Re: [ubuntu-uk] Media players with video
On Fri, 2009-01-16 at 01:42 +, Simon Wears wrote: The only issue I've got with Ubuntu is the media player selection. I'm trying to find a nice media player (preferably GTK, and very preferably not mono) but I'm having a hard time - specifically because I'd like one that supports video podcasts. I've tried a few, but I've not really been to happy, including: * RythmBox - Great simple music player, but I can't get video podcasts, which is the major letdown. * Banshee - I liked this because it wwas very similar to Rythmbox, but I can get video podcasts. I however had a few bugs using it, such as when I clicked 'Skip track' on the notification box for Now Playing, it opened my dropbox, and I never understood why. Also, after a few episodes, podcasts stop downloading / being readable, by which I mean they either failed to download, or they downloaded, and Banshee decided they were corrupted. After deleting and retrying, it still happaned. * Amarok - Amarok 1.4 is my favourite media player, but no video support. Amarok 2, although it has video support, was a big let-down for me, and I really don't like the new interface. Also, after subscribing to a podcast in it, it didn't seem to want to download anything reguardless of what I did. I'm sure there's one out there, but I can't find it. Anyone know of one that may make me happy? Cheers, -- Simon Wears munkyju...@gmail.com | http://MunkyJunky.com Manchester Metropolitan University Computing Student Hi Simon, Have you tried Miro (http://www.getmiro.com/ )? I find it rather heavy going for my aging Athlon XP system, but it should be ok on more modern machines. It's built with XULRunner, so it share many similarities to Firefox and other Mozilla derivatives. Regards, Steve -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Remote support was Sad but true? From the Register
On 16/01/2009 01:25, Simon Wears wrote: My family run Windows XP. I'll have a look into that, thank you for the link! Setting it up wouldn't be too difficult, my mum gets how to use a computer and is fairly good at fixing them with simple things, this is more for the advanced stuff that explaining to her just makes her utterly confused. I recently got myself an iPhone, so I could attempt to use it as a 3G modem, possibly. Unfortunately, she isn't running Ubuntu yet, but eventually I'll get her to switch. I'm just waiting for Windows to kill itself (again) then I can put Ubuntu on it for a week, and she can decide if she wants to switch. You're welcome. I'd be interested to know if anyone has managed to remote into an Ubuntu box running on a Vodafone 3G mobile broadband link. I have a customer who is currently on Windows (not legit either by the looks of things) and I have said that they might be worth giving Ubuntu a try as their existing copy is screwed. I'm going to loan them a machine for a week so they can give it a try although it would be handy if I could connect in remotely. I'm just not sure what the options would be. I'm not keen on the idea of setting up OpenVPN so they connect into my network, I just wondered if Vodafone give out real IP addresses and allow certain ports through? If anyone has any other ideas (or a link to the OpenVPN method) that would be ideal. Ta, Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register
On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 03:34:16PM +, Ken Robson wrote: US woman says Ubuntu can't access internet cid:part1.08010708.05090402@robsonfamily.co.uk The follow up [1] from the station is pretty disheartening: Ubuntu fans read our story and linked to it on Linux fan message boards and other technology blogs. By Thursday morning, several major technology websites featured WKOW's article on their front pages. That's also when the comments - many of them angry, rude, and hateful - started pouring in. Many Ubuntu users also wrote very personal attacks about the young lady who was having trouble using the operating system. They called her lazy, a dumb girl, and not worthy of a college degree. The young woman also contacted 27 News to report she's being harassed on her Facebook account by Ubuntu users. To me that's made the Ubuntu community look like it's populated with people who would be more at home in a playground. What happened to Humanity towards others, FFS? [1] http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9682258nav=menu1362_2 -- Graham Binns | PGP Key: 4DAD18FA signature.asc Description: Digital signature -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Hampshire
I didn't even know about it to be honest. Looked around for a local LUG last year and didn't get far at the time so gave up, probably due to the last time I looked - which was I hasten to add a long time ago - I found one that was very 'beard and sandles' :) I won't be able to make this one - but once I get a bit of time, I'll try to make the next soton one. piskie Alan Pope wrote: Whist the list is mentioning Hampshire, I thought I'd mention that Hampshire LUG are having a meeting on Saturday at Southampton University. All are welcome to come along. We have talks (I'll be giving one), open discussion and box-fixing :) Hope to see other 'ampshire types there! Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Hampshire
2009/1/16 piskie ubu...@talktalk.net: I didn't even know about it to be honest. Looked around for a local LUG last year and didn't get far at the time so gave up, probably due to the last time I looked - which was I hasten to add a long time ago - I found one that was very 'beard and sandles' :) I own neither a beard nor sandles, but some of my friends do. They're very nice people. I'd be interested to know what beard and sandles means in this context. It's clearly a negative image, but what does it mean to you? Cheers Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Scottish Users
Hi Guys, Are there any scottish users that have any meeting sessions. If not I was thinkng about starting one. Any ideas would be most welcome. Kind Regards, Jai -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Hampshire
Cool - anyway maybe see you next time in Soton then :) Alan Pope wrote: 2009/1/16 piskie ubu...@talktalk.net: heh - I own neither myself - and as I said I hasten to add a long time ago - a long time before I'd looked at Ubuntu, it was very cliquey and 'if you've not compiled it yourself - we're not interested' - so as a result neither was I. That still goes on with some people unfortunately. HantsLUG is a nice place though. We have people of all ages and backgrounds. We even have new people just turn up out of the blue to see if they can get help with their computer, or just to say hi and find out what's going on. I certainly don't feel the same way now and have been happily using buntu and various other distros for a couple of years and while I've not been very present on the mailing list - I am on the forums and IRC. Excellent. Good to know people are out there, wherever they find their home. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Remote support was Sad but true? From the Register
On 16/01/2009 01:31, Sean Miller wrote: On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 1:25 AM, Simon Wearsmunkyju...@googlemail.com wrote: I've found that doing something like that is a poison chalice... whereas if somebody has Windows they go to their mates for help, if you give them Ubuntu or any other Linux they always assume you are on call 24x7 to help them with the most mundane of problems, which (in most cases) they could have worked out for themselves had they bothered to move their brain out of first gear. I found the opposite myself. Just over a year ago I installed Ubuntu on a PC for a friend's mum. She had a virus ridden installation of XP Pro which wasn't legit and Microsoft was nice enough to pop up the usual messages about it. Anyway I installed Ubuntu for her and took her through how to login, browse the internet and do the basics in OpenOffice. She picked it up really quickly which I was pleased with considering she wasn't the most computer literate person ever. A year later I had a call from her saying that she had a small issue printing some labels in OpenOffice, just as I was about to call her back she called again to say she sorted it out herself (and that was only about an hour later!). Just be wary. It's always easier for somebody to call you for an answer than to figure it out for themselves, or at least that seems to be my experience, and I simply don't have the time to be a helpdesk as well as a programmer. There are always those who will phone up rather than work it out for themselves and not just on Ubuntu. I have a client whom I offered a few days free remote/telephone support to and they were phoning me about the littlest of things. Once the free support has expired and they had to pay per call they stopped calling and only phoned when something went really wrong. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Mac Frustration (was Remote support was Sad but true? etc.)
I always thought that Macs would be easy to use, especially the new OS X. So when I had the opportunity to try it out in an Apple shop, I was disappointed at how hard it was to do anything. I tried several things, and on different occasions, but it was not as intuitive as Apple's advertising makes out. I concluded that Ubuntu was considerably easier to use and far more intuitive, as well as being cheaper! David King Simon Wears wrote: I'm very uncomfortable using Apple computers. My friend bought one about 2 years ago, I still struggle to use it. It seems to try to be different so much, it becomes a little unusable (in my opinion). Case example is (again, 2 years ago) I started college. My girlfriend is an artist, and had to do some work in Photoshop. She took me up to the art computers to help her get used to it, and I was utterly confused about how to even OPEN Photoshop! Then, getting the pictures from her camera was a pain, so we decided to close the program. I couldn't even work out how to do that... When people ask me about getting a Mac, I often tell them to instead bring their laptop in sometime, and I could give them Ubuntu, meaning they get increased performance, better security, an OS that would do everything they needed, and wouldnt have to spend £1000 on a Mac. Ubuntu is (obviously) not Windows, but people who come use my computer get how to do everything instantly from never having even heard of Linux before. The most anyone has every been lost is by acidentally switching to another desktop and thinking everything closed. I think Ubuntu is so much nicer to switch to, it takes very few brain cells. 2009/1/16 Sean Miller s...@seanmiller.net mailto:s...@seanmiller.net On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 1:48 AM, Simon Wears munkyju...@googlemail.com mailto:munkyju...@googlemail.com wrote: Usually I am wary of tempting people to switch, but since it's my mum I know Ubuntu will do exactly what she needs without any hiccups (well, non I can think of) since all she does is type up work things, and check her emails / look for holidays online. And I have to do all the technical work at home anyway, her switching would just mean I can actually say 'just type this and hit enter' rather than try remember how to do everything on Windows. True!! Anybody else find the rabid desire to be different from Apple to be distinctly disconcerting?? Having grown up in a Unix/VT220 environment to find that there is no ctrl key and everything is done differently is, to say the least, rather alien. I mean, ctrl-c to cancel... been there since time and memorium... how come Steve Jobs gets to redefine it? Means that when folks ask me about switching to Macs, which people seem to increasingly do, I am rather jaded. I accept their positives but I also am befuddled as to why they seem to have created for their converts such a steep learning curve, forcing them to throw out everything they are used to and buy into a completely different regime. Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com mailto:ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- Simon Wears munkyju...@gmail.com | http://MunkyJunky.com Manchester Metropolitan University Computing Student -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Some good publicity about Ubuntu
Hi folks, Having read through the follow up article on that woman who had Dell laptop running Ubuntu, I found this in the comments... http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9675283 It's a nice story about Ubuntu. It appears that a soilder in Fort Sill, Oklahoma has been refurbishing old PCs and passing them on to school students. It's nice to see some nice coverage other than the on going flame war on the WKOW web site. Does anyone do anything similar here in the UK? The nearest I have got to this is the Exwick Community Centre project although I'd love to do something like Freegeek (www.freegeek.org) but I wouldn't know where to start looking to get funding for such a project. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Some good publicity about Ubuntu
Rob Beard wrote: Hi folks, Having read through the follow up article on that woman who had Dell laptop running Ubuntu, I found this in the comments... http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9675283 It's a nice story about Ubuntu. It appears that a soilder in Fort Sill, Oklahoma has been refurbishing old PCs and passing them on to school students. It's nice to see some nice coverage other than the on going flame war on the WKOW web site. Does anyone do anything similar here in the UK? The nearest I have got to this is the Exwick Community Centre project although I'd love to do something like Freegeek (www.freegeek.org) but I wouldn't know where to start looking to get funding for such a project. Rob Not sure, can you contact freegeek and ask how they got funding, what sort of facilities they use etc, Once we know that, and have a venue more suitable for more formal meetings, we can perhaps put our proposals forward to the business community and seek sponsors / help that way, after all if they can get on board and get good publicity from it, it helps them esp if it's also at minimal cost to them. We also need to convince people like the council that donating stuff to us for refurbishing does not violate the WEEE regulations, as in they are happy for us to take old kit, do what needs doing to it, then give it away or sell cheap, but also if it then fails the onus seems to be on us, to dispose of it, It looks like this sort of thing just starts in a garage or bedroom somewhere, but it needs time and commitment from people i guess. Paul -- Paul Sutton www.zleap.net Support Open and ISO standard file formats e.g ISO 26300 odt http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php Next Linux User Group meet : Feb 7th : 3pm (TBC), Shoreline Cafe Paignton -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals (was: Hampshire)
Thankfully, free software has slightly more respectable looking poster boys these days! - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/business/11ubuntu.html On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 12:31 PM, David King linux...@avoura.com wrote: I know what you mean about the beard and sandals. Just look at a picture of Richard Stallman -- would you trust a man who looks like that to create your OS? Stallman has done much for the free software movement, and I respect him greatly (for his ideas), but for a newcomer who might see his picture, his lack of visits to the barber might well be very off-putting, and gives computing in general a kind of elitist hippy image that the average person in the street would do anything to avoid. There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. Hopefully most people who want to use Ubuntu will see it and its users in a positive light (regardless of facial hair and footwear). David King piskie wrote: I didn't even know about it to be honest. Looked around for a local LUG last year and didn't get far at the time so gave up, probably due to the last time I looked - which was I hasten to add a long time ago - I found one that was very 'beard and sandles' :) I won't be able to make this one - but once I get a bit of time, I'll try to make the next soton one. piskie -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals (was: Hampshire)
2009/1/16 David King linux...@avoura.com: I know what you mean about the beard and sandals. Just look at a picture of Richard Stallman -- would you trust a man who looks like that to create your OS? Danger Will Robinson! That way prejudice lies.. There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. Ours take place on Saturdays. We very rarely have meetings during the evening because Hampshire is such a large county that it's difficult to get there and back in an evening and still have time to get stuff done. We run it from 10AM till about 5PM which gives plenty of time for chat, demos, fixing, some talks and even a beer and/or curry after if you're that way inclined. Hopefully most people who want to use Ubuntu will see it and its users in a positive light (regardless of facial hair and footwear). I'd suspect it's more about what you do than what you look like. I mean take the people flaming the poor woman with the Dell laptop. They might all be devastatingly good looking and visit the barber every week. This doesn't seem to stop them being obnoxious! Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
On 16/01/2009 12:31, David King wrote: I know what you mean about the beard and sandals. Just look at a picture of Richard Stallman -- would you trust a man who looks like that to create your OS? Why not, I trust him far more than the shy and retiring, /softly/-/spoken/ CEO of Microsoft, /Steve/ Sounds of Silence /Ballmer (okay I borrowed that bit from The Inquirer - http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/680/1047680/ballmer-blames-pirates-for-poor-vista-sales)/ Stallman has done much for the free software movement, and I respect him greatly (for his ideas), but for a newcomer who might see his picture, his lack of visits to the barber might well be very off-putting, and gives computing in general a kind of elitist hippy image that the average person in the street would do anything to avoid. I agree with that. My other half was put off when I mentioned I wanted the Linux Format Richard Stallman t-shirt. :-) There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. I remember when I went to my first LUG meet. I went on my own, not knowing anyone and the first thing I saw was a couple of the LUG members wearing Debian t-shirts and gave me the impression that anything other than Debian wasn't accepted. Luckily I found another newbie to talk to which put me a bit more at ease. I just think that it can be a little off-putting sometimes when there are a bunch of geeky types who don't mingle and introduce themselves to new visitors, they generally just keep themselves to themselves. On the other hand I thought that the Ubuntu event in Swindon couldn't have been more different with Dianne and a couple of the other Ubuntu-UKers introducing themselves to new visitors and putting them at ease. Hopefully most people who want to use Ubuntu will see it and its users in a positive light (regardless of facial hair and footwear). Hopefully. I always make a point of not wearing sandals when I go to a LUG meet. Can't do much about the beard though, my other half wants me to keep that (but it is trimmed, and not Richard Stallman style). Rob David King piskie wrote: I didn't even know about it to be honest. Looked around for a local LUG last year and didn't get far at the time so gave up, probably due to the last time I looked - which was I hasten to add a long time ago - I found one that was very 'beard and sandles' :) I won't be able to make this one - but once I get a bit of time, I'll try to make the next soton one. piskie -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register
On Thu, 2009-01-15 at 16:16 +, alan c wrote: Verizon has offered to dispatch a technician to assist her accessing the internet without the CD, Lucky woman. Permission to forward this to Virgin Media? :) Dianne -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Scottish Users
Are there any scottish users that have any meeting sessions. If not I was thinkng about starting one. Jai Jai, there are several of us in Scotland, my local Lug is EdLug (http://www.edlug.org.uk/list_faq.html) which meets in Edinburgh (too far for me to visit them though (an 80mile round trip) and there are several others around. Ken -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
On 16/01/2009 12:54, Alan Pope wrote: snip There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. Ours take place on Saturdays. We very rarely have meetings during the evening because Hampshire is such a large county that it's difficult to get there and back in an evening and still have time to get stuff done. We run it from 10AM till about 5PM which gives plenty of time for chat, demos, fixing, some talks and even a beer and/or curry after if you're that way inclined. We do the same in the Devon Cornwall LUG, well at least in Devon. One of our members (Paul Sutton who is also on here) arranges a meeting once a month on the 1st Saturday of the month at a cafe in Paignton. They have wireless so people can bring along laptops and visitors can have a drink or a meal too (I'd personally recommend the hot chocolate with cream marshmallows). Other than that Paul also occasionally arranges meetings on a Thursday evening at the Paignton Rugby Club. The big problem we have in the DCGLUG is finding venues outside of Torbay such as in Plymouth, Exeter and Cornwall. BTW, if anyone in Ubuntu-UK is in Devon or Cornwall feel free to join the DCGLUG at www.dcglug.org.uk Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
Well - that's all good then, from an off the cuff remark I also find that the hants lug meeting is during the day - so I might manage it after all, if I can work out how to get my name on the door list :) piskie Alan Pope wrote: 2009/1/16 David King linux...@avoura.com: I know what you mean about the beard and sandals. Just look at a picture of Richard Stallman -- would you trust a man who looks like that to create your OS? Danger Will Robinson! That way prejudice lies.. There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. Ours take place on Saturdays. We very rarely have meetings during the evening because Hampshire is such a large county that it's difficult to get there and back in an evening and still have time to get stuff done. We run it from 10AM till about 5PM which gives plenty of time for chat, demos, fixing, some talks and even a beer and/or curry after if you're that way inclined. Hopefully most people who want to use Ubuntu will see it and its users in a positive light (regardless of facial hair and footwear). I'd suspect it's more about what you do than what you look like. I mean take the people flaming the poor woman with the Dell laptop. They might all be devastatingly good looking and visit the barber every week. This doesn't seem to stop them being obnoxious! Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Wireless card fitter wanted!
Hi, Is there anyone who lives in the North Devon area who would be willing to help me and my mother out? I need to change the wireless card in her Ubuntu system. The card is being delivered to my mother's address, but she does not have the skills to fit it. I live in Manchester, so it's a long trek for a short job! My mother lives in Combe Martin, so if there is anyone in that area who is interested in helping contact me privately. Many thanks. Regards, Tony. -- Tony Arnold,Tel: +44 (0) 161 275 6093 Head of IT Security,Fax: +44 (0) 870 136 1004 University of Manchester, Mob: +44 (0) 773 330 0039 Manchester M13 9PL. Email: tony.arn...@manchester.ac.uk -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Some good publicity about Ubuntu
Rob Beard wrote: Hi folks, Having read through the follow up article on that woman who had Dell laptop running Ubuntu, I found this in the comments... http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9675283 It's a nice story about Ubuntu. It appears that a soilder in Fort Sill, Oklahoma has been refurbishing old PCs and passing them on to school students. It's nice to see some nice coverage other than the on going flame war on the WKOW web site. Does anyone do anything similar here in the UK? The nearest I have got to this is the Exwick Community Centre project although I'd love to do something like Freegeek (www.freegeek.org) but I wouldn't know where to start looking to get funding for such a project. Not quite like freegeek, but there is computer aid http://www.computeraid.org/ And perusing their website, they've called for FLOSS programmers to help with Project Proposal: USB-based free and open source assistive technology solution for blind and visually impaired users. The objective of this project is to develop and distribute a free and open source suite of portable software applications installed on a USB stick, allowing blind and visually impaired users worldwide equal and effective access to computers running the Windows operating system. http://www.computeraid.org/vifoss.htm hth john -- John Levin http://www.technolalia.org/blog/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
2009/1/16 piskie ubu...@talktalk.net: Well - that's all good then, from an off the cuff remark I also find that the hants lug meeting is during the day - so I might manage it after all, if I can work out how to get my name on the door list :) http://hants.lug.org.uk/lurker/message/20090115.162811.184c8344.en.html Has the details. Sorry it's not more clear. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
Thanks for posting the link, that was a very inspiring article. David King Ian Betteridge wrote: Thankfully, free software has slightly more respectable looking poster boys these days! - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/business/11ubuntu.html -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Wireless card fitter wanted!
On 16/01/2009 13:38, Tony Arnold wrote: Hi, Is there anyone who lives in the North Devon area who would be willing to help me and my mother out? I need to change the wireless card in her Ubuntu system. The card is being delivered to my mother's address, but she does not have the skills to fit it. I live in Manchester, so it's a long trek for a short job! My mother lives in Combe Martin, so if there is anyone in that area who is interested in helping contact me privately. Many thanks. Regards, Tony. I'm in South Devon. Unfortunately at the moment though I've got transport issues so probably couldn't make it myself but I'll forward it on to members of my local LUG though in case anyone local can help. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
Ta - done that now :) Hope to get there and say hello piskie Alan Pope wrote: 2009/1/16 piskie ubu...@talktalk.net: Well - that's all good then, from an off the cuff remark I also find that the hants lug meeting is during the day - so I might manage it after all, if I can work out how to get my name on the door list :) http://hants.lug.org.uk/lurker/message/20090115.162811.184c8344.en.html Has the details. Sorry it's not more clear. Cheers, Al. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register
On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 05:29:00PM +, Liam Proven wrote: [1] She's using some kind of USB Internet connection that doesn't work out of the box. (USB because either Ethernet or wireless should work fine.) Could be a USB cable modem or ADSL modem, either of which would be Hard Work to set up, or it could be something like a 3G dongle (though those are rare in the USA) or a WiMax adaptor. Either way, this is a problem in Ubuntu, if the woman can't get a connection easily. I agree, and we'd love to get a bug report on this because we want this to work out of the box. Unfortunately, these devices vary widely. We have the basic support, and many devices do work out of the box, but it tends to be something of a whack-a-mole exercise. We're working on it ... [2] It's a completely Flash-driven site, when Ubuntu doesn't include Flash. This is a political decision - I've been debating it recently on Ubuntu-sounder, in fact. The sad reality is that because of the Ubuntu project's determination to ship only Free software, excluding drivers, when Ubuntu comes out of the box, it's crippled. No Java is a minor problem, no RealPlayer or QuickTime or WindowsMedia is a bigger one, no MP3 support is a big issue, but no Flash is absolutely huge. A great many websites are completely inaccessible because they are entirely Flash-driven. This is again a problem with Ubuntu, but it's a deliberately-chosen one, and I'm not sure if anything can be done about it. As I recently wrote on the sounder list: Adobe are entirely aware of the existence of Ubuntu, and we are expressly forbidden from distributing Flash in this manner. Unless you want Ubuntu to be distributed only from a single site, with no more permission to share it with your friends, we can't do this. Yes, as it happens, by policy we wouldn't distribute the non-free Flash implementation as a default part of Ubuntu even if we could (although we could make it easier) - but the fact remains that we cannot. There are ways to improve Flash that do not involve distributing Adobe's plugin in Ubuntu by default. For instance, the integration of Flash is smoother in Ubuntu 8.10 than in previous releases (see https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/flash-experience-intrepid), and I believe that fewer users should have a hard time getting it working now. And, of course, the best way to get excellent Flash support in Ubuntu in the long term is going to be to improve the free Flash implementations. We've made it easier to switch between implementations to try them out. Yes, Gnash is still rather crashy at times. The only way it will improve is if people report those bugs. We've spoken with the Gnash developers; they are incredibly keen to do everything they can to make it work well for us, and desperate for bug reports (against as current a version of Gnash as possible, if you can). Please give them what they need! -- Colin Watson [cjwat...@ubuntu.com] -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Beards and sandals
Rob Beard wrote: On 16/01/2009 12:31, David King wrote: I know what you mean about the beard and sandals. Just look at a picture of Richard Stallman -- would you trust a man who looks like that to create your OS? Why not, I trust him far more than the shy and retiring, /softly/-/spoken/ CEO of Microsoft, /Steve/ Sounds of Silence /Ballmer (okay I borrowed that bit from The Inquirer - http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/680/1047680/ballmer-blames-pirates-for-poor-vista-sales)/ Stallman has done much for the free software movement, and I respect him greatly (for his ideas), but for a newcomer who might see his picture, his lack of visits to the barber might well be very off-putting, and gives computing in general a kind of elitist hippy image that the average person in the street would do anything to avoid. I agree with that. My other half was put off when I mentioned I wanted the Linux Format Richard Stallman t-shirt. :-) There is no reason why a person who is friendly with barbers should not also be good with Ubuntu or running a LUG. I have never been to a LUG, but mostly because I do not have the time, and their meetings take place in the evening, when I am working. I remember when I went to my first LUG meet. I went on my own, not knowing anyone and the first thing I saw was a couple of the LUG members wearing Debian t-shirts and gave me the impression that anything other than Debian wasn't accepted. Luckily I found another newbie to talk to which put me a bit more at ease. I just think that it can be a little off-putting sometimes when there are a bunch of geeky types who don't mingle and introduce themselves to new visitors, they generally just keep themselves to themselves. On the other hand I thought that the Ubuntu event in Swindon couldn't have been more different with Dianne and a couple of the other Ubuntu-UKers introducing themselves to new visitors and putting them at ease. Hopefully most people who want to use Ubuntu will see it and its users in a positive light (regardless of facial hair and footwear). Hopefully. I always make a point of not wearing sandals when I go to a LUG meet. Can't do much about the beard though, my other half wants me to keep that (but it is trimmed, and not Richard Stallman style). Rob David King piskie wrote: I didn't even know about it to be honest. Looked around for a local LUG last year and didn't get far at the time so gave up, probably due to the last time I looked - which was I hasten to add a long time ago - I found one that was very 'beard and sandles' :) I won't be able to make this one - but once I get a bit of time, I'll try to make the next soton one. piskie On the other hand, find a pic of Linus and he looks very respectable, so as we are promoting Linux rather than free software, then that could be a way forward. Paul -- Paul Sutton www.zleap.net Support Open and ISO standard file formats e.g ISO 26300 odt http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php Next Linux User Group meet : Feb 7th : 3pm (TBC), Shoreline Cafe Paignton -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Scottish Users
Hi Ken, thanks for checking that out. I would be grateful i fyou can point me in the right direction where i can find information on more lugs Kind Regards, Jai 2009/1/16 Ken Robson k...@robsonfamily.co.uk Are there any scottish users that have any meeting sessions. If not I was thinkng about starting one. Jai Jai, there are several of us in Scotland, my local Lug is EdLug (http://www.edlug.org.uk/list_faq.html) which meets in Edinburgh (too far for me to visit them though (an 80mile round trip) and there are several others around. Ken -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register
On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Colin Watson cjwat...@ubuntu.com wrote: As I recently wrote on the sounder list: Adobe are entirely aware of the existence of Ubuntu, and we are expressly forbidden from distributing Flash in this manner. Unless you want Ubuntu to be distributed only from a single site, with no more permission to share it with your friends, we can't do this. Just out of curiousity, Colin, have Adobe given any reasons for their decision? -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Scottish Users
On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 04:18:59PM +, Jamie Pow wrote: Hi Ken, thanks for checking that out. I would be grateful i fyou can point me in the right direction where i can find information on more lugs lug.org.uk has a list of LUGs with contact details. Robert Robert McWilliamr...@allmail.net www.ormiret.com Some people wonder whether there is intelligent life in other parts of the universe; I'm not ready to give up on Earth yet. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register
Ian Betteridge wrote: On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Colin Watson cjwat...@ubuntu.com wrote: As I recently wrote on the sounder list: Adobe are entirely aware of the existence of Ubuntu, and we are expressly forbidden from distributing Flash in this manner. Unless you want Ubuntu to be distributed only from a single site, with no more permission to share it with your friends, we can't do this. Just out of curiousity, Colin, have Adobe given any reasons for their decision? THis is why i think any meetings where, where talks on topics (lets say a talk on networking) are planned, a talk on free software should be planned for too, Ok sometimes you could get 10 people who were at the last meet and heard it last time, in which case it could be skipped, otherwise its a good way for new users get to hear the ideas and ideals of free software. perhaps for ubuntu groups it would be a combo of this and what ubuntu community stands for. etc the more people that we can teach about free software, means more people to help campaign for these issues to be solved by getting companies to release as free software. Paul -- Paul Sutton www.zleap.net Support Open and ISO standard file formats e.g ISO 26300 odt http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php Next Linux User Group meet : Feb 7th : 3pm (TBC), Shoreline Cafe Paignton -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Scottish Users
On Fri, 2009-01-16 at 13:14 +, Ken Robson k...@robsonfamily.co.uk wrote: Are there any scottish users that have any meeting sessions. If not I was thinkng about starting one. Jai Jai, there are several of us in Scotland, my local Lug is EdLug (http://www.edlug.org.uk/list_faq.html) which meets in Edinburgh (too far for me to visit them though (an 80mile round trip) and there are several others around. Ken Seems to be a common problem. Outside some of the universities, the main local LUGs are predominantly based in the central belt (ScotLUG, and EdLUG are examples in point). This is understandable as these are the main population centres. Though it sometimes can be a bit frustrating for those of us in the more rural areas, as any LUG trip can be a hefty journey to make. Mark -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
