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OpenSolaris User Groups and Oracle’s IOUC

Planet Illumos - Fri, 08/27/2010 - 04:00

I’ve just participated in the IOUC (International Oracle Users Group Community) conference call and I would like to share both what I’ve heard and my initial impression of it. I hope I’ve got most of it right. If not, please tell me. First of all, it’s really nice to finally have someone at Oracle to [...]

Categories: Technology

Open Mic Night

XKCD - Thu, 08/26/2010 - 23:00

Well *That* Didn't Work Out So Well

Planet Illumos - Thu, 08/26/2010 - 18:00

You may recall my recent blog post about Windows 7 being surprisingly usable.Well, I have to recant here.I used Windows 7 for about a week and half. While it *worked*, it was a pleasure to use. But after three BSODs in just that week and half, I have abandoned it. I'm now running Ubuntu. (Why not OpenSolaris? Because I need the ability to host VMware and Skype, and I can't do that natively on OpenSolaris -- yet.)Sure, I could have called up support -- but Microsoft support is provided by my computer manufacturer, and I didn't feel like spending 3 hours on the phone dealing with tech support while they tried to triage my problem. In the end, it was simply faster and easier for me to reinstall with Linux, even allowing for the time it took to download the media.Sure, the problem might have been my virtualization software, or maybe it was a shoddy audio driver, or maybe it was brokenness in my graphics driver, or maybe it was the 3rd party antivirus software (which begs the question-- why doesn't Microsoft ship with builtin malware protection -- you'd think given all the heat that they've taken over this that they would have figured out that they *need* a solution here that doesn't involve 3rd parties...)The "automatic solution finder" that Windows 7 ships was completely unhelpful, it didn't find any links. Google was not much help either... with everything to buggy hardware, drivers, and even overtemp problems being cited as root causes.I'm sure that tech support would have had me running around in circles trying to solve the IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL blue screen. (I'm guessing, from my kernel expertise, that this is probably an assertion fault somewhere that an IRQ level is set unexpectedly high or low -- exactly the kind of problem I know how to fix in Solaris.) Probably plugging and unplugging hardware, unloading and reinstalling drivers and maybe other software, and generally burning an unmentionable amount of my precious time. Especially given that the hardware tech support I'd have been routed to was unlikely to have any real software clue (which is where I think this problem was most likely located.)Again, faster and simpler to just dump the busted OS, and load something else.And, with Linux (or any other FOSS), I have at least a fighting chance of trying to debug the problem myself. Sure, my kernel-fu is substantially higher than average joe home user, so my leanings are more towards something I can troubleshoot myself. But, I will say this, so far I've not had a panic ("oops" in Linux parlance) yet in the past four days that I've been running Ubuntu LTS 10.04 (even though I'm running the "not recommended for general desktop use" 64-bit edition.)Microsoft, if you see this post, I hope you'll learn something from this.

Categories: Technology

clusterit packages for Fedora 13

Planet Illumos - Thu, 08/26/2010 - 13:00

clusterit is a collection of tools for distributed computing created by Tim Rightnour. I created updated packages for Fedora 13 (spec): http://www.sysdroid.com/fedora/packages/clusterit-2.5-1.fc13.i686.rpm http://www.sysdroid.com/fedora/packages/clusterit-2.5-1.fc13.x86_64.rpm For more information on how to create RPM packages for Fedora, read the excellent how to at the Fedora Wiki.

Categories: Technology

FCPS Educators Recognized for Excellence at VTEA State Conference

FCPS News Releases - Thu, 08/26/2010 - 11:43

Six Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) educators were recognized for excellence and achievement at the Virginia Technology Education Association (VTEA) conference held in August.

FCPS Middle School After-School Program Wins Grant From VDOE

FCPS News Releases - Wed, 08/25/2010 - 15:45

The Fairfax County Middle School After-School program in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has been awarded a Title IV, Part B, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Falling Asleep

XKCD - Tue, 08/24/2010 - 23:00

Athletes and Library Staff from Seven Local Colleges Team Up to Promote Literacy in City Schools

RIT News Releases - Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:00

On Friday, Nov. 5, more than 400 student athletes and library staff from seven area colleges and universities will simultaneously fan out to seven Rochester city elementary schools to participate in the Giant Read, a signature event of the READ: Hope in Action program created by Rochester Institute of Technology. Monroe...

Athletes and Library Staff from Seven Local Colleges Team Up to Promote Literacy in City Schools

RIT News Releases - Mon, 08/23/2010 - 11:00

On Friday, Nov. 5, more than 400 student athletes and library staff from seven area colleges and universities will simultaneously fan out to seven Rochester city elementary schools to participate in the Giant Read, a signature event of the READ: Hope in Action program created by Rochester Institute of Technology. Monroe...

I Don't Want Directions

XKCD - Sun, 08/22/2010 - 23:00

Philosopher-Mechanic Matthew Crawford Opens RIT’s 2010-2011 Gannett Project

RIT News Releases - Fri, 08/20/2010 - 13:00

Best-selling author, political philosopher and mechanic Matthew Crawford will open the Caroline Werner Gannett Project’s “Visionaries in Motion IV,” a unique speaker series hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology, featuring lectures, exhibitions, symposia and workshops by leading artists, thinkers and scholars in the arts, sciences and technologies. Crawford will discuss “A Case...

Philosopher-Mechanic Matthew Crawford Opens RIT’s 2010-2011 Gannett Project

RIT News Releases - Fri, 08/20/2010 - 13:00

Best-selling author, political philosopher and mechanic Matthew Crawford will open the Caroline Werner Gannett Project’s “Visionaries in Motion IV,” a unique speaker series hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology, featuring lectures, exhibitions, symposia and workshops by leading artists, thinkers and scholars in the arts, sciences and technologies. Crawford will discuss “A Case...

RIT Named to Sierra Club’s List of Top 100 Green Schools

RIT News Releases - Fri, 08/20/2010 - 08:00

Rochester Institute of Technology’s efforts to develop comprehensive campus, research and education programs in sustainability have earned the university recognition as one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation. The Sierra Club has selected RIT as one of America’s 100 greenest universities as part of its annual “Cool Schools” survey. It...

Desecration

XKCD - Thu, 08/19/2010 - 23:00

RIT Scholar Promotes Rochester’s Reform Trail

RIT News Releases - Thu, 08/19/2010 - 12:00

Richard Newman, professor of history at Rochester Institute of Technology, has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to conduct two weeklong summer seminars for K-12 teachers about Rochester’s rich tradition in the reform movements of the 19th century. Joe Torre, assistant professor of history at the State...

RIT Scholar Promotes Rochester’s Reform Trail

RIT News Releases - Thu, 08/19/2010 - 12:00

Richard Newman, professor of history at Rochester Institute of Technology, has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to conduct two weeklong summer seminars for K-12 teachers about Rochester’s rich tradition in the reform movements of the 19th century. Joe Torre, assistant professor of history at the State...

RIT Welcomes Students Back to School Aug. 30

RIT News Releases - Thu, 08/19/2010 - 08:00

Rochester Institute of Technology is preparing to welcome back returning students to campus on Aug. 30. Beginning at 8 a.m., approximately 414 students are expected to move in to the newly constructed Global Village complex, the campus’ $54.5 million residential and commercial space. Global Village residences feature 70 suites and aims...

RIT Welcomes Students Back to School Aug. 30

RIT News Releases - Thu, 08/19/2010 - 08:00

Rochester Institute of Technology is preparing to welcome back returning students to campus on Aug. 30. Beginning at 8 a.m., approximately 414 students are expected to move in to the newly constructed Global Village complex, the campus’ $54.5 million residential and commercial space. Global Village residences feature 70 suites and aims...

RIT Formula Race Team Takes Fifth Place in International Competition

RIT News Releases - Wed, 08/18/2010 - 14:00

The Rochester Institute of Technology Formula race team returned to Germany and improved upon last year’s standing, taking fifth place overall in the 2010 SAE Formula Student Germany competition. The team competed Aug. 4-8 in Hockenheimring, Germany, against 76 collegiate design teams from around the world. “As a team, we knew...

RIT Formula Race Team Takes Fifth Place in International Competition

RIT News Releases - Wed, 08/18/2010 - 14:00

The Rochester Institute of Technology Formula race team returned to Germany and improved upon last year’s standing, taking fifth place overall in the 2010 SAE Formula Student Germany competition. The team competed Aug. 4-8 in Hockenheimring, Germany, against 76 collegiate design teams from around the world. “As a team, we knew...