Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×

Comment Re:Not worth it (Score 1) 251

The only Dells that ship with crapware are the ones you buy at WorstBuy/Costco.. ie: the Inspirons.. Its like they're from a different company than the high-quality corporate Dell models (Optiplex/Latitude/Precision).. ANYbody who asks me what I recommend, I tell them "Go to the Dell website, make SURE you hit the business part of the website, and buy yourself a nice Optiplex desktop, or a Latitude laptop.. You'll pay a bit more, but the quality is night-day better than Dell's home stuff.. I'm a retired support tech/network admin, with 10+ years of supporting said corporate Dell systems...

Comment Re:Not worth it (Score 2) 251

Good God, you are NOT kidding there... I run Linux on all of my machines, but on the occasion I need Windows for *something*, like running Cisco Webex, which some say will work in Firefox on Linux, but I've had no luck.. Anyway, I volunteer with the Redcross and we have Webex-based training and meetings I have to attend, so I install the webex client in a Windows virtualbox vm, and use it maybe 2-3 times/month.. I have to make damn sure to fire the vm up way before the meeting/training so I can get the forced updates and the -at-least-one-reboot done..Other than that, Windows is dead to me.. I supported that crap since Windows 3.11, and now that I'm retired, I want as little to do with ANYthing Microsoft as I can get... I do get guilt-ed into helping family members who still use that piece of crap, but I'm sloowly weaning em off over to XUbuntu or Mint...

Comment Re:My opinion on the matter. (Score 5, Insightful) 826

Who really needs systemd?

I've been working with Linux since 1995, where I started with Slackware, moved over to Redhat until it went all "enterprise-y", at which time I moved to Fedora.. Stayed there till a friend turned me on to Ubuntu in 2007, where I stayed pretty much till the recent Unity shitfest over there, where I then moved to Debian.. I cut my teeth on /etc/init.d and a stock standard init() process.. I could do pretty anything I needed to do in troubleshooting/starting/stopping daemons from memory.. Can't remember the last time I consulted a man page regarding anything having to with init() or logging.. Now with this $#@$%%$#@ systemd, I have manpages up ALL the time just to do simple shit that I could do with init() and standard logging in my sleep before systemd. It also seems like this crap is spreading like sewage over pretty much of the standard distros.. Debian/Fedora/CentOS.. The only one I'm somewhat familiar with (haven't used it recently) is Slackware and from what I've heard Patrick and the devs over there feel the same way I do about systemd.... Maybe its time to revisit an old friend.....

Comment Re:Better Idea (Score 2) 82

As long as you don't do illegal stuff the authorities can't do much.

VERY naieve attitude.. When you're dealing with one of today's militarised "police departments", what is actually "illegal" is pretty much up to the thug(s) you're dealing with.. Witness the many court decrees that the public can video law enforcement, assuming the pubic is not interferring with law enforcement.. Theres a HUGE loophole there, one you could drive a bus thru. If they don't like you video recording them, they can alledge that you're "interferring" and there seems to be nothing you can do about it... We now live in a police state... Prove me wrong, I DARE ya.. (I sure wish I was even wearing a tinfoil hat.. Tinfoil hat time is long past)....

Comment Re:Automated notice not necessary here (Score 2, Interesting) 368

Well THAT sucks big time.. I live in Nevada and apparently its a "both parties" state.. I wonder what happens then, if I make it clear I don't consent to *their* recording "for "training purposes"?? Wonder if anybody has ever done it... Sounds like a law we desparately need to get changed here.. (not to mention flushing Harry Reid down the toilet...)

Comment Re:+1 for this Post (Score 4, Informative) 427

I'm using an Asus RT-N12, which runs any of the DD-WRT (or DD-WRT-ish clones), and since it has 8MB of flash, it runs the "max" version of Shibby's version of Tomato. This version has everything but the kitchensink, like OpenVPN, ipv6 support, including 4to6 tunnels. Since I'm on Cox, who doesn't seem to have any plan to roll out ipv6, its the only way for me to use ipv6 currently. It also has vlan support, virtual "guest" wifi support, and believe it or not, even has Tor node support.. I had been using a venerable WRT54GL for the last 7 years or so, but really wanted the vlan/guest wifi support and of course, ipv6 thru a tunnelbroker tunnel, and there was no way to shoehorn that into the measley 4mb of flash on the WRT54GL.. I read a few reviews on the RT-N12, and was pleasantly suprised, so I found one on eBay for a nice price, and waited for it to arrive. It was at that point I discovered the fact there are two distinct "versions" of the RT-N12. one a flat white box with the two antennas, which only has 4mb of flash... and then theres the black wedge-shaped version, which has the 8mb of flash... Guess which one I bought on eBay.. So, now I have a spare router around in case I need something quick. I proceeded to order the right one from another vendor, and flashed Tomato, and am happy as a clam with it... The old WRT54GL is still running as a wifi bridge on an older version of Tomato, being used to provide a cabled connection to the wife's computer in the living room. Previously I'd had a PCI wifi card in the system, but wanted to get rid of that.. Now with the WRT54GL there, I can plug my laptop in on the desk also without using wifi...

Comment Unless my time is worthless... (Score 1) 391

Up until about 2000, I'd built my own systems, usually from parts bought at the frequent "computer fairs" that came to town. A coworker at the company I was working for at the time turned me on to the "Dell Outlet". Since we were a Dell shop, I was very familiar with the Dell corporate line of systems, but since I wasn't in the market at that time for a new system, I filed the info away. By 2005, my current system was crying out to be replaced, so I checked out the Dell Outlet. At the time, we were buying Dell Optiplex GX620 systems (2.8Ghz P4D, 4GB ram), and paying $985 per system (company policy did not allow leasing computer systems). I watched the Outlet for about a week, and scored a scratch&dent GX620 with same specs as the work systems for $419. I've since discovered an even better resource for good quality Dell systems, the Dell financial services off-lease website. There I recently picked up a Dell Precision T3500 workstation (Xeon quad-core, 4GB of ram, with a max of 24GB, Nvidia Quadro FX570 video card) for $300, and later, a Precision M4400 mobile workstation (Core2Quad, 2GB ram, max of 8GB, discrete Nvidia Quadro mobile video) for $200. These systems are about 3 years old, and are off-lease systems, reconditioned by Dell and resold at great prices.. Bottom line: I can't build an equivalent system for these prices, even IF my time is worthless (which its not, even though I *am* retired now)

Comment Re:Love KDE!! (Score 1) 108

From what I've heard btrfs is the bomb!! I'd love to try it.. but theres only so many hours in the day... Next time I build a machine from scratch I'll give it a try.. Not gonna try to migrate ext4 over (if its even possible).. THAT really would be "working without a net", I'd guess..

Comment Re:Solution! (Score 4, Informative) 151

Still, there's a limit to how close to an active volcano people are willing to live, so the really hot zone (in both senses) would not be as direct a threat to people or livestock.

Tell that the millions in Mexico City, right under the "Popo" volcano or Seattle, not far from Mt Rainier.. If/when those blow, those cities are in deep kimchi... Of course, those pale in comparison to the Yellowstone caldera.. if THAT one blows, at least the western part of the USA has a BIG problem....

Comment Love KDE!! (Score 1) 108

I love KDE, running it on all of my Linux systems, but WHO THE HELL comes up with these names? Nepomunk?? Baloo?? Silly names.. One thing: I see a PPA for Plasma 5 for KUbuntu.. umm.. how about for those of us who gave up Ubuntu and moved to the "mothership", namely Debian?? Would like to try Plasma 5 on my Debian Jessy laptop... but sure don't want to hoze up the current Plasma 4 install....

Comment Re:Had to stop after a minute... (Score 1) 401

A lot of bank are now asking you questions when you withdraw a larger amount of $$$. They claim its the gummint making them... IF for some reason, I still did business with banks, my reasons would be "Nunya Bidness"... Thankfully, all of my accounts are (and have been for years) in a local credit union... Banks can kiss my a$$....

Slashdot Top Deals

"Experience has proved that some people indeed know everything." -- Russell Baker

Working...