I've just travelled some distance to get to a hosting centre my company has kit at. It's not easy or cheap really for us to do work down here, but this is where it's at.
So doing work is a pain, especially when you have to do it at stupid o'clock to cause least disruption to our customers.
So getting in, doing the shizzle and getting out asap is always a good thing. So things need to be prepared beforehand. What,when and by whom.
However arriving on site with barely any of the kit prepared and a few hastily written notes is not good, recipe for disaster.
So we've now discovered in our haste to get down here missing most of the rush hour traffic we've forgotten one cable. Ordinarily we wouldn't need it as it's only for initially setting up a device, the worst thing is the device is used for remote management of all the other kit we installing.
Arse.
Monday, 13 December 2010
Friday, 24 September 2010
Commercial vs Opensource
I'm a huge Opensource fan, it's what the web is about. However, commercial offerings have there place. No company can totally support each of the apps it uses, and so commercial offering can be a great resource.
Commercial offerings on opensource products I'm also not an enemy of. However, if I'm paying for something I could potentially get for free I have to see the benefit.
Typically this would be a slicker, more streamlined and documented. Also the support of a team that can go figure stuff out for me.
Recently we've become a customer of Op5, a commercial offering of Nagios. It's a better interface, gui config, but sod all documentation. I don't count a document that says "put the alias in here", and a screenshot of the alias input, as documentation.
I need to know structure design of implementation, what the various options actually mean to me. And perhaps a few examples.
In effect I would have probably been better to tweak the old design I had with nagios, rather than have to decompile their mechanism. Also there helpdesk attitude stinks.
Commercial offerings on opensource products I'm also not an enemy of. However, if I'm paying for something I could potentially get for free I have to see the benefit.
Typically this would be a slicker, more streamlined and documented. Also the support of a team that can go figure stuff out for me.
Recently we've become a customer of Op5, a commercial offering of Nagios. It's a better interface, gui config, but sod all documentation. I don't count a document that says "put the alias in here", and a screenshot of the alias input, as documentation.
I need to know structure design of implementation, what the various options actually mean to me. And perhaps a few examples.
In effect I would have probably been better to tweak the old design I had with nagios, rather than have to decompile their mechanism. Also there helpdesk attitude stinks.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Arggh Android contd...
Well suddenly, later on yesterday downloads suddenly sprung into action. I don't know if it was to do with the googlemaps updates or what, but now I'm able to pretty much download most apps.
The ones I presume I can't are possibly because the the app server is not responding (I'm presuming there is offsite hosting for most of the apps)
So I'm much happier, though a little worried about how often this is going to happen.
As regards the Crackberry. There seems to be a little issue with the account, until later this week apparently the handset won't get proper GPRS, so some functionality is not available yet. i.e Facebook and msn. We're both hoping that facebook is going to work properly too, or I'll be getting some jealous digging in the ribs about my phone.
The ones I presume I can't are possibly because the the app server is not responding (I'm presuming there is offsite hosting for most of the apps)
So I'm much happier, though a little worried about how often this is going to happen.
As regards the Crackberry. There seems to be a little issue with the account, until later this week apparently the handset won't get proper GPRS, so some functionality is not available yet. i.e Facebook and msn. We're both hoping that facebook is going to work properly too, or I'll be getting some jealous digging in the ribs about my phone.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Arggh Android
My other half has been prodding at me to upgrade her phone for a while (it's my old contract, and to keep the number it has to stay in my name).
So when her boss and a the locum showed her the Blackberry Curve 8250, she increased her prodding. Worse of all, it was on a good deal with our mobile provider.
So I got dragged along to sign her up. The problem was, I was getting a little tired with my old, but venerable, Ericsson K510i. However, it's been dropped a few times and it has sand in it, so occasionally the caller has gravel effect to their voice.
So I thought, why not look at one of these lovely new Android phones. I've seen the iPhone and think it incredibly overpriced and running Linux creates problems with less support. Not only that it seems to just be a cash cow, and I'm not into jailbreaking items. Though I firmly believe in free/open source software, I also believe people should be free to run the revenue streams they want without people stealing their income.
So now to the phones. I've had a Crackberry way back, it was useful tool for what we needed, but not really for me. However, my other half is still new to the InterWeb, so mail and the other few bits server her well. The phone seems familiar to the old style I used and has a few nice extras on top. All in all not a bad phone, especially as they gave her the wrong one, a 9700 rather than 8250.
So far I've yet to see how to download and install extra apps, or other capabilities. The keyboard is small, but very usable for our hands and is a good competitor to the touchscreen technology. However my other half has noted that it does make the web pages small.
The major gripe so far: Apparently it can't cope with YouTube vids of more than 5MB in size, which seems to be a real issue.
Now to the HTC Wildfire Android. First impressions are fantastic. It required me to almost double my monthy fee, but hey that's what promotions are their for. (I got one recently.) The touch screen works well, it took only a few minutes to get used to it.
I've hooked it up to my internal mail (I'll test out other options at other times). WiFi is working a treat. Overall it really looks good. I have seen a good bunch of apps I'd like, including some ssh stuff, which I really hoped it had.
What made me plunge for the extra expense was the fact I had a 28 day return on the item, if I decided I didn't like it.
So to the apps reviews, which I have to give 0 out of 5 for every single one. Why? Because I can't download a single one. The googlemail (which I HAD to, I mean it refused to use the existing login, my previously used none googlemail account), and the google talk work a treat, but I just can't download a single app, I wasted most of yesterday and half of this morning on.
And this is not isolated, apparently it has been ongoing for about a year (perhaps even more hard to tell), thousands of people complaining that the marketplace download just stops. Some people have attributed it to moving to gmail from googlemail in the UK, others to not logging in on gtalk. But in the main it just stops work. For me it's just not working, even after a reset of the phone.
This is a major show stopper. If this affects this amount of people I could see the whole project failing and I can't believe the manufacturers and Google are looking at this more.
So for the moment I'm somewhat angry and annoyed. I'll wander around abit and see if I can pick up a decent 3G signal somewhere (I live out in the sticks, so dependent on the wifi for data, though apparently the Crackberry is picking up a signal)
So long for now.
So when her boss and a the locum showed her the Blackberry Curve 8250, she increased her prodding. Worse of all, it was on a good deal with our mobile provider.
So I got dragged along to sign her up. The problem was, I was getting a little tired with my old, but venerable, Ericsson K510i. However, it's been dropped a few times and it has sand in it, so occasionally the caller has gravel effect to their voice.
So I thought, why not look at one of these lovely new Android phones. I've seen the iPhone and think it incredibly overpriced and running Linux creates problems with less support. Not only that it seems to just be a cash cow, and I'm not into jailbreaking items. Though I firmly believe in free/open source software, I also believe people should be free to run the revenue streams they want without people stealing their income.
So now to the phones. I've had a Crackberry way back, it was useful tool for what we needed, but not really for me. However, my other half is still new to the InterWeb, so mail and the other few bits server her well. The phone seems familiar to the old style I used and has a few nice extras on top. All in all not a bad phone, especially as they gave her the wrong one, a 9700 rather than 8250.
So far I've yet to see how to download and install extra apps, or other capabilities. The keyboard is small, but very usable for our hands and is a good competitor to the touchscreen technology. However my other half has noted that it does make the web pages small.
The major gripe so far: Apparently it can't cope with YouTube vids of more than 5MB in size, which seems to be a real issue.
Now to the HTC Wildfire Android. First impressions are fantastic. It required me to almost double my monthy fee, but hey that's what promotions are their for. (I got one recently.) The touch screen works well, it took only a few minutes to get used to it.
I've hooked it up to my internal mail (I'll test out other options at other times). WiFi is working a treat. Overall it really looks good. I have seen a good bunch of apps I'd like, including some ssh stuff, which I really hoped it had.
What made me plunge for the extra expense was the fact I had a 28 day return on the item, if I decided I didn't like it.
So to the apps reviews, which I have to give 0 out of 5 for every single one. Why? Because I can't download a single one. The googlemail (which I HAD to, I mean it refused to use the existing login, my previously used none googlemail account), and the google talk work a treat, but I just can't download a single app, I wasted most of yesterday and half of this morning on.
And this is not isolated, apparently it has been ongoing for about a year (perhaps even more hard to tell), thousands of people complaining that the marketplace download just stops. Some people have attributed it to moving to gmail from googlemail in the UK, others to not logging in on gtalk. But in the main it just stops work. For me it's just not working, even after a reset of the phone.
This is a major show stopper. If this affects this amount of people I could see the whole project failing and I can't believe the manufacturers and Google are looking at this more.
So for the moment I'm somewhat angry and annoyed. I'll wander around abit and see if I can pick up a decent 3G signal somewhere (I live out in the sticks, so dependent on the wifi for data, though apparently the Crackberry is picking up a signal)
So long for now.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Things to do when asking for help in an IRC Chat Room
1) Post your entire live firewall on a pastebin site
2) Post passwords for your system so people can help diagnose your current issue.
3) Rant about completely off topic problems, then wonder why the operators kick you out. When it says ##networking be sure to start asking questions on why your visual basic script won't connect to a server.
Yes we really do see things like this on a daily basis in chat rooms trying to help people. Remember these folks are not being paid for this and probably using up time they could be dedicating to solving problems at work that they are being paid for,
2) Post passwords for your system so people can help diagnose your current issue.
3) Rant about completely off topic problems, then wonder why the operators kick you out. When it says ##networking be sure to start asking questions on why your visual basic script won't connect to a server.
Yes we really do see things like this on a daily basis in chat rooms trying to help people. Remember these folks are not being paid for this and probably using up time they could be dedicating to solving problems at work that they are being paid for,
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Ruling the World
I lied didn't I. Well hopefully I'll put that to rights over the next few weeks.
I'm going to put in a few excuses, just because everybody likes giving excuses.
1) I got busy
2) I never actually had much of a chance to play it
3) I kinda forgot to.
So what is my main initial views on Earthdawn Third Edition.
PROs
1) It's a good game, enough rules to provide a framework, a rich and varied world
2) It's far better laid out that either of the two previous editions, the splitting of GM and player's guide is probably a good decision.
3) Various refinements, some optional play for those liking the old ways of doing certain things, or argue against game rule vs real world thoughs
CONs
1) It could have been better. Redbrick themselves admit it was rushed due to contract deals on publishing
2) Alot of rehashing. Alot of the material is straight copy from older editions, which means that to get some of the newer stuff, I'm seeing alot of the material I already have. And this is purely in core books, not sourcebooks. Though saying that as a newcomer you would probably view this as a PRO.
3) It's still very much the same as the previous two editions. A few tweaks here and there, nothing has really changed. In fact a number of 2nd Edition characters have been "converted" with no changes at all. The rest feel very much the same. Considering how many games systems (particularly looking at how DnD 4e has moved on) have evolved, ED is looking a bit Dinosaurish.
4) Poor support. Over six months on and very little had been released, in the way of supporting material. We have the original Guidebooks, an expansion for both GMs and Players (called companions). Nations of Barsaive I: Throal sourcebook, a rehash of the 1st edition release. Namegivers of Barsaive sourcebook, a amalgamation of previous 1st edition releases. Ardanyan's Revenge and Shards adventures, both updates from 1st to 3rd. The only truely original piece is Kratas: City of Thieves, which was to be released for Earthdawn Classic, but delayed for 3rd
So although I believe this is best edition yet, I have found it hard to justify my expenditure, if I was such a fan. Also my group that I play with has come to a shuddering halt in progress with the game we were in (I hate you Real Life).
Conclusion
If you have yet to play ED, this is the version for you. If you have Earthdawn Classic or 2nd Edition, possibly worth waiting unless you have a burning desire for the latest and greatest.
I'm going to put in a few excuses, just because everybody likes giving excuses.
1) I got busy
2) I never actually had much of a chance to play it
3) I kinda forgot to.
So what is my main initial views on Earthdawn Third Edition.
PROs
1) It's a good game, enough rules to provide a framework, a rich and varied world
2) It's far better laid out that either of the two previous editions, the splitting of GM and player's guide is probably a good decision.
3) Various refinements, some optional play for those liking the old ways of doing certain things, or argue against game rule vs real world thoughs
CONs
1) It could have been better. Redbrick themselves admit it was rushed due to contract deals on publishing
2) Alot of rehashing. Alot of the material is straight copy from older editions, which means that to get some of the newer stuff, I'm seeing alot of the material I already have. And this is purely in core books, not sourcebooks. Though saying that as a newcomer you would probably view this as a PRO.
3) It's still very much the same as the previous two editions. A few tweaks here and there, nothing has really changed. In fact a number of 2nd Edition characters have been "converted" with no changes at all. The rest feel very much the same. Considering how many games systems (particularly looking at how DnD 4e has moved on) have evolved, ED is looking a bit Dinosaurish.
4) Poor support. Over six months on and very little had been released, in the way of supporting material. We have the original Guidebooks, an expansion for both GMs and Players (called companions). Nations of Barsaive I: Throal sourcebook, a rehash of the 1st edition release. Namegivers of Barsaive sourcebook, a amalgamation of previous 1st edition releases. Ardanyan's Revenge and Shards adventures, both updates from 1st to 3rd. The only truely original piece is Kratas: City of Thieves, which was to be released for Earthdawn Classic, but delayed for 3rd
So although I believe this is best edition yet, I have found it hard to justify my expenditure, if I was such a fan. Also my group that I play with has come to a shuddering halt in progress with the game we were in (I hate you Real Life).
Conclusion
If you have yet to play ED, this is the version for you. If you have Earthdawn Classic or 2nd Edition, possibly worth waiting unless you have a burning desire for the latest and greatest.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
If I ruled the world, well my fantasy roleplaying world anyway
I've just taken delivery of the new version of my favourite roleplaying system. Having seen the changes to Dungeons and Dragons, in the latest incarnation that is 4th edition, how does it compare and what do I think of it.
Over the next few weeks, I will look to dissect and discuss Earthdawn 3rd Edition.
If you are an Earthdawn player or GM and yet to discover the fansite EDPT, then I suggest you scoot on over to http://www.edpt.org
Over the next few weeks, I will look to dissect and discuss Earthdawn 3rd Edition.
If you are an Earthdawn player or GM and yet to discover the fansite EDPT, then I suggest you scoot on over to http://www.edpt.org
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