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2010-07-02

Oxca KVM over IP

Oxca makes a range of KVM products, including one to provide remote KVM access via TCP/IP. The latter uses a java applet and runs in the browser, and isn't very fine at all. (more…)

Link: rant.g/hardware/oxca-kvm-over-ip • Tags: hardware, rant

2010-06-28

Trading IPv4 addresses

People keep saying blah about how IPv4 can go on even if there are no free addresses, they'll just be traded on a free market.

So. I don't think so.

Either, the blocks to be traded will primarily be large (the kind commonly routed today), or primarily be small (the kind commonly handed to end-users). I'll argue each separately. (more…)

Link: rant.g/ipv6/little-ipv4-trading • Tags: ipv6, rant

2010-06-18

Building a balanced binary tree from sorted input in O(n)

Writing about Knuth's literate programming book reminded me about when I met him (at a conference) and asked why the following algorithm wasn't in TAOCP. He grasped the algorithm from a ten-second description, and said it wasn't there because he didn't know about it. Good reason.

My TA at university (when I invented it for an exercise) wasn't aware of it either, but unlike Knuth, my TA didn't understand it. And I hadn't commented the code at all. Sigh.

Here are some words in sorted order: (more…)

Link: rant.g/building-binary-tree • Tags: code, knuth

2010-06-17

Virtualbox, AnyDVD and read errors

If AnyDVD pops up a big dialog about read errors (suggesting a region-free fimware from rpc1.com, cleaning the DVD, etc), and you're using it inside Virtualbox, then the correct solution is: (more…)

Link: rant.g/linux/virtualbox-anydvd • Tags: linux

2010-06-16

I learn Puppet

I need to use Puppet, a system to configure linux boxes (add the right users, install and configure the right services, make sure the right things are running and the wrong things not). Puppet seems good, better than cfengine.

So I read the existing configuration, which seemed to make sense but left a lot of open questions, read the the documentation, felt little wiser, and bought a book (Pulling strings with Puppet by James Turnbull) and (more…)

Link: rant.g/linux/learning-puppet • Tags: linux, puppet

2010-05-28

VERP sucks

Last year I bought a phone for Abhijit, who prefers something small and simple and couldn't find it. I could, at €17, so I ordered one and sent it to him, and have been spammed ever since. Not a problem, I can reject mail faster than (more…)

Link: rant.g/spam/verp-sucks • Tags: spam

2010-05-26

Linux and the Samsung SCX-4828FN multifunction printer

I have a Samsung SCX-4828FN printer/fax/­copier/scanner, and use it with linux and BSD.

The printer is fine for black and white text, such as I usually print: Fast, crisp text with fine edges, nicely readable. Duplex printing just works. The printer can print quite close to the paper's edge, too. (more…)

Link: rant.g/hardware/samsung-4828 • Tags: hardware, linux, postscript

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By Arnt Gulbrandsen, arnt@gulbrandsen.priv.no