I said I'd never blogDeforaOS, NetBSD, reverse-engineering and stuff
Ok, from the screenshots for the 2.20 release, it looks like they're finally getting on the right tracks for the user interface. But when I read stuff like that from the release announcement:
This is the second update to GNOME 2.20.0. The update fixes all known and unknown bugs and crashers.
I don't really feel like I want to install and try it again.
So, I'm finally back online, and my infrastructure is slowly getting back together. While procrastinating with frustration from the speed of my backup GPRS connection, I had enough of the noise coming from my desktop machine, a Sun Ultra 60 (running NetBSD of course). I did not expect it would end this way.
My first idea was to look for replacements for the fans on eBay, or with luck for a noise reduction kit from Sun. Maybe I was out of luck (as too often), but I could not find anything.
I decided then to measure the size of my current fans, and see if I could find anything currently available that might more or less fit: the one in the back is 90mm × 90mm, and the one in the front is 120mm × 120mm. At this point I also had to throw my spare 80mm fans in a machine, so I had to go to the store. However, I did not know my spare ones had LEDs in them, and to my surprise, it actually looked cool.
Little did I know that nowadays 90mm and 120mm are pretty commonplace. I went for the "dark gray" LEDs, and gave it a try. I think the result is not too bad:
 reflection on the wall |
 blurry view of the front |
 the front from the side |
 you can even see inside |
 through the video cables |
 from behind |
 with another reflection |
 with the light on |
(the red lights come from my power strips)
Connecting them did not even involve any soldering or anything, as you can use the regular plugs from the power supply. The 120mm fan box already had the correct holes to fit newer ones too. The machine booted fine without any fan connected to their respective dedicated wires.
