- main - earth.li

Weekly IRC reminder
by Brett Parker 18 Jul '05

18 Jul '05

This is the automated ALUG IRC meeting reminder sent to remind you that there is an IRC meeting tonight (Monday) at 8.00pm. The meeting takes place on the irc server irc.alug.org.uk in the #alug channel. Most IRC clients should allow you to get there with the commands "/server irc.alug.org.uk" and "/join #alug". Popular IRC clients include tkirc, bitchx, xchat and EPIC on Unix, and Mirc under windows. Here are some links to help you get started with irc. Unix http://www.xchat.org/ http://freshmeat.net/ http://www.epicsol.org/ Windows http://www.mirc.com (loads of help with irc for newbies!)

1 0

IRC connection problem
by Jim Rippon 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

Hi everyone. Since I have a quiet afternoon ahead of me, can someone lend a hand getting my IRC connection to work - I have tried opening a connection to both irc.oftc.net and irc.alug.org.uk (both resolve to the same IP addresses so I guess alug is just an alias anyway) by typing: /server irc.oftc.net in Besirc 2.2.13 (sorry, stuck in windoze while I am at work, not through choice) but all I get is a Connection failed. message. Is there some way I can troubleshoot/test a connection into IRC from here - either from Windows or Linux (I can ssh and/or XDMCP into one of my test servers in the plant room from here using either PuTTY or Cygwin/X, but its not really something I can do permanently). TIA, Jim

3 4

Re: [ukfsn.org #5928] Re: [ALUG] Where is UKFSN?
by Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

On 15-Jul-05 Jason Clifford wrote: > On Fri, 15 Jul 2005, MJ Ray via RT wrote: > >> Ted, I can see UKFSN, so I'll forward your message to support@ukfsn. >> I assume you can't, what with not being able to see their DNS entries. >> Hopefully they can reply to you/the list as appropriate. >> >> > It looks as though UKFSN had disappeared from the world: >> > >> > dig -a smtp.ukfsn.org -> No Answer >> > dig -a www.ukfsn.org -> No Answer >> > dig -mx ukfsn.org -> No Answer >> > traceroute www.ukfsn.org -> unknown host www.ukfsn.org > > I suspect the problem was with Ted's upstream network provider as UKFSN > is > certainly still here and we've not had any downtime this morning. > > The name servers haven't been changed at all and I would have noticed > any > network interruption as I've been doing lots of interactive work on the > servers this morning. > > Jason Thanks, MJ & Jason! In fact, following a considerable amount of forensic poking around, I think I have identified a possible source of the problem as BT's DNS going flaky. Since their DNS server is one of the entries in my /etc/resolv.conf this may be the explanation. However, other entries are DNS servers at mcc.ac.uk, and one of these should have worked! Nevertheless I substituted a different MCC DNS server (the on that responded to 'dig') as well. At the same time, a lot of FQDN addresses worked fine while the smtp.ukfsn.org server was "unkown" (e.g. browsing the web for guardian.co.uk of bbc.so.uk) while others did not! As of rather more than an hour ago, no further problems. A bit of a mystery still, therefore, and I apologise for not coming back to the list earlier to say it was resolved, to save people the trouble they have gone to. In mitigation I can only plead being busy dealing with a backlog of mail which had been halted while the problem was ongoing. Thanks again, and best wishes, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 15-Jul-05 Time: 13:45:29 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

1 0

[job] Help required for Linux Support company in Sussex to Handle Anglian Company requirements.
by nik butler 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

Ive been asked to help a Local Business, who have several locations in and around the Norwich Area, to resolve many of their IT issues. Ideally I need someone who has wider experience than the usual "Windows is the Only Way" point of view. Hence Im going to the Linux User Groups for Anglia and asking here. If your interested in doing some on site support work and are familiar with configuring IP, Routers, Firewalls and being available to do on site call work then I would appreciatte hearing from you. Its part time, on call , call out stuff that may require weekend support as well. The work , call orders and options will be managed by myself and you can expect to be contacted by me to be directed to the site. Im hoping to take on more than one candidate in the Area to ensure that I have suitable cover and support. Nicholas Butler Reduced Hackers Sussex Linux User Group.

1 0

firefox doing well
by tom potts 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24643 ___________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - NEW crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

1 0

Where is UKFSN?
by Ted Harding 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

Hi Folks, It looks as though UKFSN had disappeared from the world: dig -a smtp.ukfsn.org -> No Answer dig -a www.ukfsn.org -> No Answer dig -mx ukfsn.org -> No Answer traceroute www.ukfsn.org -> unknown host www.ukfsn.org This first came to my attention last night when I was no longer able to route outgoing email via smtp.ukfsn.org, getting error messages like recep_kantarci_1978@yahoo.com.tr,ai-geostats@unil.ch... Host unknown (Name server: smtp.ukfsn.org: no data known) from the destination. Does anyone have any news of what's happening? I can connect to the web using UKFSN's dialup number, so something's working there! Thanks, and best wishes to all Ted.

1 0

contact name at lugww
by Syd Hancock 15 Jul '05

15 Jul '05

Hi all I have received an email reminding me that I am the maintainer for the entry for ALUG on LUG World Wide - see: http://lugww.counter.li.org/groups.cms?&cc=GB&rc=EE If someone else would like to take this over please contact me off-list and I'll pass on the login details for editing the entry. Otherwise it will probably be allowed it to lapse if there is no interest. Please note - do contact me by email (as well as informing the list) for a quicker response as I simply browse the list online from time to time these days. Hope all is well in ALUG-land and I'll try and come to the Reindeer one of these months. Syd

2 3

2nd call: Software Freedom Day 2005
by MJ Ray 14 Jul '05

14 Jul '05

Thanks to the people who have emailed offering help with Software Freedom Day on Saturday 10 September 2005. I'd like a few more people to make things easier for everyone. If you're willing to help, please email me or ask me this evening. Those who have offered so far: I'll reply to everyone this weekend with news. Thanks. More info: http://softwarefreedomday.org/ -- MJR/slef

1 0

RE: [ALUG] Ubuntu [was GZ files]
by Keith Watson 13 Jul '05

13 Jul '05

> From: Wayne Stallwood Sent: 12 July 2005 23:47 > > Also I would consider Ubuntu, Ubuntu is essentially Debian > made easy, it has a reduced package selection (although there > is nothing stopping you adding debian packages) but (in my > experience) has better hardware support out of the box and > offers a slightly more polished initial configuration. > > I was pure SuSE on the desktop from about 2001, but like you > I felt that I was being insulated from the system, also I > fancied a change. So I moved my main machine over to Ubuntu a > few months back, One of my laptops and a machine in my office > are now Ubuntu as well. Generally I am pretty happy with the > changeover (the main problems I have had are > AMD64 specific and therefore may not affect you) > I'd also recommend the Ubuntu distro. I recently set up a simple system for a friend and (as they didn't have a lot of money to spend on software) set them up a Linux based system using Ubuntu 5.04. I was really impressed not only by the ease of install (it picked up all their installed hardware perfectly) but by the familiar way the desktop was organized. My friend has a minimal knowledge of computers and their only experience was using the usual Windows set-ups at work. Their main requirement was for e-mail, and the fact that the Evolution mail client has such an Outlook feel to it was a big plus factor for them. To keep the running costs down I set them up a simple dial up connection to a pay as you go provider (ukfsn) and talked them through the modem set-up with no problem. They made the transition, despite some initial reservations, painlessly. It just worked and in a way they were familiar with. As they said "I was worried about using a system that wasn't Windows but this is just as good as Windows" (immediately followed by "Why are you hitting me?" :o) ). I was so impressed I bought the company... er.. no.. I was so impressed that, despite being a dyed-in-the-wool Debian purist, I am in the process of rebuilding my system using Ubuntu (OK so it's just Debian with it's going out clothes on). If you are thinking of installing Ubuntu a couple of invaluable sites are; The Unofficial Ubuntu 5.04 Starter Guide <http://ubuntuguide.org/> (setting up Ubuntu is easy but this makes it a doddle) Mr Bass's Ubuntu Linux page <http://www.mrbass.org/linux/ubuntu/> (a good site for those with a little more than basic Linux experience - the root site www.mrbass.org is also worth a look) Regards, Keith ____________ The saddest thing in the world is someone who has sight but no vision. - Helen Keller

2 1

Making backups
by Peter Hunter 12 Jul '05

12 Jul '05

I am about to re-install Suse 9.3 Prof. (it didn't fully install last time as a couple of the disks I made from the Internet download were corrupt or just faulty). I have managed to save my files (docs) etc., but how do I make a backup of my email messages and settings? I am running Evolution inGnome 2.10 if that helps. Many thanks peter

9 20

Great website
by Peter Hunter 12 Jul '05

12 Jul '05

If any new linux users are interested, I have just happened across a triffik website. It's: www.linuxcommand.org I have been viewing it, and trying out lots of the things it's been teaching me. I am really getting to grips with all this stuff now. Still loads to try and to learn, so I'll get back to it now. Well worth a look though. Regards Peter

1 0

Accessing CD's
by Peter Hunter 12 Jul '05

12 Jul '05

Well, I know that several of you have been helping me with this. But yesterday I put a CD in the drive and after a few seconds it mounted and I had full access to all the files. So I tried this with several other discs in both drives and all seems to be fine. Thanks for all the help, I have been learning loads over the past week. I'm glad I joined the group. Shame I can't get to the meeting and buy you all a beer. I'll just have to email you a picture of one, eill that do!!! Regards Peter

2 2

Re: [ALUG] Making backups
by Peter Hunter 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

On Sun, 2005-07-10 at 20:43 +0100, beb wrote: > Peter Hunter wrote: > > On Sun, 2005-07-10 at 19:21 +0100, beb wrote: > > > >>Peter Hunter wrote: > >> > >> > >>>Sorry, whilst I am at it, there is one more. I tried to re-install my > >>>backups from the CD I burned. But I cannot mount the CD or DVD drives as > >>>I don't have permission (as a user). I can re-boot the machine and log > >>>in as root, and then mount the drive and copy the files over, and then > >>>re-boot as user. But if I do that I still can't access fy info (address > >>>book etc.) as they 'belong' to root! So, how do I mount the drives as > >>>user? > >>> > >> > >>Have you sorted this yet? If not, then... > >> > >>Chances are your username isn't attached to the correct groups. Could > >>you post the output of 'ls -l /media' (I think SuSE mounts all the discs > >>there) so we can see which group the cdrom belongs to and the output of > >>'less /etc/groups | grep username (where username is your username (bet > >>you couldn't guess that one <grin>)) so we can see which groups *you* > >>belong too please? > >> > >>beb > > > > > > > > > > peter@linux:~> ls -l /media > > total 0 > > drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2005-03-23 15:30 bmp_audio_cd > > drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2005-07-08 18:41 cdrecorder > > drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2005-07-08 18:41 dvdrecorder > > drwxrwxrwx 1 root root 0 2005-07-10 16:06 floppy > > drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 48 2005-03-22 18:54 xmms_audio_cd > > peter@linux:~> less /etc/groups|grep peter > > /etc/groups: No such file or directory > > peter@linux:~> > > > > > > Does this help? Looks like it all belongs to root to me. > > > > Peter > > > > > > Whoops, that should be /etc/group, not groups :-) > > OK, if you look in /etc/fstab there should be lines with > /media/cdrecorder and /media/dvdrecorder on them. The first column of > each of these lines should have something like /dev/hdc on them eg. mine > is... > > /dev/hdc /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0 > /dev/hdd /media/cdrom1 udf,iso9660 ro,user,noauto 0 0 > > The directories in /dev/ is what linux automatically assigns hardware > to, which is then linked to something a bit more memorable > (/media/cdrecorder etc.). I can't explain it well, but have a look in > your unix book for stuff about 'devices'). > > Could you please do 'ls -l /dev/hdc' (substituting /dev/hdc for whatever > your fstab has in the first column). Oh, and that 'less etc/group | grep > peter' again. > > Not sure I explained that well. If not, mail me your /etc/fstab and I'll > try to use that to explain a bit better. > > beb peter@linux:~> less /etc/group | grep peter dialout:x:16:peter video:x:33:peter peter@linux:~> This is the contents of the fstab file /dev/hdb2 / reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 1 /dev/hda1 /windows/C ntfs ro,users,gid=users,umask=0002,nls=utf8 0 0 /dev/hda5 /windows/D ntfs ro,users,gid=users,umask=0002,nls=utf8 0 0 /dev/hdb1 swap swap pri=42 0 0 devpts /dev/pts devpts mode=0620,gid=5 0 0 proc /proc proc defaults 0 0 usbfs /proc/bus/usb usbfs noauto 0 0 sysfs /sys sysfs noauto 0 0 /dev/cdrecorder /media/cdrecorder subfs noauto,fs=cdfss,ro,procuid,nosuid,nodev,exec,iocharset=utf8 0 0 /dev/dvdrecorder /media/dvdrecorder subfs noauto,fs=cdfss,ro,procuid,nosuid,nodev,exec,iocharset=utf8 0 0 /dev/fd0 /media/floppy subfs noauto,fs=floppyfss,procuid,nodev,nosuid,sync 0 0 Peter >

2 5

Audacity
by Peter Hunter 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

Well, I have downloaded audacity in it's rpm format. Installed it using Yast. It has an icon on the taskbar, and is listed in the programs menu under: Applications, Multimedia, Media Editing, Audacity. If I click on the icon on the taskbar, or in the menu, I get a very short (half a second) burst of disc activity, and then nothing. The program doesn't load. So what have I done wrong. Any help or advice appreciated. Regards, peter

2 2

ALUG Social Meeting: Thurs 14 July 2005 from 7.30/8.00pm
by Brett Parker 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi all, The next ALUG Social meeting will be held on Thursday the 14 July 2005 in The Reindeer on Dereham Road in Norwich. It should be starting somewhere between 7.30pm and 8.00pm. I should be there from 7.30pm, unless I get involved with watching something on telly, in which case I might be running a little late ;) Photos of the usual suspects can be found from the following URLs: http://www.earth.li/~noodles/Photos/2004-08-ALUG/ http://www.earth.li/~noodles/Photos/2004-11-ALUG-Syleham/ http://www.earth.li/~noodles/Photos/2005-01-ALUG-Xmas/ Directions to The Reindeer can be found from the ALUG site at the following URL: http://www.alug.org.uk/venues/reindeer.html I know that this time we'll be missing a Noodles as he's currently in HEL having fun (or rather, he's at debconf, so he's getting drunk with some of the nicest developers out there. The git.). Haven't had any confirmations so far, but I would suspect the following people to randomly turn up... Person (irc nick) ----------------- Me - Brett (iDunno) Martijn (mak) Paul (paul_c) Adam (quinophex) Everyone is, as usual, more than welcome to turn up (hey, they're even more welcome to buy me beer... hmmmm. beer.). Thanks, - -- Brett Parker web: http://www.sommitrealweird.co.uk/ email: iDunno(a)sommitrealweird.co.uk -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFC0ofUEh8oWxevnjQRAizKAJ0bWj20yBbJtNK1D6OQ8CbpeHGGbACfT6Rd 3ZIylHc5+zdaEsQ65jErBd0= =TEjm -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

1 0

Weekly IRC reminder
by Brett Parker 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

This is the automated ALUG IRC meeting reminder sent to remind you that there is an IRC meeting tonight (Monday) at 8.00pm. The meeting takes place on the irc server irc.alug.org.uk in the #alug channel. Most IRC clients should allow you to get there with the commands "/server irc.alug.org.uk" and "/join #alug". Popular IRC clients include tkirc, bitchx, xchat and EPIC on Unix, and Mirc under windows. Here are some links to help you get started with irc. Unix http://www.xchat.org/ http://freshmeat.net/ http://www.epicsol.org/ Windows http://www.mirc.com (loads of help with irc for newbies!)

1 0

Audio Recording Splitter
by Peter Hunter 10 Jul '05

10 Jul '05

Hi, After having connected my Hi-Fi system to the computer, I have been recording a serias of talks from the radio, using gaRecorder, and saved the one long file (all talks) as a .wav (wave) file. What I need to do now is to split the one big file into several small files - individual talks. Once I've done that I intend burning these onto a CD that I can listen to in the car. I'm sure I can do that with K3B, so that part of it isn't a problem. What I need to know is: Is there a Linux program for splitting wave files? Under Windoze I used to use a free program called 'Wave Splitter'. Regards peter

6 7

Nearly new member
by Roy Child 10 Jul '05

10 Jul '05

Hello all I have been lurking on the mailing list for ages and I thought it was about time I introduced myself. I was wondering if any in the group have a background in Acorn computers. I live in Cambridge and my tiny family business in Yeldham has run on several Acorn computers for many years. Now, aided by Nick Daniels in Linux evangelist mode, I have two or three boxes running Suse and doing excellent service. Why do I like LInux? Well I like the flexibility. When and if I get the hang of it I feel I will be in control and be able to mould the system to suit me and the way I work (and play). I do not want to be fitted into the rigid framework demanded by win software. I also like the security. Like many small retail businesses I have (on a temporary basis!) customer's credit card numbers and their names and addresses on a hard drive. If you were a customer would you like your card details to be sitting on a windows machine connected to the internet? Far too many online retailers use windows. There the nice feeling that Linux software has been created and maintained by thousands of amazing people all over the world working and cooperating for the common good. Last but not least, Linux users seem to like beer! Best regards to all in ALUG Roy Child -- Peter Child Woodturning Supplies Tools, equipment, materials for woodturning and pyrography http://www.peterchild.co.uk

2 1

Open Tech 2005 details
by Karamoon 08 Jul '05

08 Jul '05

Opentech schedule is now out: http://www.ukuug.org/events/opentech2005/schedule/ You must pre-register. People who fail to attend Opentech forfeit any right to complain about the UK stuff ever again. Matthew __________________________________ Discover Yahoo! Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online and more. Check it out! http://discover.yahoo.com/

1 0

Missing network adapter
by Wayne Stallwood 08 Jul '05

08 Jul '05

I've just upgraded my Fujitsu Lifebook P1120 from 802.11b to 802.11g I've removed the original prism2 based card (that also had an integrated modem) and inserted an Intel 2915abg. This card is I believe just an OEM version of the 2200. ubuntu had no issues whatsoever with the new card, but since installing it my wireless lan has moved from eth1 to eth0 and the Ethernet port that was on eth0 has vanished. Any ideas on how I get the Ethernet port back on eth0 and the wireless back on eth1 Cheers Wayne

2 4

OSS and Indy Media
by Karamoon 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

On Saturday 16th July there is an event in Norwich which may be of interest to many Aluggers. The event is EASF, a one-day conference about bad stuff that's going on and how to fix it. There will be talks, workshops, documentaries and discssions. Of particular interest to Aluggers will be the launch of Norwich Indy Media(which will utilise lots of Linux and other OSS), discussions about ID cards, how people can regain control of technology. If there is interest, we could have a meeting there about Software Freedom Day which is coming up in September. All in all it will be a very interesting day and a good chance to promote Linux and OSS to peopel who could benefit greatly from using it. Matthew __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

1 0

Linux Format
by David Arrowsmith 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

Hello Folks I have a large mound of Linux Format Magazines with disks I would like to give away, before I move house. Would be a shame to recycle them so if you live in west Norwich and want to pick them up let me know. David chasboz(a)dsl.pipex.com

1 0

Re: [ALUG] Making backups
by Peter Hunter 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

On Thu, 2005-07-07 at 18:57 +0100, Peter Onion wrote: > On Thu, 2005-07-07 at 17:05 +0100, Peter Hunter wrote: > > > > > I've been using nothing but evolution. I have many many messages and an > > address book full of email addresses. How can I be sending emails if I > > am not using evolution? And please don't suggest I am using Kmail > > because I tried that in a previous installation and didn't like it. > > Last time I tried it , it sucked (but that was a few years ago !) > > > > > Which version of evolution ? Things did change between the 1.9.X and > the 2.0.X releases, so maybe that's why things arn't were I would expect > them to be (I have 2.0.1 here on Suse 9.2) > > Peter I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like it Peter. I have just checked, it's 2.2.1 Peter > >

2 1

Anyone interested in helping?
by Mike Banahan 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

I'm asking to see if anyone can lend some technical assistance ... I don't think this will count as off-topic or the wrong kind of posting, but if it does, I apologise in advance. Cutter (http://cutterproject.co.uk) is unusual but loosely similar to some other projects in the Open Source world in that it's there to provide SUPPORT not software. We think that in markets such as schools, it's crucial to be able to purchase support for something close to an off-the-shelf or turnkey solution. Telling schools to roll their own and support themselves is not going to lead to large-scale adoption in a short timescale. We are having some initial success and generating a significant amount of publicity for what we are doing. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing classrooms full of youngsters using predominantly Free Software on their desktops. We think we have a good idea about what's needed by consumers in this area. We are committed to publishing any original software that we write and adhering to the the GPL where we further develop packages like LTSP. It would be great to have a large stream of revenue that allows us to take on full-time paid developers. We aren't that far down the road yet unfortunately. At the same time, there is a number of technical issues that we want to address and are appealing for help with. We can provide some very modest funding if necessary and would like to hear from developers with good development skills who would be interested to work with us on ironing out some of the knottier matters and liaising with other similar efforts. Amongst the items on the technical roadmap at present are: - Setting up a managed Subversion repository - Improving sound support on LTSP thin clients (a challenge) - LDAP configuration of thin clients (Perl/MySQL/LDAP) - LDAP configuration of users (Perl/MySQL/LDAP) - Productising the 'grabber' classroom/terminal management tool (C++/Qt) We have to produce highly reliable software, so releasing stuff at alpha level doesn't cut it. There is a 'project office' of sorts in Cottenham near Cambridge (UK), so it would seem to make sense to focus on people who are in the area to make it easier to hold occasional face-to-face meetings. We'd be happy to hear from anyone who thinks they might enjoy working on a project that has a combination of Free and commercial imperatives intermixed. Sorry this is so long! Mike Banahan

2 1

Formatting floppy
by Bob Dove 07 Jul '05

07 Jul '05

Hi folks, From desktop (if you use it) look at your mounted disks, drop down menu will invite you to format floppy if one is in your floppy (A) drive. Only successful thing I've done in Linux so far! And by the way, thanks to those amongst you who offered advice on writing to NTFS formated (windoze) HDs, I'm afraid I'm not that far advanced in Linux knowledge to know what you are talking about. Old dogs n that! Cheers, BD. NB: This is from 'live' SuSe 9.3 using KDE?

1 0