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We've got a meeting oct 14th!!
by Tim Keller Oct. 13, 2021

Oct. 13, 2021

This is a reminder that we've got a virtual meeting this Thursday October 14th. Topic: tbd, dojo, Linux in space, Linux is now running native on the m1, plus the usual banter, etc. Should the next meeting be physical? Date: 10 / 14 / 2021 Time: 7pm Location: Jitsi @ https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA I hope to see you there! Later, Tim.

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Open Source Game Achievements Article
by Dennis Payne Sept. 30, 2021

Sept. 30, 2021

Fedora Magazine has published my article on open source game achievements. https://fedoramagazine.org/open-source-game-achievements/ I just got Alchemy Quest, Anagramarama, and Inertia Blast add to Fedora. So it will be easier to test Gamerzilla on Fedora 35. -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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Inertia Blast
by Dennis Payne Sept. 10, 2021

Sept. 10, 2021

Thrust is an old C64 game. I never played the original but enjoyed an svgalib version a long time ago. Svgalib was used for games when people didn't have machines that could reasonably run X. It requires root to run and can't run under X so it isn't something people do now for the most part. The version I played now has an X version but it requires pseudo color so it is not usable. I updated the code to use SDL. I replaced some images that seemed to have been copied from the original. I renamed the game to Inertia Blast. Of course this included adding Gamerzilla support but it is minimal at the moment with only two achievements. http://identicalsoftware.com/inertiablast/ -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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Reminder! Meeting this week on Sept 9th!
by Tim Keller Sept. 9, 2021

Sept. 9, 2021

Hey Gang, We've got a meeting this week on Sept. 9th! Do people want to do in a meeting in person or virtual? Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting tonight (Virtual) at 7PM, usual Jitsi location.
by Tim Keller Sept. 9, 2021

Sept. 9, 2021

Hey Gang, Enough people have reached out to me privately that they want to attend remotely, that I think it makes sense to do the meeting virtually this month. The meeting will be at the usual virtual place: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA <https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA>@7PM. Speaking with Frank WPI is off the table as a meeting location. Tonight I think it warrants a conversation about where we'd like to do physical meetings. They are going to happen, I'd like to pick a spot that works for everybody. I'm sure lots of other topics will come up as well. See ya there! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Happy 30th birthday linux!!
by Tim Keller Aug. 27, 2021

Aug. 27, 2021

It was 30 years ago today Linus sent out his fateful email about his os he didn't think was going to turn into a "big thing." This is an amazing group full of quirky, smart and enthusiast linux users! I hope in some way we've helped to make linux a success! Stay safe and I hope to see you at the next meeting! Later, Tim.

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Reminder: August virtual meeting tonight!
by Tim Keller Aug. 12, 2021

Aug. 12, 2021

Hey Gang, This is a reminder that we've got a virtual meeting tonight! Date: 8/12/2021 Time: 7pm Location: Jitsi @ https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA I hope to see you there! Later Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Anagramarama
by Dennis Payne Aug. 11, 2021

Aug. 11, 2021

Anagramarama is a game I found on the libre game wiki. I decided to add game achievements to Anagramarama. Since the old website is gone, I've created a new website. I'm currently in the process of adding the package to Fedora. http://identicalsoftware.com/anagramarama/ You can see the achievements at my test site: http://108.49.106.217/game/dulsi/anagramarama -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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Meeting reminder! August 12th 2021, NOTE: Meeting will be Virtual!
by Tim Keller Aug. 9, 2021

Aug. 9, 2021

Hey Gang! We've got a meeting on Thursday August 12th! I'm going to up front say that this is going to be a virtual meeting. As great as having an in person meeting was, I think we should go back to virtual meetings until the whole Delta variant situation shakes out. Feel free to argue, this is wlug after all! Topic: Nothing decided yet. Feel free to step up to the plate if you've got something interesting. Otherwise, expect the usual nerd banter! Time: 7pm Location: The usual Jitsi location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Hosting in-person meetings at library
by joshua.gage.stone＠gmail.com July 20, 2021

July 20, 2021

Hey all, I've learned that the library in my town is open to the public for hosting club meetings! More info: https://hudsonpubliclibrary.com/ Some of the benefits I can think of for having meetings at the library include: - Free hosting - Free public wifi - Free on-site parking - Low noise levels - Projector and whiteboard are available - Books, music, movies, etc, are available for checking out (https://bark.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home) - Adjacent to many restaurants, most having outdoor seating - Has EV charging stations nearby - Access to well-maintained walking trails and public parks Cons: - Conference room capacity is capped at 10 occupants - Meetings must end 15 minutes before library's closing time, so would have to end at 8:15PM - Many restaurants might be closed by 9PM I could imagine going back to our usual monthly meetings, from 7:00PM to 8:15PM on Thursdays, then walking over to one of the restaurants next door for food and drinks. I can personally vouch for these local establishments, all reachable within a 5 minute walk: https://railtrailflatbread.com/ https://www.wellysrestaurant.com/ https://newcitymicrocreamery.com/ https://www.lessthangreaterthan.com/ https://www.kithandkinhudson.com/ https://www.horseshoepub.com/ https://freshwingma.com/ https://www.medusabrewing.com/beer-garden What do you think? - Josh

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VPN Question
by hammerron July 18, 2021

July 18, 2021

Tim/Chuck: Thank for the info. I will pass it on

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In-person meeting for August
by Joshua Stone July 17, 2021

July 17, 2021

Hey everyone, Thank you for another awesome meetup! It was nice to make that first step of transitioning back to normal. I hope I was able to make a good impression of Hudson! I'm interested to see what everyone would like to do for the next meeting, as well as discuss where to hold our next meeting! - Josh

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Join up via jitsi tonight!
by Tim Keller July 15, 2021

July 15, 2021

Hey gang, Reminder we've got a meeting tonight, join via Jitsi! https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Thanks, Tim.

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Re: Hosting in-person meetings at library
by Robert N. Evans July 14, 2021

July 14, 2021

I am not in MA today, but I am very interested to attend future meetings in Hudson as I live very close to there. Bob Evans -----Original Message----- From: Worcester Linux Users' Group General Discussion <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> Sent: Jul 14, 2021 3:39 PM To: Worcester Linux Users' Group General Discussion <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> Cc: Joshua Stone <joshua.gage.stone(a)gmail.com>, Tim Keller <turbofx(a)gmail.com> Subject: [WLUG] Re: Hosting in-person meetings at library I think it's a great idea! Speaking with the Technopia folks, they're interested in having us, but it sounds like it would happen in the Sept. time frame, I'd like to have a couple in person meetings before that. Is this something people would be interested in doing tomorrow? Thanks, Tim. On Tue, Jul 13, 2021 at 9:25 PM joshua.gage.stone--- via WLUG <wlug(a)lists.wlug.org> wrote: Hey all, I've learned that the library in my town is open to the public for hosting club meetings! More info: https://hudsonpubliclibrary.com/ Some of the benefits I can think of for having meetings at the library include: - Free hosting - Free public wifi - Free on-site parking - Low noise levels - Projector and whiteboard are available - Books, music, movies, etc, are available for checking out (https://bark.cwmars.org/eg/opac/home) - Adjacent to many restaurants, most having outdoor seating - Has EV charging stations nearby - Access to well-maintained walking trails and public parks Cons: - Conference room capacity is capped at 10 occupants - Meetings must end 15 minutes before library's closing time, so would have to end at 8:15PM - Many restaurants might be closed by 9PM I could imagine going back to our usual monthly meetings, from 7:00PM to 8:15PM on Thursdays, then walking over to one of the restaurants next door for food and drinks. I can personally vouch for these local establishments, all reachable within a 5 minute walk: https://railtrailflatbread.com/ https://www.wellysrestaurant.com/ https://newcitymicrocreamery.com/ https://www.lessthangreaterthan.com/ https://www.kithandkinhudson.com/ https://www.horseshoepub.com/ https://freshwingma.com/ https://www.medusabrewing.com/beer-garden What do you think? - Josh _______________________________________________ WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ Change Settings: https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ Web Forum/Archive: https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/J7HU7… -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers". _______________________________________________ WLUG mailing list -- wlug(a)lists.wlug.org To unsubscribe send an email to wlug-leave(a)lists.wlug.org Create Account: https://wlug.mailman3.com/accounts/signup/ Change Settings: https://wlug.mailman3.com/postorius/lists/wlug.lists.wlug.org/ Web Forum/Archive: https://wlug.mailman3.com/hyperkitty/list/wlug@lists.wlug.org/message/W5KG5…

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VPN Question
by hammerron July 13, 2021

July 13, 2021

Hey everybody: A friend asked me about VPNs and I don't know a whole lot lot on the topic. They have a Windows computer and are using a McAfee VPN. The question is, is this a decent product, should they use it or not or consider something else? regards, Ron

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No meeting tonight.. sorry for any confusion. Next Meeting 7/15/2021
by Tim Keller July 8, 2021

July 8, 2021

Hey Gang, I just got back from vacation. We're going to have our meeting next week instead. Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Re: I'm thinking Technocopia is a no go.
by Robert N. Evans June 22, 2021

June 22, 2021

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I'm thinking Technocopia is a no go.
by Tim Keller June 22, 2021

June 22, 2021

I've reached out twice and my emails have gone unanswered, I think we should start planning to have WLUG somewhere else. I don't know if WPI is an option or not. I think the last of the people are gone from WPI so we don't have anybody to reserve a room.. If anybody knows someone, etc.. awesome. If people have other options, I'd love to hear them. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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opinions on home email services
by Mike Peckar June 17, 2021

June 17, 2021

Hi, I've noted that many of you host your own email and file servers, and I've wanted to do this for several years, but I've been avoiding taking this on myself. This is due to the time investment (to learn tech I don't necessarily want to learn) and the added weight of responsibility for security. Quite frankly, I'm getting lazy in my old age and I'm considering a packaged solution/service like The Helm. I guess my question is, are the tech barriers to setting up a home email server really as formidable as claimed in the below justification from The Helm's web site? If a lazy guy like me sets up an email server, but then doesn't get around to applying security updates for half a year, is he just asking to be hacked? For context, I am a local Charter customer with a standard internet-only subscription. From: https://blog.thehelm.com/post/how-helm-works-part-1-networking [quoted text] For an email server to send and receive email with other servers on the internet, they need port 25 to be open. Unfortunately, ISPs in the U.S. block port 25 by default, a practice started in the 90s when home computers were hacked and turned into open relays abused for spamming. Sometimes it’s possible to get this port unblocked, but it’s not uncommon for the ISP to ask for a significantly more expensive class of service in exchange. ISPs also typically assign dynamic IPs to residential internet connections. Large email service providers block residential dynamic IPs en masse also due to the issue raised above. While it’s possible to get a static IP address from your ISP, they will charge for it and potentially require a more expensive class of service. PTR records, or reverse DNS, is also a key requirement for trustworthiness when setting up an email server. Getting this type of record with a residential internet connection can be a significant challenge and may also incur additional costs. To summarize, port blocking, dynamic IPs and challenges in establishing a PTR record all interfere with easily running an email server at home. It can cost hundreds of dollars per year and consist of a significant investment of time with your ISP to get things set up just right. After thinking about this problem and experimenting for a while, we managed to find a better way. [end quoted text] Thanks, Mike

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WLUG Meeting tomorrow! June 10th, 2021 at 7pm!
by Tim Keller June 11, 2021

June 11, 2021

Hey Everybody, We've got a WLUG meeting tomorrow June 10th, 2021 at 7pm. This will be a totally virtual meeting, but hopefully our last!! Topic: I thought I'd give a quick update on my CNC machine and my quest to have a full FOSS toolchain.. what's worked, what hasn't, etc. I expect that'll only take a couple of minutes and then we'll move on to our usual banter! Location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA See ya there! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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PipeWire pro audio support
by Joshua Stone June 7, 2021

June 7, 2021

Hey everyone! The PipeWire project has been an exciting project to follow, as there has been heavy development for broad audio use case coverage: https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/wikis/home https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/pipewire/-/blob/master/NEWS It seems that the developers are currently prioritizing pro-audio use cases as of late: https://twitter.com/PipewireP/status/1401885732587847680 >A little question for our pro-audio friends out there. Now that we got freewheeling and latency reporting implemented, what is at the top of your wishlist for PipeWire features? This should be quite exciting! I've tried several DAWs over the years, and admittedly they seemed to require more effort than necessary to configure correctly with the Linux audio stack. I'm hoping PipeWire will be able to resolve this weakness! What do you think could use more improvement? - Josh

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Fedora 34 updates
by THE HAMMER May 21, 2021

May 21, 2021

I just installed Fedora 34 on a "junk laptop" to play along with. Looked on line and wound up with a couple different answers, and so perhaps they are all correct. My question is when I want to update all the packages in the lap top what is the correct/best command? Also what is the difference between dnf upgrade and dnf upgrade --refresh Thanks Ron

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Carbon-neutral living
by joshua.gage.stone＠gmail.com May 14, 2021

May 14, 2021

Hey everyone! Thanks for another night full of discussion covering many interesting topics! I'm interested to learn more about everyone's longterm plans for carbon-neutral/carbon-negative living! My wife and I have been researching on this topic for some time as we believe there are numerous benefits in reducing energy requirements, and we hope that when it comes time to become home owners we'll be able to start from the ground up with this type of living ingrained in our household! It turns out that there's a *lot* of room for improvement in energy efficiency, and by extension, carbon reduction. While I think transition to green energy is immensely important as a longterm plan, I also think it's important for us to evaluate ways to reduce our carbon footprint as individuals Examples include: - Switching to induction stoves which are more efficient and safer than traditional electric stoves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pftcQ6NGPfc - Switching to heat pump dryers for reducing energy usage with the added bonus of eliminating the need for vents https://www.energystar.gov/products/heat_pump_dryer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh-j0sWBEJA - Switching to heat pump water heaters https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-water-heaters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omivdhxdGv0 - Switching to air-source/ground-source heat pumps to replacing gas/oil/electric heating for hot water and heating https://www.energystar.gov/products/heating_cooling/heat_pumps_geothermal https://www.energystar.gov/products/heating_cooling/heat_pumps_air_source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zrx-b2sLUs I think heat pump technology could be very promising for a wide number of applications, as it turns out that the most efficient way to work with heat is to simply *move* it around, rather than generate more heat through gas, oil, etc. With climate change and global warming being an existential threat, the last thing we want to do is add more heat to the problem! A more ambitious longterm goal my wife and I have is that we would like to someday have a house built to Passive House standards, which is said to reduce home heating requirements by up to 90%: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=secB3R0sIYU https://phmass.org/ https://www.buildwithrise.com/stories/texas-passive-house-weathered-the-202… https://zeroenergy.com/portfolio/all-projects https://zeroenergyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/RPA_Scranton_Passi… https://www.phius.org/home-page Something I find especially interesting about Passive Houses is that they're often able to achieve net positive energy production and EV charging with even a modust solar panel installation. This means they can give back to the power grid with fewer panels compared to other houses built to code, reducing the total environmental impact from solar panel manufacturing. Of course, there's a high upfront monetary cost to transitioning to eco-friendly living, but at least there are programs in place to help: https://www.masssave.com/ https://multifamily.fanniemae.com/financing-options/specialty-financing/gre… Hope to hear everyone's thoughts! - Josh

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Reminder: WLUG Meeting tonight! May 13th 2021 at 7pm!
by Tim Keller May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

This is a reminder that we've got a meeting today at 7pm! In the usual location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Topics tonight will likely include the UMN debacle, the encoder/decoder vulnerability stuff, probably some other Linux related stuff! I'd also like to talk about meeting in person. If it's something that people are down for (I know Maddog is!) I'll reach out to Technopia and see what their rules are. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Reminder! Meeting Next Week on May 13th 2021!
by Tim Keller May 7, 2021

May 7, 2021

Hey Gang! We've got a meeting on May 13th! For topics, there's a whole lot to talk about! Obviously the UMN stuff, as well as the x86 decoder fun. I think it's worth revisiting having in person meetings.. At some point here in the near future a majority of us are going to be vaccinated. I'll reach out to Kevin (if he's not already reading this!) and see what Technopia's policies are going to be. Whatever we do, I think we've all agreed it makes sense to keep the virtual component going as well. To that point, I'll be getting my second shot on Tuesday so I might be not feeling great, we'll see. What do people think? Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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