Great input, thanks! I admit to being a browser fan-boy just because, beyond needing a "modern browser", its config-free.
But I'm definitely open to zero-config of any sort. Will report. BTW: The linear algebra course the MOOC is modeled after uses Strang's Linear Algebra. Tom: (10/11/09) you're right, it IS "idiosyncratic" but I found it compelling, the parts I followed from his video lectures and using his book. -- Owen On Fri, Dec 6, 2013 at 11:56 AM, Gary Schiltz <g...@naturesvisualarts.com>wrote: > Here’s a new slogan off the top of my head: “If it isn’t virtual, it isn’t > real.” :-) > > I use VMWare Fusion on my MacBook Pro, although I’ve generally been > impressed with VirtualBox (the price is certainly right). > > Lately, I’ve been using a VM within a VM. I need to maintain an app on > some Windows boxes, but don’t have one myself (don’t want one). To maintain > the app, it is easiest to give them a solution that runs in a VM in one of > said Windows boxes. To do so, I run Windows on my Mac inside Fusion. I then > tried running Ubuntu under VirtualBox in this virtualized Windows box, but > Ubuntu wouldn’t boot. It could be that if the outer host (i.e. my Mac) were > running VirtualBox instead of Fusion, it would work, but I haven’t tried > that. Instead, I run VMWare Player (the free, as in beer, not as in > freedom, software) inside this virtualized Windows box and Ubuntu runs fine > there. Surprisingly good performance, for a simple LAMP stack running in > this double virtualized environment. > > Anyway, life without virtualization would be a whole lot less interesting. > > Gary > > On Dec 6, 2013, at 12:54 PM, Joshua Thorp <jos...@stigmergic.net> wrote: > > > This is exaclty how we operate at my company and I have found it to be > an incredible time saver. The alternative requires detective work to solve > every problem for every user. If everyone is using the same Vagrant box > then solving the problems of one user can be applied to all of the other > users. > > > > I know python is a prime offender on this kind of configuration issues, > but this technique is wonderful for many different sorts of software > packages… In one go you can have a complete system up and running with > potentially many different pieces of software properly configured and > running… The instructions typically go, install virtual box, install > vagrant, clone this repo, type “vagrant up”… and you are running. > > > > —joshua > > > > On Dec 6, 2013, at 10:36 AM, Owen Densmore <o...@backspaces.net> wrote: > > > >> Just curious. Has anyone knowledge of this course and/or the > school/instructors? > >> > https://www.edx.org/course/utaustinx/utaustinx-ut-5-01x-linear-algebra-1162 > >> > >> One interesting thing in the FAQ was computer requirements: > >> What software do I need for the course? > >> We will utilize VirtualBox, Vagrant, and Git, which are available for > free. We have configured a virtual machine for download to ensure that all > participants have the same software and environment. With it, you will > create a small linear algebra package using Python 3 and iPython Notebooks. > Detailed, easy instructions will explain how to download, install, and use > the software. If you are registered for the course, you will receive an > email alerting you when these instructions become available. You will be > able to access them at least a week before the course begins. (Don't be > intimidated by the jargon. We'll get you through it.) > >> > >> That, on the one hand, is extraordinarily sophisticated, on the other > hand a comment on just how hard it is to configure a desktop environment > for class material. > >> > >> Imagine telling someone that you'll have to have a computer within a > computer configured correctly to run the Python packages you'll be using! > >> > >> I was more impressed by Stanford's Machine Learning class that just > said: Install either MatLab or Octave. All our code will work with that. > >> > >> -- Owen > >> ============================================================ > >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > >> to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >
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