Shawn Mariani

I ripped this from Slashdot, but found it interesting enough to post.  Facebook is such a beast that their preference of programming language has an environmental impact.  It is important to note that this shouldn’t be limited to Facebook; imagine how many servers power Google if Facebook uses 30,000.

“Recently, Facebook provided us with some information on their server park. They use about 30,000 servers, and not surprisingly, most of them are running PHP code to generate pages full of social info for their users. As they only say that ‘the bulk’ is running PHP, let’s assume this to be 25,000 of the 30,000. If C++ would have been used instead of PHP, then 22,500 servers could be powered down (assuming a conservative ratio of 10 for the efficiency of C++ versus PHP code), or a reduction of 49,000 tons of CO2 per year. Of course, it is a bit unfair to isolate Facebook here. Their servers are only a tiny fraction of computers deployed world-wide that are interpreting PHP code.”

From [Slashdot]

Recently I installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) as the main OS on my HP Mini 1000.  With no optical drive, I was forced to boot from a flash drive, something I hadn’t done before.  The .IMG file was too large for my old 2GB SanDisk Cruzer Titanium, so I picked up a new 8 GB SanDisk Micro for $14.99.

Using Windows XP, the following procedure outlines how to extract an .img file and create a bootable USB drive with a few simple commands:

1. Download the latest daily release of UNR 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope:  http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-netbook-remix/daily-live/current/
2. To prep the drive, perform a Quick Format on the flash drive, use FAT32 as the file system.
3. Download flashnul: http://shounen.ru/soft/flashnul/
4. Run flashnul with a -p flag (take note of the number of the recently formatted flash drive):
5. In this case, my 8GB flash drive was number 2.
6. Next, run flashnul with the -L flag followed by the path to the downloaded UNR .img file:
7. Enter the word ‘yes’ to begin the process:
8. The extract and transfer should complete in under 5 minutes.  Press Enter to exit:
9. Note – the extracted files won’t display in a Windows environment.  In fact, it won’t even display the proper drive capacity:
10. This drive is now ready to go!  Remove it from your windows machine, connect to your netbook and select it from the boot menu while starting up.  Most modern machines will display the USB drive if bootable.  Enjoy UNR!

I’ve bought and a built a number of computers in my time, and recently decided to go down the path of ultra-mobile computing and purchase a netbook.  I would be classified as a power user; I work on a powerful full-size laptop everyday at work and also own a gaming PC with just under a TB of media.  I sold my IBM ThinkPad T60 (loved that thing) last week in attempt to lessen my computer footprint in my apartment and to also make back some money on it since laptops depreciate very quickly (bought in late 2006 @ $1,199, sold early 2009 for $450).

Not a week went by before I found myself missing the ease and joy of couch browsing without pulling out my massive work machine or sitting at my desk using a mouse.  I had a $100 gift card for Best Buy and suddenly the idea of a cheap and super small device used for nothing more than surfing the web appealed to me.

I settled on the HP Mini 1000 against the cheaper and higher capacity Asus Eee PC and the new Inspiron Mini by Dell (ugly).  The HP had a bigger keyboard and screen, sharper display, a solid state drive and an overall more attractive look.  I choose a small solid state drive since I won’t be using it to store any bulk music or software; just a handful of albums, a movie or two, and some “lite” apps.

It’s an overall great device and I really have no complaints about it.  I just need to accept that this isn’t a real laptop and should only be used to mobile computing and when I don’t feel like sitting in an office chair.  Part of me when buying a new machine wants to use it as much as possible.  It should be understood that netbooks are not a laptops but simply an extenstion to normal computers.  I like this idea and am excited to be evermore attached to the internet at all times.  This will hold true until I have some crazed Ted Kaczynski meltdown.  Actually, a cabin in Montana sound’s good right now, and a perhaps a perfect place for some mobile blogging.

HP Mini 1000 – Best Buy $349, bought 3/9/2009

• Intel Atom N270 @ 1.6GHz
• 1 GB Ram
• 16 GB Solid State Hard Drive
• 10.2 Inch Screen, 2.5 lbs
• Ethernet, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth
• Graphics – Intel GMA 950 Chipset
• Chipset – Mobile Intel 945GM Express
• 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader, eSATA port
• Webcam, Stereo speakers, single headphone/microphone jack

Pros

• The HP Mini is a 10 inch built a 8 inch chassis so it’s super compact!
• Very fast when browsing, even with multiple tabs.
• The whole case is very shiny including the screen.
• The keyboard has a nice feel also, touchpad works just like a full-size laptop.
• It’s dead quiet (solid state drive helps).
• It’s super light!
• Built well, lid hinges are strong and has a nice feel when opening and closing.
• I was originally against the whole artistic design on the lid, but it has grown on me.

Cons

• The lid doesn’t open a full 180° like most laptops.  This isn’t a big issue, but noticed it a few times while trying to get the right angle.
• Obviously it’s light on hardware, so the max resolution of 1024 x 600 is of no surprise but still worth noting.  I run a super high resolution at work, and it would be nice to see a bit more since it’s a smaller screen – but no biggie.
• The Home / End / PgUp / PgDn keys have been moved from the upper right of a normal keyboard to child function (fn) keys on the arrow keyset.  I actually use these navigation keys all the time, so I just have to get used to their new location.
• Runs a little hot sometimes.
• The gloss finish is great, but shows hella finger prints.