- WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

problem upgrading openoffice.org to version 3.0

by Andrew Perry

Hi Everyone, [GREETINGS:] I have a Dell Inspiron 1420 running Ubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron. I bought it from Dell, preloaded with Ubuntu, at about the time Dell started selling linux preloaded. I'm knowledgable about computers relative to the general public but probably will be a perpetual "newbie" to this crowd since, for example, I have never learned how to use the comamnd line well. I started using linux seriously when distros like Ubuntu came out that, supposedly, took care of most of the technical details so that a "normal user" could use linux without spending all his free time troubleshooting and reading manuals. Part of what made me "convert" was fantastic folks like LUG members; I love the linux community and am grateful for the help WLUG members have offered at times. [THE PROBLEM:] Unfortunately, I am at my wit's end to upgrade OpenOffice from 2.4.1 to version 3 - which I need to open .docx and .xlsx files that my students at Springfield College constantly send me. I've been wanting to do this for months and haven't had any luck looking in online help files. The openoffice.org help files direct me to options that simply aren't there. For example: "Choose Help- Check For Updates to check manually" - but there is no such option in my help menu ! "To check for updates automatically, Choose Tools- Options - OpenOffice.Org- Online Update" - again, the promised option, "Online Update" , simply isn't there. I tried to uninstall and reinstall OpenOffice.org in "add/remove programs" , but the default package manager (adept?synaptic? it doesn't say which it is, but I think it is synaptic) won't let me uninstall the "base package" as other packages require it. I could try to upgrade the whole distro to Ubuntu 8.10, but am reluctant totake the risk of crashing the computer and feel it shouldn't really be necessary. [HELP?] Can anyone help ? Solutions comprehensible to a "perpetual" newbie will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Andrew Perry

Jan. 28, 2009

HP T5720 info...

by Tim Keller

Hey Gang, So last night I'd mentioned as an alternative to a NSLU2 was one of these HP T571X machines that can be found on eBay for around $100. Currently the HP has a very stripped down Debian install on a 32GB SSD. Last night the box was stressed all night and didn't crash (this was after tuning down the DMA) Also I've put up pictures of a "fitPC" that my other coworker is playing with. Both of these machines are going to be used for home automation stuff. In fact the guy who bought the HP is using an Adrino with a home built circuit to read the information off of his pool chemistry controller. I've posted some pictures on my picasa site so people can see how it's all setup, with a standard hard drive for comparison. Here's a link to the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/turbofx/Micro_pcs# Later, Tim. -- I am weary of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

Jan. 23, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Richard Klein wrote: > I jotted down a couple very quick notes at the end of the meeting, so > I thought I'd share them with everyone else. Hi Rich et al, Thanks for the summary! That'll help everybody, whether or not they attended the meeting. On a related note, I'd like to mention that we had 28 people at this evening's meeting, which is a GREAT turnout. We had standing room only in the Access Grid room. We also had a relatively large crowd go out for pizza afterwards, and it seemed to me like everybody had a good time. The last of us broke off our discussions around 11:30 PM, and I just got home a few minutes ago (yeah, I have a long drive). On behalf of WLUG, I'd like to say thanks once again to Nick who gave a great talk this evening. See ya later, 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 iD8DBQFJeVjQHl0iXDssISsRAvYmAJ9+LcotKZQr8a0IccWVwDUT1x/j8wCdGf+s kDf1vgbyhT6Cntc4HUWeM1s= =mQYW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 23, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Richard Klein

I jotted down a couple very quick notes at the end of the meeting, so I thought I'd share them with everyone else. Of course, the meeting started with Nick giving a presentation of Miro, a media player with online guide, search tools, rating system, etc, built on gtk, python, libtorrent, and mozilla, that takes advantage of RSS and bit torrent: http://www.getmiro.com/ Miro began in Worcester! One of the many guys whose names I can't remember reminded us of the ACM@WPI swap meet this Saturday. This is the official page: http://www.acm.wpi.edu/swapmeet/ but I like the presentation of the data better here: http://www.socialweb.net/Events/87360.lasso Someone else recommended MonoPrice for cheap DVI/HDMI cables: http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp Alex, I think, recommended the Linux Mint distro, but I don't remember what the question was: http://www.linuxmint.com/about.php Finally, someone recommended the HP T57xx line of thin clients as a surprisingly capable platform with no moving parts that can be had for cheap on the used and/or gray market: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/12454-12454-321959-338927-893… -- Rich

Jan. 23, 2009

WPI ACM Swapmeet this Saturday! 10am-4pm

by Billy Hnath

Hey everyone, This Saturday(Jan 24), The WPI ACM is hosting a Swapmeet in the Campus Center Odeum. The event is free of charge and we open at 9am for sellers and 10am for buyers and we will close around 4pm. You can find more information at http://acm.wpi.edu/swapmeet Thanks and hope to see you there! --Billy -- William R. Hnath, Jr Worcester Polytechnic Institute Class of 2010 Alpha Chi Rho- Delta Sigma Phi 851

Jan. 23, 2009

Re: [Wlug] WLUG demos...

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 John Stoffel wrote: > I know I haven't been ot a meeting in a *long* time, but I do hope to > make one this spring if I can. Right now I'm playing with Arduino > controller boards on my Ubuntu desktop. Fun blinky LEDs, etc. > > http://arduino.cc > http://www.ladyada.com (where I got my parts) > http://www.sparkfun.com > http://www.evilmadscientist.com (lots of neat stuff) > > And loads of others in google. It's pretty neat to play with, and > it's interesting moving from the IDE (which has a sucky editor) to a > more pure Emacs/Makefile driven setup. > > I figure maybe I could come and demo this at some point. Any > interest? Loosely Linux related, since I'll be using an Ubuntu LiveCD > and thumb drive to setup and demo the environment. > > John Hi John, I've recently become very interested in this myself, and I plan to purchase an Arduino in a day or two and start playing around, since I have time these days (between jobs). If you'd like to come to WLUG in February to demo your Arduino, I think that would be great. Feel free to contact me off-list with the particulars if you care to proceed. Thanks! 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 iD8DBQFJePZ6Hl0iXDssISsRAvSHAJ9CGisf7hiaOMD3vnwbqF9VfzJ87wCfcAkX axZ7ktWR6sXLMqyHd1Y2NTc= =HADa -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hi all, I'll bring my laptop, and I'm sure a few other folks will bring their laptops also. We are fortunate that at least one, and often two, WPI network engineers attend the meeting, so I don't think getting on the internet will be a real problem as long as at least one of them is in attendance. Trouble making question: why would someone assume the presence of Windows at a *Linux* meeting?! Clearly, you're new here. We use TSA style security to insure that nobody brings Windows into the meeting area. ;-) See ya later this evening, 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 iD8DBQFJePCVHl0iXDssISsRAvy9AJ9V27y+L2Omb0eKgvllsqmzcjls8ACfa9RC 4i62+H+cC6CAdbMb353GLIQ= =bHK5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 22, 2009

WLUG demos...

by John Stoffel

I know I haven't been ot a meeting in a *long* time, but I do hope to make one this spring if I can. Right now I'm playing with Arduino controller boards on my Ubuntu desktop. Fun blinky LEDs, etc. http://arduino.cc http://www.ladyada.com (where I got my parts) http://www.sparkfun.com http://www.evilmadscientist.com (lots of neat stuff) And loads of others in google. It's pretty neat to play with, and it's interesting moving from the IDE (which has a sucky editor) to a more pure Emacs/Makefile driven setup. I figure maybe I could come and demo this at some point. Any interest? Loosely Linux related, since I'll be using an Ubuntu LiveCD and thumb drive to setup and demo the environment. John

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

Nope, but it seems like about once a month, someone tries to integrate them. :) If you use MythTV, it's pretty trivial to get those videos into Miro and vice-versa. They just can't share metadata. >>>>> "kstratton" == kstratton <kstratton(a)fastmail.us> writes: kstratton> Looks interesting. I have never made ot to a meeting, kstratton> but I still want to ask this question. kstratton> How is Miro related to Myth TV? kstratton> On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:38:58 -0500, nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu kstratton> said: >> Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and >> cross platform free software desktop development" >> >> >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: >> Andy> nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: >> >> If no one else is doing anything, I could do an informal >> >> presentation on Miro. http://www.getmiro.com/ >> >> >> Andy> Hi Nick, >> Andy> Go for it! One request: please send me a couple of sentences Andy> for the website to advertise the topic. >> Andy> Thanks, >> Andy> Andy >> Andy> -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Andy> (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group Andy> (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ Andy> _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing Andy> list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Andy> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >> _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug kstratton> -- kstratton> kstratton(a)fastmail.us kstratton> _______________________________________________ Wlug kstratton> mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org kstratton> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by kstratton＠fastmail.us

Looks interesting. I have never made ot to a meeting, but I still want to ask this question. How is Miro related to Myth TV? On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:38:58 -0500, nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu said: > Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and > cross platform free software desktop development" > > >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: > > Andy> nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: > >> If no one else is doing anything, I could do an informal > >> presentation on Miro. http://www.getmiro.com/ > >> > > Andy> Hi Nick, > > Andy> Go for it! One request: please send me a couple of sentences > Andy> for the website to advertise the topic. > > Andy> Thanks, > > Andy> Andy > > Andy> -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group > Andy> (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group > Andy> (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ > Andy> _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing > Andy> list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Andy> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- kstratton(a)fastmail.us

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Alex Camilo

maybe one of the WPI staff or students can supply a laptop. or bring a liveCD? On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 11:16 AM, <nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: > I need internet to demo Miro. > > Last time I checked, it took a lot of jumping through > hoops to get a random computer on the WPI network. > Is that still true? > > >>>>> "Chuck" == Chuck Anderson <cra(a)WPI.EDU> writes: > > Chuck> Don't you have a laptop? > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

I need internet to demo Miro. Last time I checked, it took a lot of jumping through hoops to get a random computer on the WPI network. Is that still true? >>>>> "Chuck" == Chuck Anderson <cra(a)WPI.EDU> writes: Chuck> Don't you have a laptop?

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Chuck Anderson

Don't you have a laptop? On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 10:32:10AM -0500, nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: > What kind of computer will be there? > I'm going to assume it's Windows. :) > > The meetings are in the lower wedge? I'll try to be there around 6:30. > > Nick > > > >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: > > >> Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and > >> cross platform free software desktop development" > > Andy> HI all, > > Andy> I've just posted this on the WLUG website. Thanks, Nick, for > Andy> volunteering! > > Andy> Later, > > Andy> Andy > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

What kind of computer will be there? I'm going to assume it's Windows. :) The meetings are in the lower wedge? I'll try to be there around 6:30. Nick >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: >> Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and >> cross platform free software desktop development" Andy> HI all, Andy> I've just posted this on the WLUG website. Thanks, Nick, for Andy> volunteering! Andy> Later, Andy> Andy

Jan. 22, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: > Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and > cross platform free software desktop development" HI all, I've just posted this on the WLUG website. Thanks, Nick, for volunteering! Later, 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 iD8DBQFJd0bjHl0iXDssISsRAjENAJ4j/qr91Gm//gpDr44HfSX8GM1tPwCfWJBi L3gegjCuRRmQL7U2GnkLfOM= =AL4i -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 21, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

Let's call the presentation "Miro: the state of Linux video and cross platform free software desktop development" >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: Andy> nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: >> If no one else is doing anything, I could do an informal >> presentation on Miro. http://www.getmiro.com/ >> Andy> Hi Nick, Andy> Go for it! One request: please send me a couple of sentences Andy> for the website to advertise the topic. Andy> Thanks, Andy> Andy Andy> -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Andy> (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group Andy> (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ Andy> _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing Andy> list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Andy> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Jan. 21, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: > If no one else is doing anything, I could do an informal presentation > on Miro. http://www.getmiro.com/ > Hi Nick, Go for it! One request: please send me a couple of sentences for the website to advertise the topic. Thanks, 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 iD8DBQFJdRAdHl0iXDssISsRAhIOAJ9MdrxwMg/kiE4E0PW71pOCYwLtQQCfYTc5 KNhgz0XASOCiC+ip+7j9hiU= =arSC -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 19, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

If no one else is doing anything, I could do an informal presentation on Miro. http://www.getmiro.com/ >>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: Andy> nassar(a)alum.wpi.edu wrote: >> I keep thinking I'm going to make it to meetings, then something >> comes up. :) >> >> What kind of presenation are you looking for? How long would it >> have to be? >> >> Nick Andy> HI Nick, Andy> People have done many different types of presentations. Most Andy> are of the standard slideshow variety, but occasionally Andy> somebody brings some props for a live demo of some sort. What Andy> is more important is that the topic be one of interest to the Andy> group, and related to Linux. Duration typically ranges from Andy> 30-60 minutes, but if you had something shorter in mind, let Andy> me know. Andy> Later, Andy> Andy >> >>>>>>> "Andy" == Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> writes: >> Andy> HI everybody, >> Andy> We have a WLUG meeting coming up NEXT week on Thursday, Andy> January 22, 2009. I'm looking for a speaker for this meeting, Andy> or any future meeting for that matter. If you are doing cool Andy> things with Linux that you'd like to share with the group, Andy> please send me an email. >> Andy> Thanks, >> Andy> Andy >> Andy> -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Andy> (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group Andy> (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ Andy> _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing Andy> list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Andy> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >> Andy> -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Andy> (http://www.wlug.org) Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group Andy> (http://linux.meetup.com/393) Amateur Radio: KB1OIQ

Jan. 18, 2009

Looking for Trixbox and A2 Billing project support (Simon)

by Simon Kigo

I have a project consisting of setting up a prepaid phone card operation using Linux server, Trixbox and A2 Billing sofware. I have Trixbox running on a Centos Server right now, but there is more work to be done. I dont know if anyone has experience in this kind of setup or in VOIP area. If you do, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks in advance Simon --- On Fri, 1/16/09, wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org> wrote: From: wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org> Subject: Wlug Digest, Vol 63, Issue 5 To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Date: Friday, January 16, 2009, 12:00 PM Send Wlug mailing list submissions to wlug(a)mail.wlug.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to wlug-request(a)mail.wlug.org You can reach the person managing the list at wlug-owner(a)mail.wlug.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Wlug digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Thank you for your help and..... (John Stoffel) 2. Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting (Andy Stewart) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:00:14 -0500 From: "John Stoffel" <john(a)stoffel.org> Subject: Re: [Wlug] Thank you for your help and..... To: Worcester Linux Users Group <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> Message-ID: <18799.45550.580265.205449(a)stoffel.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Ken> Last week I was stuck. I had a broken SUN sparc64 ULTRA ONE. I Ken> asked WLUG for help. John Stoffel rose to the bait. My SUN now Ken> works better than ever. (We installed four fast ethernet ports Ken> thereby replacing a broken old fashioned eth0.) Thank you Ken> (publicly) John. I have another question. You're more than welcome. I was happy to help out, even though it took a while due to our schedules being out of sync. :] Ken> I am a retired computer programmer. I ended my professional days Ken> as a Senior Software Engineer for CISCO Systems in 2004. I am Ken> getting bored. (and my 401k is getting hit). I am curious as to Ken> whether I can contribute to an Open Source project. How do I Ken> join an open source community? Are they all parts of large Ken> corporations or schools? I just read that CISCO is embracing the Ken> open source idea. Oh course, I shall get hold of them. Ken> Do any of you have some knowledge on this subject? Depends on what kind of programming you want to do: low level drivers, OS internals, application, GUI, etc. Just find a project that interests you, join the developers mailing list, start to learn 'git' (or subversion or mercurial) for distributed development and then jump in. Oh, it also depends on which language(s) you are familiar with and want to program in as well. John ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:06:56 -0500 From: Andy Stewart <andystewart(a)comcast.net> Subject: [Wlug] Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting To: Worcester Linux Users Group <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> Message-ID: <496FB380.8030601(a)comcast.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 HI everybody, We have a WLUG meeting coming up NEXT week on Thursday, January 22, 2009. I'm looking for a speaker for this meeting, or any future meeting for that matter. If you are doing cool things with Linux that you'd like to share with the group, please send me an email. Thanks, 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 iD8DBQFJb7OAHl0iXDssISsRAuc8AJ9EpYNe0HIv+CpP2QCAm7ruu2ivNgCfbvy3 q5WLNNARzTy0KQGGr4MOptI= =nGqy -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug End of Wlug Digest, Vol 63, Issue 5 ***********************************

Jan. 17, 2009

Early reminder: upcoming WLUG meeting

by Andy Stewart

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 HI everybody, We have a WLUG meeting coming up NEXT week on Thursday, January 22, 2009. I'm looking for a speaker for this meeting, or any future meeting for that matter. If you are doing cool things with Linux that you'd like to share with the group, please send me an email. Thanks, 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 iD8DBQFJb7OAHl0iXDssISsRAuc8AJ9EpYNe0HIv+CpP2QCAm7ruu2ivNgCfbvy3 q5WLNNARzTy0KQGGr4MOptI= =nGqy -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Jan. 15, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Thank you for your help and.....

by John Stoffel

Ken> Last week I was stuck. I had a broken SUN sparc64 ULTRA ONE. I Ken> asked WLUG for help. John Stoffel rose to the bait. My SUN now Ken> works better than ever. (We installed four fast ethernet ports Ken> thereby replacing a broken old fashioned eth0.) Thank you Ken> (publicly) John. I have another question. You're more than welcome. I was happy to help out, even though it took a while due to our schedules being out of sync. :] Ken> I am a retired computer programmer. I ended my professional days Ken> as a Senior Software Engineer for CISCO Systems in 2004. I am Ken> getting bored. (and my 401k is getting hit). I am curious as to Ken> whether I can contribute to an Open Source project. How do I Ken> join an open source community? Are they all parts of large Ken> corporations or schools? I just read that CISCO is embracing the Ken> open source idea. Oh course, I shall get hold of them. Ken> Do any of you have some knowledge on this subject? Depends on what kind of programming you want to do: low level drivers, OS internals, application, GUI, etc. Just find a project that interests you, join the developers mailing list, start to learn 'git' (or subversion or mercurial) for distributed development and then jump in. Oh, it also depends on which language(s) you are familiar with and want to program in as well. John

Jan. 15, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Thank you for your help and.....

by nassar＠alum.wpi.edu

Ken> I am curious as to whether I can contribute to an Open Source Ken> project. How do I join an open source community? Are they all Ken> parts of large corporations or schools? It varies a lot, but it comes down to just writing code, submitting it, and repeating. You should mention that you're working on it on the mailing list to avoid duplicating work and get help. If your work is good, the maintainers will include it. If it's bad, they'll ask you to fix it. Eventually, if you submit enough good code, you earn trust and can become a maintainer and check code in yourself. If they don't accept your code, you fork the project and put the patched version on your web site. :)

Jan. 13, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Thank you for your help and.....

by Frank Sweetser

Ken Jones wrote: > Last week I was stuck. I had a broken SUN sparc64 ULTRA ONE. I asked WLUG > for help. John Stoffel rose to the bait. My SUN now works better than > ever. (We installed four fast ethernet ports thereby replacing a broken > old fashioned eth0.) Thank you (publicly) John. > > I have another question. > > I am a retired computer programmer. I ended my professional days as a > Senior Software Engineer for CISCO Systems in 2004. I am getting bored. > (and my 401k is getting hit). I am curious as to whether I can contribute > to an Open Source project. How do I join an open source community? Joining up with an open source project is quite simple. It pretty much boils down to: - pick the project you want to join - sign up for the mailing lists, and probably issue trackers and a wiki - read up on the current state of the project (bonus if it has a "future plans" document somewhere - start asking questions on the mailing lists - pick a piece that looks interesting, and start writing and submitting code Writing documentation is nearly always a good place to start. Many projects have docs that are incomplete, or out of date, and writing docs doesn't require nearly the same level of initial work to get started that writing actual code does. > Are > they all parts of large corporations or schools? I just read that CISCO is > embracing the open source idea. Oh course, I shall get hold of them. Some are, but quite a few have no such backing affiliation. Even many of the ones that have a backer now, didn't initially. The Bacula project, one I'm moderately active in, started off as a pet project by a couple of programmers. Now, the primary programmer is actually building a consulting business around it. Another one, the Puppet configuration management system, was written by the author as a tool to help him in his job as a sysadmin consultant. He chose to open source it, in the hopes that it could be useful to others, and that others, finding it useful, would contribute back to it. Both are coming true, and as a result he has a tool that's far more powerful than anything he could have written completely on his own. In the end, the one common thread you're likely to find among the vast majority of open source communities is a small group - often one or two people - would had a particular itch that they could not scratch, and so decided to start up their own project to fix it. As programs like linux and the various GNU software show, that kind of deep motivation can produce impressive results, even without the traditional corporate support structure. -- Frank Sweetser fs at wpi.edu | For every problem, there is a solution that WPI Senior Network Engineer | is simple, elegant, and wrong. - HL Mencken GPG fingerprint = 6174 1257 129E 0D21 D8D4 E8A3 8E39 29E3 E2E8 8CEC

Jan. 13, 2009

Thank you for your help and.....

by Ken Jones

Last week I was stuck. I had a broken SUN sparc64 ULTRA ONE. I asked WLUG for help. John Stoffel rose to the bait. My SUN now works better than ever. (We installed four fast ethernet ports thereby replacing a broken old fashioned eth0.) Thank you (publicly) John. I have another question. I am a retired computer programmer. I ended my professional days as a Senior Software Engineer for CISCO Systems in 2004. I am getting bored. (and my 401k is getting hit). I am curious as to whether I can contribute to an Open Source project. How do I join an open source community? Are they all parts of large corporations or schools? I just read that CISCO is embracing the open source idea. Oh course, I shall get hold of them. Do any of you have some knowledge on this subject? Ken Jones

Jan. 13, 2009

Re: [Wlug] Hyper Terminal into SUN SPARC ULTRA??

by John Stoffel

Ken> I still have not solved how to get my AURORA LINUX package to see Ken> the added SBUS quad ethernet card in my SUN SPARC ULTRA --so---> Let's see if I remember correctly. The Ultra 1 probably has an HME (Happy Meal Ethernet) interface card, which is 10/100. The quad card you put in is probably a QFE card. Can you boot up the system and see what modules you have in /lib/modules* and also post your dmesg output and lsmod output as well? Ken> I am after some of the files that I have stored on this SAMBA server. I can understadn your frustration! Ken> I figured I could use Hyper Terminal. I have an appropriate Ken> cross over cable with a 24 pin connector to plug into the SPARC's Ken> Terminal A or Terminal B. Ken> I can configure Hyper Terminal on my PC running WINDOWS XP. Ken> I am stuck figuring out how to get the SUN to activate this asynchronous interface. Umm... by default the Sparcs will use ttya as the console input/output if you don't have a keyboard hooked upto the system. Do you have one hooked up when you boot or is it headless? Here's what I'd do: - power off the system. - hook up the serial cable to port A on the Sparc, and COM1 on your PC. Make sure it's a null-modem cable. - unhook any keyboard on the sun. - fire up hyperterm and set to 9600 baud. - start the sparc. You should see output. Send a BREAK sequence (ESC-F I think) to get to the 'ok' prompt on the Sparc. - you should be all set to type, etc. The real issue, as someone else said, is that you need to modify the /etc/inittab file to have a line like this: cd:2345:respawn:/sbin/agetty console 9600 vt100 so that you'll have serial access from both the low level PROM, and from Linux. Basically, you should be able hookup adn use the quad ethernet card, you might just need to load the proper module, or re-compile the kernel to have support for that module. More details will help us to help you. The other solution would be to boot the machine, and then setup a ppp link (or even slip) over a serial port to another computer and then you could scp/ftp the file(s) over to a system with a working ethernet port. Depends on whether you have PPP packages installed or not. And whether you have another linux box available to act as the other end of the link. I know very little about PPP on a windows box and I don't want to go there if I can help it. Pulling the disks and putting them into another SCSI system would also let you get the data off there. Hope this helps. John

Jan. 2, 2009