Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
john lewis wrote: > Our moggy doesn't mind me lying flat as it gives her a nice place to go > to sleep ;-) That reminds me of the now-departed Patsy, who used to act as a feline heat pad and acupuncture machine when I was study with the OU while awaiting surgery on my back. A lot of my reading was conducted laying on my front, and it was never long before Patsy would leap up on my back, give it a thorough pummelling, and then settle down for the duration of my read. Sean -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thu, Mar 04, 2010 at 11:29:03PM +, Victor Churchill wrote: > On 4 March 2010 21:59, Lisi wrote: > > > > We had to carry data in Securicor vans on the motorway from the various > > sites > > to HQ, so that the punch card room could punch the data up and computer > > operators could feed it into the one enormous machine . > > I recall an old .signature that Hugo used to have appear under his mails: > > Never underestimate the bandwidth of a Volvo filled with backup tapes. > > (I was prompted to estimate it, and the result was quite scary!) Back when I was doing the PhD, I used to visit my supervisor, a 5 minute walk across campus to her home. I'd often take the latest copy of the thesis with me on a 3.5" floppy disk. It turns out that a single full disk via sneakernet was almost exactly the same bandwidth as her downloading it via modem... Of course, doubling the distance to walk halves the effective bandwidth of this method. :) Hugo. PS. The .sig quote in question is still there -- but with 150 quotes in the list now, it doesn't come up often. -- === Hugo Mills: h...@... carfax.org.uk | darksatanic.net | lug.org.uk === PGP key: 515C238D from wwwkeys.eu.pgp.net or http://www.carfax.org.uk --- Two things came out of Berkeley in the 1960s: LSD and Unix. --- This is not a coincidence. signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thu, 4 Mar 2010 21:59:10 + Lisi wrote: > On Thursday 04 March 2010 18:16:19 Victor Churchill wrote: > > On 4 March 2010 17:18, Bob Dunlop wrote: > > >> That would be a 'yes' I think, or perhaps a grand old git > > >> (paving the way for great grand old gits later in the thread who > > >> would need to demonstrate their skills in hand-punching paper > > >> tape bootstrap programs) > > > > > > Not a bootstrap but I can remember splicing paper tapes to make > > > corrections in the middle of an image rather than repunching the > > > whole thing, and that was paid for work not a university project. > > > > > > At uni I used teletypes on a regular basis and punch card > > > machines on occasion (they were phased out in my second year). > > > > First job at IBM had punch cards. > > Mine too - tho' not at IBM. I do _just about_ remember, Victor. > Tho' I'm not too sure that I remember what happened yesterday. ;-) > > We had to carry data in Securicor vans on the motorway from the > various sites to HQ, so that the punch card room could punch the data > up and computer operators could feed it into the one enormous > machine . and my first job ca1948/9 involved me with feeding punch cards into a mechanical sorter. I had to set the sorter up to extract data from the cards which was a primitive kind of programming I guess. -- John Lewis using Debian sid -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:36:28 + Paul Tansom wrote: > I can't for the life of me think whether it was pre-SMTP being > de-facto, but I do remember the fun of setting up special addresses > on the IBM gateway at work to route internet addressed email into my > IBM Profs/Office Vision account. This was all doubly interesting when > combined with the requirement to do a similar process to get email > out of IBM through one gateway and then into Hampshire County Council > via their gateway. An interesting challenge in sending mails with > specially calculated addresses to get things set up and then using > another address to email through once it was, but it worked. Of > course this was all done so I could send email from my work to my mum > at work, as well as for the challenge of whether I could set it up ;) > That said, once I had it was used for legitimate work purposes, so it > was purely in the spirit of testing :) A problem I never did solve before I retired was how to get a dial-up modem on a PC in my office to talk to a dial-up modem in a PC in another town so we could transfer files between the two PCs. The software I was using (a WordPerfect product) was supposed to allow this but I couldn't get it to work and I eventually ran out of time. -- John Lewis using Debian sid -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On 4 March 2010 21:59, Lisi wrote: > > We had to carry data in Securicor vans on the motorway from the various sites > to HQ, so that the punch card room could punch the data up and computer > operators could feed it into the one enormous machine . I recall an old .signature that Hugo used to have appear under his mails: Never underestimate the bandwidth of a Volvo filled with backup tapes. (I was prompted to estimate it, and the result was quite scary!) -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:50:30 + Jacqui Caren-home wrote: > BTW: I did my back in this morning and am teleworking OK but have to > stop far more often than normal. Why is back pain so distracting? I suffer with back pain due to a crushed vertebra resulting from riding a mountain bike downhill too fast and crashing. I find it immensely frustrating that many jobs I could have done a few years back with no effort at all now require me to lie flat and rest after little more than an hour at certain tasks - like digging the garden for example. The only consolation I have is that riding my bike causes no back pain but doing maintenance on the bike can be painful if it requires me to bend over it. Our moggy doesn't mind me lying flat as it gives her a nice place to go to sleep ;-) -- John Lewis using Debian sid -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On Thursday 04 March 2010 11:51:40 Lisi wrote: > I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing > HP running XP, and to fit the following brief: > > Must be durable > Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and > Linux) > Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) > > I have been looking at Thinkpads and Toughbooks. There do still seem to be > some Thinkpads of a decent quality and acceptable price; but, so far as I > can see, Toughbooks price themselves out of the running. > > Thinkpads are available with Linux preinstalled, which is an added > attraction. > > Comments and suggestions gratefully received, including suggestions for > suppliers of laptops with linux pre-installed. Google seems to have been > bought up by Linux Emporium! > > Buying and then installing Linux would be an option. So long as the other > specs are met. > > This was an unprovoked request. Someone leaving the dark side off his own > bat. :-) > > Thanks > Lisi > E-Buyer had some interesting deals on laptops with no operating system installed for about £350 before christmas. You might also think about buying under-budget and adding an SSD and/or more ram seperately. Cheers, Tim B. -- OpenPilot - Open-source Marine Chart Plotter Lead Developer http://openpilot.engineering.selfip.org -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thursday 04 March 2010 18:16:19 Victor Churchill wrote: > On 4 March 2010 17:18, Bob Dunlop wrote: > >> That would be a 'yes' I think, or perhaps a grand old git (paving the > >> way for great grand old gits later in the thread who would need to > >> demonstrate their skills in hand-punching paper tape bootstrap > >> programs) > > > > Not a bootstrap but I can remember splicing paper tapes to make > > corrections in the middle of an image rather than repunching the whole > > thing, and that was paid for work not a university project. > > > > At uni I used teletypes on a regular basis and punch card machines on > > occasion (they were phased out in my second year). > > First job at IBM had punch cards. Mine too - tho' not at IBM. I do _just about_ remember, Victor. Tho' I'm not too sure that I remember what happened yesterday. ;-) We had to carry data in Securicor vans on the motorway from the various sites to HQ, so that the punch card room could punch the data up and computer operators could feed it into the one enormous machine . Lisi -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > A philosophical question: O.T. or not O.T? > > I've been amusing myself recently with an old machine on which I've > installed Version 7 Unix, ported to the x386 architecture. (System III was > the latest thing when I started, but there was still a lot of Version 7 > around.) > > The question is, can this activity be considered an appropriate topic for > discussion in a LUG forum, given that it's a direct ancestor of Linux and > the code is now in the public domain? > > Chris. > Not OT IMOSHO I cut my teath on V7 and SYSIII. Wonderful kernels. V7 64K and a about 80K for the 68000 SYSIII. Named Pipes with atomic I/O. Broken string libraries. People just starting to wake up to pointer != longs/ints. 17 competing versions of Unix. X/Open trying to standardize. RichardS FSF and GNU. No GUI's between you and the machine. It still leaves me wondering why we can't build a kernel that < 1M Hell, I even had a BSDI 4.4 install (386) that booted of a floppy and installed on a 2G disk. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On 4 March 2010 18:24, Chris Dennis wrote: > Victor Churchill wrote: > > First job at IBM had punch cards. Second one at EMI used paper tape > > reader/writers mounted on the side of the teletypes as I recall. > > Punch cards were better than paper tape for roaches ;-) > > Yes, but paper tape made better Christmas decorations. > > cheers > > Chris > -- > Chris Dennis cgden...@btinternet.com > Fordingbridge, Hampshire, UK > > -- > Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk > Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire > LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk > -- > A philosophical question: O.T. or not O.T? I've been amusing myself recently with an old machine on which I've installed Version 7 Unix, ported to the x386 architecture. (System III was the latest thing when I started, but there was still a lot of Version 7 around.) The question is, can this activity be considered an appropriate topic for discussion in a LUG forum, given that it's a direct ancestor of Linux and the code is now in the public domain? Chris. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] Jacqui's Hardware Problem (was: Re: Recurrent Hardware Problem)
Jacqui Caren-home wrote: > > BTW: I did my back in this morning and am teleworking OK but have to stop > far more often than normal. Why is back pain so distracting? > Well, simply put, pretty much all of the information from the top of you neck down is sent and received via your spinal chord - put a kink in that and and you start to get dodgy packets flowing back and forth, which coupled with the pain and muscle spasms can be pretty distracting. Sean -- And I've made disapointment My very best friend [Anton Newcombe - Straight Up And Down] -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
Victor Churchill wrote: > First job at IBM had punch cards. Second one at EMI used paper tape > reader/writers mounted on the side of the teletypes as I recall. > Punch cards were better than paper tape for roaches ;-) Yes, but paper tape made better Christmas decorations. cheers Chris -- Chris Dennis cgden...@btinternet.com Fordingbridge, Hampshire, UK -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
Oh goody here we go again ;-) On 4 March 2010 17:18, Bob Dunlop wrote: >> That would be a 'yes' I think, or perhaps a grand old git (paving the >> way for great grand old gits later in the thread who would need to >> demonstrate their skills in hand-punching paper tape bootstrap >> programs) > > Not a bootstrap but I can remember splicing paper tapes to make corrections > in the middle of an image rather than repunching the whole thing, and that > was paid for work not a university project. > > At uni I used teletypes on a regular basis and punch card machines on > occasion (they were phased out in my second year). First job at IBM had punch cards. Second one at EMI used paper tape reader/writers mounted on the side of the teletypes as I recall. Punch cards were better than paper tape for roaches ;-) > > So does that qualify me for grand old git ? > > ps. Has this thread been round before, or is that another old git thing. If it hasn't, the grand ole gits will think it has; If it has, by definition the grand ole gits won't remember. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
** Jacqui Caren-home [2010-03-04 15:54]: > Lisi wrote: > > On Thursday 04 March 2010 14:25:54 Lisi wrote: > >> On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:59:21 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > >>> I've been ill for > >>> a while. > >> I'm so sorry to hear that Chris. I hope that you are soon back to your > >> usual outgoing appearance of health. (I hate to accuse anyone of our age > >> of actually _being_ healthy!) > >> > >> Lisi > > > > Sorry, all. That was meant to go to Chris. :-( > > Thats OK - hope Chris is better soon. > > I was in a discussion with someone on a spam list about the definition of > "old school" and I suggested that anyone who remembers a time before SMTP > was de-facto should not be called old school but "old gits" and yes that > includes me :-) > > BTW: I did my back in this morning and am teleworking OK but have to stop > far more often than normal. Why is back pain so distracting? ** end quote [Jacqui Caren-home] I can't for the life of me think whether it was pre-SMTP being de-facto, but I do remember the fun of setting up special addresses on the IBM gateway at work to route internet addressed email into my IBM Profs/Office Vision account. This was all doubly interesting when combined with the requirement to do a similar process to get email out of IBM through one gateway and then into Hampshire County Council via their gateway. An interesting challenge in sending mails with specially calculated addresses to get things set up and then using another address to email through once it was, but it worked. Of course this was all done so I could send email from my work to my mum at work, as well as for the challenge of whether I could set it up ;) That said, once I had it was used for legitimate work purposes, so it was purely in the spirit of testing :) -- Paul Tansom | Aptanet Ltd. | http://www.aptanet.com/ | 023 9238 0001 == Registered in England | Company No: 4905028 | Registered Office: Crawford House, Hambledon Road, Denmead, Waterlooville, Hants, PO7 6NU -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
> That would be a 'yes' I think, or perhaps a grand old git (paving the > way for great grand old gits later in the thread who would need to > demonstrate their skills in hand-punching paper tape bootstrap > programs) Not a bootstrap but I can remember splicing paper tapes to make corrections in the middle of an image rather than repunching the whole thing, and that was paid for work not a university project. At uni I used teletypes on a regular basis and punch card machines on occasion (they were phased out in my second year). So does that qualify me for grand old git ? ps. Has this thread been round before, or is that another old git thing. -- Bob Dunlop -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
On 4 March 2010 16:40, Jim Kissel wrote: > Jacqui Caren-home wrote: >> I was in a discussion with someone on a spam list about the definition of >> "old school" and I suggested that anyone who remembers a time before SMTP >> was de-facto should not be called old school but "old gits" and yes that >> includes me :-) >> > Does that make me a old-old git (used SNA in a time before the Internet > and Unix) That would be a 'yes' I think, or perhaps a grand old git (paving the way for great grand old gits later in the thread who would need to demonstrate their skills in hand-punching paper tape bootstrap programs) ATB, Peter -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] old gits/old school: was Recurrent Hardware Problem
Jacqui Caren-home wrote: > I was in a discussion with someone on a spam list about the definition of > "old school" and I suggested that anyone who remembers a time before SMTP > was de-facto should not be called old school but "old gits" and yes that > includes me :-) > Does that make me a old-old git (used SNA in a time before the Internet and Unix) -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
Lisi wrote: > On Thursday 04 March 2010 14:25:54 Lisi wrote: >> On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:59:21 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: >>> I've been ill for >>> a while. >> I'm so sorry to hear that Chris. I hope that you are soon back to your >> usual outgoing appearance of health. (I hate to accuse anyone of our age >> of actually _being_ healthy!) >> >> Lisi > > Sorry, all. That was meant to go to Chris. :-( Thats OK - hope Chris is better soon. I was in a discussion with someone on a spam list about the definition of "old school" and I suggested that anyone who remembers a time before SMTP was de-facto should not be called old school but "old gits" and yes that includes me :-) BTW: I did my back in this morning and am teleworking OK but have to stop far more often than normal. Why is back pain so distracting? -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On 4 March 2010 14:32, Lisi wrote: > On Thursday 04 March 2010 14:25:54 Lisi wrote: >> On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:59:21 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: >> > I've been ill for >> > a while. >> >> I'm so sorry to hear that Chris. I hope that you are soon back to your >> usual outgoing appearance of health. (I hate to accuse anyone of our age >> of actually _being_ healthy!) >> >> Lisi > > Sorry, all. That was meant to go to Chris. :-( Speaking as part of 'all', no apology required Lisi. Just part of the general convivial buzz of the list ;-) -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
Hi, I've used the newer Thinkpads. The high-end ones (like the T500) we used appeared every bit as well built as the older IBM ones. I understand from other people that the low end machines (The N-series?) aren't that good at all. Cheers, Paul. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device -Original Message- From: "Chris. Aubrey-Smith" Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 12:42:49 To: Hampshire LUG Discussion List Subject: Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk -- -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On Thu, Mar 04, 2010 at 02:46:19PM +, Lisi wrote: > I would also be glad for any comments fron anyone who would feel able to > compare with Mac for hardware quality. My experiences (both direct(*) and vicarious(**)) of Apple hardware is that it's actually not terribly reliable. Anecdotally, I seem to see more Apple kit go wrong than PC kit (and certainly more if you compare equipment of similar prices). Hugo. (*) Granted, it's a very small sample. (**) A considerably larger, but unscientifically reported sample. -- === Hugo Mills: h...@... carfax.org.uk | darksatanic.net | lug.org.uk === PGP key: 515C238D from wwwkeys.eu.pgp.net or http://www.carfax.org.uk --- Anyone who says their system is completely secure understands --- neither systems nor security. signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On Thursday 04 March 2010 11:51:40 Lisi wrote: > I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing > HP running XP, and to fit the following brief: > > Must be durable > Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and > Linux) > Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) Thanks, all, for the suggestions so far. Things like durability are hard to assess with a new computer. As for the "no Windows", I think that that is based,at least partly, on wanting to avoid the software/hardware upgrade cycle. He likes what he has heard of MacOS and Linux and wants to change from Windows. He needs to be able to work seemlessly with Word, and also Publisher, but I gather that that can now export and import in at least one other format, other than its own, that is. I don't think he is expecting to use it for anything very resource hungry. I have to his knowledge edited one of the relevant documents on my all Linux box, without its causing either me or anyone else any problems. So he doesn't need a lot of persuading that that is possible. I would also be glad for any comments fron anyone who would feel able to compare with Mac for hardware quality. Lisi -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thursday 04 March 2010 14:25:54 Lisi wrote: > On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:59:21 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > > I've been ill for > > a while. > > I'm so sorry to hear that Chris. I hope that you are soon back to your > usual outgoing appearance of health. (I hate to accuse anyone of our age > of actually _being_ healthy!) > > Lisi Sorry, all. That was meant to go to Chris. :-( -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:42:49 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > Ailing? Three years old? I usually don't buy them until they're that old! That's why he wants to buy something of higher reliability and greater longevity. :-) Lisi -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On Thursday 04 March 2010 12:59:21 Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > I've been ill for > a while. I'm so sorry to hear that Chris. I hope that you are soon back to your usual outgoing appearance of health. (I hate to accuse anyone of our age of actually _being_ healthy!) Lisi -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On 4 March 2010 12:48, Hugo Mills wrote: > On Thu, Mar 04, 2010 at 11:51:40AM +, Lisi wrote: >> I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing HP >> running XP, and to fit the following brief: >> >> Must be durable >> Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and >> Linux) >> Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) > > What degree of "durable" do you need? > > If it's "the owner will be dropping it off a table onto a quarry > tile floor on a daily basis", then I'd suggest that the budget isn't > quite up to it, and you need something like the Toughbook. > > If it's "the build quality is pretty good, and it'll survive being > stuffed into a bag with light padding, hoofed around all over the > place, and fumbled occasionally", then in the past I've been happy > with a Dell Latitude. Dell also occasionally sell machines with Linux I have had a couple of Panasonic ToughBooks, bought used from eBay. I love the CF-T2 that has been my only laptop for several years. It's "semi-rugged", i.e. not one of those you can drop and leave sitting running in a puddle (though a colleague has one of those and swears by it), but it has been up and down the M3 in a backpack on a motorbike many times and I've never had a hardware problem with it. Panasonics are certainly expensive if you get them new, and probably outside your budget, but if a used machine was acceptable (*) then I'd say go for one of them. (*) and bear in mind that on older machines the CPU / memory may not be up to the 'requirements' of some of today's applications. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recurrent Hardware Problem
On 1 February 2010 12:21, Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: > Hello, all! > > Quite a while ago, I had a problem with a machine which suddenly wouldn't > start. After several attempts it started and ran normally and then would, > again, refuse to start. On power-up, the fan would sometimes 'kick' and > then nothing. Very occasionally, it would start and run normally. > > I checked everything I could think of, replaced the power supply and on/off > switch (etc.) but the same problem continued. > > I raised a question on this forum, but got no answers. I never did resolve > it and eventually cannibalised the machine for spares. > > I've just encountered another machine (a completely different make) which > is displaying identical symptoms, so I'm moved to have another try. > > Does anyone have any suggestions? > Thanks to all who contributed! In case anyone thinks that I just left this 'hanging'. I've been ill for a while. I'm now back to something approaching normal, so I shall be having another go shortly and will report results. Chris. -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On Thu, Mar 04, 2010 at 11:51:40AM +, Lisi wrote: > I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing HP > running XP, and to fit the following brief: > > Must be durable > Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and > Linux) > Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) What degree of "durable" do you need? If it's "the owner will be dropping it off a table onto a quarry tile floor on a daily basis", then I'd suggest that the budget isn't quite up to it, and you need something like the Toughbook. If it's "the build quality is pretty good, and it'll survive being stuffed into a bag with light padding, hoofed around all over the place, and fumbled occasionally", then in the past I've been happy with a Dell Latitude. Dell also occasionally sell machines with Linux on. Hugo. -- === Hugo Mills: h...@... carfax.org.uk | darksatanic.net | lug.org.uk === PGP key: 515C238D from wwwkeys.eu.pgp.net or http://www.carfax.org.uk --- Ceci est un travail pour l'Australien. --- signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
On 4 March 2010 11:51, Lisi wrote: I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing > HP > running XP, and to fit the following brief: > Ailing? Three years old? I usually don't buy them until they're that old! > > Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) I have been looking at Thinkpads and Toughbooks. There do still seem to be > some Thinkpads of a decent quality and acceptable price; > A third of that sum would buy a decent ThinkPad... However, there are questions about build quality and reliability with the newer (non-IBM) ThinkPads. Take a look at what SterlingXS have to offer... Chris > > > > Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk > Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire > LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk > -- > -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
Lisi wrote: > Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and > Linux If "Must not" really does mean "Must not", then it's a pity that a Sparcbook[1] is a bit out of the price range. Simon [1]http://www.rugged-systems.com/p/MobileSunSolaris/0075.htm -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] recommendation for durable linux laptop
I have been asked to recommend a laptop to replace a 3 year old and ailing HP running XP, and to fit the following brief: Must be durable Must not run Windows (specifically mentioned as acceptable were MAC OS and Linux) Budget c. £800/£900 (that is based on the cost of a suitable MAC) I have been looking at Thinkpads and Toughbooks. There do still seem to be some Thinkpads of a decent quality and acceptable price; but, so far as I can see, Toughbooks price themselves out of the running. Thinkpads are available with Linux preinstalled, which is an added attraction. Comments and suggestions gratefully received, including suggestions for suppliers of laptops with linux pre-installed. Google seems to have been bought up by Linux Emporium! Buying and then installing Linux would be an option. So long as the other specs are met. This was an unprovoked request. Someone leaving the dark side off his own bat. :-) Thanks Lisi -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [ADMIN] March meeting in Southampton - Register and MAC(s)
Hi List, this is a reminder including amendments to the previous post...
BaB meeting Saturday 6th March
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Please see http://www.hants.lug.org.uk/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?SeminarRoom1 for more
information about the venue.
Talks
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We have one offer for a talk so far;
12 noon: Games programming with Python - Daniel Pope
If anyone else would like to give a talk please let me know as soon as possible.
Security and registration
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For security reasons I have maintained a register, since Jan 09, of regular
attendees and new attendees of the BaB meetings held at the University
Southampton. All attendees, both HLUG members and non-members, must provide
their name to security or the HLUG greeters upon entry.
Security guards usually occupy, or certainly spot check, a reception desk
located in the atrium which joins buildings 53 and 59<-where-we-are, during
the weekends. ECS staff and students are exempt.
Can those that plan to attend on the 16th and did not register last year
please provide your:
1) Full name
2) MAC address(s) for WLAN
Please use this email address: db2 {...@} ecs {.} soton {.} ac {.} uk
Look forward to seeing everyone,
Damian
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LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk
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