Recommendation for printers
Hi I am looking to buy a new printer. My wife has a Vista Laptop and I want her to be able to print via our Ethernet hub (which has a port for a USB printer). Has anyone heard of that arrangement working for Linux? Has anyone brought a printer recently and found it to work OK with Linux? Regards Graeme
Re: The Linux Distro A
The budget advice suggestion is pretty smart. Schools? If I remember correctly the archive has the OpenDisc (win 32 Open Source applications) which should help widen the appeal. Regards Graeme dave wrote: On Tuesday 29 April 2008 8:53:05 pm Steve Holdoway wrote: On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:08:11 +1200 Christopher Sawtell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ah yes, but did they actually use it? -- Sincerely etc. Christopher Sawtell I hope so. I would feel rather sad if all of (especially) your and Wesleys efforts aren't appreciated. Unfortunately, I'm so busy that I can only offer the odd (!) distro. BTW ubuntu hh live + 2 x kubuntu live cd's any use?? Anyone out there with ideas to promote the resource??? Steve. CCC library been advised? surely they could have a page in the resources. what about budget advice (ie budget contrant folks talking about upgrading H/w or OS - I know but those who can least afford somethings see them as essentials to their life). What about trying for a grant from te CCC (Don you seem to have a way with powers that be - not trying to be bossy - Yes i am G) thus helping t off set whatever costs are involved. local chapter of the computer Society advised? Just some thoughts. wee me (dave)
Re: Open Source Computer Operating Systems v. The Fire Service and St John
If it was their website, they'd not be complying with e-Government web usability guidelines: http://www.e.govt.nz/standards/web-guidelines/web-standards-v1.0/agency-web-recommendations/quality-assurance.html#Recommendation18.1.1 Doesn't apply to their internal systems - which this probably counts as seeing as you need to log in. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Geoff and Jude Marks wrote: Dear Prime Minister Subject: Open Source Computer Operating Systems v. The Fire Service and St John My wife and I are members of the Little River Volunteer Fire Brigade and my wife is a volunteer with St John Ambulance. The Fire Service and St John both offer the ability to log into their intranets from home which is very useful. In most cases and for someone in my case who is the secretary for the Brigade, should allow them to do some form of filing at home, or in St John's case they are moving towards on-line training from home. This is very good, except (there had to be an except) when the secretary or the trainee uses an open source operating system (Ubuntu) on their home computer. Then you find out that in their wisdom both the Fire Service and St John have been exclusive and have designed their system so that only Microsoft Internet Explorer users are privileged with full access to all the features. I think it beggars belief that two government funded institutions do not consider the needs of all their volunteers by excluding those that chose to use open source operation systems. It shows a narrow minded approach that I feel is inappropriate. As government funded agencies they should be required to ensure that access to their systems is as inclusive as possible. I also strongly believe that as a country it is shortsighted to ignore the influence open source software will have in the future. Even Bill Gates is promising (don't hold your breath) to open up some of his source code. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7257411.stm) Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your Governments response. Geoff Marks
Re: 10 gig of bandwidth to use up - requests?
Hi I have the three FreeBSD 6.3 install disk for i386 downloaded and will send through to the archive. If you are looking at FreeBSD, as a way to using up the bandwidth, I would recommend the AMD64 version. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Phill Coxon wrote: I have 10 gig of bandwidth to burn within 48 hours. Any linux related download requests?
Re: Linux coverage on Stuff
Hi Actually this draft came from a discussion about an article in the Press (and on Stuff). I did a draft response but theres a lot of opinion out there that the paper is unlikely to care (especially true now - 2 weeks later). Once I started writing the thing I found that I actually enjoyed the writing part. So I am considering options. I could submit it and see who bites - it could be turned into a series of articles. If people like it I could stick a BSD type documentation licence on it so it can be used by whoever - e.g. for Software Freedom Days and install fests. I am open to suggestions. One key thing is that I am trying to keep it non-technical. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly there is a lot of technical material out there that examines features. I don't feel that I have a lot to add. Secondly a lot of people prefer the human side of something and find technology and features boring - and I am happy to respect that (they are the same people that would be bored by Microsoft too). Most importantly I think the human element needs to come out to bridge the gap between Open Source and the general public. I feel that the public probably doesn't see the difference between Freeware and Open Source for example. To them, why is Open Source software better than Freeware? Both are free? To understand why the why of open source is important to explain try the following analogy. If a group of people say that they want to set up camp at your local beach and watch your children playing through binoculars - that's freaky. If the same group of people save they want to set up a surf lifesaving group - that's great. To most people out there Open Source is simply another form of free software with nothing to explain the advantages or differences. I like some of the stuff about support though. Can I use some of this? Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Euan Clark wrote: Hi Graeme. Having only just subscribed I'm probably coming in on the middle of a thread - when are you looking to publish it? Some thoughts on your values section... Note on Linux support - I've found that in my using various Linux communities the response time is usually a lot faster than for proprietary product. In line with the faster evolutionary nature of Linux the distros are much more fluid in turnover and management of updates. There is greater uptake of user feedback into new features and problem fixing etc. Small fixes - the response time is down around a couple of hours, quite often talking directly to the developer rather than a helpdesk and 'someone will get back to you if you have bought support' in a couple of days. Proprietary product seems to have a much longer lag for new releases and vendors seem to have trouble garnering usage data - so much so that propretary desktop apps increasingly tend to invasively track usage and 'phone home', raising privacy concerns. No-one likes the idea of being spied on or manipulated out of their hard earned dollers (a freedom value). Your article looks to be aimed at non-tech people with little exposure to Linux. Most non-computer fluent (e.g. home users) have problems with spyware virii. The majority have no idea how to disinfect it themselves (becoming panic-striken) and the machine goes to the shop for a costly visit. This doesn't tend to happen under Linux. Another site you might like to mention is some of the the Windows / Linux equivalent apps sites like http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Linux_software_equivalent_to_Windows_software Regards, HL Graeme Kiyoto-Ward wrote: Hi Here is what I have so far. Targeted at home more than business. Some gaps. A lot of notes and a structure (that can be chopped up into several articles). Also - am staying well away from 'technical' and 'features' where I can. A focus on the human element. Feedback, ideas (and especially encouragement) are welcome. Can post as a OOO document if preferred. Also this is likely to be a big message so happy to continue offline if interested reviewers/contributors make themselves known. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Article starts below this line _ *Needs some Legal Stuff* /Release under a suitable open licence? / *What is Open Source?* *Introduction* This is a look at Open Source software for ordinary people. If you have never heard of Open Source software or if you don't believe that software can be free and useful, then this article is for you. This is not a technical article, it is not going to sell you anything and most importantly, it is not going to tell you what to do. What you will learn is what open source software is and why top quality software can be free. This article will also point out some open source software you can run on windows for your kids, your home or your office. *What is Open Source Software* The computer programme that you install onto your PC
Re: Linux coverage on Stuff
Hi Here is what I have so far. Targeted at home more than business. Some gaps. A lot of notes and a structure (that can be chopped up into several articles). Also - am staying well away from 'technical' and 'features' where I can. A focus on the human element. Feedback, ideas (and especially encouragement) are welcome. Can post as a OOO document if preferred. Also this is likely to be a big message so happy to continue offline if interested reviewers/contributors make themselves known. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Article starts below this line _ Needs some Legal Stuff Release under a suitable open licence? What is Open Source? Introduction This is a look at Open Source software for ordinary people. If you have never heard of Open Source software or if you don't believe that software can be free and useful, then this article is for you. This is not a technical article, it is not going to sell you anything and most importantly, it is not going to tell you what to do. What you will learn is what open source software is and why top quality software can be free. This article will also point out some open source software you can run on windows for your kids, your home or your office. What is Open Source Software The computer programme that you install onto your PC (or Mac for that matter) are made by people. To make this software, the people who create the programme produce a script (called Source Code) that is read by a complex computer programme (called a Compiler) which turns this script into a file that your computer can run (Binary File). In the windows world, the binary file may be called an executable file. What is important here is that if you have the source code, a compiler (there are free compilers out there), and the skills then you can modify and create your own binary file. Open Source software is software where the person or group that creates the programme also release the Source Code to the public. This effectively makes the building blocks of the programme available for anyone to modify and create the final programme themselves. This is significantly different from other free software such as Freeware where only the Binary File may be released. Obviously this is also significantly different from many commercial programmes which are only available as binary files. The best metaphor for Open Source involves going to a restaurant for a meal. Commercial software is like buying a meal that is made in the kitchen out of sight. The meal could taste great but you couldn't make it yourself and you can only tell what they put into it from the way it looks on the plate. Open Source would be like going into the restaurant and getting the recipe with the meal. You know what you are getting, you could make the meal yourself and even if you could decide to change the recipe to suit your tastes (let's say you don't like the zucchinis). In fact open source is better than this, in many cases you could go to the restaurant and just get the recipe. Examples of Open Source Software The best known examples of Open Source software are Linux ( a free alternative to the likes of Windows), OpenOffice (a free alternative to the likes of Office), and Firefox (a free alternative to the likes of Internet Explorer). There is significantly more Open Source software than this. Debian Linux currently has around 18,000 binary files call packages available for it. Here to Stay All that is required to write software is a computer, a compiler, some skill, some time and the inclination to write the software itself. Many households have a computer, compilers (as I have mentioned above) are available for free, and there are many people with the skills, time and inclination. In fact many people find writing software enjoyable and the feeling when they solve a particularly difficult problem or produce a particularly clever programme can be very rewarding. Another element that makes Open Source work is the Internet which allows people who enjoy writing software to collaborate. Releasing the Source Code adds to the sense of accomplishment for these people. Their peers can see the results, other people who may have more knowledge than themselves can build on what they have written, or they simply may like to share their achievement. Given that for some writing Open Source software is cheap, enjoyable and rewarding, as long as it is legal to write software, Open Source is here to stay. Benefits To you as an individual To society Challenges What is freedom? I.e. arguments between different Open Source licenses Myths Patents nice way to mention Patent Armageddon (which sounds cool and interesting if nothing else) Awareness and Marketing limited budgets Don't go into business doing what others do for fun. Can this comment go somewhere? Why use Open Source? Myths No Support (implies less reliable) Difficult to Use
Re: distros and laptops
Hi
Strangely enough PC-BSD gives you the option of using IE6 (there is a
package that installs IE6 running under WINE). There are a number of
options to get flash working. The main issue I have is that I have not
managed to get a single browser working on PC-BSD with both Flash 9 and
the Java run time engine.
Also PC-BSD is 32 bit and I have decided that I like a 64 bit OS.
Regards
Graeme Kiyoto-Ward
Christopher Sawtell wrote:
On Dec 18, 2007 9:52 PM, Wesley Parish [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
[not to start any 'distro-wars' but] Can anyone recommend any particular
distro as being particularly laptop-friendly? Ie, plug-n-play installation
on most laptops, etc?
PC-BSD, PCLinuxOS, Sabayon ( Professional ) In that order.
I have disks for the first two.
I was seriously thinking of going over to PC-BSD myself, because it
installs faultlessly on my ThinkPad lappie. Even the Fn keys worked! I
then discovered, much to to my disappointment and annoyance that
FreeBSD does not support a native version of Flash. There are kludgy
workarounds, But I didn't fancy them.
So if you are happy to be without the latest flash player, I'd
recommend PC-BSD, basically because the BSD doco leaves the Linux
pseudo-prose for dead.
PCLinuxOS is a Mand{rake,riva} fork and they seem to have got a huge
number of wrinkles ironed out.
Sabayon is a tarted up fork of Gentoo. I'd suggest the Pro version
because the d/l is half the size and the uses the stable version of
the packages. It's ~2Gbytes.
I haven't got a DVD for the Pro version but I have the others. Getting
the Fn keys to work properly might need a bit of 'guru meditation',
and scripting.
Re: What the... home educational software at $6,000 a throw?
Found their site... ...I think. http://www.advancedlearning.co.nz/ ...links straight through to an Australian site with a home page full of dud links (e.g. about us) GKW Graeme Kiyoto-Ward wrote: Hi Am I reading this right? Consumer home learning software for $6,000? See this, in stuff: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4326092a13.html Has anyone heard or or seen the software by Advanced Learning Limited? They don't even have a webpage. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward
Re: Linux coverage on Stuff
Hi I get the idea that being constructive and not worrying about this gentleman's reporting is the preferred approach. I was happier writing about the software than whining about his piece anyway. If I cut the whines out and restructure to add a bit more meat, is anyone willing to help give it a go. Even if it doesn't get published in any paper, it could go on the web or get printed as posters the for the archive. In fact, we are open source, why not release it under BSD type documentation license for all to use (i.e. any paper). That is a bigger piece of work and I need a structure: how about - Software for Free - What is Open Source - Kids Software for Free - Home Software for Free - Office Software for Free - Multimedia Software for Free - Operating Systems for Free Two to three pages on each, this time with some screenshots. Reuse some of the material. Cover 5-7 applications in each group. Pick applications that are Open Source but that have a Windows port. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Roy Britten wrote: On 13/12/2007, Chris Hellyar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A better option IMHO might be to offer to write an article (or short series) of articles on FOSS for the paper. That's possibly the most sensible thing that's been said on the subject so far. If only I had more time... Roy.
Re: Linux coverage on Stuff
Hi I agree that ignoring it is not the right thing to do. Also, best to pitch it in that the article was one sided and that we are providing the otherside of the story. The media has an obligation to be fair in the treatment of its topics - knows it and is a little sensitive in that area (not sensitive to complaints though). Also a constructive approach also works best - adding value to their readership. Also, it is simple to get around his point of linux users always having a 'pat' answer - don't mention Linux... I have a windows partition and apart from a few games and the OS itself, is pretty much 100% open source. Happy to draft something. Might need some review - any takers for review? Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward stringer wrote: And proving his point about Linux people always having a 'pat' answer to everything? Maybe better NOT to knock him, but to offer them a pre-written article on the advantages of Open Source software (including pictures etc) which does not knock the opposition (MS) but simply states the obvious - theres a free solution for most things, which are sometimes inferior, often as good, and sometimes better than the paid 'alternative'. :-) At 15:18 11/12/07 +1300, you wrote: Not so sure that ignoring it completely is tha best answer, what about someone with kudos contacting the press with a rebutle? Chris T On Tue, 2007-12-11 at 13:06 +1300, Christopher Sawtell wrote: On Dec 11, 2007 12:39 PM, Michael Fincham [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4319987a11275.html What do we make of this one? ;) There is a talk-back or have your say button. I thought it was a load of semi-literate, racist, uninformed, flushable, rubbish. It's probably best to ignore it completely. D J H STRINGER Barrister For all your legal work; P O Box 1386 CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Phone 64 - 3 - 366 1152 FAX 64 - 3 - 366 1151
Re: The Linux/Unix Distro Archive is up and running.
Hi Flash is an issue for BSD. For PC-BSD, there are a number of install files for various versions of Firefox that get around this. Firefox and Flash 9 under Linux emulation and Firefox and Flash 9 for windows preset up under wine (ugly interface but). For the rest, yep, ports and packages work fine on PC-BSD. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Christopher Sawtell wrote: I added PC-BSD-1.4.1 yesterday. This is the simplest install ever! _BUT_ FreeBSD and descendants, of which PC-BSD is one, have the disadvantage that there is no native FlashPlayer-9 for them, and Google says that Adobe seems to be completely mute on the subject. Somebody is reported to have fixed up a kludge using I.E. and Wine, but I know nothing about that. Similarly I have not tried its abilities with WinModems Otherwise this seems to be a superb Unix implementation. The second CD has the I18N stuff and the KDE applications, and Firefox on it, so you need both CDs unless you are happy with a pretty emasculated install.
Re: Somewhat OT - OS-less Boxen... maybe less OT?
Hi I have just downloaded the Fedora 8 games live dvd. I am out of action the next two days. Will burn in the weekend and send through. Should I burn the iso as a file on the DVD rather than generate a the Live DVD itself. Only issue I see is Games fedora is a DVD but the boxes described have CD Roms. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Christopher Sawtell wrote: On 11/20/07, Wesley Parish [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, we certainly could use a games-centric version of Fedora 8 at the St Albans NN - advertise it right, and word would definitely get around ... ! ;) Notice that many of the the files in the PC-BSD sub directory are games. vis:- linuxisos/PC-BSD: total 2786320 -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 1946150 Oct 9 19:32 7-Zip4.42-PV1.0.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 20080582 Oct 10 08:19 9395.0.NeverBall1.4.0-PV1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 210069162 Oct 12 11:28 AlienArena20076.03-PV1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 11888321 Oct 13 00:15 Audacity1.2.4-PV3.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 13409156 Oct 13 13:03 Blender2.42-PV1.0.pbi* -rwxr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 1050 Jul 11 2006 bootloaders.txt* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 302249988 Oct 14 01:51 EnemyTerritory2.60b-PV1.1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 14466392 Oct 14 14:38 Gimp2.4.0rc1-PV3.pbi* -rwxr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 1924 Jul 11 2006 install.txt* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 23934719 Oct 15 03:25 Java-JRE1.5.0.07.01-PV1.1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 18812061 Oct 15 16:13 Linux-Firefox2.0.0.3-PV1.0.pbi* -rwxr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 1078 Jul 11 2006 partitioning.txt* -rwxr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 726460416 Sep 26 01:21 PCBSD-x86-1.4-CD2.iso* -rwxr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 726499328 Sep 25 21:22 PCBSD-x86-1.4.iso* -rw-r--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 108 Oct 16 01:19 PCBSD-x86-1.4.iso.md5 -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 55921469 Oct 10 21:10 Quake31.32bfreebsd-i386-PV1.0.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 7807892 Oct 11 09:57 Scribus1.2.4.1-PV0.9.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 22149555 Oct 11 22:44 Stellarium0.7.1-PV1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 39605655 Oct 13 00:18 Thunderbird2.0.0.5-PV3.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 474381155 Oct 16 05:02 TrueCombatElite0.49-PV1.0.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 151024956 Oct 16 17:49 VDrift20061006-PV1.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 15118033 Oct 17 06:36 Wine0.9.42-PV4.pbi* -r-xr--r-- 1 nobody lnxdisk 14417379 Oct 17 19:23 Xine0.99.4-PV1.1.pbi*
Re: Somewhat OT - OS-less Boxen... maybe less OT?
Hi I have about 8gig left on my plan with about 3 days to go. Send the URl for the distribution and I'll download it and burn in to CD for the resource centre. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Steve Holdoway wrote: Maybe there's an opportunity here to extend the services offered by the St. Albans gang??? I know there's a games-centric version of Fedora 8 just come out ( sorry, couldn't get away with downloading *that* one at work (: ), and with Christmas around the corner. Christopher/Wesley/Edwin + any others who I've unintentionally left out... wocher rekkon?? Steve. On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:55:22 +1300 (NZDT) Nick Rout [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Computer Broker will sometimes discount their ex lease boxes if you don't want the OS, and many of them come in OS and OSless options straight off the floor. Even the ones without an OS seem to have a license sticker, which presumably means you can install the licensed OS, although i note the opinion of someone on NZLUG who had read the licence who said that after the second owner, the license was no longer transferable (ie the third owner had to buy another licence). Anyway there is more than one MS license and I guess you need to read the actual one that pertains to the actual machine. In buying ex-lease gear I look at the hardware price in the knowledge that I don't give a rats thingamy what version of windows i can run on it. If the vendor will take a few dollars less without the OS on board, thats cool, but I look first and foremost at whether the hardware is worth the price. One time the broker did discount me a box with no OS. The guy was going to reformat the hard drive to remove whatever abomination had been installed on it, and I said I'm in a bit of a hurry, theres no way I am going to run that piece of crap, I promise I'll take it off as soon as I get home He grinned and handed me the box (and of course I kept my word, its now running mythtv). Nick On Tue, November 20, 2007 3:30 pm, Edwin F wrote: There was a discussion on the NZLUG recently about the availability of OS-less ex-lease boxen - apparently, most of them suffer from the MS tax due to their old licenses being no longer transferrable, or something to that effect. I thought I would throw it out there that I am in the process of starting a small ex-lease thing, and I would gladly supply cheap, OS-less boxen if the demand is there, and perhaps somebody would like to contact existing ex-lease sellers around Christchurch about supplying OS-less boxen for a lower price and compile a Linux-friendly supplier list on the CLUG wiki? Hope nobody minds, but... == blatant plug time == I have a bunch of these boxen, currently: Intel Celeron 2.0GHz 512MB DDR RAM 40GB HDD Broadcom GigE CD-ROM Drive Floppy Drive (remember those? -- neither do I) They came with 17 CRTs, too, so those can be had providing it is being picked up or the extra shipping is paid (for... uh... across town) These I can supply for ~$200 each, give or take. == blatant plug time ends == Thoughts? Cheers, Edwin. -- Nick Rout
Re: VirtualBox
Hi I've used it. It is quite easy to set up. Mostly I am trying to use it to bring Linux functionality to my wife's Vista laptop (to watch out of Zone DVDs). A bit of a change from how to do I run Windows programs in Linux to how do I get Linux functionality in Vista. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Robert Fisher wrote: Anyone on list have experience / comments about VirtualBox? http://virtualbox.org Rob
Re: Finding the number of linux users in NZ
Hi That's a good suggestion. I just wonder if TradeMe would respond to an individual. IRD is a good bet. Their stats are likely to be heavily skewed by Corporates and their windows boxes though. I suppose the same is true of ACC. On the other hand, a lot of corporate now ban access to TradeMe. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Phill Coxon wrote: On Thu, 2007-10-25 at 22:50 +1300, Graeme Kiyoto-Ward wrote: As for generating stats, I'm more interested in the overall OS and browser use. ACC is a site that probably has a broad range of 'appeal' for normal users and especially businesses. Hmmm. If you wanted really good across the board webs stats I'd call and write a letter to trademe.co.nz and ask them nicely. Trademe has far broader appeal than ACC where you are immediately reducing your target browser market to people who need information from ACC - i.e.: people who are hurt, business owners needing info etc. It's also the number one website in NZ. If you want to ask a government department I'd suggest ird.govt.nz would be better as that will cover a much wider population base (everyone's got to pay taxes...)
Re: Finding the number of linux users in NZ
Letter for TradeMe Any edits welcome. Trademe seems to keep it's physical address secret so this would probably best be directed through media enquiries. Letter Starts Who?? TradeMe Where?? Probably by e-mail. Date Graeme Kiyoto-Ward 223 Centaurus Road St Martins Christchurch 8022 Dear Sir Madam This letter is a request from TradeMe. I have a hobby of and an interest in Free Operating Systems. One of the questions that is most difficult to answer is how much is free software used within New Zealand. I am attempting to find ways to identify the ratio of users of Free Software in New Zealand, both Browsers and Operating Systems. Unfortunately there is no simple way to do this as most free Operating systems are installed on machines that were originally sold with OEM Windows pre-installed. I understand that TradeMe is New Zealand's most popular website and personal experience has shown that TradeMe displays well in any of the browsers on any of the operating systems I have tested on my home PC. I believe that a summary of the browser string logs TradeMe would be an excellent source of information to show the proportion of free software users within New Zealand. If possible, I would like to obtain a summary of the types of TradeMe visitor by Operating System and Browser – in particular the percentages. If TradeMe summarizes this information of course. My purpose for getting this information is personal interest, I would also like to share this information with the members of the Canterbury Linux User's Group. I fully understand that TradeMe has no reason to provide this information and if there is a commercial reason that you would not do so I fully understand. If this is the case, all I ask is that you let me know. Yours faithfully Graeme Kiyoto-Ward [EMAIL PROTECTED] Letter Ends Graeme Kiyoto-Ward wrote: Hi That's a good suggestion. I just wonder if TradeMe would respond to an individual. IRD is a good bet. Their stats are likely to be heavily skewed by Corporates and their windows boxes though. I suppose the same is true of ACC. On the other hand, a lot of corporate now ban access to TradeMe. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Phill Coxon wrote: On Thu, 2007-10-25 at 22:50 +1300, Graeme Kiyoto-Ward wrote: As for generating stats, I'm more interested in the overall OS and browser use. ACC is a site that probably has a broad range of 'appeal' for normal users and especially businesses. Hmmm. If you wanted really good across the board webs stats I'd call and write a letter to trademe.co.nz and ask them nicely. Trademe has far broader appeal than ACC where you are immediately reducing your target browser market to people who need information from ACC - i.e.: people who are hurt, business owners needing info etc. It's also the number one website in NZ. If you want to ask a government department I'd suggest ird.govt.nz would be better as that will cover a much wider population base (everyone's got to pay taxes...)
Finding the number of linux users in NZ
Hi At Software Freedom day, I expressed interest in trying to identify the numbers of Linux Users. I have had a thought to get the OIA to work in our favour and have drafted the following letter that I will send to ACC. For an OIA request to work, I need to be specific about the document or information that I am requesting. Can someone who understands server logs and user agent strings better than I have a look and see if I can describe what I am asking better. I will make the response available to any who are interested. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward DRAFT LETTER STARTS - To ACC From Me OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST Dear Sir Madam I am making a request for information under the Official Information Act 1982. Please provide to me the summary of statistics that show the types of Web Browser and types of Operating System that visit the ACC homepage and the ACC website in general. If you have a normal reporting period for this information, I am happy for the information to be for one reporting period in late 2007, as long as you specify what the reporting period is. If you do not have a standard reporting period, please provide the information for the month of August 2007. Please provide this information either in writing to the address at the top of this letter or feel free to e-mail this information to my e-mail address... I believe that this information should be readily available as ACC will need to track the user agent strings statistics for web browser accessing the ACC homepage at least. Under section 18.1 of the NZ government agency web site Standards, Government Agencies must make their websites usable browsers under the following conditions: The minimum list of web browser types and their corresponding version(s) combinations is derived from those that make up 1% or more of the total web browser types/versions that have been used by users accessing the homepage of the Main agency web site of the agency over a specific 12 month period. Internet Explorer 7.n (Windows, Mac) and/or Firefox 2.x (Windows, Linux, Mac) must be included in this list, if not already present. The purpose for this request is that it is difficult to understand the extent to which different Web Browsers and Operating Systems are used within New Zealand. I believe that ACC is one excellent source for this information because the extent to which your organization provides information online. --- DRAFT LETTER ENDS
Re: Finding the number of linux users in NZ
Hi I did some work in a government agency about their management of OIA requests when I was consulting. I agree that addressing this to the person in charge would probably make sense. From memory they will see OIA request and probably not worry about the addressing at all. I'll address it to CEO. As for generating stats, I'm more interested in the overall OS and browser use. ACC is a site that probably has a broad range of 'appeal' for normal users and especially businesses. Free OS'es are a slipperly beast because there are no sales stats. This is for general interest, also making a request in a year's time would show growth or otherwise (esp with the dead weight of Vista possibly making Linux more attractive). A previous response mentioned getting this information without an OIA. The advantage of an OIA is that it make the information open. Also, replace the addressing and target the agency that best addresses the demographic you are looking for. e.g. ERO for families with children (looking for schools), MSD for lower income groups, IRD for general population, etc. Distrowatch has stats available, but as you can imagine their stats are probably weighted in favour of Linux users. http://distrowatch.com/awstats/awstats.DistroWatch.com.osdetail.html W3Schools maintains stats (and it is interesting that Firefox beats IE6 and IE7 if there are not treated as one). Once again, the demographic isn't so general. http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp Happy to field any other questions. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Christopher Sawtell wrote: Just a couple of points: If you can provide them with a reason as to why you want the information, and address it to a person, rather than just to a "Sir or Madam". eg To the Director General ( or whatever his post is called these days ) for the attention Mr. Joe Bloggs, on the envelope and "Dear Mr Joe Bloggs" on the letter. btw, are we supposed to be creating statistics? btw2, It seems to work ok in both FireFox and Konqueror. ( Front page display anyway ) On 10/25/07, Graeme Kiyoto-Ward [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi At Software Freedom day, I expressed interest in trying to identify the numbers of Linux Users. I have had a thought to get the OIA to work in our favour and have drafted the following letter that I will send to ACC. For an OIA request to work, I need to be specific about the document or information that I am requesting. Can someone who understands server logs and user agent strings better than I have a look and see if I can describe what I am asking better. I will make the response available to any who are interested. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward DRAFT LETTER STARTS - To ACC >From Me OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST Dear Sir Madam I am making a request for information under the Official Information Act 1982. Please provide to me the summary of statistics that show the types of Web Browser and types of Operating System that visit the ACC homepage and the ACC website in general. If you have a normal reporting period for this information, I am happy for the information to be for one reporting period in late 2007, as long as you specify what the reporting period is. If you do not have a standard reporting period, please provide the information for the month of August 2007. Please provide this information either in writing to the address at the top of this letter or feel free to e-mail this information to my e-mail address... I believe that this information should be readily available as ACC will need to track the user agent strings statistics for web browser accessing the ACC homepage at least. Under section 18.1 of the NZ government agency web site Standards, Government Agencies must make their websites usable browsers under the following conditions: The minimum list of web browser types and their corresponding version(s) combinations is derived from those that make up 1% or more of the total web browser types/versions that have been used by users accessing the homepage of the 'Main' agency web site of the agency over a specific 12 month period. Internet Explorer 7.n (Windows, Mac) and/or Firefox 2.x (Windows, Linux, Mac) must be included in this list, if not already present. The purpose for this request is that it is difficult to understand the extent to which different Web Browsers and Operating Systems are used within New Zealand. I believe that ACC is one excellent source for this information because the extent to which your organization provides information online. --- DRAFT LETTER ENDS
Re: Feisty to Gutsy upgrade : Notes to self...
Hi I am also having problems with two screens. I have tried the Nvidia configuration tool to no effect. Any information on fixing this would be welcome. Graphics did slow down but only after I started randomly switching on Compiz effects. The Shift Switcher doesn't like the water drops effect! Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward lyndon sutherland wrote: Hi, Kerry Mayes wrote: 1. smbfs is uninstalled and not replaced. Easy fixed. Didn't happen to me, things keep right on keeping on. 2. VMware Server from the feisty repos has not been upgraded. Only solution was to uninstall and install from a download from vmware. Relatively easily fixed. Workstation also is broken, well the version I was running. I found a patch that does overcome the problem which was mentioned on the Ubuntu forums. Not liking the patch much I downloaded the latest version of workstation and it installed fine. 3. Dual screens - not working. Hmmm. There's a gui now, so theoretically no need to start editing the xorg.conf file. No luck. Google for the answers. There are now two ways of doing this. The gui way uses xinerama. The manual way uses xrandr. Aargh! Feisty was very kind to me over this - by turning off xinerama my two screens came up as two desktops - very handy. Gusty initialises one desktop and leaves the other blank. bugger! Much more research required. And as I'm trying to work in between trying different ideas, I find that the graphics performance has slowed to a crawl. It take 20 - 30 seconds to redraw a table in a word processor. I use only a single screen but haven't encountered any issues with graphics performance. I use an old Ti4200 and have Compiz installed and a number of visual effects enabled, as snappy as Feisty on which I was using Beryl. The upgrade automatically swapped Beryl for Compiz and did take a little figuring. Cheers L
Linux streaks back into the lead...
Hi I had a hard drive failure on Friday and seeing as the drive that failed was the on that held my OS(es), I thought I would give the amd64 version of Ubuntu, Gusty a try. Very impressive. Easy to install Nvidia drivers, the non free repository includes a flash plugin that works in the 64 bit version. 3d desktop without the strangeness that I experienced with Feisty. This is the first 64 bit desktop I would recommend to novices. I appreciate the performance that comes with 64 bit as well! Maybe it will take some time before I bother reinstalling some of the other OSes I lost... Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward
Re: Virtulization question.
Hi Virtual box does this. You will need the proprietary version (a free download for non commercial use) to have access to USB. You'd need to check their site for serial. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward David Upex wrote: Hi, I want to run Windows XP as a virtual guest using Fedora as the host. I need to have access to usb and serial coms. in the virtualised machine. I have heard of qemu and Xen what other applications are available to achieve this. Has anyone had any experience in doing this, if so what do you recommend. Thanks - Dave
Re: Linux for OOLLLLLDD PCs
Hi DSL provides a file BootFloopy.img on the ftp site to start the boot from a floppy then finish from a CD. DeLi Linux is also supposed to be good for older computers though I have never tried it. Of course, and don't hate me for saying this, there is always NetBSD. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Aidan Gauland wrote: Greetings, I have a very very very old PC--I'm serious, this thing only has about 64 MB of RAM, and a 100 MHz Pentium CPU, and a BIOS that can only boot from a hard drive or a floppy drive--which I have tried to get Damn Small Linux running on, but it fails to boot the live CD, and I think this is because it fails silently when setting up the RAM disk which makes trouble later when it tries to read/write files in the RAM disk. In short: I think it is built to run with more memory than this computer has. Of course I already have a working Linux box with more power than this antiquated pile of silicon, but I thought I might have some fun, and maybe even show it off at the next software freedom day. So, should I try an older version of DSL? Or am I using the wrong distro for the job? Thanks, Aidan
Re: Image files of Linux and Unix on St. Albans Neighbourhood Resource Centre computers.
Hi I have the following I can contribute: Edubuntu 7.04 Games Knoppix 4.0 (DVD) PC-BSD 1.3 (discs 1 2) NetBSD Live (i386) Slackware 12.0 (discs 1 - 6) NetBSD 3.0 + packages (this is the i386 disk that contains the bas OS (200MB) + some packages NetBSD 3.1 (amd64) Let me know what you want from that lot. I may have some other images lying around. I can send these as disks which means some dd'ing if you are storing them on harddrive. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Christopher Sawtell wrote: Greetings CLUGgers, The recent thread which bemoaned the absence of a Definiitve Source for Linux in Christchurch has triggered Wesley and I to set up an archive of Linux Distros. In conjuction with the St. Albans Neighbourhood Resource Centre - That's the place where we meet each month - we have created a goodly, but by no means complete, collection of Linux and Unix disks. The Centre is open for business between 11:00am and 3:00pm every weekday and 1:00pm till 3:00 pm. on Saturdays. Go here for the list of Distros:- http://berty.dyndns.org/NN_Images.txt and here for a Street map:- http://tinyurl.com/ytbmb4 This is neither a download mirror, nor a Linux by post service - You have to turn up in person with loose change in your pocket to buy a CD/DVD. Alternatively a USB device with a Windows compatible file-system and sufficient free space is also possible. As this is all new to the Centre, I suggest a slow start. They won't be able to service dozens of CLUGgers turning up at lunchtime on Monday. It might be best to wait until Tuesday when Wesley is working there. Donations of other distributions to add to the collection would be welcome.
Re: Live CDs
Hi Yes, you spelled my name correctly. I would look for topics on remastering knoppix or specifically on remastering damn small. Here are some on remastering damn small that I could find: http://www.linuxforums.org/desktop/remastering_dsl:_a_short_howto_with_a_long_preamble.html http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=12;t=7177 Best of luck Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Aidan Gauland wrote: Graeme (sorry if I misspelled your name) at the SFD told me about that, but I came from the Mac cult and don't have Windows. But I'll keep Slax in mind as plan C. I'm doing this for the learning experience, and because I can. Isn't why the Linux kernel was created originally? But I will try to thoroughly test my changes to make sure I didn't break anything. On 15/09/2007, at 7:42 PM, Kerry Mayes wrote: I'm not much of a fan of Live CDs anymore, but when I was, I found Slax to be a remarkably easy system for creating custom Live CDs. Everything is in modules you just add them to the right subdirectory on the cd and they are loaded. There's a nice software system for creating live cds, though it's Windoze based! I think it's called myslax creator. Kerry. On 15/09/2007, Aidan Gauland [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: After seeing Damn Small Linux at Software Freedom Day, I am going to try to modify the live CD adapting this how-to... https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCDCustomization ...to add some programs like Emacs, and parted, and maybe some other minor alterations. Unless someone can recommend an easier way. If it works, I will post what I did differently. Aidan
Re: bus info browser compatibility
Hi I followed the instructions on installing the SVG viewer (actually I followed them to the point that I would just give up and drive). Installing the viewer removed the notice saying that I needed to install SVG viewer and displayed a blank section of page instead. Maybe someone more patient/knowledgeable/determined could have got it going but for an average Ubuntu user the page is unusable. Anyway for those who want to know what our government says about such things. New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations v1.0 It applies to any web site that is intended for the public and financed by the public through the crown or through public agencies. This covers: All Public Service Departments New Zealand Police New Zealand Defence Force Parliamentary Counsel Office New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. These standards were published in March 2007 and become mandatory on 1 January 2008. Quality Assurance (this is a standard, i.e. mandatory, not a recommendation) 18.1 Minimum web browsers and their respective versions for sites to work in Any web site that is under ownership of the agency that is a new web site, or an existing web site, where the overall look and feel or functionality has been modified must work satisfactorily in a minimum list of web browser types and respective versions prior to being released as a production web site. The minimum list of web browser types and their corresponding version(s) combinations is derived from those that make up 1% or more of the total web browser types/versions that have been used by users accessing the homepage of the Main agency web site of the agency over a specific 12 month period. Internet Explorer 7.n (Windows, Mac) and/or Firefox 2.x (Windows, Linux, Mac) must be included in this list, if not already present. Here's the recommendation: Quality Assurance (if you haven't fallen asleep by this point). Outcome, if they substantially upgrade the page after 1 Jan 2008, it needs to be usable in Firefox on Linux. Unfortunately for Christchurch City Council, Abode has this to say about SVG viewer: Please note that Adobe has announced that it will discontinue support for Adobe SVG Viewer on January 1, 2008. As an aside, govt agencies need to produce their pages to be usable by any browser than makes up 1% of the total share accessing the site. I wonder if a campaign by KDE users across the country could 'Konqueror' a small government agency... Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Regards Rik Tindall wrote: Carl Cerecke wrote: On 10/09/2007, Rik Tindall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Recalling Andrew Errington's post a while back about bus timetable info being unreadable with some web browsers, can we please confirm that this was the relevant page route and that the issue has been completely resolved?: http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/timetable_maps.html No. Click on the 'realtime bus info' link on that page or see: http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/realtime_map.html Cheers, Carl. Thanks Carl. A pity, since the page and services otherwise look so inviting.. Ok, let's do something about this. What I propose is to pitch our Software Freedom Day http://www.softwarefreedomday.org media release, for the coming weekend, around this key compatibility issue. Something like: "10% of Canterbury Internet users excluded from ECan bus system", as a headline sought. >From the link to here - http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/main.html - it says there's some outdated RedHat Linux 7.19e http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/magic/svgviewer/linux/3.x/3.01x88/en/adobesvg-3.01x88-linux-i386.tar.gz Solaris 8 http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/magic/svgviewer/solaris/3.x/3.0x77/en/adobesvg-3.0-solaris-sparc.tar.gz support available, as well as that for Win 98XP http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/magic/svgviewer/win/3.x/3.03/en/SVGView.exe , Mac 8.69.1 http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/magic/svgviewer/mac/3.x/3.0/en/SVGView.bin Mac 10.110.4 http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/magic/svgviewer/mac/3.x/3.0/en/SVGViewCarbon.bin. So what we need now is our best estimate of the exact current percentage to go into the release header. This would include all Firefox Opera etc users, presumably, as well as us on pure *nix. Anyone able to contribute some testing on those other platforms please? Try this: Real Time Bus Info http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/realtime_map.html Thanks for your help, Rik pp SoftwareFreedomDay.org Team Christchurch
Re: Debian install without network connection?
Hi One possibility to consider is run off the Trademe and purchase the 3 dvds. I got them for about $5. This gives access to a vast range of software without requiring a connection. Of course updates will be a problem. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward Gauland, Michael wrote: Aidan’s got his new PC, and has decided to go with Debian. Being limited to dial-up, the plan is to do a base install from disk, retrieve the repository indices from the ‘net, generate a download script for the desired packages, and do the actual download off-site. Does this sound workable? Which CD do we need for the base install? The Debian site has about 20 images for the current release, as well as a “net install” disk. The latter sounds promising, but does it require a network connection during installation? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks, Mike ** This electronic message together with any attachments is confidential. If you receive it in error: (i) you must not use, disclose, copy or retain it; (ii) please contact the sender immediately by reply email and then delete the emails. Views expressed in this email may not be those of the Airways Corporation of New Zealand Limited ** No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/976 - Release Date: 27/08/2007 6:20 p.m.
Re: Christchurch Linux Distribution Points
Hi You can get Linux from any reasonable bookshop of reasonable sized supermarket for $10.00. You simply don't get to choice of distribution. Each month APC magazine features a Linux distro on the cover DVD. If you need to get started in a hurry, don't have an internet connection and aren't fussy its a good place to start. The library is another place to look if you don't want to spend any money and don't mind an older distro. Choices are linux magazines or look in the OS section of the computer books. All within Christchurch. Regards Graeme Kiyoto-Ward alanw wrote: Thanks Chris, but the point of the exercise is... ah, what would you call it?... get it now? If I wanted a copy of a Linux distribution, say Mepis, for example, where could I get it, within the hour? I can pick up a micro$oft CD from a multitude of places, and have it in my hot little hand, within the hour, because it's everywhere practically. Yet, I can't do that with Linux. Simply because I don't know where to go. Picture someone in Chch on holiday, say, and they don't know anyone here yet. They hear of a new distro they want to try out on their laptop maybe. But they don't have broadband (or it's not working, whatever)... where can they get the CD? Is there a list of places I could point them to? No. I don't even know myself where I'd go. So I've got the yellow pages open, and am ringing around. So far... Harvey Norman is out, no Linux at all. Future plans - none. The Computer Broker used to have Ubuntu for $5 but no longer stock it. Future plans - none. Dick Smith? Old and new versions of Ubuntu - $7 and $9. Get it now?
