The collected works of directedition

directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What do you use your SGI for? at March 3, 2003, 10:46 a.m...

I'll add a chip to the pile.

Ever since I got started with unix on a solaris station, I thought "wouldn't it be cool to just collect and learn operating systems?" and I now have window98/2000, variations of linux, BSD, OS/2, IRIX, and I'm saving up for a solaris station. Amungst all I own, the SGI is my favorite (note that I don't own a Mac yet).

I have NEVER had a problem on my SGI. My linux box is always going down, sometimes freezing up. The x86 it's based on is clumsy and sloppy at best.

I only reboot my SGI for hardware upgrades, and those are far between. Installing new hardware on Linux is a pain in the arse, but upgrading something like a graphics option on my Indigo 2 is completely transparent.

The MIPS CPUs are a solid foundation for a solid OS.

If I could play DVDs on my SGI, it would be the only box I ever needed.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What do you use your SGI for? at March 6, 2003, 7:08 a.m...

Linux isn't the best alternative out there, but it has the applications and exposure. I want to play my games as made by Loki (formerly) and not just hope they'll make a miracle port of games like Quake 3 to IRIX.

Ever hear the phrase "When you're hanging by your finger nails, you don't go waving your arms."? Well, it only goes to say that when Microsoft's many competitors bicker amung themselves about who's the coolest, it really helps them out.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What do you use your SGI for? at March 6, 2003, 9:03 a.m...

IRIX is the most solid OS I've ever used. Had I money for a Fuel station, it would be my main system easily. The only bad part of Linux is that there are so many distros out there that there is no standard way to install software. IRIX's tardist format is beautifull. Sure, Linux has RPMS, but it handles dependancy issues horridly. You have Debian Packages, but they're native to a single distrobution.

Linux is what I learned on. My unix with training wheels. I think it has come a long way. It has a way to go, and it will get bigger wheather we want it to or not. And no matter what a rape we may think of it, SGI will continue its port of linux to MIPS hardware. I think it would a neat novelty to have an Indy running Linux.

4Dwm is like home to me. It doesn't have a start menu, switching between windows isn't exaclty like Windows and Mac users are used to, and the graphics are must unimpressive. Oh well. I don't like graphically intensive display managers when I want to devote my resources to a graphics application. I use a pretty KDE 3.1 theme on my linux station because its main use is web surfing and email and I like pretty pictures. I rarely use a desktop background on my SGI.

I also don't use KDE on my SGI because I can't figure out how to get more than 8-bit color support, but umm.... that's beside the point....

- Jim

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directedition
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Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 6:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of name your SGI? at April 24, 2003, 3:58 p.m...

O2 - Vidi
R10k Indigo2 - Vanilla
R4400 Inidgo2 - Turtle
Windows - Rollerball
Linux - Shinji

_________________
- Jim
:Indigo:

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of 5dwm at July 4, 2003, 11:31 a.m...

http://www.5dwm.org/
- Yeah... um... uh.... err.... yeah........

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of 5dwm at July 6, 2003, 7:47 p.m...

Hey, be fair. We do more than that. Sometimes my whole group will go out and get slammed at the nearest pub. (Curse UMBC for shutting down the university pub!)

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What kind of hardware do we all own? at July 10, 2003, 4:15 p.m...

1Ghz Duron PC running Mandrake 9.1 and Windows 2000
400mhz PII Dell Inspiron 3500 laptop running Win98
Indigo 2 w/ R4400 and extreme graphics (happy winner of SGI Zone's trivia prize

)
Indigo 2 w/ R10k high impact
O2 w/ R10k and A/V card
2 Indigos R3k (one working power supply)

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of iconbar at Aug. 8, 2003, 6:38 a.m...

If possible, when animated icons are available, I'd like the option to disable them. Is there a place to get the latest version or source code?

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Upcoming IRIX 6.5.21 changes inst... at Aug. 12, 2003, 11:48 a.m...

Okay, can someone please clarify for me the need for two seperate streams? I know it's feature and maintenance, but why keep the two seperate?

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Upcoming IRIX 6.5.21 changes inst... at Aug. 13, 2003, 4:29 a.m...

dexter1 wrote: Welcome Martijn (yet another SGI Dutchie)

With the way things are going over here, I just might learn Dutch and join those ranks. The Netherlands are a sort of Mecha for hackers.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Jahshaka for Irix at Oct. 7, 2003, 12:36 p.m...

Ton Roosendaal has a project going that might interest you: http://projects.blender.org/projects/classic/
Not much progress, but it's there for those who want to work on it.

Jahshaka is all well and good, but I'll wait till development gets a little further along.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Jahshaka for Irix at Oct. 7, 2003, 8:34 p.m...

skywriter wrote:

directedition wrote: i've known ton for years.thanks.

All hail Ton! I was a lowly user with no artistic skill, but Ton always gave me advice and help whenever I needed it. Cool guy.

- Jim

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directedition
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of mips3 pledge at Feb. 25, 2004, 8:25 a.m...

Oh well, I was really looking forward to using JuK on IRIX.

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- Jim
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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of si/ssi tram on ebay $75 each at Feb. 25, 2004, 2:34 p.m...

Yeah, it sounds to me like the problem could be solved by someone with a fine tip soldering iron and steady hand. Though I'm not sure what kind of damage could be done if the solders melt and mingle causing various parts to short....

- Jim

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directedition
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of rss-0.7.6 at Feb. 26, 2004, 8:53 a.m...

GCC at least provides an option for those without MIPSpro.

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- Jim
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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of 5dwm at Feb. 28, 2004, 1:30 p.m...

yeah, it's one of the KDE 'styles' and is pretty accurate

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Fuel V12, R16K 900MHz (8MB L2), 4GB at Dec. 31, 2008, 2:28 p.m...

Are you open to trades? How do first born sons sound?

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Quiet SCSI harddrives at Jan. 7, 2009, 7:23 p.m...

In my efforts to make quieter PCs (and daily drivers out of SGIs) the most common enemy is fan noise (the O2 has the loudest 170w PSU fan in the world). That's fairly simple to mitigate. Just replace the aging fans with newer more modern ones. Replace aluminum heatsinks with copper ones and use real thermal grease instead instead of the basic ceramic crap SGI uses so you can use lower RPM fans. Maybe put in some acoustic padding.

Harddrives are the next major enemy to combat. I haven't yet come across a SCSI harddrive that wasn't noisy as all-get-out. I want to use SCSI->IDE converters so I can use quiet laptop drives, but I'm just not confident in the converters. I'd much rather use SCSI drives that are relatively quiet. Can anyone recommend any?

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Quiet SCSI harddrives at Jan. 8, 2009, 3:48 p.m...

You can find them on ebay, but they aren't cheap, and they aren't guaranteed to work correctly in an SGI. Otherwise I'd certainly go for a super-quiet IDE drive for my system.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Blender 2.48 - Alpha rev c - "Yafray, FFmpeg, 64 threads" at Jan. 10, 2009, 6:54 p.m...

Im getting a similar error on my machine.using either the version in the first post or the official build. Heres where the output dies:

Only built-in modules are available. Some scripts may not run.
Continuing happily.
Bus error (core dumped)

- Jim

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directedition
Who joined Feb. 4, 2003, 1:20 a.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of Fuel R14k 600mhz 2048MB V12 at Jan. 11, 2009, 12:26 a.m...

A special thanks to Zerolapse for giving me a great deal on this system. My highest powered SGI before this was an O2 R10k 195mhz and an Indigo 2 R10k w/ High Impact. This is a HUGE improvement in terms of performance. I love this machine

hinv -vm

Code:

Location: /hw/module/001c01/node

IP34 Board: barcode MNV385     part 030-1707-003 rev -H

Location: /hw/module/001c01/node/cpubus/0

IP34PIMM Board: barcode NCN997     part 030-1730-002 rev -E

Location: /hw/module/001c01/Ibrick/xtalk/13

ASTODY Board: barcode NAT871     part 030-1726-005 rev -A

Location: /hw/module/001c01/Ibrick/xtalk/14

IP34 Board: barcode MNV385     part 030-1707-003 rev -H

Location: /hw/module/001c01/Ibrick/xtalk/15

IP34 Board: barcode MNV385     part 030-1707-003 rev -H

1 600 MHZ IP35 Processor

CPU: MIPS R14000 Processor Chip Revision: 2.4

FPU: MIPS R14010 Floating Point Chip Revision: 2.4

CPU 0 at Module 001c01/Slot 0/Slice A: 600 Mhz MIPS R14000 Processor Chip (enabled)

Processor revision: 2.4. Scache: Size 4 MB Speed 300 Mhz  Tap 0xa

Main memory size: 2048 Mbytes

Instruction cache size: 32 Kbytes

Data cache size: 32 Kbytes

Secondary unified instruction/data cache size: 4 Mbytes

Memory at Module 001c01/Slot 0: 2048 MB (enabled)

Bank 0 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)

Bank 1 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)

Bank 2 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)

Bank 3 contains 512 MB (Standard) DIMMS (enabled)

Integral SCSI controller 0: Version QL12160, low voltage differential

Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 0 (unit 1)

Integral SCSI controller 1: Version QL12160, single ended

CDROM: unit 6 on SCSI controller 1

IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty1

IOC3/IOC4 serial port: tty2

IOC3 parallel port: plp1

Graphics board: V12

Integral Fast Ethernet: ef0, version 1, module 001c01, pci 4

Iris Audio Processor: version MAD revision 1, number 1

PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1412, device 0x1724) PCI slot 2

PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x1077, device 0x1216) PCI slot 1

PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x10a9, device 0x0003) PCI slot 4

PCI Adapter ID (vendor 0x11c1, device 0x5802) PCI slot 5

HUB in Module 001c01/Slot 0: Revision 2 Speed 200.00 Mhz (enabled)

IP35prom in Module 001c01/Slot n0: Revision 6.211

USB controller: type OHCI

gfxinfo:

Code:

Graphics board 0 is "ODYSSEY" graphics.

Managed (":0.0") 1600x1024

BUZZ version B.2

PB&J version 1

128MB memory

Banks: 4, CAS latency: 3

Monitor 0 type: Unknown

Channel 0:

Origin = (0,0)

Video Output: 1600 pixels, 1024 lines, 82.98Hz (1600x1024_83)

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- Jim
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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Alternative Power Supplies for the Fuel at Jan. 11, 2009, 2:14 p.m...

If envrionment montioring auto-shut offs are the problem, that should be fairly simple to get around. PSU fans aren't all that dissimilar to case fans (in most cases they are straight up interchangeable). It seems to me you should be able to replace the PSU fan in a generic PC PSU with a 3-pin case fan. Swap the pinouts as necessary and add an extra line from the fan's third pin-out to whichever pin the Fuel expects the monitoring output.

I know I'd like to replace the PSU with an hec Raptor500 or other quiet PSU. I know the fan in that thing is the #1 noise culprit in the Fuel. I'm just not brave enough to give it a shot.

- Jim

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directedition
Who joined Feb. 4, 2003, 1:20 a.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of Fuel R14k 600mhz 2048MB V12 at Jan. 14, 2009, 4:51 p.m...

My 1600SW is just THAT awesome

But really, it's driving my FW900 at 1920x1080@72hz right now. I was planning on putting my 1600SW adapter in, but decided against it.

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- Jim
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directedition
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Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 6:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of R5000 O2 at Jan. 20, 2009, 9:57 a.m...

mattst88 wrote:

I think he meant when you built programs to benchmark, did you compile them with processor-specific optimizations?

I think there's a disconnect here. The benchmark being measure is compile time. There's no real point in spending time adding processor-specific optimizations when you're only measuring time spent compiling a given application. Hence, "I just run the Makefile as-is".

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directedition
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Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 6:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of R5000 O2 at Jan. 20, 2009, 4:33 p.m...

mapesdhs wrote:

Was it you I was talking to about sorting a decent ATLAS build or something, perhaps making an R8K-optimised Blender build?

Might I ask for what possible purpose you would go to the trouble of making an R8k optimized Blender? Aside from it's floating point performance, you're stuck with Extreme graphics in an Indigo 2, not exactly an ideal for contemporary software.

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Quake on Octane2 V6Pro? at Jan. 24, 2009, 6:57 a.m...

Really? All versions or just some? I can play Quake in OGL on my V12 Fuel just fine, but it turns to software rendering when using some effects.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of Quiet SCSI harddrives at Jan. 30, 2009, 3:24 a.m...

Arabski wrote: Loud you say? Check this out:

Ahh yes, the ST32171N. I had one in my Indy. All noise generating machines in the room bowed before its might.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What led to The Fall of SGI? - From www.vizworld.com at Aug. 12, 2009, 9:29 a.m...

No joke about the swag. I own just over 120 SGI t-shirts, baseball shirts, polos, and sweaters (along with a couple jackets) of which maybe a dozen are the same. Then I also have hats, pins (including my 14k gold SGI pin), mugs, watches, quality pens, bags, calculators, lanyards, stress balls, keychains, and even a pocket knife. There is plenty more out there (still trying to find some of those fly swatters) and I'll just keep on collecting. I've started photographing and posting some of my collection

Most of my collection came from a former employee (mid 80s through early 2000s judging by the swag) and he reiterated that same-old saying "It wasn't just a job, it was a wardrobe."

PS: Got any cool swag to sell? I'm pretty full up t-shirts though.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What led to The Fall of SGI? - From www.vizworld.com at Aug. 12, 2009, 9:35 a.m...

mattst88 wrote: I talked with him about cool stuff like IRIX x86.

Whoa whoa whoa, back up. This was in the pipeline at some point? While I obviously have my heart reserved for MIPS, I would still kill to be able to run IRIX on PCs of the future.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of What led to The Fall of SGI? - From www.vizworld.com at Aug. 12, 2009, 10:42 a.m...

Even so, that would be a hobbyist dream. Well.... and open source IRIX would really be. The code for 6.5.5 has been leaked and is available on the interwebs, but it's rather useless for the community. I somehow doubt if IRIX will ever be freed from its coffin.

- Jim

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directedition
From Pasadena, MD
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.

Wrote on the subject of eBay: SGI O2+ R12000 400mhz 512mb at March 4, 2010, 5:56 p.m...

One word describes the service you provided: EXCELLENCE.

2nded. Proximity to Ian's QoS is near reason enough to move to Scotland. The packaging of the CDs I ordered from him could have survived WWIII.

Btw, what is a T-cut? I have a few skins that are little beat-up and I'm interested in finding ways of cleaning them up.

- Jim

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directedition
Who joined Feb. 3, 2003, 5:20 p.m.
and authored 515 notes

Wrote on the subject of "Unlimited Detail" - new rendering technology at March 11, 2010, 7:01 p.m...

I can't help but notice the complete lack of animation in his environment. As one would expect. Without polygons, how can you animate anything? Are they going to recalculate the locations for each point between every frame? And once you start moving things, you have to recache your search data. He also talks about having billions of points in a scene, how can you have billions of points, each which need XYZ information for positioning, and RGB values for color, without requiring huge huge quantities of RAM? His 'one point per pixel' system is going to going alias like crazy and any surface with detail is going to look like an unfiltered texture (I'm certain this video was rendered at a higher resolution than is displayed).

It's an interesting technology and I'm eager to see where it goes, but it has a huge amount of critical technical hurdles to overcome. Though spending half the video explaining why polygons are bad and his technical explanation only goes as far as to say that it's "like google" kinda smacks of a charlatan. I would very much to see them publish a paper on this technology.

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