I just started doing this myself. I had stopped using my MacBook due to bootcamp issues (was taking a class that required MS Access so I needed Windows). The drivers (touchpad especially) just didn't work that well under Windows 7. I had switched to an old thinkpad dual booting windows and linux.
Recently discovered VMware Fusion and now I have a virtualized Windows 7 on my MacBook which lets me run office and internet explorer (for the 1 stupid IE only website I need to use). $50 for fusion and now I can run windows/linux/whatever flawlessly under OSX with very little slowdown.
Biggest caveat, the Fusion Unity application support only extends to XFCE, Gnome, and KDE (does not work with e17 or LXDE) so make sure if you install a linux distro it's using one of those DE's or Unity will not work as nicely.
It sounds funny, but my favorite feature of my MacBook is the MASSIVE touchpad that works flawlessly. I don't know why manufacturer's skimp on the touchpad given that it's the primary input device, but I looked at dozens of laptops before I purchased a used thinkpad because it had the trackpoint, but they all had one feature in common... a crappy touchpad.
I've been running a few websites with email accounts off Dreamhost for a few years now, and I highly recommend that over rolling your own. Sure, you might be losing some of the flexibility of a complete from scratch solution, but you're also handing off a lot of the administrative hassles to professionals. Plus since it's a paid solution I'm not as concerned about my data being fodder for google's growing empire.
The whole thing is running off a virtualized server that I pay $15 a month for. No blacklist issues (so far in like 3 years) since it's a known IP block with a known hosting provider. Spam is a minor issue, they're running spamassassin which on it's own seems to do an all right job. It gets the worst of the worst and thunderbird picks up a fair amount of it as well. The webclient uses roundmail, which is somewhat dated, but has a decent ajax interface. I think they have some other choices for webclients but to be honest I don't use them that often.
Could also be a distance thing... been awhile since I ran cables, but as I recall the limit is something like 100m? So if it's a larger dealership (in size) it may have just been easier to run fiber between two geographically distance switches.
I know this doesn't exactly answer your question... but unless your machines are widely geographically separated, why not cut out the middleman and just get a hard drive and a usb2 enclosure? You know exactly what you are getting (instead of all the debate about "real world" performance). Sneakernet ftw
At KLAX on the 13th day of the month at 1650 zulu time the winds were 5 knots from slightly north of due west (280 degrees). 6 Statue miles of visibility with haze. Clouds are few (ie 1/8 of the sky) at 1500 feet and broken (ie 6/8 of the sky) at 18000 feet. Temp is 21 deg C with a dewpoint of 16 deg C. Altimeter is 29.84 inches of Mercury. There is a remark that the station is automated and some other remarks I don't recognize (but I think SLP has something to do with sea level pressure).
It's not that different from any other sort of professional lingo, like a programming language or rattling off the name and chemical makeup of a few amino acids.
I run my own personal windows box as a non-admin, just because as careful as I am, it's just TOO easy to accidentally let your guard down for a moment and get your box pwned.
As a result of not running as admin, I can't play bioshock, java crashes any browser that uses it (IE and FF alike) DVD Decrypter won't work, and iTunes bitches about not being properly installed every time I open it.
Getting a box running PROPERLY without admin privs is extremely difficult. That's the problem with windows. I understand the bugs and the constant vulnerabilities (huge install base, but the fact that even a competent (imho) Sys Admin has this much difficulty running as a non-priv user is inexcusable.
What if you're blind? It's a serious question, say your car moves at the speed of light (I know that is arguably impossible, but just go with it) - actually anything faster than sound would work. Now change your analogy, I get hit by your car while I hear you getting into it, and only later hear you start it and drive at me.
From the frame of reference of someone unable to process light (photon) information, does that violate causality?
This has always the root of my inability to grok causality (as a function of the speed of light). Assuming c isn't the speed limit, would we ever be able to understand that given we have no ability to process any information (that we know of) that moves faster than c.
Parts may be incorrect, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it fundamentally flawed. Some parts of GR have been unequivocally proven like gravitational time dilation.
Bigger issues than just a 6 month self-sustaining isolation have an effect on a mars mission though. Agreed that it could be a good idea to start living in an underground bunker for 6 months or something, then moving to a more hostile environment like Antarctica, then maybe the moon and applying lessons learned as the difficulty increases
BUT only the moon/leo/geo/asteroid scenarios have the added educational value of dealing with the problems like heat transfer, micro-gravity, micro-meteorites, etc that wouldn't be an issue and are hard or impossible to simulate on earth.
IANAA (I am not an astrophysicist) but regarding the long range comm/nav problems, haven't we already successfully achieved that with the Voyager missions?
My dual hinge G3 ibook fell about 4 feet off my breakfast bar onto carpet. It snapped one of the hinges like a twig.
Took about 2 hours of delicate surgery to replace the hinge. The entire LCD assembly needs to be removed to access the frame which is all welded/pop riveted to the hinges.
Buddy of mine works at Best Buy and gets cables (including HDMI) for 5% above cost. I had him get me a (non monster) hdmi cable that retails for $70 for $20.
Slashdot Mirror
You forgot one thing though... fun. I enjoy creating something tangible from a pile of parts.
You're right though, I wouldn't do it for money. Not worth it these days.
I just started doing this myself. I had stopped using my MacBook due to bootcamp issues (was taking a class that required MS Access so I needed Windows). The drivers (touchpad especially) just didn't work that well under Windows 7. I had switched to an old thinkpad dual booting windows and linux.
Recently discovered VMware Fusion and now I have a virtualized Windows 7 on my MacBook which lets me run office and internet explorer (for the 1 stupid IE only website I need to use). $50 for fusion and now I can run windows/linux/whatever flawlessly under OSX with very little slowdown.
Biggest caveat, the Fusion Unity application support only extends to XFCE, Gnome, and KDE (does not work with e17 or LXDE) so make sure if you install a linux distro it's using one of those DE's or Unity will not work as nicely.
It sounds funny, but my favorite feature of my MacBook is the MASSIVE touchpad that works flawlessly. I don't know why manufacturer's skimp on the touchpad given that it's the primary input device, but I looked at dozens of laptops before I purchased a used thinkpad because it had the trackpoint, but they all had one feature in common... a crappy touchpad.
And if you aren't using Chrome... Ghostery for FF works great too
I've been running a few websites with email accounts off Dreamhost for a few years now, and I highly recommend that over rolling your own. Sure, you might be losing some of the flexibility of a complete from scratch solution, but you're also handing off a lot of the administrative hassles to professionals. Plus since it's a paid solution I'm not as concerned about my data being fodder for google's growing empire.
The whole thing is running off a virtualized server that I pay $15 a month for. No blacklist issues (so far in like 3 years) since it's a known IP block with a known hosting provider. Spam is a minor issue, they're running spamassassin which on it's own seems to do an all right job. It gets the worst of the worst and thunderbird picks up a fair amount of it as well. The webclient uses roundmail, which is somewhat dated, but has a decent ajax interface. I think they have some other choices for webclients but to be honest I don't use them that often.
Could also be a distance thing... been awhile since I ran cables, but as I recall the limit is something like 100m? So if it's a larger dealership (in size) it may have just been easier to run fiber between two geographically distance switches.
As I understand it, as long as they are only using it internally (IE not distributing it) they have no legal requirement to release the source.
I know this doesn't exactly answer your question... but unless your machines are widely geographically separated, why not cut out the middleman and just get a hard drive and a usb2 enclosure? You know exactly what you are getting (instead of all the debate about "real world" performance). Sneakernet ftw
DD-WRT bandwidth meter:
August 2008 (Incoming: 17734 MB / Outgoing: 3549 MB)
July 2008 (Incoming: 12001 MB / Outgoing: 4202 MB)
July 2008 (Incoming: 12001 MB / Outgoing: 4202 MB)
Most of that is just from me - music/movies/linux isos, etc. I do have a roommate but youtube is about as bandwidth intensive as his use gets.
You would have to use a LOT of bandwidth to hit the 250gb cap comcast reported the other day. I download a lot and I'm not even at a 10th of that cap.
Do you mean METAR/TAF?
example: KLAX 131650Z 28005KT 6SM HZ FEW015 BKN180 21/16 A2984 RMK AO2 SLP104 T02110156
At KLAX on the 13th day of the month at 1650 zulu time the winds were 5 knots from slightly north of due west (280 degrees). 6 Statue miles of visibility with haze. Clouds are few (ie 1/8 of the sky) at 1500 feet and broken (ie 6/8 of the sky) at 18000 feet. Temp is 21 deg C with a dewpoint of 16 deg C. Altimeter is 29.84 inches of Mercury. There is a remark that the station is automated and some other remarks I don't recognize (but I think SLP has something to do with sea level pressure).
It's not that different from any other sort of professional lingo, like a programming language or rattling off the name and chemical makeup of a few amino acids.
it's all about what you do for a living
I think what you are referring to is Woz's involvement Phone Phreaking with Captain Crunch (aka John Draper)
It isn't on Woz's WP article, but I'm pretty sure there were some mentions of it in his book (iWoz I think it was called)
props to the two of you... that is the most civil argument i've seen on slashdot in a long time.
I use MythTv Player on my windows boxen... Works decently
Oblig PA - As Regards Spoilification
my bad, it didn't return a proper answer and that IP is one of the DNS servers for dreamhost
I run my own personal windows box as a non-admin, just because as careful as I am, it's just TOO easy to accidentally let your guard down for a moment and get your box pwned.
As a result of not running as admin, I can't play bioshock, java crashes any browser that uses it (IE and FF alike) DVD Decrypter won't work, and iTunes bitches about not being properly installed every time I open it.
Getting a box running PROPERLY without admin privs is extremely difficult. That's the problem with windows. I understand the bugs and the constant vulnerabilities (huge install base, but the fact that even a competent (imho) Sys Admin has this much difficulty running as a non-priv user is inexcusable.
Because there's no possible way a site ending in .ir could be hosted anywhere other than the US?
dig for khamenei.ir = 208.113.192.17 whois for 208.113.192.17 = dreamhost.com
Yup it's like a planer for wood working except for destruction of classified CD's, we use them in my office.
What if you're blind? It's a serious question, say your car moves at the speed of light (I know that is arguably impossible, but just go with it) - actually anything faster than sound would work. Now change your analogy, I get hit by your car while I hear you getting into it, and only later hear you start it and drive at me.
From the frame of reference of someone unable to process light (photon) information, does that violate causality?
This has always the root of my inability to grok causality (as a function of the speed of light). Assuming c isn't the speed limit, would we ever be able to understand that given we have no ability to process any information (that we know of) that moves faster than c.
Parts may be incorrect, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it fundamentally flawed. Some parts of GR have been unequivocally proven like gravitational time dilation.
Bigger issues than just a 6 month self-sustaining isolation have an effect on a mars mission though. Agreed that it could be a good idea to start living in an underground bunker for 6 months or something, then moving to a more hostile environment like Antarctica, then maybe the moon and applying lessons learned as the difficulty increases
BUT only the moon/leo/geo/asteroid scenarios have the added educational value of dealing with the problems like heat transfer, micro-gravity, micro-meteorites, etc that wouldn't be an issue and are hard or impossible to simulate on earth.
IANAA (I am not an astrophysicist) but regarding the long range comm/nav problems, haven't we already successfully achieved that with the Voyager missions?
My dual hinge G3 ibook fell about 4 feet off my breakfast bar onto carpet. It snapped one of the hinges like a twig.
Took about 2 hours of delicate surgery to replace the hinge. The entire LCD assembly needs to be removed to access the frame which is all welded/pop riveted to the hinges.
Buddy of mine works at Best Buy and gets cables (including HDMI) for 5% above cost. I had him get me a (non monster) hdmi cable that retails for $70 for $20.
by my rough math that's a 350% markup.