Re: [Hampshire] Linux compatible cameras
On 16/06/13 10:58, Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: I'm not sure if I understand 'Linux compatible' in this context. Surely the compatibility is not a function of the camera? Agreed, but I think I know what Keith is driving at; I suspect that he wants his mum to plug in the camera and for an application like Shotwell to pop up and more or less take care of copying the pictures to the hard drive and clearing down the memory card on the camera, with as little interaction as possible on his mum's part. I've used any number of different cameras with Linux machines and I've never had a problem. We use Canons (I have a G12 and my wife has a smaller less complex model) because they pretty much dominate the quality digital compact market having got in early and done a lot of the hard work pioneering the format. As alluded to above, Shotwell does all of the archiving for us, pulling the pictures off and storing them in a MM DD archive, with an option to clear down the camera's memory when it is complete. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux compatible cameras
On 16/06/13 11:37, Keith Edmunds wrote: Bit too high-end for Mummy (and it bit bloody expensive for son!) Bit too expensive for me too - I was fortunate enough to receive it as a gift! ;-) I bought a Canon Ixus 127 HS for Caroline and it is superb - she is a bit of a technophobe and gets on really well with it, having had several cameras that she grumbled about before. It cost around £150 with a case and memory IIRC, and appears to be available for considerably less now: http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/products/canon/ixus-127-hs-digital-camera-in-black-83633/show.html A couple of friends have Fujifilm cameras that have served them well, just to back up that recommendation from someone else. I bought my daughter a cheap Nikon compact (having for many years myself been a Nikon SLR man), and was pretty disappointed by that in terms of picture quality and build. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Hants LUG membership
On 12/06/13 16:02, john lewis wrote: I have reluctantly decided to cease memebrship of HantsLUG. It is unlikely I will be able to visit any meeting in the future and I don't contribute much to the mailing list either these days. I have enjoyed being a member and would like to say a big thank you for all the help I have had from too many people to be able to list over the years. I shall of course continue to be a user of Debian until such time as I disappear into a personal /dev/nul. Hey John, Like you I don't contribute much to the list these days (and have never really been one for the meetings), but thanks very much for all of your contributions to the LUG and also for our little chats off-list, be they in Borders or via email: those thumb-shifters are still going strong! :-) All the best, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] re Windows 8 + Dual Booting
On 14/04/13 13:35, Stephen Davies wrote: Shame on you. No one in their right mind does that. :) Take the time to go to Novatech and see what they have to offer. Fair point Steve, although in my defence I was only doing that while Caroline was ogling fridges in Currys (which shares the same physical store), and she was only doing that while Sam was buying some Sennheiser headphones, which were somewhat surprisingly cheaper there than online! We are looking for something physically lighter than the Acer beast she currently owns, and preferably unencumbered with the bizarre (known) battery issues that have plagued it since very early on, whereby you have to remove said battery and discharge the static from the machine to boot it every so often. Anyway, the point is that we were hefting them, just to get a feel for weight and build. When she has a better idea of what she wants, we will doubtless go to a proper store and buy one. Heh, it was refreshing to leave Currys/PCWorld not shaking a fist and ranting, like I usually do! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Windows 8 + Dual Booting
On 14/04/13 19:55, Leszek Kobiernicki 1 wrote: For a free, non-commercial, home-use version, go http://neosmart.net/Download/Register/1 Thanks Les! Indeed, thanks all for your input. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Windows 8 + Dual Booting
Hi Folks, My daughter's 21st is nearly upon us and she has told us that she would like a new laptop. We were idly browsing some in PC World today and it became apparent that they were all shipping with Windows 8. Ellen is a Linux Mint user and would like to continue to use it on her new laptop, but I have heard that our normal MO, squashing Windows into a much smaller partition and then installing Mint on the back end, isn't an option. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to claim back the Windows tax, but last time we enquired about it with Acer (she doesn't want another Acer btw) they wanted it shipped back to them (at our expense) so that they could remove it. We did the maths and calculated we stood to gain little more than a moral victory after paying for fully insured shipping, and therefore decided to leave Windows 7 where it was, which was just as well as it actually turned out to be useful for a couple of things in the end. Anyway, I'm rambling now! Does anyone have any experience of such things that they would care to share? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Friday Fun Question
On 15/03/13 22:38, john lewis wrote: On Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:07:09 + Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk wrote: I didn't think so Leshy, but before criticising the (so far) excellent novel that it cropped up in, I just wanted to check with some folks who I knew would have the answer to hand. There were a couple of other inaccuracies too, relating to Internet cafes and Linux boxes but I will bite my tongue on those and finish the book. The author in question is a pretty tech-savvy and generally smart guy, hence the question, but I shouldn't have doubted my intuition on that one. I too had similar thoughts when I read the book, the author knows too much about Linux to have written that without knowing he was writing 'nonsense' but I guess he is aware that there will be many windows users reading it who will expect several reboots following installation of a techy package like an anonomizer. The thing that worried me more though were the right wing attitudes of members of the main character's family and the implicit gun culture that involved. Hi John, Yes, interesting points there. Regarding the whole right wing thing I am undecided as to whether he is merely writing about or promoting it as a 'good thing'. I still have a way to go with the book yet - 100 pages or so - so I will hold back on that one. Giving him the benefit of the doubt it is fair to say that it is a very real phenomenon and as such worthy of literary exploration, plus he has created a number of disturbingly likeable anti-heros in this story, so maybe the 2nd Amendment types simply fit into the picture along with he rest of the misfits and oddballs? I'm still reading (and enjoying) it by the way - I should be done by tonight or tomorrow morning! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] Friday Fun Question
Okay, a bit off the wall this, but does Tor require a reboot, or indeed many reboots, to install it under Linux? A virtual pat on the back to anyone who can identify why I might be asking this question, with the clue that it doesn't relate to any real-world Tor installation! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Friday Fun Question
On 15/03/13 09:55, Leszek Kobiernicki 1 wrote: On 15/03/13 08:54, Sean Gibbins wrote: Okay, a bit off the wall this, but does Tor require a reboot, or indeed many reboots, to install it under Linux? A virtual pat on the back to anyone who can identify why I might be asking this question, with the clue that it doesn't relate to any real-world Tor installation! Sean No. And you don't install it. Download it onto your Desktop, unpack, click into the folder created, and create a link to the Start_Tor runfile: cut paste that onto your desktop Click that, the network tunnelling through the relays, will take place almost immediately Happy anonymizing ! Leshy I didn't think so Leshy, but before criticising the (so far) excellent novel that it cropped up in, I just wanted to check with some folks who I knew would have the answer to hand. There were a couple of other inaccuracies too, relating to Internet cafes and Linux boxes but I will bite my tongue on those and finish the book. The author in question is a pretty tech-savvy and generally smart guy, hence the question, but I shouldn't have doubted my intuition on that one. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Friday Fun Question
On 15/03/13 13:10, Imran Chaudhry wrote: The author in question is a pretty tech-savvy and generally smart guy, hence the question, but I shouldn't have doubted my intuition on that one. At a guess, some newish Neal Stephenson novel? /me currently reading Cryptonomicon on and off. Correct on the author Imran! I am reading REAMDE, which is so far proving to be an excellent thriller, but with 200 pages left to go out of 1000 or so there is time for it to crash and burn, so I will reserve judgement on it until I have finished it. I loved Cryptonomicon, and also quite enjoyed the related Baroque Cycle, despite it being quite a slog in places. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Friday Fun Question
On 15/03/13 17:22, Victor Churchill wrote: I'd concur with all the comments above. Loved Cryptonomicon, and also the Baroque Cycle, in differnet ways. I actually thought REAMDE, whilst being a good romp, was a bit flat in comparison; devent yarn but did not have the depth and the quasi-fractal excursions of the others. I'd largely agree with you there Victor. REAMDE is a geek's Alastair MacLean / Hammond Innes style romp that just builds and builds. It lacks the charm of Cryptonomicon but has generated some incredible action scenes and some thoroughly engaging characters. I thought Anathem was extraordinary too. I've only read that one once so far and it will definitely get read again. Yes, that was a real change of style and pace for him and real slow-burner that really drew me in. Stephenson has managed to do somethjing totally different from all his previous books each time he brings out a new title (apart from the Baroque trilogy, of course). And SNOW CRASH remains an absolute classic. Indeed, I loved the whacky almost cartoon-like characters and far-out scenarios that Snow Crash created. The Baroque trilogy was a bit of a slog - a bit like a trudge upa steep mountain with patches of cloud that cleared to reveal amazing views - hard work and rewarding in the end. Have you tried any of the 'Mongoliad' series yet? It's a collaborative effort with Greg Bear (among others) that reads surprisingly smoothly given the varied input, and centres around 13th century martial arts across Europe and Asia. Available cheap on Kindle, I read them on my smartphone (the first time I have done this) and thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and now have the third queued up and ready to go. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Steam
Hi Folks, Coming in on the periphery of the Linux vs. Microsoft desktop debate is the news that Steam is now available for Linux: http://store.steampowered.com/sale/linux_release/ Now, my gaming days are long gone but I have just installed the client - and will probably uninstall it later if I am honest - and that seemed to go very smoothly indeed. It looks like you need to be running an nVidia graphics card to get the best out of it, although that's what I have gleaned from the install routine that wanted to pull in jockey and some nVidia drivers despite me having and on-board ATI graphics solution. I also note that a bunch of games I bought way back while running it on Windows don't show up in my Linux catalogue, so I presume that the games available to Linux users are somewhat limited at this point, but it's a start I guess. Has anybody out there installed and played anything yet? And finally, am I right in thinking there's a bit of a kerfuffle kicking off with some of the big game developers and Microsoft recently that has led some of them [the developers] to threaten to go all Linux on Microsoft's posterior? Maybe this is the thin end of that wedge... Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Car based entertainment
On 08/02/13 23:15, LUG wrote: We are going to be driving to Scotland to visit the in-laws in summer and accompanying us will be our (by then) year old son. Year old - that's a typo, right Keith? Because I can't imagine any child of a year old being entertained by a gadget for long. We drove our kids (four of 'em with a spread of six years in between the twins and the youngest one) across Europe several times when they were young without anything more hi-tech than family sing-a-longs, cassette tapes and audio books. And whilst they were for the most part /incredibly/ good, there was naturally a reasonable amount of squawking, pooing and chundering, but that's pretty much unavoidable. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Scamming call
On 25/01/13 17:21, Tony Wood wrote: Have I got this right, Victor: you feel sorry for those knowingly making dishonest cold calls to con the public? I'm not entirely sure that the drones are dishonest. I suspect that they are offered a job cold-calling and installing software with little knowledge of what that software does, and take it with no questions asked. I wouldn't be surprised if their employers are European, either. In fact it might be interesting to engage them in a friendly discussion about this, i.e. something along the lines of: do you know that the software you are trying to sell me is at best overpriced and superfluous, or at worst malicious? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Scamming call
On 25/01/13 19:12, Keith Edmunds wrote: I suspect that they are offered a job [[...] and take it with no questions asked That is their choice and their responsibility. It doesn't excuse them being dishonest. That's a very selective interpretation of my reply Keith. It is possible that they are told that the people they are calling have computers identified as being infected and that the software they are selling and installing will repair their machines. That doesn't make them dishonest in my book. Naive or possibly even wiflfully ignorant, but not necessarily dishonest. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Scamming call
On 25/01/13 21:53, Roger Munford wrote: I think that a BT armed response service could be quite popular. I don't trust BT to provide me with broadband Roger, I'm not sure I want to even contemplate them handling national security! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Recommendations - Windows AV
On 20/01/13 11:48, Rob Malpass wrote: Hi all I think the time is fast approaching where I will have to buy some form of internet security tool for my W7 box. At present I use free stuff (ZoneAlarm) but this is now not as good as once it was. For example once upon a time, if a process asked for internet access, you would say Yes and tell it to remember your response and that was it. Nowadays a Java update always asks (and the tick box comes up saying I've previously said it was ok -- conclusion why ask me again?). My kids all use AVG Free Edition alongside whatever is installed by default with Windows 7. They go to all the usual sites that young people visit and don't seem to have any issues, either with viruses and malware or keeping the signatures current. They don't use ZoneAlarm or any other additional firewall products. ...and while I'm on the subject -- what do folks use on Linux machines for this kind of thing? I played around with Clamav years ago but these days don't bother with anything. My understanding of AV on Linux was that it is useful where you are sharing files with Windows users and don't want to be a conduit for infected files, and apart from that I believe it is fairly redundant as things currently stand. In my opinion your main line of defence is a decent firewall, restricting open ports down to just those you use, followed by good passwords and common sense where browsing and malware is concerned. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Stuff for sale
On 31/12/12 13:01, Ally Biggs wrote: I also have a google nexus 7 for sale, 16 gig version, restored to original settings complete with box, charger currently out of stock of google play Looking for £99 have original receipt item is still under warranty If at first you don't succeed... ;-) Is this still available Ally? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu Unity
On 04/12/12 16:38, Mihai Badea wrote: I reverted to KDE. I have 4.8.5 from Ubuntu 12.10 LTS. Me, I've gone all Lubuntu 12.10 and am mightily relieved, having tried the Unity thing for several months and never really felt comfortable with it. I considered Xubuntu as I'd used it previously, but felt like a bit of a change (although evidently not too much of one!) and so plumped for Lubuntu in the end. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu 12.04 Server Issue [SOLVED]
Hi Everyone, Just a quick line to tidy this up. First though, thanks to everyone who replied with suggestions. It was following up on these that led me to a workaround, if not a solution as such. Working on the basis that the GRUB install might have defaulted to the wrong drive I decided to have another go at 12.04 and see what options were on offer at that stage. As it happens there were none other than the default on offer, so I clicked on through expecting to encounter the same issue post-install and was surprised when it didn't occur. I have absolutely no idea why, but on the third attempt it worked. The only thing that comes to mind is that I elected to manually partition it this time rather than picking an off-the-peg solution, so maybe that had some bearing on it. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Ubuntu 12.04 Server Issue
Hi Folks, I got it into my head to install Ubuntu 12.04 Server AMD64 on machine I ciobbled together from an ASRock A330GC mini-itx motherboard, 2GB Kingston RAM, a 500GB Samsung SATA hard drive and a Lian Li mini-itx case. Before I go on, it's possibly worth mentioning that all of this kit ran Ubuntu 10.04 Server quite happily some time ago, before being disassembled and put away in the loft. Anyway, I reassembled to machine, downloaded the binaries and fired up the install, which went along merrily until it was time to reboot, after which the machine wouldn't POST. This wasn't immediately obvious because of the ASRock splash screen, but after a while I managed to get past that to the boot messages, which revealed that the machine would hang immediately after it posted a message about the first hard drive and its S.M.A.R.T. status (disabled). Puzzled I looked into the BIOS to see if there was anything set in there that was upsetting it, but no changes to how it saw the hard drive made any difference. After that I tried another similar Samsung hard drive with a fresh install, some different SATA cables and even a different power supply, all to no avail. In fact, the only way I could get the machine to boot was to remove the hard drive and then boot off a USB stick using the original install media or, latterly, Puppy Linux. That was yesterday. After sleeping on it I decided delete all of the partitions on the hard drive and retry. The machine booted (using Puppy again) and the hard drive was visible once more. For laughs I decided to try 'something else', which in this case happened to be Debian 6.0.6 AMD64 xfce+lxde, which installed, rebooted and is playing nice in the dining room as I type. Since I ideally wanted Ubuntu Server on there I am tempted to get hold of 10.04 and try that again, then dist-upgrade it to see if it introduces the same issue. Failing that I am happy to bung Debian on there, but before I do anything I'd be interested to hear any thoughts on this. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu 12.04 Server Issue
On 17/10/12 13:29, Michael James Daffin wrote: I had a similar problem a while ago, my computer would not boot past the POST screen after installing Linux. I eventually narrowed down the problem to the computer would not boot with a gpt partition table on any of the drives. One thing you might want to do is upgrade the bios. Hi Michael, Well, I considered that but the only upgrade available didn't mention any fixes for problems of this sort and, as I say, it [this setup] previously played nice with Ubuntu Server 10.04 and latterly with Debian 6, both of which used a Linux partitioning tool (I am guessing some parted derivative) to set up the disk as part of the install process. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [ADMIN][IMP-WEB] Developing the HantsLUG website
On 16/10/12 09:19, Philip Stubbs wrote: How does moving from Website Engine A to Website Engine B generate fresh content? In my experience it results in a small bump in website activity then as excitement about the new system fades, it falls back to the current state, no activity besides when the last/next meeting was/is. I think Alan is right. Installing a fresh new CMS will generate some excitement, it does nothing for the longer term. The most useful information on the Wiki is going to be the pages regarding meetings and mailing list details. The other information is likely to get old and stale. Can we have a system where the oldest pages get highlighted and requests for updates? Could be done as a group activity at a meeting. Just a thought. The proposal was I believe for a Wordpress style blog to which the members have access and would supply articles, and which also facilitates static pages for the 'constants' we wish to convey. This will, I suspect largely overcome the problems with spam that often prevents wikis from functioning as intended. And, if the new system does generate a bump of activity before settling down into a similar static state, what's the problem with that? At least in that instance there /is/ increased activity. As things stand we have little or no activity and a stale, locked down site. Doubtless there was some resistance to the wiki when it was first mooted, so unless the proposals look like they will bring about the downfall of HantsLUG and subsequent shame us all, I say give 'em a go. Worst comes to the worst we revert after an agreed trial period to the old system. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 18/09/12 22:40, Martin N wrote: Lo, At 18:48 18/09/2012, you wrote: Hi Folks, I am trying to install Ubuntu Linux (or any other flavour of Linux - I'm fairly agnostic in this regard) on a G4 Mac Mini. However, I am struggling to get past the first hurdle, which is to get anything other than Mac OS X booting when I start it up! I have tried pressing c with the boot media in the drive, investigated defining the optical drive as the boot drive within OS X, but nothing works or presents itself as a possible solution. If C doesn't work try the option key and select with the mouse or tab key the correct drive. Mac mini G4 have optical drives seem to lose their cd reading booting abilities before the DVD goes. If you can burn a cd ISO on to a dvd you may have more luck. Ubuntu ppc worked fine for me as a live cd. (I dual boot MorphOS and OS X) Thanks Martin and Glen for the suggestions - I will give 'em a go. Thanks to to Vic for the offer of a loaner keyboard. Time's a bit tight this week with the twins heading back to uni, otherwise I'd have taken you up on that. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 18/09/12 22:40, Martin N wrote: Mac mini G4 have optical drives seem to lose their cd reading booting abilities before the DVD goes. If you can burn a cd ISO on to a dvd you may have more luck. I may indeed Martin! I've just booted into the Debian PPC disc using this advice, now to try Ubuntu... Thanks, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 19/09/12 11:50, Sean Gibbins wrote: On 18/09/12 22:40, Martin N wrote: Mac mini G4 have optical drives seem to lose their cd reading booting abilities before the DVD goes. If you can burn a cd ISO on to a dvd you may have more luck. I may indeed Martin! I've just booted into the Debian PPC disc using this advice, now to try Ubuntu... So, the Ubuntu Live CD (DVD actually...) is up and running - just - in the 512Mb RAM I have on this machine. Question: I am not particularly concerned about keeping OS X on this machine, so if I proceed to install Ubuntu does it know what to do with regard to setting up yaboot or whatever mechanism it is that will allow it to boot back into Ubuntu afterwards, or do I need to manually configure some aspect of it myself? Oh, I should probably add that it was the combination of the ISO image burned to DVD plus a wired Logitech USB keyboard that eventually got me in. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini [SOLVED]
On 19/09/12 12:23, Sean Gibbins wrote: Question: I am not particularly concerned about keeping OS X on this machine, so if I proceed to install Ubuntu does it know what to do with regard to setting up yaboot or whatever mechanism it is that will allow it to boot back into Ubuntu afterwards, or do I need to manually configure some aspect of it myself? Answer: yes! However, Ubuntu 12.04 wouldn't play nice with the usb wifi card. Then, I came to investigate that issue, I discovered that sudo was broken (type sudo -s at a terminal and it just sits there doing nothing for as long as you'd care to wait), so I decided to look elsewhere for my quick 'n' dirty media box solution rather than faff around fixing that. Also, I figured that it might be a bit heavy and a lighter solution might be better given that I only have 512Mb RAM I thought I'd try installing Debian 6 for PowerPC next and was surprised to find myself at the command line a short while later. That was not quite what I was expecting or indeed hoping for, so I dumped that in favour of Xubuntu 10.04 PowerPC, and that installed perfectly, recognised the wifi card and has a GUI! ;-) It's currently pulling in a load of updates, after which I will install XBMC and test that out before handing it over to Ellie. To summarise, it would seem that the solution to the issue I initially highlighted to the list were as follows: 1. Rewrite the ISO to a DVD as opposed to a CD, on the basis that the inability to boot from a CD can be the first sign of a failing optical drive. 2. Use a branded, wired usb keyboard and mouse for the install (the Logitech wireless set and no-name wired USB efforts wouldn't cut it initially), then swap to the wireless Logitech keyboard and mouse when the install is complete. Thanks for all of the input - I would have struggled and probably given up without it! And, even if I had persevered, I doubt I would have got there before Saturday, so Ellen thanks you too! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
Hi Folks, I am trying to install Ubuntu Linux (or any other flavour of Linux - I'm fairly agnostic in this regard) on a G4 Mac Mini. However, I am struggling to get past the first hurdle, which is to get anything other than Mac OS X booting when I start it up! I have tried pressing c with the boot media in the drive, investigated defining the optical drive as the boot drive within OS X, but nothing works or presents itself as a possible solution. The only other thing I have come across are recommendations that I need the original install discs to boot from initially, but I imagine they are long gone as this machine was purchased second hand. The alternative to all of this malarkey is to get the drivers working for the usb wifi card that my daughter bought (it's her machine, and she checked for compatibility before she bought it), but they appear to be fairly inadequate in that they don't appear to be accompanied by any software that might enable me to configure the card to connect to my network. *sigh* Anyone got any thoughts on how I might progress this, either way? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 18/09/12 20:46, Jan Henkins wrote: As far as I can tell, there is a G4 PowerPC version of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS available. Otherwise you could look at Debian. There's a 12.04 LTS PowerPC version available too Jan. I have both that and the Debian port, but as I say lack the ability to boot off of the CD/DVD drive, which fails to respond when I press c at the boot noise (as most guides seems state it should), and simply boots into the installed OS instead. The boot media is readable once I am up and running in OS X, so it seems the drive is at least partially functional. Thanks for the links and advice from all who responded thus far - I can see I have a lot more reading to do and the desired quick fix (Ellen returns to uni in a couple of days) is not likely to be forthcoming! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 18/09/12 21:20, c...@spamcop.net wrote: I've found Macs can be a bit finicky about keyboards. The pre-boot stuff probably won't work at all with a wireless keyboard, and it might be worth trying a couple of different keyboards. Chris Hi Chris, That occurred to me so I have tried my Logitect wireless usb keyboard and mouse and a no-name wired effort, all to no avail. I might have a Microsoft USB keyboard lurking in the loft so I'll give that go tomorrow. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux on a G4 Mac Mini
On 18/09/12 21:36, Vic wrote: I have both that and the Debian port, but as I say lack the ability to boot off of the CD/DVD drive, which fails to respond when I press c at the boot noise (as most guides seems state it should)3 It's a couple of years since I put Linux on my G4, so I don't remember the details, but I remember having to get a Mac keyboard to get stuff going. Do you have to use the Option key? That [a Mac keyboard] occurred to me Vic, but as this is meant to be a low-cost effort to revive some old kit I can't see Ellen wanting to throw good money after bad (she's an impoverished student struggling into her 3rd year) by investing in another new keyboard. A couple of the articles I have read, particularly those talking about invoking open firmware at boot time refer to the option key and apparently you can use a combination of Windows keys to emulate this, but it's difficult to know which articles to follow up on when I am getting zero feedback from any of the things I have tried. Some small indication that /something/ is working and worth pursuing would be nice, but right now I am getting nowhere, either with Linux or getting these OS X drivers for the wifi card to work. Ho hum :-( I think I'll go and listen to some loud music and then sleep on it! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Xsane + Ubuntu 12.04
On 03/09/12 20:24, Alan Pope wrote: I suspect you mean Unity, Ubiquity is the installer. Correct. I've been away from Ubuntu for a wee while and am not familiar with the various components. Menus are revealed by pushing the mouse to the top of the screen, pressing and holding ALT, or pressing ALT+F10. You don't have ot maximise windows to reveal menus, never have done. I had a recollection that it, something like it, worked when I tried the interface previously and was stuck in that (erroneous) groove. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Xsane + Ubuntu 12.04
Hi Folks, Having decided once more to try and get my head around the new user interface I seem to have hit my first roadblock. Basically, having dismissed the preview window for Xsane I can find no way of reinstating it, as to do this I would normally use the menus which Ubiquity hides unless the window is maximised, and there is no way to maximise the window that I can see. I've tried deleting the .sane file in the hope that rebuild the profile would be reset when it was recreated, but sadly that didn't work. I guess the next stage is to completely remove the app and reinstall, unless anyone can point out what it is that I am missing. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Universal Car Chargers
On 08/08/12 11:00, john lewis wrote: But a bit chunky for backpacking/wilderness camping. My petrol fueled stove is a quarter the size, but it did mean having to carry a sigg fuel bottle as well. Finding somewhere to purchase small quantities of unleaded fuel gave us problems when backpacking in Switzerland in the 60s and we ended up scrounging from a Swiss Army unit who were on annual manoeuvres in the hills somewhere between Zweisimmen and Fribourg. We actually had to get permission to continue on our planned route as well because it went through the middle of their training area! Hi John, I have just been introduced to the wonderful world of Trangia stoves, which generally run on meths but I am told will burn a number of other fuels as well, including gas with a conversion. We're off to Annecy shortly, but will be using the palatial Outwell 6-person tent my wife insisted on buying plus a two-ring gas stove for cooking. The thing is - camping used to equate to the simple life and things like tech gadgets didn't have any place in that scheme of things. When we (my mates an I) go out wild camping we take phones and cameras, sleep under bashas or in bivi bags and cook on the Trangias. When I go with the family it is a somewhat less lightweight affair but great fun all the same. Though I have to admit that I did acquire a basic mobile phone some years later for emergency use whilst mountain biking, having got caught out leading a group miles from anywhere and a rider needed medical assistance. Emergency use is still the only reason I have a mobile phone today. My phone also gets used for navigation and tracking, but I rarely if ever get called on it so it doesn't intrude on walks etc. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Universal Car Chargers
On 07/08/12 21:05, c...@spamcop.net wrote: Two things: do check the load your gadgets will put on it - I've seen laptop PSUs pushing over a 100 watts these days. Also, powering it with cigarette lighter plug, usually you can't get the full wattage. For the full wattage, you have to use the battery clamps. Hi Chris, I actually want it for charging stuff while we are on the move, notably my Toshiba NB200 netbook and my girls' iPods. Is it suitable for this or am I looking at the wrong product? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Universal Car Chargers
On 07/08/12 21:19, c...@spamcop.net wrote: That should be fine. I prefer one of those, than having dedicated car chargers for every gadget. Actually, are you anywhere near Andover? If it's only for a couple of weeks' holiday, and you're nearby, you can borrow mine - although, as I said, it doesn't have the USB socket, so that might not suit you. Cheers Chris, that's very kind, but as you imply the USB charger was a selling point for me, plus we're a fair way from Andover! I'll give this one a go and let you know how I get on. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Unity on Ubuntu 12.04 v. old Gnome/KDE on 10.04.x
On 02/07/12 17:42, Andy Smith wrote: If you look at Gnome 3, it's all different to Gnome 2 also. I would say that this is a dramatic change forced upon almost all Linux desktop users. Change isn't the problem Andy, on the contrary I welcome it, it's the pace of change and the accompanying lack of choice in this particular instance. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Unity on Ubuntu 12.04 v. old Gnome/KDE on 10.04.x
On 03/07/12 09:58, Andy Smith wrote: If Unity can't be made to work for you, I honestly think that there are so many other more productive things to do about it than just complain that it happened too fast and there is no choice. Or simply switch across to Xubuntu, which is precisely what I did. And if you re-read my posts you'll see I wasn’t so much complaining as voicing an opinion in a discussion on the topic. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Unity on Ubuntu 12.04 v. old Gnome/KDE on 10.04.x
On 02/07/12 13:19, john lewis wrote: On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:18:10 +0100 Leszek Kobiernicki 1 l.kobierni...@ntlworld.com wrote: I contend that the underlying strategic vision is flawed. It is we, all the end users, who ought to be acquiring/gaining ever greater empowerment, in transparency of our use of the software. It is this which is the central bone of contention .. which the corps. don't seem to be able to address I agree with this comment and so to do quite a few of the fairly wide spectrum of _Linux_Users_ on this list and if nothing else this discussion has enabled them to express their unease about current trends. We may not be the target audience of the current crop of developers but I hope our opinions will not be overlooked. Indeed Jon. I have kept quiet on this topic having some time ago voted with my feet as it were, when I swapped back to Xubuntu, which I had tried before and found just a little too unpolished. My personal feeling is that this was an ideological change that was thrust upon Ubuntu users, with a future vision of the desktop effectively being decided by a few and then forced upon the many. I'd be interested to see what the uptake would have been were people presented with a choice on installation. I am guessing that a good number of people would have stuck with the more familiar desktop at least until most of the wrinkles were well and truly ironed out of Unity. However, as others have pointed out, we are spoiled with many good alternatives, and the shift back to Xubuntu has been great for me. Doubtless I will keep an eye on Ubuntu and Unity and who knows, maybe one day I'll return to the fold. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Xubuntu 12.04/Mac OS X 10.6.8 sound issue
Morning All! This is an interesting issue that has recently reared its ugly head again in a slightly different form. Originally it manifested on my Toshiba NB200 running Xubuntu 11.04 through to 12.04 (and may have been present with Puppy LInux on the same hardware - I can't remember if that was the case now, but suspect it was*). The setup was as follows: the NB200 was connected to my NAD PP-3 phono amplifier via USB in order to receive a signal from my record deck, which I would record using Audacity picking up the PP-3 as the input source (I often rip my vinyl purchases so that I can listen to them on my portable media player). When the NB200 was connected to the mains via its charger a very audible high-pitched whine would be introduced to the recording. However, by doing the recording on battery power and the whine disappeared. At the time I put it down to a badly shielded PSU made do with the workaround. Fast-forward to this weekend when I got it into my head to download Audacity on my Mac MIni running OS X 10.6.8. I hooked it up to the NAD PP-3 and ripped a new album only to find that the issue exists with this hardware set-up too. Obviously the original workaround does not apply since the Mini has no battery to fall back on, but it got me to thinking: why is this problem manifesting at all? Surely the output from the PP3 is a digital signal and therefore immune to electrical interference - or put another way - where is the whine being introduced into the signal? I guess I am stuck with the workaround for the time being, but it would be nice to understand what is at work here, if anybody can assist. Sean * it definitely did not manifest on Puppy running on my old Dell work laptop on mains power -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Xubuntu 12.04/Mac OS X 10.6.8 sound issue
On 25/06/12 08:57, Bob Dunlop wrote: Hi, On Mon, Jun 25 at 08:30, Sean Gibbins wrote: ... When the NB200 was connected to the mains via its charger a very audible high-pitched whine would be introduced to the recording. However, by doing the recording on battery power and the whine disappeared. At the time I put it down to a badly shielded PSU made do with the workaround. First thought from the 80s is earth loop between the deck and PP-3, the PP-3 electronics being grounded via the USB lead/PC/MAC. Try disconnecting the earth wire in the plug for your deck. Caution this defeats a layer of electrical safety on the deck but we used to do it all the time back then. Thanks Bob and indeed all who responded. It seems there are a number of things I can try to see if I can get a permanent solution to the underlying problem. When I get time to implement them I'll post back if any are successful. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Microphones for a PPC Mac Mini
On 16/06/12 13:02, Martin N wrote: An email group on google groups is fairly busy for ppc Macs its g3-5-l...@googlegroups.com You should be able to get more information there. Thanks Martin, I will give them a go! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] Microphones for a PPC Mac Mini
Morning All, I recently grabbed one of Stephen Davies' PPC Mac Minis for my son, who sings in a couple of choirs and would like to record his voice at home using Garageband. He knows little about the recording process and I know considerably less (!), so we are both a little stumped when it comes at getting sound in to the first generation Mini on account of there only being one port, which I believe doubles up for line in and line out. Anyway, I am guessing that it is possible to buy USB microphones but have little or no idea about compatibility, availability or indeed suitability. Also, being relatively new to Apple hardware I am similarly clueless when it comes to the best forum to post this question in. So, if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing, or failing that, knows the best place to ask this question, I'd be very grateful. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Microphones for a PPC Mac Mini
On 16/06/12 10:51, Vic wrote: I recently grabbed one of Stephen Davies' PPC Mac Minis for my son, who sings in a couple of choirs and would like to record his voice at home using Garageband. If he's serious about singing, you should really consider getting a decent microphone. Don't worry too much about how to interface to the PC - that can come later. Getting decent audio capture is crucial - if you've recorded mush, no amount of reprocessing is going to get back what you didn't get to start with. He's very serious about his singing Vic - he's just completed the 2nd year of his Performance degree - but not so much about the recording aspect, at least not yet! I think he wants to dabble and has been told by friends that Garageband is a good place to start for amateurs. However, that represents something of an investment if you have to go out and buy a new Macbook or whatever, so I am hoping to give him a flavour of it on the cheap so he can make an informed decision about going that route, if that's what he eventually wants to do. He knows little about the recording process and I know considerably less (!), so we are both a little stumped when it comes at getting sound in to the first generation Mini on account of there only being one port, which I believe doubles up for line in and line out. According tohttp://support.apple.com/kb/SP65 , that connector is probably just a line-out. You can get USB audio devices which work quite well. I've got one from Griffin, which seems to work quite well. I've no idea what's on the market now - I know mine has been obsoleted... Okay, I did wonder about the feasibility of combining the two in one socket, and thought USB would probably be the way to go so I will probably pursue that. Thanks for input (Leshy and Vic), I'll post back if I have any luck. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Acer Revo 3600 + Xubuntu 12.04 + Panasonic Viera 32 TV
On 09/06/12 08:04, Benjie Gillam wrote: For my TV (an LG) I had to change the aspect ratio setting to Just Scan, which I could do from the quick menu. There was also a setting in the ATI Control Panel that came with the proprietary fglrx (or whatever it's called) drivers called overscan which I had to drop from 10(%?) to 0. Then it worked like a charm, and these settings only affected that single HDMI port. Hope this helps! Good luck! It certainly did Benjie - looking through the manual after reading your post I discovered that it is possible to disable overscan in the 16:9 aspect ratio on my TV. I did that for the relevant HDMI port and that promptly revealed the missing portion of the screen. Now to see if the Revo is up to the task. The Mac Mini I have (first generation Intel) has set the bar pretty high, but lacks HDMI, so I will compare the two and decide which one gets the job! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Acer Revo 3600 + Xubuntu 12.04 + Panasonic Viera 32 TV
Hi folks On a whim I fired up the Revo 3600 (running 64-bit Xubuntu 12.04) today and plugged it in to the HDMI socket of the LCD TV. Up popped a lovely sharp 1920x1080 desktop with just one small snag - the desktop appears to extend just under the bezel of the TV on all edges, which means that you cannot quite see the XFCE panels (taskbars) at the top and bottom of the screen, although guesswork allows you to drop down the menu and go from there. If I encountered this on a normal pc / monitor combination I would alter the adjustments on the monitor to fine-tune the position of the desktop, but as the TV seemed to auto-adjust itself to this setting I am guessing that there is little that can be done about this, plus I am reluctant to stuff it up for all of the other inputs which work just fine. My pessimism aside though, if anyone has any thoughts on how I might adjust the desktop in a little, please feel free to share them! Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Acer Revo 3600 + Xubuntu 12.04 + Panasonic Viera 32 TV
On 08/06/12 20:49, Sean Gibbins wrote: My pessimism aside though, if anyone has any thoughts on how I might adjust the desktop in a little, please feel free to share them! Having surprised myself and found the fine manual it appears that such adjustments are possible, so now all I need to do is prise the family away from the screen for long enough to try them out. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Acer Revo 3600 + Xubuntu 12.04 + Panasonic Viera 32 TV
On 08/06/12 21:00, Michael Pavling wrote: Are you using the VGA or HDMI connection to your telly? HDMI Michael, and it seems that, according to the TV manual, the instructions for altering the horizontal and vertical position of the desktop only apply to VGA connections unfortunately. I think I might be able to get by with that by right-clicking on the desktop to access the application menus from there, and I know a couple of guys at work who use similar setups so I will quiz them on Monday if they are around. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] The Cookie Law
On 26/05/12 08:55, Brad Rogers wrote: So, it's an ill-considered, poorly executed, impossible to police law. You'd think it was one of ours, not pan-European. Good point Brad, although the thing I have noticed with these 'ill-considered and poorly executed laws' is that they often turn out to be extremely broad-ranging in their scope as a result, and quite handy for shutting down dissent or forming an excuse to spy on the general populace. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] The Cookie Law
Rather topically, this popped up as I browsed The Independent's Web site this morning: http://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-7785164.html I like the bit in the What's The Law? section where it says 'To find out more about the law, click here', and doesn't offer a link to click on! Clear as mud then... Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Quiet and cool PC running?
On 01/05/12 22:43, Tim Brocklehurst wrote: That one looks interesting. There are some other (more monolithic) blocks with larger fans. The reason for looking to large diameter fans is to move the same amount of air with much reduced noise. There are some very detailed explanations of why this happens on the web, if you are particulary interested in this aspect (essentially, you operate a larger blade at lower lift, thereby reducing the vortex strength). I used something similar a few years back and whilst it will in all likelihood sound far less obtrusive in terms of noise than your current setup, you will still hear it. Further to the technical explanation above, these are desirable for the same reason most case manufacturers shy away from tiny fans these days: they are far less 'whiny' and some are supplied with a means of stepping the speed up or down according to your needs. I never used mine above low setting, even when gaming. Speaking of small whiny fans, make sure your graphics card is not contributing to the noise, as these often contribute to the racket and there are plenty of fanless alternatives out there if you don't intend to do anything fancy graphics-wise, save perhaps power a couple of big screens. For something really quiet look at the Shuttle X35, as with an SSD in there it is silent. A mate has one an rants about it as it makes his water-cooled gaming beast sound noisey by comparison. The onboard graphics solution powers his two monster displays to their proper resolution effortlessly by the way. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [For Sale] CIT 850W Black Edition PSU
Hi fellow luggers, CIT 850W Black Edition PSU 12cm Dual 12v CE PFC Model 850UB http://www.ebuyer.com/191844-cit-850w-black-edition-psu-12cm-dual-12v-ce-pfc-model-850ub-psucit850ub I bought the above PSU to see if it would assist me in unlocking additional cores on my AMD CPU, and as such opened the box, attached it to the PC and powered it on and off a few times. Sadly it appears the limitation with the cores is not due to a lack of grunt in the PSU department, but rather a problem with the functionality of the motherboard (which, in combination with the PSU should be able to do this). However, that leaves me with an all-but new 850W PSU that is surplus to requirements, which I thought I'd offer cheap to the list(s). Ebuyer list it at just shy of £42 (minus PP), so I thought I'd see if there were any takers for £35 inc. PP, boxed, as new, or £30 if someone cares to collect from Hordle near Lymington. Give me a shout off-list if you are interested. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Netbooks
On 23/04/12 20:18, Dominic Rodriguez wrote: Hey chaps! Would any of you happen to know about cheap netbooks? My Toshiba NB200 is great and currently dual-boots Win 7 and Xubuntu 12.04b. It wasn't cheap at the time but I would imagine it would be possible to find a decent second-hand one now. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Netbooks
On 24/04/12 19:08, Dominic Rodriguez wrote: Tough Decision but there can only be one! Okay, seeing as I have both here I can add a little more information - the build quality, the keyboard and battery life of the NB200 is far and away better than the Aspire One. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] crippled system - is there any hope.
On 08/04/12 00:52, Mike Burrows wrote: I didn't backup the system because I was only using the box as a file server and I have the files duplicated elsewhere. In that case it sounds like another way to fix this is to rebuild from scratch with the version of Debian you were aiming for when the upgrade bombed out. Not as challenging intellectually but possibly surer if not quicker if you don't know what you are doing with grub, rescue discs, etc. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Custom-built PCs
On 02/04/12 10:34, Ian Park wrote: Does anyone know of a similar company they'd trust to do a decent job of building a similar system but with a more up-to-date (spelled f - a - s - t - e - r!) processor etc? A friend of mine has had a couple of best-of-breed gaming beasts built by Simon at RapidPCs [1] in Christchurch, Dorset (just across the Hants border). He basically lists the components he wants to go in it, which they vet for compatibility and price for him. Where they can't beat on-line suppliers on price they will then allow him to order those parts up and they then combine them all into an incredibly well-built and fully-tested machine (I've seen the results) for a reasonable fee. Sean [1] http://www.rapidpcs.co.uk/ -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] An introduction, a blag and well a bit of general chit chat
On 23/03/12 23:55, Bryn wrote: Hi Bryn, Welcome to the list! Any questions/comments send away!! Well, the first thing that occurred to me reading your post was that you were going to end up being associated with Jamies [1]. However, since it seems not, it's perhaps worth mentioning that the list has an association with Jamies that goes back many years, although we've not heard much about them of late save for the odd post that ends something like: If no one wants any of this kit it'll eventually find its way to Jamies. Not that it will necessarily present a problem, but just that you may find yourself in competition with them for donated kit. On the other hand you may find them to be a useful resource for cheap spares if and when donations fail to come up with a component you need. Anyway, I hope that injury's fixed up soon and your back in the saddle for summer! Sean [1] http://www.jamies.org.uk/ -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] An introduction, a blag and well a bit of general chit chat
On 24/03/12 10:28, Bryn Jones wrote: I failed miserably to reply off list This is true... but I think you got away with it Bryn! :-) Seriously, there was nothing too inflammatory in the last post and I agree with some of the points you made or alluded to regarding Jamies. I am guessing that, when you get to be as big and as organised as they (Jamies) are, you assume certain responsibilities and as such have to charge more for your products to cover off the increased outlay. As a sole trader or small outfit I suspect you avoid some of the red tape. Finally, in mentioning Jamies I wasn't trying to put you off what you are trying to do, which sounds great and fits in with my own ethos around reuse and recycling, but rather point out something you might have been unaware of having only been down here for a short time. Wishing the best of luck in all your endeavours, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Dying HDDs
On 06/02/12 20:13, Anton Piatek wrote: I have never had a PSU fail, but mine are all branded and not on the cheap end. Ooh, you don't want to make statements like that Anton - you're just begging for a multiple PSU failure event by putting that in writing! :-) Seriously though, I have had two branded PSUs fail, namely an Antec and a Seasonic, and have also seen no-name efforts seemingly go on forever. Granted paying a bit more for a decent brand should buy you reliability and possibly even a longer warranty, but it is not a guarantee against failure. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Defective laptop
On 05/02/12 13:48, Jon Wilks wrote: I have an Acer 8730ZG laptop that is about 2 years old but is no longer working and I am after some ideas as to what to do with it as it is not economic to repair it. It is basically dead (power light goes on when plugged in but pressing power switch does nothing). I have had 2 repair shops look at it and the first (Comet repairs) wanted to swap out the mother board at a cost of about £300 and the second (laptoprepair.co.uk) say that the motherboard is beyond repair. It seems a shame to just take it down the dump. Any ideas? Jonny. Were I within reasonable travelling distance I'd be tempted to take it along to RapidPCs in Christchurch, although I appreciate that not everyone is and a few hours worth of travel and petrol makes any repair less viable and attractive. Another option is to look out a similar model going for spares-or-repair on ebay and combine the two into one decent machine. Failing all of that offer it up as spares-or-repair on ebay with a good a description of the issue; I have sold stuff on that basis and got surprisingly good prices for it. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] All in one wifi printer/scanners
On 31/01/12 20:58, LUG address wrote: Thanks to all for the advice, I went for the HP (currently available from Ryman for £50 if anyone else is looking for one). Arrived today and was setup in about 10 minutes, wireless printing and scanning both working very well so far... Sorry, I've been away for a few days and am leaping in at the end of the thread having missed most of it. However, I thought that it was worth mentioning that the ink cartridges that came with my HP 3050A all-in-one effort lasted an age compared to the usual ones they supply. A change f heart by the manuafacturers or just a mistake this time around I wonder? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] Gladrags and Handbags (was: Re: Help! I'm buying a laptop.)
On 15/01/12 01:22, Vic wrote: Now now ladies this is a LUG, not a whores handbag club :-P Aw, crap. Am I in the wrong place again? I suspect it's more a case of Ian not having been around in the good old days when the handbags really did fly when threads periodically degenerated into full on flame wars. wipes away nostalgic tear Is it just me or was there more by way of hardcore Linux posts pinging back and forth in those days, too? Anyway, being posessed of a handbag (albeit a shoulder bag with a handle), and being a corporate whore, I feel I need a forum! :-) Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Gladrags and Handbags
On 15/01/12 11:03, Keith Edmunds wrote: On Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:10:24 +, s...@funkygibbins.me.uk said: Is it just me or was there more by way of hardcore Linux posts pinging back and forth in those days, too? It's not just you. I think the big difference is Ubuntu: before it was available, the discussions were technical and generally distro agnostic. These days the discussions tend to be less technical and more about how to achieve Y in distro Z. There's even a tendency towards assuming the reader uses Ubuntu too with statements like, I'm running Awful Albatross without qualifying that that is a version of Ubuntu. Finally, there is a misunderstanding of the expectations of pre-release/beta software. This is true of LUG lists in general, not just this one. I suspect you are right Keith. I think too that the quality of material available on forums has improved and is generally more reliable than it was, especially in the case of the distro-specific issues you mention. And perhaps we are all a bit smarter too. These days I am better at digging around myself for answers than I was, and many of the issues I used to regularly encounter seem to have disappeared, possibly due to the increasingly homogenised (is that the right word?) nature of modern Linux distros, with the better features quickly finding their way into the mix, as it were. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Help! I'm buying a laptop.
On 14/01/12 18:35, Keith Edmunds wrote: On Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:34:51 +, pet...@gmail.com said: It was late. Give me a break! Had enuf that night to sink a boat. I enjoy a drink as much as most other people, but I take responsibility for my actions. You, on the other hand, are asking others to make allowances for the fact that you were (presumably) under the influence of alcohol. What you should have written was: I'm very sorry if I offended anyone with my recent postings. It won't happen again. Utter bollocks maybe Keith, but hardly offensive. And, even if it was to some, they could have switched off or simply tuned to another channel, so to speak. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu Ocelot - pointer disappears when over icon
On 16/11/11 21:07, James Courtier-Dutton wrote: This fixed my icons in unity. Linux Mint Debian Edition fixed mine! :-P Seriously, I tried it (Ubuntu 11.10) twice on my desktop and simply couldn't get on with it - although I don't struggle with it on my laptop. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Help please - Rusty on building a PC
On 10/11/11 19:32, Rob Malpass wrote: Do graphics cards require separate power nowadays? Most modern cards with any serious amount of grunt do, but it's generally in the form of a molex connector, the sort that typically goes into a DVD RW or IDE hard drive. It's possible the card will work without it connected and fall over when called upon to do any serious graphics processing, or it may just fail noisily from the outset. At least I seem to recall encountering both of these scenarios when failing to connect the power supply to the graphics card, although it's been a while so I may be wrong. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Laptop Linux distro recommendations
On 29/10/11 16:09, Paul Tansom wrote: I think the changes to Unity in 11.10 are a positive move, but for me it is still seriously lacking in basic functionality. Hi Paul, I've been with Ubuntu in one form or another on and off since the first public release, and I'm not sure I agree with you. And whilst it might eventually turn out to be the case, i.e. a good and positive move, right now I find the awkwardness and ease-of-use issues around Unity a real and frequent stumbling block. Personally I think it should still be a choice, with a readily available fall back to tried and tested interfaces. By making it the default and forcing people through hoops to get back to something a little less awkward and unpolished I think Ubuntu has taken a big step back where hitherto its progress has been mostly forward and just occasionally static. However, I do get on reasonably well with Unity on my netbook, where my usage is pared down to a relatively few things compared to the desktop, and suspect that the main problem with it is that it has been pushed to the fore a little too soon for the comfort of many. That said, my wife and eldest son get on with it reasonably well on their laptops, but then their use is pretty much restricted to Web, email and the odd bit of word processing. Ellen, my eldest girl, gets on very well with Linux Mint, which will hopefully see her through uni before we think of upgrading. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu and Intel H61 chipset
On 10/10/11 22:49, john lewis wrote: I had no problems with buying a Novatech bundle when I upgraded my system a few years back. I went for an AMD processor and a built in video and picked one that was 'Debian compatible' (of course, me being me!) It's been a good few years since I have encountered hardware compatibility problems with a motherboard when building a system from scratch. That's not to say the problem has disappeared completely, just that you'd be very unlucky to fall foul of it these days, in my experience. When ordering from Novatech, eBuyer and the like, check the review section as folk will often post to the effect that an item is compatible with Linux. I think eBuyer also allows you to post questions too, so you can ask specifically whether problems have been encountered in this regard. A quick search through the Ubuntu forums might be in order too, as there are likely to be posts there relating to any show-stopping issues you might encounter. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] PLEASE IGNORE MY PREVIOUS EMAIL!!!!
On 03/10/11 10:16, Peter Andrijeczko wrote: It was nothing more than a Halloween party invitation! :-) Crikey, you wouldn't want us lot turning up at your Halloween party - far too scary! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Smartphones
On 03/10/11 17:24, Paul Tansom wrote: Has anyone any experience of these? My experience of the Wildfire (original, not 'S') is that it is indeed a bit slow, especially where multitasking is concerned. Another consideration is the screen size and resolution, which is relatively small and low and therefore not optimal for some apps. I bought mine on price ( £10 per month on an 18 month contract with more than enough minutes, texts and megabytes for my usage) and am now jealous of my wife's Samsung Galaxy and daughter's HTC Desire, both of which are considerably quicker and nicer to use. BTW, we have all used dialaphone for our purchases and have been pleased with the service we got. They operate one of the redemption schemes to get the prices down but this is fine with a little bit of organisation (appointments into the calendar with reminders for when you need to submit the claim). Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Smartphones
On 03/10/11 21:01, Philip Stubbs wrote: My main gripe with these smart phones is they eat batteries. Charging every day is a must if you actually want to use the bits that makes a smart phone smart. Agreed. I bought an after market add on battery to replace my dying HTC effort. It's twice the thickness and at least doubles the amount of time between charges. Looks a bit clunky though. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] PLEASE IGNORE MY PREVIOUS EMAIL!!!!
On 02/10/11 10:45, Peter Andrijeczko wrote: All Please ignore my stupid, stupid mistake in sending the previous email to the mailing list! Blame the silly Gmail web interface! Sorry about that! Either it's traversing the Internet a lot slower than this one, been held up for moderation somewhere (do we do that for any reason, I wonder?), or you have nothing to apologise for Peter. However, you've got us all wondering what it was that was so awful about it now! ;-) Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Pointing device for arthritic hands
On 27/09/11 20:09, Chris. Aubrey-Smith wrote: If it's of any help, I have found the Lenovo A6010 mouse, together with a gel-pad mouse mat (available from most good £pound shops) help enormously with the kind of 'hand fatigue' which crept up on me a few years back There's a crude Web-related joke lurking in there somewhere Chris... :p Sean -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] distro boot order in grub 1
On 07/08/11 10:00, Benjamin Ashton wrote: Can any of you kind knowledgeable people tell me how to change which is the default distro with Grub version 1? I've got Mint and Ubuntu, with Ubuntu as default, but I want it to be Mint. IIRC it is something along the lines of changing the value of the 'default' entry in the /boot/grub/menu.lst file to correspond with the OS of your choice. Bear in mind that the count starts from 0 (so if the OS you want to boot is the 2nd one down the list of options available, you change it to 1, 3rd one down, change it to 2, etc.). Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] distro boot order in grub 1
On 07/08/11 11:21, Alan Pope wrote: On 7 August 2011 10:00, Benjamin Ashtonbenashtonlakel...@yahoo.co.uk wrote: Can any of you kind knowledgeable people tell me how to change which is the default distro with Grub version 1? I've got Mint and Ubuntu, with Ubuntu as default, but I want it to be Mint. Depends on the version of GRUB you have installed. If it's grub 2 (which later versions of Ubuntu use) then the default boot is set in /etc/default/grub, not /boot/grub/menu.lst as this file no longer exists in GRUB 2. Al. Hi Al, It's been a while! The answer would appear to be in the quoted text, although granted there is room for confusion about what's what where Grub is concerned, especially for novices. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [For Sale] Shuttle XPC SB75S
Hi Folks, Before I bung this on ebay I thought I'd offer it up here. The summary specification is as follows: - Pentium 4 2.8MHz Hyperthreading CPU (effectively Dual Core) - 2GB PC3200 DDR RAM - Samsung DVD-R/RW - MSI nVidia NX7600 512Mb AGP Graphics Card (note - no hard drive, although that is all you need to get up and running) I would describe the overall condition as excellent. There are a couple of very fine marks on the case but you need to look hard to spot them. The Shuttle wifi card has been removed due to its vintage and resulting poor performance by modern standards (see the little square of blue tape on the rear view - it used to emerge from there). I believe this particular model was largely unavailable over here, and this particular one was imported by a Chinese friend's sister-in-law while she was studying in the UK. There is room for a couple of SATA drives onboard, plus a PCI card. The two drives I had in there have found their way into my new mini-itx server, which saves me the bother of DBANing them. However, I have a spare 160GB IDE drive here if anyone wants it, which I can add in for a tenner. It has been used with Ubuntu, which happily found all of the hardware that I used. There is a more detailed specification and review here: http://techreport.com/articles.x/6509/1 And, finally, there are some pictures of it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?e6596b5rnnfan If you're interested I am looking for £70 for it, with the buyer collecting from Hordle, near Lymington. I can post it, but that will add in the region of a tenner to the price (Royal Mail Standard Parcels). Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Laptop batteries
On 28/07/11 15:18, Brian Chivers wrote: If it does it might be like a couple of Dell's I've looked at. If the centre pin doesn't make contact with the charging socket the laptop won't charge, it'll still work on mains as the main 19volts or so is carried on the inside outside on the outer part of the connector. Where I have encountered odd issues not explained by an old, knackered battery in the past, I have taken a fine nail file to otherwise unreachable copper contacts. That has been sufficient to keep them going for a while, although inevitably the problem returned after a some time had passed. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Asus EeePad Transformer
On 12/06/11 18:57, Samuel Penn wrote: If you have a small form factor device, it's a lot more accurate and usable than a 'mouse touch pad' or cursor keys. You mentioned the mouse touch pad there but I think you might have got away with it! :-) Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [Wanted] AMD Socket 939 X2 Processor
Hi All, First up this isn't a scrounge as such - I am willing to pay a reasonable price if the goods fit the bill. Also, I know these CPUs are available on eBay, but I'd rather buy from someone I know if possible, hence this request. Basically a (skint) mate's PC has gone belly up and I have scrounged up a tidy 2005 Compaq Presario for him. Unfortunately it only has an AMD 3200+ CPU and I was hoping to get hold of something with a little more oomph than that, as he does a fair amount of audio and graphics work. So, if anyone has such a thing known-good and no longer in use and wants to sell it on, please contact me off-list with details. Cheers, Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [Wanted] AMD Socket 939 X2 Processor
On 10/05/11 20:04, Tim wrote: Can't help directly, but I did see the other day that Jamies has an e-bay site now, I think you will find them fairly reliable?? Oh okay, I'll check it out. I must admit I've not had a lot of luck with Jamie's in the past, but I would imagine my needs are far more standard now than they were then. And it must be said that there are some reliable looking sellers out there with stock at reasonable prices, but I'd rather deal with someone I 'know' from the list when it comes down to this sort of component; I'm always a bit nervous when it comes down to used memory and CPUs. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Free to a good home (again)
On 02/05/11 12:08, Chris Dennis wrote: I've heard of people jumping up and down on their laptops, but for different reasons and with different results. A mate at work sat on his Dell D610, which radically altered it cosmetically - he's a big bloke - but didn't seem to impede its functionality. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Toshiba N200 Netbook + ALPS Glidepoint
On 13/04/11 15:21, Joe Wrigley wrote: I'm not sure what that tells me, and since neither system has an xorg.conf I'm not sure where the touchpad is configured - presumably on the fly. Is this of any use? I was going to suggest that you needed to create something hal-related but I'm not very familiar with the different flavours of Ubuntu and it looks like that was chucked out at some point. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1190259 Cheers Joe, Neither of the sensible options were able get things going I'm afraid. Sean -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] How to make linux server accessible via hostname on home LAN
On 19/03/11 23:54, Robin Wilson wrote: Also, my network is running a mix of linux, OS X and Windows clients, and I assume /etc/hosts doesn't exist on Windows. Hi Robin. Not that it helps you much, but actually it does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_(file) Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Basic Linux Training
On 18/03/11 08:36, Lisi wrote: On Friday 18 March 2011 07:56:38 Sean Gibbins wrote: Hi All, I'm not sure how newsworthy this is, but since the question of basic Linux training courses that crops up from time to time I thought I'd pass it on. It appears that the Open University are now offering a module that explores the basics of Linux system administration, and that can provide students with LPIC-1 certification as well as counting towards an OU degree. I have done this course. Sysadmin doesn't feature at all. And it is nearly useless for LPIC-1 unless you do considerable additional work. The article: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/149152/index.html The course: http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/t155.htm On the face of it that looks like pretty good value. I haven't got any experience of this particular course, but having studied other OU computing courses can vouch for the quality of the training materials and instruction. I too have done other OU courses and found them excellent. This one is lousy. The material is poor and full of errors and the instruction avowedly non-existent. It is internet based and so there is no such thing as training materials. The first unit is simply a rehash of MS advertisements. It is aimed very low (GCSE) - and it hits its mark! The final test is a test of an individual's skill with graphics and WP, not Linux. Most of the instructions are specifically for Windows computers. The one assignment has to be handed in in MS doc format, and you are penalised if the formatting is not to their liking. odt is not accepted, nor is pdf. The LPIC aspect of it is not straightforward, i.e. completion of the course doesn't appear to automatically provide you with certification, it seems it is something you need to optionally request through CompTIA* who are working with the OU to provide the training. They wish! That is simply not correct!! They have negotiated a reduction in the fee for CompTIA for those who do the course, but the voucher must be bought immediately and used within 6 months. That is _all_ the co-operation between them, and they even took weeks to deliver on that. In addition, their entirely internet based course is run on so little bandwidth that it was like being back on dial-up. Far from being good value, it is ludicrously over-priced for what you get. They are thinking of running another follow-on course and have asked what support there would be. I though that you must have seen an advertisement for that, since it may well cover sys-admin. Anyone on this list has nothing to learn from this course, since I imagine that all everyone here can install and use Linux. Unless you have never used VB. You might learn something about that. Woah - looks like I opened a can of worms there - I'm glad I added that little disclaimer about not having done the course too. What a shame though, it seems like a missed opportunity to me. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] Basic Linux Training
Hi All, I'm not sure how newsworthy this is, but since the question of basic Linux training courses that crops up from time to time I thought I'd pass it on. It appears that the Open University are now offering a module that explores the basics of Linux system administration, and that can provide students with LPIC-1 certification as well as counting towards an OU degree. The article: http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/149152/index.html The course: http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/t155.htm On the face of it that looks like pretty good value. I haven't got any experience of this particular course, but having studied other OU computing courses can vouch for the quality of the training materials and instruction. The LPIC aspect of it is not straightforward, i.e. completion of the course doesn't appear to automatically provide you with certification, it seems it is something you need to optionally request through CompTIA* who are working with the OU to provide the training. Sean * http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed/linux.aspx -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Writing an Audio CD 64 minutes : possible?
On 29/01/11 15:37, Victor Churchill wrote: When I use Brasero to try to create an Audio CD it tells me that the CD does not have enough room for the 1h30min programme. I have received similar warnings from Brasero in the past that were patently false. I was subsequently able to burnthe CD using K3B. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Writing an Audio CD 64 minutes : possible?
On 29/01/11 15:48, Jonathan Hudson wrote: Audio CDs are limited to a fixed time (70m or 80m for 80 minutes CDs, so I think you're out of luck. The sample rate is fixed. Surely it is possible to split the programme into two 70m files and burn them that way? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [sort-of-OT] Advice for (geeky) broadband provider
On 12/01/11 18:19, Robin Wilson wrote: Any other particular suggestions? Doesn't necessarily have to be a hugely geeky supplier, but just one that is reliable, and preferably unlimited downloads. Dare I mention Sky? Aside from their boss being dead shady they have actually proved to be cheap and reliable, an unusual combination. Their technical staff aren't all that technical, but that's only an issue if the service is continually falling over, which in my experience it isn't. I believe you need to be a Sky customer to take advantage of the broadband service. Similarly I have heard good things about O2's service, although i don't know off-hand about any limits they might impose. Sky do offer an unlimited option. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Anyone stream the KT tunstall concert on Radio2 recently?
On 26/12/10 12:03, Edward Beckmann wrote: Hi OK - well off topic, but one of you may have streamed the Radio 2 Abbey Road concert on 16 Dec. I forgot to get it and its disappeared from iplayer now. Thanks Hi Ed, This is (apparently... I haven't checked) an mp3 rip of the audio: http://www.sendspace.com/file/4cq4j4 Merry Christmas! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [ADMIN] Saturday Meeting
On 02/12/10 17:02, Sean Gibbins wrote: However, I was pleasantly pleased to find that the gritters had been out in advance of the snow and that the main roads were perfectly navigable, albeit with an appropriate level of caution. I was pleasantly surprised too! :-P Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Ubuntu Server and Wordpress
On 01/12/10 17:46, Tim wrote: I have a web server running Ubuntu LTS 10.04, I want to install wordpress on the server and noticed that there is a version ooof wordpress in the ubuntu software centre. This version is a couple of version behind the current (and ubuntu don't offer updates for wordpress) The question is has anybody installed wordpress from ubuntu and then upgraded it with the wordpress updates, any problems?? Without being able to offer up a sound reason I'd say go with one or the other, but don't mix and match. The upgrade system within Wordpress makes it pretty trivial to keep up with the latest release of the app and its plugins. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Gnome Panel / TaskBar / IconBar removed by accident
On 20/11/10 16:41, Rob Malpass wrote: Trouble is, I tried to setup a new panel (which worked) but now my apps aren't putting themselves into this panel, nor is there the minimise all windows icon that was there. Hi Rob, You can right-click on that new panel and 'Add to panel' to add in various applets, including the 'Show desktop' applet, etc. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Gnome Panel / TaskBar / IconBar removed by accident
On 20/11/10 16:58, Rob Malpass wrote: You can right-click on that new panel and 'Add to panel' to add in various applets, including the 'Show desktop' applet, etc. Thanks Sean but is there a way, for instance, to get my minimised applications to attach themselves to this panel when I minimise them? Point well made about attaching whatever I want (effectively making this panel the equivalent of the Quick launch toolbar in Windows) but what I really want is what I'm used to. I'm loathe to reinstall gnome or something just to sort it. Ah, sorry Rob, I sort of assumed that they would drop down on to the new panel. The panel that lives at the bottom of my desktop essentially looks like a new panel that has a workspace switcher, a rubbish bin and a show desktop device. I take it if you create something similar the apps don't drop down onto this when you minimise them? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux and GNU
On 15/11/10 07:47, Keith Edmunds wrote: For the record, I wasn't serious about the change of LUG name. And my reply was largely influenced by alcohol and the fact that I really do like the word glug! :P Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Linux and GNU
On 13/11/10 21:58, Keith Edmunds wrote: Perhaps it should be renamed the Hampshire GLUG mailing list? Glug is a fine word. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Something to Download and Enjoy
On 11/11/10 02:04, Vic wrote: It is offensive and wrong to use the term in a FLOSS community. Absolutely not. It is the correct term, since it describes the OS created by joining the GNU userland to the Linux kernel. And hardly offensive at that, unless you are especially sensitive about these things I suppose. You say tom-a-to, I say tom-ah-to, but most everyone knows we are talking about a fruit frequently served in salads, and as such surely there is room for both in the common parlance? Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] Red Hat RHEL6 released
On 11/11/10 16:49, pavithran wrote: On 11 November 2010 20:50, John Cooper l...@discoverlinux.co.uk wrote: Red Hat's new RHEL6 was released yesterday, quite a low key announcement. No sign of the new courses yet but hopefully will get on one of the first. http://www.redhat.com/rhel/server/details/ /me is itching to try out Cent os 6 . Have to wait till someone packages RHEL source.. or can I try out a demo version of RHEL for free as in free beer ? FWIW, I seem to recall trying a time-limited demo of RHEL5. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
[Hampshire] [OT] Wireless Access Point
Hi everyone, My son is currently residing in halls of residence where is 'net access is piped to his laptop via an ethernet cable on his desk. Obviously that somewhat restricts the flexibility of the laptop and longer cables are not really an option as he has mobility problems and would struggle if there were cables trailing around the room. It occurred to me that this might be solved with a wireless access point that hooks up to the ethernet cable, but upon looking for a modern incarnation of such a device it appears they have been largely ousted by the combination wireless routers many of us use. You can buy them, but they seem to be the same price as a good quality wireless router, i.e. £45. My brain's a bit fuzzier than usual this morning, but am I right in thinking I could buy a cheaper wireless modem and configure it solely as an access point, i.e. leaving the modem component unconfigured? The range isn't important, but it will need to be secured, ideally with WPA and MAC address filtering. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Wireless Access Point
On 07/11/10 10:01, Jack Knight wrote: Sean, You could get a cheap 2nd hand router and blow it with DD-WRT or OpenWRT - see their hardware compatibility pages (below) for suitable devices. Then you have massive flexibility to set the thing up exactly as you want, plus tweak power settings etc. http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices Have fun Hi Jack, Thanks for that, but in this case I will keep it simple, as it is for my artistic (i.e. decidedly non-technical) son! Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
Re: [Hampshire] [OT] Wireless Access Point
On 07/11/10 09:49, Tim wrote: Does this help Here the AP http://www.edimax.com/en/produce_detail.php?pd_id=18pl1_id=1pl2_id=5 Cost £22 here http://www.scan.co.uk/products/edimax-ew-7206apg-wireless-access-point-80211g-54mbps-with-wds-function-%28realtek%29 Hope it helps Hi Tim, That's much nearer Sammy's price range than anything eBuyer were offering, so i think we'll go for that. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Please post to: Hampshire@mailman.lug.org.uk Web Interface: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/hampshire LUG URL: http://www.hantslug.org.uk --
