First, let me introduce a new blog topic, Sysadmin where I will cover computer system administration and OS design issues, notably in Linux and related systems.

My goal is to reduce the nightmare that is system administration and upgrading.

One step that goes partway in my plan would be a special software system that would build for a user a specialized operating system “package” or set of packages. This magic package would, when applied to a virgin distribution of the operating system, convert it into the customized form that the user likes.

The program would work from a modified system, and a copy of a map (with timestamps and hashes) of the original virgin OS from which the user began. First, it would note what packages the user had installed, and declare dependencies for these packages. Thus, installing this magic package would cause the installation of all the packages the user likes, and all that they depend on.

In order to do this well, it would try to determine which packages the user actually used (with access or file change times) and perhaps consider making two different dependency setups — one for the core packages that are frequently used, and another for packages that were probably just tried and never used. A GUI to help users sort packages into those classes would be handy. It must also determine that those packages are still available, dealing with potential conflicts and name change concerns. Right now, most package managers insist that all dependencies be available or they will abort the entire install. To get around this, many of the packages might well be listed as “recommended” rather than required, or options to allow install of the package with missing 1st level (but not 2nd level) dependencies would be used.  read more »

An interesting piece of show history, which was presumably planned for development in the currently-in-limbo “Caprica” series is the First Cylon War. This took place between 40 and 50 years before the current series. The Cylons were in robotic form, and as a cute touch, looked like the Cylons from the original 1978 series.

Here are hints that have leaked out:

• The Cylons were created by a corporation owned by the Graystone Family.
• Joseph Adama, father of William, was a civil rights lawyer and opponent of the Graystones.
• The original script for Caprica had a strong slavery focus. This suggests both that they were not going to shirk from the concept of the Cylons as slaves, and possibly that it was the slavery that Joseph Adama fought.
• William Adama as about 11 years old during these political battles.
• Tigh, a member of the Final Five, fought in this war, but for the colonial side.
• The colonies were not united before the war. Their Articles of Colonization were signed at around the time of the war. It is suggested the Cylon threat united otherwise more insular colonies.
• Caprica seems to have been the most advanced colony. It developed the Cylons, and was the seat of the new Colonial government.
• The cylons fought did not have humanoid bodies. They were not known to download upon destruction.
• Events took place which, an interview suggests, imply the Cylons had a reason to come back 40 years later and commit their genocide attempt. We presume there were atrocities committed towards the Cylons.
• From the use of the term “toaster” it is clear that the concept of the Cylons as “mere” machines, beneath human contempt, continued to the present day.
• At the end of the war the Cylons fled into space. An armistice station was created but never visited by the Cylons. They kept careful watch on the boarder.
• In their explorations of space after the war, the Cylons found and explored Kobol.
• It is suggested Cylons were primarily made for military and hard labour roles. It is not clear what their military purpose was — this suggests the Colonies themselves had frequent military conflicts.
• If this is true, it is not suprising there should be resentment against Caprica, if that colony created the threat that both brought ruin on the colonies, and brought them together. The choice of Caprica as the seat of government must have been a politically difficult one.
• There was an anti-computer backlash after the war, slowing development of cybernetic systems, but it didn’t stop newer battlestars from having them.

Some speculation:

• The Final Five, who predate the new generation of Cylons made by the Graystones, must have had some role in all of this. Did they try to interfere to stop the slavery? Did they assist in the construction of the Cylons with a people for whom the technology seems quite advanced?
• What happened to the Graystones? Were they lynched? Where they killed, frankenstyle, by the Cylons?
• If Joseph Adama opposed the Cylon creation, and was so right, was he a hero? Or was he an evil Cylon-lover because he opposed creating them in slavery?