MV Shutdown
Greetings. Does anyone have experience with either G4 or destek that they would like to share. It would be nice to support a local org. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Hot New OSS projects
Greetings Maddog, On Monday 05 April 2010 11:00, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: > I am writing an article for the Linux Foundation about the "10 Hot > New OSS Projects", but because I have a warped and twisted view of > things in the world, I know that my ideas* of "Hot, New OSS Projects" > may be a lot different than many other people's ideas. Do you know Ray Barrett? He has a very valuable OSS project underway to supply free integrated circuit generation tools to US semiconductor foundries. Since it is open-source, the foundry tweeks the software to match its processes, then makes it available for free to the designers who wish to design ICs for fabrication there. (I think I got that right; it was a noisy-environment conversation.) To provide maintenance revenue, Ray and his partner would be available to help designers with specific problems. The web site for American Research & Development is www.arndfl.com. I think Ray lives in Merrimack, so you might want to interview him. He has a lot of market insight. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OpenOffice question
On Monday 29 March 2010 09:15, TARogue wrote: > I'm stuck using Word Perfect on Windows XP until I figure this out. > WP allows you to make booklets; subdividing the page into blocks you > define without using tables. I can't find anything like that in OO. > Tables aren't really an option because of the way tables and text > interact. > > If necessary I can post images of what I mean. You can use frames to divide the page, but you must set each size and align them. To make alignment easier, make a table of the right geometry and put a frame in each cell. In the frame formatting, use width "relative = 100%", height "Autosize". On the Wrap tab, spacings are zero. The only flaw is that the table will insist on one blank line in the cell. That might be used as a convenient vertical frame spacing. To make the line small, create a paragraph style with the minimum font size and no space above or below. You probably want to eliminate the border lines from the table. Not really great, but it might do. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Souhegan High School
On Sunday 28 March 2010 15:44, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: > Joshua, > > >This may be a stupid question, but... is there some sort of summary > >available for your presentation? I don't want to ask you to > >spend time transcribing it or anything like that, but if you have > >slides or something...? I always find openings particularly > > interesting for study > > Here are the slides I used that day. I am sending them to the list > in case anyone else would like to see them. If not, "d" is an > appropriate action. It took a long time on my 56K (33K in bad weather) modem. Could you have linked them? Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Looking for stuff that you forgot to throw out
On Sunday 29 November 2009 16:19, Bill Freeman wrote:
> > On Sunday 29 November 2009 14:48, Bill Freeman wrote:
> > > I've been gifted with a Dell Latitude LX 475D laptop.
> >
> > ...
> > ... Assuming they loaded
> > PCMCIA drivers with Win 3.11, these 2 PCMCIA cards might work:
> >
> > Netgear FA510 Ethernet card, drivers on floppy
> > USB 2.0 dual port USB card, might be able to find drivers
> >
> > Available for loan, Nashua.
> Thsnks, Jim. They would be fun to play with. I have an offer of a
> loan of an FA-410, but the existence of driver floppies makes your
> 510 particularly interesting. USB, of course, would solve many
> problems, but 3.11 drivers may be exciting.
>
> What sort of schedule do you have? I'm often close to Nashua, but
> not during business hours.
I checked out the floppy; still seems to read OK. One gulp from the
PCMCIA card Ethernet buffer will completely fill the old laptop memory!
I am available Monday, Thursday, and Friday evenings this week. Are
any of those nights good?
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: Looking for stuff that you forgot to throw out
On Sunday 29 November 2009 14:48, Bill Freeman wrote:
> I've been gifted with a Dell Latitude LX 475D laptop.
...
> But the thing does have a pair of PCMCIA slots. N.B., PCMCIA,
> not card bus.
>
> So I'm looking for the loan of one or more of a PCMCIA ethernet,
> WiFi, USB, and/or CD equipment, so I can figure out if it's
> worth buying one of the first three.
I really liked my Win 3.11 equipped Arm laptop ($4200), my first
computer with graphics and Internet. Old computers recall the thrill
of those early explorations. Assuming they loaded PCMCIA drivers with
Win 3.11, these 2 PCMCIA cards might work:
Netgear FA510 Ethernet card, drivers on floppy
USB 2.0 dual port USB card, might be able to find drivers
Available for loan, Nashua.
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: FWIW: The bigger picture... Or why I have been asking a lot of questions lately...
On Tuesday 13 October 2009 10:54, bruce.lab...@autoliv.com wrote:
> gnhlug-discuss-boun...@mail.gnhlug.org wrote on 10/13/2009 08:13:12
AM:
> > Greetings Bruce,
> >
> > Still thinking about your problem...
>
> Well, thank you for that!
>
> Data is converted to string prior to transmit. This is an area for
> improvement. However, the timing numbers I've indicated 'should' be
> just the transmission of the string buffer.
If I can remember my C programming, you do something non-portable
like:
...
/* number of pairs (initialize to the correct number) */
int npair=128;
/* the double does a boundary alignment */
union {
double align;
float ansf[npair][2];
char ansc[npair*2*4]
} answer;
/* check that they are the same size (this does not guarantee
that they are aligned right; check the received data for that) */
printf("float array size is %d and text array size is %d\n",
sizeof(answer.ansf), sizeof(answer.ansc));
cnt= fwrite( (char *)&answer.ansc, 4*2, npair, &output_dev);
printf("The count was %d and it should be %d",cnt,npair);
exit(0);
...
Wow, C seems so unfamiliar after a few years away from it. I hope
that gives you the gist of what I am suggesting to try. There may be a
better choice of functions, but I thought a for-loop on fputc() would
cost a lot more cpu cycles.
To get this to work, you may have to get the FFT program and the I/O
program to be separate processes - pipe or socket or something does
that.
Maybe somebody more experience will make a suggestion.
I got the speed increase more optimistic than justified, but you can
get about 4x by adding another data link. Send the odd chunks to one
and the even chunks to the other.
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: FWIW: The bigger picture... Or why I have been asking a lot of questions lately...
Greetings Bruce, Still thinking about your problem... On Sunday 11 October 2009 17:01, Bruce Labitt wrote: > I did do an experiment that had curious results. Instead of sending > double precision binary data, I sent single precision or 'float'. I > was expecting to halve my transmission time, since it is half the > size. Instead, there was only a 10-15% speed increase, not a 100%. > This result is telling me something, although at this time, I'm too > brain dead to really ascertain what it really means. The "float" option should work to get you a factor of two. First, make certain that "float" is 4 bytes for your compiler by printing out "sizeof(float)" from a compiled program. The C Standard defines float as having a range of 10^+38 to 10^-38 and at least 6 decimal digits precision, but that leaves the door open to use doubles for floats in the compiler. More significantly, C promotes floats to doubles when it passes them to a function. I am guessing that is what happened. Assuming you have the data in a float array, cast the array to an array of 4 byte character arrays. Send it as if it were characters rather than the numeric values. The receiving end should not care what the bytes represent. When the array is retrieved as characters, cast it back to the floats. Since it is the same compiler, byte order should not cause a problem. As a second enhancement, try sending the number pairs as they are generated, rather than waiting for them all to complete. The relatively slow communication hardware has its own formatter and shift register - and most likely a FIFO. It will take care of issuing the bits while the processor does other things - like computing FFts. To make this work, you might divide the FFT computation into 16 parts. Start sending the first part as soon as it is completed. If both of these things worked, you would be 4X faster. Better than standing pat. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: FWIW: The bigger picture... Or why I have been asking a lot of questions lately...
Greetings Bruce, Interesting and challenging project! On Saturday 10 October 2009 15:20, Bruce Labitt wrote: > For anyone that is remotely interested, here is the big picture for > the problem I'm trying to solve. If you are not interested, hey > delete the post. Won't irritate me in the least! > If you just transferred the data (no framing or error checking), how many bits per second must you transfer to keep up with the FFT data production? Did you explore adding a dedicated FFT card to your control computer? The algorithms they build into the hardware are much, much faster than compiled software. The local board would keep the data in your control computer - with DMA, I assume - eliminating the transfer problem. I know a fellow who now works for Apple whose job is to optimize FFT algorithms to the processor they use. Assembly language, of course. Why is Apple interested? Faster FFT, faster MP3 translation, longer battery life. A very high payoff. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [GNHLUG] GNHLUG is turning 15! Let's have a party!
On Tuesday 06 October 2009 07:34, Ben Scott wrote: > Well, while your presence would definitely be appreciated/missed, I > also think it would be neat to have the gathering on the anniversary > date. What do others think? I eat eat every day (so far) and any excuse for a party is a good excuse. My preferences are low to moderate price and quiet. Any day has an equal probability of good or bad right now - bad being a smaller probability. If it is on a Wednesday, I can bring my wife along too. Does Blake's in the north end have a function room? Oops! That would mean no booze, the lack of which might be important to some. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: diagnosing network speed bottlenecks
Greetings, I can't help you with the speed test, but... > When I called them to inquire why my speeds don't seem to stack up to > the service - they offered three explanations... > a) that sites that I'm using will and do control how fast they will > allow me to download from them and I am on a 56K modem (quit laughing, there are reasons), and there are big lapses in download activity (KPPP "statistics" graph) on most sites I download. Perhaps they fall asleep while waiting for my modem to download the last 1000 bytes they cached, but I think it is a real traffic delay either at the site or somewhere along the way. > b) that my router could be the culprit because they generally wear > out after two years, and I should buy a new 'draft-N' router. Now that is comical. A statement like that would be enough to make me want to change companies (or go back to my 56K modem). It sounds like they put routers in the same class as automobile tires! > a) while sites do limit bandwidth allocated to a single user, I don't > think this will be the case all the time. Anyone know of a site that > doesn't throttle which would allow me to eliminate a) Perhaps you could download the gnhlug archive file from this server at 4AM some morning. MV (the host) will probably tell you what their outgoing trunk will do. Others on this list would know what you can expect. One other thing. If you are using a firewall watchdog or encryption, your internal processing may slow things down. When I visit the Vanguard (investment company) web site, my Dell C400 (800MHz CPU) can't keep up with the 56K modem when 168 or 128 bit security is activated. (Much of that may be the response time at the Vanguard site, which always seems overwhelmed with traffic.) Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: CALL FOR HELP: Software Freedom Day THIS SATURDAY in Manchester!
On Friday 18 September 2009 11:41, Arc Riley wrote: > > How about sign up for presenting QCad at an upcoming GNHLUG chapter > meeting and put the time/date/loc of that presentation on the card? > There appears to be a presentation booking shortfall on the website, > the only upcoming meeting listed is PySIG as a "TBA" - we should > really fix that before Saturday for when people go home and type in > the address. GNHLUG is an organization of implementers and maintainers, not users. There would not be enough users in the group to follow up with additional talks to interest the engineering types who use 2-D drawing. When will Linux groups switch emphasis to user applications? That has been discussed often during my years of association. The answer always is, "Not quite yet." The best strategy seems to be making the application software available on all platforms. Once users are used to the "free" application, the system that boots it up makes no difference. Firefox, OpenOffice, Qcad, and a number of others are making that happen. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: CALL FOR HELP: Software Freedom Day THIS SATURDAY in Manchester!
On Friday 18 September 2009 09:41, Arc Riley wrote: > > My experience of these sorts of events is that nobody wants to look > at a computer screen (you can barely see it against sunlight most of > the time anyway). They're really just milling through and casually > talking to us. I can believe that. That is how I feel at similar things. How does this sound? Using the CAD-CAM advantage, I can bring some C-size (22"x17") complex mechanical and electronic drawing to put on an old poster board I have. Not as effective as a pretty woman, but at least they know there is something to see. If I have time, I will try to make some business card size handouts with "Free CAD-CAM Software" and the Qcad web site URL. (Would it be advisable to put "Courtesy of Greater NH Linux Users' Group, www.gnhlug.org" at the bottom?) Today is a workday, but I might be able to get all that done tonight. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: CALL FOR HELP: Software Freedom Day THIS SATURDAY in Manchester!
On Friday 18 September 2009 00:04, Ben Scott wrote: > What: Software Freedom Day > Who: *YOU* > Where: Pulaski Park, Manchester, NH > Date: Saturday, September 19th, 2009 > Time: Flexible, overall roughly 10 AM to 5 PM > > We need volunteers for Software Freedom Day this Saturday! Count me in. I have been to several, and they are great fun - if just to meet the folks on the other end of an email address. You will know when I arrive. The car muffler blew two days ago and won't be fixed yet. Hope there are no cops around. Is there electricity? If not, demos must be limited to laptop batteries, I guess. Anybody have a generator? Not being much of an expert on Linux, I will bring the Qcad 2-D drafting program to demo. It is available open source for free (penultimate version) and costs $40 per CD (Windows, Mac, Linux included) compared with $800 for AutoCad. Two extra monitors for the laptop, 3 chairs, card table, and sample copy of users' manual round it out. It would help if I could get the monitors in the shade. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: strange system clock issues
On Wednesday 26 August 2009 16:08, Paul Lussier wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I just noticed that my system clock doesn't seem to be working
> correctly all of a sudden. I wasn't running ntpd, but now I am. And
> when I run it, it keeps things up to date for a bit, but watching the
> "seconds" tick by seems very slow, I can actually count 5
> "mississippi"s between "seconds" on the clock.
>
> After the clock gets about an hour (maybe it's 2) out of sync, ntpd
> fails to sync and gives up. Is this a system clock battery problem ?
> The system in question is about 10 years old...
I would guess battery. The current drawn by the 32KHz clock chip is
so low that it always runs on battery. The clock draws less current
than the self-discharge of the battery. But... the battery shelf life
is about 10 years, highly dependent on storage temperature.
If you can get at it, it would not hurt to replace the battery.
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: Wifi @ Nashua Library?
On Wednesday 26 August 2009 15:49, Marc Nozell (m...@nozell.com) wrote: > The Nashua Public Library has free wifi, but I've not been able to > connect, but other Windows users nearby have. It is an unsecured > network so it isn't a key or passphrase problem. > I see in the logs that dhclient isn't getting a lease: > > I'm using Ubuntu/Jaunty. Anyone successful? I log on there successfully - most of the time. Their server gets overloaded easily. I am running OpenSuSE 10.3. My firewall setting was keeping me out, apparently. I could log in with the firewall down. When the firewall was changed to allow all of its listed services (DHCP, DNS, HTTP, IMAP, IMAPS, LDAP, IPP, NFS, NIS, SSH), I got on. Not being very patient, I never went back to see which of them had to be on. (They cut you off without warning if your download reaches 1 GB.) Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Minor disaster recovery
On Wednesday 12 August 2009 08:16, Tyson Sawyer wrote: > Its been at least 10 years since I have actually done a recovery of > this sort... > > We will attempt to find a replacement drive today. We live in > Brookline, NH and work in Bedford, MA. Any suggestions on stores or > drive brands? I have had good service from Showtime Computers in Hudson NH, http://www.showtimepc.com/. They are tech-savvy and can give you advice based on failure reports from customers. > > Any suggestions on recovery strategy? One strategy I had in mind is > (if the old drive still runs) is to boot the old drive with the new > as a secondary. Shut down all extra services. Partition and format > the new drive. Copy the filesystem from the old to the new. Install > Grub on the new (dont' know how, never done much with Grub) and boot > it. Do some sort of restore from BackupPC to restore any libraries > for files that have been corrupted. Folks more expert than I will comment, but I suggest that you install a fresh copy of Ubuntu 8.10 (exact same version as before) on the new drive. All of the Ubuntu files will have creation dates earlier than anything you changed. Take a look to see what that date is. Then copy anything newer on your backup to the replacement disk. > > Other suggestions? ...or fill in the details (specifically the > install of Grub and moving to the primary position) of what I have > outlined? I would be leery of recovering the operating system from the failing disk. You would not know if a seldom-used file had a flaw in it. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: Continuous mode UPSes
On Sunday 19 April 2009 21:34, Bruce Dawson wrote: > I need a continuous mode UPS that will be used 24x365 and it needs to > supply at least 500 watts for 15 minutes. Note: This needs to be > *continuous mode*; line-interactive and standby will *not* work (we > have too many phase changes here). The usual contenders such as APC, > TrippLite, ... don't seem to have continuous mode UPSes. Be sure you get a unit that allows hot-swapping the battery. Unfortunately, the time that you find out the battery is going to fail in 60 seconds is while the UPS is running during an outage. (Battery charge-state instrumentation is not terribly reliable.) You may find this super-conservative approach useful, but you will need to make an EE-type investigation before buying. I had trouble with short power interruptions here due to an arcing feeder line (denied by PSNH for months). The non-continuous UPS would delay 8 or 16ms before coming on, which would cause most of the attached equipment to power-reset. The non-continuous UPS I had, an APC 1100 (1100VA), was a high-end model that puts out a stepped voltage approximation of a sine wave rather than a square wave of equal rms voltage (which is OK for running lamps, stoves, motors.) I bought a Trip-Lite SU1000RT2 (1000VA, 800W) which is the "continuous" type you refer to. It solved the line-arc-reset problem nicely. But rather than discard the APC, I have them hooked in tandem, the less capable APC feeding the Trip-Lite. I have been using the series combo for about 6 years now - long enough to have battery failure in both units. The failed unit beeps etc, but cannot interrupt power to the equipment. The Trip-Lite batteries can be hot-swapped. The APC can be turned off for battery removal. Independent electronics and batteries may offer more protection than an extra battery for one unit. Both units have a serial port computer warning/status output that is supposedly Linux compatible, but I never had the time or need to hook it up. > >... If it > can use my batteries (deep-discharge marine type), ... > I've tried building my own with inverters and chargers, but have had > problems with the batteries dying prematurely (min: 3 months, max: 9 > months). "Deep discharge" is the problem. The chemistry and plate design for high-current, rapid discharge batteries leads to an irreversible lead sulphide build-up on the plates if they are only partially discharged and recharged several cycles. Also, some of them don't like continuous trickle charge. (This is from vague memories, so double-check before accepting it as accurate.) Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: Employment Security Options
On Friday 17 April 2009 23:25, virgins...@vfemail.net wrote: > > From: Jim Kuzdrall > > Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:32:56 -0400 > > > > My wife made a suggestion that seldom gets discussed, guilds. > > The medieval guilds established several tough-to-reach competence > > grades for their members, spanning apprentice to journeyman to > > master. They strictly enforced their workmanship and knowledge > > standards. They often, in effect, insured the quality of the work > > done by their members by leaning hard on them to straighten out any > > problems that were reported. > > > > > Might this concept be modified, updated, and revised to meet > > the needs of today's technical experts? > > That's what the Microsoft certifications are for, right? Or computer science degrees, Professional Engineering license, or FAA pilots license. But one goal of these certifications is just the opposite from that of a guild; that goal is to produce as many certificate holders as possible to keep the wages down. The certificate programs serve the corporate sponsors who use the trainees, not the interests of the workers. In addition, guilds kept the techniques of their craft secret, where possible. (The Microsoft guild's secret would have been "ctrl-alt-del, sssh don't tell anybody".) I doubt anyone will go start a guild today. The working conditions just aren't bad enough. American professionals live very well by world standards. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
OT: Employment Security Options
> For the tenth time in 10 years (the third time in the last 12 > months), I'm looking for a new job... Sadly, I think it's an > example of an all-too-common experience for Technology workers over > the past decade... I can also see a bunch of ways that it > wouldn't work. I'm sure it is an idea that is way too "risky" for > some people to touch. > Still, every time I think that it's a stupid idea, I ask myself if > I'm satisfied with the way things work now. I'm not. The job search > process is tedious, grossly opaque, lop-sided and inefficient... It wouldn't hurt to try some of those initiatives - again. As an old veteran of the technical industry, I concur that the "captains of industry" place very little value on our skills or respect for the hard work it take to acquire them. But, we best not wait for that to change! I solved the problem for me by starting my own company. It worked out well, but if you are looking for job security, that is the wrong direction to head. If you value independence and control more than money, security - or even your family in many sad cases - go for it. Unions are suggested from time to time. They are the anthesis of being "professional" or your own boss. (Few engineers or programmers behave as true professionals - adding to the perception problem.) Not many engineers find unions an attractive answer. My wife made a suggestion that seldom gets discussed, guilds. The medieval guilds established several tough-to-reach competence grades for their members, spanning apprentice to journeyman to master. They strictly enforced their workmanship and knowledge standards. They often, in effect, insured the quality of the work done by their members by leaning hard on them to straighten out any problems that were reported. History tells us that their quality work was valued beyond its cost, making the guild members highly sought. The guild set the pricing guide lines for each grade. The number of guild member was kept slightly below demand. The guilds, in many cases, did not try to prevent others from plying the trade - although some guilds got powerful and nasty eventually. With the concept of a guild, there are no strikes against the employer, the journeyman sets his price for the job (within guide lines), the journeyman, not the guild, contracts with the employer, etc. Might this concept be modified, updated, and revised to meet the needs of today's technical experts? Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Out of memory while booting? update
On Monday 06 April 2009 15:13, Charles G Montgomery wrote: > A (lack of) progress report on my boot attempt failures. Feel free > to ignore. >... > > The problem seems to come during the loading of modules. You reported trying to boot other Linux distributions. Does it hang up on the same module(s) when these other distributions boot? If not, it is hardware. Unrelated software modules shouldn't all suddenly develop a software induced loading problem. Again, I would suggest a tiny OS such as DSL Linux (or even MSDOS). DSL in particular uses Ethernet and many other hardware facilities while residing in the first 16MB of RAM. (MSDOS uses fewer hardware facilities but resides in the first 640K.) If either of these load and operate without a problem, the high memory address lines are likely malfunctioning. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Out of memory while booting?
On Wednesday 01 April 2009 12:59, Charles G Montgomery wrote: > If anyone has an idea what the problem might be, or just suggestions > of things to test, that would be greatly appreciated. A "stuck" (burned out) memory line driver would behave like that if it affected the upper address lines. In that case, data sent to a higher address would just overwrite data at a lower address. The line drivers used to be 8 or 16 bits wide. What you are observing may not be a genuine out-of-memory detection, but an overwrite of the parameter table with data intended for elsewhere. Perhaps memtest86 doesn't look for errors of that sort. I don't know if Linux has an equivalent of BASIC's POKE and PEEK. If it does, erase a data word in high memory; set a word in low memory; see if the word high memory changed. This must be done for every pair of memory lines. But I suspect memtest86 does this; it is easy enough. It should not be necessary to run a test for more than one complete scan of the memory. This problem appears every time. It is a hard error, not an intermittent error. You might try to boot DSL (Damn Small Linux) which only requires 16MB of RAM. Things have changed a lot since I designed computers, but perhaps this insight will lead to a solution. Please report what you eventually find. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [SPAM-45] Meaning of GNU find options: -mtime, -ctime, -atime
On Thursday 02 April 2009 19:35, virgins...@vfemail.net wrote:
> A question was raised recently on the list about the exact meaning of
> arguments to GNU find's -mtime test. While I've been able to get by
> for years without understanding the exact semantics, I decided was
> for me to "dig in" and learn how exactly this works.
>
> Here's what I found (no pun intended). If anyone finds any mistakes
> in this description, please holler... loudly. :)
Nice, clearly written summary. Thanks.
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: ARTICLE - Awk and Sed One-Liners Explained
On Thursday 19 February 2009 13:21, Michael ODonnell wrote: > In light of the occasional questions here about sed and awk this > article seems worth a mention: > >http://www.osnews.com/story/21004/Awk_and_Sed_One-Liners_Explained Thanks for the link. I got them all downloaded for study. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Ethernet NICs w/ USB host attach?
On Thursday 22 January 2009 23:43, Ben Scott wrote: > Anyone got any recommendations for Ethernet interfaces which > connect to the host PC via USB, and work well with Linux? Looking > for 100 megabit capability and currently-for-sale. > > I'm eying this guy: > > Sabrent USB-G1000 > http://www.globalcomputer.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.a >sp?EdpNo=3504463 > > and Sabrent even includes a few .c files for Linux in their driver > .ZIP, but just because someone coughed up some source code, it > doesn't always mean it works well. (Broadcom, I'm looking at you.) If you prefer white and $21.95, www.jameco.com, Part # 1944513. I would bet that all of these use the same chip and firmware, so they should all look the same to the operating system. I have not tried this one, but I was on the verge of ordering it for an older laptop. I would be pleased to read your choice and results. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Jan, Help!!! Org Meeting at MerriLUG
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : New program coordinator and speaker list Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 15 Jan **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Our long-serving coordinator, Heather Brodeur, has requested a break from duty so she might concentrate more effort on her paying work. Both those of us who have worked with Heather and the many of you who have benefited from her leadership wish to thank her for doing a fine job for many years. Thank you, Heather! Now the baton is in Heather's outstretched hand, hoping for a smooth pass to a relay partner who will carry it forward. Could that be you? The MerriLUG coordinator develops a list of potential presentation topics from member suggestions or an Ouija Board that we have at the ready. Next, a suitable and willing volunteer speaker is contacted. The name of the consenting volunteer speaker is given to the announcement publicist, and that is it for the month. Oh yes, the coordinator gets to tell jokes to the crowd before introducing the speaker. Please join us at Martha's to select a new coordinator and get them off to a good start with a long list of topics and speaker suggestions. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall gnh...@intrel.com ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list gnhlug-annou...@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Jan, Help!!! Org Meeting at MerriLUG
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : New program coordinator and speaker list Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 15 Jan **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Our long-serving coordinator, Heather Brodeur, has requested a break from duty so she might concentrate more effort on her paying work. Both those of us who have worked with Heather and the many of you who have benefited from her leadership wish to thank her for doing a fine job for many years. Thank you, Heather! Now the baton is in Heather's outstretched hand, hoping for a smooth pass to a relay partner who will carry it forward. Could that be you? The MerriLUG coordinator develops a list of potential presentation topics from member suggestions or an Ouija Board that we have at the ready. Next, a suitable and willing volunteer speaker is contacted. The name of the consenting volunteer speaker is given to the announcement publicist, and that is it for the month. Oh yes, the coordinator gets to tell jokes to the crowd before introducing the speaker. Please join us at Martha's to select a new coordinator and get them off to a good start with a long list of topics and speaker suggestions. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall gnh...@intrel.com ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list gnhlug-annou...@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Jan, Dinner at Martha's
On Friday 09 January 2009 12:02, Ben Scott wrote: > On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 10:38 AM, kenta wrote: > > Actually, it would be worthwhile to have a discussion at the coming > > meeting about this assuming that people show up. > > Seconded. > > Jim, perhaps sending an addendum announcement stating that meeting > coordination and other meta-meeting issues will be discussed would be > appropriate? Will do. Probably tomorrow. Business meetings today. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: On portable C programming
On Friday 09 January 2009 07:47, Jerry Feldman wrote: > There are actually systems that do this such as ASN 1 == *X.680. > Essentially, the way it works is that everything transmitted is in > TLD (type, length data) format. An integer, for instance would have a > type code (one for 16-bit, 1 for 32-bit, 1 for 64-bit, etc), followed > by a 1 byte length, followed by several individual bytes representing > the integer. Lengths longer than 127 would be represented in a > multi-byte length. All data would be sent in big endian format. > Endian is another problem with standard data. Integers and Doubles > are in different formats on big endian machines like the Sun Sparc, > and little endian in Intel x86 and Digital Alpha. Some chips, like > the Intel IA64 and the later Alpha chips could be set to be either > little or big endian. Using any portable format for local use is > costly from a performance standpoint, but absolutely necessary for > interchange between computers of unlike types. Additionally, the > implementers of the C and C++ standards decided to use objects like > size_t which may be 32-bits on a 32-bit architecture, 64-bits on a > 64-bit architecture (LP64) where longs are 64-bit, and 32-bits where > longs are 32-bits such as on Windows 64. Java certainly was written > with portability in mind. Data base systems took all this into > account many years ago. I once sat on the ANSI database committee and > our biggest discussions had to do with how to describe numbering > formats which are not only different on different architectures, but > also on different programming languages (C, FORTRAN. COBOL, et. al). > So, portability is not just structs and alignments, but also endian > and as mentioned numbering types if data is to be sent to a receiver > with another programming language. * Yes, it has been quite a problem over the years. I have been designing and programming computers since 1960, mostly at the ALU and binary data level, where format is critical. The functions I created addressed, in a very elegant way, the very problems you speak of. They have been republished a number of times. They are extremely fast. The algorithm is elegant in that the C code for these functions is exactly the same regardless of what computer or compiler is used. There are no header entries or #ifdef telling the code that the host is big endian, or BCD, or 1's compliment, or IEEE float. No knowledge about the host system's numeric format need be known. None at all. Yet, the functions always compile and do their job correctly, whether storing the data or fetching the data. I was well aware of ASCII transfer and the algorithms for converting one stored format to another when I wrote the functions in the 1980's. I wanted code that my programmers didn't have to fiddle with when porting to one of the many new processors and systems emerging. It also had to be lightning fast, because the data libraries were large and the processor MIPS were low. As with most programs that dig down so far into bit-wise formats, this one requires some background to understand. It has been tested on many processors and operating systems, but it never had a big company behind it to push for more universal application. To late now. (Incidently, the pointer array I mentioned in an earlier post is not needed. The programs can read and write data directly to the host's structs.) Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: On portable C programming (was: libraw1394 struct layouts...)
On Thursday 08 January 2009 11:25, virgins...@vfemail.net wrote: > > While this could work for userland code, you might run into trouble > in kernel code. How would you access the "struct library" from the > kernel? And (more importantly!) how would you convince the kernel > developers to adopt such a practice? > > Perhaps, if the universal<->native translation was done by a > preprocessor, you could have say scsi_ioctl.uni -> scsi_ioctl.h, > which could then be #included in the source. That might be a little > less cumbersome. > > I don't think having *.uni->*.h would solve endian issues, but endian > issues generally aren't a problem in the kernel. (With some notable > exceptions: struct udphdr, struct nbd_request, etc.) My outline over-complicated the solution - no pointer array is needed. If the addresses of the structs are be obtained from the kernel while it is running, the data can be sent to or taken from them to an external "universal" format. At the very worst, this would require a compile header which allocates extern pointers equated to the run-time struct addresses. The translation functions can be compiled with the kernel or in a linked library, but they don't need any changes to the existing kernel code. Admittedly, most of the code I have written over the years has been for use without an operating system - speed and real-time processing were always critical. But, if I understand the problem correctly, it should not be necessary to mess with the kernel or the kernel developers. Jim Kuzdrall > ___ > gnhlug-discuss mailing list > gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org > http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Jan, Dinner at Martha's
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Whatever interests you Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 15 Jan **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview We will use this opportunity for some friendly conversation around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall gnh...@intrel.com ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list gnhlug-annou...@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: On portable C programming (was: libraw1394 struct layouts...)
On Thursday 08 January 2009 00:06, Ben Scott wrote: > On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 11:31 PM, wrote: > > So what's the recommended way to do this? > > I dunno that there really is any really good way. There is a solution to the problem, I believe, if the structs are data structures that you wish to be common to several environments and processors. The problem is, as pointed out, that numeric values must be on certain byte boundaries for different processors. Mixed in text does not, but it will end up on a boundary if it follows a number (float, double, integer, etc.). Any mixed-in text requires padding that varies with the processor or compiler when the next number is reached. The solution starts with a program for which the structs are working. These structs are then read, one element at a time, by a program that converts them to a "universal" format, creating a universal struct. These functions are readily compiled on any system without any adjustments, as it turns out. Once created, the structs go into a "universal" struct library which can be used various ways, depending on your needs. Your programs must explicitely access all structs via a pointer array, constructed each time the program loads. The program which uses the struct first translates the universal struct to its native format. Then it replaces the pointer the compiler put in the array with the location of the translated struct. You can allow all systems to access the struct library with the universal format functions to keep the structs up to date. Or, if the values are static, just translate the universal struct library to several native libraries, which can be loaded in binary to their respective programs. So, what about these universal programs? The problem is the numeric values. A crude solution would create the universal struct entirely of ASCII by using printf(), strtol(), strtod(), etc. (Don't use scanf(); it usually causes more problems than is solves.) A more elegant way was published in the "C/C++ Users Journal" January 1995, page 33, entitled "Transferring Numeric Values Between Computers" by (guess who) James A. Kuzdrall. P. J. Plauger was editior and was enthralled by the universality of the technique. Neither the numeric format of the host or the target computer need be known - bigendian/littleendian, 32bit/64bit, 2,s compliment/BCD, none of that changes the source code of the translation programs. The functions are fputi, fgeti, fputl, fgetl, fputf, fgetf. fgetf translates to and from a float of 32-bits, which can be cast to native precision before storing in the native system. If you need more float precision than 32-bits, the algorithm must be extended to double. If anyone is interested, I will see if I can find my copy of the article in text format and the source code for the functions. You must be pretty conversant with numeric structures to follow the reasoning, but using the functions is easy. Jim Kuzdrall P.S. If anyone wants this numeric transfer technique as this month's topic for MerriLUG, let me know before noon today, 08 Jan, when the notice goes out. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 18 Dec, What happened to 2008?
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Share stories, visit, resolve Linux questions Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 18 Dec **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview Let us close out the year with a social to celebrate our good fortune to have Linux and the circle of friends that help us make the most of it. Dinner, discussions with conversationalists that are not afraid of technical depth, and warm memories of all the 2008 battles won. Since our generous host usually has the upstairs function rooms fully engaged during the busy holiday season, we will use this opportunity for some friendly visiting around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall gnh...@intrel.com ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list gnhlug-annou...@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 18 Dec, What happened to 2008?
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Share stories, visit, resolve Linux questions Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 18 Dec **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview Let us close out the year with a social to celebrate our good fortune to have Linux and the circle of friends that help us make the most of it. Dinner, discussions with conversationalists that are not afraid of technical depth, and warm memories of all the 2008 battles won. Since our generous host usually has the upstairs function rooms fully engaged during the busy holiday season, we will use this opportunity for some friendly visiting around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Nov, Photographic prowess via Linux tools
Who : Máirín Duffy, Interaction Designer, Red Hat Engineering What : Techniques for creating and adjusting photos Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Nov **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview Máirín Duffy is back to demonstrate the powerful image creation and correction programs Linux provides. She covers several tasks and problems many of us have encountered. After, you may ask her expert advice on your own image problem -- make that "photo problem". - Removing tint from photos: Too blue? Yellowish cast? Máirín briefly reviews a procedure for removing unwanted tint from photos. - Resizing photos without cropping or distortion: Make your photo just a bit wider or a bit taller without making your Aunt Bea look fat or giving your boss a pointy head. The GIMP liquid rescale plug-in preserves the composition while changing the aspect ratio. Máirín shows how. ( http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/lqr/ ) - Face painting: Turn your kids into snowflake-bejeweled elves and reindeer using this cool GIMP trick. No messy facepaint needed! Christmas cards? (See http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/barbara.png ) - Screen prints from photos: Make solid color-area representation of your photo for a logo, icon, or poster. Inkscape turns you into a budding Andy Warhol - or better. Example: http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/photo-to-vector/maasai-woman.jpg.png >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Nov, Photographic prowess via Linux tools
Who : Máirín Duffy, Interaction Designer, Red Hat Engineering What : Techniques for creating and adjusting photos Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Nov **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview Máirín Duffy is back to demonstrate the powerful image creation and correction programs Linux provides. She covers several tasks and problems many of us have encountered. After, you may ask her expert advice on your own image problem -- make that "photo problem". - Removing tint from photos: Too blue? Yellowish cast? Máirín briefly reviews a procedure for removing unwanted tint from photos. - Resizing photos without cropping or distortion: Make your photo just a bit wider or a bit taller without making your Aunt Bea look fat or giving your boss a pointy head. The GIMP liquid rescale plug-in preserves the composition while changing the aspect ratio. Máirín shows how. ( http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/lqr/ ) - Face painting: Turn your kids into snowflake-bejeweled elves and reindeer using this cool GIMP trick. No messy facepaint needed! Christmas cards? (See http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/barbara.png ) - Screen prints from photos: Make solid color-area representation of your photo for a logo, icon, or poster. Inkscape turns you into a budding Andy Warhol - or better. Example: http://duffy.fedorapeople.org/temp/photo-to-vector/maasai-woman.jpg.png >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Old rackmount equipment?
On Monday 20 October 2008 14:22, Drew Van Zandt wrote: > Hey all, >I'm looking for old, not necessarily functional rackmount > equipment to fill a rack with for some airflow experiments I'm doing, > and I was wondering if anyone had junk lying around that would > qualify. Anything I can bolt into a rack will do, from shelves to > token-ring switches. Bonus points if I can plug it in and it > produces heat (but not fire, preferably.) I have two 5.75" STD-bus card cages (cards, but requires +12V, +5V), one 9" chassis (can be powered, has Nixie tubes!), one 7.5" rack-mounted 6809 computer (can be powered), and another 7.5" racked 6809 computer that can be powered. All these things draw lots of power. They are in Nashua. You are welcome to have them for free if they suit. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 16 Oct, Communicating with Pidgins
Who : Heather Brodeur, avid Pidgin user What : Introduction to Pidgin (formerly Gaim) Instant Messaging Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 16 Oct **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview Do you use Instant Messaging or IRC (Internet Relay Chat) for daily communications? Were you ever late replying because you weren't looking at that particular IM network? Pidgin has the solution! With Pidgin, Heather Brodeur logs on to multiple IM networks and perhaps an IRC channel or two simultaneously. Sound like a recipe for chaos? Not so. Heather says it works and is easy to use. Heather will first explain the advantages of Instant Messaging over email, phone, smoke signals, etc? That established, she will show how aggregating the services through Pidgin makes IM much easier to use. What does the user interface look like? How does the user do the basics of IM communication? How can you get started with Pidgin? Are there ways to optimize Pidgin to personal tastes? All those things and more will be enthusiastically covered. Any particular questions you want answered? Give Heather a "heads up" warning at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 16 Oct, Communicating with Pidgins
Who : Heather Brodeur, avid Pidgin user What : Introduction to Pidgin (formerly Gaim) Instant Messaging Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 16 Oct **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview Do you use Instant Messaging or IRC (Internet Relay Chat) for daily communications? Were you ever late replying because you weren't looking at that particular IM network? Pidgin has the solution! With Pidgin, Heather Brodeur logs on to multiple IM networks and perhaps an IRC channel or two simultaneously. Sound like a recipe for chaos? Not so. Heather says it works and is easy to use. Heather will first explain the advantages of Instant Messaging over email, phone, smoke signals, etc? That established, she will show how aggregating the services through Pidgin makes IM much easier to use. What does the user interface look like? How does the user do the basics of IM communication? How can you get started with Pidgin? Are there ways to optimize Pidgin to personal tastes? All those things and more will be enthusiastically covered. Any particular questions you want answered? Give Heather a "heads up" warning at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 18 Sep, OpenStreetMap
Who : Richard Weait, international open source lecturer What : Introduction to OpenStreetMap Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 18 Sep **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview OpenStreetMap creates and provides free geographic data - such as street maps. You may think of downloaded maps as free, but they have legal or technical restrictions which prevent using them in creative, productive, or unexpected ways. Richard Weait, an active OpenStreetMap contributor, uses slides and laptop demos to describe the geographical products available and how to couple them into your project. Richard is also an enthusiastic volunteer cartographer in the London-Kitchener area of Ontario where he lives. He will suggest many ways you can get in on the fun too. Want an excuse to ride your new bicycle or motorcycle? How about a nice outing in your new sporty convertible? Turn these trips into a lasting social value by checking or creating local maps for the OpenStreetMap organization. What fun pedaling through the New Hampshire countryside with a camera strapped to your head! (You are supposed to visualize something small, not a 40 pound stadium zoom camera.) >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 18 Sep, OpenStreetMap
Who : Richard Weait, international open source lecturer What : Introduction to OpenStreetMap Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 18 Sep **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview OpenStreetMap creates and provides free geographic data - such as street maps. You may think of downloaded maps as free, but they have legal or technical restrictions which prevent using them in creative, productive, or unexpected ways. Richard Weait, an active OpenStreetMap contributor, uses slides and laptop demos to describe the geographical products available and how to couple them into your project. Richard is also an enthusiastic volunteer cartographer in the London-Kitchener area of Ontario where he lives. He will suggest many ways you can get in on the fun too. Want an excuse to ride your new bicycle or motorcycle? How about a nice outing in your new sporty convertible? Turn these trips into a lasting social value by checking or creating local maps for the OpenStreetMap organization. What fun pedaling through the New Hampshire countryside with a camera strapped to your head! (You are supposed to visualize something small, not a 40 pound stadium zoom camera.) >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Aug, Linux is Finished?
Who : Everybody What : Linux suggestions and improvements Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 21 Aug **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview The kernel is done. Who would need features beyond KDE 3.4? Ubunto installation is the acme of perfection. Should we stop developing Linux and just use it? Aside from applications, what new Linux features do you need? What flaws bug you the most? Does code size and operating speed mean enough these days to justify recoding? Does Vista have anything Linux should add? Should the United Nations (or maybe NATO) decree that all new computer designs include a debugged Linux installer, as is done for Microsoft products? Come along for a pleasant summer evening in good company. Ponder the future and what we can do about it. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Laptop external power from batteries (DC/DC)
On Monday 18 August 2008 18:24, Ben Scott wrote: > Bringing this thread over here from gnhlug-org... > According to the sticker on the > bottom, it's rated for 19.5 VDC at 4.62 A. That number may be considerably higher for several reasons. One is government regulation for the safety (fire resistance). That would be the maximum power the thing could draw if everything went wrong. The other factor is that the startup power or some operating surge may require a peak power much higher than average. If you have access top a variable laboratory DC supply, you can measure the turn-on and running characteristics. An HP f1703 display I have says 3.5A at 12V on the name plate. It draws 2.1A running. It will start with the current limit set as low as 2.3A. Generally, you can expect a lower power draw than the name plate rating. > When > I attempted to use such adapters to power a Gateway laptop rated at > 80 watts, the laptop would continuously switch between line-power and > internal-battery, at about 0.5 Hz. Apparently the adapter was going > in and out of over-current shut-off. The AC and DC converters are completely different circuits housed in the same module. They should have both met the minimum rating, of course. One possible excuse for them is that the DC voltage was too low after going through whatever wiring connected it. The car battery is actually 2.2V*6= 13.2V at "room" temperature. > Assuming 7.5 A, and again doing the math, that is anywhere from 3 to > 13 hours of operation at full power. Don't forget that DC-to-DC converters are 85% to 95% efficient, so there is some additional loss. > > I know if one was planning on doing this on a regular basis, a deep > cycle battery would be highly recommended. For a one-shot, though, > pulling the battery from a car might be feasible (?). Make sure it isn't the battery you need to start the car when you want to go home! You can put a similar sized car battery in parallel with your regular battery, and the idling car engine will charge it - at great expense in gasoline. I looked at www.mpja.com for something DC-to-DC, but they don't seem to have anything at the moment. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Aug, Linux is Finished?
Who ?: Everybody What : Linux suggestions and improvements Where: Martha's Exchange Day ?: Thur 21 Aug **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview The kernel is done. Who would need features beyond KDE 3.4? Ubunto installation is the acme of perfection. Should we stop developing Linux and just use it? Aside from applications, what new Linux features do you need? What flaws bug you the most? Does code size and operating speed mean enough these days to justify recoding? Does Vista have anything Linux should add? Should the United Nations (or maybe NATO) decree that all new computer designs include a debugged Linux installer, as is done for Microsoft products? Come along for a pleasant summer evening in good company. Ponder the future and what we can do about it. ?>>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< ?!!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Low Power User Squeaks Up
I like the premise of the proposed new SIG, and it is something I have been suggesting (quietly - or I might get volunteered) since I got involved. Linux provides a business advantage which does not require knowledge of its innards. I need to produce complex scientific programs (map data reduction, gravity wave detection, etc). The most popular operating system outright discourages anyone who wishes to write code that must be fast and memory efficient. It insists the user go through a GUI with Visual-this and Visual-that. And then there are the licensing complications. There must be a few in the group who want to share tips on how to use the applications available on Linux: how to make Qcad scale only the x-axis of a circle, how to get updated database information into OpenOffice documents, how to present equation sets to maxima for the most efficient solution, etc. Admittedly, as the topics move to applications, they get directly relevant to a much smaller set of users. The innovation needed for the new group's premise is how to make an application-specific talk of interest to a wider group than just those using that application. I have no answer to that challenge. Moving yet another abstraction step from the Linux innards, what does one do with the applications themselves. What are the best fonts to use on a web page? How can one make an OpenOffice sales presentations most effective? What shot angles characterize the most successful U-tube videos? I deal with a lot of non-computer professionals who would be happier using Linux than their present OS and software selection - if Linux was setup and maintained for them. The evolving challenge for Linux advocates, it would seem, is how to bring them into the fold. They are not as big a group as the "general public", but they are influential. The new SIG proposal offers both innovation and experimentation opportunities for this group's movers and shakers. Is there a concept for a general non-power-user application-oriented SIG that can attract a wide enough audience to persist? Time to get back to explaining to NASA why the stronger temperature-entropy tensor coefficient makes thermal diffusivity, not elastic-wave propagation velocity, the critical factor in laser removal of sub-micron particles from the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope. (Just another example of an OO application with wide general appeal.) Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Jul, Open Source Advocacy - Want to Help?
Who : Mark Boyajian, IT Consultant, Simple Solutions What : Open Source Advocacy - Want to Help? Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Jul **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Open Source software can be an easy path to Linux. If the Windows user is leary about changing operating systems and software at the same time, high quality Open Source software can make it a much less daunting two step process. Mark Boyajian has a campaign to publicize the Open Source option and inform people about the many fine programs available. His approach is particularly innovative: use the local public library as a base. Mark will explain the very successful Tech Talk series he pioneered at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell along with other strategies. Want to ease your neighbor, cousin, or boss into Linux? Use the two step Open Source route. Take them to Perrerell or, better yet, get your local public library involved! Mark will get you started. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: System Recovery
On Tuesday 15 July 2008 19:08, Ben Scott wrote:
> Run a destructive write test on the disk. (WARNING: This will
> *DESTROY ALL DATA* on the disk.) Boot a working rescue/install CD
> and get a shell prompt, and then run "badblocks -s -v -w /dev/foo",
> where "foo" is the name of the whole-disk device ("hda", "sda",
> whatever). (WARNING: This will *DESTROY ALL DATA* on the disk.)
Curious. Why not use the non-destructive badblocks write option -n?
Jim Kuzdrall
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[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Jul, Open Source Advocacy - Want to Help?
Who : Mark Boyajian, IT Consultant, Simple Solutions What : Open Source Advocacy - Want to Help? Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Jul **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Open Source software can be an easy path to Linux. If the Windows user is leary about changing operating systems and software at the same time, high quality Open Source software can make it a much less daunting two step process. Mark Boyajian has a campaign to publicize the Open Source option and inform people about the many fine programs available. His approach is particularly innovative: use the local public library as a base. Mark will explain the very successful Tech Talk series he pioneered at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell along with other strategies. Want to ease your neighbor, cousin, or boss into Linux? Use the two step Open Source route. Take them to Perrerell or, better yet, get your local public library involved! Mark will get you started. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 19 Jun, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
Who : Marc Nozell, MySQL Conference presenter, "Officially" certified What : MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 19 Jun **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Marc Nozell will review the MySQL database system complete with some "whys and wherefores" that reference books overlook. Marc shares with us the "gotchas", under-emphasized essential facts, and "why-this-not-that" savvy that comes from professional applications experience. What can MySQL do for me? What books are recommended? What is an API, and do I need one? How does command-line and in-program coding differ? Under what circumstances should I use a GUI? Which one? What kind of data can I store? When shouldn't I use MySQL? Have you been using MySQL? Marc may have the answer to that vexing question or a time-saving tip for your specific application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 19 Jun, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
Who : Marc Nozell, MySQL Conference presenter, "Officially" certified What : MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 19 Jun **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Marc Nozell will review the MySQL database system complete with some "whys and wherefores" that reference books overlook. Marc shares with us the "gotchas", under-emphasized essential facts, and "why-this-not-that" savvy that comes from professional applications experience. What can MySQL do for me? What books are recommended? What is an API, and do I need one? How does command-line and in-program coding differ? Under what circumstances should I use a GUI? Which one? What kind of data can I store? When shouldn't I use MySQL? Have you been using MySQL? Marc may have the answer to that vexing question or a time-saving tip for your specific application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Good tool for archiving to media?
On Thursday 29 May 2008 12:55, Bill McGonigle wrote: > I have a directory with a slew of files I'll probably not need again > (a mirror of Fedora Legacy) and I'd like to burn them off to disc, > probably so I can throw those discs out ten years from now unread. ;) > > Anyway, there are 42GB worth of files that I'd like to put on 4.7GB > discs. I'd like to find an automated app or set of scripts that > will: > > * checksum the files (md5 or SHA type) > * store a manifest of the directory structure and checksums, ideally > on each disc (probably tunable) > * store the files with reasonable compression (I'm willing to wait > for bzip over gzip, e.g.) > * optimize disc layout to maximize the number of files (% of used > space) per disc, but maintaining as much coherency as possible, and > splitting if really needed (probably tunable?) > * allow for access into a single disc's content, randomly accessed > would be ideal > * store some forward error correction information to account for a > small amount of bitrot (probably tunable) > * free software > * bonus points for doing mkisofs and/or cdrecord for me, but not > really necessary > > From what I can tell from its website, RAR does much of this but > it's proprietary and patented and runs on Windows. It seems like a > common enough set of criteria that some combination of bzip, par, > split, md5sum, and a handful of perl scripts could get this done. > I'm guessing this wheel's been invented but I haven't found it yet. I had looked at KDE kdar (compatible with dar). It has all the checksums, ability to specify which files get compressed, extract individual files rather than directory tree, optimally divide archive by disk size, make incremental backups, specify don't-archive on file-by-file basis, etc. And, it can be used from the command line and accept scripts! Just a suggestion in case you hadn't run across it. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: kded & artsd
On Thursday 22 May 2008 07:11, Brian Chabot wrote: > 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... I had a similar problem and one of 2 things got rid of it: 1) I switched the Control Center-> Sound & Multimedia-> Sound System-> Hardware->Audio Device from Auto Detect to Open Sound System. 2) My SuSE 9.3 system had been installed via the "upgrade" option. A clean new copy solved a lot of small problems (but incurred a lot of extra hours getting things reset.) Someone with more savvy might give reasons why these changes worked. My system: Linux 2.6.11.4-21.17-smp KDE 3.4.0 Level "b" SuSE 9.3 Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 May, Digital Audio Workstations on Linux
Who ?: Christoph Doerbeck, Sales Engineer/Consultant, Redhat What : Linux Digital Audio Workstation Where: Martha's Exchange Day ?: Thur 15 May **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Want to produce high quality audio albums like the professional recording studios? To get the very best, you need a Digital Audio Workstation or DAW. Christoph Doerbeck's reviews the quality of the latest Linux audio processing facilities and shares his experience with their installation and configuration. Christoph's talk covers: an overview of the Linux audio processing projects and goals an evaluation of the proprietary and Open Source Software choices trends and industry standards high level overview of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) overview of Firewire for audio equipment interconnections summary of installation and configuration demonstration of Rosegarden (MIDI-sequencing program) demonstration of Ardour, a Linux-based DAW, is likely ?>>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< ?!!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 May, Digital Audio Workstations on Linux
Who ?: Christoph Doerbeck, Sales Engineer/Consultant, Redhat What : Linux Digital Audio Workstation Where: Martha's Exchange Day ?: Thur 15 May **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Want to produce high quality audio albums like the professional recording studios? To get the very best, you need a Digital Audio Workstation or DAW. Christoph Doerbeck's reviews the quality of the latest Linux audio processing facilities and shares his experience with their installation and configuration. Christoph's talk covers: an overview of the Linux audio processing projects and goals an evaluation of the proprietary and Open Source Software choices trends and industry standards high level overview of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) overview of Firewire for audio equipment interconnections summary of installation and configuration demonstration of Rosegarden (MIDI-sequencing program) demonstration of Ardour, a Linux-based DAW, is likely ?>>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< ?!!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
PCB Design (was Computer repair shop)
On Monday 05 May 2008 19:27, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Power *should* be on the internal layers. That's where it belongs, > > for several engineering and manufacturability reasons. Call ideas > > dim-witted > > Care to enlighten us? I guess PCB design is on-topic enough for this > list. (/me ducks). The only reason I can think of to run power on > internal layers is that if the designer's loose screw shorts out > something on the surface of the board, the sparks will only be 1/2 > the size. You sound like you've designed you share of PCBs. What > other reasons are there? I've designed a number of high performance digital and RF boards. Two functions of the buried ground plane have not been mentioned. If a signal has to go any distance over 10mm it is wise and often necessary to send it via a PC board transmission line known as a strip line. The trace width, spacing to ground plane, and board dielectric constant determine the impedance. These lines have a constant impedance for all frequencies present in the signal. Stated another way, all frequencies travel at the same speed in such lines. You don't want the high and low frequency components of your square pulse arriving at different times. That creates jagged leading and trailing edges that can look like multiple clock pulses where there should be only one. Another benefit of a ground plane is in preventing crosstalk between 2 parallel traces. The coupling capacitance between such traces reduces by an order of magnitude or more with a ground plane beneath. This allows the designer to pack the lines closer together without degrading the signals. By the way, a "ground plane" can be any low impedance surface. The +3.3V sheet works as well as the 0V (ground) sheet. During circuit development, the engineer will bring test points out from the buried traces. Since these stubs degrade the signals, they are removed for production. I don't think you will find many 4-layer motherboards around. They go up to 8 or 12 layers to route all the lines from the big ball-grid-array packages. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [SPAM-30] howto determine processor characteristics from cli
On Thursday 17 April 2008 10:44, Labitt, Bruce wrote:
> I've got a Dell Optiplex 745 that I'm trying to figure out if it is
> worth adding more memory to it. I'd like to find out what
> processor/speed/cache it has. Is there a simple way to get this? I
> would imagine it is all contained in the kernel startup log? dmesg |
> grep (something) ? Or is there a different way?
To address the core purpose of your query, I always fill up a new
computer with as much memory as it will take. If you keep you
computers for a long time, as I do, the memory gets difficult to find
and expensive.
Since disk I/O is the slowest portion of current computers, the more
of the recently used programs or documents the operating system can
retain in RAM, the faster the computer responds.
My advice: buy the memory.
Jim Kuzdrall
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[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Apr, SELinux: Confining the User
Who : Daniel J. Walsh, Lead SELinux Engineer, Redhat What : SELinux: Confining the User Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Apr **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview SELinux up to now has been used mainly to confine network facing applications. Well with Fedora 9, SELinux has come to the point where it can start protecting/confining the logged in user. Dan will give a short overview of SELinux, how it developed and then will demonstrate how/when SELinux can use used to confine users. Finally he will demonstrate tools that can be used to write your own custom policy, to either confine a user or confine an application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Apr, SELinux: Confining the User
Who : Daniel J. Walsh, Lead SELinux Engineer, Redhat What : SELinux: Confining the User Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Apr **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview SELinux up to now has been used mainly to confine network facing applications. Well with Fedora 9, SELinux has come to the point where it can start protecting/confining the logged in user. Dan will give a short overview of SELinux, how it developed and then will demonstrate how/when SELinux can use used to confine users. Finally he will demonstrate tools that can be used to write your own custom policy, to either confine a user or confine an application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: The Silent Woman
Thanks Ben! Right on.
Some times I wonder if you are just the Internet representative of
30 brilliant software guys who standby in a secret room waiting for a
problem to pounce on. It seems like too much detail to carry around in
one head. (Be careful. A guy in Russia learned too much and his head
exploded. I read about it in The Star.)
I like your clear, stepwise analytic approach too. Too bad we can't
make you into an electronic or mechanical engineer. They are
disappearing fast with no American replacements - well we are producing
people with degrees, but they are nowhere near equipped to do
engineering.
On Wednesday 02 April 2008 20:30, Ben Scott wrote:
> I don't think it's a corrupt binary, per se. It seems too
> well-behaved a problem for that. However, I do suspect it may be
> package related. SASL is modular, and perhaps SuSE packages some of
> the authentication mechanisms separately, and you don't have those
> packages installed. A Google search for that error message seems to
> find others have similar symptoms with that cause.
>
> Does SuSE give you a way to of search their package repository for
> "sasl"? If so, do so, and install any likely suspects. For example,
> on the Fedora 8 system I'm typing this on:
>
> yum list *sasl*
>
> yields several packages, including "cyrus-sasl-md5" and
> "cyrus-sasl-plain", each of which implement an authentication
> mechanism.
Since it would be a package not included in the installation, I
searched the names in the installation DVD rpm directory. It came up
with: cyrus-sasl, cyrus-sasl-crammd5, cyrus-sasl-digestmd5,
cyrus-sasl-plain, cyrus-sasl-gssapi, cyrus-sasl-sqlauxprop, qca-sasl.
Only the first was installed on the computer that would not send.
The computer that was working had the first 4 installed. ("plain" was
the one mv needs.)
That was it.
Thanks to the lug members for all the other suggestions too. Any of
them could have been the key.
Jim Kuzdrall
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Re: The Silent Woman
> Thomas-- > The SMTP server is requiring authentication. When you configure the > email client, is there options for 'SMTP Authentication'? Yes, it is an mv account and it has been working for years. I double-checked the password. I asked "do not save password" so it would ask. Which it did; right after that, the error message pops up. > Mark-- > That means that saslauthd is not installed or at least not running. > Is the local system the SMTP server, or are you using a remote system > for that? I just activated enabled saslauthd for levels 3 and 5, then started it. No change. I had tried that before. This is a dial-up connection to mv. > Neil-- > You're not looking at an OS, program, or connectivity problem at > all. This is the message from the remote mail server telling you > exactly what's wrong. I don't seem to be getting as far as the isp based on watching the red/blue activity on the dialup monitor. I am beginning to conclude that this might not be something rational. There may be a damaged binary in there. (I have done the SuSE "repair" from the installation CD several times. Nothing found.) If I were to remove some packages and reinstall them, what ones would be the best candidates? > Jarod Wilson-- > One of the many reasons my own mail server has port 10025 redirect to > port 25, and my laptops are set up to always use 10025. This one is using port 25, but this computer is working on the same SMTP server - but not the same account. Let me try switching that computer to the account I am using here. No. Same error using this SMTP account. * * * * * * It is beginning to look to me like a binary flaw in one of the executables. I can takes some rpms out then reinstall them at level 3, rather than starting a complete reinstall. Any suggests as to which packages are involved? Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
The Silent Woman
My wife's computer can receive email, but it can't send it. Having a woman who could listen but not speak seemed to have some advantages at first. Don't try it. Very, very bad idea. I reinstalled SuSE 9.3 after replacing the hard drive. The install included a "home" level firewall using YaST2. Everything worked fine until I rebooted the machine. Suspecting the firewall, I removed it. That not working, I removed the SuSE security packages, rebooted, reinstalled them, rebooted, thinking the fresh config files might help. No change. I matched all the setting to those of have another computer I have (which is sending this email). No help. * * * * * * * KPPP dials and connects normally. Konqueror browses the web normally. Kmail downloads POP mail normally. But when trying to send anything, I get: "Sending failed: Authorization failed, An error occurred during authentication: SASL(-4): no mechanism available; No worthy mechs found; authentication not supported." I configured the email on Mozilla and got the same message, so it is beyond Kmail. What could it be? I hate to think of reinstalling all of SuSE 9.3, home directory, etc. Running: SuSE 9.3 on i686 machine KDE 3.4.0 level b Linux 2.6.11.4-21.17-default all available updates installed The processes running (ps -e) while the error message is on the screen are: acpid, aio/0, artsd, bash, bash, cardmgr, cpuspeed, cron, cupsd, dbus-daemon-1, dcopserver, events/0, gpg-agent, hald, hwscand, init, kaccess, kacpid, kalarmd, kblockd/0, kded, kdeinit, kdesktop, kdm, kdm, khelper, khpsbpkt, khubd, kicker, kio_file, kio_smtp, kjournald, klauncher, klogd, kmail, kmix, knotes, knotify, konqueror, kppp, kppp, kseriod, ksmserver, ksoftirqd/0, kswapd0, kthread, kwin, kwrapper, lockd, login, mingetty, nfsd, nscd, pccardd, pdflush, portmap, powersaved, pppd, ps, resmgrd, rpciod/0, rpc.mountd, smpppd, snmpd, sshd, startkde, syslog-ng, udevd, X Can somebody help me make peace with my wife? Desperate Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Mar, Dinner at Martha's
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Whatever interests you Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Mar **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview We will use this opportunity for some friendly conversation around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Mar, Dinner at Martha's
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Whatever interests you Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Mar **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview We will use this opportunity for some friendly conversation around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Laptop Saved! (was RAM Mapping Script)
On Thursday 06 March 2008 11:54, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Sandblasting will probably be the quickest way to remove that > coating. It's tough. Makes a good mirror though. It is a long shot, but I am looking for some mild chemical will do enough damage in a week or so of soaking to preclude recovering any data.The goal is no-work, no-cost, no-pollution, no-worry. (Just drill a couple of .25" holes in the unit to let the solvent in.) This would be a personal/small office solution, not a large scale commercial solution. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Laptop Saved! (was RAM Mapping Script)
On Wednesday 05 March 2008 21:38, Bill McGonigle wrote: > Nice detective work, Jim! > > On Mar 5, 2008, at 16:28, Jim Kuzdrall wrote: > >The drive tested the same at 20C with either the -c or -c -c > > options. > > Did you happen to interrogate the S.M.A.R.T status during this > process? Usually when a drive fails -c, there's also a S.M.A.R.T. > error code. Tried. Drive was too old to support SMART. > > > So it appeared to be a hangup in the drive's internal > > controller when it has a long series of read/writes to do. The > > "locate" database search may have triggered it in situ. > > You can probably convince the kernel to throw smaller command queues > at it. I've had to do this for a Dell PERC 3di RAID controller and a > few bad NCQ implementations on SATA II drives, esp. under Linux 2.6 > which appears to be more efficient than 2.4 (or Windows) in this > regard, so some controller firmwares get confused (race conditions, > small buffers, I dunno). Yes, I have had similar things happen in my designs. The data rate starts to wrap the buffer. The receiver notifies the sender, but data is lost before the sender responds. Usually, the sender has filled a buffer that is completing its transmission under hardware control. Many of the classic "RS-232" controllers responded to Clear-to-Send (CTS line) in two bytes maximum, but the ATA interface may have lost that feature. > > > I doubt I will ever know and no > > longer care. > > Aww, c'mon, push it over 60 hours, and go for the 'really > environmental' status. :) Actually, I do have some curiosity left. After disassembling the drive, I want to see if any common household chemicals can etch off the platter's magnetic coating. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Laptop Saved! (was RAM Mapping Script)
On Wednesday 05 March 2008 18:33, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: > > Cost of saving Dell Inspiron 2650 (original cost ~$800) > > "Technician" @ $40/hr 57 hr .. $2280.00 > > Book "Understanding the Linux Kernel" 49.95 > > Ice cream to sooth nerves (6 times)33.37 > > Replacement hard drive (160GB) 93.75 > > Rebate from wife for saving environment -22.78 > > Total 2434.29 > > Cost of all that technical help from the GNHLUG mailing > list...Priceless! As usual. Even when it is not my problem or question, there is always something of value to learn here. I thought of adding the received value of 1 week in a college computer technology course (pro rata) to offset the cost. But, it has been so long that I don't even know how they charge for courses these days. It used to be $25 per semester credit hour. It must have gone up somewhat. One spring we has a tuition "riot" because $900/semester tuition was "too damn much". Thanks to everybody for this help and to the list in general for perpetuating the spirit of sharing and helping. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Laptop Saved! (was RAM Mapping Script)
Since the commenters made a very good case that bad RAM byte 64h
should not affect Linux, I retested the RAM a 35C (maximum operating
temperature for the Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop) to see if the rest of
the RAM had weak bytes. Only 64h tested bad.
Since the chamber was going, I removed the hard drive to retest it at
the higher temperature. Rather than just a basic e2fsck test (which
had been done several times), I added the -c option (badblocks). Oh
Oh. The drive hung up about 20 minutes through the test with its
"access light" on steady but giving no response.
The drive tested the same at 20C with either the -c or -c -c options.
However, it always passed e2fsck OK without the -c option set. Another
similar drive passed all of these tests OK, so the setup is valid.
Bad drive: Hitachi Travelstar 2.5" 40GB 5400rpm Feb-03
Passed: e2fsck -f -n -t -v /dev/sdb2
Failed: e2fsck -c -c -f -n -t -v /dev/sdb2
Failed: e2fsck -c -f -n -t -v /dev/sdb2
Passed: badblocks -b 4096 -v /dev/sdb2 9504871 (read only)
Failed: badblocks -b 4096 -n -v /dev/sdb2 9504871 (non-destructive r/w)
Passed: e2fsck -f -n -t -v /dev/sdb2 (no bad blocks although badblocks
just failed)
So it appeared to be a hangup in the drive's internal controller
when it has a long series of read/writes to do. The "locate" database
search may have triggered it in situ. I doubt I will ever know and no
longer care.
Cost of saving Dell Inspiron 2650 (original cost ~$800)
"Technician" @ $40/hr 57 hr .. $2280.00
Book "Understanding the Linux Kernel" 49.95
Ice cream to sooth nerves (6 times)33.37
Replacement hard drive (160GB) 93.75
Rebate from wife for saving environment -22.78
Total 2434.29
Jim Kuzdrall
___
gnhlug-discuss mailing list
gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org
http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Laptop Screw Mangement (Was: RAM Mapping Script)
On Monday 03 March 2008 21:40, Bill McGonigle wrote: > On Mar 2, 2008, at 16:26, Ben Scott wrote: > > One thing I've seen a field service tech do is carry a stack of > > plastic "Dixie" cups (2 oz size). Each set of screws went into a > > cup, and the next one stacked inside that one. As long as one > > reassembles components in the same order one took them apart, this > > works nicely as a guide. And one can put an empty cup in the top > > of the stack and wrap the stack in tape to keep them from spilling. > > That's pretty clever, thanks. Friction ought to be pretty decent > though tape can't hurt. > > I've been using ice cube trays, but I did once bump the end of one... > oh, boy. I've always used butter tubs. Nice covers. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: RAM Mapping Script
On Monday 03 March 2008 11:28, Coleman Kane wrote: This was my point, > that this memory would never be used by the Linux kernel or any > applications during normal operation. However, when vm86 mode is set > up, this first 1MB of RAM is typically copied from the first 1MB of > system RAM to populate the "virtual 1MB" in your vm86 process. So my > point with the vm86 mode talk was that if the memory at 64h were the > *only* memory that was actually bad, then this problem should affect > your system except during cases where the kernel is attempting to set > up a VM86 process. > > My guess is that more RAM is also bad, just less obviously bad. Have > you tried running memtest86 with some of the more exhaustive tests on > this system? The memory test ran for 95 hours. It gave 5 errors, all in the same byte. I think the test type and specific data were the same. I am tempted to put it in an environmental chamber I have to see if 35C brings out more errors. If not, it is definitely a one bit failure. There are several types of physical defects and different locations where they may be. This one seems like a bit storage capacitor that leaks a little too fast for the refresh rate. Temperature would nail that down. We keep the house and lab at a cool 18C during the heating months. The idea of /dev/mem is new for me and I am looking forward to checking it out. Right now, I better get some work done or I will be holding people up. I have a controllable urge to recompile a kernel with some of my own assembly language code included. Jim Kuzdrall Would the 2.6 kernel necessarily > > -- > Coleman Kane > > ___ > gnhlug-discuss mailing list > gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org > http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: RAM Mapping Script
On Sunday 02 March 2008 13:28, Ben Scott wrote: Boo-hoo! Still the same memory error. Apparently Dell didn't shuffle RAM modules on this one. I can't say I am making any progress toward saving the computer, but I am learning a lot. Thanks guys. >From Michael ODonnell > Que? It's been ages since I thought about this stuff but I'm pretty > sure int19h is (or was, when dinosaurs roamed and I was versed in > this stuff) the vector that points to some sort of booter code; > nothing to do with keypads. Right. I was looking at 0040:0019 in the variables page. > the IA32 > architecture has used the IDT register to point at the vector table > (official name: Interrupt Descriptor Table) wherever it happens to be. I knew that! I think. Once upon a time - but I forgot. Yes, the x86 instructions LIDT AND SIDT load and store the register which points to the table in the protected mode. Makes sense. All other memory accesses must go through a Descriptor Table, so why handle the processor services differently. >From [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Somewhere, floating around the 'net, there's something called the "bad > RAM" patch for the linux kernel. I saw that too. It might have been needed to solve a memory exception problem with the DEC Alpha chip. Summary: Memory error is in on-board chip; impractical to replace. Linux maps the interrupt table elsewhere for protected mode, likely The RAM at the memory error acts like it is in the stack area There is nothing resembling memmap or any related thing on this Linux system So, the next thing to try is a program that executes right after boot and puts 128 bytes of zeros on the stack and stays in the background doing nothing. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: RAM Mapping Script
On Sunday 02 March 2008 13:28, Ben Scott wrote: > On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 7:53 AM, Jim Kuzdrall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I have a Dell 2650 with one byte of bad RAM. > > I take it you mean a Dell Inspriron 2650, and not a Dell PowerEdge > 2650. Yup. > If you've got a DIMM installed in addition to the RAM soldered to > the main board, try removing the module and running the tests again. > I've heard of hardware designs doing strange things, like presenting > add-on memory first when installed. Perhaps that is myth (on x86, at > least), but worth a shot if you're trying to revive old hardware. Timely suggestion. I was just removing the last screws - you know, the ones that you have to break the plastic to get out. Your suggestion even comes before I forgot where all the screws I took out came from. Actually, remapping the add-on RAM to the low address makes a lot of sense from the hardware design aspect. Add-on modules of several sizes can be used, most of them larger than the on-board memory. With a large add-on, the hardware must leave a memory hole or do hardware address translation for all the high order address bits. In contrast, moving the small memory to the next location above requires only a simple statically programmed comparator to its enable line. > (The nominally cost-effective thing to do is throw the computer out > and buy another one, but I trust you are aware of that and have > particular factors which are affecting the math.) I let principle override practicality all too often. It irks me to toss a beautiful piece of engineering because one square micron of silicon leaks a little too much current for the refresh rate. > > > The error occurs at address 64h. INT 19h stores the code when the numeric keypad is used with the alt key. Since the numeric keypad is not even enabled on the laptop, it it hard to guess why that interrupt would be accessed and how it would affect the functioning of these programs. But... > I'm not sure you can reserve that region to prevent the system from > using it (or if the system will work properly if you do). On the > other hand, once the kernel switches into protected mode, I think > things get more complicated, so maybe it doesn't matter so much. Real or unreal mode, the location of the interrupt jump table is built into the processor, as has been pointed out. But your the module remapping observation may be the real salvation here. > My understanding is that it is possible to tell the kernel to > consider certain memory regions as reserved, using the kernel boot > parameter "memmap=". For you, I think it would be: > > memmap=64$1 That is sort of what I was looking for. The mmap() facility lets you reserve the absolute memory location for a process you assign, but I doubt you could have an access to that address divert to the process before the microprocessor fetched the contents and jumped. > The fact that a test works on one machine and not another isn't > necessarily conclusive. I've encountered hardware that appears to > have features incompatible with MemTest86, where some region of > memory will always be identified as "bad", even though the memory is > in fact fine. The fact that the fault is reported intermittently is > a sign that it is an accurate diagnostic, though. Design features > are usually consistent. I only intended to show that the program did not report a memory error at $64 every so often no matter what it was testing. The tests admittedly do not prove that the Dell address is not good nor that the t60 address is not actually bad anymore than we can be sure that Microsoft won't recall Vista and substitute Ubuntu tomorow. > > Still, I would suggest obtaining the latest version of the Dell > Diagnostics for your computer from the Dell website, and running > that. (I think that generation of laptop will have them as images of > a mutli-diskette boot set.) Sometimes the OEM diagnostics know > things generic diagnostics don't. At the very least, it would be > nice if both MemTest86 and Dell Diags identify the same spot as bad. To see if your RAM removal suggestion works, I should probably use the same program that reported the error the first time. Remember, the error occurred only 5 times in 95 hours of testing. Test program has repeated the test 15 times without an error so far. It goes faster with 128MB rather than 383MB. I should have complete 250 tests by tomorrow morning. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: RAM Mapping Script
On Sunday 02 March 2008 09:18, Kevin D. Clark wrote: > Jim Kuzdrall writes: > > The error occurs at address 64h. The memory test from the SuSE > > 9.3 installation CD reports 5 memory errors at this location in 250 > > passes (90 hours of testing). The same testing program reports no > > errors on a Thinkpad T60 after 138 test passes through 5 times more > > RAM, so it does not appear to be imagining the defect. > > You're a little bit between a rock and a hard place here. From your > description, the memory location of the bad RAM is in a very low > memory location. The Linux kernel doesn't use this memory; it leaves > this memory alone for the BIOS to do its Power On Self Test (POST). > > So this memory isn't even available to be reserved; the Linux kernel > isn't even interacting with it in the first place. > > Is there any way in your BIOS to perform a more extensive POST, or to > mark this memory as being bad? There is only one level of self-check in this BIOS and that is enabled. The (bad) behavior of the system does not point to a BIOS problem, however. Every few weeks some Linux program would go wacky. Each time is was a different program and a different wackiness. (There were not enough wacky observations to conclude that the same effect in the same program never ever repeated.) Reboot restored proper operation. What do you think of this theory? The BIOS unpacks its startup code into low RAM, but then allows that to be overwritten. The ROM itself is mapped outside of the allowed RAM range, where it makes the interrupt table and low-level drivers available. After startup, it would seem that the BIOS based programs would not need any RAM. If Linux uses the low memory range for the kernel stack, the behavior would be explained by a bad bit (and it is only one bit) in the stack. (The Intel products build stack from low to high memory, if I remember correctly.) How would one try to map-out the low memory byte to see how Linux responded to the try? Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
RAM Mapping Script
I have a Dell 2650 with one byte of bad RAM. Unfortunately, it is in low RAM which resides on the board. It is not practical to replace the memory chip. The kernel has a function, mmap(), which allows one to reserve 4,8,16,... bytes of memory at a specific physical address for a process. As I understand it, one reserves the bad memory for a do-nothing (or possibly not-loaded) process. Is there a command line equivalent of mmap() that can be put in one of the starting scripts? Or is there a better way to take the bytes out of service? The error occurs at address 64h. The memory test from the SuSE 9.3 installation CD reports 5 memory errors at this location in 250 passes (90 hours of testing). The same testing program reports no errors on a Thinkpad T60 after 138 test passes through 5 times more RAM, so it does not appear to be imagining the defect. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] POSTPONED - SORT OF! MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
To fill in (since you already committed to an evening out) we will take turns relating strange adventures we have endured - Linux, work, hardware, building collapse, flying saucers, time travel, etc. I suppose I could fill in with my "Confessions of a Brothel Owner" talk. (Just kidding. Have to update some of the presentation slides.) JAK -- Forwarded Message -- Subject: [SPAM-60] Re: Draft: MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Date: Thursday 21 February 2008 16:31 From: "Marc Nozell ([EMAIL PROTECTED])" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Ben Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Heather Brodeur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Marc Nozell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sorry folks, but I can't give the presentation tonight -- the flu hit me hard this morning. I send a postposted message to gnhlug-annouce/-discuss, but haven't see it yet. Can someone flush the the queue? Thanks. -marc On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 1:09 PM, Jim Kuzdrall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Wednesday 13 February 2008 12:47, Marc Nozell wrote: > > On Wed, 2008-02-13 at 11:17 -0500, Ben Scott wrote: > > > The draft announcement looks good to me. > > > > I'm fine with it. > > > > > How to do backup/restore, ... maintenance ... Security > > > > Noted. > > I hadn't considered how tricky backup/restore could be. If > either of you seconds it, I will toss those key words into the > writeup. They are topics that will pique people's interest. > > > Just one hour, right? I can hang around afterwards. > > Not shorter than 1 hour (which is rarely a problem). 7:30 to > 9:00 is the target duration. We can stay in the room, I would guess, > until the restaurant closes, which must be at least 11PM. > > You might mention at the start of your talk that you will be > available after. That way, if someone needs a long explanation or > has a very narrow-scope question, they know they can wait until > after. > > Jim Kuzdrall -- Marc Nozell ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.nozell.com/blog --- ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] POSTPONED! MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
I suppose I could fill in with my "Confessions of a Brothel Owner" talk. (Just kidding. Have to update some of the presentation slides.) JAK -- Forwarded Message -- Subject: [SPAM-60] Re: Draft: MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Date: Thursday 21 February 2008 16:31 From: "Marc Nozell ([EMAIL PROTECTED])" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: "Ben Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Heather Brodeur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Marc Nozell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sorry folks, but I can't give the presentation tonight -- the flu hit me hard this morning. I send a postposted message to gnhlug-annouce/-discuss, but haven't see it yet. Can someone flush the the queue? Thanks. -marc On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 1:09 PM, Jim Kuzdrall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Wednesday 13 February 2008 12:47, Marc Nozell wrote: > > On Wed, 2008-02-13 at 11:17 -0500, Ben Scott wrote: > > > The draft announcement looks good to me. > > > > I'm fine with it. > > > > > How to do backup/restore, ... maintenance ... Security > > > > Noted. > > I hadn't considered how tricky backup/restore could be. If > either of you seconds it, I will toss those key words into the > writeup. They are topics that will pique people's interest. > > > Just one hour, right? I can hang around afterwards. > > Not shorter than 1 hour (which is rarely a problem). 7:30 to > 9:00 is the target duration. We can stay in the room, I would guess, > until the restaurant closes, which must be at least 11PM. > > You might mention at the start of your talk that you will be > available after. That way, if someone needs a long explanation or > has a very narrow-scope question, they know they can wait until > after. > > Jim Kuzdrall -- Marc Nozell ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.nozell.com/blog --- ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
Who : Marc Nozell, MySQL Conference presenter, "Officially" certified What : MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 21 Feb **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Marc Nozell will review the MySQL database system complete with some "whys and wherefores" that reference books overlook. Marc shares with us the "gotchas", under-emphasized essential facts, and "why-this-not-that" savvy that comes from professional applications experience. What can MySQL do for me? What books are recommended? What is an API, and do I need one? How does command-line and in-program coding differ? Under what circumstances should I use a GUI? Which one? What kind of data can I store? When shouldn't I use MySQL? Have you been using MySQL? Marc may have the answer to that vexing question or a time-saving tip for your specific application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 21 Feb, MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs
Who : Marc Nozell, MySQL Conference presenter, "Officially" certified What : MySQL: The Whys, Whats, and Watch-outs Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 21 Feb **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Marc Nozell will review the MySQL database system complete with some "whys and wherefores" that reference books overlook. Marc shares with us the "gotchas", under-emphasized essential facts, and "why-this-not-that" savvy that comes from professional applications experience. What can MySQL do for me? What books are recommended? What is an API, and do I need one? How does command-line and in-program coding differ? Under what circumstances should I use a GUI? Which one? What kind of data can I store? When shouldn't I use MySQL? Have you been using MySQL? Marc may have the answer to that vexing question or a time-saving tip for your specific application. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
LXF Magazine DVD Index
Greetings, The bash script which follows builds an index of all source code files shipped on the DVDs that come with a subscription to Linux Format magazine. I searched in vain for one on the Internet without luck. I hope I didn't overlook something better. The DVDs are a great solution for those who can only get (or choose) 56K dialup service. It delivers new copies of many Linux distributions (often bootable from the DVD), kernel source code, desktop source code, and applications which can avoid 50MB to 300MB downloads. The index answers the question: Was a recent copy of the software I suddenly crave on some previous DVD? If so, I won't have to download a version to try it. The first bash script, lxf_add.sh, compiles the index. Call it with no parameters or -h or --help for instructions (see code). The second script, lxf_find.sh, does the search. Call it with no parameters for instructions (see code). It should accept regular expressions properly (I think). I have built an index from DVD 47 to 103, which we might get onto the Wiki if anyone is interested (330K zipped). lxf_add.sh #! /bin/bash # Add source files from the latest Linux Format magazine DVD to a # composite index for searching. Use with lxf_find.sh to locate # the latest version of a program available on the DVD set. # Bash script: lxf_add.sh # Author: James A. Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] # License: GNU General Public License (GPL) # History: # 11-Feb-08 jak; created # if no DVD name given, show help if [ "$#" -eq 0 -o "$1" = "--help" -o "$1" = "-h" ]; then cat << EOT --- Command line format: $0 where ### is the number of the mounted Linux Format magazine DVD Adds the latest Linux Format DVD source file names to a composite index. Index files lxfdvd_inx.csv and lxfdvd_last.csv. Field separator is white-space (in particular, a space). The fields are: 1) 'source_name.[bz2|deb|gz|iso|rpm|tgz]' 2) ' DVD_identifier'. Examples of use: Add all source files in the DVD named LXFDVD102... lxf_add.sh LXFDVD102 To find DVDs which contain a version of OpenOffice... lxf_find.sh openoffice -- EOT exit 1 fi # Please set these paths appropriately for your computer # mnt_path="" # sum_path="" mnt_path=/media/ sum_path=/home/jak/aaajak/lnx/src/aaa_lxf/ # check that user initialized paths if [ "$mnt_path" = "" ] ; then echo echo - echo " In $0, please initialize mnt_path, where DVD is mounted" echo "(usually /mnt/ or /media/)" if [ ! "$sum_path" = "" ]; then echo - echo exit 2 fi fi if [ "$sum_path" = "" ] ; then if [ ! "$mnt_path" = "" ] ; then echo echo - fi echo " In $0, please initialize sum_path, where summary files go" echo '(Perhaps create "lxf_dvds/" in your home directory)' echo - echo exit 3 fi # program-wide definitions: dvd_nam=$1 mnt_dir=$mnt_path$dvd_nam/ ix_file=$mnt_dir".index/index.xml.gz" ix_file_alt=$mnt_dir".index/index.xml" sum_file=$sum_path"lxfdvd_inx.csv" sum_last=$sum_path"lxfdvd_last.csv" sum_bkup=$sum_path"lxf_"$dvd_nam"_inx.csv" sum_tmp=$sum_path"tmp.csv" # see if the DVD is mounted if [ ! -d $mnt_dir ]; then echo -- echo " DVD $dvd_nam does not appear to be mounted at $mnt_dir" echo -- exit 4 fi # see if index file is there if [ ! -e $ix_file -a ! -e $ix_file_alt ] ; then echo -- echo " $ix_file not found on this DVD" echo -- exit 5 fi # if DVD index file is not zipped, create a zipped version if [ -e $ix_file_alt ] ; then cp $ix_file_alt $sum_path"index.xml" ix_file=$sum_path"index.xml.gz" gzip $sum_path"index.xml" fi # extract the index; convert all tabs to spaces # pass thru: from line begins "" # keep lines ending in "/disk>" or beginning with " \n # eliminate leading spaces; save in temp file (can't sort from pipe) zcat $ix_file | tr '\t' ' ' | sed -n -e '/^ *$/p' | sed -n -e '/<\/disk>$/p' -e '/^ *$' | sed -e '/^ *//; s/<\/disk>/@/; h; d }' \ -e 's/$//' -e 'G' | tr '\n' ' ' | tr '@' '\n' | sed -e 's/^ *//' > $sum_tmp # sort; lines begin with source file name sort --ignore-case < $sum_tmp > $sum_bkup # append the new single-DVD entries to all previous entries cat $sum_bkup >> $sum_file # eliminate duplicates in case same DVD appended twice sort --ignore-case < $sum_file > $sum_tmp uniq --ignore-case < $sum_tmp > $sum_file # Write a file with just the latest version available sort --ignore-case --reverse < $sum_file > $sum_last sort --ignore-case --key=1,1 --unique < $sum_last > $sum_tmp sort < $sum_tmp > $sum_last # remove the temporary and
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Jan, Python? Why should I care?
Who : Kent Johnson, 5-year Python veteran and active contributor What : Why should I care about Python? What can it do for me? Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Jan **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Why learn another language? As you will hear from Kent, Python is an investment that can pay off well and quickly for you. Kent Johnson explains the philosophy behind Python and points out its advantages over more familiar languages like C/C++. You will get a top-down view of the convenience tools/features built in as well as some code snippets to demonstrate the ease of programming. If you have been considering Python (or just want to be better informed) this is a great opportunity to get an overview and have your questions answered. A preview of the talk is available here: http://personalpages.tds.net/~kent37/stories/00020.html Kent has been learning and using Python for over five years and evangelizing it for almost as long. He is moderator of - and prolific contributor to - the python-tutor mailing list, and lead developer for http://blogcosm.com which is built with Python and Django. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 17 Jan, Python? Why should I care?
Who : Kent Johnson, 5-year Python veteran and active contributor What : Why should I care about Python? What can it do for me? Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 17 Jan **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion (usually upstairs) :: Overview Why learn another language? As you will hear from Kent, Python is an investment that can pay off well and quickly for you. Kent Johnson explains the philosophy behind Python and points out its advantages over more familiar languages like C/C++. You will get a top-down view of the convenience tools/features built in as well as some code snippets to demonstrate the ease of programming. If you have been considering Python (or just want to be better informed) this is a great opportunity to get an overview and have your questions answered. A preview of the talk is available here: http://personalpages.tds.net/~kent37/stories/00020.html Kent has been learning and using Python for over five years and evangelizing it for almost as long. He is moderator of - and prolific contributor to - the python-tutor mailing list, and lead developer for http://blogcosm.com which is built with Python and Django. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Meeting tonight; weather (was: Eee PC hands on?)
On Thursday 20 December 2007 10:42, Ben Scott wrote: > If it keeps snowing like they say it might, I'll probably skip the > meeting, so I may have to give you a rain check for tonight. > > If it wasn't for the fact that there isn't a speaker, I suspect > we'd be considering canceling. Since this was a completely social > gathering, I presume we can let everyone make that call individually. > Although if only one person shows, s/he might be lonely. :) I just called in reservations for 14, so there will be room for anyone that comes. These storms are perverse. It could be beautifully clear with all streets plowed and no traffic by 5PM. On the other hand... I called Martha's rather than dropping in personally as I usually do (clutch problem with the car). I usually like to get that alcove off to the side because it is more isolated. Realizing that communicating the location (left vs. right) on the phone might be difficult, I described it as "on the south side of the building". There was some comment about in the back behind the bar. I said joking, "No, on the south side; look at a compass if you must." She said, "But, it all depends on whether you are facing towards or away from the building!" So, if you go, be prepared. Martha's is in an alternate universe. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Dec, Mind and Body Food at Martha's
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Linux Progress, 2007 Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Dec **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview What do you consider the significant advances and setbacks for Linux in 2007? The demise of SCO? The Novel-Microsoft pact? Feisty Fawn? Linux on Dell? The super laptop you got for your birthday? The MythTV that Jarod Wilson's talk helped you get working? Eee PC? ...Or, anything other topic suitable for gentile dinner conversation e.g. Paris Hilton's dog. Since our generous host usually has the upstairs function rooms fully engaged during the busy holiday season, we will use this opportunity for some friendly conversation around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 20 Dec, Mind and Body Food at Martha's
Who : The friendly, suave, intelligent, knowledgeable MerriLUG group What : Linux Progress, 2007 Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 20 Dec **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub (no upstairs discussion this month) :: Overview What do you consider the significant advances and setbacks for Linux in 2007? The demise of SCO? The Novel-Microsoft pact? Feisty Fawn? Linux on Dell? The super laptop you got for your birthday? The MythTV that Jarod Wilson's talk helped you get working? ...Or, anything other topic suitable for gentile dinner conversation e.g. Paris Hilton's dog. Since our generous host usually has the upstairs function rooms fully engaged during the busy holiday season, we will use this opportunity for some friendly conversation around the dining table. Enjoy! >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: New Edisons? Was: [OT] Simple math considered physics
On Saturday 24 November 2007 23:47, Ben Scott wrote: > On Nov 24, 2007 8:56 PM, Jim Kuzdrall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Try this on for an idea: Linus' lasting contribution may be > > the concept of collaborative, open technical development using the > > Web or some other egalitarian communication medium. > > I think Linus' key differentiators were (A1) an acceptance of > "worse is better"[1], and (A2) his willingness to involve others. Yes, and I am sure there are other contributing concepts too. It will only be when looking back 20 years from now that the lasting core or his concepts will be clear. > A2: It was Richard Stallman who codified and popularized the > concept of "Free Software"... I talked to Stallman several times in the early 1980s, and his concept of "free software" always got me angry. There he was, drawing a nice fat salary from MIT to work on anything he liked. What right does he have to tell me, working for myself with no salary or capital backing, to give my work away for free. I would starve! If his point had been that university staff, funded by the public, should donate their work since they were already paid for it, OK. But... > > A1: GNU also appears to favor slow progress, more careful design, > and a desire to get everything right the first time around. After years in engineering, I am firmly in the "do it right the first time" camp. "There is never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.. and over.. and over.." Since I bid engineering at fixed-price, I bet my living on not having to do things over. Lots of incentive. But wasn't Linus a bit more firm than you imply about assuring things got thoroughly checked before release? Wasn't the Linux crew against the Microsoft philosophy "Get it out there first, even if it is crap. We can fix it once we scare everybody else off." > Let us also not forget that progress, even in Edison's day, does > not occur in a vacuum. Edison was not the first to work on > electrical generation, or incandescent lighting, or transcription of > sound. He refined prior research and ideas into working concepts > that scaled to commercial production. Understood. But my point was that contributing "world class" advancements that achieve Edison-like fame is increasingly beyond the resources of the individual. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. > Edison's work in electrical generation and distribution, in > particular, is a fascinating study. His original designs used DC, > and could not scale to wide-area distribution. George Westinghouse, > his chief competitor, was the one promoting AC and tiered voltage > distribution. Don't forget the colorful Tesla, "Look mom! No wires!" > I wonder if Edison might well have more in common today with Bill > Gates than Linus Torvalds: Edison was not just a smart guy and hard > worker, he also had the business savvy to turn his work into big > commercial success. My feeling too, but I didn't want to trample on Ric's hero by bringing up the complaints of his contemporaries of financial chicanery, idea "appropriation", or unsophisticated, unguided, brute force experimentation. (Boy, that does sound like Gates!) Yes, Edison was a fortuitous bundle of attributes. Back to Ric's original point, how do we encourage that good fortune to happen again or more often. To bring it back on topic, should the "board" be looking more to nurturing the youth in technological values than getting Linux installed on many computers (which may be better achieved by Novell, Red Hat, etc.). Linux is a valuable tool for not only exploring software concepts, but also calculating the speed of baseballs and other physical curiosities. High school, Boy Scouts, 4-H, YMCA presentations? Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: New Edisons? Was: [OT] Simple math considered physics
On Friday 23 November 2007 21:47, Ric Werme wrote: > > As for the former, I wrote the following a while back. While it ran > in the NH Mensa newsletter, I was never happy with it and haven't > put it on the web yet. Too many omissions, too many sentences that > need their own paragraph, but it really needs to be short and great, > not short and good enough or too long to be memorable. I'll fix it > someday. I believe it was Jean Jacques Rousseau who concluded a letter to a friend saying, "I am sorry this letter is so long, but I did not have time to write a shorter one." (Did I get that attribution right?) > > No More Edisons? >-by Ric Werme > ... > Some of the best inventions are things that are fairly simple but no > one ever considered them before. They are definitely impressive when they occur. But most advances require more sophistication now days. The nanowire technology required elaborate facilities to observe it and even more to confirm and perfect it. Although the knowledge to deduce the trapdoor algorithm behind PGP could possibly be accomplished by years of self-study in mathematics, it is likely that some mentoring would be required along the way - even for a genius. > > Can there be another Edison? Perhaps, but he'll have a different > background. Few people are as widely read, as experienced, and as > insightful as Thomas Edison was. The thrust of your essay seems very reasonable. Addressing just the environmental part, there are many people born each year with intellects on par with that of Edison, but it is the experiences shaping those intellects that seems to make the difference. If that is the case, the new Edisons are likely growing up right now in India, China, and Indonesia. The factors you mention that are now missing in the US all seem to be present there. There are families that are poor in material goods but rich in wise principles that nurture learning, self-sufficiency, and ingenuity. Children are given little and expected to endure hardship - even mistreatment - increasing their incentive to better themselves. There are few regulations to prevent "dangerous" experimentation. The economies are growing rapidly and are open to new ideas. > However, > they have never achieved more than a small bit of Edison's fame and > impact. The biggest obstacle may not be personal, but environmental. When Edison flourished there were about 1 billion people world wide. Now there are 6 billion competing for the spot light. It seems that access to education and economic opportunity may have spread to a larger percentage, making it even harder to get world-wide attention. Inventions on par with Edison's are lost among an explosion of many. Air conditioning, antibiotics, ultrasonic medical imaging, chemical fertilizers, TV ... (To counter, it is still not impossible. See Ben's note on Linus.) > Until a new "disruptive technology" like nanotechnology opens up > thousands of avenues for invention, there may not be room enough for > a new Thomas Edison. I like to differentiate between evolutionary technologies and truly disruptive inventions. Special horse breeds and Concord coaches are evolutionary or extrapolations. The ingenious combination of several new technologies to produce the automobile was "disruptive". But it is sometimes hard to draw a clean line. Certainly, travel beyond the speed of light would be disruptive. I am presently reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. It parallels your synopsis of Edison. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: New Edisons? Was: [OT] Simple math considered physics
On Friday 23 November 2007 23:56, Ben Scott wrote: > On Nov 23, 2007 9:47 PM, Ric Werme <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > No More Edisons? > > I find sweet irony in the tone of this essay, given that it was > re-posted in a forum whose nominal focus is an operating system > created by an upstart college kid. :-) Good counterpoint! Considering that ideas and concepts are of more lasting value than material "inventions", a future vantage point may see Linus' contribution as more important than Edison's inventions. Try this on for an idea: Linus' lasting contribution may be the concept of collaborative, open technical development using the Web or some other egalitarian communication medium. Linus seemed to realize: 1) people willingly contribute work when the result will benefit all equally; 2) the Web can find the interested and capable people from a worldwide pool. I will go on a limb and predict that this will be a model for many significant developments in the future - and certainly not at all restricted to the Linux operating system or software. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] Simple math considered physics
On Thursday 22 November 2007 21:18, you wrote: > I'm sure you can't MAKE kids interested in engineering, but there are > certainly classes of toys that a great many of the more geek-inclined > people I know remember fondly. > > LEGO > Erector sets > Tinkertoys > Lincoln Logs > Piles of junk + imagination > > Any I've missed? If I ever have children they're definitely going to > have easy access LEGO and random electronic components. I had the last 3 of the above. LEGOs weren't invented, and we couldn't afford the Erector set. I did get a hand-me-down electric train and used 5-tube table radio though. You might guess the source of my ham radio interests. Two areas that you might consider when expanding your list are 1) things to extend the child's senses, and 2) stuff to take apart. I never got a microscope, but tried to build one. A binoculars led to many summer nights on the lawn matching constellations to those in my book, watching meteors, and hoping to spot a UFO. (The binoculars had an eerie story with them. My father had taken them from a dead French officer in the Pacific. There was blood on the leather case.) Before things were junked (which was seldom), they were offered to us to take apart. I remember getting a wind-up alarm clock at age 4. The brass gears were fascinating. And frustrating, because there was nothing I could do with them. My mother was usually neutral about taking things apart. Usually. My younger sister had an expensive doll that gave out a Whaaah sound when tipped over. My brother and I convinced her that her baby would not be crying unless there was something wrong with it. So, my good hearted sister gave permission to "operate". My mother was not pleased. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] Simple math considered physics
On Thursday 22 November 2007 12:01, Ric Werme wrote: > Sigh, one course I didn't take in college and kinda wish I had was > Fluid Dynamics. I really should read up on that. I did show some > movies in a FD class showing turbulent & laminar drag. I took Fluid Mechanics at Michigan Tech (in the UP) in the summer after my freshman college year. It was very different from the abstract symbolic solutions that were favored at MIT. I think I wore out a slide rule converting head-feet-of-kerosene to psi etc. We had to do 15 problems a week, at least one being s stumper to try prevent there being any 100% papers. (And nobody would even consider sharing work back then - you were there to learn as an individual, not as a group.) Several things of lasting value came from the course besides knowing how wide to dig ditches. I am confident that I can convert any units the world wants to work with. And, I learned the value of doing a dimensional analysis on the equations. If the equation is calculating pressure, it better evaluate to pressure units. The book was "Elementary Fluid Mechanics, 4th Ed", John K. Vennard, John Wiley & Sons, copyright 1961. An oldie but goodie, it might be available on abbooks. In my opinion, the current books are stuffed with glitter and pabulum. > > That means the initial velocity must be 44m/s to arrive at the > > plate at 40m/s (90mph). > > mlb.com has a "gameday" display that shows data about each pitch, I > think that's about the right amount of drag. It also shows data > about the arc of the ball and whatnot. Glad to hear that I was close! As far as getting people interested in science or engineering, most of the good engineers in my generation started out from an early age wanting to build something. I wanted ham radio gear that I couldn't afford. We knew (after trying) that the formal education was necessary to succeed. So we entered are studies determined to get knowledge from them; good marks were secondary. Perhaps our society has been wealthy for too many generations. Few young people seem think about what they want to accomplish in life. Everything they could want is there - or so it might appear. Oh, well. Maybe they are right, and the era of nuts-and-bolts engineering and physical science are mostly over. Sort of like the era of the great classical symphony composers. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] Simple math considered physics; turns out it's fun, not harmful
On Wednesday 21 November 2007 17:51, Greg Rundlett wrote: > I really like the indoor batting facility in Salisbury, MA (Extra > Innings). I wondered how 'fast' the fast cage was > Y = Big League pitch speed = > 60.5 feet / .45 seconds = Y feet / 1 second > Y = 134.444 feet / second * 3600 / 5280 = 91.66 mph I did figure it out - approximately. The Reynold's number is 18, assuming the ball is a smooth sphere of 70mm diameter (I didn't look up the actual size). The drag coefficient is .5, which results in a retarding force of 1.8 Newtons. The drag reduces the energy of the ball by 34 joules in its flight from the mound to plate (taken as 19 meters). The energy of the ball when crossing home plate is 160J, assuming a weight of 200 grams (which I didn't look up either). That means the initial velocity must be 44m/s to arrive at the plate at 40m/s (90mph). So, the hydrodynamic drag is not very significant. Using the average speed, my calculations show you would have .435 seconds to react. So, congratulations on your fast reflexes! And, it goes to show how enlightening even an approximate calculation can be. Or, more particularly, that an approximate calculation is often close enough. The fancy physics is not needed. Insidently, the drag force drops suddenly by a factor of 2 just above 90mph. Thus, a 92mph pitch would arrive in perhaps .40 seconds. Pitching just above or just below that change must be some part of making those big league pitchers so hard to hit. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Linux Math software (was Simple math considered physics...)
On Wednesday 21 November 2007 23:27, Brian Chabot wrote: > 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... Has anyone tried Maxima for Linux? I use its predecessor, Macsyma, on Win98 and absolutely love it. No, more honestly, I invested enough time working with it to become proficient - and don't want to go through that again. A link to Maxima is at maxima.sourceforge.net. It gives some history of the public domain version (now GPL). Macsyma started at MIT in 1969, government funded. Amid much controversy, it was licensed to Symbolics in 1982 for commercial distribution. According to my manual, it represents over 200 years of software design, 300K lines of code. That doesn't count the years put into the Fortran packages that it absorbed. By the way, my brother-in-law is a carpenter, and even when asked to add up the grocery bills, he is looking for a piece of wood to do the arthmetic on. The habit is ingrained, I guess. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] Simple math considered physics; turns out it's fun, not harmful
On Wednesday 21 November 2007 17:51, Greg Rundlett wrote: > He said if I have some friends who know physics I could figure out > how fast that is in the big leagues. I'm not making fun of the guy, > but physics isn't involved in solving the problem, just regular math. Actually, it is a physics problem. Assuming the ball velocity is measured at "home plate", the ball is likely to have left the pitcher's hand at a considerably higher speed than it has at the end of its travel. With the Reynold's number for the baseball and some well accepted flow models, the "flow regime" can be determined. I would guess it is in the velocity cubed region. That means drag forces are proportional to velocity cubed, and thus the speed may vary considerably during its travel. Again, subject to a rather straight forward computational confirmation. If the ball is slowing down significantly, it must be going quite a bit faster at 33 feet, and even faster at 60 feet. Which means that the travel time (batter response time) is shorter for a 96mph pitch than you calculated by the linear speed approximation. In fact, intuitively the 70mph guess might be about right. Anyway, congratulations for turning to some math (and physics) for an initial guess. Very often, particularly in engineering, such approximations are good enough to whittle choices down to only one (or none), making the more sophisticated computation unnecessary. And it gives more insight than a blind guess. And fun. The difference between pure math, applied math, and physics is probably too OT for this forum. But interesting. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: LinkedIn (...small GNHLUG logos)
On Saturday 17 November 2007 15:15, Ted Roche wrote: > > If there's anyone who doesn't already know I'm a GNHLUG activist, I'd > be surprised and a bit disappointed. > > There's nothing that LinkedIn will know about GNHLUG that anyone > browsing the public email archives and our web site couldn't already > work out. I think this is no worse that having your membership listed > on a Chamber of Commerce or professional association site. Anyone who > isn't interested in advertising themselves or their services > shouldn't join. You are quite right. Further, LinkedIn is an excellent concept. I just wish that a non-profit, service-oriented organization was behind it. For any professionals not put off by the almost guaranteed email barrage, I heartily recommend joining LinkedIn. Virtually all of the professional work I have gotten in 37 years in the engineering business has been through personal recommendations. For the first 30 years, I did no advertising at all. I should add that the work came from dozens of companies and government organizations. As LinkedIn asserts, the contacts are often indirect. I distinctly remember one call from California, "I'm <*>, you don't know me, I have been talking to <*> who you don't know either, but he is working with <*> who saw the work you did on <*>, I have a friend in Massachusetts looking for...". So links (or the Ol' Boy Network, as it is unfairly tagged), are very effective in connecting professionals with jobs. Incidently, my government file is also extensive. The military files on "free-thinkers" (less flatteringly "loose cannons") get particularly long, but they tolerate them to get the unusual solutions they generate. I can't do anything about the government's dossier, but I like the commercial info kept to a minimum. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
LinkedIn (...small GNHLUG logos)
On Saturday 17 November 2007 08:56, Ted Roche wrote: > > I'd like to set up a GNHLUG group on LinkedIn,... Are you sure you want to get involved with LinkedIn? I have no concrete information that the free come-on is just a front, but a push-advertising marketer would make a very high value sales list by cross-correlating the fields listed by linked professionals. Have you read the User Agreement? "In the event of any inconsistency between the LinkedIn Privacy Policy and this User Agreement, the User Agreement shall control." "We reserve the right to modify this Agreement at any time, and without prior notice, by posting amended terms on this website." This effectively means the Privacy Policy is not worth the bits to send it. As soon as LinkedIn gets enough names, they can infer interests from the map plus the data supplied by registrants. Both the registrant and those that just link are vulnerable. The User Policy provisions allow them to sell the information to any spam engine they please - including non-technical ones. Maybe I am old fashioned, but I don't like private companies (or governments) profiling me. A few IC ads via email can be trashed, but it identifies me as a middle-class professional and, should times get tough, people might get nasty. The less information the world has about me, the safer I feel. How about you? There I go. A paranoid over-reaction again. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
"Software Freedom" Scores!
About a year ago, I sent a Software Freedom CD to my patent lawyer, because his WordPerfect could not read the doc files I was exporting from OpenOffice. I suggested that he could copy and paste from my doc format into WordPerfect if he had a copy of OO to display them. He reluctantly put the software on one laptop (so as not to contaminate the office XP and jeopardize his support.) He also questioned me at length about my authority to grant him "rights" to use OO. Yesterday, I spent another session with him and his staff. At the end, they wanted copies some documents I had written. I had them in pdf, but confessed I had not exported then to doc; they were only in odt. What flavor of doc did they want me to provide? The answer was, "Oh, why don't you give them to us in odt." It turns out that all of the office computers now have OO installed and two of the staff put it on their computers at home. They are now eager to have a presentation on switching completely from WordPerfect to OO for all of their legal compositions. I guess the relevant point may be that getting Linux accepted for the desktop may be a 2-step process. First get people using open source software on Windows. Then, since few users deal with the operating system other than clicking icons, it would be painless to switch to Linux, motivated by licensing cost savings - especially for an office. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Nov, Cascading Style Sheets
Who : Ted Roche, Ted Roche and Associates, http://www.tedroche.com What : An introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 15 Nov **Tomorrow** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview A Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) describes the visual presentation of a document written in a structured markup language. It uses a text tag inserted into the document before the section it affects. The most common CSS application is in HTML and XHTML web pages. Cascading Style Sheets are a way to separate the content and structure of a web page from the stylistic elements. This allows: - the style to be changed without changing the content - better accessibility for folks with visual impairment - better processing by search engines - ease of maintenance by letting designers and content producers to work in parallel Ted will show why separating CSS from HTML makes sense, and how to do it. He'll review the basics of what CSS is, how the elements are combined, what 'cascade' refers to, and how to use CSS to specify layout using the CSS box model. He'll finish up with some suggestions on tools to use and references for further study. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: A plague of daemons and the Unix Philosophy
On Saturday 10 November 2007 23:00, Ben Scott wrote: > Okay, so I installed Fedora 8 today. > > Is this the way the architects intend things to be? Are the people > behind Fedora/KDE/GNOME/FreeDesktop.org/whatever really intent on > making Linux as complicated and inter-coupled as possible? Have they > completely abandoned the Unix Philosophy? The Communist government was supposed to wither to nothing once the People's Paradise was established. The labors unions are supposed to retreat to a watchdog status once the injustices of corporations are corrected. It is in human nature that people want to hold on to their jobs (power) even after the task is completed. I froze my Microsoft adventure at Windows 98. Many versions of the 3 programs I run on it have been produced since, most of them for later systems only. I still can't find a single feature that they added in 7 years that I really need. Keep copies of your current and old distributions! We may have 99% of whatever good operating system software will ever be produced. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Power supply monitoring in Linux?
On Friday 09 November 2007 10:08, Paul Lussier wrote: > Bill McGonigle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > If you strike out with the onboard stuff and really need it, one of > > the booths at LinuxWorld a year or two ago had smart power strips > > with SNMP. I assume there was some kind of trapping on electrical > > characteristics. > > We've got them. APC sells them. That is not an option. We need to > monitor it in the OS to detect the failure on one of the redundant > power supplies (it would be tough to detect the failure the second :) > so we can send an alert. > > This is for an embedded Linux device resold to customers, who, > ideally, use UPSes and do their own monitoring at the power-main > level. I should have been following the thread more closely, but I suppose that you have disallowed any hardware solutions. If not, there is an easy way to insert a small board between the power supplies with a fly lead off to some interrupt node on the motherboard. All plug-in stuff, no soldering or trace cutting. Costs money, though. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
[GNHLUG] MerriLUG Nashua, Thur 15 Nov, Cascading Style Sheets
Who : Ted Roche, Ted Roche and Associates, http://www.tedroche.com What : An introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Where: Martha's Exchange Day : Thur 15 Nov **Next Week** Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for discussion :: Overview A Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) describes the visual presentation of a document written in a structured markup language. It uses a text tag inserted into the document before the section it affects. The most common CSS application is in HTML and XHTML web pages. Cascading Style Sheets are a way to separate the content and structure of a web page from the stylistic elements. This allows: - the style to be changed without changing the content - better accessibility for folks with visual impairment - better processing by search engines - ease of maintenance by letting designers and content producers to work in parallel Ted will show why separating CSS from HTML makes sense, and how to do it. He'll review the basics of what CSS is, how the elements are combined, what 'cascade' refers to, and how to use CSS to specify layout using the CSS box model. He'll finish up with some suggestions on tools to use and references for further study. >>> RSVP to Jim Kuzdrall for dinner to assure adequate seating. <<< !!! If you are not a "Regular Attendee" (50%), please let me know. !!! Driving directions: http://wiki.gnhlug.org/twiki2/bin/view/Www/PlaceMarthasExchange Thanks, Jim Kuzdrall [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ gnhlug-announce mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-announce/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: CD burner woes
On Tuesday 30 October 2007 09:29, Drew Van Zandt wrote: > I used to be able to burn CD's on this laptop, now I can't... > 1) I can read CD's just fine. I had one like that, and it was the laser that was going. They often "degrade" rather than failing outright. In such cases, the laser can produce enough power to read but not to write. If that is the case, you might use a microscope to look for very light writing on the beginning track of the CD that failed to write properly. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: Getting file sizes
On Monday 22 October 2007 09:36, Kent Johnson wrote: > Jim Kuzdrall wrote: > > On Monday 22 October 2007 09:11, Kent Johnson wrote: > >> How can I get the total size, in K, of all files in a directory > >> that match a pattern? > >> > >> For example, I have a dir with ~5000 files, I would like to know > >> the total size of the ~1000 files matching *.txt. > > > > Ah! Perhaps I actually know an answer to this one. (Very > > rare) > > > > Go to directory of interest and try > > du -shc *.txt > > That still lists each file individually, it needs to pipe to tail as > Stephen suggested. I thought of that, but you just said you wanted the answer. So I gave you the engineering approach: simplest approximation of adequate accuracy; minimum time spent. (It takes less than two seconds to scroll the file names on the screen, and it does confirm what type of files are being counted.) However, next time I need that info (which I often do), I will try to remember the "| tail -1" trick. Jim Kuzdrall ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
