I've been using Vector linux as a workstation for a while, I'm quite impressed.
It's intended as a base for home-grown distributions, installs in under 200 megs, has X, GTK, Netscape, licq, spruce, nedit... most everything you'd want in a basic workstation, including developement tools.
The install is VERY basic, the only real options you get are "Which partition?", but not a real problem in my mind.
In my ( rather small ) hometown, there's been thought of wireless connection.
From what I understand you DO require an antenna and receiver ( for under $1000 I believe ) but the monthly fees aren't too outrageous.
Please keep in mind that I DON'T have the service and so can't give any actual experience... just that I'm looking into much the same thing for my place.
If I recall correctly, the Macro / Micro kernel decision was one of the first steps of design of Linux... to re-implement it would be to re-start from step 1.
Now the HURD is a micro-kernel architecture, but is unfortunately still in Alpha developement. This may be more what you're looking for.
( and yes, NT was originally designed as a micro-kernel, but has since become the 60-foot-microkernel from hell ! )
BSOD on NT4 ( dunno about W2K )
on
Creating BSODs?
·
· Score: 2
Well, we always used to just start up Task Manager, configure it to minimize to the tray, then kill the explorer.exe process... Task manager no longer has a tray, BOOM!
And I've had no troubles. The upside is that if you're like me and have a spare machine to experiment on, you have a bootloader that can handle non-ms os choices.
I've had BeOS, Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Win2000, Win98 on that machine and LILO can handle them all... a far cry from the NT bootloader method ( which involves creating a custom boot-sector for each OS as a file )
BTW, if you try Win2000, it requires its own custom boot sector... if you install LILO in the MBR, W2k won't boot... but with LILO on the partition boot sector, things work just peachy!
It's been noted a number of times now that the majority of patents by companies AREN'T for the purpose of screwing others out of the technology. Rather, it's to prevent themselves from losing the right to use it when someone ELSE patents it.
Now isn't that acceptable? After all, even Linus has a copyright on the name Linux.
Perhaps this is a re-hash of previous questions, but with the many questions about QT, it's appropriateness in a GPL'd project etc, I wondered how much KDE NEEDS QT, IE would KDE require a major re-write to support some future GPL'd library? Or is it modular enough to abstract away the particular GUI lib?
Because 3Com is looking to benefit its customers, not its competitors.
It's been said before that 3Com makes good ( great?) cards and comperable drivers for said cards ; so why would they want to give their competitors an insight into the drivers without asking something back?
With the BSDL, their competitors could take the source, use the REALLY good bits for their own drivers, and release binary-only drivers of their own.
With GPL however, anyone who uses this code has to re-release the altered code... likewise benefiting the community and indirectly giving credit to 3Com...
As has been said, the GPL makes a great deal of sense for drivers!
The Sega Genesis problems mainly stemmed from the fact that it was a rush job, to catch up with Sony's surprise release of the playstation.
It wasn't well designed, was really hard to program for... those have more to do with its failure. Nobody likes buggy games, and developers don't like programming for buggy platforms .
( and before you can say it, I know windows is an exception ! )
The general impression I'm getting is that people see this as a thin - client ; this is NOT the case!
Rather, they're ( as I see it ) a box with an X server in rom... you plug in your SmartCard, and this thing identifies itself to the server and resumes your X session... all the station does is recieve the display commands and fire them to the monitor.
No processing, no storage, minimal RAM ( must be some sort, acting as cache )... basically nothing.
The upside is, there's also nothing to become obsolete. Need a faster processor? Upgrade the server, which affects ALL the Sun-Ray clients. More RAM? New software?
And as to cost: The figures I've seen point to the average cost of maintaining / supporting a corporate PC at ~$2000 / year. That's for help desk, hardware and software upgrades, repair and configuration.
For these stations, none of that applies ( unless the hardware is faulty, but that's warranty, right? ). Rather, all the maintenance / support is at the server side, where silly users CAN'T play with RegEdit while you're not looking.
THERE'S where the cost savings are... no 2-year obsolescence and little-to-no support necessary!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Sir Alec Guiness was / is famous , not for Star Wars, but for being one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our era.
Comparing the dialogue and longevity of Shakespeare to that of Lucas... well, history will have its say, but as for now he has a point.
This is EXACTLY what most GNU / Open source advocates are looking for.
Here's a software standard that makes software easier to write. Who cares what OS / Hardware you're writing for? It's all a standard, just re-compile for the other platform.
This will help both developers and companies like SGI... after all, if you're selling hardware whose claim to fame is best-of-breed OpenGL performance, wouldn't you want software to be available for it?
A lot of software is made for x86 ( Windows) because it's a popular platform, and thus a large market... but if the platform doesn't matter, then the best software will be more affordable, since it will sell better ( being the best ).
For Intel, the reason for changing socket / slot is anyone's guess:)
But for AMD, I believe that they CAN'T use the same technology as Intel, since they have a couple important patents on the technology. APIC comes to mind...
So if you want to be able to run your Athlon in multi-cpu configurations, you won't be able to do so in an Intel motherboard.
Besides, if you wanted to buy an UltraSparc, you'd have to get a new motherboard... or a PowerPC... or a MIPS... or a StrongArm... ?
There comes a time when an "upgrade" really isn't worth it. Do you "Really" need that 1-2% increase in performance?
Now with a fast bus ( EV6 ) and a fast chip ( Athlon ) with a nice, large L2 ( 8MB! ), the future looks as though there might be little difference between "Workstation" class machines and "PeeCees".
I was considering buying an Ultra 5, but with this news, I may wait... why spend $10G CDN when I don't have to?
This whole comment - moderation thing is getting really intense .
Maybe we should think of it as a protocol ; it's a slashdot - to - real world interface.
There are comments that make a difference ( well thought out, informative, provocative even ) and there are those that are merely noise ( "I disagree!" " Screw you!" "Me too!" "First Post!")
Just as a network protocol sometimes has to drop packets ( lessening speed / efficiency ), Slashdot has to regulate itself or be swamped with noise / "corrupt packets". Even the mechanism for checking is itself checked.
Thanks to Rob for working to make Slashdot a place where people can actually LEARN and DISCUSS ISSUES that MATTER. ( Blatant suck-up! )
You notice that this woman went to the CRTC, the Canadian regulatory body for Broadcast communications... she wanted something to be done about South Park ( restrict its broadcast ? )...
If this were the US, you'd have the lady suing the makers for $100 Million for emotional damage...
But the Canadian legal system doesn't much care for frivolous lawsuits, so they don't much happen here. Yet another reason for me to Stay In Canada!
Everyone in Canada complains about the taxes, it's a national pastime... But when you see what those taxes GET US... wow! I mean, I'm not worried that I'll be financially ruined if I'm ever hospitalized, I can realistically own my own home, and now this!
Sure, there are things I'd like to see changed... but then, everyone can say the same no matter WHERE they're at.
Now if only I could get DSL or cable out here in the woods...
>Who invented SCUBA equipment? Another easy one, Jacques Cousteau.
Not to nitpick, but I believe that SCUBA pre-dates the great Monsieur Cousteau. He did, however, invent the aqualung ( a LARGE advance on the SCUBA technology, allowing 10+ hour submersion times regardless of depth )
Really? I have a very similar system ( except ASUS P2B-D ) and have had no trouble... Have you tried running uni-processor? Help in diagnosing...
If it boots and is unstable, that says to me that it is a heat-related problem... once the machine gets up to running temp it crashes. Since the cpus and adapter cards would reach their running temp MUCH faster, I am tempted to point to your motherboard...
I don't know where you got your numbers, but I have to disagree with some of your assumptions: First on prices : (best Canadian prices I found ) c400 : 149 ( x2 $298) K6-3 450 : $245 Socket 7 board : 119 Dual Slot 1 board : 400
And I found that a K6 chip was 40-50% faster for kernel compiles as compared to a similarly clocked Intel chip.
True, a dual celeron would be faster than a single K6 chip, but I'm saying that a Dual K6 would be a fantastic ( and not too expensive ) machine! The celeron system isn't *that* cheap!
AFAIK the only dual-configuration socket 7 boards use APIC, the Intel patented processor communication protocol... Cyrix and AMD consequently use OpenPIC, which is used by manufacturers like Motorolla. Hence, you can use Intel chips in smp configurations, but not AMD or Cyrix... (but who'd want to, Pentiums have no on-die cache, would have to share L2 between cpus and that would SUCK! )
I've been using a dual-celeron system for ~ 1 month now ( 366 on 83MHz bus - 458MHz ) and have had NO trouble at all... standard fans / heat sinks, and they're cooler than standard PII's... and as long as you've got enough ram this is the fastest machine I've ever had the pleasure to use. Now if only I could find an OpenPIC mobo and run dual K6-3's !
I've tried most of the mainstream distributions (RedHat, SuSE, Caldera, Debian) and found something of value in the differences of all of them. A new distribution ( perhaps one aimed at the first-time user ) can open up the market some.
Most people who use Linux for the first time mainly want to use the internet ( reasonable, that's also where they'll get their best information regarding Linux ). Debian 2.0 nicely sets up your PPP connection for you, but other parts of the install are quite daunting for the raw newbie.
A distribuition that installs PPP like Debian, sets up video/X like RedHat, and has a nice, easy to follow config tool like SuSE's Yast would ( I'm sure ) find a fast following.
I've used SuSE 5.2, and found it very good ( the version of KDE included was less than stable, tho ) I often recommend it for new users, as I've found Red Hat to be less well organized ( no flames please, just my opinion. How can I recommend / help with a dist. I don't personally use or like? ) I can see myself picking this up soon...
Slashdot Mirror
I've been using Vector linux as a workstation for a while, I'm quite impressed.
It's intended as a base for home-grown distributions, installs in under 200 megs, has X, GTK, Netscape, licq, spruce, nedit ... most everything you'd want in a basic workstation, including developement tools.
The install is VERY basic, the only real options you get are "Which partition?", but not a real problem in my mind.
Check out their homepage, http://metalab.unc.edu/vectorlinux/
In my ( rather small ) hometown, there's been thought of wireless connection.
... just that I'm looking into much the same thing for my place.
From what I understand you DO require an antenna and receiver ( for under $1000 I believe ) but the monthly fees aren't too outrageous.
Please keep in mind that I DON'T have the service and so can't give any actual experience
If I recall correctly, the Macro / Micro kernel decision was one of the first steps of design of Linux ... to re-implement it would be to re-start from step 1.
Now the HURD is a micro-kernel architecture, but is unfortunately still in Alpha developement. This may be more what you're looking for.
( and yes, NT was originally designed as a micro-kernel, but has since become the 60-foot-microkernel from hell ! )
Well, we always used to just start up Task Manager, configure it to minimize to the tray, then kill the explorer.exe process ... Task manager no longer has a tray, BOOM!
BSOD
And I've had no troubles. The upside is that if you're like me and have a spare machine to experiment on, you have a bootloader that can handle non-ms os choices.
I've had BeOS, Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Win2000, Win98 on that machine and LILO can handle them all
BTW, if you try Win2000, it requires its own custom boot sector ... if you install LILO in the MBR, W2k won't boot ... but with LILO on the partition boot sector, things work just peachy!
What is the state of Hurd? Is it stable? Are there networking / IO / API modules yet?
What do you see as the benefit of Hurd over Linux or *BSD?
Would it be possible to get a Hurd - based system up sooner running a Linux kernel as a Hurd process a la Mach / MacOS X?
Considering the continuing change in computing hardware, esp the move to more SMP - based systems, is a microkernel architecture the way to go?
Forgive me if my questions seem naive, but I'm eagerly awaiting HurdIt's been noted a number of times now that the majority of patents by companies AREN'T for the purpose of screwing others out of the technology. Rather, it's to prevent themselves from losing the right to use it when someone ELSE patents it.
Now isn't that acceptable? After all, even Linus has a copyright on the name Linux.
Perhaps this is a re-hash of previous questions, but with the many questions about QT, it's appropriateness in a GPL'd project etc, I wondered how much KDE NEEDS QT, IE would KDE require a major re-write to support some future GPL'd library? Or is it modular enough to abstract away the particular GUI lib?
Because 3Com is looking to benefit its customers, not its competitors.
... likewise benefiting the community and indirectly giving credit to 3Com ...
It's been said before that 3Com makes good ( great?) cards and comperable drivers for said cards ; so why would they want to give their competitors an insight into the drivers without asking something back?
With the BSDL, their competitors could take the source, use the REALLY good bits for their own drivers, and release binary-only drivers of their own.
With GPL however, anyone who uses this code has to re-release the altered code
As has been said, the GPL makes a great deal of sense for drivers!
The Sega Genesis problems mainly stemmed from the fact that it was a rush job, to catch up with Sony's surprise release of the playstation.
... those have more to do with its failure. Nobody likes buggy games, and developers don't like programming for buggy platforms .
It wasn't well designed, was really hard to program for
( and before you can say it, I know windows is an exception ! )
The general impression I'm getting is that people see this as a thin - client
... you plug in ... all the station does is recieve the display commands and
... no 2-year obsolescence and little-to-no
; this is NOT the case!
Rather, they're ( as I see it ) a box with an X server in rom
your SmartCard, and this thing identifies itself to the server and resumes
your X session
fire them to the monitor.
No processing, no storage, minimal RAM ( must be some sort, acting as cache
)... basically nothing.
The upside is, there's also nothing to become obsolete. Need a faster
processor? Upgrade the server, which affects ALL the Sun-Ray clients. More
RAM? New software?
And as to cost: The figures I've seen point to the average cost of maintaining
/ supporting a corporate PC at ~$2000 / year. That's for help desk, hardware
and software upgrades, repair and configuration.
For these stations, none of that applies ( unless the hardware is faulty, but
that's warranty, right? ). Rather, all the maintenance / support is at the
server side, where silly users CAN'T play with RegEdit while you're not
looking.
THERE'S where the cost savings are
support necessary!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Sir Alec Guiness was / is famous , not for Star Wars, but for being one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our era.
... well, history will have its say, but as for now he has a point.
Comparing the dialogue and longevity of Shakespeare to that of Lucas
This is EXACTLY what most GNU / Open source advocates are looking for.
... after all, if you're selling hardware whose claim to fame is best-of-breed OpenGL performance, wouldn't you want software to be available for it?
... but if the platform doesn't matter, then the best software will be more affordable, since it will sell better ( being the best ).
...
Here's a software standard that makes software easier to write. Who cares what OS / Hardware you're writing for? It's all a standard, just re-compile for the other platform.
This will help both developers and companies like SGI
A lot of software is made for x86 ( Windows) because it's a popular platform, and thus a large market
Anything that gives CHOICES is OK in my book
For Intel, the reason for changing socket / slot is anyone's guess :)
...
... or a PowerPC ... or a MIPS ... or a StrongArm ... ?
But for AMD, I believe that they CAN'T use the same technology as Intel, since they have a couple important patents on the technology. APIC comes to mind
So if you want to be able to run your Athlon in multi-cpu configurations, you won't be able to do so in an Intel motherboard.
Besides, if you wanted to buy an UltraSparc, you'd have to get a new motherboard
There comes a time when an "upgrade" really isn't worth it. Do you "Really" need that 1-2% increase in performance?
Wow!
... why spend $10G CDN when I don't have to?
Now with a fast bus ( EV6 ) and a fast chip ( Athlon ) with a nice, large L2 ( 8MB! ), the future looks as though there might be little difference between "Workstation" class machines and "PeeCees".
I was considering buying an Ultra 5, but with this news, I may wait
The x86 is dead! Long live the x86!
This whole comment - moderation thing is getting really intense .
Maybe we should think of it as a protocol ; it's a slashdot - to - real world interface.
There are comments that make a difference ( well thought out, informative, provocative even ) and there are those that are merely noise ( "I disagree!" " Screw you!" "Me too!" "First Post!")
Just as a network protocol sometimes has to drop packets ( lessening speed / efficiency ), Slashdot has to regulate itself or be swamped with noise / "corrupt packets". Even the mechanism for checking is itself checked.
Thanks to Rob for working to make Slashdot a place where people can actually LEARN and DISCUSS ISSUES that MATTER. ( Blatant suck-up! )
You notice that this woman went to the CRTC, the Canadian regulatory body for Broadcast communications ... she wanted something to be done about South Park ( restrict its broadcast ? )...
...
If this were the US, you'd have the lady suing the makers for $100 Million for emotional damage
But the Canadian legal system doesn't much care for frivolous lawsuits, so they don't much happen here. Yet another reason for me to Stay In Canada!
Everyone in Canada complains about the taxes, it's a national pastime ... ... wow!
... but then, everyone can say the same no matter WHERE they're at.
...
But when you see what those taxes GET US
I mean, I'm not worried that I'll be financially ruined if I'm ever hospitalized, I can realistically own my own home, and now this!
Sure, there are things I'd like to see changed
Now if only I could get DSL or cable out here in the woods
>Who invented SCUBA equipment? Another easy one, Jacques Cousteau.
Not to nitpick, but I believe that SCUBA pre-dates the great Monsieur Cousteau.
He did, however, invent the aqualung ( a LARGE advance on the SCUBA technology, allowing 10+ hour submersion times regardless of depth )
Really? I have a very similar system ( except ASUS P2B-D ) and have had no trouble ... Have you tried running uni-processor? Help in diagnosing ...
... once the machine gets up to running temp it crashes. Since the cpus and adapter cards would reach their running temp MUCH faster, I am tempted to point to your motherboard...
If it boots and is unstable, that says to me that it is a heat-related problem
Something to try, at least!
I don't know where you got your numbers, but I have to disagree with some of your assumptions:
First on prices : (best Canadian prices I found )
c400 : 149 ( x2 $298)
K6-3 450 : $245
Socket 7 board : 119
Dual Slot 1 board : 400
And I found that a K6 chip was 40-50% faster for kernel compiles as compared to a similarly clocked Intel chip.
True, a dual celeron would be faster than a single K6 chip, but I'm saying that a Dual K6 would be a fantastic ( and not too expensive ) machine! The celeron system isn't *that* cheap!
AFAIK the only dual-configuration socket 7 boards use APIC, the Intel patented processor communication protocol ... Cyrix and AMD consequently use OpenPIC, which is used by manufacturers like Motorolla. Hence, you can use Intel chips in smp configurations, but not AMD or Cyrix ... (but who'd want to, Pentiums have no on-die cache, would have to share L2 between cpus and that would SUCK! )
I've been using a dual-celeron system for ~ 1 month now ( 366 on 83MHz bus - 458MHz ) and have had NO trouble at all ... standard fans / heat sinks, and they're cooler than standard PII's ... and as long as you've got enough ram this is the fastest machine I've ever had the pleasure to use. Now if only I could find an OpenPIC mobo and run dual K6-3's !
I've tried most of the mainstream distributions (RedHat, SuSE, Caldera, Debian) and found something of value in the differences of all of them. A new distribution ( perhaps one aimed at the first-time user ) can open up the market some.
Most people who use Linux for the first time mainly want to use the internet ( reasonable, that's also where they'll get their best information regarding Linux ). Debian 2.0 nicely sets up your PPP connection for you, but other parts of the install are quite daunting for the raw newbie.
A distribuition that installs PPP like Debian, sets up video/X like RedHat, and has a nice, easy to follow config tool like SuSE's Yast would ( I'm sure ) find a fast following.
My $.02
I've used SuSE 5.2, and found it very good ( the version
of KDE included was less than stable, tho ) I often recommend
it for new users, as I've found Red Hat to be less well
organized ( no flames please, just my opinion. How can
I recommend / help with a dist. I don't personally use or like? )
I can see myself picking this up soon...