[sdiy] OT: Screw oBScurity

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Tuesday 04 October 2005 02:45 pm, Les Mizzell wrote:
> >>You are, of course, aware that indeed concepts exist for such
> >>non-serviceable cars...
>
> Exactly why I like and keep my old Jeep Cherokee! There's not a damn
> thing on it that I can't fix myself with only a pair of pliers or
> screwdriver plus some duct tape! Plus, if I don't feel like working on
> it myself it's dirt cheap to have it serviced at the gas station down
> the street
>
> Hell, the BMW I used to have (it burned to death on the side of the road
> - I've got pics somewhere) was almost impossible to work on and when the
> LED on the in-dash clock went out, the dealer estimated over $1500 to
> fix it! The part was only about $20.00 - but they'd have to take almost
> the entire damn car apart to get to it.  Screw that!!!

Exactly why I built (from scratch) an old pickup truck.  While I don't enjoy 
working on it,  particularly with the humidy we're seeing today (and I was), 
I know damn near every part on that thing and can deal with it.

> When my oldest son was 16 (...and I'm not saying he's that bright or
> anything either...) he decided he wanted to see how the Linux OS worked,
> so he spent a week or two collecting junk computer parts from where ever
> he could find then - trash cans, side of the road - whatever - then
> built a computer just to run it. He ended up using it as a server for
> his, uh, ahem, illegal movie downloads he was fond of. If he could
> figure that out, anybody can. I'm thankful he wasn't using *my* internet
> account for that! Heh....

I run nothing but linux here.  Had one dos box and as soon as I'm done getting 
what I want off of it and getting stuff configured on the linux box,  that's 
what'll be supporting my bbs.

> I much prefer stuff I can tweak myself than a closed system with no user
> options!

Or only what user options _they_ decide they're gonna give you,  arranged the 
way _they_ think makes some kind of sense.  Hell with that!

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"