- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Introducing the mintBox
by Peter Reutemann 17 Jun '12

17 Jun '12

"In association with CompuLab, Linux Mint is proud to introduce the mintBox. The pro model is recognizable by its ribbed case (its faster performance requires more heat dissipation) We’re passionate about what we do and for our very first Mint device, we wanted something unique, something special and extraordinary." Based on the fit-PC3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fit-PC#fit-PC3) and marketed as mintBox running Linux Mint 13 (Cinnamon). Specs: - mintBox Basic ($476 + shipping, duty & VAT): 250GB HDD APU G-T40N (1.0 GHz dual core + Radeon HD 6290 – 9W) 4GB RAM Flat metal case - mintBox Pro ($549 + shipping, duty & VAT): 250GB HDD APU G-T56N (1.65 GHz dual core + Radeon HD 6320 – 18W) 8GB RAM Ribbed metal case "Another highlight of the mintBox is how easy it is to open it. Both the RAM and the HDD are accessible from underneath the box. Use a standard screwdriver to open the bay and you can upgrade your RAM or switch the HDD for a SSD drive without any hassle." -- source: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2055 It ain't cheap, but still cool. :-) Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Re: [wlug] Skype 4.0 For Linux Now Available
by GJB 15 Jun '12

15 Jun '12

Wonder if they have any new encryption for chat or privacy tools included? It is notoriously insecure, something linux users are usually not that happy about. > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [wlug] Skype 4.0 For Linux Now Available > From: Peter Reutemann <fracpete(a)waikato.ac.nz> > Date: Fri, June 15, 2012 10:43 am > To: wlug <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > > > "Anyone who uses Skype on Linux will be happy to hear that a new > version has been made available today, bringing with it a host of > essential updates and new features. Skype 4.0, codenamed "Four Rooms > for Improvement," is long overdue, and Marco Cimmino makes a point of > thanking Linux users for their patience on the Skype blog. The main > improvements Skype is delivering include much improved audio call > quality, better video support, and improved chat synchronization. For > video specifically, Skype has spent time implementing support for a > much wider range of webcams, so if your camera didn't work before > today you might be surprised to find it does in Skype 4.0. Visually, > Skype has received a new Conversations View, which brings all chats > into a single, unified window (you can revert to the old view if you > prefer). There's also a new Call View, presence and emoticons have > been redesigned, and you can now store and view numbers within each > Skype profile." > > -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/06/14/223213/skype-40-for-linux-now-avai… > > Cheers, Peter > -- > Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ > http://www.cms.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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Skype 4.0 For Linux Now Available
by Peter Reutemann 14 Jun '12

14 Jun '12

"Anyone who uses Skype on Linux will be happy to hear that a new version has been made available today, bringing with it a host of essential updates and new features. Skype 4.0, codenamed "Four Rooms for Improvement," is long overdue, and Marco Cimmino makes a point of thanking Linux users for their patience on the Skype blog. The main improvements Skype is delivering include much improved audio call quality, better video support, and improved chat synchronization. For video specifically, Skype has spent time implementing support for a much wider range of webcams, so if your camera didn't work before today you might be surprised to find it does in Skype 4.0. Visually, Skype has received a new Conversations View, which brings all chats into a single, unified window (you can revert to the old view if you prefer). There's also a new Call View, presence and emoticons have been redesigned, and you can now store and view numbers within each Skype profile." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/06/14/223213/skype-40-for-linux-now-avai… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Ubuntu 12.04 Ported To the Allwinner A10 MK802 Mini PC
by Peter Reutemann 14 Jun '12

14 Jun '12

"Thanks to the strong ARM support in the Ubuntu repositories, Ubuntu, along with Lubuntu and others have been ported to work on the new MK802 mini PC. Performance is very impressive, especially given that Mali GPU driver support in Linux is still lacking features such as hardware video decoding." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/06/14/1343205/ubuntu-1204-ported-to-the-… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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/usr/share/applications what am I doing wrong?
by Bruce Kingsbury 14 Jun '12

14 Jun '12

I've installed Padman and urban terror in /opt .. created scripts to launch them in /usr/games, put icons in /usr/share/pixmaps and created .desktop files in /usr/share/applications (by copying the one for openarena and just changing the names). So far so good, the games appear in the menu and I can play them. After a reboot they're gone from the menu for every user, but I can get them back in the menu by simply opening a root terminal, moving the two .desktop files from /usr/share/applications to another directory and then moving them back again. And nothing more than this is required. What is going on?!

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Re: [wlug] With Euro Zone Problems, Bitcoin Experiencing Boost In Legitimacy
by GJB 14 Jun '12

14 Jun '12

Open source currency ... I suppose you all already know about the NZ bitcoin exchange https://bitnz.com/ other than this though doesn't seem to be much else happening in NZ regards bitcoin/namecoin etc. > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [wlug] With Euro Zone Problems, Bitcoin Experiencing Boost In > Legitimacy > From: Peter Reutemann <fracpete(a)waikato.ac.nz> > Date: Wed, June 13, 2012 4:20 pm > To: wlug <wlug(a)list.waikato.ac.nz> > > > For the Bitcoiners among you, this might be interesting: > > "Despite being used for drugs and beef jerky, Bitcoin is finding > legitimate purposes. Bitcoin's decentralized convenience means > international efficiency, in areas where local restrictions on money > transfers to foreign companies make legal businesses cumbersome. 'I've > been able to have cash in my bank account in a matter of hours using > Bitcoin, rather than three days with traditional banking,' one British > businessman in China told Reuters. In embattled Europe, Bitcoin offers > some a viable alternative against central banks, said a Greek owner of > an island bar and restaurant who accepts payment in Bitcoin. 'I don't > put money in the banks. I trust the euro as a note, but I don't trust > banks. I don't want them making money out of my earnings.' Indeed, > Europe's financial woes are caused an unprecedented surge of interest > in the alternative currency, as the continent loses economic > credibility with each new bailout, according to a report by the > Financial Post." > > -- source: http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/06/12/2351203/with-euro-zone-problems… > > Cheers, Peter > -- > Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ > http://www.cms.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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With Euro Zone Problems, Bitcoin Experiencing Boost In Legitimacy
by Peter Reutemann 13 Jun '12

13 Jun '12

For the Bitcoiners among you, this might be interesting: "Despite being used for drugs and beef jerky, Bitcoin is finding legitimate purposes. Bitcoin's decentralized convenience means international efficiency, in areas where local restrictions on money transfers to foreign companies make legal businesses cumbersome. 'I've been able to have cash in my bank account in a matter of hours using Bitcoin, rather than three days with traditional banking,' one British businessman in China told Reuters. In embattled Europe, Bitcoin offers some a viable alternative against central banks, said a Greek owner of an island bar and restaurant who accepts payment in Bitcoin. 'I don't put money in the banks. I trust the euro as a note, but I don't trust banks. I don't want them making money out of my earnings.' Indeed, Europe's financial woes are caused an unprecedented surge of interest in the alternative currency, as the continent loses economic credibility with each new bailout, according to a report by the Financial Post." -- source: http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/06/12/2351203/with-euro-zone-problems… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Debian wheezy for Raspberry Pi goes into testing
by Peter Reutemann 11 Jun '12

11 Jun '12

'Developers working with the low cost ARM based mini-computer now have a new version of Debian GNU/Linux to test: "wheezy"' --source: http://h-online.com/-1615208 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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New Zealand Open Source Awards 2012
by Peter Reutemann 11 Jun '12

11 Jun '12

Hi everyone The New Zealand Open Source Awards are now open for nominations: http://www.nzosa.org.nz/ The categories this year don't just cover business and government software, but also include "Open Science Award" for science related software, "Open Source Use in The Arts", "Open Source Contributor" and "Open Source People's Choice Award" (for recognizing organizations/individuals). The full list is available here: http://www.nzosa.org.nz/categories If you think that a person or project from New Zealand should get nominated, then go ahead and do it: http://www.nzosa.org.nz/node/add/nomination Please feel free to forward this email. 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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REMINDER: WLUG meeting tonight!
by Meeting Reminder Bot 11 Jun '12

11 Jun '12

There's a WLUG meeting tonight: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- !!!WLUG LanParty Meet up at the university, usual meeting room for Monday meetings: MS4.G.02 (http://www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map?MS4) Time: 10am to 4pm Come along and bring your favourite free/ open source games or games that run on free operating systems. Suggestions include: * Bzflag * World of Padman * urban terror * Sauerbraten * More on WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open-source_video_games) We'll have internet access (48Mbit/s). 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. Toilets will be available around the campus, a couple of bakeries not far from campus.

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