Well, don't think the modern bios usually provides the functionality of the realweasel because it's mostly something one would use on servers, not on client machines. I think there's some servers that support some remote bios changing features, rebooting, and other stuff. At 01:48 PM 3/16/02 +0100, you wrote: >Cheryl Homiak <chomiak@chartermi.net> writes: > >> wondered if anybody had any experience with or knowledge of this product. > >Yeah, I use it at work. See below. > >> I thought I read a while back that a blind person had put this in his >> computer and was able to use it for reading what comes up in the >> bios before boot and, if I understood correctly, he could then also >> make changes with sighted help. > >NO! Without sighted help! Thats the key. Only thing you need is a second >PC, or a VT100 terminal capable notetaker or such. At work I simply >use my main workstation. I have ttyS1 connected to the realweasel and >use Minicom as terminal emulator. It works perfectly, as long >as the BIOS isnt of the very new kind with graphics display. But >bios wasnt the main motivation for me. Linux installation is very simple >with this card. In fact, as I said, I use it at work for installing >Linux PCs. Get a new PC, open it, put the realweasel in, boot up, >install debian, make sure IP adress and SSH works, power down, remove the >weasel, close PC again, and fire it up... Then I do everything over the net. > >> but I'm not sure about this. there's apparently both an ISA and a >> PCI version. > >?? Really. You seen a PCI version there! I have to buy it, now! > >> Not saying I'd rush out and buy one or that i necessarily want to >> give up one of my slots to this (except temporarily when need >> arises), but it is frustrating not to be able to check bios settings >> without sighted help. Any input on this, especially if anybody has >> had firsthand experience, would be appreciated. TIA. >I can only say, it eased my work very much. And the product is real fun, >can go up to 240000bps if I remember right. Has a little internal menu for remote >control. Say, you could reboot the PC via a escape sequence if you had >one little cable connected. That basicly would allow you to connect the realweeasel >to a modem and therefore a phone and remote control a server somewhere. Its >really a nice thing. When I play with it, I started to ask myself: "And why >dont do modern BIOSes just do that for you?" > > >-- >CYa, > Mario > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Blinux-list@redhat.com >https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > >