💾 Archived View for zaibatsu.circumlunar.space › ~visiblink › phlog › 20210710 captured on 2022-04-29 at 11:43:44.
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
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I'm now microblogging on finger at: visiblink@zaibatsu.circumlunar.space There's nothing of any significance there. It's just the kind of stuff that you wouldn't want to write an extended phlog entry about and it's very convenient to ssh into the zaibatsu and dash off a post to a single text file. If you've got a finger-log (flog?), let me know at visiblink-at-gmx-dot- com. I'd like to add you to my FingerFeed file (see yesterday's phlog entry). So far, the only person I've discovered who really seemed to be 'serially flogging' is julien over at his typed-hole.org account, but he seems to have stopped last November. If you're wondering how to set up a finger server, I found a guide to running finger on Debian, which I tested on Raspbian. The guide is here: https://famicoman.com/2017/03/01/running-using-a-finger-daemon/ -------------- I read Solene's piece, "Obsolete in the IT Crossfire," and it reminded me of the changes in automotive technology that took place back in the 1980s. At the time, I didn't like electronic ignition systems because I didn't understand (and still don't, of course) their inner workings. I understood how a set of points or a vacuum advance functioned, and I could fix the problems that might crop up. I did not understand the "thick film module" on the side of my new distributor, and I didn't like that it was a 'throwaway and replace' component. Now, almost every automotive component is throwaway and replace, and most mechanics (ahem, "technicians") wouldn't have the slightest clue as to what caused them to malfunction. The computer tells you that module B has failed, so you pull it out and install a new module B. So I really do understand the downside that Solene's expressing, and I think her Slackware roots are showing! I too like understanding the inner workings of things. However, having said that, I have had to replace an electronic ignition component in the cars that I have owned since the 1980s exactly once (that "thick film module"). Generally, those parts just work. They're way more reliable than a set of points. So there's a tension there. I'd like to understand the workings of my car or truck. But I appreciate the reliability of that 'black box of technology' that replaced the older, understandable stuff. The 9's in the uptime are great. Still, I can't decide which is more valuable: understanding or convenience. At home, I'm all about knowledge. Sitting on the side of the road with a busted set of points in my hand, I might think differently.