Usually there's no problem, but a handful of of times in the last six years there has been, and it's the frequency of these errors that I hope to reduce. Of course, I could just be headed for a different set of problems, but we'll see about that when we get there.
How far off does your system drift after being disconnected from a server?...
I can't say for certain, but it is my understanding is that NTPD stops syncing when the time difference becomes greater than five seconds. Perhaps I've just had some really awful motherboard clocks.
... all your servers would still remain sync'd to each other....
Obviously. However, it does get irritating when, for example, I'm trying to troubleshoot an SMTP problem between a local server and one of the remote systems that I manage, and my clock turns out to be off.
That's only a solution for making sure that all the machines on the same local net stay synchronized. What I was referring to is when it becomes necessary to compare one server's log files with those on a remote system, e.g. when troubleshooting SMTP problems. In such cases, an out-of-sync server can easily lead to a wild goose chase.
Who said anything about a USB version? I've ordered the LVS version and mean to attach it to the serial port using some simple electronics and a small power supply. The only thing I might want to use the USB bus for is as an alternative power source, as the linked article suggests.
NTPD isn't good enough for me -- bad weather on the Internet has caused my server to loose synchronization one too many times, which can be mighty irritating when comparing your log files with those of other systems. On the other hand, acquiring an atomic clock seems a bit over the top to me. So, I figured a good compromise solution would be to connect a GPS receiver to my serial port and synchronize NTPD to that. I've ordered a Garmin GPS 18 OEM LVC that I will receive later this month (hopefully). According to these instructions it's not that difficult to set up, while the result is microsecond precision on Linux 2.6 and nanosecond precision on BSD -- good enough for me. All you need to do is to make sure that your GPS device has a reasonable view of the sky.
While I'm glad that the Hubble is going to be repaired, after reading yesterday's article about the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) that looks like it won't get delivered to the ISS due to a lack of available shuttle missions, I'm no longer sure it's the right thing to do. Seeing as the AMS took 500 physicists 12 years to build and cost $1.5 billion, and that it's capable of doing new and amazing science, I think it deserves a chance. The Hubble has already been up their for years and will be replaced in 2013 by the James Webb Space Telescope anyway. The AMS has no replacement; not launching it would be worse than not repairing Hubble.
I agree that keyboards and graphical interfaces are great for composing and transforming one's thoughts into text. I personally will probably be doing it that way for the rest of my life, because I'm so comfortable with the medium (even though I'm not a touch-typist). However, you should not underestimate how this kind of technology and gadgetry is capable of influencing subsequent generations of computer users, less and less of whom will be burdened with our preference for keyboards, mice and screens. As their cell-phone computers become more powerful, it's easy to imagine these younger folks preferring to use stuff like voice-activated word-processing software, particularly if it's meant to be used together with a pair of hi-res display glasses. If the glasses would also allow the system to sense hand gestures, then you'd not only be able to see what you're writing, but also point at things as well. For us old fogies, there would always be a virtual keyboard available, or the option to plug in a real one (the youngsters will laugh at both). I'm not quite sure yet what future programmers will consider the most efficient way to use this system to write new code, but I figure that where there's a will there's a way.
... I don't need to keep up with the inanities of someone else's,...
Forget private use; think professional first. Imagine a novice getting into trouble in the field, and then calling an expert to ask him, for example, what kind of equipment he's looking at and what he should do next. Instead of explaining things to the expert, the guy just looks at the equipment through the novice's cell-phone peripheral cameras and then tells him what to do. This would be great for technicians, doctors, scientists, etc. People would no longer have to call up to say, "I think you should come here and see this"; they could just show it to them. The possibilities are endless.
... I don't think people will be real quick to give up video walls and keyboards either...
Well, I certainly wouldn't want to give up my PC, but I can imagine myself using a PC and the cell-phone computer together (something I already do that to a limited extent). However, if the developments I forsee come to pass, I can imagine younger generations making increasing use of cell-phone computers and eventually not using PCs at all; like the kids these days who prefer SMS and IRC as opposed to email.
Ha! That will be nothing more than a local problem: the bandwidth available between the cell phone computer and any peripheral components, such as a pair of display goggles. The real problem will be increasing the bandwidth between cell phone nodes: this is where the damned telcos will be responsible for limiting our bandwidth. For instance, at least in the beginning, we will, for example, be forced to pay hefty subscription fees for the privilege of being able to see (live) through the cameras that are built into other people's display goggles.
For years I've been predicting that cellphones are destined to become the future of computing. They are the most powerful computers that we carry with us all the time, every day. Thus, as they gain more memory and processing power, it may become possible for them to one day host a voice activated user interface. Depending on how sophisticated that becomes (critics will claim that this will require nothing less than a true AI) the applications will be limitless and the GUI will become passe. I think that not long after people are able to dictate letters and other documents, we'll see interest in PC software in general start to slump. Just one thing: let's hope it will be Open Source, because whoever starts this will almost certainly become the next Microsoft.
A while ago I had a conversation with a youngster about this issue. She said she preferred IM (MSN) to email because it never took long after she opened up a new email account for her inbox to be overwhelmed with spam. On the other hand, I can also imagine that if you're part of this crowd, that even if you have no personal experience of the spammers, you're still going to start using what everybody else is using just to be able to stay in touch with them. Regardless, as soon as they grow up and get jobs, they'll be using email again because that's still what the world of business requires.
At that speed, full movies could be downloaded almost instantaneously in their hundreds.
At Slashdot, readers sensed a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of movie studio and record company executives cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
This dispute is hardly surprising if you know something about the background issues. For anyone interested, here's a link to a 20/20 report called "Stupid in America"; a little over 40 minutes long, but very informative. After watching the report, it seems to me teacher's unions are mostly to blame; they don't take shit from anyone and resist making any changes at all to the system. All they ever seem to want is more money, even when it's clear to everyone else that private schools, and schools in other countries, can achieve far better results with a lot less. Unfortunately, most parents in the U.S. can't afford private schooling for their kids. IMHO, the U.S. public schooling system is a waste of tax dollars, it unforgivably condemns bright minds to lives of ignorance and manual labor, and I believe it's one of the main reasons why America is fast losing it's dominant economic position in the world today.
(of course sometimes windows is the best option, doesn't mean it is all the time)
Correction: Windows is never the best option when you compare its price, performance, stability, security and out-of-the-box functionality with any other desktop or server operating system available today. However, it is, unfortunately, often the only option available, especially when it comes to many business applications.
Personally, I too found writing for Wikipedia a very educational experience. The most important thing I learned was how to properly research and reference everything I wrote; I would make sure that I was never making any assumptions in what I wrote and that everything was as completely accurate, or at least true to my source material. If you start with a number of good books and scientific articles for reference material, you can produce really good articles. Never having studied in university, it's probably the closest I've ever come to doing scientific research. I found it to be a very satisfying experience and the lessons I learned will last me a lifetime.
The downside is when other people, who don't put nearly the same amount of effort into their research, come along and start adding information to the same article; almost always without any references. As opposed to simple vandalism that can easily be spotted by anyone, bad information degrades the overall quality of the article and is often difficult for other contributers to spot unless they are well versed in the subject matter. To maintain the quality of the articles you put so much work into, the only solution is to check on them constantly, often getting into protracted debates with determined individuals who really know very little. I find this quite depressing, but I see no immediate solutions. Citizendium, Veropedia? Maybe, but for now they're pretty obscure and it will be a long time before either have anywhere near the range of articles that Wikipedia does.
Even more interesting than that, though, is the fact that the article mentions Microsoft can not use its large software patent portfolio against open source projects.
Maybe not in Europe, but what about in the US and the rest of the world?
Air pouches?! And only eight? Is that all they could come up with? I would have expected something a little more advanced. For example, low-voltage electric shocks would not only be more realistically distracting, but could certainly be applied with a higher resolution. Kind of like a larger version of this old idea.
I heard the contract with their record company expired, which left them free to experiment in this manner. No label was involved in this part of equation, so after paying for the necessary website modifications and extra bandwidth, I guess it's all profit for them. Later, when the album appears as a CD in the stores, then I'm sure somebody else will be taking a cut (unless the band is now also into manufacturing and distribution, which I doubt).
A BIG problem with this is that most people when they buy a new computer they just want to plug it in when they get home and have it work out of the box....
Nonsense! What about all those Windows recovery CDs? You just insert it into the drive, boot with it and soon the system is returned to exactly the same state as when you got it from the store. One of Microsoft's original arguments against distributing Windows this way was that it would make piracy easier, but that defense has become much more difficult to maintain since the introduction of their online registration system. The whole idea was outlined earlier in this story.
As a matter of fact, the "recovery CD approach" would allow retailers to deliver all their PCs with CDs for multiple operating systems, which would then the customers could go home and choose which ever one they wanted to install. This could be any number of Windows or Linux flavors, or even BSD. All would install to an initial state, except that the Windows versions would also require registration and a credit card payment before they would work.
'It comes down to cost per person and reach at the end of the day.'
Well, that goes without saying. After all, it's common knowledge that the development of this kind of software is horrendously expensive compared to the relatively miniscule costs of making and broadcasting television programs, or maintaining the BBC's website. Why, porting the Windows version of the iPlayer to Linux and OSX will most likely triple or quadruple the total cost of development and maintenance.
Besides, there are plenty of other examples of public services that have perfectly good reasons to lock their own subscribers into expensive proprietary solutions, such as... um...
Four of them have GA status, but I've been told by reviewers on several occasions that they won't make it to FA unless they follow the guidelines. I know, the guidelines are not supposed to be interpreted as rules (to be followed slavishly and without question), but that's the way it seems to work in practice.
Slashdot Mirror
That's only a solution for making sure that all the machines on the same local net stay synchronized. What I was referring to is when it becomes necessary to compare one server's log files with those on a remote system, e.g. when troubleshooting SMTP problems. In such cases, an out-of-sync server can easily lead to a wild goose chase.
NTPD isn't good enough for me -- bad weather on the Internet has caused my server to loose synchronization one too many times, which can be mighty irritating when comparing your log files with those of other systems. On the other hand, acquiring an atomic clock seems a bit over the top to me. So, I figured a good compromise solution would be to connect a GPS receiver to my serial port and synchronize NTPD to that. I've ordered a Garmin GPS 18 OEM LVC that I will receive later this month (hopefully). According to these instructions it's not that difficult to set up, while the result is microsecond precision on Linux 2.6 and nanosecond precision on BSD -- good enough for me. All you need to do is to make sure that your GPS device has a reasonable view of the sky.
While I'm glad that the Hubble is going to be repaired, after reading yesterday's article about the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) that looks like it won't get delivered to the ISS due to a lack of available shuttle missions, I'm no longer sure it's the right thing to do. Seeing as the AMS took 500 physicists 12 years to build and cost $1.5 billion, and that it's capable of doing new and amazing science, I think it deserves a chance. The Hubble has already been up their for years and will be replaced in 2013 by the James Webb Space Telescope anyway. The AMS has no replacement; not launching it would be worse than not repairing Hubble.
I agree that keyboards and graphical interfaces are great for composing and transforming one's thoughts into text. I personally will probably be doing it that way for the rest of my life, because I'm so comfortable with the medium (even though I'm not a touch-typist). However, you should not underestimate how this kind of technology and gadgetry is capable of influencing subsequent generations of computer users, less and less of whom will be burdened with our preference for keyboards, mice and screens. As their cell-phone computers become more powerful, it's easy to imagine these younger folks preferring to use stuff like voice-activated word-processing software, particularly if it's meant to be used together with a pair of hi-res display glasses. If the glasses would also allow the system to sense hand gestures, then you'd not only be able to see what you're writing, but also point at things as well. For us old fogies, there would always be a virtual keyboard available, or the option to plug in a real one (the youngsters will laugh at both). I'm not quite sure yet what future programmers will consider the most efficient way to use this system to write new code, but I figure that where there's a will there's a way.
Ha! That will be nothing more than a local problem: the bandwidth available between the cell phone computer and any peripheral components, such as a pair of display goggles. The real problem will be increasing the bandwidth between cell phone nodes: this is where the damned telcos will be responsible for limiting our bandwidth. For instance, at least in the beginning, we will, for example, be forced to pay hefty subscription fees for the privilege of being able to see (live) through the cameras that are built into other people's display goggles.
For years I've been predicting that cellphones are destined to become the future of computing. They are the most powerful computers that we carry with us all the time, every day. Thus, as they gain more memory and processing power, it may become possible for them to one day host a voice activated user interface. Depending on how sophisticated that becomes (critics will claim that this will require nothing less than a true AI) the applications will be limitless and the GUI will become passe. I think that not long after people are able to dictate letters and other documents, we'll see interest in PC software in general start to slump. Just one thing: let's hope it will be Open Source, because whoever starts this will almost certainly become the next Microsoft.
A while ago I had a conversation with a youngster about this issue. She said she preferred IM (MSN) to email because it never took long after she opened up a new email account for her inbox to be overwhelmed with spam. On the other hand, I can also imagine that if you're part of this crowd, that even if you have no personal experience of the spammers, you're still going to start using what everybody else is using just to be able to stay in touch with them. Regardless, as soon as they grow up and get jobs, they'll be using email again because that's still what the world of business requires.
This dispute is hardly surprising if you know something about the background issues. For anyone interested, here's a link to a 20/20 report called "Stupid in America"; a little over 40 minutes long, but very informative. After watching the report, it seems to me teacher's unions are mostly to blame; they don't take shit from anyone and resist making any changes at all to the system. All they ever seem to want is more money, even when it's clear to everyone else that private schools, and schools in other countries, can achieve far better results with a lot less. Unfortunately, most parents in the U.S. can't afford private schooling for their kids. IMHO, the U.S. public schooling system is a waste of tax dollars, it unforgivably condemns bright minds to lives of ignorance and manual labor, and I believe it's one of the main reasons why America is fast losing it's dominant economic position in the world today.
- 14 Mbps down
- 1 Mbps up
My Internet bandwidth in about 7 years time, after Papandriopoulos' technology has spread world-wide:- 140 Mbps down
- 1 Mbps up
-----WTF?!
"Our strategy is to sell higher upload speeds only to business clients"
Who, Microsoft? No, they were just being competitive.
Personally, I too found writing for Wikipedia a very educational experience. The most important thing I learned was how to properly research and reference everything I wrote; I would make sure that I was never making any assumptions in what I wrote and that everything was as completely accurate, or at least true to my source material. If you start with a number of good books and scientific articles for reference material, you can produce really good articles. Never having studied in university, it's probably the closest I've ever come to doing scientific research. I found it to be a very satisfying experience and the lessons I learned will last me a lifetime.
The downside is when other people, who don't put nearly the same amount of effort into their research, come along and start adding information to the same article; almost always without any references. As opposed to simple vandalism that can easily be spotted by anyone, bad information degrades the overall quality of the article and is often difficult for other contributers to spot unless they are well versed in the subject matter. To maintain the quality of the articles you put so much work into, the only solution is to check on them constantly, often getting into protracted debates with determined individuals who really know very little. I find this quite depressing, but I see no immediate solutions. Citizendium, Veropedia? Maybe, but for now they're pretty obscure and it will be a long time before either have anywhere near the range of articles that Wikipedia does.
This isn't really breaking news: GIMP 2.4 was installed on my Debian sid machine along with yesterday's update.
Air pouches?! And only eight? Is that all they could come up with? I would have expected something a little more advanced. For example, low-voltage electric shocks would not only be more realistically distracting, but could certainly be applied with a higher resolution. Kind of like a larger version of this old idea.
I heard the contract with their record company expired, which left them free to experiment in this manner. No label was involved in this part of equation, so after paying for the necessary website modifications and extra bandwidth, I guess it's all profit for them. Later, when the album appears as a CD in the stores, then I'm sure somebody else will be taking a cut (unless the band is now also into manufacturing and distribution, which I doubt).
As a matter of fact, the "recovery CD approach" would allow retailers to deliver all their PCs with CDs for multiple operating systems, which would then the customers could go home and choose which ever one they wanted to install. This could be any number of Windows or Linux flavors, or even BSD. All would install to an initial state, except that the Windows versions would also require registration and a credit card payment before they would work.
Better yet, prevent retailers from bundling operating systems with new computers. At the very least, you'll see M$ lower their prices as a result.
Besides, there are plenty of other examples of public services that have perfectly good reasons to lock their own subscribers into expensive proprietary solutions, such as... um...
Four of them have GA status, but I've been told by reviewers on several occasions that they won't make it to FA unless they follow the guidelines. I know, the guidelines are not supposed to be interpreted as rules (to be followed slavishly and without question), but that's the way it seems to work in practice.