July 2005 - wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

ISO + Modem questions
by Dean 11 Jul '05

11 Jul '05

I solved my modem problem yesterday by using pppconfig instead of the GUI one Ubuntu provides, I'm not sure whats wrong with it, but something is definatly broken. I'm not sure if ubuntu comes with pppconfig by default (I downloaded it and installed it before checking) if not I used the package from http://packages.debian.org/stable/base/pppconfig I then installed the package and used it, just as easy as the GUI to setup, and all you need to use are pon <name of connection> and poff <name> and all works wonderfully :) Hope that works, Dean > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2005 23:20:43 +1200 > From: Ivan Potgieter <tealsky(a)bigfoot.com> > Subject: [wlug] ISO + Modem questions > To: wlug <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Message-ID: <42CFB30B.5(a)bigfoot.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Hi all, <snip> > > I realize that the speed test is not going to be overly accurate, but > I'm not concerned with getting an accurate speed measurement. I just > used this method to get a comparison. btw - I did the 500k test. > > Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions ? > > Thanks > Ivan

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ISO + Modem questions
by Ivan Potgieter 10 Jul '05

10 Jul '05

Hi all, I have been running Ubuntu now for a few weeks (on a test box) and I am continuously finding new 'gems' in the GUI. It does handle writing ISO images to disk very well, but I found no way to create an iso image of an (existing) disk from within the Ubuntu (Gnome) GUI? (I was trying to copy the Ubuntu Live CD). I had to use 'dd' from a console - is there another way? ALSO: I am having some trouble with my external modem... * The abridged version * Good connection using Win2K, SLOW connection using Ubuntu. * Detailed version * Step1: To begin, I checked to see what modem I had via MiniCom: atz OK ati1 External Controller Ver1.20, CheckSum=617A OK ati3 TP560 Data/Fax/Voice 56K Modem OK - So it is a (generic) 56K Modem. Step2: I used Win2k to perform a speed test (it's the pc nearest to the phone line) Connected to http://www.jestreamgames.co.nz/speed/ Quite a respectable speed (43 K bits/sec) Step3: I connected the modem to Com1 on my Ubuntu box, it connected, but the same test (on the same phone line) gave me 0.9 K bytes / sec! I realize that the speed test is not going to be overly accurate, but I'm not concerned with getting an accurate speed measurement. I just used this method to get a comparison. btw - I did the 500k test. Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions ? Thanks Ivan

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Re: wlug Digest, Vol 169, Issue 8
by Dean 10 Jul '05

10 Jul '05

I have had notorious problems with Ubuntu and external modems, It has put me off for the moment until I can find a fix. I have tried 2 different external modems and both had sub 14.4k connection speeds. I think I tried some init strings and I tried setserial, both with no noticeable effect. If you do find a solution I would be very interested in it. :) Dean > Date: Sat, 09 Jul 2005 23:20:43 +1200 > From: Ivan Potgieter <tealsky(a)bigfoot.com> > Subject: [wlug] ISO + Modem questions > To: wlug <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Message-ID: <42CFB30B.5(a)bigfoot.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Hi all, <snip> > ALSO: > > I am having some trouble with my external modem... > > * The abridged version * > Good connection using Win2K, SLOW connection using Ubuntu. > > * Detailed version * > Step1: To begin, I checked to see what modem I had via MiniCom: > atz > OK > ati1 > External Controller Ver1.20, CheckSum=617A > OK > ati3 > TP560 Data/Fax/Voice 56K Modem > OK > > - So it is a (generic) 56K Modem. > > Step2: I used Win2k to perform a speed test (it's the pc nearest to the > phone line) > Connected to http://www.jestreamgames.co.nz/speed/ > Quite a respectable speed (43 K bits/sec) > > Step3: I connected the modem to Com1 on my Ubuntu box, it connected, but > the same test (on the same phone line) gave me 0.9 K bytes / sec! > > I realize that the speed test is not going to be overly accurate, but > I'm not concerned with getting an accurate speed measurement. I just > used this method to get a comparison. btw - I did the 500k test. > > Does anyone have any ideas / suggestions ? > > Thanks > Ivan > > >

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Warren Hughes is out of the office.
by Warren Hughes 08 Jul '05

08 Jul '05

I will be out of the office starting 08/07/2005 and will not return until 09/07/2005. Hi, thanks for your email. I am at home with a cold. I will be checking email occasionally. Cheers, Warren.

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FW: Announcing Launch of ($10m) Ubuntu Foundation
by Craig Box 08 Jul '05

08 Jul '05

Below is the press release sent off to the wires announcing the creation of a new foundation by Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical to help support Ubuntu and employ core Ubuntu developers over the long term and to help distinguish the commercial support and certification programs of Canonical from the truly community-based nature of much of Ubuntu's work. There are some other big announcements buried in there as well like the introduction of longer-term supported releases. :) I hope you join me in thinking this is fantastic news for the Ubuntu community on a number of different levels. Regards, Mako LAUNCH OF $10m UBUNTU FOUNDATION 08 July 2005 Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical Ltd, founders of the popular Ubuntu Linux-based operating system, have today announced the creation of The Ubuntu Foundation with an initial funding commitment of US$10m. The Ubuntu Foundation will employ core Ubuntu community members to ensure that Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com) will remain fully supported for an extended period of time, and continue to produce new releases of the distribution. As a first step, the Foundation announces that Ubuntu version 6.04, due for release in April 2006, will be supported for three years on the desktop and five years on the server. The Foundation was established on July 1st 2005 with an initial funding commitment of US$10 million, to ensure the continuity of the Ubuntu project and create a legal vehicle that represents the community structures of the project. "It's important for us to distinguish the philanthropic and non-commercial work that is at the heart of the Ubuntu project, from the commercial support and certification programs that are the focus of Canonical Ltd." said Mark Shuttleworth, who is founder of the project and is making the initial $10m commitment to the Foundation. "The core team members employed by the Ubuntu Foundation will ensure that we can meet public commitments to keep Ubuntu entirely free of charge, as well as meeting commitments of support for extended periods. I'm very excited at the progress that has been made in bringing free software to the global marketplace, and pleased to continue my support for the project in this way." Ubuntu has quickly become a leading distribution in the free software world, taking the #1 place in DistroWatch popularity rankings over all timescales which are published. The distribution focuses on usability, security and stability on desktops and servers, and on making free software widely available for individuals and organisations who are ready to switch from proprietary platforms, such as Microsoft Windows. Ubuntu has also become the basis of many other derivative distributions, particularly those backed by govenments for widespread deployment. The government of Andalucia, Spain recently announced that its own version of Linux would be based on Ubuntu, and deployed in all educational operations. LONGER SERVER SUPPORT CYCLE One driving factor behind the creation of the Foundation was the need to ensure that an Ubuntu release can be deployed on servers, which demand much slower release and upgrade cycles. "In order to support the use of free software on database and other servers, we will be offering security support for the Ubuntu base and major server components for a full five years", said Matt Zimmerman, CTO of the Ubuntu project. As Ubuntu and free software in general become more mainstream, it has become costly for companies and large organisations to keep track of the rapid pace of development. In the desktop environment the problem is more manageable, and steady improvements in the usability of desktop office and productivity applications have been welcomed. In the datacenter, however, where Linux and free software are considered mature, deployments have a preference for fewer releases with long lifecycles. Ubuntu version 6.04, to be released in April 2006, will be aimed at meeting those requirements with a full five year commitment to provide security and other critical updates for servers. This also meets the needs of OEM distribution providers and ISVs, who have expressed strong interest in supporting free software environments but who prefer to be able to plan for releases and support them for longer periods of time. The extended service support for Ubuntu version 6.04 will remain free of charge, under the same terms as the support currently provided to every release of Ubuntu. The extended service support program will only apply to designated releases of Ubuntu. Other releases, which will still be made on the current six-month cycle, will continue to receive the current commitment of 18 months free security and critical updates support. KEEPING FREE SOFTWARE FREE A primary goal of the Ubuntu Foundation is to ensure that a high quality distribution of free and open source software is available free of charge, throughout the world. "Free software is produced by expert volunteers who make their time and work freely available - our goal is to ensure that anybody in the world can make the best use of that work, at no charge." said Benjamin Mako Hill, Ubuntu Community Relations. Both Canonical and the Ubuntu Foundation have made public commitments that Ubuntu will always be freely available, without the need for royalties or licence payments of any kind. "We include only free and unencumbered applications, ensuring that users have the ability to share and modify their software." CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM CANONICAL LTD. The establishment of the Ubuntu Foundation enhances the commercial commitment already made to the Ubuntu project by Canonical, Ltd. "Demand for the commercial services offered by Canonical to users of Ubuntu continues to grow. We welcome the very large number of companies that have announced support for Ubuntu both regionally and globally, and expect to continue to create additional partnership, certification and support programs in coming months," stated Jane Silber, head of marketing at Canonical. The extended life support program for Ubuntu version 6.04 is in line with Canonical's efforts to broaden the OEM base for Ubuntu. "The distribution has been selected by several hardware manufacturers for sale with PCs and laptops, and the availability of a long term supported release of Ubuntu that's independent of the commercial success of Canonical meets the needs of specific manufacturers in the hardware marketplace", continued Silber. The Ubuntu Community Council will act as the advisory board of the Foundation. Current members of that Council are Benjamin Mako Hill, Colin Watson, James Troup and Mark Shuttleworth (Chairman). Contact: The Ubuntu Foundation Benjamin Mako Hill +1 206-409-7191 mako(a)ubuntu.com Canonical Ltd. Jane Silber +44 20 7052 9843 jane.silber(a)canonical.com -- Benjamin Mako Hill mako(a)ubuntu.com | mako(a)canonical.com

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sarge without security updates
by Michael Honeyfield 05 Jul '05

05 Jul '05

I don't know if this has come up yet, I don't recall it, but if it has, sorry. Debian's security updates for sarge are broken, http://www.infodrom.org/~joey/log/?200506142140 and the mailing list, http://lists.debian.org/debian-security/2005/06/msg00142.html just a heads up for those running sarge in production. Mike

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Monitor for LUG
by swami 04 Jul '05

04 Jul '05

I'd like to donate a 17" monitor to the lug for demos, etc. I can bring it to the next meting. Cheers, Sid.

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First post - Help please
by Ivan Potgieter 04 Jul '05

04 Jul '05

Craig wrote: > As a new replacement.. ...check out Grisbi at http://www.grisbi.org/ Thanks, I tried it and it's great! Regards, Ivan

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First post - Help please
by Ivan 02 Jul '05

02 Jul '05

Hello all, I attended the last WLUG meeting (my first time at a LUG) and I picked up the latest Ubuntu CDs, which I have been trying it out. Although I am not new to Linux (in the far distant past I found great enjoyment setting up Linux servers: Samba, DHCPD, Apache, DNS, etc from the CLI - using Redhat 5.2 ). I have not had time to continue and much of that knowledge has faded. :-(( I do remember that there are no short-cuts: RTFM, RTFM, RTFM, RTFM, and RTFM again - Unfortunately due to demands on my time I cannot spend any great amount of quality time mulling over documentation and deciding the best application and/or strategy to take. (Ubuntu does make most tasks easy!) Recently, I have been spending a little time with Gentoo, but after trying Ubuntu's live CD I was hooked, especially since it has the Install disc as well. IMHO Ubuntu has really stepped up the standard with regards to getting the typical home user to experience Linux painlessly AND leaving them impressed and possibly even excited by the possibilities. (well, I was) <grin> Cutting to the chase: I have decided to replace the family's main PC with an Ubuntu Box. Currently it is mainly used for browsing, email, the family finance & the odd WinMine game. I have setup an old PC as a Ubuntu 'proof of concept' with great success so far, but there are a few issues: 1) I need a replacement for MS Money. GNUCash seems to be the appl for the job. Has anyone used it or any other that can be recommend? 2) Currently we access multiple (pop3) mailboxes. Since, Linux maintains strong user security, I am unsure which strategy to follow: a) Configure one user specifically for the mail. b) Share the mail between multiple users (shared single db) c) Other ??? I am also not sure which email appl to use. Evolution seems fully loaded with features, but would thunderbird be better? We also have about 3 years worth of archived mail which must be imported (from MS Outlook). 3) I would like to setup internet sharing from the Ubuntu box and I cannot find an easy (GUI) sharing option. I could probably do this 'manually', but would like to know if there is any way this can be achieved for non-techies. 4) How do I reconfigure X, to use a different video card? 5) Winmodems <sigh> is there any hope? Many people with whom I have come into contact would love to try/switch to Linux. The problem is that many have winmodems (myself included, fortunately I also have an USRobotics external that came to my rescue). Is there anything that can be done? (easily, that is) There are more questions, but I think these are enough for the moment. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Is there any way I can get my grubby mitts on 3 more Ubuntu disks? (As I mentioned before. I have been showing it around and would like to hand out the disks) Many thanks, Ivan

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Dual boot
by John Torrance 02 Jul '05

02 Jul '05

I have previously configured a dual boot system with Grub using XP (FAT32) and linux with no problems. However, on my main computer, I tried XP (NTFS) and Linux with disasterous results - lost my whole windows disk. I am keen to try and load Ubuntu concurrenly on a separate disk on my main XP computer but do not want to loose my bills etc. Has anyone successfully dual loaded Ubuntu on an XP machine where the XP is NTFS? Alternatively, can one convert NTFS to FAT32? Cheers John

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