It’s been a long time – maybe too long – since I took\u00c2\u00a0inventory of\u00c2\u00a0the boxes we use regularly for various purposes around the house.<\/p>\n
Except for\u00c2\u00a0the DOS box, and maybe the AutoCAD box, these are all in use with frequencies ranging from 24\/7 to at least weekly. Omitted are the embedded things, iPods and so on. Making this list just now was a good exercise that\u00c2\u00a0surprised me. I mean,\u00c2\u00a0no wonder<\/em> people look at me funny.<\/p>\n (no name)<\/strong> – MS DOS 6.22 change<\/strong> – Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 – 32-bit coco<\/strong> – IOS, version 8 I suppose, too lazy to look darthvader<\/strong> -\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Professional Service Pack\u00c2\u00a02 – 32-bit dbox<\/strong> – GNU\/Linux 3.13.0-36-generic x86_64 family<\/strong> – GNU\/Linux 3.2.0-69-generic-pae i686 hydra<\/strong> -\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 32-bit isolation<\/strong> – Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1 – 32-bit jesus<\/strong> – Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 64-bit lucifer<\/strong> – Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 64-bit macnam<\/strong> – GNU\/Linux 3.2.0-69-generic-pae i686 magic<\/strong> – GNU\/Linux 3.13.0-36-generic i686 merc<\/strong> -\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 32-bit minecraft<\/strong> \u00c2\u00a0– GNU\/Linux 2.6.38-16-generic-pae i686 overkill<\/strong> -\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Home\u00c2\u00a0Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 64-bit porky<\/strong> – Windows 8.1 Professional Update 1 – 64-bit rdnzl<\/strong> -\u00c2\u00a0Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 – 32-bit sheepdip<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 32-bit showtime<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0– GNU\/Linux 3.2.0-69-generic-pae i686 success<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0– GNU\/Linux 3.2.0-69-generic-pae i686 thor<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0Windows 8.1 Professional Update 1 – 64-bit twoface2<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0Windows 8.1 Professional Update 1 – 64-bit udesk<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0– GNU\/Linux 3.2.0-63-generic-pae i686 win7-32<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0Windows 7 Professional Service Pack 1\u00c2\u00a0– 32-bit winnie<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0– Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 – 32-bit It’s been a long time – maybe too long – since I took\u00c2\u00a0inventory of\u00c2\u00a0the boxes we use regularly for various purposes around the house. Except for\u00c2\u00a0the DOS box, and maybe the AutoCAD box, these are all in use with frequencies ranging from 24\/7 to at least weekly. Omitted are the embedded things, iPods and so … Continue reading Inventory<\/span>
\nExists solely to run VisiCalc, the very first electronic spreadsheet that the world had ever seen. I fire it up now and again for folks to show ’em just what computing used to be. It has no name because, well, machines didn’t need<\/em> names back then. You turned ’em on, used ’em, turned ’em off. Pulling the plug was every bit as\u00c2\u00a0good as thumbing the power switch.<\/p>\n
\nThis laptop runs software that I need to use in weird places, like out in the garage tuning motorcycles. It got its name because I bought\u00c2\u00a0it with pocket change. I told the story in <\/span>another post<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAn iPad tablet. It’s good for reading magazines or looking something up quickly at the dinner table or controlling the TV. Bummer Safari sucks so bad.<\/p>\n
\nThe media client that lives out by the pool, so we have cool tunes out there when we get tired\u00c2\u00a0of the radio.<\/p>\n
\nA VirtualBox host machine.<\/p>\n
\nA secure, encrypted file server where the family’s data jewels are stored.<\/p>\n
\nOut in the garage, this\u00c2\u00a0runs a long-term project 24\/7 – when it’s up. Presently it’s down, though, because a fan protecting its I\/O hub is threatening failure and needs a little lube. I’ll get to it.<\/p>\n
\nA sacrificial machine, stuff that needs testing and vetting in a Windows environment isolated from everything – EVERYTHING else – runs here first. Air-gap stuff. Easy to wipe and restore to a known good image.<\/p>\n
\nMy son’s gaming rig and desktop. It’s slightly\u00c2\u00a0dated now, but as we built it and installed things, stuff completed faster than we thought possible. We’d look again, and yup, it was done, leading us to\u00c2\u00a0exclaim “Jesus!” The name stuck. \u00c2\u00a0UPDATE\u00c2\u00a0-\u00c2\u00a0FEBRUARY 2013<\/span>\u00c2\u00a0 jesus died, according to the BIOS status LEDS, of a processor initialization failure. jesus was replace by lucifer.<\/p>\n
\nEssentially jesus with a\u00c2\u00a0new motherboard, CPU, and memory.\u00c2\u00a0My son’s gaming rig and desktop.<\/p>\n
\nA MySQL database server. Firesign Theatre fans will recognize the name.<\/p>\n
\nThe family’s intranet server. Holds subscription material, a software library, and so on. A basic LAMP server where, sometimes, a bit of Web development gets its start\u00c2\u00a0before being deployed elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\nAn old, small HP netbook with a great\u00c2\u00a0keyboard. I’ll write with this out on the deck because the keyboard is so good and the battery life is measured in days.<\/p>\n
\nDuh, it’s a minecraft server, what did you think it was?<\/p>\n
\nUsed exclusively for secure communications with entities that require that sort of thing. Well-patched, no email, no browsing, no nothing except\u00c2\u00a0its one single purpose.<\/p>\n
\nMy primary desktop. It replaced whisky, the desktop\u00c2\u00a0I blew up with a ham-handed move with its internal power cables – while it was running. Oops.<\/p>\n
\nAn old, old laptop, usually hardwired to the DSL modem because sometimes the modem\u00c2\u00a0needs a direct connection to recover when \u00c2\u00a0it misbehaves. On the other hand, just the other week it came in handy to run some old proprietary software to collect audio files from a Sony dictation device. You just never know. Frank Zappa fans will recognize the name.<\/p>\n
\nRuns AutoCAD Architect, with which I heavily modified the design of a home. We presently live in the result of that effort. Named for a blended\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Scotch whisky.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nA media server. Music, video, and more.<\/p>\n
\nA QuickBooks server supporting the business. Does double-duty as a file server for the business, too.<\/p>\n
\nPam’s desktop. Next in line\u00c2\u00a0for a refresh, the overclocked Intel quad-core’s getting a little long in the tooth.<\/p>\n
\nA first generation Microsoft Surface Pro, this is the\u00c2\u00a0travel box. Good enough for me and\/or Pam to do just about anything when we’re on the road.<\/p>\n
\nJust a plain ol’ Linux desktop, when I’m home and a Windows desktop doesn’t quite cut it.<\/p>\n
\nFor running stuff that I don’t want cluttering up a work-a-day machine. These days, that’s photo gallery processing, mostly. Naming this one wasn’t one of my most creative moments.<\/p>\n
\nAn unsupported holdout. Then again, there’s software that modern OSs won’t cope with, or have no modern analog, or I just don’t care to upgrade. That stuff runs here. One good example is when I need to pull something from an Outlook message store; I’ll be damned if I want Outlook near anything valuable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"