Basically Tech - blog

ZFS and Linux?

nospam@example.com (Rob Newcater) — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:36:56 +0100

This is concerning a cryptic entry from the blog of Jeff Bonwick. The two guys in the photos (follow the link) are Linus Torvalds and Jeff Bonwick. Jeff Bonwick is maybe not quite as well known as Linus Torvalds. He's the CTO of Storage Technologies at Sun Microsystems, he's also the ZFS development team leader, and his blog pretty much focuses on ZFS.

So, what's this about? Aren't there supposed to be licensing issues with Linux and ZFS? All I can assume when Jeff Bonwick says:

All I can say for the moment is... stay tuned."

is that there are "talks about talks". There are certainly interesting possibilities, ZFS is impressive stuff.

DRM in Windows Vista

nospam@example.com (Rob Newcater) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:58:17 +0000

This is Bruce Schneier's view of DRM in Windows Vista. As usual, he has lots of very interesting points to make.

Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want. These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure. They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will cause technical support problems. They may even require you to upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software. And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM) features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment industry.

And you don't get to refuse them.

Phew. Well, that's just for starters. I'll try not to spoil the whole thing for you, but here's a tasty tidbit:

... after Vista is firmly entrenched in the marketplace, Sony's Howard Stringer won't be able to dictate pricing or terms to Bill Gates. This is a war for 21st-century movie distribution and, when the dust settles, Hollywood won't know what hit them.

Just how stupid is the MPAA? Read the news, check out how they're alienating their customers.

Apache on Linux vs IIS on Windows

nospam@example.com (Rob Newcater) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 20:25:21 +0000

A graphic illustration of why Windows is less secure than Linux. You know that old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words"? Well here are two pictures! Both images are a complete map of the system calls that occur when a web server serves up a single page of html with a single picture.

This first image shows the system calls that occur on a Linux server running Apache.

And this second image shows the system calls that occur on a Windows server running IIS.

It's kind of self-explanatory, but there is a little more detail (including larger pictures) on the originating site.

The Eight Ways The Tech Industry Tries To Screw Us — And How To Avoid Them

nospam@example.com (Rob Newcater) — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:21:18 +0000

A generalised look at eight of the ways businesses try to rip us off by using or selling technology.

How To Keep Good Posture When In Front Of A Computer

nospam@example.com (Rob Newcater) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:54:57 +0000

Some useful tips for those of us who spend much of the day in front of a computer screen.

Regarding point 3 (Minimize Reaching), I personally find keeping my arms extended to be more comfortable, so I have my keyboard and mouse quite far away from me.