Community Coffee Break

Topics Discussed:

bp9
- Has used his RasPi for RetroPi. It has heatsinks :-)
- Explains the virtues of plex -- you can log into to plex with your browser.
- Access plex with http://yourplexmachine:32400/web/index.html
- Is happy to run the free version without plex pass
- If you run it on a server or desktop machine, it must be running all the time.
- Describes gopher -- a text-only protocol that precedes WWW - world-wide-web.
- gopher (protocol), archie, veronica (search engines)
- gopher is text only, formatting is fairly restricted, unlike WWW which allows any format.
- That is likely why WWW defeated gopher as protocol of choice.
- The desktop experience on a RaspPi is very strong, just like the Pinebook Pro.
- Likes window manager XFCE on all his machines, including the RasPi
- Knows his hardware skills are not strong
- Circuit board on garage door opener was struck by lightning several years ago.
- Circuit board is no longer made or stocked, so stuck with component level repairs.
- Several parts are scorched.
- If bp9 cannot do component level repair on this board, he'll use an Arduino instead.
- Lays down the law about politics.

Doug
- Got himself a Raspberry Pi 3 as an entertainment server.
- Needs heatsinks and fans on it so it will stay cool when running Plex or any media player
- Wants to replace his Roku because he can do more with his Raspberry Pi
- Facebook videos
- Does not plan to do any programming on it, because his math skills are not strong?
- bp9 thinks you need a logical thought process to excel in programming instead of math
- bp9 noticed his match skills did improve as a result of programmming... building a formula in a program is just like algebra.
- Alexis jumps in because she's very helpful :-)

Peter
- Helps bp9 to identify components on the circuit board.
- Are the green components inductors or resistors?
- Peter thinks they are all resistors.
- Suggests bp9 lifts up one leg of each resistor to identify and test the value.
- The scorched components may have gone to dead short or changed value by at least 20-30%
- Y26785B MICREL part is a specialized part, we cannot find a data sheet.

Stormy
- Came in late to the party
- Relates a story about a Pentium 3 Windows 2000 PC with an old IDE hard disk. He needs to wipe the disk.
- It won't boot off a USB drive, a thumb drive or anything like that.
- The CD-ROM/DVD had failed in that unit, but Stormy had a spare that he could swap in.
- After fiddling with the master/slave jumper settings, he got it to boot off the CD-ROM... and a floppy!
- modern linux doesn't run on Pentium 3 but bp9's SuSE 8.2 probably will :-)
- bp9 also has floppy install disks for OS/2 warp.