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A small notebook for a system administrator

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Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#221

Post by camtarn »

keepper wrote: post #186

This is SUCH a niche system, that I don't understand why carrying adapter is a bad thing. There are already laptops that kinda fit his keyboard/pointer/size requirements. - His "video subsystem" idea already has a solution for many years. KVM2USB. https://www.epiphan.com/products/kvm2usb-3-0/ - His "let me turn this into a boot device" also has a solution. Many virtual cd rom devices exist, for example https://www.am…

Why carrying an adaptor is a bad thing:

That horrible feeling when you get to the end of your five hour drive to the client site, and realize the adaptor is on your desk.

Of course, you can fix this with checklists or a shadow board style toolkit, but I do certainly dream of having one piece of hardware that connects to everything I use.

As an industrial programmer and occasional field sysadmin, this notebook would be amazing for me.

Of course, it would probably also be so expensive that I would never buy one...!

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#222

Post by TeMPOraL »

linkmotif wrote: post #98
chrisseaton wrote: post #35

> Such notebook is suitable for posting photos on Instagram, but not for work. At least not for mine. Why do people feel the need to be so snide and put down what other people do as 'not work'?

Probably because it’s much easier to post pictures on Instagram than to be a sysadmin? Or requires different hardware (in the author’s opinion, anyway, not mine, I don’t get why you need any of this to admin a system). Do you think that being a social media person is equally valuable to being a sysadmin? If so, why do sysadmins get paid more? It’s because fewer people have those skills, and everyone and their mother…

> (in the author’s opinion, anyway, not mine, I don’t get why you need any of this to admin a system).

The author isn't a typical corporate sysadmin running between offices and the server room; he works with wide variety of hardware and in conditions including outdoors and on top of antenna masts.

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#223

Post by redsparrow »

criddell wrote: post #38

> Such notebook is suitable for posting photos on Instagram, but not for work. There's something about that statement that put me off the entire article. Maybe the author truly is 3l337, but it just comes off as condescending. Plus, who uses a notebook for Instagram? The author managed to be simultaneously derisive and clueless.

The next sentence is: "At least not for mine."

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#224

Post by throwanem »

PascLeRasc wrote: post #169
stephenr wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your goal is a portable SSH client, even an original iPad mini with a bluetooth keyboard would be a better option than this thing.

I've been using iSH on the iPhone for my portable SSH client, it works pretty great for server maintenance even with the on-screen keyboard. https://github.com/tbodt/ish

I use Prompt these days, but iSSH's Remote Desktop client was super useful back when I was doing admin work and didn't have the luxury of never needing to work on a Windows server!

As I recall, I also used its X server for remote display from an OpenGenera instance running on a Tru64 VM, back when I was still indulging my hobby for Lisp system archaeology, and network problems were stopping me displaying to the VM host's X server. Good times...

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#225

Post by Intermernet »

komali2 wrote: post #107
giancarlostoro wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well now. I'd probably buy one for novelty if the price wasn't absurd. Bonus points for trackpoint. More bonus points for the USB in power supply brick. I do wish that was standard rather than usually one "power" USB port in the laptop. The Surface Book 2 has a USB slot on the charge brick.

Last I checked, the surface book 2 under load consumed more power than the brick could provide. If it functions anything like my sp3 brick did, if there's a phone or whatever plugged in in such situations, they don't get enough juice to charge.

Yeah, but you gotta get to serious load. If you use it as a mining rig it might go flat, but I've trained ML models, done 3d rendering, and played some demanding games on mine without any problems.

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#227

Post by tedunangst »

bubblethink wrote: post #217
tedunangst wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people who don't need multiple serial ports stop being real users?

What does it matter who real users are and aren't ? The author has requirements which are not met. Judging by the fact that it's a popular post, several others have similar requirements too. That someone may not have such requirements is quite obvious. Hence the current state of affairs and the post in the first place. The author's jokes may be a bit off, but this sub thread in this discussion that has devolved into…

I'm just kidding, man. Why can't anybody take a joke? Why be so uptight all the time?

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#228

Post by sigi45 »

camtarn wrote: post #221
keepper wrote: post #186

This is SUCH a niche system, that I don't understand why carrying adapter is a bad thing. There are already laptops that kinda fit his keyboard/pointer/size requirements. - His "video subsystem" idea already has a solution for many years. KVM2USB. https://www.epiphan.com/products/kvm2usb-3-0/ - His "let me turn this into a boot device" also has a solution. Many virtual cd rom devices exist, for example https://www.am…

Why carrying an adaptor is a bad thing: That horrible feeling when you get to the end of your five hour drive to the client site, and realize the adaptor is on your desk. Of course, you can fix this with checklists or a shadow board style toolkit, but I do certainly dream of having one piece of hardware that connects to everything I use. As an industrial programmer and occasional field sysadmin, this notebook would b…

I would assume, that i would have a 'toolbox' like any handyman but for it stuff.

I like the idea very much of switching input/output and using it for that (had often enough once in a year experience with this issue) but i can also just carry a lcd display with me. I would also make sure that my customer sites are in a state of ready.

Like having a display close by or keyboard.

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#229

Post by TheOperator »

keepper wrote: post #186

This is SUCH a niche system, that I don't understand why carrying adapter is a bad thing. There are already laptops that kinda fit his keyboard/pointer/size requirements. - His "video subsystem" idea already has a solution for many years. KVM2USB. https://www.epiphan.com/products/kvm2usb-3-0/ - His "let me turn this into a boot device" also has a solution. Many virtual cd rom devices exist, for example https://www.am…

I used to think it was an absolutely awesome for a laptop to have an rj45 - something missing from the VAST majority of thin & light ultrabooks. I still think it's useful. This week I used a laptops rj45 to figure out that the connection to a switch was working but not the connection from the switch.

However one thing I realised is that if I'm ever repairing computers I'm going to be carrying a toolkit with me regardless. If there's an issue with some locations network and/or devices I'm going to want a console cable, an ethernet cable, cable crimpers, a drill, screwdriver set, usb drive, velcro ties, spare parts, label maker, a whole bunch of useful things. I have a backpack just full of useful stuff. If I'm always going to have tools with me adapters aren't a huge burden.

Additionally most of my clients exist at geographically disparate locations. If I ever find myself physically connecting my laptop to stuff I ask myself where I fucked up. If you have to physically move yourself to a broken device and plug a laptop in to figure out what's wrong 90% of the time it's reflective of not setting up proper remote management tools. It means you have a more fundamental issue that wastes money on expensive labour and risks downtime. If I can't fix your systems with an instagram machine with zero adapters it's reflective of a deeper issue. Personally I'd rather use an off-the-shelf thin and light that's portable and inexpensive.

Re: A small notebook for a system administrator

#230

Post by Redoubts »

keepper wrote: post #186

This is SUCH a niche system, that I don't understand why carrying adapter is a bad thing. There are already laptops that kinda fit his keyboard/pointer/size requirements. - His "video subsystem" idea already has a solution for many years. KVM2USB. https://www.epiphan.com/products/kvm2usb-3-0/ - His "let me turn this into a boot device" also has a solution. Many virtual cd rom devices exist, for example https://www.am…

Yeah, this guy already has a bag of dongles anyways. I'd just carry a 12" MacBook at that point.
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