Re: Single login server
On 01/17/2018 01:35 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: > I'm looking for some sort of single login server. Not single sign-on. > That's something this could enable in some cases, but it's not my goal. I > just want to have one account that isn't a social media thing. Ideally it > would fulfill these: > > - Can self host, preferably on Linux > - Provides OAuth2 and maybe OpenID? > - Would ideally be something I can use for OS logins on Linux and Windows > (OSX is a pipe dream), so Kerberos and LDAP I guess? > - Secure, duh > - Can control sub-logins, like of my kids. > - Can preferably revoke access to third parties later, like "I don't want > site X to have access anymore" > > Any thoughts on possibilities if they exist? Or am I looking at something > like using OpenLDAP and tacking on OAuth2 access to it? OAuth(2) and OpenID are designed for allowing a company to trust someone else to authenticate their users. If you can convince all the companies you care about to trust your personal server for authentication, you're in business! ;-) (Actually that's what OpenID does, but hardly anyone used it even when it was popular, so it mostly died. I'm still mourning its passing. It was a great idea.) What you're asking for sounds a bit like a password manager like KeePass or LastPass. LastPass in particular lets you share your passwords while attempting to hide those passwords from the recipient. (In practice, recipients can easily expose the passwords through obvious tricks. It's a dumb feature. So why did I mention it? Because passwords are dumb and I wanted to rant. I want my OpenID back!) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Fast Broadband options for American Fork?
On 06/08/2016 01:00 PM, Jeff wrote: All, I live in American Fork and get my internet through AFConnect which gives me aprroximately 15 MBit for $39.99. I know they have a faster tier (30 MBit for $69.99) but are there any other options that anybody knows about in the $60 or below per month level that I could get for a faster speed)?(12 years ago when it first became available, $39.99 for 15 mbit was beyond uber cool, but it's staid the same while the rest of the world caught up and passed us). If anyone knows of anything it would be greatly appreciated! CenturyLink provides 40 Mbps for $35/month (without phone service) in AF if you set up a year of automatic payments. At the end of every year, they temporarily revert me to a higher rate, and every year I call their customer retention department to remind them that I have a lot of options in this area... and they switch me back to the lower rate. :-) In my experience, 40 Mbps is sufficient for several desktop computers, laptops, tablets, VOIP, and a Roku player. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
WingCash Software Engineer
Hi PLUGers, I thought you might appreciate this job announcement from my company. If you have the skills and interest, please take a moment to learn about WingCash and the cool tech we're building. Shane --- Are you an excellent Python coder? We want you to join us! WingCash is a small but growing company in Lehi, Utah developing an electronic payment system with all the benefits of physical cash transfers. We have over 11 thousand consumer wallets and 400 businesses signed up and we see major opportunities, especially in consumer markets and in developing countries. Come work for a new company helping to redefine money. We need full-time help. For this position you need: - At least 5 years experience developing database-driven web sites using Python. - Strong communication and leadership skills. - A team-focused attitude. - Linux, BSD, or Mac command line skills. We use the following technologies extensively. The more you know, the more likely you will be a great fit: - Python Pyramid and Twisted Python - PostgreSQL and SQLAlchemy - RabbitMQ - AngularJS and Ionic - Ubuntu and CentOS Why you should join WingCash There is a lot of friction in the marketplace due to unnecessary fees, chargebacks, and delays. You can be a part of a solution that will help local businesses thrive. WingCash has a friendly team environment and a comfortable office space. You can work where and when you need as long as you get the work done and communicate effectively. WingCash pays reasonable market rates. We hope you enjoy Python as much as we do. We use Python because it enables us to build new features while we keep our existing code running smoothly. We are participating in the development of dozens of open source Python libraries and we intend to contribute new libraries as well. Apply Today and Learn More Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, we would love to hear about you! If you have the experience we need, please send an email to j...@wingcash.com or call us at 801-839-4010. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: slightly OT, need some electronic circuit help
On 10/08/2012 02:03 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 10/08/2012 01:30 PM, Shane Hathaway wrote: >> The large current requirement (10A) and the need for a middle position >> make the circuit interesting and difficult to achieve using low cost >> analog components. An analog H bridge would work well if you only >> needed 2 positions. You can't dump that much current through an >> ordinary op amp. (Audio amplifiers use big, expensive op amps that >> easily surpass the cost of an Arduino.) PWM is the usual solution for >> handling that much current. > >> However, can you achieve the middle position using a simple mechanical >> spring? That would allow you to use a very simple H bridge. >> >> It would help a lot to understand the application better. What kind of >> resting position do you want? When the power is lost, do you want it to >> revert somewhere, or hold its position firmly/loosely? > > Okay, so here's what I have. I have a linear actuator, which is > essentially a screw driven by a motor. And the actuator has a built-in > potentiometer to give you position. The motor uses very little or lots > of amps depending on the load. I won't be having much load, so the amp > draw is very low, like under 1 amp at 12 VDC, most likely. The > actuator, being a screw, cannot move when power is not on. So I don't > need to hold it actively. It is also very slow (compared to a servo), > so PWM is not required. Full on voltage or no voltage is sufficient. > As I said before, I don't need super-accurate positioning, so I don't > need the actuator to seek back and forth around the target point. When > it gets there it can just stop, even if it's too far or too close by a > small amount. > > This actuator is controlling a hydraulic valve assembly so it only needs > three positions: extended, middle, and retracted. It will always be in > one of these positions; there's no resting position. > > Nick's idea of using limit switches is a good idea. I am confident a > simple circuit can do it all without that kind of extra mechanical stuff > though. > > Really I'm not worried about amp draw because I can use the result of > the op amps to drive a relay to switch the higher amps if I need to. Ok, it seems like you want 2 op-amps wired as comparators. One op amp decides whether to move the motor forward, the other decides whether to move it backward. (You can get multiple op-amps on a chip, so this doesn't increase the parts count.) You'll have to calibrate the circuit so that the op amps don't activate simultaneously. To keep things simple, let's say each op amp drives a DPST (or DPDT) relay. That solves your voltage issue: it isolates the control circuit from the motors, so you can apply reverse voltage to the motors. You can also use a voltage regulator in case the supply is too noisy. Each op amp should perform a slightly different comparison. When you want the middle position, the op amp that controls forward movement should compare the motor sense voltage with a voltage slightly lower than the control voltage, while the other op amp compares the motor sense voltage with a voltage slightly higher than the control voltage. You can adjust the voltages using resistor-based voltage dividers. Does that make sense? The comparator circuit on this page is a good reference: http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/echeeve1/Class/e72/E72L2/Lab2%28OpAmp%29.html Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: slightly OT, need some electronic circuit help
On 10/08/2012 11:57 AM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 10/08/2012 11:36 AM, Hugh Clark wrote: >> Perhaps I don't fully understand the problem, but couldn't you use an >> H-bridge to control the motor (only needing 1 DC power supply) and an ADC >> on the Arduino to measure the position? The code in the Arduino would >> provide the basic feedback loop allowing you to set rough ADC values from >> the pot for your 3 positions. > > Of course. I said all that before[1]. Digital circuits are nice, but > nothing beats the reliability of a simple analog circuit. I found some > good info on op-amps, how they work, unipolar circuits, and exactly what > the different resistance values give you. My application is in a very > rough environment (dirt, dust, vibration, and extreme temperatures). > The simpler the circuit the better. Arduino is way overkill for this > application. The large current requirement (10A) and the need for a middle position make the circuit interesting and difficult to achieve using low cost analog components. An analog H bridge would work well if you only needed 2 positions. You can't dump that much current through an ordinary op amp. (Audio amplifiers use big, expensive op amps that easily surpass the cost of an Arduino.) PWM is the usual solution for handling that much current. However, can you achieve the middle position using a simple mechanical spring? That would allow you to use a very simple H bridge. It would help a lot to understand the application better. What kind of resting position do you want? When the power is lost, do you want it to revert somewhere, or hold its position firmly/loosely? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Job: Software Developer 1 (Springville)
On 10/25/2011 10:10 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Again, I'm not trying to sound like a jerk but the job description is > vague, the requirements unclear and the pay seems well below the > market average for entry level. If you can clear any or all of these > up you'll find better qualified candidates much quicker. > > Anyone else feel the same way? The job seems designed for a young college student who has learned the basics of Java or C/C++, but perhaps not enough to reach "entry level". I would have enjoyed the work experience while going through college. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Have lunch and learn about content management
On 09/16/2011 02:38 PM, Richard Esplin wrote: > I have no hands-on experience with Plone. Before responding to your question, > I spent a few minutes brushing up on the features. I was surprised that Plone > has a lot more document management features than I was previously aware of. > Alfresco and Plone have a lot of overlap in web content management scenarios. Thanks for a thoughtful response! > Though Plone has features like WebDAV support, workflow, and metadata, it > appears to be optimized for web content management. In my quick search it > appears that: > > * It has limited facilities for inspection or transformation of non-text > based content (full-text search, metadata extraction, preview). Well, I know of several large intranets that use Plone for managing office documents and PDFs. Those deployments have full text search using either the internal catalog or Solr. > * It stores everything in a single large binary database file, with BLOB > capabilities for extracting some unstructured binaries. Large deployments of Plone use RelStorage or ZEO instead of a single database file. RelStorage puts all objects in Postgres, MySQL, or Oracle. (Disclaimer: I wrote RelStorage.) > * Its workflow capabilities appear to be tailored to web publishing scenarios > (no event model). Its workflow is actually an arbitrary finite state machine that can be built or customized through the web or in code. There are books that explore the workflow capabilities in depth. (Disclaimer: I wrote DCWorkflow, the core of Plone's workflow.) > That doesn't mean that Plone isn't a strong platform with a solid use case. I > merely highlight those as examples of where Alfresco's focus is different > from Plone. Though Alfresco can often be used in the same situations as > Plone, Alfresco's focus is being a scalable content repository in back-office > use cases (intranets, business workflow, embedded in applications). > > Alfresco is most widely used in scenarios involving office documents, images, > video, and audio. Useful features include: > > * Automatic extraction of common metadata (EXIF, PDF), plus easy hooks to > insert custom metadata extractors. > * Automatic transformation of common formats (MS Office to PDF), plus easy > hooks to insert custom transformers. > * Out-of-the-box full-text search and preview of common office, image, video, > and audio formats. > * All content is stored on the filesystem, so there are no limits to the size > of content. Performance is comparable for lots of small files or lots of > really big files. > * A configurable event system that fires when content is uploaded, modified, > or removed. > * BPMN2 compliant workflow engine. > * Easy onramps for unstructured content like CIFS, WebDAV, FTP, SharePoint > Protocol, IMAP, SMTP, NFS, etc. > * Compliant with the CMIS standard for REST and SOAP integrations. > * A system for easily writing your own rest services using JavaScript and XML. > * Able to publish content to external endpoints via email, REST, and other > transfer services. Out-of-the-box endpoints include Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, > and WordPress. > * Scales to the 10's of millions of documents. > > I have recently helped clients deploy Alfresco in scenarios like: > > * Serving large amounts of video or Flash games through a custom web portal, > * High performance scanning and ingestion, > * Processing loan applications, > * Storing business documents for HR, Marketing, Legal, and IT, > * Authoring and distributing product catalogs, datasheet, and marketing > information to a team of resellers, > * Records archives for SOX compliance, > * Storing the multi-media assets used by an online game Good to know. I have been involved in similar projects with Plone. As a developer, I prefer Plone because it's written in Python, which reduces the complexity of the code somewhat so I can extend it more easily. (Even so, every big CMS seems to have insanely complex code!) Plone also benefits from a large developer community with a strong core. However, if I were managing a business instead of developing software, I would certainly give Alfresco a serious look. :-) Thanks again. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Have lunch and learn about content management
On 09/16/2011 11:19 AM, Richard Esplin wrote: > I should have been more precise and said open source content > management system for unstructured content. > > Drupal, Wordpress, and Plone are web content management systems that > focus on presentation management. > > Alfresco is a general content management system that can handle web > content management (structured content, usually XML) and any other > type of content like documents and images (unstructured content). > > Alfresco is regularly deployed as a back-end to Drupal and Plone to > add a robust authoring platform to the web presentation system. It is > also used in non-web scenarios for workflow, content transformations, > search, and more. I'd like to understand, but I'm struggling because I would describe Plone with the very same words you used to describe Alfresco. In fact, these days people often use a separate process to present Plone on the web (see Diazo, XDV, or Deliverance), so that Plone can focus on authoring (with all its workflow, collaboration features, and modularity) instead of presentation management. If I download and install Alfresco to figure out what I'm missing, what should I pay attention to? I want to be impressed. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Have lunch and learn about content management
On 09/16/2011 10:29 AM, Richard Esplin wrote: > Alfresco Community Edition is the most widely adopted open source > content management system. Just curious, but how do you figure that? It seems like Drupal, Wordpress, and Plone (among others) are more widely adopted than Alfresco. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: PIC vs Arduino?
On 08/23/2011 12:45 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > However I've made up my mind, after looking at the overall support and > talking to customer service at both Microchip Direct& Mouser, it > looks like the clear winner for speedy development with lots of > community support is going to be an Arduino, supplied by Mouser. I > have to admit they have the best customer service& sales team I've > ever seen. > I placed my order today& got a tracking number today. Just checked& > my uno landed in Salt Lake a few hours ago. I'll keep you folks > updated on my progress. > > Thanks for all the advice& keep it coming, I'm still very curious. I've written a few small programs at home for both PIC and Arduino in the past few years. Starting with a PIC, I first wanted to get dirty and write in assembly language, but I quickly realized just how quirky a PIC really is and how little I cared about optimization (I was building a game for kids) so I switched to a C compiler. I also tried some custom language (can't remember which), but that language had no support for arrays, making it extremely limited. Later on, I played with RepRaps and learned about Arduino. I found it very easy to update and fix code with an Arduino. For prototyping, the ease of development with Arduino easily offsets the extra cost. I really should have built the kids' game with an Arduino. I would have had extra time before Christmas to add more features and make it easier to use. Oh well, next time I will! Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: PLUG Update
On 08/01/2011 02:17 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > I have no life (literally) You might not qualify for the position because, by your own admission, you are dead. ;-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: DSLR Opinions
On 06/10/2011 06:13 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: > Anyone have any up-to-the-moment opinions on any digital SLR cameras? > Looking to get something that I can do some nice photos and possibly HD > video here and there. I don't want to do any lock-in formats like the > Sony Memory Stick (tm) or whatnot, but I'm not opposed to non-standard > formats like xD cards or something. > > Thoughts? Canon T1i. My sister has one, she loves it, and it produces excellent photos [1]. She did have a problem once with a weak gear connected to the auto-focus motor inside the lens, but that was remedied by replacing the lens. [1] http://shellyhathaway.com/ Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Infinity
On 06/01/2011 08:51 PM, Shane Hathaway wrote: > On 06/01/2011 02:27 PM, Aaron Toponce wrote: >> Similar proofs can be constructed for any countable set: > > Related to this, I've been wondering why irrationals are not considered > countable. Is it not true that for any irrational number, a computer > program can be written that converges to that number as the number of > iterations reaches infinity? Any computer program can be represented as > a large integer, so computer programs are countable, and by extension, > any number that a computer program can represent (but not necessarily > produce) ought to be considered countable. Well, that would mean infinity is countable, since it's trivial to write a program that always increases. Infinity is uncountable, so I wonder where the logic broke. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Infinity
On 06/01/2011 02:27 PM, Aaron Toponce wrote: > Similar proofs can be constructed for any countable set: Related to this, I've been wondering why irrationals are not considered countable. Is it not true that for any irrational number, a computer program can be written that converges to that number as the number of iterations reaches infinity? Any computer program can be represented as a large integer, so computer programs are countable, and by extension, any number that a computer program can represent (but not necessarily produce) ought to be considered countable. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] The big bang, universes and points of observation.
On 05/26/2011 07:39 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 05/26/2011 07:32 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: >> Thoughts? > > For the Jakes on the list, do cosmologists agree that the universe is > not infinite in size? Just wondering. While my own personal religious > beliefs accommodate almost all of science currently, from some sort of > big bang to evolution, it does not handle an infinite universe and its > implications. For an infinitely-sized universe means there's another > earth just like ours out there, with another Stuart, though he's a Tea > Party advocate there. OTOH, even if the universe is infinite, it is not likely that any means of travel will ever let you reach a near-duplicate planet. Even faster-than-light travel would probably never get you there. ... until someone invents the infinite improbability drive. Douglas Adams is a genius. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Social Network Privacy
On 05/26/2011 07:32 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 05/26/2011 02:56 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: >> While we are contemplating deep questions... do you think it is >> possible to use regressive hypnosis to "remember" what your >> experience was like in the womb? > > I have memories of when I was very young (say 2 or 3 years old). But I > now believe that they are not real memories. They are either memories > of memories, or memories that were created based on what others who > observed me at that age have said. And to me, being an abstract person, > memories are simply mental fabrications of events as I observed them > anyway. Personally, I suspect my brain actually does have all my memories, but that as my thinking patterns have shifted, my ability to understand my own former thoughts has diminished. It's as if all the old files are in an old format that the new software isn't very compatible with. I also suspect that if I had enough time in life, I could gain enough mental stability to comprehend both my current thoughts and my former thoughts, and thus remember much more. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Social Media and Privacy WAS Re: [OT]Did the whole list get raptured today?
On 05/24/2011 03:52 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: > I love technology. Just like any tool, it can be used for good or > evil. I think Social Media is amazing. Of course, the more > amazingly helpful a tool is for "the good guys" the more amazingly > helpful it is to "the bad guys". Just because some "bad guy" has > learned how to make my favorite tool into a demon spawner, I am not > going to stop using it. I think it is important that everyone be > made aware of the bad ways that tools can and are being used by those > other people. This way we can each individually better able to use > the tools wisely ourselves and teach our children appropriately. > Being scared away from using a tool gives the bad guys more control > over us. They win through the use of fear and terror. We lose when > we let them get away with it. +1 Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Social Network Privacy
On 05/24/2011 03:19 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > On the other hand, some folks seem convinced that their facebook > accounts are wonderful places to discuss the upcoming vacation where > they won't be home for two weeks. Oh and uncle Otto! Lets not forget > him, uncle Otto Beoutajob, he's such a hoot! > > Did you know he called in sick the other day just so he could catch > the game? OMG his boss is SUCH an idiot! Here's some pics of Otto at > the game, check out the size of the fatty he's smokin! You think he > rolled it himself or did Jimmy roll it for him? Heck with that beer > and that joint, no one would ever guess he works for letter agency here>. > > No you're right I don't see the difference. It sounds like you're saying people behave differently on social networks due to the illusion of privacy. In that case, aren't the *people* at fault, not the social networks? Personally, I post on Facebook only because that's where my friends go, but I regard anything I post there as public and act accordingly. Most of my friends do the same. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Social Network Privacy
[Re-sent with a better subject and more trimming] On 05/24/2011 02:08 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > My advice to everyone is to stay the heck away from social media period. > For those of you who don't there are social media "erasers" but they > are run by lawyers and cost accordingly. OTOH, you are willing to share your words on a 100% public mailing list. What, in your opinion, is the difference between participation on a public mailing list and having a semi-public Facebook account? (I could answer that myself, but I'd rather hear from you since you probably have better ideas.) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT]Did the whole list get raptured today?
On 05/24/2011 02:08 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: >> Not different. I think they are creepy too. >> >> Cool technology. Immensely valuable for my local photo collection. But a >> globally searchable database has lots of sinister implications. >> >> And to be clear, I don't think it takes a jerk to create a regrettable >> scenario. Context is important, and things like Facebook make private >> relationships public without the additional context. Facebook pushes people >> to be as open and monetizable as possible, and they make it hard for you to >> audit or control your reputation. Complete control is a fantasy, but >> Facebook has repeatedly shown a willingness to ignore their users wishes in >> how and when information should be shared. >> >> Richard > > Lets not forget that the internet never forgets. > Who doesn't have some ummm, interesting photos floating around from > their more wild& woolly days. Making it easier to track that photo > of a long haired hippie with a beer in his hand giving the finger to > the camera and the world, back to that professional fella in a > business suit& tie, trying to feed his family, has shall we say, > interesting implications for that persons future. > > My advice to everyone is to stay the heck away from social media period. > For those of you who don't there are social media "erasers" but they > are run by lawyers and cost accordingly. OTOH, you are willing to share your words on a 100% public mailing list. What, in your opinion, is the difference between participation on a public mailing list and having a semi-public Facebook account? (I could answer that myself, but I'd rather hear from you since you probably have better ideas.) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Old Hardware and new life
On 05/22/2011 01:25 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > I also collect them up a few times a year and use them to build > computers for kids here locally who's families might not be able to > afford a new computer for school work etc. Cool! Do you have a page somewhere that lists what parts you need? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Big O (was Re: Pay Range Locally?)
On 05/13/2011 01:44 PM, Merrill Oveson wrote: > big-O? The Wikipedia article makes it sound complicated. Here it is in a nutshell. Let's say you have two algorithms that do the same thing but in a different way, and you need to choose one. Big-O notation is a good way to compare the theoretical scalability of algorithms. Let's say an algorithm iterates over a list, and for each element in the list, iterates *again* over the entire list. This is O(n^2) behavior and is usually naive. Another algorithm might use hashes and buckets. It still has to iterate over every element of the list, but for each element, it only has to look at the buckets, and the number of buckets is relatively small. This kind of algorithm probably has O(n log n) behavior, which usually scales a lot better. Everyone loves an O(1) algorithm, which means that the algorithm takes the same time regardless of the number of inputs. Selecting a random item from a list is an O(1) operation. In real life, sometimes an O(1) algorithm takes longer than an O(n^2) algorithm. Also, sometimes the scalability of some particular operation is not very important and the "bad" algorithm that is much easier to implement saves a lot of time and money. Still, big-O analysis is very important and developers should be thinking about it in *everything* they write. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Welcome to the "PLUG" mailing list
On 05/10/2011 01:45 PM, hatem gamal elzanaty wrote:
> my question is what development packages i need to start c programming
> on linux and what is not can you help in that please give me detailed
> instructions and syntax i'm a new to c on linux
Once you have your compiler installed, type this:
cat > hello.c << EOF
#include
void main() {
printf("Hello, world!\n");
}
EOF
gcc -o hello hello.c
./hello
I get the impression you already know C to some extent, so hopefully
this along with the other friendly replies you've received are enough to
get you started.
Shane
/*
PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net
Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug
Don't fear the penguin.
*/
Re: fstab: UUID vs /dev/sdax
On 05/04/2011 02:19 PM, Spencer Gibb wrote: > On Wed, May 4, 2011 at 2:16 PM, Matthew Walker wrote: > >> Stick with UUIDs, for sure. They eliminate several possible headaches. >> > > So, UUID's don't change with the new hardware? If that's the case, great! Correct. Even better, if you're running a modern Linux distro, chances are good that all necessary kernel modules are already installed. I love the portability of free software. The only place you might expect trouble is in dealing with non-free software like 3D video drivers. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: A word to the wise about 1 & 1
On 04/30/2011 11:39 AM, Eric Jacobs wrote: > On Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 11:22 AM, Ryan Byrd wrote: > Everybody uses GoDaddy. Seriously, everyone does. You should too. > I can't stand GoDaddy, personally. Their ads are annoying and they have the > 'mega-corporation' mentality. They are huge, and they know it. I've started using Namecheap.com and they seem better than GoDaddy. Domains are about $10/year, they include privacy options for free, and I think they also provide free DNS but I didn't bother with that. Their low end SSL certs are the cheapest I've found. There's also Name.com, which I intend to try out when a domain is up for renewal. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/26/2011 04:08 PM, Steven Morrey wrote: > My point is that passwords no matter how secure are only as secure as > the person answering the phone who is always more than willing to go > the extra mile to help! Amen. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: network consultant needed
On 04/23/2011 04:35 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 4:07 PM, Wade Preston Shearer > wrote: >> If it were me, I'd set them up on everyDNS > > Isn't EveryDNS (as we know it) going away? I deleted an account that > must have been around for a decade or so (I can't be sure, but it was > a long, long time). > > I've been looking for a good replacement and just gave up. I started > using the DNS that Namecheap provides for most things. Anyone have > other recommendations here? Name.com provides a similar DNS service. I works well (I've seen no problems with it). If you happen to have a Linode VPS, you also get their nice DNS service. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/17/2011 04:47 PM, Stuart Jansen wrote: > Experience has shown that the majority of people do not want to think > much about security. Instead of pursuing a theoretic, mathematic ideal, > it's time to acknowledge human psychology. Yes, to acknowledge human psychology, passwords should be usable. Everyone agrees on that. The disagreement is about the right way to make passwords usable. The article [1] that started this thread advocated using word combinations instead of cryptic characters so that it's not necessary to write down passwords. Bruce Schneier, OTOH, said in 2005 that people should write down passwords. [2] A Microsoft representative said that even two-factor authentication is not secure because people tape their PIN to their token device anyway. [3] Bruce's opinion carries a lot of weight in my mind, but I don't think he backed it up with any evidence, so now I'm left hanging. I would like to find studies that try to objectively resolve this simple question: should people write down their password? In any case, my research on this question did lead me to some other interesting ideas, such as the suggestion that every password entry box should include a "show me my password" checkbox. I think that is correct. Shane [1] http://www.baekdal.com/tips/password-security-usability [2] http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/06/write_down_your.html [3] http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-security-guru-Jot-down-your-passwords/2100-7355_3-5716590.html /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/17/2011 07:22 AM, Charles Curley wrote: > One way to deal with this problem is to scramble the password when > writing it down. Unscrambling it will be invisible to an observer > because the password entry widget will only show asterisks. Most people would not be very creative in the way they srcmbale their password. > As for people leaving their wallets or purses about, that is a bad > habit. That bad habit often has a compelling cause. Have you ever noticed that women's pants typically have much smaller pockets than men's? Their pockets are generally too small to fit a wallet. The women I know find that quite annoying, but there is little they can do about it other than working very hard to find clothes. The audience I am addressing is the general public. In this "tl;dr" world, I can not give password advice to everyone. I can give them a password complexity meter and a "password tips" link that a few people might click. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/16/2011 05:53 PM, Stuart Jansen wrote: > They're all physical objects that are easy to steal, yet you (hopefully) > realize immediately that because we keep them physically close they're > sufficiently secure. Write down a password and it becomes the equivalent > of of a physical security token, just keep it safe. Would you actually advise the public to write down their passwords, knowing that people leave their wallets or purses unattended quite frequently? Stealing a written password requires only a glance or a camera. There could easily be no evidence whatsoever of the password theft. Written passwords are not at all equivalent to physical security tokens. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/16/2011 03:49 PM, Andy Bradford wrote: > Thus said Shane Hathaway on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:41:31 MDT: > >> I want to include this idea in the password meters I create for web >> applications. I need a better password scoring algorithm. I don't want >> to *require* any minimum password complexity (other than a minimum >> password length), but I do want to help the user choose a good >> password. > > Inform them of the risks of using a bad password and what kinds of > information will be compromised due to a bad password, let them make > their own risk assessment. Offer a button that says ``Generate a secure > password for me,'' and then call apg -a 1 -M SLNC (or whatever options > you think are good for your appliations), serve it up to them over SSL, > and see if they take it. If this isn't enough to convince them to use a > stronger password, then they have been warned. Hmm, "apg -a 1 -M SLNC" produces: K`4i-&]r <*Xe>o]4 ,ru7V;RO}x CFp<7xY[? K,$q42lChttp://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Flame/Rant - Qwest!!
On 04/16/2011 01:19 PM, Joshua Marsh wrote: > On Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 12:48, Nicholas Leippe wrote: > >> On Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Ryan Simpkins >> wrote: >>> >>> When dealing with Qwest, caveat emptor! >> >> I coulda told ya that. :) >> >> Hope you get it worked out. >> > > So, who does everyone use? I'm in Lehi and Qwest has similar problems. I'm > trying Clear, but I'm not impressed with their speeds. You can basically > have one person doing something online. Any more than that and it degrades > exponentially. Comcast has been good to me and my family for the past year or so. The speed is a consistent 15 Mbps, latency is often under 100 ms, and packet loss is very low. I've been using MRTG to chart service downtime and Comcast has done a lot better than Qwest did. I have a friend 5 miles away who has had a much lower success rate with Comcast. I suspect either Comcast supports my area better or the hardware on my end is better: a Motorola SB6120, a Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH, and a Trendnet TEG-S80G. All three devices can easily handle 10X the line speed. Even though my experience has been great, I hesitate to recommend Comcast to anyone because their monthly cost is relatively high, their corporate practices are greedy, and my friends have not had the same experience. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/16/2011 02:21 PM, AJ ONeal wrote: > More importantly, why isn't SSO being used instead? Let's say you're developing a public web site and you want people to access it more securely than they would access a blog. What kind of authentication would you use? I doubt it would make sense to use Facebook, Twitter, Google, and so on as a SSO service since people frequently use poor passwords with those services. OpenID has major usability problems. Are there any other SSO options that public web sites can use? (Shibboleth, Kerberos, client SSL certs, and others require client-side configuration, making them useless for public web sites.) > And in the rare case that authorization depends on discrete > authentication, what is the password being used for? > If it's a *bank password*, then J4fS<2 is terribly insecure. > > He has it written in his wallet. Agreed, that's why all password fields should allow passphrases and password meters should rank "this is fun" at least as high as "J4fS<2". > (My bank requires a short (6 min, 8 max) password with randomness. Your bank is foolish to disallow more than 8 characters. > If it's *e-mail*, the strength of the password is incredibly important, Correct. In today's environment, e-mail passwords are effectively SSO passwords. > With the e-mail password you can get the plain-text password sent to you > from any blog or like account. I assume you're also talking about clueful web site operators who store only a salted password hash, never the plaintext password; clueful web sites still allow you to reset your password by sending a secret URL to your email address. > The strongest password is one that you don't write down or give out. > Mathematically fits the bill in my book. I think "mathematically" should be allowed as a password, but not scored very high, since I believe it is much more guessable than a phrase even as simple as "this is fun". Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Why the password "this is fun" is 10x more secure than "J4fS<2"
On 04/16/2011 08:40 AM, AJ ONeal wrote: > This is near and dear to my heart so I had to evangelize: > http://www.baekdal.com/tips/password-security-usability I want to include this idea in the password meters I create for web applications. I need a better password scoring algorithm. I don't want to *require* any minimum password complexity (other than a minimum password length), but I do want to help the user choose a good password. Would it be reasonable to score based on the number of unique characters in the password? - "abc" gets 3 - "aaa" gets 1 - "this is fun" gets 8 - "J4fS<2" gets 6 - "abcdefgh" gets 8 This was OK until I got to "abcdefgh", which should have a very low score. Maybe I could fix that by not increasing the score for obvious character sequences (either alphabetical or QWERTY-style). Then "a1b2c3d4" would still get too high a score, which I might fix by detecting interleaved sequences as well. What about long words? The word "mathematically" has 14 characters and would score 9 using the unique character count algorithm, but any dictionary word is quite insecure. I can't just look for words in a dictionary, since names and foreign words are equally insecure, so it would be unreasonable to compile a list of all common words worldwide. Maybe the algorithm should look for word separators like spaces and dashes, then score each word separately and multiply the scores of all the words. Combining that with sequence detection: - "abc" gets 1 - "aaa" gets 1 - "this is fun" gets 4 * 2 * 3 = 24 - "J4fS<2" gets 6 - "abcdefgh" gets 1 - "a1b2c3d4" gets 2 - "mathematically" gets 9 - "i loved what i had for breakfast" gets 1*5*4*1*3*3*8 = 1440 This is looking better, but I still want "J4fS<2" to get a higher score than "mathematically". Maybe the algorithm should multiply the word score by the number of character classes it contains. "J4fS<2" contains 4 character classes (upper case, lower case, digit, and symbol), so it gets a score of 6 * 4 = 24. OTOH, "Mathematically" would then get 18, so if a word contains only letters, I don't want to boost that word's score. Does anyone have better suggestions? Or better... a complete password scoring algorithm? :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Evil Network Tunnel?
On 04/12/2011 11:57 AM, Dave Smith wrote: > I am looking for a tool to help me simulate a badly behaved TCP/IP > network connection. I want to simulate a network with high latency, low > bandwidth, frequent bit errors, and occasional drop-outs. This will help > me test some software I'm writing. In the past I have literally spent man-months building user-space programs that would simulate network behavior. Today, there is a simple approach that would have saved me most of that effort: full virtualization. With KVM or VirtualBox or whatever, you can build a virtual network and use all the kernel-space networking features to route, queue, drop, and mangle packets with ease. Look at it this way: where can you find the best open source Internet packet processing software? I say it's in the kernel (Linux or BSD). It would be nice if someone were to copy the packet processing from the kernel into some user-space daemon, but until that happens, full virtualization is a good way to treat a kernel as a user-space program. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Perl is ALIVE!
On 03/24/2011 10:34 PM, Daniel C. wrote: > On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 7:26 AM, Doran L. Barton wrote: >> - Moose is a post-modern object system that makes OO development easy and >> even >> fun. > > What exactly is a post-modern object system? According to the bottom of the first page of the manual [1], Moose is postmodern because 'we have "borrowed" features [...] and the bits we didn't like [...] we tossed aside.' Actually I think the proper pronunciation of postmodern is "postmodernsnickersnicker", because there is no other way to say such a hilariously nebulous thing. [1] http://search.cpan.org/dist/Moose/lib/Moose/Manual.pod Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Hardware - projector recommendations
On 03/21/2011 06:58 PM, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > Plug, > > It's been about two years since I turned to the PLUG for hardware > advice (I was looking for a document scanner at that time). I was > pretty darn pleased with the direction I was given. > > Fast-forward 24 months... I've done some research on projectors, but I > thought I'd ask here if anyone has any recommendations. I'd say the > things I'm after are portability, price and quality (in that order). > I've got a few models that I've kinda narrowed it down to, but I'd > like to hear about your collective experiences. > > So, any advice on buying projectors? > > As before, I'll be sure to let you know what I've selected and how > well it's turned out. Thanks for your consideration :) I tried an M1 Ultimate from Aaxa: http://www.aaxatech.com/ Unfortunately, the M1 was not bright enough for what I wanted, but they say the M2 is brighter. If portability is your first priority, you should definitely check them out. The lamp life and price are excellent too. The fan is a bit loud in the M1, don't know about the M2. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Rack mountable firewall recommendation
On 01/22/2011 02:15 PM, Bryan Thomas wrote: > cheaper alternative if you don't mind refurbished => > http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=1248 Nice recommendations, Bryan and Tod. Thanks. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Rack mountable firewall recommendation
Hi, I am looking for a simple, reliable server that will act as nothing but a bridging (transparent) firewall. It will run Linux, it must be rack mountable, it must have 2 ethernet ports, and I think it should have a redundant power supply. It's easy to find cheap servers, but the requirement for a redundant power supply narrows the choices and raises the prices. This will be for WingCash, a new service I just helped launch. We already have a good firewall in the form of iptables rules, but for absolute safety, we should have an external firewall too. Thanks for any recommendations. Shane P.S. Everyone should check out wingcash.com... unlike PayPal, it doesn't require a bank account, it's transparent for accountability, it has many branding opportunities, and there are no fees for in-network transfers, even for businesses. Unfortunately, we can't yet make WingCash available for individuals in Utah, but we're working on that. Meanwhile, WingCash is available for all businesses in the USA. Plus, if you have any troubles, you can yell at me and I'll hear you! ;-) /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distributable Chrome packages?
On 01/08/2011 03:03 PM, AJ ONeal wrote: > Does anybody know where I can find the .deb, .exe, and .dmg for Chrome that > doesn't require network to install? Install Chromium instead. It's virtually equivalent and it's already packaged for Ubuntu (probably Debian too). Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Block .jpg on windows
On 01/07/2011 09:29 PM, Make Compile wrote: > Guys, I need your help on how to block jpeg executing on windows xp, > meaning, i don't want my users be able to view images ANY images like > pictures, wallpapers,etc. on their desktop. any ideas how to do this > on windows xp. I will very much appreciated with your help. tnx Ms. Make, To do that on Linux, you might replace libjpeg*.so with a library that renders all jpegs as blank images. As for Windows, I would ask elsewhere. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: memtest86
On 01/03/2011 10:12 PM, Charles Curley wrote: > On Mon, 3 Jan 2011 21:45:19 -0700 > Russel Caldwell wrote: > >> What does it mean if the computer shuts down after memtest86 runs for >> a few minutes? > > It means you have serious hardware problems, likely RAM. Or, equally likely, a defective motherboard. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Web Developer Job
On 10/27/2010 06:03 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: > I know there are some web developers on the list. Also, if you know > of anyone who may be looking feel free to pass this on to them: > > http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/6647 FWIW, I've been working with Eli Kirk and they seem to be a great company. For anybody looking, this is worth checking out. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Philosophic Noodling (was Re: Internet Health)
On 10/06/2010 07:35 AM, Michael Torrie wrote: > On 10/06/2010 12:26 AM, Levi Pearson wrote: >> Did I say it was a spatial dimension? No. I said it was as real as >> the spatial dimensions, which clearly implies that it is not itself a >> spatial dimension. > > Just as long as no one goes around calling it the "fourth dimension" > which it clearly is not. When people refer to time as a 4th spatial dimension, I think of a cube that is 1 meter x 1 meter x 1 meter x 10 years. Then I try to mentally rotate that cube so that its "height" is 10 years instead of 1 meter, making its duration 1 meter instead of 10 years. I don't know how to make sense of that. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Linode.com account signup, coupons, and referral codes.
On 09/29/2010 09:03 AM, Joshua Lutes wrote: > I just moved my domain name away from GoDaddy and I need to move my hosting > away from them as well. I just use it for my personal blog and file > transfers and the like. Would Linode be good for this or would anybody > recommend another hosting service? Thanks! FWIW, the only thing I regret about moving to Linode is that I didn't do it sooner. Linode has eliminated the hours per month I used to waste on administrative junk. (No, I don't work for Linode. :-) I especially like their DNS control panel and API. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: JOB: Linux System Administrator
On 09/16/2010 02:34 PM, Tod Hansmann wrote: > A good rule of thumb might be that if you're talking to open source > purists or linux users from a previous era, trim and bottom post. For > mixed audiences or just modern email users, they tend to keep track of > their email conversations better with a top-posting environment for > whatever reason (the speculation of which is less important than the > fact that it is so). I have noticed that in environments where face contact is frequent (employment and family, for example), top posting makes more sense. In those contexts, it's almost always a bad thing to have a complex conversation over email, and top posting discourages everyone from having any sort of complex conversation. I haven't even met most of the developers I work with, so I'm glad there is a more sophisticated way to use email. Otherwise we'd hardly get anything done. ;-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Writing a simple python web app
On 09/11/2010 03:40 PM, Dave Smith wrote: > I'm creating a very simple web application, and I want to use python. > My first guess was that mod_python would provide the easiest entry > point. Boy, was I wrong. All the mod_python tutorials spend 80% of > their time extolling the virtues of mod_python over CGI, but they are > quite lean on specific examples. It's quite disappointing. A natural > progression then leads me to mod_wsgi, and since that has equally > poor documentation, to Django. However, Django is overkill for my app > (I don't even have a database). FWIW, mod_python would be a dead end. mod_wsgi replaces it. WSGI sits at about the same layer as CGI, except that WSGI is a better fit for Python. > What I want is something as simple as PHP. Just let me drop my files > in and start editing. I don't want to have to add some configuration > directive to httpd.conf for every new file or directory in my web > app. I really want to use python for this. I'd be open to > alternatives, like PHP, but PHP's YAML support is junk (tried several > libraries already, and they all fail to correctly parse the YAML that > some other python code produces). It sounds like you have a specific, simple application in mind. I suggest: 1. Google App Engine. I haven't used it myself, but I understand it's easy to get started. 2. Configure mod_wsgi so that Apache interprets any .wsgi file as a Python WSGI app. That way, you get pretty close to PHP's programming model. Once you have mod_wsgi installed, it might be enough to add this directive to Apache: AddHandler wsgi-script .wsgi Then each script should have a WSGI app named "application". 3. Try repoze.bfg. It has great documentation and it makes no assumptions about your database like GAE and Django. I prefer BFG because it's a productive high level framework that lets me change the lower layers as needed. Getting started is more work than the PHP equivalent, but the authors lead you through it quite well: http://docs.repoze.org/bfg/current/#narrative-documentation Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: UPS Recommendations
On 08/27/2010 06:00 AM, Charles Curley wrote: >> http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10209580-92.html > > Did you notice the publication date on that? Yes, but it still seems like a good idea. Switching power supplies already have most of the circuitry you would need to manage a battery. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: UPS Recommendations
On 08/26/2010 09:40 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: > Generators bring some interesting things to the mix. As you say you > can't have a generator without a UPS. But the UPS has to be pretty > smart when switching back and forth between line, battery, and > generator. Not only does the UPS have to carry the load while the > generator gets up to speed, it also has to match phase with the > generator. This doesn't take very long, but you have to have a pretty > expensive UPS to do this. Then when line power returns, the UPS has to > carry the load again while it adjusts the phase to match the line phase. > We have a nice big, in-line UPS at work that does all this. Works well > if you have the resources. So, for a time, the UPS generates power at a slightly incorrect frequency in order to adjust the phase? That's a cool hack. I prefer the idea of putting batteries in the computer, though. It works for laptops, why not for servers? http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10209580-92.html Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: 1080p over component
On 08/16/2010 10:22 AM, Von Fugal wrote: > [...] HDCP is pretty much dead. It's hard to even find a TV that does HDCP > anymore, not that anyone would ever want to. There was a HUGE backlash > from consumers over that fiasco. So basically, you have blueray > downgrading when it's not HDMI, but HDMI isn't copy protected anyway, so > I suppose you could buy an HDMI switch that also outputs compenent. > blueray -HDMI-> switch -compenent-> TV. A little round about and annoying, > but puts sony and their CRAP in their place. Really? If you're right (that HDCP is dying), that's great news, and it means I can start upgrading. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: I AM DUMBFOUNDED!
On 07/16/2010 02:34 PM, Henry Hertz Hobbit wrote: > I needed people with Linux expertise to help leverage people off > of Windows onto Linux for security reasons. Specifically, I see > the following two areas as ripe for the picking: > > 1. People at home. Many have very little technical knowledge > and will need assistance from time to time. A good LUG is the > place to get this. A large part of my extended family uses Ubuntu, but I doubt I should tell them to visit any Linux user group for help. The kinds of things they need help with are usually simple, yet the users don't understand the problems well enough to explain them. If I just sit at the keyboard and fix it myself, I can finish in a few quiet minutes instead of spending hours of confusion on the phone. That's why I rarely recommend Linux to anyone outside my family, regardless of its many benefits. I can't add anyone else to my support list. If stores like Best Buy offered Linux service, I would gladly recommend Linux. Perhaps we could have a regular meeting where less-knowledgeable Linux users bring their computers and experts fix them for free. I don't think PLUG has ever been that kind of service, but if it did offer such a thing, I would happily volunteer as an expert on these conditions: 1) There must be a fixed time limit. If I have to spend extra time on something, I can not afford to come back again. 2) Users must agree to no warranty, even if their computer gets broken. Ideally, they should sign a form to that effect. 3) Users must bring their computer and let the experts drive when appropriate. I will not do phone tech support outside my family. (Phone tech support within my family is only acceptable because I retain root access via OpenVPN on all their computers.) 4) I can not promise I will come to the next meeting or help at other times. I probably will help occasionally, but I can not afford to *promise* to help. Such a meeting, if successful, could serve as a seed for Linux support businesses and would encourage sharing of Linux expertise. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Rchard Stallman vs Darl McBride
On 07/16/2010 01:09 PM, Levi Pearson wrote: > ESR annoys me almost as much as RMS. At least RMS was a real hacker; > ESR is just kind of a hacker groupie with an inflated sense of > self-importance. He's had some good ideas, he's made a few code > contributions, and he's definitely been heavily involved in the > periphery of the whole open source/free software movement, but my > point is that the 'movement' aspect of software sharing and group > development is useless and annoying. People naturally share ideas and > help each other to work on projects. The early history of computer > software 'hacker' culture shows this, and it worked pretty well > without huge egos, figureheads, and organized movements. The fact > that 'users groups' and the like have existed almost as long as > computers have shows this, too. It worked just fine before RMS and > ESR went on their crusades, and I believe we would have largely ended > up in the same place we are now without the non-technical > contributions of either of them. My experience has been different. More than a decade ago, Eric Raymond's papers convinced me to try something beyond Windows/Mac and take a serious look at Linux. I had to be convinced that free software and the people behind it were worth my time. Raymond's perspective made sense to me; Stallman's did not. So I think Raymond's writings were very valuable for inviting new people like me into the existing hacker culture. Consider yourself lucky that you were already part of that culture. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: KBYU / LDS is NOT Linux hostile (was Goodbye Move Networks)
Hi,
I think I need an algorithm to process all this rambling. Here is a
first cut:
# python
>>> input = """[your message]"""
>>> import re
>>> ' '.join(re.findall('[A-Z]{2,}', input))
'AND THE PIPELINE BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU DSL XP SE GB RAM VERY FAST
PIPELINE ON LINUX HTML RAM ANY RAM GB ONLY IE IE ON WINDOWS ON LINUX
KBYU LDS SPYING IIS IIS LOT IIS KBYU TV IIS IIS KBYU GPL GASP POP KBYU
KUED LONG IIS LOTS MORE EAT MY OWN DOG MEAT PERL KBYU SEVERELY PAC FR
ABP TACKED ON AWS NOT THEY GOT THIS INFORMATION USING IIS KBYU IIS IIS
ADD URL SQL IIS LOTS KBYU IIS IIS BIG IIS KBYU LDS BUT IE IE HHH PS KBYU
REALLY'
Ah, much better! Let's see... something about very fast pipelines...
comparing Windows and Linux... KBYU/LDS is spying on us... EAT MY OWN
DOG MEAT... back to KBYU spying on us using IIS.
Is that about right? I'm sorry about your dog.
Shane
/*
PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net
Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug
Don't fear the penguin.
*/
Re: Yes, we have no hibernate today
On 06/24/2010 12:54 PM, Jessie Morris wrote: > On 6/24/10 12:48 PM, Charles Curley wrote: >> Depends on how long you plan to shut down. If you will exhaust the the >> battery in suspension, then use hibernation. However, hibernation >> writes a memory image to a swap partition, where bad guys can recover >> it. Suspension does not, so it leaves one less thing around for the bad >> guys to recover. >> >> http://www.charlescurley.com/blog/archives/2009/12/05/how_to_secure_your_laptop_before_crossing_the_border/index.html >> >> > That is a lie. You can recover encryption keys and other data from > memory if done right. > http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/cryogenically-frozen-ram-bypasses-all-disk-encryption-methods/900 That article is now 2 years old. Has anything been done about that vulnerability? The attack looks easy and seems to require no special hardware. (Freeze the RAM with a dusting can, pull the RAM, put the RAM in your own computer, and use some special OS to read it.) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Yes, we have no hibernate today
On 06/24/2010 09:44 AM, Charles Curley wrote: > I realized that what was farkled was not the kernel itself, but the > initrd. So I made a backup copy of the fallback kernel's initrd. I then > purged the hibernate package. In the process of removing it, apt > created a new initrd -- replacing the farkled one, not the fallback > initrd. So that solved that problem. > > I have rebooted to the newer kernel. > > I still don't have a menu entry for hibernating, though. It sounds like you're using hibernation with an encrypted swap device. Is that even possible? ;-) Has it worked before? Also, I am interested to hear if you have really had a good experience with hibernation on Linux. On my laptop, sleeping works well, but resuming from hibernation takes far too long to be worthwhile. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: alternative to S3?
On 05/20/2010 01:29 PM, Jonathan Duncan wrote: > You could give S4 a try: > > http://www.supersimplestorageservice.com/ Ugh... the site looks real enough to fool some people out of their money. The site's arrogance is disgusting. Does Jeremy not know that "write-only" and "write-once" are often used interchangeably? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Another Group Question
On 05/07/2010 01:39 PM, Levi Pearson wrote: > On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 1:14 PM, Shane Hathaway wrote: >> So you're saying Marx said: >> >> 1. Acknowledge existing social problems. >> 2. ??? >> 3. Utopia! > > That's clearly not what I'm saying. Generally, Anarchists advocate > revolution followed directly by anarchism. Marx advocated revolution > followed by a temporary 'dictatorship of the proletariat' followed by > anarchism. I've only explained that 3 or 4 times now, including once > in the paragraph you quoted. This was all supported by a theory of > history and economics that explained how this transition was necessary > and inevitable. Then you're saying Marx said: 1. Revolution 2. Dictatorship 3. Anarchic Utopia! You're also saying that empirically, what really happens is: 1. Revolution 2. Dictatorship 3. GOTO 2 (or sometimes GOTO 1) Right? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Another Group Question
On 05/07/2010 10:52 AM, Levi Pearson wrote: > The endgame of Marxism and anarchism are essentially the same. Marxism, > however, defines a transitional period including a powerful, though > democratic, state that is required to reach the goal. The fact that no > transitional government inspired by Marx's ideas ever actually > transitioned is a strong empircal criticism of Marxism, but that > transitional phase is not really a fair description of how Marx believed > a society should ultimately be governed. So you're saying Marx said: 1. Acknowledge existing social problems. 2. ??? 3. Utopia! Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Another Group Question
On 05/06/2010 11:23 AM, Joseph Hall wrote: > On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 11:19 AM, Ken Jordan wrote: >> Could they use scp instead? > > I think you're expecting too much of Alice and Bob. They have a client > that they like, and they're sticking with it, no matter what we > recommend. > > The world would be so much easier if everyone would hurry and switch > to Linux, wouldn't it? I used to help people set up FTP clients, but one day I decided to set up a simple batch file for my sister. The batch file calls Cygwin's rsync, which transfers over ssh. Now all she has to do is double-click a desktop icon and wait a few seconds. She is *much* happier with this solution than she ever was with any FTP client. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Net Neutrality Is Marxist?
On 04/16/2010 11:11 AM, Doran L. Barton wrote: > On Friday 09 April 2010, Ryan Simpkins proclaimed: >> Anyone care to post a rational response to these views? > > I have. > > http://fozzolog.fozzilinymoo.org/politics/2010/04/the-deal-with-net- > neutrality.html You dealt with some aspects of net neutrality, but what about the rest? The Wikipedia article summarizes the issues that network neutrality covers pretty well. I agree with you, but let's talk about site filtering as well. What if an ISP charged $10/month for 15 Mbps access to specific popular web sites, with 256 kbps access to the rest of the Internet? The ISP might have some peering agreements that make it possible. I think such a service would be valuable for a lot of people, so I don't currently think any law should try to prevent it. However, ads for such a service must not deceive customers into thinking that they will get 15 Mbps everywhere. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Net Neutrality Is Marxist?
On 04/12/2010 11:17 AM, Steven Alligood wrote: > In fact, the same thing applies to Comcast and blocking any and all > ports that they deem abusive. If their business model precludes your > torrents, then find another ISP. And don't argue that you cannot; the > Internet is NOT a basic human right, nor is TV, cable, or even frozen pizza. I think what we're talking about is not basic rights, but rather truth in advertising. People have certain reasonable expectations about what they are going to get when they buy Internet service. Nearly every ISP violates those expectations in subtle ways, but currently, the only way to discover all the limitations of an ISP is to buy the service for a while and bump into problems. That is lying to customers. Similarly, it sounds like Sprint is forging DNS responses. I believe that kind of forgery should be considered as illegal as any other kind of forgery. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Virtual COM port on Linux
Dave Smith wrote: > That may indeed be a better option, but the hacker in me wants any > excuse to setup a relay and a cron job. :) Amen. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Virtual COM port on Linux
Dave Smith wrote: > Has anyone gotten a USB device that requires "Virtual COM Port" support > to work in Linux? I'm considering employing this relay[1] to perform a > nightly reboot of my pile-of-junk Comcast cable modem. Assuming the serial controller on that board is supported by Linux, when you plug in the device to a computer running a recent distribution, you'll get a device called /dev/ttyUSB0, which you can use like an ordinary serial port. OTOH, you might instead try a modem that is not a pile of junk. I bought a Motorola SB6120 a month ago, for use with Comcast, and I've been quite happy. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Something More Than Cron
Eric Wald wrote: > Could these two be added by a simple wrapper around your real cron job? > It could start by adding a single line to a log file, then steal all of > the input and pipe it into sendmail. Rough guideline: > > echo `date -u +"%s"` "$@" >> /var/log/jobsrun.log > ( echo "From: $...@localhost"; \ > echo "To: $u...@localhost"; > echo "Subject: Job transcript for $1"; > echo; \ > "$@" ) |& sendmail -i $u...@localhost > > Good luck. Not a bad idea! Thanks. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Something More Than Cron
Justin Hileman wrote: > If I were starting a project like this, I would start with launchd, > not cron. You mean this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launchd It looks Mac-centric and over-reaching. To clarify, I need to run my scripts on several virtual private servers in different locations. They run Debian, Ubuntu, and Gentoo. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Something More Than Cron
Hi PLUG, I'd like some suggestions for Unix/Linux software that does just a bit more than our old standby, cron. I'd like: - A simple way to add new jobs (like cron) - A complete report of what was run and when (cron doesn't do this) - An email even if the job takes a long time (cron apparently doesn't send email if the job takes more than 5 minutes) - A way to disable jobs temporarily I want to run long jobs such as mysqldump and rsync from VPSs to a backup drive. Maybe someone has already written a different version of cron that does these things. Thoughts? (I have played with various backup programs designed for archiving on tape, but I use rdiff-backup, not tape; the programs designed for tape seem too obtuse to be useful. I just want to run trivial scripts.) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: System comes to a halt on heavy disk I/O
Charles Curley wrote: > When I run fairly disk intensive tasks, like copying tens of gigabytes > to this machine, it slows to a crawl. Disk I/O slows down by two > orders of magnitude. Are you saying you expect to be able to write 90 MB/s under ideal conditions, but that when you try to achieve that speed, you only write 1 MB/s? If so, that's very similar to symptoms I saw when working with some bad hardware a few years ago. The drives would inexplicably slow to a crawl during large transfers, yet the same drives worked perfectly when attached to different computers. I never did find the cause, since we got rid of those servers, but I suspected that either noisy power or vibration was causing the hard drives to frequently position the head inaccurately. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Network Control
Brandon Stout wrote: > In other words, the longer any discussion is, the greater the likelihood > that anything will be discussed. Sure, but discussions often converge toward the Nazi topic specifically. That convergence is an interesting phenomenon. As a rule, whenever the Nazi topic comes up in an emotional context, it's time to abruptly leave the discussion. There is often no way to exit cleanly. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: January Meeting Ideas
Jessie Morris wrote: > Lost your voice? :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: January Meeting Ideas
Jessie Morris wrote: > Stephen Shaw wrote: >> If there are any arduino[0] gurus out there it would be cool to see >> something on that. >> > I was thinking the same thing, actually. I just received one for > Christmas. :) Wow, what a great gift. An Arduino beats just about everything on ThinkGeek. ;-) Have you installed the Arduino IDE in Linux, and do you have any project ideas yet? Build the blinking LED before doing anything complex. Lately, I've been rekindling an old idea: I want to build a music box that strikes chimes using computer-controlled solenoids. An Arduino would make the software very easy. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Lost Java
Scott Jones wrote: > I tried what you said, and there's no change. I have used your > suggestion in the past to fix firefox issues, but what's weird is, I > went to linuxjournal.com and the tech tip video didn't display, no The Linux Journal tech tip videos are flash-based. An easy way to tell is by right-clicking the applet; flash applets usually display "About Adobe Flash Player" at the bottom of the context menu. Flash videos do not use Java in any way. I suspect your issue has nothing to do with Java. My installation is similar to yours. I have 64 bit Ubuntu 9.10 with Firefox and the "flashplugin-installer" package provided by Ubuntu. If you visit the URL "about:plugins" in Firefox, do you see "Shockwave Flash 10.0 r42" among the list of plugins? I have noticed that in Ubuntu 9.10, Flash often dies in the middle of a browsing session. Once it dies, Firefox shows a simple gray box where flash applets should be. The way I fix it is I quit Firefox and reopen only the page I wanted to see. Maybe I'll report it as a bug one of these days. I think Gnash is the best solution to problems like this, though. Has anyone here tried Gnash recently? http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Lost Java
Scott Jones wrote: > I'll try that in a few hours when I am back at that box. If, base on > my history and experience with this issue, this solution doesn't work, > would purging firefox and then doing a fresh install of firefox > possibly help repair this? Although it's possible that the Firefox software is corrupt, it's more likely that your personal preferences directory is broken somehow. I have solved problems like this in the past by quitting Firefox, moving aside my Mozilla preferences directory, and starting Firefox again. Move aside the preferences directory like this: mv ~/.mozilla ~/mozilla-old You might want to export your bookmarks before doing that. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Can mySQL and MSSQL coexist on the same server peacefully?
Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > No really, it's marvelous. Think about it... you get all the > benefits of a truly enterprise DB (MSSQL) and world-class webserver > (IIS) without having to leave Linux. And thanks to the Wine project, > it Just Works. > > The best part is that doing a simple "apt-get install wine" is much > easier then installing Windows and keeping it updated. Well, since > we're using Fedora[1] for our production servers, it's more like "yum > install wine", but you get the picture. Ok, but I thought the main reason people want an enterprise database is to get commercial support. There's no way Microsoft is going to support a Wine-based installation. I'm guessing you're supporting some existing application that only runs on MSSQL. For all new development, surely you'd want a database designed for Unix. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Can mySQL and MSSQL coexist on the same server peacefully?
Stuart Jansen wrote: > On Fri, 2009-12-04 at 14:31 -0700, Gabriel Gunderson wrote: >> On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 1:42 PM, Michael Torrie wrote: >>> I didn't know MSSQL could run on Linux. >> Michael, you should know better. I run MSSQL Server & IIS using wine >> on Linux all the time - it runs wonderfully well. The performance is >> really impressive and it's nice to have "Enterprise" database and >> webserver options that work well on Linux. I'll write up some >> documentation and post it for those who might be interested. > > Okay, good one. You got me. > > At least I hope you're kidding. > > You are kidding, aren't you? > > Please say you're just kidding! Lurkers everywhere would like to hear the answer to this one. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Challenge
Shane Hathaway wrote: > Sasha Pachev wrote: >> How about 17? Ok, I bothered to search for an 11s rule. It obviously applies to 0x11 just as well. http://www.jimloy.com/number/divis.htm Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Challenge
Adam Jerome wrote: > Excellent point Alan. > > It just goes to show that there is no such thing as "base 10". > Rather, what is commonly termed "base 10" is actually "base A". > Think about it... Enlightened people use base e. I have about 102.12 fingers. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Challenge
Sasha Pachev wrote: > I just came up with this while teaching my son about numbers. Let's > see how quickly somebody figures this out. > > If you had a 64 bit number written down in hex, how could you quickly > tell without the aid of any computational device, including pencil or > paper if it is divisible by 15? The 9's rule in decimal becomes the 15's rule in hexadecimal. Add the digits together in hex, then add those digits again, until you get a single digit. If the single digit is F, then it's divisible by 15. > How about 17? Two-digit representations of multiples of 17 are easy enough, but more digits aren't obvious. I'd look to rows in Pascal's triangle for powers of 17. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distance Sensors
Shane Hathaway wrote: > Sasha Pachev wrote: >> Question for EE geeks. I want to have something like this. Sensor A, >> Sensor B, Sensor C, let's say up to 16 sensors. Each separated from >> each other by no more than 2 meters at any given time. Each sensor >> needs to be small enough that if you attached it to the body and tried >> to run you would not feel encumbered. So maybe up to the size of a >> watch. Powered by something like CR2032 battery. Then there is a base. >> The base can ask any of the sensors how far away they are from a given >> peer at any time. Base can be stationary and plug into a wall. > > I wonder if one of these newfangled cameras would work: > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-of-flight_camera In fact, Microsoft claims to be developing the tech you want. :-( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Natal I really hope a Linux driver will be possible. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distance Sensors
Sasha Pachev wrote: > Question for EE geeks. I want to have something like this. Sensor A, > Sensor B, Sensor C, let's say up to 16 sensors. Each separated from > each other by no more than 2 meters at any given time. Each sensor > needs to be small enough that if you attached it to the body and tried > to run you would not feel encumbered. So maybe up to the size of a > watch. Powered by something like CR2032 battery. Then there is a base. > The base can ask any of the sensors how far away they are from a given > peer at any time. Base can be stationary and plug into a wall. I wonder if one of these newfangled cameras would work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-of-flight_camera Also, don't forget the Wiimote approach. (Infrared camera + 16 emitters.) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Long uptimes.
Stuart Jansen wrote: > On Wed, 2009-11-18 at 10:23 -0700, Andrew McNabb wrote: >> On Wed, Nov 18, 2009 at 10:15:45AM -0700, Stuart Jansen wrote: >>> http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Saving_Lives.txt >> Maybe it's just because I'm on BYU's network, but I'm getting this: >> >> amcn...@maggie:~% host www.folklore.org >> Host www.folklore.org not found: 3(NXDOMAIN) > > Tragic. I can't resolve folklore.org either. The problem is unrelated to BYU. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Looking for Wiki software with good access control and security
Michael Torrie wrote: > Does anyone know of anything that would fit the bill? MediaWiki does > offer some of this, but access control is very manual > (LocalSettings.php) and very coarse. Security and access control is not > something that MediaWiki was designed to be, which is understandable > given that it was built for wikipedia. Confluence seems to be annoyingly good at access control: http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ I say "annoyingly good" because in the environment where I used it, people were often overprotective with their wiki pages and locked out people who ought to be able to view or edit their pages. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: ISP options
Steven Alligood wrote: > I get tired of home users constantly griping that they cannot constantly > use their full bandwidth. Let me clue you in. Bandwidth costs money. > Most ISPs are paying on the order of $10 - $50 per megabit. If you are > using your full bandwidth all the time, you are costing them between $80 > and $500 per month, not counting the infrastructure, support staff, > local loops charges, etc. In other words, they loose money on you. > That is not a viable business model. Bandwidth has little to do with the issue I'm talking about. I'm talking about receiving packets, unfiltered and unmangled, on a static IP address, at home. As a software developer, I spend my day solving puzzles. Time spent solving networking bugs is time lost solving meaningful puzzles. Any filtering or mangling of packets costs me hours of debugging on a regular basis. Most ISPs filter or mangle packets in ways they think will cause no harm. They are sorely mistaken. There is always *something* that breaks due to packet interference, but ISPs hear about only a fraction of the issues that occur. XMission does not filter or mangle in any way I've been able to detect. I'm feeling spoiled by XMission right now, regardless of the limited bandwidth of DSL. I'm willing to pay more money to get more bandwidth at home, but if that means packets get filtered and mangled, I'll stick with what I already have, thank you. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: ISP options
Wade Preston Shearer wrote: > On Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 12:51PM, "Shane Hathaway" > wrote: > >> How is Rapidwave these days, anyone know? Do they understand that >> Internet nodes should be peers, not mere consumers? > > I am a satisfied Rapidwave customer. The only thing that they have > done recently that bothered me was redirecting me to a branded search > results screen for a domain that doesn't exist. So many ISPs, so few bullets. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: ISP options
Alex Esplin wrote: > Yeah. It's a crying shame XMission can't get in on better service than > DSL in Provo. I'd switch to fiber in a heartbeat if I could get fiber > from XMission. FWIW, fiber to American Fork via XMission would easily save me a lot of money right now. Therefore I'd be willing to pay fairly. Fiber to American Fork via someone less clueful than XMission, OTOH, would cause me to *lose* money. Companies like Comcast treat me like an enemy for running servers, while XMission simply applies a generous bandwidth cap. How is Rapidwave these days, anyone know? Do they understand that Internet nodes should be peers, not mere consumers? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] MMA Fight
On 20 Oct 2009, at 11:59, Bryan Sant wrote: >> My next shot at an MMA fight will be sometime in January. Good show, Bryan! Jonathan Duncan wrote: > Nice work Bryan! Next time, where a Tux. ;) Like this? http://content.techrepublic.com.com/2346-22_11-197338-26.html Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: [OT] Video camera (and other) batteries
Gabriel Gunderson wrote: > My wife recently went to BatteriesPlus and they wanted 4X as much for > the same battery found online (same name brand and from 10's of > different online resellers). This is the kinda thing that makes it > hard to know if you're getting what you pay for (either way). If the > price difference was only 15 or 20%, I'd assume they're identical > batteries and just buy the dumb thing wherever it was most continent. > 400% differences make me wonder what's going on. I've made the same observation, so I've decided to start being my own supplier of tiny batteries. I've found some common sizes in bulk quantity at Amazon for cheap. They seem to work fine. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Where to get laptop RAM in SLC area?
Charles Curley wrote: > I have a Lenovo R51, which takes a 1 GB PC2700 DDR SODIMM 333 MHz > memory card. Alas, the memory card I have for it just died, and I am > down to the 256 MB that came with the computer. Since I am coming into > Sandy for the UTOSC, I figure I should grab a replacement while I am > there. Is there a store convenient to the conference venue which is > likely to have what I need? Call ahead to confirm, but I'd try PC Laptops. http://www.pclaptops.com/locations.php Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: How to *NOT* sell Linux
Charles Curley wrote: > http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/035550.html > > The lady makes some very good points. My solution to her dilemma: I use OpenVPN and x11vnc to be the "household Linux butler" for my extended family. It works out quite well and doesn't consume much of my time. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distributed System Software Recommendations
Dave Smith wrote: > Yes, this question came up about a year ago, and XMPP and IRC were > considered. I never really pursued those options further because I'm > somewhat opposed to having a central "broker" (for lack of a better > word) that acts as a single point of failure, and adds complexity for > routing messages to and from the pieces of my distributed system. In the last distributed system I helped build, we didn't feel good about having a central point of control (and failure), but in the end we decided that a fully distributed system would add unjustifiable complexity and expense. Fully distributed systems seem to grow behaviors that are as hard to fix as human communication problems. I have no idea whether that experience applies to your project, of course. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distributed System Software Recommendations
Dave Smith wrote: > I already have a good marshaling method: Google Protocol Buffers. Now I > need some good software for sending messages to and from different parts > of the system. I mentioned Twisted. If Python is out, I think I'd use libevent, which provides something like the core of Twisted in C. http://www.monkey.org/~provos/libevent/ FWIW, I dived into Google Protocol Buffers once and found it heavily geared for C++. Oddly, even the Python binding reads like C++ code. That is of course a benefit for some people. :-) Another branch of Google uses Thrift instead of Pb. I don't yet know how they compare, but this guy looked into that question: http://stuartsierra.com/2008/07/10/thrift-vs-protocol-buffers Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Distributed System Software Recommendations
Dave Smith wrote: > For those of you who are writing distributed software that does a lot of > network communication between lots of processes on different hosts > (traditional distributed system), I have a question for you: > > What software are you using to move data and events between the > components of your software? > > Curious to see your answers, and yes, this question is pretty vague on > purpose. :) A few years ago, I used Twisted Python to build the networking components of a basic distributed system (a few dozen nodes). I wasn't aware of JSON at the time, so I put pickles on the wire. Twisted handled network failures amazingly well. We had machines going up and down all the time due to a bad choice of server hardware, but the software kept humming along. It was fun to watch. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: server choking… running out of me mory?
Wade Preston Shearer wrote: > My server goes down from time to time. When it does, it is still on > but none of the services respond (no response from SSH, Apache, ping, > etc). The server is just a web server. Each time, I reboot it and it > comes back up just fine. I'm trying to figure out what keeps taking > it down. I've wondered if it was a bad hard drive in the RAID, but > after looking at the Apache logs just now and seeing a plethora of > memory leak notices, I'm wondering if it's a memory issue. Would a > bad script that is leaking memory cause the machine to run out of > memory and then freeze up or cause all of the services to become > non-responsive? No. A program that simply eats memory can cause thrashing and activate the kernel's OOM killer, but it can't kill the network stack unless there's also a kernel or hardware bug. I used to have a home server that got into a zombie state like that about once a month. It never gave me enough info to diagnose the problem, even on virtual consoles. I finally replaced the hardware with the least expensive server-class components I could find: a Tyan board, a low power Opteron, ECC RAM, and an Enermax PSU. I've had the new hardware for about 2 years now and the problem has not occurred at all. The old hardware is now inside a desktop Ubuntu box. The owner is quite happy with it. She doesn't leave it on 24/7, and that makes all the difference. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: RedHat Certified Engineer training/review
Levi Pearson wrote: > I don't have anything to say about Guru Labs, really, but I can > recommend throwing things at Stuart. ;) We should have a session of throwing things at each other at UTOSC. It would be amusingly unproductive. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: A couple questions
Matthew Walker wrote: > Secondly, I have a server that's having major issues with I/O to the root > partition. > Twice in the last 12 hours, it's switched the root FS to read-only, and then > kernel > panicked. The errors that seem to precede the problem are journal I/O errors. > The > partition is on a raid 5 array that is in good health, and I've used smartctl > to check > the health of the underlying drives, which all seem to be fine. My next > suspect is the > 3ware card, and I'd like to flash the firmware on it, but I can't find any > documentation > about whether it's safe to do that on a running configuration. Does anyone > have any > further insight to shed on this, either about how to troubleshoot the 3ware, > or other > items I should check to isolate the problem more accurately? This could indicate bad RAM. Make sure you're using ECC RAM. It could also indicate noisy power. You could look at it with an oscilloscope, or you could just buy a high quality PSU and see if it makes a difference. If it doesn't, then at least you'll have a nice PSU on hand for emergencies. I'd like to point out that with software RAID, you can plug the drives into any Linux box and use them without trouble. It's much more complex and risky to do that with hardware RAID. That pluggability is extremely valuable in emergencies, so I personally see hardware RAID as much less reliable than software RAID. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Intellectual property rights and the economy
Russel Caldwell wrote: > Let me ask you this. What do you think a teacher needs to do to encourage > students to work on there own, especially in computer science? One young > programmer who impressed me very much said that the teacher should encourage > play which I totally agree with. He said that there is too much emphasis on > creating trivial programs to teach concepts and that students should be > allowed to work on and improve more complex programs. I think he gave > Microsoft XNA Game Studio as an example. What freesoftware tools and > resources would you recommend along these lines? If I wanted to teach computer science to beginners, I think on the first day I would let the class choose what they want to work on together for the first 2 weeks. The first 2 weeks would be the first iteration. It would start simple, like programming an existing robot, enhancing a game, etc. Each iteration would do something more complex. At the end of the semester, we'd have a robot that insults people passing in the hall and even tries to block them. Oh the mayhem we could cause. :-) Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: wall adapter
Joseph Hall wrote: > On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 10:46 PM, Andrew McNabb wrote: >> Alternatively, is there a good place to get one for cheap? It turns out >> that the terms are really hard to search for online, and the best I >> could find was $25. > > I have a bunch of generic wall adapters that I keep around for just > such a thing. There are places that sell adapters with switches on > them that let you select the voltage, and connect different plugs in > whatever polarity you need. Radio Shack has expensive ones, but one > that I carry came from the hardware aisle at Walgreens and was dirt > cheap (somewhere around $8, I think). You're welcome to borrow mine, > but you might as well just go pick one up yourself. Will that produce 3A, though? Most adapters like that (including the Radio Shack ones) are limited to 1A or less. Personally, I would be tempted to instead use an old ATX power supply. Just short the green wire to any black ground wire on the motherboard connector, and you get enough 5V and 12V current for all sorts of projects. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: A little OT - looking for help designing electronics of embedded linux device
Jeff wrote: > Peter (and everyone), > > >Did you get any traction on this? > > I did find an answer just yesterday (from a different source though). > Thanks to everyone on the list though, the suggestions were great! Out of curiosity, what did you decide to do? Did you go the GPS route, the from-scratch route, or use some other kind of RF module? Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Yes, a can of worms... But general direction would be nice...
Sasha Pachev wrote: > A) Tell him he's got it all wrong, he needs a sysadmin to run his > system. Since he does not have a backup and who knows what his > application does now after being hacked, he needs to re-install the OS > on his dedicated server that is 1000 miles a way, and the application > needs to be re-written from scratch to be sure. > > B) Find the offending code, remove it. Investigate the break-in, close > the holes. Instruct him on how to make a backup and encourage him to > do it regularly. Spend the rest of the time permitted by the client's > budget securing the most vulnerable parts of the system. The right answer is a more than B. This sysadmin should also put the customer's application and configuration under version control and tell the customer that a complete reinstall is still necessary sometime in the next year or two. That will give the customer time to consider alternate hosting setups that are easier to manage than dedicated servers. > A real-life analogy to illustrate what I am talking about. Hwy 6 is > dangerous, many people have lost their lives driving on it. When you > go to Moab from Provo do you take I-15/I-70 route instead to avoid Hwy > 6 just to be sure? Our government spends a little extra money on highway 6 to make it safer. So should the customer whose site was hacked. Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: Linux MD problem
Mike Lovell wrote: > I have a machine that has 4 disks in a raid 10 using md. The machine > went through an unclean shutdown yesterday and when the box came up, I > saw errors like the following in the kernel log and the array no longer > works. > > [ 28.575149] md: raid10 personality registered for level 10 > [ 28.610827] md: md0 stopped. > [ 28.688678] md: bind > [ 28.688981] md: bind > [ 28.689269] md: bind > [ 28.689566] md: bind > [ 28.689748] md: kicking non-fresh sdw1 from array! > [ 28.689890] md: unbind > [ 28.690036] md: export_rdev(sdw1) > [ 28.690175] md: kicking non-fresh sdv1 from array! > [ 28.690316] md: unbind > [ 28.690452] md: export_rdev(sdv1) > [ 28.690589] md: kicking non-fresh sdu1 from array! > [ 28.690730] md: unbind > [ 28.690866] md: export_rdev(sdu1) > [ 28.704706] raid10: not enough operational mirrors for md0 > [ 28.704706] md: pers->run() failed ... > > Anyone have some suggestions on what can be done to get the array > working again? There are a lot of virtual machines that are on the array > that I really don't want to have to go through and rebuild. Thanks in > advance for any advice you guys have. I would try assembling the array without sdx1: mdadm --assemble /dev/md0 /dev/sd[uvw]1 missing If that works, I would check the filesystem for errors *without repairing anything yet*, since I don't want to change any bits at all yet: e2fsck -n -f /dev/md0 If that shows no errors, or a small number of easily repaired errors, then I would try to re-add sdx1: mdadm --manage --re-add /dev/md0 /dev/sdx1 If that second command fails, I would use "--add" instead of "--re-add", causing sdx1 to be rebuilt from scratch. Then I would perform the real filesystem repair: e2fsck -p -f /dev/md0 If the first command I gave doesn't work, I would use "dd" to copy the partitions to backup drives before doing anything else, then I would do more aggressive things like "mdadm --assemble --force --update resync". Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
Re: A little OT - looking for help designing electronics of embedded linux device
Jeff wrote: > I am trying to find a contract electronics design company who can help > me design a product (the product will run embedded Linux so it's not > entirely OT). I've talked with a couple of different local companies > (VPI, Neonics) and based on the discussions I had with them I've > discovered that what I'm after is apparently a bit more cutting edge > than I had thought. Because it's apparently so cutting edge, it's going > to take a company or individual who's expertise is in the specific field > of eletronics I'm after (measuring distances using the "time of flight" > of an RF signal). Also they need to be someone who is up to date not > just on what's on the market but what is just barely hitting the market > and what is about to come out of the labs and onto the market in the > next year to 2 years. Would GPS signals be sufficient? Sparkfun has a wide variety of GPS circuits, and they're finally coming down in price. http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?c=4 Potential problems with GPS include precision, the initialization period (up to 40 seconds, I've heard), and satellite visibility. The GPS advantage is a fairly low price due to commoditization. There's also AGPS, which improves the precision but increases the price a lot. > Does anyone know of any company, individual, or guru like that? (They > don't have to be local to Utah though it would be great if they are). > I've tried google - but the problem is every custom electronics design > company claims to be great in their marketing materials and I've > realized I'm probably only going to be able to weed through them based > on references. Sparkfun could be the right place to ask. They've designed a lot of circuits and they probably know a lot of good designers. I should say that I've also wanted to build a pair of circuits that measure distances using RF signals. With triangulation, and if the measurements happen often enough, you could make outdoor video games. It would be better than a Wii! Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
