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IPv6 - why?
by Mark Rogers 06 Feb '10

06 Feb '10

OK, so I know why it was invented: IPv4 running out of space. But having followed the various conversations about IPv6 capable ISPs, I'm left wondering why anyone wants to actually use IPv6 right now? That isn't to argue that they shouldn't, I genuinely want to know. I switched to 64-bit pretty early (because with Linux I could), and dealt with the occasional issues (flash, etc) in return for a system which was theoretically "better" but which felt no real different to a 32-bit machine. But (sad but true) I enjoyed the smugness of running 64-bit without (major) problems, something I couldn't have done with Windows. So what reasons are there to play with IPv6? Just because we can? Because we want to learn about it for the future? Or is there actually anything practical I could do with IPv6 that I can't with IPv4, or that just works better on IPv6? If you convince me that there is a good reason to play, my next question will be how to get started, so be warned :-) PS: For anyone with 64-bit capable hardware there really isn't any downside to using 64-bit Linux now as far as I can tell. -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG

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HTML embedded scripting, is it really this much of a kludge?
by Chris G 06 Feb '10

06 Feb '10

I've been trying to find out the rules about embedded scripting in HTML, things like PHP and JavaScript. It seems like it doesn't really have any rules! Part of the problem is that Google makes it impossible to search for anything other than alphanumerics so you can't search for things like <SCRIPT> or <?php. So, first question, is there *any* way now that Google rules the world to search for things like this? Moving on, how can one find what *actually* works inside a <SCRIPT> section in HTML? Is it only javascript that really works there in 'most' browsers or are there other possibilities? The other question is how does <?php work at all? I can't find anything that documents how or why it should allow PHP to do things. I'm maybe missing something obvious but given Google's total inability to look for such things doing any sort or searching is a bit difficult. I have O'Reilly books on HTML and PHP but neither of them really addresses how this works. I do realise that <SCRIPT> starts client side scripting so is limited by what's implemented in browsers, however it is at least a 'proper' HTML element. <?xxx seems more of a bodge, is it actually a bodge or is there some smeantic/syntactic logic to it? -- Chris Green

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Re: [ALUG] HTML embedded scripting, is it really this much of a kludge?
by phil.ashby＠bt.com 05 Feb '10

05 Feb '10

Chris asked: > So where is this <?php syntax defined? Is it part of HTML, is it a > bodge added by apache or what is it? That's really what I was asking, > I (sort of) know the difference between server side and client side > stuff (I think I did even say something about <SCRIPT> being client > side) and <SCRIPT> is at least 'proper' HTML. It's defined in the PHP specification, so it must be implemented by any PHP enabled server (be that Apache, IIS, Lighttpd, etc.), and since it never reaches the browser it's not part of the 'proper' HTML or subject to that specification. Here's the manual ref: http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.basic-syntax.phpmode.php Other server-side scripting languages use similar techniques, eg: ASP: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k33801s3.aspx JSP: http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/syntax/2.0/syntaxref20.html Cold fusion: http://www.opencfml.org/dashboard.action Such syntax abuse all started with server-side includes back in the 90's: http://hoohoo.ncsa.illinois.edu/docs/tutorials/includes.html HTH, Phil.

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Re: [ALUG] lp printers and startup
by Peter Alcibiades 02 Feb '10

02 Feb '10

On Monday 01 February 2010 09:46:18 Wayne Stallwood wrote: > ..... > If the printer is configured as a raw device in cups and raw support is > enabled then you should be doing > lp -dprintername temprint.txt > > Then cups will manage the task of spooling the job until the printer is > online and it should all be managed properly. > > I see this is for a receipt printer because you are sending cutter and > drawer kick commands, you aren't hacking receipt printing support onto > phppointofsale are you ? If so I probably still have the stuff from when > I did that about 4 years ago, no doubt it would need updating and it is > so nasty it never got accepted as a patch to the main project :) > Yes, now I see. Finally! I'll have a go with this. It makes sense. It is a receipt printer, but the POS is my own hack. It works, but I'm painfully aware that it lacks a lot (all?) of the stuff professionally designed POS systems have. The reason why I am using a raw printer is money - the one we bought cost £40, new but discontinued model, and one from the same supplier that would be new and run in CUPS in native mode would have been a couple hundred. The difference was important. Still and all, with a used barcode reader and this package and using kbarcode and a bunch of other OSS things, the total cost of moving to bar codes was really cheap. It ran last season on a £35 reject machine, and was perfectly satisfactory. Peter

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lp printers and startup
by Peter Alcibiades 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

This is another question about my raw printer. The following command works perfectly: cat temprint.txt > /dev/usb/lp0 and I've managed to get the hex characters going over to it to operate the cutter and to open the cash drawer. The printer is set up in CUPS as raw, queue raw. Its connected using one of those usb to parallel adaptors - usb at the PC and parallel at the printer. However, there is one remaining flaw. It only seems to work if the printer itself is powered on at startup of the pc. Why? Is there a shell command I can execute that will do whatever it is that is done at startup to get the system to know that the printer is there? And how would you test for whether this has been done? I have in mind, when the system is started, check to see if they have the printer turned on, if not beep at them, tell them to turn it on, then when they click the button saying, OK its on now, execute whatever this shell command is.... Thanks Peter

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BT Broadband linux compatability?
by Mark Wilson 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Hi, I was just wondering does anyone know if it's possible to use BT Broadband on a linux system? I've heard there are problems, something to do with a modem they supply (BT voyager?) and driver issues. Any info would be most appreciated! Mark Wilson

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Getting to know the command line, again
by Peter Alcibiades 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Someone a while back posted a query about what to read on getting to know the command line. I suggested Scott Granneman 'Linux Phrasebook' which is really nice, compact physically and in pages. Since then I've been looking some more on behalf of a colleague who has moved to Linux and is reaching the limits of point and click, and have come on two others which may be useful to someone. The first is: William Shotts 'The Linux Command Line' A long very carefully written book, available in pdf for download and from Lulu in paper form. I've only read the first few pages, and then skimmed here and there, but this seems quite exceptionally patiently and carefully written, anyway, its free to download in pdf form before you buy in the paper version, from http://gd.tuwien.ac.at/linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php The second one is Glen Smith 'An introduction to shell scripting'. There are some excerpts available on the site http://slashetcbooks.co.uk/itss.html and this also looks very carefully written for pedagogical purposes. Its quite a bit cheaper if you buy direct from them. There is supposed to be an awk book coming as well, but it seems that parenthood has got somewhat in the way of getting that one finished. As it does. Both of these guys, and Granneman also, seem to understand the difference between teaching and describing, which is a pretty rare talent in any field. I'm sure there are a lot better books for the experienced, or to use as references, but for someone who wants to be taught from first principles they seem pretty good. See how my friend gets on anyway. Peter

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Why doesn't my IMG float? (trivial HTML question)
by Chris G 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

In the following snippet I was expecting the text to appear beside the image but it obstinately stays above it:- <p>Zelma has to be back at work tomorrow so we went down to Chateauneuf and Zelma and Ben left us there to return home. Maxine and I then pottered downstream to Cheffes and back, all very scenic, with supper back at Chateauneuf.</p> <div align="left" class="figure"> <img alt="http://home.isbd.net/boat/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/DSCF2320.jpg" src="http://home.isbd.net/boat/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/DSCF2320.jpg" style="height: 50px;" /> <p class="caption">View of the moorings at Chateaneuf-sur-Sarthe</p> </div> Can anyone suggest what the problem might be? Yes, I know there are possibly other bits around that might affect it but I can't see anything relevant. The code is generated by docutils by the way so don't complain about my style, I didn't do it! I'm viewing in Firefox 3.5.7, has it decided that as div align="left" is deprecated it can ignore it? I've just tried IE as well, same result. -- Chris Green

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Re: [ALUG] BT Broadband linux compatability?
by Anthony Anson 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

Ken Hamer wrote: > On 29/01/2010 23:51, Anthony Anson wrote: >> They still haven't mended it. > So are you saying that you don't have a working phone line (including > voice)? Yes, that's what the situation is. I seldom used the phone anyway, and typically, my bill would be around ten quid, which would include (say) tw calls. So, I have a PAYG elderly phobile and this internet dongle. It's only inconvenient on badly-constructed websites, or if I want to access audio or video files. -- Tony Anson www.girolle.co.uk/

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[OOPS!!] Dud keyboard solved! Thanks.
by Ted.Harding＠manchester.ac.uk 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

Apologies for the loss of time! I had failed to check the systemn clock after rebooting this morning. As a result the following was sent "two days ago". Now back to real time. -----FW: <XFMail.100128085753.Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk>----- Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:57:53 -0000 (GMT) Sender: main-bounces(a)lists.alug.org.uk From: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> To: main(a)lists.alug.org.uk Subject: [ALUG] Dud keyboard solved! Thanks. Apologies for not responding earlier -- I was in Cambridge most of yesterday, and did not have time to deal with people's replies until today. Many thanks to all who responded. I do seem to have raised a lot of dust in attics! Since I was in Cambridge, I followed up Ken's suggestion, so popped into Maplin's and bought an L90BT (PS2 female to DIN male adaptor). As Wayne indicated, it wasn't cheap (£7.99), but is nicely made and solid. Since Maplins had a few "on the hook" in the shop, there was no issue about being "lucky to find one in a hurry"! Anyway, back at home, this morning I used the adaptor to connect a PS2 keyboard to the DIN socket on the box. Worked perfectly, and I fscked the filesystem (Statutory Declaration: I have not made a typo). I am now back to emailing normally from that machine! The following may be of interest (and a possible useful warning). I dismantled the old DIN keyboard to try to diagnose the problem. The heart of its mechanism is two plastic sheets with "printed circuitry" on them: on the underside of the upper sheet, and on the upper side of the bottom sheet. These lie below the keys, and when a key is pressed it presses the upper sheet down onto the lower sheet, and makes a contact. I suspect that this may be the source of the problem. Because the computer in question is mainly accessed remotely, its keyboard is hardly ever used (except occasionally when rebooting); so, to keep the keyboard out of the way, I have had it standing upright on its edge (the edge that would be nearest to you when laid flat for use). Undoubtedly, at least when putting it back on its edge after use and probably often when just shifting stuff around, the keyboard has been tapped onto the tabletop when in the upright position. This may have caused the plastic sheets to shift inside the keyboard, either getting it out of alignment with the pegs on the keys (that press down on the sheets) or moving it out of touch with the contacts in the keyboard case that connect the sheets with the little chip that feeds the cable. Whether that is the explanation or not, the end effect has been that pressing a key produced no result (and the effect had been intermittent until yesterday, when it had apparently become permanent). So beware! (Another warning: dismantling a keyboard should not be done lightly. There are lots of loose bits inside. Reassembling and getting everything back in line is not trivial. Indeed, I recall, from years ago, taking the bottom off a keyboard only to discover that it had spring-loaded insides. It took ages to pick all the little bits up from the floor ... ). I shall be in touch privately with the people who have kindly invaded their attics on my behalf, once I have brought that machine properly up-to-date again. Meanwhile, thanks again and best wishes to all, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 28-Jan-10 Time: 08:57:50 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ main(a)lists.alug.org.uk http://www.alug.org.uk/ http://lists.alug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/main Unsubscribe? See message headers or the web site above! --------------End of forwarded message------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)manchester.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 30-Jan-10 Time: 10:19:52 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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