Derek Bodner’s Blog

Dell’s support has always been unavailable when I’ve tried to get help from them, at least. This is just proof. Click to enlarge.

At home I have an old computer setup with a pair of 500 GB drives running a samba server that I use to store documents, photos, music, etc on so that I can easily access all my stuff from my desktop and laptop, so my girlfriend can access them, anyone else that comes over can access them, etc. I also have vmware server setup with a Windows XP VM running on the server, partly so I have a windows testing environment with IE, and partly so I can rdp into it when I’m out somewhere else so I can access all my documents (I’d rather not setup VNC or X to allow remote connections to my desktop). Well, in the past I’ve connected with rdesktop from my Gentoo workstation at work and tried playing my music collection from work, only to get a DirectSound error in winamp. Tried the same from my Gentoo desktop at work, and got the same result. I never really worried about it too much, because it was never a top priority. I just figured I screwed something up in the VM.

So today I was at a relatives house who runs Windows XP. I remoted into the VPS, and lo and behold, the music played fine. Hrm. Weird. I know sound works on my desktop.

So I try connecting from my Gentoo desktop again, and sound plays fine. Odd. After testing with my Laptop (which dual boots windows) and my desktop, what I’ve found is:
If I startup vmware, and connect to it from Linux first, I get the DirectSound error.
If I startup vmware, connect to it from a windows computer, disconnect, then connect to it from a linux computer, sound works.

I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for this, but it’s escaping me at this time. Eh, whatever. I’ll just be happy sounds working and be happy listening to my full mp3 collection from work.

Posted at sixers.realgm.com

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Posted at sixers.realgm.com.

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Notice the dock in the bottom left….
Avant-window-navigator screenshot

I have to say, I actually like it. Not just from an eye-candy perspective, but from a usability perspective as well.

I purposefully withheld writing this article after A.J. Feeley’s admirable performance, even if it did come up short, because I wanted to see if he would be up to the task of repeating his success. Clearly we now know he was not, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take anything away from his performances. The last two games have shown that McNabb’s a very talented quarterback, but one that doesn’t fit the offense Reid is trying to run, whereas Feeley’s the right fit for the offense but a mediocre talent.

What the success Feeley had in the loss to the Patriots showed was what this offense can look like with the right fit at the position. Someone who gets the ball out quickly, throws to a spot, has touch on the midrange passes. All criticisms of McNabb, which they while don’t make Feeley a better quarterback, they do make McNabb a square peg in the round hole that is the Westcoast Offense, an offense predicated on timing and accuracy.

The last two games have also shown that Feeley is what he is. While being the right type of quarterback for the system, he has the talent level of a backup quarterback. The interceptions thrown during the Seattle game weren’t one of timing mistakes or simply throwing the ball up and letting receivers make plays, they were incorrect reads. It is possible to get a quarterback of Feeley’s style with the talent level of McNabb, and to play the game Feeley played without throwing the interceptions.

I do not fault McNabb for this one iota. All quarterbacks are different, with different skillsets and tendencies. McNabb is a very good quarterback, and a very successful quarterback. The fact that he succeeded at the level that he has even while working in a system that doesn’t cater to his strengths says a lot about the overall talent level of the best quarterback in Eagles franchise history. Ultimately, my blame goes to Reid. First, he cheated us out of the last nine years by drafting, developing, and sticking with a quarterback who’s strenghs don’t correspond to the requirements of the position in his offense. He also cheated McNabb out of the best years of his career by putting him in an offense that doesn’t play to his strenghts, and refusing to change the system to make the most out of his franchise quarterback. McNabb is a very good intermediate and long range passer, plays very well off the playaction, and was great at improvising and buying time on busted plays with his legs. You can’t have a successful play action pass when the defense doesn’t respect the run, and the defense won’t respect the run when you throw 65% of the time. You don’t put McNabb in a timing offense that requires you to get the ball out and throw to spots when that’s never been the strength of his game. Both McNabb and the Eagles fans would have been better served if Andy Reid had tailored his offense over the years around the strength of his quarterback. He failed to do that, and in the process failed to utilize the best quarterback in Eagles history. It’s most definitely time for the Eagles and McNabb to part ways, and it’s a shame it’s ended like this.