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GRAFFITI -- May 12 thru May 18, 2003>> Link to the Current Week <<Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message.. |
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May 12, 2003 - Updates at 0650 EST
Good morning. Wow, how time flies when you're having fun. After all that, yesterday was just about a wash-out. We slept in a bit, and after posting, email and surfing for a bit, we went off to do our Sunday shopping. On returning, I headed out to do the weekend warrior thing to the lawn. Hah! It was as warm and humid as it has yet been this year. By the time I was done, I was getting tingles and chills. Dehydration and incipient heat exhaustion, you say? Me too, so I whacked down a couple glasses of water and lay back in the living room for a half hour of so. Then I did almost nothing else all day. Really! Boring, boring, boring.
There's nothing interesting in the email (to speak of), and so I guess I'll put the trash barrel out to the curb and get on my way to work. Happy Monday and have a lovely day.
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May 13, 2003 - Updates at 0728 & 1130
Good morning. The weather around here remains unsettled. We haven't had any more tornado warnings since last week, and the most recent lightning was on Saturday. But there are still lots of clouds and wind, not much rain other than a sprinkle here and there. It shouldn't affect my day too much, but one never knows.
Over on the New York Times site there's an article about the protests by people who are upset that kids aren't graduating from high school because they can't pass a test. This test is designed to show whether or not the child has learned to read, write and do arithmetic, as the school was supposed to teach them. If the child doesn't pass the test, he doesn't graduate. How many, this year? Some 13,000, perhaps. Woo, excellent idea! So, of course, parents (of underachievers, one assumes) and legislators are saying that the rational is flawed, and that kids shouldn't have their graduation and diploma based on this test. Here's a legislative quote (from State Senator Frederica S. Wilson):
"It doesn't speak well for the state of Florida to have schools administer a test where thousands of children fail," Ms. Wilson said. "It shows that Florida is failing its children."
Well, she got that half right. If the kids fail, either they haven't learned, or the teachers haven't taught (or been allowed to teach). So in that sense, the state is failing the kids. On the other hand, graduating a child that can't demonstrate an ability to master the simple skills necessary to make his way in the world is also a disservice.
However, I have an even better idea than holding kids back if they haven't learned yet: Let's administer the test to ALL state employees and elected officials. Fire every last one of them that can't pass the same test. Set a good example for the kids by showing them that learning is the KEY to making it through life.
Alright, on with the day. I have a bunch of stuff to accomplish. I'll be at work tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. So I'd best be about it. Have a great day!
1130 - Roland forwards notice of the latest virus to hit the wires: PE_LOVGATE.J. Here's a TrendMicro page on the topic. It spreads by email, and through windows shares. Practice safe computing, use Linux! Later dudes and dudettes...
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May 14, 2003 - Updates at 0711
Good morning. I've been through the mails and I'm about ready to start another day. Yesterday was mostly eaten by housecleaning - I did quite a lot of that - and laundry. On a brief errand out in the late afternoon, I found that BJ's had accidentally put out "Enter the Matrix" a few days early. Woo. A purpose for the Gaming Partition on my box is found.
By the time I actually got around to the game, it was past eight in the evening. No, I didn't stay up all night, although it's a well-executed game with a decent AI. I just played through the first scenario to completion. Fun, good graphics - there's a story (of course) and while there's HUD assistance for goals, it merely points the way, not the direction. That is, there are many routes to any given destination or goal. Some are blocked, others full of agents and police. It's more like an arrow that always is pointing to the exit of a maze. It doesn't help you to find the right way to turn, and it certainly doesn't make sure you find all there is to see.
Once I finished that level, I spelunked through the menus for a short while, then went back to reading the Amber books. I've got the last bit of number nine and book ten yet to go. These are the later books, that I'd not read before. Fun fantasy series, strongly recommended. In other reading, my email this morning contained a missive from Svenson, who noted (on the topic of testing students from yesterday's post) that we should also test parents. I say, okay, at least those who want to protest the testing requirement for their kids. Maybe we'll find that for the large part, it's stupid parents whose kids would have passed the test, who fail. Mmmm. Do we fire them as well?
Today I'm setting up some more Mailman mailing lists and doing interface training for the customers. I've got a short on-site with another client, then some work building a new NERDS server. Should be a fun day. I'd best be about my business. Take care...
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May 15, 2003 - Updates at 0735
Good morning. I have this image in my mind of SCO cowering in the center of this tableau. Microsoft is leaning in menacingly on the left, IBM doing the same on the right. On a tree limb above, Tux (the Linux logo penguin) is crapping on the former Linux vendor. Why am I down on SCO? The real question in my mind is, "Why is SCO down on itself?"
I'm looking at ancient history, where Caldera had a pretty good corporate Linux distribution. They let it go to seed by not keeping it up to date, and the clients who were there for Linux moved on. However, Caldera parlayed their market position into enough cash to buy the UNIX unit of the struggling SCO Group. I'm looking at more recent history, where Caldera decided that the reason that sales of OpenUnix (aka SCO Unix) were continuing to tailspin because the SCO name was gone. So Caldera re-branded themselves as ... SCO. The Santa Cruz Operation, in Utah. Right. Does anyone really fall for stupid shit like this?
Note that this branding change (always a dicey proposition) comes at a crucial point in the process of introducing a cohesive, multivendor version of Linux, called United Linux. UL is the logical successor to Caldera's Linux line, more for them than any of the other vendors in the United Linux group (SuSE, TurboLinux, and Connectiva are those partners).
Then, seemingly out of the blue, Caldera sues IBM, claiming that the computing giant took proprietary code from the SCO code base (licensed for use in the development of AIX) and transferred it to Linux. Observe that this occurred shortly after an IBM/SCO partnership (Project Monterey) came to an unfortunate end. SCO realizes these things are true: Everyone selling a non-Linux UNIX or Unix-like operating system is either building in Linux compatability, or bringing out a Linux edition of their own (Sun Microsystems, for example). Large ISVs are either porting, or are starting to write code directly for Linux, figuring that if nothing else, the assorted Linux compatability layers will allow them to operate across more platforms than they might otherwise accomplish on their own. With each passing day, more available applications makes Linux itself a better choice for new purchases, leaving the sales of third tier OS vendors (whisper it, SCO) squirming in the dust.
What is SCO's goal? Some pundits speculate that the company was being aggressive in the pursuit of being purchased by IBM. In the beginning, the lawyers running this software company said that IBM was the only target. But IBM didn't take the bait. Please be aware that at no time has SCO offered any proof of it's claims, stating that it might hurt their position in court. Then Darl McBride, the "gentleman" running SCO, or the board pulling his strings, turned up the head. McBride stated that Red Hat and SuSE might also be in IP violation.
With survival by purchase less likely, SCO's only tactic is likely to be to see this through to the bitter end. To further that end, they've now started sending out letters to "commercial Linux users" that appear to threaten such users directly with IP infringement. See this link. And the story doesn't end here - today, in an LJ article, it appears that SCO is getting ready to start showing alleged code vioations. Under NDA. To a few people, at least. Sheesh.
What does it all mean? Who knows, I don't. Do I respect any company that uses its lawyers to survive when rightfully it should just die a quiet death? Nope. Now to work with me, as my schedule has changed. Have a lovely day.
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May 16, 2003 - Updates at 0655
I'm making an early start of it, so this is going to be brief. There's a new Zaurus ROM image and kernel out from Sharp. A big jump from 2.4.6 to 2.4.18, Opera 6, apps load much, much faster. More as I figure out more. After a few evenings where I didn't really have much time for reading, one way or another, last night I picked up the Amber book, and finished off the last 350 pages or so. Whew. I'm a bit tired right now, but running through to the end was worth it. I found a new cam capture tool - I'll talk about that on Sunday perhaps, or this evening. Tomorrow I *am* going to work after all - it'll be a busy day of Windows updates and network documentation. So today, in self-defence, I'll immerse myself in Linux and Solaris. You have a great day, okay?
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May 17, 2003 - Updates at 0755
If it's true that "less is more", then you're getting more again today, unfortunately. Yesterday was a 12+ hour day, 50% due to lovely, lovely traffic. In addition, it was a frustratingly unsuccessful day of trying to connect unixODBC and Informix drivers on a RH9 box to an Informix database on a Solaris server across the room. This isn't rocket science, and shouldn't be as hard as it is turning out to be.
Today, I'm off to have a quality quiet day with another customer's network. Documentation, labeling and diagramming are the order of the day. Tomorrow is house-cleaning (yes, more), and then back into a shortened work-week, as I plan on taking Friday off to stretch Memorial Day weekend into a four day event. I guess I'd best be going, though. Have a great day!
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May 18, 2003 - Updates at 1030 and 1630
Wow. I just dragged out of bed... I didn't plan on laying in this late - there's lots of chores to do and little time right now. I'll come back and update you later. There's changes afoot with Gryphon and the Zaurus, too.
1630 - Eventfully, the major part of the day is done. We started out shortly after the briefest of posts (above), and did the weekly shopping. A couple of hours put that to rest, including a stop at Barnes & Nobel, where I picked up some Terry Pratchett. I've heard tell that he's quite good, and geek-required reading, to boot. But I've never read a word. So I'm going to remedy that.
On arrival home, I continued with the cleaning projects, including the downstairs bathrooms. Whoa! Water's not supposed to come streaming out onto the floor when a toilet is flushed, is it? Yeah, that was my first reaction, too. So I drained the tank and demounted it. There, in all it's glory was a firmly and permanently compressed tank gasket. Off I toddled to Lowe's, and therein lies a tale...
At first, everything was fine. I went into the store, and wandered about in the plumbing section until I found the collection of gaskets and sundry other commode accessories. I picked up one and a spare, plus some fresh bolts since the old ones were a bit corroded. The lines at the front of the store weren't too bad - about a five minute wait. Then, just as I went outside, I heard a bunch of shouting, racing engines, and the squeal of tires on asphalt.
I looked to the right in time to see a truck come sliding sideways out of one of the parking aisles, rear hatches up and down, respectively. Assorted bits of the sort of stuff one might buy at Lowes were spewing out the back of the truck. The tires bit the road, and the truck careened out of the parking lot. Right behind was a small white sedan, in hot pursuit. Pretty much everyone in the lot on their feet were standing and staring at the events. I figured it for a parking lot hit-and-run accident of some type.
Nope. A gent had been loading his truck, keys in the ignition and engine running. Someone hopped into the truck and took off, the guy shouting and running behind. A turn up one aisle because the way ahead was blocked, then back down two over and out of the parking lot. The sedan must have been a quick-thinking citizen who hopefully kept the truck in sight *and* had a cellphone in hand. Wow. A quick reminder to all you friends out there... don't be out of the driver's seat while your keys are in the ignition. Thus endeth the lesson.
Oh, yeah. The toilet repair went fine, thanks. All is well.
On the Linux side, I've been faced with one little problem after another with Red Hat 9. It works fine in static situations, so far as I can tell. But on the laptop, hitting a new network two or three times a day is just more than the semi-automagical configuration tools of RH can handle. It's possible that I just don't know enough about where the magic is stashed in RH, but there are far too many text files in the /etc/sysconfig directory that have "DON'T TOUCH OR ELSE" written all over them - hand editing many of the config files in RH break their GUI configuration tools. Unfortunately, I am of the not-so humble opinion that a fair number of their GUI config tools suck capybaras through bamboo pipes.
The straw that broke this particular camel's back is the continued problems I've been having with printing. I sit down and fire up the box at any one of the sites where I've got a printer configured, and boom. Yes, boom, I say. The machine starts printing copy after copy of the most recent document I had requested to be printed. This just won't do - nobody needs 30 copies of that email that I got last week. Really.
So Debian has taken up residence on Gryphon. I've not had much time to get things setup yet, but most of the bits are installed, with about 30 minutes work last night. I might spend an hour or so in configuration for it later this evening, and I'll be ready to rock and roll. Now I've got some furniture to move in Marcia's sewing room / office. So I guess I'd better do that before I stiffen up too much. Have a lovely day, what's left of it at least. See you next week.
Oh, okay... I've got to keep the habit going, don't I? Today's guest head is Jane Goodall, scientist and icon of the conservation movement. Her work with chimpanzees is renowned and she seems like a neat lady. In case you've not figured it out yet, most of the guests in the Sunday lineup around here are people I would most certainly liked to have met (or to meet, present tense, for the few still around). Dr. Goodall know's her stuff, and in addition, photographs on PBS extremely well. A google search will bring you a wealth of interesting links. Now, see ya later, for real.
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Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
All Content Copyright © 1999-2003 Brian P. Bilbrey.
