Posted on 06/21/2006 11:08:30 PM PDT by Lexinom
Our household needs a new computer system. Your ideas/suggestions are appreciated!
I realize some of this may not be possible, but here's a list of what we would like:
* This computer should boot quickly, in a matter of a few seconds. * This machine should not attempt to "help" with everything, or offer "tours" * This machine should do exactly what I, the user, command it to, immediately, and without trying to help. * No extras should be loaded. * The CPU should be able to last for 20 years or longer, and the drives should be redundant (mirrored). * It should be possible to boot into a bare-bones "DOS" mode, with NO GRAPHICS, no pre-emptive multitasking, etc. * It should be quiet. * Nothing besides the bare bones operating environment /operating system should ever be loaded unless I expicitly install it.
Here is what we do NOT like:
* A machine that takes more than 15 seconds to boot (inexcusable with today's hardware). * Extreme speed i.e. lower CPU lifespan. 1-2GHz should be MORE than sufficient. * Noise from fans. * Extreme graphics - no games. * Extraneous unwanted programs that come with the O/S - bare bones only. * Commercial/marketing stuff loaded onto the system. * An operating system that tries to "help" with everything. * A machine that refuses to turn off instantly but second-guesses user commands. When I say "off" by flicking the power switch, I MEAN NOW, not thirty seconds from now.
Any thoughts?
Your suggestions are appreciated.
Our household needs a new computer system. Your ideas/suggestions are appreciated!
I realize some of this may not be possible, but here's a list of what we would like:
* This computer should boot quickly, in a matter of a few seconds.
* This machine should not attempt to "help" with everything, or offer "tours"
* This machine should do exactly what I, the user, command it to, immediately, and without trying to help.
* No extras should be loaded.
* The CPU should be able to last for 20 years or longer, and the drives should be redundant (mirrored).
* It should be possible to boot into a bare-bones "DOS" mode, with NO GRAPHICS, no pre-emptive multitasking, etc.
* It should be quiet.
* Nothing besides the bare bones operating environment /operating system should ever be loaded unless I expicitly install it.
Here is what we do NOT like:
* A machine that takes more than 15 seconds to boot (inexcusable with today's hardware).
* Extreme speed i.e. lower CPU lifespan. 1-2GHz should be MORE than sufficient.
* Noise from fans.
* Extreme graphics - no games.
* Extraneous unwanted programs that come with the O/S - bare bones only.
* Commercial/marketing stuff loaded onto the system.
* An operating system that tries to "help" with everything.
* A machine that refuses to turn off instantly but second-guesses user commands. When I say "off" by flicking the power switch, I MEAN NOW, not thirty seconds from now.
Ah, that's better.
BTTT (Because I'd like the answer as well! :)
Given your list, you'll probably be happiest if you write your own operating system.
WEll I guess you don't plan to buy a Microsoft operating system....
Linux is looking like a legitimate option.
He could go with Debian from Scratch....
Sounds like what ever computer you get, you won't be wanting to shut it off when you are done.
That would give you instant access, no waiting with a $300 computer.
If you ever get Debian booting in "a few seconds", let me know ;)
I don't think there's any operating system that will completely satisfy this list. I mean, the thing about booting into a single-tasking DOS-style OS, well, that rules out any Mac hardware - there's no native solution for such a thing, and you can't boot MS-DOS on Intel Macs. Which leaves you with Windows or Linux, basically, neither of which will satisfy the boot time requirement. Nor wil
Not really possible with the current choices, at least not in the $300 or even $3,000 range.
(hint: "global" is part of the problem, IMHO).
Hmmm. Got cut off there - the last bit should be "Nor will OS X." Satisfy the boot time requirement, that is.
Slackware based systems are the leanest of the various Linux variants....Slax is a live CD that is pretty lean...and I have been using Vector Linux pretty heavily,
It is superresponsive, shutsdown quick, comes up faster than most of the majors like Fedora, SUSE, etc.....with Firefox and some horsepower...is a great web browser.....
By the way what are your applications?
I think you are absolutely correct.
You do want to write your own.....
I think he is playing us!
What is it you exactly want to do with your computer?
What kind of software do you need to run?
Are you going with a server and several slaves?
Is this to be connected to a global data base through the net?
I don't need specifics that would suggest the actual names of the programs or what you do, but if you answer the above questions we can probably give better suggestions for you.
The Apple computer I bought in July 1978 still works, so it is has lasted for nearly 28 years.
The hardware requirements, as far as I can see, are all pretty much doable with off-the-shelf stuff. Of course, if you were willing to sport the cost of designing your own boards, you could do some pretty slick stuff - you could stuff a FreeDOS-type OS into ROM and make it a boot time option if you liked. You'd probably want to write your own single-tasking OS, so as to avoid the limitations of DOS, but it could be done. Personally, I wouldn't have much use for it, and if you chose to rewrite DOS properly, there wouldn't be much software for it except what you produced yourself, but you could definitely do it.
The real problem is on the software side. You could probably modify *BSD or Linux to get pretty close to covering the list, but it would take some major overhauling to strip it down without simultaneously rendering it useless, and certainly nothing comes out of the box this way.
Here's what happened, the reason for posting this rather scathing backhanded slap against M******t.
About three months ago I took the machine in question to work. The only way to add it to the network was to hook in from outside the firewall. Now, I like to run lean, so at home rely (100% successfully for three years) exclusively on my router's firewall. Hardware solution, saves CPU cycles, right?
During the week or so it was at work, virus got it. Random bluescreens.
Installed new O/S: XP-Professional Upgrade to W2K. $200 expenditure.
Still crashed.
Finally, after HOURS, traced problem to the Level-1 Cache in the CPU itself.
It boots - after about five minutes. Routine operations, like running WIndows Explorer literally take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Found a floppy, created DOS boot disk, flashed the bios, no dice - still a crash.
Either the CPU's L1 cache just coincidentally went out at the same time the machine was exposed outside the firewall OR the virus actually took it out (tight loop with proper instruction combination, engineered by someone who knows phyisical block layout of the AMD-Athlon die? It's feasible...)
At any rate, I really, really despise M*******'s implied condension toward the user. "You're stupid and need our help."
Well, I'm fairly bright and can generally figure things out without a lot of help. I suspect I am but one of a very large population of similar folks. I'd rather have something that works...
For something really funny: On this laptop I'm using, Visual Studio 2003 will not run. On startup, it (without my prompting, mind you) brings up a dialog stating "Visual Studio is updating the Help System to reflect recent changes you've made", or some such gobbledegook.
After about 3 minutes of spinning the hard drive intently, it abends, with the standard "Program has encountered serious error and must be shut down. Would you like to send the information to [you-know-who]?"
Finally the kicker... It immediately, automatically, without any input from me, restarts itself and performs exactly the same boondoggle, ad infinitum!!!!!!!! Not even killing the task from the task manager reliably stops it. Machine must be shut down the HARD way, holding the power switch for four seconds.
Another funny thing: depending on the laptop's mood, sometimes it automatically turns back on after shutdown, EVEN HARD SHUTDOWNS! The only way to shut it off is to let the battery run down. I am not joking.
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