Craig White wrote: > On Tue, 2005-03-01 at 16:59 -0700, Charlie Bullen wrote: > >>Hello All, I have gotten permission to do a demo for members of a class >>on (hold your noses) Windows XP pro. I tend to talk linux up and some of >>my classmates are interested. >> >>Here is the demo. Even though my laptop runs Redhat, I'm going to boot >>it from a clusterKnoppix disk. I then have a bash script that is just a >>buch of nested loops that run CPU usage up to 100% which I will run. >> >>Next I will launch openMosix and boot a couple of PCs over the network >>from my laptop, running clusterKnoppix. I will boot them in text mode. >>Next I will launch the bash script again, and via a nice openMosix >>viewer, will show them how the load on the CPU is now balanced between >>all 3 computers. >> >>Lastly, I will reconfigure openMosic to boot the PCs to a KDE desktop. I >>will then let whoever wants to, play around with the KDE desktops while >>I simultaneously again launch the bash script, balance the load amoung >>the 3 boxes, showing how each computer can still be used as a desktop >>with little or no degradation of performance. >> >>I have done all of this and it all works real well. The instructor is >>99% sure that the classroom PC use PXE booting, but in case they don't, >>I'm bringing a mini-itx box that I have already tried all this out on >>just in case the classroom PCs don't want to play. >> >>I am also bringing my own router and cables just to be sure again. >> >> >>On the one hand the demo seems a bit complex, but as I am bringing >>enough of my own gear, which I have run the described demo on several >>times before, to do everything, without having to use any of the >>classroom gear, I'm very confident that all will go well. >> >>I can't wait to see what a bunch of windows people will think when shown >>what a real OS can do. >> >> >>I'll give a post demo report as well. > > ---- > seems a little geeky to me - especially for a class on Windows XP which > makes me think that these aren't sophisticated computer users (or am I > missing the point?) Load sharing among desktops isn't something I have > ever tried or have wanted to ever try and it makes it seem irrelevant > from the word go but perhaps I would think differently if I saw what you > were doing. > > The thing that really strikes me is your attitude towards Windows > (several references to your disdain and/or your expectations that we > would disdain Windows). Computer are a tool for us to use. Whether the > underlying OS is Linux or Windows or BSD or whatever, it's nothing more > than a tool. I have seen people draw stuff with a text editor and a > postscript printer that amazed me - they were knowledgeable about their > 'tool' and the underlying OS had little to do with anything. > > I think that there are some things that are really impressive about > Linux that seem so easy to overlook - but real Administrators can really > appreciate them... > > - configuration files in plain text. Use any editor to fix the > settings. > Want to remove unneeded dictionaries from OpenOffice.org? > emacs /usr/lib/openoffice/share/dict/ooo/dictionary.lst > Want to change your dns server? > emacs /etc/resolv.conf > Want to provide granular control over who can access your files via > samba? > emacs /etc/hosts.allow /etc/hosts.deny > > - real logs / real time > /var/log/take_your_pick > > - change runlevels, functionality, personality, no need to reboot > telinit 3 > telinit 5 > emacs /etc/sysconfig/network #change hostname > service network restart > ifdown eth0 > ifup eth1 > > - real time debugging... > /usr/bin/mozilla # reports standard out/standard error to terminal > - This is a real clincher - you actually can see > - what is going wrong if/when something is going > - wrong. Lots of times, it's hard to know what's > - the problem on Windows because there's no log > > The last thing I would suggest is NOT to use KDE - it's too much like > Windows and it inevitably brings up the comparisons. Different is > better. You will be fielding comments/questions about why they will > think that Windows is a better desktop system (and in many respects it > is). > > Craig > Kind of OT but a couple of years ago I remember talk about disk sharing in networks (my terms my be off) or sharing unused disk space. The premise is that since the default hard drive is about 40Gig for a desktop where an average of 20 Gig is used, there was some sharing tool being developed to create a type of NAS based on the availability of the drives. Something like a pod of 5 computers would share the same data and that data would show up as 20 Gig of storage on the network. I don't remember the name of the project but I remember being 'wowed' by the idea since some of the workstations equiped today have a default 160G hard drive and our server only has 120G. --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss