Running the toms

["Thomas F. Droege" <droege@fastmail.fm>]

Thanks to all for the excellent advice.  In answer to Paul, I have one
big linux network.  Firewall, what firewall, we don't need no stinking
firewall.  Well I do have a router separating me from the big bad IP
world.  I have almost  eliminated Windoz from my life.  I now have an
Apple on the same network that I use to read stuff that comes from
Windoz users that has animation and the like that needs more experteze
than I have with linux.

OK, How about this?

I just discovered that I can have lots of virtual desk tops.  Up to 20. 
Furthermore, if I select 12, I get 12 desk tops in a little box on the
bottom line.  They come in two rows with 1-6 on the top and 7-12 on the
bottom row.  How about using the first row to start the running jobs 1-5
and the second row 7-11 to start the processing jobs.  That way I think
I will get the output from each job and can watch just the progress
messages for the selected tom.  Since the two jobs are over and under it
will be easy to keep track of them.  This leaves virtual desk tops 6 and
12 for my mail reading pleasure.  The key thing I learned (from Ron?) is
that I can ssh more than once to a computer.

Justin suggested a nice scheme to start everything up at once.  This
would be nice if things ran more smoothly.  I find that (until recently)
there were lots of hangs and error messages to read.  This has settled
down a lot but I think for the time being I want to be able to watch
each terminal. 

It only takes a few minutes to start all the jobs and I can do this
before dark so no data is lost.   

Thanks again to everyone.  The fun of linux is that there are a dozen
ways to do anything.  This differs from Windoz where there is no way to
do anything.  (Not quite unfair)  Then one struggles to decide which is
the best way.  

Tom Droege
-- 
  Thomas F. Droege
  droege@fastmail.fm