I use my cell phone as my primary phone. My problem is that the reception inside my house is poor. The signal outside is a lot better. I Googled this cell reception idea a bit. The best site I found was Cell Antenna. The also have another site called Boat Antenna. which specializes in providing signal boosters for boats. The hardware is pretty much the same on both sites.
I haven't used one, but I've seen one in Boston. Zipcar has one of these cars located in a parking lot on the corner of Congress St and Boston Wharf Rd. It seems to get used often enough because it's not always in its assigned space. It doesn't seem like a bad idea for people who may not be able to afford to have a car in the city.
When I saw this article I thought great PS2 being used as a PVR. Come to find out after reading the article that I need a PC with Snapstream too! Seems ridiculous to have the PS2 even in the mix. Yeah I know that playback on the TV has been an issue with the Snapstream/PC combo, but I'm sure better alternatives top this mongrel can and have been proposed here on Slashdot.
Primavera's Expedition v8.0 ships with the following.
Jetty Web Server v3.1.1
JBoss Application Server v2.43
Expedition database running on Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere v7.0.3
Sybase JConnect v5.5 JDBC driver
Expedition 8.0
I just installed the Jetty Web Server the other day so I don't have any real data to provide, sorry. I know of a few people that use it and have been happy with it. The only complaint that I've heard is that the pages take long to load. The person that said this thought it might have to do with the page being Java, but I think it might just be the database itself causing the slowdown. Just my $.02 worth.
quoted from the article... "Speakeasy's CEO has gone on the record in support of broadband sharing via wireless, basically saying 'you pay us for the bits you use and are welcome to do whatever you like with them."
Right, your're on the same network as those people but you won't be able to use your direct connect in RI, Most of MA NH, VT, or ME. It's still localized. You will be able to use your direct connect in CT, parts of NY, NJ and I think maybe PA. The actual phone part works anywhere there is Nextel coverage.
Nextel Direct Connect
on
Motorola's i95cl
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I am a user and administrator for our company's Nextel account. The biggest selling point for the Nextel/Motorola phones is the direct connect feature. What they don't tell you is that this is that you can only use this "radio feature" in your local calling area. Users do not have the ability to connect across the country (USA). Or even in the next State in some sections of the country. Our office is based in Connecticut, but we cannot communicate via the "radio" to our field personnel miles down the road in Rhode Island or Massachusetts. Users are restricted to using the phone to communicate. However the Internet part will work anywhere that there is service.
I have been told by people working inside Nextel that the Direct Connect radio feature will be available beyond local calling areas next summer. I also read this in one of Nextel's brochures I received the other day. This will be a big plus for their service.
the problem I have with this is the transportation of the waste. Yeah great it's going to be buried for thousands of years. You have to get it there safely first! What with possible train derailments, obvious terrorist opporunities(domestic or otherwise), or who knows what else. I don't know how comfortable I'd be about this stuff being carted through my backyard so to speak on its way to Yucca.
I worked with a SysAdmin who did not trust McAfee's product. Anyway he swore that McAfee actually created viruses so they had a reason to exist as a company and in turn sell more product. Now when I heard him say that I thought he was just tryin to peddle a conspiracy theory. Now couple this with the article above and Norton/Symantec no longer offering free virus updates. Now those comments don't seem to be quite as extreme. If more viruses don't make their way around the internet. Then how is an anti-virus company going to sell their product. There has to be a need for the product. What better way to do this than scare the public through press releases and possibly actual viruses. It's an just an old con applied to a new game.
I agree with you that Coupons Suck. I would rather they give you the lower price in the first place. The reason they don't give the lower price is greed. They know that not everyone is going to use the coupons. Coupons are really just another way for the businesses to track their advertising. It's antiquated, but it still seems to be the norm.
that since Apple started using a Unix base the thought of switching has crossed my mind. The only thing holding me back is the hardware costs. If the processor speeds seemed comparable to the same on the PC platforms I think I'd switch. It seems as though you get mor processing power for your dollar on the Windows/PC side. Although the small increase in processing power may be far outweighed by the ease of use and stability of the Apple platform.
I just received my 6 months worth of coupons in the mail. AT&T is smart to enact this "coupon campaign". They know that half the people that receive these coupons will think they're junk mail. Then the subscribers who do intend to use them may forget to use them at all. It's basically a cheap ploy by AT&T to make it seem like they care about their customers. They're saying hey we realize that you're not happy about this rate hike so here's 6 months of coupons to help out. This way AT&T appears as though they care. All the while they know that they'll only have a small percentage of subscribers return these coupons. So in the end they get what they want, more $$$$.
I had a friend who was working in the Occupational Therapy section of the army. Before you say it, Yes I had no idea that this was a "trade" in the Army either. Anyway, he had told me of such a vertical keyboard design. Supposedly the vertical design puts your hands/wrist in a more natural position. I imagine that it might take some time getting used to this method of typing. However, for someone with bad wrists this may be their saving grace.
"....a community of designers, inventors and innovators that want to collaborate on developing novel solutions..." The community has already been establised, it's called the Open Source community!
This is one of those things that the anti-Linux groups just love. You have a bunch of really intelligent people arguing over whether or not to change the name of an already well-established moniker. What a waste of time! If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Think about your average consumer who goes into a store to buy a computer. This person goes in thinking that buying a computer is like buying a TV or stereo. Basically, plug it, turn it on, and it works fine. It's another appliance to them. Little does this person realize that they have just bought themselves a piece of Systems Administrator Hell! What with the barrage of upgrades (read patches) to Windows and IE. Now couple that computer with Broadband and its always on connection to the internet. Now they have to worry about Viruses, SPAM and the script kiddie down the street trying to use their PC in an attack on EBAY or Yahoo. So much for the PC and the internet making life easier!
It's nice to know that Senator Kennedy has someone like Ngozi Pole working for him. Rather than succumb to the wishes of the SAA he realizes that there are quality alternatives to Microsoft Windows.
The world's first handheld satellite communicator! The Magellan GSC 100 allows you to send and receive e-mail, text messages to and from anywhere in the world using the revolutionary ORBCOMM Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite system. The GSC 100 also has a fully-functional GPS receiver to help you navigate and pinpoint your location anywhere in the world.
With the Magellan GSC 100, far from home no longer means being out of touch. Unlike traditional land-line, cellular or paging systems, the GSC 100 and ORBCOMM network operate from isolated parts of the world where conventional systems do not reach. As a result, remote workers, outdoor enthusiasts and international travelers can communicate anywhere in the world.
ORBCOMM SATELLITE SYSTEM The Magellan GSC 100 uses the ORBCOMM satellite system to transmit messages around the world. ORBCOMM is a constellation of Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites that enables GSC 100 users to send and receive brief, text messages or "GlobalGrams" using standard e-mail protocols.
When the user sends a GlobalGram, the message travels directly from the GSC 100 to the ORBCOMM satellite, down to a Gateway Earth Station (GES), and on to the Internet through normal terrestrial land-lines. To retrieve messages, the user simply requests a message check from the satellite and the message automatically transmits down to the GSC 100.
GSC 100 AND ORBCOMM COVERAGE The GSC 100 has global capability and can be used from anywhere on the globe that has authorized the ORBCOMM service. Please check ORBCOMM'S website for a list of authorized countries.
ORBCOMM SERVICE PRICING ORBCOMM service pricing differs from country to country. Please check with ORBCOMM for further details on individual country service plans.
MESSAGING FORMATS All messages transmitted via the GSC 100 are called GlobalGrams. The GSC 100 will send and receive messages in one of two formats, depending upon the location of the unit.
A Standard GlobalGram is composed when an ORBCOMM satellite is in sight of both the GSC 100 and GES. The message can contain up to 2000 characters. A Standard GlobalGram is delivered near "real time". As more GESs become operational, standard messages can be sent and received throughout the world.
A Store-and-Forward GlobalGram is composed when the satellite is in sight of the GSC 100 but not the GES. A Store-and-Forward GlobalGram can contain up to 200 characters. The message is stored in the satellite and delivered when a GES is in view.
Please check ORBCOMM'S website for details on sending a GlobalGram.
ORBCOMM VALUE-ADDED SERVICES ORBCOMM has introduced ORB2You and ORBWeather, value-added services available for the GSC 100. The ORB2You message dispatching service enables virtually anyone to communicate with a GSC 100 user even if they don't have access to E-mail. Individuals can dial toll-free 1-877-ORB2YOU and dictate their message to a dispatch center representative, who will then transmit that message to the GSC 100. Similarly, a GSC 100 user can send a GlobalGram to the dispatch center for delivery to the intended recipient via phone or facsimile.
ORBCOMM's ORBWeather service delivers position-specific weather reports directly to the GSC 100. To receive a weather update, a GSC 100 user would send their GPS position report to the ORBWeather e-mail inbox, and then receive forecast conditions for the current day, the following day and the following evening, in a standard, easy-to-read format.
GSC 100 Advantages
The world's first and only hand-held unit to offer anywhere to anywhere communication and navigation using the ORBCOMM satellite system and GPS system. No matter where your adventures may take you, global e-mail messaging capabilities allow you to communicate to any Internet e-mail address. Integrated GPS receiver capabilities allow you to identify your position, plot and track your course, store waypoints and communicate this information to anyone, anywhere in the world. Messaging Features
Worldwide messaging via ORBCOMM satellite service Send and receive brief, e-mail messages called GlobalGrams Easy-to-use, menu-driven interface Store up to 100 messages and 150 addresses Automatic wake-up feature sends and receives messages at pre-selected time intervals GPS Features
Displays position, speed, distance, time-to-go, and more Continuously points to your destination and keeps you on course Displays your trip's progress with a track plotter Stores 200 user-defined waypoints Relay your present location by inserting GPS position into your GlobalGram message
Ships With:
Monday April 29, 2002 - [ 09:47 AM GMT ] Topic - Hardware - By Russell C. Pavlicek - A few months ago, super-sized discount store Wal-Mart made the headlines in the Linux world by becoming the first major U.S. retailer to offer PCs without Windows preloaded. At this writing, the Walmart.com Web site lists no less than 14 PCs available without an operating system.
While this was widely hailed in the Open Source community as a victory over the "Microsoft tax," which usually afflicts buyers of Linux PCs, one major question remained unanswered: How well do these machines support Linux? Some PCs produced today are crammed with "value-added" (otherwise known as "brain dead") hardware that only works with specific drivers -- drivers that are frequently available under Windows alone. So, in order to get the straight scoop, we went off to the Wal-Mart Web site to purchase a system and load Linux on it.
Choices, choices
As previously mentioned, the Wal-Mart site currently lists 14 machines without an operating system. All are listed under the Microtel brand, and include a selection of Celeron, Duron, Athlon, and Pentium 4 processors ranging from 1 to 2 GHz. The prices range from a consumer-friendly U.S. $398 for a 1 GHz Duron or Celeron box, to a top-end 2 GHz Pentium 4 at U.S. $868. The low end offerings start with a "mere" 128 MB of memory, while the upper end tops out at hefty 512 MB installed. And to think that I still have a few 256 KB (yes, that's one quarter of a megabyte) SIMMs sitting in my drawer. The low end is a heck of a lot nicer than it was just a few years ago.
For the purposes of this review, we ordered a 1 GHz Duron system for U.S. $398. We figured that this would be a relatively popular selection among the more cost-conscious Linux users. With shipping, the total was a manageable U.S. $413. We ordered the PC on the evening of April 11 and it came to my door on April 22.
First look
The order arrived in a single, well-designed shipping box. In addition to the standard mini tower, the system includes a keyboard, a two-button mouse with scroll wheel, a pair of inexpensive speakers, and all the usual cables. The mini tower reminds me of any number of PC clone towers I have seen recently, but people buying these units are interested in functionality, not geek chic. The system also included the manufacturer's booklets for the motherboard and CDROM drive, as well as CDs with Windows drivers.
Inside the unit, there is a 40 GB Samsung drive, 128 MB of memory (8 MB of which is shared as video), and 52x LG CDROM Drive. The motherboard is a Microstar MicroATX motherboard model MS-6378. It has 2 DIMM slots (1 used), 3 PCI slots (one of which is occupied by a modem card), and 1 unused CNR slot. Sound and ethernet are handled on the motherboard, which also sports an Award BIOS dated 2/25/2002.
For those so inclined, the motherboard manual does say that the board supports overclocking, but it also provides the usual warnings about the risks of overclocking. So, it appears that speed freaks may be able to tweak the clock speed at their own risk.
Setting up the system was the same as setting up any standard clone. Plug in the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and power cord. The only essential item that is missing is a monitor (you will probably want to add a mouse pad and a surge suppressor, but those are optional).
Running under DemoLinux V3
For a quick check of the system, I put a DemoLinux version 3 CD in the CDROM drive and booted the system up. I found that the video came up fine using the framebuffer driver. Sound, likewise, was detected without incident. The only two items that did not function on boot-up were the modem and the ethernet. The ethernet was brought to life easily by loading the tulip driver and configuring the network interface. The modem, however, was another matter. I decided to wait to until I actually installed Linux to tackle that problem.
Installing Mandrake 8.1
Figuring that it was time to get serious, I began installing Mandrake version 8.1 on the system. I selected the most automated form of installation (as a Linux newbie might) to see how the process would fare. I was pleased with the results.
The installation went without incident. The Mandrake installer detected and configured the video, sound, and network without pain. At no time was there any indication that the installer was fighting strange hardware. I was thrilled.
But there was one fly in the ointment: the modem. The modem clearly was not a true hardware modem. So, using the "lspci -vv" command from an xterm (you can get the same result by looking at the PCI Information from the KDE Control Center), I tried to identify the type of modem in the machine. It was identified as an unidentified "Lucent Microelectronics" device. Thankfully, this meant that there might be a working Linux driver for this modem.
I traveled to linmodems.org and found the link to Randal Oliveira's site for Lucent drivers. Note that the Lucent drivers require kernel modules that must be recompiled for each version of the kernel, so it is essential that you either find a module that is compiled against the appropriate kernel, or else you will need to compile it yourself. After a couple of minutes, I located an RPM that someone had created for the Lucent drivers under Mandrake 8.1. After downloading and installing the RPM, I decided to reboot to see if the device would now be found on startup. Much to my delight, it was!
Unfortunately, my delight did not last. When I actually tried to use the modem, I found that the AT commands all worked as expected, but I could not get the modem to go off hook, recognize the dial tone, or generate touch tones. I spent hours on this with no joy.
Running under SuSE v7.2 Live Eval
Next, I wanted to see how SuSE Linux would handle the machine. I didn't have a full SuSE kit on hand, but I did have a V7.2 Live Evaluation CD handy. Like DemoLinux, this allows you to run SuSE Linux from the CD with no actual installation. I found that the SuSE Live Eval system detected everything fine, except for the modem. Not a bad result from a non-installed system.
Installing Red Hat v7.1
I then tried to install Red Hat V7.1 and found results close to my Mandrake experience. Everything loaded fine, except for the sound card and modem. The sound card was quickly activated by choosing the automatic configuration option from the sound configuration utility. I then downloaded a copy of the Lucent modem driver for Red Hat V7.1 and promptly found that the modem was behaving exactly as it did under Mandrake. The AT commands all seemed to work until you attempted to dial. The phone line never went off-hook and touch tones were never generated.
After several hours of investigation on the Web and experimentation, I could not find an answer. I tried different IRQs, changed settings in the CMOS, checked the phone line... nothing.
So, in my desperation, I decided to confirm that the darn modem actually worked. I pulled an unused Windows ME distribution off the shelf, installed it, and loaded the modem driver. To my surprise, the modem dialed the phone. I checked the settings under Windows and found they were identical to the default settings detected under Linux.
I reloaded Red Hat and played some more. No change. I could get replies to the AT commands, but I could not get it to do anything remotely productive with the telephone line. There may be a solution to this, but it certainly isn't obvious.
Conclusion
The Wal-Mart machine itself strikes me as a very reasonable clone. With the exception of the modem, all the hardware seems to work. I have had to live with useless modems in clones before, but at least this modem is a card that can be removed from the machine. I should also note that Mandrake installed on the box easier than Windows ME did. If I had wanted to keep Windows on the machine, I would have had to manually install drivers for both the ethernet and sound card, because Windows did neither on installation.
So it appears that the Wal-Mart machine as tested makes a very reasonable Linux box. But I suggest you lose the Lucent modem card and replace it with a real hardware modem.
Slashdot Mirror
I use my cell phone as my primary phone. My problem is that the reception inside my house is poor. The signal outside is a lot better. I Googled this cell reception idea a bit. The best site I found was Cell Antenna. The also have another site called Boat Antenna. which specializes in providing signal boosters for boats. The hardware is pretty much the same on both sites.
I haven't used one, but I've seen one in Boston. Zipcar has one of these cars located in a parking lot on the corner of Congress St and Boston Wharf Rd. It seems to get used often enough because it's not always in its assigned space. It doesn't seem like a bad idea for people who may not be able to afford to have a car in the city.
When I saw this article I thought great PS2 being used as a PVR. Come to find out after reading the article that I need a PC with Snapstream too! Seems ridiculous to have the PS2 even in the mix. Yeah I know that playback on the TV has been an issue with the Snapstream/PC combo, but I'm sure better alternatives top this mongrel can and have been proposed here on Slashdot.
Fatal error
Type of error Database error: connect(localhost,icrontic,PASSWORD) failed.
Error message MySQL Error: ()
Please report this bug to the webmaster.
Thank you.
I just installed the Jetty Web Server the other day so I don't have any real data to provide, sorry. I know of a few people that use it and have been happy with it. The only complaint that I've heard is that the pages take long to load. The person that said this thought it might have to do with the page being Java, but I think it might just be the database itself causing the slowdown. Just my $.02 worth.
quoted from the article... "Speakeasy's CEO has gone on the record in support of broadband sharing via wireless, basically saying 'you pay us for the bits you use and are welcome to do whatever you like with them."
Right, your're on the same network as those people but you won't be able to use your direct connect in RI, Most of MA NH, VT, or ME. It's still localized. You will be able to use your direct connect in CT, parts of NY, NJ and I think maybe PA. The actual phone part works anywhere there is Nextel coverage.
I am a user and administrator for our company's Nextel account. The biggest selling point for the Nextel/Motorola phones is the direct connect feature. What they don't tell you is that this is that you can only use this "radio feature" in your local calling area. Users do not have the ability to connect across the country (USA). Or even in the next State in some sections of the country. Our office is based in Connecticut, but we cannot communicate via the "radio" to our field personnel miles down the road in Rhode Island or Massachusetts. Users are restricted to using the phone to communicate. However the Internet part will work anywhere that there is service.
I have been told by people working inside Nextel that the Direct Connect radio feature will be available beyond local calling areas next summer. I also read this in one of Nextel's brochures I received the other day. This will be a big plus for their service.
Or make a pop an entire house full of popcorn with Kent stuck inside Professor Hathaway's house waiting for God.
the problem I have with this is the transportation of the waste. Yeah great it's going to be buried for thousands of years. You have to get it there safely first! What with possible train derailments, obvious terrorist opporunities(domestic or otherwise), or who knows what else. I don't know how comfortable I'd be about this stuff being carted through my backyard so to speak on its way to Yucca.
IMHO nothing beats a good dog.
Actually that whole paragraph seems to have been copied varbatim from the kernel trap intro.
I worked with a SysAdmin who did not trust McAfee's product. Anyway he swore that McAfee actually created viruses so they had a reason to exist as a company and in turn sell more product. Now when I heard him say that I thought he was just tryin to peddle a conspiracy theory. Now couple this with the article above and Norton/Symantec no longer offering free virus updates. Now those comments don't seem to be quite as extreme. If more viruses don't make their way around the internet. Then how is an anti-virus company going to sell their product. There has to be a need for the product. What better way to do this than scare the public through press releases and possibly actual viruses. It's an just an old con applied to a new game.
I agree with you that Coupons Suck. I would rather they give you the lower price in the first place. The reason they don't give the lower price is greed. They know that not everyone is going to use the coupons. Coupons are really just another way for the businesses to track their advertising. It's antiquated, but it still seems to be the norm.
that since Apple started using a Unix base the thought of switching has crossed my mind. The only thing holding me back is the hardware costs. If the processor speeds seemed comparable to the same on the PC platforms I think I'd switch. It seems as though you get mor processing power for your dollar on the Windows/PC side. Although the small increase in processing power may be far outweighed by the ease of use and stability of the Apple platform.
I just received my 6 months worth of coupons in the mail. AT&T is smart to enact this "coupon campaign". They know that half the people that receive these coupons will think they're junk mail. Then the subscribers who do intend to use them may forget to use them at all. It's basically a cheap ploy by AT&T to make it seem like they care about their customers. They're saying hey we realize that you're not happy about this rate hike so here's 6 months of coupons to help out. This way AT&T appears as though they care. All the while they know that they'll only have a small percentage of subscribers return these coupons. So in the end they get what they want, more $$$$.
I had a friend who was working in the Occupational Therapy section of the army. Before you say it, Yes I had no idea that this was a "trade" in the Army either. Anyway, he had told me of such a vertical keyboard design. Supposedly the vertical design puts your hands/wrist in a more natural position. I imagine that it might take some time getting used to this method of typing. However, for someone with bad wrists this may be their saving grace.
"....a community of designers, inventors and innovators that want to collaborate on developing novel solutions..." The community has already been establised, it's called the Open Source community!
This is one of those things that the anti-Linux groups just love. You have a bunch of really intelligent people arguing over whether or not to change the name of an already well-established moniker. What a waste of time! If it ain't broke don't fix it!
Think about your average consumer who goes into a store to buy a computer. This person goes in thinking that buying a computer is like buying a TV or stereo. Basically, plug it, turn it on, and it works fine. It's another appliance to them. Little does this person realize that they have just bought themselves a piece of Systems Administrator Hell! What with the barrage of upgrades (read patches) to Windows and IE. Now couple that computer with Broadband and its always on connection to the internet. Now they have to worry about Viruses, SPAM and the script kiddie down the street trying to use their PC in an attack on EBAY or Yahoo. So much for the PC and the internet making life easier!
It's nice to know that Senator Kennedy has someone like Ngozi Pole working for him. Rather than succumb to the wishes of the SAA he realizes that there are quality alternatives to Microsoft Windows.
Don't you mean "The irony is delicious".
The world's first handheld satellite communicator! The Magellan GSC 100 allows you to send and receive e-mail, text messages to and from anywhere in the world using the revolutionary ORBCOMM Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite system. The GSC 100 also has a fully-functional GPS receiver to help you navigate and pinpoint your location anywhere in the world.
With the Magellan GSC 100, far from home no longer means being out of touch. Unlike traditional land-line, cellular or paging systems, the GSC 100 and ORBCOMM network operate from isolated parts of the world where conventional systems do not reach. As a result, remote workers, outdoor enthusiasts and international travelers can communicate anywhere in the world.
ORBCOMM SATELLITE SYSTEM
The Magellan GSC 100 uses the ORBCOMM satellite system to transmit messages around the world. ORBCOMM is a constellation of Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites that enables GSC 100 users to send and receive brief, text messages or "GlobalGrams" using standard e-mail protocols.
When the user sends a GlobalGram, the message travels directly from the GSC 100 to the ORBCOMM satellite, down to a Gateway Earth Station (GES), and on to the Internet through normal terrestrial land-lines. To retrieve messages, the user simply requests a message check from the satellite and the message automatically transmits down to the GSC 100.
GSC 100 AND ORBCOMM COVERAGE
The GSC 100 has global capability and can be used from anywhere on the globe that has authorized the ORBCOMM service. Please check ORBCOMM'S website for a list of authorized countries.
ORBCOMM SERVICE PRICING
ORBCOMM service pricing differs from country to country. Please check with ORBCOMM for further details on individual country service plans.
MESSAGING FORMATS
All messages transmitted via the GSC 100 are called GlobalGrams. The GSC 100 will send and receive messages in one of two formats, depending upon the location of the unit.
A Standard GlobalGram is composed when an ORBCOMM satellite is in sight of both the GSC 100 and GES. The message can contain up to 2000 characters. A Standard GlobalGram is delivered near "real time". As more GESs become operational, standard messages can be sent and received throughout the world.
A Store-and-Forward GlobalGram is composed when the satellite is in sight of the GSC 100 but not the GES. A Store-and-Forward GlobalGram can contain up to 200 characters. The message is stored in the satellite and delivered when a GES is in view.
Please check ORBCOMM'S website for details on sending a GlobalGram.
ORBCOMM VALUE-ADDED SERVICES
ORBCOMM has introduced ORB2You and ORBWeather, value-added services available for the GSC 100. The ORB2You message dispatching service enables virtually anyone to communicate with a GSC 100 user even if they don't have access to E-mail. Individuals can dial toll-free 1-877-ORB2YOU and dictate their message to a dispatch center representative, who will then transmit that message to the GSC 100. Similarly, a GSC 100 user can send a GlobalGram to the dispatch center for delivery to the intended recipient via phone or facsimile.
ORBCOMM's ORBWeather service delivers position-specific weather reports directly to the GSC 100. To receive a weather update, a GSC 100 user would send their GPS position report to the ORBWeather e-mail inbox, and then receive forecast conditions for the current day, the following day and the following evening, in a standard, easy-to-read format.
GSC 100 Advantages
The world's first and only hand-held unit to offer anywhere to anywhere communication and navigation using the ORBCOMM satellite system and GPS system.
No matter where your adventures may take you, global e-mail messaging capabilities allow you to communicate to any Internet e-mail address.
Integrated GPS receiver capabilities allow you to identify your position, plot and track your course, store waypoints and communicate this information to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Messaging Features
Worldwide messaging via ORBCOMM satellite service
Send and receive brief, e-mail messages called GlobalGrams
Easy-to-use, menu-driven interface
Store up to 100 messages and 150 addresses
Automatic wake-up feature sends and receives messages at pre-selected time intervals
GPS Features
Displays position, speed, distance, time-to-go, and more
Continuously points to your destination and keeps you on course
Displays your trip's progress with a track plotter
Stores 200 user-defined waypoints
Relay your present location by inserting GPS position into your GlobalGram message
Ships With:
Telescopic whip antenna
Rechargeable NiCad battery pack
Universal AC converter
Software update cable
Data/power extension cable
Activation instructions
User manual
Quick reference guide
Optional Accessories:
Carrying case
Mounting bracket
Data/power cable
Additional NiCad battery pack
Cigarette lighter adapter
External GPS antenna
PC software kit
AC converter, international plug kit
Optional Antennas:
Fixed Site VHF Antenna
GPS Antenna
Combined GPS/VHF Magnetic Mount Antenna
Combined GPS/VHF Roof Top Mount Antenna
Combined GPS/VHF Trunk Mount Antenna
Installing Linux on a Wal-Mart OS-less PC
... nothing.
Monday April 29, 2002 - [ 09:47 AM GMT ]
Topic - Hardware - By Russell C. Pavlicek -
A few months ago, super-sized discount store Wal-Mart made the headlines in the Linux world by becoming the first major U.S. retailer to offer PCs without Windows preloaded. At this writing, the Walmart.com Web site lists no less than 14 PCs available without an operating system.
While this was widely hailed in the Open Source community as a victory over the "Microsoft tax," which usually afflicts buyers of Linux PCs, one major question remained unanswered: How well do these machines support Linux? Some PCs produced today are crammed with "value-added" (otherwise known as "brain dead") hardware that only works with specific drivers -- drivers that are frequently available under Windows alone.
So, in order to get the straight scoop, we went off to the Wal-Mart Web site to purchase a system and load Linux on it.
Choices, choices
As previously mentioned, the Wal-Mart site currently lists 14 machines without an operating system. All are listed under the Microtel brand, and include a selection of Celeron, Duron, Athlon, and Pentium 4 processors ranging from 1 to 2 GHz. The prices range from a consumer-friendly U.S. $398 for a 1 GHz Duron or Celeron box, to a top-end 2 GHz Pentium 4 at U.S. $868. The low end offerings start with a "mere" 128 MB of memory, while the upper end tops out at hefty 512 MB installed. And to think that I still have a few 256 KB (yes, that's one quarter of a megabyte) SIMMs sitting in my drawer. The low end is a heck of a lot nicer than it was just a few years ago.
For the purposes of this review, we ordered a 1 GHz Duron system for U.S. $398. We figured that this would be a relatively popular selection among the more cost-conscious Linux users. With shipping, the total was a manageable U.S. $413. We ordered the PC on the evening of April 11 and it came to my door on April 22.
First look
The order arrived in a single, well-designed shipping box. In addition to the standard mini tower, the system includes a keyboard, a two-button mouse with scroll wheel, a pair of inexpensive speakers, and all the usual cables. The mini tower reminds me of any number of PC clone towers I have seen recently, but people buying these units are interested in functionality, not geek chic. The system also included the manufacturer's booklets for the motherboard and CDROM drive, as well as CDs with Windows drivers.
Inside the unit, there is a 40 GB Samsung drive, 128 MB of memory (8 MB of which is shared as video), and 52x LG CDROM Drive. The motherboard is a Microstar MicroATX motherboard model MS-6378. It has 2 DIMM slots (1 used), 3 PCI slots (one of which is occupied by a modem card), and 1 unused CNR slot. Sound and ethernet are handled on the motherboard, which also sports an Award BIOS dated 2/25/2002.
For those so inclined, the motherboard manual does say that the board supports overclocking, but it also provides the usual warnings about the risks of overclocking. So, it appears that speed freaks may be able to tweak the clock speed at their own risk.
Setting up the system was the same as setting up any standard clone. Plug in the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and power cord. The only essential item that is missing is a monitor (you will probably want to add a mouse pad and a surge suppressor, but those are optional).
Running under DemoLinux V3
For a quick check of the system, I put a DemoLinux version 3 CD in the CDROM drive and booted the system up. I found that the video came up fine using the framebuffer driver. Sound, likewise, was detected without incident. The only two items that did not function on boot-up were the modem and the ethernet. The ethernet was brought to life easily by loading the tulip driver and configuring the network interface. The modem, however, was another matter. I decided to wait to until I actually installed Linux to tackle that problem.
Installing Mandrake 8.1
Figuring that it was time to get serious, I began installing Mandrake version 8.1 on the system. I selected the most automated form of installation (as a Linux newbie might) to see how the process would fare. I was pleased with the results.
The installation went without incident. The Mandrake installer detected and configured the video, sound, and network without pain. At no time was there any indication that the installer was fighting strange hardware. I was thrilled.
But there was one fly in the ointment: the modem. The modem clearly was not a true hardware modem. So, using the "lspci -vv" command from an xterm (you can get the same result by looking at the PCI Information from the KDE Control Center), I tried to identify the type of modem in the machine. It was identified as an unidentified "Lucent Microelectronics" device. Thankfully, this meant that there might be a working Linux driver for this modem.
I traveled to linmodems.org and found the link to Randal Oliveira's site for Lucent drivers. Note that the Lucent drivers require kernel modules that must be recompiled for each version of the kernel, so it is essential that you either find a module that is compiled against the appropriate kernel, or else you will need to compile it yourself. After a couple of minutes, I located an RPM that someone had created for the Lucent drivers under Mandrake 8.1. After downloading and installing the RPM, I decided to reboot to see if the device would now be found on startup. Much to my delight, it was!
Unfortunately, my delight did not last. When I actually tried to use the modem, I found that the AT commands all worked as expected, but I could not get the modem to go off hook, recognize the dial tone, or generate touch tones. I spent hours on this with no joy.
Running under SuSE v7.2 Live Eval
Next, I wanted to see how SuSE Linux would handle the machine. I didn't have a full SuSE kit on hand, but I did have a V7.2 Live Evaluation CD handy. Like DemoLinux, this allows you to run SuSE Linux from the CD with no actual installation. I found that the SuSE Live Eval system detected everything fine, except for the modem. Not a bad result from a non-installed system.
Installing Red Hat v7.1
I then tried to install Red Hat V7.1 and found results close to my Mandrake experience. Everything loaded fine, except for the sound card and modem. The sound card was quickly activated by choosing the automatic configuration option from the sound configuration utility. I then downloaded a copy of the Lucent modem driver for Red Hat V7.1 and promptly found that the modem was behaving exactly as it did under Mandrake. The AT commands all seemed to work until you attempted to dial. The phone line never went off-hook and touch tones were never generated.
After several hours of investigation on the Web and experimentation, I could not find an answer. I tried different IRQs, changed settings in the CMOS, checked the phone line
So, in my desperation, I decided to confirm that the darn modem actually worked. I pulled an unused Windows ME distribution off the shelf, installed it, and loaded the modem driver. To my surprise, the modem dialed the phone. I checked the settings under Windows and found they were identical to the default settings detected under Linux.
I reloaded Red Hat and played some more. No change. I could get replies to the AT commands, but I could not get it to do anything remotely productive with the telephone line. There may be a solution to this, but it certainly isn't obvious.
Conclusion
The Wal-Mart machine itself strikes me as a very reasonable clone. With the exception of the modem, all the hardware seems to work. I have had to live with useless modems in clones before, but at least this modem is a card that can be removed from the machine. I should also note that Mandrake installed on the box easier than Windows ME did. If I had wanted to keep Windows on the machine, I would have had to manually install drivers for both the ethernet and sound card, because Windows did neither on installation.
So it appears that the Wal-Mart machine as tested makes a very reasonable Linux box. But I suggest you lose the Lucent modem card and replace it with a real hardware modem.
How long beforeApple sues claiming that the "G4" Channel infringes on their trademark?