4. GrabBag of Hardware...

Running at 266 MHz

I had to use a version of SVGAlib modified for glibc2.0 and S3Virge (Trio64 mode) in order to get SVGALIB to work. SVGALIB is (whether fortunately or unfortunately) considered pretty obsolete these days.

To this has been connected:

• Quantum "Fireball" SCSI-2 1GB disk drive

• Tandberg

• UMAX S6E Color Flatbed Scanner, used to scan pictures and for document imaging. MacWarehouse had a really good deal, pricing it at $130...

  UMAX Scanner drivers are available that work nicely with this scanner.

• ExaByte 8500 8mm tape drive - 3.5GB capacity uncompressed, SCSI-2, 7GB "claimed capacity."

  This drive is a little less esoteric than the Tandberg, with the advantage that tapes are cheaper (note that there are video cassettes in the same form factor, thus bringing in further economies of scale), and I'm less concerned that if my apartment burned down that I'd not be able to find another drive.

  I bought my unit from Computer Systems Consultants for the unprincely sum of $250.

Recording a CD:

cdrecord -scanbus

Cdrecord release 1.6 Copyright (C) 1995-1998 Jorg Schilling scsibus0: 0) 'SAMSUNG ' 'SCR-830 REV 4.01' '4.01' Removable CD-ROM 1) 'Memorex ' 'CRW-1622 ' 'D3.9' Removable CD-ROM 2) * 3) * 4) * 5) * 6) * 7) *</programlisting></para>

cdrecord -v dev=1,1 speed=2 /var/tmp/sapcd.img

See also:

• NetExpress on CD Burning

• Cdrdao Homepage

Over my many years of involvement with computing, I have owned three printers; they have all seriously outlived (in usefulness) the systems to which they were originally connected:

• Mannesman Tally Spirit 80

  This is an Epson MX-80-compatible dot matrix printer. It hasn't been used since probably 1989, but is still in fine shape in my father's basement.

• HP DeskJet 500

  In active use through most of my time in Grad School, this 300 DPI ink jet printer provided superb service for many years. My brother Brad now uses it in Halifax; no doubt it will continue to be useful for a number of years.

  I primarily used it in conjunction with TeX DVI drivers on my Atari ST.

• HP LJ 5L

  I use it primarily in conjunction with PostScript output produced by various Unix-based software; I use Ghostscript to render PostScript into the printer's native PCL mode.

Out of my experiences at SHL Systemhouse as an SAP Basis Consultant, I learned rather a lot about the care and feeding of Unix LPD print queues, where I "abused" them for various purposes. I have written a web page about Frequently Asked Questions about Unix printing that I keep answering over and over again...