I should receive my new iMac tomorrow, so my tests were done on my DTK. Several sites have done performance tests showing the Intel iMac to be slower than a G5. However, anyone using a G4 (as I am) will see a big speedup with an Intel mac. I use a PowerBook as my primary system, so I’m forced to use a lower-performance G4. If and when I get a MacBook, it will outperform my PowerBook by a huge margin.
I did some very crude tests running a small command line program that writes some system information to a file and timing it using time. Even running in emulation, the DTK is faster than my PowerBook.
On my PowerBook:
[mike: Development]$ time ./inventory >/tmp/invreal 0m0.642s
user 0m0.006s
sys 0m0.046s
On the DTK, native version:
[mike: Development]$ time ./inventory >/dev/null
real 0m0.031s
user 0m0.005s
sys 0m0.012s
Emulated version on the DTK:
[mike: Development]$ time ./inventoryppc >/tmp/inv
real 0m0.368s
user 0m0.090s
sys 0m0.045s
I’m now trying out IntelliTXT at MacMegasite. That’s why you’ll see those green links with double underlines. I noticed it on a few sites, so I clicked their link to see what it was and signed up. It uses a snippet of javascript code to add to the site which will automatically add those links to keywords in the content.
I needed a new fax machine, since I had the worst plain-paper fax ever. The cover latch broke, so it would never close properly and always displayed ‘check film’ even when I replaced the roll. I decided to replace it with a multi-function device, since I also used it as a copier even though it wasn’t very good. My Epson C82′s print quality was starting to deteriorate, so having a nice printer would also be a plus.
I was considering a Brother MFC-210C but ended up buying a Brother MFC-420CN, since it has a sheet feeder and network interface. It even has a built-in card reader that can print directly from SD or CF cards. It was very easy to set up – it just worked as soon as I connected it. I didn’t have to do any network setup, since it automatically configured itself from my router’s DHCP server. Since it supports RendezvousBonjour, it showed up right away in the printer list. The CUPS driver for it was already installed.
Surprisingly, Brother’s software doesn’t suck™. The only downside is the TWAIN drivers only work with a USB connection. Fortunately their Control Center software will scan over the network. The standard CUPS drivers can fax or print over the network. The print quality is excellent.
I’m looking forward to my new iMac (which is in Shanghai as I write this).
See the speed comparison here.
The GP2X has a pretty extensive set of Unix utilities, including find and even vi. Using STerm I was even able to create & edit a shell script in vi. If the shell script doesn’t end with cd /usr/gp2x; exec /usr/gp2x/gp2xmenu, the GP2X will simply hang with a black screen, as I discovered the hard way.
It Shipped!
Originally uploaded by mike3k.
My Intel iMac is on the way. I’m getting it through Apple’s Developer Transition Kit exchange program as a free replacement for my DTK.
I now have my GP2X development environment set up using DevKit gp2x MacOS. I managed to find the appropriate SDL libraries and I was able to build and run most of the sample code I’ve tried.
I now have a working GP2X with firmware 1.2.1. It actually came with 1.2.0, which didn’t recognize my 1GB SD card. I was able to safely flash it to 1.2.1 without any ill effects. I also have the GP2X development environment set up on my Mac and I’ve built my first ‘hello world’ application for the GP2X.
This is one of the best things I’ve read at Daily Kos — The Great Franklin-Bush debate…in 6 rounds:
Bush: America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.
Franklin: All wars are follies, very expensive and very mischievous ones. In my opinion, there never was a good war or a bad peace. When will mankind be convinced and agree to settle their difficulties by arbitration?
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Bush Health care reform must begin with Medicare; Medicare is the binding commitment of a caring society. We must renew that commitment by giving seniors access to preventive medicine and new drugs that are transforming health care in America.
Franklin: Well done is better than well said.
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Bush: There is no “trust fund,” just IOUs that I saw firsthand, that future generations will pay—will pay for either in higher taxes, or reduced benefits, or cuts to other critical government programs. The office here in Parkersburg stores those IOUs. They’re stacked in a filing cabinet. Imagine—the retirement security for future generations is sitting in a filing cabinet. It’s time to strengthen and modernize Social Security for future generations with growing assets that you can control, that you call your own—assets that the government cannot take away.
Franklin: Half a truth is often a great lie.
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Bush: The fact that somebody leaked this program [of illegally spying on Americans without a warrant] causes great harm to the United States. There’s an enemy out there.
Franklin: Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
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Bush: I’m a uniter, not a divider. I refuse to play the politics of putting people into groups and pitting one group against another.
Franklin: Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough to be honest.
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Bush: I’m not going to change my mind.
Franklin: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise. … When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.
Final score: Bush 0 Franklin 6
Five years ago today, Drupal 1.0.0 was released!
I’ll be getting a new Intel iMac thanks to Apple’s DTK Exchange Program. I’m now setting up a server-based home directory, so I can access my email & other stuff from both my PowerBook and the iMac, which will become my primary machine.
Via PSP Fanboy: PSP Firmware 2.6 has been hacked to allow homebrew software to run on it. Unfortunately the hack requires GTA, which I don’t have. I’ll probably buy it just to be able to run homebrew even though I’m not interested in the game.
LinkStation 250
Yesterday I got a LinkStation 250 to add to my home network as a media server. Setup was fairly easy and it works nicely with Macs.
It supports both SMB & AFP but I find SMB works a lot better so I’m not bothering with AFP. With SMB, I can use the host name MEDIASERVER, but there’s no host name for AFP so I have to access it by IP address. Also, AFP barfs on long file names, which SMB is able to handle. It also supports FTP, which I haven’t tried. It would be really nice if it supported NFS.
Dustin Quasar Sacks is moving to Vancouver.
I love Vancouver and I’ve been toying with the idea of moving there myself. I was there last January for work and I found the weather tolerable and even pleasant, even though I’m used to a tropical climate. I prefer a ‘traditional’ city (like New York, San Francisco, etc) with a real downtown where you can walk around instead of having to drive everywhere. Vancouver is a great city to walk around in and there’s a lot to do in the downtown area. I also prefer the political climate in Canada, where there are no religious right wingnuts and the general attitudes are more sane. Since my job is in Vancouver, I’d be able to work on site instead of telecommuting.
On the other hand, I have a really nice condo which I put a lot of work into for improvements and landscaping. I like my neighbors and we’re like family here. Moving would be a huge hassle since I have a lot of stuff, plus moving two cats would be very difficult. One option would be to buy or rent a second home there and either get a roommate here and spend hurricane season in Vancouver or just rent it out and live there permanently.
Since I left New York in 1986, I never really considered anyplace home until now. I moved to Florida when my mom got sick and I always figured I’d leave when she’s gone or no longer needs help, but somewhere along the way I put down roots. I like this community and the people in the condo (except one), but I hate south Florida in general. Dealing with the jerks outside here always puts me in a foul mood. The people in Vancouver (and Canadians in general) are so much nicer.
I’ve eliminated the lightweight non-drupal home page and I plan to add a few new sections at MacMegasite.
I just upgraded this site to WordPress 2.0. The upgrade was completely painless and I spent most of the time backing everything up before the upgrade. I had to sign up for a blog at wordpress.com, which I have no intention of using, so I can get an API key required for the Akismet anti-spam plugin.
New Years Eve Party
Originally uploaded by mike3k.
We had a great New Years Eve party last night.
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