Computer power; was Re (3): Logjam vulnerability and epiphany.

Tue Sep 1 15:30:22 EDT 2020

My biggest Internet usage is still email. 

For the majority of my Web interests, Dillo is preferable to Epiphany.
Opens almost any Wikipedia page in a few ms (blink).  

JavaScript is the biggest block to Dillo doing electronic banking. Is 
execution of code from a remote server on your machine, with access to 
your accounts, really a good idea? 

From:	Samuel Greenfeld <samuel at greenfeld.org>
Date:	Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:14:18 -0400
> We would need Linux kernel development support to get systemd as 
> well the XO-specific drivers (camera, DCON, etc.) working with a 
> modern environment. 

The camera is dispensible.  Decent UVC cameras are available from salvage 
shops for 10 dollars or less.  

Minimal, at least, operation of DCON and power management are necessary.
Elaboration is helpful; not essential.

> And even then, the laptops might not have enough RAM to handle many 
> workloads.

Even the XO-1 has ample go power for ETH Oberon and A2.  Hypothetically 
of course but not far from reality.

From:	James Cameron <quozl at laptop.org>
Date:	Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:21:33 +1000
> ... not a problem on NL3 or ED20 models with OLPC OS 20.04.

Endless hardware upgrading keeps Google, Microsoft, etc. and etc. in 
business.  Necessity to human needs is arguable.  Too many people I 
know would have trouble explaining what the Web is and have forgotten 
that email worked as well on a 486 in 1995 as it does now on an 
expensive contemporary machine.  I doubt that shiney new computers 
will help these people understand more.

The world already has far more than enough e-waste. 
https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2015/ewaste/index.html 
Must the frenzied production continue?

In case you've read this far, thanks & apologies for the disturbance,

                            ... P.

-- 
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Medical_Machines
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Oberon
Tel: +1 604 670 0140            Bcc: peter at easthope. ca