Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 5 Apr 2016 09:25:16 -0400
Carl Fink  wrote:

> "This list is not moderated ..."
> 
> >From https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/
> 
> Dammit!
> 
> If this was netnews I'd newgroup debian-user-politics in a heartbeat
> and start moving messages there.

debian-user-polit...@lists.debian.org- I like the sound of that. We
should get it started!


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Re: What Package?

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:08:16 +
Mark Fletcher <mark2...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 12:06 AM Adam Wilson <mox...@riseup.net> wrote:
> 
> >
> > There's more there, and I can't really be bothered to go on.
> >
> >
> > Thanks, that is the first time I have seen the whole story pulled
> > together
> in one place.
> 
> Clearly an alternative to Flash is desirable -- I wonder if we are
> really there yet. HTML5 implementation in for example iceweasel in
> Jessie, as well as what I have in Google Chrome on my Android tablet,
> seems a bit basic -- can't for example make the video full-screen as
> there doesn't seem to be a screen gadget to do that.

The HTML5 player is only as good as the website implementing the
standard wants to make it- YouTube's HTML5 player, for instance, is
excellent, and so is the Vimeo player, as well as countless others. The
*reference implementation* so to speak is also good (the player used by
the web browser when playing a video file directly in the browser, such
as:
http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/short--undated--rms--free-software-four-freedoms.ogv).

> Maybe this is a
> specific player on a specific site, but I thought the idea behind
> HTML5 was to standardise such things? Maybe there's a key combination
> but how does one know that? And stability seems to be a problem, I've
> seen a couple of videos that don't play all the way through with an
> HTML5 player but switch to Flash and it works...
> 
> I'd like to see the back of Flash, for all the reasons you've cited,
> but it seems you have to _really_ care to make the compromises
> necessary to do that right now.

What compromises? I don't use Flash, and I haven't experienced any
significant discomfort- it isn't a big sacrifice to make. Few websites
(or at least the websites I visit) require it, and those that do I
avoid. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are some of
the mainstream news sites, but then they're mostly shit anyway.

I went through a phase of running LibreJS and not even allowing
non-free JavaScript to run. *That* is hard- getting rid of Flash is
nothing compared to getting rid of most JavaScript.

Running non-free JavaScript is one of the compromises I am prepared to
make- but I draw the line at Flash.


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Re: Debian Install

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:38:42 -0400
Ethan Rosenberg  wrote:

> Dear List -
> 
> I am getting an error message "no boot file name found".
> 
> It assumes booting form a server, not an iso image which I am trying
> to do.

What media are you trying to boot from? (CD, DVD, USB) Does your
computer have BIOS, UEFI, or UEFI in CSM Legacy Mode? Which ISO image
are you using (netinst, mini.iso, netboot, CD, DVD)? What is your
current boot order setting?


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Re: http://forums.debian.net

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 09 Apr 2016 06:35:52 +0300
 wrote:

> Hi
> 
> Maybe you know how to contact the Administrators of: 
> http://forums.debian.net
> 
> The problem is that i forget my username and can-t login. Also on the 
> site mentioned above is not present any contact info.

Not your password, but your username? That's a rare situation, since
usually it is the other way around. Create a new account.


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Re: Modified Rapture, and a new question

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 5 Apr 2016 11:28:03 + (UTC)
Curt  wrote:

> On 2016-04-05, Brian  wrote:
> >
> >> Result of my GNOME install:  I typed   'startx'  from my
> >> command line, and I got a beautiful blue screen, a delight to the
> >> eye after days of perusing tiny
> 
> I get that too (blue, it must be the default desktop watchamacallit,
> with a light-grayish swirl in the middle). 
> 
> 
> 
> >> characters on a black display.  And in the middle of the
> >> blue screen there was a handsome mouse arrow, which moved around
> >> elegantly when controlled by my right hand.   
> >
> 
> Have you moved it elegantly to the extreme upper-left hand corner of
> the display?
> 
> > Progress indeed.
> >  
> >> And that was _all_!!  No icons, nothing to click on . . .
> >> I typed on the keyboard, no reaction . . .   There must be some
> >> simple way to get a proper GNOME started, but since I've never
> >> used it before, I wonder if someone can give me a hint.
> >
> > The gnome I have has 'Activities' in the top left of the screen.
> >
> 
> Right. Activities. Wonder what they mean by that.

It's as good a name as any, I suppose. The GNOME Overview is the
central location where everything from the applications menu to open
windows to a window list to workspaces are located, so it would make
sense to give it some generic name. "Activities" means pretty much
everything one would want to do with a computer.


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Re: Disk too full?

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 5 Apr 2016 06:36:39 -0500
Charles Blair  wrote:

>I think I'm running out of space on my
> laptop.  The last time I got an "updates
> available" message, I got a further warning,
> during the update, that I was low on space.
> The update did seem to complete, though.
> 
>However, when I tried to use the calculator
> program dc afterwards, the computer just sat
> there.
> 
>Below is the output from the df command.

Try running df -i. The output of df can be somewhat misleading; you can
have plenty of disk space free, but not enough inodes.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 04 Apr 2016 21:41:54 +0200
deloptes  wrote:

> Unfortunately as a not native speaker

Where are you from, deloptes?


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Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 23:12:41 -0500
David Wright <deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sun 03 Apr 2016 at 09:38:00 (+0300), Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 23:34:58 -0500 David Wright
> > <deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:
> > > When flash streams a movie, a copy is downloaded somewhere on my
> > > disk. One beneficial effect of this is that if I click the slider
> > > to an earlier point in the movie, the player plays instantly from
> > > that point, without a wait for buffering. Is that the same with
> > > HTML5, or is it truly streaming (with no local copy on the disk)?
> > 
> > I'm not sure about this. Just because moving to an earlier point in
> > the stream resumes from that point instantly does not necessarily
> > mean that flash is downloading a local copy- I'm pretty sure flash
> > just keeps the entire stream in RAM, just like HTML5.
> > 
> > Either way, HTML5 does this too- you can instantly resume from an
> > already-buffered point.
> 
> No, flash writes a file. It doesn't take much ingenuity to find it.
> 
> Generally speaking with youtube, it's straightforward to find the
> 11-char string and use get-youtube to download the movie. With some
> other sites, it doesn't appear possible to get hold of a downloadable
> URL, so playing the movie and copying the flash file is the only way
> I know for downloading it.
> 
> I would prefer not to lose that ability through selecting HTML5
> merely because some people here say "Down with flash/Flash is dead".
> If HTML5 *does* keep the information in RAM as you say, then I'm
> stuck because I don't know how to find it or copy it. Can you help
> with this?

No. Since I don't use Flash, I know very little about how to use it,
and for that I apologise.

However, your original complaint was that you needed Flash to be able
to resume instantaneously from an earlier point in the video. Both
Flash and HTML5 players do this.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 15:27:32 -0400
Felix Miata <mrma...@earthlink.net> wrote:

> Adam Wilson composed on 2016-04-03 22:11 (UTC+0300):
> 
> > Both the USA and the USSR claimed to be democracies- and neither
> > were.
> 
> Only the misinformed and uninformed claim the USA is or ever has been
> a democracy.

Unfortunately, these people are what most of the population consist of.
There is a good reason for this- plays into the hands of capital, and
is actively perpetuated by capital via the state.


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Re: Modified Rapture, and a new question

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 03 Apr 2016 08:56:23 +
Mark Fletcher  wrote:

> On Sun, Apr 3, 2016, 17:11 Floris  wrote:
> 
> > Op Sat, 02 Apr 2016 19:46:09 +0200 schreef Alan McConnell
> > :
> >
> > > Well, I finally got my Jessie installed!  I had to pick a
> > > different kernel than then one
> > > suggested, but things finally went through.  I was even able to
> > > use the partitions I had
> > > prepared and carefully sized.
> > >
> > > My question:  how do I install "new" SW?  E.g. emacs, and mutt,
> > > and ImageMagick?  These
> > > are not found on the one CD I have.  I have in addition a thumb
> > > drive, which came with
> > > my purchase from LinuxCollections.  I have mounted it and find
> > > that it is chock full
> > > of .deb files.  I suppose there is some way of 'manually' copying
> > > a particular .deb
> > > to my disk and then installing it.  But I am afraid of getting
> > > stuck in "dependency
> > > hell".  Does someone here also have the same CD + thumb drive
> > > situation.
> > >
> > > TIA,
> > >
> > > Alan
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> I just don't understand why anyone would pay money for Jessie in the
> first place. It's supposed to be free software...

Your are free to distribute free software for money, if you so desire.
The point of free software is that you are *free* to distribute it as
you wish (either gratis or not).


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Re: What Package?

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:36:17 +
Mark Fletcher <mark2...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Apr 4, 2016, 3:56 AM Adam Wilson <mox...@riseup.net> wrote:
> 
> >
> > The discussion of "security" in non-free software is something of a
> > meaningless distinction, since non-free software is compromised by
> > default. Adobe Flash was always evil- if this perceived
> > "insecurity" is enough to help make people want to stop using it,
> > then by all means it should be promoted.
> >
> 
> I wish we could get a clear statement of what all the fuss is about re
> Flash. A complete stranger's unsupported assertion that Flash is evil
> just doesn't cut it. And shouting louder by repeating the statement
> over and over again, as some on this forum have done in the past,
> doesn't cut it either.

From the standpoint of ethics, Flash is most certainly unethical
(evil), since it violates the right of people to have freedom, to
control their own lives, and to control their own computing without
having some other party pushing us around and preventing us from having
true possession of the things we own.

When I call Flash evil, I am not referring to its design, but rather to
its nature in a system of ethics. It may be very well designed, for all
I care, but a benevolent dictatorship is still a dictatorship, and
should still be opposed.

> There are evidently serious flaws in Flash, either its design or its
> implementation, that warrant all the negativity,

Design and implementation or secondary to licensing- a free license is
necessary for us to even understand and study the design in the first
place. This means that it can be quite hard to understand the design
issues, and what we do know about the design and operation of non-free
programs is the result of deduction rather than open study, as should
be the case.

However, these arguments are probably falling on deaf ears. I shall
thus follow on to some secondary injustices caused by the primary
injustice (non-free software).

> but the odd thing is
> that the clear technical unbiased treatment of the issue seems to be
> completely swamped by quasi religious fervour. Those of us who
> haven't seen the facts, now can't find them. Can anyone point to
> anything unbiased that explains the issue?

I think that in this case, the distinction between a biased and an
unbiased source is somewhat irrelevant. Sources discussing Flash which
point out that it is malware will most certainly be hostile to Flash
and Adobe- sources defending Flash will be friendly to Flash and Adobe.
"Neutral" sources (such as they exist) discuss things more from a web
standards viewpoint rather than a discussion of the program in itself.

Flash is malware because:

It uses resilient "supercookies" (LSOs) to track users. Adobe has gone
out of its way to make these hard to get rid of- they are specifically
designed to weasel their way around browser cookie settings. (1)

Many pieces of Adobe's non-free software report back to Adobe
("checking in") every thirty days, disrupting people's work. The only
way to disable this feature is to stay disconnected from the internet.
(2)

Adobe Flash implements device fingerprinting which is used to track
users- information which can then, of course, be given to other
agencies (...). (3)

Adobe has implemented and been aggressively been pushing DRM in Flash,
which is grief for honest end-users (4), restricts access to
information, and doesn't even move additional product (5). (6)

Flash causes vendor dependence; the completeness of its public
specifications is debatable, and no complete implementation of Flash is
publicly available in source form with a license that permits re-use,
so writing a free replacement is difficult. This is bad because open
formats are what make a format re-implementable- as a result, there is
not a single free implementation of Flash which is anywhere near usable
on the modern web. (7) (8) (9) (10)

Using Flash breaks conventions associated with normal HTML pages. (11)
(12) (13)

From Wikipedia: For many years Adobe Flash Player's security
record (14) has led many security experts to recommend against
installing the player, or to block Flash content. (15) (16) The
US-CERT recommends blocking Flash (17). Security researcher Charlie
Miller recommended "not to install Flash". (18) As of February 12,
2015, Adobe Flash Player has over 400 CVE entries (19), of which over
300 lead to arbitrary code execution, and past vulnerabilities have
enabled spying via web cameras. (20) (21) (22) (23) Security experts
have long predicted the demise of Flash, saying that with the rise of
HTML5 "the need for browser plugins such as Flash is diminishing",
(24) yet a significant proportion of websites still use it. (25) (26)

(1)
http://www.imasuper.com/2008/10/09/flash-cookies-the-silent-privacy-kill

Re: Creating launcher in Gnome 3

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 04 Apr 2016 13:27:02 +0100
Oliver Elphick  wrote:

> I'm trying to create a launcher.  Following the explanation in 
> https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/latest/index.
> html
> 
> I created the following file in ~/.local/share/applications
> 
> eiffel-estudio.desktop
> 
> [Desktop Entry]
> Encoding=UTF-8
> Type=Application
> Exec=/opt/Eiffel_15.12/studio/spec/linux-x86-64/bin/estudio
> Icon=/opt/Eiffel_15.12/studio/bitmaps/png/estudio.png
> Name=Eiffel Builder
> Categories=Programming
> 
> However, this is ignored. It appears from the xdg reference that the
> directory (and its subdirectories too?) should be read automatically,
> but my entry still does not appear in the menu.

GNOME is shifty and standards-nonconforming, what can I say? Use Xfce
or MATE.

> So what is missing, please?

The recommended way to manage the GNOME application menu is to use the
GNOME project's menu manager, named alacarte. You can install alacarte
(if it is not installed already) with the following command:

# apt-get install alacarte

Once alacarte is installed, run it, and select the "New Item" option
once you have navigated to the location in the hierarchy in which you
wish to create the new item. (at least this is how I remember it, and
how mozo still operates in MATE)


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Re: debian Jessie iceweasel mit flash macht bei bestimmter Seite Rechner platt

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:38:36 +0200
Thomas  wrote:

> Hallo,
> bei einer bestimmten Seite wird wohl der ganze Speicher aufgefressen
> und "nichts" geht mehr, ich muss Stecker ziehen weil man auch nicht
> mehr auf die Console kommt.
> Wie kann ich diesen flash Kram "entsorgen".
> Gruss

This is a mailing list for Debian users in the English language. You
may wish to ask your question to fellow German speakers by posting to
this address: debian-user-ger...@lists.debian.org.

You can subscribe to the German list here:
https://lists.debian.org/debian-user-german


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Re: Grossly OT SO STOP IT ALREADY!

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 15:15:54 -0400
Carl Fink  wrote:

> Does this list have moderators? Because this is absurd.

Yes. But they only intervene when necessary. We are not infringing on
the rights of anyone else to discuss what they wish.

However, I think we should take this off-list, deloptes.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 03 Apr 2016 20:47:30 +0200
deloptes <delop...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > 
> > I consider the second world war an extension of the first- there
> > really was only one "hot" World War, from the 1910s to the 1940s,
> > with two major outbreaks of violence as the old (European) imperial
> > order collapsed and the new (American) imperial order arose.
> > 
> > The net result was that Europe was knocked off its throne and the US
> > ascended to Europe's former position in those turbulent 40 years or
> > so.
> 
> Adam Wilson,
> I like you more and more. 

I like you too- I am one of the few who will not dismiss your views are
"conspiracies" simply because they differ from those pushed as part of
Western mythology.

> Thanks for taking your time. I got tired
> after someone got rude, but I am glad I see someone who shares my
> opinion more or less. I must admit that you put forward my thoughts
> in much better English and order.
> Yes there is a big crises with those two wars and the reason was to
> reshape the world. In fact all starts somewhen in the 18th century,
> but the escalation was obvious in the 20th.
> However I'm sick of hearing here that the USA won somehow the WWII.

They won in the sense that they were on the winning side- but "won" as
in made the principal contribution simply isn't true. The USSR did that
through the sacrifice of 20 million Russians.

> They moved into Europe in 1944. Of course they helped, but as nowdays
> (and this was my point in the first mail) they supported both sides,
> knowing that this way they get weaker. Just as today they support
> ISIS and pretend to fight ISIS in the same time - hypocrisy pure.

One thing I always found incredibly bemusing was the fact that although
the US practically created modern Islamic fundamentalism (destroying
pan-Arabism and secular leftist nationalist alternatives in the process
and creating a power vacuum for the ascendancy of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and
the Taleban), the US now preaches "war on terror" and continues to be
the world's number one source of terror on a monstrous scale.

The problem with Western mythology as we see it in the media is that it
completely ignores informed historical understanding. Our modern
history begins with 9/11- "angry peasants attacked us because they hate
our freedom- now let's go slaughter some of these backwards peasants
back!"- and completely ignores what preceded it.

From Israel, the perpetrator of the Palestinian Holocaust, to Vietnam,
where a greater tonnage of ordinance was dropped than the North alone
than all the bombs dropped in the second world war put together, the US
is the real terrorist, the scourge of the modern age.

> At least the Soviets did not pretend to be democracy.

Actually, they did. The official propaganda line of the the USSR's TASS
was that the USSR was a democratic state (a contradiction in terms if
there ever was one- there has never been a democratic state, since the
state in itself must have a source of authority remote from the people
to be a state).

Both the USA and the USSR claimed to be democracies- and neither were.


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Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 19:49:29 +0100
Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sun 03 Apr 2016 at 19:05:21 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 20:30:29 +0100
> > Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Sat 02 Apr 2016 at 06:59:29 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > > 
> > > > On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:39:29 +0100
> > > > Anthony Campbell <a...@acampbell.uk> wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be worth
> > > > > mentioning that BBC IPlayer now works without Flash. If you
> > > > > go to the BBC IPlayer web page it says you can access the
> > > > > programs using HTML5. You just have to install a cookie to do
> > > > > this. It's still in beta but it works for me, at least with
> > > > > recent versions of Firefox and Chromium.
> > > > 
> > > > Wonderful. So all the kerfuffle about getting Flash to work
> > > > with DRM in Debian was for nothing after all. Huzzah!
> > > 
> > > Flash was talked about but I do not think DRM was ever a factor
> > > in the discussion. Hence - no kerfluffle.
> > 
> > The kerfuffle turns into a "kerfluffle"- I like it.
> 
> Its meaning is basically the same but with the implication of "give
> 'em 'ell". I'll get me coat.

I have never heard it as "kerfluffle", so I was pleasantly surprised. A
kerfuffle is just a nice Scotsy word for a fuss, but a "kerfluffle"
sounds remarkably... cute. "Fluffle". Aww.


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Re: What Package?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 14:49:15 -0400
Harris Paltrowitz  wrote:

> On Apr 3, 2016, at 12:29 PM, Siard  wrote:
> 
> Then, for those cases where html5 is not yet available, UNinstall
> flashplayer-nonfree. Adobe has stopped Linux support for it, so it's
> too old for those cases that require a newer version.
> --
> 
> Hi,
> 
> So if Adobe is no longer supporting Flash for Linux, do you think
> there might be security risks to using the flashplayer-nonfree
> package?

The discussion of "security" in non-free software is something of a
meaningless distinction, since non-free software is compromised by
default. Adobe Flash was always evil- if this perceived "insecurity" is
enough to help make people want to stop using it, then by all means it
should be promoted.


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Re: Sudo

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 23:30:03 -0500
Michael Milliman <michael.e.milli...@gmail.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> On 03/20/2016 03:26 AM, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 19:30:57 +
> > Joe <j...@jretrading.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 19:57:56 +0100
> >> Sven Arvidsson <s...@whiz.se> wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Sat, 2016-03-19 at 18:38 +, Joe wrote:
> >>>> I've never seen sudo installed by default in any Debian, and I
> >>>> begin with expert minimal netinstalls of stable, and I've never
> >>>> seen it offered as an option there. My first two actions on
> >>>> reboot are to install sudo and mc.
> >>>  By default you are asked to provide a password for the “root”
> >>>  (administrator) account and information necessary to create
> >>> one regular user account. If you do not specify a password for the
> >>>  “root” user this account will be disabled but the sudo
> >>> package will be installed later to enable administrative tasks to
> >>> be carried out on the new system.
> >>>
> >>> From https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/apas03.html.en
> >>>
> >>>   
> >> OK, I didn't know that.
> >>
> > When you carry out a net install (or any installation, in fact) if
> > you decline to provide a root password then sudo is automatically
> > installed and configured for you, with the first user you create
> > able to become root with sudo.
> >
> > This is all explained in the installer at the root password stage-
> > there is no need to install sudo manually post-installation.
> >
> > If you want sudo, just don't provide a root password in the
> > installation.
> On the other hand, I use both su and sudo.  If I have a protracted 
> session with several different tasks that I need to complete all 
> requiring root access I su to the root user.  If on the other hand, I 
> only need to perform a single command, or so, I use sudo.  Both have 
> their uses, though as already noted, Debian generally does one or the 
> other as a default.  I install with a root password, and then bring
> in the sudo package post-installation.
> 

What's wrong with sudo su?


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Re: Upgrade Deb 7 to 8, GNOME Flashback, terminal windows not saved: any way to save?

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 22 Mar 2016 12:49:36 +0100
 wrote:

> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> On Tue, Mar 22, 2016 at 07:51:16AM -0400, Tom Browder wrote:
> > On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, Lisi Reisz  wrote:
> > ...
> > > Sorry, I should get to the end before I respond!
> > 
> > That's okay, Lisi, I do that, too, especially when trying to work
> > e-mail with a tablet.
> > 
> > And this gives me a chance to elucidate on my situation. I have
> > liked and used Debian for at least 10 years (after 10+ years with
> > Yggdrasil, Redhat, Fedora), but, as GNOME 2 was giving way to GMOE
> > 3 (ugh) [...]
> 
> Similar here, with different outcome. After a short affair with XFCE
> (and having seen that all are moving towards "desktop", willy-nilly
> replacing library interfaces with DBUS and similar horrors) I ditched
> desktop altogether.
> 
> > SHAMELESS PLUG: Please keep MATE as part of Deb 9..*!!
> 
> My significant one is on MATE (after I told her to try Gnome 3 and she
> nearly threw the computer at me[1] ;-) so I have an interest in a
> working MATE too. Although for me personally it's already far too
> Rube Goldberg.

How so?


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Re: Upgrade Deb 7 to 8, GNOME Flashback, terminal windows not saved: any way to save?

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 22 Mar 2016 10:23:15 +
Lisi Reisz  wrote:

> On Monday 21 March 2016 16:21:52 Tom Browder wrote:
> > I remember that now.  So is there any way to drop back to using
> > GNOME Classic as in Deb 7?
> >
> > If not, are there any other reasonable, debian-packaged, desktop
> > environments that provide auto-saved terminals?
> 
> How about MATE?  As a non-GNOME-user I don't know any specifics, but
> it is supposed to have carried on most of GNOME2.

Correction: *all* of GNOME 2. In essence.


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Re: Upgrade Deb 7 to 8, GNOME Flashback, terminal windows not saved: any way to save?

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:21:52 -0400
Tom Browder  wrote:

> On Mon, Mar 21, 2016 at 11:45 AM, Sven Arvidsson  wrote:
> > On Mon, 2016-03-21 at 11:26 -0400, Tom Browder wrote:
> >> I just upgraded and am disappointed that, even though browser
> >> instances can be saved between login sessions, terminal windows
> >> apparently can't.
> >>
> >> I have used the gconf editor and found setting:
> >>
> >>   apps | gnome-session | options | auto_save_session
> >>
> >> which is checked, but the terminals still disappear after logging
> >> out and logging back in.
> >>
> >> Is there any way to recover that most valuable feature of the old
> >> GNOME desktop?
> >
> > AFAICT, Nope.
> >
> > See https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=704676
> 
> I remember that now.  So is there any way to drop back to using GNOME
> Classic as in Deb 7?

Debian 7 did not have GNOME classic. It had GNOME "Classic Mode" (GNOME
3 thinly disguised as GNOME 2) but that is not the same thing.

> If not, are there any other reasonable, debian-packaged, desktop
> environments that provide auto-saved terminals?

MATE is a fork of GNOME 2. It is virtually identical to the GNOME we
all loved (although sadly I came to the free world too late to
experience it; Debian 7 was my first GNU distribution).

It is available for Debian 8, and in backports for 7.

> So sad, UI design following faddish, short-lived form over function,
> just like the fashion industry: the emperor has no clothes!

Agreed. GNOME 3 is style over substance, 100%.

You have two options: use Debian 8 with MATE or Debian 6 with GNOME. I
would opt for the former.


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Re: OT But Still: Who has Ian's Computer(s)?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 3 Apr 2016 12:42:16 -0400
Cindy-Sue Causey  wrote:

> Hi...
> 
> Gábor's question, "What is cisco-sccp?" [1], just triggered a thought.
> Who has Ian's [2] computers? Were they preserved in their last used
> state as one might surely expect to be done with respect to someone of
> his tech value and history?

I don't understand the relevance of the links you posted. I don't understand 
your thought process in going from a question asking what Cisco SCCP is to 
suddenly pondering what could have happened to imurdock's computers. Care to 
elaborate as to how you got from point A to point B?

I'm pretty sure his computers would have passed on to next-of-kin, or whoever 
else he specified in his will. Whether those people decide to preserve them or 
not is up to them.

> Most unhumbly... if it has not already been done, his daily, personal
> equipment needs scrutinized for ANY signs of stealth *leeching*
> type _intrusion_ that would have occurred from within a few feet of
> his home.
> 
> It's a no-brainer that his equipment was likely scoured for last days
> of correspondence but not necessarily for whether he had been [jail
> broken] by neighbors somehow. I'm talking about just out right [tick
> ant] "leeching", NOT "espionage" type behavior

In the sense of "unauthorised use of WiFi" type leeching? I don't really 
follow. What would Ian's neighbours tapping into his resources have had to do 
with him killing himself?

> As a potential... explanation.

For his suicide?

> [1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2016/04/msg00123.html
> 
> [2] Wed, 2 Feb 94 19:16 PST with Ian saying, "[A]fter Mike and I open
> a PO Box tomorrow we're going to announce the existence of  the Debian organization is named these days>."
> https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/1994/02/msg00046.html


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 29 Mar 2016 20:30:33 -0400
do...@mail.com wrote:

>  So far we have read about a conspiracy story, argued over when WW2
> started, even questioned the US motivation for joining in the fray. But we
> have yet to read about the lessons learned, so I've made up a short list.
> 
>  We've learned that if you use all the gunpowder today then your children
> and your children's children will miss out on the experience (poor
> things).
>  We must use more environmentally friendly methods of killing, such as
> using knives.
>  When we are done with one battle field we must not leave the bodies lying
> around, rather, they must be placed into the nearest composting machine.
>  When we get an air strike we must water, fertilize, and plant an egg, so
> that the bird population does not become depleted.
>  When we destroy a factory we must first (carefully), remove all harmful
> chemicals, then place all the roofing tiles and bricks into nice piles
> for reuse on another building. All machinery can then be placing into the
> appropriately coloured recycle bin(s) after disassembly.
>  When interrogating, you must use triple purified water, without the board
> (skis can be used if desired).
>  Let use not forget to properly sterilize all our warheads, otherwise
> they may be considered as "dirty bombs".
> 
>  Of course, a war would not be complete without an excuse, how about
> "Because we could", or the more popular, and far less explained "They
> deserve it"?
>  The most important though, is that when signing a peace treaty,
> always remember to use rice paper with invisible ink and give it to the
> poor along with other trinkets and trash that you could find no other use
> for.
> 
>  If you are thinking of doing cyber-warfare, remember that micro$oft has
> already beaten you to it and is excelling at "crimes against humanity",
> among other things...   (penguins preserve us)

The penguins sold us out. The wild Hurds of GNU stampeding across the Serengeti 
will save us! Oh, and Freedo. He's cool.


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Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 20:30:29 +0100
Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sat 02 Apr 2016 at 06:59:29 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:39:29 +0100
> > Anthony Campbell <a...@acampbell.uk> wrote:
> > > 
> > > I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be worth mentioning
> > > that BBC IPlayer now works without Flash. If you go to the BBC IPlayer
> > > web page it says you can access the programs using HTML5. You just have
> > > to install a cookie to do this. It's still in beta but it works for me,
> > > at least with recent versions of Firefox and Chromium.
> > 
> > Wonderful. So all the kerfuffle about getting Flash to work with DRM
> > in Debian was for nothing after all. Huzzah!
> 
> Flash was talked about but I do not think DRM was ever a factor in the
> discussion. Hence - no kerfluffle.

The kerfuffle turns into a "kerfluffle"- I like it. I was reminiscing about 
Lisi trying to get flashplugin-nonfree to work with something that smacked of 
DRM a while back- my memory may escape me.

> A shame really. We could do with one every now and then.

Kerfluffles are fun. We should (! Re: "Should") have more of them.


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Re: Bootable USB won't working

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 03 Apr 2016 11:05:13 +0530
Akhil Krishnan S  wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> 
> ># dd if=debian-8.3.0-amd64-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M
> >$ sync
> >
> >Now remove the drive and try boot with it ("boot override" if
> >possible). If you follow these steps to the letter, and the problem
> >persists, then it is a hardware fault.
> 
> Thanks, but already followed the same. May be because of some hardware fault. 
> But my question is how older versions get booted without any trouble, but 
> newer versions not?

I asked for more information. Please provide it.

Describe the boot media- the nature of the devices themselves and the images 
written to them- which you can and cannot boot from successfully.


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Re: What Package?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 17:28:52 + (UTC)
Arnoud van der Veer  wrote:

> I am having problems with playing flash files while using Iceweasel in 
> Debian.Iam using Debian for about 4 weeks now and have never been able to 
> play flash files: unknown SWF file. (flash player plugin crashes)

Being able to open and play SWF files has nothing to do with your web browser. 
Try install GNU Gnash, a free flash player, by running the following:

# apt-get install gnash

You should then be able to open SWF files using Gnash.

> Bit of a pain really: uploaded a movie to youtube today, in order to look at 
> it on Youtube I had to refer to a computer with Windows installed since i 
> cannot watch anything in Iceweasel on Youtube (and many other websites) using 
> Debian.

Which version of Iceweasel are you using? I am using 38.7.1esr-1~deb8u1, and I 
can watch YouTube videos without Flash. I would recommend uninstalling your 
Flash plugin, so that it does not interfere with YouTube's HTML5 video player.


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Re: What Package?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 21:45:15 +0200
Jörg-Volker Peetz  wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> in order to watch youtube movies:
> 
> first, try iceweasel without flash-plugin (disable or even un-install the
> plugin) and after removing any cookies from youtube;
> (maybe you feel more motivated to do that after reading this article titled
> "Flash – Low-hanging fruit for attackers | Business Security Insider by
> F-Secure" https://business.f-secure.com/have-you-disabled-flash-yet/ ;-)
> 
> second, with the command-line program youtube-dl (package of the same name)
> movies can be downloaded from youtube and played by a movie-player, e.g., vlc.

You do not need to do this. YouTube works without Flash.


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Re: Changing Boot Order

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 12:11:22 -0400
Alan McConnell  wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 26, 2016 at 08:27:10AM -0300, Renaud OLGIATI wrote:
> > 
> > > boot order.  No matter what key I press, the system continues
> > > on with a re-boot of my old  wheezy. 
> > 
> > Question: Are you using an USB keyboard ?
>   No, I am using a PS2 keyboard, I believe.  A white
>   cable from the keyboard back into the top orifice at
>   the back of my standard case.
> 
>   I have been told by a kind responder that my keyboard
>   is inadequate, and I should borro(buy?) a new one.  Since
>   my present keyboard works fine for all purposes up to now,
>   I don't see why my difficulty should be attributable to
>   the inadequacy of my present keyboard.
> 
>   I have taken the trouble to have excerpted some lines
>   from the beginning of my MSI User Guide, Chapter 3.
>   (the first two chapters give copious details on how
>   to install the physical motherboard into the computer
>   case).  Here they are:
> (start)--
>   BIOS Setup
> CLICK BIOS is a revolutionary EUFI that allows you to setup and
> configure your system for optimum use.  Using your mouse and
> keyboard, users can change BIOS settings, monitor CPU temperature,
> select the boot device priority, and view system information such
> as such as the CPU name, DRAM capacity, the OS version and the
> BIOS version.  Users can import and export data for backup or for
> sharing with friends.
> 
>   Entering Setup
> The default settings offer the optimal performance for system
> stability in normal conditions. . . . .
> 
>   Entering BIOS Setup
> Power on the computer and the computer will enter the Power On
> Self Test(POST) process.  When the message below appears on the
> screen, press Delete key to enter BIOS:
> 
>  Press  to run BIOS setup, or  to run boot menu
> 
>  (finish)
>And there you have it.  The last line of the excerpt
>is exacly the text that appears on my screen.  But
>pressing the Delete key does not have any effect.
>My complaint in a nutshell.
> 
> Perhaps here I should mention the COMRESET error message that
> appear on my boot screnn.  After severl iterations of
>COMRESET failed (errno=-16)
> I get "giving up" and the boot proceeds as normal.  I have done some
> googling, and it seems that COMRESET refers to activating a
> USB device.  I have only my Canon printer attached to my computer
> via a USB device.
> 
> I am taking up a lot of message time here.  But my question is a
> very simple one: can one, after booting, and as root, change the
> BIOS so that the machine will boot from a DVD if one is present,
> or from a USB thumb device, if one is plugged in?

You may simply not be pressing the Delete key *enough* (these things can be 
iffy at times). Try turning on the computer and mashing Delete as fast as 
possible. If that doesn't work, try *holding down* Delete. If that doesn't 
work, try repeatedly pressing Delete at a rate somewhere in between the two. If 
that *still* doesn't work, try every key you can think of in different 
combinations (slow, fast, etc.). A few to try- F2, Esc, F8, F11, and all the 
other Fs.

Just play around with the keys until something happens. It can be something of 
a mystifying, Deep Magic and Wizardry experience.


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Re: Changing Boot Order

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 12:11:22 -0400
Alan McConnell  wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 26, 2016 at 08:27:10AM -0300, Renaud OLGIATI wrote:
> > 
> > > boot order.  No matter what key I press, the system continues
> > > on with a re-boot of my old  wheezy. 
> > 
> > Question: Are you using an USB keyboard ?
>   No, I am using a PS2 keyboard, I believe.  A white
>   cable from the keyboard back into the top orifice at
>   the back of my standard case.
> 
>   I have been told by a kind responder that my keyboard
>   is inadequate, and I should borro(buy?) a new one.  Since
>   my present keyboard works fine for all purposes up to now,
>   I don't see why my difficulty should be attributable to
>   the inadequacy of my present keyboard.
> 
>   I have taken the trouble to have excerpted some lines
>   from the beginning of my MSI User Guide, Chapter 3.
>   (the first two chapters give copious details on how
>   to install the physical motherboard into the computer
>   case).  Here they are:
> (start)--
>   BIOS Setup
> CLICK BIOS is a revolutionary EUFI that allows you to setup and
> configure your system for optimum use.  Using your mouse and
> keyboard, users can change BIOS settings, monitor CPU temperature,
> select the boot device priority, and view system information such
> as such as the CPU name, DRAM capacity, the OS version and the
> BIOS version.  Users can import and export data for backup or for
> sharing with friends.
> 
>   Entering Setup
> The default settings offer the optimal performance for system
> stability in normal conditions. . . . .
> 
>   Entering BIOS Setup
> Power on the computer and the computer will enter the Power On
> Self Test(POST) process.  When the message below appears on the
> screen, press Delete key to enter BIOS:
> 
>  Press  to run BIOS setup, or  to run boot menu
> 
>  (finish)
>And there you have it.  The last line of the excerpt
>is exacly the text that appears on my screen.  But
>pressing the Delete key does not have any effect.
>My complaint in a nutshell.
> 
> Perhaps here I should mention the COMRESET error message that
> appear on my boot screnn.  After severl iterations of
>COMRESET failed (errno=-16)
> I get "giving up" and the boot proceeds as normal.  I have done some
> googling, and it seems that COMRESET refers to activating a
> USB device.  I have only my Canon printer attached to my computer
> via a USB device.
> 
> I am taking up a lot of message time here.  But my question is a
> very simple one: can one, after booting, and as root, change the
> BIOS so that the machine will boot from a DVD if one is present,
> or from a USB thumb device, if one is plugged in?
> 
> TIA for anticipated help!
> 
> Alan
> 

On my current computer, you can't just press F2 once- you have to mash it to 
get anything to happen. Try that.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 09:52:10 -0400
Haines Brown  wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 26, 2016 at 02:37:32PM +0100, deloptes wrote:
> > > Hmm, despite what you guys seem to think, WW2 started on 1 Sept 1939.
> 
> It seems obvious that when the war started depends on one's
> situation. One could argue, for example, that it started in 1937 with
> the Rape of Nanking.
> 
> Haines
> 

I confused you with this guy due to your email address: histomatist.blogspot.com

I was like- histomat? Like... "the histomatist"?


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 09:52:10 -0400
Haines Brown  wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 26, 2016 at 02:37:32PM +0100, deloptes wrote:
> > > Hmm, despite what you guys seem to think, WW2 started on 1 Sept 1939.
> 
> It seems obvious that when the war started depends on one's
> situation. One could argue, for example, that it started in 1937 with
> the Rape of Nanking.

Surely the start of the Sino-Japanese war would count for more than an incident 
within it?


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 14:38:32 +
Terence  wrote:

> I would agree, with the battle of El Alamein coming at the same time, the
> Wehrmacht were suddenly- and strategically- on the defensive on their major
> Eastern Front, but also in the south, in their "soft underbelly"..

I would say the main turning point on the Eastern Front actually came when 
Hitler's armies were at the gates of Moscow, but decided not to take it, and 
divert south towards Stalingrad and the Caucasus oilfields instead. This gave 
the Russians time to get their act together and counter-attack by the time 
winter came.

While the allies were running back and forth across North Africa, the USSR had 
almost-single-handedly pushed the Wehrmacht back, to the point where it was in 
full retreat by D-day.

> Of course, this all happened long before GNU/Linux and Debian...


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 00:37:05 +0200
deloptes  wrote:

> Renaud (Ron) OLGIATI wrote:
> 
> > ISTR that occupation was over with the re-unification of Germany in
> > October 1990.
> 
> Yes for the Soviet Union but not for the USA ;-)
> 
> It's not conspiracy - just check the facts. There is nothing signed from USA
> part.

I agree that the US is still occupying Germany- but not for the reasons you do. 
You are relying on the lack of an official withdrawal treaty as evidence of the 
fact that the US still has a military presence in Germany, which is rather 
contorted logic.

The fact is, the US has over 50,000 troops stationed on German soil. The 
occupation continues, my friend.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:39:30 -0500
John Hasler  wrote:

> deloptes writes:
> > The fact is that the "basic law" imposed by the Allies after 1945 (I
> > think it was signed 49) is still the official constitution of Germany.
> 
> By this line of reasoning Canada is still a British colony.

Agreed. A law is only a law by the extent to which it can be enforced.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 30 Mar 2016 01:11:50 +0200
deloptes  wrote:

> Terence wrote:
> 
> > As for "Germany is still officially occupied by the USA" I rather think
> > that they would disagree! The military occupation of Germany ended in
> > 1945...
> 
> What ended in your mind might not be true.
> There is no piece treaty with Germany and USA. There is the so called 2+4
> treaty (1990 I believe). If you look closer you would find a lot of
> interesting/debatable facts around this treaty. It covers a formal piece
> treaty, but is not such and the goal is to preserve what was established
> via the "Grundgesetz" which means "basic low" and is translated as
> constitution, but is not, because constitution is "Verfassung". The
> constitution is from the people and in the name of the people, which
> the "Grundgesetz" is not exactly.
> It is debatable why Germany does not have real constitution 70y after the
> WWII but it is a fact.
> The fact is that the "basic law" imposed by the Allies after 1945 (I think
> it was signed 49) is still the official constitution of Germany.

The constitution of the DDR, on the other hand, was based on the original 
Weimar Constitution, with some more Marxist-Leninist additions after 1970.

> > 
> > Remember, internet search engines are your friend!
> 
> I prefer the books my friend and urge you to do so. Amazing facts you'll
> find ;-). Facts that contradict massmedia and official state propaganda.
> 
> I know it might be painful for some of you, as it was for me, but well I did
> my part in research, it's up to you to do yours.
> 
> The most shocking for me is that most of the interpretation of history we
> had in school or I watched on TV is crap for one reason or another.

Such is the nature of capitalism. Hardly surprising.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 28 Mar 2016 16:06:15 +0100
Terence  wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Again, I am not sure where you get your facts- what has the 6th June 1944
> as a date have to do with it? And why not earlier?
> 
> If you are talking about the war reparations demanded by the victorious
> allies in WW1 (by any account largely caused by Wilhelm) they were never
> paid, and the engineered inflation in Germany in the 'twenties destroyed
> any value they may have had. (BTW that criminals should not benefit from
> their crimes, even if convicted and serving a gaol sentence in enshrined in
> UK law- their ill-gotten gains can be seized)
> 
> The US support for rebuilding Germany after both World Wars is often
> ignored- especially the financial support.
> 
> I think you might check how much of Russia's success in the war was down to
> the selfless support of the UK and the USA- from boots, rations,
> rolling-stock and locomotives, aircraft, vehicles,- the list goes on and
> on. The deaths of British sailors and airmen carrying supplies to Murmansk
> underscore our commitment to the USSR during this war.
> 
> Even in May 1945 Stalin was aware on the UK/US Manhatten project, and also
> that the Western Allies were ready should he decide to advance further than
> the agreements (Casablanca, Tehran and Yalta). The war in the East was not
> over, and Russia had gained several advantages in agreeing to join the war
> against Japan. He knew he could not compete with the Western Allies
> militarily until his spies and our traitors gave him what he wanted- and
> then it was too late.
> 
> As for "Germany is still officially occupied by the USA" I rather think
> that they would disagree! The military occupation of Germany ended in
> 1945...

If there are still US military bases in Germany, then one could call it an 
unofficial occupation of the same sort that occupies much of the world, and 
once encircled the USSR.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 14:37:32 +0100
deloptes  wrote:

> Tony van der Hoff wrote:
> 
> > On 26/03/16 01:13, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > 
> >> Thanks Tom.  Its hell for an old fart who can still remember his
> >> grandfathers tears the night of Dec 7, 1941.  Tears because he knew we
> >> would declare war.
> >>
> >> And I believe thats the last war we fully intended to win.  Its all been
> >> downhill since.
> >>
> >> Cheers, Gene Heskett
> >>
> > 
> > Hmm, despite what you guys seem to think, WW2 started on 1 Sept 1939.

> stop USSR invading whole of Western Europe.

It is highly unlikely they would have done this. Stalin's main concern was to 
defend capitalist Russia from Western encirclement by building "socialism" 
(read state capitalism) in one country and establish a network of buffer states 
to ensure the survival of the above.

Despite all your alternate history yearnings, I doubt we would have ever seen 
Russia invading western Europe. Bolshevism quickly dropped its millenarian, 
world-conquering enthusiasm after the 20s and stagnated into what was 
essentially a fascist nationalism using left-wing rhetoric.


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Re: Grossly OT - WW2 start

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 26 Mar 2016 11:46:37 -0400
Gene Heskett  wrote:

> On Saturday 26 March 2016 08:22:06 Tony van der Hoff wrote:
> 
> > On 26/03/16 01:13, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > Thanks Tom.  Its hell for an old fart who can still remember his
> > > grandfathers tears the night of Dec 7, 1941.  Tears because he knew
> > > we would declare war.
> > >
> > > And I believe thats the last war we fully intended to win.  Its all
> > > been downhill since.
> > >
> > > Cheers, Gene Heskett
> >
> > Hmm, despite what you guys seem to think, WW2 started on 1 Sept 1939.
> 
> This is very offtopic, but it may have started even before that for some 
> of you on that side of the pond. My deepest sympathies to those who were 
> close enough to that and suffered thru it and lived.

I consider the second world war an extension of the first- there really was 
only one "hot" World War, from the 1910s to the 1940s, with two major outbreaks 
of violence as the old (European) imperial order collapsed and the new 
(American) imperial order arose.

The net result was that Europe was knocked off its throne and the US ascended 
to Europe's former position in those turbulent 40 years or so.


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Re: New firefox isn't working

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 21:13:27 -0400
Gene Heskett  wrote:

> On Friday 25 March 2016 18:48:36 Tom Browder wrote:
> 
> > On Friday, March 25, 2016, Gene Heskett  wrote:
> > > Greetings all;
> > > ...
> > >
> > >
> > > Is this my fault, or firefox?  If my fault, how do I fix it?
> >
> > I can't help you at the moment, Gene, I have pretty much boycotted
> > Firefox. But I want you to know I enjoyed your web site and totally
> > concur with your opinions--may God save our nation!
> >
> > If I were a Facebook user I would "like" your post.
> >
> > Cheers from another old-timer!
> >
> > -Tom
> 
> Thanks Tom.  Its hell for an old fart who can still remember his 
> grandfathers tears the night of Dec 7, 1941.  Tears because he knew we 
> would declare war.
> 
> And I believe thats the last war we fully intended to win.

What do you mean by this? Are you saying the US wasn't trying to win in 
Vietnam? In Iraq? In East Timor? In Afghanistan?

I will concede the Bay of Pigs though.


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: New firefox isn't working

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 25 Mar 2016 17:48:36 -0500
Tom Browder  wrote:

> On Friday, March 25, 2016, Gene Heskett  wrote:
> 
> > Greetings all;
> > ...
> 
> 
> > Is this my fault, or firefox?  If my fault, how do I fix it?
> 
> 
> I can't help you at the moment, Gene, I have pretty much boycotted Firefox.

Why?

> But I want you to know I enjoyed your web site and totally concur with your
> opinions--may God save our nation!

Who is this "God" of which you speak? I am afraid I am unfamiliar with her.

> If I were a Facebook user I would "like" your post.

*used


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Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 06:59:29 +0300
Adam Wilson <mox...@riseup.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:39:29 +0100
> Anthony Campbell <a...@acampbell.uk> wrote:
> 
> > On 27 Jun 2015, Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > [snip]
> > 
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 1. Using iplayer with flash involves downloading a file.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 2. Wouldn't it be nice if the file could be downloaded, preferably
> > > > > > using a program which is in a package in the Debian archives?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 3. Such a package has been mentioned in this thread. It is 
> > > > > > extensively
> > > > > >documented at the program's home page and in its manual.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 4. The file being downloaded is a .flv. While it is being 
> > > > > > downloaded it
> > > > > >is being stored on disk so it can be accessed and viewed. vlc is 
> > > > > > one
> > > > > >player which can view .flv files.
> > 
> > 
> > [snip]
> > 
> > I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be worth mentioning
> > that BBC IPlayer now works without Flash. If you go to the BBC IPlayer
> > web page it says you can access the programs using HTML5. You just have
> > to install a cookie to do this. It's still in beta but it works for me,
> > at least with recent versions of Firefox and Chromium.
> 
> Wonderful. So all the kerfuffle about getting Flash to work with DRM in 
> Debian was for nothing after all. Huzzah!
> 
> Problem resolved.

Down with Flash! Down with Adobe!


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Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 23:34:58 -0500
David Wright  wrote:

> On Fri 01 Apr 2016 at 11:39:29 (+0100), Anthony Campbell wrote:
> > On 27 Jun 2015, Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > [snip]
> > 
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 1. Using iplayer with flash involves downloading a file.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 2. Wouldn't it be nice if the file could be downloaded, preferably
> > > > > > using a program which is in a package in the Debian archives?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 3. Such a package has been mentioned in this thread. It is 
> > > > > > extensively
> > > > > >documented at the program's home page and in its manual.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 4. The file being downloaded is a .flv. While it is being 
> > > > > > downloaded it
> > > > > >is being stored on disk so it can be accessed and viewed. vlc is 
> > > > > > one
> > > > > >player which can view .flv files.
> > 
> > 
> > [snip]
> > 
> > I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be worth mentioning
> > that BBC IPlayer now works without Flash. If you go to the BBC IPlayer
> > web page it says you can access the programs using HTML5. You just have
> > to install a cookie to do this. It's still in beta but it works for me,
> > at least with recent versions of Firefox and Chromium.
> 
> I don't think I've ever installed a cookie. How would I do this?

Enable cookies in your browser- in most they are enabled by default. The rest 
should happen automatically.

> Is it one cookie to make the browser entirely HTML5, or is it a
> different cookie for every site?

If you are using a relatively modern browser (Midori, Iceweasel, IceCat, 
Firefox, or Epiphany) it should already support HTML5, and it should be able to 
stream videos in-browser.

In this particular use-case (the BBC website) they should be able to detect 
that you aren't using Flash and offer you an HTML5 video instead. If this 
doesn't happen automatically, usually websites which support both will offer 
you a link ("Use HTML5 player instead" or something to that effect).

> Would I know that a movie was being played with HTML5 as opposed to flash?

Yes. The HTML5 player has a unique look. Just open this file in your web 
browser:

http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/short--undated--rms--free-software-four-freedoms.ogv

and play it. If it plays successfully, then your browser supports HTML5 video, 
and you will now know what HTML5 looks like.

It is vastly superior to Flash both functionally and ethically.

> When flash streams a movie, a copy is downloaded somewhere on my
> disk. One beneficial effect of this is that if I click the slider to
> an earlier point in the movie, the player plays instantly from that
> point, without a wait for buffering. Is that the same with HTML5,
> or is it truly streaming (with no local copy on the disk)?

I'm not sure about this. Just because moving to an earlier point in the stream 
resumes from that point instantly does not necessarily mean that flash is 
downloading a local copy- I'm pretty sure flash just keeps the entire stream in 
RAM, just like HTML5.

Either way, HTML5 does this too- you can instantly resume from an 
already-buffered point.

> Is it easy to revert to flash if I don't like HTML5?

Re-installing the flash plugin should work fine- simply uninstall gnash (or 
whatever you used as your flash plugin), try out the web in HTLM5 sans flash, 
and then re-install gnash if you don't like it.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Very little of the web requires Flash 
these days.


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: running Linux without display

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 07:38:03 -0400 (EDT)
Jude DaShiell  wrote:

> I have yet to try xfce since accessibility support from what I've read 
> to date is very immature compared to mate and gnome possibly as poor as 
> kde.  I have spare hard drives and can try this out and will find out 
> what happens with xfce a little later this weekend.

I'm not really sure what accessibility is like in GNOME these days, but I would 
assume it has only gotten better, since GNOME is our flagship DE. Usability, on 
the other hand, is still just as shit.

MATE and Xfce are more or less equal (as of 1.8 and 4.10) on the accessibility 
side of things- they just require a bit more work to get set up for the nature 
of the impairment in question. Both MATE and Xfce offer integration with screen 
readers (Orca, etc.) and programs for visual assistance, as well as a whole 
host of keyboard and mouse settings designed to make life easier for impaired 
users.

> I'm running 
> computers not servers on my end so due to technology differences beyond 
> expanded memory I would suspect server experience to be different than 
> is the case on computers.

"Server" is a term used to describe a computer performing a particular role. 
Any computer can become a server simply by using it as a server. If I were to 
get a static IP and install Apache or nginx on my laptop and start *serving* 
web pages, my computer would be a server.

I presume you meant computers specifically *designed* to be used as dedicated 
servers.

>  How is xfce with memory compared to mate?

Virtually the same. MATE uses ~300 MB of memory on my system, while Xfce used 
to average around ~250. Unless your RAM is *very* limited, either should be 
fine, and both are pretty lightweight (as DEs go these days).


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Bootable USB won't working

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 02 Apr 2016 21:29:23 +0530
Akhil Krishnan S  wrote:

> Hi list,
> 
> Recently I tried to reinstall Debian in my Dell Inspiron system by making 
> bootable USB. (Used both dd command and unetbootin)

Please reproduce the exact command you used. It should be something along the 
lines of:

# dd if=debian.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M

followed by a sync.

> But my system doesn't considering it and booting direct to hard disk. (Of 
> course, boot priority of USB is greater than HDD)

Is there a "boot override" option in your BIOS settings? Could you use that to 
override the boot order and directly specify a USB boot?

> Result is same when tried with Arch also. But when I tried with some older 
> versions of both, works perfectly. What's wrong with my system.

What is "older" about these previous media? The images you used to create them? 
The media itself (USB, CD)?

> Thanks in advance.

Try and re-download the image (I assume you are using an amd64 system):

$ wget 
http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-8.3.0-amd64-netinst.iso

If your connection cuts out and the download stops mid-way, run this:

$ wget -c 
http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-8.3.0-amd64-netinst.iso

Then insert your USB media, and unmount it:

$ umount /dev/sdb*

changing /dev/sdb* to whatever drive letter it actually gets assigned to (i.e. 
/dev/sdc*).

Now write the image to the drive:

# dd if=debian-8.3.0-amd64-netinst.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M
$ sync

Now remove the drive and try boot with it ("boot override" if possible). If you 
follow these steps to the letter, and the problem persists, then it is a 
hardware fault.


pgpi3YNhstwSk.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Bootable USB won't working

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 2 Apr 2016 12:07:19 -0400
Henning Follmann  wrote:

> On Sat, Apr 02, 2016 at 09:29:23PM +0530, Akhil Krishnan S wrote:
> > Hi list,
> > 
> > Recently I tried to reinstall Debian in my Dell Inspiron system by making 
> > bootable USB. (Used both dd command and unetbootin) But my system doesn't 
> > considering it and booting direct to hard disk. (Of course, boot priority 
> > of USB is greater than HDD) .Result is same when tried with Arch also. But 
> > when I tried with some older versions of both, works perfectly. What's 
> > wrong with my system.
> > 
> 
> Nothing wrong with your system.
> However it seems that the boot sequence order is set so your internal HD is
> prior to any usb drive.

No. Read the post before replying:

> > (Of course, boot priority of USB is greater than HDD)


pgpM7lvGOUVJQ.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Do not know which package bug is in

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 12:43:51 +0100
Robin Oberg  wrote:

> On Fri, 2016-04-01 at 12:00 +0100, Oliver Elphick wrote:
> > On Fri, 2016-04-01 at 11:34 +0100, Robin Oberg wrote:
> > > On Fri, 2016-04-01 at 11:21 +0100, Oliver Elphick wrote:
> > > > Intermittent failures like that sound more like hardware problems.
> > > > I
> > > > seem to recall reading that charging devices like that demands more
> > > > power than the computer can supply.
> > > > 
> > > > Oliver Elphick
> > 
> > > Would that not mean that the same problem exists in other operating
> > > systems as well? But seeing as it works fine to charge this old
> > > iPhone 4
> > > in Windows, so it does not seem like a hardware malfunction in this
> > > particular case.
> > 
> > Not necessarily. It might be that Windows doesn't use a particular area
> > of memory that Linux does.
> > 
> > I should go for the other poster's suggestion, of using a powered USB
> > hub. If the failures cease, it was a hardware problem.
> > 
> > 
> 
> Of course, unplugging the device from the USB port stops the crashing,
> because the crashing starts when the device is plugged in to begin
> with...
> 
> If "Linux" is programmed to use a particular area of memory that makes
> it crash, then this is a software related issue, isn't it?

Why the "Linux"? He was actually talking about Linux.

And yes, that would make it a software issue. But semantics.


pgpFebx879hgO.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Flash update

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 11:39:29 +0100
Anthony Campbell  wrote:

> On 27 Jun 2015, Lisi Reisz wrote:
> [snip]
> 
> > > > >
> > > > > 1. Using iplayer with flash involves downloading a file.
> > > > >
> > > > > 2. Wouldn't it be nice if the file could be downloaded, preferably
> > > > > using a program which is in a package in the Debian archives?
> > > > >
> > > > > 3. Such a package has been mentioned in this thread. It is extensively
> > > > >documented at the program's home page and in its manual.
> > > > >
> > > > > 4. The file being downloaded is a .flv. While it is being downloaded 
> > > > > it
> > > > >is being stored on disk so it can be accessed and viewed. vlc is 
> > > > > one
> > > > >player which can view .flv files.
> 
> 
> [snip]
> 
> I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would be worth mentioning
> that BBC IPlayer now works without Flash. If you go to the BBC IPlayer
> web page it says you can access the programs using HTML5. You just have
> to install a cookie to do this. It's still in beta but it works for me,
> at least with recent versions of Firefox and Chromium.

Wonderful. So all the kerfuffle about getting Flash to work with DRM in Debian 
was for nothing after all. Huzzah!

Problem resolved.


pgpGBToHevQNF.pgp
Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Failure to reach login screen - nouveau problem

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 01 Apr 2016 19:58:17 +0200
Sven Joachim  wrote:

> On 2016-04-01 13:40 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:
> 
> > Peter Hillier-Brook composed on 2016-04-01 15:14 (UTC+0100):
> >
> >> Following an overnight shut down I couldn't reach the desktop manager
> >> the following day. Running a live system I was able to extract the
> >> following via 'dmesg'. Does anyone recognise this, or can offer a
> >> pointer to the problem?
> >> ++
> >> [0.705479] nouveau E[  DEVICE][:01:00.0] unknown chipset, 
> >> 0x124020a1
> >> [0.705515] nouveau E[ DRM] failed to create 0x8080, -22
> >> ++
> 
> Did you upgrade your kernel prior to the reboot?
> 
> > I saw something like this on Mageia in just the past few days. The DRM
> > and Nouveau modules were failing to load automatically during boot. I
> > got X to work by modprobing nouveau and/or drm.
> >
> > What does 'lspci | grep VGA' show your gfxcard model is?
> 
> If we can trust Google with the error message, it's a shiny GTX 970.
> 
> > Possibly you have a firmware package installation failure.
> 
> There is no firmware for this card in Debian yet

This makes no sense. Unless OP has changed his hardware overnight, then this 
shouldn't be happening, since it worked fine before.

It seems we can't trust Google with anything.


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

OT: GRUB kernel options (Was: Blank screen on tty (console))

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 13:34:04 -0400
Felix Miata  wrote:

> Himanshu Shekhar composed on 2016-04-01 22:00 (UTC+0530):
> 
> > I am unable to use virtual console. Tried all combinations of cTRL+alt+f- .
> > Only X works fine. Rest all screens show an underscore (cursor) which
> > doesn't blink. I can't even login.
> 
> Even if you wait 30 seconds or a minute or more?
> 
> > Googling lead to a solution which said to change resolution in grub
> > configuration and enable grub terminal. It worked for a few days, but
> > doesn't work from last night.
> 
> > Debian Stretch with KDE plasma 5
> > Linux image 4.4 (whatever is the latest one on testing)
> > Grub EFI.
> 
> At the Grub menu, try removing both splash=silent & verbose from the kernel 
> cmdline, then report back.

What does the "verbose" option do? Generate even more sexy text creep than 
"text" or just leaving it blank?


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: x86_64 vs i386

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 18:52:03 +0100
Christian Seiler  wrote:

> On 03/20/2016 06:45 PM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > One of the problems I have is architecture related, synaptic thinks
> > for some unfathomable to me reason, that this is an i386 machine.
> > But its not, currently running kernel 3.16.0-0.bpo.4-amd64, and no
> > currently installed 32 bit application has a problem.
> > 
> > But now all the browser coders have thrown i386 machines under the
> > bus, and I'm apparently stuck with the broken i386 stuff left
> > behind.
> > 
> > How can I convince the package managers to search for x86_64 stuff
> > in the repos and install it.  
> 
> Since you are using a backports 3.16 kernel, I assume you are using
> Wheezy, which already understands Multi-Arch. In that case, just do
> 
> dpkg --add-architecture amd64

He appears to already have amd64 enabled- hence his ability to run an
amd64 kernel. He also speaks of manually specifying amd64 package
installation, implying he already has that architecture enabled- his
problem is the fact that installing amd64 versions of all his binaries
would result in him losing all his i386 binaries.

Synaptic thinks he has an i386 machine post amd64 installation.


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC-J5720DW with cups?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 14:26:25 +
Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sun 20 Mar 2016 at 17:08:11 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:19:55 +
> > Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:
> >   
> > > On Sun 20 Mar 2016 at 12:08:02 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > >   
> > > > On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:20:03 -0500
> > > > David Wright <deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > On Fri 18 Mar 2016 at 13:03:52 (+), Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > > > > > On Friday 18 March 2016 12:55:26 Jarle Aase wrote:  
> > > > > > > Den 11. mars 2016 19:36, skrev Lisi Reisz:  
> > > > > > > > I have been reading this thread a bit at a time.  I am
> > > > > > > > bemused.  Why, if you want life simple, and Free, etc.,
> > > > > > > > go for an AIO, which are notoriously troublesome?  Why
> > > > > > > > not go for a simple Brother laser printer? (If you want
> > > > > > > > Brother.)  
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Actually, I need scanning more frequently than I need
> > > > > > > printing. The scanner works perfectly without any
> > > > > > > proprietary software on my PC. I have still not printed
> > > > > > > anything.  
> > > > > > 
> > > > > > So have two separate objects?  That is what I do - because I
> > > > > > like a simple life.  
> > > > > 
> > > > > Scanning is pretty easy nowadays, I find. Years ago it was the
> > > > > other way.
> > > > 
> > > > So what made printing so much worse?
> > > > 
> > > > Saying that in the past, vice versa was the case, implies that
> > > > not only has scanning got easier, but also that printing has got
> > > > harder.
> > > 
> > > It hasn't got worse. There are very few complaints on this list
> > > about printing being problematic. Overall, the experience of most
> > > Linux users is a positive one. The contraining  
> > 
> > Constraining?  
> 
> An adjective.

You wrote "contraining". I was asking whether you meant "constraining",
or whether "contraining" was some specialised technical vocabulary used
to describe an implied inverse correlation between two historical
trends.

"Constraining" it is.


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC-J5720DW with cups?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:19:55 +
Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sun 20 Mar 2016 at 12:08:02 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:20:03 -0500
> > David Wright <deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:
> >   
> > > On Fri 18 Mar 2016 at 13:03:52 (+), Lisi Reisz wrote:  
> > > > On Friday 18 March 2016 12:55:26 Jarle Aase wrote:
> > > > > Den 11. mars 2016 19:36, skrev Lisi Reisz:
> > > > > > I have been reading this thread a bit at a time.  I am
> > > > > > bemused.  Why, if you want life simple, and Free, etc., go
> > > > > > for an AIO, which are notoriously troublesome?  Why not go
> > > > > > for a simple Brother laser printer? (If you want
> > > > > > Brother.)
> > > > >
> > > > > Actually, I need scanning more frequently than I need
> > > > > printing. The scanner works perfectly without any proprietary
> > > > > software on my PC. I have still not printed anything.
> > > > 
> > > > So have two separate objects?  That is what I do - because I
> > > > like a simple life.
> > > 
> > > Scanning is pretty easy nowadays, I find. Years ago it was the
> > > other way.  
> > 
> > So what made printing so much worse?
> > 
> > Saying that in the past, vice versa was the case, implies that not
> > only has scanning got easier, but also that printing has got
> > harder.  
> 
> It hasn't got worse. There are very few complaints on this list about
> printing being problematic. Overall, the experience of most Linux
> users is a positive one. The contraining

Constraining?


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 11:47:02 +
Lisi Reisz <lisi.re...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sunday 20 March 2016 09:34:53 Gene Heskett wrote:
> > On Sunday 20 March 2016 04:54:20 Adam Wilson wrote:  
> > > On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 22:21:58 +
> > >
> > > Lisi Reisz <lisi.re...@gmail.com> wrote:  
> > > > On Friday 18 March 2016 20:49:55 David Wright wrote:  
> > > > > It's far more likely that you forgot to format the partition,
> > > > > if that's indeed what you wanted to do.  
> > > >
> > > > No.  I checked and double checked that the partitions on the
> > > > disk which I wanted to use for installation were all marked
> > > > with the F for format, and that nothing on the disk it had been
> > > > told to leave alone had an F.  It kept wanting to format the
> > > > spare disk's swap, which I did not want.  
> > >
> > > Why not? You wanted to carry over the swap created by a previous
> > > installation?  
> >
> > Doing that, leaving a potentially dirty swap for a new install?  No
> > sensible reason to do so, format that puppy.  
> 
> Am I the only person on this list who has ever wanted to install on
> one disk and leave another alone for some reason? Surely not!!  I
> wanted to install on sda and leave sdb alone.  So I told it not to
> use sdb.  Not to format sdb. Not to touch sdb.  Why?  Because I
> didn't want sdb touched.  I was not leaving a potentially dirty swap
> for a new install.  I was telling the new install not to use the
> second disk.  Sheesh.  When I could see I would just have
> disconnected sdb.  It would then have been left alone.  OK.

What was on sdb?

And even if you didn't want the rest of sdb touched, why didn't you
simply direct the partitioner to format swap (which I assume was on
sdb), but nothing else?


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Description: OpenPGP digital signature

Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 12:51:56 +0100
Pascal Hambourg <pas...@plouf.fr.eu.org> wrote:

> Adam Wilson a écrit :
> > 
> > There is a potential problem also where modern machines (with UEFI
> > boot) fail to install off USB without UEFI, meaning that if you
> > want a UEFI-free install, you have to use optical media.  
> 
> I have a rather old (~2007) UEFI motherboard which does the opposite :
> its UEFI firmware lacks USB and AHCI drivers so it is impossible to
> boot in UEFI mode from a USB device or from a SATA drive in AHCI mode.
> 
> > This happened to me
> > on an ASUS UX51vz with UEFI- with Debian 7 d-i, inserting an optical
> > disc would provide the option to either boot the disk with UEFI or
> > without it,  
> 
> Was this option displayed in the regular firmware boot menu or in a
> different menu ?

The boot order menu in the UEFI settings.

> > while inserting a USB would only allow UEFI boot from the
> > flash drive, and not legacy booting, even with Launch CSM enabled.  
> 
> Do you mean the the firmware boot menu only displayed one option (EFI
> mode) for the USB device ?

Yes.

> Did you try to boot a non-EFI capable USB boot media, such as a Debian
> live image or a Debian installation image with the EFI partition
> deleted ?

No. That did not occur to me; I assumed it would then refuse to boot at
all. I shall try this out and get back to you.

> > So while using Debian 7, I just had to use optical media to install
> > Debian sans UEFI (which I always do- call it nostalgia, but I like
> > the simplicity of MBR and four primary partitions rather than the
> > unfamiliar layers of GPT/UEFI related cruft).  
> 
> Note that UEFI is not tied to GPT and vice versa. I happily use GPT on
> legacy systems when I need many partitions and LVM is not an option.
> Extended and logical partitions just suck.

And I don't like / don't need either GPT, LVM, or logical volumes! Four
primary partitions has always been enough for me.

> > Booting off USB (forced
> > to use UEFI) would simply result in a black screen after selecting
> > "Install".  
> 
> I have seen this display problem with the EFI framebuffer driver in
> Wheezy's kernel on some machines. Installing with a serial console
> worked.

How does one do that?

> > Debian 8, however, seems to have solved this problem.  
> 
> Indeed, the kernel EFI framebuffer driver in Jessie's driver seems to
> have been improved.

I wouldn't know anything about that, but from my field experience UEFI
works with far less hassle in Jessie as opposed to Wheezy.

> > USB can still
> > only be booted from UEFI, but newer d-i means that installation now
> > proceeds as normal until the point at which UEFI yes/no
> > (force/leave) selection is reached  
> 
> I don't remember seeing this option in Jessie's installer when booted
> in EFI mode. How is it labeled exactly ? At what stage is it
> proposed ?

It isn't something I saw either until my first UEFI installation media
boot- it may have been triggered by the fact that I was using 'Launch
CSM' Legacy mode so that I wouldn't have to bother with GPT/UEFI and
could use something resembling traditional BIOS and MBR.

It is in between the tasksel stage and the GRUB installation stage. A
prompt appeared telling me that I could either 'Force UEFI' for the
operating system installation, and have Jessie configured to boot from
UEFI, or not. It detected the fact that I had booted from UEFI but my
system was capable of either booting method.


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 05:31:18 -0400
Gene Heskett <ghesk...@shentel.net> wrote:

> On Sunday 20 March 2016 04:43:17 Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 20:50:05 +0800
> >
> > lina <lina.lastn...@gmail.com> wrote:  
> > > I tried
> > >
> > > 1] systemctl poweroff
> > >
> > >
> > > 2] GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"
> > >
> > > to quite splash acpi=force
> > >  
> Thats a typu, s/b quiet.  But I always take that and "splash" out as
> I want to be able to see whats complaining during the boot.  Yes, it
> does slow the boot by spitting out all that text, but I don't mind.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't slow down the boot regardless of whether you
have all the text displayed ("text" or blank) or not ("quiet"). My
system takes exactly the same amount of time to boot regardless of
whether I am using "quiet" or not.

It may *seem* to be slower due to the text, but this is not the case.


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Re: Installing newer kernels

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:09:51 -0500
David Wright  wrote:

> On Thu 17 Mar 2016 at 16:18:14 (-0700), William Lee Valentine wrote:
> > I have installed Debian 2.6.32-5-686 on two machines. One, a custom
> > machine, has a Pentium III processor running at 800 megahertz, and
> > has 500 megabytes of memory; the other is an IBM Mpro
> > Intellistation 6229 with a Pentium  processor running at 2.2
> > gigahertz, and has 2 gigabytes of memory.
> > 
> > Debian notified me of updates for some time after I had had put it
> > on those machines. Then it ceased to have anything to say about
> > updates. I have four questions to ask about maintaining Debian.
> > 
> > (1) Am I to update the kernel periodically? Is there advantage to
> > doing so?
> > 
> > (2) If I do, will I again receive notices of updates, and will these
> > reference only the new kernel or the new kernel and also other
> > programs that I have installed?
> > 
> > (3) If I update the kernel, do I simply download it and install it
> > over the old one, or is there some process of uninstalling the old
> > kernel that is needed before a later kernel is put in?
> > 
> > (4) How much disc space, at the minimum, should I allot to Debian,
> > if I leave it essentially in a single block on the primary disc
> > drive? I assume that OpenOffice will be installed automatically
> > (since it was earlier); and I will try to install XAMPP, WordPress,
> > and Drupal.
> > 
> > Thank you for helping me to understand how to maintai8n these
> > systems.  
> 
> In case this might be useful, here's my own checklist for a
> dist-upgrade:
> 
> 
> A fairly full list of steps in upgrading a Debian distribution.
> Running script might help, with care when it is upgraded itself.
> It's safer not to be in X.
> 
> 0. check backups are valid, rebackup, and repeat before big steps.
> 
> 1. read any upgrade/release notes for the new distribution.
> 
> 2. apt-get update the current packages list.
> 
> 3. apt-get upgrade the current distribution.
> 
> 4. apt-get dist-upgrade the current distribution if necessary.
> 
> 5. remove any 3rd-party and iffy packages, and backports, if possible.
> 
> 6. (re)move desktop environment stuff.
> 
> 7. renew the sources list, also commenting out any 3rd-party sources.
> 
> 8. review /etc/apt/preferences* and /etc/apt/apt.conf* and/or move
> them.
> 
> 9. apt-get clean (though I do this myself as a matter of routine).
> 
> 10. apt-get update the new packages list.
> 
> 11. possibly upgrade linux-image, linux-headers, dpkg, apt and
> aptitude, and reboot, bearing in mind anything like wireless stuff,
> ndiswrapper. (If script running, save typescript.)
> 
> 12. apt-get upgrade to the new distribution: much might be held back.
> 
> 13. there's usually a set of changes listed which needs
> acknowledging: q.
> 
> 14. there's usually a query whether to restart services
> automatically: y.
> 
> 15. if disk space is an issue, clean the cache after saving debs
> (if not running apt-cache).
> 
> 16. check if udev has been upgraded and whether it needs to be,
> before or after a reboot (remembering script).
> 
> 17. apt-get dist-upgrade to the new distribution.
> 
> 18. if disk space is an issue, ...
> 
> 19. apt-get -f install occasionally to fix problems including
> removals/purges.
> 
> 20. sometimes dpkg --configure -a helps because something
> unconfigured is holding loads of debs back.
> 
> 12-20. repeat from about here.
> 
> 21. save any new debs not already saved, if needed.
> 
> 22. if the kernel was upgraded since the last reboot, reboot
> (remembering ndiswrapper and script).
> 
> 23. check over package release notes.
> 
> 24. sort out mc configuration, especially confirm delete.
> 
> 25. start reapplying customisations where still necessary.
> 
> 26. check functionality and add 3rd-party packages where still
> necessary.
> 
> 27. archive any script/typescript outputs that might have been saved.
> 
> 28. save any new package debs and import them into apt-cacher-ng if
> necessary.
> 
> 29. see if X still works!

With this much work, it would probably be easier just to do a wipe and
re-install, since the process you described basically nukes the system
down to the bare essentials anyway- and for the same effort you could
have an *even cleaner* fresh install.

Meh. I just apt-get update, apt-get upgrade, apt-get dist-upgrade,
apt-get autoremove, and apt-get clean. It has never failed me.

I do exercise *some* caution though (I run testing)- I read
apt-listbugs before doing anything, and actually *read and investigate*
the changes about to take place on my system.

Do things the Debian Way, use common sense, and all will be well.


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Re: Installing newer kernels

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 18:40:27 +
Lisi Reisz  wrote:

> On Friday 18 March 2016 17:55:50 Ric Moore wrote:
> > On 03/18/2016 01:22 PM, David Christensen wrote:  
> > > On 03/18/2016 01:21 AM, Sven Arvidsson wrote:  
> > >> On Thu, 2016-03-17 at 19:27 -0700, David Christensen wrote:  
> > >>> Debian 6 is obsolete. You're going to want to do a
> > >>> backup-wipe-install-restore cycle on both machines and move to
> > >>> Debian 7
> > >>> (or 8).  
> > >>
> > >> Why not do a dist-upgrade?  
> > >
> > > 1.  The few times I tried, I ran into problems.  When I was done,
> > > I had no little confidence in the results.  I was not alone in my
> > > experience; upgrade and post-upgrade issues are a common subject
> > > on this list.  
> >
> > I agree. The dist upgrade was problematic and I finally had to wipe
> > the root partition for a clean install. Thankfully, from my Caldera
> > days, I use /opt on a separate partition. There I have a $USER/
> > directory  where I keep all of the usual /home$USER/
> > sub-directories such as Music, Video, Downloads,
> > Documents, .mozilla , .thunderbird and the like. After re-install I
> > merely restore the links and I am cleanly back in business. My two
> > cents, Ric  
> 
> Why is /opt/$USER preferable to /home/$USER from this point of view??

Couldn't he have just as easily had /home on a separate partition?


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Re: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC-J5720DW with cups?

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:20:03 -0500
David Wright  wrote:

> On Fri 18 Mar 2016 at 13:03:52 (+), Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > On Friday 18 March 2016 12:55:26 Jarle Aase wrote:  
> > > Den 11. mars 2016 19:36, skrev Lisi Reisz:  
> > > > I have been reading this thread a bit at a time.  I am
> > > > bemused.  Why, if you want life simple, and Free, etc., go for
> > > > an AIO, which are notoriously troublesome?  Why not go for a
> > > > simple Brother laser printer? (If you want Brother.)  
> > >
> > > Actually, I need scanning more frequently than I need printing.
> > > The scanner works perfectly without any proprietary software on
> > > my PC. I have still not printed anything.  
> > 
> > So have two separate objects?  That is what I do - because I like a
> > simple life.  
> 
> Scanning is pretty easy nowadays, I find. Years ago it was the other
> way.

So what made printing so much worse?

Saying that in the past, vice versa was the case, implies that not only
has scanning got easier, but also that printing has got harder.


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Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 22:21:58 +
Lisi Reisz  wrote:

> On Friday 18 March 2016 20:49:55 David Wright wrote:
> > It's far more likely that you forgot to format the partition, if
> > that's indeed what you wanted to do.  
> 
> No.  I checked and double checked that the partitions on the disk
> which I wanted to use for installation were all marked with the F for
> format, and that nothing on the disk it had been told to leave alone
> had an F.  It kept wanting to format the spare disk's swap, which I
> did not want.

Why not? You wanted to carry over the swap created by a previous
installation?


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Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:49:55 -0500
David Wright <deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:

> On Wed 16 Mar 2016 at 14:49:44 (+0300), Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 22:41:14 + Lisi Reisz <lisi.re...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >   
> > > So - if you want to format an existing partition properly, so the
> > > stuff on it actually goes, use Gparted not the partitioner in the
> > > Jessie installer.  Sad.  
> 
> I can't see why Lisi came to that conclusion from what she reported
> here.
> 
> > Is it possible for the d-i partitioning utility to sometimes make
> > mistakes when creating a new FS (I have only observed this with
> > ext4, if it even happened at all and was not a product of my
> > imagination) and somehow leave files from the old FS in the new
> > over-riding FS if the two are in the same partition?
> > 
> > Sometimes after over-writing an old ext4 partition with a new ext4
> > partition of the same size and location, mysterious files have
> > appeared in the new FS which should not exist, but existed in the
> > previous instance; "ghost files" if you will.  
> 
> It's far more likely that you forgot to format the partition, if
> that's indeed what you wanted to do.
> 
> "over-writing an old ext4 partition with a new ext4 partition of the
> same size and location" is exactly what one does if the partition
> table gets mangled. People who do that will then cross their fingers
> and hope that *all* the pre-existing files reappear. They're not
> "ghost" files; they're the actual files which should be untouched by
> repartitioning.
> 
> Some people really can't get on with the d-i partitioner/formatter.
> At least in its curses mode, it's not the easiest interface. (I've
> never tried the graphical version.)

The graphical version is literally a GTK clone of the curses-based
interface. It responds to exactly the same commands- if one were to
close one's eyes and carry out a series of curses interface operations
with keypresses then exactly the same result would be achieved.

I actually really like the partitioner in d-i. It is a nice mix between
user-friendliness (you can just select "guided" if you don't know what
you're doing, and there are nice lists of options for everything) and
usability for more advanced users.

It provides a unified interface for setting mount options, filesystems,
partitioning, etc. rather than the fdisk + mkfs approach.


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 20:50:05 +0800
lina  wrote:

> I tried
> 
> 1] systemctl poweroff
> 
> 
> 2] GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"
> 
> to quite splash acpi=force
> 
> The syslog error is as below:
> 
> Mar 19 20:04:36 debian kernel: [0.221101] ACPI Error: No handler
> for Region [CMS0] (88026e048e00) [SystemCMOS]
> (20140424/evregion-163)
> Mar 19 20:04:36 debian kernel: [0.221104] ACPI Error: Region
> SystemCMOS (ID=5) has no handler (20140424/exfldio-297)
> Mar 19 20:04:36 debian kernel: [0.221106] ACPI Error: Method
> parse/execution failed [\_SB_.PCI0._INI] (Node 88026e04e8d8),
> AE_NOT_EXIST (20140424/psparse-536)
> Mar 19 20:04:36 debian kernel: [   11.093996] EXT4-fs (sda4):
> re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro
> Mar 19 20:04:36 debian lightdm[856]: ** (lightdm:856): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:04:40 debian lightdm[856]: ** (process:902): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:05:00 debian lightdm[856]: ** (process:987): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:09:18 debian kernel: [  300.212411] mce: [Hardware Error]:
> Machine check events logged
> Mar 19 20:42:35 debian org.a11y.atspi.Registry[978]:
> g_dbus_connection_real_closed: Remote peer vanished with error:
> Underlying GIOStream returned 0 bytes on an async read
> (g-io-error-quark, 0). Exiting.
> Mar 19 20:43:46 debian kernel: [0.237081] ACPI Error: No handler
> for Region [CMS0] (88026e048e00) [SystemCMOS]
> (20140424/evregion-163)
> Mar 19 20:43:46 debian kernel: [0.237084] ACPI Error: Region
> SystemCMOS (ID=5) has no handler (20140424/exfldio-297)
> Mar 19 20:43:46 debian kernel: [0.237086] ACPI Error: Method
> parse/execution failed [\_SB_.PCI0._INI] (Node 88026e04e8d8),
> AE_NOT_EXIST (20140424/psparse-536)
> Mar 19 20:43:46 debian kernel: [   11.975204] EXT4-fs (sda4):
> re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro
> Mar 19 20:43:46 debian lightdm[854]: ** (lightdm:854): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:43:50 debian lightdm[854]: ** (process:906): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:44:24 debian lightdm[854]: ** (process:991): WARNING **:
> Error getting user list from org.freedesktop.Accounts:
> GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name
> org.freedesktop.Accounts was not provided by any .service files
> Mar 19 20:48:27 debian kernel: [  300.204379] mce: [Hardware Error]:
> Machine check events logged

This does not look good.


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 22:00:46 +0800
lina  wrote:

> p# shutdown -f now
> Code should not be reached 'Unhandled option' at
> ../src/systemctl/systemctl.c:6316, function shutdown_parse_argv().
> Aborting.
> Aborted

Try running "poweroff" as root.


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 10:42:54 +0800
lina  wrote:

> On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 12:19 AM, Patrick Bartek
>  wrote:
> > On Sat, 19 Mar 2016, lina wrote:
> >  
> >> Every time since I installed the system,  
> >
> > Which one?  Jessie?  Testing (Stretch)?, Unstable?
> >  
> 
> Jessie stable;
> 
> > Which desktop, if any?  
> 
> on my new iMac.
> 
> >
> > What computer?
> >
> > During the install, what options did you choose?  Or did you just
> > use the defaults?  
> 
> most use default, except partition.

This is probably irrelevant to the issue, but what is your partition
scheme?


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 05:28:55 +0100
Jerome BENOIT  wrote:

> Hello Forum:
> 
> On 20/03/16 04:42, Michael Milliman wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > On 03/19/2016 09:40 PM, lina wrote:  
> >> shutdown -h now
> >> 
> >> doesn't work. it still reboot.
> >>   
> > This sounds like an issue with the hardware or BIOS not with the
> > Debian OS, or with the Desktop environment.  Though I have not had
> > this problem, I have had several others related to
> > shutdown/reboot/suspend/hibernate on various machines, but I know
> > for a fact that all such problems have been with the hardware/BIOS,
> > not the Debian software.  I don't know enough about the iMac to
> > offer anything more.  
> 
> Does recent iMac have a BIOS ?


What do you mean by this?

Of course Macs have *initialisation firmware* (about which I know
nothing) but not necessarily MBR BIOS as seen on PCs.


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Re: computer cann't shut down

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 00:16:38 +
Lisi Reisz  wrote:

> On Saturday 19 March 2016 23:37:05 Patrick Bartek wrote:
> > On Sat, 19 Mar 2016, David Christensen wrote:  
> > > On 03/19/2016 05:40 AM, lina wrote:  
> > > > Every time since I installed the system,
> > > >
> > > > every time I tried Shut Down, it mainly restart again.
> > > >
> > > > I checked online and tried several methods but still don't work.
> > > >
> > > > Can anyone suggest me how to solve it.  
> > >
> > > I'm having the same issue:
> > >
> > >  https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=818311
> > >
> > > So far, no progress in resolving it.  
> >
> > No problem here.  'shutdown -h now' (as root) works as it should.
> > Wheezy 64-bit, fully up-to-date; no desktop environments installed,
> > just Openbox window manager.  System boots to terminal, login
> > there, then startx. I like to keep things simple.
> >
> > Maybe, problem is related to a desktop environment.
> >
> > B  
> 
> No, I use a desktop, and have a desktop installed on several other
> computers I administer.  3 x Wheezy, 2 x Jessie.  TDE, variously
> 14.0.3 and 3.5.13.2. All shut down without a problem. 

I can concur. I run one Stretch machine (an ASUS N43SL) with MATE and
one Jessie machine (an ASUS Zenbook UX51vz) with MATE. Both shut down
perfectly.


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Re: wordpress from packages - wp-content location not applied?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 20:27:03 +0100
Jiri 'Ghormoon' Novak  wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> the line in /usr is there by default (in package) and is not applied,
> until I copy it to /etc. that's the strange part.
> 
> Gh.
> 
> arian wrote:
> > No idea of wordpress, but
> >  
> >> there is: /usr/share/wordpress/wp-config.php:   
> >> define('WP_CONTENT_DIR', '/var/lib/wordpress/wp-content');
> >>
> >> but that doesn't have any effect unless I define it in
> >> /etc/wordpress/config-www.domain.tld.conf too.  
> > what happens when you define it _only_ in /etc/wordpress?
> >
> > you should not need to touch stuff in /usr/ for configuration
> > purposes per file hierarchy standard. If that's how it's usually
> > done for wordpress, that's weird. I don't know wether there exists
> > policy for packaging concerning modifying paths, but I'd find it
> > reasonable to change this. However, if debian packages differ from
> > upstream here, that would definitely necessitate documentation.
> >
> > regards, arian
> >  
> 

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?


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Re: Sudo

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2016 16:03:32 +1100
Keith Bainbridge  wrote:

> On 20 Mar 2016, John Hasler  wrote:
> >doug writes:  
> >> su allows someone with a root password (and nobody else) to make
> >> system modifications, etc., which might harm the operation of the
> >> system. Sudo basically allows anyone with a user password to do the
> >> same thing  
> >
> >No it doesn't.  Only users who have been granted sudo privileges can
> >use
> >sudo and only for the commands permitted them.  
> 
> In reality, how many PC s have more than 1 user.

We have UNIX's multi-user design to thank for this.


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Re: Sudo

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 19:30:57 +
Joe  wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Mar 2016 19:57:56 +0100
> Sven Arvidsson  wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 2016-03-19 at 18:38 +, Joe wrote:  
> > > I've never seen sudo installed by default in any Debian, and I
> > > begin with expert minimal netinstalls of stable, and I've never
> > > seen it offered as an option there. My first two actions on
> > > reboot are to install sudo and mc.
> > 
> > By default you are asked to provide a password for the “root”
> > (administrator) account and information necessary to create one
> > regular user account. If you do not specify a password for the
> > “root” user this account will be disabled but the sudo package
> > will be installed later to enable administrative tasks to be carried
> > out on the new system. 
> > 
> > From https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/apas03.html.en
> > 
> >  
> 
> OK, I didn't know that.
> 

When you carry out a net install (or any installation, in fact) if you
decline to provide a root password then sudo is automatically installed
and configured for you, with the first user you create able to become
root with sudo.

This is all explained in the installer at the root password stage-
there is no need to install sudo manually post-installation.

If you want sudo, just don't provide a root password in the
installation.


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Re: Every opportunity taken (Was: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC...)

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 20:38:04 +0100 deloptes  wrote:

> Martin Read wrote:
> 
> > On 15/03/16 07:45, deloptes wrote:
> >> I see recently more python code written than real C/C++.
> > 
> > So what? Most programs *shouldn't* be written in C or C++, and I say
> > this as someone who loves C and C++ and reaches for one of them by
> > default as the language for solving computing problems. (Unless they
> > involve substantial quantities of text manipulation, in which case I
> > reach for Perl because neither C nor C++ have even *remotely*
> > satisfactory capabilities in that regard.)
> > 
> > There are specific circumstances in which a low/medium-level systems
> > programming language like C or C++ is the right choice for
> > implementing solutions to a computing problem. I submit that *most*
> > programs are not subject to those circumstances, and thus there are
> > better languages for implementing most programs.
> > 
> > Python is probably the right language less often than people use
> > it, but for most jobs people do with it, C or C++ would be just as
> > wrong a choice, if not more so.
> 
> I agree with you more or less, however languages like python or perl
> open doors to pretend-to-be-programmers. I've seen more often bad
> python/perl code than c/c++.

C/C++ arrogance at its best! I could maybe understand it if you called
C# or Java users pretend-to-be-programmers, but Python, and especially
Perl, really aren't as bad or as threatening as you make them out to be.

> My observations are also that there is always a penalty, even if you
> compile the script code into binary. So if something has to be robust
> and fast, one should always prefer c/c++.  But this is really out of
> topic here.

And if Python or Perl are more suited to the task at hand, by all means
use them!

P.S. What's wrong with OT? OT is fun!

Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:50:43 -0400 doug 
wrote:

> While you have GParted running, why not make the partitions you want 
> using that, and format them to ext4. Then when you go to install
> the new system, just tell it to use existing partitions.

Provided you aren't using GPT, can you use fdisk too? Just create the
desired partitions, set the partition numbers for the intended file
systems (83, most likely) and then let the installer's mkfs do the rest.

Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2016 20:49:28 + Brian  wrote:

> On Wed 16 Mar 2016 at 16:12:20 -0400, Felix Miata wrote:
> 
> > Brian composed on 2016-03-16 19:21 (UTC):
> > 
> > >On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 22:41:14 +, Lisi Reisz wrote:
> > 
> > >>Pity it took me until it tried to use CD1 to do a net-install to
> > >>realise that!!  And I have now run out of writable CDs. :-(  I
> > >>had just enough for this shenanigans!
> > 
> > >Why any Debian user should use an antiquated technology to install
> > >is beyond me. USB sticks are two a penny. Isohybrid images rule;
> > >OK!
> > 
> > USB sticks, being of a non-uniform variety of sizes, shapes, speed,
> > and reliability, are a pain to library. Inferior amount of space on
> > which to write on them contributes to the library problem. Pricing
> > of USB sticks on a per device basis remains much higher than OM,
> > making creation of a single device for single purpose generally
> > much more expensive than OM. There still exist working puters that
> > cannot boot USB. I have several.
> 
> So do I. There are ways round it.
> 
> But the vast majortiy of users are not using the ancient machines you
> and I have. The OP is at liberty to indicate whether her machine falls
> into this class. A round shiny disc could be her only solution to
> booting a Debian image.

There is a potential problem also where modern machines (with UEFI
boot) fail to install off USB without UEFI, meaning that if you want a
UEFI-free install, you have to use optical media. This happened to me
on an ASUS UX51vz with UEFI- with Debian 7 d-i, inserting an optical
disc would provide the option to either boot the disk with UEFI or
without it, while inserting a USB would only allow UEFI boot from the
flash drive, and not legacy booting, even with Launch CSM enabled.

So while using Debian 7, I just had to use optical media to install
Debian sans UEFI (which I always do- call it nostalgia, but I like the
simplicity of MBR and four primary partitions rather than the
unfamiliar layers of GPT/UEFI related cruft). Booting off USB (forced
to use UEFI) would simply result in a black screen after selecting
"Install".

Debian 8, however, seems to have solved this problem. USB can still
only be booted from UEFI, but newer d-i means that installation now
proceeds as normal until the point at which UEFI yes/no (force/leave)
selection is reached- so with Debian 7 I had to use CDs/DVDs, but with
8 I am now free to use USB (my preferred way to carry out
installations).

That machine is also unfortunate in the sense that it has a wifi card
(Centrino Advanced-N 6235) which requires non-free firmware in iwlwifi.
So in my latest Debian installation on that machine, I used a full CD-1
image, burned to USB, booted via UEFI (which I was forced to do), and
then did a UEFI-free installation using the options within the menu
(after having turned off the Great Satan that is Restricted Boot), but
declined to set up network interfaces via the installer (since the
firmware in Debian is non-free).

I have a USB wifi adapter based on AR9271 which I then plugged in. I
compiled the free firmware (open-atheros-firmware) on a separate
machine (which generated over 2GB worth of cruft) and copied across the
firmware. Et voila! A working Debian 8 UX51vz with free wifi.

That firmware could prove in handy later.

Re: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC-J5720DW with cups?

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 16:10:49 +0100 jdd  wrote:

> Le 15/03/2016 16:01, David Wright a écrit :
> 
> > You write "Is Airprint free?". Is this a real question or a pointed
> > remark designed to create more discussion? I can't tell. Why don't
> > you just look it up?
> >
> > You write "not from me, but from others, may be." Perhaps you
> > might google the following phrase. That's what I think.
> 
> I got the impression than you don't want to use the brother driver 
> because it's not free. If it's not that, I'm sorry.
> 
> if It's that, I think that a driver is just an extension of the 
> hardware, so why use a non free hardware an don't use the same non
> free driver.

This sort of breaks down when you realise that drivers are actually
software to be used with hardware. They are only 'extensions of
hardware' in the sense that hardware requires drivers to work, and so
certain drivers must be used with certain hardware.

There is no such thing as 'non-free hardware'- just hardware for which
there are no free drivers available. That situation can be remedied by
the development or release of free drivers and firmware.

> We all work constantly with non free solutions, including RMS,
> whatever he says... the more the better, but where to stop?

Indeed. Until recently Stallman himself used a computer with non-free
BIOS, until his fling with MIPS and now LibreBoot.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Thu, 17 Mar 2016 12:39:11 -0400 Ric Moore <wayward4...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> On 03/17/2016 01:37 AM, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 17:06:12 -0400 Ric Moore <wayward4...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> On 03/14/2016 10:47 PM, David Wright wrote:
> >>> On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 05:30:28 (+0300), Adam Wilson wrote:
> >>
> >>>> They will notice when lots of people no longer use Flash, and we
> >>>> will force them to react accordingly.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> Please stop trolling on this list.
> >>>
> >>
> >> I don't see it as trolling when he spake the truth. It's sweet to
> >> no longer need flash blocker. I ripped it out like a screaming
> >> Hogwarts Mandrake root after removing the flash plugin. I do still
> >> have flash installed for video files, but not for my browser. Ric
> >
> > I have gnash in case I ever need to play a swf (which is rarely).
> 
> Last time I  tried it my YouTube videos refused to play. If it will
> work now, then I can be flash-free, Ric

YouTube doesn't need Flash at all anymore. All you need is a reasonably
modern browser, for which Iceweasel does the trick.

Re: Further to my installation error

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 22:41:14 + Lisi Reisz 
wrote:

> So - if you want to format an existing partition properly, so the
> stuff on it actually goes, use Gparted not the partitioner in the
> Jessie installer.  Sad.

Is it possible for the d-i partitioning utility to sometimes make
mistakes when creating a new FS (I have only observed this with ext4,
if it even happened at all and was not a product of my imagination) and
somehow leave files from the old FS in the new over-riding FS if the
two are in the same partition?

Sometimes after over-writing an old ext4 partition with a new ext4
partition of the same size and location, mysterious files have appeared
in the new FS which should not exist, but existed in the previous
instance; "ghost files" if you will.

Re: Sound problems

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2016 16:22:53 + Lisi Reisz 
wrote:

> I have currently no sound.
> 
> It is an ASROCK N3050B-ITX motherboard with onboard sound with the
> following specifications:
> 
> Chipset  Intel N3050
> Sound Card Type  Realtek ALC887
> Number of Sound Card Channels  7.1
> 
> I have the following information:
> 
> peter@Eros:~$ lspci -nnk | grep udio
> 00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation Device [8086:2284]
> (rev 21) peter@Eros:~$ lsmod | grep udio
> peter@Eros:~$ lsmod | grep snd
> snd_seq_dummy  12467  0
> snd_seq57061  1 snd_seq_dummy
> snd_seq_device 13132  2 snd_seq,snd_seq_dummy
> snd_hda_codec_hdmi 45118  1
> snd_hda_codec_realtek67127  1
> snd_hda_codec_generic63181  1 snd_hda_codec_realtek
> snd_hda_intel  26327  5
> snd_hda_controller 26646  1 snd_hda_intel
> snd_hda_codec 104500  5 
> snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_controller
> snd_hwdep  13148  1 snd_hda_codec
> snd_pcm88662  4 
> snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_controller
> snd_timer  26627  2 snd_pcm,snd_seq
> snd65244  20 
> snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hwdep,snd_timer,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_pcm,snd_seq,snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_intel,snd_seq_device
> soundcore  13026  2 snd,snd_hda_codec
> peter@Eros:~$ aplay -L
> default
> Playback/recording through the PulseAudio sound server
> null
> Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
> pulse
> PulseAudio Sound Server
> sysdefault:CARD=PCH
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Default Audio Device
> front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Front speakers
> surround21:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
> surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
> surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
> surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
> surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
> surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> 7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer
> speakers hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
> HDMI Audio Output
> hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
> HDMI Audio Output
> hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=2
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2
> HDMI Audio Output
> dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Direct sample mixing device
> dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=3
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
> Direct sample mixing device
> dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=7
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
> Direct sample mixing device
> dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=8
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2
> Direct sample mixing device
> dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Direct sample snooping device
> dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=3
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
> Direct sample snooping device
> dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=7
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
> Direct sample snooping device
> dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=8
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2
> Direct sample snooping device
> hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Direct hardware device without any conversions
> hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=3
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
> Direct hardware device without any conversions
> hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=7
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
> Direct hardware device without any conversions
> hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=8
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2
> Direct hardware device without any conversions
> plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
> HDA Intel PCH, ALC887-VD Analog
> Hardware device with all software conversions
> plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=3
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0
> Hardware device with all software conversions
> plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=7
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1
> Hardware device with all software conversions
> plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=8
> HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2
> Hardware device with all software conversions
> peter@Eros:~$   
> 
> I have installed and tried to adjust pavucontrol, but it doesn't seem
> to see the sound card correctly.

This is probably a silly question, but have you tried alsamixer?

Re: Every opportunity taken (Was: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC...)

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 08:45:33 +0100 deloptes <delop...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 22:58:00 +0100 deloptes <delop...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> >> Adam Wilson wrote:
> >> 
> >> > If you're referring to the great "should" debate, then this is a
> >> > pretty inaccurate description of what happened. I inadvertently
> >> > used the word "should" as opposed to "it would be better
> >> > if" (insert other non-triggering alternative if it suits), and
> >> > was promptly jumped by everyone for being "intolerant", or
> >> > "pushy", or some shit.
> >> > 
> >> > People should (there it is again!) be free to advocate whatever
> >> > views they want, as well as pursue whatever course of action they
> >> > may wish without all this ridicule from the "open-source" gang-
> >> > including avoiding blobs, or thinking that perhaps, just maybe,
> >> > non-free software is a *bad thing*.
> >> > 
> >> > But people should also be free to tell others how to act- it may
> >> > come across as rude, but I don't really care- it is an extension
> >> > of freedom of speech, provided there is no direct physical
> >> > coercion involved.
> >> > 
> >> > "Live and let live" is a touch ironic coming from the very people
> >> > who launch nit-picky attacks like the ones described in the first
> >> > place.
> >> 
> >> I like the way you put my thoughts in words. Perhaps we should
> >> establish a club called "really free in open source communities" or
> >> something alike. The Donald Trump way ;)
> > 
> > About "open-source"; I'm not really sure how to feel. On the one
> > hand, they did do a good (?) job spreading free software into the
> > corporate/business world and making it mainstream (ish), but on the
> > other hand, their lack of a coherent ethical discourse,
> > corporate-friendliness, and abandonment of the original cause- free
> > software advocacy- has basically meant that free software has been
> > usurped by capital rather than having the liberatory potential it
> > once did.
> > 
> > Imagine how far we could spread the ideals of free software if only
> > all those people who currently talk about "Linux" and "open-source"
> > started talking about GNU/Linux and free software! That includes
> > the OSI and the other big individual players in the "open-source"
> > gang.
> > 
> > It'll probably never happen; the antagonism is too great. Alas.
> 
> Well. Everyone following the Open source/Free Software story would
> know that the circumstances shifted to disadvantage of Open Source
> and Free Software. Things are getting even worse. Windowz mentality
> spreading into the communities with the yonger people. 
> I see recently more python code written than real C/C++. Another
> example is the shift in KDE.
> Another reason is the so called "economic crisis" which is not really
> economic, but never mind.

Python being used as opposed to C/C++ has nothing to do with software
freedom. Change in programming mentality, maybe, but free software
dying because of it? No.

What is far more alarming is the prevalence of non-free JS and shit tons
of code in C# for .Net (or Mono, which in many ways is even more
insidious).

> > 
> >> What helped me most is the definition of similar behavior by a wise
> >> man, who said, "the worst thing is, they think they are morally
> >> superior to judge"
> > 
> > Everyone here is guilty of this.
> 
> I'm not sure you have the right to say this :)

Why not? Everyone thinks they're morally superior in one way or
another. I think it's a pretty reasonable point.

Just in the same way that I advocate (mostly) abstinence from non-free
software, and consider myself morally superior (I do, I'm not going to
lie) because of it, others advocate not caring, and consider me silly
because of my position (oh, and my usage of the word "should", of
course). No matter what position you may hold, of course you're going
to consider your position to be superior to those of rival beliefs, and
I don't think that's something that's avoidable or even bad.

Re: Every opportunity taken (Was: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC...)

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:06:55 -0400 doug 
wrote:

> 
> On 03/15/2016 12:22 PM, Martin Read wrote:
> > On 15/03/16 07:45, deloptes wrote:
> >> I see recently more python code written than real C/C++.
> >
> > So what? Most programs *shouldn't* be written in C or C++, and I
> > say this as someone who loves C and C++ and reaches for one of them
> > by default as the language for solving computing problems. (Unless
> > they involve substantial quantities of text manipulation, in which
> > case I reach for Perl because neither C nor C++ have even
> > *remotely* satisfactory capabilities in that regard.)
> >
> > There are specific circumstances in which a low/medium-level
> > systems programming language like C or C++ is the right choice for 
> > implementing solutions to a computing problem. I submit that *most* 
> > programs are not subject to those circumstances, and thus there are 
> > better languages for implementing most programs.
> >
> > Python is probably the right language less often than people use
> > it, but for most jobs people do with it, C or C++ would be just as
> > wrong a choice, if not more so.
> >
> >
> It's too bad that the original Borland Pascal is not around anymore.
> Or even the later version of BASIC with the case statement. Simple
> and even a doppus like me could write with one of them!

I can barely code- I am limited to shell scripts, Windows/DOS batch,
classical BASIC (which I taught myself, it really isn't hard- but it
left me with a GOTO habit), and (surprisingly or not) C#, which we were
taught at school.

There is a lovely BASIC interpreter called Vintage BASIC which holds a
special place in my heart... it is mostly compatible with
Altair/Commodore BASIC.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 08:29:54 +0100 deloptes <delop...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:06:27 +0100 Jörg-Volker Peetz
> > <jvpe...@web.de> wrote:
> > 
> >> IMHO its worth to try the web without flash.
> >> HTML5 can do a lot nowadays.
> > 
> > Exactly. I don't use Flash, but somehow the world hasn't collapsed
> > around me yet, and (*gasp*) I am still able to get my news. [1]
> > 
> > [1] Listening to BBC World Service on that oldfangled device (the
> > radio), reading The Real News, Democracy Now!, the Independent,
> > libcom.org, reddit.com/r/news, reddit.com/r/worldnews, reddit in
> > general, indymedia. It's not hard. There are so many sources for
> > news.
> 
> Haha,
> funny story guys. IMHO the problem is not with us. There are a lot of 
> people who don't care and will not stop using flash or whatever.
> So we will not watching news, but flash will not die so fast.
> 
> Respect for your position though - I like you even more :D
> 
> Perhaps we need to introduce "likes" (jokingly)

Hmm. "Likes" are pretty much useless without "Dislikes"- which would
basically net us a Reddit upvote/downvote system. Now we all know how
prone to abuse that is ;)

Far better to just let disagreements battle themselves out on the list
itself rather than through downvote numbers...

Re: Password protecting grub

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2016 23:12:06 +0530 Himanshu Shekhar
 wrote:

> Ok! I understand GRUB password and other such passwords are
> ineffective. I am also aware of the fact that hard drive can be read
> anywhere unless it is encrypted.
> The am eager to know a particular way (however bad it may be) to
> secure a system, which I have not known yet.

A BIOS password and full disk encryption.

Re: Password protecting grub

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2016 21:51:02 +0530 Himanshu Shekhar
 wrote:

> I made all possible tries that came to my head with all your
> suggestions. Still, password : command not found.
> 
> However, I think all of use should use grub-password, especially when
> we use mobile systems (as laptops), *UNLESS YOU USE A BIOS PASSWORD*.
> You can check Google for what to do when you forget root password
> (perhaps, you all know about that). That's just simple to give root
> access to anyone with physical possession of the system.
> 
> I personally don't like BIOS passwords, because you have no simple
> way if you forget them. In fact, if you forget the root password, or
> even password, there remains an option for Live system, or complete
> Format in case the disk is encrypted. But, no way out if you forget
> the BIOS password.

Your rationale for using a GRUB password doesn't make much sense. You
want password-protection earlier on than login to protect your system,
yet you don't want a BIOS password because it is harder to work around
than a GRUB password.

If you want security, use a BIOS password.

If you want convenience, don't use any pre-login passwords.

I don't really see where a GRUB password fits in to the paradigm.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2016 17:06:12 -0400 Ric Moore <wayward4...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> On 03/14/2016 10:47 PM, David Wright wrote:
> > On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 05:30:28 (+0300), Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> >> They will notice when lots of people no longer use Flash, and we
> >> will force them to react accordingly.
> >>
> >
> > Please stop trolling on this list.
> >
> 
> I don't see it as trolling when he spake the truth. It's sweet to no 
> longer need flash blocker. I ripped it out like a screaming Hogwarts 
> Mandrake root after removing the flash plugin. I do still have flash 
> installed for video files, but not for my browser. Ric

I have gnash in case I ever need to play a swf (which is rarely).

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 21:47:47 -0500 David Wright
<deb...@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:

> On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 05:30:28 (+0300), Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:50:15 + Brian <a...@cityscape.co.uk>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 06:00:27 +1100, Andrew McGlashan wrote:
> > > 
> > > > On 15/03/2016 5:13 AM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > > > On Monday 14 March 2016 14:06:27 Jörg-Volker Peetz wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > >> IMHO its worth to try the web without flash.
> > > > >> HTML5 can do a lot nowadays.
> > > > >> And visiting sites without using flash helps to get rid of
> > > > >> it.
> > > > 
> > > > The sooner, the better Flash needs to die ASAP.
> > >
> > > Total nonsense.
> > 
> > This is a very silly position. Of course *one person* declining to
> > use Flash isn't going to change anything- but that one person can
> > influence others to do so, and then others will boycott Flash, etc.
> > How is it that positive systemic changes are made in the real
> > world? By the action of the masses, and the action of the masses
> > starts with the action of individuals.
> > 
> > Nothing would ever happen if everyone adopted the logic of "oh
> > well, I'm alone so I can't change anything". The journey of a
> > thousand miles starts with a single step.
> > 
> > > Does it even notice you didn't even visit its site? "By God", they
> > > say, Brian didn't watch Happy Valley; why not?; we must do
> > > something about this.
> > 
> > They will notice when lots of people no longer use Flash, and we
> > will force them to react accordingly.
> > 
> 
> Please stop trolling on this list.

How is this trolling?

1. Brian ridicules someone advocating a boycott of Flash, saying
nothing will ever change because apparently people are incapable of
doing anything about anything.

2. I respond.

Re: Every opportunity taken (Was: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC...)

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 22:58:00 +0100 deloptes <delop...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Adam Wilson wrote:
> 
> > If you're referring to the great "should" debate, then this is a
> > pretty inaccurate description of what happened. I inadvertently
> > used the word "should" as opposed to "it would be better
> > if" (insert other non-triggering alternative if it suits), and was
> > promptly jumped by everyone for being "intolerant", or "pushy", or
> > some shit.
> > 
> > People should (there it is again!) be free to advocate whatever
> > views they want, as well as pursue whatever course of action they
> > may wish without all this ridicule from the "open-source" gang-
> > including avoiding blobs, or thinking that perhaps, just maybe,
> > non-free software is a *bad thing*.
> > 
> > But people should also be free to tell others how to act- it may
> > come across as rude, but I don't really care- it is an extension of
> > freedom of speech, provided there is no direct physical coercion
> > involved.
> > 
> > "Live and let live" is a touch ironic coming from the very people
> > who launch nit-picky attacks like the ones described in the first
> > place.
> 
> I like the way you put my thoughts in words. Perhaps we should
> establish a club called "really free in open source communities" or
> something alike. The Donald Trump way ;)

About "open-source"; I'm not really sure how to feel. On the one hand,
they did do a good (?) job spreading free software into the
corporate/business world and making it mainstream (ish), but on the
other hand, their lack of a coherent ethical discourse,
corporate-friendliness, and abandonment of the original cause- free
software advocacy- has basically meant that free software has been
usurped by capital rather than having the liberatory potential it once
did.

Imagine how far we could spread the ideals of free software if only all
those people who currently talk about "Linux" and "open-source" started
talking about GNU/Linux and free software! That includes the OSI and
the other big individual players in the "open-source" gang.

It'll probably never happen; the antagonism is too great. Alas.

> What helped me most is the definition of similar behavior by a wise
> man, who said, "the worst thing is, they think they are morally
> superior to judge"

Everyone here is guilty of this.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:06:27 +0100 Jörg-Volker Peetz 
wrote:

> IMHO its worth to try the web without flash.
> HTML5 can do a lot nowadays.

Exactly. I don't use Flash, but somehow the world hasn't collapsed
around me yet, and (*gasp*) I am still able to get my news. [1]

[1] Listening to BBC World Service on that oldfangled device (the
radio), reading The Real News, Democracy Now!, the Independent,
libcom.org, reddit.com/r/news, reddit.com/r/worldnews, reddit in
general, indymedia. It's not hard. There are so many sources for news.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 14:13:05 -0400 Gene Heskett 
wrote:

> On Monday 14 March 2016 14:06:27 Jörg-Volker Peetz wrote:
> 
> > IMHO its worth to try the web without flash.
> > HTML5 can do a lot nowadays.
> > And visiting sites without using flash helps to get rid of it.
> >
> > Regards,
> > jvp.
> 
> 100% in agreement, but the major mainsleaze news site seem to be
> stuck with it.

Why the obsession with the mainsleaze news websites then? There are
plenty of ways to get news on the internet without having to watch BBC
video clips with Flash.

Re: flash? [OT]

[Adam Wilson]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:50:15 + Brian  wrote:

> On Tue 15 Mar 2016 at 06:00:27 +1100, Andrew McGlashan wrote:
> 
> > On 15/03/2016 5:13 AM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> > > On Monday 14 March 2016 14:06:27 Jörg-Volker Peetz wrote:
> > > 
> > >> IMHO its worth to try the web without flash.
> > >> HTML5 can do a lot nowadays.
> > >> And visiting sites without using flash helps to get rid of it.
> > 
> > The sooner, the better Flash needs to die ASAP.
>
> Total nonsense.

This is a very silly position. Of course *one person* declining to use
Flash isn't going to change anything- but that one person can influence
others to do so, and then others will boycott Flash, etc. How is it
that positive systemic changes are made in the real world? By the
action of the masses, and the action of the masses starts with the
action of individuals.

Nothing would ever happen if everyone adopted the logic of "oh well, I'm
alone so I can't change anything". The journey of a thousand miles
starts with a single step.

> Does it even notice you didn't even visit its site? "By God", they
> say, Brian didn't watch Happy Valley; why not?; we must do something
> about this.

They will notice when lots of people no longer use Flash, and we will
force them to react accordingly.

Re: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC-J5720DW with cups?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 12:46:08 + Lisi Reisz 
wrote:

> On Saturday 12 March 2016 07:50:49 to...@tuxteam.de wrote:
> > So. Now I'll bite off my tongue and take my ball with me. I'm off
> > this thread. I can't bear the overall animosity and poking of
> > fun at those who try to put some effort into avoiding binary
> > blobs. It reminds me of the poking at vegetarians "now are snails
> > vegetables or not?". I thought I left that behind in my teens.
> 
> And the Everything Free brigade is so pleasant to anyone who wants to
> use binary blobs??  I was nearly lynched for wanting to use something
> from the non-free repository.
> 
> Why can't we all live and let live?  And all I have seen in this
> thread is people not comprehending.  No-one being unpleasant and
> castigating.
> 
> I have a ball if anyone would like it. ;-)
> 
> Lisi
> 

And all this on a mailing list belonging to a distribution that
actually has the decency to call itself GNU/Linux. Whatever next?

Re: Every opportunity taken (Was: Does anyone know how to configure a Brother MFC...)

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 12:46:08 + Lisi Reisz 
wrote:

> On Saturday 12 March 2016 07:50:49 to...@tuxteam.de wrote:
> > So. Now I'll bite off my tongue and take my ball with me. I'm off
> > this thread. I can't bear the overall animosity and poking of
> > fun at those who try to put some effort into avoiding binary
> > blobs. It reminds me of the poking at vegetarians "now are snails
> > vegetables or not?". I thought I left that behind in my teens.
> 
> And the Everything Free brigade is so pleasant to anyone who wants to
> use binary blobs??  I was nearly lynched for wanting to use something
> from the non-free repository.

If you're referring to the great "should" debate, then this is a pretty
inaccurate description of what happened. I inadvertently used the word
"should" as opposed to "it would be better if" (insert other
non-triggering alternative if it suits), and was promptly jumped by
everyone for being "intolerant", or "pushy", or some shit.

People should (there it is again!) be free to advocate whatever views
they want, as well as pursue whatever course of action they may wish
without all this ridicule from the "open-source" gang- including
avoiding blobs, or thinking that perhaps, just maybe, non-free software
is a *bad thing*.

But people should also be free to tell others how to act- it may come
across as rude, but I don't really care- it is an extension of freedom
of speech, provided there is no direct physical coercion involved.

"Live and let live" is a touch ironic coming from the very people who
launch nit-picky attacks like the ones described in the first place.

Re: Bug ?

[Adam Wilson]

On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:53:22 +0100 Aymeric Do 
wrote:

> Hello,
> This is message in english (LANG=C) and example with reportbug :
> 
> (reportbug:2211): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in
> module_path: "adwaita",
> 
> (reportbug:2211): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in
> module_path: "adwaita",
> 
> But this warning come with a lot of command, like reportbug, keepassx
> etc...

A question:

Is the Adwaita theme installed on your system?

a) If not, but the program runs after the warning anyway, then
this is not a bug.

b) If not, and the program fails to start because of this, then
this is a bug. Programs should not require specific GTK+ themes.

c) If Adwaita is installed, but this warning is displayed
anyway, then this is a bug.

a) is not a bug. b) and c) are. Which is your case?

Re: Tails -- wheezy based good, jessie based bad

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 13 Mar 2016 13:02:54 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
 wrote:

> Just reporting that I have a couple of older machines that both work
> well with Tails 1.8.2 -- an old Thinkpad that used to run XP and an
> old Macbook Pro 4,1 (early 2008).
> 
> Both machines fail on Tails 2.x -- the Thinkpad gets further than the
> Macbook Pro.  2.x is based on Jessie.

This is indeed strange, considering the fact that Jessie works fine on
both of these models. Are there any suspect Tails-specific
functionalities which may be the cause?

When you say "fail", what do you mean? Do they both refuse to boot?
Blank screen? Stuck on login? What?

Re: Installing topmenu in stable

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 12:54:21 +0100 Sven Arvidsson <s...@whiz.se> wrote:

> On Fri, 2016-03-11 at 14:49 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > I shall give it a go. Sid, not stretch? Pour quoi?
> 
> Testing might be a closer match in general, but in this case the
> versions doesn't seem to differ much.

Houston, we have a problem. Stable does not have a high enough version
of lxpanel (>= 0.8), so the build has unmet dependencies. What now?
Get the source package for that from testing/sid too?

Re: Installing topmenu in stable

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 12:41:16 +0100 Sven Arvidsson <s...@whiz.se> wrote:

> On Fri, 2016-03-11 at 14:40 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > I'm thinking the most Debian-friendly options are either to compile
> > them myself from git, or to upgrade to stretch, which I don't really
> > want to do.
> 
> I'd say the most Debian friendly way would be to grab the source
> package from sid and recompile it for stable (if at all possible).

Nevermind. They're identical.

Re: Installing topmenu in stable

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 12:41:16 +0100 Sven Arvidsson <s...@whiz.se> wrote:

> On Fri, 2016-03-11 at 14:40 +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > I'm thinking the most Debian-friendly options are either to compile
> > them myself from git, or to upgrade to stretch, which I don't really
> > want to do.
> 
> I'd say the most Debian friendly way would be to grab the source
> package from sid and recompile it for stable (if at all possible).

I shall give it a go. Sid, not stretch? Pour quoi?

Installing topmenu in stable

[Adam Wilson]

In short, I want to install the MATE topmenu applet in Debian stable
(Jessie). However, the packages required are not in the stable
distribution, only in stretch and sid. What is the best way to go about
getting the packages installed?

Should I compile them from the sources available at git.javispedro.com?
Should I just grab the packages from the stretch distribution without
updating the rest? (This would result in a FrankenDebian though- so many
dependencies would have to be updated to get these things installed I
might just upgrade to stretch anyway) Should I upgrade my entire system
to Stretch? (I don't really want to do this- I like my stability,
generally) Should I grab the packages from the Ubuntu PPA, and update
as necessary? Will this cause problems?

I'm thinking the most Debian-friendly options are either to compile
them myself from git, or to upgrade to stretch, which I don't really
want to do.

Advice?

Re: which files took the space

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 04 Mar 2016 08:11:43 +0100 Frédéric Marchal
<frederic.marc...@wowtechnology.com> wrote:

> On Friday 04 March 2016 07:18:59 Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Fri, 4 Mar 2016 04:03:01 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
> > 
> > <andrew.mcglas...@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:
> > > On 4/03/2016 3:07 AM, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > > > On Fri, 4 Mar 2016 03:03:53 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
> > > > 
> > > > <andrew.mcglas...@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:
> > > >> It also may have been files in the file system, but where
> > > >> another file system mount hides them
> > > > 
> > > > What does this mean? Mounts overlapping and hiding other mounts?
> > > > 
> > > > Explain, please.
> > > 
> > > Yes, this is more likely to happen to the root file system.
> > > 
> > > Say you have a bunch of files in /boot, but for some reason you
> > > have a /boot partition that wasn't mounted when those files were
> > > created  then you mount the /normal/ boot partition over it
> > > and now the other files are now hidden from view, but still
> > > taking up space.
> > 
> > So you're talking about creating files in an unmounted partition,
> > and then mounting it, but since file addition happened when the FS
> > was still in an unmounted state, the new files weren't written to
> > the journal?
> > 
> > Surely in that case the new files would simply not be registered and
> > act as free space (as if they had been deleted)?
> 
> This is not about a caching service. It is about the way the content
> of a mounted disk is made visible to you.
> 
> Have you ever wondered how a path name, on your main hard disk, such
> as /mnt/usb becomes a link to a USB disk known to the system
> as /dev/sdd1?
> 
> When you type
> 
> mount /dev/sdd1 /mnt/usb
> 
> It tells the system that, from now on, the directory named "/mnt/usb"
> becomes the entry point to the file system that sit at "/dev/sdd1".
> 
> Any call such as "ls /mnt/usb" will list the content of the USB disk
> instead of the usual content of /mnt/usb.
> 
> When the device is unmounted, the directory that serves as its mount
> point is restored as a regular directory.
> 
> Now, imagine /mnt/usb is not mounted. It is a directory just like any
> other. If you copy files to /mnt/usb, they will be copied to that
> directory and you have access to them as long as no device is mounted
> under /mnt/usb.

Ah. I see. Thank you for that- I was a little bit unsure as to what was
being referred to, until you came and gave an example.

Re: which files took the space

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 4 Mar 2016 04:03:01 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
<andrew.mcglas...@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:

> 
> 
> On 4/03/2016 3:07 AM, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Fri, 4 Mar 2016 03:03:53 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
> > <andrew.mcglas...@affinityvision.com.au> wrote:
> >> It also may have been files in the file system, but where another
> >> file system mount hides them
> > 
> > What does this mean? Mounts overlapping and hiding other mounts?
> > 
> > Explain, please.
> 
> Yes, this is more likely to happen to the root file system.
> 
> Say you have a bunch of files in /boot, but for some reason you have a
> /boot partition that wasn't mounted when those files were created 
> then you mount the /normal/ boot partition over it and now the other
> files are now hidden from view, but still taking up space.

So you're talking about creating files in an unmounted partition, and
then mounting it, but since file addition happened when the FS was
still in an unmounted state, the new files weren't written to the
journal?

Surely in that case the new files would simply not be registered and
act as free space (as if they had been deleted)?

Re: which files took the space

[Adam Wilson]

On Fri, 4 Mar 2016 03:03:53 +1100 Andrew McGlashan
 wrote:

> 
> 
> On 3/03/2016 1:51 PM, lina wrote:
> > I figured out, there are so many hidden files.
> 
> It also may have been files in the file system, but where another file
> system mount hides them

What does this mean? Mounts overlapping and hiding other mounts?

Explain, please.

Re: XFS on root

[Adam Wilson]

On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 07:09:00 -0300 Renaud (Ron) OLGIATI
 wrote:

> On Wed, 2 Mar 2016 09:52:12 +
> Darac Marjal  wrote:
> 
> > >Why use Ext2 and not Ext 3 or 4 for /boot?  
> > 
> > I believe the reasoning is to keep /boot as simple and as robust as 
> > possible. ext3 and ext4 are, while mostly compatible with ext2, not
> > as well supported. There are third-party drivers, for example, that
> > don't know about the journal of ext3 or the extents of ext4. And
> > besides, these take up unnecessary space on a file system which is
> > only written to, say, once every few months.
> > 
> > Ext2 provides a balance between features (i.e. being sufficiently
> > UNIX-y (which FAT isn't)), and simplicity.
> 
> Not to mention that, given the rarity of changes in /boot, a
> journalling FS may not be really useful... 

Exactly. The reason I don't use ext4 for /boot, but ext2 is that I
simply don't see the need for journalling in a partition that sees only
occasional writes.

I don't really want journalling for /boot, because it's largely
redundant and slower than not having journalling. Debian offers three
non-journalling filesystems in the installer- ext2, fat, and ntfs.
Since I want something UNIX-y, fat and ntfs are out, which leaves ext2.

Faster than ext3 and 4, but still UNIX-compatible.

Re: XFS on root

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 15:17:43 +0100 <to...@tuxteam.de> wrote:

> -BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-
> Hash: SHA1
> 
> On Sun, Feb 28, 2016 at 05:34:18PM +0300, Adam Wilson wrote:
> > On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 23:56:59 +0100 Saša Janiška <g...@atmarama.com>
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > Adam Wilson <mox...@riseup.net> writes:
> > > 
> > > > My solution to this (because XFS is my favourite filesystem
> > > > next to ReiserFS) has been to use ext2 for /boot and XFS for /
> > > > and /home. I can confirm this configuration works tickety-boo-
> > > > I use it on my Jessie box at the moment.
> > > 
> > > That's really strange to hear since I do not have separate /boot
> > > and / is subvolume (@) and no problem booting it.
> > 
> > Let me get this straight- /boot on XFS, with GRUB, working
> > flawlessly?
> 
> I'm neither the OP nor have I actually tried it. But *in theory*
> (yeah, famous last words), there is a grub module "xfs.mod", which at
> least hints at grub understanding XFS. So it really might work.

I wouldn't risk it, personally. I've heard horror stories about GRUB on
XFS.

Re: XFS on root

[Adam Wilson]

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 17:19:07 +0100 Saša Janiška <g...@atmarama.com>
wrote:

> Adam Wilson <mox...@riseup.net> writes:
> 
> > Let me get this straight- /boot on XFS, with GRUB, working
> > flawlessly?
> 
> No, but root under btrfs without extra /boot works.
> 
> Here is my simplified /etc/fstab:
> 
> # / was on /dev/sda3 during installation
> /dev/sda3 /   btrfs
> noatime,autodefrag,compress-force=lzo,subvol=@ 0
> 0 /dev/sda3   /home   btrfs
> noatime,autodefrag,compress-force=lzo,subvol=@home 0 0 #
> swap /dev/sda2none  swapsw  0   0
> 
> So, both / & /home are under btrfs subvolumes and everything works.

I misunderstood your original post to mean that you used XFS for /boot.
Sorry.

> And according to https://wiki.debian.org/FileSystem XFS should be
> capable to work as root FS.

I am more than aware of this- I do so myself.