The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source The 4 DIMM problem (Friends)
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Nov 28, 2025 Lars Wikman, a seasoned Elixir and embedded systems developer, dives deep into the world of home automation and IoT. He shares his passion for martial arts, discussing how karate cultivates community and discipline. The conversation shifts to Linux, with Lars and hosts reminiscing about their distro hopping adventures and tackling the four-DIMM memory problem. Lars enlightens listeners about the Nerves project, emphasizing its real-world applications in production fleets and home automation integrations. Get ready for tech insights and a sprinkle of nostalgia!
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Arch Upgrade Bite
- Lars describes trying Arch Linux years ago and breaking his system by blindly running a full upgrade.
- He learned the hard rule: read the Arch news before upgrades or risk a non-booting desktop.
Treat Arch Like Scheduled Maintenance
- If you try Arch, plan to spend time maintaining it and reading update notices before upgrading.
- Treat Arch as a distro for tinkerers: read the news and expect occasional manual fixes after upgrades.
The Four-DIMM DDR5 Quirk
- Adam hit a hardware-software interaction: four DIMMs on AM5 DDR5 systems cause instability at high speeds.
- The issue stems from memory signaling/voltage limits at extreme DDR5 transfer rates, not the OS or distro.