I'm using debian "squeeze", and my mmap_min_address is fine. There's no sysctl config setting it.

Actually, I've run X11 over a 33k modem. It was a little sluggish, but quite usable. Maybe it depends on the application you're running?

I didn't even use something like FreeNX or nxproxy, which is designed to compress and streamline X11 connections over slow links.

A friend of mine upgraded to 9.10, and had wireless issues as well. He uses a USB wireless adaptor, and every time it tried to connect, it would spit out the following message in dmesg:

wlan0: disassociating by local choice (reason 3)

It's a pretty obscure message. Anyway, after much playing around, it was fixed by removing the gnome-network-monitor package. Of all fixes, I didn't see that one coming!

The machine hasn't had another hiccup since then, so my friend is happy with it.

Only if they're not taxing.

Obviously the US doesn't need as many scientists, and can increase the ratio of tax collectors and entertainers. Hey guys, if you start a riot in your city, you'll probably get more entertainers than tax collectors.

The Win95 explorer window was its own application. From Win98 and onwards, they integrated IE into explorer. File displays are then rendered as a html page. Html rendering is much more complex than having a dedicated application, and therefore takes more time. With every increased version of Internet Explorer, there are more html features supported, and hence rendering will take longer, even if it's a simple outlay. Then let's not forget browser helper objects, most of which will be consulted on every html redraw. I'm not sure what performance hit IE security plays, but it does add an extra layer to the whole system, and hence would add its part to the issue.

Life was much simpler in Win95 days, when the explorer application just had to draw a standard icon for every file in a folder.

It's funny, but I would have said exactly the same thing about Windows. It's all hunky dory IF you have the right hardware, right OS version, and an actual driver CD. I've had some seriously difficult times trying to download Windows drivers for some hardware. I'm not even talking about obscure stuff ... even some Sound Blaster cards have been enormously difficult to get working in Windows. Once a manufacturer wants to forget about some old hardware, there goes an easy driver download.

Linux, on the other hand, worked flawlessly with the same hardware. In fact, a few times, I had to boot a Linux Live CD just to test that the hardware was actually working properly. Another time, I had to boot into Linux to download a windows ethernet driver, save it to USB drive, and then boot into Windows to do the install. Linux just "worked" with the ethernet card. Windows would not. Don't even get me started on 64bit Windows. That is more picky about hardware than Linux ever was.

His spelling is spot on. His grammar needs a little more work.

Ask your boss for a new desktop machine. Even the cheapest ones these days are pretty good performers.

If they initially refuse, keep on making complaints. The point is to subtly harass your boss until they overcome their aversion to spending a little money. It's an art form, but one that is needed when working in a small business.

For Debian APT systems, the website you listed does not describe rolling back versions. Pinning a package is not the same as reverting a package.

There is a way, but it is a manual process. Firstly, locate the previous package in /var/cache/apt/archives/ . Then run the command "dpkg -i --force-downgrade" with that package as an argument. The package should then be downgraded.

This will not work with downgrades like moving back database major versions, or other systems that significantly change data or config files on upgrade. But then again, you really should be backing up data before doing an upgrade of this scale. If the upgrade does not work, stop the service, revert the package, and restore the old data.

Debian can use non-free software packages. You just have to enable it. It's not in there by default.

You have three different sections in a Debian online archive:

• Main : This is the section included by default in all installations. All software MUST adhere to the Debian free software guidelines. All software MUST not depend on any other software in other sections.
• Contrib : Must be OK with the Debian free software guidelines, but can depend on packages in other sections.
• Non-Free : Everything that doesn't fit into the previous two sections. Lots of firmware, docs, and drivers here. Sun java is also present.

GNU software, like GNUplot and ghostscript, is included in the Debian main archive. Pine and pico are also available in main, under the new name of "alpine".

I've also got a CD of Day of the Tentacle. I would buy a new version updated with hires graphics. It's one of those classic games that everyone should play once.

Not necessarily. The ScummVM software has to be ported to the Wii, that's certain. Signing the compiled code does not necessarily have to be part of the build process. Signing can be done after the build is complete, by another set of programs. So the key is not required to be revealed by the GPL.

The _real_ issue here is that Nintendo refuse to allow open source software to be used with their development system. This prevents Atari from ever compiling the ScummVM software in the first place.

If Nintendo did allow open source software, then Atari could release the ported ScummVM code, and the GPL would be happy (assuming required acknowledgements are in place as well). Atari would not need to release the signing key, nor the game data, since ScummVM does not link to any of this information, and thus would be perfectly compilable. The compiled code just wouldn't run on a non-hacked Wii, that's all.

There are many reasons, but I think the best one is, in short, History.

Windows users typically run with administrator rights. This is especially true of home users. It's been that way for so long, that's what many windows programs expect to be able to run properly. Viruses and trojans love this sort of environment.

Unix users have rights only to their home directory. It's been that way for so long, that unix programs are very multi-user aware. Running programs with administration access is only done very selectively, only when really needed, and you generally have to enter a code to allow the program to have admin rights.

All this really stems from the initial design of the system. Windows was initially designed as a single user system. Unix was designed as a multiple user system. In some ways, Windows is still struggling to cope with growing beyond its initial design constraints.

Copyright also has the ability to stifle creative output. Who knows what music and art we have missed, because copyright has constricted the ability of the artist to express themselves. It's a hidden tragedy of the highest order.