Re: [PLUG] Linux Journal magazine is no more

[Michael Barnes]

I loved Linux Journal and subscribed for many years. I let my subscription
go when they went digital as I didn't really have the resources to read it
at the time. I always meant to resubscribe, but never got to it. Their web
site let me order the 1994-2017 archive CD tonight, I hope I get it. I
always thought LJ was a great resource.

Michael


On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 4:15 PM, Dick Steffens  wrote:

> On 12/01/2017 03:01 PM, John Jason Jordan wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 1 Dec 2017 14:11:53 -0800
>> Tomas Kuchta  dijo:
>>
>> For those who remember the experience of actually reading a magazine
>>> front to back, rather than just flicking pages full of shiny
>>> advertisement - another one bites the dust.
>>>
>>> So long Linux Journal
>>>
>> House remodeling required moving things, sorting though it to discard
>> tons of stuff that is no longer needed. But I saved one item: May/June
>> 2000 issue of Maximum Linux, featuring reviews of Corel Linux,
>> Slackware 7.0 and WordPerfect 8.0, plus two CDs containing Storm Linux
>> 2000 and Mandrake 7.0.
>>
>> Corel Linux was my first venture into Linux.
>>
>
> I gave Corel Linux an unsuccessful shot, hoping to get Word Perfect
> running. I, too, reverted to running Word Perfect on a virtual Windows
> machine.
>
> I also have CorelCAD, which I got at a remainders store somewhere up in
> Vancouver a long while back. Corel picked up the guys who wrote Generic
> CAD. It still works well. I wish there was a Linux version of that. I don't
> use it often, but it's the one I know. I've tried a few Linux CAD programs,
> but haven't been able to wrap my head around how they work. Sigh.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dick Steffens
>
>
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Re: [PLUG] Linux Journal magazine is no more

[Michael Barnes]

Download link for the archive went through. Big file. Has all articles,
letters, editorials, etc. searchable from the first issue to Nov 2017. I
kind of wish they had the full issues to just read through like the early
digital versions, but this is still a great resource. No idea how long this
may be available, so you may want to jump as soon as possible. I thumbed
through it last night, fond memories. I've read a lot of  Linux magazines,
but LJ was the only one I actually subscribed to. Lots of catching up to
do. Now I just have to figure out how to get it on my Kindle.


On Sat, Dec 2, 2017 at 10:47 AM, Chuck Hast  wrote:

> I am going to miss it. That was the first thing I did on the first of the
> month
> when the new digital issue was sent, set down (throne room session) read
> it.
>
> My consternation when I opened what I thought was going to be the download
> page and got that sad message. I think I have had a sub to it now for about
> 10
> years.
>
> I still hope someone can figure out how to keep it flying, but looks pretty
> dark
> right now.
>
> On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 9:12 PM, Neal  wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 6:40 PM, Michael Barnes 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I loved Linux Journal and subscribed for many years. I let my
> > subscription
> > > go when they went digital as I didn't really have the resources to read
> > it
> > > at the time. I always meant to resubscribe, but never got to it. Their
> > web
> > > site let me order the 1994-2017 archive CD tonight, I hope I get it. I
> > > always thought LJ was a great resource.
> > >
> >
> > Ditto. Thank you for mentioning this Michael.
> >
> > NealS
> > ___
> > PLUG mailing list
> > PLUG@pdxlinux.org
> > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
> I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
> Ph 4:13 KJV
> Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.
> Fil 4:13 RVR1960
> ___
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>
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Re: [PLUG] Converting audio files

[Michael Barnes]

While I haven't used it recently, in the past I used lame extensively to
convert to mp3 files. I had dozens of cron jobs running, converting many
hours of wav recordings to mp3 and posting them on web pages on a daily
basis.

Michael


On Sat, Dec 2, 2017 at 4:34 PM, Tomas Kuchta 
wrote:

> I wanted to post separately on your continued external disk troubles.
>
> Unless you leave external USB resource management to standard hotplug you
> will continue to have these kind of issues and conflicts.
>
> The only way to workaround with your fstab way would be to do all below:
> a) mount your USB disk to other place than media, so it is not of the way
> for normal hotplug schemes
> b) use uuid instead of /dev/... in fstab. That way it is guaranteed to
> mount only the right disk/partition to the mount dir from a)
>
> Good luck,
> Tomas
>
> On Dec 2, 2017 3:11 PM, "Rich Shepard"  wrote:
>
> >   I bought a small digital voice recorder which saves files in .wav
> format.
> > I found a script to convert from .wav to .mp3, but this device apparently
> > has a non-standard format (0x0011).
> >
> >   Another web search found Sound eXchanger (SoX) which will not only
> change
> > wav formats but convert among many different types. Unfortunately, the
> > build
> > script available at SlackBuilds.org does not compile with mp2 and mp3
> > support (I've written the maintainer about this). But, ...
> >
> >   Until I get sox working to convert from .wav to .mp3 another search
> > taught
> > me that the 'play' capability within sox produces sounds from .wav files
> on
> > linux. This is an interim solution. Are there other audio format
> converters
> > that I might try on these files?
> >
> >   On a related issue, /var/log/messages shows that the recorder is seen
> as
> > the SCSI disk /dev/sdb. I have an entry in /etc/fstab for my 3T external
> > hard drive (ext3 file system) which the kernel sees as /dev/sdb assigned
> to
> > /mnt/hd/. Root can mount the vfat file system recorder on /mnt/hd/; can
> two
> > devices (with different file systems) be listed in /etc/fstab to be
> mounted
> > on the same mount point?
> >
> > Rich
> > ___
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Re: [PLUG] Converting audio files

[Michael Barnes]

Don't know if it is relevant, and don't have time to look it up right now,
but my feeble memory just recalled using mpeg321 or mpeg123 or something
like that in processing mp3 files.

Might help, might not. Just throwing it out.

Michael


On Dec 3, 2017 06:03, "Rich Shepard"  wrote:

> On Sat, 2 Dec 2017, Tomas Kuchta wrote:
>
> The only way to workaround with your fstab way would be to do all below:
>> a) mount your USB disk to other place than media, so it is not of the way
>> for normal hotplug schemes
>>
>
>   Nothing's mounted on /media other than links to /mnt/.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Can't log in to D-Link DIR-860L (with OpenWRT)

[Michael Barnes]

Every networked printer I have seen has a report function that will print
out a configuration report showing what IP address it is using.

Michael


On Dec 9, 2017 13:33, "Mke C>"  wrote:

>
> On 12/09/2017 12:00 PM, plug-requ...@pdxlinux.org wrote:
>
>> Because I have a Brother laser printer that is giving me grief and I
>> failed to put a label on it with its IP address (which is my normal
>> practice for printers).
>>
>> Any suggestions welcome.:)
>>
>
> I'm not exactly sure what you're tying to accomplish of or if this
> helpful, but it should be pretty quick & easy to figure out the printers ip
> addr without
> having to login to your OpenWRT router.
>
> You can either get the MAC addr OUI, Organizational Unique Identifier from
> a tag on the printer itself or you can look it up on the web,
> https://www.adminsub.net/mac-address-finder/Brother . It's the first 6
> alphanumeric characters.
>
> If the printer has physical network connectivity, you should be able run
> the "arp -a" from the command line on a computer on the same lan segment
> and get the mac to ip addr mapping for the printer.
>
> e.g.
> ~$ arp -a
> ? (10.0.0.4) at e0:f8:47:09:45:3a [ether] on enp0s25
> ? (10.0.0.1) at 00:00:ca:11:22:33 [ether] on enp0s25
>
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Re: [PLUG] Linux Journal magazine is no more

[Michael Barnes]

ed on what they announced,
> Linux Magazine or a private fund might be helping to stay on-line.
>
> I also got their archive. It is a bargain and hopefully it will help them
> close things down with employees and freelancers. The sooner, the better.
>
> -T
>
>
> On Dec 2, 2017 11:28 AM, "Michael Barnes"  wrote:
>
> > Download link for the archive went through. Big file. Has all articles,
> > letters, editorials, etc. searchable from the first issue to Nov 2017. I
> > kind of wish they had the full issues to just read through like the early
> > digital versions, but this is still a great resource. No idea how long
> this
> > may be available, so you may want to jump as soon as possible. I thumbed
> > through it last night, fond memories. I've read a lot of  Linux
> magazines,
> > but LJ was the only one I actually subscribed to. Lots of catching up to
> > do. Now I just have to figure out how to get it on my Kindle.
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Dec 2, 2017 at 10:47 AM, Chuck Hast  wrote:
> >
> > > I am going to miss it. That was the first thing I did on the first of
> the
> > > month
> > > when the new digital issue was sent, set down (throne room session)
> read
> > > it.
> > >
> > > My consternation when I opened what I thought was going to be the
> > download
> > > page and got that sad message. I think I have had a sub to it now for
> > about
> > > 10
> > > years.
> > >
> > > I still hope someone can figure out how to keep it flying, but looks
> > pretty
> > > dark
> > > right now.
> > >
> > > On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 9:12 PM, Neal  wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Fri, Dec 1, 2017 at 6:40 PM, Michael Barnes <
> barnmich...@gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I loved Linux Journal and subscribed for many years. I let my
> > > > subscription
> > > > > go when they went digital as I didn't really have the resources to
> > read
> > > > it
> > > > > at the time. I always meant to resubscribe, but never got to it.
> > Their
> > > > web
> > > > > site let me order the 1994-2017 archive CD tonight, I hope I get
> it.
> > I
> > > > > always thought LJ was a great resource.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Ditto. Thank you for mentioning this Michael.
> > > >
> > > > NealS
> > > > ___
> > > > PLUG mailing list
> > > > PLUG@pdxlinux.org
> > > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
> > > I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
> > > Ph 4:13 KJV
> > > Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece.
> > > Fil 4:13 RVR1960
> > > ___
> > > PLUG mailing list
> > > PLUG@pdxlinux.org
> > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
> > >
> > ___
> > PLUG mailing list
> > PLUG@pdxlinux.org
> > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
> >
> ___
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Re: [PLUG] [OT?] Internet privacy? ?? ???

[Michael Barnes]

In short, there is no such thing as privacy on the internet, period. If he
wants to look at anything anywhere on the internet, any information on his
computer is subject to retrieval. I would suggest he acquire a separate
computer (preferably running Linux) and put absolutely no user identifiable
information on it, i.e. user Fred Flinstone, address Bedrock, etc. Create a
new email for the purpose, like fredf100...@gmail.com, and use that system
for all internet activity. Whatever personal info is gleaned from that
computer is worthless and he will have nothing to worry about. Of course he
will have to create new YouTube, Facebook, etc. accounts. That's the cost
of "privacy".

On Feb 2, 2018 17:37, "Dick Steffens"  wrote:

> On 02/02/2018 05:11 PM, Richard Owlett wrote:
>
>> On 02/02/2018 06:21 PM, Carl Karsten wrote:
>>
>>> He suspects they have been publishing his email address.

>>>
>>> Please elaborate.
>>>
>>>
>> I would if I could.
>>
>> I b geek -- he not
>>
>> He has associated the publication of his email address with videos he has
>> viewed.
>>
>
> My own experience shows that YouTube keeps track of what videos I've
> watched and, no doubt using Google's technology, gives me more options
> similar to ones I've watched. Sometimes that's useful. Sometimes it's not.
> But from the descriptions you've given, it sounds to me like he's just
> seeing what YouTube thinks he wants to see. How that relates to email, I
> have no idea.
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dick Steffens
>
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Re: [PLUG] Alea jacta est*

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Feb 7, 2018 at 2:29 PM, John Jason Jordan  wrote:

>
> *Latin, commonly translated as 'the die is cast.' In fact, the English
> expression refers to 'alea' as 'die' (one of a pair of dice), but the
> Romans had no dice; the alea was a game piece that was thrown during
> play, but it wasn't actually what we think of today as a die. And
> while I'm at it, what idiot decided that the plural of die should be
> dice?
> ___
>

If you apply reverse logic, analogous to mice, shouldn't the singular be
'douse' instead of 'die'? English is such a fickle language.
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Re: [PLUG] Postfix autoresponder experiences?

[Michael Barnes]

Personal opinion. Autoresponders are the work of the devil and should be
avoided at all costs.

If you do set up an autoresponder, PLEASE be careful of the configuration,
especially in respect to things like this forum. Years ago, when I used
dial-up on the road to get email, an individual set up an autoresponder
which replied to every email received that he was out of the office. He
left it on for a week while he was on vacation. Every email from a forum
was replied to, including the emails his autoresponder sent out that he was
out of the office. This feedback effect generated THOUSANDS of emails per
hour. Trying to download those on a 2400 bps dialup connection simply
wasn't sucessful. It caused a tremendous hardship for many folks. That poor
fellow never lived it down. On that forum now 15 years later, people still
refer to the Farron Oscillator, named after the perpetrator.

Michael


On Wed, Feb 14, 2018 at 5:56 PM, Rich Shepard 
wrote:

>   There seem to be a few out-of-office autoresponders for postfix,
> including
> vacation (a perl script) and a java application 'autoresponse'. Has anyone
> here used any autoresponder? If so, what are your experiences with it.
>
> TIA,
>
> Rich
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[PLUG] Open Source Architect CAD

[Michael Barnes]

Looking for an Open Source CAD program to create construction plans. I
don't need anything complicated, but would like something with components
like standard dimensional lumber I can just put in place to build walls,
etc. I'm building a large shed and the city needs drawn plans for the
permits. I've got to show construction details, stud and rafter spacing,
floor and roof details, etc.

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Open Source Architect CAD

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 6:22 PM, Keith Lofstrom  wrote:

> On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 04:37:19PM -0800, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > Looking for an Open Source CAD program to create construction plans. I
> > don't need anything complicated, but would like something with components
> > like standard dimensional lumber I can just put in place to build walls,
> > etc. I'm building a large shed and the city needs drawn plans for the
> > permits. I've got to show construction details, stud and rafter spacing,
> > floor and roof details, etc.
>
> Michael:
>
> Your goal is architectural plans, not general drawings
> or 3D renderings or animations, and you do NOT want your
> drawings to look different from the drawings that the
> bureaucrats see every day, and approve.  I'd bet most
> of those are Autocad, with design files in DXF format.
>
> It's not about the tool, it is learning what the result
> should look like.  You should attempt to study some
> architectural drawings that Portland has approved.
>
> You should also look at the state building code.  There
> is a recent copy at the Multnomah Central library.
> A few good building books on the shelves, too.
>
> librecad:
>
> I haven't used librecad, but that seems to be the most
> like Autocad.  Perhaps some of us should learn it together.
>
> The folks at pdxhackerspace.org on north Interstate in
> Portland make mechanical/architectural parts, and they
> are also upgrading the decrepit building they are in;
> I bet they submit plans to the city.  They would be
> good to collaborate with.  They also have a decent
> woodshop, so a monthly membership might be worthwhile.
>
> In detail:
>
> I do a lot of non-architectural drawing with libreoffice
> "draw" with touchups in GIMP, and also 3D renderings with
> Povray.  I tried using BRLcad for 3D; the learning curve
> is even steeper than Povray.  I also draw images with C
> programs using the libpng pixel manipulation library,
> and make pretty charts with gnuplot.  I've used these
> tools to produce webpages, animations, journal papers,
> and patent drawings; forgive me for my sins...
>
> All of that is IRRELEVANT to your needs, as are 90% of
> the dozens of packages on most "linux compatable" and
> "free software" lists.  They list closed source and $$$
> packages, too.  You should not pay annual license fees
> forever to retain access to your drawings (like so many
> professional architects must).  You should not depend
> on "community-licensed" versions of commercial tools
> that may be unavailable or unsupported in the future.
>
> That's my 202 cents; your mileage may vary.
>
> Keith
>
> --
> Keith Lofstrom  kei...@keithl.com
>


Thanks, Keith. Very good info. However, I do not live in Portland and
Multnomah County resources are not really practical for me. I will look
locally and see if I can find anything useful. I guess a visit to the
building permit office and a more in depth conversation is in order.

Michael
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[PLUG] Wireless keyboards

[Michael Barnes]

Over time, I have collected a variety of wireless keyboards and mice. Some
are used infrequently, like with Raspberry Pis. Now, I find a box with
several keyboards, several mice, and several little dongles. Is there any
way to determine which goes with which? Other than lots of trial and error
plugging them in, rebooting, etc?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Wireless keyboards

[Michael Barnes]

Thanks, Russell. That's kind of what I was afraid of. Thought there might
be something easier that rote trial and error.

Michael


On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 8:48 PM, Russell Senior 
wrote:

> USB is hotplug, so you don't need to reboot.  What I would do would be
> to get your dongles and your keyboards and mice and lay them all out.
> Make sure the keyboards and mice have fresh batteries.  Plug the
> dongles in one at a time and then try all the devices (press a key,
> wiggle the mouse) until you find the one that is interacting, then
> take out the dongle and put it with that thing (or label them, or
> whatever association you prefer).
>
> Good luck!
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 6:58 PM, Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
> > Over time, I have collected a variety of wireless keyboards and mice.
> Some
> > are used infrequently, like with Raspberry Pis. Now, I find a box with
> > several keyboards, several mice, and several little dongles. Is there any
> > way to determine which goes with which? Other than lots of trial and
> error
> > plugging them in, rebooting, etc?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Michael
>
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[PLUG] Microsoft github?

[Michael Barnes]

I saw mention on another list that Microsoft is taking over github. Can
this possibly be true?

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] looking for secure space for a mail server

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 7:41 AM, Michael Rasmussen 
wrote:

> On 2018-06-20 16:48, logical american wrote:
>
>> On Jun 18, 2018, at 1:38 PM, Michael Rasmussen
 wrote:

 To stress "As others have suggested, you may be able to use a VM" - at
 my final job before retirement (Large bank, Fortune 500, etc) everything
 possible was migrated to in-house VMs.
 I want to say mail services were an early migration. In any case, the
 entire mail infrastructure was run on virtual servers.

 There's no need for a physical server.

 This is your opinion. We're not trying to determine if a VM is capable
>>> of running *a* mail server. We're trying to determine what the requirements
>>> of *his* mail server are, because that drives whether a physical server is
>>> required.
>>>
>>> There may be a security requirement such as "no AES key leakage to other
>>> tenants". In this case, he may not be able to use a VM. There are people in
>>> the crypto community who believe that any system that needs secure crypto
>>> should not be virtualized.
>>>
>> I need a secure crypto system, hence physical. Too much can go wrong
>> with a virtual system. Who really owns the virtual system? Not you!
>>
>
> The secure crypto requirement was not indicated in your original post.
> Provide incomplete requirements and get non-applicable replies.
>
> --
>   Michael Rasmussen, Portland Oregon
>  Be Appropriate && Follow Your Curiosity


Sadly, this seems to be a growing trend in online forums. The OP was
looking for information regarding leasing space for a physical server. That
was a pretty straightforward question. There were a ton of replies, not a
single one of which addressed his actual question. Instead, everyone wanted
to tell him how wrong he is for wanting what he wanted and give lots of
answers not applicable to his question. Why does everyone today
automatically leap to the conclusion that the person asking a question is
too stupid to know what he wants? The OP wants a physical server. I'm sure
he has his reasons. Who are we to questions his reasons? Why must we waste
bandwidth second guessing him? Can't we just sit back and watch and see if
someone actually has an answer that applies to his question?

This issue is not limited to this forum. I see it on many other interest
groups. You ask a question and get 27 answers, none of which actually
address the question. They tell you other ways to do it, tell you how they
fixed their Chevy when you asked about a Ford, why you are wrong to do what
you are asking without knowing the whole story, etc.

As far as the "Provide incomplete requirements and get non-applicable
replies." comment goes, he asked about physical hosting of a "small locked
cabinet (15U) space with 1 power plug 110v AC and a business class internet
connection." That seems pretty complete for his question. What that cabinet
does is not part of the question and frankly none of your business.

Why can't we stop overthinking things and just answer the question?

Michael
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[PLUG] eCommerce Special Deals

[Michael Barnes]

Not really specifically a Linux thing, but you are the best group of folks
I have access to.

Considering an online store, we have an issue of a special sale coming up
of a limited number of a product. We expect this item to be in high demand
and folks will be waiting in line to purchase. We would like to announce
the sale will start at Noon Pacific Time on the chosen date. We felt this
would give the most customers an even chance to purchase as opposed to
starting at some seemingly random time.

First, does this seem like a logical concept? Our webmaster claims it is
not doable with our current software. He says he can only have the sale
start at midnight, but he is unable to determine what time zone that
particular midnight is, whether it is our Pacific time or whatever time
zone the host server happens to be in (which we do not actually know). He
also claims no known ecommerce software allows this and nobody who does on
line sales would do such a thing.

I would guess it is not unlike buying tickets to a movie on line and
waiting until they go on sale to purchase and there only being a small
number available.

As always, your wisdom and comments are appreciated.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] eCommerce Special Deals

[Michael Barnes]

This is part of a club management system called Wild Apricot. Working with
our webmaster is a real challenge. More organizational politics than
anything I guess.
Thanks for your comments.

Michael


On Sun, Jul 29, 2018 at 7:10 AM, Michael Rasmussen 
wrote:

> On 2018-07-28 20:38, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
>> Not really specifically a Linux thing, but you are the best group of folks
>> I have access to.
>>
>> Considering an online store, we have an issue of a special sale coming up
>> of a limited number of a product. We expect this item to be in high demand
>> and folks will be waiting in line to purchase. We would like to announce
>> the sale will start at Noon Pacific Time on the chosen date. We felt this
>> would give the most customers an even chance to purchase as opposed to
>> starting at some seemingly random time.
>>
>> First, does this seem like a logical concept? Our webmaster claims it is
>> not doable with our current software. He says he can only have the sale
>> start at midnight, but he is unable to determine what time zone that
>> particular midnight is, whether it is our Pacific time or whatever time
>> zone the host server happens to be in (which we do not actually know). He
>> also claims no known ecommerce software allows this and nobody who does on
>> line sales would do such a thing.
>>
>> I would guess it is not unlike buying tickets to a movie on line and
>> waiting until they go on sale to purchase and there only being a small
>> number available.
>>
>
> Any CMS worth its name allows publication at and after a specific time.
> I'd press the webmaster.
> If you share your CMS software/platform someone here may be able to point
> out how it's done on that platform.
>
> --
>   Michael Rasmussen, Portland Oregon
> Be Appropriate && Follow Your Curiosity
>
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Re: [PLUG] Returning to SW Portland after 6 Years- Suggestions for Broadband incl Cable , DSL & Fiber Optic.

[Michael Barnes]

Has anybody found a contact at Century Link that actually knows anything
about their fiber network? They have run fiber along the road in front of
my sister's house outside of Rainier. There are warning signs along the
road about buried fiber optic cable and there is a big underground vault
down the road. So, we know the fiber is physically there. We're trying to
find out if/when they may be connecting residences to it.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Friend's email has modified reply-to field

[Michael Barnes]

Spam coming into my gmail address has increased in the past few weeks from
5-8 per day to over 100 per day. Gmail's spam detection has been pretty
good about routing it all to my spam folder.

On Thu, Aug 23, 2018, 08:44 Rich Shepard  wrote:

> On Wed, 22 Aug 2018, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
>
> > I have sent some stuff to network-ab...@google.com, but it is not a
> > typical situation. The hacker sent to my friend's contact list a request
> > to wire $. The return address was changed to hellerwalker53 at gmail dot
> > com. The hacker also changed my friend's reply-to field to that same
> > address. So for some time (maybe even now) that email address was
> > functional. Since that email is a .gmail address I want google to shut it
> > down. Maybe my message to them will work; maybe not.
>
> Denis,
>
>How unfortunate.
>
> > I may try to send something to the address to see if it bounces. If not,
> > is there some service which will fill his inbox?
>
>I don't use gmail yet I wonder if there's a way for gmail users to
> filter
> spam at their end. If so, adding that address to a local filter would allow
> it to be rejected or just discarded.
>
>Over the past couple of weeks the amount of spam headed my way has
> picked
> up considerably. Perhaps that's because summer vacation for spammers is
> over. And much of that spam comes from a google IP address.
>
>I wonder if the percentage of e-mail traffic that's spam or malware is
> still about the 80% reported a few years ago.
>
>Good luck resolving this annoying issue.
>
> Regards,
>
> Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Reliable long term, off-line storage

[Michael Barnes]

In 2005, I bought a 2GB USB powered external hard drive. I backed up two
Windows 2000 laptops, my Linux desktop, and copied a whole bunch of files
from the network servers running Netware and Linux.

Last year, I dug it out and was able to copy all files to my new Linux
desktop and many files to my Windows 10 laptop without issue.

I don't recall what brand, it's just a plastic case about the size of a
smart phone with a USB connector.

Michael


>
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Re: [PLUG] WHAT is the question? Re: To wiki ...

[Michael Barnes]

On Sat, Sep 15, 2018 at 3:55 AM Richard Owlett  wrote:

> There are multiple carriers of information on the internet.
> Mailing lists and USENET groups stress timeliness.
> Wikis by nature can be more in-depth but can suffer from edits from
> edits by anyone independent of qualifications.
>
> I repeat my question. Is there an alternative to wikis.
> The question is explicitly community and/or topic agnostic.
>
>
I believe what you are looking for is basically a source of information on
a topic provided by knowledgeable folks in a controlled environment. By
definition, a wiki is a collaborative site intended to receive input from
pretty much anybody. Depending on the software used, a wiki can be limited
in editing by specific members of the team, yet viewable by the public.
There are also FAQs, where questions can be posed and answers provided by
appropriate SMEs. These questions are typically submitted through some type
of customer support structure. Then there are forums (like this one), both
moderated and non-moderated. Questions are submitted by the membership and
answered by the membership. Viewing can be public or restricted to
membership. Membership may be open or require approval. These forums may be
hosted on private platforms (as this one is) or in a web environment such
as groups.io or Yahoo Groups. Once very popular, but not seen so much
lately (by me, anyway) are blogs run by individuals or entities wanting to
provide dissertation on specific topics. The site owner may author all the
articles or collect them from other sources, intending to be a repository
of data on a general subject, such as a hobby or process.

So far, your request has been quite vague, hence the ranging responses.
Perhaps if you were more specific on exactly what you would like to do, you
might receive a better response.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] LibreOffice tutorials?

[Michael Barnes]

>
> On Tue, Nov 6, 2018 at 11:45 AM Roderick Anderson 
> wrote:
>
> > Sorry for being off topic but my Google foo is failing me.
> >
> > I'm am trying to create a Writer Form that doesn't need an external
> > database.
> >
> > The form will be a membership application the user can fill out and
> > print.  The more common fields are working but when I try to create a
> > list box it keeps wanting me to specify a database/table to use.
> >
> > All I need is a couple of options - New/renewal and 1/2 year - and a
> > list box for a (HAM) license class - 5 or 6 items.  The List box is
> > being the trouble maker.
> >
> > The idea to have something I can read -- not update a database.
> >
> >
> > So after all that (non-Linux) rambling anyone have suggestions on where
> > to find an advanced LibreOffice tutorial?
> >
> >
> > TIA,
> > Rod
> > --
>

Consider looking at https://ask.libreoffice.org
They have helped me in the past with LO issues.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] UPDATED PLUG Meeting: Rapid web application development with Angular

[Michael Barnes]

Sorry to hijack a thread, but I have been trying for some time to post
about a problem trying to install Google Earth on my Ubuntu desktop
computer. It appears I cannot originate a post to this forum. Is there a
moderator or someone who can find what I was trying to post and advise me
of the error of my ways?

Thanks,
Michael


On Tue, Dec 4, 2018 at 12:52 PM Michael Dexter  wrote:

>
>
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Re: [PLUG] UPDATED PLUG Meeting: Rapid web application development with Angular

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Dec 5, 2018 at 9:30 PM Michael Dexter  wrote:

> On 12/5/18 8:59 PM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > Sorry to hijack a thread, but I have been trying for some time to post
> > about a problem trying to install Google Earth on my Ubuntu desktop
> > computer. It appears I cannot originate a post to this forum. Is there a
> > moderator or someone who can find what I was trying to post and advise me
> > of the error of my ways?
>
> This post appears to be successful. What do you see otherwise?
>
> Michael Dexter
> PLUG Volunteer
>

I seem to be able to reply to an existing thread. However, any message I
originate to the list never seems to show up. I will attempt again to
originate a message.

 Michael
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[PLUG] Test Post

[Michael Barnes]

Once again, attempting to originate a post to this list. I would appreciate
an acknowledgement if anyone sees this message.


Thank you,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Test Post

[Michael Barnes]

You say both my attempts to post succeeded? Is that referring to my posts
concerning Google Earth?

Sorry for top posting. My phone does not seem to allow me to bottom post.

Thanks,
Michael


On Thu, Dec 6, 2018, 11:08 Richard Owlett  On 12/06/2018 12:16 PM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > Once again, attempting to originate a post to this list. I would
> appreciate
> > an acknowledgement if anyone sees this message.
> >
>
> Copy sent to Michael Barnes.
>
> Both your attempts to post succeeded.
>
> I've seen reports of people not being able to read their own posts to a
> list. Does that describe your case?
>
> I'm *NOT* a gmail user. IIRC the is a gmail setting covering that.
> I use a paid email service and experienced a similar problem. In my
> case, the provider's filter tended to suspect that mail to be spam if
> from and to addresses appeared to be the same. What was required was
> white listing the URL of the mailing list (i.e. pdlinux.org).
>
> My problems were a few years ago and involved a different different
> list. I don't recall having the problem with this list.
>
> HTH
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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[PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

Once again I shall try to post this to the group. Even if you have no
answer, I'd at least appreciate some acknowledgement that this message
actually went out.

I am trying to install Google Earth on my Ubuntu desktop computer. I
downloaded the google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb file. Per
instructions I found on the Internet, I did

$ sudo dpkg -i ./google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
$ sudo apt-get install -f
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get upgrade

then exited the terminal and went to "Search Your Computer", searched for
Google, clicked on Google Earth Pro and it started up. The problem is, the
window has my desktop in it with the earth display in a little window in
the upper left corner. I've tried the various on-line helps and don't even
know for sure how to describe the issue. I have removed and reinstalled
with the same results. I'm guessing there is something wrong with my
installation procedure. I don't do this very often.

Thanks for any ideas,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

I think that may have been the problem with my previous posts. I tried to
include a screenshot and I don't think this list allows pictures. Not sure
where to post the screenshot.

Michael


On Thu, Dec 6, 2018, 20:53 wes  Would you be able to take a screenshot, or even take a picture with a phone
> or camera, and post that up somewhere for us to see?
>
> From your description I can tell that something super weird is going on,
> but I can't really get a good sense of it without seeing it.
>
> BTW, your post went through :)
>
> -wes
>
> On Thu, Dec 6, 2018 at 8:37 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > Once again I shall try to post this to the group. Even if you have no
> > answer, I'd at least appreciate some acknowledgement that this message
> > actually went out.
> >
> > I am trying to install Google Earth on my Ubuntu desktop computer. I
> > downloaded the google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb file. Per
> > instructions I found on the Internet, I did
> >
> > $ sudo dpkg -i ./google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
> > $ sudo apt-get install -f
> > $ sudo apt-get update
> > $ sudo apt-get upgrade
> >
> > then exited the terminal and went to "Search Your Computer", searched for
> > Google, clicked on Google Earth Pro and it started up. The problem is,
> the
> > window has my desktop in it with the earth display in a little window in
> > the upper left corner. I've tried the various on-line helps and don't
> even
> > know for sure how to describe the issue. I have removed and reinstalled
> > with the same results. I'm guessing there is something wrong with my
> > installation procedure. I don't do this very often.
> >
> > Thanks for any ideas,
> > Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

On Fri, Dec 7, 2018 at 6:24 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Fri, 7 Dec 2018, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I think that may have been the problem with my previous posts. I tried to
> > include a screenshot and I don't think this list allows pictures. Not
> sure
> > where to post the screenshot.
>


Okay, screen shot is at http://nwgrr.org/SS-GE.png

You can see my desktop is shown in the primary screen, the toolbar thing is
on the left, and the actual map is a small box in the upper left corner. I
can manipulate the small map, zoom, scroll, etc. but I can't really do
anything useful as it is so small.

Thanks for any ideas.
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

On Sat, Dec 8, 2018 at 12:37 PM Tomas K 
wrote:

> I was kind of curious what is Google Earth. So 
>
> I tried GEarth on bunch of Ubuntu installs both 16.04 and 18.04
> I experienced no problems with GoogleEarth after doing following:
> 1. Download:
>wget -Nc https://dl.google.com/dl/earth/client/current/google-earth-
> pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
> 
>You might need to visit https://www.google.com/earth/versions/ in
> browser
> 2. Install:
>sudo dpkg -i google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
>(the installation added repository to
> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-earth-pro.list)
>So, it should be updating itself normally when running apt upgrade
> 3. Start it:
>google-earth-pro &
> It works as expected - according to Google's web screenshots.
>
> My Ubuntu installations are mostly default without any of odd bits and
> pieces of customization often discussed here.
>
> In terms of your issues I'd try to:
> * remove it and reinstall by:
>   sudo apt remove google-earth-pro-stable
>   sudo apt update
>   sudo install google-earth-pro-stable
>
> If that does not help - are you using X or Wayland? I believe that I am
>  using X on both 16.04 as well as 18.04.
>
> I cannot offer much help with GUI type problems as I am not a GUI kind
> of guy. It just work for me in the default shape and form and I do not
> feel the need to fight little changes and annoyanceswith
> trivial workarounds - I do not mind adjusting self as things change.
>
> Hope it helps, Tomas
>
>
> >
> > Okay, screen shot is at http://nwgrr.org/SS-GE.png
> >
> > You can see my desktop is shown in the primary screen, the toolbar
> > thing is
> > on the left, and the actual map is a small box in the upper left
> > corner. I
> > can manipulate the small map, zoom, scroll, etc. but I can't really
> > do anything useful as it is so small.
>

I tried your suggestion. Didn't work well.

$ sudo install google-earth-pro-stable
install: missing destination file operand after 'google-earth-pro-stable'
Try 'install --help' for more information.

My biggest problem with Linux is it works so well. I rarely do things and
when I try, I forget how it should be done.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

On Sun, Dec 9, 2018, 05:53 David Fleck  On Sat, 2018-12-08 at 21:59 -0600, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > On Sat, Dec 8, 2018 at 12:37 PM Tomas K  > >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I was kind of curious what is Google Earth. So 
> > >
> > > I tried GEarth on bunch of Ubuntu installs both 16.04 and 18.04
> > > I experienced no problems with GoogleEarth after doing following:
> > > 1. Download:
> > >wget -Nc https://dl.google.com/dl/earth/client/current/google-ea
> > > rth-
> > > pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
> > > <https://dl.google.com/dl/earth/client/current/google-earth-pro-sta
> > > ble_current_amd64.deb>
> > >You might need to visit https://www.google.com/earth/versions/
> > > in
> > > browser
> > > 2. Install:
> > >sudo dpkg -i google-earth-pro-stable_current_amd64.deb
> > >(the installation added repository to
> > > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-earth-pro.list)
> > >So, it should be updating itself normally when running apt
> > > upgrade
> > > 3. Start it:
> > >google-earth-pro &
> > > It works as expected - according to Google's web screenshots.
> > >
> > > My Ubuntu installations are mostly default without any of odd bits
> > > and
> > > pieces of customization often discussed here.
> > >
> > > In terms of your issues I'd try to:
> > > * remove it and reinstall by:
> > >   sudo apt remove google-earth-pro-stable
> > >   sudo apt update
> > >   sudo install google-earth-pro-stable
> > >
> > > If that does not help - are you using X or Wayland? I believe that
> > > I am
> > >  using X on both 16.04 as well as 18.04.
> > >
> > > I cannot offer much help with GUI type problems as I am not a GUI
> > > kind
> > > of guy. It just work for me in the default shape and form and I do
> > > not
> > > feel the need to fight little changes and annoyanceswith
> > > trivial workarounds - I do not mind adjusting self as things
> > > change.
> > >
> > > Hope it helps, Tomas
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Okay, screen shot is at http://nwgrr.org/SS-GE.png
> > > >
> > > > You can see my desktop is shown in the primary screen, the
> > > > toolbar
> > > > thing is
> > > > on the left, and the actual map is a small box in the upper left
> > > > corner. I
> > > > can manipulate the small map, zoom, scroll, etc. but I can't
> > > > really
> > > > do anything useful as it is so small.
> >
> > I tried your suggestion. Didn't work well.
> >
> > $ sudo install google-earth-pro-stable
> > install: missing destination file operand after 'google-earth-pro-
> > stable'
> > Try 'install --help' for more information.
>
> I think you want
>
> sudo apt install google-earth-pro-stable
>
> note the 'apt'.
>
>
> _
>

>
>
> I knew something didn't look quite right. I put in the apt and it
> installed. However, it still has the same problem. The map just shows up as
> a tiny square in the upper left corner as in the previous screen shot.

Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 7:32 AM Ben Koenig  wrote:

> The problem in that screenshot may not be related to Google earth.
>
> It looks like an issue with the GUI rendering system. Unity uses
> compositing (with GPU acceleration) to render all windows, but so does
> Google Earth. So the points of failure could be any of the following:
> 1) google earth was built improperly, or for a different version of Ubuntu
> 2) your graphics driver is not installed correctly (this is common for
> nvidia cards)
> 3) ubuntu's desktop compositor is doing something stupid
>
> Rule out #1 by checking the file used to install Google Earth. Make sure
> the ubuntu version listed by the .deb is the version you are running
> Ruling out #2 is a bit more difficult. Maybe post your GPU brand/model and
> the driver version you are using here?
>
> Rule out #3 by running the same Google Earth package, on the same system,
> but a different DE. If it works on XFCE and not Unity then you know where
> the problem is.
> What you are seeing isn't actually that uncommon for an ubuntu-based
> system.
>
>
>
>
You said "What you are seeing isn't actually that uncommon for an
ubuntu-based system." I will say that I have been running Ubuntu on my
desktop computers for well over 10 years and have never experienced such
behavior.

Oh my, getting way out of my memory and skill level here.  I used this to
install:
$ sudo apt-get install google-earth-pro-stable

I have no idea what file or deb version that would be. How would I find
that out.

My computer is a 10+ year old Dell Optiplex 745. How would I tell what GPU
brand/model and
the driver version I am using?

"Rule out #3 by running the same Google Earth package, on the same system,
but a different DE. If it works on XFCE and not Unity then you know where
the problem is." Please forgive my ignorance, but this is pretty much Greek
to me.

While I was at one time, IMHO, fairly good with Linux, sadly, it works well
and I have not messed with anything but use it for quite a while and my
memory is not at all what it used to be. I'm sure I have dealt with much of
this in the past, but CRS syndrome has its firm grip on me these days.

I'm pretty good at running commands and getting answers. I just don't
remember the commands to run.

Thank you all for your patience with me.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Problem with Google Earth Install

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 8:22 AM Ben Koenig  wrote:

> The issue you are encountering is a conflict occurring between several
> different parts. With the right combination of hardware and software you
> get the problem represented in your screenshot.
> 10 years ago this was not a thing. The Ubuntu desktop wasn't even capable
> of doing that.
>
> Tomas already did the first thing for us, he installed on a different
> system, same ubuntu, same package and it worked. So I'm guessing that you
> have the correct version of Google Earth AND it is compatible with Ubuntu.
> So what we need to know is which graphics card you have, and which driver
> it is using. I can't remember how to look this up in Ubuntu graphically so
> just copy/paste the following command:
>
> lspci | grep VGA
>
> The output of that command will tell me what GPU you have. I'd be willing
> to bet that your 10 year old optiplex is not compatible with newer render
> techniques in Google Earth, but we can look that up :)
> Maybe a current ubuntu user could provide the point&click method since that
> would be preferrable for getting the info we need.
>
>
> As for my claim about this being a common Ubuntu thing. Dude, I have
>
> installed/configured/built/setup/maintained/supported/fixed/tested/designed/customized
> and otherwise touched (directly or indirectly) over 5000 Ubuntu systems
> based on 8.04, 10.04, 12.04, and 14.04 in a 5 year time-span. When I say
> this is a common problem, I'm literally just looking at my entire sample
> size. So that screenshot you showed us is not at all surprising to me. It
> can technically occur on any distro, just more common for recent Ubuntu
> versions (>12.04).
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 8:33 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 7:32 AM Ben Koenig  wrote:
> >
> > > The problem in that screenshot may not be related to Google earth.
> > >
> > > It looks like an issue with the GUI rendering system. Unity uses
> > > compositing (with GPU acceleration) to render all windows, but so does
> > > Google Earth. So the points of failure could be any of the following:
> > > 1) google earth was built improperly, or for a different version of
> > Ubuntu
> > > 2) your graphics driver is not installed correctly (this is common for
> > > nvidia cards)
> > > 3) ubuntu's desktop compositor is doing something stupid
> > >
> > > Rule out #1 by checking the file used to install Google Earth. Make
> sure
> > > the ubuntu version listed by the .deb is the version you are running
> > > Ruling out #2 is a bit more difficult. Maybe post your GPU brand/model
> > and
> > > the driver version you are using here?
> > >
> > > Rule out #3 by running the same Google Earth package, on the same
> system,
> > > but a different DE. If it works on XFCE and not Unity then you know
> where
> > > the problem is.
> > > What you are seeing isn't actually that uncommon for an ubuntu-based
> > > system.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > You said "What you are seeing isn't actually that uncommon for an
> > ubuntu-based system." I will say that I have been running Ubuntu on my
> > desktop computers for well over 10 years and have never experienced such
> > behavior.
> >
> > Oh my, getting way out of my memory and skill level here.  I used this to
> > install:
> > $ sudo apt-get install google-earth-pro-stable
> >
> > I have no idea what file or deb version that would be. How would I find
> > that out.
> >
> > My computer is a 10+ year old Dell Optiplex 745. How would I tell what
> GPU
> > brand/model and
> > the driver version I am using?
> >
> > "Rule out #3 by running the same Google Earth package, on the same
> system,
> > but a different DE. If it works on XFCE and not Unity then you know where
> > the problem is." Please forgive my ignorance, but this is pretty much
> Greek
> > to me.
> >
> > While I was at one time, IMHO, fairly good with Linux, sadly, it works
> well
> > and I have not messed with anything but use it for quite a while and my
> > memory is not at all what it used to be. I'm sure I have dealt with much
> of
> > this in the past, but CRS syndrome has its firm grip on me these days.
> >
> > I'm pretty good at running commands and getting answers. I just don't
> > remember the commands to run.
> >
> > Thank you all for your patience with me.
> >
> > Michael
>

Ben,
I most certain

Re: [PLUG] Domain with e-mail - cheap

[Michael Barnes]

My hosting is with 1&1, now ionos.com. I have an up to date Linux server
and domain hosting for a fairly reasonable price. Additional domains are
competitively priced. Basic email accounts are provided with each domain
(don't remember how many, 100?) and unlimited forwards. Webmail client is
pretty decent, though I rarely use it. Reliability is great, not an outage
I was aware of in over ten years. Granted, my needs are basic and my
traffic is light, but they have really served me well.

Michael


On Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 4:56 PM Bill Barry  wrote:

> On Fri, Dec 21, 2018 at 12:34 AM Rich Shepard 
> wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 20 Dec 2018, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> >
> > > I wish to create a specific e-mail account for my own domain. I did a
> > > couple quick searches and the domain name that I want is available. I
> > > found several places that will register it for me for ~$10 a year, but
> to
> > > create e-mail on the domain they want monthly fees. What is a good
> cheap
> > > way to accomplish this? Suggestions welcome.
> >
> > John,
> >
> >I don't know if namecheap.com charges for e-mail hosting but they're
> > very
> > reasonable for domain registration. They are the registrar for my two
> > domains but I run my own MTA so I don't use their mail service.
> >
> >
> Rich, namecheap does make it easy to forward email from your domain to
> another email account if you have a domain registered with them. That
> service comes free with the domain registration.
> It does not cover being able to send mail from your domain.
>
> Bill
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Re: [PLUG] Althea deploymet in Clatskanie?

[Michael Barnes]

Rural Internet is pathetic in most areas. It's nice to see areas like
Clatskanie get this type of service. Good for the folks in and close to
town, but not so much for those out in the sticks.  I was working in a
rural area outside of Aumsville a while back and was pleased to see rural
users getting fiber to the home. But, I think those areas are exceptions
rather than the rule. My sister lives in the hills between Rainier and St.
Helens. Century Link has fiber running down the road in front of her house,
with vaults periodically along the route. No idea what it is feeding, but
it is not getting to the users.  They offer DSL, but it rarely exceeds
dial-up speeds. She has satellite right now, but the service is spotty,
very expensive, and the data caps kill her. Far from adequate for her
business she runs from home. She gets a great microwave signal from across
the river, but Cascade Networks say they don't serve her road, end of
discussion and hang up on us.  We still don't know what the answer is. With
the up and down terrain, something like the referenced mesh system just
wouldn't be practical in her situation.

Still looking for affordable solutions.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] power management question

[Michael Barnes]

I do know there are power strips with Ethernet connections that can control
individual outlets. Usually used for brute force resets of equipment, they
can be commanded remotely for whatever purpose. Available from Black Box,
etc. Might be able to find them at Fry's or appropriate online search.

HTH,
Michael


On Wed, Jan 23, 2019, 16:02 wes  I have an odd problem I'm trying to solve. I have an older flat panel TV
> that I'm using as a computer monitor for a Linux system. The TV does not
> (appear to) support any sort of auto-standby mode when it gets no signal,
> so it just displays the "no signal" notice 90% of the time.
>
> Currently I have set it up on a power strip with a motion sensor, so at
> least it's not spending nights & weekends on for no reason. I would like to
> cut this down further.
>
> I've looked into a number of options. The TV supports HDMI-CEC control
> codes, but I haven't found any consumer-grade video cards that implement
> that feature other than in a Raspberry Pi type of device. If I could find
> such a card, that would be ideal.
>
> I also have a power strip controlled by a USB cable - if there's power to
> the USB plug, it turns on the outlets. However, it seems that in kernel
> 2.6.38 or so, the option to arbitrarily set the state of a USB port (or
> whole controller) was removed. So I need to find something in the system
> that I can power on/off at will. Preferably something that turns off when
> the display turns off. I had thought about cutting into the video cable and
> splicing a relay onto the power circuit... but by the time I got that
> going, I would have spent more than the cost of a ready-made device that
> already exists to do what I'm trying to do. (
> https://www.pulse-eight.com/p/104/usb-hdmi-cec-adapter if you're curious)
>
> Ideas?
>
> thanks,
> -wes
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[PLUG] Need New Computer

[Michael Barnes]

I came home from work today to find my 12 year old Dell Optiplex bit the
dust. Not sure if it is the power supply or motherboard, troubleshooting
help is rather vague. I haven't  built a computer since 2006, so I'm a bit
out of touch on hardware specs these days. I just need a basic desktop
machine to run Ubuntu on. I have a real nice pair of Dell DVI monitors with
sound bars. They also have VGA inputs. Is DVI video still being used? My
video card has a big DVI connector that connects to a splitter cable to
feed the two monitors. From a previous issue, I know I need to upgrade
video as Google Earth would not render properly.
Anyhow, any suggestions on hardware these days? I'd really like to try to
find something local I can get back on line this weekend, but I don't know
of anyplace with hardware other than Fry's. Is there a current video card
with the dual DVI output to allow me to use my existing monitors? I really
don't want to buy a Walmart or Costco machine to pay for and throw away
Windows and I'm not interested in dual-booting. Or should I just try to
find a junk machine to get me by until I can receive something from online
purchase?
Also, are modern motherboards still using SATA drives, or has that
technology changed, too?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Need New Computer

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 6:49 PM Russell Senior 
wrote:

> FreeGeek thrift store can get you a working box with decent desktop specs
> for on the order of $100-$200.
>
> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 6:27 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > I came home from work today to find my 12 year old Dell Optiplex bit the
> > dust. Not sure if it is the power supply or motherboard, troubleshooting
> > help is rather vague. I haven't  built a computer since 2006, so I'm a
> bit
> > out of touch on hardware specs these days. I just need a basic desktop
> > machine to run Ubuntu on. I have a real nice pair of Dell DVI monitors
> with
> > sound bars. They also have VGA inputs. Is DVI video still being used? My
> > video card has a big DVI connector that connects to a splitter cable to
> > feed the two monitors. From a previous issue, I know I need to upgrade
> > video as Google Earth would not render properly.
> > Anyhow, any suggestions on hardware these days? I'd really like to try to
> > find something local I can get back on line this weekend, but I don't
> know
> > of anyplace with hardware other than Fry's. Is there a current video card
> > with the dual DVI output to allow me to use my existing monitors? I
> really
> > don't want to buy a Walmart or Costco machine to pay for and throw away
> > Windows and I'm not interested in dual-booting. Or should I just try to
> > find a junk machine to get me by until I can receive something from
> online
> > purchase?
> > Also, are modern motherboards still using SATA drives, or has that
> > technology changed, too?
> >
> > Thanks for any suggestions.
> >
> > Michael
>

Well, based on the limited number of options provided  :-)  I guess I'll be
headed to Free Geek on Saturday.

Thanks, everybody.

Michael

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[PLUG] Thanks Everybody

[Michael Barnes]

I just want to say a collective thanks to this list. I subscribe to a
couple dozen lists on a variety of subjects. It seems lately any time
someone asks for help, especially if they are an infrequent poster, new, or
ask some basic questions, 80% of the replies are either greatly critical,
i.e. "RTFM", "Read John Doe's book ('Any non-idiot knows who John Doe
is')", "Why on earth would you want to do such a thing", "Read the list
archives, it has been discussed before, so we won't help you now", "You are
doing it wrong", etc. or they are waste of time answers, "Never heard of
that problem", "Sorry, you have XXX and I have YYY, so I can't help you",
"Mine doesn't do that", etc.  For some reason, people feel obligated to
reply, even if they have nothing constructive to offer. And if someone does
take the time to provide a useful step-by-step answer, his reply gets
blasted for taking up bandwidth.

Fortunately, despite my bumbling, this group has always been helpful and
folks have taken time to continue to answer my questions. One of my
problems with Linux is, it just works. So, once I get things going, after a
short time CRS kicks in and I can't remember how I did it. You guys never
fail to come to my rescue.

So, THANKS TO EVERYBODY for your continued help.

Have a great day.
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Needed: RS-232 male plug to USB male plug

[Michael Barnes]

So you are looking for a cable with a USB on one end and DB-9 on the other?
Is this just for charging or data transfer? Do you have a pinout? If it is
just charging and you have a pinout I can build you a cable in a few
minutes.

Michael


On Fri, Feb 22, 2019, 09:28 Rich Shepard  wrote:

> On Fri, 22 Feb 2019, Rich Shepard wrote:
>
> > Found my old Palm Pilot IIIxe and its charging cradle but need an adapter
> > for the charging cable. Anyone have such a beast for sale? If not, any
> > place local (prepferably not Fry's) to buy one?
>
> I better clarify: the cable has a female DB-9 connector on the end and I
> want to attach an adapter so I can plug the cable into a USB port.
>
> Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Need New Computer

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 8:55 PM Michael Barnes 
wrote:

>
> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 6:49 PM Russell Senior 
> wrote:
>
>> FreeGeek thrift store can get you a working box with decent desktop specs
>> for on the order of $100-$200.
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 6:27 PM Michael Barnes 
>> wrote:
>>
>> > I came home from work today to find my 12 year old Dell Optiplex bit the
>> > dust. Not sure if it is the power supply or motherboard, troubleshooting
>> > help is rather vague. I haven't  built a computer since 2006, so I'm a
>> bit
>> > out of touch on hardware specs these days. I just need a basic desktop
>> > machine to run Ubuntu on. I have a real nice pair of Dell DVI monitors
>> with
>> > sound bars. They also have VGA inputs. Is DVI video still being used? My
>> > video card has a big DVI connector that connects to a splitter cable to
>> > feed the two monitors. From a previous issue, I know I need to upgrade
>> > video as Google Earth would not render properly.
>> > Anyhow, any suggestions on hardware these days? I'd really like to try
>> to
>> > find something local I can get back on line this weekend, but I don't
>> know
>> > of anyplace with hardware other than Fry's. Is there a current video
>> card
>> > with the dual DVI output to allow me to use my existing monitors? I
>> really
>> > don't want to buy a Walmart or Costco machine to pay for and throw away
>> > Windows and I'm not interested in dual-booting. Or should I just try to
>> > find a junk machine to get me by until I can receive something from
>> online
>> > purchase?
>> > Also, are modern motherboards still using SATA drives, or has that
>> > technology changed, too?
>> >
>> > Thanks for any suggestions.
>> >
>> > Michael
>>
>
> Well, based on the limited number of options provided  :-)  I guess I'll
> be headed to Free Geek on Saturday.
>
> Thanks, everybody.
>
> Michael
>
>
Made it to Free Geek this morning. Great folks. Fixed me up with a nice
machine at a reasonable price. Even got me something I can use my existing
monitors with. Copied files from the old hard drive with little problem.
Back in business.

Thanks everybody for your help.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Need New Computer

[Michael Barnes]

On Sat, Feb 23, 2019 at 4:37 PM Michael Barnes 
wrote:

>
> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 8:55 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 6:49 PM Russell Senior 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> FreeGeek thrift store can get you a working box with decent desktop specs
>>> for on the order of $100-$200.
>>>
>>>
>> Well, based on the limited number of options provided  :-)  I guess I'll
>> be headed to Free Geek on Saturday.
>>
>> Thanks, everybody.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
> Made it to Free Geek this morning. Great folks. Fixed me up with a nice
> machine at a reasonable price. Even got me something I can use my existing
> monitors with. Copied files from the old hard drive with little problem.
> Back in business.
>
> Thanks everybody for your help.
>
> Michael
>
>
New computer is working great. However, I did a quick Internet search on it
and was surprised to find a bunch of places selling the same computer,
refurbished, for around $150  while Free Geek charged me $240. I know they
need to run the operation and provide support, etc. and there is the
convenience of getting a machine right away, but $240 for a machine with a
street price of $150 seems a bit steep.
Still happy to have the box, just curious on the "deal".

Michael
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[PLUG] DSL Issues

[Michael Barnes]

Not really Linux related, but you're the best group I know to ask this.

I haven't dealt with DSL for some time. One person I help out recently went
back to Century Link DSL from satellite. When I dealt with DSL years ago,
the phone line ran to the modem, then from the modem to other phones in the
house. If you went to a phone that didn't go through the modem, you needed
a filter. In this installation, the existing house wiring consisted of odd
collections of non-telephone wire, including thermostat wire, doorbell
wire, and other unidentified stuff. Although it worked, the bandwidth was
atrocious with speeds barely at dial-up service. There were no filters in
the system, but I did not hear the expected "DSL buzz" on the other phones.
I installed a new run of CAT6 cable, using one pair for the line from the
Century Link interface box to the modem. Surprisingly, the modem would not
lock on to the DSL. I had used a cheap RJ-11 jack labeled CAT3, which
turned out to be the problem. When I replaced the jack with a CAT6,
everything locked in and we had 3+ mbps of service.

So, my questions are, first, does today's DSL use a higher frequency signal
that no longer needs filters to prevent it from being heard in other phones
on the line? Also, if that is the case, would some cheap Chinese CAT3 jacks
somehow block or distort the DSL signal, preventing the modem from
detecting it? Through exhaustive DC continuity testing, I determined
everything was wired correctly and polarity was proper. The analog phone
signal worked just fine. It was all very perplexing.

Thanks for any insights to this.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] [OT] Visually identifying USB flash drives

[Michael Barnes]

I've got a small P-Touch label maker. I label everything with it from
cables to data jacks, project stuff, USB flash drives, light switches, etc.
Works great.

Michael


On Tue, Apr 2, 2019, 03:52 Richard Owlett  wrote:

> On 04/01/2019 04:56 PM, tomas.kuchta.li...@gmail.com wrote:
> > This looks like great application for colored sugru - wrap it around
> > your usb key, press a number into it, repeat with all usb sticks - and
> > wait intil it vulcanizes.
>
> I think paper gummed labels will match how I do things better.
>
> >
> > If you intend to keep some/all usb sticks together cou could even embed
> > them together in bigger piece of sugru.
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBv8GPDsJxs
> > https://sugru.com/
> >
> > - Tomas
> >
> > On Mon, 2019-04-01 at 09:59 -0500, Richard Owlett wrote:
> >> I've 20-30 flash drives dedicated t specific projects.
> >> Attempts to attach paper tags with useful information was futile.
> >> I'm thinking of using colored gummed labels [to sort by capacity]
> >> and
> >> write an sequential index number on it.
> >> I'll have a file associating index number to content description.
> >> Any suggestions?
> >> TIA
> >>
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Re: [PLUG] [OT] Visually identifying USB flash drives

[Michael Barnes]

I think I got mine at Staples. There are a variety of models.

Michael

On Wed, Apr 3, 2019, 03:08 Richard Owlett  wrote:

> On 04/02/2019 06:49 AM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > I've got a small P-Touch label maker. I label everything with it from
> > cables to data jacks, project stuff, USB flash drives, light switches,
> etc.
> > Works great.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>
> I'll look if I see one in the store. Brother's website demonstrates
> about every annoying HTML feature possible.
>
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[PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

I haven't messed with much in the hardware department for years. I recently
picked up a small 12V computer I want to use for some field applications in
ham radio. It presently has a conventional 160 GB SATA WD Caviar Blue drive
in it now. I'd like to replace that with a comparable SSD that is hopefully
just plug and play with the existing SATA connectors. Is that possible? My
intent is to just load a basic Linux install (probably CentOS) from a USB
stick and run a few basic services. It will have a USB GPS puck and run
gpsd and ntp. I'll run the normal network server stuff of dhcp, dns, etc. I
guess Samba is still the thing for a file server. It will not be connected
to the Internet when in the field. The field network will be a bunch of
Windows laptops and will need to share some files across the network with
the server.

So, all that to ask, what should I get for an SSD for this thing? This is a
low budget project.

Thanks for your ideas.
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

On Sat, May 18, 2019 at 9:30 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Sat, 18 May 2019, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > So, all that to ask, what should I get for an SSD for this thing? This is
> > a low budget project.
>
> Michael,
>
> I think that I have a couple of laptop SSD drives. If you could use one
> I'll
> look for them and give you your choice.
>
> Rich
> 
>

Thanks, Rich. What I don't know about is the connections. Do these have a
regular SATA connection, so I can just unplug the existing WD drive and
plug in the SSD? Or do I need some kind of new cable or adapter?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

This is not a laptop, but a small 12V computer with a mini-atx (I think)
type mainboard. I also just found out it uses an Atom 550 processor. As
previously stated, it had a regular 3.5 inch drive, so I'll need an adapter
to mount a laptop drive. This will normally run headless once I get the OS
installed, so no GUI environment needed. I'm thinking with this, maybe
CentOS is overkill. As I said, I only need some basic networking stuff,
dhcp, ntp, gpsd, etc. Reviewing my other needs, I'm not sure I will even
need file storage. A web server might be handy for a few static pages and
ability to pull down some small files that way. All of the help so far has
been greatly appreciated, thanks.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

On Sat, May 18, 2019 at 10:07 AM Dave Lien W7DAL  wrote:

> Michael-
>
> I use $20 SSDs from Newegg and they work fine for general use. SSDs are
> direct replacements for mechanical drives. For a low budget you can just
> duct tape them in place if needed. Not a problem. You will be amazed at
> how much faster they are.  Good luck.
>
> -Dave
>
>
>
Looked at Newegg. They have a huge selection of KingDian SSDs. Never heard
of KingDian. Are they any good? Many options I have no idea what is what.
That's what I get being out of the hardware game for over 10 years. No idea
what TLC or MLC or any of the other options are. Suggestions appreciated.

Michael
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[PLUG] Minimal Distribution for Atom 550 Processor

[Michael Barnes]

I got an SSD for this beast, now waiting on a power cord. In the meantime,
trying to decide on what distribution I want to load. I was originally
going to go with CentOS, but not sure if that is doable on this Atom
processor. I saw a recommendation for Puppy Linux, but Puppy became very
confusing very fast. Once installed, this will run headless. No GUI or
anything is necessary. Just need basic network stuff like dhcp, ntp, gpsd,
and maybe a lightweight webserver for some static pages and possible file
downloads. It will not be connected to the Internet, just a local LAN.

(Yes, I've used a RaspberryPi for this in the past. I just want to use this
box this time.)

I appreciate your suggestions.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, May 21, 2019 at 5:35 PM Chuck Hast  wrote:

> Michael,
> May I ask what amateur apps you are going to be using? gprsd and some
> others sound like something with
> aprs, or it could be with winlink, or a packet radio stack. I am using
> MMDVM on a RPi and it writes a LOT to
> the little memory card, but it goes and goes. So even a very busy aprs
> system will not see a lot of writing. I
> use the Samsung SSD's. I figure you are using one small POS or other
> devices, most are 19vdc but some are
> 12vdc (nice for vehicular usage) you indicated it used a 3" SATA drive,
> there are a lot of SSD 2" drives that have
> a kit for putting them in a 3" space. As in any device that it writing to
> memory make sure your 12v mains are
> reliable and will not drop out from under the computer.
> Call here is KP4DJT, Google it.
>
>
Hi Chuck,

Getting ready for Field Day. We will have multiple operating positions all
using the N3FJP Field Day Logging Program. All the laptops will be
connected via wireless LAN. The LAN needs to provide basic network stuff,
dhcp, ntp, etc. There will be no Internet connectivity, so the server will
have a USB GPS puck for time standard. I need a quick and dirty way of
grabbing files, so I was thinking of a basic web page users could browse to
and click to download files. The users will mostly be barely computer
literate Windows users, so everything has to be pretty basic. The files
involved will be relatively small.
Yes, it is a small POS type device. I already got a Crucial 120GB SSD and
bracket and it is installed. Just got the power cord today, will try to
fire it up later.

Michael WA7SKG
Field Day call W7ORE
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Re: [PLUG] SSD Advice Needed

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, May 23, 2019 at 7:29 AM Roderick Anderson 
wrote:

> Michael, Chuck;
>
> Quick message as I'm heading out the door for a meeting.
>
> Am I understanding correctly.  You have N3FJP running on a Linux system
> - the server?
>
>
> Rod - K7ZBE
>

No, N3FJP is running on Windows laptops. Previously, I tried a small
computer running Linux and Samba and hosted the database file and all the
clients connected to it. That was less than successful,  mainly due to user
error. Now, the database file is hosted on one Windows laptop and all the
clients connect via Windows File Sharing. The Linux server just handles
background network stuff like dhcp and ntp. Actually, I suppose I could
just use a router for dhcp, but I need GPS time as there will be no
Internet access and I need all machines closely synchronized in time. I'm
still fine tuning this whole package and experimenting with different
configurations. Ultimately, it will all be in a GO-Box that will be pretty
much just a deployable plug-and-play unit.

Michael WA7SKG
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[PLUG] CentOS gpsd and ntpd

[Michael Barnes]

Okay, got my machine up and running and trying to get the server stuff set
up.  First, I'm working on the NTP server part of things. This is a field
network with no Internet access, so I am providing time synchronization via
ntp with a GPS USB puck. Basically, I have it all working when I run things
manually. However, when I boot up or restart the computer, gpsd and ntpd
are not coming up as desired.

What I want:
$ ps ax | grep gps
13878 ?Shttp://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug

Re: [PLUG] Error under Wine

[Michael Barnes]

The Bridgecom website for this radio has a big warning about their software
written specifically for Windows, that it may not work in a virtual
environment. While that is pointed at Mac users, I imagine that Linux would
be included.

I suppose this is an issue folks should look at when considering radio
equipment today, as almost everything needs to be programmed by computer. I
use several radio related applications that must run on actual Windows
machines and not a virtual environment.  For that reason, I still have
Windows computers.

Michael


On Sun, Jun 2, 2019, 21:53 Chuck Hast  wrote:

> Yes, I was just testing out some things before I did that, but all turned
> out dead ends. Grief how I hate windows.
> This is stuff that should be portable. You should not have to buy a
> parasite to program your radio.
>
> Thanks Tomas for your observations and information. Lets see what comes out
> of WineHQ.
>
> On Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 11:24 PM  wrote:
>
> > I would think that your best chance is on wine mailing list or forum.
> >
> > Looking at he messages - it is asking you to roll up your sleeves and
> > :fixme:
> > seems like partially implemented API in wine.
> >
> > Tomas
> >
> > On Sun, 2019-06-02 at 20:32 -0500, Chuck Hast wrote:
> > > Well I started the program from the console to see what I got, and yes
> I
> > > got an eye full. If this will help here
> > > it is, it is long and ugly. Who knows what the chinese coders did but,
> it
> > > sure is a change from the original
> > > radio which is almost the same, but the code sure looks like it ain't.
> > > This is kinda long
> > >
> > > -- Start of File
> > > 
> > > kp4djt@kp4djt-T420:~/.wine/drive_c$ wine start D878UV_1.12/D878UV.exe
> > > 0009:fixme:exec:SHELL_execute flags ignored: 0x0100
> > > kp4djt@kp4djt-T420:~/.wine/drive_c$
> > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > >
> >
> (0xc36d44,3134,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-00aa00300cab},x=0,y=0,f=0,0x33f7c0),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:ME_HandleMessage EM_SETBIDIOPTIONS: stub
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:ME_HandleMessage EM_SETEDITSTYLE: stub
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16484c58),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x164852c0),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485338),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x164853b0),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485428),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x164854a0),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485518),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485590),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485608),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485680),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x164856f8),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > > (0xc36d44,0,0,{7bf80980-bf32-101a-8bbb-
> > > 00aa00300cab},x=16,y=16,f=0,0x16485770),
> > > partially implemented.
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OLEPictureImpl_SaveAsFile
> > (0x164641b8)->(0x164b8d40,
> > > 0, (nil)), hacked stub.
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_OnTxPropertyBitsChange 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:ole:OLEFontImpl_QueryInterface () : asking for unsupported
> > > interface {d0272120-db25-11ce-b944-00aa006887b4}
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_OnTxPropertyBitsChange 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_TxDraw 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_TxDraw 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_TxDraw 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_TxDraw 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:richedit:fnTextSrv_TxDraw 0x164791f8: STUB
> > > 002a:fixme:olepicture:OleLoadPictureEx
> > >
> >
> (0xc4071c,

Re: [PLUG] PDF/LaTeX guru here?

[Michael Barnes]

Autoresponders are the work of the devil and should be avoided at all costs.

One forum I subscribed to had a fellow that set up an autoresponder for
every email he received advising he would be out of the office for two
weeks. Of course it replied to every message from the forum, including his
replies. It generated thousands of messages in a matter of hours. This was
long ago and I was traveling at the time, using 1200 baud dial-up in truck
stops to get my mail. I was limited to 20-30 minutes at a time, but if I
did not download all the pending messages, it started all over again  at
the next connection. To this day, folks on that forum occasionally recall
the "Faron Oscillator", named for the poor guy who made the error.

Michael


On Wed, Jun 26, 2019, 10:13 Rich Shepard  wrote:

> On Wed, 26 Jun 2019, wes wrote:
>
> > It just means that someone subscribed to the list and then set up an
> > auto-responder. It happens.
>
> Wes,
>
> Oh. Okay.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rich
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[PLUG] Any Ubiquiti Experts Out There?

[Michael Barnes]

I'm considering using some Ubiquity radios (Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP) for a
field deployable network. They say they use PoE to power the units.
However, the PoE specs say 48V, while the Bullet data sheet says says max
24V. Ubiquiti has their own PoE power inserters, but they run off 120V and
I need this system to run off 12V. When I look for 12V PoE inserters, they
are for IP cameras that run from 12V and don't follow the actual PoE
standard 802.3af.

So, will I be able to power an Ubiquiti Bullet from 12V?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Wireless home LAN - security? WiFi vs Bluetooth?

[Michael Barnes]

I would ask, if the machines are all within six feet, it sounds like they
are in the same room. What is the problem with Ethernet? I've got 8-12
devices in my office, all connected via Ethernet. The only things on my
wireless network are TVs, Echo Dots, and cell phones. The wireless network
is separate from the wired network for the most part.

Just curious.

Michael


On Sun, Jul 28, 2019, 08:41 Ben Koenig  wrote:

> Short answer: You should not place too much faith in wikipedia's accuracy.
>
> It can be great, but is not 100% reliable.
>
> Second, what are you security concerns? There is a lot of misinformation
> and fear mongering in this area, and there are a lot of people online
> promoting extreme fear and paranoia.
>
>
> So I have a two-fold question for you:
>
> What are you trying to protect?
>
> Who are you protecting it from?
>
> -Ben
>
>
> On 7/28/19 5:11 AM, Richard Owlett wrote:
> > Sneakernet for file transfer has become annoying.
> > Ethernet is not feasible.
> > I have only a few machines a max of 6' apart.
> > My usage would typically be peer-to-peer but I want to communicate
> > between any two machines.
> > My web connectivity is via a T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot (WiFi turned off).
> > I run Debian and all software must be in their repository.
> >
> > I've just begun reading - primarily Wikipedia articles and some links
> > from them.  My primary question is "What should I be reading?" in
> > order to ask appropriate questions.
> >
> > A significant concern is security issues. Bluetooth, being short
> > range, may thus have an advantage. Speed is likely not an issue for my
> > expected usage. (I was one of my ISP's last 6 dial-up clients ;)
> >
> > TIA
> >
> >
> >
> >
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Re: [PLUG] Linux-compatible borescope, yay!

[Michael Barnes]

You can find Android Endoscopes on Amazon for <$20. As they work with
Android, they may likely work with Linux as well. However, your Android
phone is probably much more portable.

Michael


On Tue, Aug 6, 2019 at 12:04 AM Keith Lofstrom  wrote:

> I'm about to cut some holes in the wall to upgrade the
> plumbing in our house (a professional will do the actual
> plumbing).  I wanted to see where the pipes run and what
> is in the way.
>
> So I risked $58 on an Oiiwak Industrial Endoscope aka
> Borescope.  This is a box with a 4.3 inch diagonal color
> screen and an 11 foot cable with a 5.5 mm diameter 1080p
> camera and LED lights at the other end.
>
> It includes an 8 GB microSDXC card and a USB cable.
> When I plug the unit into an ancient laptop with an old
> distro, the memory card mounts on the desktop, pretty
> much like the memory card in my old brickphone.
>
> There may be dodopaddle or perhaps linux apps that can
> connect to the camera directly, but the handheld screen
> is fine for capturing images and videos to the memory
> card ... which I replaced with a SanDisk 64GB card.
>
> Now to poke holes in the drywall and fish some camera
> cable.  What fun!
>
> Yet another fun toy usable with our Linux laptops and
> computers.  I'll use it off and on until fall, then I
> might loan it out to my linux brethren and sistren.
>
> Keith
>
> --
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Re: [PLUG] Something like Skype, but hosted on my web server?

[Michael Barnes]

I have used Free Conference Call where you can show your desktop. I don't
know if it allows others to interact with your desktop, however.

Michael


On Sat, Aug 10, 2019 at 12:26 PM Bob Vinisky 
wrote:

> Hi Dick,
>
> > On Aug 10, 2019, at 11:36 AM, Dick Steffens 
> wrote:
> >
> > While visiting friends in Des Moines in June, we had fun playing 500. I
> recently thought of a way to play 500 remotely. The idea is to have a tool
> running on my web server that would work like Skype to connect audio and
> video like a conference call, but also have the card game work with it.
> I've found some web sites describing how to program card games, but I'm
> having trouble finding similar information about setting up a conference
> call. Actually, there's lots of info on setting up a conference call, but I
> haven't figured out the right foo to find out how to write the program to
> handle conference calling. I'd appreciate any ideas on what to ask.
>
> I haven’t looked at this in depth, but WebRTC seem promising for what you
> want …
>
> https://webrtc.org
>
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Bob
> --
> In Space, mexican food is considered a form of propulsion
>
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Re: [PLUG] How we treat the homeless...

[Michael Barnes]

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:34 AM  wrote:

>  Homeless are people first and foremost and deserving of respect
> as such despite their lack of an address to call home.
>
>
Respect is earned, not deserved. As I look around and see the various
homeless folks camping under bridges, in parks, blocking bike paths, etc. I
see nothing but disgusting garbage heaps. I see a huge mish-mash of tarps
and tents, grocery carts, bicycle parts, bags and trash strewn everywhere.
This is not a sight that commands respect, rather contempt. I understand
homelessness, I have been homeless myself a few times over the years. But I
retained the self respect to remain clean, neat, and orderly. Regardless of
the circumstances, there is absolutely zero excuse for these trash piles.
As long as these people seem intent on creating these situations, they will
continue to be turned away and locked out. It is unfortunate the result
impacts innocent users, but I understand PSU's position. They simply don't
have the resources to constantly clean up after these abusers.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Susan on plug list...

[Michael Barnes]

I haven't worked with mailman in some time. Other lists that I manage allow
me to set an initial moderation of new subscribers. Most of my lists have
this set at 2, but I did set one list at 5 after having a few issues.
Basically, any new subscribers have their first 2 posts moderated
(approved) before they go to the list membership. This has served well to
prevent these types of situations. Once the initial moderation is met, the
users messages flow through to the list. It has been very successful in
weeding out the occasional oddity.

Michael


On Tue, Oct 1, 2019, 12:11 wes  wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 1, 2019 at 11:49 AM Rich Shepard 
> wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 1 Oct 2019, wes wrote:
> >
> > > I locked down the spammer's address immediately after the spam was
> sent.
> >
> > Thanks, Wes.
> >
> > > If the frequency of this continues to increase, we may need to look
> into
> > > stronger verifications prior to admission to the list.
> >
> > This has been only the second, or third, time this list has been spammed.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Rich
> >
> >
> True, but all instances have been relatively recent. I'm not sure what the
> appropriate threshold should be, but I feel like twice in a month would be
> a reasonable time to evaluate.
>
> -wes
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Re: [PLUG] Susan on plug list...

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Oct 1, 2019 at 5:12 PM wes  wrote:

> Do you recall where that option is set?
>
> -wes
>
> On Tue, Oct 1, 2019 at 4:46 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > I haven't worked with mailman in some time. Other lists that I manage
> allow
> > me to set an initial moderation of new subscribers. Most of my lists have
> > this set at 2, but I did set one list at 5 after having a few issues.
> > Basically, any new subscribers have their first 2 posts moderated
> > (approved) before they go to the list membership. This has served well to
> > prevent these types of situations. Once the initial moderation is met,
> the
> > users messages flow through to the list. It has been very successful in
> > weeding out the occasional oddity.
> >
> > Michael
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 1, 2019, 12:11 wes  wrote:
> >
> > > On Tue, Oct 1, 2019 at 11:49 AM Rich Shepard  >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Tue, 1 Oct 2019, wes wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I locked down the spammer's address immediately after the spam was
> > > sent.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks, Wes.
> > > >
> > > > > If the frequency of this continues to increase, we may need to look
> > > into
> > > > > stronger verifications prior to admission to the list.
> > > >
> > > > This has been only the second, or third, time this list has been
> > spammed.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Rich
> > > >
> > > >
> > > True, but all instances have been relatively recent. I'm not sure what
> > the
> > > appropriate threshold should be, but I feel like twice in a month would
> > be
> > > a reasonable time to evaluate.
> > >
> > > -wes
>

My apologies. I wasn't clear. I haven't used mailman in some time. The
lists I manage these days are all hosted on groups.io. It has a great web
interface and subscriptions are basically self-service. I don't have to
keep up with the server management like I did hosting mailman. I know there
are a lot of features in mailman, and I used to have some lists that were
fully moderated, but that got to be a lot of work as the list got busy. I
don't know if the current versions of mailman have an initial moderation
option for new subscribers or not. That would probably be a question for
the mailman support forum.

Michael
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[PLUG] Accessing external drive in Mint

[Michael Barnes]

I have a computer that suffered a hardware failure. I replaced it with a
'new' unit from Free Geek running Mint. I pulled the hard drive and need to
try to recover some data from it. I have an external drive adapter that
plugs into a USB port.

Previously, (assuming I remember correctly) I simply hooked up the drive to
the adapter and plugged it into the USB port and it showed up as sdb and I
was able to transfer data as needed.

This time, nothing shows up. So, either I cannot remember how it shows up
or I am doing something wrong (both likely). I tried a couple of other
drives that I had previously hooked up with similar results.
I have tried parted -l, fdisk -l, lsblk -a, and looked at /dev with no good
results.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Accessing external drive in Mint

[Michael Barnes]

On Fri, Oct 25, 2019 at 6:35 PM wes  wrote:

> On Fri, Oct 25, 2019 at 5:58 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > I have a computer that suffered a hardware failure. I replaced it with a
> > 'new' unit from Free Geek running Mint. I pulled the hard drive and need
> to
> > try to recover some data from it. I have an external drive adapter that
> > plugs into a USB port.
> >
> >
> If you open the graphical file browsing window, do any extra volumes show
> up along the left side?
>
> What type of USB adapter is it?
>
> What type of hard drive are you working with?
>
> -wes
>

Thanks for the helpful replies.

Blatant stupidity on my part. PEBKAC! It has been a while since I used this
adapter and my workbench is a mess of wires from too many projects at once.
I failed to notice the small in line power switch between the power supply
and the drive. Turned on power switch and all works fine.

Sorry for the interruption. You may now return to your regular programming.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] How to create an icon to execute freecad

[Michael Barnes]

On Sun, Nov 3, 2019 at 6:43 PM Denis Heidtmann 
wrote:

> I am using freecad.  As installed via a package from Ubuntu it has no icon
> for gui execution.  It would be a minor convenience if I could create
> such.  As it is now I launch a terminal, type "freecad" and I am off and
> running.  I thought I could just go to /usr/bin/freecad, create a link, and
> be done.  But /usr/bin/freecad is a link to a link to a link to who knows
> what.  None of that chain permits a link.
>
> So how about a batch file to do what I do by typing in a terminal?  Well it
> has been a few years since I have messed with bash.  I have created an
> executable script file names FCad.sh and a link thereto.  The script
> contains just the command "freecad".  The link opens the script in gedit.
> I expect that everybody reading this is saying "well, duh!"
>
> So how do I do what I want?  There is an additional desire: When I execute
> the command "freecad" from a terminal, error messages generated during the
> running of freecad show up in the terminal.  Those messages can be useful.
> So I would like those messages to be available when I run freecad from my
> link.
>
> Is there a simple way to get what I want, or should I be content to launch
> freecad from a terminal?
>
> Thanks,
> -Denis
>

I'm not much of a purist or expert programmer. When I have an executable I
want to launch from the desktop, I open a terminal and go into ~/Desktop
and look at the various .desktop files. I then copy one to another file
like new.program.desktop and edit it with the information on the new
program. Save it, make it executable by all, close your terminal and it
should be on the desktop. double click and away you go.

I'm sure there will be a dozen responses saying how stupid of idea that is,
but I've been doing it for years and it works for me.

HTH,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address

[Michael Barnes]

On Mon, Nov 4, 2019 at 5:12 PM Galen Seitz  wrote:

> On 11/4/19 3:44 PM, Rich Shepard wrote:
> > I think that I've discovered why I cannot communicate with the Dell
> C1760nw
> > printer. Using the printer's control panel I printed out a page of its
> > settings and noticed that it has an apparently hard-wired IP address of
> > 169.254.98.111. No wonder I can't ping it using the LAN IP address!
> >
> > However, when I ping that address I see this:
> >
> > $ ping 169.254.98.111
> > PING 169.254.98.111 (169.254.98.111) 56(84) bytes of data.
> >  From 74.42.148.191 icmp_seq=1 Destination Net Unreachable
>
> FYI, the 169.254 address is a link-local address.
>
> 
>
>
> galen
> --
>
Galen Seitz
> gal...@seitzassoc.com
>

Far from an expert here, but in my experience, most 169.254.x.x type
addresses indicate the DHCP client in the printer was unable to pull an
address, so it assigns one of these "dummy" addresses. While some printers
can have a static address assigned, every one I have personally dealt with
used DHCP and a dynamic address. Pseudo "fixed" addresses were actually
assigned by the DHCP server based on the printer (or other peripheral) MAC
address.
If the printer is giving itself a 168.254.x.x address, I would check the
network connections and be sure the printer can see the DHCP server to
request an IP address lease.

My $.0002

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 5:56 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Mon, 4 Nov 2019, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > If the printer is giving itself a 168.254.x.x address, I would check the
> > network connections and be sure the printer can see the DHCP server to
> > request an IP address lease.
>
> Michael,
>
> My network uses static IP addresses. Few hosts that are not changed (until
> one fails and is replaced by another with the same hostname and IP
> address.)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rich
>

You say that your network only uses static addresses, which means that you
have programmed the IP address in each device on your network. But you said
the settings page from your printer said it had  169.254.98.111. If you
actually did program the printer for a static IP address, that means that
somewhere along the line you purposefully set it to 169.254.98.111. As
previously stated, I am no expert, but, to my knowledge, the 169.254.x.x
range are Link-Local addresses automatically assigned by DHCP clients when
they are unable to reach a DHCP server. Most routers will not accept those
addresses for a local network, so nothing on your network would be able to
talk to each other. Local networks use addresses in the 192.168.x.x,
172.16.x.x, or 10.x.x.x blocks. Therefore, one of several things has
happened. Somehow, your printer has been reset to factory defaults to turn
on the DHCP client and use a dynamic IP address, somebody hacked or
otherwise fooled with your printer to set a stupid IP address, or I need to
go back to networking school because things have drastically changed since
I have been setting up networks.

BTW, the address 74.42.148.191 is a public IP address, possibly the WAN
address assigned to your modem/router by Frontier. It is weird that you get
that response from your ping, as, usually, the ping command originates from
your computer and shows its own IP address, for example:

michael@Desk-3 ~ $ ping 169.254.98.111
PING 169.254.98.111 (169.254.98.111) 56(84) bytes of data.
>From 192.168.2.11 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable

where 192.168.2.11 is the address of the computer I used to issue the ping
command. Unless maybe you are using your server which is somehow connected
directly to the Internet and assigned its own public IP by Frontier, which,
AFAIK, is pretty unusual.


Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address [UPDATE]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 5:51 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Mon, 4 Nov 2019, John Jason Jordan wrote:
>
> > In all my years of printing from computers to printers over a network,
> > I've never run into a printer whose IP address could not be changed
> > from the printer's control panel.
>
> John,
>
> My experiences over the past couple of decades is the opposite: I've never
> had a printer with a built-in IP address. Of course, the Okidata dot-matrix
> printer wasn't network-enabled, but the laser and inkjet printers all
> were/are and the IP address is set in /etc/hosts, not on the printer. Then
> again, my printers have been HP (and a Brother which I gave to a new home).
>
> Rich
>

I'm getting really confused here. The /etc/hosts file is not for setting IP
addresses on devices. It is to translate domain names to IP addresses (DNS
function), usually for local testing. For example, if I want to test a web
page at foo.bar, I would make an entry in my /etc/hosts file like:

172.16.2.10foo.bar

Then I could go to my browser and point it to foo.bar and it would take me
to the host at 172.16.2.10 and display the web page there. Or I could
connect to the host with ssh foo.bar instead of remembering to ssh
172.16.2.10.

You could also use it to give names to your devices:
172.16.2.30 Printer1
172.16.2.31 Printer2
172.16.2.32 Camera5
172.16.2.33 Refrigerator

This means that these devices must have static addresses for this to work.
If they had dynamic addresses and their lease changed to give them a new
address, then your /etc/hosts file is toast.

Static addresses are set one of two ways. The device itself (printer,
computer, refrigerator, whatever) is programmed in its own configuration
for its IP address. Or, the address is assigned by the DHCP server in its
config file by MAC address, so any time that MAC address comes on line
requesting an address, it is always given the same one.

Again, it has been a while since I set up networking. If any of this has
changed, some one please educate me.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address [UPDATE]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 8:19 AM Ben Koenig  wrote:

> Since he's running slackware, IP addresses are set by 1 of 3 functions:
> 1) /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 runs at boot time and manually configures network
> interfaces
> 2) The system has been configured to run NetworkManager (meaning that
> /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf is left at defaults)
> 3) WICD has been installed and is being used as a drop in replacement for
> NetworkManager
>
> The only other option is to manually run ifconfig/ip/dhcpcd/dhclient
> commands when you want to connect to your network. Nobody does this anymore
> since we run shell scripts that run the commands for us (e.g. rc.inet1).
> This process is not hugely different from any other distro, so to be Frank
> here, any other methods being used to configure IP addresses and subnets
> are probably incorrect and should replaced with one of the options above.
> Of course, there are fringe use cases where the word "incorrect" becomes
> very subjective.
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 7:24 AM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 5:51 AM Rich Shepard 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Mon, 4 Nov 2019, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> > >
> > > > In all my years of printing from computers to printers over a
> network,
> > > > I've never run into a printer whose IP address could not be changed
> > > > from the printer's control panel.
> > >
> > > John,
> > >
> > > My experiences over the past couple of decades is the opposite: I've
> > never
> > > had a printer with a built-in IP address. Of course, the Okidata
> > dot-matrix
> > > printer wasn't network-enabled, but the laser and inkjet printers all
> > > were/are and the IP address is set in /etc/hosts, not on the printer.
> > Then
> > > again, my printers have been HP (and a Brother which I gave to a new
> > home).
> > >
> > > Rich
> > >
> >
> > I'm getting really confused here. The /etc/hosts file is not for setting
> IP
> > addresses on devices. It is to translate domain names to IP addresses
> (DNS
> > function), usually for local testing. For example, if I want to test a
> web
> > page at foo.bar, I would make an entry in my /etc/hosts file like:
> >
> > 172.16.2.10foo.bar
> >
> > Then I could go to my browser and point it to foo.bar and it would take
> me
> > to the host at 172.16.2.10 and display the web page there. Or I could
> > connect to the host with ssh foo.bar instead of remembering to ssh
> > 172.16.2.10.
> >
> > You could also use it to give names to your devices:
> > 172.16.2.30 Printer1
> > 172.16.2.31 Printer2
> > 172.16.2.32 Camera5
> > 172.16.2.33 Refrigerator
> >
> > This means that these devices must have static addresses for this to
> work.
> > If they had dynamic addresses and their lease changed to give them a new
> > address, then your /etc/hosts file is toast.
> >
> > Static addresses are set one of two ways. The device itself (printer,
> > computer, refrigerator, whatever) is programmed in its own configuration
> > for its IP address. Or, the address is assigned by the DHCP server in its
> > config file by MAC address, so any time that MAC address comes on line
> > requesting an address, it is always given the same one.
> >
> > Again, it has been a while since I set up networking. If any of this has
> > changed, some one please educate me.
> >
> > Michael
> > 
>

Ben,
I believe you are talking about option 1 in my description. Static IP
addresses in the network are normally configured one of two ways. Either in
the device itself, or "permanently" assigned by the DHCP server based on
MAC address. Your description is for the device (his computer in your
referenced case). This all depends on the device. In Rich's situation, he
is discussing his printer. His options are to set the IP address statically
from the control panel of the printer (although it may be possible to set
it from the web interface, I don't know on that particular printer) or to
configure his DHCP server (used to be via dhcp.conf, IIRC, but may be
different in recent versions of dhcpd, or via the admin interface of his
router, wherever his DHCP is being served from) to assign a dedicated IP
address based on the MAC address of his printer when it asks the network
for an address.

To my knowledge (admittedly limited), you do not use rc.inet to configure
the IP address of peripheral equipment not physically part of that computer.

Please do correct me if I am wrong.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address [UPDATE]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 10:01 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Nov 2019, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I'm getting really confused here. The /etc/hosts file is not for setting
> > IP addresses on devices.
>
> Michael,
>
> You're correct. But, it tells me which IP address is assigned to a device.
>
>
> > This means that these devices must have static addresses for this to
> work.
>
> Repeat: I've used only static IP addresses since 1997. They work for me.
>
> Rich
>

Sorry, but unless something drastic has changed, the /etc/hosts file does
not tell you what IP address is being used for anything. It is simply a
text file that YOU set up that translates a domain name to an IP address.
So, you can put Printer1.loc in your browser and it will connect you with
192.168.2.101 (the IP assigned to your printer). Of course those are
examples and not your actual configuration. As that file is manually
created, your IP addresses can change completely and the file will be
pretty much worthless.

I'm not denying you are using static IP addresses. I've been using them
since 1986. I'm just trying to explain that the /etc/hosts file has really
nothing to do with assigning IP addresses and that your particular problem
lies elsewhere. If you are indeed using static IP addresses as you say, and
you say you are NOT using DHCP, then the ONLY way to have static addresses
is for them to be manually set in each piece of equipment from the control
panel or via a configuration interface (usually web based).

I'm just trying to help based on the information you have provided. You
apparently are not interested in that, so I will move on.  Good luck.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address [UPDATE]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 10:03 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Nov 2019, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > To my knowledge (admittedly limited), you do not use rc.inet to configure
> > the IP address of peripheral equipment not physically part of that
> > computer.
>
> In Slackware one uses /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf to set Ethernet and wireless
> interfaces. They are brought up and down using ifconfig.
>
> Rich
>

This is completely true for the computer you are using and the interfaces
located physically within that computer. You most certainly DO NOT use
rc.inet.conf to set the IP address of a remote printer or any other device
not actually within the case of the computer directly connected to the
motherboard.

Apples and horseshoes to the original complaint.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 9:01 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Nov 2019, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > BTW, the address 74.42.148.191 is a public IP address, possibly the WAN
> > address assigned to your modem/router by Frontier.
>
> Michael,
>
> No, it's not.
>
> Anyway, IP address, netmask, and gateway on the printer are set. But,
> somewhere between CUPS reporting "Rendering completed" and the printer the
> "Filter failed."
>
> Regards,
>
> Rich
>

Sorry, but  the address 74.42.148.191 is indeed a public IP address that
belongs to and is assigned by Frontier. Public addresses are usually set
into a modem/router/firewall device. Everything behind that device should
have a local address in one of the ranges previously mentioned. I can ping
that address (74.42.148.191) from my computer and get a rapid response,
verifying that it is indeed a public address.. I should not be able to do
that if that is the address of your local computer. If you do actually have
a public address assigned to and being used by your computer, you have a
much bigger problem on your hands than your printer.

You said the IP address, netmask, and gateway are set on your printer. Are
you willing to share that information as well as the same information for
your computer? So far, it still sounds like a network/communications issue.
Until you can successfully ping the printer from the computer,
demonstrating viable communications between the two, there is little point
in fooling around with the drivers, cups, etc.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Printer IP address [WORKING]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Nov 5, 2019 at 11:04 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 5 Nov 2019, Rich Shepard wrote:
>
> > In progress.
>
> And, ... the printer works!
>
> My thanks to all who offered insights, pointers, and other good thoughts.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rich
>

Are you going to share the solution?  After all this, we'd like to know
what it was and what fixed it. This is, after all, a learning exercise for
all of us.

Michael
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[PLUG] Monitoring Serial Ports

[Michael Barnes]

I've got a bit of a challenge. I have an external piece of hardware
connected via a serial port to my Mint computer. Normally an application
deals with the data. I would like to monitor the data stream with something
like minicom to see the raw serial data coming from the hardware. The
ability to see bi-directional data would be a plus.

On my Windows computer I have an application called Virtual Serial Port
Emulator (VSPE) that creates a serial port splitter allowing multiple
applications to utilize the same serial port to communicate with external
hardware. Is there anything similar to that for Linux? Or perhaps some
other option for doing this?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Connecting satellite TV to WAP

[Michael Barnes]

IIRC, on the left side of the on screen keyboard is an up arrow. Clicking
that arrow should switch to upper case. It may be a button with ABC on it.
There should also be a button near it with 123 and a symbol or two to
select numbers and symbols.

Michael


On Sat, Dec 28, 2019 at 6:45 PM wes  wrote:

> On Sat, Dec 28, 2019 at 11:10 AM Rich Shepard 
> wrote:
>
> > I navigate to the stage after it finds the local SSID and asks for a
> > password, the PSK. The PSK has upper- and lowercase letters but the
> > on-screen TV menu has only lowercase letters. Might this be why it cannot
> > make a connection? It gets stuck on step 1 of 3 trying to connect to the
> > AP.
> >
> >
> Very likely. PSKs are case sensitive.
>
> A clue on how to proceed (if possible) is needed.
> >
>
> I don't have directv, so I don't have any frame of reference to work from.
> I can't imagine they would really exclude some method for putting in
> capital letters. It may be obtuse though. Maybe if I could see it, I could
> guess at some possibilities. Perhaps you could get a picture of it online
> somehow? Or maybe let us know what the model number of your receiver box
> is?
>
> -wes
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[PLUG] Mint Spell Check Languages

[Michael Barnes]

I have three computers running Mint I got from Free Geek. I have the same
problem on all three. The spell checker seems to be using British English.
This is in all applications, browser, email, LibreOffice, anything that
uses the spell checker. It wants to change color to colour, behavior to
behaviour, traveling to travelling, etc. Every place I can find language or
locale settings all say lang_en-us. There must be some place to set the
language for the spell check engine, but I cannot find it.

Thanks for any ideas,
Michael
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[PLUG] File is there, but not there?

[Michael Barnes]

I am confused. I am trying to run an executable file, but it says it is not
there.

$ ll
total 3384
drwxrwxr-x 3 michael michael4096 Jan 28 11:43 ./
drwxrwxr-x 5 michael michael4096 Jan 28 11:43 ../
-rw-rw-r-- 1 michael michael 767 Jan 28 11:43 bpq32.cfg
drwxrwxr-x 2 michael michael4096 Jan 28 11:43 HTML/
-rwxrwxr-x 1 michael michael 3438660 Jan 28 05:16 linbpq*
-rw-rw-r-- 1 michael michael4877 Jan 28 11:43 linmail.cfg

$ ./linbpq
-bash: ./linbpq: No such file or directory

When I list files, it is clearly there, but trying to run it gets the No
Such File error.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,
Michael
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Re: [PLUG] File is there, but not there?

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 1:23 PM Johnathan Mantey  wrote:

> We don't know what your 'll' alias does.
> Perhaps you should use a non-alias 'ls' with your switches expressed
> explicitly, and then post the output.
>
> On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 12:24 PM Jason Barnett 
> wrote:
>
> > There is an asterisk at the end of the file name. There is no file named
> > "linbpq", but there is a file named "linbpq*".
> > try ./linbpq*
> >
> > If this was not intentional, you can rename it to linbpq with the command
> > "mv linbpq\* linbpq", then your command ./linbpq should work.
> >
> >
>

My bad. I've been using 'll' for many years and thought it was a fairly
standard alias.  Same with the asterisk which designates an executable
file. Perhaps this will clarify the situation:

michael@Desk4:~/ham_stuff/linbpq$ ls -la
total 3384
drwxrwxr-x 3 michael michael4096 Jan 28 12:07 .
drwxrwxr-x 5 michael michael4096 Jan 28 11:43 ..
-rw-rw-r-- 1 michael michael 770 Jan 28 12:07 bpq32.cfg
drwxrwxr-x 2 michael michael4096 Jan 28 11:43 HTML
-rwxrwxr-x 1 michael michael 3438660 Jan 28 05:16 linbpq
-rw-rw-r-- 1 michael michael4877 Jan 28 11:43 linmail.cfg
michael@Desk4:~/ham_stuff/linbpq$ ./linbpq
-bash: ./linbpq: No such file or directory


BTW, pretty much every .bashrc file I have seen in the last 10+ years
(including Mint, Ubuntu, Raspbian, CentOS, SuSE, and Red Hat) contains
something similar to:

# some more ls aliases
alias ll='ls -alF'
alias la='ls -A'
alias l='ls -CF'

As always, YMMV.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] File is there, but not there?

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 2:02 PM wes  wrote:

> There is not actually an asterisk at the end of this file name; the -F flag
> to ls presents this to help identify executable files.
>
> The "No such file" error likely originates from a shared library this
> particular binary is trying to call.
>
> try ldd linbpq
>
> -wes
>
>
>
Looks like Wes may be on to something here.

michael@Desk4:~/ham_stuff/linbpq$ ldd linbpq
not a dynamic executable

Not sure I understand what that means.  Here is the part of the install
script that created this file:

mkdir linbpq
cd linbpq
wget -nv http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/$LINBPQ -O
linbpq
chmod +x linbpq

For "everyone else" , this "just works". Once the script runs that installs
this file and associated config files, they say to run
./linbpq
and the app runs, period.

For me, not so much.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] File is there, but not there? [SOLVED]

[Michael Barnes]

On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 2:10 PM Michael Barnes 
wrote:

>
> On Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 2:02 PM wes  wrote:
>
>> There is not actually an asterisk at the end of this file name; the -F
>> flag
>> to ls presents this to help identify executable files.
>>
>> The "No such file" error likely originates from a shared library this
>> particular binary is trying to call.
>>
>> try ldd linbpq
>>
>> -wes
>>
>>
>>
> Looks like Wes may be on to something here.
>
> michael@Desk4:~/ham_stuff/linbpq$ ldd linbpq
> not a dynamic executable
>
> Not sure I understand what that means.  Here is the part of the install
> script that created this file:
>
> mkdir linbpq
> cd linbpq
> wget -nv http://www.cantab.net/users/john.wiseman/Downloads/Beta/$LINBPQ
> -O linbpq
> chmod +x linbpq
>
> For "everyone else" , this "just works". Once the script runs that
> installs this file and associated config files, they say to run
> ./linbpq
> and the app runs, period.
>
> For me, not so much.
>
> Michael
>
>
>
Thanks to Wes, I Googled  "not a dynamic executable" which led me to run

michael@Desk4:~/ham_stuff/linbpq$ file ./linbpq
./linbpq: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV),
dynamically linked, interpreter /lib/ld-, for GNU/Linux 2.6.32,
BuildID[sha1]=449e4c74b8b576fc06a041f5ee6aa1880384ccff, with debug_info,
not stripped

Which indicated I was trying to run a 32-bit app on a 64-bit machine.  It
was suggested I run

sudo apt-get install lib32z1 lib32ncurses5 libstdc++5:i386

after which the file now runs as advertised.

Thanks,
Michael
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[PLUG] Saving Impress Presentations

[Michael Barnes]

I have a Linux Mint 18 desktop, fairly recent and normally quite
responsive. I am working on a presentation (currently about 38 slides) in
LibreOffice Impress. My issue is, when I try to save my work, it takes 3-4
minutes to save. Doesn't matter whether I click the Save  icon, File >
Save, or Ctrl-S. The whole application locks up. I can go to other
applications (email, web, files, etc.) and they are all responsive and
function normally. Doing anything else in Impress seems to go normally. It
is just saving the file that takes forever. I can click Save, go to the
kitchen for a drink, talk to my wife for a minute, pet the dog, and return
to my office and still wait  for the save function to complete. I do not
have this problem with any other LO app (Writer, Calc, etc.).

As I like to frequently save my work, I often try to hit Save every other
slide or so, or if I am going to leave the computer for a few minutes.

Is this normal behavior for Impress?

Thanks for any ideas.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] FOSS friendly PDA?

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 3:56 AM Richard Owlett  wrote:

> I've explored this issue in the past without finding something:
>in current production.
>meeting my non-negotiable specifications.
>satisfy enough of my preferences to be a good fit to how I do things.
>
> This is a rewrite of some multiple posts to debian-user and adjusting
> phrasing that caused off topic responses.
> I post here as:
>this group is not Debian specific,
>it will provide a different point of view.
>
>
> I wish to enter/store data while away from home. The data will then be
> transferred to my laptop via a USB cable. [think a Palm Pilot in a
> smartphone physical form factor]
>
> It must use a standard Linux (Debian preferred).
> The manufacturer should ship with the Linux installed.
> Android is *UNACCEPTABLE*!
> It should NOT have cell connectivity.
> If it has WiFi, I must be able to disable it.
>
> When I looked a few years ago there were some open source hardware
> projects in the prototype stage but I don't recall any that reached
> production. [There was something similar based on Raspberry Pi which
> ended up too thick due to how screen was attached.]
>
> Recently I was pointed to the PinePhone.
>https://www.pine64.org/pinephone
>https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone
>
>
> https://www.pine64.org/2020/01/24/setting-the-record-straight-pinephone-misconceptions
>
> It meets my cell connectivity and WiFi requirements with a set of kill
> switches.
> https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone#Killswitch_configuration
>
> I can see practical procurement problems.
> The site hasn't updated to report on impact of Coronavirus.
> There isn't any indication of any U.S. importer - I don't want to have
> the hassle of handling any duties or FCC type acceptance of the included
> RF components.
>
> It does have a nice set of specs.
>
> Any suggestions or survey articles I should read.
>
> TIA
>
>
I don't recall the manufacturers off the top of my head, but there are
several who make handheld data units that look more like a large
calculator. They generally have a full keyboard, color touchscreen, barcode
scanner, some have GPS, WiFi, etc. I've seen them with long range laser
scanners that will read barcodes at 20 feet or so. Generally used for
warehouse inventory, etc. Most I have seen actually run Linux, a few with
Windows. I got to use one a few years ago when I was helping survey and map
fire hydrants. We keyed in the general address and hydrant number, set the
unit on the top of the hydrant to let the GPS stabilize and record the
data. The information was later uploaded and processed and became part of
the CAD system in the fire trucks to pinpoint hydrant locations in relation
to a call. I also saw some in use when I was assisting in a survey of
underground pipes for the gas company. In both cases, the devices were
running Linux. Of course the other folks had no idea what Linux was. They
just turned it on, tapped the icon for the app and moved on.
I did look some of them up at one time, I thought it would be fun to have
one. Until I saw the starting price tags of $2,000+. I quickly lost
interest. I'm sure if you search for something like "data entry handheld
computer" you'll find them.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] FOSS friendly PDA?

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 6:58 AM Michael Barnes 
wrote:

>
> On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 3:56 AM Richard Owlett 
> wrote:
>
>> I've explored this issue in the past without finding something:
>>in current production.
>>meeting my non-negotiable specifications.
>>satisfy enough of my preferences to be a good fit to how I do things.
>>
>> This is a rewrite of some multiple posts to debian-user and adjusting
>> phrasing that caused off topic responses.
>> I post here as:
>>this group is not Debian specific,
>>it will provide a different point of view.
>>
>>
>> I wish to enter/store data while away from home. The data will then be
>> transferred to my laptop via a USB cable. [think a Palm Pilot in a
>> smartphone physical form factor]
>>
>> It must use a standard Linux (Debian preferred).
>> The manufacturer should ship with the Linux installed.
>> Android is *UNACCEPTABLE*!
>> It should NOT have cell connectivity.
>> If it has WiFi, I must be able to disable it.
>>
>> When I looked a few years ago there were some open source hardware
>> projects in the prototype stage but I don't recall any that reached
>> production. [There was something similar based on Raspberry Pi which
>> ended up too thick due to how screen was attached.]
>>
>> Recently I was pointed to the PinePhone.
>>https://www.pine64.org/pinephone
>>https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone
>>
>>
>> https://www.pine64.org/2020/01/24/setting-the-record-straight-pinephone-misconceptions
>>
>> It meets my cell connectivity and WiFi requirements with a set of kill
>> switches.
>> https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone#Killswitch_configuration
>>
>> I can see practical procurement problems.
>> The site hasn't updated to report on impact of Coronavirus.
>> There isn't any indication of any U.S. importer - I don't want to have
>> the hassle of handling any duties or FCC type acceptance of the included
>> RF components.
>>
>> It does have a nice set of specs.
>>
>> Any suggestions or survey articles I should read.
>>
>> TIA
>>
>>
> I don't recall the manufacturers off the top of my head, but there are
> several who make handheld data units that look more like a large
> calculator. They generally have a full keyboard, color touchscreen, barcode
> scanner, some have GPS, WiFi, etc. I've seen them with long range laser
> scanners that will read barcodes at 20 feet or so. Generally used for
> warehouse inventory, etc. Most I have seen actually run Linux, a few with
> Windows. I got to use one a few years ago when I was helping survey and map
> fire hydrants. We keyed in the general address and hydrant number, set the
> unit on the top of the hydrant to let the GPS stabilize and record the
> data. The information was later uploaded and processed and became part of
> the CAD system in the fire trucks to pinpoint hydrant locations in relation
> to a call. I also saw some in use when I was assisting in a survey of
> underground pipes for the gas company. In both cases, the devices were
> running Linux. Of course the other folks had no idea what Linux was. They
> just turned it on, tapped the icon for the app and moved on.
> I did look some of them up at one time, I thought it would be fun to have
> one. Until I saw the starting price tags of $2,000+. I quickly lost
> interest. I'm sure if you search for something like "data entry handheld
> computer" you'll find them.
>
> Michael
>
>
Expanding on this, in today's environment, finding something OTS from the
factory with Linux installed may be difficult, you'd have to ask them and
see. Remember, unlike John Q. Public, we know, understand, and embrace
Linux. "Normal Consumers" likely have either not heard of Linux or are
terrified of it. They do know Android and find it perfectly acceptable.
Just look at the millions of smartphones running Android. I found a bunch
of devices using Android available from folks like Zebra, Barcodes,
Honeywell, etc. I know you don't like Android, so you will need a Linux
distribution that will fun on an ARM system. There are a variety of
articles on the web detailing replacing Android with Linux on ARM devices.
That may be the only viable route for you.

For the price they charge for these things and their claims of
customization for the user, you may find an option from them that you are
looking for. Again, it ain't gonna be cheap. But, if you want something
very specialized like this, and are not willing to do some of the heavy
lifting yourself, then be prepared to pay the price.

As you originally posted, this group provides different points of view, and
you will certainly get them. If they differ from what you are looking for,
just delete and move on. No need for bashing folks for offering those
different points of view. We are all just trying  to help.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Revised description - was [FOSS friendly PDA?]

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 4:28 AM Richard Owlett  wrote:

> On 02/12/2020 05:55 AM, Richard Owlett wrote:
> >
> > I wish to enter/store data while away from home. The data will then be
> > transferred to my laptop via a USB cable. [think a Palm Pilot in a
> > smartphone physical form factor]
> >
>
> "Palm Pilot" was the not best visualization.
> A better image would be the pocket protector full of 3x5 cards a fellow
> engineering student used in the early 60's. He had it organized for
> quick retrieval of notes on a specific topic.
>
> Everything I wish to do accomplish has a direct analog to how he did
> things.
>
> An inverse is frequently also true.
> E.G. A frequent "must have" feature of a smartphone is a cell modem. The
> analog would be my friend viewing someone-else's set of cards.
>
> Many smartphone features are of no value or are detrimental to my
> intended use. Prime examples include Android OS and any graphical browser.
>
> What I could envision using would be Debian with a minimal MATE Desktop
> and a single custom Tcl/Tk app. The bottom of the screen would have a
> 4x15 character array emulating a QWERTY keyboard for input of arbitrary
> alphanumeric data. Display of "retrieved data" or "data being entered"
> would be handled by the Tcl/Tk app.
>
>
>
>
> I think you might be a little quick to dismiss Android. It is just an OS,
like Linux or Windows. It just runs the basic computer and I/O functions.
Things like a cell modem are hardware controlled by apps. Just because a
device uses Android as its OS, does not mean it has all the junk a typical
smartphone has.

Consider a handheld unit like the Zebra MC9300. A great little unit with a
color touchscreen and a full keyboard. Yes, it has WiFi, but it would seem
that is much more convenient that having to hook up a USB cable any time
toy want to transfer data. You only load the apps you want, it comes with
nothing preinstalled. It has several relatives in various physical formats.

I think your desire is doable, but you might have to open your mind a bit
and consider other options to accomplish what you want. As others have
mentioned, it will be tough to find a production device that is opened
enough to change operating systems without voiding the warranty.

Michael
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[PLUG] HP Laserjet Problems

[Michael Barnes]

I have an HP Laserjet 2600n printer. This unit is about 14 years old. I
just put a new set of  HP toner cartridges in not too long ago. It has been
printing streaks on the left side of the page and ghost images on various
parts of the page for some time now. I thought it was related to low toner,
as a couple were empty. The new toner cartridges helped with the crispness,
but not the streaks. Now, everything is printing out light green instead of
black.  The left side is kind of a darker forest green that blends to a
kind of yellow green in the middle of the page, and back to a darker green
on the right side of the page.

For most of what I print, it's not really a big deal, but somethings really
do matter if the colors are right.

Still playing around, I just discovered it is a computer issue. My desktop
running Linux Mint exhibits the problem, however, my Windows 10 laptop
prints just fine (well, it still has streaks and ghosts, but the color is
proper).

Now I'm really confused. The only thing that has changed lately is my
network router, and all IP addresses have changed. Otherwise everything has
been the same for months.

Ideas appreciated.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] HP Laserjet Problems

[Michael Barnes]

On Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 9:02 PM Ben Koenig  wrote:

> On Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 8:38 PM Michael Barnes 
> wrote:
>
> > I have an HP Laserjet 2600n printer. This unit is about 14 years old. I
> > just put a new set of  HP toner cartridges in not too long ago. It has
> been
> > printing streaks on the left side of the page and ghost images on various
> > parts of the page for some time now. I thought it was related to low
> toner,
> > as a couple were empty. The new toner cartridges helped with the
> crispness,
> > but not the streaks. Now, everything is printing out light green instead
> of
> > black.  The left side is kind of a darker forest green that blends to a
> > kind of yellow green in the middle of the page, and back to a darker
> green
> > on the right side of the page.
> >
> > For most of what I print, it's not really a big deal, but somethings
> really
> > do matter if the colors are right.
> >
> > Still playing around, I just discovered it is a computer issue. My
> desktop
> > running Linux Mint exhibits the problem, however, my Windows 10 laptop
> > prints just fine (well, it still has streaks and ghosts, but the color is
> > proper).
> >
> > Now I'm really confused. The only thing that has changed lately is my
> > network router, and all IP addresses have changed. Otherwise everything
> has
> > been the same for months.
> >
> > Ideas appreciated.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>
>
> sounds like you have multiple different problems. If the colors were off
> when using linux mint, then that's a driver configuration problem.
> Streaking and banding on the other hand is often due to foreign material
> getting stuck inside the printer. You might have some dust on either the
> feed or exit rollers  (probably the feed rollers) that deposits dust/dirt
> onto the paper as it moves, creating a strip of discoloration.
>

I find it interesting that the driver configuration would be an issue. I
haven't changed anything in two years other than the IP address of the
printer after a router change. Not discounting the possibility, just
curious about it. Of course I sadly have no idea what to do about it. Ideas
welcome.

As for the streaking/ghosting (not sure the proper term), I don't think it
is foreign material, as it is more like the print faintly repeating down
the page. Especially something dense like a graphic or big bold print. It
will repeat down the page. Kind of like the toner keeps the image on a
roller and re-printing it on the next rotation. I print a lot of documents
in landscape and bold titles seem to repeat causing more of a streak down
the page. That happens regardless of which computer is printing, so I
imagine it is a printer issue. I've done various cleaning routines with no
change.

Thanks for all the help.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Switches anyone... (OT)

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 12:25 PM Mike C.  wrote:

>
> On Wed, Feb 19, 2020, 10:28 AM Chuck Hast  wrote:
>
> > Folks,
> > I was given an ADTRAN NetVanta 1234 PoE 24 port administered switch.
> > One of the request of the donor was that I would remove any corporate
> > configuration files. I proceeded to do so IAW instructions setout by
> > Adtran.
> >
> > The next step is to upload a config file that makes it factory reset (the
> > next
> > version of this had the factory reset file hard burned into the machine
> > this
> > one not so) Anyhow I have followed the instructions but still cannot get
> > the
> > device to recognize the file.
> >
> > Is anyone familiar with these devices? I figure that PLUG was the best
> > place
> > to ask this question short of calling the manufacturer and not sure how
> far
> > I
> > will get there since the thing is I guess about 10 years old.
> >
> > I am using minicom to talk to the console port, I invoke xmodem to upload
> > the file to the flash drive on the switch, then in minicom I start xmodem
> > it ask
> > for the file location, I give it that and it sends it. Tells me that it
> was
> > completed
> > Then I reboot the switch, it starts rebooting then tells me that the file
> > is no good.
> >
> > I am going to use this to carry several PoE'd access points and security
> > cameras
> > each system on a separate VLAN. It has 4GB throughput each port is 100mb
> so
> > that is more than enough for the devices attached to it.  But uploading
> the
> > config
> > file is giving me heartburn.
> >
> > Thank you in advance for any guidance given.
> >
> > --
> >
> > Chuck Hast  -- KP4DJT --
>

I will say that I have contacted Adtran customer support in the past for
old equipment long out of production and usually they have been very
helpful. Some real old niche stuff was difficult, but most things they were
quite helpful with. I'd give them a shot.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] evince window size

[Michael Barnes]

On Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 10:48 AM Galen Seitz  wrote:

> Hi,
>
> In the course of a typical day, I may open 20 or more pdf files.  The
> files are typically datasheets, schematics, and other documentation, and
> they come from a variety of sources, so there is a mix of page sizes and
> orientations.  When I open a pdf with evince, I have no idea how large
> the window is going to be.  In many cases, the bottom of the window is
> well below the lower edge of my monitor, forcing me to manually shrink
> the window from one of the top corners, and then drag the window up.  In
> other cases, typically schematics, the window may be centered on one of
> my monitors (dual monitor setup), but extend off the left and right
> edges of that monitor.  Once again I have to manually resize the window
> in order to get it fully within the monitor.
>
> Has anyone else experienced this problem with evince?  If so, do you
> have a solution to this window size problem?
>
> My system is CentOS 7 with xfce as the window manager.  Evince is
> version 3.28.2.  I have two 1920x1200 monitors connected.
>
> thanks,
> galen
> --
> Galen Seitz
> gal...@seitzassoc.com


I run Linux Mint. I do not use Evince, but the generic document viewer that
came with Mint. I have the same issue. Different pdf files open
differently. Some open small, some larger than the screen, some have the
side pane open, some do not. Some I have to enlarge a bunch of times to be
able to read them. I have similar issues with the document viewer in
Windoze. I guess it is the nature of pdf files and the original document
and method of exporting to pdf. I, too, have hundreds of documents in pdf
and open some of them frequently.  Most of them seem to remember how I
resized them when I reopen them, many of them return to the page I was
viewing when I last closed them. C'est la vie.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

I like FreeConferenceCall.com. Easy to use, unlimited meeting time, up to
1,000 attendees. FREE.

Michael
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[PLUG] Buzzing speakers

[Michael Barnes]

Not really Linux related, but very strange. I have a real nice set of Altec
Lansing computer speakers hooked up to one of my Linux Mint machines. This
is a three piece set with two desktop speakers and a large subwoofer on the
floor. I've had these speakers for at least ten years and they have always
worked and sounded good.  I hooked them up to this computer about a month
ago. After a couple weeks, they started making a very loud low frequency
beep/buzz every thirty minutes. It is about a one second burst. I turned
them off with the on/off switch on the volume control, and the beep
persisted. At exactly :29 and :59. I unplugged the audio input from the
computer speaker jack and the beep continued. There is no kind of logic
circuitry in this thing. Just an audio amplifier and related electronics.
The only way to stop it is to unplug it. When plugged in it is like
clockwork at exactly :29 and :59, regardless of whether it is connected to
the computer or not. I hooked up another set of speakers to the computer
and they do not do this. Sad, because these are a great sounding set of
speakers.

Anyone run into something weird like this?

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Buzzing speakers

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 8:17 AM Galen Seitz  wrote:

> On 3/24/20 10:23 PM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > Not really Linux related, but very strange. I have a real nice set of
> Altec
> > Lansing computer speakers hooked up to one of my Linux Mint machines.
> This
> > is a three piece set with two desktop speakers and a large subwoofer on
> the
> > floor.
>
> Model number?
>
> > I've had these speakers for at least ten years and they have always
> > worked and sounded good.  I hooked them up to this computer about a month
> > ago. After a couple weeks, they started making a very loud low frequency
> > beep/buzz every thirty minutes.
>
> Can you tell if the noise is only coming from the subwoofer?
>
> > It is about a one second burst. I turned
> > them off with the on/off switch on the volume control, and the beep
> > persisted.
>
> So with the switch in the off position, the noise continues?  I agree,
> that's very odd.  That suggests that the switch is only switching the
> audio input, not the power.
>
> > At exactly :29 and :59. I unplugged the audio input from the
> > computer speaker jack and the beep continued.
>
> As suggested earlier, it could be RFI, but given what you've described,
> I'm leaning towards a failing power supply.
>
> > There is no kind of logic
> > circuitry in this thing. Just an audio amplifier and related electronics.
> > The only way to stop it is to unplug it. When plugged in it is like
> > clockwork at exactly :29 and :59, regardless of whether it is connected
> to
> > the computer or not. I hooked up another set of speakers to the computer
> > and they do not do this. Sad, because these are a great sounding set of
> > speakers.
>
> If the speakers were working, but now, without any changes, they have
> started generating noise, I think a cap in the power supply may be
> failing, allowing power line noise to come through.  It could also be a
> cap in the audio path that is failing, allowing RFI to get into the
> audio.  Please post the model number so we can see how they are wired,
> and where the power comes from.
>
> Please confirm that you haven't introduced anything new to your home
> environment (new appliances, etc.) that might be coincident with the
> noise appearing.
>
> galen
> --
> Galen Seitz
>

Model is VS-2121. The sound is not random. It happens at exactly :29 and
:59. It is not quiet, either. We can hear it pretty much throughout the
house, so it's not like something that has been there all along and just
wasn't heard over ambient noise. It is more of a sound than noise, a low
frequency rumble, but not like static type noise as you would get from AC
hum or failing components. More like hitting the bottom note or bass pedal
on a keyboard (musical keyboard, not computer keyboard). I'm not sure of
whether it is coming from all speakers or just the sub-woofer, as I have
not been at the computer when it happens. The computer is in my wife's
hobby room. It is not used that much, only for email and occasional web
surfing. Interesting that the on/off switch doesn't really turn it off. As
I plug/unplug it, the subwoofer pops.

Thanks for everyone's comments.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Buzzing speakers

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 8:51 AM Michael Barnes 
wrote:

>
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 8:17 AM Galen Seitz  wrote:
>
>> On 3/24/20 10:23 PM, Michael Barnes wrote:
>> > Not really Linux related, but very strange. I have a real nice set of
>> Altec
>> > Lansing computer speakers hooked up to one of my Linux Mint machines.
>> This
>> > is a three piece set with two desktop speakers and a large subwoofer on
>> the
>> > floor.
>>
>> Model number?
>>
>> > I've had these speakers for at least ten years and they have always
>> > worked and sounded good.  I hooked them up to this computer about a
>> month
>> > ago. After a couple weeks, they started making a very loud low frequency
>> > beep/buzz every thirty minutes.
>>
>> Can you tell if the noise is only coming from the subwoofer?
>>
>> > It is about a one second burst. I turned
>> > them off with the on/off switch on the volume control, and the beep
>> > persisted.
>>
>> So with the switch in the off position, the noise continues?  I agree,
>> that's very odd.  That suggests that the switch is only switching the
>> audio input, not the power.
>>
>> > At exactly :29 and :59. I unplugged the audio input from the
>> > computer speaker jack and the beep continued.
>>
>> As suggested earlier, it could be RFI, but given what you've described,
>> I'm leaning towards a failing power supply.
>>
>> > There is no kind of logic
>> > circuitry in this thing. Just an audio amplifier and related
>> electronics.
>> > The only way to stop it is to unplug it. When plugged in it is like
>> > clockwork at exactly :29 and :59, regardless of whether it is connected
>> to
>> > the computer or not. I hooked up another set of speakers to the computer
>> > and they do not do this. Sad, because these are a great sounding set of
>> > speakers.
>>
>> If the speakers were working, but now, without any changes, they have
>> started generating noise, I think a cap in the power supply may be
>> failing, allowing power line noise to come through.  It could also be a
>> cap in the audio path that is failing, allowing RFI to get into the
>> audio.  Please post the model number so we can see how they are wired,
>> and where the power comes from.
>>
>> Please confirm that you haven't introduced anything new to your home
>> environment (new appliances, etc.) that might be coincident with the
>> noise appearing.
>>
>> galen
>> --
>> Galen Seitz
>>
>
> Model is VS-2121. The sound is not random. It happens at exactly :29 and
> :59. It is not quiet, either. We can hear it pretty much throughout the
> house, so it's not like something that has been there all along and just
> wasn't heard over ambient noise. It is more of a sound than noise, a low
> frequency rumble, but not like static type noise as you would get from AC
> hum or failing components. More like hitting the bottom note or bass pedal
> on a keyboard (musical keyboard, not computer keyboard). I'm not sure of
> whether it is coming from all speakers or just the sub-woofer, as I have
> not been at the computer when it happens. The computer is in my wife's
> hobby room. It is not used that much, only for email and occasional web
> surfing. Interesting that the on/off switch doesn't really turn it off. As
> I plug/unplug it, the subwoofer pops.
>
> Thanks for everyone's comments.
>
> Michael
>
> Well, it is not the computer. I turned the computer and monitor of and sat
there at the appointed time. It seems to be a power line issue. The sound
is coming from the subwoofer, although I had the speakers turned off. Next
chance I get to sit there at that time, I'll turn them on. I guess the next
thing is to see if it is only that breaker circuit. I have no idea what I
have in the house that would do something on the power precisely at those
times.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 2:49 PM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Mar 2020, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I like FreeConferenceCall.com. Easy to use, unlimited meeting time, up to
> > 1,000 attendees. FREE.
>
> Michael,
>
> I created an account with them. Then I looked at the video page and did not
> see how to host a video conference. The usage e-mail message is all audio:
> a
> dial-in phone number, conference number, and host PIN.
>
> Have you used this for video/web conferences?
>
> Regards,
>
> Rich
>

I just did two video conference calls today.  Works fine. At the bottom
left of the screen should be three icons, microphone, telephone handset,
and video camera. The mic symbol mutes your mic, the handset turns audio on
and off, and the camera turns your video camera on and off. I think there
is a limitation of 5 video users at once, I haven't used it with more than
three. Normally, we use it with everybody on audio only and the presenter
shares his desktop. The one glitch I have found right now is in trying to
show a video. The picture comes through, but the attendees cannot hear the
audio.

If anyone is interested in testing FreeConferenceCall, they can contact me
and I'll set up a session you can log into and check it out.

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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 11:17 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Mar 2020, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I like FreeConferenceCall.com. Easy to use, unlimited meeting time, up to
> > 1,000 attendees. FREE.
>
> Michael,
>
> Have you any ideas how FreeConferenceCall compares with Zoom? The latter
> says it supports both video and conference connections, the former only the
> latter type. My web search this morning suggests the differences between
> the
> two types are so subtle that they don't matter for most of us.
>
> I tried creating a Zoom account but the confirmation page would not let me
> complete the login using both firefox and opera. I'm waiting for a response
> to the message I sent.
>
> Rich
>

Here's a comparison:
https://www.freeconferencecall.com/blog/webex-zoom-startmeeting-comparison/

FCC supports video and desktop sharing. Users can connect via computer or
telephone. FCC allows 1,000 users, Zoom allows 100. FCC sessions are time
unlimited, Zoom ends after 40 minutes. Zoom is $14.95 per host, FCC has
unlimited free hosts.

I know everybody is enamored over Zoom. Feel free to use what ever you
want. Personally, I prefer FCC, because I'm a cheap bugger and I don't like
paying for stuff. That's why I use Linux and LibreOffice.

Of course, as always, YMMV (unless you are on Dagobah, then VYMM)

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Re: [PLUG] Buzzing speakers - SOLVED!

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 2:22 PM Galen Seitz  wrote:

> On 3/25/20 9:17 AM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> > On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 8:51 AM Michael Barnes 
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> Model is VS-2121. The sound is not random. It happens at exactly :29 and
> >> :59. It is not quiet, either. We can hear it pretty much throughout the
> >> house, so it's not like something that has been there all along and just
> >> wasn't heard over ambient noise. It is more of a sound than noise, a low
> >> frequency rumble, but not like static type noise as you would get from
> AC
> >> hum or failing components. More like hitting the bottom note or bass
> pedal
> >> on a keyboard (musical keyboard, not computer keyboard). I'm not sure of
> >> whether it is coming from all speakers or just the sub-woofer, as I have
> >> not been at the computer when it happens. The computer is in my wife's
> >> hobby room. It is not used that much, only for email and occasional web
> >> surfing. Interesting that the on/off switch doesn't really turn it off.
> As
> >> I plug/unplug it, the subwoofer pops.
> >>
> >> Thanks for everyone's comments.
> >>
> >> Michael
> >>
> >> Well, it is not the computer. I turned the computer and monitor of and
> sat
> > there at the appointed time. It seems to be a power line issue. The sound
> > is coming from the subwoofer, although I had the speakers turned off.
> Next
> > chance I get to sit there at that time, I'll turn them on. I guess the
> next
> > thing is to see if it is only that breaker circuit. I have no idea what I
> > have in the house that would do something on the power precisely at those
> > times.
>
> Good idea to run a test with the computer turned off.  That's useful info.
>
> It certainly seems that power line noise is a potential culprit.  If you
> have a spare UPS sitting around, it would be interesting to see if the
> noise occurs when the speakers are powered by the UPS, but the UPS is
> unplugged from the wall, and the speakers are not connected to the
> computer.  I.e., turn your speakers into battery powered speakers that
> are isolated from line power and the computer, and listen to the results.
>
> What's interesting to me is that you indicated that this is a recent
> problem.  This suggests one of two possibilities:
>
> 1. A new, and very periodic noise source has been introduced into the
> speakers environment.
>
> 2. The noise source has always been there, but a component failure in
> the speakers has caused the noise to become noticeable.
>
> galen
> --
> Galen Seitz
> gal...@seitzassoc.com


Source of problem discovered. Still working on why. My APRS base station
beacons every 30 minutes. For some reason, I recently started getting some
RFI into  things, this speaker being one of them. Just happened to be
looking at the APRS screen when it transmitted and heard the buzz at the
same time.  Now to figure out and solve why the RFI is only recently
getting into things.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 9:45 PM John Jason Jordan  wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:30:43 -0700
> Michael Barnes  dijo:
>
> >I just did two video conference calls today.  Works fine. At the bottom
> >left of the screen should be three icons, microphone, telephone
> >handset, and video camera. The mic symbol mutes your mic, the handset
> >turns audio on and off, and the camera turns your video camera on and
> >off. I think there is a limitation of 5 video users at once, I haven't
> >used it with more than three. Normally, we use it with everybody on
> >audio only and the presenter shares his desktop. The one glitch I have
> >found right now is in trying to show a video. The picture comes
> >through, but the attendees cannot hear the audio.
>
> If you are a presenter at a PLUG virtual talk with FCC, will you see
> the faces of all who are connected and have their cameras turned on, or
> just five of them?
>
> >If anyone is interested in testing FreeConferenceCall, they can
> >contact me and I'll set up a session you can log into and check it out.
>
> Perhaps setting up a date/time for this would be useful.
>

There are basically two types of video conference. Video interactive and
presentation. With video interactive, each participant has a camera turned
on and all attendees can see each other. With FCC's free account, an
interactive video conference may have up to five participants and may last
up to 12 hours. With a paid subscription, you may have up to 100
participants for an unlimited time. Of course the more you have the more
unwieldy it gets and the more bandwidth is needed. With a presentation, the
host shares his desktop applications or video camera. It is a one to many
type of thing. All participants have two way audio, but the video is only
one way. The host does have the option of designating another attendee as
presenter who can share his desktop to everyone.
A video interactive session is good for individualized training, a
committee meeting, or other small group where seeing each other is
beneficial. The presentation is good for large lecture classes amd club or
organization meetings.

FCC has a recording function to record and archive the meeting. It also has
document sharing and a chat ability. You can chat individually between
attendees or with the group.

I suppose I could set up a demo conference. What would be a good day and
time? I could probably set up several of them. For some reason, I seem to
have a lot of free time at home these days. I can do either a small group
video conference or a presentation demo.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2020, 05:39 Rich Shepard  wrote:

> On Wed, 25 Mar 2020, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I just did two video conference calls today. Works fine. At the bottom
> > left of the screen should be three icons, microphone, telephone handset,
> > and video camera. The mic symbol mutes your mic, the handset turns audio
> > on and off, and the camera turns your video camera on and off.
>
> Michael,
>
> Thanks for clarifying.
>
> > I think there is a limitation of 5 video users at once,
>
> Huh! I'll check this because one potential use for me is offering on-line
> presentations (webinars?) to whomever signed up to watch, listen, and
> participate.
>
> > If anyone is interested in testing FreeConferenceCall, they can contact
> me
> > and I'll set up a session you can log into and check it out.
>
> When the camera eventually arrives and I learn how to get it working I'll
> accept your offer.
>
> Regards,
>
> Rich
>
>
>
>
>
> I have participated in a bunch of webinars and the video was always one
> way. Participants had two way audio and could comment and ask questions,
> nobody could see them. Other than seeing who is sleeping or left the room,
> I see little value in two way video for presentations. Granted, your
> situation may be different. Maybe you are doing soap carvings and want to
> see everybody's work. In that case, you may want to go with a paid
> subscription that allows up to 100 video participants.


Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 8:09 AM Rich Shepard 
wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Mar 2020, Michael Barnes wrote:
>
> > I have participated in a bunch of webinars and the video was always one
> > way. Participants had two way audio and could comment and ask questions,
> > nobody could see them. Other than seeing who is sleeping or left the
> room,
> > I see little value in two way video for presentations. Granted, your
> > situation may be different. Maybe you are doing soap carvings and want to
> > see everybody's work. In that case, you may want to go with a paid
> > subscription that allows up to 100 video participants.
>
> Michael,
>
> Participating might be different from hosting a webinar. I downloaded FCC's
> desktop app (not yet installed), and read the instructions for voice and
> video conferencing.
>
> Voice conferences are all done with a phone (landline or mobile);
> easy-peasy.
>
> Webinars and video coferences (webinars with host providing video and
> participants seeing it, both sides having audio connection, or video
> conferences with all participants seeing each other) looks like a problem.
> From the web site's instructions:
>
> "To host an online meeting with Web Viewer:
>
> Using Chromebook (only Chromebook supports full host functionality at
> this time), log in to your online account and navigate to your Meeting
> Wall."
>
> Feh! I didn't look to see what subset of full host functionality the rest
> of
> the user world has.
>
> Have you hosted a video conference or presented a webinar with FCC?
>
> Regards,
>
> Rich
>

Actually, I just hosted a conference tonight, finished a few minutes ago.
We had five attendees. We started with me sharing my desktop and showed a
couple of applications. Then I showed a DVD followed by a short video file
I had on my computer. All participants were able to see and hear
everything. All participants were able to comment and were heard by
everyone. I did request everybody mute their microphones during the video
just to minimize unrelated noise.  After the video, there was open
discussion, which seemed to go well. Towards the end, I allowed those who
had cameras to turn them on and we could all see each other. Whoever was
talking took focus and was on the main screen while the others were visible
on the side.  During the meeting one of the other attendees wanted to
discuss something and I switched presenters to him and he was able to show
his desktop and bring up a website that all could see as he discussed the
topic.

As host, I did need to download and use the the app, but the attendees only
needed to use their web browsers. I am running Linux Mint and had no
problems. I'm not sure what functionality I was missing, as I was using the
app, not my browser. I do use the Firefox browser on my wife's computer,
also Linux Mint, and did not see anything she was missing.

Now that I finally got things working the way I wanted, I'll be happy to
host any demos anybody might be interested in.

Michael
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Re: [PLUG] Buzzing speakers - SOLVED!

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 7:41 PM David  wrote:

> On 3/25/20 8:43 PM, Michael Barnes wrote:
> -- clip --
> >
> >
> > Source of problem discovered. Still working on why. My APRS base station
> > beacons every 30 minutes. For some reason, I recently started getting
> some
> > RFI into  things, this speaker being one of them. Just happened to be
> > looking at the APRS screen when it transmitted and heard the buzz at the
> > same time.  Now to figure out and solve why the RFI is only recently
> > getting into things.
>
>
> I have limited little knowledge about APRS and my HT is analog so, along
> with being green, I don't have much to offer here.
>
> The questions that spring to mind are:
>
> * has an antenna been added, removed, or relocated recently?
> * has the power source for the speaker or base station changed?
> * proper grounding on the base station?
> * what happens if you hit TX on your base station for voice?
>
> A ferrite choke may be all that is needed, but I'm not sure where it
> would need to be positioned.
>
> dafr
> _
>

It seems the problem is pretty much limited to that particular set of
speakers.  I moved them around to other applications with similar results.
Had the problem existed when I was on another radio, I would have
immediately correlated it to RFI. Since it was picking up the APRS radio,
which just sits there doing its thing pretty much unnoticed, it never
crossed my mind. Changed speakers, problem gone. I'll have to dig into
these and try to find why they have such a problem and nothing else does.
Thanks for everyone's comments.

Michael WA7SKG
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Re: [PLUG] Feedback wanted: Virtual PLUG Events

[Michael Barnes]

On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 9:53 PM John Jason Jordan  wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Mar 2020 20:22:52 -0700
> Michael Barnes  dijo:
>
> >Actually, I just hosted a conference tonight, finished a few minutes
> >ago. We had five attendees.
>
> What are the maximum number of attendees that the presenter can see on
> their screen? Are the images on the presenter's screen live, as the
> presentation continues?
> __
>

For these types of meetings, we ask people do not activate their cameras.
When they do, there is a limit of five camera users. The presenter will see
them all live. It does eat up a lot of bandwidth. Not practical for a large
meeting. Better for just a few people.

Michael
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