Strange thing is, that we are working practically exactly on one of these ideas (PCs for senior citizens). Although we are working on a special Linux distro combined with a portal for our folks. But our first customers are not the seniors themselves, but the home they are living in. First PC is already running and we have preAlpha CDs for download. Unfortunately we only have a German version available, since we are located here. If somebody might be interested in a collab to bring this thing to the US, you might drop me a note to mail@andreas-rueckert.de
We're trying to create a new distro especially for elderly people. What we did is to start with a livecd based on Gentoo catalyst. Took us some weeks to create something bootable, but we are up and running with a pre-beta now...
BTW:anyone with ideas for a nice logo?
Sad, but true. Installed 3 (Gentoo) Linux boxen in a local kindergarden. Tuxpaint is practically no longer maintained and I couldn't get it to work on a current Gentoo installation. Klettres in not available in German (important for German kids). I think, the Linux development focus is not really on educational software.
I'm currently searching 400+ MHz machines for several folks in the neighbourhood. Last machine I installed was a P3/450, 128MB ram, 6,4GB hd. I installed Gentoo, KDE 3.3, firefox. Total cost was less than 100 euros + about 62 euros for a d-link ap 900+ (required to connect to our neighbourhood net). Monthly online costs are 5,- flat.
My 57year old neighbour had never owned a PC before and after less than 2 weeks, she uses KMail for her mail correspondance and firefox to explore eBay. She has never seen Windows (ok, maybe on TV) and is more than happy with her purchase. I already have 2 friends of her, who want a similar PC.
I'm currently looking for a 64MB ram extension, but that's just because she wants to use OpenOffice 1.1.3 a bit more and it starts somewhat slow. Maybe I should just install KOffice.
Point is: Linux is a solution here. It's not a Win alternative, because Win licenses would be too expensive and would require much more expensive hardware. Many people here cannot afford new machines anymore, and access to the net becomes essential for job hunting etc.
If you have any spare machines around, install gentoo, add a cheap modem or any other net access and give them to someone in your area!
Most important: sit down with those folks and teach them the basics! Organize a free mail addy, explain Google to them, try to find any contacts (mailing with long lost relatives boosts the motivation extremely as an example) or help them with a personal homepage.
Before I forgot: thanks a lot to the Gentoo folks! We need the fastest software here, because our hardware is so slow. Compilation time is not such an issue, since most people are willing to wait another week, but once it's installed, the software must fly. Exactly, what Gentoo provides.
No need to complain. I installed Gentoo on a 486/133, then on my P1/200 neighbourhood router and my next target is a P1/166 machine. My main problem is, that my x86 stage 1 seems to require a MMX processor, and the P1/200 is my only MMX capable chip here...:-(
Over here, you could get a MDA3 from T-Mobile
http://www.heise.de/mobil/newsticker/meldung/48653/
, add a 512MB MMC card and use (mostly free) WLAN at railroad stations etc to get webradio. Add an app like streamripper and store 100+ MP3s on your phone. Or just connect to your server at home to get the files. With 2-3 MBit connections, it's not an issue.
Just a comment to the 'Let Europe' buy their oil:
I live in Germany, and there are a lot of activities to find alternative energy resources.
Wind already produces more than 10% of our local energy, because alternative power plants are pushed. I don't pay taxes for my current car, because it consumes less than 5 litres per 100km. Just another example how energy efficiency is supported.
I guess I'm a weirdo now, talking to myself. But I just read, that the new C't (21/2004) will include an article on sharing a DSL connection via WIFI. Maybe some folks will join the Heise forum to discuss their experiences, when the mag is available...
Is there any kind of neighbourhood-net howto? I'm trying to create a very, very basic WIFI service for my neighbourhood and already learned, that you lose a lot of time searching for the right hard- and software. What APs to use? How to configure my linux router? And much more details. Would be great to have a forum, where admins of such networks could discuss all those issues.
You have to be careful about the definition of 'innovative'. If you just define 20% speedup in a memory management system as an innovation, neither might be very innovative. If you define worldwide legal access to the latest software as an innovation, OSS really sets a new record.
Yes, they do, but you have to install them etc.
Here's my idea to bring Linux to the Windows dummy:
Let's call our potential device retrostick, or so.
You take a USB stick, put a nice Linux bootloader on it, that shows nothing but a nice intro image, followed by a menu, where you select the game, that you want to play. The bootloader loads a minimum Linux kernel. Just enough to display the graphical menu. When you selected the game, Mame or another Linux game is loaded and started from the stick. Highscores etc are stored on the stick! There's absolutely no harddrive access! Just like Knoppix.
So all you got to do is: take any USB-bootable PC, plug in the retrostick and reboot. Play your game and when you are done, unplug stick and reboot. You are back in your Windows, that is completely untouched. No harm done to your machine. No installation required. No internet access, so no viruses or worms on your machine.
What do you think? If you like the idea, drop me a mail to mail@andreas-rueckert.de .
TIA,
Andreas
But this time, they should also support the used processor in the BIOS. Unlike they did in the Aspire series (no PowerNow support for the built-in chip in my Aspire 1351LC).
Re:Anyone have a replica of MS-DOS EDITOR?
on
JOE Hits 3.0
·
· Score: 1
Used Jed for a while, lost some of my files, moved to Joe and never looked back.
Re: Business rules in UML? -- good question
on
UML Fever
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· Score: 1
Misunderstanding here. I do not want to model or use business rules. I want to use design rules and make them a bit more flexible in respect of the domain we are currently in. Say, someone models a webapp, he would load a ruleset that reflects some good practice of webapp modeling.
Hi!
Has anyone of you ever used a rule engine system in combination with a design tool? I've considered this route for quite a while and still wonder how much commercial potential there is...
Anyone remembers the WDR Computernacht (I think it was in 1998) when you could bring your PC and they created a Linux cluster to make it in the Guinness book?
I'd like to port a Agere softmodem driver to 2.6. There's a binary-only module, but also a small interface to some 2.4 functions, like some PCI functions. Unfortunately, those functions seem to be gone in 2.6. Is there any wrapper to emulate the 2.4 functions (like the one to get an ID etc).
Has anyone here ported a 2.4 driver to 2.6? I have a Agere softmodem driver, that I'd like to use under 2.6, but I have problems with the PCI methods...
Anyone here, who has already ported 2.4 modules to 2.6? I'd like to get my notebook softmodem going, and have some binary, that has to interface with the new 2.6 PCI methods. And to be honest, I'm somewhat stuck with it at the moment...:-(
The good news is, that no BA will help you anyway these days. We have a couple of good ideas and a local BA organisation. They helped exactly 0 companies over the last years...
Slashdot Mirror
Strange thing is, that we are working practically exactly on one of these ideas (PCs for senior citizens). Although we are working on a special Linux distro combined with a portal for our folks. But our first customers are not the seniors themselves, but the home they are living in. First PC is already running and we have preAlpha CDs for download.
Unfortunately we only have a German version available, since we are located here. If somebody might be interested in a collab to bring this thing to the US, you might drop me a note to
mail@andreas-rueckert.de
Ciao,
Andreas
We already have a nice name for it. It's called Seniorix.
We're trying to create a new distro especially for elderly people. What we did is to start with a livecd based on Gentoo catalyst. Took us some weeks to create something bootable, but we are up and running with a pre-beta now... BTW:anyone with ideas for a nice logo?
Sad, but true. Installed 3 (Gentoo) Linux boxen in a local kindergarden. Tuxpaint is practically no longer maintained and I couldn't get it to work on a current Gentoo installation. Klettres in not available in German (important for German kids). I think, the Linux development focus is not really on educational software.
I'm currently searching 400+ MHz machines for several folks in the neighbourhood. Last machine I installed was a P3/450, 128MB ram, 6,4GB hd. I installed Gentoo, KDE 3.3, firefox. Total cost was less than 100 euros + about 62 euros for a d-link ap 900+ (required to connect to our neighbourhood net). Monthly online costs are 5,- flat.
My 57year old neighbour had never owned a PC before and after less than 2 weeks, she uses KMail for her mail correspondance and firefox to explore eBay. She has never seen Windows (ok, maybe on TV) and is more than happy with her purchase. I already have 2 friends of her, who want a similar PC. I'm currently looking for a 64MB ram extension, but that's just because she wants to use OpenOffice 1.1.3 a bit more and it starts somewhat slow. Maybe I should just install KOffice.
Point is: Linux is a solution here. It's not a Win alternative, because Win licenses would be too expensive and would require much more expensive hardware. Many people here cannot afford new machines anymore, and access to the net becomes essential for job hunting etc.
If you have any spare machines around, install gentoo, add a cheap modem or any other net access and give them to someone in your area!
Most important: sit down with those folks and teach them the basics! Organize a free mail addy, explain Google to them, try to find any contacts (mailing with long lost relatives boosts the motivation extremely as an example) or help them with a personal homepage.
Before I forgot: thanks a lot to the Gentoo folks! We need the fastest software here, because our hardware is so slow. Compilation time is not such an issue, since most people are willing to wait another week, but once it's installed, the software must fly. Exactly, what Gentoo provides.
No need to complain. I installed Gentoo on a 486/133, then on my P1/200 neighbourhood router and my next target is a P1/166 machine. My main problem is, that my x86 stage 1 seems to require a MMX processor, and the P1/200 is my only MMX capable chip here... :-(
Over here, you could get a MDA3 from T-Mobile http://www.heise.de/mobil/newsticker/meldung/48653 /
, add a 512MB MMC card and use (mostly free) WLAN at railroad stations etc to get webradio. Add an app like streamripper and store 100+ MP3s on your phone. Or just connect to your server at home to get the files. With 2-3 MBit connections, it's not an issue.
Just a comment to the 'Let Europe' buy their oil: I live in Germany, and there are a lot of activities to find alternative energy resources. Wind already produces more than 10% of our local energy, because alternative power plants are pushed. I don't pay taxes for my current car, because it consumes less than 5 litres per 100km. Just another example how energy efficiency is supported.
I guess I'm a weirdo now, talking to myself. But I just read, that the new C't (21/2004) will include an article on sharing a DSL connection via WIFI. Maybe some folks will join the Heise forum to discuss their experiences, when the mag is available...
Is there any kind of neighbourhood-net howto? I'm trying to create a very, very basic WIFI service for my neighbourhood and already learned, that you lose a lot of time searching for the right hard- and software. What APs to use? How to configure my linux router? And much more details. Would be great to have a forum, where admins of such networks could discuss all those issues.
You have to be careful about the definition of 'innovative'. If you just define 20% speedup in a memory management system as an innovation, neither might be very innovative. If you define worldwide legal access to the latest software as an innovation, OSS really sets a new record.
Meshcubes
Lots of Java on my Linux desktop. Most UML tools are written in Java...
Yes, they do, but you have to install them etc. Here's my idea to bring Linux to the Windows dummy: Let's call our potential device retrostick, or so. You take a USB stick, put a nice Linux bootloader on it, that shows nothing but a nice intro image, followed by a menu, where you select the game, that you want to play. The bootloader loads a minimum Linux kernel. Just enough to display the graphical menu. When you selected the game, Mame or another Linux game is loaded and started from the stick. Highscores etc are stored on the stick! There's absolutely no harddrive access! Just like Knoppix. So all you got to do is: take any USB-bootable PC, plug in the retrostick and reboot. Play your game and when you are done, unplug stick and reboot. You are back in your Windows, that is completely untouched. No harm done to your machine. No installation required. No internet access, so no viruses or worms on your machine. What do you think? If you like the idea, drop me a mail to mail@andreas-rueckert.de . TIA, Andreas
Was there already an interview with the folks running this migration? (Cannot find one). If not, I officially suggest one...
But this time, they should also support the used processor in the BIOS. Unlike they did in the Aspire series (no PowerNow support for the built-in chip in my Aspire 1351LC).
Used Jed for a while, lost some of my files, moved to Joe and never looked back.
Misunderstanding here. I do not want to model or use business rules. I want to use design rules and make them a bit more flexible in respect of the domain we are currently in. Say, someone models a webapp, he would load a ruleset that reflects some good practice of webapp modeling.
Hi! Has anyone of you ever used a rule engine system in combination with a design tool? I've considered this route for quite a while and still wonder how much commercial potential there is...
That's easy...just hire me...
Anyone remembers the WDR Computernacht (I think it was in 1998) when you could bring your PC and they created a Linux cluster to make it in the Guinness book?
Hi!
I'd like to port a Agere softmodem driver to 2.6. There's a binary-only module, but also a small interface to some 2.4 functions, like some PCI functions. Unfortunately, those functions seem to be gone in 2.6. Is there any wrapper to emulate the 2.4 functions (like the one to get an ID etc).
TIA,
Andreas
Has anyone here ported a 2.4 driver to 2.6? I have a Agere softmodem driver, that I'd like to use under 2.6, but I have problems with the PCI methods...
Anyone here, who has already ported 2.4 modules to 2.6? I'd like to get my notebook softmodem going, and have some binary, that has to interface with the new 2.6 PCI methods. And to be honest, I'm somewhat stuck with it at the moment... :-(
The good news is, that no BA will help you anyway these days. We have a couple of good ideas and a local BA organisation. They helped exactly 0 companies over the last years...