- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Sunday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 30 Jun '11

30 Jun '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Sunday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Describe http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-07-03 here.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is tomorrow!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 30 Jun '11

30 Jun '11

There is a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting tomorrow: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!!WLUG Workshop Day. See http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-06-04

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WLUG Saturday Workshop 2nd July
by Chris O'Halloran 30 Jun '11

30 Jun '11

http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-07-02 http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-06-04 Hello everyone, If you are keen to hang out with your computers on Saturday, WLUG is holiding a workshop day at the Waikato Uni. The details are in the links above. It will run between 10am and 4pm. Please note the cost of internet for non-club members. Chris

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Meeting Time
by Ronnie Collinson 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

What times the meeting tonight?

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitcoin http://www.bitcoin.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin Bitcoin p2p monetary information technology: A demo for geeks & techies. Abstract: We begin with a brief historical background of monetary information technologies, digital currencies and p2p currency. Next is an introduction to the open source bitcoin protocol, block-chaining, the coin issuance algorithm, the recording and securing of transactions. After these preliminaries, the talk will be an open-floor format discussion with demonstrations. A short user-space demo of web wallet, bitcoin client and send/receive public key address usage will be given. Next we'll go "under the hood" and look at how the code and the network is functioning. Topics that can be covered include, but not limited to; location of significant files, configuration of the bitcoin.conf file, securing the private keys contained within wallet.dat file, running "bitcoind" on a linux machine with the command line query/response interface, building the code from source and alternate clients. Finally, we'll finish up with a demonstration of a 6 node GPU OpenCL GPGPU cluster, aka bitcoin "mining rig" in action.

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Re: [wlug] Toshiba laptop
by Andreas Löf 25 Jun '11

25 Jun '11

Hey, You are basically running it already without a battery. Taking the battery out should not affect the operation of your laptop any further. If you take it out you can also look at it a bit more to determine the voltage of it. / Andreas John <jaytee(a)clear.net.nz> skrev: >Hi Noel >The advise I have been given is no cmos battery no boot but I am unsure >of the facts in that regard.The cmos battery has been dying for some >time as the rtc needed to be reset when ever I allowed the main battery >to go flat >There is a (10) battery available at Ebay but I was hoping for something >local. >Cheers John > > >On Fri, 2011-06-24 at 22:54 +1200, noel villamor wrote: >> John, >> >> I bought mine from Ebay. The item was shipped from Hongkong and it >> took two weeks to arrive. >> >> The plastic connector broke in mine and so I have to replace the whole >> thing. In your case, you should be able to just replace the battery. >> >> I may be wrong for your specific laptop but I thought you could still >> boot a laptop even with no cmos battery. If you could not then the >> problem may be something else. >> >> Noel > > >> >> > > >_______________________________________________ >wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz >Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Toshiba laptop
by John 24 Jun '11

24 Jun '11

Hi All, My old laptop just died and I strongly suspect the cmos battery. I wonder if it is possible to source one of these locally or manufacture something from the old battery that will do the trick. Link shows the thing in detail. http://www.zlectronic.com/product/CMOS-Li-ion-Battery-FOR-TOSHIBA-TECRA-S1-… Regards John

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 23 Jun '11

23 Jun '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitcoin http://www.bitcoin.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin Bitcoin p2p monetary information technology: A demo for geeks & techies. Abstract: We begin with a brief historical background of monetary information technologies, digital currencies and p2p currency. Next is an introduction to the open source bitcoin protocol, block-chaining, the coin issuance algorithm, the recording and securing of transactions. After these preliminaries, the talk will be an open-floor format discussion with demonstrations. A short user-space demo of web wallet, bitcoin client and send/receive public key address usage will be given. Next we'll go "under the hood" and look at how the code and the network is functioning. Topics that can be covered include, but not limited to; location of significant files, configuration of the bitcoin.conf file, securing the private keys contained within wallet.dat file, running "bitcoind" on a linux machine with the command line query/response interface, building the code from source and alternate clients. Finally, we'll finish up with a demonstration of a 6 node GPU OpenCL GPGPU cluster, aka bitcoin "mining rig" in action.

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Need to make custom film cables
by Bryce Utting 12 Jun '11

12 Jun '11

Hiyas, I figure someone in Wlug might be able to point me in the direction of how to get this done (or have some nice fancy gear at work): I need a couple of board-to-board film cables printed; 1.5 mm spacing at one end (and thickened, to insert into a connector), and 2.625 mm spacing at the other (mated face-to-face with exposed traces at the end of a membrane circuit). Hand-painting the missing traces on the existing ones I've got just isn't cutting it, so I figure it's best to find someone who can screen-print this sort of thing. I have two different cable shapes, need three or four of each, and can provide PNG masks. Anyone able to help? ta, Bryce

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Garage cleanout
by Daniel Lawson 11 Jun '11

11 Jun '11

Hi all I've got some boxes of old bits that I've hoarded over the years, that I now think I really need to get rid of. 2x HP Jetdirect EX Plus Printserver (10 Mbit RJ45 + BNC). No PSU for these, they'll need a 13C DC centre-positive psu. 3x 56k external modems. One is a 3com US Robotics, the other two are unbranded as far as I can tell. I may have a 4th modem somewhere as well, I can't recall right now There are two PSUs that probably go with these, one is a 12V 1A PSU, the other is a multi-voltage 3V-12V, 0.5A one. 2x speedtouch pro DSL routers, with PSUs. Both were working fine when I last used them, which was around 3 years ago. 1x Compaq Evo T20 thin-client + PSU, part # 238365-001. This is probably running WinNT embedded, but it can be reflashed to run linux. 300Mhz processor, 64MB flash, 128MB RAM (I think). I put some notes up at http://www.wlug.org.nz/CompaqEvoT20Notes about reflashing them, and I think I still have the CDs of tools that I used, which I'll put in with this. There's quite a few resources on the internet for reflashing these too, eg http://www.mowson.org/karl/evo_t20/ and http://open-evot20.sourceforge.net/wiki/ Industrial patch cables. 7 x 2m, RJ45 (8P8C) to XP85, and 2x2m XP85 to XP85. XP85 is basically a secure screw fitting around an RJ45/8P8C jack. It looks like this: http://www.alternetivo.cz/industrial-patch-cord-utp-xp85-to-mc5-1-5m-yellow… <http://www.alternetivo.cz/industrial-patch-cord-utp-xp85-to-mc5-1-5m-yellow…> A fairly pristine looking 3Com Ergo Audrey. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3Com_Audrey) This is a very early internet appliance (~2000), running QNX. It's missing a PSU, and I don't know what condition it's actually in as a result. New PSUs can be purchased from http://www.audreymadness.com/, (they're a fairly non-standard pinout and voltage supply). I also have some old Fibrechannel gear. One Emulex LP8000, which had current driver support (lpfc.ko) in debian lenny at least, and two Compaq Tachyon adapters, which show up on the bus, but don't seem to have active drivers since around 2.6.8. There's still 2.4 kernel support for them however. There's also a pair of Compaq Fibrechannel Hubs. Everything has optical modules, and there's a few fibre patches as well. A Sun Netra T100, missing disks and ram. The disks are standard SCSI SCA disks, but the RAM is harder to source - you need "Mezzanine modules", like these: http://www.memoryxsun.com/netrat1.html. I had actually ordered some for it at one point, but the seller managed to lose my order. Pretty sure this system also has a quad-port 10/100 NIC in it, but if you want the NIC, you take the whole lot. Finally, my old desktop. Athlon 1800+XP, 1GB of ram (I think), single SATA disk (80GB?), DVD writer. PSU was changed not long before I stopped using it. I can't recall what the graphics card in it is, but it's not super flash. Was working fine when I stopped using it. All the above is free to whoever wants them, you must pickup from Hillcrest area, or from the CBD during business hours. No guarantee that any of it works. If it doesn't go here, I'll either put it for $1 reserve on trademe or dump it.

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Re: [wlug] Thursday Night Christmas Curry
by Eric Light 10 Jun '11

10 Jun '11

David did you ever get a response to this? I'd be interested, couldn't do weekly but I'd be able to make either fortnightly or monthly, with a spattering of regularity. Anyone else? Cheers, - Eric On Fri, Jan 14, 2011 at 12:00, <wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> wrote: > > Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:19:40 +1300 > From: David Hallett <david(a)pulsar.net.nz> > To: Hamilton Thursday Night Curry > <hamilton(a)list.thursdaynightcurry.com>, Waikato Linux Users < > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Cc: waikato(a)nzcs.org.nz > Subject: [wlug] Thursday Night Christmas Curry > > We're looking to start running Hamilton curry nights again. > The recent Christmas Curry had a good number of registrations. It was there > that a suggestion was made there to reinstate the Hamilton Thursday Night > Curry. > > If you are interested in attending (even irregularly) please let me know > you > intention, and whether you prefer weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. > I'm going to use the NZCS Events System ( > http://www.nzcs.org.nz/events/waikato_bop) to manage RSVPs and booking, > thus > significantly reducing the administration overhead. > > Kind regards, > > David Hallett, BSc, MNZCS ITCP > P.O. Box 15-516 > Hamilton, New Zealand > > Phone: +64-7-210 5520 > Mobile: +64-21-802 256 >

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7" ASUS eeepc (early model)
by Michael McDonald 09 Jun '11

09 Jun '11

A friend is wanting to sell his eeepc ... asking "a couple of hundred bucks". Running Linux, of course. Anybody interested? Send a personal reply and I'll put you in touch. Michael

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Johns Jacket: Your tux is in your penguin hole
by Ian Stewart 07 Jun '11

07 Jun '11

John, I dropped by your company's depot and the dude in the staff office recommended that I put your jacket in your pigeon hole. I hope you got it OK. cheers, Ian. > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:14:07 +1200 > From: John<jaytee(a)clear.net.nz> > To: Waikato Linux Users Group<wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Subject: Re: [wlug] WLUG Workshop Meeting June 4th - Tommorrow > Message-ID:<1307333647.2499.1.camel(a)sniffy> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Hi All, > I left my jacket at the meeting room. Did anyone happen to grab it on my > behalf? >

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WLUG Workshop Meeting June 4th - Tommorrow
by Chris O'Halloran 06 Jun '11

06 Jun '11

http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-06-04 Hi guys, It is late notice we know but we are on for a WLUG Saturday Workshop tommorrow! Bring your laptops, desktops, tablets, plug computers and any thing else you'd like to tweak, modify, troubleshoot or just show off. We'll start at 10am and run till mid afternoon. See the above link for more details. If you're not already a WLUG member and plan to come along, please consider joining on the day. We have a fast internet connection available for downloads and distro updates. Cheers, Chris

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 03 Jun '11

03 Jun '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WLUG Workshop day. Meet up at the university - usual meeting room for Monday meetings. http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map?MS4 We'll have internet access (48Mbit/s) for you to update your Linux box or download various linux distros. Meet up with others - share ideas - trouble shoot hardware and software issues. Install the lastest Linux distro or whatever you'd like to try. If you are considering installing Linux on a MS Windows, please have all your data backed up prior attempting any partitioning of your hard drives. WLUG will not be liable for any loss of data. Entry is free for visitors and club members. However, if you, as a visitor, wish to connect your computer to the internet for more than a few minutes, a fee of $4 dollars to cover internet costs would be appreciated. We will accept membership applications on the day ($20). There are no kitchen facilities within the room. Cafe's and toilets will be available around the campus.

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Malware Scam via Indian Call Centre
by Wayne Grimsey 01 Jun '11

01 Jun '11

Hi guys. Here's a scam that's been doing the rounds. One of my friends in Dunedin received such a phone call: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres One of the commenters below the article said he was runnng Linux ... and the caller said that may have caused the problem with his Windows! If they ring me, I might just say something in broken English along the lines of, " Sorry, I can't download your nasty fraudalent expensive malware on my broken abacus, should I try the garbage disposal unit instead?" Wayne

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Window Manager Login
by Graham Lauder 27 May '11

27 May '11

I installed Ubuntu Ultimate Edition 2.9 on a friends comp. It's based on Meerkat Kubuntu and it always wants to log into KDE. I have to specify Gnome at login everytime rather than it remembering the last environment that was logged into. Whereabouts can I get to this and fix it. cheers GL

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 22 May '11

22 May '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Doerner will be speaking on SME Server http://www.contribs.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SME_Server SMEserver - a very successful Open Source "Small Business" server solution This Linux distribution is a server for small to medium sized businesses, providing file- and printer sharing, email server, FTP server, Windows domain controller, firewall, etc. All this functionality highly integrated as a dedicated, single server on standard PC (server) hardware. SMEserver is very robust and reliable and it aims for simple installation and administration. At TechnologyWise we have been offering installation and integration services for SMEserver for businesses for almost 10 years and maintain a significant number of customer installations. We see it at the core of our business model, enabling us to offer additional ICT services around this base in a highly competitive market which is currently dominated by commercial software vendors. ''And'' Peter Reutemann will be doing a presentation on Plug computers and more specifically, installing Debian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug http://www.cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/sheevaplug/ Meeting will start at 7pm Peter Reutemann then at 7.30pm Michael Doerner Please note the earlier start time if you wish to see the plug computer presentation.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 19 May '11

19 May '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Doerner will be speaking on SME Server http://www.contribs.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SME_Server SMEserver - a very successful Open Source "Small Business" server solution This Linux distribution is a server for small to medium sized businesses, providing file- and printer sharing, email server, FTP server, Windows domain controller, firewall, etc. All this functionality highly integrated as a dedicated, single server on standard PC (server) hardware. SMEserver is very robust and reliable and it aims for simple installation and administration. At TechnologyWise we have been offering installation and integration services for SMEserver for businesses for almost 10 years and maintain a significant number of customer installations. We see it at the core of our business model, enabling us to offer additional ICT services around this base in a highly competitive market which is currently dominated by commercial software vendors. ''And'' Peter Reutemann will be doing a presentation on Plug computers and more specifically, installing Debian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug http://www.cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/sheevaplug/ Meeting will start at 7pm Peter Reutemann then at 7.30pm Michael Doerner Please note the earlier start time if you wish to see the plug computer presentation.

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Fixit meeting
by Ron Dean 16 May '11

16 May '11

When is the next fixit meeting -- Ron Dean Unit 61 Village Gardens 16 Rototuna Road Hamilton New Zealand 64-7-8493904 Mobile 02102259172

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Re: [wlug] This week's meeting
by Eric Light 16 May '11

16 May '11

I think we'll be there at the meeting - but... where is it? {and is there anyone I should RSVP to? It's been *a while*} Cheers, - Eric On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 12:00, <wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> wrote: > Send wlug mailing list submissions to > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > You can reach the person managing the list at > wlug-owner(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of wlug digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. anti-theft software (Peter Reutemann) > 2. Re: anti-theft software (Gible Fog) > 3. Re: anti-theft software (Ronnie Collinson) > 4. ANNOUNCE: WLUG meeting is one week away (Meeting Reminder Bot) > 5. Re: anti-theft software (Bruce Kingsbury) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 15 May 2011 13:49:25 +1200 > From: Peter Reutemann <fracpete(a)waikato.ac.nz> > To: wlug <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Subject: [wlug] anti-theft software > Message-ID: <BANLkTi=sa1_hay+x-rEY1YKN8Orq0qqZng(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Hi there > > Just came across the following post on slashdot about a stolen laptop > and how it was rescued: > > http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05/14/1550217/OReilly-Authors-Laptop-Resc… > > The article mentions the "Prey" project, an open-source anti-theft > software (licensed under GPL3; runs on Linux/Mac/Windows/Android): > http://preyproject.com/ > > Has anybody used Prey before or any other "laptop-tracking" software? > > Cheers, Peter > -- > Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ > http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/? ? ? ? ?? Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174 > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 15 May 2011 14:00:02 +1200 > From: Gible Fog <gible(a)gible.net> > To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Subject: Re: [wlug] anti-theft software > Message-ID: <BANLkTik4H=y+5NLLTqAo1zDXYLTqFM-bKg(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > I have it installed on every computer we have. I haven't needed to "use" it > yet though. > > I've heard several stories where cops weren't interested in pursuing/didn't > believe the evidence it presents too. OTOH I've also heard stories where > the > cops thought it was fantastic to have a quick positive outcome. > > > On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 1:49 PM, Peter Reutemann <fracpete(a)waikato.ac.nz > >wrote: > > > Hi there > > > > Just came across the following post on slashdot about a stolen laptop > > and how it was rescued: > > > > > http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05/14/1550217/OReilly-Authors-Laptop-Resc… > > > > The article mentions the "Prey" project, an open-source anti-theft > > software (licensed under GPL3; runs on Linux/Mac/Windows/Android): > > http://preyproject.com/ > > > > Has anybody used Prey before or any other "laptop-tracking" software? > > > > Cheers, Peter > > -- > > Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ > > http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174 > > _______________________________________________ > > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > >

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anti-theft software
by Peter Reutemann 15 May '11

15 May '11

Hi there Just came across the following post on slashdot about a stolen laptop and how it was rescued: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/05/14/1550217/OReilly-Authors-Laptop-Resc… The article mentions the "Prey" project, an open-source anti-theft software (licensed under GPL3; runs on Linux/Mac/Windows/Android): http://preyproject.com/ Has anybody used Prey before or any other "laptop-tracking" software? Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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ANNOUNCE: WLUG meeting is one week away
by Meeting Reminder Bot 15 May '11

15 May '11

The Waikato Linux Users Group have a meeting in one week from today: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Doerner will be speaking on SME Server http://www.contribs.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SME_Server SMEserver - a very successful Open Source "Small Business" server solution This Linux distribution is a server for small to medium sized businesses, providing file- and printer sharing, email server, FTP server, Windows domain controller, firewall, etc. All this functionality highly integrated as a dedicated, single server on standard PC (server) hardware. SMEserver is very robust and reliable and it aims for simple installation and administration. At TechnologyWise we have been offering installation and integration services for SMEserver for businesses for almost 10 years and maintain a significant number of customer installations. We see it at the core of our business model, enabling us to offer additional ICT services around this base in a highly competitive market which is currently dominated by commercial software vendors. ''And'' Peter Reutemann will be doing a presentation on Plug computers and more specifically, installing Debian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug http://www.cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/sheevaplug/ Meeting will start at 7pm Peter Reutemann then at 7.30pm Michael Doerner Please note the earlier start time if you wish to see the plug computer presentation.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 06 May '11

06 May '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WLUG Workshop Day Just waiting to confirm room availability at the Uni. Bring your computer/laptop/netbook along if you want assistance trouble shooting or would like to show off a project/software you've been working on.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is tomorrow!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 06 May '11

06 May '11

There is a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting tomorrow: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WLUG Workshop Day Just waiting to confirm room availability at the Uni. Bring your computer/laptop/netbook along if you want assistance trouble shooting or would like to show off a project/software you've been working on.

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Workshop Day May 7th - Postponed
by Chris O'Halloran 04 May '11

04 May '11

Hello all, We haven't been able to secure the room in time for workshop day this coming Saturday. I had mentioned this at the last meeting. We are working to make this happen and will advise when a date and venue are sorted. I had placed a notice here. http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-05-07 Cheers, Chris O'Halloran.

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SweetHome3D
by Chris O'Halloran 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

Hi All, I came across this in Linux Journal today. http://www.sweethome3d.com/index.jsp http://www.linuxjournal.com/ I haven't tried it yetbut it's pretty cool seeing what software is available on Linux these days. Maybe some on your might find it interesting. Cheers, Chris

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WLUG meeting is on Monday April 18th
by Chris O'Halloran 17 Apr '11

17 Apr '11

In lieu of the reminder bot, we have a WLUG meeting on next Monday. Tom Butz will be giving a presentation on Arch Linux. You can read a bit more about Arch Linux here http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-04-18 The following month we've invited Michael Doerner to speak on SME Server. http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-05-23 We're also hoping to have a workshop day at the usual Monday night meeting room on May 7th but we've yet to confirm the room's availability and an internet connection. http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-05-07 That's all for now, Chris

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 17 Apr '11

17 Apr '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Butz will be doing a presentation on Arch Linux --Tom Butz's blurb about Archlinux-- A computer's software ideally has the follwoing features: #operating system loads quickly/uses grub-loader (not lilo) #programs load/run quickly #there is a reliable/endless supply of packaged software #the system is secure #the system supports/emulates your favourite legacy applications #the system supports your favourite old hardware Archlinux has no problems with 1) .. 6) - maybe only with 3). See below, --Flipside-- Archlinux allegedly was created by former Crux Linux people. There you had to compile the operating system kernel and your applications. Often applications didn't compile, and you had to hunt around to find out why. Bit of a worry when you needed things now; okay when time wasn't an issue. Archlinux doesn't expect you to compile either your operating system's kernel or your applications: they come precompiled - though for nothing less than a 686-CPU. Tough if you've got something less/different, but then you could always go for Slackware instead (there everything's compiled to run on a 386-CPU!). A program called 'pacman' does what 'synaptic' does for Ubuntu and Debian. If for some reason you want to run, say, Slackware programs, you can easily do that. Just make sure the libraries are there compatible. But remember, Archlinux packages are compiled for i686 systems, and therefore usually faster. By the way, 'pacman' will respect 'alien' software and simply refuse to install over it. What did +I+ select? X-window manager 'blackbox' - it's anything but a 'black box'. Firefox, sylpheed (email), geeqie (image viewer), totem (media player). I've used mplayer/xine/vlc before, but I think totem's the better player. mplayer, however, comes with a lot of encoding stuff such as avisplit etc., so I've kept it, just in case. qemu emulates my old Windows 3.11 system: now I can still use my fax-machine (even as a printer). qemu also emulates a Sinclair ZX running very old games (the emulator's written in MSDOS assembler). Archlinux also has a Commodore C64/PET 2001 emulator (vice), in case you've got programs for these veterans (supports C64 sound!). Archlinux supports a parallel printer port, be it for talking to another oldie using the PLIP-protocol, be it for reading from/writing to an IOMEGA Zip-floppy (not being sold any more, though pretty much alive). I also run Open COBOL on Archlinux to manage my video-clip library in a COBOL database. Much handier than using a clip-on database. But that's largely a matter of taste. COBOL supposedly is dead, but somehow must have managed to rise from the dead as Open COBOL. Archlinux' flipside? #Debian's repositories are expected to have eternal life, but would the same apply to Archlinux' pacman repositories? Not sure. #If you migrate to another system that's not a 686, tough luck. #If you decide that you want to upgrade your +whole+ system that could take a whole night. Sometimes that's what you need to do (continuous/rolling releases vs releases at set dates). Very hard if you're on dial-up. #If you're on dial-up - like me - you need to install, say, Slackware's dialler. Archlinux doesn't come with one. A bit of a nuisance, but some recent UBUNTUs don't support dial-up either, or so I'm told.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Butz will be doing a presentation on Arch Linux --Tom Butz's blurb about Archlinux-- A computer's software ideally has the follwoing features: #operating system loads quickly/uses grub-loader (not lilo) #programs load/run quickly #there is a reliable/endless supply of packaged software #the system is secure #the system supports/emulates your favourite legacy applications #the system supports your favourite old hardware Archlinux has no problems with 1) .. 6) - maybe only with 3). See below, --Flipside-- Archlinux allegedly was created by former Crux Linux people. There you had to compile the operating system kernel and your applications. Often applications didn't compile, and you had to hunt around to find out why. Bit of a worry when you needed things now; okay when time wasn't an issue. Archlinux doesn't expect you to compile either your operating system's kernel or your applications: they come precompiled - though for nothing less than a 686-CPU. Tough if you've got something less/different, but then you could always go for Slackware instead (there everything's compiled to run on a 386-CPU!). A program called 'pacman' does what 'synaptic' does for Ubuntu and Debian. If for some reason you want to run, say, Slackware programs, you can easily do that. Just make sure the libraries are there compatible. But remember, Archlinux packages are compiled for i686 systems, and therefore usually faster. By the way, 'pacman' will respect 'alien' software and simply refuse to install over it. What did +I+ select? X-window manager 'blackbox' - it's anything but a 'black box'. Firefox, sylpheed (email), geeqie (image viewer), totem (media player). I've used mplayer/xine/vlc before, but I think totem's the better player. mplayer, however, comes with a lot of encoding stuff such as avisplit etc., so I've kept it, just in case. qemu emulates my old Windows 3.11 system: now I can still use my fax-machine (even as a printer). qemu also emulates a Sinclair ZX running very old games (the emulator's written in MSDOS assembler). Archlinux also has a Commodore C64/PET 2001 emulator (vice), in case you've got programs for these veterans (supports C64 sound!). Archlinux supports a parallel printer port, be it for talking to another oldie using the PLIP-protocol, be it for reading from/writing to an IOMEGA Zip-floppy (not being sold any more, though pretty much alive). I also run Open COBOL on Archlinux to manage my video-clip library in a COBOL database. Much handier than using a clip-on database. But that's largely a matter of taste. COBOL supposedly is dead, but somehow must have managed to rise from the dead as Open COBOL. Archlinux' flipside? #Debian's repositories are expected to have eternal life, but would the same apply to Archlinux' pacman repositories? Not sure. #If you migrate to another system that's not a 686, tough luck. #If you decide that you want to upgrade your +whole+ system that could take a whole night. Sometimes that's what you need to do (continuous/rolling releases vs releases at set dates). Very hard if you're on dial-up. #If you're on dial-up - like me - you need to install, say, Slackware's dialler. Archlinux doesn't come with one. A bit of a nuisance, but some recent UBUNTUs don't support dial-up either, or so I'm told.

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Gnome 3 is out
by Peter Reutemann 08 Apr '11

08 Apr '11

Hi there Just came across the following news item on H-Online: GNOME 3 released "After around five years of planning and development, the GNOME developers have released the third generation of their Linux and Unix desktop, GNOME 3. GNOME 3 brings new operating concepts and a new look; the GNOME Shell reduces the visual complexity of the user interface to allow users to better focus on the applications that they use. Virtual desktops are also now an integral part of how users work with GNOME, with simple workspace navigation and a single keypress (or mouse gesture) able to bring an overview of all the windows and workspaces." -- http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/GNOME-3-released-1223255.html But the new Gnome desktop might not be for everyone: "The debate about whether KDE or GNOME is the better Linux desktop is longstanding. Yet as Linux pundit Bruce Byfield discusses, it has entered a fresh chapter now that both desktop environments have versions that are radically different from their incarnations just a few years back. Moreover, 'the differences in KDE 4.6 and GNOME 3 (the latest releases) are greater than they have ever been,' he writes. Casting aside his usual diplomacy, Byfield acknowledges that he's heard rave reviews about GNOME 3, but disagrees: 'I suspect that the majority of users are more likely to be satisfied with KDE 4.6 than GNOME 3.'" -- http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/05/1944232/GNOME-vs-KDE-the-Latest-Rou… Personally, I'm quite happy right now using "docky" with the old Gnome desktop. The early versions of Gnome 3 that I tried weren't exactly stable and rather resource hungry, but still an interesting approach to redefining the desktop experience. I might give it a go again after a few bugfix release cycles. ;-) Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Optimizing Linux for SSD usage
by Narender 06 Apr '11

06 Apr '11

Hi I thought this was interesting. http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/tip/Optimizing-Linux-for-SSD-us… >>Does EXT 4 has features suited for SSD or EXT 3 would also work well? Even newer gen spindle hard drives start to use larger disk blocks so that partition need to be on the boundary to get best perf. Latest gen OS should all take care of that. I personally tried windows 7 and Ubuntu 10 to partition and then dump the partition table and double check the boundary. >> we are using CenOS5.3 (64 bit ) in our production. could someone please give pointer about what version of centos we should put on it. Best Regards --N

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Fwd: [NZOSS-Openchat] Red Hat opens shop in NZ
by Peter Reutemann 06 Apr '11

06 Apr '11

Apologies for cross-posting. Cheers, Peter ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ... Date: Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 12:26 Subject: [NZOSS-Openchat] Red Hat opens shop in NZ To: NZOSS Open Discussion List <openchat(a)lists.nzoss.org.nz> http://www.techworld.com.au/article/382295/red_hat_opens_nz_office/ "... we're excited about opportunities to continue working with the New Zealand open source community and government organisations to grow the use of open source. We will also aim for our investment to help foster the local creation and development of innovative new ideas and technologies that can be showcased to the rest of the world." Perhaps we should invite the NZ manager onto this list? _______________________________________________ Openchat mailing list Openchat(a)lists.nzoss.org.nz http://lists.nzoss.org.nz/mailman/listinfo/openchat -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Ubuntu 11.04 and Unity
by Michael McDonald 01 Apr '11

01 Apr '11

Was eager to trial this, so downloaded the newly released Beta this morning. I tried it on my desktop computer and was surprised to find it much closer to 10.10 than I had expected. It was still running Gnome. More checks and trials - Unity was there - just couldn't seem to get it running. Took it my laptop, and voila - Unity! (Could even change to Gnome). After a few trials, I think I could get used to Unity! The conclusion? It would appear that Unity requires a reasonably-specced graphics card. Previous experience, both directly and indirectly, leads me to suspect that my desktop's graphics card is not the best ... it has problems coping with Stellarium. Anyone got any comments or observations to add? Michael

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Re: [wlug] Antique floppy drives?
by GJB 29 Mar '11

29 Mar '11

These guys are in Hamilton if he can afford it ... I got rid of my last 5.25 just last month. http://www.digitalrecovery.co.nz/ > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [wlug] Antique floppy drives? > From: David Hallett <david(a)pulsar.net.nz> > Date: Tue, March 29, 2011 11:19 am > To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > > > Michael Cotter <michael.cotter(a)xtra.co.nz> has genealogy information stored > on a 5¼ inch floppy disk and no longer has a computer that can use this size > disk. > He would very much like to contact someone in the area who still has this > technology so that he can download the information and save it onto more > recent technology and use it with a new genealogy software programme. > Michael is leaving the country for 3-4 months on Friday so if possible he > would like to contact someone before then.<hr>_______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Antique floppy drives?
by David Hallett 28 Mar '11

28 Mar '11

Michael Cotter <michael.cotter(a)xtra.co.nz> has genealogy information stored on a 5¼ inch floppy disk and no longer has a computer that can use this size disk. He would very much like to contact someone in the area who still has this technology so that he can download the information and save it onto more recent technology and use it with a new genealogy software programme. Michael is leaving the country for 3-4 months on Friday so if possible he would like to contact someone before then.

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Fwd: [NZOSS-Openchat] Fwd: Full Circle #47 out NOW!
by Peter Reutemann 26 Mar '11

26 Mar '11

Sorry for cross-posting, but this sounded like people on the WLUG list might be interested as well. Cheers, Peter ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ... Date: Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 14:31 Subject: [NZOSS-Openchat] Fwd: Full Circle #47 out NOW! To: NZOSS Open Discussion List <openchat(a)lists.nzoss.org.nz> Full Circle - Magazine about open source and the Ubuntu Distribution. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Full Circle Magazine <lists(a)fullcirclemagazine.org> Date: Sat, Mar 26, 2011 at 2:15 PM Subject: Full Circle #47 out NOW! To: ... *Full Circle **Issue #47 * Full Circle - the independent magazine for the Ubuntu Linux community are proud to announce the release of our forty-seventh issue. This month: * Command and Conquer. * How-To : Program in Python - Part 21, LibreOffice - Part 2 and eBook Reader Software. * Linux Lab - File Formats Part Two. * Review - Piano Booster. * Top 5 - School Tools. plus: Ubuntu Women, Ubuntu Games, My Opinion, My Story, and much much more! *Get it while it's hot! *http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-47/ and don't forget: Full Circle Special Edition: The Perfect Server A special issue dedicated to the Perfect Server articles featured in FCM#31-34: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/special-edition-1-the-perfect-server/ and: Python Special Edition Part One - a compilation of parts one to eight: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/python-special-edition-1/ ................................................................ This email should only be sent to those who have asked to receive it. To unsubscribe, return to the web form where you first subscribed and click the "unsubscribe" button, or contact the owner of the website. _______________________________________________ Openchat mailing list Openchat(a)lists.nzoss.org.nz http://lists.nzoss.org.nz/mailman/listinfo/openchat -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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upgrading youtube-dl
by Peter Reutemann 24 Mar '11

24 Mar '11

Hi there Since I'm a keen command-line user and rather fond of youtube-dl, I was quite disappointed when it stopped working for me on my Ubuntu 10.04 box. Looks like the version shipped with Ubuntu was not the most up-to-date one. If you want to upgrade yours (including WebM support), check out the following instructions: http://www.webupd8.org/2010/07/update-youtube-dl-to-get-it-working.html Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Garage Sale: 2 CRT Monitors for $5 each o.n.o.
by Wayne Grimsey 23 Mar '11

23 Mar '11

Hi Team. There are 2 CRT monitors for sale. One is a Compaq approx 12-14 inch. The second is a Lite-on approx 17-20 inch. Funds raised are going to support the Christchurch earthquake survivors. These can be picked up and paid for, at 820 Victoria Street, Hamilton. If you're interested, contact me on 027 451 2688 anytime, or wgrimsey(a)linz.govt.nz (work email) or 8278449 after hours. Wayne

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WLUG Meeting 21st March IPv6: Implications and benefits.
by Chris O'Halloran 21 Mar '11

21 Mar '11

Hello all, The next WLUG club meeting is scheduled for 21st March 7:30pm at the University. Please note the change of date from the usual last Monday of the month. Room. MS4.G.02 see the following map http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map/?MS4 Lindsay Druett, [1] past president and long time member of the WLUG will be doing a presentation on IPv6 and the implications and benefits to end users. Lindsay works for FX networks [2], a company involved in installing fibre networks across the country. Lindsay will include some details on what the eventual roll out of IPv6 will mean to domestic users and SMEs. [1] http://www.wlug.org.nz//LindsayDruett [2] http://www.fx.net.nz/

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 20 Mar '11

20 Mar '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The next WLUG club meeting is scheduled for 21st March at the University. Please note the change of date from the usual last Monday of the month. Room. MS4.G.02 see the following map http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map/?MS4 LindsayDruett, past President and long time member of the WLUG, will be doing a presentation on IPv6 and the implications and benefits to end users. Lindsay works for FxNetworks, a company installing fibre networks across the country. Lindsay will include some details on what the eventual roll out of IPv6 will mean to domestic users and SMEs.

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 17 Mar '11

17 Mar '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The next WLUG club meeting is scheduled for 21st March at the University. Please note the change of date from the usual last Monday of the month. Room. MS4.G.02 see the following map http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map/?MS4 LindsayDruett, past President and long time member of the WLUG, will be doing a presentation on IPv6 and the implications and benefits to end users. Lindsay works for FxNetworks, a company installing fibre networks across the country. Lindsay will include some details on what the eventual roll out of IPv6 will mean to domestic users and SMEs.

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ANNOUNCE: WLUG meeting is one week away
by Meeting Reminder Bot 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

The Waikato Linux Users Group have a meeting in one week from today: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The next WLUG club meeting is scheduled for 21st March at the University. Please note the change of date from the usual last Monday of the month. Room. MS4.G.02 see the following map http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map/?MS4 LindsayDruett, past President and long time member of the WLUG, will be doing a presentation on IPv6 and the implications and benefits to end users. Lindsay works for FxNetworks, a company installing fibre networks across the country. Lindsay will include some details on what the eventual roll out of IPv6 will mean to domestic users and SMEs.

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free CAD software: DraftSight
by Peter Reutemann 13 Mar '11

13 Mar '11

Hi there It may not be open-source, but useful nonetheless for people wanting to use CAD on Linux: DraftSight 2D CAD For Linux Beta Available (deb/rpm) http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/free-cad-software/ Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Membership renewal - Debian Squeeze Release Party
by Chris O'Halloran 21 Feb '11

21 Feb '11

Hello, This is just a brief reminder to those intending to be formal members of the club this year but haven't yet paid your subscription (still $20). Can you please contact either John Billings or Wayne Grimsey to renew your membership or sign up. For those who might not know, John is this year's club treasurer and Wayne is the club secretary. And I'd also like to extend an invite to those subscribed to this list (including previous members) that might like to join up or renew your association this year to make yourselves known to either myself or John or Wayne. It would be good have your involvment. We are looking to put together a variety of speakers and presentations this year - maybe you could be one of them. And for those coming along to tonights 'Debian "Squeeze" Pizza Party!' [1], it might be convenient time to bring along your cash for your membership renewal. Hope to see some of you there, Chris O'Halloran WLUG President 2011 [1] http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2011-02-21

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Re: [wlug] wlug Digest, Vol 236, Issue 7
by noel villamor 20 Feb '11

20 Feb '11

I would like to copy-burn Squeeze DVD 1 myself if I could borrow one during the event. Noel

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Jolicloud
by Chris O'Halloran 20 Feb '11

20 Feb '11

For you all netbook users out there, Jolicloud got a glowing review in a recent Linux User Magazine. It is aimed at social networking and cloud computing so it may not suit all. Cheers, Chris http://www.jolicloud.com/ http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 20 Feb '11

20 Feb '11

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!! Why should you care about Debian? Debian "Squeeze" Pizza Party! On February 6th, 2011 after 2 years of development effort a new stable version of the Debian GNU/Linux OS was released. Those of you who know, know this is a reason to celebrate. Those of you who would like to learn more about why this is a momentous occasion should come along and check out what the new 6.0 version codenamed "Squeeze" has to offer. There are a heap of new features and interesting aspects to this release, a demo of how easy it is to install and use, and a presentation/overview of the Debian Project will be presented. Pizza and refreshments will be provided, come join us in the celebration! Regular meeting location of Room MS4.G.02 (http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map?MS4) 7pm, Monday 21st Feb (we will not be having our regular meeting on the 28th this month). http://www.wlug.org.nz/ http://wlug.org.nz/~gnubie/splash-squeeze.png

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Re: [wlug] wlug Digest, Vol 236, Issue 5
by noel villamor 17 Feb '11

17 Feb '11

Is this open to anyone? Is a subscriber to the wlug list a member of WLUG? :) On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM, <wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> wrote: > Send wlug mailing list submissions to > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > wlug-request(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > You can reach the person managing the list at > wlug-owner(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of wlug digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday (Meeting Reminder Bot) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:26:12 +1300 > From: Meeting Reminder Bot <bot(a)wlug.org.nz> > To: Waikato Linux Users Group <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > Cc: nzlug-announce(a)linux.net.nz > Subject: [wlug] REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday > Message-ID: <E1Pq7cK-0003n8-AZ(a)db.wlug.org.nz> > > There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > !!! Why should you care about Debian? > > Debian "Squeeze" Pizza Party! > > On February 6th, 2011 after 2 years of development effort a new stable version of the Debian GNU/Linux OS was released. Those of you who know, know this is a reason to celebrate. Those of you who would like to learn more about why this is a momentous occasion should come along and check out what the new 6.0 version codenamed "Squeeze" has to offer. There are a heap of new features and interesting aspects to this release, a demo of how easy it is to install and use, and a presentation/overview of the Debian Project will be presented. > > Pizza and refreshments will be provided, come join us in the celebration! > > Regular meeting location of Room MS4.G.02 (http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map?MS4) > > 7pm, Monday 21st Feb (we will not be having our regular meeting on the 28th this month). > > http://www.wlug.org.nz/ http://wlug.org.nz/~gnubie/splash-squeeze.png > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list > wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > End of wlug Digest, Vol 236, Issue 5 > ************************************ >

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REMINDER: WLUG meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder Bot 17 Feb '11

17 Feb '11

There's a Waikato Linux Users Group meeting on Monday: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!! Why should you care about Debian? Debian "Squeeze" Pizza Party! On February 6th, 2011 after 2 years of development effort a new stable version of the Debian GNU/Linux OS was released. Those of you who know, know this is a reason to celebrate. Those of you who would like to learn more about why this is a momentous occasion should come along and check out what the new 6.0 version codenamed "Squeeze" has to offer. There are a heap of new features and interesting aspects to this release, a demo of how easy it is to install and use, and a presentation/overview of the Debian Project will be presented. Pizza and refreshments will be provided, come join us in the celebration! Regular meeting location of Room MS4.G.02 (http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map?MS4) 7pm, Monday 21st Feb (we will not be having our regular meeting on the 28th this month). http://www.wlug.org.nz/ http://wlug.org.nz/~gnubie/splash-squeeze.png

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