To make a bootable floppy: dig around for a disk with nothing important on, open formatting software, reformat (to make sure it's formatted so the alignment is reasonably OK for your FDD), copy data to it, wait 30 seconds at about 900k through for the computer to realise that although it formatted it, it can't actually write to it, rename the file that failed (so you can try copying the rest and avoid the bad sector), shutdown, reboot from it, find it won't read properly, reboot from HD, try and find another floppy,.....
To make a bootable CD: generate floppy image for copying onto CD to boot from, pick blank CDR from the top of the pile next to the computer, open burning software, add files, burn, close, done.
That 'generate floppy image' stage is a/lot/ more painful than it should be, though. That reminds me: does anyone know of a loopback filesystem for Win2k that could assist in that process?
A very good idea, but unfortunately most of the mirrors don't have 0.96e available and now they probably won't be able to update until the master site stops being overloaded:(
Would have been quite helpful if the announcement (particularly the announcement on the front page here) could have been held until after most of the mirrors had updated.
It might actually be a very good idea to move this story off the main page for a few hours...
Windows 98 seems to last a/lot/ longer with p2p apps if you put an OpenBSD box in front and have a 'scrub in on $inet_if all' rule in pf.conf...
It can run for weeks if you are careful with choice of hardware and drivers (and look very carefully when you run Windows Update to make sure it doesn't touch anything to do with drivers.....)
"For instance, can you look at a Windows process listing and be able to explain what every process is and what it's for?"
In a word, yes. You have to be able to do this to pick out viruses (and sneaky bastards like that RealOne bullshit.)
Okay, let's take a few common processes. What are they for/what do they do... csrss.exe. lsass.exe. each instance of svchost.exe. You'll probably find most people who are pretty decent Windows sysadmins do not know. (And in the case of svchost, you can't even tell unless you go and install extra software).
Even most fairly new Unix users can pick through a process listing and describe what _each and every_ process is for.
After what happened with jpeg, I'd have thought there's going to be less legal risk in using a codec that you can pay to license. (Not that most mp3 users are really going to be/all/ that bothered!)
I have problems with some 192Kbps CBR MP3s, I find --r3mix usually sounds a lot better (and takes up less space), though sometimes I neeed to bump it up to ABR (usually around 220Kbps if it's a difficult piece).
Omnidirectional usually refers to 360 degrees around the antenna (H-plane). The higher the gain, the narrower the vertical beamwidth (E-plane).
So in order to cover more people it probably would be better to use a couple of sector antennas with a down-tilt (as often seen on cellular base stations).
An alternative would be an amplified lower gain omni (but in many situations that wouldn't work as well since it will pick up more noise).
As used by radio amateurs to satisfy the identification requirements of their license. (Amateurs using 802.11b kit can still use part 15 [or local equivalent in other countries] but in many cases they can also transmit at higher power if they comply with various conditions, including broadcasting their callsign).
IEEE 802.11b doesn't have support for banners (unless maybe you write a really long SSID and even then it wouldn't always be seen)...
There are ways of grafting them on (using http redirection and so on), but those won't be seen by everyone and there are no standards, so it's not possible to connect using a script (for example). Just one example of why 802.11 isn't really an ideal protocol for public networks.
It's probably about time there were standards for things like: displaying network AUPs, privacy policies, registration/authentication. Ideally machine-readable so they could be used automatically where desired (would be quite easy to have third parties validate and sign these, done on a regular basis it would make it easier to block any networks discovered to be rogue by refusing to sign a renewal).
I think DHCP might be a reasonably good place for something like that to go (there are plenty of occasions it would be useful on a wired network too) but this type of thing is rarely useful without fairly widespread support.
Very easy with TDMA protocols, since timing is quite critical. The 'field engineer' menus on the average GSM phone will show the distance from the registered cell. All a network would have to do if there are multiple BSCs in range would be to bump from one to another and measure the response time on each to get a pretty accurate location.(Even with just two reachable in range you can tie down to one of two possible locations).
Can be done with CDMA too but I suspect it's not so common (since unlike TDMA there are no timeslots to co-ordinate between different users).
Pity the authorities don't make more use of this. If you ring the emergency services in the UK from a mobile phone, all the cellular operator passes on is the phone number you're calling from, not even the cell you're currently using. Could save a lot of time and trouble if they did.
It's not all bad though. Location information can help prove you weren't somewhere just as easily as it can help prove you were somewhere!
I don't think recording an _exact_ location is done as a matter of course, but it is common practice to keep track of the current registered cell (if only to save searching the whole network when there's an incoming call). In GSM the phones re-register periodically even if you don't switch cell so it's not uncommon to have the cell recorded every couple of hours.
Errm, don't you mean that US cellular industry would rather use an incompatible system to help protect it's native manufacturers from higher levels of competition from international manufacturers?
I don't see many countries converting GSM to CDMA... maybe some of the 3G protocols are CDMA, but that's adding to the GSM networks already in place, certainly not replacing them anytime soon.
And I don't think the existing US cellular infrastructure is really on a par with what's planned for 3G. A lot of changes will be needed, whatever the current tech.
There's quite a difference between GSM and MS: GSM does what it's supposed to, and works pretty damn well. You tried taking a CDMA phone to a different country lately?
Sure, there are advantages with CDMA. Better range, for example, though that's less important for more densely-populated parts of the world (and analogue probably still has the edge). But GSM has advantages too - well-established packet data, SIMs, global roaming...
If CDMA has won, how come GSM is expanding so much in the US?
Slashdot Mirror
If floppies were no longer provided as standard, perhaps the increased volume of CD burner sales would bring the prices down that low.
That's only needed if the flash fails...
Norton Ghost has a nice one which comes with a good collection of SCSI drivers too.
To make a bootable CD: generate floppy image for copying onto CD to boot from, pick blank CDR from the top of the pile next to the computer, open burning software, add files, burn, close, done.
That 'generate floppy image' stage is a /lot/ more painful than it should be, though. That reminds me: does anyone know of a loopback filesystem for Win2k that could assist in that process?
Usual place.
Thank you very much.
If you have it, can you post the patch too? (If the lame filter allows it, of course...)
Would have been quite helpful if the announcement (particularly the announcement on the front page here) could have been held until after most of the mirrors had updated.
It might actually be a very good idea to move this story off the main page for a few hours...
It can run for weeks if you are careful with choice of hardware and drivers (and look very carefully when you run Windows Update to make sure it doesn't touch anything to do with drivers.....)
Even most fairly new Unix users can pick through a process listing and describe what _each and every_ process is for.
After what happened with jpeg, I'd have thought there's going to be less legal risk in using a codec that you can pay to license. (Not that most mp3 users are really going to be /all/ that bothered!)
I have problems with some 192Kbps CBR MP3s, I find --r3mix usually sounds a lot better (and takes up less space), though sometimes I neeed to bump it up to ABR (usually around 220Kbps if it's a difficult piece).
So in order to cover more people it probably would be better to use a couple of sector antennas with a down-tilt (as often seen on cellular base stations).
An alternative would be an amplified lower gain omni (but in many situations that wouldn't work as well since it will pick up more noise).
The win32 Orinoco driver even has a handy box where you can type in the MAC address.
As used by radio amateurs to satisfy the identification requirements of their license. (Amateurs using 802.11b kit can still use part 15 [or local equivalent in other countries] but in many cases they can also transmit at higher power if they comply with various conditions, including broadcasting their callsign).
There are ways of grafting them on (using http redirection and so on), but those won't be seen by everyone and there are no standards, so it's not possible to connect using a script (for example). Just one example of why 802.11 isn't really an ideal protocol for public networks.
It's probably about time there were standards for things like: displaying network AUPs, privacy policies, registration/authentication. Ideally machine-readable so they could be used automatically where desired (would be quite easy to have third parties validate and sign these, done on a regular basis it would make it easier to block any networks discovered to be rogue by refusing to sign a renewal).
I think DHCP might be a reasonably good place for something like that to go (there are plenty of occasions it would be useful on a wired network too) but this type of thing is rarely useful without fairly widespread support.
This isn't a bad GUI...
Can be done with CDMA too but I suspect it's not so common (since unlike TDMA there are no timeslots to co-ordinate between different users).
Pity the authorities don't make more use of this. If you ring the emergency services in the UK from a mobile phone, all the cellular operator passes on is the phone number you're calling from, not even the cell you're currently using. Could save a lot of time and trouble if they did.
It's not all bad though. Location information can help prove you weren't somewhere just as easily as it can help prove you were somewhere!
I don't think recording an _exact_ location is done as a matter of course, but it is common practice to keep track of the current registered cell (if only to save searching the whole network when there's an incoming call). In GSM the phones re-register periodically even if you don't switch cell so it's not uncommon to have the cell recorded every couple of hours.
I don't see many countries converting GSM to CDMA... maybe some of the 3G protocols are CDMA, but that's adding to the GSM networks already in place, certainly not replacing them anytime soon.
And I don't think the existing US cellular infrastructure is really on a par with what's planned for 3G. A lot of changes will be needed, whatever the current tech.
There's quite a difference between GSM and MS: GSM does what it's supposed to, and works pretty damn well. You tried taking a CDMA phone to a different country lately?
Sure, there are advantages with CDMA. Better range, for example, though that's less important for more densely-populated parts of the world (and analogue probably still has the edge). But GSM has advantages too - well-established packet data, SIMs, global roaming...
If CDMA has won, how come GSM is expanding so much in the US?
It's better to cook lentils apart from tomatoes, the acid can stop lentils from cooking properly.
The size of spoons varies from country to country.
You mean like this?