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Background—Day 3© Copyright Darrell Anderson. To understand my migration journey I want to share some thoughts about my computer environment and background. People who are migrating as I am might want to pause to assess and reflect about their skills and needs. Developers also might be interested in order to better understand the challenges of migrating. Although I am content with my current hardware, many people consider my system antiquated!
A few years ago I replaced the original 233 MHz Pentium MMX with a 400 MHz K6-III+. I downloaded a BIOS patch that allowed the board to recognize the K6-III+ as well as support larger hard drives. I overclock the FSB at 68 MHz to modestly increase CPU speed. At that time I also replaced my noisy 3.2 GB hard drive with a silent 40 GB Seagate Barracuda. My sound card is a Creative Labs ISA Soundblaster AWE 32/64 that came with 24x CD reader. I have since added a removable hard drive bay and an HP 9300 CD writer. My box still contains a Colorado T3000 tape backup drive although unused for several years because I use extra hard drives for my backups. My video card is a Diamond Stealth 3000, a first generation 3D card with 4MB of RAM. No frame buffering! Recently I purchased a Samsung 712N LCD flat screen monitor, providing my middle-aged eyes a reprieve from my aging but fully functional 17 inch Viewsonic 7 CRT purchased in 1991. I am stuck with dial-up! Because of my location I likely will be on dial-up for a long time—or at least until wireless technology finally gives the monopoly telephone companies a run for their money. I am not interested in new hardware because I have a silent computer. Not quiet, silent! The K6-III+ CPU needs only a heat sink to remain cool. Add a hard drive with fluid dynamic motor bearings to eliminate that source of noise. I couple of carbon resistors spliced into the chassis and power supply fans reduce fan voltage to 7 volts and end all remaining computer noise. Because my computer is silent, I have no desire to update to modern hardware. Besides, my NT4 environment is snappy and responsive. My only true production bottleneck is my internet connection. Thus, my hardware is plenty fast for my needs. I have yet to learn how to type or click faster than my computer can respond! For those who are curious, I still use my programmable Northgate Omnikey Ultra-T keyboard purchased in 1991! Another reason I am not interested in new hardware is I will not give up my Northgate keyboard, which requires a 5-pin DIN or PS2 keyboard connector. I also have a spare, so much am I attached to a real keyboard rather than today’s cheap sponge products. Most of my computer time is spent using Windows NT4 Workstation. I have been using NT4 since 1997. Primarily I use Word 97, exchange emails with Eudora 5.1, and surf the web with Firefox. Some people might wonder why I still use NT4 rather than Windows 2000 or XP. After all, NT4 never fully supported DirectX and was never known or intended as a games or video platform. Fortunately for me I have no interest in playing videos, movies, or games on my computer nor am I an image collector. I also have no interest in MP3s. Long ago I learned how to strip Internet Explorer and Outlook from my system—those programs simply do not exist on my computer. With NT4 the process of removing those programs is uncomplicated. Along with the Kerio (2.15) firewall, I never have been bothered with viruses, Trojan horses, spyware, or other related nefarious acts against my personal property! Through the years, using batch files, removable hard drives, and an alternate boot partition, I developed my own reliable backup and recovery process. With years of fine-tuning, I have a rock-solid and stable NT4 system that works well for me. Although I am not emotionally attached, there is nonetheless a lot of sweat equity involved in my system. The original NT operating system meets my current needs and is snappy and responsive with my so-called ancient hardware. Because I am using an “obsolete” operating system, updating and maintaining my system is a non-issue. Thus, my NT4 system remains a solid tool for my needs—if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it! Many people will read my previous descriptions and surmise that I don’t live on any cutting edge, let alone a bleeding edge. Although I am experienced and comfortable with computers, today I tend to be a plodder. Must be the middle-aged mindset! Such is my focus. My current system is not broken and I am productive with what I have. I have no technological reason to migrate to GNU/Linux. Thus, despite my commitment to migrating, can GNU/Linux win my heart, someone who sees the computer the same as a circular saw—a tool? Finis. |
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