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  1. tmcd35

    Desertion

    By tmcd35,

    I haven't posted here for a while and there's a good (or bad depending how you look at it) reason.
     
    I've deserted. I'm expecting Dos_Box to put a bounty out on me and have me shot at dawn
     
    The blog as been moved and is now in full rant over at...
     
    http://tmcd35.wordpress.com/
     
    if anybody is truely interested in my prose - don't blame you, I'm not
  2. tmcd35

    NetBSD

    By tmcd35,

    I've been playing around with this for a while. I must say as an OS - I like it! It feels somewhat uncomplicated compared to other *nix's.
     
    Today I'm going for a fresh install of NetBSD 5 and see what I can get out of it. Wish me luck!
     
    The Platform
    Nice and simple - VMWare Fusion 2.x (whatever the latest is). 1 Core (from a 2.16Ghz Core Duo) and 768mb Ram. Hard Drive is 15Gb pre allocated.
     
    A word on the hard drive. I've noticed with previous install attempts that NetBSD does not like expanding hard drives so you must pre-allocate the space. The other thing NetBSD doesn't like is Sun's VirtualBox.
     
    Installation
    Fairly straight forward process. The .iso maps to Fusions virtual CD drive and is auto booting. NetBSD, as with most 'real *nix's' (sorry Linux guys) uses a simple text based installation.
     
    The first choice is the intallation type. I always opt for the 'Custom Installation' Option. I typically chose the following options:
     

    Kernel (GENERIC)
    Base
    System (/etc)
    Compiler Tools
    Online Manual Pages
    X11 Sets - ALL

     
    The rest is not installed. Anything I need I can grab from the package collection later.
     
    Going through the menus NetBSD detects most things just fine. Drive geometry, use entire disk, etc. Just remember to 'set partitions' rather than 'use default' as the default seems to be no partitions(?). From the 'set partitions' screen I tend to just leave the defaults as displayed and continue the installation.
     
    v5 Installation seems a lot lot quicker than v4. It appears that the developers have combined all the elements of each package (Kernel, System, Base, etc) in to their own single archive (eg. kernel.tgz, system.tgz, etc) rather than have separate archives for each individual program that makes up a given package (gcc.tgz, xorg.tgz, etc).
     
    The result is fewer files to copy from CD to hard drive and fewer files to unpack and thus a much quicker install.
     
    Welcome to NetBSD
    That was simple! Login in as root and I get a friendly message suggesting I set up a standard user account and 'su' for root access.
     
    A good suggestion, so lets do it!
     

    useradd -m <[i]username[/i]> passwd <[i]username[/i]>
     
    also use 'vi' to edit the '/etc/group' file to give your new user 'su' permissions.

    wheel:*:0:root,<[i]username[/i]>
     
    Now we can
     

    exit
     
    and logon as our new standard user.
     
    Networking
    The next step is to set up your networking. I use DHCP (VMWare Fusion is using a 'bridged' connection) so again this is not to painful.
     
    The first stage is to find the name of your NIC...
     

    It appears my NIC is called 'pcn0'.
     
     
    So it's a simple case of using 'vi' to add a couple of lines to (or create) '/etc/rc.conf'
     

    dhclient=YES dhclient_flags="pcn0"
    change 'pcn0' to the name of your NIC
     
    A quick reboot and we have internet!!!
     
    PKGSRC
    pkgsrc (Package Source) is the NetBSD equivalent to 'ports' on FreeBSD , 'fink' on OSX or 'apt' on Linux. It's our software repository of tested NetBSD *nix apps.
     
    So I need to grab the latest directory tree from CVS which will allow me to easily compile the programs I want to use in my OS.
     
    First set the environment viariables

    export CVSROOT="[email protected]:/cvsroot" export CVS_RSH="ssh"
     
    Next use 'vi' to add the following to '~/.cvsrc'

    checkout -P update -dP release -d diff -upN cvs -q -z3 rdiff -u
     
    and then connect to cvs to get the latest package data
     

    cd /usr cvs checkout -P pkgsrc
     
    and finally bootstrap...

    cd /usr/pkgsrc/bootstrap ./bootstrap
     
    Pico
    Look under '/usr/pkgsrc' and you'll find a large directory tree of various packages you can install. Installation of any program is simply a matter of 'cd'ing to the appropriate directory and running the following commands...
     

    make make install make clean make clean-depends
     
    pkgsrc take care of all dependencies for you!
     
    For a easy web view of packages you will find within the newly installed pkgsrc directory take a look at http://pkgsrc.se/
     
    The first package that *must* be installed is 'pico'. 'vi' is a usable text editor, I know the basics to get in and get the job done, but it's not something you want to use long term. It lacks finesse.
     
    'pico' (or 'nano') is an alternative command line text editor to 'vi'. It's much simpler to use on a day to day basis. Think of 'edit' under MS-Dos and your not a million miles away.
     
    'pico' can be found in the following location...
     

    /usr/pkgsrc/editors/pico
     
    Licensing
    Now a word on licenses. The are numerous licenses running around the open source world and not all are compatible with each other. Because of this pkgsrc makes you explicitly accept any new licenses you encounter before it will agree to install your chosen software.
     
    'pico' requires the 'pine-license'. To accept a license edit the '/etc/mk.conf' file (again with 'vi' - grrr.)
     

    ACCEPTABLE_LICENSES+=pine-license
     
    Fluxbox
    The last thing I want to do this time round is setup X. Usually I'd set up X first and then install my Window Manager of choice. This time I'm doing it the other way round!
     
    Why? Have you seen 'twm'? Even booting into it once to check X.org has set up correctly is more than I can bare! So, I'll install Fluxbox now and when I configure X.org I'll get a lovely GUI immediately - sweet!
     
    Unlike Windows or OS-X (at least officially) X can have any GUI front end your hear desires (and then some). These are called Window Managers. The most popular tend to copy Explorer (Windows) or Finder (OSX) - see Gnome, KDE and Enlightenment. But if you prefer the look and feel of the Amiga, GEM (early Mac/Atari ST), BeOS or Arthur (Acorn) then you can have that look and feel.
     
    Fluxbox is a very, very basic Window Manager. No desktop icons or menu bars. There's a small bar for running apps and a 'start menu' you access by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop. It's fast and it's simple, and that's what I like. I can add my own file manager and/or icon manager later (if I so desire).
     
    Fluxbox can be found here...

    /usr/pkgsrc/wm/fluxbox
     
    Finally set fluxbox to start with X...(http://www.fluxbox.org/screenshots/)...

    echo "exec startfluxbox" > ~/.xinitrc
     
    X
    Finally, it's time to start up X. Before I get going a small gripe if you will. I liked XFree86! With release v5 NetBSD have jumped on the X.org band wagon with everyone else. It's a shame, I actually knew where I was with XFree86 and find X.org harder to configure.
     
    Not fair, it's probably more the combination of NetBSD and VMWare that causes the 'difficulties' otherwhys X.org is supposed to configure itself, Oh-hum.
     
    Okay, as you might have gathered. Do not blindly run 'startx' or get X.org to completely configure itself. Atleast not under VMWare as it doesn't work.
     
    First job is to create a 'xorg.conf.new' file in your home directory. This is done by...

    Xorg -configure
     
    Next job is to edit that file and set up to run properly...

    pico ~/xorg.conf.new
    Yay - 'pico'
     
    Add [CTRL]-[ALT]-[bACKSPACE] support to dump out of X if something is wrong...

    Section "Server Layout" ... ... Option "DontZap" "Off" EndSection
     
    and replace the entire screen section...

    Section "Screen" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Card0" Monitor "Monitor0" DefaultDepth 24 SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 24 Modes "1024x768" EndSubSection EndSection
     
    Finally...

    cp xorg.conf.new xorg.conf startx
     
    and you will see...(attached image)...
     
    Well that's it for this time. It was a long one! Next time I pick up NetBSD (whenever that may be) I'll be looking at some important apps - pcmanfm, wbar (or another desktop icon manager), Opera (or maybe Chrome?) and eventually OpenOffice, Wine + iTunes?
  3. tmcd35
    A few small jobs to report on, this time nothing Mutliseat related ( ).
     
    Office XP SP3
     
    I'm not going to detail the process here since only out of date institutions like ours are still using this and if you really need the instructions are all over the net (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832671). But, boy what a palaver! I thought I'd have to attach a update or to to the MSI deployment in GPO. Instead I had to unpack the update and tap in a pretty long command to get the ball rolling. Still job done!
     
    Actually, this Office XP is an upgrade for the school! We are currently on Office 2000. I'm supposed to be pushing OpenOffice (waiting for Go-OO 3.1 to be released).
     
    Deploying Printers
    Sometimes Windows goes out of it's way to impress me. And AD/GPO's is one area that never fails. Despite what my Linux loving colleagues may say I think there is a real beauty and elegance in the way AD works.
     
    It used to be to add printers to a suite I'd need a set of printer scripts to run, thus...
     

    rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /c\\[i]<computername>[/i] /n\\[i]<printserver>\<printershare>[/i]
     
    Now since Server 2003R2, AD does this for me! And as with most things in AD it's actually quiet simple.
     
    The only 'gotch-ya' is the 'pushprintconnections.exe' which needs to be run via GPO, Computers/Windows/Scripts/Startup. The .exe can be found in the 'C:\WINDOWS\PMCSnap' directory along with the all important 'printmanagement.msc'.
     
    printmanagement.msc makes it a doddle to add a printer deployment to a GPO. I'm setting up new GPO's especially for the various different printer deployments we have around school and then applying them to the relevant Rooms.
     
    So 'Room 1 Printers' GPO contains deployment instructions for the LJ4000 and CLJ4650 in that room. This GPO is then applied to the Room 1 OU and the ICT Teachers Laptops OU.
     
    Great Stuff!
     
    Papercut
    On the subject of printers, I've just got my new license for the Papercut Print Management software (http://www.papercut.com/). The Bursar wasn't happy, apparently she has to send the cheque to Australia! Oh-hum
     
    Fires a quick test install. All I can say is, very intuitive. Looks nicely laid out and fairly straight forward to use. Bonus of a nice web interface.
     
    Had to uninstall it almost immediately though. Got the user import wrong and the system wouldn't let me delete the '[All-Users]' group after it had been installed.
     
    Not a problem, I need to get *ALL* the network printers onto the one print server (we only have one print server !?!) and get the new printer deployments sorted through my new AD structure first (see above).
     
    But come the summer and this software can be installed ready to upset the little blighters in September. I'm actually half way through my £6000 consumables budget in just 2 months! Admittedly £400 was for this software
  4. tmcd35

    Comparing Specs

    By tmcd35,

    So, I've placed the orders for my two Multiseat systems. Both machines will be self built. I've not ordered TFT's this time as I'm refurbing Lab1 over the summer and some of the old TFT's from their will be used with these two systems.
     
    Before I give the specs for the two Multiseats, I thought I'd share the specs of the front runner desktop I'm considering for Lab1.
     
    Room 1 - Desktop
    Acer Veritron L410

    USFF Chassis
    AMD Athlon X2 4400 (2.3Ghz Dual Core)
    2Gb DDR2 Ram
    320Gb Hard Drive
    Windows XP Pro SP3

    £345
     
    Library - nComputing (7 Seat)

    Akasa Zen White Case + Antec 430W PSU
    Asus AM3 AMD790GX Motherboard
    AMD Phenom II X4 955 (3.2Ghz Quad Core)
    4Gb DDR3 Ram
    WD Raptor 10,000rpm 150Gb Hard Drive
    2x nComputing X300 Kits
    7x Genius PS/2 Keyboards
    7x Genius PS/2 Optical Mice
    Windows 2003 + 6 Terminal Server CAL's

    £120 per seat
     
    SEN - SoftXpand (4 Seat)

    Akasa Zen White Case + Antec 500W PSU
    Gigabyte AM2+ AMD790X Motherboard
    AMD Phenom X3 8650 (2.3Ghz Triple Core)
    3Gb DDR2 Ram
    WD 80Gb Hard Drive
    2x PNY GeForce 8400Gs 256mb Graphics Cards
    4x 4-port USB2.0 Hubs
    4x Genius USB Keyboards
    4x Genius USB Laser Mice
    Vista Business + 2xVista Enterprise upgrades
    4x SoftXpand Licenses

    £220 per seat
     
    nComputing is clearly the cheaper option, but you get what you pay for. SoftXpand gives Windows XP SP3 support out of the box and a known upgrade path to 64bit and Windows 7. nComputing appear to be dragging their heels here.
     
    £220 per seat versus £345 per seat using traditional desktops. Let's hope it all works in a live environment.
  5. tmcd35

    Multiseat Computing

    By tmcd35,

    [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiseat[/ame]
     
    Every geek has an area of computing that 'does it' for them. For some it's programming and the beauty in finding the most efficient algorithm to a particular problem. For others it's the use of a particular operating system and the challenge of optimising it to a particular solution. For me it's virtualisation.
     
    Virtualisation in itself is nothing new. The basics of the idea date back to early Mainframes with tens or hundreds of VT terminals sharing the power of one supercomputer.
     
    In recent years, as computer power has increased, the technology has found a new lease of life. Especially in the server room - [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_virtualization[/ame].
     
    Today it's not uncommon to find one physical server run 7 or 8 (sometime more) virtual servers. Now it has matured in the server room it's now starting to move to the desktop - [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_virtualization[/ame]
     
    The most common method is Terminal Servers and Thin Clients. In this model you have one all powerful server and all your client desktops are run a sessions on there. Clients connect to their sessions over the network via KVM (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) terminal boxes known as Thin Clients. There is only one instance of the OS (operating system) which all terminals share.
     
    A second method gaining in popularity is to run one Virtual Machine instance for each desktop and have each of the ThinClients to connect to their own dedicated OS instance. So 20 Thin Clients connects to 1 server running 20 OS's, instead of 20 Thin Clients connecting to 1 server with 1 OS (which they share). The most popular example is VMWare VDI - http://www.vmware.com/products/view/
     
    A third method - Mutliseat Computing - takes the Terminal Server model and moves it to the desktop. Here all the power remains locally at the desktop, which allows more advanced apps to run when compared to the previous two, and you get the ease of management of less physical boxes.
     
    nComputing
    The main player in this field is http://www.ncomputing.com/ . Since discovering nComputing it has been my intention to run a test rig in our Library, and if the test is successful implement the technology in an entire ICT Suite.
     
    Unfortunately early test of nComputing have shown up some problems which mean it will not scale up to a complete ICT Suite.
     
    The initial problem was the incompatibility with Window XP SP3 and the supplied version of the nComputing software. At first glance it seems that the only way of upgrading the software (to a SP3 compatible version) is through an automatic update which refused beyond all reason to work.
     
    Exploring their support site finds a lack of quality Forum or Knowledge Base articles. Always a bad sign.
     
    Hidden in an unassuming FAQ I did eventually find a manual download for the SP3 compatible version (soon to be tested). But in finding I spent to much time around their support site and become increasingly disturbed at the lack of support this product is recieving.
     
    Windows Vista support has been 'experimental' and only available or one of thier product lines for quiet a while. It seems to continuously miss promised release dates. 64bit support is a complete non starter.
     
    With memory being the key performance limiter to this type of system and 64bit Windows 7 being the next logical step for the desktop. Lack of proper Vista and/or 64bit support means nComputing is a complete non starter.
     
    SoftXpand
    In my refusal to give up on the idea of Multiseating (I told you virtualisation it my 'geek turn on') I started searching the .net for a viable nComputing alternative.
     
    I stumbled upon http://www.miniframe.com/ but couldn't find all the answers to my questions so the whole thing was confined to the back of my mind for another day.
     
    Strangly the next day a thread appeared on Edugeek - http://www.edugeek.net/forums/hardware/35205-softxpand-system.html . And who should reply to the thread but a rep from the UK suppliers of SoftXpand!
     
    The guy from SoftXpand, miniframeuk, turns out to be a very helpful chap and answers all my concerns with the technology. Yes SoftXpand supports 64bit Windows 7 and the evidence shows the Isreali developers are keen to update and support their product. It appears to be future proof - result!
     
    Another result is largest UK installation of SoftXpand just so happens to be at a fellow Norfolk secondary school barely 15 miles away! And, the Network Manager there turns out to be a thoroughly agreeable chap who has nothing but praise for SoftXpand at every level!
     
    SoftXpand is an entirely software solution to the Multiseat problem unlike nComputing. nComputing uses a proprietary PCI LAN-like card and KVM terminals to connect the additional workstations to the host.
     
    With SoftXpand all Keyboards, Monitors and Mice are connected directly to the host. The monitors run in 'extended desktop mode' and SoftXpand carves up theses extended displays into individual terminals.
     
    Because of this you need enough USB sockets for all your keyboards and mice, and enough video cards for all your monitors in the host system. 6 workstations require 3 dual head graphics cards. 8 workstations require 4 cards. Finding motherboards with 3 or 4 PCI Express x16 slots can be a challange to say the least!
     
    Mirk, the Network Manager at the local secondary school, invited me to look round his set up. He is using SoftXpand everywhere. all class rooms have at least 6 workstations (1 physical computer). All ICT suites are built around 6:1 miniframes (the name given to the host computer). He has around 50 miniframes in total around the school.
     
    Two things impressed me greatly during my visit. The first was see http://italc.sourceforge.net/ talk flawlessly with all the workstation on all the miniframes.
     
    The second was the library. A massive 8 workstation on 1 miniframe and all 8 where in use. One had a tv program running from BBC iPlayer, two where running flash games, 1 was editing a Publisher document, the rest where running either Internet Explorer or Word.
     
    I watched the user on Publisher import, resize and move a picture. It was faster and smoother than any of my standalone WinSuite (yeuk) desktops could manage. And no the iPlayer did not pixelise or frame skip. Sure he has a powerful desktop running these 8 stations. Quad Opteron and 4Gb ram as I recall, but still video, games, pictures, 8 users and not breaking a sweat!
     
    I'll be testing this system for myself in our SEN department in the not too distant future. If it works I can see it forming the basis of our ICT suites for the foreseeable future.
  6. tmcd35
    I've been meaning to start a (semi-)regular blog for quiet a while. The problem is having something of interest, at least to myself, to blog about.
     
    Well as it turns out I have several projects on the go. Some are in a very embryonic stage, others are nearing completion.
     
    I thought I'd start with a list of projects under way and then over the next how ever many blogs tackle each subject as the mood takes me and the projects progress.
     
    Goodbye WinSuite
    Perhaps the single most important project I am currently working on. To remove WinSuite - excise the demon - from our network and replace it with a proper vanilla Windows 2003R2 AD infrastructure.
     
    Windows 7 Migration
    This is a very long term project that takes in a number of 'mini' projects along the way. In fact the previous project, Goodbye WinSuite, is one of the so called 'mini' projects to this goal.
     
    The plan is to move from Windows XP SP3 on the desktop to Windows 7 in 2011.
     
    Server 2008R2
    The move from Window 2003R2 to 2008R2 is really a 'mini' project for two others. It is to support the Windows 7 Migrations and support the server rooms move into Virtualisation.
     
    Office...
    The move from Office 2000 (yes, that's right I said 2000) to Office ??? Okay, I'm trying to push OpenOffice. Office XP seems to have come along as a consensus. Can I ween the school off of M$ or do I have to re-write the budget canceling, or seriously crippling a number of other projects?
     
    Virtualisation
    One of the most important projects of in modern server room. The move from a Physical to Virtual server environment. This is quiet a mature project know and I am blessed to be involved with planning the move completely from scratch for this second time (the first being my last schools Virtualisation project).
     
    VLE's, Websites and Fronter
    If Virtualisation is the new buzzword in the Server Room, then VLE is the new buzzword in the classroom. Our school is tentatively treading these boards, along with a new website, and Fronter is the name of the beast we are taming.
     
    Room Builds
    All schools have a refesh program. These can be interesting too. Ours is over four years. One lab a year. It's Lab One this year!
     
    Desktop Virtualisation
    This is an old paradigm made new, and quickly becoming the successor to Server Virtulisation for those in the know. The very idea, if implemented correctly, strikes a chord with every Systems Admin. The problem is implementing correctly! We're currently looking at 'Multi-Seat Computing'. nComputing and SoftXpand are the two key players here. Is this all gonna end in tears?
     
    MIS
    Okay, a bit behind the times here. But we are at least talking about changing our MIS. Maybe we'll do it before finding out the current one is not Windows 7 compatible? XPM mode?
     
    Inventory
    I may have one or two words to say on this subject, I don't know.
     
    NetBSD
    A personal project. I want my own OS. Linux From Scratch involved to much compiling. NetBSD on the other hand, now there's a good starting point for your own bespoke OS install.
     
    Well that's the current list. As you can see there is a lot going on. Certainly a few things that could be worth blogging as these projects mature.
     
    And I get to use big words like 'paradigm'...
  7. tmcd35

    Convergence

    By tmcd35,

    Today I find myself wanting to blog again, and once again it'd the good ol' PS3 that's caught my attention. I have finally achieved the coveted prize of 'convergence'. Though it's by no means perfect the future is here.
     
    For the past however meny years I've been paying the local cable company an extortionate amount of money for their 'V+' box. Digital TV, Video Recorder and OnDemand service all in one. The problems being their high price and small quick to fill hard drive. Also, I find I only watch the Freeview channels (even though I pay for more) and even then not that often.
     
    So It's time for a change. I've had Freeview PVR's before but again hard drive size has always been wanting and the EPG abysmal. I found 1 (Humax, I think) with a fantastic interface - only for the box to die within two weeks of use!
     
    PlayTV for the PS3 however, looks quite inviting. So much so I've gone out and bought it. What can I say, the EPG is the best I've used on any platform. That includes Sky! Also it has the fastest, most responsive channel change of any freeview box I've used. And lightyears ahead of Virgins wait 5minutes to change channel.
     
    PlayTV on it's own does not make for convergence. What's needed to really make the whole thing work is a 500Gb hard disk. 500Gb 2.5" SATA drives can be picked up for under £100. Now this gives ample breathing space for the PVR to do it's magic and has enough room for my MP3 collection, photo collection, Whose Line and Star Trek collections and the odd DiVX movie to boot.
     
    What really sets the PS3 + PlayTV + 500Gb HDD off as the perfect convergence device though is the web browser. Just head over to BBC iPlayer on your PS3 and be amazed at it's full OnDemand glory. Also YouTube works a treat!
     
    My Mac also acts as a UPNP media server for the PS3. Also, don't forget that the PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player on the market, a great DVD upscaler and a games console to boot.
     
    Freeview, PVR, Media Player, On Demand, Blu Ray, DVD, Gaming and Internet in one device! I have convergence - but it's not all good...
     
    Lets start with the PlayTV. It has a number of issues. Some can be fixed with future firmware updates, other will need a new hardware revision. To start with it has two tuners but uses one for record and one for live tv exclusively. This means you can only record from one channel at a time, despite having two tuners. Next up is the lack of TopUpTV support, for those that'd like to pay for the extra channels. And finally, the biggest problem is no HD support. This time next year atleast the BBC will be broadcast in HD on freeview.
     
    The next problem is the web browser. Something, I can't put my finger on it, doesn't look right with it's font size and use of on screen real estate. In a way it feels 'clunky'. Then there's the fact that it's detected as a Mobile Web Browser by some pages (probably bad coding on those pages). Great for the BBC iPlayer - but go to iTV CatchUp and you get no where. Also Channel 5's on demmand is difficult to use and YouTube is very cumbersome. Worst of all though is that 4OD, the most important OnDemand service after BBC iPlayer, is a PC download only - come C4 surely you can get some flash based catch up service going?
     
    Finally there's the hard drive. I can't organise my music/photos/movies into a neat directory structure. I'm yet to have a proper play, but it seems to by 1 dir deep and no further sub-directories. Also, I can't ftp/ssh from my Mac to my PS3 hard disk and do file management and copying onto the PS3 HDD from their.
     
    Despite it's clitches it is the best PVR I've bought, more than worth it's money. If you look at BBC iPlayer on the PS3 you can see the future of convergence right there, and it's a bright future.
  8. tmcd35

    iTunes Music Quiz

    By tmcd35,

    Okay, so my sister has asked me to organise a music quiz as a party game this crimbo based on the contents of my infamous iTunes library.
     
    I thought I'd search the net to see if there's a piece of software to help me do this.
     
    Haven't (yet) found what I'm looking for but did find this quiz which I thought would make a good blog entry. Feel free to try the quiz yourself and post your results as a comment
     
    How Meny Songs in Total?
    3,952
     
    Sort by Title - What's the first and last song?
    Abacab by Genesis
    54321 by Manfred Man
     
    Sort by Artist - Whose the first and last artist?
    A-Ha
    10CC
     
    Sort by Time - What's the first and last song?
    Blag by Smile (15sec)
    I'd Do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf (11min 59sec)
     
    Sort by Album - What's the first and last album?
    Abacab by Genesis
    2300 Jackson Street by The Jacksons
     
    Top 5 Played Songs
    Walk Unafraid by R.E.M. - 95 plays
    Supernatural Superserious by R.E.M. - 68 plays
    Outsiders by R.E.M. - 67 plays
    Wanderlust by R.E.M. - 66 plays
    Me in Honey by R.E.M. - 64 plays
     
    Find "Sex" - How many songs?
    10
     
    Find "Death" - How many songs?
    17
     
    Find "Love" - How many songs?
    256
     
    Try and put as many letters as you can into the search, with spaces in between each letter, if one letter takes all the selections out, skip it, and continue, until you’ve got as many as possible.
     
    Which songs are left?
    Time Drags By - Cliff Richard
    Breakin' Away - Joe Fagin
    Fresh - Cool & The Gang
    Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Universally Speaking - Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Dancing On The Lip Of A Volcano - New York Dolls
     
    What Letters Were Used?
    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p r s t u v w y
     
    I'm adding the following for completion
     
    Sort by Year - What's the first and last song?
    Toccata in D Minor by Bach (1714)
    Wounded in All The Right Places - 1 Giant Leap (2008)
     
    Sort by Date Added - What's the first and last song?
    '74-'75 by The Connells
    Glass of Water by Coldplay
  9. tmcd35
    So, I'm an avid music fan (understatement) and I own a PS3. Putting these two facts together mean I naturally like a certain type of game - Singstar and Rock Band. I'm counting the days till the release of Guitar Hero World Tour.
     
    My PS3 has a 40Gb hard disk that must be getting quite full now with all the songs have been downloading for the aforementioned games. So next spring I plan to get a 500Gb hard drive and a PlayTV tuner.
     
    The PS3 will become my complete media center. Music/Video/Photos streamed from my mac. Twin tuner freeview PVR. Blu-Ray and DVD Player. Games consoles and er, Karaoke machine
     
    What's this got to do with the PS4 I hear you cry? I mean, it's not even designed yet let alone been given a release date! Let me explain...
     
    I'm sitting here on a quiet Saturday afternoon downloading some tracks to annoy my neighbours with while I wait the days for Guitar Hero World Tour to arrive.
     
    At some point the world will move on and my beloved PS3 will be replaced by a PS4. While I still have a PS3 I'm not concerned with new versions of my favorite games. Rock Band 2 will play tracks from Rock Band 1, as downloads for Singstar play on all three versions and like whys Guitar Hero downloads will play in future versions of the game. Good stuff!
     
    But when I get my PS4 with Rock Band 6, Guitar Hero Universe Tour and Singstar PS4 vol 1. What of my downloaded tracks then?
     
    Would the PS4 versions of the games themselves be backwards compatible with the track downloads? If they are how do I get them on the PS4?
     
    Will I have to pay for the tracks and download them again? Paying for the tracks again is initially the bit I don't like. I'm going to spend a small fortune on these games over the next 4 years! I can't help myself. But to have to pay for them again?
     
    But what if I don't have to buy them again? Will I have to spend hours re-downloading 100's of tracks for these three games onto a new hard drive? Or will I be able to take the HDD out of the PS3 and plug it straight into the PS4?
     
    Obviously, nobody's going to know the answers to these questions for at least another 3 or 4 years.
     
    You would have thought, the sudden realisation that in 4 years time I'm going to get screwed by Sony would make me stop paying all this money out on these downloads. But you know what, I'm addicted - I can't help myself, the downloads will continue.
     
    I just hope my bank manager understands!
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