Somewhere out there!

3D Graphics Performance in World in Conflict: CPU Performance:

Look how far we’ve come! Even running a gigahertz slower (not to mention cooler), today’s quad-core processors run a modern multithreaded game like World in Conflict about four times as fast, when you really crank up the eye candy. Even using the exact same QX6800 CPU we find good performance scaling with clock speed, which tells us that this will probably be a good CPU test going forward, and that we aren’t entirely limited by graphics power using very high visual quality settings so long as we keep the resolution low.

Some software for using NTFS Links.

Some notes from Craig on NZNOG for updating DST on Debian.

For debian its quite an easy fix.


BEFORE UPDATING.
zdump -v /etc/localtime |grep 2007

/etc/localtime  Sat Mar 17 13:59:59 2007 UTC = Sun Mar 18 02:59:59 2007 NZDT
isdst=1 gmtoff=46800
/etc/localtime  Sat Mar 17 14:00:00 2007 UTC = Sun Mar 18 02:00:00 2007 NZST
isdst=0 gmtoff=43200
/etc/localtime  Sat Oct  6 13:59:59 2007 UTC = Sun Oct  7 01:59:59 2007 NZST
isdst=0 gmtoff=43200
/etc/localtime  Sat Oct  6 14:00:00 2007 UTC = Sun Oct  7 03:00:00 2007 NZDT
isdst=1 gmtoff=46800
-------------------------

HOW TO UPDATE
apt-get update
apt-get install tzdata
dpkg-reconfigure tzdata        (and choose Pacific, Auckland)

------------------
AFTER UPDATING
zdump -v /etc/localtime |grep 2007

/etc/localtime  Sat Mar 17 13:59:59 2007 UTC = Sun Mar 18 02:59:59 2007 NZDT
isdst=1 gmtoff=46800
/etc/localtime  Sat Mar 17 14:00:00 2007 UTC = Sun Mar 18 02:00:00 2007 NZST
isdst=0 gmtoff=43200
/etc/localtime  Sat Sep 29 13:59:59 2007 UTC = Sun Sep 30 01:59:59 2007 NZST
isdst=0 gmtoff=43200
/etc/localtime  Sat Sep 29 14:00:00 2007 UTC = Sun Sep 30 03:00:00 2007 NZDT
isdst=1 gmtoff=46800

BulletProofX introduction with screen shots of the action.

I really would have liked this feature several years ago:

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work to select just any of the generic monitors, so users may find they need to trial-and-error a solution. Fortunately, there is a cool new feature – Add Model which allows users to add a new monitor by using the Windows driver CD that comes with their monitor. This uses a script to parse the Windows *.inf file to get the hsync, vsync, edid, dpms, and other info to update the database locally.

Mike has a whole pile of useful entries on infrastructure management for Linux and Debian with puppet and other tools. Also check out this quick look at puppet.

In the new year I’m planning to set up a lab system and build some knowledge on using puppet as a Xen system and domain deployment tool. Looking at Mike’s site it seems he might have already done much of the work for me.

Detailed look at OpenOffice vs MS Office on a Terminal Server by Bernhard Tritsch:

The results show that roughly 30 to 40% more users can sign on to the platform with Microsoft Office 2003 than with OpenOffice.org 2.1 with identical hardware and an identical configuration of the terminal server on Windows Server 2003 SP1. Even for terminal servers with Microsoft Office 2007, one can expect that the system resources can be used roughly 20% more efficiently than is possible on a system with OpenOffice.org. This applies both for the 32-bit and the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 when used as the primary platform.

Memory requirements of all three Office Suites on 64-bit Windows Server 2003 are increased by the factor 1.1 to 1.5 if compared to the 32-bit platform.

Nexenta is a Gnu-land based, Ubuntu derived distribution with a Solaris kernel. It does lag the mainline OpenSolaris for features and bug fixes a little, but is easy to install and brings the apt-get goodness to Solaris. The have announce a new platform called: NexentaCP (Nexenta Core Platform).

NexentaCP is Dapper/LTS-based core Operating System Platform distributed as a single-CD ISO, integrates Installer/ON/NWS/Debian and provides basis for Network-type installations via main or third-party APTs (NEW).

First “unstable” b65-based ISO with ZFS/Boot-capable installer available
as usual at: http://www.gnusolaris.org/unstable-iso/ncp_beta1-test1-b65_i386.iso

Please give it a try and start building your own APT repositories and communities today!

Note: this version of installer supports ZFS/Boot type of installations on single disk or 2 mirror configuration. For now, only “Auto” partitioning mode could be used for ZFS root partition creation.

More details on NexentaCP will be available soon.

This tech tip for “Consistent MySQL backups using ZFS snapshots“, is one of the compelling things about zfs. Maybe Netapp is better at the high level for this stuff with systems like Oracle, but for the other 90% of us zfs really creates potential options.

Q&A: Jonathan Schwartz on Sun’s open-source business strategy | The Open Road – CNET Blogs:

Why? Think about this: In a year where Sun arguably moved more aggressively to give away more free software than any other company, we grew our software business by 13 percent. It was the fastest-growing business at Sun (and doesn’t even include Solaris, which we don’t yet break out). We pumped out more software last year than we have in the history of the company. We gave it away. And yet our software business grew by 13 percent.

I’m happy this is the case, I think there is room for both Linux and Solaris. The more Sun opens up, the more infrastructure toys there are for us to pay around with! 😀

I spent much of yesterday trying to get a XGT for Ubuntu Feisty working. What a PITA!