[SLUG] Cursor colour.
I'm using Fedora 4 and Gnome. Can anyone tell me how to change the colour of the cursor? I've changerds the font colour in the terminal: the cursor is still the same and I can't see what's under it. Any help etc. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Question on Gnome.
Have just installed Fedora4 and was fiddling around with the Desktop. I noticed something that I've not been able to fix. In the past, when I minimized something, it always migrated to the bottom tool bar, for subsequent resurrection. Not now. Now it flies off to the right of the screen, I know not where. It may be that the tool bar extends out beyond the right edge of the screen, too, and that minimizing is acting correctly. (No evidence, but there has to be something that's doing it.) Don't know what I did to cause this, but it's going to be a nuisance if I can't fix it, because I'm a command-line freak and like to have several files open/minimized at a session. Has anyone seen this before? Any help would be appreciated, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Lindows experience.
I've been given a copy of Lindows4.5 by someone who is (was) rather chary of it---the Lindows, not the version. Has anyone had any experience with Lindows that they'd care to communicate? Good/bad/indifferent will do. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] An fstab question.
I'm trying to understand an aspect of the inner workings of my operating system (Fedora core 2). Could anyone explain the columns within fstab, please? For example, the last two lines are:-- /dev/sda1 /mnt/stick autonoauto,owner0 0 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom udf,iso9660 noauto,owner,kudzu,ro 0 0 Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] An unsupported AGFA scanner.
I'd been given an Agfa Snapscan 1212 parallel port scanner. Which the secretary couldn't make work, even under Microsoft. Which I put to one side, because Agfa, at the time, would not release anything that would enable a driver to be written. Apparently Agfa are like that with Linux. Well, I checked with sane-project.org and, as at 3rd July 2005 it's *still* on the list of unsupported devices. It goes against my grain to junk what seems to be a perfectly good ie, as yet unused, device because I can't find a driver for it. I know some subscribers to SLUG have Agfa scanners, although not the parallel port versions. Has anyone any ideas on how to get some life out of it? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Templates and their manufacture.
As a given project (I wasn't paying attention at the time) I have to make a template. I thought a template was something like the preamble of the LaTeX documents I have been preparing for years: paragraph indent, font type, offsets etc. Well, it is and it isn't. The template I have been given is a GUI type that asks for information and, when complete does something and tells you/displays a message. As a dedicated command line user and an equally dedicated avoider of Microsoft, I am somewhat stuck. Can anyone, please, suggest an application that will do what I have been requested? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] PSTricks question.
The pst-grad that I have can do linear gradations and these can be fiddled with gradmidpoint. I'd like to produce a radial gradation, leading to a graphic of Great Taste and Poignancy. Has anyone come across a PSTrick that does this? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] LaTeX, seminar class question.
Tried amending the example in the LaTeX Graphics Companion, page
339. Information at the bottom of the page. Tried
\slideframe{double}.
No, it doesn't like the {double}. Or {shadow}.
Obviously I've offended it somehow.
Anybody been this way before?
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] On probing a CD.
I have an audio CD that has about 20 dinky tracks on it. The record catalogue says that it has 25 dinky tracks on it and lists what they should be. Long ago and far away, I recall that there was a method of probing the CD to see what's on it. I don't mean file size and times, I mean titles. As I remember, it was a method to avoid typing out the titles on the disk. Can anyone help? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Microsoft game analogue.
I've asked this before, but I've forgotten the reply. There's a Linux game called Same on my laptop. Similar pattern marbles disappear: try to achieve a score of zero. What's the Microsoft name for it please? I *think* it was called Multiclick or some such that could be ftp'd from Austria. A Dogpile search thus far has resulted in zero. Can anyone help? By doing so, you will save me the trouble of explaining to my nephew just what living on borrowed time means. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] LaTeX: character thus far unobtainable.
I'm having trouble finding an encoding (I think that's the word) for something I have to set. It's a lowercase e with a bar over it (Lithuanian, since you ask). Page 359 of the TLC mentions the ISO-8859-4 encoding (the Baltic countries) but I'm not sure this is what I'm after. The problem is that the e-bar is a one-off in the document. In the past, I've used [T1] fontenc and then \dh for an Icelandic letter (which also was a one-off). I've looked further through the TLC (pages 455+)---nothing that I can see. I don't think it will be as simple this time. Has anyone any ideas? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] LateX question, tabular and raggedright.
So I'm mooching through TLC (second edition). Page 244 goes
on about the new improved array and I decided to fix something
that's been niggling me for some time.
The old:
\begin{tabular}{p{0.33\textwidth}p{0.33\textwidth}p{0.33\textwidth}}
First amendment:
\begin{tabular}{{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}p{0.33\textwidth}p{0.33\textwidth}}
Works.
Second amendment:
\begin{tabular}{{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}p{0.33\textwidth}}
Works.
Third amendment:
\begin{tabular}{{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}{\raggedright}p{0.33\textwidth}}
Haemorrhages. Error message says that a has been changed. No,
it hasn't.
Has anybody seen this before? In any event, I'd still
like 3 paragraph-type columns wherein the text is set with
\raggedright. And I'd like to set the command just the once
(rather than fiddling each entry).
Any help/suggestions will be greatfully received and looked over,
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Wanting a single file from an rpm.
To all: Many thanks for the replies. I've elaborated on the problem; someone else might have run into it and this might help. I run Fedora2 on an IBM 600e Thinkpad. I wanted to install elvis, which is a rather good improvement on vi/vim etc. I'm gunshy of using other than rpm to install an application, so I went searching for an elvis.rpm---found it at the elvis/pub site and ftp'd it: elvis-2.2f-3.i686.rpm At root, rpm -ivh elvis-2.2f-3.i686.rpm produced the following:--- Warning: elvis-2.2f-3.i686.rpm : V3 DSA signature: NOKEY, key ID e01260f2 error: Failed dependencies: libtinfo.so.5 is needed by elvis-2.2f-3 So I went searching. A Dogpile search produced 2 sites. Both contained ncurses-5.2-34.i386.rpm and ncurses-5.2-34.i586.rpm and both contain libtinfo.so.5 (As a precaution, I checked the Fedora discs: there *is* an ncurses.rpm file there. It doesn't contain libtinfo.so.5) So I ftp'd the 586 and tried:--- rpm -ivh ncurses-5.2-34.i586.rpm and received several screens of file X from install of ncurses-5.2-34 conflicts with file from package ncurses-5.4-5 ncurses-5.4-5, presumably, is the one on the Fedora disc that has been installed. So I return to my original question: would it be possible to extract the single file libtinfo.so.5 and install it in the correct place (which appears to be /lib)? I assume there might be a switch in the rpm command that could do this, although I'm not familiar enough with the command to recognise it (even after reading the man). [It now appears that this is simplistic. There might be links and other bits and pieces that have to be put in place as well.] I'm not sure just *what* libtinfo.so.5 is that makes it so important; ncurses seems to be just a stack of library files. Regards, Bill. X-Dog: MUTT -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Wanting a single file from an rpm.
I want to install elvis (a vi clone) and have the rpm. There's a failed dependency: it needs libtinfo.so.5 Did a search: it's contained in ncurses-5.2-34.i686.rpm Obtained this. Can't install/upgrade (have tried). Have checked: it *does* contain libtinfo.so.5 libtinfo.so.5 is nowhere on my system. ncurses-5.2-34.i686 contains it simply as /lib/libtinfo.so.5 Shouldn't I be able simply to extract libtinfo.so.5 and install it myself? Or is there an rpm flag that says install a certain file and only that file? Any help ... Regards, Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Suggestions for a soundcard, please.
My laptop (IBM Thinkpad 600e/ Fedora core 2) cannot, despite repeated attempts by people with more---alright, *much* more---Linux knowledge than me, activate the soundcard. So I'll have to relegate it to the Project When I Have The Time basket. I'd like to use audacity to tailor some talk and music CDs. The laptop has a tichy plug for some headphones. Presumably I'll have to buy something that either (a) fits the pcmcia slot or something external. Has anyone any experience/suggestions as to what might fit the situation, please? Regards, Bill. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] alsaconf query.
Has anyone had any experience with alsaconf? I'm trying to get some sound out of my (IBM 600e) laptop and, according to some people on LinuxQuestions, alsaconf is the way to go. Any help etc., Regards, Bill bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Latex question. On arrows.
@ and @ do *not* produce arrows that extend automatically to accommodate unusually wide subscripts and superscripts, page 226 of TLC notwithstanding. I have a feeling that I've seen this before, although long ago and far away. Can anyone help, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Gnome games. The other type.
The nephew noticed some games on my laptop, in particular one called, I think, Same (ball game, object is to get rid of the entire set). Could he have a copy for Dad's (Microsoft-oriented) PC? I dunno. Is there an analogous game somewhere? Any help etc., Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Soundcard, IBM and sox
I'd like to try to upload an old LP from a turntable. Sox has been recommended. Well, on checking the method, I'll need a soundcard. I don't know wehther the laptop has one built-in. Can anyone tell me? (The laptop is an IBM 600e Thinkpad, approx 7 years old.) If it turns out that there isn't one inside, can anyone suggest/recommend one, please? Any help in the matter etc. Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Soundcard, IBM and sox
Many thanks for the reply. Well, I've progressed: I now know that the laptop *has* one. I'm a bit apprehensive about this. My laptop was given to me by someone who bought it in the USA, which is a roundabout way of saying that IBM (Australia) don't wish to know me. Presumably drivers differ with soundcards. Is there a Linux command that will tell which soundcard model is present (modprobe? pokewithbaton? tchaikovsky?). Bill. Yes, the laptop does have a soundcard built in. The only problem with the ThinkPad 600 series is that there were a few different cards that IBM used in them. They're all Cirrus Logic cards of some sort though. I have a ThinkPad 600E and its card doesn't work at all under Linux. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] A(nother) question on audacity.
I opened audacity. I received the following error message. Pa_SetupDeviceFormat: warning - requested sample rate = 96000 Hz - closest = 46790 This is, I gather, telling me that the card that is currently in the computer can't hack a sample rate of 96000 Hz and that the best it can do is 46790. So, I have a couple of questions, please:--- 1) I'm ripping a CD simply to teach myself audacity, so a sample rate of 46790 would be OK. Presumably I have to set audacity to do this. Can anyone tell me how? 2) I was going to rip the CD via cdparanoia and open it with audacity. The sampling biz would apply to cdparanoia also, wouldn't it? If so, how do I adjust cdparanoia? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] qustion about audacity.
I've installed audacity to edit a couple of files that contain chat *and* music. It's trying to tell me something. I append the error message. Can anyone help? More to the point, can anyone suggest a fix? Regards, Bill Bennett. The error message:--- Pa_SetupDeviceFormat: warning - requested sample rate = 96000 Hz - closest = 46790 Pa_SetupDeviceFormat: HW does not support 96000 Hz sample rate Pa_SetupDeviceFormat: warning - requested sample rate = 96000 Hz - closest = 46790 Pa_SetupDeviceFormat: HW does not support 96000 Hz sample rate -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Python recommendations, please.
I want to teach myself Python. Can anyone recommend a good textbook, please? The last book I used to teach myself a language was ideal. It had for every chapter:--- a) an introduction to the topic b) some history c) examples of what was being introduced d) problems, problems, problems. e) answers to some problems considered particularly low I know this sounds like *every* textbook. But people who think that haven't read Grokking the Gimp. Also, there's a Python interest group somewhere, isn't there? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Editing audio CDs
I've been given a couple of Cds from Europe. They're of radio broadcasts---some introductory chat, an orchestral performance, more chat, another performance etc. The performances are good. Shame about the chat. So I'd like to edit them: save the performances and reburn. A Cd contains one giant file. I will have to edit this (and in the process, it would be nice to remove any foot shuffling, bronchial egoists, etc.) To do this, Multitool Linux suggested Audacity, although there seem to be a couple of programmes.. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of task? Any suggestions/information will be gratefully received. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] LaTeX--a query
So, being chuffed about the Local Council election results
and under the influence of some Not Lemonade, I decided to try
one of the fancier fonts in a LaTeX document.
I should have known better.
If you want to use it, you've got to go through the biz of:---
\newcommand{\ahem}{%
\fontencoding{xx}\fontfamily{yy}\fontseries{zz}%
\fontsize{12}{11}\selectfont}
All well and good if you know the encoding. To make it more
intricate, the font seems to exist only in an italic form --
fine, that's what I want, but if that's the case, \fontfamily
and \fontseries don't need to be specified; I have a feeling
they have to be.
Can anyone help, please?
The font is pzcmi and it comes with the LaTeX package.
There is a .tfm file in adobe/zapfchan.
Regards,
Bill Bennett
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] PowerPoint Analogue.
I'd like to like to teach myself to make a presentation.
People who know no better have suggested PowerPoint.
The list of analogues ^{*} has:---
1) StarOffice Presentation
2) Open Office Impress
3) Kpresenter
4) MagicPoint
5) Kuickshow gimp :)
(I do not know the significance of (5).
Has anyone any experience with any of these?
That you can talk about?
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
{*} http://www.linuxlist.com/win-lin-soft-en.html
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] A valid analogy.
On Fri, Mar 12, 2004 at 06:11:34PM +1100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] spake thusly: =+- Same thing; it's a Wankel rotary engine. Yes, it is. The point is that the engine runs without pistons. My reason for using this analogy was simply that one cannot damage a pistonless engine by putting something in the petrol that rots piston heads. Uh, considering the way the thread is going, perhaps I'd better enlarge somewhat on the subject. Firstly, those who asked me about Linux were not tech-heads/nurds/etc. Their definition of a virus would be anything that stops/hinders the computer. Very simplistic, I know, but there are many such people out there. They are not subscribers to SLUG, or, I imagine, any other common interest computer group. Secondly, any analogy (I'd still like one) will probably have to use a basic difference between Linux and MS-oriented machines. Some of the people I spoke to had been visited by the blaster (and other similar viruses); these were not E-mail borne. Yet Linux was immune to them. Thirdly, it now appears that I was wrong when I said Viruses don't affect Linux. So I'll amend it to If a virus *was* let loose on Linux, it would be stopped quicktime. In the past, when I've posted a query (vim/LaTeX/others) I've been amazed at the response time (in some cases minutes) *and* the responses from disinterested people who have seen it before/have given the matter some thought/discussed it with a colleague and taken the time to post a response. And I imagine that viruses (no matter *how* they're defined) would fall into the same category. There's something else I should add that's drawn from my experience, although I don't want to start a flame war. If a solution/patch to any virus was posted and found to be defective (as happened with MS), an alternative/improved version would also make its appearance quicktime. (Generally with derisive commentary, but we don't live in an ideal world.) So, I like the burglar analogy so far: the situation with Linux and viruses/suchlike is analogous to turning up with an assortment of keys/bits of wire to burgle a house and finding yourself staring at a keypad. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] A valid analogy.
It's a peculiar request, so please bear with me. I had been asked why Linux was immune to the wave of viruses that have been pillaging Microsoft-oriented machines. To be honest, I didn't have a ready reply. The best I could do was Well, Linux is differently organised. Feeble, I know, but the enquirer was not a nurd and, if it comes to that, neither am I. So I thought about the matter. I wanted a good analogy. This was the best that came to mind: Assume someone has put something in your petrol that rots piston heads and only piston heads. Eventually the engine will fail. *However* it's not going to affect me if my engine is a Wenkel. As I say, the best I could do. Can anyone do better? The issue *must* have surfaced in the past and valid analogies must have been drawn for the non-technical. My reason for wanting this is that, occasionally I'm asked why I will not even look at, or consider going back to MS. Blinding people with technicalia generally gets you nowhere. Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
Re: [SLUG] Graphics Question
=+- =+- I believe that autotrace can do that. Search freshmeat. =+- =+- Erik Well, not with any accuracy. If we're thinking about the same thing, Accutrace was something that came with CorelDraw. It's still there (as Autotrace) and it's still only about 2/10. I couldn't find anything on accutrace in freshmeat. Does anybody know of anything that works a la accutrace? Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] A Driver for a Scanner.
I was given an Agfa 1212p Snapscan. Without a power supply. So, first off, can anybody confirm that this unit requires 16V DC to supply approx 0.9-1.0 amp? Which I will make. No problems thus far. The driver for this unit, however, is something else. It appears (from a search of the Web) that Agfa do not greatly care for Linux, to the extent that they will not release any information whereby a driver could be written. I have a feeling that someone was trying to reverse engineer a driver, although this would probably be a time-consuming project. Does anyone know whether a driver for this unit exists? If ir doesnt, I may have to conect it to a Windows machine. And I don't want that. Any help etc., Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Seems simple enough...
Starting from the desktop, 1) Go into command line 2) Set font to required (ie., large) size 3) Maximise the page 4) Do whatever has to be done 5) Exit and log right out Next session, after the password, I'd like to begin at 4) There must be a way to do this. Any help, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. --9DAFD37B8.1076479291/mailhub1.une.edu.au-- -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] LaTex and the use of \symbol.
In a nutshell:---
1. I'm using the palatino package, ie., \usepackage{palatino}
2. I want to use the letter u with the tichy little hole above it
(apologies in advance to the Czechs, but it's not an umlaut and I
don't know what it's called). I looked up the Cork layout for the
symbol and was going to use that, ie., \symbol{xx}
3. It doesn't work. Changing the value to see if it will print
any of the symbols in the Cork layout doesn't work either. It's
as though the program doesn't recognise the command \symbol.
Any help will be acted upon immediately, with grateful thanks,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
[SLUG] Problem with a graph.
I'm easing myself into oocalc, which is the Open Office analogue of the dreaded Excel. I expected to be able to duplicate most of the functions (although, to be fair I was never much chop at Excel either) without many hiccups. However this one has given the Excel whips pause for thought. You know this when you are continually asked Are you *sure* this is what you want? I have two sets of data (waterplants) that I want to compare. The X-axis is time in days. No problem. However, I'd like the Y-axis to be a logarithmic scale. To base 2. To base 10 is easy enough, it seems. Base 2, no. Has anyone any experience of this? It may be that if it can be done in Excel, then, analogous strokes can do it in oocalc. At the minute I can't find anyone who can do it in Excel, either. Any suggestions, etc Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Databases, some advice please.
I'd like to teach myself something on databases. The table of Window equivalents lists:--- 1) KNoda 2) Gnome DB Manager 3) OpenOffice + MySQL 4) InterBase7 (Prop) 5) InterBase6 (Presumably no longer Prop) 6) Berkley DB 7) Rekall (Prop) 8) StarOffice Adabase Has anyone any experience of any of these that they'd like to air? As I have only (very, ancient) limited experience of Access, I think thorough documentation would be a high priority. Any help, comments etc. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A printing problem.
I've LaTeX'd the pages, all is well. I'd like to print the pages on either side (ie., duplex) of sheets of landscaped A4. I don't want them tumbled. I'd like page 1 printed, say, 3cm from the LH edge, then the sheet flipped right to left, then page 2 printed 3cm from the RH edge, ie., exactly behind page 1. It seems impossible. pstops (or our printer) insists on tumbling. Has anyone else had any experience with this problem? Any help/suggestions etc. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] LaTeX question, Linux command.
I don't have my cp of Goosens here to look up the graphics rule but it looks like you are wanting to use latex and generate postscript. An eps is not necessarily too big. Both convert and jpg2eps (which might even already be on your system as it comes with many teTeX distributions) just encapsulates the binary jpg and it wont be much bigger at all than the jpg. Then you wont need the graphics rule at all. Well, I'd *better* look at jpg2eps (it isn't on our machine), cause the jpg file was 452731 bites. The corresponding eps was 29969362 bites. (It was a photograph). Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX question, Linux command.
I was going to use a .jpg file in a figure in a LaTeX document,
on the grounds that an.eps file would be too big.
So I copied the method from Keith Reckdahl's Using Imported Graphics in LaTeX2e, ie.,
\documentclass[dvips,11pt]{report}
\usepackage{graphicx}
then
use convert myfile.jpg myfile.eps
to get a Bounding Box line, which subsequently becomes the
only line in myfile.jpg.bb
(and deleted myfile.eps)
then
\DeclareGraphicsRule{.jpg}{eps}{.jpg.bb}{`convert #1 'eps:-' }
What *should* happen is that, at dvips, this latter command
translates the .jpg file into an .eps file (specified by
the eps: option) and sends the result to standard output
(specified by the - specification).
Except that it doesn't.
What I get is:---
dvips: Failure to execute convert Myfile.jpg 'eps:-'; continuing
I have this feeling that something is wrong with the
\DeclareGraphicsRule in that part {`convert #1 'eps:-' }.
Could anyone help, please?
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX and the booklet package.
I wanted to make a small booklet, so I used the booklet package.
This package arranges the pages in booklet form. In an ideal
world, I should be able to fold the (landscape) double sided
page across the middle, followed by some judicious cropping
and I have a booklet.
In an ideal world.
In a less than ideal world, I put the command
\special{!TeXDict begin /Tumble true setpagedevice end}
in the preamble and the pages are printed on both sides of a
landscape leaf, in correct order, but they are not squared
upon each other, ie., I can fold the middle of the booklet on
one side, but this will not work for the pages on the back of
the leaf, because I haven't folded in the middle.
I can't help feeling that I'm missing something simple here, but
such things make ideal worlds.
Has anyone encountered this problem before?
Regards,
Bill Bennett
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Comparing files: odd result.
I finally got around to comparing CD readers to see whether they could produce good copies of audio files. Well, one file, actually. The readers were the inbuilt one in the laptop (IBM 600e) and the burner I bought (Mitsubishi Diamond Data). Puzzling result. ls -l says that the files are the same size. diff says that, even so, they're not the same. Can anyone suggest a test to say whether they're X% identical? When I first mooted this, people asked that I post the results. I'll do so, but I'd like some guidance first. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A question of deletion.
In the old days, MS deleted a file by clipping the leading letter and substituting a token that stood for deleted. You can't undelete a file in Linux. Is this because the file has been shredded? I ask not because I want to undelete, but because I have some sensitive data files that I have deleted and *don't* want resurrected at any later date. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Experience with emulators.
It all began when I was quoted $1200 for a copy of CorelDraw9 for Linux. I alreadt have a copy of CorelDraw9. For Windows. When I gave up MS, I did so completely, on the grounds that I'd force myself to learn what I needed in Linux. The machine has only Linux on it. RedHat8, since you ask. So someone suggested that I use the CorelDraw for Windows using a Windows emulator. I'm not sure that I understand what an emulator does. What I've read about them suggests that they're Windows lookalikes, written for those that have pangs about what they forsook. (Sorry about that description, it wasn't meant to sound the way it does.) So, my question is: would it be possible to run CorelDraw for Windows through an emulator? I assume that someone has had experience in the matter. Even neutral/bad/positively appalling/much worse than $1200 worth would be helpful. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Agfa and bit of attitude.
I have been given a scanner. An Agfa 1212 Snapscan. Parallel port. I was given it because the previous buyer could not get it to work on his Macintosh system, CD, coarse language, very coarse language and booklet notwithstanding. So I went for a search to see whether I could plug it into the laptop. Not that it seems to matter. Agfa, apparently will not release any information that will enable a driver to be written for Linux. Has anybody else had experience with this model. Or, if it comes to that, with Agfa? Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] A GhostView question.
In answer to Peter's question: I'm doing this from a terminal interface. Unsure of how to determine $DISPLAY When I type in xterm I am told: xterm Xt error: Can't open display: Bill Bennett. =+- =+- Are you doing this within X ? What's the value of $DISPLAY ? =+- Can you do =+- xterm =+- and what does it say when you try? =+- =+- -- =+- Dr Peter Chubb http://www.gelato.unsw.edu.au peterc AT gelato.unsw.edu.au =+- You are lost in a maze of BitKeeper repositories, all slightly different. =+- =+- -- =+- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ =+- More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] CD tracks and their intervals.
Many thanks for the reply. Well, padsize is listed as a track option, so it seems that I'll have to burn the disc manually, ie., cdrecord -multi -padsize=15x60x75s audiofile1 The -multi to ensure that I can add the next file; the -padsize to add the 15 seconds after audiofile1 After audiofile2, I'd command cdrecord -multi -padsize=30x60x75s audiofile3 Does this make sense so far? Regards, Bill. =+- The 'padsize=' option looks like a better bet. =+- =+- To pad the equivalent of 20 minutes on =+- a CD, you may write padsize=20x60x75s. =+- =+- So you might try padsize=30x75s (the s refers to sectors, not seconds.) =+- =+- The manual says this needs to be specified for each track though. =+- =+- The pad option seems to just increase the file by only a little until =+- the total size is a multiple of 2352 bytes. CD audio is 16bits per =+- channel at 44KHz, which works out to 176000 bytes per second, so 2352 =+- bytes is approximately bugger all ;) =+- =+- =+- =+- -- =+- Felix Sheldon [EMAIL PROTECTED] =+- =+- -- =+- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ =+- More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] A GhostView question.
Unfortunately, you're right: I went back to Gnome and ran gv from the run application. Curses. Unfortunately, I upgraded from Redhat7 to 8. In 7, I used to be able to use gv at the command line. On reflection, I suspect a knowledgable friend, knowing that I was happier here, slipped in an alias. I don't suppose you could suggest one? I'm a bit out of my depth here. Regards, Bill. On Tue, Jul 08, 2003 at 04:23:05PM +1000, Mike Alonzo spake thusly: =+- Bill == Bill Bennett [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: =+- =+- Bill In answer to Peter's question: I'm doing this from a terminal =+- Bill interface. =+- =+- Bill Unsure of how to determine $DISPLAY =+- =+- Bill When I type in xterm I am told: =+- =+- xterm Xt error: Can't open display: =+- =+- You have to be inside X to use Ghostscript. =+- =+- -- =+- .''`. Jan Alonzo :: jmalonzo at spaceants dot org =+- : :' : PGP fp: DB23 8CB2 E050 7737 B3C4 BB2C 5368 864B C70C 894A =+- `. `' ID: C70C894A =+-`- -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A GhostView question.
I've a PostScript file that I should be able to view with GhostScript. The command gv file.ps produces gv: Unable to open the display Presumably I'm missing something. Could anyone suggest a command that would give some indication of what's wrong, please? Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] CD tracks and their intervals.
I've a rather exotic Compact Disk that I'd like to copy. Two symphonies, each of three movements. Unfortunately, whoever laid out this disc had probably been smoking substances: each movement is separated by 2 seconds and the symphonies by 3. I can rip the disc without difficulty. When I burn it, I'd like to separate the movements with (approximately) 15 seconds and the symphonies by (approximately) 30. On looking over man cdrecord, the -pad option seems to be what's the matter. It pads the audio data to be a multiple of 2352 bytes. Unfortunately, I don't know what this equates to in seconds. Can anyone help, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Just thinking.
Many thanks to the people who replied to my posting. It was prompted by my getting cdparanoia and cdrecord to produce a disc. (Never mind the sarcasm, it was a major miracle. My next project is to raise the dead.) cdparanoia's propaganda says that it will fix small problems on a disk. All well and good. But having ripped an audio track, fixed or not, it has to be burned, ie., what with translation to .wav, software to send this file to the burner and the burning process itself, there is room for error(s). We do not live in the best of all possible worlds. Hence my enquiry. In my case, ripper and burner are not the same instrument, although even if they were, the argument remains unchanged. There are also these thoughts: even if errors *are* shown to exist, they may not amount to much, human hearing being what it is and if they *do* amount, I may not be able to do much about them. I will, however, post what results I get. Thanks again, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] The burning of audio CDs.
I'd like to try burning audio (and data) CDs under Linux, but I'm a bit chary about the applications. There are several. The few people who've volunteered opinions suggest cdparanoia, although it looks a bit involved. Has anybody had any experience with cdparanoia? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Partially comprehensible error message.
I connected the CD burner to the USB bus. I put in a data disk and typed mount -t iso9660 /dev/scd0/ /mnt/usbcd and was told mount: block device /dev/scd0 is write protected, mounting read-only I understand this---I'll have to change the read/write permissions. So, I unmounted the usbcd, put in an audio CD and typed the same command. and was told: mount: block device /dev/scd0 is write protected, mounting read-only I/O error: dev 0b:00, sector 64 isofs_read_super: bread failed, dev=0b:00, iso_blknum=16, block=16 mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/scd0, or too many mounted file systems. Well, I understand the first line. Can anyone explain the rest of the error message, please? Any help will be acted upon immediately. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Questions on hotplug.
Many thanks for the reply. =+- As root, check to see if the hotplug process is running. I assume that, at root, I simply type hotplug? I'm not sure because the manual for hotplug is beyond my comprehension. It seems to be saying (in the syntax) that I type hotplug and then pipe it to NAME, where NAME is the agent that's been connected by hotplug. If I'm right, then it's a circular argument, because I don't know where (or under what name) hotplug has connected the burner. I have one other question. If I want to burn a CD at the end of a work session, I will have to connect the burner whilst the computer is still on, ie., a warm connection. Will hotplug wear this? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Mounting a second CD device.
Many thanks for the help. I located the hotplug rpms on the installation disks (there are two:hotplug and gtk_hotplug---this latter, I presume, is the front end for the other). Both have been installed. I'm unsure how to proceed now. There's nothing on the desktop (or in the applications list) to indicate that hotplug is present or running. The next logical step is to see whether the CD burner has been mounted at the USB bus. I don't *expect* the burner to be rejected (it's a common enough brand), so I should be able either to issue a command or click on an icon to view to the contents of a CD that I've placed in the burner. If I can do that I guess I can assume that all is well thus far. Could someone tell me how to go about doing this, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Mounting a second CD device.
I have a small laptop. It has a CD reader inbuilt. It has also a USB bus, to which I would like to attach a CD burner. I'm not sure about how to mount this burner. The reader mounts automatically when I put in a disk. But I don't know whether the system will wear a second CD device. Has anybody any experience with this situation? Regards, Bill Bennett. - Details: IBM 600e notebook, running RH8 CD burner: Mitsubishi Diamond Data. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Solution. Was: [SLUG] Mounting a floppy drive, RH8.0
I had several suggestions to my problem on mounting a floppy drive with RH8.0 and for these, many thanks. I've solved it (well, alright our sysop solved it). The fault was so subtle that I thought I'd post it: someone might benefit. I'd been given one of those free CDs from the front of a computing journal. I'd had trouble with CDRoast in the past and was glad to see an application that would do the trick. *However* the application required another application, called smake, which was duly FTP'd and installed. This was what was the matter. Smake made reference to the kernel that was in operation at the time (RH7.1). (I say made reference because I was looking over the shoulder of the sysop and he's a hard man to follow when he gets his tail up). When I installed RH8.0, I used upgrade rather than fresh install and the reference to the old kernel was kept. Which is what puzzled the sysop when he investigated: an occasional reference to this earlier kernel. Since I've backed up my files, the recommendation is a fresh installation and to use the CDRoast that comes with RH8.0 I hope this is of some use to someone. I suppose as a generic problem (holdovers from earlier kernels) it's nothing new. Was to me, though. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Mounting a floppy drive, RH8.0
I've just installed RH 8.0 on the laptop. I tried to keep what went on to a minimum (in truth, I do not understand what many of the applications do) but the installation did, at least, complete itself. I wanted to move some files from a floppy to the hard disc, so I followed the booklet and, at root, typed mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy and was told mount: fs type msdos not supported by kernel So, was it 1) something I should have included in the installation? If so, I'll go back to the discs and pick up the missing bit if someone could tell me what it is, or is it simply 2) something I have to tell the system? Any help ... Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] That vi problem, with pike.
I received a couple of enquiries about the vi problem that I posted a couple of days ago. I use Elvis, which is a vi clone. I wrote to Steve Kirkendall, who wrote Elvis, asking him for his opinion. Hereunder is the problem amd his comments. The Problem: consider the following heading:--- in the quick armadillo and in the lazy goat The problem is to capitalize the first letter of each word that is made up of more than three letters. *However* the first word, regardless of the number of letters also has to begin with a capital. Thus the header becomes:--- In the Quick Armadillo and in the Lazy Goat Steve's reply: In vim, you can do it in one step with... :s/\(^\|\w\w\w\)\w\+/\u/g In elvis, this command doesn't work because elvis doesn't recognize the ^ metacharacter anywhere except as the first character of the regular expression. Elvis would need two steps. That's probably a bug, but it doesn't come up very often, so I haven't worried about it much. The traditional vi, and nvi, don't support the \w metacharacter, so you'd need to use [a-zA-Z0-9_] instead. And I'm not sure about the \+ metacharacter either, so you should probably replace it another [a-zA-Z0-9_] and a * operator. And even then, support for \| and a late ^ is very iffy. I don't like the idea of using . to recognize characters in a word, because it could be fooled by a very short word followed by another word. /\\/ could match in a. The vim version of the command breaks down like this: :s/\(^\|\w\w\w\)\w\+/\u/g 1 334 1) Either the beginning of a line, or 3 characters that can appear in a word. 2) One or more additional characters that can appear in a word. Note that \+ is a greedy operator, so it'll always match the maximum number of word characters. Because of this, we don't need to use any \ or \ metacharacters. 3) Capitalize the next character. Note that lowercase \u is different from uppercase \U. \U affects all following characters, until the next \E. \u only affects one character, and doesn't need a \e to end it. 4) Use a copy of the whole original string. The \u only affects the first character of that string. This would probably still be fooled by apostrophes. Words such as don't might not be capitalized because they'd look like two short words. If anyone has comment on this, could you post it, please? Regards, Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A vi problem, with pike.
Dear All,
I have a problem that I'd been thinking about for some time.
I don't think it can be done.
Nevertheless, I'll post it. When such problems have been posted
in the past, they have generated brisk exchanges and much
corrosive sarcasm. OTOH, if a solution is found, it could be very
useful...
I've been given a text document, to be set in LaTeX.
I use vi as an editing language.
There are a lot of sections in it.
The section headings take up one line only.
I'd like a command that would put in the section command and
capitalize the leading letters of all words in a line that
are *not* of one, two or three letters. However, the first
word in the line, regardless of the number of letters *must*
have a leading capital.
For example, the line:---
A quick armadillo and a dead goat
becomes
\section{A Quick Armadillo and a Dead Goat}
(I do not wish to know that words shouldn't be capitalized thus
for a heading: my orders come From Above.)
A (very) partial solution would be:---
:.,.s/^\(.\)\(.*)/\\section{\U\1\2}/
which, in bits, is:---
:.,.command, for this line
s/^\(.\)remember the first character for later
substitution
\(.*\) remember also the rest of the line for later
substitution
/\\section{ begin the substitution with \section{
(\\ because the backslash is a magic)
\U\1the uppercase version of the first character
\2}/followed by the rest of the line and a curly
bracket.
As I said, very partial.
The one, two and three letter words are what's the matter. My
own thinking would be not to specify them, but to specify
four and above with the first letter remembered: something
like \\(.\)...*\
Can anyone improve on this?
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Software Query.
Two problems, actually. 1) There's a prospect of my being able to acquire CorelDraw for Linux in the near future. So I looked it up. The wretched thing is described as being configured for Debian: I use common-or-garden Redhat. Can anyone forsee any problems with this? 2) A friend has some software from, I think, SoundForge, whereby he can plug in his turntable to his computer and store an analogue file for subsequent (a) converting to digital and (b) editing---meaning that BLOODY piano pedal squeak that ruins any enjoyment of a certain jazz LP could be edited out. (Alright, apologies for introducing coarse and unseemly language into SLUG's driven snow. I was overcome at the prospect of a resurrection.) Unfortunately, the friend is a follower, if reluctantly, of Microsoft. He couldn't tell me whether there's analogous software for Linux. Has anyone any experience of this type of software? Any comments would be gratefully received. Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] One or two cheap books.
I've just looked over the catalogue for Academic Remainders. ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and they have a website. There are several books on Linux (mainly Caldera, of which I know naught; nor does anyone of whom I enquired). Admittedly the obligatory CD included with a lot of them gives the book away as rather superceded. Even so, as some of them teach by exercises, they may be of use to novices, like myself. (Incidentally, no commercial connection with Academic Remainders...) Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Re: [chat] Spam state of the art.
Adrian, I'm unsure of what you're wittering on about. Apart from the line beginning Two things, none of the text you quoted is mine. I always try to keep my lines about 65 charaters. More and better particulars, please. Regards, Bill Bennett. --- On Sat, Jul 20, 2002 at 12:02:54AM +1000, Adrian van den Dries spake thusly: =+- quoth Bill Bennett: =+- =+- Two things. I'm writing as a novice (alright, an ultra novice), =+- =+- Dude, your quoting sucks. Why? Because when I quote your quotes, it =+- goes way over 80 characters (which, as you know, is the width of a =+- standard terminal (window)). So, with my wrapping at 72 characters, it =+- ends up looking like this: =+- =+- =+- Most porn advertising something is sent because someone thinks =+- they'll get =+- rich off it. For instance, the Nigerian scams have =+- been known to work, and =+- =+- Yuck. Mutt has defaults for a reason. Stick to standard quote =+- characters and play with the headers instead, it's more fun. =+- =+- Also, it's poor form to quote below your reply; it destroys the flow of =+- the conversation. =+- =+- Just thought you'd like to know. :-) =+- =+- a. =+- =+- -- =+- Cantanker / =+- -/- =+- / cantanker.net -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Re: [chat] Spam state of the art.
A couple of things. 1) I sent the quote below to slug-chat rather than to slug central (or whatever the name is). Matthew posted it here and whilst I'm flattered that someone thought enough to do so, Matthew, you may attract the attention of people who will tell you not to darken their electronic doorstep and take it hence... On Thu, Jul 18, 2002 at 07:04:24PM +1000, Matthew Palmer spake thusly: =+- On Thu, 18 Jul 2002, Bill Bennett wrote: =+- =+- Two things. I'm writing as a novice (alright, an ultra novice), =+- but I noticed what seemed to me to be a good filtering device =+- in some E-mail recently received. =+- =+- You had to delete the animal in the reply. =+- =+- [address munging examples] =+- =+- the catch to all this is that it has to be done manually. =+- =+- Not necessarily. I'm sure someone has come up with some automatic means to =+- randomly munge e-mail addresses. =+- =+- Or has technology proceeded to the stage where animals are =+- recognized without difficulty? =+- =+- Most scrapeware (software which harvests e-mail addresses from Usenet or web =+- pages) works well enough to remove common munging, such as false =+- TLDs (top level domains) and the common additions (REMOVE, spamsucks, etc). =+- =+- The sort of random variation such as you describe will probably foil =+- spammers who harvest your e-mail address, but these days a lot of spam gets =+- sent to lists CDs which are comprised of better e-mail addresses. Also, =+- you'll tend to annoy lots of people who don't notice or (as I tend to) =+- forget to un-munge before replying. =+- 2) To take the second point first, are you not dealing with a scale of annoyance here? I'd be one who'd be annoyed because, without doubt, I'd forget to unmunge the address. On the other hand, I'm even *more* annoyed at the 567th offer of free Viagra arriving uninvited. Can't comment on the first point: don't know enough of the nuts and bolts. =+- In general, I feel it is better to go after the mongrels who send this crap, =+- by shutting down their access accounts or, even better, get their websites =+- shut down. Without their websites to advertise, they've got no reason to =+- spam. Slowly we'll track 'em down, shut 'em down, and slow the flow of =+- the crap. 3) I think you're after an unattainable ideal world. I remember the parliamentary debate involving Senator Harradine, the Democrats and pornography sites. The parties that voted for it did so because 1) it made good publicity to be seen to be doing something for the nation's kiddywinkies, but 2) they had been assured by their technical people that voting for it would not make one iota of difference to the status quo: the porn merchants would find some not-too-ingenious way of circumventing the legislation. Well, insert spam for porn in the above and the argument remains unchanged. I wonder also whether people appreciate the money side of this. I remember the case of two American solicitors who spammed something like 2 million addresses and reaped a cyclone of complaints. They were unrepentant: they had received a 0.05% response to the spam, they said, and it was well worth the complaints, being reported to the Law Society and the public condemnation. Finally, writing as one who has taught some computer classes at secondary school, I could name at least two students who were technically quite able to tinker with the scrapeware you described above to accommodate any changes or (more likely) simply to write their own. Furthermore, they would not take any notice of threats to track 'em down, close down their websites etc., or examples of people who have been fined for spamming, because (a) it happened to boring old cretins (= people over 25, and what can you expect) (b) it was history (and therefore bunk) and (c) could not, could not, could not happen to alert, knowledgable, computer-savvied persons (themselves). This is not to say that we shouldn't try. Just don't get your hopes up. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Failed dependencies problem.
I wished to upgrade my version of cdrdao. So I ftp'd the latest rpm version and tried installing it. This is the error message:--- error: failed dependencies: libgcc_s.so.1 is needed by cdrdao-1.1.5-8 libgcc_s.so.1(GCC_3.0) is needed by cdrdao-1.1.5-8 libgcc_s.so.1(GLIBC_2.0) is needed by cdrdao-1.1.5-8 libstdc++.so.4 is needed by cdrdao-1.1.5-8 libstdc++.so.4(GLIBCPP_3.1) is needed by cdrdao-1.1.5-8 Obviously, these dependencies need to be supplied. But first off, 1) can anyone recognize them? I have no idea what they are. 2) do they come as part of another package? If so, I'll upgrade that. This will ensure they are located properly, because 3) if they don't, I'll have to find them. Having done so, won't they have to be installed at wherever they should be, so that the next attempt at rpm'ing cdrdao will be able to find them? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Failed dependencies problem.
Thanks for the reply. Even so, I'd still like to know what these dependencies are. I'm running Redhat 7.1 on an IBM 600e laptop. These aren't kernel fiddles are they? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] On finding a log, if it exists.
I'm having trouble with my CD burner. I'm using cdrdao and when I begin the programme it goes through the usual preliminaries. Which flash past at a rate too fast to read. Is there a command that saves this preliminary stuff in some kind of log file? I'd like to look over it slowly to see, if possible, where I'm making mistakes. I've looked around, but cdrdao doesn't seem to make such a file. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Question on cdrdao
On looking over the manual for cdrdao, I notice, among the options, --paranoia-mode mode which claims, on level 3 to be able to detect and repair scratches. Large-ish sort of claim. Has anyone any experience of this? I have a couple of CDs that have scratches and had given them up in despair. Regards, bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Printing with a USB port.
I have a laptop with a USB port. I'd like to buy a printer (perhaps an Epson) that will work with Redhat 7.1 Has anyone any experience of Epson printers that they'd care to share? Failing that, could anyone point me in the direction of a website that lists printers fair and foul, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] OT if you stretch the point somewhat.
I have a little pocket organiser (Canon DM-320 $10 at the Post Office (many) years ago, no expense spared when I'm looking after Number One). Unfortunately, I've become rather addicted to it. So when the button that tells me the time began to fail, I carefully prised the casing apart and inspected. There's a little pad that connects to a section on the circuit board when you press it. The conducting material has worn away to the extent that pressing the pad makes no odds. The original conducting material (carbon?) looks like it was impregnated into the pad. I could probably paint some conducting material over the face of the pad using a dinky brush. But what? Is there such a thing a liquid carbon? I'm not sure what the common-or-garden pencil uses these days. Any suggestions will be carefully considered. Uh, please eschew the cracks about cheapness. I have great affection for that little dooflang. The breed is now well and truly extinct, with the exception of a solitary specimen that used to sit in my top pocket... Regards, William Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Burning a CD.
I have a CD burner (Diamond Data) that fits into the USB port and works on USB1. The USB port is on a laptop that has a CD reader. I should be able to put a CD into the laptop and, using cdrdao, copy the disk to a blank in the burner. However, it's not as simple as that. In the .cdrdao file I have to put an address for the disk in the laptop. Could anyone tell me what address I should put in the line reader = ? Any help etc. Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] CD burners and USB2.
When last I asked for advice on buying a CD burner I was told to hold off until USB2 had established itself. Which is probably now. Has anyone had experience (good or otherwise) with a burner using USB2? Any advice will be gratefully received, Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A GhostView question.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Cat: moggy X-Dog: MUTT When I go into GhostView to look at an .eps/.ps file, there's two numbers that go frantic in the top LH corner that go frantic when I move the cursor. I assume they are co-ordinates and are measured in either pixels/points. Is there any way to change them to millimetres? They'd be a better help this way. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Opinions, please.
I'd like to install elvis, which is a vi/ex clone, but it occurred to me to ask if anyone has any experience with others. Has anyone any strong feelings they'd like to air? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX, PsTricks and Colour Problem.
Using PsTricks, the following command will draw a thick lined
polygon:---
\rput(46.0,247.0){\PstPolygon[linecolor=MyYellow,unit=55,PolyNbSides=9,PolyOffset=2]}
Unfortunately, it will also fill the polygon with white.
Is there any way (command/option) to ensure that the polygon is
clear? I'd like the background colour to show through.
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Downloading to a floppy.
I've got a file on the laptop that I'd like to download to floppies. Unfortunately the file will run to 3 floppiesworth. When I used to use pkzip, I could tell the programme to download and if the floppy filled up it would add a to be continued and tell you to bung in a second (or third etc.) floppy. The only thing to be remembered was to upload the discs in reverse order. Is there a similar method with RH 7.1? A flag with cp, perhaps? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Downloading to a floppy.
Many thanks to those who suggested solutions. I'm grateful: the change to Linux was not easy, but something like this makes it well worthwhile. Regards, Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Buying a usb connected CD burner
Could anyone point me, please, at a site that will give me information on the buying of a CD burner that will operate the usb of my laptop and will operate on a Linux driver? Sorry if this seems trivial, but I shook Microsoft loose some time ago and I'm anxious to continue. Regards, Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A quick LaTeX
Unfortunately, it's not obvious from Lamport's book.
Consider the following :---
\documentclass[12pt]{report}
\begin{document}
{\footnotesize The quick brown fox}
and later
{\tiny The quick brown fox}
\end{document}
Could anyone tell me, please, what point sizes will be produced
in these two cases?
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX and Linux question.
I have a LaTeX programme that uses a lot of .eps files. So many that I keep them gzipped in a separate directory. I've seen somewhere (now forgotten) of a command that says, in essence, go to the .eps directory gunzip filename.eps use the unzipped file in the epsfig command in the LaTeX programme gzip filename.eps Please excuse the primitive explanation. Does anyone know of this command? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Funny files.
As usual, I feel a pratt about posting something that will be blindingly obvious to some, but here goes:--- I had to burn a data-type CD. Using some MS software. Assembled the files. Amongst them files like filename1.eps filename2.cdr When I looked at the disk after burning, I find filename1.eps filename2.cdr When I looked at the disk using Linux, I find filename1.eps.eps filename2.cdr.cdr Can anyone tell me why the double suffix and how to avoid it, please? It doesn't seem to matter, but there may come a time when it does ... Regards, Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A PostScript file and a Printer.
Dear Anyone, Another, alright a recurrent problem with interfacing Microsoft and Linux. The Department has a colour printer, a HP 5. This is connected to a PC running Windows. The PC is the only contact with the printer. I have a PostScript file on a floppy. I'd like to send it for printing, but no-one can tell me how this can be done. In the normal turn of events, where I had the file on the mainframe, I'd use the Unix command lpr. However in this case I have to load the file to the PC. I'm reluctant to use Distiller, although I know it would work. The end results always seem not to be up to the standard of a simple PostScript print. Any help etc., Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX: a random walk.
I'm trying to understand some of the classier programmes to be found in The LaTeX Companion. Not easy, although it would help if some of them worked when you ran them. P.144, The random walk in PSTricks is what's the matter. Can anyone tell me what \setrandim (so spelled) does? I can't find it in the LaTeX programme anywhere. Any help ... Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] LaTeX, small font question.
To those who volunteered information:---
Many thanks for the help.
{\normalfont\large\em ...}
Did the trick.
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] LaTeX problem revisited.
Thanks to Mike Lake, I can now report that, Page 146 of The LaTeX
Graphics Companion notwithstanding, there is no such animal as
\PstRegularPolygon. However, if you substitute \PstPolygon all
will be well.
I've tried it with the following:---
\usepackage{pstricks,pstcol,pst-poly,pst-node,multido}
\PstPolygon[unit=7.5,PolyNbSides=9,PolyOffset=2]
and can report that you'll get a nine-sided overlapping
polygon.
I have a question.
Can some kind soul tell me how to make the outline thicker?
\fboxrule doesn't work. Also, could someone tell me how to fill
the polgon with a colour?
Any help/suggestions, etc.
Regards,
Bill Bennett.
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A smallish LaTeX problem.
On p.146 of the LaTeX Graphic Companion, the programme makes use of a package called postpoly. Which I cant find on the AARNET mirror in Australia. Uh, it does exist, doesn't it? Bill Bennett. This is the Postfix program at host mailhub1.une.edu.au. I'm sorry to have to inform you that the message returned below could not be delivered to one or more destinations. For further assistance, please send mail to postmaster If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the message returned below. The Postfix program [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Name service error for cs.uu.au: Host not found Reporting-MTA: dns; mailhub1.une.edu.au Arrival-Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 17:50:49 +1100 (EST) Final-Recipient: rfc822; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Action: failed Status: 5.0.0 Diagnostic-Code: X-Postfix; Name service error for cs.uu.au: Host not found Piet, It's been a long time since I bothered you. You can take that as a compliment---the van Oostrum teaching worked. Except for now. Piet, On p.146 of the LaTeX Graphic Companion, the programme makes use of a package called postpoly. Which I cant find on the AARNET mirror in Australia. Uh, it does exist, doesn't it? Regards, Bill Bennett. --3E0DC3711.1004336222/mailhub1.une.edu.au--
[SLUG] Rescue operation.
I'm hbaving trouble with my laptop, which is running Mandrake. For some reason, I boot up and the process goes to the cheerful penguin, ticking off the tasks. It stops at Mounting USB files and refuses to budge. It could be that the hard drive is faulty (this was a suggestion), or it could be something else. I've been told that Redhat has a rescue programme on the two CDs, although this might not work for Mandrake. I suggested that simply re-installing Mandrake from the disks (which I have) might work, but even if this were possible, would I not lose the data files (which are important)? Any suggestion would be gratefullt considered. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] UWell, it might amuse some people.
The trouble with posting summat like this is that:-- 1) Some will say it's off-topic and not funny. 2) Some will say that it's funny, but that they've seen it. 3) Some will want to add to it with definitions of their own. These are generally quite good. I'll risk it. Regards, Bill bennett. -- HUNTING AN ELEPHANT MATHEMATICIANS hunt elephants by going to Africa, throwing out everything that is not an elephant, and catching one of whatever is left. EXPERIENCED MATHEMATICIANS will attempt to prove the existence of at least one unique elephant before proceeding to step 1 as a subordinate exercise. PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS will prove the existence of at least one unique elephant and leave the detection and capture of an actual elephant as an exercise for their graduate students. COMPUTER SCIENTISTS hunt elephants by exercising Algorithm A: 1. Go to Africa. 2. Start at the Cape of Good Hope. 3. Work northward in an orderly manner, traversing the continent alternately east and west. 4. During each traverse pass, a. Catch each animal seen. b. Compare each animal caught to a known elephant. c. Stop when a match is detected. EXPERIENCED COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS modify Algorithm A by placing a known elephant in Cairo to ensure that the algorithm will terminate. ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMERS prefer to execute Algorithm A on their hands and knees. ENGINEERS hunt elephants by going to Africa, catching grey animals at random, and stopping when any one of them weighs within plus or minus 15 percent of any previously observed elephant. ECONOMISTS don't hunt elephants, but they believe that if elephants are paid enough, they will hunt themselves. STATISTICIANS hunt the first animal they see N times and call it an elephant. CONSULTANTS don't hunt elephants, and many have never hunted anything at all, but they can be hired by the hour to advise those people who do. OPERATIONS RESEARCH CONSULTANTS can also measure the correlation of hat size and bullet color to the efficiency of elephant-hunting strategies, if someone else will only identify the elephants. LAWYERS don't hunt elephants, but they do follow the herds around arguing about who owns the droppings. SOFTWARE LAWYERS will claim that they own an entire herd based on the look and feel of one dropping. SENIOR MANAGERS set broad elephant-hunting policy based on the assumption that elephants are just like field mice, but with deeper voices. QUALITY ASSURANCE INSPECTORS ignore the elephants and look for mistakes the other hunters made when they were packing the jeep. SALES PEOPLE don't hunt elephants but spend their time selling elephants they haven't caught, for delivery two days before the season opens. SOFTWARE SALES PEOPLE ship the first thing they catch and write up an invoice for an elephant. HARDWARE SALES PEOPLE catch rabbits, paint them grey, and sell them as desktop elephants. --- -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] OCR software--advice, please.
Has anybody any experience with the various OCR packages available? Freshmeat has ocre, gocr and FreeOCR; presumably they differ. Has anyone tried any of these? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Query re a CD burner.
I've just installed Mandrake on my laptop, an IBM Thinkpad 600E. It came with a docking station. I'd like to buy a CD burner and went to Harvey Norman's Positively State-of-the-Art, Cutting-Edge Why-Does-Anyone-Else-Bother Store. I left, having been fed more ragblag than is contained in a sociology PhD thesis. Can anyone advise me on this, please? I need an external burner---called, in some magazines, a kit. I *think* I want an IDE type that will simply plug into the USB on the docking station. If I need a power supply (ie., the kit doesn't come with one) I can make it. I *don't* think I need software. There are, I think, two programmes that came with Mandrake that will do the job. I do not greatly care about speed, being quite happy to start the burner and let it get on with the job. Does anyone know of anything else to which I should pay attention? I'm feeling my way here and any help would be gratefully received. Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Two queries on installation.
I've just installed Mandrake on my laptop. Because I wanted to dedicate the entire machine to Linux, I accepted advice and installed *everything*, on the supposition that, since a lot of the stuff installed will be superfluous to requirements, I can start my Linux education by (a) looking at what's available and (b) deleting what's of no use. All well and good so far. However, in days of yore, uninstalling summat was risky. Just deleting the "main programme" wasn't enough; there were links to other programmes which, for a complete uninstallation had to be ferreted out. If you didn't do this the hard disk gradually filled up... An interim measure was the ubiquitious DEFRAG that putted and shoved and convinced you that efficiency was on the up and up. Right. Well, quite a lot of this Linux installation is going to be given the heavus. Are the same problems to be encountered? Second Problem: the laptop is an IBM Thinkpad 600e which has a built in modem. I'd like to contact work at night, but I've been told that it will not be via the on-board modem, because this was dedicated to the dreaded Microsoft products and any attempt to use it will result in galloping leprosy. To my discredit, I'm inclined to think this not to be so. However, I don't know how to fiddle it so that it will work when I connect to the phone line. Can anyone advise me, please, whether it's possible? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] A somewhat theoretical problem.
Would anyone mind if I posted a problem in programming? I'm teaching myself from a book and although I can get my program to work, the book says that I've used something illegal. (Yes, There *is* an obvious reply...) I should add that the problem is not confined to the language I'm learning and, I presume, has been discussed ad infinitum wherever programmers raise their glasses. Even so... Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] That somewhat theoretical problem.
I'm teaching myself QBasic from Schneider's book QBasic with an Introduction to VisualBasic. Please, forget the sarcasm: I'm a new convert to Linux and am looking for a QBasic equivalent even as we speak. Schneider is rather emphatic on structuring. He says:--- "There are four primary logical programming constructs: sequence, decision, loop and unconditional branch. Unconditional branch, which appears in some languages as GOTO statements, involves jumping from one place in a program to another. Structured programming uses the first three constructs, but forbids the fourth. One advantage of pseudocode over flowcharts is that pseudocode has no provision for unconditional branching and thus forces the programmer to write structured programs." and later:--- "One major shortcoming of the earliest programming languages was their reliance on the GOTO statement. This statement was used to branch (that is, jump) from one line of a program to another. It was common for a program to be composed of a convoluted tangle of branchings that produced confused code referred to as spaghetti code. At the heart of structured programming is the assertion of E.W.Dijkstra that GOTO statements should be eliminated entirely since they lead to complex and confusing programs. Two Italians, C.Bohm and G.Jacopini, were able to prove that GOTO statements are not needed and that any program can be written using only the three types of logic structures discussed above. Structured programming requires that all programs be written using sequences, decisions, and loops. Nesting of such statements is allowed." Well, I can see his point. I read (this interest group, I think) that if you can't come back to a program after three weeks and understand it, something's radically wrong. Spaghettification wouldn't help. On the other hand, I think I have encountered one of Schneider's rare instances where you *have* to use a GOTO; if I'm right then it's not all *that* rare. I outline the instance below. Could someone with some experience in QBasic (alright, primitive languages) tell me how to get around the problem *without* using a GOTO? I'd be grateful. It occurs to me that someone knows of a program that does just this. If so, please let me know. [I'm teaching myself and have no qualms about plagiarism, as long as I can understand what's going on. In addition, I used to demonstrate to biology undergraduates and therefore have no pride or shame.] And the next time I'm in Sydney, if there's a Slug gathering, I'd be happy to buy drinks for those who helped... Regards, Bill Bennett. -- A Game of Noughts and Crosses (aka Tic-Tac-Toe) I've divided the problem into tasks and the tasks have become subprograms. Their names are (or should be) self-explanatory. CLS DIM TheBoard$(1 TO 3, 1 TO 3) CALL SetTheBoard(TheBoard$()) CALL DisplayTheBoard(TheBoard$()) CALL TheFirstEntries(FirstPlayer, SecondPlayer, TheBoard$()) CALL Continuing(FirstPlayer, SecondPlayer, TheBoard$()) CALl TestRowsColumnsDiagonals(TheBoard$(), flagStatus, cellEntry$) CALL ReportStatus(flagStatus, cellEntry$) END Consider the subprogram TheFirstEntries. This sorted out the first X and the first 0; this was to give me some idea of counters and procedures. I wanted to put in a contigency trap: someone who consistently didn't choose an X or a 0. 3 incorrect responses and the program quits. Well, the generic loop for this is:--- Select a response, if it's wrong(1)/wrong(2)/wrong(3), a flag=1 and the far end of the loop is LOOP UNTIL FLAG=1 All very well, except that this is a contingency occurring early in the process. Even if the flag =1, the process will still continue down the loop. I'd like to find a way (other than using GOTO) simply to jump out of the loop, jump over the intervening subprograms (which are all concerned with continuing after a correct response has been received) and simply quitting. According to Schneider, it should be possible using only sequence, decision and loop. Perhaps even a loop is unnenessary. I still can't see how. -- -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Analogue for QBASIC
When I changed to Linux, I was in the process of teaching myself a computer language, viz., QBasic---which is, unfortunately, etc. Has anybody had any experience with a Linux analogue? Someone suggested Chipmunk, but I thought I'd ask about. Any suggestions gratefully received. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Analogue for QBASIC
Many thanks to those who suggested Python instead of QBasic. In fact I'm over halfway through the book I have on QBasic (QBasic and an Introduction to VisualBasic by Schneider). This is a superb book as far as I'm concerned. It's organised thus:--- 1. Chapter 1a. Introduction (=theory and chat) and then 1b. A few sample programmes, then Problems Problems Problems Problems Problems There are, by my reckoning about 90 problems/Chapter. 12 Chapters--over 1000 problems. Thus far I've come across only one that I simply could not do. Just my luck: it was an even-numbered one. Some of the "Projects" are difficult, ie., they could take all night to nut them out. I know some people not a milliom miles from where I sit get sniffy about QBasic and probably with reason, but *any* language seems to be vulnerable to criticism: outdated, better languages available etc. and people have been prophesying the death of Basic for years (and Fortran and Pascal and others). Even so, if you have a good grounding (what Schneider calls "sound programming practice") in a simple language, the jump to a more complex one is not so hard. Bill Bennett -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Installing RH 7.0
I'd like to install RH 7.0 on my laptop. The problem is that, at the moment, the laptop is infested with Windows 2000. I'd like to go completely over to Linux (ie, no partitioning. I assume that I should with a clean slate, ie., an empty hard disk, but I'm not sure how this can be done. The booklet accompanying the CDs is silent on the matter. So I asked about. The advice I've received thus far:--- 1) Uninstall Windows. 2) No, wipe the disk. 3) No, simply over write Windows. Can anyone comment on this, please? [I have a problem with logic here. It seems to me that I cannot order an operating system to destroy/remove itself, because what carries out this operation, ie., what's left after completion, is part of the operating system. Am I right?] Any help will be gratefully received. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Installation on a laptop (more)
Just a note to say thank you to all who responded to my enquiry. The replies were numerous and all helpful. Kindness like this is rare and it greatly appreciated. Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
[SLUG] Enquiry re installing Linux
Could some kind soul give me some information on the installation of Linux, please? I have been given an IBM Laptop. It's a ThinkPad 600E and has Windows 2000 installed. I'd like to convert to Linux and asked about to see if there would be any problems. In all cases, it was the "First time I've been asked this. Um, I dunno." So can anyone advise, please? Regards, Bill Bennett. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
