[conspire] We get mail

[Rick Moen]

[Didn't retain a copy of the original query.]



 From rick Fri Oct 29 11:14:50 2004
 Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 11:14:51 -0700
 To: L M <ldmiotto at sbcglobal.net>
 Cc: installers at linuxmafia.com
 Subject: Re: Our Linux Transition
 X-Mas: Bah humbug.

Quoting L M (ldmiotto at sbcglobal.net):

> As you might remember, I asked about doing an install
> of Linux on a G4 Cube, a while back.

Hi, Laurence.  I remember.

> I also do volunteer work for the LHCC. This stands for
> "Little House Computer Club." Little House is a senior
> center in Menlo Park which you might have heard of.

I certainly know of Little House, being a longtime Menlo Park person 
(even if I have spent a lot of time away).  I didn't know of the
computer club.

[Snip story about project to migrate a machine.]

> Why am I telling you all this?
> 
> Simple: Can you give me tips on migration? 

Well, we should sit down and talk for a while.  The main obstacles are
not technical, or at least not exactly.  They have to do with psychology
and groupthink.  Here's most of it:
http://linuxmafia.com/pipermail/conspire/2004-September/000535.html

I'm just now back from a business trip to the East Coast and so am
swamped, but it might work out for you to come over and chat this
weekend.  (The next CABAL meeting isn't until Saturday, Nov. 13.)

Our home telephone number is 650-561-9820.



 Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 13:47:52 -0700
 From: Laurence Miotto <ldmiotto at sbcglobal.net>
 To: installers at linuxmafia.com
 X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.553)
 Subject: Re: Our Linux Transition

Thanks a lot. Unfortunatley, the computer itself was bad, and Linux made
a bad impression because it kept crashing (even if Windows did no
better).  Since I only do volunteer work during the week whenever I
don't have school (parent/teacher conferences, in this instance) I won't
be visiting (I'm sick today v.v flu-ish) and I doubt I'll be any better
on Friday. Sunday, I will be out with my parents (Happy Halloween, by
the way), so it will have to wait until next week. Anyways, I know where
you live (I'm on Harkins, it's parallel to Avy Avenue) that's not a
problem.  Anyways, hope to keep in contact with you, and I'll be sure to
show up on Nov 13 (If nothing comes up, which it shouldn't. My schedule
is... dynamic to say the least)




 From rick Fri Oct 29 14:31:05 2004
 Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 14:31:05 -0700
 To: Laurence Miotto <ldmiotto at sbcglobal.net>
 Cc: installers at linuxmafia.com
 Subject: Re: Our Linux Transition
 X-Mas: Bah humbug.

Quoting Laurence Miotto (ldmiotto at sbcglobal.net):

> Thanks a lot. Unfortunatley, the computer itself was bad, and Linux made 
> a bad impression because it kept crashing (even if Windows did no 
> better). 

Aha.  Bad RAM, most likely.  (I'm speculating a bit, since "crash" is
not very specific.)

One of the lessons one learns over time is that MS-Windows is
(inappropriately) tolerant of bad RAM, with the result that users don't
realise anything is wrong -- even though, all the time they're using the
machine, any data passed through the bad RAM addresses on the way to
being read or written to disk is being silently corrupted on the fly.

Linux (like the BSD Unixes and Novell NetWare), on the other hand, is
very intolerant of bad RAM, showing clear signs of distress while
attempting to use it.  Naive users will tend to conclude that this means
Linux is defective -- even though it's doing them a huge favour.


Small history lesson:  Starting around 1994, Intel introduced
motherboard designs that omitted traditional ninth bit, used for parity 
checking, on each byte of RAM.  This made the resulting motherboard a
little cheaper and faster, and let them user cheaper RAM sticks -- at
the cost of running a tremendously greater risk of data damage from
undetected bad RAM.  At the same time, RAM prices keep falling, and thus
so do factory quality standards.

The best tool for checking system RAM for defects is.... Linux.
Specifically, many i386 Linux utility disks have an option to boot
directly into the "memtest86" program, which you can then leave running
overnight to check a system's RAM.

> Since  I only do volunteer work during the week whenever I don't have
> school (parent/teacher conferences, in this instance) I won't be
> visiting (I'm sick today v.v flu-ish), and I doubt I'll be any better
> on Friday.

Get well!  Have someone visit Jing Jing Chinese Restaurant, 443 Emerson
near University Ave., Palo Alto, and get you some Hot Sour Soup.
http://www.jingjingonline.com/