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R. Tyler Ballance's Blog
soma

Hello and welcome to my super magical web 2.0 synergetic "blog" (what a miserable term). Anyways, I cannot guarantee anything I write here is coherent, or correct in any sense. Sorry. I'm anxiously awaiting somebody to hire me as a QA Engineer, since I obviously am good at breaking software. You can contact me via tyler@bleepsoft.com if you'd like to berate me for anything I've written here :)



Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 779

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 170

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 177


Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1112

Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1132
20/10 In search of a synergy-enabled enterprise workstation


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Over the past couple days, I've been evaluating parallels, and I've tried to like it, really I have. There's only one, no two, major flaws with Parallels, first being its abhorrent stability, secondly its about as robust as a pineapple (pineapple's are notably not robust in the fruit world, just ask your grocer). While I was doing some reasonably heavy I/O tasks in a virtualized FreeBSD machine (eggplant.local) I started up my SuSE Enterprise 10 virtual machine (tomato.local) and my entire iMac came grinding to a halt, causing me to lose all my unsaved work, etc. My intel iMac is not short on the performance stick either, 2Ghz intel Core Duo and packed with 2GB of RAM, its a powerful machine, and watching it lock up completely is nothing short of absolutely infuriating. In the realm of robust-osity, Parallels flunks the test as well, to back up (or clone) a virtual machine's disk image, you must completely halt the virtual machine, say a prayer, tap your red slippers together three times and hope it works. The "Clone VM Disk" option is about all Parallels has in terms of virtual machine management which, after usng VMWare extensively on another project, is quite disappointing.

where's the synergy?

This leaves me at a cross-roads, its becoming increasingly ineffecient to keep numerous x86 machines lying around for testing various iterations of Linux, Windows, and other operating systems (FreeBSD/OpenBSD/Solaris), so the best option available is to virtualize. As Parallels is a decent one-VM solution for Mac OS X, and VMWare doesn't exist on the Mac platform yet, the best option is to have the company purchase a new Linux-based workstation that will handle various virtual machines. The machine should be a new machine, capable of running no less than 4 virtual machines in VMWare with ease, and should jive with Novell's SuSE Enterprise Linux 10 (which I might say, is the most impressive distribution I've seen to date).

Slight problem, I've never actually purchased a new PC, whoops. I've bought two new Apple computers, but all my PCs are second-hand in some form or another. I refuse to purchase from Dell, so that leaves me with IBM, HP and Sun to choose from (any good vendors I missed?). I've been most impressed with IBM's IntelliStation Workstation line thus far, the IntelliStation M Pro Express Model is definitely looking like a viable choice. Sun isn't lagging too far behind in the pursuit of a good Linux workstation/vmware server with their Ultra 20 M2, it is however a bit more expensive point for point than IBM, but Sun's machine is utilizing an AMD Opteron (dual core) processor, versus IBM's M Pro Express which is built with an Intel Pentium 4 (3.4Ghz EM64T). The machine needs to be solid, and well supported too (a good warranty is a must of course) but there's no restriction on Intel/AMD, so long as it runs SuSE, and VMWare.

The options are numerous to say the least, but the right choice needs to be made, as virtualizing as many servers as possible will not only increase my ability to test, deploy, and deliver on those respective platforms, but will help grow the business as well ("We want this to work on Solaris 10, can you do that?" 'Sure').

Opinions? Ideas? Suggestions? More Cowbell?

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  • Time:
    Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 1258
    02:22AM
  • Category: The Company Line

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 170

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 177

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 182


Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1112

Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1132
04/09 BuildFactory v(1.1), Coming Soon.


Warning: Parameter 1 to NP_Geshi::event_PreItem() expected to be a reference, value given in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/MANAGER.php on line 331
I'm hard at work right now on BuildFactory 1.1, amongst other things. The next point release of BuildFactory will contain quite a few bug fixes as well as some fantastic new features, some of which I've neglected to add for quite some time.

Features include:
  • Pre-/Post-Build Scripting
  • Additional xcodebuild(1) parameters
  • Improved Subversion integration via SvnCpp
  • Bug fixes galore!


I've uploaded a quick outline of some of those features in this screencast of BuildFactory v(1.1)

[tags: , , , , ]
  • Time:
    Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 1258
    03:11AM
  • Category: The Company Line

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 170

Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 177

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 182


Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1112

Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/globalfunctions.php on line 1132
08/08 From the front lines


Warning: Parameter 1 to NP_Geshi::event_PreItem() expected to be a reference, value given in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/MANAGER.php on line 331
So I've just received an email from somebody at WWDC, an event I'm too poor (silly "college" and "moving to San Antonio") to attend, letting me know that BuildFactory doesn't run on Leopard.

Shit.

If anybody can confirm this and provide crash logs, details, etc, that'd be fantastic. :(

[tags: , , , ]
  • Time:
    Warning: strftime() [function.strftime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 1258
    11:48PM
  • Category: The Company Line

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 211

Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/greenp4/public_html/bleepsoft/tyler/nucleus/libs/BLOG.php on line 213
www.flickr.com


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