FARM project (*)

You might have heard me drool about having helped implement the first Rails app at work.

If you read this blog regularly, you might even know that this was a project done in collaboration with penantes.

Now, what has been missing is an overview of the technology used and a brief explanation thereof.

The project itself is little more that a web-based front-end to penantes's voodoo-like perl scripts and it's purpose is solely of giving interested parties a better view of the spell's script's results.

Well, we had an old Dell Poweredge laying around, so that was the machine used. It had an ancient implementation of Red Hat 8 (actually. I think it was vd who installed it) so that had to go. Not so much because it was old, but because it was Red Hat. And no noticeable services running around so a clean install it would be.

For OS we chose FreeBSD. We wasn't our first choice, but Ubuntu didn't correctly recognize the SCSI controllers and the openSolaris DVD was well...a DVD, and Debian 4 was late. The machine at this time didn't have a working network connection and only a CD drive for media. Since FreeBSD is a distant cousin from both Solaris and Mac (I just had to bring this up) it was the next best thing.

The install was easy enough and the software available was pretty much all we needed.
For web serving we have Apache, for database we used Mysql, and has i've said, we used Rails for development. And apart from configuring Apache with fcgid which is a hole new post subject, everything runs just fine for now.

Recommended reading Rails on FreeBSD wiki page.

(*) in case you didn't notice....
FreeBSD
Apache
Rails
Mysql

oh yeah?

Well yes, i have to say something about the omnipresent iPhone.

To start with, i don't think it's all that great.

I mean, i was reading the macworld live feed when it was announced and my heart wouldn't stop pounding with the excitement as the feature set was announced... and that was why i chose not to blog about it until now.

I knew from previous experience that wheenever apple releases a new product, i get terribly excited, but as soon as i am able to make a clear-headed analysis i come to the conclusion that it ai't such a big thing at all.

For now i'll just say that it's a great new iPod. And it makes phone calls. It is not a great new device that will revolucionize the way people use the phone. Or the PDA.

Maybe when it gets to europe, Apple will realize that they will need something more to compete in the mobile phone market. There are already similar offering from other manufacturers.

And on the Blue Corner, we've had some recent announcements that didn't mean a thing to me.

Vista ? Don't think ill even touch it anytime soon (unless i get one of these).

Windows Home Server ? What?? Pay to have another brick at home?? Does it have the same power saving features as other Windows?

And what is it with that backup utility?

Seriously now. The idea isn't new but it is great. Have you heard of FreeNAS ? All you need is old cheap hardware and some googling!