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When removing and adding features to the kernel, make sure that you keep a working kernel image in your /boot directory and you store your experimental one as a separate image. This way when you screw stuff up, you can just choose the proven kernel from grub (or lilo) and be on your merry way. Alot easier than booting into a live cd, chrooting, reconfiguring, and rebooting for example. Pretty self explainatory, but worth noting.
I wrote a perl script to play MP3s so that I could have music playing at run level 1 or 2 (before xwindows which is run level 5). The script works flawlessly and has search capabilities, volume control, all the good stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by rafaelsherman
Anyways, after bios loads, it takes 3 seconds to start playing music. My bios takes like 15 seconds to load, so in less than 20 seconds you have music playing.
The other nice thing about the script is you don't need a monitor to use it, all you need is a computer and a keyboard.
You should consider releasing your script, I'm interested in seeing what you actually do. Are you just using mpg123? You may want to use a LinuxBIOS or something. 15 seconds seems like a long bios load if you ask me. What are the system specs?
Lot's of good arguments in this thread. I've used Mandrake as my primary OS for over a year ago and have experienced the steep learning curve even with something as complete as Mandrake.
Even though I have converted all of my computers and my parents computer to Mandrake I can't bring myself to do it on my carpc. I've wanted to do it many times but I keep getting hung up on GPS software. To my knowledge there isn't any decent GPS software that compares to something like Street Atlas. I wouldn't even mind paying for GPS software that ran on Linux if there was something. Yes I know I could always use wine and try to get GPS running but I just haven't had the time to play with it nor would this be a true linux only solution. I know a couple of open source GPS programs are out there but they are usually just your location overlayed on a picture. No routing or anything.
About a year ago xcar got started and looked like there might be some hope in a distro for carpc's. Unfortunatly it seems like it's pretty much dead. However, maybe someone can pick up these pieces and move on to actually make a carpc distro that kicks some butt.
Finally, to throw my own two cents on this whole windows vs linux debate I think the windows guys are missing the key advantage about Linux. Windows will never ever become a one-stop complete software package for a carpc because it's an OS first and a carpc second (and by carpc a bunch of software thrown on top of an OS that can do everything you want it to and everything your grandma wants it to do. Linux on the other hand has the potential to actually become an embedded carpc OS that is carpc first and only. Sure a carpc distro hasn't been created yet but one of these days it will be created and when it is I wouldn't doubt it would become the software of choice in these forums. Windows on the otherhand will still be an OS first and whatever software you can pile on top second...
To me Windows is only a temporary waypoint until a full solution comes along in the Linux scene. Sure it might be a while but it will happen.
Apple MacOS X Server v10.3 M9236Z/A - $900.99
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Ed Complete - 25 Clients $3,599.95(plus tax)
Linux Complete Package - Priceless
And no, the learning curve does not cost $900, and definately not $3,599.95, unless your a moron that is.
At the risk of inviting flames, I'd like to point out that you've just described the average Windows/MacOS user.Quote:
Originally Posted by cheerio
Its evident that most users just want email, games, "teh intarnet," etc. to work. They're perfectly happy with mediocrity, because they:
- (mistakenly?*) believe that they're the pinnacle of leet hax0r skillz because they've put neon into their computer case,
- they think "computers are too hard" (GNU/Linux in particular), or
- they just don't want/care to know any more
If one wants to label me "elitist" for such views, then so be it - but I'd rather be amongst the elite than the plebs.
(* I say "mistakenly?" because I'm not sure what the pinnacle of leet hax0r skillz is - maybe it is neon...)
....well the last 2 post said it :)! but...the last one is right(about the learning curve)....*nix system are not for regular persons,,period...
All valid reasons, but you forgot the most important reason/root cause....Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon
[*] It is what they are familiar with because it has market dominance. (OEM Market, Businesses, etc.)
The majority of people who work in an office environment, have worked on microsoft products for the past 15 or so years... (3.1, WFG, 95/NT, etc)... they are familar with MS Office, etc... plus when windows systems break down or the mail server crashes, they have an excuse to take the day off :) It is also an accepted excuse for missing deadlines... it's hilarious to think that computers are able to be blamed for so much human based failures, thanks microsoft!
Linux was not even around 15 years ago... (First release was Sep 1991)... Open office 1.0 was release 3 years ago... KDE in 1996, Gnome in 1997... By comparison, Microsoft windows was first released 20 years ago... (Windows 1.0 in 1985)
(Yes, I know UNIX had been around for over 5 years before Microsoft incorporated (1975), but the open source movement, the internet explosion, and technology proliferation have been what has given *nix such a boost in the past 10 or so years)
I am primarily a Windows user... Why? Because it's what I know and have used for majority of my life. Plus, if I need to do stuff I cannot do on my windows box, I just putty (SSH) into my linux development server and do it there... Most of the good open-source software has been ported to Win32... Once WINE gets there, I may go all linux, but for now, I just use *nix for applications which require something that will work 99.9999999% of the time 24/7/365...
Too right. I couldn't possibly recall all the time that was lost at my previous job due to Micro$oft OS/software cock-ups.Quote:
Originally Posted by guavo
...which should be an argument against such software, right? But no, as long as IT departments have budgets for the mega-$ crapware, they'll keep buying the mega-$ crapware. Don't rock the boat, pal.
/was "downsized" (read: *****canned) from a software development position
//was then replaced with 2 computer mechanics (= "IT" workers)
///whatever
Well, we didn't lose that much time when I did IT 5+ years ago... because I made them switch from MacOS to WinNT 4... why? Defense contractor... and font metrics for word/office documents were different on the different platforms, even though Office for Mac was being used to create them... (So deliverables looked pretty whacky when the government was looking them over) Plus, it was a PITA doing Mac troubleshooting, and most of the issues were due to people screwing with system settings...Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon
Windows workstations are actually pretty reliable if you lock them down and reboot them once a week :) Then agian, that removes IT jobs, so most of the people in IT would rather deal with the hassle than eliminate the need for their position :)
For servers... I'd NEVER recommend the use a windows based server ever again... what a piece of crap. IIS, MSSQL, Domain Controller, etc will never compare to Samba, Apache, MySQL, etc from a performance/reliability perspective...
I'd take a developer over two IT people any day of the week... developers already have the necessary problem solving skills to do job of the two IT people, plus their own :) Then again, I'm a developer, so I'm biased :)