On keyboards

Jeff Atwood shares a few of his thoughts on keyboards:

Now, I’ve grown to begrudgingly accept the fact that touchscreen keyboards are here to stay, largely because the average person just doesn’t need to produce much written communication in a given day. So the on-screen keyboard, along with a generous dollop of autocomplete and autofix, suffices.

But I’m not an average person. You aren’t an average person. We aren’t average people. We know how to use the most powerful tool on the web –words. Strip away the images and gradients and vectors from even the fanciest web page, and you’ll find that the web is mostly words. If you believe, as I do, in the power of words, then keyboards have to be one of the most amazing tools mankind has ever created. Nothing lets you get your thoughts out of your brain and into words faster and more efficiently than a well made keyboard. It’s the most subversive thing we’ve invented since the pen and the printing press, and probably will remain so until we perfect direct brain interfaces.

I think this is pretty much spot on.  It was hard for me to get around the wide acceptance of the touch keyboards, but then I too figured out that I’m just not average in this regard.

Facebook’s first data center DRENCHED by ACTUAL CLOUD

Facebook’s first data center DRENCHED by ACTUAL CLOUD

Facebook’s first data center ran into problems of a distinctly ironic nature when a literal cloud formed in the IT room and started to rain on servers.

Via Slashdot.

Synergy – just move your mouse from one screen to another

Synergy – just move your mouse from one screen to another

Synergy lets you easily share your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers on your desk, and it’s Free and Open Source. Just move your mouse off the edge of one computer’s screen on to another. You can even share all of your clipboards. All you need is a network connection. Synergy is cross-platform (works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux).

Linux kernel drops 386 support

Slashdot reports that Linux kernel won’t support 386 machines no more.  This is more of a sentimental announcement for nostalgic reasons.  The commentary is hilarious and insightful, as often with Slashdot.

Unfortunately there’s a nostalgic cost: your old original 386 DX33 system from early 1991 won’t be able to boot modern Linux kernels anymore. Sniff.

It’s been a long while sine I saw even a 486 machine.  The last 386 I can remember is probably circa 1998 or so.