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Ideas for the next WLUG meeting
by Joshua Stone Nov. 20, 2019

Nov. 20, 2019

Hey everyone, I'd just like to say I had a fun time at Thursday's meeting! I'm already looking forward to the next meeting as I'm sure there are plenty of interesting topics we could discuss. As mentioned before, I think we could examine technologies that'd be beneficial to Linux on the desktop, like comparing packaging technologies including Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage. I think we could also look into the future of containers on the desktop as a whole with projects like Flatpak, toolbox, podman, and Silverblue. My workflow over the past few years has been using these upcoming technologies as daily drivers as they lead to saner development. For example, my laptop runs Silverblue ( https://fedoramagazine.org/what-is-silverblue/) which is a Fedora variant designed around immutability where a new system image is committed as the new /sysroot without affecting the state of the running system. This is reminiscent of Android A/B updates, although the update backend -- ostree -- has elements of a version control system like git. Toolbox ( https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-silverblue/toolbox/) is also interesting as it lets you switch into an unprivileged development environment that can be built up and torn down without affecting the host as tools are installed inside a container. For example, I can build and install duc inside a toolbox without actually installing to the host /usr: [jstone@jstone-laptop ~]$ toolbox create --release 31 --container duc- test [jstone@jstone-laptop ~]$ toolbox enter --container duc-test ⬢[jstone@toolbox ~]$ git clone https://github.com/zevv/duc ⬢[jstone@toolbox ~]$ cd duc ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ sudo dnf --assumeyes install gcc make autoconf automake pango-devel cairo-devel tokyocabinet-devel ncurses-devel ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ autoreconf --install ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ ./configure ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ make ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ sudo make install # no password needed ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ mkdir ~/.cache/duc ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ tcbmgr create ~/.cache/duc/duc.db ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ duc index ~ ⬢[jstone@toolbox duc]$ duc gui Finally, I've been installing most of my apps as Flatpaks, which uses the same file storage backend as Silverblue to manage apps and shared runtimes. This app distribution technology allows you to decouple apps and operating systems as everything is built and run inside a sandbox, making upgrades easier. Compare needing only one version of an app to package as a flatpak, versus packaging for different versions of distros: https://flathub.org/apps/details/org.clementine_player.Clementine https://www.clementine-player.org/downloads I'd be glad to hear what everyone has to say! -Josh

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Reminder: Meeting today! Nov 14th, 2019
by Tim Keller Nov. 14, 2019

Nov. 14, 2019

We've got a meeting today! If people are interested I could go into detail about the new 355tb zfs on linux system i just deployed and the issues I ran into and the bug/behavior reports I've put I to the Zol team. Date & Time: November 14th, 2019 @ 7pm. Location: WPI Campus Center Room rm 128 (Taylor room) It's the bottom of the stairs in the student center. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner. Later, Tim.

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WLUG Meeting Next Thursday! (Nov. 14th, 2019) Topic: TBD
by Tim Keller Nov. 8, 2019

Nov. 8, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting next Thursday! I don't have a topic yet so if you're got a topic that you'd like to talk about, let me know! Otherwise, we'll figure something out Date & Time: November 14th, 2019 @ 7pm. Location: WPI Campus Center Room rm 128 (Taylor room) It's the bottom of the stairs in the student center. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner. Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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word perfect
by donald vitkus Nov. 7, 2019

Nov. 7, 2019

can not install word perfect 8.0 on united linux any ideas

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Cloud Integration Engineer - Ericsson
by rozerfederatfieldengineer＠gmail.com Nov. 7, 2019

Nov. 7, 2019

A cloud integration engineer is somebody who helps migrate existing company network and IT assets into the cloud. By integrating a firm’s systems with the cloud services, cloud integration engineers help firms improve accessibility, backup, and connectivity. https://www.fieldengineer.com/skills/cloud-integration-engineer-ericsson

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Photo Frames
by John Stoffel Oct. 23, 2019

Oct. 23, 2019

Hi all, I'm looking for a photo frame for the family. I *hate* the model where you have to email/upload photos to some site so they can curate them. I do like the idea of a touch screen, so you can scroll back if you see a photo you like. I'd like a nice display, with subtle cropping if needed of images. I've looked on Aamzon.com, but got lost in the weeds, and I've also looked at "The Wirecutter" but the review is a bit old and not really too useful. But maybe I'm too harsh on the upload model, but how many times have I seen companies get bought out and shutdown? Especially for something like this which will probably be around for ages. So my vague requirements: 1. local photo storage 2. touch screen control 3. automatic dimming/brightening and ideally power off when no one is around. 4. 10" in size approx. 5. IPS display for the widest possible angles and best colors. 6. High Resolution display. 7. If it has Wifi for remote photo adding, I want them to download to the frame, so that if the Wifi goes out, it's not a problem. And I really hate small remotes that get lost. I'm torn though, because I'd like to give one to my Dad who doesn't live near me so I can easily send pictures... but I hate the idea of remote sites which can and do go away without warning. But what really gets me is the controls on the back, useless! I'd like it to look like a photo frame, but *some* controles so I can swipe through photos easily. Sorta like a big cell phone. I've looked at the reviews on: tomsguide.com reviewlab.com thewirecutter.com I'm really tepted by the "PhotoSpring 10-inch Digital Frame" for the touchscreen options, but strongly dislike that there's no local storage, you have to upload to the cloud. "Nix Advance 8-Inch Digital Photo Frame" doesn't have Wifi, and uses a remote. So I like that it's not cloud based... but for remote family members it won't work as well. And probably a bit small. Totally annoying, but I'm sure I'll just have to settle for something. THanks, John

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Reminder! Meeting Tomorrow Thursday, Oct 10th, 2019: Topic: CAD on linux!
by Tim Keller Oct. 10, 2019

Oct. 10, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting tomorrow!!! Date & Time: Oct 10th, 2019 at 7PM Location: WPI Rec Center Room Rom 412 (Class of '61 conference room) Topic: Round table on CAD software for linux. This month we're going to talk about the plethora of FOSS and otherwise options for doing Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) on linux. Logan Brown has offered to speak about OpenSCAD Frank Sweetser will be talking about TinkerCAD I will be talking about FreeCAD We'll also gloss over LeoCAD and a few other cad products as well. This is a round table, so if you have a piece of cad software on linux you love feel free to speak up! Refreshments and Snacks will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting: Oct 10th 2019 Topic: CAD on linux!
by Tim Keller Oct. 4, 2019

Oct. 4, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting next week! Date & Time: Oct 10th, 2019 at 7PM Location: WPI Rec Center Room Rom 412 (Class of '61 conference room) Topic: Round table on CAD software for linux. This month we're going to talk about the plethora of FOSS and otherwise options for doing Computer Aided Drafting on linux. Logan Brown has offered to speak about OpenSCAD Frank Sweetser will be talking about TinkerCAD I will be talking about FreeCAD We'll also gloss over LeoCAD and a few other cad products as well. This is a round table, so if you have a piece of cad software on linux you love feel free to speak up! Refreshments and Snacks will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Linux in the wild
by Richard Klein Sept. 26, 2019

Sept. 26, 2019

Seen on Nextdoor (lost cat): https://nextdoor.com/post/125096592?init_source=copy_link_share -- Rich

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Thanks for a great meeting last night!
by Tim Keller Sept. 26, 2019

Sept. 26, 2019

As usual at WLUG, we went off on a tangent and it was amazing.. What started out as a side conversation about storage technologies turned into 1.5 hour conversation about LVM / ZFS on Linux / Ceph / GlusterFS / Synology / FreeNAS / NetAPP and the general philosophies around managing scalable storage at home and in the enterprise! This conversation continued at the Boynton and was great fun! Next meeting is the 10th of October! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Becoming a brick-and-mortar Linux vendor
by Joshua Stone Sept. 25, 2019

Sept. 25, 2019

Hey everyone, I'm sure we all know how successful Linux is across different markets today, but I've been wondering about with Linux as a desktop platform if one were to run a business around selling machines that're built with it in mind. The market for online retailers selling devices shipping Linux already seems diverse enough, but I don't know of any successful brick-and- mortar stores selling these devices. I think there could be some advantages to this, including: - Spreading awareness about Linux and the FOSS community - Providing on-site troubleshooting and consultation - Demonstrating different form factors such as Raspberry Pi, Steam OS machines, workstation etc - Providing a physical location for workshops, LUGs, and other meetups - Having a one-stop shop for hardware that's already known to work on Linux such as USB DACs, wifi adapters, etc - Generally act as a community center for computer enthusiasts - Partnering with pre-existing online vendors so customers can test their hardware in-store Jumping into a business such as this does sound risky though, seeing as the Linux crowd is generally very hands-on about computers they purchase and are willing to fix problems on their own. There are also many hurdles that the ecosystem has to catch up on in order to be competitive with applications found only on Windows and/or macOS. That being said, I think I'm still curious to see how much interest there would be in selling a platform around desktop Linux in a brick-and- mortar store with an experience similar to Microsoft and Apple stores. It would certainly help for attracting new users with a more integrated approach that we've come to expect from other platforms, and I think we're in a pretty good position these days for seeing growth. I'd also like to say that I have no experience in marketing, so I wouldn't know where to start with doing anything like market research or studies, so I'm eager to hear any suggestions for how to gauge the potential for a business idea such as this. More than happy to hear what everyone else thinks! Sincerely, -Josh

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September WLUG Meeting Announcement!
by Tim Keller Sept. 5, 2019

Sept. 5, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting next week! Date: September 12, 2019 Time: 7pm Location: WPI Campus Center Mid-Century Room (rm 331) aka. the usual haunt Topic: Tinkercad codeblocks and more! I know that a few of us have tinkered with and enjoy using OpenSCAD. However, for many users the learning curve is REALLY steep and this steep learning curve has kept many users away from programmatic shape generation for 3d modeling. Basically writing code to generate a shape. At our last meeting Frank Sweetser showed off something really cool, which is that Tinkercad has now integrated a "scratch" like language into Tinkercad. At this meeting someone will be giving a demo of this. I think we would be remiss if we didn't talk about exFAT and Microsoft's decision to open the patents on it. It *sounds* like we may have exFAT becoming a first class citizen on linux. Is this Microsoft playing some long game of embrace, extend, extinguish or are we moving towards some wild convergence point? In that is the interesting conversation where we think linux will be in another ten years and for that matter Microsoft. As usual, snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner and fall deeper down the rabbit hole! Later, Tim. WLUG President -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Sr Linux Software Engineer opening
by John Spencer Sept. 3, 2019

Sept. 3, 2019

Connected Systems has a client with a perm/direct hire opening for the following: As a Senior Linux Software Engineer with this group on Cape Cod, you will be working on the embedded software and firmware development and enhancements of a new IoT system platform. Please note our client will consider candidates who can work on-site 1-2 days/week. We're seeking candidates that have the ability to modify kernels and drivers on Linux based systems. A candidate will also ideally have some form of wireless, wifi or Bluetooth product experience. 10+ years of Linux programming with C++/C coding for Firmware development Strong experience with Linux systems, Linux Kernels, Linux Drivers and security programming Experience with Wireless, Wifi, or Bluetooth (BLE) based technology Bonus points for candidates experienced in Yocto Linux or Systems Architecture Please Note : All candidates must be US Citizens or US Greencards. Our client cannot sponsor visas. Salary up to $150K will be considered. Please send your resume and any questions to me directly. Regards, John Spencer Connected Systems Partners Office: (978) 455-5550 x208 Cell: (978) 621-9743 jspencer(a)connectedsp.com www.connectedsp.com GET CONNECTED! All information in this email, unless indicated otherwise in the body of the email, is considered confidential and intended for the view and use of the recipient(s) only.

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August WLUG meeting reminder!!
by Tim Keller Aug. 15, 2019

Aug. 15, 2019

Hey fellow WLUG'ers! We've got a meeting this Thursday August 15th! Space and time: WPI student center mid century room (rm 331) aka "the usual haunt" at 7pm. Topic: general discussion / using linux to drive a Curio die cut machine. San is and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner to continue the conversation. See ya there! Tim Keller WLUG President

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Comparing distro packages
by Dennis Payne Aug. 13, 2019

Aug. 13, 2019

I wanted to know if OpenAlchemist is included in Debian. During my searching I found distrowatch has the ability to compare packages from distributions. I pull up Fedora and Debian. https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=compare-packages&firstlist=fedor… Fedora's list of packages doesn't include OpenAlchemist. Nor does it include shippy, ostrichriders, and btbuilder. Clearly this isn't a complete list. Am I doing something wrong on distrowatch? Is there a different way to do the same thing?

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Next Meeting moved to August 15th 2019
by Tim Keller Aug. 12, 2019

Aug. 12, 2019

Hey Gang, I'm going to move the meeting to August 15th. If you've got a topic idea, let me know. Otherwise, we can either do an open topic meeting. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Sr or Prin Linux Drivers/kernel job
by John Spencer Aug. 9, 2019

Aug. 9, 2019

Connected Systems has a perm/direct hire opening for a Sr or Principle Embedded Software Engineer with our client in Boston. You be able to work on-site in Boston, with occasional off-site as an option. GREAT opportunity to work with a successful and growing company on interesting products. Work with existing team to get current product released to the market. As soon as that work is done, next project will involve design and development of next generation products. Must have a strong background with C and be an expert with embedded Linux Must be able to work at the Linux driver and kernel level Must have multi-threaded experience Must have microprocessor/microcontroller experience as well (ARM is helpful) Experience with C++ and experience working in the lab. Regards, John Spencer Connected Systems Partners Office: (978) 455-5550 x208 Cell: (978) 621-9743 jspencer(a)connectedsp.com www.connectedsp.com GET CONNECTED! All information in this email, unless indicated otherwise in the body of the email, is considered confidential and intended for the view and use of the recipient(s) only.

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Re: Best place to look for webcam drivers
by Richard Klein Aug. 9, 2019

Aug. 9, 2019

Output from v4l2-ctl -l: > User Controls > > brightness 0x00980900 (int) : min=0 max=255 step=1 default=128 value=128 flags=slider > contrast 0x00980901 (int) : min=0 max=255 step=1 default=128 value=128 flags=slider > gamma 0x00980910 (int) : min=1 max=6 step=1 default=3 value=3 flags=slider > gain_automatic 0x00980912 (bool) : default=1 value=1 > power_line_frequency 0x00980918 (menu) : min=0 max=2 default=0 value=0 > sharpness 0x0098091b (int) : min=0 max=3 step=1 default=2 value=2 flags=slider > > JPEG Compression Controls > > compression_quality 0x009d0903 (int) : min=50 max=87 step=1 default=75 value=75 Output from v4l2-ctl -D: > Driver Info (not using libv4l2): > Driver name : gspca_zc3xx > Card type : USB Camera (041e:4051) > Bus info : usb-0000:00:1d.3-1 > Driver version: 4.15.18 > Capabilities : 0x85200001 > Video Capture > Read/Write > Streaming > Extended Pix Format > Device Capabilities > Device Caps : 0x05200001 > Video Capture > Read/Write > Streaming > Extended Pix Format Maybe "(not using libv4l2):" is my problem? Do I need a webcam app that specifically supports gspca? Anyway, I added myself to the 'video' group and ran Cheese. Since I was already in the terminal, I ran Cheese from the command line instead of from the GUI, like I usually do, and I was rewarded with some extra output (editing out some irrelevant lines): > Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":0". > (cheese:8484): cheese-CRITICAL **: 10:26:20.051: cheese_camera_device_get_name: assertion 'CHEESE_IS_CAMERA_DEVICE (device)' failed Cheese still didn't find a video device, and I got the same results running it as root. On Thu, Aug 8, 2019 at 4:59 PM John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > >>>>> "Richard" == Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> writes: > > Richard> Hmm... > Richard> From lsusb: > Richard> Bus 005 Device 003: ID 041e:4051 Creative Technology, Ltd Live! > Cam Notebook Pro [VF0250] > > So it sees it ok as a USB device > > Richard> And from v4l2-ctl: > Richard> USB Camera (041e:4051) (usb-0000:00:1d.3-1): > Richard> /dev/video0 > > And it finds it properly. Maybe you can do: > > v4l2-ctl -l /dev/video0 > > and see what controls is offers. Or try the -D option. See the man > page for things to try. > > Richard> But the webcam app I installed (Cheese) detects no device. > > Did you check the permissions of /dev/video? Does 'cheese' have the > permissions to open the file? Try running as root, or adding your > account to the 'video' group. > > John >

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Best place to look for webcam drivers
by Richard Klein Aug. 7, 2019

Aug. 7, 2019

I picked up a Creative Labs model VF0250 webcam, but V4L isn't detecting any devices. I googled it and it looks like gspca supported this model, but it also looks like gspca was abandoned years ago. Where would you look for answers? BTW, this is for Mint.

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Reminder: WLUG Meeting Today (July 18th, 2019)
by Tim Keller July 18, 2019

July 18, 2019

Hey Everybody, This is the final reminder that we've got a meeting today! Date & Time: July 18th 2019 @ 7PM Location: WPI Student Center Morgan Room Topic: Pi 4! I bought a pi 4 yesterday and I've been poking around with it. I'll bring it along with a bunch of other pi's! Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off to dinner! Thanks, Tim Keller WLUG President -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting July 18th 2019 NOTE: Location Change: WPI Campus Center: Morgan Room
by Tim Keller July 16, 2019

July 16, 2019

Hey Everybody! We've got a meeting this Thursday July 18th at 7PM! Location: WPI Campus Center: Morgan Room (main floor hallway to the left of the front desk) Topic: Pi 4 I thought we might talk about the pi 4. I'm going to grab the 1GB version so we'll have a sample device to poke at. I'd really like the 4GB version, but those are a bit hard to find.. I'll have it, plus a pi 3 and an assortment of older pi's as well. As usual snacks and refreshments will be provided and we'll head off for dinner to continue to the conversation. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Next Meeting moved to July 18th 2019
by Tim Keller July 3, 2019

July 3, 2019

Hey Gang, I'm moving the meeting down a week since I'll be on vacation next week. The meeting will be on July 18th. I'd love to do a comparison of a pi 4 vs. a pi 3, but buying a 4GB pi 4 is a bit challenging... If someone already has one and could bring it, that would be awesome, if not we'll have to think of a different topic. Yeah, I know you can buy a 1GB/2GB pi 4... but really why would you do that. Thanks, Tim. WLUG President -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Dual GPU Laptops Experience?
by Dennis Payne June 28, 2019

June 28, 2019

I bought my last laptop from System 76. It's worked well but I was thinking of upgrading. I run Fedora so I wiped the Ubuntu installed by System 76 and haven't had any problems. However my current laptop only has the Intel graphics. The new Gazelle, which is closest to what I have, includes Intel and Nvidia. Anybody have any experience with that setup with Fedora and Wayland? Does it work out of the box? Do you need to install System 76 tools to switch between the different chips? Does Nvidia with Nouveau driver give better performance over Intel? I'm unlikely to install Nvidia's closed source driver. -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://social.freegamedev.net/channel/dulsi

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Reminder: June WLUG meeting TODAY! Topic: Side Channel Attacks.
by Tim Keller June 13, 2019

June 13, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting today, Thursday June 13th at 7PM! Location: WPI Campus Center Mid-Century room (rm 331) aka, the usual haunt. After last meeting we ended up having a side conversation regarding the now multiple side channel attacks that the Intel microarchitecture is vulnerable to. I thought it might be a good time to actually deep dive what these are, why they keep happening, why they're likely to continue and what efforts are being put in to try to mitigate them and the effects these migrations have on performance. As usual snacks and refreshments will be supplied and afterwards we'll head off for dinner to continue the conversation! Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting June 13th 2019! Topic: Side Channel Attacks
by Tim Keller June 8, 2019

June 8, 2019

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting on Thursday June 13th at 7PM! Location: WPI Campus Center Mid-Century room (rm 331) aka, the usual haunt. After last meeting we ended up having a side conversation regarding the now multiple side channel attacks that the Intel microarchitecture is vulnerable to. I thought it might be a good time to actually deep dive what these are, why they keep happening, why they're likely to continue and what efforts are being put in to try to mitigate them and the effects these migrations have on performance. As usual snacks and refreshments will be supplied and afterwards we'll head off for dinner to continue the conversation. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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