I finally nerdigized my laptop

[matt3o]

I always kept multiple backups - on Amiga, BeOS, Mac, Linux - but on Amiga, BeOS and Mac if one partition fails, you can easily boot from the backup. On Linux, if the main partition fails, grub is screwed, there is no boot menu and you can't boot from the backup - making the whole point of a backup meaningless. The stupidity of that just boggles my mind.

nope, sorry, this is not true. boot from USB, update grub, reboot. Even though you might simply place /boot in a partition of its own. you rarely need to touch that.

It's not just Linux that makes me pine for the fjords, Windows is just as capable. Or someone else's Mac without Quicksilver and all my other stuff…

Win-who?

[mr_a500]

A log book? All I have is my unaided memory, which is exclusively the swears.

It's not just Linux that makes me pine for the fjords, Windows is just as capable. Or someone else's Mac without Quicksilver and all my other stuff…

Yes, I had to keep a log book or I would just remember the swears too. I'd be saying "What was that obscure terminal command to fix that obscure error?" and all I'd remember is "Fuck!" But with the log book, I'd remember both the obscure command and the fuck.

For Windows, I didn't keep a log book - just a book of Windows bugs as I found them (seriously). The point of the book was to prevent me from getting insanely angry and bursting blood vessels in my brain. I used one entire notebook (200 pages!) and was stared on a second book when I decided to quit my job to preserve my sanity. (...which was only partially successful )

[mr_a500]

nope, sorry, this is not true. boot from USB, update grub, reboot. Even though you might simply place /boot in a partition of its own. you rarely need to touch that.

My computer didn't have the ability to boot from USB. If you can put the boot menu in its own partition, why isn't this the default for every install? That would make more sense.

[matt3o]

My computer didn't have the ability to boot from USB.

okay, boot from CD then

If you can put the boot menu in its own partition, why isn't this the default for every install? That would make more sense.

because people keep installing Ubuntu which sucks. Any serious distro suggests to use a partition for /boot. The problem with linux is that you really need to know what you are doing. Anyway next time:

partition 1: EXT4 in /
partition 2: EFI in /boot
partition 3: EXT4 in /home
partition 4: swap
(you can do more for /var and /usr, but let's say that is the minimum)

if you screw up something and need to reinstall, simply install over and keep the /home partition. You'll get back your previous install (including all your application configs). Try to do that on any other system

[Muirium]

With great power comes great complexity, dependencies, and gotchas to memorise.

I tried a few distros on my old PowerPC Macs several times over the years. Unfortunately, much like with Apple, the architecture was barely maintained.

[matt3o]

With great power comes great complexity, dependencies, and gotchas to memorise.

I tried a few distros on my old PowerPC Macs several times over the years. Unfortunately, much like with Apple, the architecture was barely maintained.

Debian goes pretty well on PowerPC, but indeed you need a lot of dedication.

[Vierax]

thx Matt !

Sansa Clip+ and Rockbox is a nice set. For a largest screen there is the Clip Zip but reviewers tell that the build is weaker and seems less robust than the Plus serie.
Yes GNU/Linux is sometimes buggy and could be a pain if you chose a bad distro (as Ubuntu flavours) for a non dev/learning use, that's why I stand with Debian stable for server, laptop and work/gaming desktop computer.

[mr_a500]

I tried a few distros on my old PowerPC Macs several times over the years. Unfortunately, much like with Apple, the architecture was barely maintained.

Yeah, I tried Linux on my PowerMac G5. I tried 4 different PPC "distros". It always booted to a blank screen. I spent hours trying to figure out why it wouldn't work. Eventually I found an obscure post on a message board saying the graphics card I had was never supported in Linux. The guy who posted that message had spent weeks trying to get that information. (but thanks to his post, I only wasted half a day)

[7bit]

...
partition 1: EXT4 in /
partition 2: EFI in /boot
partition 3: EXT4 in /home
partition 4: swap
(you can do more for /var and /usr, but let's say that is the minimum)

if you screw up something and need to reinstall, simply install over and keep the /home partition. You'll get back your previous install (including all your application configs). Try to do that on any other system

I must pretend I have no extra partition for /boot, but will do that next time.


What is the advantage of EFI over ext4 or ext2 for the boot partition?

With great power comes great complexity, dependencies, and gotchas to memorise.

I tried a few distros on my old PowerPC Macs several times over the years. Unfortunately, much like with Apple, the architecture was barely maintained.

Debian goes pretty well on PowerPC, but indeed you need a lot of dedication.

Don't know about specialties on a PowerPC, but installing Debian is much, much, much easier than SuSE/Linux was. I never looked back!

Debian has not so many pre-screw-ups as more mainstream distributions. However, my directory where I keep the scripts and notes how to do what when setting up the system is growing from one version to the other, but this is mainly because I want the latest stable software to look and feel like 20 or 30 years ago, while retaining all innovative stuff!

[matt3o]

What is the advantage of EFI over ext4 or ext2 for the boot partition?

If you have an old bios motherboard/PC go with ext2 for /boot (or ext4 if you don't have an UPS in the event of power shortage during boot).

The EFI partition is actually a FAT32 partition needed by newer UEFI boards and introduced a few years ago by Microsoft with that "security boot" shit attached. If you can disable 100% of the efi garbage from your motherboard, go ahead and use ext2/4.

[ne0phyte]

Holy sh*t. There is nothing more disgusting than stickers and skins on electronic devices
I don't know where that dislike comes from, but I absolutely hate any kind of sticker.

I guess that's what Apple people do to stick out?

[7bit]

Your guess is wrong! Apple people would never do this!

They love their brand and advertise it!

[matt3o]

Holy sh*t. There is nothing more disgusting than stickers and skins on electronic devices
I don't know where that dislike comes from, but I absolutely hate any kind of sticker.

I guess that's what Apple people do to stick out?

Listen to 7bit, no apple fanboy would ever cover the apple logo on a macbookpro

Like I said, I have no respect for that machine and the only way to avoid vomiting every time I look at it was by applying geeky stickers

BTW, they are special stickers, I believe made of vinyl, that can be removed leaving no trace.

[ne0phyte]

BTW, they are special stickers, I believe made of vinyl, that can be removed leaving no trace.

Yeah I know that material. It's not about the traces but about having something on your things. It's not as bad as people who leave those Intel, AMD, NVIDIA and specs stickers on laptops. That's what really makes me cringe.

[Muirium]

Listen to 7bit, no apple fanboy would ever cover the apple logo on a macbookpro

Well, maybe some of the fangirls:

[matt3o]

in fact the apple logo is never covered

[Muirium]

True. I wouldn't likely even try engraving mine though. Expensive, and I'll always see the errors.

[matt3o]

I recently embraced chaos. I would have never done such a thing on a laptop a year ago. Now I'm enjoying the beauty of randomness.

[7bit]

Eve, just before she gets banned from the linux forum by root, for installing Apple on her laptop.

[Halvar]

Snow-white, and the apple is a glowing poisoned gift from the evil queen from Cupertino.

Wait - this could actually be the meaning of the sticker...

[Muirium]

Mmm… temptation.

[Game Theory]

Always liked that sticker.

[mr_a500]

I recently embraced chaos.

That is a powerfully strange statement. I like it.

I'm having difficulty picturing it though. I imagine it's like somebody running over to hug a huge swirling tornado of miscellaneous junk.

[Muirium]

It's what we OCDers say when someone catches us in the same room as a pile of pencils that is not arranged in precise order of length, while we twitch nervously.

[matt3o]

it just means that I see the beauty in chaos not just in order. The muirium example is very good actually. I do not urge to put the pencils in straight order on the desktop. It doesn't mean that I like a messy desktop, just that I don't like symmetry. Even on keyboards, I don't like symmetric colored keycaps.

Before my chaos period I would have struggled in front of a dead pixel on my LCD or a scratch on the macbook, now I almost find them attractive.

[mr_a500]

it just means that I see the beauty in chaos not just in order. The muirium example is very good actually. I do not urge to put the pencils in straight order on the desktop. It doesn't mean that I like a messy desktop, just that I don't like symmetry. Even on keyboards, I don't like symmetric colored keycaps.

Yes, same here. I must have neatness, but I can't stand super-symmetry. Mirror image art drives me insane. I hate patterned wallpaper because I'm always looking for the repeats. I like natural, organic non symmetrical. I have the same philosophy with music. I can't stand overly repetitive or simplistic music. I don't like "beat". I listen to Baroque. (which actually means "irregularly-shaped")

Before my chaos period I would have struggled in front of a dead pixel on my LCD or a scratch on the macbook, now I almost find them attractive.

Well this still bothers me. I was moving my beam spring keyboard and slightly hit the edge of my MacBook and now I have a microscopic deformation on the corner. Eventually I get over these things, but it bothers me for a while.

[matt3o]

Before my chaos period I would have struggled in front of a dead pixel on my LCD or a scratch on the macbook, now I almost find them attractive.

Well this still bothers me. I was moving my beam spring keyboard and slightly hit the edge of my MacBook and now I have a microscopic deformation on the corner. Eventually I get over these things, but it bothers me for a while.

it's a state of mind... it was like a "click" in my head. From "ooh no a bump on the corner of my laptop" to "hey scars make you cooler"

[Broadmonkey]

There is beauty in signs of usage/wear and age. My old magnesium alloy laptop was a fantastic thing to look at with the paint worn off and it's small dents! Made it feel unique and personal. I feel like that with all my stuff.

I like the stickers on your macbook because of the pixilated style... and because I'm a zelda fan

[7bit]

...
Well this still bothers me. I was moving my beam spring keyboard and slightly hit the edge of my MacBook and now I have a microscopic deformation on the corner. Eventually I get over these things, but it bothers me for a while.

Good luck to find the right paint to repair the beamspring case.

[mr_a500]

My beam spring case isn't painted. You'd need to slam the beam spring pretty hard to cause damage - and with that amount of force, the MacBook would be totally mangled. (like slamming a '52 Buick into a 2013 Hyundai)