[Novalug] Kernel configuration for optical drive.

[Bonnie Dalzell]

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010, Ed James wrote:

> Maxwell,
>
>    I understand well what you're saying.  However, my response to
> such words will always be "give me a reason".
>
>    I use old equipment, old distros, and an old brain.  I understand
> well the new tech, but the old stuff does everything...I...need...it
> ...to.  I write code for the fun of it, accessing hardware as close
> as I can, skipping "wrappers" and going straight for xlib, using
> g++ and Makefiles instead of IDE's, recompile kernels when needed,
> yada.  I've coded to use serial ports directly, wrote modem control
> stuff, I also have a Comp Sci degree and some Grad School work.
>
>    There's one big reason I stick with the old stuff - it costs
> money to keep upgrading, especially needlessly.  But if there's
> a solid reason to upgrade, I'm all for it.  "Namecalling" (I say
> this in a friendly manner) isn't always a proper motivator.
>
>    So, I hereby issue you (and others) a challenge.  Gimme reasons
> to upgrade my P-III boxen (and FC4).  And please don't take me as
> being arrogant and stuff.  I'm looking at this as a friendly
> debate - I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for
> this NoVaLUG community.  And note that I'm referring to home use.
> For business use, I'll use whatever "they" pay me to use. :P
>
> Ed James
> Former Software Engineer)

>From my point of view one major reason to "learn new stuff" is that recent 
studies have shown that people who continue to learn new stuff as they 
pass from middle age to their elderly years seem to maintain 
cognitive abilities better than people who do not add to their skills.

Of course the learning new stuff does not have to be in one's line of 
work, it can be any complex task one takes on.

>From the practical computer point of view - if I had a PIII machine I can 
- these days - find a used PIV machine or the Athlon equivalent for very 
little to nothing since the cutting edge people are moving on to 64 bit, 
multicore, etc - so with Linux as the OS even on a limited budget I could 
do an upgrade to something that is not cutting edge yet might expand the 
capabilities of my computer environment and provide a new learning 
experience.




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                        Bonnie Dalzell, MA
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