[ALUG] linux newbie - help requested

[Ian bell]

Wayne Stallwood wrote:
> On Mon, 2007-01-15 at 21:42 +0000, Ian bell wrote:
> 
>>Me too. I do a lot of microcontroller development and most of the 
>>tools use the serial port for device programmimg - I currently use a 
>>USB/serial adaptor on my laptop. 
> 
> 
> Those things drive me mad. They never seem completely reliable and I
> know my Picstart programmer simply refused to work on one last time I
> tried it.
> 

I guess I have been lucky. I bought a cheap one from ebuyer and it has 
worked flawlessly.

> Also when I am out in the field and need to attach quickly to a managed
> switch/cisco/dying Alpha box or whatever usually I find that the
> converter has escaped from my kit bag.
> 

Ah, the joys of the field ;-) I strongly suspect there are special 
corollaries to Murphy's Law that apply specifically to the field - 
like the one tool you REALLY need won't be in your toolbox.

> Usually it elopes with the near impossible to find in an emergency Cisco
> console lead, but just recently it seems to have had a fling with my
> Alpha era storage controller console lead (nasty RJ45 end with offset
> latch and almost totally impossible to find)
> 

The other thing I find puzzling in this increasingly PC world is that 
we are still allowed to refer to male and female connectors - hoe 
sexist is that?

Ian