BlackBird Update
================

There is  little to  update, actually.  It work.  Except for  the start
sequence it  is almost quiet (fans  are not noticeable even  in a quiet
room).

I'm still using the  Fedora 30. I will not try  anything else until the
end of  the year because  it's now my  main productivity machine.  So I
really don't want to break anything.

I'm still use the  build-in 2D framebuffer (the AMD card  is still in a
box) as there  has been no need  for real 3D. All  on-line videos works
without issues  (up 10 1280x1024 which  is the native resolution  of my
LCD) and I  don't have time (or  motivation) to play 3D  games. I still
can play the BZFlag or the Doom/Quake  on my O2 (but the Doom runs fine
of the Blackbird, by the way).

The only upgrade I'm thinking about  is a PCI-E card with serial ports.
Anyone has experience with such cards?

As I noted  previously the Palm Tungsten W don't  like my BlackBird (or
my Fedora?)  for some reasons.  As I  am not going  to use it  on daily
basis it is not  a big issue (I can sync it  with the GPD Pocket/Ubuntu
or with my PowerBook G4, though).


Logout noticed  that Raptor  Computing Systems recently  updated prices
of  their Blackbird  offers  (the BlackBird  motherboard  + the  4-core
CPU  bundle costs  about  $200  more than  before  the update).  That's
unfortunate but probably  understandable - they are a  tiny company and
might  have problems  with  obtaining  of components  in  China (and  I
the  prices are  probably  influenced by  latest  market and  political
developments, too).


I wasn't sure if buying of an unreleased product (I got my BlackBird at
the Black Friday pre-sale last November) is a sane idea. But it was...