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News for nerds, stuff that mattersen-usCopyright 1997-2009, Geeknet, Inc. All Rights Reserved.2009-11-10T02:40:30+00:00Geeknet, Inc.help@slashdot.orgTechnologyhourly11970-01-01T00:00+00:00Slashdot: Ask Slashdothttp://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gif
http://ask.slashdot.org/
Reporting To Executives
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/IH4t9bKzjF4/Reporting-To-Executives
chopsuei3 writes 'As a System Administrator, I am charged with providing more insight into the functioning of the system. What types of reports and information do other System Administrators submit to executives and on what frequency? Measurements such as uptime and average page latency are useful, but our site is relatively stable and we see minimal downtime, so I'm looking for other important and useful information I can report up to better illustrate my efforts. Our system is also unique in that about 70% of the traffic we see is from devices and not human browsers. I am a lone System Administrator in a 20 person company which specializes in web based irrigation management. I also simultaneously perform all IT related tasks in the office, which may also be important to report up to executives on regular basis.'<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/09/1429230/Reporting-To-Executives?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/09/1429230"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/09/1429230/Reporting-To-Executives?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/aIGay5Mke_QBiMg-lnJ0S_DK-_E/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/aIGay5Mke_QBiMg-lnJ0S_DK-_E/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/aIGay5Mke_QBiMg-lnJ0S_DK-_E/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/aIGay5Mke_QBiMg-lnJ0S_DK-_E/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/IH4t9bKzjF4" height="1" width="1"/>CmdrTaco2009-11-09T14:38:00+00:00itjustify-your-existenceaskslashdot270270,265,208,158,50,29,19http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/09/1429230/Reporting-To-Executives?from=rssReusing Old TiVo Hardware?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/fmlHrEPIDXU/Reusing-Old-TiVo-Hardware
buss_error writes "I have old TiVo hardware that I'd like to reuse — however, I find in searching that the most frequent reply is: 'Don't cheat TiVo!' I don't want to cheat TiVo — in fact, I'd like to nuke the drive with a completely open-source distro with no TiVo drivers at all. Some uses I think would be interesting: recording video for security cameras or a drive cam; a unit for weather reporting; fax/telephone; a power monitor for the home; or other home automation. I would prefer a completely TiVo-free install — this is because I have major issues with TiVo and don't want the slightest taint of their intellectual property. But, since I paid for the hardware, I'd like to wring some use out of it rather than simply putting it in the landfill."<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/08/1659227/Reusing-Old-TiVo-Hardware?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/08/1659227"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/08/1659227/Reusing-Old-TiVo-Hardware?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/fhN7KlcZ-cgdyo-kIQgJ0NFuBtk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/fhN7KlcZ-cgdyo-kIQgJ0NFuBtk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/fhN7KlcZ-cgdyo-kIQgJ0NFuBtk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/fhN7KlcZ-cgdyo-kIQgJ0NFuBtk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/fmlHrEPIDXU" height="1" width="1"/>Soulskill2009-11-08T17:17:00+00:00hardhackself-warming-feline-nap-stationaskslashdot178178,172,139,112,39,27,22http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/08/1659227/Reusing-Old-TiVo-Hardware?from=rssSimple, Cost-Effective, Multiroom Audio?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/6v-j4z13j8Q/Simple-Cost-Effective-Multiroom-Audio
jimicus writes "I'd like a multiroom audio system but I'm thoroughly confused by the options available — and the difference in prices is huge. For instance, Philips have a wireless system which starts at around £280 — and Russound have a product which comes in around £1,000. I've already got all my music as MP3s and it lives on a NAS box — I don't really want to repeat that process. I also have a perfectly capable amp and speakers in my living room, so I don't really need anything else there. Whatever I go for has to pass the wife test — so something which requires a separate amp, speakers and PC in each room and requires a keyboard to control is right out. I don't mind spending a little money but I don't really want to find that every little extra thing adds up to £thousands. Has anyone else dealt with a similar problem? How did you solve it?"<p><a href="http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/11/07/2256218/Simple-Cost-Effective-Multiroom-Audio?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/07/2256218"></a></p><p><a href="http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/11/07/2256218/Simple-Cost-Effective-Multiroom-Audio?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/MuBahTF1BRhTGpQ3mf9TMSUl0Do/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/MuBahTF1BRhTGpQ3mf9TMSUl0Do/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/MuBahTF1BRhTGpQ3mf9TMSUl0Do/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/MuBahTF1BRhTGpQ3mf9TMSUl0Do/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/6v-j4z13j8Q" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-11-07T23:00:00+00:00musicpowered-monitors-and-long-cableshardware425425,423,309,205,52,37,22http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/11/07/2256218/Simple-Cost-Effective-Multiroom-Audio?from=rssHome Phone System That Syncs To Computer?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/8eCGtNg-jWI/Home-Phone-System-That-Syncs-To-Computer
An anonymous reader writes 'In comparison to the advanced technology in today's smart phones, the standard home phone is painfully backwards. My current setup is a Panasonic system that has 4 cordless phones over one base station. Setting the time on one phone changes the time on all the phones; however, this is not the case for the phone book. Each entry must be manually copied (pushed) to each handset. Is this as far as home phone technology has come? What I would like is a phone system that I could sync to my computer so I could update the phone book over all the units (if not sync with Address Book or Outlook), keep a log of caller IDs, or even forward me new voicemail notifications. Does anyone know if such a system exists?'<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/05/2021254/Home-Phone-System-That-Syncs-To-Computer?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/05/2021254"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/05/2021254/Home-Phone-System-That-Syncs-To-Computer?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/OvnfbBptAicsZACViEmNcXnkMMc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/OvnfbBptAicsZACViEmNcXnkMMc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/OvnfbBptAicsZACViEmNcXnkMMc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/OvnfbBptAicsZACViEmNcXnkMMc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/8eCGtNg-jWI" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-11-05T20:40:00+00:00communicationsnot-where-the-action-isaskslashdot403403,400,314,222,46,26,14http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/05/2021254/Home-Phone-System-That-Syncs-To-Computer?from=rssOn-Demand Video + CMS + Interactive Input For Museum?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/ZRm24waEYXc/On-Demand-Video--CMS--Interactive-Input-For-Museum
remolacha writes "I've been given the task of tech chief for a biggish art museum (1,300 m^2, or about 13,000 sq ft) in Spain. The museum's designers want 20 'terminals' that will offer on-demand video and interactive content. The terminals' content will change with the exhibits; many will have touchscreens. More interesting forms of input are planned as well (floor sensors, big buttons). It's all on one floor, and the floors are raised, so I can run cabling and set up floor ethernet jacks. Max cable run is 60m / 190ft. The museum may expand to 4 times its projected size once open, by comandeering other floors in the building. To give an idea of where the designers heads are, they were talking about a massive DVD changer in a closet somewhere. I am thinking an intranet running a web server with a CMS and Flash media server, terminals running Firefox in kiosk mode. I'd love to do everything on Linux. Does anyone have experience with a setup like this, better ideas, or advice?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/04/2236220/On-Demand-Video--CMS--Interactive-Input-For-Museum?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/04/2236220"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/04/2236220/On-Demand-Video--CMS--Interactive-Input-For-Museum?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
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<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/KeZHJ_HS0c4PZhI8oKV7trueyhA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/KeZHJ_HS0c4PZhI8oKV7trueyhA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/ZRm24waEYXc" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-11-04T22:55:00+00:00displaysfree-reign-in-spainaskslashdot131131,129,90,56,21,11,5http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/11/04/2236220/On-Demand-Video--CMS--Interactive-Input-For-Museum?from=rssComputer Activities for Those With Speech and Language Difficulties?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/V37mZNREsvA/Computer-Activities-for-Those-With-Speech-and-Language-Difficulties
An anonymous reader writes "My girlfriend is training to be a speech and language therapist here in the UK (speech pathologist in the US). A number of clients are guys who enjoy playing computer games, and for a variety of reasons some have no incentive to try and improve their speech. The issue is, this can obviously inhibit options for jobs and/or other aspects of life. I was trying to think of fun computer-based activities for those with speech and language difficulties that encourage individuals to speak, and furthermore to speak with greater clarity. Or games/activities that might encourage them to do more speech work. The first options that sprang to mind were the online games with team-speak / team-talk for those with mild difficulties. The sampling / accent issue might force them to speak with greater clarity or wish to have that ability. Obviously, they can just type. Any thoughts?"<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/11/01/2145208/Computer-Activities-for-Those-With-Speech-and-Language-Difficulties?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/11/01/2145208"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/11/01/2145208/Computer-Activities-for-Those-With-Speech-and-Language-Difficulties?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/74g2HIKpO5hc8aK-h0hdbrTrupc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/74g2HIKpO5hc8aK-h0hdbrTrupc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/74g2HIKpO5hc8aK-h0hdbrTrupc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/74g2HIKpO5hc8aK-h0hdbrTrupc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/V37mZNREsvA" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-11-01T23:02:00+00:00medicineyr-voice-is-yr-passwordscience145145,134,99,74,22,10,4http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/11/01/2145208/Computer-Activities-for-Those-With-Speech-and-Language-Difficulties?from=rssWhat Happened To the Bay Bridge?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/GZlZ0V9hWnk/What-Happened-To-the-Bay-Bridge
farnsworth writes "Tony Alfrey has put together a fascinating page with some history, analysis, and possible explanations for what ultimately went wrong with the recent emergency repair of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The bridge has been closed for days and is not scheduled to open for days to come, hugely inconveniencing more than 250,000 people a day. His analysis touches on possibly poor welding, a possibly flawed temporary fix, and the absence of a long-term fix or adequate follow-up by Caltrans, the agency responsible for the bridge. Slashdot is a great engineering community; what other insights do you have on the bridge situation?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/31/1620218/What-Happened-To-the-Bay-Bridge?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/31/1620218"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/31/1620218/What-Happened-To-the-Bay-Bridge?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Zyqg64F92XPGceLh6YvN_VgodiA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Zyqg64F92XPGceLh6YvN_VgodiA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Zyqg64F92XPGceLh6YvN_VgodiA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Zyqg64F92XPGceLh6YvN_VgodiA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/GZlZ0V9hWnk" height="1" width="1"/>kdawson2009-10-31T18:36:00+00:00transportationspan-in-the-worksaskslashdot407407,396,298,243,66,46,29http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/31/1620218/What-Happened-To-the-Bay-Bridge?from=rssInstalling Linux On Old Hardware?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/-YrbQ27rIK0/Installing-Linux-On-Old-Hardware
cptdondo writes "I've got an old laptop that I've been trying to resurrect. It has a 486MHz CPU, 28 MB of RAM, a 720 MB HD, a 1.44MB floppy drive, and 640x480 VESA video. It does not have a CD drive, USB port, or a network port. It has PCMCIA, and I have a network card for that. My goal is to get a minimal GUI that lets me run a basic browser like Dillo and open a couple of xterms. I've spent the last few days trying to find a Linux distro that will work on that machine. I've done a lot of work on OpenWRT, so naturally I though that would work, but X appears to be broken in the recent builds — I can't get the keyboard to work. (OK, not surprising; OpenWRT is made to run on WiFi Access Point hardware which doesn't have a keyboard...) All of the 'mini' distros come as a live CD; useless on a machine without a CD-ROM. Ditto for the USB images. I'm also finding that the definition of a 'mini' distro has gotten to the point of 'It fits on a 3GB partition and needs 128 MB RAM to run.' Has Linux really become that bloated? Do we really need 2.2 GB of cruft to bring up a simple X session? Is there a distro that provides direct ext2 images instead of live CDs?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/30/2126252/Installing-Linux-On-Old-Hardware?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/30/2126252"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/30/2126252/Installing-Linux-On-Old-Hardware?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6Eh-4Y_tL9O9cOSMDbatciSP0lQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6Eh-4Y_tL9O9cOSMDbatciSP0lQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6Eh-4Y_tL9O9cOSMDbatciSP0lQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6Eh-4Y_tL9O9cOSMDbatciSP0lQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/-YrbQ27rIK0" height="1" width="1"/>Soulskill2009-10-30T22:18:00+00:00linuxwhere-are-those-old-telegraph-driversaskslashdot507507,500,362,257,62,32,22http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/30/2126252/Installing-Linux-On-Old-Hardware?from=rssHow To Enter Equations Quickly In Class?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/f6ItwA3uUiM/How-To-Enter-Equations-Quickly-In-Class
AdmiralXyz writes "I'm a university student, and I like to take notes on my (non-tablet) computer whenever possible, so it's easier to sort, categorize, and search through them later. Trouble is, I'm going into higher and higher math classes, and typing "f_X(x) = integral(-infinity, infinity, f(x,y) dy)" just isn't cutting it anymore: I need a way to get real-looking equations into my notes. I'm not particular about the details, the only requirement is that I need to keep up with the lecture, so it has to be fast, fast, fast. Straight LaTeX is way too slow, and Microsoft's Equation Editor isn't even worth mentioning. The platform is not a concern (I'm on a MacBook Pro and can run either Windows or Ubuntu in a virtual box if need be), but the less of a hit to battery life, the better. I've looked at several dedicated equation editing programs, but none of them, or their reviews, make any mention of speed. I've even thought about investing in a low-end Wacom tablet (does anyone know if there are ultra-cheap graphics tablets designed for non-artists?), but I figured I'd see if anyone at Slashdot has a better solution."<p><a href="http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/10/29/1955236/How-To-Enter-Equations-Quickly-In-Class?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/29/1955236"></a></p><p><a href="http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/10/29/1955236/How-To-Enter-Equations-Quickly-In-Class?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/LwtYlGNHJDUZx7pZoEwvllgmXF0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/LwtYlGNHJDUZx7pZoEwvllgmXF0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/LwtYlGNHJDUZx7pZoEwvllgmXF0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/LwtYlGNHJDUZx7pZoEwvllgmXF0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/f6ItwA3uUiM" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-10-29T20:36:00+00:00inputdevnapkins-and-a-digital-camerahardware823823,817,561,388,75,42,27http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/10/29/1955236/How-To-Enter-Equations-Quickly-In-Class?from=rssMoving Away From the IT Field?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/jzPaa7RZD5s/Moving-Away-From-the-IT-Field
irving47 writes 'With the economy the way it is, it's a little iffy to even think about switching careers completely, but lately, I've gotten more and more fed up with trying to keep up with the technical demands of companies and customers that are financially and even verbally unappreciative. While I might be good at it, and the money is adequate, I'm curious to hear from Slashdotters who have gone cold-turkey from their IT/Networking careers to something once foreign to them. How did you deal with the income difference, if any? Do you find yourself dealing with people more, and if so, how did that work out?'<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/2127259/Moving-Away-From-the-IT-Field?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/27/2127259"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/2127259/Moving-Away-From-the-IT-Field?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6XKXpVxlM5rdPRWwd5zc-gtUqbE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6XKXpVxlM5rdPRWwd5zc-gtUqbE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6XKXpVxlM5rdPRWwd5zc-gtUqbE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/6XKXpVxlM5rdPRWwd5zc-gtUqbE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/jzPaa7RZD5s" height="1" width="1"/>kdawson2009-10-28T05:23:00+00:00itlife-on-the-other-sideaskslashdot780780,772,544,382,91,53,35http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/2127259/Moving-Away-From-the-IT-Field?from=rssReliability of PC Flash SSDs?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/7p9ybucSTug/Reliability-of-PC-Flash-SSDs
An anonymous reader writes "SATA and IDE flash solid-state disks are all the rage these days — faster and, allegedly, more reliable than traditional spinning-rust disks. My organization dipped its toe in the flash-disk waters, buying a handful for some PC and Linux boxes. Out of 8 drives from various manufacturers, 3 have failed in the space of four months! Some are reporting bad blocks, others just crapped out and stopped responding entirely. (And no, this isn't a wear-leveling issue, nor were these machines in particularly harsh environmental conditions, nor were all failed drives from the same manufacturer.) So I ask you, the readers of Slashdot: what has your experience been like with basic, consumer-grade SATA or IDE flash drives? Are they failing for you too, or are we just unlucky? It's starting to remind me of the claims about long-lifetime compact fluorescent light bulbs that, in reality, have turned out to be BS!"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/1559248/Reliability-of-PC-Flash-SSDs?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/27/1559248"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/1559248/Reliability-of-PC-Flash-SSDs?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
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<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/D7v-xO1rS5ebySkz4DDDxuNXxK0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/D7v-xO1rS5ebySkz4DDDxuNXxK0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/7p9ybucSTug" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-10-27T16:15:00+00:00storagefailure-is-failureaskslashdot467467,460,371,286,54,39,22http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/1559248/Reliability-of-PC-Flash-SSDs?from=rssLow-Power Home Linux Server?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/T_MsjhXMZzs/Low-Power-Home-Linux-Server
mpol writes "For years I've been using a home server with Linux, but recently I've been having doubts about the electric bill. I'm not touched by the recession yet, but I would like to cut costs, and going from a 100-Watt system to a 30-Watt system would save me 70 bucks a year. The system doesn't need to do much, just apache, imap, ssh and some nfs, but I do prefer to have a full-fledged system, where I can choose what to install on it. I also don't really care if it's a low-power Via or an ARM processor as long as it's cheap. I'm aiming for $300 or less for a full system, which I could then earn back in about four years through power savings. I've been reading about the Western Digital Mybook World Edition, which has an ARM processor but isn't that easy to install Debian on. A Mac Mini draws about 85 Watts, so that isn't an option either. Something a bit more than turn-key would be fine, but preferably not a complete hack-job. Adding a temporary CR-ROM or DVD-ROM, or a USB disk with an iso to install from would be nice. Any Slashdotters run nice and cheap low-power Linux systems? What can you recommend?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/25/1615203/Low-Power-Home-Linux-Server?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/25/1615203"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/25/1615203/Low-Power-Home-Linux-Server?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/vjkRBk3MeHGCZyOU0NpN97c3N9s/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/vjkRBk3MeHGCZyOU0NpN97c3N9s/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/vjkRBk3MeHGCZyOU0NpN97c3N9s/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/vjkRBk3MeHGCZyOU0NpN97c3N9s/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/T_MsjhXMZzs" height="1" width="1"/>Soulskill2009-10-25T17:11:00+00:00powerhow-long-can-a-car-battery-power-itaskslashdot697697,689,524,338,84,47,28http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/25/1615203/Low-Power-Home-Linux-Server?from=rssImpressing Security Upon End-Users Visually?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/78KzmbyvAJ8/Impressing-Security-Upon-End-Users-Visually
get quad writes "I continually have to remind our end-users to be vigilant about the usual web security hazards, such as not clicking links in the occasional spam email that passes through our filters, avoiding suspicious websites, why some websites aren't entirely safe or appropriate for the work environment (Facebook apps, MySpace, remote access apps, proxies, etc), and the myriad other things an end-user can do to get into trouble. What I'm hoping to find are video or flash examples (mind you, in layman's terms) of what Web-based exploits/zero-day threats are capable of, how they can happen, and the harm they can ultimately cause — rather than posting links to technical docs the users will never bother to read. Getting the point across in a purely visual and less technical manner seems much more effective. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this type of training?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/24/1340210/Impressing-Security-Upon-End-Users-Visually?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/24/1340210"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/24/1340210/Impressing-Security-Upon-End-Users-Visually?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4HGV0RLTzfaACORqfmTdXEinxHY/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4HGV0RLTzfaACORqfmTdXEinxHY/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4HGV0RLTzfaACORqfmTdXEinxHY/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4HGV0RLTzfaACORqfmTdXEinxHY/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/78KzmbyvAJ8" height="1" width="1"/>Soulskill2009-10-24T15:22:00+00:00securityshake-your-fist-and-glareaskslashdot157157,154,124,92,30,12,4http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/24/1340210/Impressing-Security-Upon-End-Users-Visually?from=rssHow Do You Manage Dev/Test/Production Environments?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/diBwkBHoKTo/How-Do-You-Manage-DevTestProduction-Environments
An anonymous reader writes "I am a n00b system administrator for a small web development company that builds and hosts OSS CMSes on a few LAMP servers (mostly Drupal). I've written a few scripts that check out dev/test/production environments from our repository, so web developers can access the site they're working on from a URL (ex: site1.developer.example.com). Developers also get FTP access and MySQL access (through phpMyAdmin). Additional scripts check in files to the repository and move files/DBs through the different environments. I'm finding as our company grows (we currently host 50+ sites) it is cumbersome to manage all sites by hacking away at the command prompt. I would like to find a solution with a relatively easy-to-use user interface that provisions dev/test/live environments. The Aegir project is a close fit, but is only for Drupal sites and still under heavy development. Another option is to completely rewrite the scripts (or hire someone to do it for me), but I would much rather use something OSS so I can give back to the community. How have fellow slashdotters managed this process, what systems/scripts have you used, and what advice do you have?"<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/20/1733228/How-Do-You-Manage-DevTestProduction-Environments?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/20/1733228"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/20/1733228/How-Do-You-Manage-DevTestProduction-Environments?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/YRNZZQ6s8CtEIEXV5aXx3rwMUbs/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/YRNZZQ6s8CtEIEXV5aXx3rwMUbs/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/YRNZZQ6s8CtEIEXV5aXx3rwMUbs/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/YRNZZQ6s8CtEIEXV5aXx3rwMUbs/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/diBwkBHoKTo" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-10-20T17:58:00+00:00ithotbed-of-hotbedsaskslashdot244244,239,182,141,33,18,10http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/20/1733228/How-Do-You-Manage-DevTestProduction-Environments?from=rssWhat Desktop Search Engine For a Shared Volume?
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~3/aOpCJZio_iY/What-Desktop-Search-Engine-For-a-Shared-Volume
kriston writes 'Searching data on a shared volume is tedious. If I try to use a Windows desktop search engine on a volume with hundreds of gigabytes the indexing process takes days and the search results are slow and unsatisfying. I'm thinking of an agent that runs on the server that regularly indexes and talks to the desktop machines running the search interface. How do you integrate your desktop search application with your remote file server without forcing each desktop to index the hundred gigabyte volume on its own?'<p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/19/2147254/What-Desktop-Search-Engine-For-a-Shared-Volume?from=rss"><img src="http://ask.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/19/2147254"></a></p><p><a href="http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/19/2147254/What-Desktop-Search-Engine-For-a-Shared-Volume?from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p>
<p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VReJBg-Yn1LrTWdrFe2ukcytyQc/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VReJBg-Yn1LrTWdrFe2ukcytyQc/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/>
<a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VReJBg-Yn1LrTWdrFe2ukcytyQc/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VReJBg-Yn1LrTWdrFe2ukcytyQc/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotAskSlashdot/~4/aOpCJZio_iY" height="1" width="1"/>timothy2009-10-19T22:45:00+00:00storagewhich-side-of-the-firewallaskslashdot232232,230,172,115,27,14,10http://ask.slashdot.org/story/09/10/19/2147254/What-Desktop-Search-Engine-For-a-Shared-Volume?from=rssSearch SlashdotSearch Slashdot storiesquery
http://ask.slashdot.org/search.pl