From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from cantata.rednote.net ([66.92.170.86]) by speech.braille.uwo.ca with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1 (Debian)) id 1AZDAq-0003GN-00 for ; Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:51:57 -0500 Received: from cantata.rednote.net (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by cantata.rednote.net (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian-6.6) with ESMTP id hBOHps0h024884 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA bits=168 verify=OK) for ; Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:51:54 -0500 Received: (from janina@localhost) by cantata.rednote.net (8.12.3/8.12.3/Debian-6.6) id hBOHpr6D024880 for speakup@braille.uwo.ca; Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:51:53 -0500 Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:51:53 -0500 From: Janina Sajka To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." Message-ID: <20031224175152.GS3259@rednote.net> References: <6.0.1.1.0.20031223100651.029b0eb0@pop1.sympatico.ca> <20031223164459.GB3259@rednote.net> <6.0.1.1.0.20031223115728.029c6eb0@pop1.sympatico.ca> <20031224005434.GD3259@rednote.net> <20031224020656.GA3571@gmx.net> <20031224063449.GA1277@hogwarts.optusnet.com.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20031224063449.GA1277@hogwarts.optusnet.com.au> User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.28i Subject: Re: Talking bios X-BeenThere: speakup@braille.uwo.ca X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.3 Precedence: list Reply-To: "Speakup is a screen review system for Linux." List-Id: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 17:51:57 -0000 Yes, mine is a DEC Alphastation AS 200, which means that it was intended to be a high-end workstation back about ten years ago. It has a 233 megaherz cpu, and about 80 megs of RAM. I wish I had more RAM, but mostly this does. I have two scsi drives in it with about 53 Gb of total space on them. I use both the internal NCR scsi chip and a PCI TekRam scsi controller. The machine also has a floppy and a cd rom drive (mounted scsi). I boot off the cd rom. The coolest thing, in a way, is that there's an isa slot where my internal Doubletalk lives. I have no video on board, because I pulled the video card that came with this unit in favor of a 3com ethernet card for a second ethernet port to serve my local lan. Speakup talks nicely over the Doubletalk using the "dummy video" capibility in Linux. Very cool. I have a ups on this system and it reliably restarts if my power goes down. However, it's not safe to warm restart this system remotely, because it won't come back. I learned that the hard way. Of course, it doesn't need restarting except for a new Linux kernel (mostly). What I have not succeeded activating on this system is the builtin audio which is also isa. I may try again with a 2.6 kernel. I should add, though, that I've only tried using the supplied configure scripts for various alsa deb packages. I have not tried compiling from scratch for alsa audio. What this system is doing for me includes: mail with sendmail -- mostly for myself. web server with apache for myself and several other domains dns for a few domains that I host. omc;idomg rednote.net. When I travel, I log into this box over ssh if I have reasonable speed wherever I happen to be. I especially like the 'ssh -R' switch for providing reliable secure access to my traveling portable for anyone that needs to reach that system while I'm on the road. Works like a charm and always at the same telnet localhost port. Very cool. If my net speed is lousy on the road, I do background, encrypted and authenticated email access. In other words, my portable system runs sendmail but only sends via an authenticated connection to this alpha box. This also lets me build up a queue of mail while I'm disconnected that I can push when next I'm online. Shaun Oliver writes: > From: Shaun Oliver > > I had my chance to aquire a dec alpha I tell ya what for 30 bux, I couldn't complain.. > if the opportunity presents itself again, I'll be aquiring one of these babies.