steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

A few days ago, I finally updated the qmail howto that I had been maintaining for a few years to notify people that they are better off going to lifewithqmail.org for more accurate information on how to install and/or maintain qmail. I have not done the job of a howto writer in keeping the document accurate or up-to-date. A recent post on the OpenBSD misc mailing list made me think more philosophically about providing howto's and their inherent problems. Software developers work hard to document their programs. Their documents are designed to guide you through the installation and configuration of the software. A howto allows you to skip all of this in the hopes of providing you an "easy out." That's what it comes down to - you are trying to get at the easy way out of learning a piece of software in order to install it as quickly as possible - and this has major caveats. While trudging my way through learning how to install and configure postfix (and the kitchen sink), I found a great number of howto's that were either out of date or inaccurate. It was unnerving the amount of bad information was available on configuring amavis-new in particular. If I had simply gone to the information provided in the software readme's and install guides, I would have found up-to-date information that I was looking for. If the software's documentation was poor, the worst thing I could do is go to the howto to see how to get it to work. Why? Because if the software programmer can't maintain or get accurate documentation written, how well do you expect the software to work? I'm not trying to slam the hard working software developer who struggled to finish a project but had a hard time writing documents (how many writers are good programmers and how many programmers are good writers?), but personally, if your documentation doesn't explain how things work so that I can install them properly, then how do I expect to maintain it such that my server doesn't get bombed with a bug or some other sort of problem.
There is a difference between a guide and a howto. The name howto implies that you will need everything to get started. Perhaps. You are missing one very important element: knowledge and understanding of how things work and why they work the way they do. I learned a very important lesson last year when I inadvertently updated perl on my email system and completely destroyed the SpamAssassin installation. For hours, my server was throwing mail around queues and didn't know which way to take things. I, because I had never taken the time to understand what the hell I was doing, almost had a heart-attack as customers started calling to complain because they couldn't receive email. I vowed after that to never install something without at least a precursory knowledge of the software I'm implementing and how it works. Yesterday I spent the better part of 8 hrs. trying to figure out why amavis-new and SpamAssassin weren't tagging obvious spam. It was because of one line @local_domains_acl = ( ".$mydomain" ); that was missing in every freaking howto that purported to explain how to install postfix and the kitchen sink (well, except one). I figured this out by shutting down the caffein flow to my veins and taking a long, hard look at the amavis-new documentation - and there it was... right in front of my eyes.
So, the next time you decide to use a howto to configure something to be used in production, be under advisement that you do so not only at your risk but the risk of all those you are supporting.*

*This doesn't mean I'm going to stop providing "notes" on this website, but please be forewarned - none of those are meant to provide a howto anymore <wink>.

I have become so reliant on using my laptop when away from home - actually, I have been this way for many years since traveling or living in Germany - that I usually bring a backup with me. This year I actually used the backup - the same year that I almost decided to give up on bringing a backup with me. Since my last bought with expensive-brand-new-computer-gone-kaputt in '99, I haven't had any problems except when Steffi needs to use it and I get irritated because she's taking way too long.
The irritating thing, however, is that when one gets used to a way of doing things and has to rely on a just okay backup, one realizes how reliant one is on the normal way of doing things. Because of selling a few PowerBooks I had collected over the last year for different projects, I decided to get one of the brand-new 15" PowerBooks due to the higher screen resolution (which I find quite handy because when working on daily tasks, I often have reading material on the right hand side with working materials on the left - i.e. reading materials I am working off of or using for examples). I got it ready along with three extra batteries because I wasn't sure if I would have access to power on the flight. Alas, I spent most of the flight talking to a gentleman from the UK who has spent a lot of time in the US and traveling elsewhere, so I didn't actually need the extra power. On top of that, the plane had DC power, for which I had an adapter.
When I finally arrived "home" in Germany, I used up another of the batteries and went to plug in the PowerBook to charge the second empty. A few hours I came back and the battery was still empty. I thought in passing that the battery may have been a bad one, as I didn't use it often, so I simply plugged in one of the other empties and went on my merry way. Again, I came back a few hours later finding that nothing had happened. Only then did I start to guess what was going on. About a year ago, I had a PowerBook with a bad "DC-Board" - rather, I found out what it was called after calling Apple for repair assistance. (Which was an extremely frustrating phone conversation: "Sir, what seems to be the problem?" I answered, "Well, when I plug in the AC Adapter, I get shocked by touching the case of the computer." He replied, "So what do you want us to do?" At that point, I could't believe what I was hearing. I said I was being shocked by the case and was not refering to a static shock. Those are two completely different things. I explained this and he seemed even less impressed - at which point I exploded and read him the riot act and asked how he figured that it made sense that I get a 120V shock from the case of the machine when I plugged it in - regardless of which AC Adapter I used. He didn't react much to my irritation and finally allowed me to return it for repair. This is the point at which I learned that PowerBooks have a DC regulator attached to the motherboard. It was that part that had gone bad and allowed current to travel through the case into me...) So, knowing that PowerBooks are covered worldwide, I called the service center in California to see what could be done because without being able to charge the rest of the batteries, I'd only last 4-6 more hours and finally run out of juice. They said it could be repaired within 4-6 business days. Wonderful. I would be leaving to go home about the time that it would be returned to me - worse yet it might arrive after leaving. The next day, I ran around Hamburg trying to find a place that could fix it sooner. No luck. So there I was with a $2000 "nagel-neuen" laptop that had a bum part in it (only to find out that the Apple centers in Hamburg were seeing a lot of this from the new PowerBooks).
I have now had this problem with three PowerBooks out of 23. Those are really bad statistics. While I still would highly recommend people buy the PowerBook in comparison to other machines - you can forget Windows machines (which is my next subject) - I think Apple should pay better attention to their notebook/laptop lines. In the last two years, there have been a slew of issues - battery problems, screen problems, logic board failures, etc. While I can understand (not accept, but understand) a sub $500 laptop, I can't understand it coming from a company that has high priced equipment, over which they have control of manufacturing and the OS. (In fact, that has been one of the selling points of Apple products is that they are designed from the ground up with attention being given to how well the hardware functions with the software.) I have had two 15" PowerBooks with bad screens, three with bad DC-Boards, two with bad Superdrives and two with hard drives that have failed within two months of purchasing them. Considering the sheer number of laptops I've gone through this may not seem surprising, but considering the actual percentages we are talking about (around 5% failure), that is not good.
The fact is, though, I still enjoy using OS X/Apple products much more so than Windows. Windows has become so flaky over the years that it pains me to work on the machines when I have to do heavy work (like invoice mailings or a lot of writing). I had the luck of brining my OQO with, but have found that many things are a pain to work with under Windows because it simply isn't integrated (OpenSSH, for example). While OS X does tend to suffer a bit in the www rendering department, internet and network stuff simply works so much better that I can live with the minor irritant. On the positive side of the OQO, it is so tiny that it can be carried along like a PDA (I'd hate to have the thing on my belt, though) and is great for quick access to email, internet and all of the programs and attachments that one might need to use. I have to say that despite the fact it runs Windows, it does a fantastic job because it is a full computer and not a wanna-be like Windows Mobile or Palm devices. (I highly recommend the machine if you travel a lot and need to have a backup machine on hand. If you do little correspondence while travelling - i.e. typing - then it may even be good enough to be your only travel machine. Although, then you're left without a backup, which is the whole point of this post.)
So ends my story. The moral is: don't leave home without a backup.

In my last post I noted that I had problems with a new PowerBook I bought for the trip. Thank goodness for the folks at OWC (Other World Computing). They were one of the only people I could find who carry PowerBook battery chargers and willing to ship internationally (I looked for resellers in Europe but didn't have any luck finding someone with stock). Originally, I thought I had figured out a way to get another PowerBook delivered from CDW before Christmas rolled around. The biggest reason why I wanted my PB to work again was the fact that I hadn't sent out bills for Anywhere Technology and I knew my customers wouldn't be happy with me if they were late again. Plus, I had a slew of other programs on that machine I had planned on using to help my father-in-law with some issues he was having with his computer. It's like having carried a toolbox across the ocean only to have forgotten the key to the lock - and I like tinkering while I'm away from home. Unfortunately CDW is not allowed to ship certain brands outside the country - and Apple was one of them, of course. So, I finally came to the conclusion that it was neither sensible to purchase a German PowerBook (i.e. with the German keyboard, built for the German market) nor to cross my fingers and hope a repair would be made with enough time to spare before our flight back this Monday (26th). So, while surfing one evening, I found that a company still makes chargers for PowerBook batteries. I had a charger for my extra batteries back when I had an original TiBook, but that was the last one I had ever found. Suffice it to say, not only does a company, NewerTechnology, make chargers, but they were readily available through OWC. I called OWC the moment they opened on Tuesday morning and asked if they would be so willing as to send me one via UPS Expedited to Germany. "No problem." That was it - and it really was no problem. I received the charger a few days later, as expected, and yipee - my PowerBook was back in order. If at all possible, I will be ordering from OWC in the future. They were easy to work with and happy to help with questions when I hadn't received tracking info.

15" PowerBook :: OQO :: Moto SLVR

In the mean time, I had a good chance to learn about the OQO. Two things strike me. One is really good and the other is really bad: Pro) the size is so ridiculously small that this machine can be taken anywhere. I would not wear it on my belt as I do my PDA/Phone (PPC-6700 from Sprint). I get enough grief from my sister as to the level of geekdome I achieve when wearing the PPC (my wife simply puts up with it), I can't imagine having this mini brick around my waist. That being said, however, it is usable in almost every way. I relied on it to answer emails and surf the net for business related items. I even installed Skype on it and used a bluetooth headset to make some phone calls. For heavy typing, you really need an external keyboard, mouse and the mount to hold it so that you can see the screen. In other words, you need the same peripherals you would for a desktop. What has made me so happy, however, is the fact that carrying it in my coat pocket through Hamburg didn't bother me one bit - as did trying to lug my ThinkPad X40 (a small laptop, but not small enough). It is a marvel. The Con) however, is the battery. This is a joke. Three hours? You guys have to be smoking some serious cannabis. I can put up with it because I will never rely on this device as my only travel companion. (I'm simply too accustomed to having my complete toolbox with - i.e. the PowerBook.) Those who would like to will be sorely disappointed. Even my X40 sported battery life of over 6 hrs - even when using wireless - and was better with wireless off (but, then again, who, these days travels without relying on wireless service - unless ... well, I don't know anyone who does). The fact that this machine is low power in every way made me think that the three hour ratings were for heavy use. It isn't. It gets three hours with wireless on - whether you use it or not. I did have the chance to test it on the plane without wireless on - it got three hours. Thank goodness for seat-dc-power. Until someone comes up with the exact same type of machine (slide-out qwerty thumb-board, a minimum of 800x600 screen and a "real" processor so you can run Windows XP - or if the stars would come into alignment, OS X) I will continue to enjoy using it. It definitely crosses the line into "toy" because of it's power limitations and cost of accessories, so I doubt OQO will ever make a real go at it. (Note to OQO: if you really wish a machine like this to take off, sell your accessories for a reasonable price - people will swallow the device price if they see that extras for it don't cost the next of kin.)
The last toy I brought with was the Motorola SLVR that I purchased from Dynamism before leaving. There's not much to say other than, I wish they would make the damn thing for the CDMA market. I would probably give up my PPC-6700 for this. I'm not a fan of the clam-shell/flip-phone style phones, so when a candy bar style phone comes out I usually check it out. I like to have something in my hands that has some heft and while the SLV looks light, it actually has a good amount of weight to it (enough, but not too much). It's a phone and does exactly what I would expect of something not trying to be any more than that. It really is too bad that the style of the SLVR is not found in any CDMA phones available for use in the States.