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[Alug]Calling 'Colin'
by Syd Hancock 01 Jul '03

01 Jul '03

Apologies for noise Could Colin who was at the first Norwich evening meet at the Forum please email me off list? TIA Syd

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[Alug]file permissions and /usr
by Syd Hancock 30 Jun '03

30 Jun '03

I created as root a directory in /usr and used chmod to set permissions. After a reboot the permissions had reverted to what they were before the chmod command. This is probably some basic bit of info that I lack but is this usual? I was very surprised when it happened. Using Mandrake 9.1, mkdir and chmod run from the command line. TIA Syd

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[Alug]Weekly IRC reminder
by Neill Newman 30 Jun '03

30 Jun '03

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!)

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[Alug]Linux at City College
by Tarquin Mills 29 Jun '03

29 Jun '03

Derek wrote: > Hi Tarquin [snip] > On another issue: > > Can you give me a *very short* explaination as to why City College should > switch to open source IT? We have a funding crisis at work and need to save > money, so I've suggested we do this to the principle, but I really don't > know much about it. > > If you could point me at something not too tecky, I'd appreciate it. [snip] Someone sent the above to me could you supply me something to give them. Thanks in advance. -- Tarquin Mills Reboot Movement (An Anti-Wintel Campaign) http://www.planet14.sonow4u.co.uk/comp/reboot/

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[Alug]New member - Hi all!
by Ian Higgins 29 Jun '03

29 Jun '03

Hi everyone! Just thought, as I am new to this list, that I would introduce myself and say why I am interested in Linux. My name is Ian Higgins, I am 30 years old and I come from East Dereham in Norfolk. I have been using Windows XP for just over a year now. Basically I got sick of the lack of speed that XP "produces." I have a P4 2.5ghz - Radeon 9700 Pro - 512mb ram - 120 gb HD - and XP is so slow on it - I feel that a modern OS should be much faster than this. Especially given the speed of modern hardware. I also got tired of the constant maintenance that Windows requires to keep it running at anything like a "decent" speed - defragging the hard drive, cleaning out the registry, disabling unused services etc. I feel you shouldn`t have to do this anymore - it is so antiquated. I used an Amiga for 9 years previously and I never had to do any maintenance on that. :-) I decided to give Linux a go - RedHat9 to be precise - a little while ago and haven`t looked back. Once I can get Linux online then XP will be ditched for good - had a few problems with my adsl modem. Linux is such a responsive and beautifully written OS - it reminds me alot of Workbench on my old A1200. Unlike Windows it lets you work the way that you want to - plus it looks so much better to boot. Anyway, that`s all for now. Hope to hear from you all soon. Kind regards, Ian Higgins.

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[Alug]Update on story of Microsoft charging schools too much. (Ben Norcutt)
by Ben Norcutt 27 Jun '03

27 Jun '03

Under the MSA agreement you choose the components you wish to licence when you sign a master agreement this master agreement stays in place and then you order upgrades/renewals every 12 or 36 months. Most Schools in Norfolk use Phoenix from Pearsons as their Schools database. Some are using SIMS thne there are other apps like Nova-T and cash accounts for the timetabling and accounting sides respectively as well as all the other software we use so yes all this has to be licensed as well. Under the MSA all machines of pentium class and above have to be licensed you have no choice to stay on the right side of Microsoft and it is this point under which they are currently being investiagted by the OFT about. Every PC has to have a windows licence and on top of that you then have to buy an MSA licence giving you upgrade rights on the OS and any other apps you choose from the list. Cheers, Ben

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Re: [Alug]toshiba CDT440 install problem
by Jenny_Hopkins＠toby-churchill.com 27 Jun '03

27 Jun '03

On Thu, 19 Jun 2003 Jenny_Hopkins(a)toby-churchill.com wrote: > >> I enjoyed my first go at installing woody on laptop with no cdrom drive >> yesterday :-) >> The floor was littered with hurled floppies by the time I went to bed. > Then wbh replied: >Hey - someone else running the same old clunker as me! From what I >remember (last install was August last year) I used TomsRTBT to get as far >as networking, then sucked debootstrap over (I think you need a sane >version of wget, too) Then normal Debian. Seems to be an OK machine but >never got the IRDA going, there's a 2.2 driver for those with serious >amounts of spare time ;-) TomsRTBT has got me out of a few holes before >now... For the record: had another go at this last night, with success this time. Should anyone else wish to try it, my difficulty was coming at the configuring pcmcia stage. After mounting the root filesystem onto the hard drive, I then ran the "configure pcmcia" stage, edited my pcmcia card and driver required into the pcmcia config file using the minimal console on tty2. Then I ran the "configure the network" stage. Although the pcmcia card was configured, it couldn't be activated, so at this stage I went back to tty2 and did a bit of fettling there... I had to create an empty file called "pcmcia-scheme" in /var/lib/misc or some suchplace, as it was grumbling about that. ifconfig showed no eth0 and none of my usual eth0-persuading runes would work, but I eventually found I needed "ifconfig start eth0 192.168.1.111". I could then go back to the installing procedure on the first terminal and install the base system over a network link. :-) I tried downloading TomsRTBT, by the way - thanks for the pointer. Alas, though, when I got to 99% I was told my floppy was full. Now to find out what performance I'll get with a desktop on the machine - it is a present for my dad, he's 73 and has never used a computer, so i thought, well why start with anything other than debian :-) Jenny

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[Alug]Update on story of Microsoft charging schools too much.
by Craig 26 Jun '03

26 Jun '03

http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/News/story.asp?datetime=19+Jun+2003+05%3A15&… Really long url there guys but if you trust tinyurl... http://tinyurl.com/epgo Looks like *nix is spreading around! -- (o_ - Craig Butcher //\ - IT Technician / Unix Support MTH/ENV @ UEA V_/_ - http://www.wizball.co.uk

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Re: [Alug]Update on story of Microsoft charging schools too much.
by Jenny_Hopkins＠toby-churchill.com 25 Jun '03

25 Jun '03

>On Tuesday 24 Jun 2003 3:03 pm, BenE wrote: > >> >> Apologies for not getting the letter done earlier, but here goes... >> >> Dear Sir, >> >> In reply to your frontpage story and editorial from the 24th June. We feel >> the need to expand on what has been mentioned about Linux and the open >> source movement. Firstly, Linux is free. Everything, including word >> processors, professional quality graphics programs and tools for creating >> computer programs can be downloaded from the internet or obtained for >> little more than the price of a blank CD. It is created by thousands of >> dedicated people around the globe, as well as a number of large companies. >> Also it is more stable, secure and it is much harder for viruses to infect >> a machine running Linux. More importantly it works well with older >> computers which would also eliminate the need to constantly buy new >> computers to keep the latest release of windows working properly. >> >> For anybody who is interested, further information and support (including >> potentially visiting schools and demonstrating Linux) can be obtained from >> the local Linux user group at www.alug.org.uk. >> >> Sincerely, >> >> $whoever > >Here's my twopennyworth. I suggest make the first two sentences into one with >a comma after June. Perhaps change Linux is free to Linux is free to Linux >can be obtained for little or no cost. Change 'It is created by' to Linux is >created by. Change 'More importantly it works well' to More importantly >Linux works well (on the basis that the more times the word Linux is >mentioned the more chance it has of sticking in other peoples minds). With >or without these changes I am haapy to append my name to the letter. > >Ian How about "It is also" rather than "Also it is", or even "A machine running Linux is more stable, more secure and much less likely to become infected with a virus"? And maybe clarify the potentially visiting schools bit with "....further information and support can be obtained from the local Linux User Group at www.alug.org,.uk, from which there are willing volunteers prepared to visit schools and give a demonstration of Linux". Please add my name, do! Jen

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[Alug][Fwd: [Fsfe-uk] URGENT (swpat): Graham Watson MEP needs to hear from scared SMEs]
by Chris Lale 24 Jun '03

24 Jun '03

Does anyone work for a SME (small/medium enterprise) and have a concern about the software patent threat to free/open source software? If so, please read this message - forwarded from the Free Software Foundation Europe (UK) list - and email Graham Watson MEP (e-mail: gwatson(a)europarl.eu.int) urgently. Many thanks, Chris. ----- Forwarded message from James Heald <j.heald(a)ucl.ac.youkay> ----- From: James Heald <j.heald(a)ucl.ac.youkay> I've had a message from Erik Josefson, who's on the spot in Brussels trying to head off the software patents directive, can we urgently find SMEs who are worried about software patents to contact Graham Watson MEP. > He needs to be called by SMEs who say > > 1. we are n employees (n as large as possible) > > 2. we have a turnover of XX EUR. > > 3. we are damaged/threatened by patents. It is looking increasingly likely that the full plenary debate in the parliament is going to take place in the session starting 30 June -- ie only ten days away. This gives very little time to educate MEPs, and next to no time to file amendments. It looks as though there is no chance of any kind of exemption for Open Source. The question is whether there are going to be any effective limits placed on patentability. If the plenary goes the same way as Tuesday's committee vote, the answer will be no. Graham Watson is the group leader of the European Liberals, who will be having a group meeting very soon to work out how they are going to vote, and which amendments they need to put down. Watson's contact details are: Office PHS 55 C7, European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, B-1047 Brussels, Belgium Tel. 00 32 2 284 7626 Fax. 00 32 2 284 9626 e-mail: gwatson(a)europarl.eu.int It may be worth cc'ing any emails to the Lib Dem's UK IT spokesman, Richard Allan MP (allanr(a)parliament.uk) Basically unless we can establish that there is really a depth of concern about this issue, among real businesses, the McCarthy text will go through. Best regards, James Heald. Unfortunately I'm going to be away from the net for the next couple of days, but Alex Macfie <alex(a)cgce.net> is either in or just back from Brussels, if you need to know the latest score. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | ___ Chris Lale <ctlale(a)netscape.net> | | / \ | | | <_/ My PC runs Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 (http://www.debian.org) | | \ Robust, secure and free operating system + applications. | | `- | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+

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