He doesn't want to do this once, he wants to do it many times a year, for each of the professor's lectures. If he had "orders over 500" then buying in bulk would make sense; but if he only needs 30-50 copies of each lecture (my guess) then he doesn't want to make them one at a time (but ten at at time would be OK) and he doesn't want/need to buy 500 from a service. If he's making 30 copies of 20 lectures that's 600 CDs, not 50, so it's more like $4/CD if the equipment costs him $2000. But your way would cost $0.89x500=$445/batch (not the $125 you claimed -- your math is flawed somewhere) x 20 batches = $8900 (plus throwing away 9000+ unneeded CDs). Clearly the $2000 homemade box is cheaper for this application, and if he needs more than 30 copies of each lecture it's even cheaper.
Of course, another way around this would be to put CD burners on 10 existing PCs in a lab somewhere. Not as convenient, but workable and cheaper (assuming they can get time to use that lab:-)
Where did any of you get that "10,000 cds" number? He said "help a professor of mine record and duplicate his lectures". He's probably interested in making 30-50 copies. I'm guessing, sure, but so are you.
As to solving the problem: I'd use a multi-threaded, multi-tasking operating system on a box with 10 SCSI CD-ROM burners and burn 10 disks in parallel (simultaneous but asynchronous -- launch 10 jobs all reading the same source but writing different destinations). You might need/want a huge RAM drive to hold the source, to ensure the 10 reads from one drive can keep up with the 10 parallel writes, but I don't know; maybe a fast hard drive is enough. It certainly depends on the speed of the box and the speed of the burners.
My experience is admittedly limited. Right now I'm running a Coyote Linux firewall, and I'm configuring a new/used OpenBSD firewall to replace it. From the Coyote Linux FAQ:
Q: I'm having problems with running two of the same NICs.
A: It's not suggested to use two of the same brand and make because it makes diagnosing problems rather difficult.
I've heard the same advice from other sources, as well. Specifically the problem was with Plug and Play ISA devices; perhaps PCI isn't a problem, in which case I wasted $3 when I bought one $9 card and one $12 card just so they'd be different:-)
A clear improvement on my off-the-cuff nuts-in-retrospect idea, but I've found it much easier to mix different brands of network cards on my firewall. When you reboot, how can you be sure what was net0 isn't now net2? With 4 identical interfaces, the combinations are, well, 4! = 24, so you have a 1 in 24 chance that the system will reboot to a functional configuration? Help me out here, as I'm not familiar with these cards: is what I suggest a danger, or will it always come up in the same order?
P.S. I assumed readers could guess I was speaking of the home environment. If I were doing this for a business I could justify the expense of separate boxes; heck, I could justify the expense of new boxes!:-) Silly me, it's dangerous to make assumptions on/.
He's not a god, alright. He's not even real. "Robert X. Cringely" was the nom de plume of a series of writers at InfoWorld before the current bozo snagged it and stuck his photo on it. Back in the day Cringely was an industry-insider gossip spewing silhouette with an underaged girrlfriend named Pammy, and was far more interesting to read.
After more thought, I agree. If you put an IP address on the box, you (or, rather, I:-) miss the point.
Still, doesn't the idea that you could hack the router if it were the same box as the invisible firewall imply that you could hack a separate router behind an invisible firewall? In which case it's not much of a firewall, is it?
I think I'll stick to my 'standard' firewall and not try anything exotic like halting it or making it invisible. I think just having a firewall makes me more secure than most folks, anyway. Lot's of people (or bots) "jiggle the doorknob" but so far nothing's made it in.
Here's a thought -- could you do this with 4 network cards in one box:
net0 == firewall's no-IP link to your ISP net1 == firewall's no-IP link to the router.
You do the invisible firewall thing between net0 and net1. net2 == router's ISP-provided public IP link to the firewall.
You run a crossover cable from net1 to net2 to connect the "firewall" to the "router". net3 == router's private IP link to the internal network.
You do the NAT between net2 and net3.
One box thus acts as both the invisible firewall and the NAT/router. Feasable? Stupid?
Welcome to the Future. Regulation does not apply if you sign a contract. Rent-a-Cops are everywhere. Survelance cameras and service agreements that take away your privacy rights are common. Congress's refusal to federalize airport security is another indicator. You will sign a binding contract for everything -- or better still, using the product is tacit agreement with the contract -- thus allowing the private cops to do with you as they wish. The rich will always be able to buy a buffer from this nonsense, the poor are too small to go after, but if you're middle class (i.e., most/. readers) watch out!
How hard would it be for a disgruntled employee to knowingly install software without proper licenses, then call BSA?
I dunno, how hard would it be for a disgruntled employee to install a pirated copy of M$ Office on a Linux or *BSD box?
If you're running your business in a reasonable manner (i.e., using open software to minimize your expenses) this should not be a problem. If you're stupid enough to base your business on proprietary software, be prepaired for all the possible downsides of that decision, including a raid by the BSA.
How do they get a warrant without proof that you're using pirated software? What's the level of probable cause needed, or is possesion of a computer defacto "proof" that you must be using Micro$soft software, due to their monopoly?
Double check that Microsoft EULA some time, and I'm sure that you'll find wording that requires you to turn around and assume the position if they want to audit your software useage for license violations.
What if I don't have a Micro$oft EULA to check because I don't use any Micro$oft crap? What if some asshole calls the BSA and tips them off about me because they think it's an easy way to fuck up my business? How does the BSA convince a judge to issue a warrant if they can't prove you have pirated software in the first place? Or has posession of a computer become defacto proof that you must be using Micro$oft software, due to their monopoly, and thus possesion of a computer is proof that you must therefore be bound by their EULA?
I'd love to have that happen to me, because I'm pig-headed enough to fight them, and I'm such small potatoes that I'd be able to fight them in small-claims court, where all their lawyers don't mean jack:-)
And use your brains, too. Are these guys nuts? Yes! But not because they put a clear cover on their hard drives, rather because they did it to their main hard drive.
As others point out, this is not new. Void the warranty? I'd mod an old 512Meg drive so far out of warranty it's forgotten what the factory looked like. Then use that drive for swap. If it crashes, so what? Plus, a separate swap drive will speed your system. If the heads don't move enough to look cool put a tiny parition on it (in addition to swap), mount that as/junk, and write a cron job to cp a small file to and from/junk every X seconds. You can even do this if you run Windows (although if you're such a serious modder you shouldn't need my help figuring out how to do this in Windows:-)
You folks who are thinking this is something you do to your 20/40/100Gig drive are nuts! Geeze, you could probably get a 512Meg drive free if you ask around.
The subject is "Low-Budget Home Weather Stations" Check the prices for the unit you suggest: $699 (for the 1-Wire Sensor Package -- excludes the mounting package, software, etc.) is not my idea of "low budget."
It is? I use "view source" on OE/XP to send mail to Spam Cop every day.
It [view source] is [missing] in Outlook 2000. It was there in Outlook 98 (or was it 97?), but the PTB [that's Powers That Be, a.k.a. sysadmin - the PHB didn't even know it happened] upgraded me to W2K when W98 kept BSoDing and I got Office 2000 with the package. I love the stability of W2K but I sure wish I had Office 98 back. Office 2000 sucks, even for M$.
I'm amazed that view source remains in OE/XP, but I'll be damned if I'll install that POS, even if it gives me view source. In my experience the more M$ software you load, the less stable your system.
Then why did Hallmark cave? I doubt their lawyers are so lame they didn't consult some industry experts, who no doubt could do at least as well as/. at finding examples of prior art. At least I'd hope so, otherwise Hallmark got screwed twice. If you're right, then the only way Hallmark's settlement makes sense is if the royalties demanded were less than the lawyer fees demanded.
The don't want to take credit because then RED HAT is stuck with the support cost and pissing off the customer who thinks Red Hat should support it, after all it was sold to them as "Red Hat Linux"
I see your point, but what I don't see is the difference between you downloading the ISOs off their ftp site and you getting a cd someone else made by downloading the ISOs off their ftp site. Either way it's not supported by Red Hat.
I guess the question is really about our society: If someone (a friend) hands you a CD-R they burned themselves, why would you consider yourself a Red Hat "customer"?
Not that it really matters -- I'm recommending Mandrake to anyone who shows interest in Linux.
Let's say I burn some CD's with Red Hat's free ISO files. I am legally free to do so but can't put the name "Red Hat" on them or identify them as Red Hat in any way. OK, so let's say I call them "Durham Linux"; do I have to re-write the files to replace all reference to "Red Hat" with "Durham", or would they get mad about that? Won't people be confused when they slip these non-RH labled CDs into their PCs and are greeted with "Welcome to Red Hat Linux" or somesuch opening screen? Why don't they *want* to take credit for the work they put into making those ISOs?
And what about "RPM"? What do they want us to call *that*?
If anyone has the time to develop this, I'd love a program that takes the inputs from two cheap (affordable) webcams mounted on a board (say, 6" or so apart) and digitizes what it sees as 3D files.
What's the use? Well, besides the obvious uses in architecture, etc., how about being able to play (insert favorite 1st person shooter game here) in your house?
and will reimburse a home office phone line or a high speed data line if either are required.
That's the rub: For most jobs it's not "required". The only thing required is that you come to the office and do the work. Telecommuting is a luxury for most folks. If you're on the road all day they'll buy you a cell phone, laptop, whatever. But for most of us it's not in the job description, so the employer won't pay for it. I have yet to see a job description that says "telecommuting required."
You are absolutely right. Back in the day we were trying to dump all the Macs and replace them with PCs. The one huge roadblock the Mac folks threw at us was Canvas. When Deneba released Canvas for Windows, we thought we had 'em, but they insisted that the Windows version was not exactly identical to the Mac version and thus they could not switch.
We dragged 'em kicking and screaming anyway, but only because Management demanded it.
Define "better employer". Does yours cover 100% of your medical expenses? We don't have a co-pay for anything, not office visits, not prescriptions. I'd rather have that and pay for my high-speed internet access so that I can work from home at my convenience (say, when the kid's sick).
Perhaps it's because you live in snow country, but around here (Seattle) telecommuting is still a luxury, not a necessity. Hell, Boeing just recently allowed it, and they damn sure aren't going to pay for it (glad I'm not there:-)
There are ISPs who will sell you a residential class DSL service, with a static IP address, and let you run servers.
Not where I live. We're too far from the telco switch, and they're not going to build a switch in my neighborhood. Period. They told me so. We're so far from the switch that we can only get 24,000bps on dialup. 56K? What's that?
We were so happy when AT&T bought TCI and put some money into the cable system, and were overjoyed when they brought us @Home. Now they want to sell out to Cox or Comcast, the two Scrooges who would ban our telecommuting.
I can't wait for Teledesic to offer some competition. I'd gladly pay them $100 a month for modest service if I could use it anywhere on the planet.
Some of us don't have a choice. When my wife or I VPN to work (we work for different companies) we both must disconnect our firewall/home network and plug our laptops directly into the cable modem, because the VPN protocol our companies chose will not work with NAT. We have no control over that, our employers do, and they will not change protocols just for our convenience. They consider it a favor to offer us the option of VPN in the first place.
Those of you who say the employer should pay the difference between a home account and a commercial account are nuts, and obviously still in school. When you get a real job you'll see just what the real world is like. It's come to the office or you don't get paid, and if you are offered another option be happy for it, but don't expect your employer to subsidize it. As the economy tanks and workers become a dime a dozen, expect telecommuting to evaporate as well. Enjoy it while you can.
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Of course, another way around this would be to put CD burners on 10 existing PCs in a lab somewhere. Not as convenient, but workable and cheaper (assuming they can get time to use that lab :-)
As to solving the problem: I'd use a multi-threaded, multi-tasking operating system on a box with 10 SCSI CD-ROM burners and burn 10 disks in parallel (simultaneous but asynchronous -- launch 10 jobs all reading the same source but writing different destinations). You might need/want a huge RAM drive to hold the source, to ensure the 10 reads from one drive can keep up with the 10 parallel writes, but I don't know; maybe a fast hard drive is enough. It certainly depends on the speed of the box and the speed of the burners.
Thanks for all the advice!
P.S. I assumed readers could guess I was speaking of the home environment. If I were doing this for a business I could justify the expense of separate boxes; heck, I could justify the expense of new boxes! :-) Silly me, it's dangerous to make assumptions on /.
Still, doesn't the idea that you could hack the router if it were the same box as the invisible firewall imply that you could hack a separate router behind an invisible firewall? In which case it's not much of a firewall, is it?
I think I'll stick to my 'standard' firewall and not try anything exotic like halting it or making it invisible. I think just having a firewall makes me more secure than most folks, anyway. Lot's of people (or bots) "jiggle the doorknob" but so far nothing's made it in.
net0 == firewall's no-IP link to your ISP
net1 == firewall's no-IP link to the router.
You do the invisible firewall thing between net0 and net1.
net2 == router's ISP-provided public IP link to the firewall.
You run a crossover cable from net1 to net2 to connect the "firewall" to the "router".
net3 == router's private IP link to the internal network.
You do the NAT between net2 and net3.
One box thus acts as both the invisible firewall and the NAT/router. Feasable? Stupid?
If you're running your business in a reasonable manner (i.e., using open software to minimize your expenses) this should not be a problem. If you're stupid enough to base your business on proprietary software, be prepaired for all the possible downsides of that decision, including a raid by the BSA.
I'd love to have that happen to me, because I'm pig-headed enough to fight them, and I'm such small potatoes that I'd be able to fight them in small-claims court, where all their lawyers don't mean jack :-)
As others point out, this is not new. Void the warranty? I'd mod an old 512Meg drive so far out of warranty it's forgotten what the factory looked like. Then use that drive for swap. If it crashes, so what? Plus, a separate swap drive will speed your system. If the heads don't move enough to look cool put a tiny parition on it (in addition to swap), mount that as /junk, and write a cron job to cp a small file to and from /junk every X seconds. You can even do this if you run Windows (although if you're such a serious modder you shouldn't need my help figuring out how to do this in Windows :-)
You folks who are thinking this is something you do to your 20/40/100Gig drive are nuts! Geeze, you could probably get a 512Meg drive free if you ask around.
I'm amazed that view source remains in OE/XP, but I'll be damned if I'll install that POS, even if it gives me view source. In my experience the more M$ software you load, the less stable your system.
I guess the question is really about our society: If someone (a friend) hands you a CD-R they burned themselves, why would you consider yourself a Red Hat "customer"?
Not that it really matters -- I'm recommending Mandrake to anyone who shows interest in Linux.
And what about "RPM"? What do they want us to call *that*?
What's the use? Well, besides the obvious uses in architecture, etc., how about being able to play (insert favorite 1st person shooter game here) in your house?
Geeze, now that I think about it, maybe this isn't such a good idea. What would JonKatz think?
We dragged 'em kicking and screaming anyway, but only because Management demanded it.
Perhaps it's because you live in snow country, but around here (Seattle) telecommuting is still a luxury, not a necessity. Hell, Boeing just recently allowed it, and they damn sure aren't going to pay for it (glad I'm not there :-)
We were so happy when AT&T bought TCI and put some money into the cable system, and were overjoyed when they brought us @Home. Now they want to sell out to Cox or Comcast, the two Scrooges who would ban our telecommuting.
I can't wait for Teledesic to offer some competition. I'd gladly pay them $100 a month for modest service if I could use it anywhere on the planet.
Those of you who say the employer should pay the difference between a home account and a commercial account are nuts, and obviously still in school. When you get a real job you'll see just what the real world is like. It's come to the office or you don't get paid, and if you are offered another option be happy for it, but don't expect your employer to subsidize it. As the economy tanks and workers become a dime a dozen, expect telecommuting to evaporate as well. Enjoy it while you can.