I'm a teacher (university). I'm afraid that I often use a rather antique method in teaching: the Socratic method. Since I teach philosophy, most often one-to-one or one-to-two, perhaps it isn't such an inappropriate method.
If you can get a machine to do the teaching nearly as well and as inexpensively (although it isn't an inexpensive method), have at it.
Desktop CPUs towards the low end work fine for what I do. However, I now take power management into account in a way I never did before. For example, my main desktop uses a core i3. The CPU speed and built-in graphics are fine. What sold me on it was the power use profile. Similarly for a router/nas/etc that I recently built using the DN2800MT motherboard. What finally sold me on on it was the low power use. When I was looking at components, it seemed to me that Intel was much better than AMD when it came to computing power vs power consumption.
One hears the argument that a main reason for not switching to linux from Windows is the cost of retraining, especially when it comes to applications. The argument has often puzzled me. I hear tell that some companies are still using Windows XP because of the cost of conversion to other systems. The cost of conversion to Windows 8 will be pretty high, I would suspect. On the other hand, one of the nifty things about linux is that once you get it a you like, it can stay that way for a long time.
Although the underpinnings have changed over time (e.g., I moved from icewm to awesome wm), the "look and feel" of my "desktop" has only changed very incrementally since about 1998. The applications have got snazzier, of course, but, even there, the basic layout hasn't changed.
I've not looked a Chromium for some time, so given the comments here, I installed it (Debian). The opening screen on a standard install takes you to the Google login page. A bad start. I don't have a Google account. Not even for using my Android phone (Dell Streak 5). I get along nicely on the phone without a Google account using K-9 mail (to my imap server) and CalDav for calendar and contacts (to my davical server). I even use Firefox (Fennec) on the phone.
Iceweasel (FireFox) has vimperator, which gives it a serious (winning) advantage over any other browser. Subjectively, Iceweasel seems as least as speedy as Chromium on my underpowered Atom D525 system. But, either is plenty fast for my purposes.
While it would be a good think if the Mozilla folks were as concerned with linux desktop users as with MS Windows and Apple OS desktop users, it isn't a big deal if they aren't. I think that I'll stick with Iceweasel.
Exactly. Look at Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Shakespeare got it more or less right In Henry V: "Every subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's soul is his own." (I'll leave it to the reader to update where necessary.)
When I recently built a couple of boxes (one for me, one for my wife), I put in each a 64GB Samsung 470. In this neck of the woods, they were the amongst the first to break the 1GBP per gigabyte price (on sale). So, price was an important consideration. Admittedly, I was also terribly keen to get relatively solid, but quite unexciting performance.
I'm with you on this. I'm using an older dual Xeon Compaq EVO W6000, and reading this site reminds me of the days of 1200 baud modems. I'm off now, and will come back when it behaves more like a text format site should.
Interestingly, the Virginia Tech article says, "System X is currently running at 12.25 Teraflops, (20.24 peak), and was last ranked #47 (November, 2006) in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers."
Somehow the VT claim that they were 47th on the list got transmogrified in the Apple article to a claim that VT's computer was 7th on the list. (The case of the disappearing "4"?) Also, this was 2006. I couldn't find an Apple computer in the 1st 100 of the most recent list.
Interestingly, the article from Virginia Tech says, "System X is currently running at 12.25 Teraflops, (20.24 peak), and was last ranked #47 (November, 2006) in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers."
Somehow, the VT claim about it being 47th got translated in the Apple article to it being 7th. Also, this was from 2006. I can't find the VT computer in the top 100 of the most recent list.
I'm not up to speed with what's available or feasible technically, but I have been thinking a bit about the structure of searching. In particular, I've been trying to work out how de-centralised searching could work, or, at least, work it out conceptually (I don't work in a computer related field). My first thoughts were trying to see if there could be a model similar to that used by bittorrent, or at least what I understand of bittorrent (never having used it).
It seems to me that one of the features that has made the internet so useful, and powerful, is that the important functions are de-centralised. And that the search function, a very important one, is odd-man-out in this respect.
As others have said, this is a real gem of an opensource program. I've been using it for years (skencil previously), mostly in designing dials for wrist watches.
I forgot what it was called, but I remembered that I had one, so I looked.
Now I carry a Moleskine notebook and mechanical pencil with me at all times (given that I remember). It is much more useful than computer notes, as a lot of the time when I want to record something there isn't a computer to hand. (Exposure notes when taking pictures with film, measurements when in the garage, etc.) Also, it is easier and quicker to flip through the pages looking for the relevant information than to get to a computer.
In general, I find it sufficient to remember where the information is instead of trying to remember the information.
Adobe is pretty interesting. Not that I know a lot about them, but they seem to open up the file formats, and compete on the tools. Another example of this is DNG, their Digital Negative. It is available on some DSLRs as a default raw type (e.g., my Pentax K10D).
Well specified formats for archiving various types of content is where it's at, man.
After over a year of using Thunderbird (Icedove), I've gone back to using Mutt.;)
The main reason is that, for me, email is mostly text (at least the email I want), I do tons of email over a ssh connection, and, even with an ADSL connection (but not the biggest pipe in the world), X11 forwarding over ssh made using Thunderbird over ssh slow and cumbersome. In addition, filtering, scripts, backup, attachments, editing (with my editor of choice).... are all so much easier with Mutt. But, I'll say this for Thunderbird, it is slick.
What would be really nice is if we could have X11 with integrated audio. There are lots of ways of streaming audio, etc., but that is different.
What I want is that when I log into a remote X11 box using xdm the audio is sent to the local X11 server, just as the video now is. All the processing would be done remotely, and just the video/audio rendering for local hardware would be handled locally.
I'm a great believer in hardware compatibility lists. I've been burned twice where it appeared that a bit of hardware would work, because there was supposed to be a linux driver, but it didn't work properly.
I especially like FreeBSD's attitude. If it is listed, it will surely work. If it isn't listed, you are on your own.
Consequently, I never, ever, buy gear that isn't listed.
The supposed FreeBSD vs GNU/linux competition is
one of the strangest things I've seen.
I use both. And, the reason for using one rather than the other isn't that crucial. I would be perfectly willing to use either for everything. It is just that I don't have to. So, I use FreeBSD for server stuff with standard hardware, and I use linux when I want to support more up-to-date hardware.
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I'm a teacher (university). I'm afraid that I often use a rather antique method in teaching: the Socratic method. Since I teach philosophy, most often one-to-one or one-to-two, perhaps it isn't such an inappropriate method.
If you can get a machine to do the teaching nearly as well and as inexpensively (although it isn't an inexpensive method), have at it.
Best wishes,
Bob
Or is that the wrong technology?
Best wishes,
Bob
Desktop CPUs towards the low end work fine for what I do. However, I now take power management into account in a way I never did before. For example, my main desktop uses a core i3. The CPU speed and built-in graphics are fine. What sold me on it was the power use profile. Similarly for a router/nas/etc that I recently built using the DN2800MT motherboard. What finally sold me on on it was the low power use. When I was looking at components, it seemed to me that Intel was much better than AMD when it came to computing power vs power consumption.
Best wishes,
Bob
One hears the argument that a main reason for not switching to linux from Windows is the cost of retraining, especially when it comes to applications. The argument has often puzzled me. I hear tell that some companies are still using Windows XP because of the cost of conversion to other systems. The cost of conversion to Windows 8 will be pretty high, I would suspect. On the other hand, one of the nifty things about linux is that once you get it a you like, it can stay that way for a long time.
Although the underpinnings have changed over time (e.g., I moved from icewm to awesome wm), the "look and feel" of my "desktop" has only changed very incrementally since about 1998. The applications have got snazzier, of course, but, even there, the basic layout hasn't changed.
Best wishes,
Bob
I've not looked a Chromium for some time, so given the comments here, I installed it (Debian). The opening screen on a standard install takes you to the Google login page. A bad start. I don't have a Google account. Not even for using my Android phone (Dell Streak 5). I get along nicely on the phone without a Google account using K-9 mail (to my imap server) and CalDav for calendar and contacts (to my davical server). I even use Firefox (Fennec) on the phone.
Iceweasel (FireFox) has vimperator, which gives it a serious (winning) advantage over any other browser. Subjectively, Iceweasel seems as least as speedy as Chromium on my underpowered Atom D525 system. But, either is plenty fast for my purposes.
While it would be a good think if the Mozilla folks were as concerned with linux desktop users as with MS Windows and Apple OS desktop users, it isn't a big deal if they aren't. I think that I'll stick with Iceweasel.
Best wishes,
Bob
Exactly. Look at Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Shakespeare got it more or less right In Henry V: "Every subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's soul is his own." (I'll leave it to the reader to update where necessary.)
Best wishes,
Bob
And one can't log in without cookies.
Best wishes,
Bob
When I recently built a couple of boxes (one for me, one for my wife), I put in each a 64GB Samsung 470. In this neck of the woods, they were the amongst the first to break the 1GBP per gigabyte price (on sale). So, price was an important consideration. Admittedly, I was also terribly keen to get relatively solid, but quite unexciting performance.
(The only other SSD I have is an Intel.)
Best wishes,
Bob
May you have fair winds and following seas.
Best wishes,
Bob
Sure, you can *open* it. But will it *render* the same.
That's one reason I use LaTeX. My dissertation from 1990 renders *exactly* the same now as it did then. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
I'm with you on this. I'm using an older dual Xeon Compaq EVO W6000, and reading this site reminds me of the days of 1200 baud modems. I'm off now, and will come back when it behaves more like a text format site should.
Best wishes,
Bob
Interestingly, the Virginia Tech article says, "System X is currently running at 12.25 Teraflops, (20.24 peak), and was last ranked #47 (November, 2006) in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers."
Somehow the VT claim that they were 47th on the list got transmogrified in the Apple article to a claim that VT's computer was 7th on the list. (The case of the disappearing "4"?) Also, this was 2006. I couldn't find an Apple computer in the 1st 100 of the most recent list.
Best wishes,
Bob
Interestingly, the article from Virginia Tech says, "System X is currently running at 12.25 Teraflops, (20.24 peak), and was last ranked #47 (November, 2006) in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers."
Somehow, the VT claim about it being 47th got translated in the Apple article to it being 7th. Also, this was from 2006. I can't find the VT computer in the top 100 of the most recent list.
Best wishes,
Bob
I'm not up to speed with what's available or feasible technically, but I have been thinking a bit about the structure of searching. In particular, I've been trying to work out how de-centralised searching could work, or, at least, work it out conceptually (I don't work in a computer related field). My first thoughts were trying to see if there could be a model similar to that used by bittorrent, or at least what I understand of bittorrent (never having used it).
It seems to me that one of the features that has made the internet so useful, and powerful, is that the important functions are de-centralised. And that the search function, a very important one, is odd-man-out in this respect.
Best wishes,
Bob
As others have said, this is a real gem of an opensource program. I've been using it for years (skencil previously), mostly in designing dials for wrist watches.
Best wishes,
Bob
I forgot what it was called, but I remembered that I had one, so I looked.
Now I carry a Moleskine notebook and mechanical pencil with me at all times (given that I remember). It is much more useful than computer notes, as a lot of the time when I want to record something there isn't a computer to hand. (Exposure notes when taking pictures with film, measurements when in the garage, etc.) Also, it is easier and quicker to flip through the pages looking for the relevant information than to get to a computer.
In general, I find it sufficient to remember where the information is instead of trying to remember the information.
Best wishes,
Bob
So, are they going to provide a link to Yahoo when someone searches for "Google", one wonders?
Best wishes,
Bob
Adobe is pretty interesting. Not that I know a lot about them, but they seem to open up the file formats, and compete on the tools. Another example of this is DNG, their Digital Negative. It is available on some DSLRs as a default raw type (e.g., my Pentax K10D).
Well specified formats for archiving various types of content is where it's at, man.
Best wishes,
Bob
May I assume that they musicians who play some sort of popular dance music? Is there an accordion involved?
Best wishes,
Bob
After over a year of using Thunderbird (Icedove), I've gone back to using Mutt. ;)
.... are all so much easier with Mutt. But, I'll say this for Thunderbird, it is slick.
The main reason is that, for me, email is mostly text (at least the email I want), I do tons of email over a ssh connection, and, even with an ADSL connection (but not the biggest pipe in the world), X11 forwarding over ssh made using Thunderbird over ssh slow and cumbersome. In addition, filtering, scripts, backup, attachments, editing (with my editor of choice)
Luckily, I don't do calendaring.
Best wishes,
Bob
Professor Knuth has a good strategy for email. He deals with it in batch mode. One day every three months. Sounds good to me.
Best wishes,
Bob
Hello,
Try the empircial route. Send a cheque to OSDL and see if they return it.
Best wishes,
Bob
What would be really nice is if we could have X11 with integrated audio. There are lots of ways of streaming audio, etc., but that is different.
What I want is that when I log into a remote X11 box using xdm the audio is sent to the local X11 server, just as the video now is. All the processing would be done remotely, and just the video/audio rendering for local hardware would be handled locally.
Best wishes,
Bob
Hello,
I'm a great believer in hardware compatibility lists. I've been burned twice where it appeared that a bit of hardware would work, because there was supposed to be a linux driver, but it didn't work properly.
I especially like FreeBSD's attitude. If it is listed, it will surely work. If it isn't listed, you are on your own.
Consequently, I never, ever, buy gear that isn't listed.
Best wishes,
Bob
The supposed FreeBSD vs GNU/linux competition is one of the strangest things I've seen.
I use both. And, the reason for using one rather than the other isn't that crucial. I would be perfectly willing to use either for everything. It is just that I don't have to. So, I use FreeBSD for server stuff with standard hardware, and I use linux when I want to support more up-to-date hardware.
Best wishes,
Bob