My wife has an Agenda VR3, and it comes with Linux sync software. However, it is crap. Fortunately, there is ADesktop which is a *much* better alternative.
However, battery life on this unit is absolutely horrible.
The manual claims about a month given average usage.. What they definae as average, I don't know. Also, it comes with the overclock utility, which strangely seems to increase power to the screen (display gets brighter at higher mhz, dimmer at lower). I'm sure that the speed you set it to has a lot to do with the battery life.
It takes 2 AAA batteries, and warns against using rechargables.
It does POP3, but it leaves all mail on the mail server, so as to not take any local storage. The mail program is pretty personable. You can type a regular text message, or you can record an audio message that gets sent as a wav file, or you can scribble on the touchscreen and it will send it as a gif. It has an addressbook also, which is a component of the contact application, which also syncs with your palmos device.. Fairly integrated.
Here is one of the more interesting toys I've gotten lately, the 3com Audrey. Now on sale at TigerDirect for $89. Take the plunge and get the 3com 3c19250 USB Ethernet adapter, available Here for $30.
The quick breakdown on the Audrey, they run QNX 6.0 out of a flash disk, and have a browser, mail program, scheduler, memo pad, and some other tools built in. It can also sync with your PalmOS device. Hardware-wise, it is a Geode 200mhz processor, with 32 megs of ram and a 16 meg flash. It has a built in 56k modem, 2 USB ports, an infrared keyboard, 640x480 touchscreen, stereo sound with built in speakers.
Once you have followed the directions listed in the threads at the I-Appliance BBS you will be able to install other applications from QNX 6.0, or even upgrade your system library so you can run 6.1 binaries. People have turned this unit into remote terminals, digital picture frames, mp3 players, home automation terminals, etc. You can't put linux on it because it (yet) because it doesn't actually have a BIOS, but once you get familiar with QNX you really won't mind. You get download QNX 6.1 for free, there ISO is Here. It is a pretty nice OS in its own right.
I've got two Audreys, I use one to run QNX-based ICQ and AIM, so I can dualboot to play ReVolt or take apart my main machine for whatever reason. The other one is my girlfriend's and she uses the builtin apps for scheduling etc plus for web surfing in the bedroom.
The only downside to the Audrey is that its pretty... Shall we say... Lacking in testosterone. Everything from the shape of the unit, to the bootup giggle, to the layout of the manual, to the clear, oddly shaped stylus... Definately was being marketed to the fairer sex. But that's ok, cause chicks will dig it.
Real Audio Clip
http://mfile.akamai.com/920/rm/thepost.download.ak amai.com/920/msnbc/ms091101-2v.rpm
Not very good quality, no sound, but its something and its up.
I have been using linux on an Ultra 5 for years, and have had very good success. Netscape is available (128 bit even), as is java, but I prefer Konqueror for my browsing. I do my internet banking just fine with Konqueror, and that was the last thing keeping me on Netscape/Mozilla.
Commercial software definately isn't the strong point, but it has full source compatibility with other linux, and unless someone didn't take into account big endian/little endian when they wrote something, it all works great.
I think your car comparison is flawed. If there was a community of developers that designed a car, they would be able to get funding based on the quality of the engineering that they did... Then they would sell the car to the masses. Open source and commercial are not mutually exclusive.
How many of us would feel better about riding in a car that was subject to mass review? Your reward for assisting the project (bug fixes you know) would be your ability to buy a high quality car with way lower design overhead. I personally would love it.
I've been running the Sparc port since it was posted August 11, and my feelings are kind of mixed. First, let me say that I use SuSE exclusively on the Intel platform, and have been for a couple years. Before this port, I had been using RedHat on my Ultra5 workstation and my AXi servers, not something I enjoyed.
First off, yast2 is not complete for this port. It evidently isn't using the fbdev X server, as it came up full GUI on one machine, and in some Really Ugly text-based menu system on another. Definately boot yast1.
Second, it gives you all the options for using reiserfs, but as some of us know already, reiserfs only works on x86. I don't see how this one got past the beta-testers.
Third, it ships with kernel source that won't compile. The SuSE modified 2.2.16 will not compile on architectures other then x86. Best idea: upgrade to 2.4.0-test8, which finally seems to work on Sparc again.
Next, one of the big things I was looking forward to, KDE2, seems to be included in spirit alone. Haven't tried Gnome, but kde1 works just fine.
Beyond these issues, it seems pretty solid. They have a couple major updates you should get on thier ftp site, but thats a no-brainer.
I highly reccomend this to any UltraSparc users. SuSE is way more friendly then Solaris, and Linux itself seems much faster on the same hardware.
With Sun selling Ultra5 workstations (fully loaded! on Ebay on the cheap, this is a great way to break free of "lin-tel" and see how good 64bit can feel!
Actually, if you write a driver, you do not have to distribute source under GPL, you just cannot include it in the kernel source. The kernel allows proprietary kernel modules in binary form.
The "windows-like" interface they refer to is a project called Wheels, which is a descendant of the old GEOS package, currently called Wheels. I wasn't a big GEOS fan in the day though, and still don't use it... For the same reason that I only fire up X when I need Netscape. For folks that appreciate it, though, it's there.
So here are a few things the article didn't go into...
First, the "20 times" accelerator is a neat little device called the "SuperCPU" made by CMD (Yes, the same CMD that used to make the 64 SCSI hard drives). Imagine, a 20mhz C64 with 16 megs of ram... mmm...
Steve Judd, the guy in the lower picture, is the maintainer of The Fridge, a "code storage" facility. I got to meet the guy in person last year at an expo in Chicago area, and check out the projects he was working on at the time. Very cool stuff, not many folks write a 3d library in assembly ya know.
For more information on the C64 scene, check out Burning Horizon's links page. There really are alot of us left.
- Squash (previously TFS/FTA)
Re:Facts from the con
on
BO2K cracked
·
· Score: 2
Good points, and I'm glad to read an informed view on this.
I think more people should do more research then reading zdnet and news.com on this subject. There are a lot of stupid posts above this one from people armed with disinformation. Quite simply, alot of them are missing the point.
Anyone who wasn't there to hear the introduction first hand, you should check out the 41 minute MP3 of it. It's a lot more interesting then most product announcements. Here is a link to a page containing the mp3. Pay particular to the cheers from the crowd every time they mention something stupid in Windows that contributed to the program.
Things like "remote threads". Seriously. You can start a thread of another program from your program, stick your program into it, and what do you know, explorer.exe is now also running rc5des.
For a good laugh, listen to the undocumented Win32 call used in the 95/98 client.
Discrediting BO2K is almost as dangerous as BO2K itself. You can't just scan for port 31337. BO2K doesn't have a default port, you have to put something in yourself. You can't just look on netstat for open TCP connections. BO2K can transport over ICMP. You can't look for a signature to the file, adding a random x=x; into it will change it.
Sure, you say, but how many script kiddies will go changing source code? A valid point, as most script kiddies can't tell a semicolon from a mouse. However, cDc has also released (surely not coincidence) a "pkzip-lite" style program that compresses/encrypts executables to random keys. File signatures are probobly the weakest form of "integrity verification" and that I"ve ever seen. As far as watching for network transmission signatures, you'd be amazed how easy it is to write around that. The important part is that your method not need be good! All it needs to be is 1 bit different. Insert an extra byte into a header. Write a silly wrapper to make it look like http data, or a real audio stream.
The biggest factor in this is the software's open source license, which allows all this and more to happen. BO2K is merely the first variation. Stopping it is ineffective.
The last big part is the spreading issue. True, the clearest way to infect a computer is to send it as an email attachment. A quick modification to happy99.exe would really spice things up. IIS servers are still easy targets on the real world. You won't get www3.microsoft.com, but you will probobly get www.joesfishingshack.com or similar. Imagine if someone combines a custom BO2K with a virus that is reasonably good at spreading itself.
This article is about as sparse as possible, will they hopefully elaborate soon? I personally think nothing but good things can come of NT beating us. We do have a lot of areas to improve speed within Linux, and I'm sure we will all enjoy reaping the benefits of straightening out our shortcomings. I wonder what the results would be if they ran both benchmarks at the same time? I guess the big question is, how many times did they have to reboot NT during the test?
Slashdot Mirror
My wife has an Agenda VR3, and it comes with Linux sync software. However, it is crap. Fortunately, there is ADesktop which is a *much* better alternative.
However, battery life on this unit is absolutely horrible.
The manual claims about a month given average usage.. What they definae as average, I don't know. Also, it comes with the overclock utility, which strangely seems to increase power to the screen (display gets brighter at higher mhz, dimmer at lower). I'm sure that the speed you set it to has a lot to do with the battery life.
It takes 2 AAA batteries, and warns against using rechargables.
It does POP3, but it leaves all mail on the mail server, so as to not take any local storage. The mail program is pretty personable. You can type a regular text message, or you can record an audio message that gets sent as a wav file, or you can scribble on the touchscreen and it will send it as a gif. It has an addressbook also, which is a component of the contact application, which also syncs with your palmos device.. Fairly integrated.
PDP-11/04 on Ebay for 172.51
Of,
PDP-11/44 on Ebay for 10.50.
Here is one of the more interesting toys I've gotten lately, the 3com Audrey. Now on sale at TigerDirect for $89. Take the plunge and get the 3com 3c19250 USB Ethernet adapter, available Here for $30.
The quick breakdown on the Audrey, they run QNX 6.0 out of a flash disk, and have a browser, mail program, scheduler, memo pad, and some other tools built in. It can also sync with your PalmOS device. Hardware-wise, it is a Geode 200mhz processor, with 32 megs of ram and a 16 meg flash. It has a built in 56k modem, 2 USB ports, an infrared keyboard, 640x480 touchscreen, stereo sound with built in speakers.
Once you have followed the directions listed in the threads at the I-Appliance BBS you will be able to install other applications from QNX 6.0, or even upgrade your system library so you can run 6.1 binaries. People have turned this unit into remote terminals, digital picture frames, mp3 players, home automation terminals, etc. You can't put linux on it because it (yet) because it doesn't actually have a BIOS, but once you get familiar with QNX you really won't mind. You get download QNX 6.1 for free, there ISO is Here. It is a pretty nice OS in its own right.
I've got two Audreys, I use one to run QNX-based ICQ and AIM, so I can dualboot to play ReVolt or take apart my main machine for whatever reason. The other one is my girlfriend's and she uses the builtin apps for scheduling etc plus for web surfing in the bedroom.
The only downside to the Audrey is that its pretty... Shall we say... Lacking in testosterone. Everything from the shape of the unit, to the bootup giggle, to the layout of the manual, to the clear, oddly shaped stylus... Definately was being marketed to the fairer sex. But that's ok, cause chicks will dig it.
Someone should really mod the parent down. This driver is NOT part of the Linux kernel, it is vendor supplied. How the hell did it get +5?
That was quick. Anyone able to post a mirror?
Real Audio Clip http://mfile.akamai.com/920/rm/thepost.download.ak amai.com/920/msnbc/ms091101-2v.rpm
Not very good quality, no sound, but its something and its up.
This unit is being discussed quite heavily atd /UltraBoard.pl.
http://www.kenseglerdesigns.com/cgi-bin/UltraBoar
Check in for discussions on hacking these, and other, internet appliances and related electronic toys.
I have been using linux on an Ultra 5 for years, and have had very good success. Netscape is available (128 bit even), as is java, but I prefer Konqueror for my browsing. I do my internet banking just fine with Konqueror, and that was the last thing keeping me on Netscape/Mozilla.
Commercial software definately isn't the strong point, but it has full source compatibility with other linux, and unless someone didn't take into account big endian/little endian when they wrote something, it all works great.
Currently running SuSE 7.1 on 2.4.3.
I think your car comparison is flawed. If there was a community of developers that designed a car, they would be able to get funding based on the quality of the engineering that they did... Then they would sell the car to the masses. Open source and commercial are not mutually exclusive.
How many of us would feel better about riding in a car that was subject to mass review? Your reward for assisting the project (bug fixes you know) would be your ability to buy a high quality car with way lower design overhead. I personally would love it.
I've been running the Sparc port since it was posted August 11, and my feelings are kind of mixed. First, let me say that I use SuSE exclusively on the Intel platform, and have been for a couple years. Before this port, I had been using RedHat on my Ultra5 workstation and my AXi servers, not something I enjoyed.
First off, yast2 is not complete for this port. It evidently isn't using the fbdev X server, as it came up full GUI on one machine, and in some Really Ugly text-based menu system on another. Definately boot yast1.
Second, it gives you all the options for using reiserfs, but as some of us know already, reiserfs only works on x86. I don't see how this one got past the beta-testers.
Third, it ships with kernel source that won't compile. The SuSE modified 2.2.16 will not compile on architectures other then x86. Best idea: upgrade to 2.4.0-test8, which finally seems to work on Sparc again.
Next, one of the big things I was looking forward to, KDE2, seems to be included in spirit alone. Haven't tried Gnome, but kde1 works just fine.
Beyond these issues, it seems pretty solid. They have a couple major updates you should get on thier ftp site, but thats a no-brainer.
I highly reccomend this to any UltraSparc users. SuSE is way more friendly then Solaris, and Linux itself seems much faster on the same hardware.
With Sun selling Ultra5 workstations (fully loaded! on Ebay on the cheap, this is a great way to break free of "lin-tel" and see how good 64bit can feel!
Actually, if you write a driver, you do not have to distribute source under GPL, you just cannot include it in the kernel source. The kernel allows proprietary kernel modules in binary form.
Well, do I get to say "FIRST CRASHER" baybee.
Can't ping it, can't get it's web page, guess that exploit still hasn't been fixed.
Squash
The "windows-like" interface they refer to is a project called Wheels, which is a descendant of the old GEOS package, currently called Wheels. I wasn't a big GEOS fan in the day though, and still don't use it... For the same reason that I only fire up X when I need Netscape. For folks that appreciate it, though, it's there.
So here are a few things the article didn't go into...
First, the "20 times" accelerator is a neat little device called the "SuperCPU" made by CMD (Yes, the same CMD that used to make the 64 SCSI hard drives). Imagine, a 20mhz C64 with 16 megs of ram... mmm...
Steve Judd, the guy in the lower picture, is the maintainer of The Fridge, a "code storage" facility. I got to meet the guy in person last year at an expo in Chicago area, and check out the projects he was working on at the time. Very cool stuff, not many folks write a 3d library in assembly ya know.
For more information on the C64 scene, check out Burning Horizon's links page. There really are alot of us left.
- Squash (previously TFS/FTA)
Good points, and I'm glad to read an informed view on this.
I think more people should do more research then reading zdnet and news.com on this subject. There are a lot of stupid posts above this one from people armed with disinformation. Quite simply, alot of them are missing the point.
Anyone who wasn't there to hear the introduction first hand, you should check out the 41 minute MP3 of it. It's a lot more interesting then most product announcements. Here is a link to a page containing the mp3. Pay particular to the cheers from the crowd every time they mention something stupid in Windows that contributed to the program.
Things like "remote threads". Seriously. You can start a thread of another program from your program, stick your program into it, and what do you know, explorer.exe is now also running rc5des.
For a good laugh, listen to the undocumented Win32 call used in the 95/98 client.
Discrediting BO2K is almost as dangerous as BO2K itself. You can't just scan for port 31337. BO2K doesn't have a default port, you have to put something in yourself. You can't just look on netstat for open TCP connections. BO2K can transport over ICMP. You can't look for a signature to the file, adding a random x=x; into it will change it.
Sure, you say, but how many script kiddies will go changing source code? A valid point, as most script kiddies can't tell a semicolon from a mouse. However, cDc has also released (surely not coincidence) a "pkzip-lite" style program that compresses/encrypts executables to random keys. File signatures are probobly the weakest form of "integrity verification" and that I"ve ever seen. As far as watching for network transmission signatures, you'd be amazed how easy it is to write around that. The important part is that your method not need be good! All it needs to be is 1 bit different. Insert an extra byte into a header. Write a silly wrapper to make it look like http data, or a real audio stream.
The biggest factor in this is the software's open source license, which allows all this and more to happen. BO2K is merely the first variation. Stopping it is ineffective.
The last big part is the spreading issue. True, the clearest way to infect a computer is to send it as an email attachment. A quick modification to happy99.exe would really spice things up. IIS servers are still easy targets on the real world. You won't get www3.microsoft.com, but you will probobly get www.joesfishingshack.com or similar. Imagine if someone combines a custom BO2K with a virus that is reasonably good at spreading itself.
Thats what I think, at least.
This article is about as sparse as possible, will they hopefully elaborate soon? I personally think nothing but good things can come of NT beating us. We do have a lot of areas to improve speed within Linux, and I'm sure we will all enjoy reaping the benefits of straightening out our shortcomings. I wonder what the results would be if they ran both benchmarks at the same time?
I guess the big question is, how many times did they have to reboot NT during the test?
Josh