July 10, 2002
* I have finally decided that NetBSD/Sparc just isn’t up to the challenge of running Apache, PHP and/or Zope. I have been twisting and massaging the installs into every conceivable permutation (and a few inconcievable ones as well). Different versions, different configs, stock configs, you name it, I tried it. The closest I got was Apache 2.0.39 with PHP 4.1. Unfortunately, the server occasionally refused connections, refused to parse some of the php code, just to name a few of the issues. So now I go back to my home turf. I will be installing Solaris on the box sometime this weekend. I have a great deal of confidence that this configuration will work correctly with Apache and PHP, and with a bit of luck, even Zope may work.
* Now, don’t get me wrong about NetBSD- It has proven to be a most capable O/S on my firewall/nat box at home ( a little sparc classicX with a 4gig drive and about 60meg of ram, named Grendel). I have been very pleased with the way the O/S installed, configured and has been performing. Even with the network loaded, I have yet to see the little 50Mhz processor utilize more than about 8 percent of its capabilities.
* As Faith was going through some paperwork from Logan’s school, she came across another standardized test result. I have mentioned this before, but the school administers this test to assess the students reading level and comprehension. Logan always scores a couple of grades higher than his actual grade level. This year, however is a bit different. His score placed him in the 99th percentile (this is normal for him) of his peers and it rated his level and comprehension equal to the average twelfth grader after eight months. Wow! Quite wonderful news, eh? Then as I kept reading the report, it goes on to also list a suggested reading level for Logan to aim for. This year it suggested that he should read between 5th and 11th grade material. It seems the school thinks he should slow down and let the rest of the kids catch up. This is yet another example that reinforces our decision to home-school. Oh, if you are wondering what he is currently reading, besides his school work, he has started on Douglas Adams’ ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, and so far, he seems to be enjoying it quite a bit!
* In other home school news, I should note that Logan’s home-schooling began on July 1. So far we have been covering the very fundamental aspects of his education, focusing on finding any deficits and quantifying his abilities. So far the deficits have been nearly non-existent. In addition to the standards of math, science, history, grammar and reading, in the evening we are also learning sign language and latin.
July 10, 2002 11:23 pm 
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