I do a lot of work with the gEDA tools (gschem for schematic capture, pcb for layout). Not quite as polished as the commercial packages, but free and open.
In particular, I like the fact that all the file formats are open as ASCII based. Very handy for tracking changes in designs.
I just think it's awesome that Bruce Schneier got a nod in the TSA dictionary:
Bruce Schneiered: (V, ints) When a passenger uses logic in order to confound and perplex an officer into submission. Ex: “A TSA officer took my Swiss army knife, but let my scissors go. I then asked him wouldn’t it be more dangerous if I were to make my scissors into two blades, or to go into the bathroom on the secure side and sharpen my grandmother’s walking stick with one of the scissor blades into a terror spear. Then after I pointed out that all of our bodies contain a lot more than 3.4 ounces of liquids, the TSA guy got all pissed and asked me if I wanted to fly today. I totally Schneirered his ass.”
I have a boom microscope that I use for electronics work which is very popular with my kids for looking at bugs, etc. I got mine from amscope.com for something like $350.
I also have a biological style microscope which is higher power and lit from below. My kids didn't seem to have as much interest in this. Generally, one cell looks pretty much like another unless you really know what you're looking for.
I've got a VPS running on interserver.net, and I'm happy with them. I'm not doing anything fancy, but do have a couple domains pointed at the server with simple static pages, and run my e-mail through them. I'm running Ubuntu on my vps which is one of their standard options.
Just yesterday I was playing with this on my Nexus One which was recently upgraded to Gingerbread.
I signed up for an account with www.diamondcard.us (found them through the Ekiga web site). Pretty cheap (I had to put $15 down to setup the account), and I can confirm that it does work with the N1 on Gingerbread, at least over wifi.
I only tried one test call and there was noticeable latency over wifi. Certainly workable in a pinch, but not as good as normal cell service.
I knew somebody who blinked in around 95% of photos. Even a fake count-down didn't throw them off.
Actually, that's fairly common. Most camera's use a short pre-flash to adjust their light levels when you press the shutter button. This is followed a few milliseconds later by the actual flash used to take the picture. Some people with sensitive eyes will blink at the pre-flash and end up with their eyes closed in most flash pictures.
I used to have a Nikon DSLR camera that could be programmed to emit the pre-flash when a certain button was pressed. I'd hit the pre-flash button first, then take the actual picture (sans pre-flash) a few seconds later. Worked miracles for my wife who is a blinker.
My new camera (a newer Nikon DSLR) doesn't see to make people blink, so either it doesn't use a pre-flash, or it's so fast that there's no time for people to react.
Agreed. I have a relatively inexpensive Instek scope that I use at home (GDS-820C), and it's a great tool. I use Tektronic scopes at work which are certainly nicer because of the much higher sampling rates, but the cheap scope handles 95% of what I need.
One word of caution; Instek (and I'm sure this is true of other cheap scope manufacturers) make some wild claims about handling very high frequency signals with these inexpensive scopes. For example, my scope claims to have 150MHz bandwidth and "25Gsa/s Sampling Rate for Repetitive Waveforms" on the product page. This is just marketing hype, don't believe it!
When comparing scopes, look at the actual sampling rate of the signals. My scope samples at 100 MHz, the Tektronic I use at work samples 10 times that fast. It makes a big difference when working with fast waveforms.
I'm not putting down the cheap scopes, you can pick up the model that I'm using new for around $1000. Just be aware that these inexpensive scopes are not great for looking at very fast signals. If you need speed, you will need to spend significantly more.
I feel for you on the problem with compilers that are only available for Windows. I do embedded systems development and have the same problem (although fortunately the Windows only compilers will at least work with XP). I only run Linux on my laptop, but use VMware workstation for the rare occasion that I need to use one of those old compilers. Works great.
Actually, for the most part the compilers that I'm using have a command line mode which works fine under Wine, so I rarely even have to start VMware anymore.
I'm quite happy with my current laptop by the way. It's a Dell XPS M1530 which I bought pre-installed with Ubuntu. I loved the fact that I didn't need to pay the MS tax when I got it.
How many list Linux (2.6 kernel) as supported? Not many. It would cost the companies nothing to add that, but virtually all refuse to do so. Why? It's about the cost of support. If you list Linux on the box it means that your tech support lines need to have some idea of how to handle the questions that they will receive.
I think this is actually a bigger reason that companies aren't supporting Linux for their devices then the cost of the initial development. Support for devices under Linux is harder then under windows because of the many different versions of Linux available.
Eh? Anything with more than 2 components (aka, every electronic consumer product) needs an OS. Devices don't just cooperate on their own.
That's ridiculous. Just because something has a processor in it doesn't mean it's running an operating system.
Most embedded products still run on simple 8 bit microcontrollers. These all run some software, but most don't run anything that could be called an operating system.
Think along the lines of a PIC microcontroller that spends it's life waiting for a button press or watching an analog input level and responding to it in some fairly simple way. The code that runs on this will probably be a simple loop that runs without any OS support. It probably won't even be using interrupts.
Even more complex products that use 16 or 32 bit microcontrollers / DSPs will often skip the OS. These systems frequently run from internal memory and are therefore limited to a few hundred K of program space and even less RAM. In this world the OS is a big expensive component that's often not necessary for the proper function of the system.
Checkout www.linpvr.org. This is a pre-packaged mythtv distro that is designed to run on a mini-ITX box. Its designed to boot over the network from a server and run on a diskless box.
I have been using it for a couple years now and it works great. I use a seperate computer for the backend. The mini-itx box currently uses a fanless chassis and doesn't include a hard drive or DVD. It's totally silent.
I've been contracting for about 10 years now and started using a payroll service a few years back. This is basically a company that handles all your taxes and sends you a paycheck (drawn from your own bank account) every couple weeks. It costs about $30/month, but is well worth it in my opinion. It really reduces the amount of time I spend on paperwork.
I also use Java for any software that needs a nice user interface. The big advantage is really the cross platform nature of Java.
Sure, C++ works cross platform, but you need some library that isn't really part of the language for lots of the details (threading, GUI interface, etc). Really not cross platform the way Java is.
I see Java's main advantage over C++ is the depth of the standard Library. When you use C, you get the C standard library. When you use C++ you pretty much still have the C standard library and maybe STL. Java gives you a very rich library and as far as I know the library is fully supported under all the platforms that Java runs on. Certainly Linux and Windows.
I tend to scan lots of documents and setup a simple perl script that uses the 'scanimage' command line tool to do the scanning. Using my Epson Perfection 1650 scanner (pretty standard flatbed scanner) I can scan an 8"x10" page in black & white mode in about 10 seconds.
I actually added a button to the Nautilus GUI shell so I can move to the directory I want and hit the button to scan a page to that directory. Very convenient.
I scan to tiff and then use the convert utility (part of imagemagick) to convert to png. The resulting files typically run about 100K to 200K depending on the content.
I use Linux at home, but at work I have no choice but windows. I write embedded software, and the development tools (the only ones available for the processors I working with right now) are only available under Windows.
I've been trying to get them running under Wine, but no lock so far.
I've been switching to Linux friendly applications under Windows where ever possible. Open Office rules, I never use MS Office any more.
Slashdot Mirror
I do a lot of work with the gEDA tools (gschem for schematic capture, pcb for layout). Not quite as polished as the commercial packages, but free and open.
In particular, I like the fact that all the file formats are open as ASCII based. Very handy for tracking changes in designs.
http://www.geda-project.org/
I love it, a DC AC
I just think it's awesome that Bruce Schneier got a nod in the TSA dictionary:
Bruce Schneiered: (V, ints) When a passenger uses logic in order to confound and perplex an officer into submission. Ex: “A TSA officer took my Swiss army knife, but let my scissors go. I then asked him wouldn’t it be more dangerous if I were to make my scissors into two blades, or to go into the bathroom on the secure side and sharpen my grandmother’s walking stick with one of the scissor blades into a terror spear. Then after I pointed out that all of our bodies contain a lot more than 3.4 ounces of liquids, the TSA guy got all pissed and asked me if I wanted to fly today. I totally Schneirered his ass.”
I have a boom microscope that I use for electronics work which is very popular with my kids for looking at bugs, etc. I got mine from amscope.com for something like $350.
I also have a biological style microscope which is higher power and lit from below. My kids didn't seem to have as much interest in this. Generally, one cell looks pretty much like another unless you really know what you're looking for.
I've got a VPS running on interserver.net, and I'm happy with them. I'm not doing anything fancy, but do have a couple domains pointed at the server with simple static pages, and run my e-mail through them. I'm running Ubuntu on my vps which is one of their standard options.
Just yesterday I was playing with this on my Nexus One which was recently upgraded to Gingerbread.
I signed up for an account with www.diamondcard.us (found them through the Ekiga web site). Pretty cheap (I had to put $15 down to setup the account), and I can confirm that it does work with the N1 on Gingerbread, at least over wifi.
I only tried one test call and there was noticeable latency over wifi. Certainly workable in a pinch, but not as good as normal cell service.
I received my update on the Nexus-one this morning also.
I knew somebody who blinked in around 95% of photos. Even a fake count-down didn't throw them off.
Actually, that's fairly common. Most camera's use a short pre-flash to adjust their light levels when you press the shutter button. This is followed a few milliseconds later by the actual flash used to take the picture. Some people with sensitive eyes will blink at the pre-flash and end up with their eyes closed in most flash pictures.
I used to have a Nikon DSLR camera that could be programmed to emit the pre-flash when a certain button was pressed. I'd hit the pre-flash button first, then take the actual picture (sans pre-flash) a few seconds later. Worked miracles for my wife who is a blinker.
My new camera (a newer Nikon DSLR) doesn't see to make people blink, so either it doesn't use a pre-flash, or it's so fast that there's no time for people to react.
Agreed. I have a relatively inexpensive Instek scope that I use at home (GDS-820C), and it's a great tool. I use Tektronic scopes at work which are certainly nicer because of the much higher sampling rates, but the cheap scope handles 95% of what I need.
One word of caution; Instek (and I'm sure this is true of other cheap scope manufacturers) make some wild claims about handling very high frequency signals with these inexpensive scopes. For example, my scope claims to have 150MHz bandwidth and "25Gsa/s Sampling Rate for Repetitive Waveforms" on the product page. This is just marketing hype, don't believe it!
When comparing scopes, look at the actual sampling rate of the signals. My scope samples at 100 MHz, the Tektronic I use at work samples 10 times that fast. It makes a big difference when working with fast waveforms.
I'm not putting down the cheap scopes, you can pick up the model that I'm using new for around $1000. Just be aware that these inexpensive scopes are not great for looking at very fast signals. If you need speed, you will need to spend significantly more.
I feel for you on the problem with compilers that are only available for Windows. I do embedded systems development and have the same problem (although fortunately the Windows only compilers will at least work with XP). I only run Linux on my laptop, but use VMware workstation for the rare occasion that I need to use one of those old compilers. Works great.
Actually, for the most part the compilers that I'm using have a command line mode which works fine under Wine, so I rarely even have to start VMware anymore.
I'm quite happy with my current laptop by the way. It's a Dell XPS M1530 which I bought pre-installed with Ubuntu. I loved the fact that I didn't need to pay the MS tax when I got it.
I use mencoder also, The following script has worked for virtually every DVD I've tried:
mencoder dvd://$1 -o "$2" -aid 128 -oac copy -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=msmpeg4:keyint=100:mbd=1:vbitrate=1800
The first parameter is the track number (use lsdvd and pick the longest track), the second parameter is the file name
Someone sent me this link of guys base jumping with these suits and skimming the rock walls on the way down.
http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262
Pretty nuts!
I think this is actually a bigger reason that companies aren't supporting Linux for their devices then the cost of the initial development. Support for devices under Linux is harder then under windows because of the many different versions of Linux available.
Here's the best book on the subject that I've come across.
2 nd.htm
Mathematical Elements for Computer Graphics
http://www.nar-associates.com/nar-publishing/mecg
That's ridiculous. Just because something has a processor in it doesn't mean it's running an operating system.
Most embedded products still run on simple 8 bit microcontrollers. These all run some software, but most don't run anything that could be called an operating system.
Think along the lines of a PIC microcontroller that spends it's life waiting for a button press or watching an analog input level and responding to it in some fairly simple way. The code that runs on this will probably be a simple loop that runs without any OS support. It probably won't even be using interrupts.
Even more complex products that use 16 or 32 bit microcontrollers / DSPs will often skip the OS. These systems frequently run from internal memory and are therefore limited to a few hundred K of program space and even less RAM. In this world the OS is a big expensive component that's often not necessary for the proper function of the system.
Checkout www.linpvr.org. This is a pre-packaged mythtv distro that is designed to run on a mini-ITX box. Its designed to boot over the network from a server and run on a diskless box.
I have been using it for a couple years now and it works great. I use a seperate computer for the backend. The mini-itx box currently uses a fanless chassis and doesn't include a hard drive or DVD. It's totally silent.
I've been contracting for about 10 years now and started using a payroll service a few years back. This is basically a company that handles all your taxes and sends you a paycheck (drawn from your own bank account) every couple weeks. It costs about $30/month, but is well worth it in my opinion. It really reduces the amount of time I spend on paperwork.
S
I use this app on my T3 and it works well for me. The latest version even works under Linux.
I agree that the mini-itx is a very nice little computer. I've got one under my television running myth-tv.
These things run Linux great. They should have plenty of power for a mail/file server application.
After reading the last post I decided to do a very simple experiment. I wrote a "Hello World" java program and ran it on my Gentoo Linux box.
I would say the startup time was something like 0.5 seconds. Seemed to be faster after the first run.
I also use Java for any software that needs a nice user interface. The big advantage is really the cross platform nature of Java.
Sure, C++ works cross platform, but you need some library that isn't really part of the language for lots of the details (threading, GUI interface, etc). Really not cross platform the way Java is.
I see Java's main advantage over C++ is the depth of the standard Library. When you use C, you get the C standard library. When you use C++ you pretty much still have the C standard library and maybe STL. Java gives you a very rich library and as far as I know the library is fully supported under all the platforms that Java runs on. Certainly Linux and Windows.
I tend to scan lots of documents and setup a simple perl script that uses the 'scanimage' command line tool to do the scanning. Using my Epson Perfection 1650 scanner (pretty standard flatbed scanner) I can scan an 8"x10" page in black & white mode in about 10 seconds.
I actually added a button to the Nautilus GUI shell so I can move to the directory I want and hit the button to scan a page to that directory. Very convenient.
I scan to tiff and then use the convert utility (part of imagemagick) to convert to png. The resulting files typically run about 100K to 200K depending on the content.
If anyone's interested in seeing the perl script I've posted it to: www.ollies.net/scanscript.html
Steve
I use Linux at home, but at work I have no choice but windows. I write embedded software, and the development tools (the only ones available for the processors I working with right now) are only available under Windows.
I've been trying to get them running under Wine, but no lock so far.
I've been switching to Linux friendly applications under Windows where ever possible. Open Office rules, I never use MS Office any more.