Using xsane with a Canon CanoScan LiDE 60 on Debian Etch

I got an inexpensive flatbed USB scanner and was disappointed with the bundled (Windows-only) software, so I tried it on Linux. Debian Etch installs xsane by default, but it would not recognize the scanner. I tried a whole bunch of things but nothing help, until I accidentally started xsane from a root terminal, and it “just worked”, despite the warning from xsane about running as root.

What I don’t like about my new Dell

Instead of a Mac Mini, I got a Dell Dimension XPS 210. I’m comparing it to the Mac Mini, which I was considering getting, and this is the what I don’t like about it. My daughter has a Mac Mini, so I’m not just guessing about the Mac side of things.

• Noise – the fan is a lot quieter than my old Dell box, but it is still way too loud. I have it in our bedroom, and have to turn it off at night.
• Size – it is a “small” form factor box, but it is huge compared the Mac Mini. I haven’t measured, but you could probably fit 6 Mac Minis in the same space.
• DVI output – I thought it came with it: I was shocked when I went to plug in the monitor and didn’t find it. I never even considered that Dell would sell a box (other than a completely barebones one) without DVI.
• Gigabit ethernet – at least I knew this in advance. It isn’t absolutely mandatory, but really, how much more does GigE cost compared to FastE? Two dollars?
• Door – it has this stupid pop-up door on the front that covers the DVD, USB/Firewire ports and speaker & microphone connection. I can’t imagine who would find something like this cool: it is just plain cheesy. And you can’t have the speaker/mic plugged in with it closed. And it doesn’t close easily. And it’s flimsy. And the open button is shaped so your finger gets in the way of it opening. It just reeks of “design-by-committee”.

Still, I’m happy with, mainly because the software side of things is working so well.

Why I didn’t get a Mac

I just got a new machine, and seriously considering getting a Mac Mini. This is a brief summary of why I didn’t.

The disadvantages of the Mac:

• Cost – GHz vs GHz, byte vs byte, you just get a lot more bang for your buck. I know that there is design beyond GHz and bytes, but it has to be competitive.
• OS X Leopard – it is coming, but it isn’t here yet and it won’t be a free upgrade. I suppose it is good that the new version has some worthwhile & exciting features, unlike with Vista…
• Java – Apple always has lagged behind Linux & MSWindows in releasing new/updated Java versions. If there was something great about Apple Java, it might be worth it, but there isn’t.
• Internet focus – I’m pretty much sold on the idea of doing/having everything online. Google Apps has the features I need for word processing and spreadsheets. I’m using GMail for email. So instead of comparing the OS’s, for me it makes more sense to compare browsers. And Firefox is simply better than Safari IMHO. I know I can use Firefox on the Mac, but then why not just use Linux?
• Maximum RAM – I want 2 Gig with the option for more.
• Licensing costs – one of the reasons I’ve been getting involved in Linux is because of I’m tired of paying the “Microsoft Tax” whenever I want to add a new machine (or upgrade an existing one). Just swapping in a new “Apple Tax” doesn’t make much sense.
• Licensing hassle – the other big hassle with Microsoft is their whole license enforcement system. I’ve been using a Microsoft OS essentially forever, and literally the only times I’ve had to call them for help has been for problems with licensing. Just too much of a pain for something that doesn’t do me any good.
• Virtualizability (is that a word?) – at some point in the not-to-distant future, I will get yet another new machine. I want to be able to virtualize my existing machine and just take everything with me. I used to do this with hard drives (i.e. a new drive 2+ times larger than the old one, and make a “previous” directory with a copy of the old drive in it: it got to be 3 or 4 levels deep at one point), but that only works for data. Current licensing forbids virtualization of OS X.