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Now what do I do?
Feb. 14th, 2009 04:13 amThe editorial computers for our parent newspaper are extremely old. Like 1990 old. Or older. They have monochrome green phosphor screens. And most of them have died. While I try not to step on another sys admin's toes, the guy in charge of the network over there seems to have no intentions to do anything about it, although I did hear a rumor that he had put together a $80,000 computer package or some such.
That's a bit steep at the moment, IMHO. There's a LOT that I can do with $80,000 that this guy has neither the experience nor the imagination to even consider.
Anyway, I'm getting tired of hearing the crossover personnel complain about the condition of the equipment over there, so I spent some time this week and put together four different proposals for him, ranging in cost from $2,500 for six work stations to $35,000 for a total overhaul of every machine in the building.
But now, I'm wondering how inexpensive could I really go...
The $2,500 package is six machines that run off 8 gigabyte flash cards and save all files to a network attached storage drive. Each one costs about $350 to build. But then I started dreaming...
What if the machines had no moving parts or storage at all? What if each workstation was truly set up like a workstation, such as I used in college in the VAX lab: walk in, power on the monitor, log into the account, and off I go.
This site has a nifty little machine that uses network booting. So, my idea is to set up a Linux file server, probably using Ubuntu, and each workstation will boot into Linux when powered on; the user will login and have access to their personal files and a shared directory. They would really only need two things: a web browser and a word processor. I really like gOS Linux; I have the guest computer here at the hotel running it. The problem is, setting up that guest computer is the limit of my Linux experience, and it was all of a matter of installing from the live cd. I could set up each workstation for about $250, and then build a decent server, for easily under $500. So, six workstations and a server for $2,000 or less. However ...
I know what I want to do; I have no idea how to do it.
The hardware isn't the problem; it's my lack of Linux knowledge. I'm betting that I can muddle through it and cobble together something in a week or two using web resources and guesswork. But long term? I don't want to rely on muddle and cobble; I want to know what I'm doing without thinking; I want gutwork, not guesswork.
Which brings me to my next existential dilemma. I've lived in Wyoming for six years. Wyoming's been good to me in more ways thatn I care to list; however, I reached the point a few years ago where I'm no longer really moving forward. I've reached a plateau, and I need to decide what I'm going to do in 1-3 years. This summer will mark my fourth year at the newspaper; I've just passed the five-year mark at the hotel. I'm a good graphic designer, but for print media. Where will that be in 10 years? I'm a good computer technician, but I have no certifications. Sure, I have buckets of experience, but no paper to back that up. Two years ago, that wasn't necessarily important. Two years from now in a recession/depression? Every little bit will help.
So ...
Do I take some courses at the local community college, and finally pick up my A+ certifications, as well as take some Linux classes, so I know enough to be dangerous?
Or do I go all the way and get a couple of associate degrees in different computer sciences?
Additionally, I need to take my graphic design to a new level, and brush up on some of my shaky areas in illustration, like anatomy and perspective. So ... take some courses in web design, life drawing, what have you, broaden my design horizons a little, improve my illustration skills, especially since I want to keep doing work for Grim Furry Tales, as well as future projects of my own.
Or ... do I really take the plunge, and look into getting my Master's Degree in either Computer Science or Graphic Design?
Or both?
Considering I can't get a Master's Degree locally, maybe what I should do is a combination of everything above. Take what classes I can at the community college, pick up some AA degrees and certifications, then 2-3 years from now, figure out which school I'd like to get a Master's Degree from, and do that.
Decisions, decisions. I'll turn 39 in May; I'm ready to level up. The one thing that I am absolutely positive about, is that I don't want to be having this discussion with myself again two years from now.
That's a bit steep at the moment, IMHO. There's a LOT that I can do with $80,000 that this guy has neither the experience nor the imagination to even consider.
Anyway, I'm getting tired of hearing the crossover personnel complain about the condition of the equipment over there, so I spent some time this week and put together four different proposals for him, ranging in cost from $2,500 for six work stations to $35,000 for a total overhaul of every machine in the building.
But now, I'm wondering how inexpensive could I really go...
The $2,500 package is six machines that run off 8 gigabyte flash cards and save all files to a network attached storage drive. Each one costs about $350 to build. But then I started dreaming...
What if the machines had no moving parts or storage at all? What if each workstation was truly set up like a workstation, such as I used in college in the VAX lab: walk in, power on the monitor, log into the account, and off I go.
This site has a nifty little machine that uses network booting. So, my idea is to set up a Linux file server, probably using Ubuntu, and each workstation will boot into Linux when powered on; the user will login and have access to their personal files and a shared directory. They would really only need two things: a web browser and a word processor. I really like gOS Linux; I have the guest computer here at the hotel running it. The problem is, setting up that guest computer is the limit of my Linux experience, and it was all of a matter of installing from the live cd. I could set up each workstation for about $250, and then build a decent server, for easily under $500. So, six workstations and a server for $2,000 or less. However ...
I know what I want to do; I have no idea how to do it.
The hardware isn't the problem; it's my lack of Linux knowledge. I'm betting that I can muddle through it and cobble together something in a week or two using web resources and guesswork. But long term? I don't want to rely on muddle and cobble; I want to know what I'm doing without thinking; I want gutwork, not guesswork.
Which brings me to my next existential dilemma. I've lived in Wyoming for six years. Wyoming's been good to me in more ways thatn I care to list; however, I reached the point a few years ago where I'm no longer really moving forward. I've reached a plateau, and I need to decide what I'm going to do in 1-3 years. This summer will mark my fourth year at the newspaper; I've just passed the five-year mark at the hotel. I'm a good graphic designer, but for print media. Where will that be in 10 years? I'm a good computer technician, but I have no certifications. Sure, I have buckets of experience, but no paper to back that up. Two years ago, that wasn't necessarily important. Two years from now in a recession/depression? Every little bit will help.
So ...
Do I take some courses at the local community college, and finally pick up my A+ certifications, as well as take some Linux classes, so I know enough to be dangerous?
Or do I go all the way and get a couple of associate degrees in different computer sciences?
Additionally, I need to take my graphic design to a new level, and brush up on some of my shaky areas in illustration, like anatomy and perspective. So ... take some courses in web design, life drawing, what have you, broaden my design horizons a little, improve my illustration skills, especially since I want to keep doing work for Grim Furry Tales, as well as future projects of my own.
Or ... do I really take the plunge, and look into getting my Master's Degree in either Computer Science or Graphic Design?
Or both?
Considering I can't get a Master's Degree locally, maybe what I should do is a combination of everything above. Take what classes I can at the community college, pick up some AA degrees and certifications, then 2-3 years from now, figure out which school I'd like to get a Master's Degree from, and do that.
Decisions, decisions. I'll turn 39 in May; I'm ready to level up. The one thing that I am absolutely positive about, is that I don't want to be having this discussion with myself again two years from now.
