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$1 = £1.07 !!!!
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 23 May '07

23 May '07

A posting on the Seattle Linux List got me looking (out of curiosity ... ) at http://ostg.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/ masterid=26157844/search=sony%20ux [all one line] -- about the Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P "Micro PC". A very nice little animal, if you can afford it (and there's no info anywhere about being able to run Linux on it). BUT: Go to the relevant Sony UK web page at http://www.sonystyle.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/32httz and compare with the Sony US web page at http://www.sonystyle.com http://tinyurl.com/3ytxo9 US Price: $1595.00 UK Price: £1999.00 So, at the current exchange (£1 = $1.99), and discounting VAT, Sony's price in the UK (£1701.28) is more than twice Sony's price in the US. Unless it's now $1 = £1.07. I bet it's a deal between Sony and Virgin Atlantic to encourage translatlantic flight. Rip-Off-Britain = ROB. Best wishes to all, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 23-May-07 Time: 22:14:51 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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How to get files out of an rpm package?
by Chris G 23 May '07

23 May '07

I want to extract some files from an rpm package but I don't have an rpm database on my slackware box so I can't just do "rpm -i <name>". As far as I know the package only has three files in it, a python script and some documentation. I just want those files. How can I get them? I've searched around using Google and this particular program seems only to exist as an rpm. -- Chris Green

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[ALUG Announce] 3rd Monday Monthly Ipswich Social Meeting : The Milestone, Woodbridge Road
by samwise 23 May '07

23 May '07

ALUG Announce Please send announcements to Announce(a)lists.alug.org.uk Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce ----- The monthly "Third Monday" ALUG Ipswich Social Meeting is back again next Monday (21st April) at 20:00: The Milestone Beer House 5 Woodbridge Road IPSWICH IP4 2EA Tel: 01473 252425 Map/Directions URI: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=IP4+2EA The Milestone pub is in the centre of Ipswich, near the now-defunct Odeon cinema and not far from The Regent Theatre. There is more information on the venue, including car parking info, on the ALUG wiki: http://www.alug.org.uk/wiki/moin.cgi/Meetings All are welcome, novices and experienced users. Hopefully, it shouldn't be too hard to find the pack, look for those huddled around a laptop! Feel free to ask for further information on the Main ALUG mailing list. Hope to see you there, Peter. ----- Send discussion replies to main(a)lists.alug.org.uk (Reply-To set) Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce

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Journal/diary program for 'local' use
by Chris G 22 May '07

22 May '07

I'm sure I found something like this a while ago but now all I can find is blogs. I'm after something that's half way between an appointments calendar (or even a PIM) and a diary/journal. I.e. I want a program that allows me to remind myself about things but also allows me to wax lyrical about my doings for the day. Ideally it will allow me to write using my choice of text editor but that's not absolutely essential, it certainly doesn't *have* to have a GUI interface but on the other hand I don't mind if it does. Being able to view the calendar/diary from the web would be a plus but isn't really important. Any suggestions anyone? -- Chris Green

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FAO Mark Ray
by J.R. Seago 22 May '07

22 May '07

Mark, if I remember correctly you use the phone co-op as your ISP. It looks to me to be the one to go for, if I can get it outside Inverness, they do already have broadband at the new house having been on the receiving end of numerous ISP's who have gone bad. Is it a good deal in terms of quality the £24·99 is a £1·00 more than I'm paying now but as any profit goes to a good cause I'd rather pay that and get a reasonable service than pay less and end up with all the hassle I've had in the past, any thoughts please? -- John Seago GNU/Linux Registered User No. #219566 http://counter.li.org/ () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

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Next Monday's Ipswich meet
by samwise 21 May '07

21 May '07

Hi, I've posted a reminder to Announce with details of next week's Ipswich meet which should come through when it's authorised. Wayne, were you thinking of trying to attend? Just wondering, as I have some books I could donate to the library, if you're going to be there? Cheers, Peter.

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OT, but ...
by ted.harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk 20 May '07

20 May '07

Hi Folks, I'm writing to ask for reactions to an item in today's Daily Telegraph "Digital Life" (in the "Review" section). This week, they're testing "Mini-PCs", and I quote their review of the Apple Mac Mini ("From £399"): "Apple's Mac Mini is the tiniest 'small form factor' computer in this group. It is 6.5in square, 2in high, and has a gorgeous brushed-metal finish below the iconic Apple-white lid. Unfortunately, it's also the perfect case of style over substance. The 1.66GHz version is certainly cheap, but it's also very slow. Even the faster model uses only a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor (not the nippier Core 2 Duo) and has just 512 MB of RAM. You will also have to supply the keyboard, mouse and monitor. We'd recommend the Mac for undemanding word processing, surfing the web, or impressing your friends. For amything more intensive, steer clear." Ehh?? "very slow"?? What *do* people use computers for these days. then? For years I've been doing word-processing (including "demanding") and web-surfing on A: 75MHz CPU + 64MB RAM B: 366MHz CPU + 128MB RAM C: 733MHz CPU + 512MB RAM (which at the same time happily runs Win98 in VMWare) (etc). and I've done a lot of quite intensive computational work too (dunno about impressing my friends, though ... ); and I've never had a machine more beefy than (C). I can see that the Apple Mac Mini could be inadequate for computing predictions of climate change, or similar; but what the hell can it be that enough of Joe Public want to do with a computer that it wouldn't be up to? (OK I can see a case for more RAM; but that should be upgradeable). Any comments? Ted. PS For comparison, the complete set of today's "Mini PC" reviews can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/digitallife/index.jhtml and click on "on trial" -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 19-May-07 Time: 17:09:17 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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Blogs and Wikis and things like that
by Chris G 18 May '07

18 May '07

I am trying to work out what a blog might do for me. I have a wiki running on my home Linux box alread (TWiki) and I find it useful for some things, I tend to use it as a CM tool rather than a wiki really as I am about the only contributor! :-) Still it allows me to give other members of the family some space to play in and it allows me to add to and create web pages when I'm away from home. Now I have a need for a diary type tool of some sort and, fairly obviously, blogs come to mind. However having played with a couple I'm still a bit confused as to what they actually offer. Apart from the ability to edit a web page and add stuff on a sequential basis is there anything special that a blog does that a wiki doesn't? Or, more particularly, are there any things that a blog makes easy that are more difficult with other tools? -- Chris Green

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UPS again
by J.R. Seago 18 May '07

18 May '07

Having a wife and daughter resident at home who are both becoming increasingly 'Green', today they presented me with an 'intelligent' six gang surge protected distribution thingy from 'Lakeland' to plug in to my UPS. This switches everything else plugged into the five subordinate sockets once the computer, (plugged into the first socket) has been powered down. At the moment I have my Netgear ADSL router plugged into this thingy, is that OK? Will my router survive being turned on and off when the computer and monitor is? Will it retain its settings, as I can cheat and just not power down my computer, although I might get caught if they spot all the pretty lights on at night! or I can plug the router directly into the UPS. -- J.R. Seago GNU/Linux Registered User No. #219566 http://counter.li.org/ () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

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Re: UPS again
by J.R. Seago 18 May '07

18 May '07

Tthank you to all those who replied to my query. The router is plugged into the mains again, although I can use a surge protected four gang out of the UPS to the router transformer, and then plug the six gang intelligent thingy into that. -- J.R. Seago GNU/Linux Registered User No. #219566 http://counter.li.org/ () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments

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