Did you see the state of that fan in the article? Smothered in dust and fluff. I'd give it another week's life before it starts making a noise. It'll only make that noise for a bit though, and then after that it'll be really, really quiet. Because it will have stopped.
If you're putting together a server that relies on running cool, dont skimp on your ${LOCAL_CURRENCY} by recycling cruddy fans from your old 486 boxes!
Some say that bikes in the UK can only be ridden at night with 'incandescent bulb' lights, and that LEDs are against the law. I cant find an explicit reference to this, so maybe its changed recently. Certainly flashing lights are outlawed unless attached to the person instead of the bike!
A BBC web site says this: "If you are hit from behind and you have flashing rear lights, you will be held at least partly to blame - even though flashing lights have been scientifically proven to be more visible."
Hooray! They've fixed an annoying bug that really bit me (and colleagues) hard.
In full screen mode, presentations made using LaTeX and packages like Prosper would, when you had included graphics, sometimes just have huge black blobs on screen instead of the graphics, or flip the colours. Not what you want when doing presentations. I found a workaround that involved mucking with the default transition but you had to frig it every time.
So the _first_ thing I try with Acroread 7 is my presentation. And woop-de-do it worked.
I dont think xpdf is quite so good in full-screen mode as acroread, and doesn't handle transitions nicely. Not that I want my presentations sliding all over the place, but some people do...
There's a much better example of the use of python in a GIS: OpenEV - its open-source, cross-platform, and has an open python API for writing extensions, including, using PyGTK, graphical dialogs and menus.
Its not as 'enterprise' as anything from ESRI is, but as an open platform for building custom solutions onto basic GIS functionality, I've not found anything better.
Unless these machines end up in permanent exhibitions, which I guess few will, all you're doing is moving the problem along. The organisation will have to dispose of them eventually.
I note the lack of LCD flat screens in these projects - bet it wont be that way in five years time...
Better to not have the kid in the first place! Then you'll have loads of money to spend on gadgets and you wont have to put an april fools joke on slashdot.
Some universities operate a 'no servers' policy on their resnet. This is intended to stop people running FTP, HTTP or whatever daemons sharing out warez, as well as preventing infection points for worms and viruses. The resnet connection is a 'client' connection only.
Since BitTorrent serves out chunks of the file as you are downloading it, it could be called a 'server', and hence if this is disallowed, you're in breach of the policy.
"Hi, I'm calling from tech support, I need your fingerprint and iris scan, so could you please chop off your index finger, gouge your left eye out, and send them to me please? That's great thanks."
I can't see the point in mirroring tuxmobil.org on slashdot:)
Perhaps you could share your T40 experiences on there - no current entry for Knoppix on that model. Plenty of people with problems with other distros though on T40 machines.
What? How can you say I'm being FUDdy when half your points are either "unpolished", 'works with nVidia but I dunno about anything else', 'can be tricky', and 'never used it'.
And DVD playing can stutter woefully if you dont get 2d acceleration working.
And I forgot to mention getting external VGA to work. To get this going on a RECENT Dell required a kernel patch, me finding a bug in and fixing said patch, then having to get some new BIOS table lookup thing and bung that into the kernel patch, and then get some user-mode thing (there was a choice of two for this model of Dell - one didnt work, one did) so that I could setup a command 'external on' to make it work.
Windows box? Press Fn-F6 (or wherever the little blue logo is).
If Linux (and other Unix) on laptops worked well with all the features then we wouldn't need the 3000 install reports on tuxmobil.org.
And if you think you can supply us with laptops with all that stuff I asked for working, put your money where your mouth is and name us a price. Lets say, working on a Dell Inspiron 5160... Or something of similar spec...
So at first it looks like a nice open road - mm NetBSD freedom - but then woah! whats all this on top of it? Heck, I'm down a blind alley with all this GUI stuff. And the device drivers. Can I get the source code to that? Can I copy it? Can I fix bugs in it? Can I port it to my RandomCPU x996 processor? Can I even look at it without violating some license agreement?
And if the hardware and architecture was open, there would be Mac clones. There used to be - but I think Steve wasn't happy.
Your opinion on my opinion was based on no information. The basing of OS X on NetBSD was probably done for pragmatic reasons and not out of any moral or philosophical ones relating to openness. If Apple could have got a cheap license to use some other Unix they probably would have.
"That's why you should just get an iBook or PowerMac"
And then you've just ridden up an OS blind alley (proprietary MAC OSX) on a blind horse (proprietary closed Mac hardware). May as well just stick with Windows. I hear all those features work just as well on Windows laptops.
"""So, basically ALL the benefits of having a laptop. Go linux! It's DEFINITELY ready for the mainstream."""
Oh yeah, I forgot to add that putting Linux on also takes away the other great benefit of having a laptop since Linux weighs about 4kg more than Windows:)
The days when my poor user had to sweat blood to get me onto a laptop are long gone.
Linux on laptops has improved. You can get a basic install working on a modern laptop, but getting all the things windows users take for granted can take work. Lots of work, including installing kernel patches and patches to those patches. You also frequently have to sacrifice goats to get certain features working.
The worst offenders are (in no order of importance or difficulty): suspend (to disk or ram), accelerated 3d graphics, DVD playing, battery life monitoring (and general ACPI stuff), wireless networking, bluetooth, power-saving features (like CPU throttling) and making them extra buttons do things.
We buy laptops for new students each year and stick linux on them, and it generally takes us a couple of weeks to iron out all the kinks, and sometimes we dont bother. If anyone knows a UK supplier of laptops with Linux pre-installed that do all the above things out of the box, let me know, I might want a dozen in October.
Dont worry, I'm sure the big features will still come out in the US several weeks before they appear here in the UK.
I went to Arizona to see The Phantom Menace before it came out over here. Sheesh was that a disappointment. At least I did get to see the Grand Canyon, which wasn't...
I made some bracelets and a necklace from CAT-5 cable for some geek friends of mine who were getting married, and then discovered ThinkGeek do ethernet bracelets. But ThinkGeek only use the inner strands, I made mine chunkier and multi-coloured by chopping up three lots of sleeving.
Put in a nice presentation box with an inscription to 'My Favourite Twisted Pair'. Geek joy.
Pics here which I should have made a bit brighter...
Slashdot Mirror
Did you see the state of that fan in the article? Smothered in dust and fluff. I'd give it another week's life before it starts making a noise. It'll only make that noise for a bit though, and then after that it'll be really, really quiet. Because it will have stopped.
If you're putting together a server that relies on running cool, dont skimp on your ${LOCAL_CURRENCY} by recycling cruddy fans from your old 486 boxes!
Some say that bikes in the UK can only be ridden at night with 'incandescent bulb' lights, and that LEDs are against the law. I cant find an explicit reference to this, so maybe its changed recently. Certainly flashing lights are outlawed unless attached to the person instead of the bike!
A BBC web site says this:
"If you are hit from behind and you have flashing rear lights, you will be held at least partly to blame - even though flashing lights have been scientifically proven to be more visible."
Baz
Hooray! They've fixed an annoying bug that really bit me (and colleagues) hard.
In full screen mode, presentations made using LaTeX and packages like Prosper would, when you had included graphics, sometimes just have huge black blobs on screen instead of the graphics, or flip the colours. Not what you want when doing presentations. I found a workaround that involved mucking with the default transition but you had to frig it every time.
So the _first_ thing I try with Acroread 7 is my presentation. And woop-de-do it worked.
I dont think xpdf is quite so good in full-screen mode as acroread, and doesn't handle transitions nicely. Not that I want my presentations sliding all over the place, but some people do...
Baz
I sent out an email saying we were now filling our printers with cheaper, white toner, and that could users please now use the black paper provided.
At least one person bought it.
"South African Benevolent Dictator For Life"
Baz
Oops:
I meant OpenEV on sourceforge.net
There's a much better example of the use of python in a GIS: OpenEV - its open-source, cross-platform, and has an open python API for writing extensions, including, using PyGTK, graphical dialogs and menus.
Its not as 'enterprise' as anything from ESRI is, but as an open platform for building custom solutions onto basic GIS functionality, I've not found anything better.
Unless these machines end up in permanent exhibitions, which I guess few will, all you're doing is moving the problem along. The organisation will have to dispose of them eventually.
I note the lack of LCD flat screens in these projects - bet it wont be that way in five years time...
Better to not have the kid in the first place! Then you'll have loads of money to spend on gadgets and you wont have to put an april fools joke on slashdot.
Some universities operate a 'no servers' policy on their resnet. This is intended to stop people running FTP, HTTP or whatever daemons sharing out warez, as well as preventing infection points for worms and viruses. The resnet connection is a 'client' connection only.
Since BitTorrent serves out chunks of the file as you are downloading it, it could be called a 'server', and hence if this is disallowed, you're in breach of the policy.
I thought that headline said 'Canadian'.
"Hi, I'm calling from tech support, I need your fingerprint and iris scan, so could you please chop off your index finger, gouge your left eye out, and send them to me please? That's great thanks."
...a perl script that uses the GD library to draw random squiggles and the fortune file for text. Updated from a cron job.
:)
Indistinguishable from half the web comics out there IMHO
I can't see the point in mirroring tuxmobil.org on slashdot :)
Perhaps you could share your T40 experiences on there - no current entry for Knoppix on that model. Plenty of people with problems with other distros though on T40 machines.
Baz
What? How can you say I'm being FUDdy when half your points are either "unpolished", 'works with nVidia but I dunno about anything else', 'can be tricky', and 'never used it'.
And DVD playing can stutter woefully if you dont get 2d acceleration working.
And I forgot to mention getting external VGA to work. To get this going on a RECENT Dell required a kernel patch, me finding a bug in and fixing said patch, then having to get some new BIOS table lookup thing and bung that into the kernel patch, and then get some user-mode thing (there was a choice of two for this model of Dell - one didnt work, one did) so that I could setup a command 'external on' to make it work.
Windows box? Press Fn-F6 (or wherever the little blue logo is).
If Linux (and other Unix) on laptops worked well with all the features then we wouldn't need the 3000 install reports on tuxmobil.org.
And if you think you can supply us with laptops with all that stuff I asked for working, put your money where your mouth is and name us a price. Lets say, working on a Dell Inspiron 5160... Or something of similar spec...
So at first it looks like a nice open road - mm NetBSD freedom - but then woah! whats all this on top of it? Heck, I'm down a blind alley with all this GUI stuff. And the device drivers. Can I get the source code to that? Can I copy it? Can I fix bugs in it? Can I port it to my RandomCPU x996 processor? Can I even look at it without violating some license agreement?
And if the hardware and architecture was open, there would be Mac clones. There used to be - but I think Steve wasn't happy.
Your opinion on my opinion was based on no information. The basing of OS X on NetBSD was probably done for pragmatic reasons and not out of any moral or philosophical ones relating to openness. If Apple could have got a cheap license to use some other Unix they probably would have.
"That's why you should just get an iBook or PowerMac"
And then you've just ridden up an OS blind alley (proprietary MAC OSX) on a blind horse (proprietary closed Mac hardware). May as well just stick with Windows. I hear all those features work just as well on Windows laptops.
"""So, basically ALL the benefits of having a laptop. Go linux! It's DEFINITELY ready for the mainstream."""
:)
Oh yeah, I forgot to add that putting Linux on also takes away the other great benefit of having a laptop since Linux weighs about 4kg more than Windows
Linux on laptops has improved. You can get a basic install working on a modern laptop, but getting all the things windows users take for granted can take work. Lots of work, including installing kernel patches and patches to those patches. You also frequently have to sacrifice goats to get certain features working.
The worst offenders are (in no order of importance or difficulty): suspend (to disk or ram), accelerated 3d graphics, DVD playing, battery life monitoring (and general ACPI stuff), wireless networking, bluetooth, power-saving features (like CPU throttling) and making them extra buttons do things.
We buy laptops for new students each year and stick linux on them, and it generally takes us a couple of weeks to iron out all the kinks, and sometimes we dont bother. If anyone knows a UK supplier of laptops with Linux pre-installed that do all the above things out of the box, let me know, I might want a dozen in October.
Baz
The first human-powered non-stop round the world trip?
"Anywhere on campus, I can expect to get a minimum of 10 megabits/s between my current machine and the PVR"
That'll be until every other student is doing this (unless your net techs have given you the bandwidth and some QoS guarantee)...
Dont worry, I'm sure the big features will still come out in the US several weeks before they appear here in the UK.
I went to Arizona to see The Phantom Menace before it came out over here. Sheesh was that a disappointment. At least I did get to see the Grand Canyon, which wasn't...
I made some bracelets and a necklace from CAT-5 cable for some geek friends of mine who were getting married, and then discovered ThinkGeek do ethernet bracelets. But ThinkGeek only use the inner strands, I made mine chunkier and multi-coloured by chopping up three lots of sleeving.
Put in a nice presentation box with an inscription to 'My Favourite Twisted Pair'. Geek joy.
Pics here which I should have made a bit brighter...
Or just tweak the display controls so that the band of content is off the visible area...
I overheard one of our techies saying he's spilt some plutonium the other day.
Turned out he'd actually been fixing the colour printer and had a problem with the "blue toner drum". *phew*