Haiku review
by CmdrFenix on Dec.20, 2009, under General
Well, I have run Haiku on my laptop for about 2 days now and I’m ready to type up my thoughts and observations on it. Is it ready for use? No way. Does it show promise? Hell yeah!
Pros
- Boots my Dell Inspiron in 9 seconds. After 9 seconds it’s fully functional on the desktop.
- UI is a perfect clone of BeOS and very smooth and easy to use.
- Multitasking performance is insane! I ran multiple GL Teapot demos, the pulse demo, 3D Haiku demo, browser, and a few other file system windows and at no point did I feel even a slight drop in UI performance. (note: When I added multiple 3D apps I did see some after effects if the windows touched.
- Updated compilers and libraries meant I could get some of the newer apps compiled and working… well somewhat. (note: perl CPAN didn’t work at all and I couldn’t get it working in order to DL XML::Parser, which is needed for one of the dependencies of Pidgin)
- Networking setup was a breeze. It auto detected the NIC in my laptop and everything just worked.
- Downloaded a few apps from BeBits and they worked so BeOS compatibility is “good”. (note: many apps had MAJOR problems loading.)
- Installer was something I have been waiting for and I wasn’t disappointed. (note: There are obvious points where it could be improved / optimized, but for the most part it was simple and worked.
- VERY simple BeOS layout on the file system was a great touch.
Cons
- No package manager. This is a biggie as I had no easy way to uninstall apps I was trying to get working without going through the file system and deleting files.
- I mean I know it lacks a package manager, but being spoiled as I am a lack of an organized package delivery system like yum or apt is big now a days. This would *greatly* improve the functionality of the OS.
- Not a multi-user OS. That’s right, still unfortunately not a multi-user OS, but something that is “on the road map”.
- No way to password protect the single user account. Probably the biggest killer of this right now, but being in Alpha, I wasn’t probably going to leave this on my laptop.
- App support is limited. I was able to get “vision” working as an IRC client, but I couldn’t find a working IM client for this. Big Achilles heel here if you want to penetrate the desktop market.
- Buggy boot loader. After install, it wouldn’t actually boot on the HD. Had to boot the Live CD again and then run “bootman” in order to fix it.
- Needs a clearer roadmap for development. The roadmap they have looks more like a bug tracking system than a roadmap.
Considering the project started in 2001 and now in 2009 they are where they are shows the project definitely has great momentum and some talented developers. They started from the ground up and didn’t take the quick path of using the Linux kernel and just smashing in some GNU toolkits. As of 2008 it is now self hosting, which means it can check out and compile new versions of itself. They did update it to use the newest GCC compilers, which means the newer apps should all compile eventually, but it still has a long way to go.
Time to get into the box I guess.
by CmdrFenix on Dec.19, 2009, under Political Discussion
I have a concealed weapons permit. I believe that having a firearm doesn’t make me a stronger person, but it is a tool that *could* be called upon if the time arises. I am not going to get into an argument with anyone about what instances I might have to use that, (and no a kid with a slingshot doesn’t qualify) but I would like to point out something that I just found out about that was buried in the Amtrak funding bill.
It may sound absurd. But President Obama signed a bill into law Wednesday that requires passengers who carry firearms aboard Amtrak be locked in boxes for their journey.
it was an obvious typo in the bill and I am guessing that if I tried to board an Amtrak train they wouldn’t try to stuff me in a box, but still. Why? Has there been shootings on trains? What reason justifies this action? It has no purpose. Before anyone starts trying to take this to an absurd argument level about liberty and freedom, I am talking strictly about rationale behind this bill. Is it not illegal to harm another human being with a firearm without just cause? I mean, are they trying to make me safer, how?
Earlier this week, Congress sent the president a massive spending bill that funded dozens of federal departments. Tucked into the transportation section of the legislation are safety requirements for Amtrak customers who carry firearms on board the government-backed train system. The bill Congress passed mandates that passengers with firearms declare they have weapons with them in advance and stow them in locked boxes while on the train.
I just have issues when things like this are just tucked away inside of seemly unrelated bills. The provision has no justifiable purpose. The crime they are trying to stop is ALREADY illegal. Why do we need more restrictions? I will also say the Republicans have contributed to my anger. (more often than not lately)
Rep. John Fleming and Sen. Roger Wicker, both Mississippi Republicans, are the primary advocates of the Amtrak gun provision.
I am in no way just anti-Democrats, but right now completely anti-Politicians in general atm. I think it’s about time we flushed this toilet.
Haiku goes Alpha 1!
by CmdrFenix on Dec.18, 2009, under General
I have always been a huge fan of BeOS since around 1999-2000. Simple, fast, and for its day very impressive. When the company went under, they took most of the code with them. A group started redeveloping the OS from the ground up in 2001. Last year, the OS because self hosting, which means it can compile new versions of itself. That in an of itself was a huge milestone. Well, this Sept the OS hit Alpha 1. This month, they released the “installer”, something that up until now meant you could only try Haiku within a premade VM. Well, I just burned my disc and started an install on my old Dell laptop. I have a huge grin on my face and cannot wait for it to finish.
Check it out here!
I’ll be sure to post some new info soon!
The Glock 22
by CmdrFenix on Dec.11, 2009, under Firearms Review
So with the only ammo that I can seem to get reliably being .40 S&W, I made the decision to purchase a handgun in this caliber. I’ve actually had this gun for several months as many of my friends will know, but I’ve been lax about getting this review written, so here it is! So many to choose from, but I finally settled on a Third Generation Glock 22. I got two 15 rnd magazines with the gun, but for IDPA picked up a third magazine.
(continue reading…)
How the…?
by CmdrFenix on Dec.10, 2009, under Political Discussion
I am in shock. Complete and utter shock at how hypocritical the congressional Democrats are. On one hand they can and do condemn the Patriot Act as I do. It’s a blatant violation of our rights. It gives too much discretion to law enforcement. In what I have come to expect as congressional bull$h1t they chose to renew it only showing that once power is been given to a gov’t agency, they are VERY unlikely to ever give it up; even if it’s the right thing to do.
During more than two hours of sometimes-heated debate in the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, some lawmakers accused one another of caving to intelligence officials who wanted to expand their powers, while other senators said the renewal was necessary to protect against looming – and classified – terror threats.
But when the hearing was over, the committee approved renewing measures that include allowing broad warrants to be issued by a secretive court for any type of record, from financial to medical, without the government having to declare that the information sought is connected to a terrorism or espionage investigation. A proposal that would put limits on such requests was defeated.
Let us be very clear about this. The patriot act is nothing more than a broad law enforcement tool that enables them to better spy on Americans all in the guise of fighting terrorism. This was something that was rushed through congress in the days following 9/11 all using the pain of those attacks to get it passed with as little debate as possible. It will be one of George Bush’s legacies.
The thought that people will be safer by stripping away their freedoms is handing victory to the Islamic Fascists. You cannot save Rome by burning it, and you cannot protect freedom by eliminating it.
You want to send a clear message of resistance to the terrorists? Rebuild the twin towers exactly as they were built before and light the building up on opening day with the windows lit in shape of a hand giving an obscene gesture.
What the…?
by CmdrFenix on Dec.09, 2009, under Political Discussion
OK we may not agree on Health Care reform, taxation, firearm control, or even on the existence of the tooth fairy, but seriously… I couldn’t make this $h1t up.
The bill, which faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee, with one audible “no,” from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.
Why the hell is any congressional committee even debating this? Don’t we have more important things like Terrorism? Health Care? A failing economy? A few have voiced opposition to this thankfully.
In a statement before the vote, BCS executive director Bill Hancock said, “With all the serious matters facing our country, surely Congress has more important issues than spending taxpayer money to dictate how college football is played.”
The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said, “We can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
… and we wonder why the important $h1t never gets done or worse the stuff that is done is all f’d up and bogged down with pork.
Change
by CmdrFenix on Nov.14, 2009, under Political Discussion
It has been said that things are not changes all around for the better. So I was reading new articles online, when I came across this one from the Concord Monitor. I have read about several such cases and ironically usually they do include a resident of the “progressive” state of Massachusetts. In this article, you have an 81 yr old man who has been hunting since he was 13. For those of us who have never hunted (never had the stomach to actually kill an animal), most people who skin and then take the meat out will hang and drain the animal’s body. This gentleman as for decades hung the deer and other animals on a tree in his front yard. Someone anonymously called this into police, who of course had to investigate. I cannot fault the police here, but I fault the person who called it in.
“Did you tell them to go back to Massachusetts? That’s what we do up here,” Henry Ladd Jr., 43, recalled saying to the officer.
The police investigate and since nothing illegal was being done, they left, but it brings up an interesting point. Is something someone else is doing that harms NOBODY, but that someone else disagrees with, give anyone the right to stop it? Am I fearful of mobs of people trying to break into my home? Nope, just the ravenous undead *snicker*. Am I fearful of being mugged by armies of degenerates as I walk to my car? I am cautious and keep an eye out for what is around me, but no. So again, does that give ANYONE else the right to say I cannot carry something for personal defense because they don’t see a threat? Again, the answer is no. And that is the schism that I see in our country right now. On one hand you have people who have never harmed another person in their life, and on the other, you have a group of people who feel they know what is best for everyone. This includes my above point on self defense, taxation, and the role of government.
I am not saying we shouldn’t have a federal government. I am not saying the government shouldn’t have assistance programs. I am not saying every citizen should be allowed to own an M1 Abrams. I am also saying I do not have all of the answers, but some of the legislation whether it be guns or air fresheners on your car’s rear view mirror shows me that the people writing this legislation don’t know either.
Whether you disagree with my viewpoints on guns, freedom, taxation, government organizations, or even on the existence of the tooth fairy, you HAVE to admit things ARE changing even here in NH. It sometimes feels like legislators put laws on the books to make themselves feel better rather than really facing a problem, and no, I am not even talking about the 1,990 page health care “reform” bill.
One more example of why the UK is lost
by CmdrFenix on Oct.27, 2009, under General
Using an obscure law that allowed police to seize the assets of criminals, the UK police have raided over 6,700 safety deposit boxes. What is very scary about this? Besides of course that they didn’t just raid the boxes of criminals. They cut them all open with angle grinders, cataloged the contents, and then basically said you had to prove you obtained the items (money, jewels, etc…) legally.
One survivor of Nazi Germany in his seventies told us how he had placed a bag of diamonds there – security if ever he or his descendents needed to run again.
‘
My wife and I had escaped from Germany with nothing but these gems,’ he said. ‘She sewed them into our clothing before we crossed occupied Europe, reaching Britain by ship when the jewels were snipped out and locked up.’There was a rabbi too, Yitzchak Schochet, of Mill Hill Synagogue, who said: ‘Safety deposit boxes are supposed to be confidential. The whole situation was very unsettling and an intrusion of privacy.’
I’m sorry, but unless I have no other option, I will NEVER travel to the UK.
I know this is a quick small article. I’ll have some more soon! Stay tuned! 
Another case of zero tolerance…
by CmdrFenix on Oct.15, 2009, under General
I have mentioned and talked about Marie Morrow in Aurora, CO before. See is the commander of the school drill team, a model student, and is also facing expulsion for a school’s zero tolerance policy.
Marie Morrow is likely to find out today whether she will be expelled from school for having fake rifles used as props in a youth marine group on school grounds.
The 17-year-old Cherokee Trail High School senior was suspended Feb. 5 after other students saw the props in her vehicle and notified school officials.
They weren’t even real and they were used in a school function!
Colorado has a “zero-tolerance” law when it comes to guns on school campuses, and even a facsimile of a gun or rifle that looks real is considered a dangerous weapon.
They also have a zero brain policy. Laws are there to protect people and punish those will mal-intent, but it seems they are also being exercised to ensnare and punish people who make innocent mistakes.
Zachary Christie is a all around good 6 year old boy. He just joined the cub scouts and got a camping spoon, fork, and knife combo unit and was so excited he brought it to school to eat at lunch with. OK, so the kid made a mistake. Take it away, give it to parents, and maybe have a meeting with them. Something reasonable right?
Zachary’s offense? Taking a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school. He was so excited about recently joining the Cub Scouts that he wanted to use it at lunch. School officials concluded that he had violated their zero-tolerance policy on weapons, and Zachary was suspended and now faces 45 days in the district’s reform school.
In many way, this term “zero tolerance” seems to be a blanket excuse to prevent school administrators and anyone else from using their brain. I don’t want to have to make a mistake and try and determine intent here so I’m going wear my “zero tolerance” hat. Well, I’m sorry, but school administrators here need to start smartening (ironic for where they work) and try and bring some wisdom into their descisions.
I wish to declare Britain as lost
by CmdrFenix on Sep.30, 2009, under General
I have written in the past about some of the injustices in Britain when it comes to self defense in one’s own home. In this most recent incident, a heavily pregnant woman (about 7 mos) was raped at shotgun point with a boyfriend there. But wait… shotguns and handguns are illegal and only should be in possession of the law enforcement in Britain? If only they had been allowed to protect themeselves. Well putting this aside, they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in CCTV cameras so they can watch every citizen and catch the bad guys, right? They have one picture of some “people of interest”, but no solid suspects. I am sorry, but this is a big bag of FAIL.
Despite the desperate pleas of her boyfriend who begged them not to harm the mother-to-be, she was forced to perform a sex act by the masked man, who threatened to shoot the couple if she did not follow his orders.
…
Police decided to offer the reward after failing to trace the gang. They have released images of three men caught on CCTV at a nearby shop a few minutes before the attack, whom they wish to question.
But wait… the insanity gets much worse. With all the crime they DO have right now, what are the Police doing to stop all of it? How about arrest a father of four because his trash lid was ajar more than 4in because they only pick it up once every fourth night? Sure, why not! Jesus, they even wore “stab proof vests”, took a week’s wages from him as a fine, and he was even forced to pay a victim surcharge fine… which is amazing since the only victim was him and his family.
Magistrates convicted the 26-year-old bus driver after hearing evidence that the lid was four inches ajar, which is against rules to stop bins overflowing.
…
He was ordered to pay £210 – a week’s wages – after he declined to pay an on-the-spot fine imposed by the local council’s bin police, who visited him wearing stab-proof vests and carrying photographic evidence of his crime.
I’m sorry, but the number of incidents like this and others is piling up and there are too many, on such a small island, to say these are just isolated incidents. For all our problems, all our differences, it is when I read about stuff like this that I pat my 1911 and thank God I’m in America.
