use Perl

So as of lately, I've been cursing linux on the laptop. I have a Fujitsu P-2110, which is a compact laptop with the footprint of two CD's. I run Gentoo linux on it, and recently with a re-install I only run terminal mode to avoid the overhead of X.

So granted this is not the fastest computer but it's great for coding. It can sit on my lap for hours on end since it generates barely any heat from the Transmeta Crusoe processor. I call it my thinking machine. I just got hibernate working on it, meaning that I can type 'hibernate' and have it go to sleep, then append 'resume=/dev/hda2' to the kernel on boot and have it end up in the same state. Not as good as a mac yet, where you can just close the lid and it sleeps, but getting close.

So today my untrusty linksys WET54G bridge which I use as my connection to the world for my desktop and LAN, decided once again to cease functioning. Called linksys, jumped through the hoops, and got an RMA. But I'm sorry, I need t hack *right* *now*, and if I can't get online being the geek I am, I don't think I'll be able to ever live it down.

So I take my Fujitsu, which I'm ready to introduce to $laptop->delete() and replace with a Powerbook, and I fire up the wireless, snag a point, plug it into my switch, set the ip for 10.0.0.1 as a gateway, and fire up iptables. 'iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE', and 'echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/conf/all/forwarding', and a few pings later my LAN was back online, packets being routed via Cat 5 to my laptop, then forwarded into cyberspace via 80211b. IIRC, you can't do this with a Mac unless you are running OS X server. I used to have an airport, so now the score is linksys - 1, Apple - 1.

The old laptop is saved from extinction. Now as for that 17 inch Powerbook I've been eyeing... Well what do *you* think?