- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Interview with Linus Torvalds about GPL3
by Ian McDonald 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Quite interesting... http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/03/09/torvalds-linux-licensing-cz_dl_… -- Ian McDonald Web: http://wand.net.nz/~iam4 Blog: http://imcdnzl.blogspot.com WAND Network Research Group Department of Computer Science University of Waikato New Zealand

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Novell hopes its next desktop will leapfrog Windows
by Ian McDonald 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

By Ingrid Marson http://news.com.com/Novell+hopes+its+next+desktop+will+leapfrog+Windows/210… Story last modified Thu Mar 09 12:05:50 PST 2006 advertisement Novell on Thursday unveiled the features that will be available in the next version of its Linux desktop product--SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop--which the company claims will be more usable than any other desktop product on the market. "We have made a big investment taking the Linux desktop past everybody. The usability work we've done is not to reinvent Windows, but to reinvent a better desktop," Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, Novell's director of marketing for Linux and open source, told ZDNet UK on Wednesday. "When Microsoft Vista ships it will catch up to us in a number of areas, but we'll enjoy six months where Novell's Linux desktop is in the lead," he said. The SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED), which will be available beginning this summer, is a "big change for Linux" as it is now suitable for all enterprise users, according to Mancusi-Ungaro. "Up until now the Linux desktop has primarily been deployed in specialized circumstances--as a fixed-function workstation or as a transactional desktop," he said. "Now, for first time, we can tell you with confidence that it can be deployed for general office workers." Important new features in SLED include an animated user interface and integrated desktop search. Other features that Novell is touting in the product include the addition of support for Microsoft Excel Macros and Pivot Tables in OpenOffice.org, and full support for all standard network and printing protocols, allowing plug-and-play functionality for cameras, USB drives, personal music players and printers. The animated GUI takes advantage of the XGL graphics software, which Novell made available to the open-source community last month. The GUI makes the Linux desktop more usable, for example, by providing visual cues to users when they minimize windows, according to Mancusi-Ungaro. "When users minimize windows to the panel at the bottom of the screen they will see it move there rather than vanish, so users are more aware of where they have put something," he said. As for desktop search, although the Beagle tool is already available in SuSE Linux Professional 9.3, this is the first time that Novell is offering seven years' support around the product. Novell carried out hundreds of usability tests and shot almost 1,500 hours of user-interaction video to aid the design of SLED. It claimed that each feature of the product has been "rigorously tested and refined for usability to ensure the best possible performance in a business environment." The results of the usability tests can be viewed on Novell's Better Desktop Web site. Ingrid Marson of ZDNet UK reported from New York. Copyright (c)1995-2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. -- Ian McDonald Web: http://wand.net.nz/~iam4 Blog: http://imcdnzl.blogspot.com WAND Network Research Group Department of Computer Science University of Waikato New Zealand

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Laptop considerations
by Mathew Carley 08 Mar '06

08 Mar '06

Might have to try that next time the machine powers off because I forget to open the window and let some snow and cold air in to my apartment ;-) The overheating was a real problem over the Summer (July/August/September) whilst I was in Bordeaux and Nice; because the laptop would power off just randomly if I wasn't giving it some airflow underneath by letting it sit on top of a pen (underneath where the fan is) or something - especially during the day. I kind of forgive it, though - I didn't feel like working in those temperatures either. Still, I don't know if I would recommend an Acer to anyone again... They have just kind of lost my trust. I have one client back in NZ who brought one about a year ago, and I never hear the end of it, as it too, sounds like its a dudd. Different model, though. Perhaps its just sub-NZ$2500 Acers :-( Long story short I am in the market for a new laptop as well, so it will be interesting to see what laptop is chosen here. Gavin Denby wrote: Sorry to hear about the issues, I have several acers and we had a similar but easily fixed problem. The poor airflow is really bad dust protection, So what we do is use a household vacuum cleaner and the crevice tool (narrow slot thing) to vacuum all the cooling ports. Diagnostics usually show a 15 - 20 degree drop in the CPU temp after this. No need to open the Laptop, but it pays to not do while its running. Could be worth a try -- Regards Mathew Carley **UUSI** Nopeita tietokonepalveluita ja ohjausta @ www.fingeekit.com (Avaamme pian!) HostENZ Data Services A Carley Network Media Ltd. (NZ) Company http://www.hostenz.co.nz mathewc(a)hostenz.co.nz Phone (Suomalainen Yhteyshenkil?/Svensk Kontakt): +358 4 4925 0459 Phone (Helsinki Office): +358 9 2316 3712 Phone (Finland Cellular/English): +358 4 0418 6944 **NEW** Phone (France Cellular): +33 6 1811 9475 Sony IVE Number: 243 700 9835 Skype: mgcarley MSN Messenger: mgcarley(a)hostenz.co.nz The information contained in this electronic mail message and any attachments are confidential to Carley Network Media Ltd and it's subsidiaries, and may contain proprietary information or may be legally privileged. See http://www.cnmltd.net/email/ for our standard email disclaimer. Errors & Omissions Excepted. Prices in this email do not include GST unless stated otherwise.

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Re: [wlug] wlug Digest, Vol 177, Issue 3
by Mathew Carley 08 Mar '06

08 Mar '06

In my experience, I would not buy another Acer - especially a cheap one. Not because of the lack of Linux support (I've run several Debian Based distros including Breezy and Xandros, Suse 9, 10, Fedora and probably others without too much trouble). The main reason is the fact that I've had so many problems with the hardware; including the fact that my machine in particular is badly designed (very little airflow over the processor, which is prone to overheating - lucky I can just open the window, and because its -10 outside it cools down OK). I've had the motherboard and hard drive replaced (in the first year) and the second hard drive died just 3 weeks ago. Their 2-hour warranty service agreement is misleading (I used to work for an Acer reseller until about 3 years ago), if I unplug the speakers or a pair of headphones, there seems to be a short of some sort which causes the machine to just turn off... and... I'm sure there are other things too. It went in for warranty service (for periods up to a week, even if I drove to Auckland to hand-deliver the machine) I think 4 or 5 times in its first year. Perhaps I just got a lemon. I do remember someone else at an installfest a year ago having the same overheating problem that I did with the same model of laptop, though. Normally I wouldn't speak so badly of a product or brand, but this thing has just been ridiculous. Lucky for me I have just had the opportunity to acquire a nice Mac, so I'm happy about that. I'll be using this laptop as a media center in my apartment or something. Go for the Toshiba or something similar. I wish I had gone and got a Toshiba. I will put it this way: if the motherboard chipset is Intel, chances are most (if not all) of the bits and pieces attached will work in Linux. Not always true, but something I would use to gauge the likelihood of something working. Also, if you can get an ATi video processor on board, thats usually a good thing, right? Fujitsu Siemens are supposed to be OK, but I'm not sure about the differences between FS in Finland and FS in New Zealand (the same way that HP and NEC/Packard Bell are very different in quality between the USA/NZ and Japan/NZ respectively). As for the power brick - I dont think I have seen one for a laptop that is not capable of handling 100-250v and 50-60Hz, so it shouldn't be a problem. Keep in mind that the next Ubuntu will be coming out in a month or thereabouts, so perhaps if something doesn't work in Breezy 5.10, it might work in 6.04? Mathew -- Regards Mathew Carley **UUSI** Nopeita tietokonepalveluita ja ohjausta @ www.fingeekit.com (Avaamme pian!) HostENZ Data Services A Carley Network Media Ltd. (NZ) Company http://www.hostenz.co.nz mathewc(a)hostenz.co.nz Phone (Suomalainen Yhteyshenkilö/Svensk Kontakt): +358 4 4925 0459 Phone (Helsinki Office): +358 9 2316 3712 Phone (Finland Cellular/English): +358 4 0418 6944 **NEW** Phone (France Cellular): +33 6 1811 9475 Sony IVE Number: 243 700 9835 Skype: mgcarley MSN Messenger: mgcarley(a)hostenz.co.nz The information contained in this electronic mail message and any attachments are confidential to Carley Network Media Ltd and it's subsidiaries, and may contain proprietary information or may be legally privileged. See http://www.cnmltd.net/email/ for our standard email disclaimer. Errors & Omissions Excepted. Prices in this email do not include GST unless stated otherwise.

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Warren Hughes (IBM) is out of the office.
by Warren Hughes 08 Mar '06

08 Mar '06

I will be out of the office starting 07/03/2006 and will not return until 09/03/2006. Hi, thanks for your email. In my absence for urgent queries please contact Wayne Goss on +64 21 375592. Otherwise I will respond tomorrow March 9. Cheers, Warren.

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Re: [wlug] more laptop consideration
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 08 Mar '06

08 Mar '06

----- Original Message Follows ----- > Sorry to hear about the issues, I have several acers and > we had a similar but easily fixed problem. > > The poor airflow is really bad dust protection, So what we > do is use a household vacuum cleaner and the crevice tool > (narrow slot thing) to vacuum all the cooling ports. Phew I bet you have to chock the fan first or it would huper drive :-) <quote> Laptops are great but if you want a workhorse that keeps on trucking for years at a time, nothing beats a (under-the-)desktop box. ;)<end quote> I agree with Oliver but a desk top is hard get get around with.. John > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Re: [wlug] New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 07 Mar '06

07 Mar '06

Hello all It just gets better all the time. Matt told me to bring a full distro (after showing me e-live) and see if it installs ok if not get some thing else. I cant argue with that so will try it before long Watch this space. John ----- Original Message Follows ----- > another Hint ... If you go into the powerhouse store, Ask > Matt at the Support counter of his opinion, After he gets > past how great e-live is as a distro > if the store wont let you boot a live Linux cd, you > should be looking elsewhere. Again Matt will have some > experience here as its his "Job" to try these sorts of > things (and he gets to mix business and pleasure) > > At the end of the Day you can never do too much homework. > > Good luck and let us know what you end up with and why. > > Daniel Lawson wrote: > > >Again, as Craig suggested, take an Ubuntu livecd into DSE > and try it out. > > >_______________________________________________ > >wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > >Unsubscribe: > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Warren Hughes (IBM) is out of the office.
by Warren Hughes 07 Mar '06

07 Mar '06

I will be out of the office starting 07/03/2006 and will not return until 08/03/2006. Hi, thanks for your email. In my absence for urgent queries please contact Wayne Goss on +64 21 375592. Otherwise I will respond tomorrow March 8. Cheers, Warren.

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Fwd: Re: New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

Sorry Drew I meant to "reply all" John ----- Message Forwarded on Mon 6/3/2006 ----- From: "" <jaytee(a)clear.net.nz> To: Drew Broadley <drew(a)corrupt.co.nz> Subject: Re: [wlug] New laptop Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2006 18:58:24 +1300 Someone mooted that if the frequencies are the same <50mhz> then the power outlet voltage is fairly unimportant there fore it should run on an American outlet. Yes there are 110v transformers available I was hoping not to have to get one though, hence my question(s) John ----- Original Message Follows ----- > jaytee(a)clear.net.nz wrote: > > I also wonder if it is likely to run properly on > > 110 volts.. > > Well, I'd hope you'll be running it on ~12-15v ;) > > You should be able to get an American version of the 240v > transformer brick you get with it. > > - Drew

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New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

Hi All I am thinking seriously about buying an entry level Acer 1.5mhz 40gig hd 512meg ram wifi enabled laptop from DSE and wondered if it would be suitable to run a Ubuntu system.(Breezy) I also wonder if it is likely to run properly on 110 volts.. Nods of approval most welcome <g> Regards John..

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Re: [wlug] New laptop
by David Nicholls 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

Could also perhaps try the hp compaqs, and ive run an ubuntu live cd on them without too much trouble... Very nicely specced too. > -----Original Message----- > From: Gavin Denby [mailto:redhat(a)ihug.co.nz] > Sent: Tuesday, 7 March 2006 12:15 a.m. > To: Waikato Linux Users Group > Subject: Re: [wlug] New laptop > > another Hint ... If you go into the powerhouse store, Ask > Matt at the Support counter of his opinion, After he gets > past how great e-live is as a distro ( Actually I am getting > to like it), he will be able to discuss the pro's and cons of > Linux on the various laptops. > > The 2 points will be wireless card support ( a pig when your > built in doesn't work and you have to add a pcmcia card), and > the Video driver, If you can live with unaccelerated VESA it > wont matter as much, but some SIS an be annoying as well. > Also look at little things like the volume control and Screen > brightness controls, if these work its a definite plus. > > Live CD's definitely help in his area and are a good idea, if > the store wont let you boot a live Linux cd, you should be > looking elsewhere. > Again Matt will have some experience here as its his "Job" to > try these sorts of things (and he gets to mix business and pleasure) > > At the end of the Day you can never do too much homework. > > Good luck and let us know what you end up with and why. > > Daniel Lawson wrote: > > >Again, as Craig suggested, take an Ubuntu livecd into DSE > and try it out. > > > >_______________________________________________ > >wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > >Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

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Re: [wlug] New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

Argh!!! My other option in that price range would be a Toshiba satellite with similar features. Would that be a better idea?? Regards John.. ----- Original Message Follows ----- > On Mon, Mar 06, 2006 at 07:17:03PM +1300, > > jaytee(a)clear.net.nz wrote: Many thanks Fridolin. > > > > Does anyone have an opinion on the Acer running Ubuntu?? > > Regards John > > > According to Matthew Garrett's presentation on lca2006, > Acer isn't a good choice at all. Matthew is currently > responsible for laptop issue for Ubuntu, such as ACPI. > > -- > Best Regards, > Carlos > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: > http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Re: [wlug] New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

-I do not know the model but I think it is a new "SPECIAL" I was quoted $998 for the 256 meg ram plus around $70 for the other 256 meg. The proccesser maybe a 1.4 or 1.6 thanks for the link and idea of trying a live cd in store ----- Original Message Follows ----- > On Mon, 2006-03-06 at 17:31 +1300, jaytee(a)clear.net.nz > > wrote: Hi All > > I am thinking seriously about buying an entry level > > Acer 1.5mhz 40gig hd 512meg ram wifi enabled laptop from > > DSE and wondered if it would be suitable to run a Ubuntu > > system.(Breezy) > > You don't mention the particular model you are intending > to purchase which makes it hard to answer the question. I > can't find a model that matches the specs you list above > on DSEs website either. > > Ubuntu's laptop support page for Acer at: > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportMachinesLaptopsAcer > > indicates that there is a wide range in the level of > support with some models working almost perfect, others > not so well. > > The best strategy would be to take the Ubuntu live CD > along to DSE and try it in the laptop in question. > > Regards > > -- > Matt Brown > matt(a)mattb.net.nz > Mob +64 21 611 544 www.mattb.net.nz > > [Attachment: matt(a)mattb.net.nz.sig]

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Re: [wlug] New laptop
by jaytee＠clear.net.nz 06 Mar '06

06 Mar '06

Many thanks Fridolin. Does anyone have an opinion on the Acer running Ubuntu?? Regards John ----- Original Message Follows ----- > John, > > most notebook adapters take voltage from 100 to 240 V.... > > Greetings from Tauranga > > Fridolin >

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Acceptable use of the WLUG Mailing List
by Meeting Reminder bot 28 Feb '06

28 Feb '06

The WLUG Mailing List is the discussion-list extension of the Waikato Linux Users Group (Incorporated). As such, we expect members of this list to adhere to the principles espoused in the official WLUG Charter[1], in particular, Rule 6, which covers the activities on this mailing list. While this is an Acceptable Use Policy, the WLUG Committee do recognise the need for informal discussion among list members, and draconian administration is not the goal here. Please keep in mind, however, that your comments to this list do represent the WLUG, and while it is good to be seen as an organisation with a sense of humour, some comments may do major harm to our credibility as a serious advocate of GNU/Linux and all things Free Software/ Open Source related. List discussion should * be honest * accentuate the positive, without hyperbole or blatant misrepresentation * maintain a reasonable level of spelling and grammar * not indulge in ad hominem attacks * not continue inflammatory or abusive threads * not be unprofessional or petty, especially with respect to the names of other software companies * not promote or denigrate political, cultural, or religious views * not indulge in marketing or advertising, other than on a private sale basis, or advertising of jobs - which may be announced once only * not reproduce copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder * not defame any person or organisation Posters who consistently violate these guidelines will be dealt with at the discretion of the List Maintainer. If you feel you have been unfairly dealt with, you have recourse to any member of the WLUG Committee[2]. Certain mailing list etiquette should also be maintained: * please use only plain text (not HTML) * reply inline or below when quoting, rather than on top * trim quotes (don't reply quoting a 10 page message with a single line of reply) If you have any questions, start reading at http://www.gweep.ca/~edmonds/usenet/ml-etiquette.html. These points have been established over a long time on this list. If you want to question them, please do it off list. As list users, use your discretion when pulling people up over etiquette - please reply off list, and if there is a serious breach, the list administrator will probably have dealt with it off-list already. [1] http://www.wlug.org.nz/WlugCharter [2] http://www.wlug.org.nz/WlugCommittee

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Last nights meeting
by Craig Box 27 Feb '06

27 Feb '06

Thanks to Peter Bryant for an excellent meeting last night about his Linux VPS company, Rimu Hosting. If you're interested in buying (root!) access to a virtual private server, check out http://www.rimuhosting.com/. Before the meeting, I ran a video demonstrating Xgl, Novell's 3D-accelerated desktop technology. We talked briefly about this and Red Hat's upcoming technology, AIGLX. If you're interested, there is a good article that explains the difference between the approaches: http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/newsletters/accelerated_x/index_p1.html The video I showed is at http://pubcrawler.org/2006/02/23/jaw-dropping-xgl-demo/. Be aware it's a 50Mb download, modem users! Regards, Craig

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WLUG meeting is tonight
by Meeting Reminder Bono 26 Feb '06

26 Feb '06

Aye, kiddies. It's everyone's favourite proto-Eirishman, Paul Hewson. When I'm not busy wailing and modelling sunglasses, I like to save the world. And what greater way to do that than through Free Software. So I encourage you all to come to WLUG's meeting tonight. And buy my albums. Synopsis: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Our guest for February is Peter Bryant from RimuHosting, a VirtualPrivateServer company based in Cambridge, New Zealand (http://www.wlug.org.nz/NewZealand) Peter's talk will hopefully touch on: * the history of RimuHosting * using virtualisation (http://www.wlug.org.nz/VirtualPrivateServer) on http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux * his experience as an employer of http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux staff * running an international business from NZ (Please add other points if you would like Peter to touch on them; if you are Peter, please feel free to edit the list to reflect what you want to talk about!) As usual, there will be a Q&A session at the end, followed by refreshments. Location is TW.2.07 (http://www.wlug.org.nz/TW) at the University of Waikato. Meeting will start at 7:30pm. * About Rimu Hosting: http://rimuhosting.com/support/aboutrh.jsp

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Re: [wlug] Modem dropping
by David Bowen 24 Feb '06

24 Feb '06

> It used to work OK but is now taking 3 + attempts to connect. > Anyone have any ideas. Try this as your /etc/ppp/options - works for me with that modem === cut here === lock noauth defaultroute ipcp-max-configure 65 ipcp-accept-local ipcp-accept-remote idle 600 === cut here === Cheers John Thanks John I put that in on Thursday morning and tried it three times during the day. It connected first time every time. I typed out a reply and got called away in the middle of it. Came back a few minutes later and went to send it.... but it had dropped the line again. This time it would not connect again. Sounds like it was having trouble negotiating protocols. I have a speaker on the phone line as part of my job is fixing modems to component level. These ones aren't plug in! No involvement on software level! I had tried another modem in before when I had the problem of not connecting and had no joy, then the hard drive gave up. Went from tap tap to get it to start spinning at times to suddenly can't find /dev/HDD... during use. Might be worth swapping the modem again when I get time. " If you want to try Ubuntu, I wrote a script to get this modem set up under it which you may find handy. Of course, I make no guarantees regarding my scripting abilities... Regards, Bnonn " Thanks Bnonn I got the modem working under Breezy already. It was well written up on the Ubuntu wiki. I also got it working on the updated kernel, I just have to figure out how to stop it from connecting during boot, about the time in the sequence it says " Setting the clock to ntp Ubuntu... it starts to dial, before log in! Then asks for password to disconnect :-) Thanks anyway I will keep playing with it and see what hapens Regards David Bowen

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Linux keyboard
by Craig Box 24 Feb '06

24 Feb '06

http://www.cherrycorp.com/english/cymotion-line/cymotion-line_master_lin ux.htm Craig

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WLUG Meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder bot 23 Feb '06

23 Feb '06

The WLUG meeting is on Monday ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Our guest for February is Peter Bryant from RimuHosting, a VirtualPrivateServer company based in Cambridge, New Zealand (http://www.wlug.org.nz/NewZealand) Peter's talk will hopefully touch on: * the history of RimuHosting * using virtualisation (http://www.wlug.org.nz/VirtualPrivateServer) on http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux * his experience as an employer of http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux staff * running an international business from NZ (Please add other points if you would like Peter to touch on them; if you are Peter, please feel free to edit the list to reflect what you want to talk about!) As usual, there will be a Q&A session at the end, followed by refreshments. Location is TW.2.07 (http://www.wlug.org.nz/TW) at the University of Waikato. Meeting will start at 7:30pm. * About Rimu Hosting: http://rimuhosting.com/support/aboutrh.jsp

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The Digital Dream.
by Oliver Jones 23 Feb '06

23 Feb '06

Does anyone have a copy of The Digital Dream on file? Craig? If so, please email me. Thanks.

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Text encoding
by Bnonn 23 Feb '06

23 Feb '06

Hi everyone. I have created a large text file which is essentially a concatenated bunch of emails. I simply selected the emails in Evolution with shift-click, and went "Save As". I can open the file fine in nano, or I can cat it without problems. It has a lot of useless crap markup, but that's to be expected. However, I'm completely unable to open it in gedit; I just get the error that gedit couldn't determine the correct character encoding. I've tried manually selecting all the various UTF and Western encodings without luck; the only one that will open at all is UTF-16, which renders the file as a lot of Japanese-looking text. Any ideas? Regards, Bnonn

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Modem dropping
by David Bowen 21 Feb '06

21 Feb '06

Hi I am having a problem with the modem dropping while connecting to the net. (ihug) This is an Intel 536 modem on Mandrake 10.1 It dials, says expecting connect, then, starting pppd, and a few seconds later the modem drops the line, and some seconds later a dialogue box comes up and says Kpppd daemon died unexpectedly error 17 Kppd manual says that error 17 is a to do with loop back detected so the following part of the log would seem to be relevant. Feb 21 18:16:25 localhost pppd[21220]: Serial line is looped back. Feb 21 18:16:25 localhost pppd[21220]: sent [LCP TermReq id=0xb "Loopback detected"] Feb 21 18:16:25 localhost pppd[21220]: rcvd [LCP TermReq id=0xb "Loopback detected"] Feb 21 18:16:25 localhost pppd[21220]: sent [LCP TermAck id=0xb] Feb 21 18:16:26 localhost pppd[21220]: rcvd [LCP TermAck id=0xb] Feb 21 18:16:26 localhost pppd[21220]: Connection terminated. Feb 21 18:16:26 localhost pppd[21220]: Exit. It used to work OK but is now taking 3 + attempts to connect. Anyone have any ideas. I could try Ubuntu, Just installed that at home, Suse on this would one be my other option :-)

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WLUG meeting is one week away
by Meeting Reminder bot 19 Feb '06

19 Feb '06

The Waikato Linux Users Group have a meeting in one week today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Our guest for February is Peter Bryant from RimuHosting, a VirtualPrivateServer company based in Cambridge, New Zealand (http://www.wlug.org.nz/NewZealand) Peter's talk will hopefully touch on: * the history of RimuHosting * using virtualisation (http://www.wlug.org.nz/VirtualPrivateServer) on http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux * his experience as an employer of http://www.wlug.org.nz/Linux staff * running an international business from NZ (Please add other points if you would like Peter to touch on them; if you are Peter, please feel free to edit the list to reflect what you want to talk about!) As usual, there will be a Q&A session at the end, followed by refreshments. Location is TW.2.07 (http://www.wlug.org.nz/TW) at the University of Waikato. Meeting will start at 7:30pm. * About Rimu Hosting: http://rimuhosting.com/support/aboutrh.jsp

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Upcoming WLUG committee meeting (1 week today)
by Meeting Reminder bot 15 Feb '06

15 Feb '06

As per the WLUG charter, please note that there is a WLUG executive committee meeting one week from today. If you wish to get an item on the agenda for this meeting, please email it to secretary(a)wlug.org.nz. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WLUG Committee Meeting To have something added to the agenda for this meeting, please email secretary @ wlug.org.nz. Provisional agenda: # Minutes from previous meeting # Matters arising # Correspondence # Treasurers report # General business ----- CommitteeMeetingTopics

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Postfix rules.
by Oliver Jones 15 Feb '06

15 Feb '06

Hi Guys. I recently setup postfix on my new server and have configured it to be rather strict when accepting mail. It has done wonders for reducing the amount of spam the server accepts. Ie, the volume of spam I now get has dropped to nearly zero without the need for tools like SpamAssassin. However legit mail is also being rejected. With good reason though, usually the sending host has fucked up DNS entries or is identifying itself with an invalid hostname during SMTP HELO/EHLO. Anyone else here use postfix? If so what are your smtpd_*_restrictions set to? Have you had to loosen your rules to allow valid mail sources that are badly configured though? What sort of policies do you have in place? What other alternatives to "reject_unknown_client" are there? Advice, help, suggestions most certainly welcome. Regards

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Evolution Contacts
by Gun Caundle 14 Feb '06

14 Feb '06

Can anybody help me get my Evolution 'Contacts' in Ubuntu into Thunderbird which is on another PC? Cheers

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FW: Linux Management Survey Results
by Craig Box 13 Feb '06

13 Feb '06

From: Andi Mann [mailto:amann(a)enterprisemanagement.com] Sent: Tuesday, 14 February 2006 10:36 a.m. To: secretary(a)wlug.org.nz Subject: Linux Management Survey Results Hi, You might remember in November last year, I asked for assistance from you and members of the Waikato Linux Users Group for our research on the cost and effort involved in managing Linux server environments. Your members' responses to our web survey were added to a wide-ranging random telephone survey and in-depth interviews to get a vendor-neutral look at Linux system management. Well, the study is complete now, and I promised to send it to you when it was done. You can get the executive summary from OSDL's web site at http://osdl.org/newsroom/studies/EMA, and the full PDF is available at the web site of the main sponsor (Levanta) at http://www.levanta.com/linuxstudy/. Please feel free to pass these links along to your members, at your discretion. Both the summary and the full report are available free of charge. I want to thank you again for your help with collecting primary data for this study. Due to the anonymous nature of the web survey, I cannot be sure that your members contributed, but I am sure they will be interested to see the results anyway. If you have any questions or comment, please feel free to contact me. Regards, Andi Mann Senior Analyst Enterprise Management Associates.

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e ink displays
by stephen pearce 09 Feb '06

09 Feb '06

Is anyone using the Sony Librie, or Panasonic or Toshiba equivalents .. or the recently introduced Sony Reader? -- Stephen Pearce Critical Care Whangarei ph 021 390 997

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Where to buy and get good advice on computers which will operate with Ubuntu Breezy
by Ron Dean 08 Feb '06

08 Feb '06

I am considering buying a new bare bones system but wish to make sure it works. I use it mostly for Photo editing with the Gimp and some other graphics programs. Would an on board graphics or an additional Video card be a good idea. I was also considering getting 1gig ram. I wanted it to be a Linux only box. Also should I choose a 64bit system.

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ftp.nz.debian.org not updating (unstable at least)
by Ian McDonald 07 Feb '06

07 Feb '06

Folks, In case you are using this it has not been updating at present for unstable for debian at least. If you use this as your primary apt source (as I was) you might want to change your setup... Ian -- Ian McDonald http://wand.net.nz/~iam4 WAND Network Research Group University of Waikato New Zealand

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debian console issue.
by Michael J Knox 04 Feb '06

04 Feb '06

OK, I am kinda stumped. I admin a server for someone, it runs debian sarge. The guy is telling me that from within mc, he can use caps and not use caps fine, but when he drops to a console, he only gets caps, even with the caps key off. Now, I can see this thru ssh. Any ideas? Michael

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Acceptable use of the WLUG Mailing List
by Meeting Reminder bot 31 Jan '06

31 Jan '06

The WLUG Mailing List is the discussion-list extension of the Waikato Linux Users Group (Incorporated). As such, we expect members of this list to adhere to the principles espoused in the official WLUG Charter[1], in particular, Rule 6, which covers the activities on this mailing list. While this is an Acceptable Use Policy, the WLUG Committee do recognise the need for informal discussion among list members, and draconian administration is not the goal here. Please keep in mind, however, that your comments to this list do represent the WLUG, and while it is good to be seen as an organisation with a sense of humour, some comments may do major harm to our credibility as a serious advocate of GNU/Linux and all things Free Software/ Open Source related. List discussion should * be honest * accentuate the positive, without hyperbole or blatant misrepresentation * maintain a reasonable level of spelling and grammar * not indulge in ad hominem attacks * not continue inflammatory or abusive threads * not be unprofessional or petty, especially with respect to the names of other software companies * not promote or denigrate political, cultural, or religious views * not indulge in marketing or advertising, other than on a private sale basis, or advertising of jobs - which may be announced once only * not reproduce copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder * not defame any person or organisation Posters who consistently violate these guidelines will be dealt with at the discretion of the List Maintainer. If you feel you have been unfairly dealt with, you have recourse to any member of the WLUG Committee[2]. Certain mailing list etiquette should also be maintained: * please use only plain text (not HTML) * reply inline or below when quoting, rather than on top * trim quotes (don't reply quoting a 10 page message with a single line of reply) If you have any questions, start reading at http://www.gweep.ca/~edmonds/usenet/ml-etiquette.html. These points have been established over a long time on this list. If you want to question them, please do it off list. As list users, use your discretion when pulling people up over etiquette - please reply off list, and if there is a serious breach, the list administrator will probably have dealt with it off-list already. [1] http://www.wlug.org.nz/WlugCharter [2] http://www.wlug.org.nz/WlugCommittee

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Help with fstab
by Ron Dean 28 Jan '06

28 Jan '06

I have a CDRom with filenames in upper and lower case. The file names link in pdf In acroreader for Linux The following works straight from the command line only when I am in root mount /dev/hdb /media/cdrom0 -o check=r However I can't get it to work when I modify my fstab file /dev/hdb /media/cdrom0 udf,iso9660 user,noauto 0 0

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PHP Developers
by Oliver Jones 26 Jan '06

26 Jan '06

Hi. Anyone know any really good contract PHP developers in the Waikato region? Regards

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Re: [wlug] help with shell scripting
by David Nicholls 24 Jan '06

24 Jan '06

Thanks daniel, I'll pass that on. Unfortunately due to the nature of the scientific program he is interfacing with, shell script is it as far as I am aware. I'll let you know how he goes. > -----Original Message----- > From: Daniel Lawson [mailto:daniel(a)meta.net.nz] > Sent: Tuesday, 24 January 2006 9:33 a.m. > > I can't help you on campus (work in Auckland now) and most of > the WAND people who would help are in Dunedin for LCA I > beleive. However, there are some good guides online which may > help a bit: > > The advanced bash scripting guide is an excellent resource: > http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/ > Another guide I've suggested at times is here: > http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/unix/bash-tute.html > The RUTE book may help as well http://rute.sf.net/ > > And various WAND/WLUG members have at times run "intro to linux" > tutorials which covered basic bash scripting, but I can't > find the website any more! > > If he's doing some serious file processing, he may find that > a more full-featured programming language such as python > (www.python.org) may be more useful. > > Confused? Excellent...

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help with shell scripting
by David Nicholls 24 Jan '06

24 Jan '06

hi guys, hope everyone has had a good and fun new year. anyway... I have a student up here who is doing Un*x shell scripting (he is learning on the go) to run scientific data files through thier paces and of course get the required output (that goes without saying). anyway, I don't have enough experience to help him, but I was wondering if anyone from up at the uni was around who might be able to give him some time? Please let me know as soon as you can, I'd appreciate heaps. cheers... David Nicholls Computer Support Consultant d.nicholls at waikato.ac.nz School of Science & Engineering / Dept of Chemistry The University of Waikato Hamilton, New Zealand

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Fedora Reloaded Podcast.
by Michael 23 Jan '06

23 Jan '06

Fedora Reloaded 4 is out, its not bad. An interview with Chris Blizzard (talks on mono inclusion in FC), Konstantin Ryabitsev from the Fedora Extras project and Greg de K. on Fedora foundation and Fedora ambassadors. The ogg is only 18.1MB is a good listen. Its certainly worth grabbing if your in the slightest bit interested in some of the going ons and on goings of Fedora. http://www.fedorareloaded.com/ http://www.fedorareloaded.com/podcasts/Fedora_Reloaded_4.ogg Michael

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WLUG Meeting is tonight
by Meeting Reminder bot 22 Jan '06

22 Jan '06

The WLUG meeting is this evening ---------------------------------------------------------------------- There will be no meeting for the following reasons.... * There will be a number of people heading off to linux.conf.au (http://lca2006.linux.org.au/) next week. * We are currently renegotiating our regular venue, LITB is no longer suitable as what was one big room is now two small rooms.

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WLUG Meeting is on Monday
by Meeting Reminder bot 19 Jan '06

19 Jan '06

The WLUG meeting is on Monday ---------------------------------------------------------------------- There will be no meeting for the following reasons.... * There will be a number of people heading off to linux.conf.au (http://lca2006.linux.org.au/) next week. * We are currently renegotiating our regular venue, LITB is no longer suitable as what was one big room is now two small rooms.

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adding a link to WLUG
by Michael 18 Jan '06

18 Jan '06

Would there be any objection to me adding WLUG to the Fedora projects LUG link page? http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/LinuxUserGroups <http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/LinuxUserGroups> Thanks Michael

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Gnome Applet question
by Leslie Katz 18 Jan '06

18 Jan '06

I'm using Gnome v 2.8.2. Among the Gnome applets available to be added to my top or bottom panel is one called "Stock Ticker". I'd like to use that applet, but I'd only like to have it open while the stock exchange is open. At other times I'd like to have it closed. I added the applet to one of my panels and then configured it as I liked. I then removed it and re-added it (without having shut my computer down in the interim). On re-adding the applet, I discovered that all of the preferences I'd earlier set for it had disappeared. If, on the other hand, I shut down my computer without having removed the applet and then restarted it, the applet re-appeared with all of my preferences intact. I read a lot of material about Gconf, its GUI editor and gconftool-2. By playing around with those things, I discovered the following: the Stock Ticker applet gets assigned a number when added to the panel, say, applet_3. If I remove the applet and then re-add it, it comes back as applet_4. That's the reason, no doubt, why my preferences disappear when I close the applet--they were attached to applet_3 only. Applet_4's preferences are the default ones for whenever the Stock Ticker's first opened. I need a way to change the default preferences for the Stock Ticker so that, whenever it's opened, it opens with my preferences, not the built-in ones, but finding it's beyond me. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can change the Stock Ticker's default preferences permanently, so that, each time it's opened, it opens with my preferences?

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No January meeting next week.
by Lindsay Druett 16 Jan '06

16 Jan '06

Hi All, There will be no meeting next week for the following reasons.... * There will be a number of people heading off to linux.conf.au (http://lca2006.linux.org.au/) next week. * We are currently renegotiating our regular venue, LITB is no longer suitable as what was one big room is now two small rooms. We have a speaker confirmed for February's meeting, who is Peter Bryant, from Rimu Hosting. We also have a speaker tentatively booked for May's meeting. Regards, Lindsay Druett.

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WLUG meeting is one week away
by Meeting Reminder bot 15 Jan '06

15 Jan '06

The Waikato Linux Users Group have a meeting in one week today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A WLUG meeting is bookd for this date. No topic has been announced.

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OSS Software for SOHO?
by Greig McGill 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

Hi all, A friend is considering starting her own small business, and has asked me what the state of F/OSS packages for small businesses in NZ? She is specifically looking for (in order of priority): * Meeting the requirements of her accountant (any accountants on the list? What requirements are there? I don't know! :) * As complete and featureful as possible. * Runs on Windows. This last one is really not a problem, as I have told her there will be no problem obtaining a Linux or *BSD workstation specifically to run her business applications, and she likes the idea of the separation, as her kids and partner are fiddlers! :) Anyone done this? Olly? I vaguely remember you were playing with MYOB alternatives? I'd be very interested in hearing from any accountants lurking on this list also as to how hard it makes your job if your clients aren't running something "standard" like MYOB? Regards, Greig McGill

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Re: [wlug] BBQ roundup
by David Nicholls 09 Jan '06

09 Jan '06

I was just thinking... Perhaps if we hold this a little further out from christmas, more general members might be able to make it. I managed to miss it every time now doe to family commitments :( and I've been really wanting to get to one of these for some time. Cheers... david > -----Original Message----- > From: Craig Box [mailto:craig(a)dubculture.co.nz] > Sent: Tuesday, 20 December 2005 9:30 p.m. > To: Waikato Linux Users Group > Subject: [wlug] BBQ roundup > > (http://www.wlug.org.nz/MeetingTopics.2005-12-18) > > End-of-year Summer BBQ > > As traditional, held at Perry's and Jamie's place. Thanks for > having us, and especially to Jamie for being co-opted back > onto the committee for the day. We didn't quite get perfect > weather, but there was still much cricket played. > > Turnout wasn't hugely inspiring; there were a good number of > committee and hangers-on, but the number of "general WLUG > members" wasn't that great. After the effort that was put in > to try and appeal to the greater membership, it was > disappointing and we will re-evaluate the event next year. > > Photos: http://www.pointless.co.nz/gallery/wlug-bbq-05 > > Craig > > _______________________________________________ > wlug mailing list | wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz > Unsubscribe: http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

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OSS software for SOHO
by Leslie Katz 08 Jan '06

08 Jan '06

For Linux, there's Gnucash. I use it for my personal affairs, but many use it for business. The mailing list is very impressive, with many serious contributors.

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Exim for Beginners
by Ivan Potgieter 08 Jan '06

08 Jan '06

Thanks to Michael and David for the links. Unfortunately the ConfiguringExim page <http://www.exim.org/eximwiki/ConfiguringExim?action=fullsearch&value=linkto…>on the <http://www.exim.org/eximwiki/ConfiguringExim?action=fullsearch&value=linkto…> EximWike site is quite sparse (empty actually) <sigh>. I might add some links or content on out wiki once I'm done. Thanks again.

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Exim for Beginners
by Ivan Potgieter 04 Jan '06

04 Jan '06

Hi all, I have decided to attempt setting up a mailserver using exim, but I am having some difficulty finding how-to type documentation. I keep finding FAQs and the like. Does anyone have any suggestions? Many thanks, Ivan BTW: Happy New Year

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Bit-torrent for Apt
by Ian McDonald 03 Jan '06

03 Jan '06

This is an idea I had been thinking about for a while but never got around to actually doing anything about. Haven't tested myself (or even finished reading about it!!) but I think this is kind of cool. http://sianka.free.fr/documentation.html -- Ian McDonald http://wand.net.nz/~iam4 WAND Network Research Group University of Waikato New Zealand

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