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What is a Kit Meeting?
by Brett Parker 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Right, As this has come up a couple of times over the last few days... here goes the explaination of what a 'kit' meeting is... First off, kit is basically "old computers, new computers, anything that's interesting or you want to get rid of and think someone might be interested in, laptops, pdas, etc etc". A kit meeting is basically a meeting where by we have some desks, a reasonable sized room, and some power outlets. It's a good place to bring any thing that you'd like to demonstrate to the group (if you're feeling brave), or to get someone to help you with that niggly hardware problem, or help you to install one of the numerous distributions (we don't all know the same distribution, but you'll find a fair number of us that are Debian type people, some even Debian Developers, so expect the highest amount of support on Debian or Ubuntu based systems). All kit brought to the meeting is the owners responsibility, we have not yet, to my knowledge, had anything nicked from a meeting, but it's useful to label anything that you bring "Just In Case". (Also, when there's lots of 4 ways and network leads, etc, it can get a bit hectic at packing up time, in order to keep track of which bits are yours, it's useful to have them labelled). It is not neccessary to bring kit to the meeting, we're very open to talking about 'stuff', which can cover a whole array of subjects, and not even limited to just IT, sometimes we have interesting things to say (not me, personally, but sometimes there's interesting people about). It's a good opportunity for lots of us ALUGgers to get together, talk, demonstrate, help, get ideas, and generally have a good afternoon of playing with stuff, eating biscuits, and, quite usually, finding beer in the pub afterwards (UEA permitting, this time. Last time ISTR the bar being closed :( ). I hope to see many of you there. Thanks, - -- Brett Parker web: http://www.sommitrealweird.co.uk/ email: iDunno(a)sommitrealweird.co.uk -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.0 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFCIzAxEh8oWxevnjQRAnhhAJ9b2OSREYtq1MR/o5xMoiZffUKu7gCfVdRr l5IiXEpjpQ+E7wOaqXNdl5I= =g9Lx -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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RE: [ALUG] New Member
by Elisabeth 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

hi Simon, Will we see you at the kitmeet on 20 March? eli/sunflowerinrain/elspeth

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RE: [ALUG] Kit Meet - 20th March @ UEA
by Keith Watson 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

> From: Brett Parker Sent: 25 February 2005 21:04 > Elisabeth <E.Fosbrooke-brown(a)uea.ac.uk> wrote: > > Sunday 20 March > > Constable Terrace Room A > > Start at 14:00 > > > > Bring software, laptops, pcs, monitors, pdas, peripherals, >> cables, bits and pieces... > > Share and enjoy. > > Or don't bring anything but yourselves, don't feel that you *have* to > bring kit to attend a kit meet. > > Biscuits are appreciated by all attendees though, as are hot > cross buns, jaffa cakes... (we like snack food ;) > > > If people could post back to the list to give us a feeling > what they're bringing, what they might want, and whether they are turning up. I shall try very hard to get there (seeing as it's just round the corner), I have some odd bits and pieces that may be off use to someone. I'll try and bring some sweet and sticky comestibles also :o) Keith

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Audio CD Writing
by Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

Hi Folks, I'm trying to get a ".wav" file (which I also have in a version ".cdr" converted by sox) onto a CD so that the CD can be played on a CD player. With 'xcdroast' I can get the file onto CD as a "data CD", but this doesn;t work for playing on a CD player. My 'xcdroast' tells me, when I'm about to master the file into an ISO image, that if I'm only mastering ".wav" files and want to create an aufio CD then I should use the "Write Tracks" menu and not the "Master Tracks" menu. That's all very well, but if I do that then the "Image Information" panel under "Write Tracks -> Layout Tracks, which seems to be the only way I can designate the filenames for tracks, shows me nothing (unless I have already mastered an image under "Master Tracks" which is then an ISO image which I don't want), and I can see no way of getting the filename into this window. This is xcdroast-0.98alpha13 on Red Hat 9.1. When I click on "Create CD" from the top menu, the first display which comes up is "CD.Image Info", and in this panel I can see the filenames. However, there's no provision there to select them for later use. The only other option which displays them is "Master Tracks" as described above. Can anyone take my hand and lead me out of the wood, please? Thanks, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding(a)nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 26-Feb-05 Time: 20:09:26 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------

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Re: [ALUG] Linux Political Party
by John Seago 28 Feb '05

28 Feb '05

On Monday 28 Feb 2005 06:26, adam(a)thebowery.co.uk wrote: > In preparation for the next general election I don't know if I can bring > myself to vote for any of the parties because they all suck, just some > more than others. If in effect I could vote for all the parties who were > crap instead of the ones that were totally crap then it wouldn't be a > total disaster. Which was precisely my point, don't vote for, vote against. (Or write on your ballot paper what you think of the Candidates, they all have to personally read 'spoilt papers. I think one of my best, years ago in a Borough Council Election was, "offered a choice between two crooks and an idiot, I choose not to vote for any of them"), With proportional voting we at least had the opportunity to take votes away from those we disapproved of. However, (for those who wonder why I start so many sentences with 'However', when I was at school, starting a sentence with 'But ' was a terrible sin), even with the first past the post method, voting for fringe party's sends a message, especially if like me you then send all the other party's an email telling them why you didn't vote for them, and that they can't make assumptions as to why their share of the vote was what it was, as there were lots of voters who did exactly the same as I/you, (just don't tell them which party you did vote for). -- John Seago GNU/Linux User #219566 (http://counter.li.org) AFFS (http://www.affs.org.uk/)

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A bit of introduction from me (again)
by Tatsuhiko Maegawa 27 Feb '05

27 Feb '05

I've been away for a while from ALUG, so there must be people who don't know me. My name is Tatsuhiko Maegawa. I live in Fukui, Japan. And I've got blog: http://blog.jazzman.jp I've studied at UEA at late 90s, and that's where my relationship with ALUG began. Turmoils on returning to Japan hampered my will to stay with ALUG for a while. Now that I'm doing right, I decided to join back again. These days I use Gentoo Linux, customized for Japanese environment but not perfectly - yet. Now from June the company that I work will have seven "international" interns. I've checked the details of what they do, and found out that these people do have used "Linux" before. I wonder how far these students know about Linux. Since these people know C++, I assume they can install it, use it, and develop some. Yours Tatsuhiko Maegawa

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Re: [ALUG] Linux Political Party
by John Seago 27 Feb '05

27 Feb '05

On Thursday 24 Feb 2005 06:26, Sid Dabster <sid_dabster(a)yahoo.ca> wrote: > *** Proposal for a FLOSS/Linux Political Party *** > > I suggest a Linux Party is formed to promote the idea > of free software (and possibly related ideas). The > last European Election with the patent issue showed > the relevance of politics to the free software > movement. Voting purely on patents lead to some > undesirable alliance partners. While as LUG Radio > noted, the patent issue did not brake through into the > mainstream media. If free software is to gain mass > use, we need decision makers and media to be more > aware. A Linux party with a free post drop and media > time will do this just as other single issue parties > have. During the Euro Elections I took it upon my self to see if we, the Free Software Community could unseat the sitting Liberal Democrat candidate. Not that I had any opposition to the Candidate Personally or Politically, but because they were expecting to gain a seat, and their stand on Software Patents were inimical to the Free Software Community. The actions I proposed were a) to lobby the Lib Dems, b) to encourage anyone that people came into contact with, to vote either UKIP or Green, in order to take AWAY votes from the Lib Dems. c) to actually vote for either UKIP or the Greens. The result was that some took the trouble to write to me, or post to newsgroups, to tell me why they either did not have the time or inclination to lobby the Lib Dems, (effort they could have used to write to the Lib Dems), others told me that UKIP or the Greens were not people they could vote FOR, missing the point that the vote was AGAINST the Lib Dems. Voting for Minority Party's hits the major Party's disproportionally, even when the sitting party wins, if its majority is reduced not by one of the other major party's but by one of the minor one's. It is my opinion in these days when democracy has not turned out to be what some imagined it should be, that apathy is our worst enemy, but that an opposition group can be more useful than a single issue pressure group. If a Party is to be organised then it may be more useful to organise a Political Organisation to vote against certain individuals or parties, rather than for a single issue pressure group. Perhaps someone will know if the various election regulations covers those who are campaigning AGAINST an individual or Party. -- John Seago GNU/Linux User #219566 (http://counter.li.org) AFFS (http://www.affs.org.uk/)

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Re: Re: [ALUG] A bit of introduction from me (again)
by John Seago 27 Feb '05

27 Feb '05

On Saturday 26 February 2005 23:41, beb <ben(a)psychoferret.co.uk> wrote: > Moot point. To most[0] East Anglians, London is as far away as Japan ;-) Yes and far more foreign as well! -- John GNU/Linux User #219566 (http://counter.li.org) AFFS (http://www.affs.org.uk/)

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Linux Political Party
by Sid Dabster 26 Feb '05

26 Feb '05

*** Proposal for a FLOSS/Linux Political Party *** I suggest a Linux Party is formed to promote the idea of free software (and possibly related ideas). The last European Election with the patent issue showed the relevance of politics to the free software movement. Voting purely on patents lead to some undesirable alliance partners. While as LUG Radio noted, the patent issue did not brake through into the mainstream media. If free software is to gain mass use, we need decision makers and media to be more aware. A Linux party with a free post drop and media time will do this just as other single issue parties have. Q. What would be involved A. For a resonable campaign i. 12 signatures and a 500 pound deposit ii. A leaflet designed on a personal computer iii.50,000 copies would be duplicated (these can contain adverts) about 250 pounds iv. Turning up to 2 husting (optional), just repeat the same answer to each question. v. 5 minutes radio interview. "Manifesto" Could include *Use of FLOSS, Linux* no to DRM no software and look & feel patents open hardware standards (end vendor lock-in) free books end of EULAs no coding obfuscation DeCSS, freedom to watch DVDs Write what code you want End security paranoia freedom to listen to CDs stop criminalising end users etc. etc. Remember IP and computers are more important than ever, several billion may be saved by using FLOSS. Want more hospitals, tax cuts etc. ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca

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RE: [ALUG] Kit Meet - 20th March @ UEA
by Elisabeth 25 Feb '05

25 Feb '05

>===== Original Message From Brett Parker <iDunno(a)sommitrealweird.co.uk> ===== > >If people could post back to the list to give us a feeling what they're >bringing cookies. the edible kind. e/sunflowerinrain Elisabeth Fosbrooke-Brown School of Music University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ

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