The deed is done

Well, I finally got up the nerve to run my little "smash all the user IDs so as not to conflict with current usage" script, and it worked perfectly as far as I can tell. Should have done it a couple of weeks ago.

( details )

Well, time to go to bed.

Grump: The Upgrade Treadmill

One of the things I like about Linux is that it runs well on aging hardware, such as the 500MHz K6-3 processors on my fileserver and the three downstairs client machines. Unfortunately, most software is no longer packaged for i586 anymore -- it requires i686 (which I think covers Pentium-III, Athlon, and above). This means that add-on packages like the Firefox browser won't work out of the box.

Fortunately, being Linux, I'll be able to recompile things like Firefox. But that won't work for the few binary-only packages one runs across. And I really can't afford to upgrade three machines right now, even at $180 for a minimal Athlon box at Fry's. Things are tight right now.