My mail configuration is still messed up on my new server, but I got around to configuring CRM114 at work (moved my trained .CSS files over and it worked flawlessly). I’d almost forgotten just how much of an amazing thing it is to have a spam-free inbox. It’s like being able to breathe after being completely congested.

Although huge productivity impact numbers are thrown around, I think that the general quality of life and mood impacts of spam haven’t been adequately accounted for.

Anyway, while I was at it, I updated my Mail.app smart training script. One functional fix (new versions of CRM114 add an X-CRM114-Version header that I now also drop), and then writing install and usage instructions at the top (zowie, documentation!)

Last summer I volunteered to do a site redesign for the Southern California Linux Expo. In the end, for what I thought were timing reasons, they decided to keep the old site.

So, a new redesign just went up today for next year’s site (I’m on the planning list still). Ummm, ok. Granted there’s a a bit of ego-stake here, but trying to look at it objectively, do people really think this looks better than this? That’s sort of scary.

I got am email from the author of CLIX requesting elaboration on my comments on the interface and I felt it only fair to write a substantive response. That actually took a while to do, and since I went through the trouble of it, I might as well share.

CLIX is a simple (and very appealing) idea, a cmd-line trainer for newbs (somewhat similar to The Regex Coach), but the current implementaiton, a single-pane multi-table (w/ descriptions cut off and ordered by title) actually seems pretty hostile to the audience this tool is serving. A double-click drops a sheet which lets you edit and run the command.

So, my biggest suggestions were:

  • the ability to search/filter
  • make sure that the presentaiton was oriented to tasks
  • make sure that enough of a description got listed to describe what each item did; right now you need to either expand the description a lot or double-click into a modal sheet just to see the description

To do this, I made one possible suggestion, a 3-pane interface

          /--------------------------------
/---------| [Search__________] [Filter[v]] |
|category |--------------------------------|
| + xxxx  | Name                  category |
| + xxxx  | Name                  category |
|         | Name                  category |
|         | Name                  category |
|         | Name                  category |
|         |=============AV=================|
|         | (viewer)                       |
|         | Name                  category |
|         | Description                    |
---------|                                |
          | cmd                            |
          |                                |
          | shell results                  |
          |                                |
          --------------------------------/

This is by no means the ultimate interface, there are a lot of different ways to go about presenting this, but what you get:

  • instant familiarity, looks like Mail, right? conceptually works the same as well
  • categories on the sidebar gives easy nav/filtering organized around tasks
  • search at the top allows for quick access (filter restricts search to certain fields; make the default/top category an ‘All’ view so search is attached to the category views, would avoid conceptual messiness of searching from all or selected categories
  • w/ the preview pane, you longer need a modal sheet to run the program. You get the bonus of easy scanability – full description + easy navigation (just like how you interact w/ email)
  • the fields in the list view should probably be customizable (and adapt, ie: category would disappear when you’re not in a global view/search)

RFEs: track date/frequency of use of commands to automatically build lists of commonly and recently run commands; possibly also allow ‘starring’ (ala gmail – a quick way to mark favorites)

If anyone has any thoughts (critiques, more effective alternative layouts), feel free to discuss.

  • Lawrence, Kansas or Paradise – follow along as our intrepid hero tours w/ one of his bands and debugs GMail on the road
  • Real Dialogue: The Tech interviews Jack Valenti [PDF] – an old friend passed along an interview w/ Jack Valenti by Senior Editor Keith J. Winstein in the April 16, 2004 edition of The Tech. Worth a look.
  • DECREASE YOUR ERDOS NUMBER! scientific coauthorship – score an Erdos number of 5 (a research project by Bill Tozier)

    During that period, the seller will provide expert technical advice on research projects in the fields of evolutionary algorithms, machine learning, agent-based modeling of complex biological and social systems, complex systems research in general, social network theory (including business and marketing applications), engineering design automation using machine learning algorithms, artificial life, and any of a number of other specialties (a more comprehensive list available on request; a complete curriculum vitae will be provided to the winner).

  • Transform! – awesome
  • Pashua – Dialog GUI for Perl, PHP, Shell, Python, …

Headache-saving tips when setting up Postfix/Procmail/Courier-IMAP/SMTP-Auth/MySQL/Vmail on Debian:

  • Add home_mailbox = Maildir/ line to your /etc/postfix/main.cf (also useful to define your myhostname and mydomain)
  • Make sure you have an /etc/procmailrc file with at least, otherwise you won’t be seeing any mail:
    MAILDIR=$HOME/Maildir/
    DEFAULT=$MAILDIR
  • Run maildirmake Maildir in existing user folders, and then run maildirmake /etc/skel/Maildir; Courier-IMAP will barf w/o a properly created Maildir; watch permissions
  • Courier will throw errors if it can’t find the File Access Monitor daemon – this is probably a good thing to have installed from a performance perspective. apt-get install fam
  • this SMTP Auth/SMTP over SSL – Debian Woody 3.0 guide works. w/ Debian unstable I used sasl2 (install the sasl2 libs and sasl2 bins), use saslpasswd2 to create a sasldb2 (see a trend?) and enter appropriately in the sasl/smtpd.conf

As predicted, the Apple laptops got speedbumps. The Powerbooks are now at 1.33GHz and 1.5GHz. I did a little bit of searching for some stats. The information is sort of hard to to pin down (cribbed from sysctl, dev notes, various spec sheets), corrections welcome.

  PB12″ Rev A PB12″ Rev B PB12″ Rev C
Model MPC7455 MPC7457

MPC7447A
Cache 64K/256K/- 64K/512K/- 64K/512K/-
Freq 867MHz 1GHz 1.33GHz
Bus 133MHz 133MHz 166MHz
Typical Power 12.9W 15.8W 18.0W
Max Power 17.5W 22.0W 25.0W

(Note, the 7457 is available at 1.1V w/ 8.3W and 11.5W poerw dissipation; the 7447A also has 1.1V models, but the specs max out at 1.17GHz — can anyone confirm whether the Powerbooks (Rev B, C) are running at 1.1V or 1.3V?)

It’ll probably be a while before we see actual performance data (if any). I’d specifically like to see data crunching improvements (better CPU/RAM, but still hobbled by inadequate bus?) vs battery-life (real-life usage and stress tested). Note, that the 7447A has dynamic frequency adjustment capabilities.

Waiting for:

  • lower power dissipation
  • better battery-life
  • modern system bus
  • better screen

After messing w/ Tech Tool and having my drive accidentally corrupted (not too much data loss) I decided to just bite the bullet and wipe my system. I’ll keep a running list of the PB sw I’m installing, and setup I’m doing.