01 Aug 2007
For some reason, the FreeBSD ports tree decided to eat itself. Parts of it (i.e. entire categories) just aren’t there (and I doubt very much they ever were), like ports-mgmt. And there is absolutely no documentation on how to rebuild/repair a screwed up Ports Collection. The only vaguely non-mainstream thing I did was run 6.2-STABLE. Methinks I’ve done something wrong in switching that over, so am now rebuilding and making worlds again. Much scrolling text, as my younger brother would observe.
01 Aug 2007
If anyone has a spare grand sitting around they feel like spending this lovely evening, there’s a just-serviced LSC Axiom 36/72 lighting console going on eBay in a bit over 3 ½ hours. In Melbourne, but with roadcase included. I’d buy it, but I’m broke… something to do with not being able to do any real work on account of trying to get *nix setup forever. Ubuntu is perfect, but for the fact that it wouldn’t consider booting for me for some reason. Blame VIA/EPIA for their clone low-power hardware, methinks.
29 Jul 2007
So Ubuntu is utterly refusing to install and I’m scared to use Gentoo, which was vaguely the next resort. And I’ve had enough of CentOS’ absurd package management system (really, RPM does make things impossibly difficult compared to apt-based systems). I’m going to try installing FreeBSD tomorrow and compiling bits and pieces, because that’s how metro stayed online all those years and whilst I don’t have Dale’s skill, I don’t doubt that the methodology was sound. Plus, FreeBSD is one more environment to test this project on — a dedicated server we were vaguely offered a few months back is running NetBSD, so it’d be good to begin scratching together a handful of skills in that area, just in case!
On the plus side, I got all system configuration stuff (esp. Samba, which can be a lot more difficult than perhaps it should be at times) worked out last week (i.e. the system was nearly perfect, but for being utterly unable to install even SRPM packages of a more recent Python version), and Michael went through installing everything with me at work… we had to battle Windows a little there, but even it relented. So close. Then I’ll spend heaps of time cutting layouts to markup and seeing them working, and non-Youthworks time taking Satchmo for a spin (which will hopefully lend itself to a certain application very nicely). The lovely thing about all this is I need Django to work for CYIADA, so I’m supported in getting it up and running, but then have enough ‘spare’ hours in the week that I can engage in freelance projects that ultimately mean I know what’s going on with CYIADA and am mildly more competent to make minor modifications as required accordingly.
Some of those projects might even feed back into the project, which would be a bonus — but even if they come to nothing, it’s worthwhile for skills development alone.
29 Jul 2007
Hitachi US have produced a number of particularly spectacular “true stories” regarding their deployment of various technologies across the US. When I say spectacular, I’m not really referring to the plot of these stories, but just the production quality. It’s very well done. I think the target medium is exclusively the web, though I’m not certain — 5 minute packages are too long for TV by far, and marginally too long for cinema advertising. It’s quite good fun, though it’s difficult to identify a particular target. I clicked an ad to get there which was something to do with installing FTTN in some obscure US town (procrastinating), but… really… that was mostly because I didn’t know Hitachi were a service provider (turns out, I think, they’re not… but the ad seemed that way)
What I want to know is, why do infrastructure companies need lots of positive PR? Sure, they make CE products, too, but that’s absolutely nothing to do with this technology. We have a social conscience, buy our CE gear?