From b.j.smith at ieee.org Sun May 1 10:44:33 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bryan=20J=2E=20Smith?=) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... Message-ID: With the Prius out of consideration due to top-package/mark-up, my wife looked at a number of sedans and smaller/economy SUVs. We put Toyota on the back-burner in general, but my wife tried, and _hated_, the Rav4. Honda has been going down in quality since '95 on sedans, they are not the quality of their late '80s models - especially '0x models now match Ford. Don't get me wrong, Honda _still_ has very reliable cars, top 3, definitely. But they are no longer #1, but too many Americans still want Civics and Accords as a result, artificially inflating the cost as well as resale. Sad because Toyota's equivalent models are better, but their resale is still lower because Americans think otherwise. I'm sure outsourcing to China is making things worse, and I don't see those models improving as a result. But some of the non-sedan models are Japan parts, US assembled and are still _outstanding_. The Honda CRV is unbelievable in this regard, and was easily my wife's favorite. The 2.4L gets good gas mileage, and should be enough to haul 800lbs. Of cargo according to the reviews. And she didn't like the Rav4, which doesn't have the maintenance of even some US SUVs (seems like quality between Honda-Toyota is 180 degrees for sedens v. SUVs). Even though her brother-in-law works for GM, we tried every GM model (just to say we did). We did it at Holler Chevy, who was also good to us because they sponsor the Florida Corvette Club (which my father basically runs**) [ **NOTE: People might assume I'm wealthy or was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. As my wife says, I grew up "upper poor" and it wasn't until we moved here in the mid'80s that my parents became middle class, and they struggled until my brother and I were out of college. Now my parents can enjoy themselves. My wife's family is poor, and was this is her first car that cost over $3K, she bought her first one herself when she headed off to college, and my mother handed down her Grand Am. ] The Cobalt is even worse than the Cavilier at gas, safety, etc... The Impala, the only GM that hasn't been redesigned in years (and has a decent maintainence rating) was too big and inefficient. The Equinox is top-heavy and flips over. We looked at the Mazda Tribute / Ford Freestyle, as well as the Mazda 3. Cory Fairbanks is where I bought my B2300 and they are still really nice. My wife didn't really go for the Tribute, although I liked the 3.0L it shares with the B3000 truck, at gas mileage not much from the CRV. My wife still liked the CRV better though. Consumer Reports (CR) yanked their "top pick" on the Mazda 3 after the IIHS side crash test. No dealer seems to have the Mazda 3 with the curtain airbags for under $19K (only 2.3L models). Ford was our last interest, and my family has been Don Reid Ford buyers for pick-ups and Mustangs. 2005 is a good year to buy a Mustang, just like 1994, because of the redesign, but not why you'd think. We previously bought a 1993 in 1994 from Don Reid for a great price. And Don Reid had a 2004 Mustang Convertible, _loaded_ (leather, spoiler, power everything, etc...) that we got them down to under $20K. Consumer Reports recommended the 2004 Mustang, and the maintenance is still favorable. My brother has a 2000 - same design/parts as the 2004 - from Don Reid that is near 100,000 miles and has no major issues yet. In the end, my wife admitted she liked it a bit more than getting the CRV. We had little success getting Honda to give us anything on the CRV - any year. If we had kids or were already expecting, I might have pushed her towards the CRV. But we don't, and would only plan to have the 'Stang Convertable for 5 years / 75,000 miles (the warranty we have on it, bumper to bumper), to get a good resale on it. So we bought it and spent yesterday enjoying a rain free central/coastal Florida. I'll probably by a CRV or Tribute myself when I go to replace my B2300 in 3-5 years as it hits 200,000-220,000 miles (I'm at 150,000 and the sucker is great). Honda's Hybrids have been a half-ass disappointment. Ford-Mazda licensed Toyota's, but they have done little with it. But they are really leading on hydrogen in R&D, both electric (fuel-cell, possibly with some regen from Toyota) and ICE (hydrogen). In 5 years, if Ford-Mazda has a solid hydrogen solution for a small Tribute/Freestyle, I might look towards it. Especially if I'm in Florida which is now building the first hydrogen fueling stations, pretty much leading the nation with their alternative fuels in state vehicles short of maybe Cali. It all depends, and it might be farther off if R&D doesn't make ir feasible. In any case, in 3-5 years, after seeing the Prius in double-production, you can be certain that _everyone_ will be taking Hybrids seriously. The big 3 offers nothing, and Honda's are half-ass from everything I've read. Until then, the Mustang's 3.9L gets about the same gas mileage as my wife's previous 2.4L Grand Am, 30mpg highway, within 5mpg of almost every hybrid short of the Prius or a really ultra-compact. Just wasn't the best year to buy the only good hybrid, and we don't need a family SUV yet. -- Sent from my Treo From whittake at sbaflorida.com Sun May 1 10:39:25 2005 From: whittake at sbaflorida.com (Homer Whittaker) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... Message-ID: <200505011039.25280.whittake@sbaflorida.com> Brian: I have owned nothing but a Cadillac for over 30 years. Never a bit of trouble. All sorts of Sports vehicles if that is what you want. Homer Whittaker On Sunday 01 May 2005 10:44 am, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > With the Prius out of consideration due to top-package/mark-up, > my wife looked at a number of sedans and smaller/economy SUVs. > We put Toyota on the back-burner in general, but my wife tried, and _hated_, the Rav4. > > Honda has been going down in quality since '95 on sedans, > they are not the quality of their late '80s models - especially '0x models now match Ford. > Don't get me wrong, Honda _still_ has very reliable cars, top 3, definitely. > But they are no longer #1, but too many Americans still want Civics and Accords as a result, artificially inflating the cost as well as resale. > Sad because Toyota's equivalent models are better, but their resale is still lower because Americans think otherwise. > I'm sure outsourcing to China > is making things worse, and I don't see those models improving as a result. > > But some of the non-sedan models are Japan parts, US assembled and are still _outstanding_. > The Honda CRV is unbelievable in this regard, and was easily my wife's favorite. > The 2.4L gets good gas mileage, and should be enough to haul 800lbs. Of cargo according to the reviews. > And she didn't like the Rav4, which doesn't have the maintenance of even some US SUVs > (seems like quality between Honda-Toyota is 180 degrees for sedens v. SUVs). > > Even though her brother-in-law works for GM, we tried every GM model (just to say we did). > We did it at Holler Chevy, who was also good to us because they sponsor the Florida Corvette Club > (which my father basically runs**) > > [ **NOTE: People might assume I'm wealthy or was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. > As my wife says, I grew up "upper poor" and it wasn't until we moved here in the mid'80s that my parents became middle class, > and they struggled until my brother and I were out of college. > Now my parents can enjoy themselves. > My wife's family is poor, and was this is her first car that cost over $3K, > she bought her first one herself when she headed off to college, > and my mother handed down her Grand Am. ] > > The Cobalt is even worse than the Cavilier at gas, safety, etc... > The Impala, the only GM that hasn't been redesigned in years > (and has a decent maintainence rating) > was too big and inefficient. > The Equinox is top-heavy and flips over. > > We looked at the Mazda Tribute / Ford Freestyle, > as well as the Mazda 3. > Cory Fairbanks is where I bought my B2300 and they are still really nice. > My wife didn't really go for the Tribute, although I liked the 3.0L it shares with the B3000 truck, > at gas mileage not much from the CRV. > My wife still liked the CRV better though. > Consumer Reports (CR) yanked their "top pick" on the Mazda 3 after the IIHS side crash test. > No dealer seems to have the Mazda 3 with the curtain airbags for under $19K (only 2.3L models). > > Ford was our last interest, and my family has been Don Reid Ford buyers for pick-ups and Mustangs. > 2005 is a good year to buy a Mustang, just like 1994, because of the redesign, but not why you'd think. > We previously bought a 1993 in 1994 from Don Reid for a great price. > And Don Reid had a 2004 Mustang Convertible, _loaded_ (leather, spoiler, power everything, etc...) that we got them down to under $20K. > Consumer Reports recommended the 2004 Mustang, and the maintenance is still favorable. > My brother has a 2000 - same design/parts as the 2004 - from Don Reid that is near 100,000 miles and has no major issues yet. > > In the end, my wife admitted she liked it a bit more than getting the CRV. > We had little success getting Honda to give us anything on the CRV - any year. > If we had kids or were already expecting, I might have pushed her towards the CRV. > But we don't, and would only plan to have the 'Stang Convertable for 5 years / 75,000 miles (the warranty we have on it, bumper to bumper), to get a good resale on it. > > So we bought it and spent yesterday enjoying a rain free central/coastal Florida. > > I'll probably by a CRV or Tribute myself when I go to replace my B2300 in 3-5 years as it hits 200,000-220,000 miles (I'm at 150,000 and the sucker is great). > Honda's Hybrids have been a half-ass disappointment. > Ford-Mazda licensed Toyota's, but they have done little with it. > But they are really leading on hydrogen in R&D, both electric (fuel-cell, possibly with some regen from Toyota) and ICE (hydrogen). > > In 5 years, if Ford-Mazda has a solid hydrogen solution for a small Tribute/Freestyle, I might look towards it. > Especially if I'm in Florida which is now building the first hydrogen fueling stations, > pretty much leading the nation with their alternative fuels in state vehicles short of maybe Cali. > It all depends, and it might be farther off if R&D doesn't make ir feasible. > > In any case, in 3-5 years, after seeing the Prius in double-production, > you can be certain that _everyone_ will be taking Hybrids seriously. > The big 3 offers nothing, and Honda's are half-ass from everything I've read. > > Until then, the Mustang's 3.9L gets about the same gas mileage as my wife's previous 2.4L Grand Am, 30mpg highway, > within 5mpg of almost every hybrid short of the Prius or a really ultra-compact. > Just wasn't the best year to buy the only good hybrid, > and we don't need a family SUV yet. > > -- > Sent from my Treo > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support > From ae4ko at amsat.org Sun May 1 22:06:31 2005 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... In-Reply-To: <200505012253.j41MrPZH065381@mailbox4.ucsd.edu> Message-ID: <427552E7.28174.4F57797@localhost> Perhaps I didn't see it, but with all of the analysis and testing of various models, I didnt' see any european models considered. Volvo, VW, BMW, etc. VW Jetta's are still pretty reasonably priced and have a decent service record. I have a 1.8T and my sister has the TDI; both are good cars for us. water under the bridge, since you've made your choice. --am On 1 May 2005 at 10:44, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > With the Prius out of consideration due to top-package/mark-up, > my wife looked at a number of sedans and smaller/economy SUVs. > We put Toyota on the back-burner in general, but my wife tried, and _hated_, the Rav4. > > Honda has been going down in quality since '95 on sedans, > they are not the quality of their late '80s models - especially '0x models now match Ford. > Don't get me wrong, Honda _still_ has very reliable cars, top 3, definitely. > But they are no longer #1, but too many Americans still want Civics and Accords as a result, artificially inflating the cost as well as resale. > Sad because Toyota's equivalent models are better, but their resale is still lower because Americans think otherwise. > I'm sure outsourcing to China > is making things worse, and I don't see those models improving as a result. > > But some of the non-sedan models are Japan parts, US assembled and are still _outstanding_. > The Honda CRV is unbelievable in this regard, and was easily my wife's favorite. > The 2.4L gets good gas mileage, and should be enough to haul 800lbs. Of cargo according to the reviews. > And she didn't like the Rav4, which doesn't have the maintenance of even some US SUVs > (seems like quality between Honda-Toyota is 180 degrees for sedens v. SUVs). > > Even though her brother-in-law works for GM, we tried every GM model (just to say we did). > We did it at Holler Chevy, who was also good to us because they sponsor the Florida Corvette Club > (which my father basically runs**) > > [ **NOTE: People might assume I'm wealthy or was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. > As my wife says, I grew up "upper poor" and it wasn't until we moved here in the mid'80s that my parents became middle class, > and they struggled until my brother and I were out of college. > Now my parents can enjoy themselves. > My wife's family is poor, and was this is her first car that cost over $3K, > she bought her first one herself when she headed off to college, > and my mother handed down her Grand Am. ] > > The Cobalt is even worse than the Cavilier at gas, safety, etc... > The Impala, the only GM that hasn't been redesigned in years > (and has a decent maintainence rating) > was too big and inefficient. > The Equinox is top-heavy and flips over. > > We looked at the Mazda Tribute / Ford Freestyle, > as well as the Mazda 3. > Cory Fairbanks is where I bought my B2300 and they are still really nice. > My wife didn't really go for the Tribute, although I liked the 3.0L it shares with the B3000 truck, > at gas mileage not much from the CRV. > My wife still liked the CRV better though. > Consumer Reports (CR) yanked their "top pick" on the Mazda 3 after the IIHS side crash test. > No dealer seems to have the Mazda 3 with the curtain airbags for under $19K (only 2.3L models). > > Ford was our last interest, and my family has been Don Reid Ford buyers for pick-ups and Mustangs. > 2005 is a good year to buy a Mustang, just like 1994, because of the redesign, but not why you'd think. > We previously bought a 1993 in 1994 from Don Reid for a great price. > And Don Reid had a 2004 Mustang Convertible, _loaded_ (leather, spoiler, power everything, etc...) that we got them down to under $20K. > Consumer Reports recommended the 2004 Mustang, and the maintenance is still favorable. > My brother has a 2000 - same design/parts as the 2004 - from Don Reid that is near 100,000 miles and has no major issues yet. > > In the end, my wife admitted she liked it a bit more than getting the CRV. > We had little success getting Honda to give us anything on the CRV - any year. > If we had kids or were already expecting, I might have pushed her towards the CRV. > But we don't, and would only plan to have the 'Stang Convertable for 5 years / 75,000 miles (the warranty we have on it, bumper to bumper), to get a good resale on it. > > So we bought it and spent yesterday enjoying a rain free central/coastal Florida. > > I'll probably by a CRV or Tribute myself when I go to replace my B2300 in 3-5 years as it hits 200,000-220,000 miles (I'm at 150,000 and the sucker is great). > Honda's Hybrids have been a half-ass disappointment. > Ford-Mazda licensed Toyota's, but they have done little with it. > But they are really leading on hydrogen in R&D, both electric (fuel-cell, possibly with some regen from Toyota) and ICE (hydrogen). > > In 5 years, if Ford-Mazda has a solid hydrogen solution for a small Tribute/Freestyle, I might look towards it. > Especially if I'm in Florida which is now building the first hydrogen fueling stations, > pretty much leading the nation with their alternative fuels in state vehicles short of maybe Cali. > It all depends, and it might be farther off if R&D doesn't make ir feasible. > > In any case, in 3-5 years, after seeing the Prius in double-production, > you can be certain that _everyone_ will be taking Hybrids seriously. > The big 3 offers nothing, and Honda's are half-ass from everything I've read. > > Until then, the Mustang's 3.9L gets about the same gas mileage as my wife's previous 2.4L Grand Am, 30mpg highway, > within 5mpg of almost every hybrid short of the Prius or a really ultra-compact. > Just wasn't the best year to buy the only good hybrid, > and we don't need a family SUV yet. > > -- > Sent from my Treo > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From mflang at bellsouth.net Sun May 1 22:18:29 2005 From: mflang at bellsouth.net (Max F Lang) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... In-Reply-To: <200505011039.25280.whittake@sbaflorida.com> References: <200505011039.25280.whittake@sbaflorida.com> Message-ID: <42752b050eea0583647fbcf3a8c9aea7@bellsouth.net> On May 1, 2005, at 10:39 AM, Homer Whittaker wrote: > Brian: I have owned nothing but a Cadillac for over 30 years. > Never a bit of trouble. All sorts of Sports vehicles if that is > I credit a Caddy Sedan Deville for saving my life on 25 Dec '87, after a head-on collision at an intersection. Idiot ran the left-turn light after our side had already began moving. Unfortunately, I was in the inside lane, and was the recipient of the said idiot's frontend. The front of the Caddy was pretty badly dented in, but still runnable. And I was not wearing a seatbelt! I just got knocked into the seat well a bit. His car: gone. The engine was pushed into the cab. I swear the Caddy was made from tank metal. My parents got enough out of the settlement to put a major downpayment on a motor home, that's how much the Caddy was still worth. I missed that old Caddy... Max. From thebs413 at earthlink.net Mon May 2 17:00:55 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... Message-ID: <17225067.1115067656627.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> Most Volvo owners have been warning me the quality of recent models have gone down. I looked at a few Saabs, and I generally like Scandinavian designs. I looked at a few VW and did not like the collision tests (an important consideration). Cost was also a consideration, and not anything political. -----Original Message----- From: Aaron Morrison Sent: May 1, 2005 9:06 PM To: "This is the PC Support list." Subject: Re: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... Perhaps I didn't see it, but with all of the analysis and testing of various models, I didnt' see any european models considered. Volvo, VW, BMW, etc. VW Jetta's are still pretty reasonably priced and have a decent service record. I have a 1.8T and my sister has the TDI; both are good cars for us. water under the bridge, since you've made your choice. --am On 1 May 2005 at 10:44, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > With the Prius out of consideration due to top-package/mark-up, > my wife looked at a number of sedans and smaller/economy SUVs. > We put Toyota on the back-burner in general, but my wife tried, and _hated_, the Rav4. > > Honda has been going down in quality since '95 on sedans, > they are not the quality of their late '80s models - especially '0x models now match Ford. > Don't get me wrong, Honda _still_ has very reliable cars, top 3, definitely. > But they are no longer #1, but too many Americans still want Civics and Accords as a result, artificially inflating the cost as well as resale. > Sad because Toyota's equivalent models are better, but their resale is still lower because Americans think otherwise. > I'm sure outsourcing to China > is making things worse, and I don't see those models improving as a result. > > But some of the non-sedan models are Japan parts, US assembled and are still _outstanding_. > The Honda CRV is unbelievable in this regard, and was easily my wife's favorite. > The 2.4L gets good gas mileage, and should be enough to haul 800lbs. Of cargo according to the reviews. > And she didn't like the Rav4, which doesn't have the maintenance of even some US SUVs > (seems like quality between Honda-Toyota is 180 degrees for sedens v. SUVs). > > Even though her brother-in-law works for GM, we tried every GM model (just to say we did). > We did it at Holler Chevy, who was also good to us because they sponsor the Florida Corvette Club > (which my father basically runs**) > > [ **NOTE: People might assume I'm wealthy or was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. > As my wife says, I grew up "upper poor" and it wasn't until we moved here in the mid'80s that my parents became middle class, > and they struggled until my brother and I were out of college. > Now my parents can enjoy themselves. > My wife's family is poor, and was this is her first car that cost over $3K, > she bought her first one herself when she headed off to college, > and my mother handed down her Grand Am. ] > > The Cobalt is even worse than the Cavilier at gas, safety, etc... > The Impala, the only GM that hasn't been redesigned in years > (and has a decent maintainence rating) > was too big and inefficient. > The Equinox is top-heavy and flips over. > > We looked at the Mazda Tribute / Ford Freestyle, > as well as the Mazda 3. > Cory Fairbanks is where I bought my B2300 and they are still really nice. > My wife didn't really go for the Tribute, although I liked the 3.0L it shares with the B3000 truck, > at gas mileage not much from the CRV. > My wife still liked the CRV better though. > Consumer Reports (CR) yanked their "top pick" on the Mazda 3 after the IIHS side crash test. > No dealer seems to have the Mazda 3 with the curtain airbags for under $19K (only 2.3L models). > > Ford was our last interest, and my family has been Don Reid Ford buyers for pick-ups and Mustangs. > 2005 is a good year to buy a Mustang, just like 1994, because of the redesign, but not why you'd think. > We previously bought a 1993 in 1994 from Don Reid for a great price. > And Don Reid had a 2004 Mustang Convertible, _loaded_ (leather, spoiler, power everything, etc...) that we got them down to under $20K. > Consumer Reports recommended the 2004 Mustang, and the maintenance is still favorable. > My brother has a 2000 - same design/parts as the 2004 - from Don Reid that is near 100,000 miles and has no major issues yet. > > In the end, my wife admitted she liked it a bit more than getting the CRV. > We had little success getting Honda to give us anything on the CRV - any year. > If we had kids or were already expecting, I might have pushed her towards the CRV. > But we don't, and would only plan to have the 'Stang Convertable for 5 years / 75,000 miles (the warranty we have on it, bumper to bumper), to get a good resale on it. > > So we bought it and spent yesterday enjoying a rain free central/coastal Florida. > > I'll probably by a CRV or Tribute myself when I go to replace my B2300 in 3-5 years as it hits 200,000-220,000 miles (I'm at 150,000 and the sucker is great). > Honda's Hybrids have been a half-ass disappointment. > Ford-Mazda licensed Toyota's, but they have done little with it. > But they are really leading on hydrogen in R&D, both electric (fuel-cell, possibly with some regen from Toyota) and ICE (hydrogen). > > In 5 years, if Ford-Mazda has a solid hydrogen solution for a small Tribute/Freestyle, I might look towards it. > Especially if I'm in Florida which is now building the first hydrogen fueling stations, > pretty much leading the nation with their alternative fuels in state vehicles short of maybe Cali. > It all depends, and it might be farther off if R&D doesn't make ir feasible. > > In any case, in 3-5 years, after seeing the Prius in double-production, > you can be certain that _everyone_ will be taking Hybrids seriously. > The big 3 offers nothing, and Honda's are half-ass from everything I've read. > > Until then, the Mustang's 3.9L gets about the same gas mileage as my wife's previous 2.4L Grand Am, 30mpg highway, > within 5mpg of almost every hybrid short of the Prius or a really ultra-compact. > Just wasn't the best year to buy the only good hybrid, > and we don't need a family SUV yet. > > -- > Sent from my Treo > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support _______________________________________________ Pc_support mailing list Pc_support@matrixlist.com http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From ae4ko at amsat.org Mon May 2 17:20:00 2005 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... In-Reply-To: <17225067.1115067656627.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <42766140.27813.1EC4734@localhost> On 2 May 2005 at 0:00, Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee wrote: > I looked at a few VW and did not like the collision tests (an > important consideration). Cost was also a consideration, and not > anything political. Curious -- (since I own one) what data did you look at? The IIHS rate the VW's "Good" (highest rating). --am From b.j.smith at ieee.org Mon May 2 18:04:19 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Bryan=20J=2E=20Smith?=) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?[Pc=5FSupport]_Wife's_new_car_...?= Message-ID: Maybe I was looking at the wrong models. I was using Consumer Reports. -----Original Message----- From: Aaron Morrison Date: 05-5-2 16:20 To: Bryan J. Smith , This is the PC Support list. Subj: Re: [Pc_Support] Wife's new car ... On 2 May 2005 at 0:00, Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee wrote: > I looked at a few VW and did not like the collision tests (an > important consideration). Cost was also a consideration, and not > anything political. Curious -- (since I own one) what data did you look at? The IIHS rate the VW's "Good" (highest rating). --am From m9u35g at gmail.com Mon May 2 23:19:31 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [PC_Support] Cedega (fka WineX) and "pure" WINE for games and apps ... In-Reply-To: <1CB7652AD72FAE4CBC8FB55F8D1DBA0B01E80451@jaguars1.jaguars.net> References: <1CB7652AD72FAE4CBC8FB55F8D1DBA0B01E80451@jaguars1.jaguars.net> Message-ID: <46f680d050502201975e13b73@mail.gmail.com> I had a transgaming subscription a year ago and warcraft 3 (expansion and original) ran great on it--perfect. the only glitches were in battle.net chat, but they were minor (I don't think the hotkeys worked in battle.net chat. The hotkeys definitely work in the gameplay, however--I have a completely customized hotkey file, too. uses left hand only) On 12/23/04, Read, Greg wrote: > I've been considering a Cedega subscription. > Warcraft3 support is passable under "pure" Wine, but not nearly as good > as Windows. > Is it as good as it looks? What games are you running? > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: pc_support-admin@matrixlist.com [mailto:pc_support- > > admin@matrixlist.com] On Behalf Of Bryan J. Smith > > Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 9:51 PM > > To: pc_support@matrixlist.com > > Subject: [PC_Support] Cedega (fka WineX) and "pure" WINE for games and > > > apps ... > > > > In addition to dorking around with a few native binaries/installers > for > > a few Windows games, I also just subscribed to Transgaming's Cedega > > (formerly WineX) and have a few popular titles now running under it. > I > > will have a HOWTO for Fedora Core 2/3 shortly, including doing > > everything from Point2Play (and installing only that single RPM). > > > > For applications, I also now have portions of MS Office 97 SBE running > > > under "pure" WINE using the RPMs for Fedora from WineHQ (2004Oct19 > > release). Other than launching the program's installer, the only > thing > > I did was copy over fonts from XP and symlink a few drive letters > (e.g., > > H:->../../). Native OpenOffice.org on Linux does just about > everything > > I need, but I occasionally need to check exact formatting of DOC > exports > > (such as the DOC version of my resume). Same deal with "protecting" > an > > .XLS that I export from Gnumeric (can't seem to "protected" it so > Excel > > imports it as protected, but the per-cell "lock" does work). Now I > can > > without running over to my wife's system in the rare cases I need to. > > > > I know Crossover Office exists, but I don't think I need it. I only > > needed to run Word 97 and Excel 97, and they do well under "pure" WINE > > > without any extra config (other than copying fonts from XP). > > > > > > -- > > Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Subtotal Cost of Ownership (SCO) for Windows being less than Linux > > Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) assumes experts for the former, costly > > retraining for the latter, omitted "software assurance" costs in > > compatible desktop OS/apps for the former, no free/legacy reuse for > > latter, and no basic security, patch or downtime comparison at all. > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support > -- Justin Keyes From m9u35g at gmail.com Mon May 2 23:28:35 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] PC_Support name Message-ID: <46f680d050502202826914d32@mail.gmail.com> Hi, Why did the list name change to "This is the PC Support list"? It's annoying and illogical. A sentence is not a name. Thanks, -- Justin Keyes From mflang at bellsouth.net Wed May 4 09:58:40 2005 From: mflang at bellsouth.net (Max F Lang) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] [Announcement]Installfest Cancelled This Weekend! In-Reply-To: <200505012205.58987.philb@philb.us> References: <200505012205.58987.philb@philb.us> Message-ID: <200505040958.40938.mflang@bellsouth.net> Due to graduation functions at Valencia West Campus, the LEAP Installfest regularly scheduled for this Saturday now has to be cancelled. This is until further notice. If we can work it out to have it on the following weekend, then I will uncancel the installfest and announce it here. But until then, the installfest is cancelled. Sorry... The next scheduled installfest is 4 June. Max, LEAP President. From mflang at bellsouth.net Thu May 5 14:24:11 2005 From: mflang at bellsouth.net (Max F Lang) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] [Announcement]Installfest Back On: 14 May! In-Reply-To: <200505040958.40938.mflang@bellsouth.net> References: <200505012205.58987.philb@philb.us> <200505040958.40938.mflang@bellsouth.net> Message-ID: <200505051424.11843.mflang@bellsouth.net> The LEAP Installfest is now back on, but it's been moved to the following weekend, on the 14th of this month! Same place, same time, just now on the *second* Saturday of May. Valencia CC is closed this weekend due to their graduation functions, but Dr Archibald has secured us the room for next weekend. We thank him for all his support of LEAP, and ensuring that we can have our monthly installfest. Without him, we could not have our best get-together and all-around geekfest! (webmaster, pls change the date on the website asap) Max, LEAP Prez. From b.j.smith at ieee.org Thu May 5 23:27:40 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Avalon/WGF 1.0 in Longhorn release will _lack_ punch of Apple's QuartzExtreme ... Message-ID: <1115350060.4432.60.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> ExtremeTech tried to put a good face on a sprawling clusterfsck in NT6.0 Longhorn known as Avalon, which is now a "WinFX technology". Avalon is the new replacement for the 14 year-old Graphics Display Interface (GDI), the thorn in every Win32 program's side from NT3's original design. Of course, it's really just another layer atop of it for now, based on DirectX 9. Avalon is supposed to use the GPU's processing and framebuffer to off- load from the normal CPU. Your GPU sits there, unused, for most operations in the GDI (or, in Linux, X11**), while your CPU inefficiently copies blocks of system memory back and forth, back and forth, and then makes memory mapped I/O calls to the video card. It's far more efficient to just put the whole window management and framebuffer in the GPU, where it's directly rendered. [ **NOTE: The Linux world has several implementations. There are a few window managers/environments that do the same thing, only with OpenGL and it works well, via the "Cairo" (not to be confused with the NT 4.0 Release Codename) subsystem for GLX (OpenGL on X11). Then there is Sun's greater Looking Glass project which actually replaces X11 (while offering legacy X11, GLX, etc... compatibility). ] Apple has done this for years now via QuartzExtreme. QuartzExtreme merely leverages OpenGL inherent to modern ATI Radeon or nVidia GeForce GPUs -- easily anything produced in the last 5 years. Even most chipset embedded GPUs could probably take it now, and it drastically improves performance of the window management, while adding eye candy at the same time. Win-win. Longhorn story short, they didn't get done what they needed to do, so they are pushing back all the goodies to the so-called Windows Graphics Foundations (WGF) version 2.0. In other words, in unless you have a serious $400+ graphics card, NT6.0 Longhorn with WGF 1.0 is going to trade eyecandy for performance. This should _not_ be the case, as a _good_ API design would result in what Apple gets out of QuartzExtreme -- "textures for nothin' and your vids for free." The "non-happy-world, non-we-always-love Microsoft" low-down: DirectX 9 still _lacks_ major geometry setup and capabilities that OpenGL has inherently. WGF 1.0 is based on existing DX9. The overhead will be massive, requiring top-of-the-line graphics cards, or the disabling of features. DirectX 9 is 4-5 years old, and Microsoft was hoping that its more complete replacement would be available for Longhorn. It isn't, so WGF suffers as a result. Oh joy! WGF 2.0 will, of course, add all the goodies need "very soon." Heard that before! ;-> Reality: Once Microsoft introduces all the limitations of WGF 1.0, then they will have put all that added layering and overhead in and the result will be continued inefficiency and issues. I'm not here to demonize Microsoft, but to point out that their half-ass efforts have just polluted them time and time again. Instead of introducing a good design, they will rush a bad one to market -- which will make the vendors happy because it'll sell more top-quality hardware. Sigh, circular reference. Now more than ever, they should go back to OpenGL, the standard they _did_, in fact, adopt because it solved the GDI issues in the NT3 days. But because they couldn't get it to work well with DOS7 "Chicago" (Win9x/Me), they have hacked Direct DOS Memory Map aka, today, DirectX with geometry, T&L and other things added for gaming, and not professional usage. In fact, imagine if Microsoft wouldn't have introduced "Chicago" and pressed forth with pure Win32 and GDI/OpenGL in NT. Imagine where we'd be right now in terms of stability, reduced viruses and eye candy without overhead. Microsoft could have focused on producing something like QuartzExtreme, instead of messing with DirectX for almost a decade to just bring it to the level of professional/reliable use as OpenGL. Sigh, I just have to shake my head. Happy-Feel-Good Version: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1791702,00.asp -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ------------------------------------------------------------------ Community software is all about choice, choice of technology. Unfortunately, too many Linux advocates port over the so-called "choice" from the commercial software world, brand name marketing. The result is false assumptions, failure to focus on the real technical similarities and loyalty to blind vendor alignments. From thebs413 at earthlink.net Fri May 6 16:13:36 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Jason Brooks' excellent SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation ... Message-ID: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> There is only a handful of times that I have disagreed with Jason Brooks in his Linux article. He seems to understand Fedora better now, and his comments have been accurate in more recent months (I think people got on him about Fedora Extras not being a new effort ;-). His latest SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation was accurate and on-the-money IMHO: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1790700,00.asp If Novell-SuSE continues to release 100% redistributable versions of SuSE Linux in "evaluation" DVD format, sans some non-Novell/SuSE product bundles, I think I might be switching. Despite Brooks' comments that: "Unlike SuSE Linux Professional 9.3, which costs $100 for a full version or $60 to upgrade, both Fedora and Debian are free." The DVD "evaluation" seems to be a 1:1 package (other than the non-Novell/SuSE bundle). And Fedora Core 4 is looking like an "unknown quantity" to me with the switch to GCC 4 "pre-mature" IMHO (unless there is some "great reason" I haven't found out about yet). SuSE Linux 9.3 really shines given the following comments from Brooks: - "when it comes to combining leading-edge Linux and open-source software, Version 9.3 is the most polished and complete Linux distribution eWEEK Labs has tested." - "SuSE Linux Professional 9.3 ships with software from the ndiswrapper project that allows the use of Windows wireless NIC drivers on Linux" - "we were happy to find that the hibernate mode worked without a hitch, even picking up our WLAN (wireless LAN) connection on resume." And as I've dove into Java over the last year, I'm seriously considering going "full-bore" into .NET (both Mono/GTK# as well as to get my MCAD/MCSD). And the integration with Mono is impressive just as a user: - "SuSE Linux Professional 9.3 is perhaps most impressive as a platform on which developers ... can evaluate new technologies. Version 9.3 leads the Linux distribution pack in its support for Mono" - "the distribution ships with a full implementation of Mono, the open-source implementation of Microsoft's .Net software development framework" - "Beagle works more or less like Google Desktop. Beagle doesn't search through as many types of files as Google's desktop search tool does. However, employing Beagle, we could search for information throughout our home directory, including Evolution mail messages, OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office documents, and from our browser history." Especially considering this _very_accurate_ statement on Fedora (despite the fact that people think I'm a Red Hat/Fedora "cronie"): - "Fedora is the vanguard distribution for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and is always up-to-date, but the fact that Red Hat hasn't yet gotten serious about delivering a slick desktop operating system shows in Fedora, which requires tweaking to bring it into optimal desktop running condition." I have repeatedly stated that Google and Novell are bringing the Desktop to the masses. Red Hat is a great, GPL-centric company that probably does the most for enterprise computing -- and their Fedora Core releases _are_ very reliable. But they have to "get on the ball" with the desktop and management. Heck, Novell even includes Xen into the SuSE mix, and not just for its "Enterprise" products. And the lack of FC-RHEL mapping, when SuSE-Novell is so straight-forward, is just a nice touch. Now Brooks does point out some of the obvious considerations of note: - "a six-month release schedule and a short availability term for system updates and security fixes" - "Although SuSE's more commercial nature is reflected in fewer community resources than Debian and Fedora have, including the number of third-party software repositories available" Of course #1 isn't unheard of with Fedora Core either, although Novell has traditionally promised/provided up to 2 years of fixes much like Red Hat and/or Fedora Legacy. As far as the latter comment goes, Novell has already been openly commenting that they wish to build a Fedora-like project so they have something like Fedora Extras. So it's clear that Novell is interested in addressing this detail. Although it should be noted that SuSE already ships a lot of apps as standard (although Fedora Core is not small anymore at 4 CDs either). I think when I buy a SerialATA drive for my MicroATX/Small-Form-Factor A64-3200+/1GB/6800GT-256MB system, I'm going to put the SuSE Linux 9.3 "Eval" x86-64 DVD on it. I'm currently waiting for the 300-320GB drives to be the "best bang for the buck" (160-200GB is currently, and 250-300GB is a premium per GB as of right now). -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From jasonb at edseek.com Fri May 6 16:44:30 2005 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Jason Brooks' excellent SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation ... In-Reply-To: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> References: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <200505061644.31034.jasonb@edseek.com> On Friday 06 May 2005 16:13, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > I think when I buy a SerialATA drive for my MicroATX/Small-Form-Factor > A64-3200+/1GB/6800GT-256MB system, I'm going to put the SuSE Linux 9.3 > "Eval" x86-64 DVD on it. I'm currently waiting for the 300-320GB drives to > be the "best bang for the buck" (160-200GB is currently, and 250-300GB is a > premium per GB as of right now). Unless you got in on the December Best Buy deal, where I picked up two Segate 300GB disks for ~ $119/ea after taxes and rebates. ;) -- Jason Boxman Perl Programmer / *NIX Systems Administrator Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing | University of Florida http://edseek.com/ - Linux and FOSS stuff From paddy at ij.net Fri May 6 18:29:33 2005 From: paddy at ij.net (paddy) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Jason Brooks' excellent SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation ... In-Reply-To: <200505061644.31034.jasonb@edseek.com> References: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> <200505061644.31034.jasonb@edseek.com> Message-ID: <427BEFCD.5010606@ij.net> Jason Boxman wrote: >On Friday 06 May 2005 16:13, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > > > >>I think when I buy a SerialATA drive for my MicroATX/Small-Form-Factor >>A64-3200+/1GB/6800GT-256MB system, I'm going to put the SuSE Linux 9.3 >>"Eval" x86-64 DVD on it. I'm currently waiting for the 300-320GB drives to >>be the "best bang for the buck" (160-200GB is currently, and 250-300GB is a >>premium per GB as of right now). >> >> > >Unless you got in on the December Best Buy deal, where I picked up two Segate >300GB disks for ~ $119/ea after taxes and rebates. ;) > > > Where?? Paddy From b.j.smith at ieee.org Sat May 7 10:31:49 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... Message-ID: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> My problem with a National ID is not the fear of the government. It's the reality that the government is _too_incompetent_ to secure that data, and it will be stolen. Identity Theft is something you can combat today because people _know_ that a Social Security Number is something that is unprotected. They _know_ it can be stolen and people can emulate you. Now with a new "National ID," however it is created, the government will put more information about you into a "common database" that lots of people can access. And they will so-called make it more difficult for you to obtain -- but government agencies as well as common banks and other financial institutions will get quick and free access to it. And we _all_ know the #1 reason that Social Security Numbers get stolen right now is because government agencies and banks are the _worst_ at protecting these things. Why? Because even the lowest, most unscruptulous employee can get your number. I have to give my right eye to get my ID and its number, yet someone who doesn't make much money and is "having a bad life" can get that number in 0.5 seconds and use it to make on-line purchases or any other automated transactions without being in-person, as me. If the government wants to assign National ID cards to those of us who work on DoD projects, have clearances, or maybe even passports, that's fine. As long as they are for _non-general_ transactions -- federal accountability/work, international travel, etc... But for domestic, non-government transactions such as domestic travel, opening a bank account, making purchases, etc..., _no_. The value of American citizenship has always been that the government is "hands off." I have long argued that the federal government doesn't need to "fear" its citizens who do not work for the federal government or have access to international dealings. It's the people that the federal government entrusts, allows in the country or anything else that really matters. Just like the Chinese national who was on the FBI watch list, but he secured a Top Secret clearance and was working at Los Alamos. It's stupid goofs like that which are _far_more_ of a danger to our security than the average US citizen. If the government wants to hold people for 72 hours when they are entering/leaving the country, erect Internet packet filters and other blocks on the ARIN gateways into North America on the Internet, issue special IDs with RF-tags on passports, defense contractor badges, etc... -- I'm all for it! I have *0* issue with the federal government exerting control over me, an employee at a defense contractor -- or any non-citizen or a citizen traveling abroad. But _not_ on general purpose IDs for _domestic_ use. Because it _will_ be abused, even if not by the government. And no one will believe you when your name and ID is stolen. And it's ironic, because you have to basically give your left eye to get the ID, yet it takes 0.5s for someone at a bank or financial institution to steal it. And after working at countless financial institutions, I can tell you that they really don't feel the need to secure your data, because it affects costs and timelines. There's *0* accountability. And that's what scares me more than the government -- especially with the influence they _do_ have over even the US government! Money is king. http://news.com.com/FAQ+How+Real+ID+will+affect +you/2100-1028_3-5697111.html?tag=nefd.lede http://news.com.com/National+ID+cards+on+the +way/2100-1028_3-5573414.html?tag=nl -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ------------------------------------------------------------------ Community software is all about choice, choice of technology. Unfortunately, too many Linux advocates port over the so-called "choice" from the commercial software world, brand name marketing. The result is false assumptions, failure to focus on the real technical similarities and loyalty to blind vendor alignments. From b.j.smith at ieee.org Mon May 9 09:01:55 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] AnandTech on Dual-Core Athlon64 ... impressions of single-core Athlon64 3200+ Message-ID: <1115643715.4352.45.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Although AMD does not plan to ship a dual-core Athlon64 in volume until Q3/Q4, and only selling more premium costing dual-core Opterons for now, they have been releasing samples for testing. AnandTech has a review here: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2410 As I posted before, I upgraded to a MicroATX nForce4 (standard) with a single-core Athlon64 3200+ (S939, 2.0GHz, 512KB L2, 90nm). I have been very happy and a little disappointed with it at the same time, coming from a dual-Athlon MP2400+ (S462, 2.0GHz, 256KB L2, 130nm). It's definitely a tad faster for gaming in both Windows and Linux, and especially at UT2004 GNU64/Linux64. As far as multitasking, the pre-empt patch in Linux 2.6 is far more responsive than a single processor was in Linux 2.4 without it. But it's still not as nice as dual-CPUs at times. I'm sure another reason for some "stalls" when multitasking is due to running on a single ATA device, instead of my RAID-1 or RAID-0+1 configurations where reads could be load-balanced. So, I figure later in the year I'll upgrade to an Athlon64 x2 4200+ (2.2x2, 512KB) or 4400+ (2.2x2, 1MB), or whatever is the "best bang for the buck." Hopefully _real_ hardware PCI x1 ATA RAID controllers will be out by then, or maybe I'll just use Linux's LVM2 software RAID on the nVidia's SATA channels (and leave XP non-RAID'd, but I'll image a copy in Linux of the C: drive regularly -- which is good for bringing it back to a past state anyway). I'll definitely upgrade the case to at least a 7"x13"x13" MicroATX from it's current 5.5"x12"x12" form with limited cooling. I might look at a MicroATX case that takes a full ATX power supply (they exist) if my current 450W MicroATX P.S. can't take both the dual-core CPU and GeForce 6800GT PCIe video card. I'll check that before upgrading the case. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Beware of those who define their preference in terms of hate of another option, and not on the positive merits of their selection From m9u35g at gmail.com Mon May 9 12:19:13 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... In-Reply-To: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> On 5/7/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > My problem with a National ID is not the fear of the government. > It's the reality that the government is _too_incompetent_ to secure that > data, and it will be stolen. My problem with a national ID is fear of the government. -- Justin Keyes From b.j.smith at ieee.org Mon May 9 19:00:57 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... (CLARIFICATION) In-Reply-To: <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <1115679657.4415.32.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Mon, 2005-05-09 at 17:53 -0500, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Furthermore, I actually trust portions of the federal government and > those who ensure its national security. They are Americans who stand up > for their rights, and put perspective into everything they do. > But I've found that Banks do not, will not and continually wish to apply > uneven, double-standard law to their business and innocent Americans. > Same deal with the media as well. Okay, I just re-read that and it sounds scary. What I mean is that as long as checks'n balances play into the federal government, it works well. Even the Patriot Act is legislative and has Congressional oversight. President Bush has been careful enough to make things legislative and not just executive orders -- and several here can quote me when I noted that Bill Clinton made some whoppers of executive- only orders in 1998 to fight terrorism -- terms that are now in the Patriot Act. And no matter how "conservative" or "liberal" the Supreme Court justices get, they will strike down things that go against the Constitution. Sometimes it takes several iterations of a legislative law before they recognize temporarily legislation is permanent, as they try not to enact legislative-type rulings, but they come through for us, the people, everytime. And sometimes the media helps out to bring things to our attention. But Banks are seemingly and continually in circular cohorts with each other. I have seen it too many times, and a new ID card used for financial transactions merely means that anything collected on and for it will be _misused_ and _stolen_ via our financial networks. Ultimately its a problem with the federal government in general, that they mandate such information collection -- it will be abused by those non-government agencies who have the power to access it. As far as the media, they have a conflict of interest in this matter, and most other, so-called, "digital rights" matters. I honestly think the federal government is the least of our issues in this matter, although they are the only ones who can stop it. By passing these laws, every American citizen will gain the same lack of rights as if they were a criminal. And their collected information will be used against them by unscruptulous individuals in the financial and media industries far more than the federal government. You _know_ they are behind this. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Beware of those who define their preference in terms of hate of another option, and not on the positive merits of their selection From b.j.smith at ieee.org Mon May 9 18:53:30 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... In-Reply-To: <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Mon, 2005-05-09 at 12:19 -0400, Justin M. Keyes wrote: > My problem with a national ID is fear of the government. Actually, it is fear of certain aspects of the federal government, I'm sure. The reality is that the federal government is just a facilitator to bigger issues in the majority of these cases. At the same time, I am so entrusted with things by the federal government. I'm a citizen who has given up certain freedoms, willingly, in order to see that it is protected. Because I understand the federal government has to guarantee that trust in ways beyond what they consider for a normal citizen. My ultimate point was that for citizens that are not so entrusted, it's a little overboard. I don't think the government needs to be wary of Joe American who has a private sector job. The overwhelming majority of security issues to this nation are coming from people so entrusted with either information (e.g., classified information) or credentials (e.g., pilot licenses) or immigrants until they are citizens (which takes a good decade plus now in many cases). And if the government wants you to use a dedicated ID to board a plane, or collect federated social services, that's understandable to a point as well. But as a general ID that _everyone_ uses? With a database that has _so_ much information -- especially for financial purposes?! No, I'm very much against that. In my case, I fully accept the fact that I should be tagged, bagged, labeled, fingerprinted, filed and watched. But for Joe citizen, the right to _not_ be fingerprinted and otherwise cateloged _until_ you actually commit a crime or are so entrusted with federa linformation/credentials is right that _must_ be preserved IMHO. Otherwise the federal government will only hurt itself and our great nation. Furthermore, I actually trust portions of the federal government and those who ensure its national security. They are Americans who stand up for their rights, and put perspective into everything they do. But I've found that Banks do not, will not and continually wish to apply uneven, double-standard law to their business and innocent Americans. Same deal with the media as well. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Beware of those who define their preference in terms of hate of another option, and not on the positive merits of their selection From damien at mc-kenna.com Mon May 9 22:25:10 2005 From: damien at mc-kenna.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Looking to trade / sell PC bits Message-ID: <42801B86.1000503@mc-kenna.com> Evening all. I've got a bunch of PC bits and am looking to trade for some other bits or sell them cheap. What I have include: * DLink 4-port & 802b firewall/router. * 3x Adaptec PCI firewire cards (and 2x copies of Pinnacle Studio 9 OEM to go with them). * PS/2 keyboards & mice, all basic ones but some very nice. * TONNES!! of computer books, literally over 100, most of them are good and many cost $50+, covering everything from Windows, to Linux, to certifications, to networking, to programming, to MS Office, and everything in between. Most of them are from between 2000 and 2003 but there are some real jems in there, like "Secure PHP Development", many Deitel & Deitel books, etc. If you have a particular interest let me know and I'll tell you what I have. * Multiple sets of simple speakers, both powered and unpowered. * A wide variety of other cards, everything from ethernet to video to sound, both PCI and ISA (!). Things I'm interested in: * PCI SCSI SE cards (50 pin internal connector). * 50 pin SCSI cables & terminators. * DLT IV data cartridges & clean cartridges. * urm, cash :-) If you are interested in anything just drop me a line. Thanks. -- Damien McKenna, husband, father, geek. damien@mc-kenna.com - http://www.mc-kenna.com/ From paulf at quillandmouse.com Mon May 9 23:52:56 2005 From: paulf at quillandmouse.com (Paul M Foster) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:16:59 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... (CLARIFICATION) In-Reply-To: <1115679657.4415.32.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <1115679657.4415.32.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <20050510035256.GZ9554@quillandmouse.com> On Mon, May 09, 2005 at 06:00:57PM -0500, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > And no matter how "conservative" or "liberal" the Supreme Court justices > get, they will strike down things that go against the Constitution. > Sometimes it takes several iterations of a legislative law before they > recognize temporarily legislation is permanent, as they try not to enact > legislative-type rulings, but they come through for us, the people, > everytime. I don't believe the Supreme Court has any compunction about acting in place of the legislature. Witness Brown vs Board of Education, Roe vs Wade, and many others. And now, they're beginning to use international custom rather than our Constitution as the yardstick against which to measure their rulings. If the Supremes are trying "not to enact legislative-type rulings", they're doing a miserable job of it. Paul From paddy at ij.net Tue May 10 08:42:16 2005 From: paddy at ij.net (paddy) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... (CLARIFICATION) In-Reply-To: <20050510035256.GZ9554@quillandmouse.com> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <1115679657.4415.32.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <20050510035256.GZ9554@quillandmouse.com> Message-ID: <4280AC28.9000808@ij.net> Paul M Foster wrote: On Mon, May 09, 2005 at 06:00:57PM -0500, Bryan J. Smith wrote: And no matter how "conservative" or "liberal" the Supreme Court justices get, they will strike down things that go against the Constitution. Sometimes it takes several iterations of a legislative law before they recognize temporarily legislation is permanent, as they try not to enact legislative-type rulings, but they come through for us, the people, everytime. I don't believe the Supreme Court has any compunction about acting in place of the legislature. Witness Brown vs Board of Education, Roe vs Wade, and many others. And now, they're beginning to use international custom rather than our Constitution as the yardstick against which to measure their rulings. If the Supremes are trying "not to enact legislative-type rulings", they're doing a miserable job of it. Paul Snip The makeup of the Supreme Court is of the utmost importance. A liberal majority on the Supreme Court will put you in chains both economically and physically. Take the present makeup of the court, match it against their speeches and other public utterings, then consider the rulings and who voted for what. The conservative members of the present court are Chief Justice Rehnquist, Associate Justice Scalia, Associate Justice Thomas and perhaps Associate Justice Kennedy. The Liberals are Associate Justice Breyer, Associate Justice Ginsburg and Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. The rest fall into different categories at different times and with different issues. Listed below are just a few rulings and where various judges stood on those issues. *Abortion:* Six justices (Stevens, O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer) support abortion rights, while three justices (Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas) consistently have voted against a woman's right to end a pregnancy. *Affirmative action:* In 2003, the justices upheld affirmative action in college admissions by a single vote. Favoring admission policies that give a boost to racial minorities under certain conditions were Stevens, O'Connor, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer. The swing vote was O'Connor, who in other cases had been the key fifth vote to strike down racial preferences in federal contracting and to impede the creation of "majority minority" congressional districts. Such districts have been drawn specifically to consolidate black or Hispanic voters to try to boost their political power. *Separation of church and state:* By a 5-4 vote in 2002, the justices upheld publicly financed "vouchers" for parents who want to send their children to religious schools. In the majority were Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas. Two years earlier, the court's liberals led the way as the justices voted 6-3 to strike down pre-kickoff prayers at high school football games. Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas dissented. *Federal vs. state power:* The court's conservatives (Rehnquist, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas) repeatedly have protected states from federal intervention in several areas. The court, for example, has prevented state workers who face discrimination because of age or disability from suing their employers for money damages under federal laws. Last term, however, O'Connor switched positions in a states' rights case to allow people with disabilities to sue states for access to courthouses under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The key vote here seems to be Justice O'Conner. We won't go into that land where people say a woman has the right to change her mind but this person has been the most inconsistent of all of the judges on this court when it comes to abiding by a political philosophy. If I may quote from the website Discriminations, (http://www.discriminations.us/storage/002893.html) the following makes it clear what the liberal vs. conservative judicial debate is all about. When the U.S. Supreme Court was considering the 2000 Florida controversy, supporters of Bush argued that the Florida Supreme Court, in extending the deadline for Al Gore to contest the election and later by ordering a recount, had violated Article II. The argument was that the court had usurped the legislature's power. In its first decision in the Florida controversy, the U.S. Supreme Court suggested that such an argument might be plausible, though it failed to decide the issue conclusively. In the second decision, Bush vs. Gore, three justices - Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice William Rehnquist -embraced the view that the Florida Supreme Court's actions violated Article II. Dissenting justices argued that the Florida court decision was simply an interpretation of the legislature's existing rules. Ah, there's the rub that frequently rubs conservatives the wrong way: "simply an interpretation." The Florida Supreme Court "interpreted" the statutory requirement that election returns be reported within seven days to mean ... *not necessarily within seven days *. Ditto with the amount of time required for contesting the results, several other matters. As I have commented before (*here * and *here *), judicially rewriting a statute through the magic of an unrestrained power of interpretation is called "liberally construing" or "reading loosely." Liberal judges are quite adept, not surprisingly, at construing liberally. Nowhere was this talent on display more clearly than when the Supreme Court of New Jersey (see the first of those "here" links above) decided in the infamous Lautenberg-for-Toricelli candidate swap, much in the manner of the Florida Supreme Court, that "51 days" did not mean 51 days. New Jersey law, you will recall, allowed (yes, here "allowed" is right) for a candidate to be replaced on ballot up to 51 days before an election. Since The Torch went down in flames closer to the election than 51 days this appeared to be a problem. But to the New Jersey Supremes it was a piece of cake. All they had to do was "construe" the statute liberally. This was easy, since after all the statute didn't say "absolutely, positively." You think I jest, but listen to New Jersey Chief Justice Deborah Poritz, quoted in my first "here" link above: Chief Justice Deborah Poritz observed that the 51-day rule for substituting a candidate appeared to be arbitrary. She added that other states had deadlines ranging from 30 days to a handful, noting that New York State?s statute says that failure to meet the deadline is a "fatal defect." "Our statute says nothing of the kind," she said. When conservatives say they want judges who will interpret the law, not make it, they don't say enough; for the real problem is that liberal judges are loathe to recognize textual or other limits on their power to interpret. If "seven days" doesn't mean seven days; if "51 days" doesn't mean 51 days; if selecting presidential electors "in such Manner as the Legislature ... may direct" doesn't mean that the legislature -- not the state supreme court, not the governor, not the people through plebiscite -- must devise the electoral scheme, then there would seem to be few limits on the power of "interpretation" through "liberally construing" words that say one thing to mean something entirely different. Writing in the /New York Times/ (cited in my second "here" above), legal reporter Linda Greenhouse called the 51 day limit a "formal deadline" -- as opposed to what, one wonders? An informal one? A real one? Similarly, New Jersey Democrats called the statutory requirement merely a "*technical guideline *." If unaccountable judges with lifetime tenure are allowed to exercise unrestrained, unconstrained powers to interpret, constitutions and statutes do indeed become nothing more than the "parchment barriers" Madison warned of, and the people get royally construed. So when you think that the government is acting in your best interest you had better be sure you are not bent over and grabbing you ankles. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty:...Thomas Jefferson. Paddy From b.j.smith at ieee.org Tue May 10 09:24:16 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Identity Theft to be even harder to fight with new ID card ... (CLARIFICATION) In-Reply-To: <4280AC28.9000808@ij.net> References: <1115476309.5642.43.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <46f680d0505090919bd25982@mail.gmail.com> <1115679210.4415.23.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <1115679657.4415.32.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <20050510035256.GZ9554@quillandmouse.com> <4280AC28.9000808@ij.net> Message-ID: <1115731456.4425.3.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Tue, 2005-05-10 at 08:42 -0400, paddy wrote: > So when you think that the government is acting in your best interest > you had better be sure you are not bent over and grabbing you ankles. > "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty:...Thomas Jefferson. I never said the government was acting in my best interest. I was just saying that there are enough checks'n balances to keep it in-line. Sure, individual events may seem out-of-whack, but the eventual sum- total over time results in a good balance. At least the best we know of, even if it's not that good. What I originally was implying is that it's the financial companies pushing for a lot of these new IDs, even more so than the federal. And it wouldn't surprise me if the media was involved too. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Beware of those who define their preference in terms of hate of another option, and not on the positive merits of their selection From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 10 11:20:10 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678095@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Does anyone know anything about "bonding" multiple ADSL or ADSL + cable? We need to increase our bandwidth at work are are running out of options on how to do it affordably. Thanks. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 11:49:41 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <16648829.1115740181627.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > Does anyone know anything about "bonding" multiple ADSL or ADSL + cable? > We need to increase our bandwidth at work are are running out of options > on how to do it affordably. Thanks. The Linux kernel's built-in iprouting can "round robin" outgoing connections. I.e., it can alternate between sending data over two or more interfaces. The return data will then come back in on the same interface it was sent out, which is an outgoing-only load balance. As far as incoming, you're talking getting an ASN and using BGP -- i.e., $$$. There is no way to "bond" incoming in a transparent way without the rest of the world knowing that you are using more than one physical network with an ASN, and publishing those multiple routes via BGP. Another, possibly better, option would be to use quality-of-service and other traffic shapping at the gateway. IPCop has some basic options built-in, although you can get more creative, depending on how much hacking you want to do. Most of the time bandwidth is not the problem, but usage and priority. IIRC, IPCop 1.4, out-of-the-box, reduces the priority of many protocols that are "abused" by employees -- such as audio and other multimedia streams. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 10 11:56:38 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D167809B@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Thanks, Bryan. Put another way, if you have 2mbit ADSL line coming in, need more bandwidth but are on an optical fiber line so can't upgrade to a higher bandwidth DSL, what would you do? We've got ~30 people who all connect to a remotely hosted application for their day to day work along with a locally hosted email server and our bandwidth needs are increasing. We could go with multiple T1's but we don't want to spend that much. Thanks. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 12:09:04 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <31335050.1115741344977.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > Put another way, if you have 2mbit ADSL line coming in, need more > bandwidth but are on an optical fiber line so can't upgrade to a higher > bandwidth DSL, what would you do? We've got ~30 people who all > connect to a remotely hosted application for their day to day work > along with a locally hosted email server and our bandwidth needs are > increasing. One thing I need to know is if all those connections are outbound only? I.e., are all the users on the LAN and merely accessing Internet resources? If so, then you can just add more and more connections and round-robin them. Or are people working at home and contacting your servers (incoming)? If so, then it's cheaper to have a single provider than multiple providers, an assigned ASN and other details. Or you might want to look at SDSL options if it's the amount of inbound traffic. A SDSL line will kick the crap out of an ASDL plus cable, and probably for little more cost, when you need inbound (serving outbound) bandwidth. > We could go with multiple T1's but we don't want to spend that much. The media really doesn't matter, at least not technically. You can pseudo load-balance outgoing connections and it will seem transparent. You can even designate specific systems to use specific, outgoing routes in a variety of ways -- even multiple NAT devices for each connection. But when you're talking inbound, you'll either need to have people hardcode the specific network, or get an ASN and publish routes via BGP. You typically don't go the latter unless you need provider redundancy, and I seriously doubt your ADSL/cable providers will allow you do get an ASN for your connections. Again, the "factor" here is are all of your users on the same LAN and just using Internet resources? If so, use iproute and round-robin outgoing. If not, then you've got some hard decisions to make. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 12:13:50 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? -- what application? Message-ID: <23094656.1115741631105.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > We've got ~30 people who all connect to a remotely hosted application > for their day to day work What application/protocol is being used for this remotely hosted application? -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From jasonb at edseek.com Tue May 10 12:24:05 2005 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678095@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> References: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678095@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <200505101224.05115.jasonb@edseek.com> On Tuesday 10 May 2005 11:20, Damien McKenna wrote: > Does anyone know anything about "bonding" multiple ADSL or ADSL + cable? > We need to increase our bandwidth at work are are running out of options > on how to do it affordably. Thanks. There are a few options if you just want to RR the connections. Both of these have come up on LARTC from time to time, but aren't easy to Google for. The mailinglist itself has no useful searching features, either. The example in LARTC itself is supposedly incorrect, so you'd need to follow one of these or some other document I haven't been able to find after 10 minutes of Google. http://www.ssi.bg/~ja/nano.txt http://routeskeeper.sourceforge.net/Routeskeeper/MultihomingWithLinux.html -- Jason Boxman Perl Programmer / *NIX Systems Administrator Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing | University of Florida http://edseek.com/ - Linux and FOSS stuff From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 10 12:31:49 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16780A4@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Thanks again Bryan, I'll pass your comments on to the powers that be and see what they think. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 10 12:44:36 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16780AB@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Out of interest, do you know if either Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 can do round robin, or are there any simple routers able to do this? -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 12:49:46 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <24035038.1115743786558.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > Out of interest, do you know if either Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 can > do round robin, or are there any simple routers able to do this? The NT5.x kernels are incapable of the routing magic of the Linux 2.4+ kernels. Tony Aawtrey can tell you a lot of the limitations he saw first-hand when the IEEE decided to move away from Windows, despite Microsoft personnally putting their top people on it and stalling the switch for a good 6 months. All because Microsoft finally had to admit that not even the NT5.1/2003 kernel could handle various IP capabilities. If you really can't use Linux, consider a Cisco 1700 series router for about $1,500. It should be capable of doing what you want. BTW, it would really help if I knew more about your setup, applications and, most importantly, the direction the traffic is flying. That last part is _everything_ to your considerations. If it's all outbound, then maybe a single, 6MBps cable will give you 3x the performance. If it's inbound, then 1.5Mbps SDSL will give you 3-4x the performance of ASDL. If most of your inbound traffic is just a lot of e-mail or other services, considering using different connections for different purposes. E.g., SDSL for inbound services, cable for outbound LAN PC users. And you could use Windows to handle such capabilities because no advanced Internet routing trickery would be required. At the most, maybe some internal LAN segmentation might be optimal -- and Windows can serve out RIP/OSPF routing tables. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 13:09:16 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? -- where 'dat BS? Message-ID: <12884404.1115744956352.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > Thanks again Bryan, I'll pass your comments on to the powers that be and > see what they think. Just let me know. I can help you off-line, as always. BTW, just so everyone knows, I'm now officially out of the consulting business as of April -- I can't remember if I said anything about this or not? I would tell everyone where I'm at and what I'm doing, but I'm sure that would stir the 2-3 professional enemies I have, even if they are not on this list. Just know I'm in the mid-west now, and I'm back in the defense industry. Which will also explain why some of my personal views have changed to align myself with my professional endeavors. But as I told someone off-list, I am strongly _against_ a "federal ID" for regular citizens. Furthermore, I _strongly_ believe that any "federal ID" should be _separate_ from any "state ID" and any requirement of the former be severely limited to airplane travel and travel outside the US, collection of social services, etc... -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 10 13:26:33 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16780B2@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > -----Original Message----- > From: Bryan J. Smith > > BTW, it would really help if I knew more about your setup, > applications and, most importantly, the direction the traffic > is flying. That last part is _everything_ to your considerations. I'd need to find out how to log into the firewall to get exact traffic data... There was a guy here who knew that kinda thing but he left to work with Fiserv. We have a Netopia Cayman 3346-006 ADSL gateway (http://www.netopia.com/support/resources/option_3346006.html) coming in which is connected to a Cisco PIX 515E firewall, which is then connected to a switch and then to everything else on the network. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 10 13:34:51 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? Message-ID: <11995525.1115746491493.JavaMail.root@skeeter.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > I'd need to find out how to log into the firewall to get exact traffic > data... There was a guy here who knew that kinda thing but he left to > work with Fiserv. Understood. > We have a Netopia Cayman 3346-006 ADSL gateway > (http://www.netopia.com/support/resources/option_3346006.html) coming in > which is connected to a Cisco PIX 515E firewall, which is then connected > to a switch and then to everything else on the network. And that's good stuff to know (although you didn't have to post it here if you didn't want to). I was really more interested in the applications and where the users are located. Just that basic info would help me understand your workflow better, and either include or throw out options. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From jgoerz at cfl.rr.com Tue May 10 20:27:14 2005 From: jgoerz at cfl.rr.com (Jesse Goerz) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bonding 2xADSL or ADSL+cable? In-Reply-To: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16780AB@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> References: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16780AB@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> Message-ID: <1115771234.10505.32.camel@leisure.home> On Tue, 2005-05-10 at 12:44, Damien McKenna wrote: > Out of interest, do you know if either Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 can > do round robin, or are there any simple routers able to do this? http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Reviews-145-ProdID-RV082.php At my last job we used a Linksys RV082 to do this. It has some load balancing features that we were able to use. We had a 384/1.5 (up/down) ADSL and a 768 SDSL line. Here are some of the gotchas I ran into with it: 1. Don't use any symbols in the password. You won't have access to the firewall tabs but everything else will mysteriously work just fine. 2. If your remote applications pay attention to IP addresses for security purposes you'll have to force some of the applications to stick to one outgoing connection. There is a tab with this feature. 3. The traffic shaping features did not work well in any of the applications I worked with and the latest firmware seems to change the behavior that is documented in the manual. I think they couldn't get it to work like they thought. 4. The support they offer is run by overseas "technicians". I have mixed feelings about this because I feel the communication barrier is significant. It took me two 4 hour phone calls, a new replacement unit shipped to me through the vendor, and finally getting them to put a "lab" technician on the phone before _I_ discovered the password bug through my own troubleshooting after I got off the phone. We basically served about 30-40 remote clients accessing a web application that served out resources needed by our remote workers. Most of the access was batch oriented type connections (downloading/uploading files to work with other local applications). If you're familiar with IPCOP then the interface will feel very familiar ;-). I would recommend you explore all your options though and don't let saving a few bucks make all your decisions for you. One thing I found out that was kind of neat: you can trade it in for a "real" cicso router upgrade when you are ready. You'll want to confirm this of course. hth, Jesse From m9u35g at gmail.com Thu May 19 09:39:43 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] .NET/MONO, MCAD/MCSD -- WAS: Jason Brooks' excellent SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation ... In-Reply-To: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> References: <23589745.1115410416371.JavaMail.root@gonzo.psp.pas.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <46f680d050519063972210b96@mail.gmail.com> On 5/6/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > And as I've dove into Java over the last year, I'm seriously considering going "full-bore" into .NET Is this because of limitations you have noticed in Java, (philosophical or technical), or advantages of .NET? >(both Mono/GTK# as well as to get my MCAD/MCSD). And the integration with Mono is impressive just as a user: I'm really excited about Mono, because at work (a Windows shop) I use C# heavily. I too want to certify as MCSD. Are you planning on certifying in .NET 1.1, or .NET 2.0? Considering your massive experience with MCP certifications, is it worth having a certification in a previous version, or should I wait for .NET 2.0 to start my testing? Do they typically release new certifications in-line with the release of a new product version? (i.e., am I going to have to wait a long time after 2.0 is released to get a 2.0 certification?) What books are you reading/recommend for the MCSD? Have you found any good mailing lists for Mono or .NET (C#/ASP.NET)? The .NET SIGs in Florida don't seem to have any real mailing list. Thanks! Justin From thebs413 at earthlink.net Thu May 19 10:14:41 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: .NET/MONO, MCAD/MCSD -- WAS: Jason Brooks' excellent SuSE Linux 9.3 evaluation ... Message-ID: <26445205.1116512082372.JavaMail.root@statler.psp.pas.earthlink.net> From: "Justin M. Keyes" > Is this because of limitations you have noticed in Java, > (philosophical or technical), or advantages of .NET? Licensing, pure licensing. Not even IBM's licenses on their Java components (JRE, SWT, etc...) are "GPL compatible." And for commercial, they require additional licensing. Mono is GPL tools, LGPL libraries, BSD class libraries. They have the support/interest of Intel, HP and many other entities. I can make GPL, LGPL or whatever license I want of my software, because they are dynamically linked to LGPL and statically linked to BSD. > I'm really excited about Mono, because at work (a Windows shop) I use > C# heavily. I too want to certify as MCSD. Are you planning on > certifying in .NET 1.1, or .NET 2.0? Considering your massive > experience with MCP certifications, is it worth having a certification > in a previous version, or should I wait for .NET 2.0 to start my > testing? Do they typically release new certifications in-line with the > release of a new product version? (i.e., am I going to have to wait a > long time after 2.0 is released to get a 2.0 certification?) I'm planning on just getting .NET 1.1 for now. I'm ramping up to get my MCDBA on SQL Server 2000, since SQL Server 2005 still isn't available. I haven't completed my MCSA/MCSE on Windows Server 2003 either. > What books are you reading/recommend for the MCSD? Most of the Que books. Don't bother with the Exam Cram 2s, they are just smaller versions of almost the exact same material as the full Prep Logic versions. In fact, some of the Prep Logic versions come with good portions of the Exam Cram 2s on the CD. > Have you found any good mailing lists for Mono or .NET (C#/ASP.NET)? > The .NET SIGs in Florida don't seem to have any real mailing list. Nope, not yet. I haven't gotten into it too much yet, but soon will. Given the MS-Sun alliance on development software, I suspect many Java groups will view Mono users much like Linux groups view BSD users. Developers seem to be a different breed than users, must like technical users are. Of course, if they are Sun-sponsored, I'm not sure how that will play in. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From thebs413 at earthlink.net Mon May 23 16:31:50 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Sub-$1, 000 DLP Projector with 1024x768 native resolution ... Message-ID: <31448466.1116880310636.JavaMail.root@wamui-royal.atl.sa.earthlink.net> I don't know if LEAP has purchased a projector yet or not, but DealNews is reporting the Dell 2300MP is available for $979 with free shipping (I'm sure tax will bring it to just over $1,000). Being that most notebooks are 1024x768 resolution, if LEAP hasn't yet bought a projector, I'd splurge the extra $100-200 for native 1024x768 resolution (let alone the DLP) over the 800x600 native (with scaling down from 1024x768 that looks like crap). It's really the first time I've ever seen a native 1024x768 (let alone DLP) for under $1,250. http://dealnews.com/newsdaily.html?article,87478 -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From ae4ko at amsat.org Mon May 23 17:11:11 2005 From: ae4ko at amsat.org (Aaron Morrison) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Sub-$1, 000 DLP Projector with 1024x768 native resolution ... In-Reply-To: <31448466.1116880310636.JavaMail.root@wamui-royal.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <42920EAF.5941.1E5C07B@localhost> LEAP has not purchased one as of yet -- waiting on prices to fall. This is a good start. --am On 23 May 2005 at 16:31, Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee wrote: > I don't know if LEAP has purchased a projector yet or not, but DealNews is reporting the Dell 2300MP is available for $979 with free shipping (I'm sure tax will bring it to just over $1,000). > > Being that most notebooks are 1024x768 resolution, if LEAP hasn't yet bought a projector, I'd splurge the extra $100-200 for native 1024x768 resolution (let alone the DLP) over the 800x600 native (with scaling down from 1024x768 that looks like crap). It's really the first time I've ever seen a native 1024x768 (let alone DLP) for under $1,250. > > http://dealnews.com/newsdaily.html?article,87478 > > > > -- > Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org > > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support From thebs413 at earthlink.net Mon May 23 17:23:26 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Sub-$1, 000 DLP Projector with 1024x768 native resolution ... Message-ID: <15544800.1116883406573.JavaMail.root@wamui-royal.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Aaron Morrison > LEAP has not purchased one as of yet -- waiting on prices to fall. > This is a good start. I agree, I think they will far more in the fall. DLP and LCD is at the heart of both flat screens and higher-end projectionsTV. As [American] football season comes to be, you'll see sales and more economies of scale. This will in turn reduce cost of manufacture of related items, like DLP and LCD projectors as well. Just wanted to point out that 1024x768 native has fallen below $1,000 now. So I wouldn't settle for 800x600 native (1024x768 interpolated) for a couple hundred cheaper. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From m9u35g at gmail.com Tue May 24 13:19:06 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI, 12ms refresh, 1280x1024, etc... In-Reply-To: <1112160996.5485.11.camel@localhost.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> References: <1112160996.5485.11.camel@localhost.oviedo.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <46f680d050524101972f487a@mail.gmail.com> On 3/30/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Okay, no more excuses not to go LCD if you're considering a new display. > > Buy.COM is selling the Acer AL1715SMD 17" (equivalent to ~18" CRT) with > both VGA and DVI inputs, a native 1280x1024 resolution and a nice 12ms > refresh (~80Hz) for $209.99: > http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10391408 > > $15 coupon for new customers will chop that to $194.99: > http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=88301879 > > That is just unbelievable. A CRT is barely any cheaper. Sure, there > have been some 17" LCDs for $150 or so, but that's after rebate, they > are VGA-only (you _want_ DVI for LCD, VGA is just the backup), and a > crappy refresh rate (possibly only 1024x768 resolution). > > The 19" LCDs with DVI are also breaking the $300 barrier too. But this > is the first time I've seen a 17" LCD with DVI for so cheap, and capable > of 1280x1024. What about this 19" 16ms LCD? Is 16ms good for 19"? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824174024 Justin From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 24 13:58:37 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI, 12ms refresh, 1280x1024, etc... Message-ID: <32885557.1116957517952.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: "Justin M. Keyes" > What about this 19" 16ms LCD? > Is 16ms good for 19"? > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824174024 Wow! DVI and 16ms (60Hz) for $249? Not bad. Here's my general guide: - 50ms (20Hz): noticable anytime you scroll - 25ms (40Hz): not noticable when scrolling, but noticable in gaming - 16ms (60Hz): not noticable in gaming really at all - 12ms (80Hz): definitely fine Now you have to be careful of those 25ms monitors that say 15ms+10ms. They are still 25ms, although they seem to be better than older generation 25ms. I.e., my Scepter 19" Komodo-IIg is a 15ms+10ms and it's better than my wife's older Samsung 19" 25ms (both are DVI), but neither do as good as a real 16ms or better. Hmmm, I wonder how portable it is? It looks like short, stocky base with no major flexibility (a good sign). It looks like it folds underneath too. And I only saw a 3-prong power cable, so the AC/DC might be internal. It might be the same OEM design internally as the Scepter, among others. Swivel and pivot is _not_ what you want in a portable LCD. You want a short, stocky, minimal base that tilts forward/back 135 degrees (including 90 degrees straight back into its packaging). You buy and let me know. ;-ppp -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From m9u35g at gmail.com Tue May 24 14:15:58 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI, 12ms refresh, 1280x1024, etc... In-Reply-To: <32885557.1116957517952.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <32885557.1116957517952.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <46f680d05052411159d2e294@mail.gmail.com> On 5/24/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > From: "Justin M. Keyes" > > What about this 19" 16ms LCD? > > Is 16ms good for 19"? > > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824174024 > > Wow! DVI and 16ms (60Hz) for $249? Not bad. > > Here's my general guide: > - 50ms (20Hz): noticable anytime you scroll > - 25ms (40Hz): not noticable when scrolling, but noticable in gaming > - 16ms (60Hz): not noticable in gaming really at all > - 12ms (80Hz): definitely fine > > Now you have to be careful of those 25ms monitors that say 15ms+10ms. > They are still 25ms, although they seem to be better than older generation 25ms. > I.e., my Scepter 19" Komodo-IIg is a 15ms+10ms and it's better than my wife's older Samsung 19" 25ms (both are DVI), but neither do as good as a real 16ms or better. > > Hmmm, I wonder how portable it is? > It looks like short, stocky base with no major flexibility (a good sign). > It looks like it folds underneath too. > And I only saw a 3-prong power cable, so the AC/DC might be internal. > It might be the same OEM design internally as the Scepter, among others. > > Swivel and pivot is _not_ what you want in a portable LCD. > You want a short, stocky, minimal base that tilts forward/back 135 degrees > (including 90 degrees straight back into its packaging). > > You buy and let me know. ;-ppp I think I'm going to. Thanks for the help! -- Justin Keyes From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 24 14:32:51 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI, 12ms refresh, 1280x1024, etc... Message-ID: <18729118.1116959571884.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: "Justin M. Keyes" > I think I'm going to. Thanks for the help! He he he ... I'm basically Dilbert going, "change is good, you go first." I.e., you be the guinea pig. I'm looking to upgrade from my current 25ms Sceptre, which I'll use as the 2nd head. I also have one of those 1050 horizontal line native, Philips 30" wide screen CRT TVs (123lbs.) with HDMI (DVI+audio) coming in. For 400-some-odd bucks, I needed a TV anyway for my apartment, and although it weighs a ton, it's still portable in the back of my pickup (heavy, but not bulky). Without either being a huge projector, let alone not a good viewing angle, while also being much better both in resolution and cheaper (so if I break it, oh well) than an expensive Plasma/LCD. I really can't wait to get a HDMI to DVI converter and send 480p and 1080i to it, or even see if it'll take direct 1680x1050 or whatever 1050 horizontal lines is in vertical. If anything, it's just a HDTV for my Xbox (the only Windows system I have) and my DVD-R/VHS-HD/FireWire set-top I got open-item for under $100 after some Best Buy points. -- Justin Keyes -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 24 14:49:07 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions -- WAS: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI Message-ID: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: "Bryan J. Smith " > I really can't wait to get a HDMI to DVI converter and send 480p and 1080i > to it, or even see if it'll take direct 1680x1050 or whatever 1050 horizontal > lines is in vertical. Doh! 1080i: 1920x1080 (16:9), 1440x1080 (4:3) 720p: 1280x720 (16:9), 960x720 (4:3) But the thing I don't get is that 480p is 720x480 which is 3:2??? How's that work? BTW, this has been making me wonder for awhile because I show DVDs under mplayer with "-xy 1.5" and it scales 720x480 (3:2) to 1280x720 (16:9). -- Bryan P.S. BTW, a 1280x1024 LCD is perfect for watching DVD movies. You get the full 1280x720 form (720p,although most are 480p VOB) while still leaving the 304 pixels top and/or bottom for other windows. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 24 15:08:01 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: HD movie trailers (was "RE: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions") Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678368@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > 1080i: 1920x1080 (16:9), 1440x1080 (4:3) > 720p: 1280x720 (16:9), 960x720 (4:3) FYI, Apple have released some high-res movie trailers for things like Serenity, etc. The 1920x1080 file for Serenity could only do 13fps on my computer (Athlon64/3000) using some player or other I found online. Eek! > P.S. BTW, a 1280x1024 LCD is perfect for watching DVD movies. > You get the full 1280x720 form (720p,although most are 480p VOB) > while still leaving the 304 pixels top and/or bottom for > other windows. Unless you're a freak and use a vertical "start" bar, like I do. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Tue May 24 15:15:17 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: HD movie trailers (was "RE: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions") Message-ID: <8939060.1116962117717.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > FYI, Apple have released some high-res movie trailers for things like > Serenity, etc. The 1920x1080 file for Serenity could only do 13fps on > my computer (Athlon64/3000) using some player or other I found online. > Eek! What is your video card? What drivers? I've seen both a 720p at 60fps and 1080i at 30fps without issue (in fact, my 25ms LCD is the bottleneck there ;-). I used a nVidie GeForce4, then GeForce 6800GT, and MPlayer's nVidia GeForce4 support for acceleration (I know the 6000 series actually has even more features now, but nVidia just detailed them recently). Now I have 1GB of memory in both systems, at least 128MB on the video cards, and the disk has typically been 4-disc 3Ware ATA RAID-10 (although my current is only a single 7200rpm ATA). > Unless you're a freak and use a vertical "start" bar, like I do. Actually, I always wanted a "tabs" on both sides (don't know if you remember my idea about the "Context Virtual" Window Manager (where different panes were used for different things -- some sticky, some full-screen, some multi-window, and then the desktop/background for the session manager). -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Tue May 24 15:31:47 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: HD movie trailers (was "RE: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions") Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678369@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> The codec was the issue, I think, it's a h.264-thingy. I forget which one it was but it wasn't very mainstream. Once Quicktime7 comes out it should be better. > Now I have 1GB of memory in both systems, at least 128MB on > the video cards, and the disk has typically been 4-disc 3Ware > ATA RAID-10 (although my current is only a single 7200rpm ATA). That may have been part of the problem. > What is your video card? What drivers? The video card is a Geforce 6200 (non-turbocache) on a nForce 4 mobo. I forget which revision of drivers I'm using but they have been updated in the past few months. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From jasonb at edseek.com Tue May 24 15:42:14 2005 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: HD movie trailers (was "RE: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions") In-Reply-To: <8939060.1116962117717.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <8939060.1116962117717.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <200505241542.14668.jasonb@edseek.com> On Tuesday 24 May 2005 15:15, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > I've seen both a 720p at 60fps and 1080i at 30fps without issue (in fact, > my 25ms LCD is the bottleneck there ;-). I used a nVidie GeForce4, then > GeForce 6800GT, and MPlayer's nVidia GeForce4 support for acceleration (I > know the 6000 series actually has even more features now, but nVidia just > detailed them recently). Sigh. I wish I had one of those cards. It's amazing how many gamers have those cards and are playing UBI Soft's Silent Hunter III, a subsim. A few people even have SLI setup, although SH3 doesn't support an SLI setup The game supposedly looks absolutely amazing with full AA and AF on a 6800GT. I'm stuck with my solid, but nonAF/AA Ti4400. I'm not looking to upgrade, though. The game still plays great... From m9u35g at gmail.com Tue May 24 16:37:19 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions -- WAS: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI In-Reply-To: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <46f680d0505241337511a9e17@mail.gmail.com> On 5/24/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > P.S. BTW, a 1280x1024 LCD is perfect for watching DVD movies. > You get the full 1280x720 form (720p,although most are 480p VOB) > while still leaving the 304 pixels top and/or bottom for other windows. Awesome! Also reminds me that I need a DVD-ROM... ha. I'll let y'all know how it turns out. -- Justin Keyes From thebs413 at earthlink.net Wed May 25 13:30:47 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Dell 20.1" Widescreen LCD (1680x1050, 12ms, A/V) for $397 shipped ... Message-ID: <24572563.1117042247482.JavaMail.root@wamui-darkeyed.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Ran across this on Dealnews: http://dealnews.com/articles/87605.html My wife has this exact display and we love it. Some pros: - The 1680x1050 is really nice for both desktop and movies. (for those that like to put their menus on the side, you'll love it!) - Many games like UT2004 support 1680x1050 (in both Windows and Linux) - Otherwise 1280x1024 comes in 4:3 pretty good on it - It has NTSC A/V in so we hooked up one of our DirectTV boxes right to it (no tuner issues, we put it in the lower right corner goes on/off with 1 button) - And if you do a lot of DTP/typeset, the vertical mode is nice (and it even works with nVidia's drivers for Linux) The cons are: - Heavy as crap, don't even bother porting it - Doesn't go back into its packaging without disassembly - The PS is external, so that's more things to worry about Definitely _not_ good for porting -- probably the absolute worst! But if you want a stationary monitor/TV that you can watch HDTV on (only NTSC A/V in, but via DVI), and lots of horizontal space (damn I love UT2004 at 16:9 aspect!), this is a great LCD. -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From jasonb at edseek.com Wed May 25 14:12:34 2005 From: jasonb at edseek.com (Jason Boxman) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Dell 20.1" Widescreen LCD (1680x1050, 12ms, A/V) for $397 shipped ... In-Reply-To: <24572563.1117042247482.JavaMail.root@wamui-darkeyed.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <24572563.1117042247482.JavaMail.root@wamui-darkeyed.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <200505251412.34909.jasonb@edseek.com> On Wednesday 25 May 2005 13:30, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > Ran across this on Dealnews: > http://dealnews.com/articles/87605.html > > My wife has this exact display and we love it. Yeah, the wide screen one is pretty cheap and is available at a reduced cost from Dell just about every other week. I'm more interested in the 20.1" 1600x1200 though. Actually I'd like two. ;) From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Wed May 25 16:10:45 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombing VeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16783AB@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> I finally got to the bottom of this. It was surprisingly simply. Re-enable the accounts. Ta-daaa. The problem is actually that Veritas sees the accounts listed for Exchange but the mainboxes themselves are disabled, and for some reason Veritas is unable to open them for backup. So as part of a cleanup process I moved the user's old email to their manager, deleted the account in active directory, but then the error still came up. A little bit of digging around and I discovered that the mailboxes were still in Exchange so I simply purged them, end of problem. Lots of fun. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Wed May 25 16:27:41 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombing VeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <23922335.1117052861463.JavaMail.root@wamui-little.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > I finally got to the bottom of this. It was surprisingly simply. > Re-enable the accounts. Ta-daaa. > The problem is actually that Veritas sees the accounts listed for > Exchange but the mainboxes themselves are disabled, and for some reason > Veritas is unable to open them for backup. So as part of a cleanup > process I moved the user's old email to their manager, deleted the > account in active directory, but then the error still came up. A little > bit of digging around and I discovered that the mailboxes were still in > Exchange so I simply purged them, end of problem. > Lots of fun. Are you saying that if the ADS account is "disabled," Veritas doesn't like it? Or if you delete an ADS account but leave the mailbox, Veritas doesn't like it? I normally just "disable" ADS accounts and "gut" their stores (homedir, EXCH mailbox, etc...). Sometimes I have their manager "take ownership" of the resources instead. But I always leave at least the account and the "base" resources (even if gutted and disabled). I never like to "delete" anything. So are you saying that Vertias doesn't unless everything is cleaned out -- account deleted, homedir/mailbox deleted, etc...? -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Wed May 25 16:29:56 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombingVeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16783AF@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Are you saying that if the ADS account is "disabled," Veritas > doesn't like it? > Or if you delete an ADS account but leave the mailbox, > Veritas doesn't like it? The latter. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Wed May 25 16:30:23 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombingVeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16783B0@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > Are you saying that if the ADS account is "disabled," Veritas > doesn't like it? > Or if you delete an ADS account but leave the mailbox, > Veritas doesn't like it? Actually, both. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Wed May 25 17:09:33 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombingVeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <12458752.1117055373513.JavaMail.root@wamui-wigeon.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > Actually, both. So is there any way to just "disable" the account, but leave the homedir/mailbox (even if gutted out) and it would work? -- Bryan J. Smith mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Wed May 25 17:30:40 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Disabled Exchange 2000 account bombingVeritasBackupExec 9.1? Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D16783BA@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> > So is there any way to just "disable" the account, but leave > the homedir/mailbox (even if gutted out) and it would work? I don't know that one. There may be some tools for archiving mailboxes & accounts, but I really don't know, we weren't fussed enough beyond archiving their email. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From lists at brianrose.net Wed May 25 19:31:46 2005 From: lists at brianrose.net (Brian Rose) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions -- WAS: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI In-Reply-To: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Message-ID: <42950AE2.4040707@brianrose.net> Bryan J. Smith wrote: > 1080i: 1920x1080 (16:9), 1440x1080 (4:3) > 720p: 1280x720 (16:9), 960x720 (4:3) > > But the thing I don't get is that 480p is 720x480 which is 3:2??? > How's that work? > Rectangular (non-square) pixels? -- Brian From m9u35g at gmail.com Wed May 25 21:42:41 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC Message-ID: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> hi guys, I'm getting a randomly-occuring, high-pitched "eeeeee" noise from my box. From several weeks of observation, it seems to occur under load. >From watching gkrellm, sometimes it occurs on high CPU usage, sometimes HDD usage--so it seems I can rule both of them out as the origin. This thread[1] suggests that such a sound may be caused by a motherboard part. Is that really possible/probable? Another interesting thing is that the sound occurs quite frequently within the first hour of cold-booting the computer. However, leaving the computer on for weeks doesn't completely eliminate occurences of the sound; they still occur almost daily. I guess it must be the PSU. Is this a sign of a dying PSU? Is this a sign of brownouts? Chad Perrin says that power fluctuations can harm a PSU, motherboard, CPU, and even a hard drive. Is an oscillating coil, as mentioned in the link[1], a harmless thing? Is this the same thing that causes cathode-ray tubes to make a high-pitched noise? I'm just fishing for comments, similar experiences, or knowledge of the possible causes and ramifications. Thanks! [1] http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=380488 -- Justin Keyes From b.j.smith at ieee.org Wed May 25 22:07:54 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:00 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions -- WAS: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI In-Reply-To: <42950AE2.4040707@brianrose.net> References: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <42950AE2.4040707@brianrose.net> Message-ID: <1117073274.4365.11.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Wed, 2005-05-25 at 19:31 -0400, Brian Rose wrote: > Rectangular (non-square) pixels? That's the only thing I can assume too. -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- It is mathematically impossible for someone who makes more than you to be anything but richer than you. Any tax rate that penalizes them will also penalize you similarly (to those below you, and then below them). Linear algebra, let alone differential calculus or even ele- mentary concepts of limits, is mutually exclusive with US journalism. So forget even attempting to explain how tax cuts work. ;-> From botbot at gmail.com Wed May 25 23:00:29 2005 From: botbot at gmail.com (Jim Lange) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] RE: HDTV 1080i, 720p, 480p resolutions -- WAS: 17" LCDs drop under $200 for DVI In-Reply-To: <42950AE2.4040707@brianrose.net> References: <30349.1116960547657.JavaMail.root@wamui-cypress.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <42950AE2.4040707@brianrose.net> Message-ID: <7d803c91050525200079d51655@mail.gmail.com> I doubt this is what your talking about, but on this website: http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5107912-1.html it says: 2:3 pull-down detection - Also (and less accurately) called 3:2 pull-down; digital technology developed by Faroudja to accurately convert and display content originally on celluloid film, which runs at 24 frames per second (fps) compared to the 30fps rate of television. It is found in many DVD players and DTVs. Jim On 5/25/05, Brian Rose wrote: > Bryan J. Smith wrote: > > > 1080i: 1920x1080 (16:9), 1440x1080 (4:3) > > 720p: 1280x720 (16:9), 960x720 (4:3) > > > > But the thing I don't get is that 480p is 720x480 which is 3:2??? > > How's that work? > > > > Rectangular (non-square) pixels? > > -- > > Brian > _______________________________________________ > Pc_support mailing list > Pc_support@matrixlist.com > http://lists.matrixlist.com/mailman/listinfo/pc_support > From pberry2 at cfl.rr.com Wed May 25 23:06:27 2005 From: pberry2 at cfl.rr.com (Patrick) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> On Wednesday 25 May 2005 09:42 pm, Justin M. Keyes wrote: > hi guys, > > I'm getting a randomly-occuring, high-pitched "eeeeee" noise from my > box. From several weeks of observation, it seems to occur under load. > > >From watching gkrellm, sometimes it occurs on high CPU usage, > > sometimes HDD usage--so it seems I can rule both of them out as the > origin. This thread[1] suggests that such a sound may be caused by a > motherboard part. Is that really possible/probable? > > Another interesting thing is that the sound occurs quite frequently > within the first hour of cold-booting the computer. However, leaving > the computer on for weeks doesn't completely eliminate occurences of > the sound; they still occur almost daily. > > I guess it must be the PSU. Is this a sign of a dying PSU? Is this a > sign of brownouts? Chad Perrin says that power fluctuations can harm a > PSU, motherboard, CPU, and even a hard drive. > > Is an oscillating coil, as mentioned in the link[1], a harmless thing? > Is this the same thing that causes cathode-ray tubes to make a > high-pitched noise? > > I'm just fishing for comments, similar experiences, or knowledge of > the possible causes and ramifications. > > Thanks! > > [1] http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=380488 Are you absolutely sure that the fan isn't going dry? I lube the fans, with some CRC about once a year... you could try using a spare PSU... that would isolate the sound to be in the PSU, or not! -- -- Patrick's Recommended URLs http://livecdlist.com http://yolinux.com http://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/ http://safeharbordome.com From b.j.smith at ieee.org Wed May 25 23:42:06 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <1117078926.4365.18.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Wed, 2005-05-25 at 23:06 -0400, Patrick wrote: > Are you absolutely sure that the fan isn't going dry? I lube the fans, with > some CRC about once a year... You don't use some WD40? (he he he, inside joke) > you could try using a spare PSU... that would isolate the sound to be > in the PSU, or not! -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- It is mathematically impossible for someone who makes more than you to be anything but richer than you. Any tax rate that penalizes them will also penalize you similarly (to those below you, and then below them). Linear algebra, let alone differential calculus or even ele- mentary concepts of limits, is mutually exclusive with US journalism. So forget even attempting to explain how tax cuts work. ;-> From philb at philb.us Thu May 26 00:45:16 2005 From: philb at philb.us (Phil Barnett) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <1117078926.4365.18.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> <1117078926.4365.18.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <200505260045.16476.philb@philb.us> On Wednesday 25 May 2005 11:42 pm, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > You don't use some WD40? ?(he he he, inside joke) WD-40 will gum up a fan in less than a week. No joke. -- "In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a brave and scarce man, hated and scorned. When the cause succeeds, however, the timid join him...for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." -Mark Twain From m9u35g at gmail.com Thu May 26 00:49:36 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> Message-ID: <46f680d05052521492bfbe360@mail.gmail.com> On 5/25/05, Patrick wrote: > Are you absolutely sure that the fan isn't going dry? I lube the fans, with > some CRC about once a year... you could try using a spare PSU... that would > isolate the sound to be in the PSU, or not! Would that require opening the PSU, or do you spray it somehow? Which CRC product do you recommend? -- Justin Keyes From b.j.smith at ieee.org Thu May 26 02:23:55 2005 From: b.j.smith at ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <200505260045.16476.philb@philb.us> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> <1117078926.4365.18.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <200505260045.16476.philb@philb.us> Message-ID: <1117088635.4365.75.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> On Thu, 2005-05-26 at 00:45 -0400, Phil Barnett wrote: > WD-40 will gum up a fan in less than a week. No joke. I know, that was my point! ;-> And do you know who I taking a shot at? ;-> -- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- It is mathematically impossible for someone who makes more than you to be anything but richer than you. Any tax rate that penalizes them will also penalize you similarly (to those below you, and then below them). Linear algebra, let alone differential calculus or even ele- mentary concepts of limits, is mutually exclusive with US journalism. So forget even attempting to explain how tax cuts work. ;-> From m9u35g at gmail.com Thu May 26 03:09:33 2005 From: m9u35g at gmail.com (Justin M. Keyes) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Intermittent, high-pitched noise from PC In-Reply-To: <1117088635.4365.75.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> References: <46f680d05052518424234de27@mail.gmail.com> <200505252306.27774.pberry2@cfl.rr.com> <1117078926.4365.18.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> <200505260045.16476.philb@philb.us> <1117088635.4365.75.camel@bert64.mobile.smithconcepts.com> Message-ID: <46f680d05052600092b993e53@mail.gmail.com> On 5/26/05, Bryan J. Smith wrote: > On Thu, 2005-05-26 at 00:45 -0400, Phil Barnett wrote: > > WD-40 will gum up a fan in less than a week. No joke. > > I know, that was my point! ;-> > And do you know who I taking a shot at? ;-> I thought so ;) -- Justin Keyes From dmckenna at thelimucompany.com Fri May 27 12:41:19 2005 From: dmckenna at thelimucompany.com (Damien McKenna) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Bryan, the media is finally catching on to what you said about Longhorn Message-ID: <5C9DC445A45FEC4185D272DAF6AF37D1678407@tlc001.tlcusa.thelimucompany.com> http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1820686,00.asp Basically the media is finally catching on to the fact that Longhorn will *not* be based on the .NET platform, as was promoted a few years ago and thoroughly discussed by TheBS last year. -- Damien McKenna - Web Developer - Damien.McKenna@thelimucompany.com The Limu Company - http://www.thelimucompany.com/ - 407-804-1014 #include From thebs413 at earthlink.net Fri May 27 13:18:52 2005 From: thebs413 at earthlink.net (Bryan J. Smith ) Date: Tue Oct 31 13:17:01 2006 Subject: [Pc_Support] Re: Bryan, the media is finally catching on to what you said about Longhorn Message-ID: <11302468.1117214332426.JavaMail.root@wamui-huard.atl.sa.earthlink.net> From: Damien McKenna > http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1820686,00.asp > Basically the media is finally catching on to the fact that Longhorn > will *not* be based on the .NET platform, as was promoted a few years > ago and thoroughly discussed by TheBS last year. Adopting .NET is virtually impossible. Microsoft will never get rid of it's Chicago-infested Win32 codebase and make a clean break. They continue to proliferate a Visual Studio 6 Win32 API for everything except the Avalon persentation and Indigo services model which are "atop" of the Win32 base. At that means the underlying OS implementations continue to be flawed -- despite the original Win32 and .NET models actually being very, very good designs. Now more than ever it is apparent that Microsoft is not bothering to fix it's inherent product issues. They know compatibility is what sells, and they are