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Running code on startup
by Mark Rogers 11 Mar '16

11 Mar '16

Simple question: Is there anywhere I can dump a script file that will cause it to get run on startup? System is Debian (actually Raspbian although it could apply to other Debian derivatives). On this occasion it has a GUI but I'm looking for something that would work in a GUI-less environment. Caveats: What I want to do is just copy a file there (eg dropping files onto the SD card of a Pi). I'm trying to keep things simple so ideally I don't want to edit any files, which means appending to rc.local is out, for example. I tried creating /etc/cron.d/mystuff with @reboot root /root/mystuff.sh .. which works fine on reboot but doesn't run from any other startup, so not what I need. I'm thinking about creating a script for /etc/rc.d and also creating all the symlinks manually that would otherwise be created by update-rc.d, but that's messy. It seems odd that there isn't a /etc/rc.local.d directory (or similar) which automatically runs all scripts present at the end of rc.local, but unless I'm missing something there isn't any such approach. (Background: I want a simple way to configure a Pi (or similar) by writing the latest Raspbian image to a disk then extracting a tar file of my changes over the top. I want to supplement existing files rather than replace any that could obviously change between Raspbian versions.) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER

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Satnav updates
by James Freer 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

Just wondering what folk use. One can use the Garmin/Express updates on windows but I was thinking of a way in Linux. I gather one can use a VM but then also have a windows version after Vista in order to do so. The only way I have found is to use maps from Openstreetmap.nl and copy to a mini SD card. Seems ok but not as good as Garmin/Express - is there a better way using linux. james

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APC UPS and Ubuntu
by Mark Rogers 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

I had a couple of power cuts yesterday so today I have installed an APC UPS. Connecting the USB cable to my Ubuntu PC has given me a battery icon showing status so everything "just works" without messing around installing nut or anything similar, which is what I was expecting to do. However: I have two PCs being protected by the same UPS, the second being a Win10 box. I was expecting to use something like nut to share the status between the two boxes so both will shut down on low battery. Given that "it just works" so far, I'd like to supplement the existing config rather than replace it. Anyone here done something similar or know where I should start? Mark -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER

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[ALUG Announce] ALUG Norwich Pub Meet Thursday 10th March
by Viperfang 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

ALUG Announce Please send announcements to Announce(a)lists.alug.org.uk Unsub, change settings via http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/announce ----- Hello Norwich Aluggers, Our monthly ALUG Norwich social meeting will be held this Thursday, 10th March at The Coach and Horses (82 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1BA). The meeting officially starts at 8pm, although some people may arrive earlier. More information on those people can be found on the list and the IRC channel. If you are unsure if you will recognise us then make yourself and your intent to attend known by either posting on list or visiting us on IRC so we can look out for you rather than hiding in the corner. Optionally you could ask at the bar if they know where the geeky computer weirdos are and they'll point you in the right direction (seriously!). Another possibility is look for heaps of electronics on a table that may possibly look like movie props that would used for detonating explosives. Feel free to bring electronics/laptops/gadgets to the meet, you will by no means be alone. Ben Bewick aka Viperfang NB: This mail is automated, please refer to the usual sources for more information. ALUG Contact Details: Website : http://www.alug.org.uk/ IRC : #alug on irc.alug.org.uk List : http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo Twitter : http://twitter.com/anglianlug Identica: TBA Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2381613902 ----- 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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Software for the blind.
by Nev Young 04 Mar '16

04 Mar '16

Our erstwhile companion Mr Anson is currently wired to machines that go ping in the cardio ward of the local hospital and has asked if I could put the following to the knowledgeable folk of ALUG. Could any body comment on the availability of a good Linux speech-operated program to suit a totally unsighted person. Thanks Nev on behalf of Tony.

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How to timeout a process after inactivity?
by Chris Green 04 Mar '16

04 Mar '16

I want to close an editor window (it's vile a vi clone, but something that works for vim would work with vile) after some minutes of inactivity. It's a security thing, I have a nice wrapper script that allows me to 'transparently' open and edit files encrypted using GPG but I want it to automatically close the editor window after a few minutes of inactivity. Currently I use the following in the wrapper script just before starting the editor:- # # # time ourselves out after five minutes by typing ZZ in the window # (sleep 300; xdotool type --window $WINDOWID ZZ >/tmp/log 2>&1) & This works OK but has some problems:- It doesn't work when used via SSH because xdotool is using X and there's no WINDOWID. It will *always* send a ZZ to the window five minutes after being started, even if I've exited from the editor. Can anyone suggest a better way of doing this? Ideally it should detect activity in the editor and only shut it down (or kill it) if there is no activity. -- Chris Green

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List down?
by mick 04 Mar '16

04 Mar '16

Hi Guys This is a simple test email to the list. It appears to be down as there has been no traffic since 14 February - and I at least have sent mail. Unfortunately, my mail to the list was about mail problems my end (!) so I'm not /entirely/ sure the problem is not just mine..... Mick (As promised, this is the other email from an address which is not registered to the list in the hope that it will get bounced to a moderator who may notice a problem. -- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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2600 meeting at 18:00 on Friday the 4th March.
by Viperfang 01 Mar '16

01 Mar '16

Quick heads up about this months Norwich 2600 meeting, more info at http://www.norwich2600.co.uk

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List down?
by mick 24 Feb '16

24 Feb '16

Hi Guys This is a simple test email to the list. It appears to be down as there has been no traffic since 14 February - and I at least have sent mail. Unfortunately, my mail to the list was about mail problems my end (!) so I'm not /entirely/ sure the problem is not just mine..... Mick (I'll send another email from an address which is not registered to the list in the hope that that will get bounced to a moderator who may notice a problem. -- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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How to test a mouse (well, a laptop Trackpoint device)
by Chris Green 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

I have a Lenovo T430 and the Trackpoint is playing up. It has both a Trackpoint (nipple plus three buttons) and a Trackpad (pad plus two buttons). It has started producing very odd symptoms when I use the Trackpoint, the pointer can be moved all over the screen but it's functionally stuck in one window. For example if it was in a terminal window the pointer stays as a text cursor and won't do any actions elsewhere on the desktop. This doesn't happen immediately but after not very long, usually just a minute or so, select text and paste seems to be what provokes it most but sometimes it just goes screwy all by itself. When this happens the Trackpad is the same, so I'm stuck unless I switch to a console to reboot or, if I can, restarting the Window Manager sorts things out. The Trackpoint *seems* to be acting oddly in Windows as well (dual boot to Windows 7) so it would be good if I could run some sort of basic diagnostic to see if the Trackpoint is working right but I can't find anything to do this. Can anyone suggest a way to test if the Trackpoint hardware is working right? (There is a good reason for wanting the Trackpoint to work, the middle button is very handy) -- Chris Green

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