[PLUG] Forking F/OSS
Firefox, Flash, Gnome ... It seems that F/OSS development is migrating away from stability and towards inept and self-indulgent experimentation. Traditionally, F/OSS development is a way to develop skills and demonstrate competence - which is a path to A Real Job. When competence actually earns a job (and a family, and a house, and aging parents, and ...) there is no longer time for major participation in F/OSS, and the boring but necessary tracking down of security flaws and functional bugs. ( note: boring == not properly automated ) So we are left with the less employable developers, and those participating in order to Try Glitzy New Stuff as opposed to those interested in bullet-proof bug-free iterations of old-but-complete functionality. Meanwhile, many of us users would like a platform that worked the same way forever (without the bugs, and with drivers for new hardware), so we can build our own elaborations on top. I want software bedrock for my own intellectual skyscrapers, I do not want to be a temporary visitor in someone else's. If we must make transitions (say from 32 to 64 bits) we want our old stuff to remain working, and new 64 bit tools to retain all the legacy capabilities of the 32 bit tools. Most of us have plenty of other Real World change to cope with. We want to use the tools we already have to help us with that Real World. If I have a bit of wonky but usable code from 1990, I want to keep using it in 2015 or 2025, perhaps emulated in a secure container. Richard Stallman natters about software's Four Freedoms, but as the trite saying goes, freedom isn't free. When I've argued with him (is there any other way to interact with this guy?), he seems oblivious to the fact that the freedoms he demands are purchased by supporting the equally valid (and different) freedoms of those who have come to depend on the software he and his allies have developed. If user freedoms are ignored, then free software becomes too expensive to use, and is regretfully abandoned. Stallman and his posse then must find Real Jobs, possibly involving sinks and dishes. It does not have to be this way. Stallman can have Four Freedoms (or five or six or twenty) if he helps create freedoms for others. Creating freedom can be a lot more efficient with adequate attention to efficient and robust production tools. This is where F/OSS can really shine. Give us control of the tools, and we shape what is made from them. A small device like an iPhone goes through thousands of tests during assembly. It is made from components that go through hundreds of thousands of tests on their way from candidate geological ore body to reliable subcomponent. All those steps are hyperautomated, not touched by human hands. This results in an iPhone sells for hundreds rather than millions of dollars. The electronics industry, and the materials and equipment industries that feed it, are a vast assembly of automated procedures and billions of lines of code, with well defined interfaces, transforming the messy cacaphony of raw nature and human personality into discrete and predictable products. Meanwhile, almost all software, libre or proprietary, suffers from way too many flaws, and way too few tools and techniques to prevent or detect and repair those flaws. So software breaks, and we expend vast effort working around the flaws until somebody is motivated to fix it with quite primitive software diagnosis, development, and repair tools. Which AFAIK, still mostly consists of eyeballs and human experience. So, I should not call for chastizing sloppy, inept developers and their ideological leaders, as emotionally tempting as that is. Instead, let's treat this as an engineering and automation problem. What tools can we create to take human weakness out of the development loop, what systems can we create to automate the production and testing of software? How can we multiply eyeballs with algorithms? What certifications can we create for software that show ordinary software consumers that these tools and systems have been used properly? How do we evolve the certifications so that the inevitable sociopathic manipulators cannot game the system to produce crap with high quality metrics? A new generation of F/OSS, built on trustworthy measures of quality and repairability, with tools that guide mediocre developers towards exceptional productivity, could obliterate the bad old ways, and generate a rich and unbounded software ecosystem with products and projects for everyone. We already have the historical record of physical engineering to build on. Causal chains extend from the latest Intel processor to the mechanical geniuses of the late 18th century. We do not have nearly as much to invent. We have many more capable brains to harness and invent with. Indeed, software capable of evolving into precision tools for software creation and measurement probably already exists, which is why I write about this on the PLUG
[PLUG] Google maps crash
This combination: 2048x1536 laptop RHEL 6.6 clone, kernel 2.6.32 Gnome 2.28.2 Firefox ESR 38.1.0 Google maps ... randomly crashes X. Very slow before it crashes. Smaller laptops, different distros OK. I don't need to fix this, just remember that this happens, and warn others. Workaround: Use Opera instead of Firefox. Long term fix: find a full featured replacement for Google Maps. OpenStreetMap is OK (less features), and Bing Maps is, well ... Keith -- Keith Lofstrom kei...@keithl.com ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Reminder: 2nd Annual Book Review/OSCON Pass Contest!
I ended up picking Docker: Up and Running from the list and was very impressed with the depth of information and real-world experience the author brought to the topic. Here's the Amazon review I wrote for the contest: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3I23O2HMIQ6AX On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 10:08 AM, Michael Dexter dex...@ambidexter.com wrote: Dear active PLUG members, The kind folks at O'Reilly Media were impressed with PLUG's collective response to last year's write-a-book-review-for-a-chance-to-win-a-pass contest and offered to run it again this year! The contest: Write a public book review of any O'Reilly title for a chance to will a full sessions pass to OSCON 2015! Who is eligible: Active PLUG members, defined as those active on the mailing list or have attended two or more meetings in the last year. The winning review will be chosen based on: Depth - Do you fully appreciate the strengths weaknesses of the book? Clarity - Do you communicate that fact and help people make a buying decision? Sincerity - Be funny or passionate! Sincere reviews sell books. Relevance/Timeliness - It is a new release? Is it a hot topic? Effort - Is this your first review? The book's first review on say, Amazon? Venue - Will anyone see your review? Amazon is great. A review should help make (and at times break) a buying decision. There ARE crap books out there but rarely from O'Reilly. I LOVE thoughtful negative reviews but they probably won't win you the pass. Vengeful reviews however, are off-putting on many levels. HOW: Simply post a link to your review to the PLUG mailing list or a verifiable form of proof that it will be printed in a future publication. HELP: O'Reilly has kindly provided a selection of free eBooks to get you going: http://www.oreilly.com/pub/get/plug2015 Just tell them it is for the PLUG contest. If you don't see something that interest you, visit http://www.oreilly.com/free/ebookrequest.csp and ask. FURTHER HELP: I am happy to give you feedback having written a few reviews myself. Consider: http://www.amazon.com/review/R24J5P38R9ZAVV DEADLINE: Before OSCON but I am open to a fixed, earlier deadline if it risks ruling out an active list contributor who lives outside Portland and would have to make travel arrangements. Good luck! Michael Dexter PLUG Volunteer ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Firefox again
On Sat, 11 Jul 2015, John Jason Jordan wrote: Firefox 38.0 on Xubuntu 14.04.1, up to date. Firefox-31.8.0 on Slackware-14.1 here. Does anyone know how to get the URL bar back? I had one of the bars disappear after an upgrade a few versions ago. The View - Toolbars menu allowed me to invoke the missing one. Perhaps that will help you, too. Rich ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Firefox again
On Sat, Jul 11, 2015 at 08:01:59PM -0700, John Jason Jordan wrote: Firefox 38.0 on Xubuntu 14.04.1, up to date. I used to have an URL bar and a smaller search bar in the same toolbar. Suddenly my URL bar is missing; that is, what was the URL bar has become a larger search bar. I no longer have any way to tell what URL I am on. If someone thought this was an improvement I'd like to find him so I can explain some things, non-verbally. Does anyone know how to get the URL bar back? Firefox 39 on Arch Linux - like the other two responders I also have separate URL and Search boxes. You may be able to undo what was done by visiting about:customize - which you can find a link to under the View menu. It has a drag and drop interface. On my system I was able to remove and add the URL and Search boxes. So presumably you can too. -- Michael Rasmussen, Portland Oregon Be Appropriate Follow Your Curiosity I never intended all this madness. ~ http://someoneoncetoldme.com/gallery/05042008 ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Firefox again
On Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:01:59 -0700, in message 20150711200159.5d8b5d83@Devil-Bonobo, John Jason Jordan wrote: Firefox 38.0 on Xubuntu 14.04.1, up to date. I used to have an URL bar and a smaller search bar in the same toolbar. Suddenly my URL bar is missing; that is, what was the URL bar has become a larger search bar. I no longer have any way to tell what URL I am on. If someone thought this was an improvement I'd like to find him so I can explain some things, non-verbally. Does anyone know how to get the URL bar back? Firefox 38.0.5 on Fedora 22. I have both address and search bars visible. To be honest, I didn't know there was a way to hide the address bar. I have seen the search bar hide, when I've shrunk the width of the browser window too much, but that doesn't apply to the address bar. You might try hitting ctrl-L, that should bring up the address bar. As for non-verbal explanations, I've been wanting to explain some things to Mozilla's designers for some time now. Preferably with a 2-by-4. Or perhaps a room full of angry Narns with aluminum baseball bats. --Dale -- If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. -- Mark Twain pgpzRnhe1dTNS.pgp Description: OpenPGP digital signature ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Using GitHub Download
On Sat, 11 Jul 2015, Nat Taylor wrote: you could try it in an ubuntu or debian docker container on your slackware desktop. And slackware should DEFINITELY have git baked in somehow. Here it is. http://packages.slackware.com/?r=slackware-currentp=git-2.3.5-i486-1.txz Didn't look for it since it's not needed. Thanks for the information, Nat. Rich ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Firefox again
On 07/12/2015 08:30 AM, John Jason Jordan wrote: On Sun, 12 Jul 2015 06:08:23 -0700 Michael Rasmussen mich...@jamhome.us dijo: Thanks to all for the responses. I didn't know about Ctrl-l, but I did try the Customize link. Unfortunately, it opened a blank page. A Google search produced the idea of launching Firefox in safe mode, which disables all add-ons. That returned the long bar from a Search bar to an URL bar, but then the Search bar was still missing. Finally I looked at my add-ons where I discovered one added by Ubuntu (why?). I disabled it, restarted Firefox normally, and the URL bar was still there, but still no Search bar. However, after disabling the Ubuntu add-on the Customize link worked normally, and I was able to use it to add the Search bar. AFAIK, the Ubuntu add-on is for Unity integration and getting the menu bar to work as most of us expect/desire (i.e. alwyas present in the app window. FWIW, on regular Ubuntu 14.04 (with Unity), I've never seen the issue that started this thread, and FF is now at verion 39. Joe Shisei Niski Portland, Oregon, USA 至誠 ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Firefox again
On Sun, 12 Jul 2015 06:08:23 -0700 Michael Rasmussen mich...@jamhome.us dijo: On Sat, Jul 11, 2015 at 08:01:59PM -0700, John Jason Jordan wrote: Firefox 38.0 on Xubuntu 14.04.1, up to date. I used to have an URL bar and a smaller search bar in the same toolbar. Suddenly my URL bar is missing; that is, what was the URL bar has become a larger search bar. I no longer have any way to tell what URL I am on. If someone thought this was an improvement I'd like to find him so I can explain some things, non-verbally. Does anyone know how to get the URL bar back? Firefox 39 on Arch Linux - like the other two responders I also have separate URL and Search boxes. You may be able to undo what was done by visiting about:customize - which you can find a link to under the View menu. It has a drag and drop interface. On my system I was able to remove and add the URL and Search boxes. So presumably you can too. Thanks to all for the responses. I didn't know about Ctrl-l, but I did try the Customize link. Unfortunately, it opened a blank page. A Google search produced the idea of launching Firefox in safe mode, which disables all add-ons. That returned the long bar from a Search bar to an URL bar, but then the Search bar was still missing. Finally I looked at my add-ons where I discovered one added by Ubuntu (why?). I disabled it, restarted Firefox normally, and the URL bar was still there, but still no Search bar. However, after disabling the Ubuntu add-on the Customize link worked normally, and I was able to use it to add the Search bar. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
