This is definitly on my list of things to buy when it comes out.
I honestly think the X-Box will be just as stable as any of the newer consoles. The main reason Windows 9x tends to die is a problem in the drivers or the kernel working with hardware. In a console, the OS has to work with 1 video card, 1 sound card, etc. It dosen't have to worry about different hardware being there. I have yet to see Wince crash, because it runs on a few different hardware configs, not thousands. The biggest problem it will have with lockups is the same the PSX2 is having now. Heat is a definite issue.
All I can hope for though is that the X-Box tries to be a console. The PSX2 is not on my immediate buy list. Why? Sony dosen't intend for it to be a console, they intend for it to be a centerpiece for the home entertainment center. So they do stupid things like having a DVD driver on memory cards. Next you start getting PCMCIA and USB drivers on those cards, and a bit of corruption from your favorite game brings the worst things from the PC to your gaming machine. When I want to play a game, I turn on my Destination monitor and Dreamcast, and play. No driver worries here. (Destination 27inch monitors are on sale from Gateway, and kick ass as a gaming monitor for both your PC and favorite VGA compatible console.)
I've been using WantWeb's service since mid 98, and have loved it, as I have enjoyed 30-180k/s downloads longer then most of the people in the area. And it's all done with microwave range transmissions fron an antenna on a mountain several miles away to an antenna on my roof. From there, it has a cable going to my cable modem that has an 10baseT port and a 9 pin serial port for the uplink. The parent company American Telecasting has two way rights from the FCC, they just haven't changed the equipment in my city to support it.
I feel that some sort of wireless connection is the future for many people.
I didn't see a thing in the article that said anything about Crusoe. Nor did I see an official announcement from Intel. And I also see nothing out of the ordinary from Intel releasing info on future products. The release roadmaps all the time detailing the future chips comming out.
The other thing I don't understand is the people whining that the systems they bought today are going to be replaced. It happens all the time. Plus this is set to be released 2001, so it's a ways off. I will continue to get many good hours of use out of my Celeron based laptop and have been for the past few months. I decided not to wait for the PIII moble chips, and I am glad that I did this.
Oh, and for all those wondering, Linux will hit 2.4 and 3.0 one day. Intel will release a 64 bit chip. AMD will release a 64 bit chip. Palm will release a color Palm. Microsoft will release an upgrade to Win98. 3dfx will release a T&L based card, codenamed Rampage. Nvidia will release a card faster then the GeForce. I could keep listing things off that are down the pipeline, but they don't overly influence my buying choices today, so why should this information from Intel do anything different?
Does this work only if the phone is in use, or can it work from just the phone being on but not in use? I don't see this being overly accurate if it only works with the phone in use to get the measusement. But by what I understand, digital phones communicate with the network at regular intervals to prepair for a jump onto another antenna and such. Could be wrong here though, never completly looked into how they work.
This whole UDP thing with @Home proves that Broadband ISP's need different user agreements and setups.
By having a faster internet connection and static IP's, the benefits to the end user are nice, but unfornatully the newbie Linux user installing every package in RedHat probably dosen't realise that his internet accessable machine can be used to read and post to newsgroups unrestricted. And since he has a fast connection, he dosen't notice a difference in the bandwith like a modem user would see if the connection is flooded. For ISP's sakes, they need to make sure their users understand their liability in situations like this.
I would have to question Linux on any gaming console. I want the gaming console running something that I don't know the name of, and don't care to, because it means it's so proprietary, it will work wonders with the proprietary hardware it runs on. And that means better peformance on what it was ment to do, and that is play games. This is exactly why the Dreamcast can run WinCE, but dosen't for any of the games out there today.
This is also why I would never buy the rumored X-Box. I don't want a console running the same OS that other devices use.
I hope that any media coverage that this event gets isn't like the Windows Refund Day coverage. Honestly, someone dressed up like people out of Star Wars isn't going to convince the general public of something, it's just going to make them think badly of what that person was representing.
"Oh, look at those freaks marching up to Microsoft demanding money back."
The day PDAs are more like computers and less like glorified calendars is the day the market will really take off.
I dread this day. I honestly want a PDA for the same reasons I bought it for, and thats to keep track of my plans and phone numbers, and provide entertainment at certain dull times. I want to hit a button, and start entering data, and not have to worry about setting anything up or installing whatever. Computers are far from being user friendly no matter what OS you run. I want a PDA to be simple, and allow me to enter dates right out of the box. It should be almost as easy as writing dates into a date planner.
Cell phones are getting really bad anymore with all that they are trying to cram in to a device. I want a small cell phone that lets me talk to people. Thats it. I don't want a PDA in the phone, because then it becomes hard to enter data while using the phone for it's purpose. I don't want to browse the web, thats what I have a laptop for. Stock quotes? Thats what channel 201 on my DishPlayer is for. (Push technology to the satelite box is nice).
I just have to ask why? Why do we need Linux on a PDA? I am completly happy with PalmOS on a PDA. I want my PDA to be a PDA and not a handheld computer. Sticking Linux or Windows onto a PDA makes no sense to me. I could care less what OS my set top box, PDA, toaster, and microwave run as long as I can use them and they can get along.
And as far as app compatibility goes, Linux on a PDA dosen't mean instant KDE or anything of the sort. It's still different hardware then the native ground for Linux. Programmers are still going to have to learn how to make programs run on it even though it runs Linux.
Gateway was doing several things with the Amiga department. The first thing they helped bring to life was the Destination system. A few enhancements to the Destination were underway, but, well, ummm, I can't talk about that here.
Also, it looks like something new will be comming from their efforts withen Gateway, but again, I can't say.
Public rumors have stated that the Amiga department was working on a Gateway settop box. This I have no idea on, but is completly possible. Keep in mind this is a transfer of what Amiga as a company was, and not the people. As far as I know, the people will stay employees of Gateway.
Most Y2K problems wern't covered by the medis because they hapened before the media hyped it. Most banks were compliant years ago before issuing credit and ATM cards with expiration dates in 2000. If any part of the system would have seen 00 as 1900, your newly issued cards a few years back would have been rejected. So banks either fixed the problem then, or never had a problem with it. They just wern't "compliant" as no person went into the systems to mark their Y2K approval.
My ISP that I worked for in 97 had their one Y2K glitch then when client had those CC's that expired in 2000. Every time it happened, we had to e-mail someone in the billing department to manually enter it for two weeks while it was fixed.
Well I just recieved the update to my unit and activated the service. (Dish Networks released the update on the 15th, but the system only checks for updates when powered on, and since I keep my unit on 24x7, the rearrangement of the equipment triggered the check)
The rewind feature came in handy today when I stopped watching a movie on DVD. A show that I wanted to watch was on, and since the unit is always recording, I hit rewind and watched the entire show minus the commercials.
Right now I am playing with the record. The system has no record quality settings, but thats understandable since it would have to recompress the MPEG 2 stream it is saving to disk.
The record will come in handy for any shows I want to watch while at work. And it's also useful for the Babylon 5 episodes on at 5am.
The system is nicer then the Tivo for a few reasons now. One is not having to feed it a phone line. The system gets all it needs from the satelite. The second is that it gives me all the nice Personal TV features that I want without the stupid ones the Tivo has, like the voting. True, the system has WebTV and games built in, but none of those features waste space on the slim remote. It also comes with the ability to record to a VCR instead by sending out the record and stop IR signals. Last, since it uses a standard IDE hard drive, upgrades are just a screw driver and spare hard drive away.
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The DishPlayer from Dish Networks will do everything the Tivo does now here soon. Right now it pauses TV, allows searching of TV listings including descriptions, has a reminder system, and can record to a VCR. In the future, an upgrade will allow recording of shows to the standard Quantum hard drive they use, and allow fast foreward and rewind on TV shows.
The best thing about the DishPlayer is that it's all one integrated unit. And since Dish Networks broadcasts in MPEG2, the system records to the hard drive at a higher resolution then the Tivo.
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It depends on where you applied. Since Gateway dosen't ship Linux on most computers, why would someone in the department supporting these systems support Linux? If a client called, and got help from one person, they would begin to expect it all the time. Standards on what is supported in tech support is a good thing.
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You sure your thinking of Gateways? All desktop systems sold by Gateway comply with AT, ATX, or other form factor standards. Rarley is everything integrated, and when it is, the integrated stuff can be disabled when a new card is put into the system. If you look, the only non upgradable systems Gateway sells are the All in one Astro, and the Profile 2. (Both can be upgraded, just Gateway won't help in the process).
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Apache on Debian automaticially backs up all site logs including all vhosts and such. It maintains two weeks of uncompressed logs, and the rest are kept compressed. Webalizer will support this with it's database. I'm not sure what it does, but I figure the information is worthwile anyhow.
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I simply open up notepad, pound out some random stuff, and pick 8 characters out of it. I then retype it a few times, and start to use it. Typicially I write down the password on a postit to hold onto for the first week I use it. After that it's in memory. (And in a password protected file on my Palm V / Palm Desktop software just in case.
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