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Anyone used Linux Emporium recently?
by cl＠isbd.net 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

I sent an order to The Linux Emporium a couple of weeks ago and apart from an acknowledgement nothing has happened at all. They used to be very good, even after the original owner moved on. Has anyone else used them recently or heard any adverse comments? -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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RE: [ALUG] Trackball for Linux?
by Keith Watson 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

> From: Chris Green Sent: 29 September 2006 12:43 > > Does anyone here use a trackball? I've been using a Logitech Marble Mouse (http://www.euroffice.co.uk/itm_show.asp?G7544=Logitech-Marble-Mouse&AFF =GG00006373 for example, but if you shop around you can get them cheaper) for a while now and I'm quite pleased with it. (I'm left handed so all these so called ergonomic shapes are a complete waste of time for me :o) ) I'm running Ubuntu Dapper and needed to do a bit of web searching for information on setting up the buttons as I'd like, but an evenings work sufficed to get it set up as I wanted. > > I've been using a Kensington Expert Mouse (which is a > trackball) for many years and would like something similar > that will work well with Linux. > > Requirements are pretty simple:- > Must be a trackball > Must have at least three buttons, preferably four. > Should be able to program buttons (e.g. my button four does double > click of button one). Marble Mouse has four buttons. >From what I've remember my research suggested that all trackballs seems to have a fairly standard mouselike interface so, unless it's some weird and wonderful h/w, the main considerations for setting it up are in the Xorg.conf settings. Fortunately the Marble Mouse seem pretty standard. Regards, Keith ____________ If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a hyacinth - Persian Proverb

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Trackball for Linux?
by cl＠isbd.net 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

Does anyone here use a trackball? I've been using a Kensington Expert Mouse (which is a trackball) for many years and would like something similar that will work well with Linux. Requirements are pretty simple:- Must be a trackball Must have at least three buttons, preferably four. Should be able to program buttons (e.g. my button four does double click of button one). -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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[chris@isbd.co.uk: Re: I'm getting nearer, network install help wanted]
by cl＠isbd.net 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

> > However I have one big problem, I can't find anywhere that tells me > what directory of the FTP site I need to point it at. I can't find > anyhwhere on the www.opensuse.org site that tells me where to get the > files from when doing a network install. > > It tells you how to do a *really* difficult install when you have no > CD at all but doesn't tell you what to do when you've booted from the > mini-iso CD. > > So, can anyone tell me where I should point it and/or point me at some > documentation? > .... it's OK, I got there in the end, it's hardly easy/intuitive though! I'm now installing Suse 10.1 from the Internet, it'll take a while so I'm off to bed now! .... and now I'm back at work in the morning, much of the install has completed but it needs some more manual input before completing. I'm away for the week-end (shouts of joy from the list) so the rest will have to wait for next week. However I now seem to have a reasonably easy/reliable route for installing Suse at least. I have to say that the instructions (or total lack of them) were crap, for it to work you have to know:- The IP address of the system itself, i.e. it has at least to be on the local subnet. The IP address of the gateway. The IP address of your DNS server. What protocol you're going to use to get the files (there's about five or six offered). The IP address (not the name) of the server you're going to use. The full path of the directory where the files are, this was the one I had problems with, firstly there's no clue as to what files it wants so how do I know what directory it is, secondly it's about ten miles long and is typed into a 20 character or so wide window. OK, it's do'able but you really need another system working to be able to get all the information you need. It would be well nigh impossible if you only had one computer. -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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I'm getting nearer, network install help wanted
by cl＠isbd.net 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

Well I'm making (slow!) progress. The Ubuntu Edgy CD didn't do any better than the Ubuntu 6.06 one so I decided to try a network install. I have put an RTL8139 based network card into the system and it's recognised by my Suse 10.1 mini-iso, hurrah! After a few minor hiccoughs I have it configured and it can see the outside world. I have ven got as far as pointing it at an FTP site. However I have one big problem, I can't find anywhere that tells me what directory of the FTP site I need to point it at. I can't find anyhwhere on the www.opensuse.org site that tells me where to get the files from when doing a network install. It tells you how to do a *really* difficult install when you have no CD at all but doesn't tell you what to do when you've booted from the mini-iso CD. So, can anyone tell me where I should point it and/or point me at some documentation? -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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Progress (or lack of it) on my new system
by cl＠isbd.net 28 Sep '06

28 Sep '06

Well I haven't made a lot of Linuxish progress on my new system. The essential problems which make it difficult to install any Linux on it are:- The JMicron PATA controller isn't recognised by install versions of the Linux kernel. There is (I believe) support for it in the latest 2.6.18 kernel but the problem is how to get that kernel built on the system. The Realtek Gigabit RTL 8168 NIC interface isn't supported in current kernels. A driver is available but needs to be, yes you've guessed it, compiled into a new kernel. I have currently got Windows XP64 Professional installed in a partition on the new system, that was moderately easy though one has to feed it several floppys during the install and it's a bit of a guessing game which ones should be used at times. So, anyway, I have at least proved the system works and can copy stuff to and fro even if only in Window'ish formats. I need to come up with a strategy for getting a basic system onto my new box that will then allow me to compile a new kernel with the required bits in it. One question this raises is one that I originally asked - what Linux version should I choose? The original answers here were along the lines of "try them all" but I really don't fancy having to recompile kernels for all of them (and I don't believe one recompiled kernel will work for all, each distribution will almost inevitably have its own tweaks I believe). I think the three choices are Suse, Ubuntu or Mandriva. Suse 10.1 seems to have the fullest support for Vmware Server so, if nothing else seems to point elswhere, I may go for Suse. So, how do I get a system loaded? The options would seem to be:- Get the distribution files onto the disk using Windows XP and install from there. Question - can Linux installers read Windows file systems? Add a "well known" NIC to the system (I have spare PCI slots) and do a network install, this I think may be the simplest approach. Do a USB drive install (I'm not sure I have a big enough USB memory thingy). Any comments or ideas? -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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Problem installing on an all SATA system
by cl＠isbd.net 25 Sep '06

25 Sep '06

I am trying to install ubuntu 6.06 server on my new hardware. The system is intel core 2 duo based with all SATA drives (including the CD/DVD drive). The installation CD boots OK (presumably because at this stage it's using the BIOS to access the drives) but after starting the Linux kernel and setting the language I get a message "No common CD-ROM detected" (or something like that anyway). I.e. there aren't drivers for a SATA CD/DVD drive. It then asks me to either select one of the old non-IDE drivers for the CD-ROM or to install a floppy with the drivers on it. So, how do I get this to actually install? I guess that the floppies with the SATA drivers for windows aren't going to help much, or will the ubuntu install recognise windows drivers? -- Chris Green (chris(a)halon.org.uk)

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Hosting issues for not-for-profit image site
by Mark Rogers 22 Sep '06

22 Sep '06

I've been in contact with a website which hosts a large range of images (www.bioimages.org.uk) The images are "a large selection of pictures of Natural History objects, mostly British in origin", which currently amount to around 400M of HTML (autogenerated from a database) on IIS, and 3-4GB of photographs hosted separately. The site is currently offline due to attempted site rips causing load and bandwidth problems. I've offered to help look at the problem, but due to the capacity required I don't think I'm in a position to help with the hosting, although I may be able to help technically. Several issues comes to mind which I'd like advice on. I think there are Apache modules which can help to control the abuse aspect, but I'm not sure where to start - any suggestions? There are options like scripting the site (eg using PHP) and limiting the number of downloads per session. I could probably come up with a solution but its not something I have experience in managing. If anyone has suggestions for a generous host that would be useful too. What he's currently looking for is hosting for the HTML but not the image library, but cites bandwidth as the biggest problem. I need to work out why that is - I'd be surprised if the bandwidth fotr the HTML itself is a huge problem (although I think the way the pages are generated means that they are static pages with new timestamps after each generation, so search engine traffic alone could be massive). I have no direct connection with the site; its a friend who manages a site which makes reference to the images that brought the problem to my attention. I am inclined to help because I think this sort of thing is what the web should be about (ie decent libraries of decent information). -- Mark Rogers More Solutions Ltd :: 0845 45 89 555

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Putting Exchange out of business?
by Christopher Dawkins 21 Sep '06

21 Sep '06

>> Or you could install an imap or pop server on the machine and point your >> mail client at it, can be especially useful if the machine breaks for >> some reason and can't send mail as you notice that you either can't >> connect to it any more or that you at least get the messages (or notice >> a lack of them). > > That sounds like a challenge. If it worked, I could put Exchange on > their win servers out of business :-) It does work. Of course it works. It's been working on my servers for over a decade now, with sendmail and postfix and pop and imap, humming away with 100% reliability and no problems (apart from some caused by clients running a system I believe is called "Windows"). It's been working reliably since long before this thing you call "Exchange" was thought of. Yet, for inexplicable reasons, some places use this thing you call "Exchange", and despite problems with things I believe are called "viruses" (my experience is limited: these have never troubled the machines I use) they have continued to use this thing you call "Exchange". The whole business is quite incredible to a rational being, but it happens. Basically, there's no point in an alternative that is undoubtedly both more reliable and more economical. They'll stick to this thing you call "Exchange". I suppose we are lucky that it remains technically and legally possible for us to choose the better alternatives. There are already many ways in which we become digitally deprived if we do not conform to the herd mentality (flock? sheep? what is the collective noun for lemmings?). Our freedoms hang on a very narrow thread. -- Christopher Dawkins Garnetts Corner, Braintree Road, Felsted, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3DS cchd(a)pjcd.org 07816 821659 01371 821076

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[Fwd: Re: [ALUG] server mail forwarding]
by Wayne Stallwood 21 Sep '06

21 Sep '06

Sounds like you need to edit /etc/aliases (depending on your server setup, should work for most machines) and change the line that looks something like root: jenny to root: jenny@ordinary-email-address Isn't it better to create a .forward file in Jenny's home dir, the contents of which (on the first line) are the external address. Can't think why it is better that way (apart from the user not needing to be su to change the address later) but it's the way I've always done this in the past.

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