Re: tech recruiters you like?

[Brian Chabot]

These folks have been good to me in the past:
http://workbridgeassociates.com/

Tell them Brian Chabot sent you.

Brian

Brian Chabot

On Wed, Aug 31, 2016 at 7:46 PM, Bill McGonigle 
wrote:

> Hi, everybody,
>
> I know some of you have landed good gigs using recruiters.  I have a
> friend who will be relocating to my area who has a couple decades of
> UNIX and, more recently, Linux sysadmin experience, along with
> management skills.  I'm thinking a recruiter is going to be a better use
> of time than filling out job applications, but I know there are lots of
> numbskulls out there (they call me, frequently).  If anybody has
> somebody to recommend, please reply here or contact me directly.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -Bill
>
> --
> Bill McGonigle, Owner
> BFC Computing, LLC
> http://bfccomputing.com/
> Telephone: +1.855.SW.LIBRE
> Email, IM, VOIP: b...@bfccomputing.com
> VCard: http://bfccomputing.com/vcard/bill.vcf
> Social networks: bill_mcgonigle/bill.mcgonigle
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Re: Boot-to-CLI distro?

[Brian Chabot]

In GRUB, boot to init 1, single user mode.

Brian Chabot

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 1:46 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio  wrote:

> Hey, all.  Many's the time I just want to go and fix something stupid --
> maybe wipe a disk, or edit a file -- and all I want is to be able to
> stick in a USB stick and wind up at said CLI.  But most distros these
> days are GUI-based.  And Ubuntu Server (say) boots to install, period,
> which is an
>
> extremely-stripped-down-to-the-point-of-useless-for-anything-other-than-install
> CLI.
>
> Any middle ground someone could recommend?
>
> Thanks!
>
> -Ken
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Re: Bill Sconce obituary and memorial date (February 13th at Boire Field, Nashua, NH)

[Brian Chabot]

He and I share a birth date... I never knew that.

I met him but I did not know him.  I think we would have gotten along quite
well.

I hope to be able to make it to the memorial.

Brian

Brian Chabot

On Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 2:11 PM, mad...@li.org 
wrote:

> Bill (William Joseph) Sconce, age 72, Lyndeborough, NH, died on January 5,
> 2016 at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, MA. The cause was a cerebral
> hemorrhage.  He was a good man.
>
>
> Bill was born April 19, 1943 in Indianapolis, IN, and came home to the
> House on the Hill in Edinburgh, IN. Bill grew up there with his brother
> David, who predeceased him. His parents were Eva Mae and Joseph Byce
> Sconce.  Bill soon became a proficient Spelunker and surveyor in the caves
> of Indiana and Kentucky, and a motorcycle enthusiast. Graduating from
> Culver Military Academy, where he earned his Amateur Radio License, he
> received a Fulbright scholarship and rode his Norton motorcycle to CalTech
> in San Francisco, CA where he studied Physics and worked in a
> crystalography laboratory. He was drafted during the Vietnam war protests
> at that school and served in Taigu Korea, where he studied IBM Cobol and
> the Korean language, and rode a Honda 90 motorcycle in the mountains. He
> returned to Louisville, KY and began a long career in computer science and
> founded his company Industrial Specialities.  He met the love of his life
> in Louisville, Janet Levy, and with her encouragement he completed his
> dream of becoming a pilot, holding a Commercial, Instrument, and Instructor
> license. He continued studies at University of Louisville in linguistics
> and computer science. Bill & Janet moved to NH in 1979 for Bill to graduate
> from being Symposium Coordinator for DECUS to assume the position of
> Product Manager for the RSTS Group at Digital Equipment Corporation. Bill
> worked for and was layed off from DEC, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard, at
> which point he revived his corporation, named it In Spec, Inc. and divided
> his time between software engineering and flight instruction.  Bill was a
> devoted supporter of GPL and "free" Linux software and the Python
> programming language. Bill was a member of the Vintage BMW Motorcycle
> Owners, Ltd., the BMW MOVer Motorcycle Club of Vermont, the Contoocook
> Valley Radio Club,  a life member of the National Speological Society and
> the American Radio Relay League. He supported the EAA and was a Regional
> Judge for aerobatic competitions for IAC for many years. He loved aviation,
> including hot air ballooning and skydiving.  He participated in Young
> Eagles at Boire Airport in Nashua, NH and enjoyed teaching young people to
> fly. He taught spins in his Cessna Aerobat. And he was a Quiet Birdman.  He
> was a member of the Rex Stout Wolfepack Book Club and The Wodehouse
> Society.   Bill loved theatre, classical and rock music, and especially
> lately, attending Dr. David Landman's Poetry Nights of medieval poetry in
> Lexington, MA.
>
>
> He loved fixing things and if there were no parts available for a project
> he promptly made them himself on his metal lathe, or just used his
> ingenuity to create something needed.
>
>
> He loved cigars, scotch, butter, reading, airplanes, old test equipment,
> Paris, BMWs, his red convertible Cabriolet with red earmuffs, and his big
> black 4 cylinder 4WD truck, bird watching (outwitting squirrels), camping,
> hiking on Pitcher Mountain, William Blake, and he suffered not fools. One
> of his favorite lead-ins: "As an engineer..."
>
>
> Bill is survived by his wife, Janet Levy Sconce, his sister-in-law, June
> Levy and her family, and many dear friends. Bill was a kind and loving
> "daddy" to Virgil Fox and RDB, the cats of his home. Thanks to "The
> Committee" and especially Donna Shea, Chris Levin, Ken Hamel, Donna
> Giovannini, Tom Steger, Michelle Donovan, Simon Hutchings, John & Cathy
> Gubernat and the surgeons, doctors, and nurses at Lahey Hospital. The
> family is grateful to all of his many friends who offered support and love.
>
>
> There will be a memorial for Bill on February 13, 11:00-2:00  at Nashua Jet
> Aviation located on Boire Field in Nashua, NH. Call Air Direct Airways,
> (603) 882-5606 for more information.
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Re: Virtual machine host provider recommendations

[Brian Chabot]

I use InterServer for most of my web sites and it meets those
requirements.  Price isn't bad.
http://www.interserver.net/

Brian

Brian Chabot

On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 11:39 AM, Ben Scott  wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> GNHLUG's server is being kicked out of our long-time free hosting.  Rather
> than trying to find a new home for the box, I'm thinking I'll just buy an
> account on a virtual machine hosting company, install a new system, and
> transfer to there.  That is the quickest and easiest path, and we do not
> have a lot of time.  Our deadline is JUL 31, roughly two weeks from now.
>
> I'd like to hear people's experiences, good and bad, with service
> providers.  Who is good?  Who is bad?  What to look for, or avoid?
>
> Current requirements that I can think of are:
> - Run an SMTP listener on TCP port 25 (receive email directly)
> - Initiate outbound connections to TCP port 25 (send email directly)
> - Run an HTTP listener on TCP port 80 (web server)
> - Run an SSH listener on a non-standard port (SSH remote access)
> - Run a DNS listener on UDP and TCP port 53 (authoritative name server)
> - Install and run arbitrary Linux software
> - Fairly low mail volume,web traffic, and DNS traffic
> - Fairly low CPU, disk, and RAM usage
> - No need for "CPanel" or other hand-holding software, and prolly better
> if we don't have it
>
> Lower prices are good, but it has to be reliable, too.  I'd rather pay
> more for a provider that has less trouble, than have to tinker with it
> constantly.
>
> I think this has been discussed before, but not recently, and I can't find
> the thread.
>
> Suggestions welcome, but we don't have time for "you can put the server in
> my basement" or other detours.
>
> -- Ben
>
>
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Re: Network & system monitoring tools? Nagios, Zabbix, ...?

[Brian Chabot]

I'm generally a fan of nagios... but PandoraFMS is showing potential,
especially where execs want pretty pictures.

Brian Chabot


On Wed, Aug 13, 2014 at 2:10 PM, Joshua Judson Rosen 
wrote:

> Looking to set up some system for monitoring systems on the network at
> work; _vaguely_ familiar with nagios and zabbix
>
> What do you guys generally find preferable, and why?
>
> Nagios? Zabbix? Something else?
>
> --
> "'tis an ill wind that blows no minds."
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Re: PHP/Wordpress URL change broken

[Brian Chabot]

On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 10:20 AM, Ted Roche  wrote:
> On 04/14/2014 09:50 AM, Tyson Sawyer wrote:
>> Wordpress seems to embed the sites URL in EVERYTHING. WTF!  What is
>> wrong with leaving the host name out to access the files from the
>> "current host"?

Like many things in WordPress, there is a plugin for that:

http://wordpress.org/plugins/any-hostname/

>> How screwed are we?

Depends on whether the plugin uses the domain/FQDN length, etc.


> Well, if you have a clean backup from before the period that you started
> searching-and-replacing, there's a number of plugins that can do the job
> properly for you.
>
> If you don't have a backup, well.
>
> Make one now.


Seconded, emphatically.


> There are two NH groups that specialize in WordPress, one in Manchester
> (that meets tonight) and one on the seacoast. You might want to join
> their Meetups and get some expert help there.

I've never been to these, but I do have extensive experience with WP.
Feel free to ping me offlist if you need.



Brian Chabot
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Re: Files <-> Samsung Galaxy S4

[Brian Chabot]

I have an S4 and I feel your frustration

I ended up using Astro File Manager for Android and transfering with Linux
via sftp.

Brian
On Mar 25, 2014 11:51 PM, "Ben Scott"  wrote:

>   Work has provided me with a new handheld computer, a Galaxy S4, made
> by Samsung.  It runs Android 4.3 plus whatever unspeakable horrors
> Samsung and Verizon have inflicted upon it.  There's a microSD flash
> memory card mounted inside, and I'd like to be able to copy files to
> and from it, from my Linux home desktop.  This is proving unreasonably
> hard.
>
>   Aside from coping general documents, photos, etc., back and forth, I
> have a large collection of MP3 files on my desktop that I want to keep
> in sync on my handheld -- adds, changes, *and* deletes.  rsync does a
> fine job of this on a filesystem.  My previous handhelds let me plug
> in the USB cable and access the mem card as a USB Mass Storage Class
> (MSC) device.  In other words, like a disk drive.  Block device
> appeared, I mounted it, I did filesystem things, I unmounted it, done.
>  Apparently that's not an option for this device.
>
>   Difficulty: I can't root the device.  Corporate policy.  Whatever I
> do has to play by the rules.  Apps are generally OK, but not apps that
> attempt to circumvent security mechanisms.
>
>   It appears the Galaxy really wants to speak MTP (Media Transfer
> Protocol).  I've been playing with MTP stuff on Linux.  My desktop is
> running Debian 7.4 "wheezy", kernel 3.2.0-4 package version 3.2.54-2.
>
>   There's some issue that causes libmtp to hang for 20-30 seconds
> whenever it opens the device.  That's maddeningly irritating at best.
> If you're wanting to run a bunch of commands in sequence, it's
> basically a showstopper.
>
>   I've played around with the mtp-tools package from Debian (package
> version 1.1.3-35-g0ece104-5).  It lacks a command to create
> directories.  It can't transfer more than one file at a time (see
> "showstopper", above).  The commands lack any documentation or help.
> I think they're actually just example skeletons from the libmtp
> sources that were packaged up and passed off as utilities.  :-p
>
>   I tried the mtpfs FUSE filesystem (1.1, built from source).  I found
> it couldn't create directories.  That's a problem if I want to
> replicate a directory tree (see MP3 collection, above).
>
>   I tried gmtp (pkg ver 1.3.3-1).  It suffers from the libmtp hang
> issue, but at least once it's connects is responsive.  It can create
> directories.  But it can only transfer files in one directory at a
> time.  (Ibid.)
>
>   I could, of course, take the mem card out of the handheld, plug it
> into my desktop's card reader, and do the I/O that way.  Problem there
> is, I've got a fancy sealed protective case for the handheld.  Opening
> it repeatedly is bad for it.  And annoying.  And exposes the handheld
> to damage.
>
>I've seen some suggestions of using "cloud" storage, like Dropbox
> or Google Music, etc.  It seems silly to have to send many gigabytes
> out my netfeed only to have to immediately download it again, on the
> same feed, just to copy between devices which are six inches apart and
> connected via USB cable.
>
>   Anyone got a better idea?  Bluetooth?  Wifi?  Floppy disk?
>
> -- Ben
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Re: su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable

[Brian Chabot]

THANK YOU!

I found the error.

Thanks to Ken for the strace idea, I looked through the resultant log
and found this line:

9519  read(8, "# Default limit for number of user's processes to
prevent\n# accidental fork bombs.\n# See rhbz #432903 for
reasoning.\n\n*  softnproc 1024\nroot   soft
nproc unlimited\n", 4096) = 191

That didn't jive with /etc/security/limits.conf so it stood out in my
visual scan.

Looking up a few lines to see where it got that from I see:

9519  open("/etc/security/limits.d/90-nproc.conf", O_RDONLY) = 8

Ok, so /etc/security/limits.d/90-nproc.conf over-rules /etc/security/limits.conf

Good to know.

I raised the nproc limit and the su- worked.

Thanks again to all of you.

Brian
Brian Chabot


On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 10:32 AM, Mark Komarinski  wrote:
>
> On 3/10/2014 10:20 AM, Brian Chabot wrote:
>> Also, disk space and RAM are aplenty...
>>
>> Is there any way to tell *which* resource is unavailable?
>> Brian Chabot
>>
>
> Two other thoughts:
>
> - Is SELinux enabled?  Check the logs and see if there's anything
> strange there.
> - try using strace to see which call returns the error.  It might give
> you a clue about what it's trying to do.
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Re: su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable

[Brian Chabot]

Also, disk space and RAM are aplenty...

Is there any way to tell *which* resource is unavailable?
Brian Chabot


On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 10:19 AM, Brian Chabot  wrote:
> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ipcs -m
>
> -- Shared Memory Segments 
> keyshmid  owner  perms  bytes  nattch status
> 0x6c000803 98304  zabbix 600995952 5
>
> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ipcs -s
>
> -- Semaphore Arrays 
> keysemid  owner  perms  nsems
> 0x 0  root   6001
> 0x 65537  root   6001
> 0x 131074 root   6001
> 0x7a000803 262147 zabbix 60010
>
> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$
>
>
> Nothing is jumping out at me here...
>
>
> Brian
>
> Brian Chabot
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 10:15 AM, Bruce Dawson  wrote:
>> Check shared memory and semaphores. Its probable that some other
>> application is swallowing the resource sudo needs. This is a common
>> method of DOS attacks and 'bot nets.
>>
>> --Bruce
>>
>> On Mon, 2014-03-10 at 10:05 -0400, Brian Chabot wrote:
>>> I'm trying to su to a user on a CentOS 6.4 x86_64 box and get the
>>> error in the subject:
>>>
>>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ sudo su - user2
>>> su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable
>>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$
>>>
>>> The limits.conf file has the following entries:
>>> * soft   nofile  10
>>> * hard   nofile  10
>>> * soft   nproc   8192
>>> * hard   nproc   32767
>>>
>>> The current usage for pengine is:
>>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ps -eLF | grep user2 | wc -l
>>> 1108
>>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ lsof | grep user2  | wc -l
>>> 1558
>>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$
>>>
>>> While these are the majority of the processes and files in use on the
>>> system, they are nowhere near the limits.
>>>
>>> I even increased the limits 10-fold and that has not worked.
>>>
>>> I'm kind of lost here.  Usually the error indicates files or processes
>>> over the limit but here... not so much.
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Brian Chabot
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>>
>>
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Re: su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable

[Brian Chabot]

[user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ipcs -m

-- Shared Memory Segments 
keyshmid  owner  perms  bytes  nattch status
0x6c000803 98304  zabbix 600995952 5

[user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ipcs -s

-- Semaphore Arrays 
keysemid  owner  perms  nsems
0x 0  root   6001
0x 65537  root   6001
0x 131074 root   6001
0x7a000803 262147 zabbix 60010

[user1@cent6.4box ~]$


Nothing is jumping out at me here...


Brian

Brian Chabot


On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 10:15 AM, Bruce Dawson  wrote:
> Check shared memory and semaphores. Its probable that some other
> application is swallowing the resource sudo needs. This is a common
> method of DOS attacks and 'bot nets.
>
> --Bruce
>
> On Mon, 2014-03-10 at 10:05 -0400, Brian Chabot wrote:
>> I'm trying to su to a user on a CentOS 6.4 x86_64 box and get the
>> error in the subject:
>>
>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ sudo su - user2
>> su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable
>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$
>>
>> The limits.conf file has the following entries:
>> * soft   nofile  10
>> * hard   nofile  10
>> * soft   nproc   8192
>> * hard   nproc   32767
>>
>> The current usage for pengine is:
>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ps -eLF | grep user2 | wc -l
>> 1108
>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$ lsof | grep user2  | wc -l
>> 1558
>> [user1@cent6.4box ~]$
>>
>> While these are the majority of the processes and files in use on the
>> system, they are nowhere near the limits.
>>
>> I even increased the limits 10-fold and that has not worked.
>>
>> I'm kind of lost here.  Usually the error indicates files or processes
>> over the limit but here... not so much.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>>
>>
>> Brian Chabot
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su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable

[Brian Chabot]

I'm trying to su to a user on a CentOS 6.4 x86_64 box and get the
error in the subject:

[user1@cent6.4box ~]$ sudo su - user2
su: cannot set user id: Resource temporarily unavailable
[user1@cent6.4box ~]$

The limits.conf file has the following entries:
* soft   nofile  10
* hard   nofile  10
* soft   nproc   8192
* hard   nproc   32767

The current usage for pengine is:
[user1@cent6.4box ~]$ ps -eLF | grep user2 | wc -l
1108
[user1@cent6.4box ~]$ lsof | grep user2  | wc -l
1558
[user1@cent6.4box ~]$

While these are the majority of the processes and files in use on the
system, they are nowhere near the limits.

I even increased the limits 10-fold and that has not worked.

I'm kind of lost here.  Usually the error indicates files or processes
over the limit but here... not so much.

Any ideas?



Brian Chabot
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Re: Resume length and history

[Brian Chabot]

I just landed a temp-to-perm job at a pretty awesome company with a 3-page
resume that goes back to my first computer job in 1999.  My resume is heavy
on job experience because I only have an AS degree and the jobs I
was looking for were "Bachelors or equivalent" level.

If you want to take a peek, it's online over at
http://brianchabot.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bchabot.pdf

Brian


On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 11:49 AM, Kenny Lussier  wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Not specifically Linux-related, but I was wondering what other people are
> seeing/doing with resumes these days. I have seen everything from a 2-page
> resume for someone with 20 years of experience to a 15-page resume for
> someone with 2 jobs over 3 years (it looked like the output of cat
> ~/.bash_history). How far back should a resume go? How long should it be
> before you stop reading it? I'm seeing absolutely no consistency in
> resumes, and the ones that come from recruiters seem to be the worst
> formats.
>
> C-Ya,
> Kenny
>
>
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Re: Windows 8 (or, more likely, UEFI) warning.

[Brian Chabot]

UEFI is why I switched to Fedora.  It was the only distro at the time that
supported UEFI out of the box, and even then, it was a little clunky.

On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 1:50 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio  wrote:

>
> Wouldn't boot to Linux.  Well, okay.  Let's try Windows 8.  Wouldn't
> boot to *Windows*.  First it tried to do a repair of some sort -- failed
> miserably.  Then it wouldn't get further than the "Dell" splash screen.
> Eventually wound up disabling UEFI secure boot, which allowed it to go
> into Windows -- whereupon I gave it back to the by-now very nervous
> laptop owner, and let the damn WiFi be.



Lucky you!

I bought a new system from Best Buy (I know, I know...) and tried to dual
boot it to Mandriva.  Somehow I ended up bricking it.


Bottom line -- I think we, as Linux weenies, are gonna have to play
> with damn UEFI and get a feel for it.  Is it uniform across vendors?
>


Yes, we will.  Right now, I know of no decent boot editor utilities and
none at all that run from within Linux.



> Can I always go for the "disable secure boot" option (which would,
> presumably, allow me to boot Linux)?
>

I think that may be vendor specific and possibly even windows installation
specific.

 At the moment UEFI documentation is junk.  Cross
platform implementation is even worse.

Brian
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Re: HTTPS connection attempts from Facebook?

[Brian Chabot]

On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 11:31 AM, Michael ODonnell
 wrote:

> When you say "nuke the connection attempt" do you mean
> kill the process that's attempting to open the connection?
> I can't, because it's an inbound connection and that process is
> (apparently) somewhere inside Facebook.  I only have control
> over the response at my end which, in my case, is nothing at all
> since the port is blocked, with failed attempts logged as shown.

Nuke as in (continue to) deny the connection attempt.

Brian
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Re: HTTPS connection attempts from Facebook?

[Brian Chabot]

On Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 10:06 AM, Michael ODonnell
 wrote:
>  is there *ANY*
> legitimate reason why anything should be attempting to connect
> from Facebook to my home IP address, which offers no such
> services?  I assume, of course, that the answer is "No".

The *only* reason Facebook should be contacting you this way is if you
have an app set to pull data from there.

Possibilities that come to mind include RSS feeds and HTML embeds in
Page info plus, of course, any custom stuff you may have written.

It's *just* a home connection? No services?  Nuke the connection attempt.

Brian
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Re: [OT] iPad

[Brian Chabot]

Alan Johnson wrote:

> This appears to be made from a review template for all Apple products. 
> You just filled in the blanks with "iPad" and "Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, a
> convertible touchscreen netbook/tablet", didn't you?


I think it's in Apple's design specs.

Take nifty tech only geeks know about.
Make it shiny.
Reduce the functionality.
Increase price.
Market the hell out of it.

I love Apple.  They steal the niftiest stuff.


Brian

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Re: Interesting article,

[Brian Chabot]

Chris wrote:
> I don't agree with all of it, but it does put a few things in perspective.
> 
> http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=7532&tag=nl.e539

I do not agree with the author of the article either.

His arguments seem only based on a limited experience of what Linux has
to offer.

I know that Mandriva Linux, even its free version has already overcome
the hurdles he mentions long ago:

No gaming support - Mandriva has an entire product line devoted to
gaming, but the gaming developers didn't work with it and the end users
didn't try it out.  It was subsequently dropped.

Little/no OEM support - Mandriva has had an OEM certification program
for years.

No iPod support - Amarok.  Right out of the box.

No migration tool - Mandriva has has a built-in migration tool for quite
some time now - Transfugdrake - right in the System area of the control
center.

Driver/hardware confusion - For 90% of hardware out there, you don't
need it.  "Also, the fact that there’s no such thing as a “works with
Linux” logo..."  Yes, there is.  I have a bunch of stickers with the one
I designed and I'm sure there are others.

Free tech support dries up - http://www.mandrivausers.org

Confusion about distro differences - OK, I'll give him that one.


Brian
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Re: Silly DNS question

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:

>   The detective in me has to point out that doesn't necessarily prove
> it's Amazon's *DNS* servers doing that.  Their provisioning system
> might replace potentially problematic characters with dashes when
> creating DNS records.  This distinction is mostly academic, but I
> think we're in that territory already.  ;-)

Indeed.

I think we can all agree that Amazon *should* NOT be using underscores
in any case, for host names.

>> I don't know if Amazon's web server would agree, but their DNS servers
>> seem to think they are the same.
> 
>   Well, both http://thingiverse_beta.s3.amazonaws.com/ and
> http://thingiverse-beta.s3.amazonaws.com/ respond with XML, but with
> different content -- the latter a "not found" sort of result.  I'm not
> sure if that's the web server proper, or custom server-side software
> running behind it, that's getting confused.

Yup.

Found my reason why I got identical replies from DNS queries:
s3.amazonaws.com seems to have a wildcard CNAME to
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com:

$ host somenamethatshouldnotexist.s3.amazonaws.com
somenamethatshouldnotexist.s3.amazonaws.com is an alias for
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com is an alias for s3-1-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-1-w.amazonaws.com has address 72.21.202.194
$


Brian


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Re: Silly DNS question

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Ben Scott  wrote:
>>  That would generally be considered non-compliant with the
>> requirements for Internet hosts, even though DNS can handle it. 

>   Interesting.  My nameserver at home ends up telling me to bugger
> off.  :-D  Not sure which one, either our DNS forwarder, or the TDS
> nameservers.  Will have to take a look.

Toying with a piece of trivia who's origin I no longer recall, I seem to
recall that some DNS servers will treat an underscore as a dash.

In an effort to test this theory, I tried doing a host lookup both ways
and indeed the results were identical:

$ host thingiverse_beta.s3.amazonaws.com
thingiverse_beta.s3.amazonaws.com is an alias for
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com is an alias for s3-1-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-1-w.amazonaws.com has address 72.21.202.194
$ host thingiverse-beta.s3.amazonaws.com
thingiverse-beta.s3.amazonaws.com is an alias for
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-directional-w.amazonaws.com is an alias for s3-1-w.amazonaws.com.
s3-1-w.amazonaws.com has address 72.21.202.194

Interesting.  A dig resulted in similar answers.

I don't know if Amazon's web server would agree, but their DNS servers
seem to think they are the same.


Brian

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Re: Prebuilt/turn-key PC options

[Brian Chabot]

Joshua Judson Rosen wrote:

> `Open Systems FTW'?
> 
> So..., I just recently heard about these guys:
> 
> http://www.system76.com/
> 
> Anyone here have experience with, or opinions of, them?
> 

Nope.

But I do have (intimate you might say) experience with a *local*
provider of Linux systems

There's Just Works in Nashua - http://www.justworksnh.com - which sells
Mandriva based desktops and dual-boot laptops and netbooks.

Triple boot on the netbooks if you want - Mandriva Linux, WinXP, and Moblin.

I just thought I'd mention it, 'cause you know... I own the place and all.

Sales have been kinda (!) slow lately.  If you *want* a local provider
who supports the Linux systems an all... Just Works can do it.

If I get enough customers to keep the company in business... which
hasn't been happening lately.  So come on down and support the local
Linux provider!

Brian

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Re: Digital Voice Recorders and Linux

[Brian Chabot]

jim.mcginn...@att.net wrote:
> If a price around $150 is in your range, 

In that range, I've been happy with this one:
http://www.music123.com/Musicians-Gear-MUSICIANS-GEAR-HANDHELD-STEREO-DIGITAL--RECORDER-58-i1432656.Music123
(In case the link breaks, try this one: http://bit.ly/1U1W7N )

It mounts as a USB drive with a standard cable.

Upsides: Superb sound quality, compatibility, wav or mp3, comes with
external mics, AAA batteries (included!), SD card slot.
Downsides: Filesystem is ...odd.  Battery life is just OK. Size.

I began recording with the internal microphones and from about 4 feet I
could *clearly* hear a VERY quiet whisper.  It came with 2 lapel mics,
headphones, USB cable, and AAA batteries.  It is much larger than the
audio recorders you normally see.  This thing is a low end Pro Audio
quality recorder meant for bands and it shows.  There are 128 MB of
internal storage and an SD card slot.  The machine saves as 44KHz MP3
files by default, but can be set to save as WAV in 8k-44k sampling
rates.  It boasts a 5 hour battery life in record mode and a 6 hour
playback life. It also comes with a line out and separate headphone jack.

I opened an MP3 file in Audacity and it worked first try with no
hassles, no software to install, no drivers needed, etc.

Brian

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Re: wok-key: dealing with keyloggers on net-cafe computers

[Brian Chabot]

Here's a scheme that, while it *could* be recorded using the right
software, it should get you by most regular keyloggers:

Copy & paste your password in non-linear parts from another web page or
text window.

Example:

If my login is someschm...@emailserver.com and my password for that
account is S0m3Pa$$w0rd then I might type into the LOGIN screen:
$$w3Pa0rdS0 then paste it in parts in the correct order into the
password field using the mouse to copy and paste.  I'd add random
characters to my login, too and use the mouse to cut them out...

I might just type into the login field:

somes$$wch3pa212-555-1212m...@0rdemas0ilse1234rver.baseballcom

...or perhaps put that string into the html comments on your web page...

A series of cut/copy/paste later with the mouse and I have the proper
login credentials.

NOT foolproof.  NOT 100% secure.  But it would bypass a text-only
keylogger.  Anyone reading the logs is going to be mightily confused
unless they're logging the clipboard and mouse clicks or a running video
screen capture.  Make it worse by omitting character combinations used
in the URL or page you're logging in at... Logging in at a .com site
with a .com in your login?  Copy & paste it from the address bar.

No software.  No cell phone, and no knowledge of Morse code needed.



Brian

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Re: Network/System Monitors

[Brian Chabot]

Alan Johnson wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 4:23 PM, Lloyd Kvam  > wrote:
> 
> http://www.intermapper.com
> is a local product that is worth considering.
> 
> 
> I looked at Internapper years ago when I was running a Wireless ISP and
> it looks very nice at the time.  Still, I also suggest you take a hard
> look at OpenNMS.  It has the power or HP Openview, without the price,
> but with some, but not all, of the setup headaches.  Compare Intermapper
> pricing to have the OpenNMS commercial support help you set it up.

I worked with Alan part of that time including the roll-out of
InterMapper.  I'll second his positive review.  I found it incredibly
easy to install and run.

I have worked with Nagios before and while a good system, I found it a
little clunky at the time, though it may have improved since then.

While I don't have much first-hand experience with OpenNMS (I only
played around with their online demo a couple years ago), I've heard
many network ops people rave about how well designed it is.

I'd say definitely look into both OpenNMS and InterMapper and evaluate
which one fits your needs best.


Brian

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Re: OT: green vehicles

[Brian Chabot]

Bill McGonigle wrote:
> On 07/28/2009 12:48 PM, Brian Chabot wrote:
>> Their "Air Pod" looks nifty.
> 
> Wow, the range is more than I would have guessed.

The secret seems to be a combination between a super-efficient engine
and multiple 175 liter carbon-fiber composite air tanks that can each be
filled safely to 350 bar (over 5000 PSI).

> This would be perfect for my commute except I don't think with my house
> a mile up a hill the 11 ft-lbs of torque is going to get me home.  Like
> they said, urban.  Still, for v0.1, it's very impressive.

Definitely not for everyone, but I think my company logo would look
rather good on one

Looks like the US distributor is updating their web site:
http://zeropollutionmotors.us/

Brian

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Re: OT: green vehicles

[Brian Chabot]

Alan Johnson wrote:

>>> For now, my dream is to build a tiny one-seater car with electric bike
>>> parts and my neighbor's welding skills.  If I could get 40Mph, and
>>> 20mi/charge, it would be the perfect car for my commute.

I'm still holding out for an MDI Air Car:
http://www.mdi.lu/

Their "Air Pod" looks nifty.


Brian

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Re: Finding *unfiltered* free WiFi?

[Brian Chabot]

Joshua Judson Rosen wrote:
> Actually, it looks like OpenBmap  has
> already expanded their scope to include WiFi hotspots; it seems like
> access-restrictions might be just the sort of data that they'd want to
> include in their database--I don't know whether they've considered
> that prospect, yet.

Mostly open, but not 100% Free (Gratis), you might want to consider FON.

http://www.fon.com

It works like this:
You sign up and order one of their custom config'd accesspoints.  When
you get it, you plug it in to the 'net, wait for any updates, and
register it.

Now, you can log in at any other FON AP around the world in exchange for
letting any other FON AP owner log into yours.

They used to give away the access points, but now ask you to pay a
nominal price for them.  I have 20 coupons to get them for $20+S&H if
anyone wants.

Those who are not FON AP owners can get access by paying a fee.  You can
grant access to up to 5 "friends & family" on your AP... or give friends
the WPA key for the secure network...

It's a pretty good deal, I think.  But it needs more widespread
accesspoints to really make it worth while.  I own three of these and
they're not too bad. (One at my shop, one on loan and a third
un-configured that I plan to hack at some day.)

You can see a map of the FON locations at http://maps.fon.com

I like the idea, but I want to see more of it, too...

Share on!

Brian

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Analog Modems?

[Brian Chabot]

This is going to sound odd, but I have a friend who lives in the boonies
who only has an analog phone line for internet access and word has it
they won't have broadband (or most cell signals) for a couple more years.

I was wondering if anyone here might know of an affordable, stand-alone
device which would server as an analog modem on one side and ethernet or
wifi on the other?

The idea is to set their house up with a LAN where either their main
computer or a laptop could use the device as a dial-on-demand access
device and a router to the outside world while connected.

I'm trying to see if something can be set up so as not to have to use
any one computer as the router...

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Brian

PS: Yes, it needs to be Linux compatible.
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Re: ARTICLE - openwrt/dd-wrt based modem/router vulnerability?

[Brian Chabot]

Tom Wittbrodt wrote:

> I admit I didn't read the fine print when I signed up with Verizon for 
> DSL service but I wasn't aware the company providing my DSL service 
> could push changes like this to my router without my involvement. 

For what it might be worth, when I signed up for Speakeast DSL, they had 
the option of the customer taking control of the CPE.  It technically 
voided any support of it the company was obliged to give (they did still 
give support in practice), but you got FULL control.

With my starting of Just Works, I was forced to use Comcast as the only 
viable ISP available.  (No DSL service, no FIOS available, Cell WANs and 
Satellite systems no viable...)  When I set up my Comcast Business line, 
I was pleasantly surprised that the support guy offered to set the modem 
to route my static IP straight to my WRT54GL.  This gave me complete 
control over my connection to the outside world without having to do any 
extra layers of IANA reserved network space.  I did a happy dance 
knowing I had complete control over my own network.  (And no, the router 
is not accessible from outside... not directly at least.  I set up an 
port forward on a non-standard port to an other SSH server internally 
for LAN access from outside. All passwords are at least moderately strong.)


Brian
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Re: CMS

[Brian Chabot]

Dan Coutu wrote:

> Lori Hitchcock wrote:
>> Working with a company developing a website in a LAMP environment and 
>> starting to look at CMS.  Hearing good and bad about both Joomla and 
>> Drupal.  The needs to be very simple for non-techs to add content. 
>>  

> For clients with simpler 
> needs I often will use Word Press

I've had good results with WordPress for many sites.  It has a lot of 
plugins to add various functions not inherent to the WP platform.

As others have pointed out, a more detailed list of the company's needs 
would be helpful.

Feel free to contact me off-list, as building LAMP based sites with 
various back ends is something I do as part of Just Works.  I'd be happy 
to work with them to come up with a good fit.

> Here are some of the key things I'd look for:

Definitely a good list of questions.  Any of the top three (Joomla, 
Drupal, and WordPress will do these to varying extents and varying 
amounts of ease-of-use and features.


Brian
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Re: USB Question...

[Brian Chabot]

virgins...@vfemail.net wrote:

> Does it play back as well as record?  If so, do the recordings sound
> correct when played directly from the device?

Yup.  Sounds just fine on the device itself.

> That's not likely to be a problem unless you're playing a high bitrate
> mp3 directly over USB from the device, with lots of other traffic on
> the bus.

It is an older, USB1.0 hub plugged into the same bus as a keyboard * 
mouse, so it shouldn't be an issue.  Other devices on the hub when 
plugged in work fine.

Ben suggested plugging direct into the bus, but ATM that jack is rather 
inconveniently on the back of the box... I'll try it when I have time to 
fuss with it.

> 
>> Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
>> Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251840, limit=246864
> 
> That message is often indicative of a corrupt FS.  Did you specify any
> low-level filesystem parameters when you mounted the device, or did
> you let it autoguess the format?

Completely auto-guessed.

dosfsck initially found a problem, but corrected it.  A current dosfsck 
gives me:

$ sudo dosfsck -atvV /dev/sdb1
dosfsck 2.11 (12 Mar 2005)
dosfsck 2.11, 12 Mar 2005, FAT32, LFN
Checking we can access the last sector of the filesystem
Boot sector contents:
System ID "MSDOS5.0"
Media byte 0xf8 (hard disk)
512 bytes per logical sector
   1024 bytes per cluster
 38 reserved sectors
First FAT starts at byte 19456 (sector 38)
  2 FATs, 32 bit entries
 500224 bytes per FAT (= 977 sectors)
Root directory start at cluster 2 (arbitrary size)
Data area starts at byte 1019904 (sector 1992)
 124972 data clusters (127971328 bytes)
63 sectors/track, 255 heads
 63 hidden sectors
 251937 sectors total
Starting check/repair pass.
Checking for bad clusters.
Reclaiming unconnected clusters.
Checking free cluster summary.
Starting verification pass.
Checking for unused clusters.
/dev/sdb1: 46 files, 5280/124972 clusters
$

The device has an SD slot, so I plan to try that out later today.

What is confusing me is that it is properly detected, according to this:

Mar  5 09:29:17 ono-sendai kernel: sd 52:0:0:0: [sdb] 246864 512-byte 
hardware sectors (126 MB)

...but only miliseconds later, I see:

Mar  5 09:29:18 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 09:29:18 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251840, limit=246864

So it already sees that there are 246864 but is still trying to access 
251840 through 252000.

It automatically mounts it wit the following message:
Mar  5 09:29:23 ono-sendai hald: mounted /dev/sdb1 on behalf of uid 500

And a mount -v tells me:
/dev/sdb1 on /media/SMILABEL type vfat 
(rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,uhelper=hal,flush,uid=500,utf8,shortname=lower)


Googling the issue tells me that others have had luck re-partitioning 
their external drives, but I'm not so sure this thing would recognize a 
newly partitioned internal drive...

Indeed, fdisk gives me:

$ sudo fdisk /dev/sdb

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sdb: 126 MB, 126394368 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 244 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x

Device Boot  Start End  Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *   1 250  125968+   b  W95 FAT32

Command (m for help): v
Partitions 1: cylinder 250 greater than maximum 244
Total allocated sectors 251938 greater than the maximum 246864

Command (m for help): q

$

I've emailed the manufacturer's support dept. to see if I can just 
re-partition and reformat or if that will brick the device.

Brian

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Re: USB Question...

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:

>   There where fixes in both in newer versions.  2.6.24 included USB
> fixes size issues, as well as hal 0.5.11.

I'm trying to keep this system as close to "stock" as possible, so I'll 
integrate those as soon as Mandriva's normal update repositories have 
them...

> 
>   What does this command show:
> 
> cat /sys/block/sdb/size /sys/block/sdb/sdb1/size
> 
$ cat /sys/block/sdb/size
246864
$ cat /sys/block/sdb/sdb1/size
251937
$

Jives with /var/log/messages and fdisk just like it should, and shows 
the same error.

Brian

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Re: USB Question...

[Brian Chabot]

Alan Johnson wrote:

> I've definitely seen some older hubs cause problems with devices on 
> Linux boxes.  Silly question, but did you try plugging in directly to 
> the machine (assuming it has 2.0 ports)?

The USB ports are not trivial to reach, so I'll try that later (or on a 
system at work) later on...

This hub (and the specific port and cable) have worked fine on other 
devices, such as my video camera and Blackberry.

Brian

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Re: USB Question...

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:

>   What version of hal do you have, as well as what kernel?  There
> where USB mass storage size issues fixed in both newer kernels, and
> hal, specifically for large storage devices.
> 

Hal is hal-0.5.10-0.rc2.4mdv2008.0
and I'm running kernel-desktop-2.6.22.19-2mdv-1-1mdv2008.0

It's a Mandriva Powerpack 2008.0 install with all currently available 
updates installed.

Brian

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USB Question...

[Brian Chabot]

I recently got a (rather nice otherwise) sound recorder that connects 
via USB to a computer.

When I plug it in, I get this in my /var/log/messages:

Mar  5 04:14:35 ono-sendai kernel: usb 2-1.4: new full speed USB device 
using ohci_hcd and address 64
Mar  5 04:14:35 ono-sendai kernel: usb 2-1.4: not running at top speed; 
connect to a high speed hub
Mar  5 04:14:35 ono-sendai kernel: usb 2-1.4: configuration #1 chosen 
from 1 choice
Mar  5 04:14:35 ono-sendai kernel: scsi47 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass 
Storage devices
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: scsi 47:0:0:0: Direct-Access 
  USB CELLO DISK   1000 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] 246864 512-byte 
hardware sectors (126 MB)
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] 246864 512-byte 
hardware sectors (126 MB)
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive 
cache: write through
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel:  sdb: sdb1
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel:  sdb: p1 exceeds device capacity
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI 
removable disk
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic 
sg1 type 0
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: scsi 47:0:0:1: Direct-Access 
  USB CELLO DISK   1000 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:1: [sdc] Attached SCSI 
removable disk
Mar  5 04:14:40 ono-sendai kernel: sd 47:0:0:1: Attached scsi generic 
sg2 type 0
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251840, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: printk: 116 messages suppressed.
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251776
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251841, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251777
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251842, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251778
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251843, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251779
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251844, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251780
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251845, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251781
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251846, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251782
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251847, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251783
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251840, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251776
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251841, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb1, 
logical block 251777
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251842, limit=246864
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: attempt to access beyond end of device
Mar  5 04:14:41 ono-sendai kernel: sdb: rw=0, want=251843, limit=246864


...with the last two lines repeated for each block it cannot access 
(several pages)...

It mounts fine any way.  Then, as I try to copy files, something 
happens... my MP3 sound clips get mangled.  Not much... but when played, 
they go about 5 seconds, then repeat the last 3 where the next three 
should be, and so on.

Anyone have any ideas what's going on here?  Is the device not liking my 
low-speed hub?  Is the memory on the device bad?  How might I check?  FSCK?

...cound be I'm not thinking straight at almost 4:30 am... but I'm at a 
loss her

Re: Thunderbird question

[Brian Chabot]

Brian Chabot wrote:

> I think I grok what you're looking for.

I may have missed what you're looking for...

You may alternatively been looking for:

Edit -> Account Settings -> Outgoing Server (SMTP)

I'm hoping one of these was what you were looking for.

Brian

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Re: Thunderbird question

[Brian Chabot]

Cole Tuininga wrote:
> I IMAP in under my
> "co...@code-energy.com" account and send stuff out by SMTP AUTHing into
> my mail server and setting the from address as "co...@code-energy.com".
>  Then (at least, under Evolution) I have c...@tuininga.org set up to use
> that same unix account just for sending ... no IMAP, no POP.
> 
> I cannot seem to figure out how to do this with Thunderbird.  There
> doesn't seem to be the concept of a mail account to use for sending
> only, without having an associated IMAP or POP connection.

I think I grok what you're looking for.

I have all my mail on my server as myusern...@myserver.com but I send as 
many addresses... so I think I'm already doing what you're looking for:

Edit -> Account Settings -> [select your IMAP account] -> Manage 
Identities -> Add

When you're done, and you compose an email, you should have a drop-down 
list of identities in the From field at the top.


Brian

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Re: FOSS Gaming Survey - Any help is appreciated

[Brian Chabot]

Joseph Guarino wrote:

> FOSS Gaming Survey - 
> http://www.evolutionaryit.com/limesurvey/index.php?sid=72676〈=en

Someone should have troubleshot this before it went public.

"Which Video Game magazines do you subscribe to?"
Cannot answer: No answer.  Must fill in "Other" with something like "None."

"Which FOSS Gaming websites/blogs to you frequent?"
Should be Multiple Choice.

"Which general Gaming sites do you visit regularly?"
Should be Multiple Choice.

There was another one, I think, but I forgot where.


Brian


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Re: Thots on evolution vs t'bird.

[Brian Chabot]

> "Jon 'maddog' Hall"  writes:
> 
>> Evolution supports IMAP, POP and local mail.
>>
>> It also supports multiple identities.

I somehow missed the beginning of this thread but...

Thunderbird also supports multiple identities, IMAP, and POP as well as 
GMail natively.

Enigmail makes PGP/GPG encryption simple (including key management).

I haven't used Evolution in a while, but last time I did, I was turned 
off by the close resemblance to Outbreak.

Kmail/Kontact is coming up there as a viable option, too:  especially in 
office environments.


Brian

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Re: Handheld device keyboards (was: Nokia N810)

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
>   Aside: I got to try the BlackBerry Storm for a minute. 

The keyboard was one of the deciding factors in my choice to go with the 
Blackberry 8130 Curve from T-mobile.

It has a raised, backlit, chicklet style keyboard and unlike anything 
else I've seen on the market today, it has haptic feedback in the form 
of a click you can feel, as well as a tit on the "5" key, so you can 
find the number pad by touch.  The keys are almost square, but still 
slightly vertical with space between them.  You can feel them easily 
enough and the click helps let you know if you hit the wrong one.

There is Linux software to backup & restore, but my greatest finds were 
that it can sync over the air to your Gmail account's calendar.  Google 
also has a pretty decent set of their more widely used services you can 
download.

One of my favorite Linux compatibility parts is that it uses a standard 
USB connection and acts as just another USB thumb drive.  This makes 
transferring images, videos, and ring tones a breeze. (It uses MP3 
format for the ringtones... natively.

I love my crackberry.

Brian

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Re: Nokia N810 and other handhelds

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 2:25 AM, Bill McGonigle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> ... the ever-elusive 802.11 SD card. ;)
> 
>   Does such a thing actually exist?  Google seems to think so, but...
> there was an 802.11 card for the Sony "Memory Stick" form-factor, too.
>  They're impossible to find these days.  I think they only ever made
> like six of them.  [That being the anticipated market demand for
> Memory Stick 802.11.  ;-)  ]  Worse, the drivers had a tendency to
> crash the OS fairly regularly.

I have one!

I found an overpriced Palm brand SDIO 802.11 card back when I was 
playing around with a Tapwave Zodiac. (Remember those?  Once again, 
remarkable hardware.  PalmOS.  And absolutely NO marketing to speak of. 
  It died a quick death, but remains one of my all time favorite 
handheld systems in terms of capability and ergonomics.)

>   How in the name of the FSM's balls Apple managed to convince
> everybody the iPhone is somehow exempt from the above clusterfsck
> remains a perplexing mystery to me.  The iPhone is actually worse,
> because in addition to the carriers wanting everything locked up we've
> got Apple wanting everything locked up.

I see Apple succeeding in community software development where Tapwave 
crashed and burned.  With Tapwave, the Zod ran PalmOS, so it could run 
any of the Palm apps out there - but - some of the more awesome features 
of the Zod's hardware were locked out unless you got your app digitally 
signed by Tapwave.  This, of course, cost Tapwave time to test the apps 
and the developer money.  With the iPhone, Apple controls distribution 
and simply passes the costs on to the users by charging a pittance above 
whatever the developer wants to sell the app for.  It worked.

> 
>   It would be nice to see some market organization here.  You'd think
> all the various players would want to get behind a common OS that
> doesn't have huge costs, isn't owned by a single vendor with conflicts
> of interest, has a strong community, large existing code base, and
> powerful features. 

Sounds like Linux.

 >  Yet I've seen several attempts at bringing Linux
> to the handheld world, and none of them could get out of their own
> way.  Poorly managed development efforts, legal entanglements, failed
> promises.

Oh, right.  Never mind.

> 
>   And I want my flying car.

These guys are still trying:
http://www.moller.com/
http://www.volanteaircraft.com
http://www.labicheaerospace.com/
http://www.terrafugia.com/
http://www.urbanaero.com
http://www.macroindustries.com
http://www.pal-v.com/

Or if you prefer a motorcycle, this might be interesting:
http://www.thebutterflyllc.com/sscycle/sscycle.htm


Brian
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Re: Laptop HD repair/recovery question

[Brian Chabot]

Ed lawson wrote:

> Any suggestions of NH repair shops to check system/HD, repair and
> determine if recovery of bad drive feasible at reasonable price and/or
> best nearby recovery shop?

There have been some great recommendations so far.  Go for those if you can.

If you can't...

I often get customers who are so po they can't pay attention.  One had a 
hard drive failure and it was relatively minor by comparison to the 
stories others have told.  The partition in question usually wouldn't 
mount no matter how I tried (Win, Linux, various recovery CD's, 
different machines, etc.).  Sometimes though it would mount.  Once.  I 
could get one file or so and then ...nothing.  The customer was clear 
that I was his last resort, as he couldn't afford any of the outside 
services I recommended to him.  If I couldn't recover his data (6+ years 
of work, some 15 years of archived emails...), that was it and he'd have 
to start over.  He was quite devastated at the prospect...

As a last resort I tried the old wives' tale of freezing the drive.  I 
stuck it in the freezer in my shop for an hour.  Then I took it out, 
immediately wrapped it in a towel so it would stay cool and not form 
condensation.  I rapidly plugged it into a physical drive copy machine 
and started a raw partition copy to a known-good, blank HDD of slightly 
more size.

Miraculously it worked.  I burned the data to a DVD and off he went. (In 
the mean time, I sold him a new HDD and installed it for him.)

No, I normally wouldn't try something that questionable with most 
customers.  This was an old friend and I know the work he had saved.  I 
also made sure he knew that this might not work at all.  He was OK with 
that.  Like I said... his last resort.

Just something else to think about.


Brian

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Re: Looking for local mobo suppliers

[Brian Chabot]

Michael ODonnell wrote:
> 
> One of the GNHLUG members runs a computer store:
> 
>http://www.justworksnh.com/blog/
> 
> I don't know if it meets your requirements but there's a
> thread about it in the April archives on the GNHLUG server.


Hi!

that would be me.

I don't stock many parts... just the ones that go into the computers I 
have for sale... which at this early point is pretty slim.  I've been 
having a hard time selling Linux PC's in this economy, and making about 
90% of my income fixing Windblows PCs for people. (I can't afford to 
stock things I can't sell...)

We're open by appointment on weekends... I'll be there this evening 
doing some work.  Not sure what time, but my sleep schedule is all 
messed up right now and I'm about to go to bed after a LONG day.

The other drawback:  We only take credit cards right now through PayPal.

But the upside:  We do have a few mobos in stock... all of one type... 
with RAM and chips available.  They're AMD Sempron based... but I don't 
have the specs or prices handy.

You can call the work number (in my sig) to see if I'm in the shop.  If 
so, stop on in.  If I'm there, we're open, no matter what the sign says.

Brian

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Re: Update (K)Ubuntu 8.04 to 8.10

[Brian Chabot]

Greg Rundlett wrote:
> I've been through the upgrade process and I'm still getting used to KDE 4.
> 
> I'm frustrated by not being able to have a customized panel with
> direct launchers for all my favorite applications.  For that matter,
> although I generally keep a clean desktop, I don't like the fact that
> KDE4 won't let me put _any_ icons/shortcuts on my desktop except for
> the plasma widgets.

You can use the icon widget.  In my Mandriva 2009 install on my laptop, 
I can drag a folder (from the default file manager only) onto the 
"desktop" and choose "create icon" from the menu.

I hate it.

KDE4 destroyed the concept of the desktop as most people today know it. 
  Personally, I keep a pretty clear (computer) desktop and use the open 
space as scratch room: a place to put files and folders I am currently 
working on.  With KDE4, it is no longer drag and drop, and the idea of 
using a "folder contents widget" for this is both redundant and 
counterintuitive.

It might as well have reverted back to the Windows 3.1 interface for all 
the good it does. (AKA: it is actually not bad for a very limited subset 
of what most of us do, but lacks most of the functionality most of us 
expect today.)

> 
> I can't do compiz or anything else "advanced" in the eye candy
> department (not even transparent konsole) because both my systems use
> nvidia or ati cards that are not supported yet (although they were
> supported under kde 3.x)
> 

Good luck.

> If I get a chance, I'll add to this list of issues.

I'm hoping someone forks KDE3.x or actually gets their head out of their 
rump and makes KDE4 useful.

I usually keep most of my systems running the latest major release of 
the distro I use, but with KDE4, I'm dragging my heels big time.

I'd be happy to hear that things improve... soon.


Brian

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Re: Converting HTML and MIME to plain text mail

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> From: "Ben Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Greater NH Linux User Group" 
> Subject: Re: Converting HTML and MIME to plain text mail
> In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Disposition: inline
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-2022-jp"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Uhh, Ben, is there a reason you're using a Japanese character set here?


...or was it to test us or the mail server?


Brian

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Re: portable music players

[Brian Chabot]

Jesse Lazar wrote:
> Hey,
>  
> Is ipod the way to go for portable music player within Linux. My 
> understanding is that it can be done easily, however I am curious as to 
> what others use...

Speaking from a Mandriva perspective... (YMMV in other distros)

Syncing an iPod in Mandriva 2008.1 is not plug-and-play, but isn't too 
difficult.  RTFM and follow the directions and you'll be fine.

Moving files back and forth IS trivial and Plug-and-Play if you use 
Amarok as your Linux side music player.

For true simplicity, I like RCA's line of inexpensive mp3 players.  They 
connect as simple USB drives and require no drivers in any OS.  Sync is 
by your preferred method of file moving/copying/etc.  I got one from 
Walmart a few years ago with an SD card slot and more recently for a 
(now amicably ex-)girlfriend.  Both require no drivers.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.


Brian



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Re: Price/Performance of time

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 30, 2008 at 7:14 PM, Ric Werme <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> We used to make comparisons like "If the automobile industry had improved
>> at the same rate as computers"  It's been a long time since that made
>> any sense - a car would travel at Mach 10, seat 1,500, get 500 mpg, and fold
>> up and fit in your shirt pocket.
> 
>   But Linux cars wouldn't be able to travel on Macintosh roads, and no
> two cars would put the steering wheel in the same place...

At least with the Linux car, you can put the steering wheel wherever you 
want it.  Or redesign it into a drive-by-wire joystick if you prefer.

At Mach 10, with 1,499 passengers and the safety system being optional, 
that can make a world of difference.


B

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Re: Seamonkey Issue

[Brian Chabot]

Bill McGonigle wrote:

> That seems to be the root cause of your troubles, no?  Firefox  
> installs your extensions into ~/.mozilla, so you don't get this  
> problem - is this an open issue on Seamonkey?

That reminds me - make sure ~/.mozilla is recursively yours!

I seem to recall that having once been an issue.

In short, look around.  I'm pretty sure it's all about permissions.

If security isn't an issue, you could chmod 777 your seamonkey's install 
directory

...but I am sure there are better ways.

Brian

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Re: Seamonkey Issue

[Brian Chabot]

TARogue wrote:
> For those who don't know, Seamonkey is the reincarnation of the Mozilla 
> suite.
> 
> I just upgraded to seamonkey-1.1.12-1.fc8 using yum. I then had to 
> reinstall the add-ons adblock_plus and noscript. Both of these need to 
> write in the seamonkey directory, so need to be installed as root. 
> (Which is a whole nother issue I won't get into now.)

Not sure if it'll work, but I ran into this in earlier versions of 
Seamonkey...


Find the install directory where adblock and the other plugins are 
located.  I think it's called "chrome".  (It's been a while and I'm 
doing this from memory, so bear with me... YMMV)

Chmod/chown that recursively so that it can be rwx by the user running 
Seamonkey.  I can't recommend 777 obviously for security reasons, but 
that would work.  I used to use Seamonkey on a system where I was the 
only user so I just chown'd it to me.

Good luck!

Brian

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Re: Intranet packages?

[Brian Chabot]

Dan Coutu wrote:
> I have a client running on Red Hat Linux 5 that has a home grown gnarly 
> intranet that needs to be replaced with something that's a lot more 
> useful and easier to navigate and maintain. I've been investigating 
> different open source and commercial packages that provide an 
> out-of-the-box type of intranet and thought I'd ask here about people's 
> experiences, recommendations, and ideas.

In the (longish) past (circa 2001) I've had good results using PHProjekt 
under a secure web connection:

http://www.phprojekt.com/

It's still under somewhat active development it seems.

> - logins should be able to hook into the system logins so that adding an 
> account to the system also adds to the intranet

If you have LDAP authentication working, this should be no problem. 
Otherwise, it seems to fit your stated requirements.

Brian

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Re: Looking for duplex help with my printer :-(

[Brian Chabot]

Steven W. Orr wrote:
> On Saturday, Jul 19th 2008 at 21:10 -, quoth Brian Chabot:

> =>I'd try:
> =>
> =>> lp -o DuplexNoTumble filename
> =>
> =>Brian
> 
> I tried that. No go. Also, I don't know what Tumble or NoTumble means.

Damn.

Tumble/NoTumble I presume means whether you flip the page up to read the
back or flip to the side.

Brian
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Re: Looking for duplex help with my printer :-(

[Brian Chabot]

Steven W. Orr wrote:

> 720 > lpoptions -l
> Duplex/Double-Sided Printing: DuplexNoTumble DuplexTumble *None


> My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that I should be able to say
> 
> lp -o Duplex filename
> 
> and it should come out double sided.
> 
> It does not and I have no idea what to do from here.


I'd try:

> lp -o DuplexNoTumble filename

Brian
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Re: Quick DNS perfromance measurement trick

[Brian Chabot]

Michael ODonnell wrote:

>"aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd is POOR: 26 queries in 3.1 seconds from 1 ports with std 
> dev 0.00"
> 
> That aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd address seems to be the (possibly NAT'd) IP
> addr that the target site sees mentioned in the inbound packets;
> I have no idea about the rest of it...

It looks like a responding DNS server to me... whether the authoritative
or (more likely) a cached one.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Here are my results: 
> z.y.x.w.v.u.t.s.r.q.p.o.n.m.l.k.j.i.h.g.f.e.d.c.b.a.pt.dns-oarc.net.
> "209.244.7.43 is POOR: 38 queries in 1.9 seconds from 2 ports with std dev 
> 0.94"

$ host 209.244.7.43
43.7.244.209.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer keynote2.Phoenix1.Level3.net.
$

My results:
$ dig +short porttest.dns-oarc.net TXT
z.y.x.w.v.u.t.s.r.q.p.o.n.m.l.k.j.i.h.g.f.e.d.c.b.a.pt.dns-oarc.net.
"216.231.41.2 is GOOD: 26 queries in 0.6 seconds from 26 ports with std
dev 18409.11"
$ host 216.231.41.2
2.41.231.216.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer ns-legacy.speakeasy.net.
$ cat /etc/resolv.conf
# Dynamic resolv.conf(5) file for glibc resolver(3) generated by
resolvconf(8)
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE BY HAND -- YOUR CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
nameserver 216.254.95.2
nameserver 216.231.41.2
search datasquire.net
$


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Re: Favorite distros

[Brian Chabot]

Bill Mullen wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:59:32 -0400,
> David Hardy wrote:
> 
>> Serious question:  favorite new Linux distro?  Which will do media
>> and amaze and stun the otherwise Winders crowd at various sites of
>> various sizes? Anything from desktop to enterprise level.
> 
> Mandriva 2008.1 Spring PowerPack. 

I'll stand up and second this.  I use it extensively at Just Works.
(Shameless plug:  http://www.justworksnh.com - come visit and say hi!)

> The various Mandriva One 2008.1 live CDs

I have a few that I got for an install fest that never got off the
ground.  I can NOT recommend the Mandriva ONE 2008.1 for the general
public.  It has too many bugs and I have seen a different one crop up on
every system I've installed it on.  Most were minor, but big enough that
a clueless noob will be frustrated and give up.

My recommendation for the Powerpack stands though.  It is amazing,
robust, slick, and has some outstanding hardware compatibilities built
in.  I have licenses for sale for 2008.0 if anyone wants.  Mention
GNHLUG to me (2pm-close) and get a discount.

Brian
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OT: Was: Re: [HUMOR] $500 patch cable

[Brian Chabot]

Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote:

> (R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several
> countries.
> (R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used
> pursuant
>to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus
>Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark on a worldwide basis


After mis-reading the punctuation in the second statement above, I could
only ponder...

Uhhh... Where can I license *my* Linus Torvalds?

(It came across in my mental hearing as a colon, used as when reading a
list of heraldric titles...)

Ok... maybe I'm just tired.

Brian
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Re: Offline Search?

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 5, 2008 at 11:44 AM, Jarod Wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>   Call me crazy, but isn't everything you described Google Desktop 
>>> itself?!?!
>> I had exactly the same thought.
>> Ooh, neat, didn't know Google had yum repos now...
> 
>   I think Brian underestimated the actual power of the Google Desktop
> widgets.  I personally use them while interacting with google itself,
> but they also function offline standalone VERY well.
> 

While Google Desktop would work with some minor tweaking, it's still not
quite stand-alone.  It requires an installation on each system.

I suppose one option would be a stand-alone Apache installation for each
OS and htdig, but that only indexes HTML and TXT files...

Brian
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Re: Offline Search?

[Brian Chabot]

>>  Well, if we assume the computer is offline (which we've been asked
>> to do)... and the software isn't on the drive... what good is having
>> the search engine data going to do?  :)
> 
>   Umm, I don't see that requirement anywhere in the thread.  Did I
> miss something?

I probably should have been more clear:

The intended use is to have a portable library of information with a
searchable index.  Such library needs to have a search client that is at
least Win/Lin/Mac compatible.  The indexing software should at least run
in Linux (for my convenience...).

Think of it as an unsorted compilation of tech manuals, marketing texts,
reviews, etc. which can be brought to where it is needed (or replicated
and sent) and used by non-technical users to retrieve data as needed.
The end users would be remotely located often with no Internet access at
all.

Security risk?  Sure.  But manageable by controlling the original media,
rather than just blindly sharing the drive.


>>  You may be willing to take that risk.  Indeed, many apparently are
>> willing to do so, or (more likely) are unaware of the risk they take.
>> I, however, am not so comfortable.  Maybe I'm paranoid, but then, on
>> today's Internet, there really are people out to get you...

The offline nature does significantly mitigate the risk.

There is a possibility of putting the library (and application and
index) on read-only media such as one or more DVD's once the data is
relatively un-changing.


Brian
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Re: Offline Search?

[Brian Chabot]

Derek Atkins wrote:

> Have you looked at Namazu?

Functionally, it looks good... but it's definitely not a stand-alone
application.

http://www.namazu.org/doc/tutorial.html#prep-make

I don't mind if I have to use a specific computer to index the files,
but the query tool really needs to be stand-alone.

Brian
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Offline Search?

[Brian Chabot]

Does anyone know of a decent offline, cross-platform search engine?

What I'm looking for is something like Google Desktop
http://desktop.google.com

...but for offline use.

What I want to be able to do is dump a whole bunch of files into a
directory (or sub-directories) and have an application that can search
them for keywords, strings, etc. This means it would need to understand
PDFs, DOCs, OpenOffice formatted docs, text, html, etc.  The idea is to
put it all on an external drive and be able to plug it in to any modern
system (Linux, Windblows, Mac) and find what I'm looking for.

So either Java or a ported application would work great. (I can't
believe I'm actually advocating Java...) Even Perl would work, as it's
available cross-platform.  Ideally it would be a stand-alone application
not requiring any installation of libs, DLLs, etc.

Anyone know of such a beast?

Thanks,

Brian
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kded & artsd

[Brian Chabot]

I've been seeing odd behaviour...

When idle (or mostly idle) for long periods, I get an occasional message
popping up telling me that artsdaemon is being killed off because of CPU
overload.  Checking top, I see:

  PID USER  PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEMTIME+  COMMAND
 4985 xxx   20   0 37984  13m  10m R 98.5  0.6   2626:45 kded

ps aux shows:
xxx   4985  7.4  0.6  37984 13460 ?RApr27 2627:21 kded
[kdeinit] --new-startup

kded hovers between 88 and 100% cpu while the rest of the system is
essentially idle.  Checking the docs, kded loads modules for KDE
services.  In order to make it less of a hog it is suggested you go into
the KDE Control Center, open the Services Manager and disable
unnecessary services.

Disabling ALL possible services there nets me... ~3%.

Literally, I have disabled all listed services, removed the pre-loading
of Konqueror, and turned off the KDE Sound daemon.

Now oddly, when the system is under load, kded seems to nice itself and
kind of disappears from the top 5 lines in top.

Anyone else seeing anything like this?

btw, it's KDE version 3.5.7-38.3mdv2008.0 on Mandriva Powerpack 2008.0.
uname -a shows:
Linux [FQDN here] 2.6.22.18-desktop-1mdv #1 SMP Mon Feb 11 13:53:50 EST
2008 i686 AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3800+ GNU/Linux

Any place else I should look?

Brian
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Re: Palm vs other smart phones/PDAs

[Brian Chabot]

Tom Buskey wrote:

> IMO, the original Palm UI and apps still hold up very well.  I've been
> using Palm with Unix since I got a Pilot 1000.  I have a Blackberry for
> work and my wife uses an iPhone.

I keep an old Handspring Visor Pro handy, myself.  I like that I can
back it up to a CF card (with memplug) and not have to keep fresh
batteries in it.  It uses AAA batteries so when I need to use it, I
install them and load my data from the CF card.  It syncs fine in Linux,
too.

I used to own (among many other PDAs) a Palm Treo 350. (Actually, I
still have it, but it's bricked at the moment...) and a phone accessory
for the Visor.

I recently got a Blackberry Curve 8320.  I really like the chicklet
keyboard and the vast range of communications options (Edge, GMRS, WiFi,
Bluetooth) and the fact that I can sync it with KDE PIM and back it all
up to my hard drive.

Even better is Google's support for calendar sync and Blackberry's
lightening fast push email.  With J2ME there are a lot of apps
available, though not as many free ones as with the older Palm OS.  I do
wish the Blackberry's development kit was a little more open (and Linux
compatible) but again, there is the option of generic J2ME.

> I find the other devices don't improve on the basic apps and in the case
> of the Blackberry's calendar, fall short.

Yes, the internal calendar alone does fall short.  BUT... the Google
Calendar sync is quite nice.

> Palm hasn't updated it significantly.  They've made a number of abortive
> attempts at modernizing the OS to a Linux based one.  They have added
> web browsing and phone use.

Palm dropped the ball IMO when they split their hardware and software
groups apart.

Brian
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Re: Computer repair shop

[Brian Chabot]

Karl Hergenrother wrote:
> My wife's 3 year old Toshiba Satellite laptop has had intermittent
> charging problems.  I have replaced its battery, but that didn't help. 
> Right now it will not charge at all.  I'm fairly sure that the problem
> is in the socket on the computer which accepts the charger plug.  Those
> things must take a beating over the years.  Can someone suggest a good
> repair shop on the Nashua/Lowell area?

I agree with what Tom said.  Take it to an authorized repair depot.

They can fix it if anyone can.  Laptop hardware issues are a PITA.

Brian
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Re: Computer repair shop

[Brian Chabot]

David Hardy wrote:
> Problem:  I scraped the
> hard drive (or thought I did) completely in anticipation that she'd want
> the Windows os back.  
[SNIP]
> (It would appear to install and then freeze,
> and on boot-up the XP boot screen appears, despite my reformatting the
> drive.)

Sounds more like you reformatted a partition than wiped the whole drive.

> I will now have to either buy another XP license or find some way of
> both installing Ubuntu and then finding a wireless card that will work
> with it.

Feel free to bring it by my shop in the afternoon or early evening and I
can take a look at it.  I never did get Ubuntu to run right on my
Toshiba, but Mandriva (post-2007) works beautifully. (2007 and previous
needed kernel option for the SATA bus but worked fine otherwise.)

The shop is Just Works, at 419 Amherst St. in Nashua, off exit 8 and
right across the street from Building 19.  I can hook you up with a copy
of Mandriva 2008.1 Free and see if that does anything. (I have licenses
for Powerpack 2008.0 for sale if you're interested as well...)  As long
as I have time (AKA no paying customers ahead in the queue) I'll take a
look gratis.  (If you *want* to pay me (or buy something), great, but
this isn't a commercial offer.)


Brian
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Re: Comcast blocks port 25 incoming, yet again

[Brian Chabot]

David W. Aquilina wrote:

> Other things I've liked about speakeasy:
> 
> - They have actual intelligent people manning their tech support line
> pretty much 24/7

My first tech support call to them a few years ago sold me on their
service.  I was trying to do something non-standard with the way my
multiple IPs got NAT'ed locally and was having an issue interpreting the
manual for their DSL modem/router.  The guy asks what OS I'm running.  I
cringe and tell him "Linux".  He says, "Hold on.  It's faster if I just
send you a shell script than to explain it to you.  Are you comfortable
with bash?"

I think I almost fainted.

I've been using their service ever since and I'm extremely happy about
it.  Their actual uptime is better than most T1's I've seen.   The only
times my service goes down are when power outages exceed my UPS
capacity... and maybe an hour or two a year, with the rare exceptions of
telco issues, which have happened all of three times in 7 years.

Brian
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Re: Source for DVI/USB KVM switch, cables

[Brian Chabot]

Kent Johnson wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I need a KVM switch that will, at a minimum, switch one DVI monitor at 
> 1920x1200 and one USB port between two computers. An extra USB port and 
> audio would be a bonus but not required. 

http://www.amconnstore.com/products/dvikvm/KVM712DV/
$90 but you supply the cables.

http://www.amconnstore.com/products/kvmcables/KCDC6A/
6 foot cables for $10 each.

I might be able to get you a better price through Just Works, but take
your pick of covering shipping or wait till I have a big enough order to
make shipping negligible.

http://www.trendnet.com/langen/products/proddetail.asp?prod=170_TK-204UK&cat=105
http://www.shopblt.com/cgi-bin/shop/shop.cgi?action=enter&thispage=0110020080020_BQ72571P.shtml&order_id=!ORDERID!
http://www.skycomp.com.au/product.aspx?id=102087

Pricing is about $149AU... but out of stock everywhere it seems.  I can
special order these, too, but my supplier is also... out of stock with
no ETA.


http://www.iogear.com/product/GCS942UW6/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817399024
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3606155&CatId=3484

Not sure if this quite fits the bill, but it is a little cheaper than $149.

Hope this helps,

Brian
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Re: New NH computer store selling Linux systems...

[Brian Chabot]

Frank DiPrete wrote:
> 
> Sounds great - where in nashua is the store?

It's at 419 Amherst St. across from Building 19 and right next door to
Boomer's and Dominos Pizza.  You can turn in to RJ's parking lot and go
around the building to your right if you're coming from the west or miss
the driveway.

Brian
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Re: New NH computer store selling Linux systems...

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 7:06 PM, Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>  I recently opened a computer store in Nashua, NH... specializing
>> in complete Mandriva Linux based desktop systems ...
> 
>   Sounds very cool, Brian.  Please keep us all posted on how things go
> as you get off the ground.  I don't get over to Nashua very often
> except for the LUG meetings in the evenings, but if I I'm in the area
> I'll definitely check it out.

It's all new and looking Spartan, but should fill in as I decide on what
else to stock and the sales tell me how much I can stock.  There are
systems ready to go though.

I've got a prior commitment on LUG nights, but if you swing in before
the meeting I can give you (that's the plural you of anyone on this
list) a quick tour.

>   Good luck and clear skies!

Thanks!

I'm hoping I can create a market locally... and then we'll see a bunch
of Linux newbies hopefully joining in here.

Brian
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Re: New NH computer store selling Linux systems...

[Brian Chabot]

Michael ODonnell wrote:
> 
> My wife and I drive right past there on our weekly
> jaunts (in season) to hike Pack Monadnock Saturday
> or Sunday mornings - might you be open then?  I didn't
> see hours mentioned in your email or WWW site...

the current hours are posted at:
http://www.justworksnh.com/blog/?page_id=3

...excuse the theme... It's going to change.

The hours are subject to change and this weekend, it looks like we may
be closed on Saturday at least, as I have to be in NJ then and my one
employee is unable to work.  We are normally open on weekends, but in
the warm seasons I will be out of town a lot of weekends when I can get
the place staffed.

Please excuse the extreme construction on the site... It'll look better
once my artist does her job.  (She's good, but slw.)

Brian
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Re: Spam and extra MX records

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:

>   Personally, I also find these kinds of strategies very rude.  You're
> increasing *my* mail server's load because *you're* not willing to
> implement a proper anti-spam solution.  Don't be a jerk about your
> mail system.  That makes you part of the problem -- not much better
> than the spammers.

I once added an high numbered MX entry in a few domains which pointed to
localhost.

While it really did reduce the incoming spam, I recall someone getting a
bit irate about spooling my mail on a GNHLUG server till my server was
back up... 

Now, I'm back to a dozen blacklists (mostly banned by country),
requiring proper PTR's and DNS entries for mail servers...

I've heard a 5 second connection delay helps, too. (Whatever the SMTP
"wait" response is...)

>   I also have a suspicion (totally unsubstantiated) that most spammers
> don't really care about MX priority.  I suspect they just look for
> every MX they can find and fire spam at all of them.  The reason
> secondary MXes have a rep for being an avenue for spam is that people

If you point it out, they'll take notice.  If enough people do it, the
spammers will work around it.

Many spam systems will use a secondary MX server because lazy admins
will put all their anti-spam measures on their primary one, forget about
their secondary and simply accept all incoming mail from the secondary
server.  This is especially true when you use a third party backup MX
server.


>   Personally, unless you're multi-homed or very large, I don't seem
> much purpose for multiple MX records these days anyway.  Well, maybe
> if your primary MX is incredibly unreliable, but if so, the proper
> thing to do is fix your MX.

With the usual spooling time of 4 days, if your mail server is down that
long these days, you have SERIOUS problems.



Brian
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Linux and Smart phones?

[Brian Chabot]

It's getting about time for me to replace my cell phone... next month
actually is when I plan to do it.

So my question to the community is...

Is there a (smart)phone out there that can sync ***EASILY*** with Linux
(as in user side software NOT beta, RPM/DEB/etc. available, maintained)
that can also handle basic web browsing, and more importantly IMAP
(preferably encrypted over ssl or other standard)?

I currently have a Motorola Razr, and while it *can* sync under Linux,
the user side software leaves a lot to be desired in terms of usability,
stability, interoperability, and functionality.

In the best of all worlds, T-Mobile would include an unlimited data plan
and the phone would have a decent SSH client.

Right now I'm looking at the RIM Blackberry Curve.  Anyone have any
experience with these?

Thanks,

Brian
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Re: cron question / process queue

[Brian Chabot]

Kent Johnson wrote:

> I made a combined job that basically does this:
> if it is the first of the month:
>run monthly job and wait for completion
> if it is Saturday:
>run the weekly job and wait for completion
> run the daily job
> 
> The combined job is scheduled for 8pm execution with cron. Seems to work 
> so far...

I'd use a short wrapper in your scripting language of choice for the
cron job:

while lockfile exists, wait some amount of time and check again...
write a lockfile.
do the actual job/command
remove the lockfile.

This will work if the script takes less than two cycles to complete, but
may run out of order if it takes longer.

HTH,

Brian
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Re: Laptop Saved! (was RAM Mapping Script)

[Brian Chabot]

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> I still find it easier to open the case, remove the platter (and
> magnets) and chuck the rest of the stuff in the recycling bin.

The platters are actually pretty brittle.  You can open the case, save
the magnets, and give the platters a good whack with a hammer to shatter
them.  A friend found out they were brittle while making an "art
project" out of some retired disks... (Ok, he was making an ash tray...
and the platters snapped while he was bending them.)

Brian
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Re: Small business backups solutions?

[Brian Chabot]

Brian Chabot wrote:

> So I've decided on the hard drive back up routine.  My server (I'm 
> ordering it in parts now in another window...) will have a 500GB SATA 
> hard drive.  I'll be adding a removable SATA enclosure from 
> http://www.cru-dataport.com and getting carriers for a total of 3 more 
> 500GB hard drives.  In total, I have the live one (with I may or may not 
> set up as a RAID array) with 500GB, and three backup drives of 500GB 
> each in removable SATA carriers.

Timely article about new developments in this idea:

http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00029.htm

"Many - probably still most - normal motherboard SATA controllers can't
do this, though the controllers built into some server boards can.
Nvidia nForce-chipset motherboards in current versions of Windows are
apparently hot-swap-capable, as are many chipsets  under Linux, but
don't assume that your motherboard will be."

Ha!  I'm using BOTH an nVidia chipset AND Linus on my set up.  W00t!


Brian
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Re: Small business backups solutions?

[Brian Chabot]

Lots of good info...

But here's one suggestion for REALLY small businesses

How convenient that I, too, am looking for just such a thing...

In my case I have a small shop I'm putting together.  I can't see my 
total data that I need to back up exceeding a couple huhundred gigs 
...for a VERY long time. (Not much more than a handful of gigs unless I 
grow exceptionally fast...)

So I've decided on the hard drive back up routine.  My server (I'm 
ordering it in parts now in another window...) will have a 500GB SATA 
hard drive.  I'll be adding a removable SATA enclosure from 
http://www.cru-dataport.com and getting carriers for a total of 3 more 
500GB hard drives.  In total, I have the live one (with I may or may not 
set up as a RAID array) with 500GB, and three backup drives of 500GB 
each in removable SATA carriers.  Using any system I please to 
sync/mirror the removable to the live drive and then I'll have it able 
to have a recent on-site backup, an off-site backup, and one in the 
server at any given time.  At the end of the day, I take the drive out 
and either replace it with the local or off-site backup.

Total cost not counting the initial server:
Software: Free.
CRU DataPort 3 Complete package: $23.41
CRU Dataport 3 Carrier (2): (2 @ $23.45) $46.90
500GB HDD (3): (3 @ 99.99 on sale @ Tiger Direct) $299.97
__
Total Cost: $370.28 plus shipping.

When your data grows beyond the example 500GB your upgrade costs are the 
costs of 3 more HDDs as long as you're still using SATA at that point.

I REALLY don't see any reason to spend the time, money, and hassle on a 
tape drive system for anything smaller than the biggest HDD on the 
market right now.

Brian
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Re: Wireless Problems

[Brian Chabot]

TARogue wrote:

> First question: what is wmaster0?
> Second question: what does "unknown hardware address type 801" mean?

As others have pointed out, wmaster0 is likely an alias to the wifi
interface.

The error seems to be saying that the driver and the hardware aren't
talking to eachother for some reason.

The DHCP messages remind me of something I saw not too long ago with my
FON accesspoint: the AP overheated.  Could your wifi card have
overheated?  Have you tried a cold reboot after a little power-off down
time?

Brian
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Linux Based Point of Sale?

[Brian Chabot]

Would anyone here have any recommendations on a Linux based Point of
Sale system for a small retail store?

I've seen plenty of decent small business accounting software, but not
much in terms of usable POS...

so far I'm looking at:

Quasar: http://www.linuxcanada.com/index.shtml
(Not free.)

L’âne: http://l-ane.net/
(Old.  May not be maintained much.)

SQL-Ledger: http://www.sql-ledger.org
(OK, but the interface for POS could be much better)

Tux Shop: http://www.shcircuit.com/~ross/
(not free)

Lemon POS: http://lemonpos.sourceforge.net/
(Beta...)

Anyone have any experience in these or others?  Anything I should steer
away from?

Ideally, the POS I end up using would include support for a barcode
scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, and post display, but I'll settle
for the first two.  Also ideally, there would be a decent report
function, customer tracking, and basic inventory control.  Integrated
credit card processing would be the icing on the cake.

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,

Brian
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Re: Recommendations wanted - best/simplest distro for civilians

[Brian Chabot]

Dan Jenkins wrote:

> Ubuntu
> Mandriva

Seconded.  Though I prefer Mandriva over Ubuntu... and I know I'm in the
minority here in that.

> If these are just random parts, do they have enough horsepower for
> "modern" distros?
> 
> If they are going to be low-end random parts, other distros might be
> better, but I don't have any current recommendations.

If not, then try DamnSmallLinux.  It's a LITTLE scary at first, but not
too hard for a noob to figure out.

Brian
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Re: [OT] Simple math considered physics; turns out it's fun, not harmful

[Brian Chabot]

Greg Rundlett wrote:

> Philosophically and sociologically, I'm asking why somebody who worked
> there wouldn't solve these problems out of curiosity.  Because they
> don't know how?  Because they don't care?  Because they were
> conditioned by social norms to believe the subject is too difficult or
> uncool?

I'm actually quite surprised no one did.

> The science of physics is certainly involved in this situation; you
> can't escape physics in a physical world.  If I thought about the
> problem from more of a physical perspective, then I'd wonder if
> air-resistance and distance factored into the two scenarios to create
> any difference.  Is there a (marked) difference in deccelleration
> (initial velocity - final velocity) between the two environments due
> to the almost double distance traveled by a major-league fast ball?
[snip questions]

There is, as you said, a small influence of the ball falling due to
gravity, which I would expect to be a minor but present influence on the
velocity.  A comparison between the effects of gravity and of air
friction would be interesting, as would any lift or other forces
generated by a spin on the ball.

> There is a lot more math involved, but I don't know those equations or
> models.  I certainly don't know how to model the aerodynamics of a
> dimpled ball relative to a stitched baseball, and I guess for
> practical purposes I'm happy to not care.  

It shouldn't be too difficult to calculate given a good experimental
situation -- something any AP or college physics student could easily
come up with. (Finding the acceleration and/or terminal velocity of a
falling ball in a given atmospheric condition and calculating from there
comes to mind.)

> I bet there is a lot going on
> in Free Software to help physical scientists and mathematicians solve
> complex problems

My guess is that ballistics software would help more than aerodynamic
modeling software in this case because of the trajectory and other
factors involved.

Also, to bring this more on topic, as a push for FOSS, with open source
software you could use available source code for ballistics and
aerodynamic modeling in order to find the exact answer here.  In a
closed source world, you'd have to start from scratch...

In terms of education and its promotion, it might be interesting to use
baseball physics to get students more interested who otherwise might not
be...


Brian
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Re: Best live CD (DVD) distribution

[Brian Chabot]

Karl wrote:
> I would like to 
> try Linux on this laptop before I blow Vista away or make it a dual boot 
> machine.  What live CD (DVD) distribution would you recommend.

That's very much a matter of taste. 

Most current users are siding with Gnome vs KDE or Apt vs rpm.

>   I am 
> leaning towards Knopix. 

As it is a laptop, I presume you're looking for mostly desktop
functionality, as opposed to server...

My own personal preference is for Mandriva One.  Others will, no doubt
also suggest Ubuntu.  Both are quite usable.  Also check out PCLinuxOS
and DamnSmallLinux.  There is a good list over at
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

The great thing about live Cd's is that you aren't installing
anything... you can play with several before making a commitment.

>  Also, whatever live distribution I try, what 
> would you recommend for a dual boot setup.  Using the live version for 
> the dual boot would seem to make sense since at that point the hardware 
> compatibility will have been established.

Both Mandriva One and Ubuntu have the option to begin an install from
the Live CD desktop.  That makes things very easy.

Hope this helps a little,


Brian


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Re: Linux Stickers

[Brian Chabot]

Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote:
> In the spirit of Linux you could make your own
>   

I may end up hiring a print ship to do it for me.  So far I kind of like
the graphic at
http://linux.wordpress.com/2006/01/30/linux-hardware-sites-for-newbie/
and with some slight modifications I really like the outcome. 

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Re: Linux Stickers

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:
> http://www.cafepress.com/buy/linux?CMP=KNC-G-EN-TCH&ovchn=GGL&ovcpn=Geeks+Tech+and+Gaming+Basic&ovcrn=sr2EN1go47097sb5749pi14ai956+Linux+decal&ovtac=PPC&SR=sr2EN1go47097sb5749pi14ai956
>
> ?
>
>   

Not small. Not quantity.  Expensive.

To reiterate:

>> I'm looking for anything small, like those "Made for Windows" or "Works
>> with Vista" stickers in quantity. 

I can get Tux case badges for $.68 but I'm looking for cheaper, vinyl or 
metallic decals to put on hardware like cases, monitors, keyboards, 
mice, etc.

Brian

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Linux Stickers

[Brian Chabot]

Does anyone know of a good source for various Linux stickers/decals?

I'm looking for anything small, like those "Made for Windows" or "Works 
with Vista" stickers in quantity.  I know Ubuntu stickers are around, 
but I am looking for something not specific to any distribution.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Brian
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Re: Package management

[Brian Chabot]

Charlie Farinella wrote:

> To do it with RPM's I need to do about a dozen of them which means I have 
> to find out which ones I need, etc. negating any advantage to the package 
> management system.  
> 
> I could build it from source and either run the 2 versions of python 
> simultaneously, or replace the installed python, but again I lose my auto 
> update option.
> 
> How does everyone else do this?

I use Mandriva's urpmi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urpmi

urpmi is to rpm as apt-get is to dpkg for the most part.

Brian
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Re: Handhelds/PDAs - Palm vs Zaurus vs others - Opinions? Experiences?

[Brian Chabot]

Jeffry Smith wrote:
> I'll comment again (although I don't own one yet) - check out the N800
> by Nokia (http://www.nokiausa.com/N800). 

All well and good but

"Browsing time: up to 3 hours"

HUH?  THREE HOURS?!?  Are they %^%%&&%$&[EMAIL PROTECTED]& high!?!?  That's a
limitation not a feature.

I can use (yes, USE) my Handspring Visor for days before the battery
goes out.

What's up with PDAs, UMPCs, and even laptops these days and the severe
lack of battery life?  If it doesn't have 6+ hours of battery time in
heavy use mode, it ceases to be worthy of the terms "portable" or
"mobile".  I bought my mobile devices specifically to NOT have to plug
them in every few hours.

I'd gladly put up with a couple more ounces in battery weight if I could
ditch the laptop, cellphone, and PDA for one umpc device... but unless
the battery life at least triples, these things are completely useless
to me.  They add no functionality and save nothing either.

Brian
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Re: Handhelds/PDAs - Palm vs Zaurus vs others - Opinions? Experiences?

[Brian Chabot]

Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote:
> On Wed, 2007-03-21 at 16:38 -0400, Brian Chabot wrote:
>> Not too long ago, I grabbed a cheap Handspring Visor

> I bought a Palm m130 at the last Hosstraders.

You know... I'd bet there would be a market for low-end PDAs if we could
find a cheap way to build them and a way to license PalmOS (prior to 5).

I personally like the Handspring models because of the expansion port,
but you could probably do similar things now with CF or SDIO.

Any hardware engineers out there want to take a stab at a
mass-producible, cheap PDA?

B
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Re: Handhelds/PDAs - Palm vs Zaurus vs others - Opinions? Experiences?

[Brian Chabot]

Not too long ago, I grabbed a cheap Handspring Visor off eBay (about $35
with shipping).  Linux compatible (mostly), long battery life, AAA
batteries, and great PIM.

Add a CF adapter and it's actually useful as a text reader.

Works out find for me.

Now if those ePaper thingies had lower prices, better refresh rates, and
a decent PIM, I'd be sold.  The displays are gorgeous.

Brian
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Re: Time... in a blender! Get me out of this handbasket!

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> Wow.  Neat.  I've never heard of anything like that.

I guess I'm not the first
http://www.google.com/search?q=linux+time+%22too+fast%22+Athlon+64

>   Is ntpd running?  If so, kill it, and see if that fixes it.

That was my first thought, too.  No joy though.

>   Have you tried a reboot?

Well, I changed the boot params to the old ones (rather than the ones
the installer used)...

Originally the installer added just "acpi=off" (needed for mosr SATA
drives in Mandriva) and I changed the parameters to:
"noapic acpi=ht pci=biosirq" and rebooted.

Bingo.  Seemed to work.

>   Are you running a custom kernel?

Nope.  Standard Mandriva 2007:
Linux 2.6.17-5mdv #1 SMP Wed Sep 13 14:32:31 EDT 2006 i686 AMD
Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3800+ GNU/Linux


Off to work now... with less than half the sleep I had hoed for...


Brian
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Time... in a blender! Get me out of this handbasket!

[Brian Chabot]

I think I found out why the keyboard was screwey.

The settings were fine.

The clock is on amphetamines though, spinning about twice its proper
speed, which is why I'm up at this ungodly hour:  The alarm went off at
"9:10" at 5:20 am.

Now, I understand drift, etc. so I figure the system thought my hw clock
may have been set to GMT or some other foolishness.  Nope.  Damned thing
is chugging away at insane speeds, whether NTP is running or not.

# /usr/sbin/ntpdate pool.ntp.org && /usr/sbin/ntpdate pool.ntp.org &&
/usr/sbin/ntpdate pool.ntp.org && /usr/sbin/ntpdate pool.ntp.org
Looking for host pool.ntp.org and service ntp
host found : hopfen.linux-kernel.at
12 Mar 06:05:50 ntpdate[17401]: step time server 213.129.242.93 offset
-7.903172 sec
Looking for host pool.ntp.org and service ntp
host found : hopfen.linux-kernel.at
12 Mar 06:05:51 ntpdate[17402]: step time server 213.129.242.93 offset
-1.268802 sec
Looking for host pool.ntp.org and service ntp
host found : hopfen.linux-kernel.at
12 Mar 06:05:52 ntpdate[17403]: step time server 213.129.242.93 offset
-0.505580 sec
Looking for host pool.ntp.org and service ntp
host found : hopfen.linux-kernel.at
12 Mar 06:05:53 ntpdate[17404]: step time server 213.129.242.93 offset
-0.761701 sec
#   

That's insane.  In the time it took to run ntpdate, the system was off
by over half a second!

Anyone have ANY clue why it might do this and how I could fix it?

Thanks.

Brian
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Re: Setting keyboard repeat rate...

[Brian Chabot]

On Sun, 11 Mar 2007, Brian Chabot wrote:

Anyone know how to reset the keyboard repeat rate under a current 
Mandriva/redhat-like system?


I got it fixed in KDE... haven't had a need to go into a console yet.

It's just... odd that it would get that sensitive.  Made typing and 
passwords awkward.


B
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Setting keyboard repeat rate...

[Brian Chabot]

Anyone know how to reset the keyboard repeat rate under a current 
Mandriva/redhat-like system?


It seems that in changing from a 64-bit to a 32-bit system the repeat 
rate and delay before repeat is a leeetle too sensitive...


Thanks!


Brian
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Re: Trying to try Kubunto...

[Brian Chabot]

Nigel Stewart wrote:
> For diagnostic purposes, it might be interesting to try the latest
> on the development branch, to see if there is already a fix.
>
> Kubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Herd 4
> https://wiki.kubuntu.org/FeistyFawn/Herd4/Kubuntu
>

That is exactly the same advice I got from others the first two times I
tried to put Ubuntu on my laptop.

[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Mandriva is looking better by the moment.
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Re: Trying to try Kubunto...

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> Have you tried the CD in another system, just to make sure, for
> sure, that the CD is good?

It seems good.  Passed the md5 checksum on burn...

>> mount: Mounting /root/dev on /dev/.static/dev failed: No such file or
>> directory
> cp: unable to open '/root/var/log/': No such file or directory
>
>  This sounds like a filesystem did not mount.  In particular, that
> the initrd failed to mount or pivot the "real" root filesystem.

Yeah, so I figured.  I'm thinking it probably has an issue with the SATA
bus... every other Linux installer did, too... but that was fixable with
a kernel parameter at boot.

>   If you shut off all the GUI boot and frame buffer crap (I don't know
> the details on this for *buntu, but most distros have a way to do it),
> is there anything else that looks like an interesting error message?

Just exactly what I retyped in the original post... about 5 lines is
it.  Seems the buffers got cleared when BusyBox was loaded.



Brian
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Re: Trying to try Kubunto...

[Brian Chabot]

Tom Buskey wrote:
>
> Anyone else have any suggestions?
>
>
> There is an alternate boot CD you could try.
>
> Maybe try the Ubuntu or Xubuntu install and add KDE with Synaptic
> after the install.

Was kind of hoping not to have to DL and burn another image here... but
if that's the only option...

Brian
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Trying to try Kubunto...

[Brian Chabot]

Yesterday I decided it was time to give Kubuntu 6.10 a try.  Now the
only system I can realistically reload the OS on at the moment is my
laptop, so that's my guinea pig.  (It is a Toshiba Satellite M45 S359)

The online docs seem to indicate this should work:
http://www.cantrip.org/toshiba-m45.html


I burned the CD, verified the burn and put it in the CDROM of the laptop
and rebooted.

Kubuntu's boot menu comes up.  I choose the install/live option and hit
enter...

Progress bar...

Error and a dump into BusyBox.

BusyBox gives me the error:

/bin/sh: can't access tty; job control turned off

..then gives me a prompt (initramfs)

Hrmm... CTRL-ALT-F1 shows the initial error that flashed VERy fast on
the initial boot:
--
[17179570.364000] PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 0 of device
000:05:06.0
cp: unable to open '/root/var/log/': No such file or directory
mount: Mounting /root/dev on /dev/.static/dev failed: No such file or
directory
mount: Mounting /sys on /root/sys failed: No such file or directory
mount: Mounting /proc on /root/proc failed: No such file or directory
Target filesystem doesn't have /sbin/init
--

CTRL-ALT-F8 brought me back to BusyBox.

Looking around online this error (the PCI line) is supposed to indicate
that the PCI device is probably unseated or otherwise foobar.

A reboot into Mandriva (which works fine) tells me that the PCI device
at 000:05:06.0 is:

05:06.0 CardBus bridge: Texas Instruments PCIxx21/x515 Cardbus controller

Mandriva tells me in dmesg that:
PCI:  Bus #06 (-#09) is hidden behind transparent bridge #05 (-#05) (try
'pci=assign-busses')
Please report the result to linux-kernel to fix this permanently
...
PCI: Found IRQ 11 for device 000:05:06.0
...
PCI: Cannot allocate esource region 0 of device 000:05:06.0
...

Then continues to boot normally.

Adding 'pci=assign-busses' to the kernel boot changes the PCI address,
but the errors remain...

So... since I don't use the cardbus slot, I could generally care less as
long as it boots.

...which... Kubuntu doesn't.

I've tried one at a time and all together the (rather well documented)
kernel parameters I need to run Mandriva... and... BusyBox again.

WTF?

With all the params from Mandriva, I get the same errors, but add to
those a bunch od PnPBIOS errors, too... and it suggests I try the new
kernel parameter: "pnpbios=off"

Ok

So now I'm adding:
irqpoll noapic noacpi acpi=off pci=assign-busses pnpbios=off

...same PCI error (on the new address from the assign-busses)...

Kerplunk.  Back to BusyBox.

So now, I've read the pages I could find online and they were pretty
useless.  I've tried everything I can think of and failed to get the
live CD to even boot.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Brian
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Re: Arabic NON-unicode fonts - Easy Char Mapping?

[Brian Chabot]

Thomas Charron wrote:
>  Cheap Arabic keyboard.
>
> http://www.crayeon3.com/c3/pc-260-30-.aspx
>

Damn!  That IS cheap. 

I'll pass it on...

Thanks!

Brian
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Arabic NON-unicode fonts - Easy Char Mapping?

[Brian Chabot]

Does anyone know of an *easy* way to use normal letters *and* numbers to
display their Arabic counterparts?

Yes, Unicode has Arabic... but it's all mapped outside the normal range
of a US keyboard's single keypress range.

Basically I'd like to hit the "a" key for instance and see an 'alif
(unicode 0627h) or "b" and see an Arabic ba (unicode 0628h)...  Also the
same with typing a 1 and seeing an Arabic numeral 1 (like a, unicode
0627h) there.

Yes, one *could* temporarily remap a keyboard.  Yes, one *could* create
some sort of macro system... These are not "easy" solutions.  A font
that already does this would be much easier.  Add it to a bidi
compatible program and you're all set.

Why?  Because a friend of mine is taking a class in Arabic and wants to
have an easier time typing it out without splurging for a new
keyboard etc.

Yes, this is for Linux, so TTF would be nice...

Thanks,

Brian
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Re: Hacking the Razr 3m?

[Brian Chabot]

Travis Roy wrote:

> http://www.hacktherazr.com/
> 
> The other method is outlined here in great detail -
> http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/Motorola_V3c_Tutorial:_Flashing_to_Alltel_User_Interface
> 
> 
> BitPim is also a good place to start.

Bah...

Might be time for me to upgrade soon...

I have the original V3 and NOTHING seems to support it short of the
really crappy kit Motorola sells for Windblows.

BitPim keeps erroring out with it.

B
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Re: Can't figure out Firefox Plugin Requirement

[Brian Chabot]

Bayard Coolidge wrote:
> under nspluginwrapper-0.9.91.2-1
>
> Very strange, indeed...

Not really.  Mandriva still uses

nspluginwrapper-0.9.90.3-1mdv2007.0

...and according to their web site, a lot of crash behavior was fixed in 0.9.91.

Mandriva has always been a little slow on new RPMs when it isn't a security 
update.

Brian

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Re: Can't figure out Firefox Plugin Requirement

[Brian Chabot]

Bayard Coolidge wrote:
> I've had similar problems, but with SuSE 10.2 on an AMD X2 -based
> laptop with Firefox "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686 (x86_64); en-US;
> rv:1.8.1.2pre) Gecko/20061023 SUSE/2.0.0.1-0.1 Firefox/2.0.0.2pre" .
>
> There appears to be no workable solution, as yet, for the lack
> of a 64-bit Java plugin.
[snip]
> AFAICT, both the openSuSE and Sun teams are aware of the problem (as,
> I suspect the
> pertinent Firefox teams), but progress appears to be glacial.
>
> Any insight/help/confirmation would be appreciated, however.

I can confirm the problem exists in Mandriva 2007 Free (with all current
updates) and Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.8.0.7)
Gecko/20060405 SeaMonkey/1.0.5 on an AMD X2 desktop and
nspluginwrapper-0.9.90.3-1mdv2007.0 (Mandriva's latest release in RPM).

It's a sore spot for me.  Nspluginwrapper is HIGHLY unstable as well. 
It will often hang or crash the browser when using Acrobat Reader of
Flash Player

Brian
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Re: Can't figure out Firefox Plugin Requirement

[Brian Chabot]

Tech Writer wrote:
> I'm using Firefox in Red Hat EL5, and trying to run a web application
> that requires a Java Virtual Machine. When I start my application, I
> get an informational message that "additional plugins ar required". 
> When I click the "Install Missing Plugins" button, it directs me to
> the java web site, where I downloaded the file: 
> jre-1_5_0_11-linux-i586.rpm.  I installed this, went back into
> Firefox, and back to the java website, where I did a "verify
> installation".  All appears good (the verify worked).  Yet... I'm
> STILL getting the message that I'm missing the JVM plugin.

Are you running a 64bit system?

If so, you might want to check out
http://gwenole.beauchesne.info/projects/nspluginwrapper/

Most 32-bit plugins won't work in 64-bit linux systems.  Nspluginwrapper
tries to bridge the gap... and sometimes even works.

Also note the note in the download page: *Linux x64 download:* Please
use the 32-bit version for Java applet and Java Web Start support.

If you're not runnign a 64-bit system, at least this info might help
someone else.  It frustrated the hell out of me figuring it out...

Brian
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Re: Fw: linux newbie

[Brian Chabot]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On 1/15/07, Brian Chabot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>> FYI, "rpm -q --requires packagename" does a similar thing for
>>> RPM-based systems.
>>
>> In Mandriva Linux, urpmi does that (in theory) automatically  ...
>
>  Um, given that Mandriva is RPM-based, I'm thinking "rpm" will work.  :)
>

Certainly.

The point was that like debian's apt-get, urpmi is an extension to the
functionality of the main package manager.

For any noob I'd point them to apt-get not dpkg and similarly urpmi
rather than rpm.  (Though over time, I'd try to get them to know bot as
well as the old fashioned method of ./configure-make-make install
and all the hassles that often come of that.

Brian
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