I'm now microblogging on finger at:
[email protected]
There's nothing of any significance
there. It's just the kind of stuff
that you wouldn't want to write an
extended phlog entry about and it's
very convenient to ssh into the
zaibatsu and dash off a post to a
single text file.
If you've got a finger-log (flog?),
let me know at visiblink-at-gmx-dot-
com. I'd like to add you to my
FingerFeed file (see yesterday's
phlog entry).
So far, the only person I've
discovered who really seemed to be
'serially flogging' is julien over at
his typed-hole.org account, but he
seems to have stopped last November.
If you're wondering how to set up a
finger server, I found a guide to
running finger on Debian, which I
tested on Raspbian. The guide is here:
https://famicoman.com/2017/03/01/running-using-a-finger-daemon/
--------------
I read Solene's piece, "Obsolete in
the IT Crossfire," and it reminded me
of the changes in automotive
technology that took place back in the
1980s. At the time, I didn't like
electronic ignition systems because I
didn't understand (and still don't, of
course) their inner workings. I
understood how a set of points or a
vacuum advance functioned, and I could
fix the problems that might crop up. I
did not understand the "thick film
module" on the side of my new
distributor, and I didn't like that it
was a 'throwaway and replace'
component. Now, almost every
automotive component is throwaway and
replace, and most mechanics (ahem,
"technicians") wouldn't have the
slightest clue as to what caused them
to malfunction. The computer tells you
that module B has failed, so you pull
it out and install a new module B.
So I really do understand the downside
that Solene's expressing, and I think
her Slackware roots are showing! I too
like understanding the inner workings
of things.
However, having said that, I have had
to replace an electronic ignition
component in the cars that I have
owned since the 1980s exactly once
(that "thick film module"). Generally,
those parts just work. They're way
more reliable than a set of points.
So there's a tension there. I'd like
to understand the workings of my car
or truck. But I appreciate the
reliability of that 'black box of
technology' that replaced the older,
understandable stuff. The 9's in the
uptime are great.
Still, I can't decide which is more
valuable: understanding or
convenience. At home, I'm all about
knowledge. Sitting on the side of the
road with a busted set of points in my
hand, I might think differently.
