- WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Pre-Registration: WLUG Keysigning, Wenesday April 22nd

by Chuck Anderson

I've put together a web page describing the procedure for Pre-Registering for the Keysigning to be held at our next WLUG meeting. This is also linked from the WLUG front page: http://www.wlug.org/keysigning/ If you wish to participate, please check it over as there are a few steps you need to perform before arriving at the meeting. Thanks, Chuck

April 17, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by E Johnson

Agree, Ubuntu is pretty good & getting better all the time. Update here: Lenny installed very nicely & so far is rock solid, running the CPU less (Xorg was somehow using lots of CPU in Ubu Hardy), and things generally smoother all round. Still working on my DVI issue... monotor mfr assures me the latest driver will fixit. I like Lenny better by a considerable margin. Liz J

April 16, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by Nick Nassar

So, it's three votes for buggy and two for not buggy. :) It's good to know I'm not totally crazy. I don't want to totally dis on Ubuntu. It's perfect for people who just need a word processor and a web browser. The problems tend to be in less commonly used features, like virtual consoles and xinerama in Andy's case. Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > HI all, > > Up to and including Kubuntu 7.x, I thought it was great stuff! Ever > since I upgraded to Kubuntu 8.x, I've had a few nagging issues which > defy resolution. I tried the 9.x alpha CD and the issues persist. I've > seriously considered downgrading my laptop to Kubuntu 7.x. > > I think the problems are mostly related to the moving of the > configuration information out of the Xorg.conf file into some unknown > place. My issues are mostly X server related (I think). Virtual > consoles don't work once the X window system starts, and the external > VGA port doesn't seem to work anymore. I previously had it setup in > Xinerama mode. > > I have heard other folks make the same observation that 8.x was not a > great release series for them. I certainly hope that 9.x hits the nail > on the head. > > Just one man's experience..... > > Andy > > -- > Andy Stewart, Founder > Worcester Linux Users' Group (http://www.wlug.org) > Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group (http://linux.meetup.com/393) > Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

April 16, 2009

USENIX '09 Registration Now Open

by Lionel Garth Jones

We're pleased to invite you to attend the 2009 USENIX Annual Technical Conference. This year we're offering 6 days of training and a 3-day conference program filled with the latest systems research, security breakthroughs, and practical approaches to the questions and problems you wrestle with. You'll also have many opportunities to chat with peers who share your concerns and interests. http://www.usenix.org/usenix09/proga Training: Sunday-Friday, June 14-19, 2009 The 6-day training program at USENIX '09 provides in-depth and immediately useful training on the latest techniques, effective tools, and best strategies to help you stay competitive. Take a full series or individual classes covering: * Solaris: Debugging, administration, and DTrace taught by James Mauro, Peter Baer Galvin, and Marc Staveley * Virtualization: Xen Hypervisor, VMware ESX 3i, and security taught by Phil Cox, Wenjin Hu, Zach Shepherd, and Dan Anderson * Plus classes on cloud computing by Milind Bhandarkar, system administration by David N. Blank-Edelman, and more Find out more at http://www.usenix.org/usenix09/training/ Technical Sessions: Wednesday-Friday, June 17-19, 2009 The technical program begins with the Keynote Address, "Where Does the Power Go in High-Scale Data Centers?" by James Hamilton, VP & Distinguished Engineer, Amazon Web Services, and continues with an impressive slate of invited speakers such as: * Plenary Closing Session by David Brin, Hugo Award-winning author * Diomidis Spinellis, Athens University of Economics and Business, on "The Antikythera Mechanism: Hacking with Gears" * Matthew Jadud, Allegheny College in Meadville, on "Towards Designing Usable Languages" The USENIX '09 Refereed Papers Track is the leading forum for presenting the latest in ground-breaking systems research. Be among the first to check out the latest innovative work in the systems field. The Poster Session at USENIX '09 is an excellent forum for discussing new ideas and getting useful feedback from the community. Poster submissions should include a brief description of the research idea(s); the submission must not exceed 2 pages. Send poster submissions to usenix09posters(a)usenix.org by Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Finally, don't miss the opportunity to mingle with colleagues and leading experts in the Birds-of-a-Feather sessions and at the various evening social events, including a Poster Session & Happy Hour, vendor BoFs, and the Conference Reception. USENIX '09 promises to be an exciting showcase for the latest in innovative research and cutting-edge practices in technology. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego. On behalf of the USENIX '09 organizers, Geoffrey M. Voelker, University of California, San Diego Alec Wolman, Microsoft Research USENIX '09 Program Co-Chairs usenix09chairs(a)usenix.org P.S. Don't miss the workshops co-located with USENIX '09, including: Workshop on Hot Topics in Cloud Computing (HotCloud '09) Monday, June 15 http://www.usenix.org/events/hotcloud09/ Workshop on Large-scale Systems (LARGE '09) Tuesday, June 16 http://www.usenix.org/events/large09/ P.P.S. Stay connected with the USENIX '09 Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=29453586085&ref=ts ---------------------------------------------- 2009 USENIX Annual Technical Conference June 14-19, 2009, San Diego, CA http://www.usenix.org/usenix09/proga Early Bird Registration Deadline: June 1, 2009 Discounts Available: http://www.usenix.org/usenix09/discounts -----------------------------------------------

April 15, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by E Johnson

Interesting to hear other complaints about Xorg in Ubu. Using Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy, I am having trouble with a just-purchased Asus mobo and processor* in my newly assembled desktop rig. It will run my monitor in only VGA mode, when the previous computer with its older mobo & processor (running Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy) ran it in DVI mode. Using the DVI cable (or another DVI cable) it does not see this monitor at all. We even RMA'd the mobo and got a replacement, but it was not the output from the mobo that was the problem. * ASUS M3A78-CM; AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 Brisbane 2.9GHz Hard to find how or where to set up this monitor to run right. I have to reset the monitor specs every time I reboot, or the refresh rate is unbearable and full of artifacts. There's a wizard-like prog that will reset the monitor specs, but not-quite well enough, and the settings don't seem to keep, after a reboot. Not sure this is exactly a Ubuntu problem, but one would think it could use the mobo to its advertised potential --it has a DVI output-capable chip. Previous to this build, the monitor ran fine as DVI in Debian Etch and Lenny. The older computer ran Debian Lenny very nicely after upgrading from Etch, which ran for a couple of years very successfully. It just didn't have enough memory & so forth, so we built this new one. About the no-DVI complaint, an ASUS telephone tech said to update the BIOS and/or to go get whatever new drivers may or may not be available --no sure answer. He's just reading out of a manual. But this mobo (with factory BIOS) recognized a different flatscreen DVI monitor just fine --it just wasn't my monitor. The Xorg strangeness, plus various drivers and the modules that aren't always included in the new releases or updates, make these headaches. Also when I reboot, I have to reinitialize the network. That's a mildly annoying thing. This seems to be new, not sure it's the recent Ubuntu updates, or what. Wish I could say I have several friends who have converted to Ubuntu, but I have only one. He is so happy with his old Ubuntu (previous to Gutsy), that he'll have to do a clean install of a newer version at some point soon. But I think I will recommend Lenny for him, too. The good news is that since Dec. 08, my teenage child unit is running Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy on the same mobo with a similar processor, using a newer monitor, and she's very happy. This kid was raised with various flavors of Linux til about 18 months ago, when she inherited a monster dual Xeon thing that ran Win XP and blue LEDs for about a year. When that fried, she was pleased to find that Ubuntu 8.04 on the new rig could do whatever she needed (including iPod), and we were pleased not to have to tweak it much. Ubu updates have not broken anything in her rig. Ubuntu issues too many kernel updates, that don't always include what they should have, or that break things, such as the audio. When audio breaks, that creates another whole set of headaches. We somewhat have the fixit procedure for that down by now, but why the deveolpers don't is a mystery. Maybe it's fixed in Intrepid, who knows. Running Hardy here, since it's supposedly the long-term support version. Debian just seems to be much more sensible about when to call a release "done" or "stable" and to issue it as a complete and ready-to-go OS. Now hoping that a clean install of Lenny (stable) will cure the monitor woes. The Ubu release party might be fun if we lived 2 blocks away, maybe. Peas & Lite to all, Liz J formerly KC3XX

April 15, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 HI all, Up to and including Kubuntu 7.x, I thought it was great stuff! Ever since I upgraded to Kubuntu 8.x, I've had a few nagging issues which defy resolution. I tried the 9.x alpha CD and the issues persist. I've seriously considered downgrading my laptop to Kubuntu 7.x. I think the problems are mostly related to the moving of the configuration information out of the Xorg.conf file into some unknown place. My issues are mostly X server related (I think). Virtual consoles don't work once the X window system starts, and the external VGA port doesn't seem to work anymore. I previously had it setup in Xinerama mode. I have heard other folks make the same observation that 8.x was not a great release series for them. I certainly hope that 9.x hits the nail on the head. Just one man's experience..... Andy - -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with SUSE - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFJ5V+qHl0iXDssISsRAqPcAJ4tvnX1GSDC3p/Ex/UPkPL7iDz3gQCfV1Q5 2r2iEzwBg1xARhIxDlvf7eg= =1E4I -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

April 15, 2009

Git manual available (expires in days...

by Doug Mildram

recently wlug had a meeting describing the version control system called Git. Linus fast tracked it for the kernel code, and it has become very popular. http://git.or.cz/gitwiki/FrontPage for a limited time only here is an oreilly freebie download ftp://ftp.oreilly.com/outgoing/Version_Control_with_Git.zip

April 15, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by Clint Moyer

I've had very few problems. I wouldn't just google for an answer though. The official Ubuntu forums are quite helpful and accurate. A random post revealed by a generic search may not be as fruitful. Besides, if someone has a problem copying a CD, I'd first suspect PEBCAK... ---- Nick Nassar <nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: ============= Does anyone else consistently have bad experiences with Ubuntu? I've unintentionally made a handful of people really hate Linux by suggesting they try Ubuntu. The smooth install makes you think it's working well. You probably don't notice the problems for a while and you think "WOW non-geeks could actually use this." Then you try to burn an audio CD or use bluetooth or whatever and it doesn't work. You search on Google for a fix and you think "WOW The community support is awesome." Then you do what the community suggests and it not only doesn't fix it but it makes things worse. So, you reinstall. The six month release cycle just doesn't leave enough time to work out all of the quirks and update all of the community docs before the next version comes out. When people just want to copy an audio CD or perform some other basic task and it doesn't work, they (rightfully) get pissed. *sigh* James Gray <jamespgray(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi All, there will be a release party for the newest version of > Ubuntu on the 23rd in Boston. > > There will be plenty of food and fellow Ubuntu enthusiasts. There > will probably be desktop CDs as well. > > Date: Thursday April 23rd 2009 > Time: 7PM to 10PM > Where: Globe Bar & Grill, Boston > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

April 14, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by Sebastian Courtney

Sorry to disagree with you Nick, but aside from some quirks in alpha releases, I've never had any major problems that were not easily fixable in Ubuntu. :/ Bluetooth has always seamlessly worked for me, as well as burning CDs. On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 5:26 PM, Nick Nassar <nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: > Does anyone else consistently have bad experiences with Ubuntu? > > I've unintentionally made a handful of people really hate Linux by > suggesting they try Ubuntu. > > The smooth install makes you think it's working well. You probably > don't notice the problems for a while and you think "WOW non-geeks could > actually use this." Then you try to burn an audio CD or use bluetooth or > whatever and it doesn't work. You search on Google for a fix and you > think "WOW The community support is awesome." Then you do what the > community suggests and it not only doesn't fix it but it makes things > worse. So, you reinstall. The six month release cycle just doesn't > leave enough time to work out all of the quirks and update all of the > community docs before the next version comes out. > > When people just want to copy an audio CD or perform some other basic > task and it doesn't work, they (rightfully) get pissed. > > *sigh* > > > James Gray <jamespgray(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hi All, there will be a release party for the newest version of > > Ubuntu on the 23rd in Boston. > > > > There will be plenty of food and fellow Ubuntu enthusiasts. There > > will probably be desktop CDs as well. > > > > Date: Thursday April 23rd 2009 > > Time: 7PM to 10PM > > Where: Globe Bar & Grill, Boston > > _______________________________________________ > > Wlug mailing list > > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

April 14, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Ubuntu == FAIL WHALE (was: Release party Ubuntu 9.04)

by Nick Nassar

Does anyone else consistently have bad experiences with Ubuntu? I've unintentionally made a handful of people really hate Linux by suggesting they try Ubuntu. The smooth install makes you think it's working well. You probably don't notice the problems for a while and you think "WOW non-geeks could actually use this." Then you try to burn an audio CD or use bluetooth or whatever and it doesn't work. You search on Google for a fix and you think "WOW The community support is awesome." Then you do what the community suggests and it not only doesn't fix it but it makes things worse. So, you reinstall. The six month release cycle just doesn't leave enough time to work out all of the quirks and update all of the community docs before the next version comes out. When people just want to copy an audio CD or perform some other basic task and it doesn't work, they (rightfully) get pissed. *sigh* James Gray <jamespgray(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi All, there will be a release party for the newest version of > Ubuntu on the 23rd in Boston. > > There will be plenty of food and fellow Ubuntu enthusiasts. There > will probably be desktop CDs as well. > > Date: Thursday April 23rd 2009 > Time: 7PM to 10PM > Where: Globe Bar & Grill, Boston > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

April 14, 2009