10/15   How does DSL work? Is it an internal PCI card? Or it connects through
        the parallel port? I'm asking because I'd like to install Linux and
        have DSL connectivity, but I have no idea how DSL<->Linux interact.
        \_ You get an ADSL modem.  It plugs into the phone network.
           Your computer plugs into the modem using ethernet.  So you need:
           1)  ADSL modem,  2) ethernet card  3) short ethernet cable.
           PacBell will give you all 3.  --PeterM
           \_ I'm sure Microsoft is going to eventually lobby lawmakers
              to ban the ethernet DSL interface forcing people to use
              special WinDSL modems.  Afterall, they did lobby congress
              to cut DOJ funding.  I'm sure they'll do anything to make
              sure that non-MS operating systems can't use DSL.
              \_ ride MSBike 2000! (Y2K compliance built-in)
        \_ the dsl comes in to a router.  you plug whatever the hell you
           want to plug into it via ethernet.
        \_ I'm assuming you mean ADSL for your home.  You must have a NIC
           (any old NIC).  Let's assume that they give you a static IP.  In
           that case you boot up your Windoze computer, set the NIC's IP,
           subnet mask, DNS entries, then add the gateway IP that the ISP
           tells you.  Then you take a UTP cable, plug one end into the
           wall, the other end into the modem.  Take another UTP cable, plug
           one end into the modem, the other end into the NIC.  Then you're
           all set.  You can even move the NIC end of the cable to
           different computers without reboots if they all have their NIC's
           configured.  Now let's assume that they give you a dynamic IP.
           In that case, you tell your NIC to "Obtain an IP address
           automatically" and everything else is the same.  That's how you
           do it in Windoze.
           \_ when the wiring service comes by they'll install a splitter
              box to your phone line, run cable, and put the RJ-45 jack
              where you want it
        \_ So does DSL replace your phone bill, like ISDN?

10/15   Can anyone recommend a *functional* freely available word processor
        for *nix. WP8 has just pissed the last remnants of a fuck out of
        me, and as much as I'd like to use cat | latex | dvips for everything,
        I'm not fast enough with latex to make it time-efficient.
        \_ It's OK; you're not enough of a writer to make it worthwhile.
        \_ StarOffice, from Sun, is not bad.
           \_  I'm a big fan.  It's just like MS Office (maybe not
                such a good thing) but it's free.  Seems to run as fast, too.
        \_ Get faster with latex.  Latex + emacs, the choice of professionals
           \_ Latex + text editor IS NOT A WORD PROCESSOR. It is
              a way to professionally format documents. That does not
              make it a "word processor".
           \_ professional whats?  most profesional writers(not technical) i
              have known use macintosh.
              \_ ED! ED! ED IS THE STANDARD!
                \_ so who is this Ed guy?
                \-if you are a "computer person" and spend most of your time
                writing text and not including tables and pictures and such,
                emacs+auctex+tex is a great choice. if you are doing graphical
                things a lot or are "too short", get some wysiwig. youc an also
                use wordperfect-mode for emacs :-) --"psb"

10/14   I am on my laptop on a (someone elses) network behind a proxy,
        trying to control my PC (not behind a proxy).  I can telnet, but
        P.C. anywhere does not seem to work.  Do you think i'd have better
        luck with back-orafice or some other similar non-commercial software?
        \No, you would not. I believe the problem is with your proxy. You need t\
o contact your sysadmin and make sure that the appropriate port that PC Anywhere\
 uses to communicate through TCP/IP is open. Either that or configure your PC An\
ywhere to try to use the telnet port (believe it's 23).
        \_ Dunno about PCA, but certainly back orifice can let you change the
           ports it uses.  Make it run over telnet port and you'll be fine.

10/14   I am familiar with JSP/servlets my company is apparently
        trying php.  Any ideas on the disadvantages of
        php or should I just bite the bullet and learn something that may not
        even be as good
        \_ You should fear the unknown and resist change, so it'll be easier
           for a young, fresh, flexible grad to replace you in a year.
        \_ You sound biased without any information.  How do you know
           it's not going to be better?

10/14   /var/mail is full; clean up your crap!
        top ten mail hosers:
        jenlam    7488 jam       7832
        tonytung  7968 alvinwoo  8232
        ramses    8496 moraleda  8720
        robin     8832 klee      9680
        suzuki    12032 rico      12160
        \_ Hey root, why don't you move these hozer's mail spools to
           their home directories?
           \_ root would rather have users police themselves. fucker.
                \_ the various root users know that sometimes when
                   they try to deal with sloppy users' mail for them
                   they sometimes get "rm" confused with "mv".

10/14   Professors don't make that much money. They wasted many years
        to get a Phd, yet they make as much as I do, doing web pages
        sys admin, and development. Luzers.
           \_ There are a lot of fringe benefits as well as base pay. They
              travel to attend conferences, get the whole summer off
              sometimes, get paid sabbatical, and so on. Many make money
              from book deals, from the lecture circuit, and from other
              jobs (e.g. consultants). I know a guy recently appointed to
              full professor at CalTech who was given a $4xx,000 interest
              free loan to purchase a house. It's not a bad life. --dim
           \_ CS professors at Cal make a shitload off taking grad student
                work and forming startups on the side.  Just look at
                Brewer (inktomi), Stonebraker & Rowe (ingres), and
                Newton (cadence) for example.
                \_ Whoa!  You mean those Profs didn't do all that stuff from
                   scratch on their own?  They reamed their grad students?
                   You can't be serious!
                   \_ No, what usually happens is that the grad students drop out,
                      go to work for the startup, and get rich along with the prof

10/13   Tiers and degrees blah blah blah.
        \_ Take it to a newsgroup.
        \_ Take it to an academiaMUD.
                \_ First Tier PhD Alum hits you for 7!
                   You Hit First Tier PhD Alum for 5!
                   First Tier PhD Alum is dead!
                   % get all corpse
                   You find 1 copper coin(s) and 1 used torch(es) and 1 old
                   shoe and 1 First Tier PhD Alum diploma(s)!
                   % drop all.from corpse; kill self