Re: [Discuss] Container to deploy a web service

[Jason Normand]

one other thing is if you if you are providing a container or vm you could
precompile all or some of the python.

On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 10:05 AM Rich Pieri  wrote:

> On Thu, 8 Nov 2018 02:34:42 -0500
> Tom Luo  wrote:
>
> > Basically, what I need is to provide a port for customers to access
> > the service. At the same time, I don't want customers to see my code.
> >
> > What should I do? Any ideas?
>
> The Docker host can see everything in the container. The customer
> controls the Docker host. Therefore the customer can see everything in
> the container. Likewise the VirtualBox host once the encrypted VM is
> unlocked. Likewise every other deployment where the customer controls
> the deployment target.
>
> Solution: If you don't want your customers to see the source code
> then don't ship source code.
>
> --
> Rich Pieri
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@blu.org
> http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Container to deploy a web service

[Jason Normand]

Dan,

I fully agree, I was mostly making the point that in docker everything is
shared with the host system.  its possible to obscure things, but that all
depends on how savy and motivated the users are.  in the end docker is a
open system, build by people with an open source mentality.  there are
companies working to address security concerns, but the complexities
involved are not for your average user.


On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 9:45 AM Dan Ritter  wrote:

> Jason Normand:
> > from a strictly technical perspective, in order to make something like
> this
> > work in docker you would need to set up some kind of runtime decryption.
> > basically your system would need to read encrypted files from the volume
> > then decrypt them into a memory based storage (harder thought not
> > impossible to read form the host).  with docker any files in a running
> > container are fully accessible from the host system, and further files in
> > the container image can be unpacked by anyone with access to the image.
> so
> > with docker who ever has access to the host system, has access to all
> > container files.
>
> All of this has happened before. It's called "copy protection"
> or "DRM - digital rights management".
>
> It always goes like this:
>
> 1. I want to sell you something, but I don't want you to be able
>to look inside it or copy it or something.
>
> 2. So I encrypt the thing. Now you can't access it.
>
> 3. So I give you a method of playing the thing.
>
> 4. But you still can't access it because it's encrypted, so I
>also have to send the key along.
>
> 5. Now I have sent you the encrypted thing, a way to use the
>thing, and the key to unencrypting the thing. Why have I gone
>to all this bother again?
>
> In case it's clear: don't do this. It's not worth while.
>
> -dsr-
>
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Container to deploy a web service

[Jason Normand]

from a strictly technical perspective, in order to make something like this
work in docker you would need to set up some kind of runtime decryption.
basically your system would need to read encrypted files from the volume
then decrypt them into a memory based storage (harder thought not
impossible to read form the host).  with docker any files in a running
container are fully accessible from the host system, and further files in
the container image can be unpacked by anyone with access to the image.  so
with docker who ever has access to the host system, has access to all
container files.

On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 2:35 AM Tom Luo  wrote:

> Hi, all,
>
> I developed a software which provide a web service.
> When I deploy the software in customer's machines, I don't want them to see
> the source code.
> I tried to use docker, but I found out that docker cannot provide password
> protection. The customer can still see the source code. The source code
> contains python code and javascript code. I feel possibly virtual box is an
> option. But I have not tried yet.
> Basically, what I need is to provide a port for customers to access the
> service. At the same time, I don't want customers to see my code.
>
> What should I do? Any ideas?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@blu.org
> http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Separate commercial firewall?

[Jason Normand]

With out knowing more about what they have setup or the company, is it
possible its for vpn or external accessibility?  I could see requiring more
advanced firewall capability for a high end security system or a streaming
media system.  Another thing I considered when doing home and small office
IT was providing a vpn option for troubleshooting, to avoid extra house
calls.  Even if your parents do not use it it could just be part of the
standard package.

from a strictly security perspective you could argue either way, given that
your parents do not know how the hardware is used, unless it is maintained
by the company.

On Thu, Jan 7, 2016 at 12:52 PM, John Hall  wrote:

> In what cases is an integrated firewall in a good home router insufficient?
> If it's not necessary could this unit actually compromise security?
>
> When I was visiting my folks for the holidays I noticed that their media
> equipment company installed a separate hardware firewall between the cable
> modem and wifi router.  i don't remember the make but I recognized it as
> high end. It's not a standard consumer brand and was about the same size as
> their wifi equipment. They really don't know it's there let alone use any
> active features like detailed logging.
> Being very generous the network is used at peak by 8 people.
>
> At first I figured that it probably was a way to just charge more money but
> have started to think...maybe their are vulnerabilities I don't know about.
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@blu.org
> http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Password app

[Jason Normand]

This sounds viable for sites that do not need high security, and that you
do not use a lot.  easy to just to keep the app available and quickly run
the passwords as you need them.  never hurts to have more tools available.

this could be especially useful for times when you are using throw away
accounts and do not want to keep the passwords in your primary password
store.

also it sounds like the counter could be used as another security level.
just always set your counter to start at X rather than 1.  as long as you
can remember X and your password you will always be able to regenerate the
passwords, and others will have a much harder time cracking it if they have
the app.

On Fri, Oct 10, 2014 at 1:24 PM, Bill Bogstad bogs...@pobox.com wrote:

 On Fri, Oct 10, 2014 at 7:08 PM, Mike Small sma...@panix.com wrote:
  Matthew Gillen m...@mattgillen.net writes:
 
  Because you don't have to keep a that password database file on 5
  different backup devices (and keep it updated on all your backup
  copies every time you add one).  It's certainly not a security
  improvement. It's a usability improvement at the expense of security.
 
 
  What happens when you need to change a site's password? You use a new
  master pass phrase. Now you either have to go change all your passwords
  on each site or keep track of which were generated from the old and
  which the new master passphrases. Is that not how it would work?

 The algorithm apparently has a per site password counter:

 http://masterpasswordapp.com/algorithm.html

 Of course, the current state of the counter is now something which has
 to be shared
 between devices.   Nor sure how that works.   I suppose you could also
 modify the name of the site as well.  Instead of comcast.com use
 myf***ingisp as the site name.

 Bill Bogstad
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Monitoring your AWS instances

[Jason Normand]

We use Nagios and nrpe with a pretty standard monitoring setup.  We also
pull in cloudwatch data via python goto scripts.

As for the uptick I would avoid making any changes until after the AWS
maintenance.  We have also noticed an uptick in alerts,though not to that
level.

However just because your systems are not directly effected the increased
activity due to others replacing systems, as well as what ever amazon is
actually doing on the back end, means everyone will be effected to some
extent.
On Sep 28, 2014 11:06 AM, Edward Ned Harvey (blu) b...@nedharvey.com
wrote:

  From: discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey@blu.org [mailto:discuss-
  bounces+blu=nedharvey@blu.org] On Behalf Of Chuck Anderson
 
  Maybe this?
  https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/ec2-maintenance-update/

 I am aware of that - but they say less than 10% of their systems will be
 affected, and Customers who aren't sure if they are impacted should go to
 the Events page on the EC2 console, which will list any pending instance
 reboots for their AWS account.

 None of our systems are supposed to be impacted, and indeed, none of them
 have been rebooting.

 The best I can tell, we're supposed to be unaffected, but the fragile
 network is buckling and straining under the load, and causing rolling
 network outages.

 I mentioned before, that during the last several months (May or so) we've
 seen enormous variability in Amazon network performance...  Sometimes you
 download or upload a file and it goes 30Mbit/sec, sometimes 15KB/sec.  And
 it varies from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day.
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] automatic daemon restarts

[Jason Normand]

like in many things, it depends on the application.  we recently were
considering doing the same thing with the puppet agent.  The agent will
occasionally get stuck due to network errors and require a restart.  This
is really a bug in the application, but a fix is not expected any time
soon.  in this case simply restarting the client daemon will cause no harm
to the system.  In the case of critical application such as a databases,
restarting may not be the correct solution.

this also assuming the monitoring and restart system is intelligent enough
to not fall into a rapid fail restart loop.

On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 7:42 AM, Edward Ned Harvey (blu) b...@nedharvey.com
wrote:

  From: discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey@blu.org [mailto:discuss-
  bounces+blu=nedharvey@blu.org] On Behalf Of Tom Metro
 
  Richard Pieri wrote:
   Edward Ned Harvey (blu) wrote:
   An active system will notice mysqld died, recognize that it's not
   supposed to do that right now, and restart it.
  
   Which is a stupid way to run in production. There's a reason why the
   daemon died. That reason needs to be identified so that corrective
 steps
   can be taken. Blind restarts can obfuscate this information, can cause
   damage to data, and can exacerbate existing damage.
 
  Not to say your points are invalid, but Netflix would disagree with you.
  They created a testing tool that intentionally kills random services on
  their production systems just to test that automated recovery works
  correctly.

 I would rather receive notification that a production service was
 *restarted* rather than *is down*

 Richard wants to say that's stupid.  I not only disagree, I think
 Richard's position is insulting and ignorantly one-sided.
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] selecting a subnet

[Jason Normand]

If you are running your own firewall you could also NAT to the corporate
network if you can not get a specific subnet.
On Sep 10, 2014 4:28 PM, Chuck Anderson c...@wpi.edu wrote:

 On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 04:04:12PM -0400, Stephen Adler wrote:
  Guys,
 
  I'm setting up a small network at work behind my own firewall. Typically
  I would use a 192.168.1.0/24 network but I'm afraid the IT people at
  work have used that for something in my work LAN environment. Is there a
  way of probing the work LAN network to ensure that what ever IP address
  I select for my network doesn't get tangled up with one on the corporate
  LAN? Or is it best to just choose one and hope for the best?

 From the main corporate network not behind your own firewall,
 traceroute to something in 192.168.1.x and see if it routes
 anywhere  If it looks like it just goes out to the internet and
 then stops, then they are probably not using it for anything you care
 about.  If the traceroute completes, then there is a valid destination
 on the network using it.

 But you should really check with corporate IT to see if what you
 propose is allowed...
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] kinda shot myself in the foot with UHD monitors

[Jason Normand]

Have not had an issue personally, running WQHD on a 27 ultrasharp.  but
was thinking of that exact issue with dells new 5k 27.  Some of it is just
personal preference and what one runs.  But something developers will need
to account.
On Sep 6, 2014 7:32 AM, Stephen Adler ad...@stephenadler.com wrote:

 So I got want I always wanted... the best freeken monitors I could get my
 hands on Samsung UHD LU28D590DS/ZA. (As it turns out, there's a new 32
 monitor which just came out, so be it for getting my hands on the latest
 technology)

 So I've run into a rather unexpected problem, I have a monitor with too
 much resolution. I never thought that could possibly happen. My main
 problem is that the font on all the applications I run are just too small
 to read. So I spent time digging through all the font options (I use the
 Gnome desktop environment) and found an option which would scale up all the
 fonts by a factor of 2. So that kinda helped. Now my fonts all look odd.

 Basically, I've ended up with a rather ugly looking environment with
 mismatched font sizes and icons. For example when I run thunderbird, most
 of the fonts are readable, but the text in the actual emails comes up in
 the default font size of 10 or 11 points or something like that and I cant
 read it. I can use the wheel button to zoom the text so I can read it but
 its just an awkward work around.

 So, has anyone run into this UHD problem? Are there any gnome set ups
 designed for UHD resolution which fix all the font and icons to be working
 together to give one a pleasing visual experience when viewing all the
 application windows?

 Thanks!

 Steve.

 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

[Discuss] DNS providers

[Jason Normand]

we are looking to move our DNS out of house and are looking for
recommendations.  currently we are managing multiple bind servers
ourselves.  but most of our systems are now running in AWS, and the few
left in the colo are being dropped within the year.  our needs are not
really that intensive or complex, but we would like a robust system and a
strong SLA is a requirement.

any suggestions are appreciated

Jason Normand
tracelink.com
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] VSphere 5.5.0 U1 and backups

[Jason Normand]

We have been running veeam successfully for a while now.  Though we do not
run 5.5.  On rare occasions a backup has failed due to snapshot issues but
not often.
On Aug 1, 2014 7:09 PM, Richard Pieri richard.pi...@gmail.com wrote:

 On 8/1/2014 2:33 PM, Scott Ehrlich wrote:
  What backup method do people use for VSphere 5.5.0 U1 for preserving
  VMs over the network?

 Run a backup program in each VM. Seriously. If you're not using vSphere
 Operations Management then you will shoot yourself in the foot trying to
 back up running VMs from the outside.


  Goal is to preserve VMs to a remote location (backup system not
  directly attached), thus the need for a network-based solution.

 That's not backup. That's replication. You should be looking at the
 vSphere Replication subsystem.

 --
 Rich P.
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] share keyboard/video/mouse with 2 desktops

[Jason Normand]

I have used synergy a number of times over the years, and it works fairly
well.  I have run into issues in the past with mixing operating systems,
mac and windows I recall in particular.  but those issues were related to
hot keys and customizing keys, more than standard functionality.

no matter what synergy is easy enough to try out and see if it works for
your setup.


On Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 10:04 AM, John Malloy jomal...@gmail.com wrote:

 What is the easiest way to share keyboard/video/mouse with 2 desktops
 (Linux  Windows)?

 Has anyone used this synergy-project:

 http://synergy-project.org/download/

 Thanks!

 John Malloy
 jomal...@gmail.com
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

[Discuss] [Position-available] Mid level Cloud Operations Developer

[Jason Normand]

---
To post your own position-available or position-wanted
message, please follow the procedure at:
http://blu.wikispaces.com/job+posting+policy
---

TraceLink is an established start-up, that develops cloud based b2b
software for the pharmaceutical industry.  Primarily focused on contract
manufacturing, supply chain and regulatory compliance.  We are located in
Wakefield Massachusetts, right off route 128/95.  This is a direct hire,
full time, permanent possition.  You will be working along side myself and
our VP of could operations.  We have a number of other available possitions
in development and product management, that can be found here
http://www.tracelink.com/cloud-computing-careers

Cloud Operations Developer
TraceLink is seeking a full-time, experienced Cloud Operations Developer
with direct, hand-on experience developing software to manage the
deployment, monitoring, and security of Linux systems and applications in
Amazon's AWS. The position is part of a team responsible for the
deployment, management, and operation of TraceLink Life Sciences Cloud
Platform.

Responsibilities
* Development and maintenance of tools and processes used to support the
  operation,deployment and management of TraceLink's Life Sciences Cloud
  Platform
* Assist with the monitoring and management of TraceLink's cloud platform.
This
  includes health, system and application security, performance, and metrics
* Responding to and addressing any system, application, or network failures
or
  issues, including issues outside normal business hours
* Communicate with all parts of the TraceLink organization, in both verbal
and
  written capacity
* Work closely with management and other departments to assist planning,
  implementation, documentation, management, troubleshooting, and
incremental
  improvement of processes as they relate to the department and the rest of
the
  company

Skills and Requirements
Candidates must possess the following skills and traits:
* 3-5 years direct, hands-on experience developing tools and processes to
  support the deployment and management of a distributed system in a Unix
  environment
* Have a solid understanding by having done what it takes to deliver a
product
  to customers from development through production-test and ultimately to
  production
* Prior position in cloud operations and development
* Programming: Skilled with Python, Boto, Bash, programming in a SVN/GIT
source
  code controlled environment, knowledge of Perl a plus
* Tools: Skilled with Puppet/mcollective, Nagios, and related
* 1-2 years hands-on experience with Amazon's EC2 (and related) API and CLI
* Strong understanding of Linux, IP networking, Linux system services,
  virtualization, and configuration management techniques including the use
of
  Open Source tools in a Cloud/SaaS environment
* First hand experience with solving problems in the areas of systems and
  application performance
* BS Computer Science or related discipline

Key Attributes
* Have a solid grasp on what it takes to configure and manage multiple
Linux
  systems, along with strong skills in programming
* Strong organizational skills
* Ability to multi-task, estimate timelines accurately and set/take
priorities
  effectively
* Attention to detail is critical
* Strong communication skills
* Ability to communicate and document new/established
tools/procedures/policies
* Understands role of documentation and communication in an operational
  environment
* Excellent problem solving skills
* Punctual and reliable

Full incentive package available, salary is flexible depending on
experience and fit, and includes stock options.

If your are interested or have any other questions just let me know.  I can
get you in touch with our VP  and CFO.
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Point-and-cluck groupware

[Jason Normand]

Google apps would certainly work but there is no longer a free option.
Sites+Groups+Docs would do all that and more.

However you if you can not shell out for Google apps you could do the same
with generic Google accounts.  You would just not have the centralized
management portal. So your admins would have more work to do.

A hybrid of paid and unpaid accounts would also work and reduce workload
some.
On Apr 9, 2013 1:43 PM, Greg Rundlett (freephile) g...@freephile.com
wrote:

 +1 Google apps.  Costs 50/yr/user.  No ads
 On Apr 9, 2013 1:31 PM, Richard Pieri richard.pi...@gmail.com wrote:

  On 4/9/2013 12:42 PM, Bill Horne wrote:
   I need Ease-of-use with a capital E. All suggestions are welcome,
 and
   thank you for your help.
 
  The only thing that I can think of that fits all of your requirements is
  Google. Nobody besides Google, not even Microsoft, does a one-stop,
  browser-based, turn-key everything like that.
 
  --
  Rich P.
  ___
  Discuss mailing list
  Discuss@blu.org
  http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
 
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] How smart is SMART?

[Jason Normand]

You should be able to setup smartmontools to run as a crown job to check
the drive and send an email if it finds issues.  I'm sure there is a free
version available for osx.  I'm not sure what other options are available
for osx.  However as has been stated smart is far from fool proof.  But its
better than nothing and its grounds for a warranty replacement.
On Nov 24, 2012 10:05 PM, Doug sweet...@alum.mit.edu wrote:

 Just lost a 500 GB 2.5 inch SATA drive made in Thailand from my Mac
 Mini server.  A half hour to boot was the signal.  While I could have
 set up RAID, all the data I care about is in a Dropbox folder, and I
 have Time Machine to get at any apps.  My data is on three computers I
 control, the drop box server, and Time Machine.  I spent $260 for a
 $100 hard drive because I used Computer Loft to deal with my fear of
 mac hardware (so many wires in such a small place).

 The main costs were time and money to reset the box.  I have been able
 to update some things, so the machine is a little more streamlined
 now.

 Thinking about the future, does anyone regularly monitor their hard
 disk SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology)
 information?  I found a $40 utility that would do this work for me,
 including running both short and long tests.  If it is wise, I might
 do this once a month.
 http://www.volitans-software.com/smart_utility.php

 The long tests can last 3 hours.  One thing I noticed was the
 replacement for the dead disk is running about 14 degrees F warmer
 than the other disk (right now 48C versus 41C.   What temp is BAD?
 Does anyone continuously check on that?).  That may be a lead reason
 for it dying first.  The replacement might die before the cool one.
 Now that the test is done, the hot disk is down to 38C.

 Are there scripts anyone uses that go through the same data and/or run
 the short and long tests?

 ...and a few moments of googling to
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_S.M.A.R.T._tools says...

 GSmartControl
 smartmontool

 Now my more targeted question: does any use these two programs and
 would like to share their opinions?

 Just trying to be a sometime responsible home system admin,
 Doug
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Yet Another Laptop Recommendation Thread

[Jason Normand]

My company has transitioned from the dell d series to thinkpad T series and
the smaller x220s with good result.  Not a lot of Linux experience on them
but they are solid systems for a decent price.
On Sep 29, 2012 10:38 PM, David Kramer da...@thekramers.net wrote:

 Either the backlight or the inverter died in my 5-year-old Dell D820
 laptop. Fixing it doesn't make financial sense, though I may throw it
 on my rack and hook it up to my KVM for something, as I've figured out
 how to tell X to disable the internal monitor and use the external
 monitor as the primary.

 I've decided I want to go with a desktop machine for my main computer,
 so I can use a better keyboard and bigger monitor, but I still need
 something portable, too. I'm looking for a laptop that doesn't have to
 be a desk-melting screamer, but it also doesn't make sense to put money
 in anything *too* wimpy. I plan on splitting the hard drive to
 Windows/Kubuntu 12.04LTS, so I need a supported video card.

 Really the only reason I want to get a laptop NOW is that I don't want
 Windows 8, otherwise I would put it off.  I find Windows 7 relatively
 stable and inoffensive.

 Through work I can get significant discounts on Lenovo and HP laptops,
 so I'm focusing on them.  I just priced out a ThinkPad T530, and
 it was over $900 with the discount, and I picked the slowest i5
 processor they have and 4GB RAM (though the better video card).  That
 seems a bit much.  Maybe I should look at i3 processors.  Many of the
 models had ~14 screens, and I want at least  15.

 Any comparisons of HP vs Lenovo, or specific models that have worked or
 not worked with Linux would be great.

 Thanks.

 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Google's Nexus 7

[Jason Normand]

I have one on order.  Personally I think 7in is an ideal tablet size for
most of the stuff done on a tablet.  If I really need to work then I want a
true laptop.  If I'm just browsing the web or watching videos then the
lighter 7 in seems the way to go.  A 4in screen is still to small for god
web browsing, and I think the 7 is ideal for my usage.  I was tempted by
the fire and nook but knew Asus had this on the horizon.  The fact that
Google took it under its wing was just gravy.

As many reviews have been saying value wise you can't beat it.
On Jul 9, 2012 10:27 PM, Guy Gold guy1g...@gmail.com wrote:


 On 07/09/2012 10:12 PM, Richard Pieri wrote:

 On 7/9/2012 3:25 PM, Tom Metro wrote:

 Anyone planning to buy the Google's Nexus 7 tablet?


 Not I.  Tablets and I don't get along, in the sense that fingerprints on
 displays make me want to destroy.

 It'll be interesting to see if Google can do the impossible.


 Thus, the big winner of the last years, the smart-phone.

 Just about the same form-factor of the palm, with the variety of uses of a
 tablet. Granted that it's the one thing you'll take with you anywhere,
 along with your wallet (and pretty soon it'll be *the* wallet).
 The tablet, most of times, feels like a fifth wheel. (Unless
 one is a big time media/content viewer, I'm not) .
 I wish the Tech world would have stopped trying to re-invent the wheel -
 with just-the-best-size-tablet and move on to other hardware
 breakthroughs.
 (And on a same note for the adjacent discussion on this list), the great
 devices are all here, or on their way, we just need the unregulated
 airwaves to actually use them.
 __**_
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/**listinfo/discusshttp://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] [ OT - very ] Whiteboard cleaner vs. Windex

[Jason Normand]

If you buy the concentrated ISO alcohol you can further dilute it with
distilled water and save more. Plus you can use it as screen cleaner.
20-40% alcohol should be enough.
On Apr 10, 2012 4:22 PM, Richard Pieri richard.pi...@gmail.com wrote:

 I'd go one cheaper.  The two chemicals in whiteboard cleaner are a butyl
 ethanol and isopropyl alcohol.  Buy the latter as a store brand at the
 local pharmacy and put an old tape label with whiteboard cleaner in black
 marker on it.

 --
 Rich P.
 __**_
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/**listinfo/discusshttp://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Future of Personal Computers

[Jason Normand]

Personally I don't know anyone who uses a tablet exclusively.  It will
still be some time before they replace laptops as the primary device.

Additionally it would not surprise me if the growth of tablets actually
revitalized the desktop to an extent.  With a tablet the convience of a
laptop is unnecessary.  but an affordable desktop could provide the storage
and a serious work environment.
On Mar 12, 2012 9:47 PM, Daniel C. dcrooks...@gmail.com wrote:

 On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 10:07 PM,  ma...@mohawksoft.com wrote:
  My friends and I were arguing about what the future holds for computers.
 I
  think we all agree that the desktop is dead, but there is some
  disagreement as to the fate of the laptop. Does anyone think that this is
  an interesting discussion?

 Yes.  Why do you think the desktop is dead?  For that matter, why do
 you think the laptop is dead?

  A yet to be filled niche will become a new must-have home device, It
  will be a cross between a set-top box and a file server.

 What do you mean by a set-top box?

 I think the cloud [sic] will stick around as a useful abstraction
 tool, but like with all buzzword-ised technologies it will eventually
 become just another thing you use when the solution it offers is
 appropriate to the problem you have.

 -Dan
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] Fibre Channel and CentOS 5 issues

[Jason Normand]

Thanks Tony,  It does appear to be an issue with the default CentOS/RHEL
Brocade driver.  I was able to reverse engineer the installer for IBMs RHEL
version,  and it works fine once the OEM driver is in place.


On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 3:00 PM, Tony Koker tko...@gmail.com wrote:

 Jason,

It sounds like a config/driver issue. If there was an arbitrated loop
 or hardware issue you would most likely not see LUNs at all.
Not any experience with CentOS, but this seems like issues we've had
 with Linux (RHEL and Solaris, even Windows) before.
Also haven't used Brocade HBA, but Emulex and QLogic. Still seems like
 config/driver though.

 with gratitude and in service,
 Tony Koker
 ~


 On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 1:19 PM, Jason Normand j...@lentecs.com wrote:

 We are working on setting up some new hardware for our db servers, but I
 am
 having trouble getting the Fibre Channel LUN recognized by CentOS 5.7.  We
 are running on an IBM x3550 with dual Brocade HBAs, and have them
 connected
 to an IBM DS3524 with dual controllers.  Each controller is direct
 attached
 to one HBA.  I am able to get Cent to see the LUN if i power cycle the
 controllers, however it will not see it after a system reboot.  The HBAs
 are recognized after reboot but rescanning the scsi bus does not help.
  Only a power cycle on the controllers or a reset of the LUN will get Cent
 to recognize it.

 Now I have little experience with Fibre Channel and was looking for some
 pointers in the right direction.  Does this sound like a hardware issue or
 a Cent config/driver issue?

 Thanks
 Jason
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss



___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

[Discuss] Fibre Channel and CentOS 5 issues

[Jason Normand]

We are working on setting up some new hardware for our db servers, but I am
having trouble getting the Fibre Channel LUN recognized by CentOS 5.7.  We
are running on an IBM x3550 with dual Brocade HBAs, and have them connected
to an IBM DS3524 with dual controllers.  Each controller is direct attached
to one HBA.  I am able to get Cent to see the LUN if i power cycle the
controllers, however it will not see it after a system reboot.  The HBAs
are recognized after reboot but rescanning the scsi bus does not help.
 Only a power cycle on the controllers or a reset of the LUN will get Cent
to recognize it.

Now I have little experience with Fibre Channel and was looking for some
pointers in the right direction.  Does this sound like a hardware issue or
a Cent config/driver issue?

Thanks
Jason
___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] pdf to word

[Jason Normand]

One of the open office ports will open pdfs and save to docs.  Not sure if
you need editing but its an option to consider.
On Feb 8, 2012 7:14 PM, Stephen Adler ad...@stephenadler.com wrote:

 Hello all,

 I write a bunch of articles using tex and then generate a pdf file from
 the .dvi file and all's good... Until someone asked me for a copy of my
 article in word format. So I go online and find a gazillion pdf to word
 converters. Any suggestions as to which one the free software community
 uses?

 Cheers. Steve.

 __**_
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/**listinfo/discusshttp://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Re: [Discuss] 8 core CPUs, liquid colling

[Jason Normand]

Of course it depends on what the servers are doing. But I know And has
always been great for budget servers. Unlike Intel they don't gimp their
desktop processors when it come to things like ecc support.  Atleast the
did not use to.  But for most mundane server tasks an 8 core amd should be
more than sufficient.
On Feb 4, 2012 3:13 AM, Tom Metro tmetro-...@vl.com wrote:

 I see Micro Center is promoting AMD 8-core CPUs starting at $200
 (FX-8120 $200, FX-8150 $260):
 http://www.microcenter.com/storefronts/amd/Expired/FX_assets/fx_index.html

 They seem to be marketing them to D-I-Y builders of performance
 desktops, but I'm wondering if these are any good for servers.

 Here's AnandTech's review:
 http://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested

 They weren't very enthusiastic about it, but their benchmarks are quite
 desktop-oriented. (For example, one of their multi-core benchmarks
 depended on the floating point performance, and this chip share one FPU
 per two integer cores, and thus faired poorly.) I'd be curious how it
 benchmarks when running many mundane server loads. And how it compares
 to other CPUs on a performance per watt basis. (This part apparently can
 vary the clock frequency of each core independently.)

 Anyone heard how suitable these are for server tasks or seen articles
 that address this?


 In other matters, the above review also mentions that AMD is now selling
 a rebranded liquid cooling solution, which reminded me of this Antec
 cooler I see advertised at Micro Center:
 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0361180

 It's a bit different from traditional liquid cooling solutions in that
 the it comes as a closed system with the radiator permanently attached
 to the CPU block with a fixed length of tubing. Should be about as easy
 to install as a common CPU cooler. At $50 it is also cheaper than what I
 remember a water cooling setup costing.

 The description on a similar Corsair cooler says, a total noise level
 that's lower than most stock CPU fans. Stock? That's not exactly a high
 benchmark.

 I think the interesting opportunity with water cooling is that you can
 transfer the heat to a large passive radiator and avoid the noise of a
 fan, but that isn't what this accomplishes. They don't make any
 particular claims about the actual cooling performance, so beyond the
 flexibility of locating the radiator separate from the CPU block (which
 might be useful in a small case), it isn't clear what advantage this
 offers over traditional coolers.

 Anyone tried these out? Can you hear the water gurgling? :-)

  -Tom

 --
 Tom Metro
 Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
 Enterprise solutions through open source.
 Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/
 ___
 Discuss mailing list
 Discuss@blu.org
 http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

___
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@blu.org
http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss