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Meeting April 12th, 2018 Topic: Security oriented Linux distributions.
by Tim Keller 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

Hey Gang, Our next meeting will be April 12th, 2018. Time: 7pm Location: WPI Mid Century Room rm 331 The topic of this meeting will be Security Oriented Linux(s). In short these are versions of linux that attempt to harden your machine through encryption, process isolation, etc. and obscure your access to the internet using proxies and tor. This will include Tails, Kali, Whonix, Qubes, etc. If you are using one of the above, drop me a quick line. Otherwise, I'll be running all of these as VMs on my machine. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off for dinner and keep the conversation going. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Chuck Anderson 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

I wonder if Sparkler Filters is still using their IBM 402 which they were still using as of 2012: https://www.pcworld.com/article/249951/computers/if-it-aint-broke-dont-fix-… They seem to be in business still: http://www.sparkler.com/ On Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 09:42:37PM -0400, Jon "maddog" Hall wrote: > John, > > If I remember correctly, the equivalent of "assembly language" for the 1401 > (either the IBM model or the IMB model) was "Autocoder". > > The IBM 1401 was introduced about 1961. By the time I started work at > Aetna Life and Casualty in 1973, we had become the "Largest commercial user > of IBM Equipment in the Free World". That means that maybe the government > used more IBM computers, or that the Russians or the Chinese were using > more IBM computers, but other than that AETNA WAS THE LARGEST. We > AUTOMATICALLY ordered two of anything IBM announced. No sales person had > to call us. IBM announced it: Aetna ordered two. > > So by that time we had lots of IBM 1401s and lots of Autocoder programmers. > > Then the IBM 360 line came out, and with it IBM's line of batch operating > systems: MFT, MVT, VS-1, VS-2, and (finally) MVS. Unfortunately getting > jobs into and out of these batch systems was extraordinarily painful until > the Houston Automatic Spooling Priority (HASP) system (developed at the IBM > Federal Systems Division of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Flight Center in > Houston, Texas) came out and made life bearable for the operators of the > machines. [Editorial Side Note: These were not "Network Administrators", > nor "Systems Administrators"....these were OPERATORS! As in BOFH! Never > forget that! And for heaven sake RTFM!] > > With those also arrived a time-sharing system called CP-67 along with a > small "Cambridge Monitor System" (CMS), needed because CP-67 was a Virtual > Machine. > > Yes, a Virtual Machine in 1973! Which eventually was renamed to "VM/CMS" > and "CMS" became the "Conversational Monitor System".....but I digress.... > > Aetna had a LOT of machines, and a LOT of Autocoder programs, and a LOT of > Autocoder programmers, which they tried to convert to COBOL. > > Yes, COBOL, that wondrous language developed by the team headed up by my > personal hero, Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper! > > After several years most of the programmers were happily writing COBOL > (yes, I know that seems hard to believe, but they were) except for a few > Autocoder programmers left to make bug fixes and extensions to existing > Autocoder programs. Of course new programs and new systems were written > in COBOL, because why would you write anything new in Autocoder. > > As the 1401s were replaced by 360s and (later) 370 machines, IBM created an > emulator for Autocoder that operated in a 360/370 system, so you could run > Autocoder programs binary compatible on your 370/370 mainframe. And when > you did you almost heard the IBM choking. > > I never coded in Autocoder, but I did hear one story about an instruction > that "rotated all of memory under the accumulator", and it was said that > when that instruction (which executed gracefully on a real IBM 1401) hit > the emulator on the 360/370, you could hear the machine hemorrhaging..... > > Over time the Autocoder programmers became gloomy. They were tired of > patching old programs, and not working on any of the new, exciting systems > that Aetna was writing. Aetna had written its own real-time transaction > processing system called SAFARI (sorry Apple, we were first) and later on a > Group Claim Payment System (ACCLAIMS), which gained a lot of people glory. > > Autocoder patching did not get much glory. And over time there was less > and less work...the writing was on the wall. > > One day I came into work and found the Autocoder programmers very excited > and happy. They were given NEW programs to write! "I did not know you > guys had learned COBOL!" I exclaimed. > > "Oh, we have not learned COBOL. They are allowing us to write the new > programs in Autocoder." > > In the late 1990s there was this panic to find old COBOL programmers who > could fix potential problems with Y2K problems. I am sure that Aetna had > to bring a few Autocoder programmers back from the dead. > > And now you know THE REST OF THE STORY. > > Warmest regards, > > maddog > > > > On Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 8:39 PM, John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > > > > > *ppppbbbbbbttttttt!* > > > > Jon> I never worked on an "IMB 1401". Was that anything like the IBM 1401? > > > > Jon> (ducks) > > > > Ken Shirriff is the guy behind righto.com, really interesting stuff he > > writes about. Sometimes I wish I was that smart and motivated. But > > writing is hard for me... as Maddog showed. > > > > *grin* > > > > Jon> On Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 19:16 John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > > > > >>>>>> "Jon" == Jon \"maddog\" Hall <jon.maddog.hall(a)gmail.com> writes: > > > > >>> The trouble with the old machines is the > > >>> eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA > > >>> disks and the like. > > > > Jon> Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live > > Jon> forever. > > > > Jon> I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that > > Jon> people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow > > Jon> modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which > > Jon> both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is > > Jon> coming to a close. > > > > Jon> Did you see the new game on early release on Steam? System Build > > Jon> Simulator? Where you get to build a new PC in a simulation? > > Heh... > > > > Jon> Another great resource is this blog, http://righto.com, who > > works on > > Jon> old IMB 1401 systems with card punches, etc. Lots of great info > > Jon> there. > > > > Jon> John

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Jon "maddog" Hall 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

John, If I remember correctly, the equivalent of "assembly language" for the 1401 (either the IBM model or the IMB model) was "Autocoder". The IBM 1401 was introduced about 1961. By the time I started work at Aetna Life and Casualty in 1973, we had become the "Largest commercial user of IBM Equipment in the Free World". That means that maybe the government used more IBM computers, or that the Russians or the Chinese were using more IBM computers, but other than that AETNA WAS THE LARGEST. We AUTOMATICALLY ordered two of anything IBM announced. No sales person had to call us. IBM announced it: Aetna ordered two. So by that time we had lots of IBM 1401s and lots of Autocoder programmers. Then the IBM 360 line came out, and with it IBM's line of batch operating systems: MFT, MVT, VS-1, VS-2, and (finally) MVS. Unfortunately getting jobs into and out of these batch systems was extraordinarily painful until the Houston Automatic Spooling Priority (HASP) system (developed at the IBM Federal Systems Division of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, Texas) came out and made life bearable for the operators of the machines. [Editorial Side Note: These were not "Network Administrators", nor "Systems Administrators"....these were OPERATORS! As in BOFH! Never forget that! And for heaven sake RTFM!] With those also arrived a time-sharing system called CP-67 along with a small "Cambridge Monitor System" (CMS), needed because CP-67 was a Virtual Machine. Yes, a Virtual Machine in 1973! Which eventually was renamed to "VM/CMS" and "CMS" became the "Conversational Monitor System".....but I digress.... Aetna had a LOT of machines, and a LOT of Autocoder programs, and a LOT of Autocoder programmers, which they tried to convert to COBOL. Yes, COBOL, that wondrous language developed by the team headed up by my personal hero, Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper! After several years most of the programmers were happily writing COBOL (yes, I know that seems hard to believe, but they were) except for a few Autocoder programmers left to make bug fixes and extensions to existing Autocoder programs. Of course new programs and new systems were written in COBOL, because why would you write anything new in Autocoder. As the 1401s were replaced by 360s and (later) 370 machines, IBM created an emulator for Autocoder that operated in a 360/370 system, so you could run Autocoder programs binary compatible on your 370/370 mainframe. And when you did you almost heard the IBM choking. I never coded in Autocoder, but I did hear one story about an instruction that "rotated all of memory under the accumulator", and it was said that when that instruction (which executed gracefully on a real IBM 1401) hit the emulator on the 360/370, you could hear the machine hemorrhaging..... Over time the Autocoder programmers became gloomy. They were tired of patching old programs, and not working on any of the new, exciting systems that Aetna was writing. Aetna had written its own real-time transaction processing system called SAFARI (sorry Apple, we were first) and later on a Group Claim Payment System (ACCLAIMS), which gained a lot of people glory. Autocoder patching did not get much glory. And over time there was less and less work...the writing was on the wall. One day I came into work and found the Autocoder programmers very excited and happy. They were given NEW programs to write! "I did not know you guys had learned COBOL!" I exclaimed. "Oh, we have not learned COBOL. They are allowing us to write the new programs in Autocoder." In the late 1990s there was this panic to find old COBOL programmers who could fix potential problems with Y2K problems. I am sure that Aetna had to bring a few Autocoder programmers back from the dead. And now you know THE REST OF THE STORY. Warmest regards, maddog On Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 8:39 PM, John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > > *ppppbbbbbbttttttt!* > > Jon> I never worked on an "IMB 1401". Was that anything like the IBM 1401? > > Jon> (ducks) > > Ken Shirriff is the guy behind righto.com, really interesting stuff he > writes about. Sometimes I wish I was that smart and motivated. But > writing is hard for me... as Maddog showed. > > *grin* > > Jon> On Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 19:16 John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > > >>>>>> "Jon" == Jon \"maddog\" Hall <jon.maddog.hall(a)gmail.com> writes: > > >>> The trouble with the old machines is the > >>> eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA > >>> disks and the like. > > Jon> Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live > Jon> forever. > > Jon> I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that > Jon> people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow > Jon> modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which > Jon> both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is > Jon> coming to a close. > > Jon> Did you see the new game on early release on Steam? System Build > Jon> Simulator? Where you get to build a new PC in a simulation? > Heh... > > Jon> Another great resource is this blog, http://righto.com, who > works on > Jon> old IMB 1401 systems with card punches, etc. Lots of great info > Jon> there. > > Jon> John > > Jon> _______________________________________________ > Jon> Wlug mailing list > Jon> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Jon> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > Jon> _______________________________________________ > Jon> Wlug mailing list > Jon> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Jon> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by John Stoffel 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

*ppppbbbbbbttttttt!* Jon> I never worked on an "IMB 1401". Was that anything like the IBM 1401? Jon> (ducks) Ken Shirriff is the guy behind righto.com, really interesting stuff he writes about. Sometimes I wish I was that smart and motivated. But writing is hard for me... as Maddog showed. *grin* Jon> On Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 19:16 John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: >>>>>> "Jon" == Jon \"maddog\" Hall <jon.maddog.hall(a)gmail.com> writes: >>> The trouble with the old machines is the >>> eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA >>> disks and the like. Jon> Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live Jon> forever. Jon> I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that Jon> people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow Jon> modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which Jon> both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is Jon> coming to a close. Jon> Did you see the new game on early release on Steam? System Build Jon> Simulator? Where you get to build a new PC in a simulation? Heh... Jon> Another great resource is this blog, http://righto.com, who works on Jon> old IMB 1401 systems with card punches, etc. Lots of great info Jon> there. Jon> John Jon> _______________________________________________ Jon> Wlug mailing list Jon> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Jon> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug Jon> _______________________________________________ Jon> Wlug mailing list Jon> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Jon> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Jon "maddog" Hall 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

John, I never worked on an "IMB 1401". Was that anything like the IBM 1401? (ducks) Jon On Sat, Mar 31, 2018, 19:16 John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > >>>>> "Jon" == Jon \"maddog\" Hall <jon.maddog.hall(a)gmail.com> writes: > > >> The trouble with the old machines is the > >> eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA > >> disks and the like. > > Jon> Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live > forever. > > Jon> I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that > Jon> people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow > Jon> modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which > Jon> both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is > Jon> coming to a close. > > Did you see the new game on early release on Steam? System Build > Simulator? Where you get to build a new PC in a simulation? Heh... > > Another great resource is this blog, http://righto.com, who works on > old IMB 1401 systems with card punches, etc. Lots of great info > there. > > John > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by John Stoffel 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

>>>>> "Jon" == Jon \"maddog\" Hall <jon.maddog.hall(a)gmail.com> writes: >> The trouble with the old machines is the >> eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA >> disks and the like. Jon> Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live forever. Jon> I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that Jon> people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow Jon> modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which Jon> both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is Jon> coming to a close. Did you see the new game on early release on Steam? System Build Simulator? Where you get to build a new PC in a simulation? Heh... Another great resource is this blog, http://righto.com, who works on old IMB 1401 systems with card punches, etc. Lots of great info there. John

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Jon "maddog" Hall 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

>The trouble with the old machines is the >eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA >disks and the like. Emulators and virtual machines.....allow old copies of the OS to live forever. I am, however, waiting for the "virtual car", for the time that people can no longer get the little embedded systems that allow modern-day cars to run. The era of "fixing up an old car" which both trained you in auto mechanics and "gave you wheels" is coming to a close. md On Sat, Mar 31, 2018 at 9:04 AM, Michael Voorhis <mvoorhis(a)cs.wpi.edu> wrote: > On 03/30/2018 10:43 PM, Robert Schwein wrote: > > http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/apps/linux-puppy-der- > turbo-fuer-uralt-computer-a-1194437.html> Interesting use of Linux. > > Any OS that can be used with embedded systems will work well on > mid-to-late 1990s PCs. The trouble with the old machines is the > eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA > disks and the like. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

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Re: [Wlug] Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Michael Voorhis 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

On 03/30/2018 10:43 PM, Robert Schwein wrote: > http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/apps/linux-puppy-der-turbo-fuer-uralt-comput…> Interesting use of Linux. Any OS that can be used with embedded systems will work well on mid-to-late 1990s PCs. The trouble with the old machines is the eventual death of irreplacable hardware -- Pentium-MMX CPU Fans, PATA disks and the like.

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Resurrecting old computers with Linux...
by Robert Schwein 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/apps/linux-puppy-der-turbo-fuer-uralt-comput… Interesting use of Linux. Bob

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Next WLUG meeting! April 12th, 2018! Location: WPI Student Center, Rm 331. Topic: Secure Linux Distributions
by Tim Keller 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Hey Gang, Our next meeting is April 12th, 2018! Would people be interested in talking about security oriented versions of Linux? We all know about Tails, and in consideration of the issues that Richard ran into with getting stuff installed on Kali, it might be interesting to compare / contrast the different options out there. What do people think? I'm thinking this would work best as having a couple of people each showing off a particular distribution. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Re: [Wlug] RFID reader/writer
by Dennis Payne 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

On Mon, 2018-03-26 at 21:47 -0400, John Stoffel wrote: > Adafruit.com has some stuff like this for sale. They're not always > the cheapest, but they have great tutorials and example code. Found a LWN article on NFC: https://lwn.net/Articles/645843/ He used a "PN532 NFC/RFID controller breakout board" and "FTDI Serial TTL-232 USB Cable" to connect via USB. It is supported by libnfc. His article talks about the Linux NFC being a better design and the future of NFC for linux. I haven't looked to see if it has progressed enough since his article to replace libnfc. > Looks like a good start. Probably cost you about $50 total to get > started, if you dont' have a raspberry Pi kicking around. (Still haven't got a raspberry Pi. I consider myself a software guy and not as interested in "raw" hardware. I got the PocketCHIP from kickstarter because it was a finished product. However I seem to be descending into hardware. I purchased TinyCircuit's TinyScreen Video Game Kit and they sent me a TinyArcade to port my Pac-Man clone to.) > This could be a really fun thing for the cubs to do! Especially if > you could then sign their figures so that when they hit the reader, > it knows it's them. Or something like that. Ask the kids for ideas! Definitely plan to ask the kids for ideas. Just plan to test enough that I feel confident it is doable before asking them. Yesterday I took pictures of Skylanders to see at what scale they still look good. At 64 pixels wide they are a little grainy. 128 pixels wide looks pretty good. Skylanders apparently has catch phrases for characters so I would like to get each kid to record a catch phrase for their character.

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Re: [Wlug] RFID reader/writer
by John Stoffel 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Dennis> Does anyone have a recommendation for a RFID reader/writer for Dennis> Linux (and Windows if possible)? I'm looking for a relatively Dennis> inexpensive solution. Adafruit.com has some stuff like this for sale. They're not always the cheapest, but they have great tutorials and example code. https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-nfc-rfid-on-raspberry-pi/overview?gclid… Looks like a good start. Probably cost you about $50 total to get started, if you dont' have a raspberry Pi kicking around. Dennis> My kids just got Skylanders Imaginators. I found some code to Dennis> read the characters. I started thinking about the Game Design Dennis> merit badge for Cub Scout Webelos. I'm wondering about the Dennis> viability of building a "portal" device and having the kids Dennis> make clay figures with rfids inside the base. Obviously the Dennis> game would be as complex as Skylanders. I'm thinking 2D using Dennis> pictures of the models. This could be a really fun thing for the cubs to do! Especially if you could then sign their figures so that when they hit the reader, it knows it's them. Or something like that. Ask the kids for ideas!

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RFID reader/writer
by Dennis Payne 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Does anyone have a recommendation for a RFID reader/writer for Linux (and Windows if possible)? I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive solution. My kids just got Skylanders Imaginators. I found some code to read the characters. I started thinking about the Game Design merit badge for Cub Scout Webelos. I'm wondering about the viability of building a "portal" device and having the kids make clay figures with rfids inside the base. Obviously the game would be as complex as Skylanders. I'm thinking 2D using pictures of the models.

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

I'll try that Xorg.wrap work-around, in any case. On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 9:26 PM, Krichevsky, Nicholas Jacob < njkrichevsky(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > o_O I don't know enough about how X interacts with the hardware, but not > being able to open the frame buffer doesn't sound good... Take a look at > this. <https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/149987/233297> >

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

I'm pretty sure it does manage to open the framebuffer; I get the mouse cursor at what looks to be the monitor's native resolution. It probably throws that error before it tries a different method, but obviously I don't know. On Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 9:26 PM, Krichevsky, Nicholas Jacob < njkrichevsky(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > o_O I don't know enough about how X interacts with the hardware, but not > being able to open the frame buffer doesn't sound good... Take a look at > this. <https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/149987/233297> > ------------------------------ > *From:* wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org> on behalf > of Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> > *Sent:* Sunday, March 25, 2018 7:14:35 PM > *To:* Worcester Linux Users Group > *Subject:* Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager > > Creating a new user didn't clear anything up. I was able to log into the > GUI session with the new user, but, again, there was nothing there but a > solid background and the mouse cursor. > > I didn't find .xsession-errors or .gconf in my home directories (for my > existing account nor for the new account), but I did find > $home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.1.log. There were a couple warnings for > fonts it couldn't find and drivers it couldn't use, but in all cases it was > able to fall back to something else. There was one error: > (EE) open /dev/fb0: permission denied > That was it. > > -- > Rich > > On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 8:45 AM, Bradley Noyes <bkn(a)ithryn.net> wrote: > > Richard, > > I’d bet that your packages are fine (but i’m not a betting man). It sounds > too me like there is something awry w/ your X environment. Perhaps the > upgraded packages don’t recognize a config buried somewhere. Here’s a > couple things i would try. > > - Often times there a file in your home directory called > .xsession-errors. I’d see if that file exists, and it may offer you some > hints as to why your window manager is not starting. I recall launching X > from a Graphical Login Window to be finicky in linux and error output is > difficult to understand. the .xsession-errors file is where i’d look first. > > - Other idea is to create a new user, then login to the GUI with that > user to make sure the GUI starts from a fresh environment. > > - The last idea i have. It sounds like you’re running gnome from the fact > that your using GDM3, I believe the gnome environment files are in .gconf > in your home directory. try renaming your .gconf to something like > .gconf.backup. You may also want to try the same for .local, although many > other applications beyond gnome apps use .local for environment settings. > > > - b > > > > On Mar 18, 2018, at 11:13, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> wrote: > > > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some > updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found > that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library > than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, > letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a > point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my > username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color > background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no > menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. > > > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top > of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Krichevsky, Nicholas Jacob 26 Mar '18

26 Mar '18

o_O I don't know enough about how X interacts with the hardware, but not being able to open the frame buffer doesn't sound good... Take a look at this.<https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/149987/233297> ________________________________ From: wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org> on behalf of Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2018 7:14:35 PM To: Worcester Linux Users Group Subject: Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager Creating a new user didn't clear anything up. I was able to log into the GUI session with the new user, but, again, there was nothing there but a solid background and the mouse cursor. I didn't find .xsession-errors or .gconf in my home directories (for my existing account nor for the new account), but I did find $home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.1.log. There were a couple warnings for fonts it couldn't find and drivers it couldn't use, but in all cases it was able to fall back to something else. There was one error: (EE) open /dev/fb0: permission denied That was it. -- Rich On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 8:45 AM, Bradley Noyes <bkn(a)ithryn.net<mailto:bkn@ithryn.net>> wrote: Richard, I’d bet that your packages are fine (but i’m not a betting man). It sounds too me like there is something awry w/ your X environment. Perhaps the upgraded packages don’t recognize a config buried somewhere. Here’s a couple things i would try. - Often times there a file in your home directory called .xsession-errors. I’d see if that file exists, and it may offer you some hints as to why your window manager is not starting. I recall launching X from a Graphical Login Window to be finicky in linux and error output is difficult to understand. the .xsession-errors file is where i’d look first. - Other idea is to create a new user, then login to the GUI with that user to make sure the GUI starts from a fresh environment. - The last idea i have. It sounds like you’re running gnome from the fact that your using GDM3, I believe the gnome environment files are in .gconf in your home directory. try renaming your .gconf to something like .gconf.backup. You may also want to try the same for .local, although many other applications beyond gnome apps use .local for environment settings. - b > On Mar 18, 2018, at 11:13, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org<mailto:rich@richardklein.org>> wrote: > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org<mailto:Wlug@mail.wlug.org> > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org<mailto:Wlug@mail.wlug.org> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 25 Mar '18

25 Mar '18

Creating a new user didn't clear anything up. I was able to log into the GUI session with the new user, but, again, there was nothing there but a solid background and the mouse cursor. I didn't find .xsession-errors or .gconf in my home directories (for my existing account nor for the new account), but I did find $home/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.1.log. There were a couple warnings for fonts it couldn't find and drivers it couldn't use, but in all cases it was able to fall back to something else. There was one error: (EE) open /dev/fb0: permission denied That was it. -- Rich On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 8:45 AM, Bradley Noyes <bkn(a)ithryn.net> wrote: > Richard, > > I’d bet that your packages are fine (but i’m not a betting man). It sounds > too me like there is something awry w/ your X environment. Perhaps the > upgraded packages don’t recognize a config buried somewhere. Here’s a > couple things i would try. > > - Often times there a file in your home directory called > .xsession-errors. I’d see if that file exists, and it may offer you some > hints as to why your window manager is not starting. I recall launching X > from a Graphical Login Window to be finicky in linux and error output is > difficult to understand. the .xsession-errors file is where i’d look first. > > - Other idea is to create a new user, then login to the GUI with that > user to make sure the GUI starts from a fresh environment. > > - The last idea i have. It sounds like you’re running gnome from the fact > that your using GDM3, I believe the gnome environment files are in .gconf > in your home directory. try renaming your .gconf to something like > .gconf.backup. You may also want to try the same for .local, although many > other applications beyond gnome apps use .local for environment settings. > > > - b > > > > On Mar 18, 2018, at 11:13, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> wrote: > > > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some > updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found > that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library > than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, > letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a > point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my > username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color > background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no > menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. > > > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top > of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 >

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 20 Mar '18

20 Mar '18

Thanks! I'm not sure I'll do anything with it before the weekend, but I'll check this out. On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 8:45 AM, Bradley Noyes <bkn(a)ithryn.net> wrote: > Richard, > > I’d bet that your packages are fine (but i’m not a betting man). It sounds > too me like there is something awry w/ your X environment. Perhaps the > upgraded packages don’t recognize a config buried somewhere. Here’s a > couple things i would try. > > - Often times there a file in your home directory called > .xsession-errors. I’d see if that file exists, and it may offer you some > hints as to why your window manager is not starting. I recall launching X > from a Graphical Login Window to be finicky in linux and error output is > difficult to understand. the .xsession-errors file is where i’d look first. > > - Other idea is to create a new user, then login to the GUI with that > user to make sure the GUI starts from a fresh environment. > > - The last idea i have. It sounds like you’re running gnome from the fact > that your using GDM3, I believe the gnome environment files are in .gconf > in your home directory. try renaming your .gconf to something like > .gconf.backup. You may also want to try the same for .local, although many > other applications beyond gnome apps use .local for environment settings. > > > - b > > > > On Mar 18, 2018, at 11:13, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> wrote: > > > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some > updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found > that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library > than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, > letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a > point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my > username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color > background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no > menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. > > > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top > of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 >

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Bradley Noyes 20 Mar '18

20 Mar '18

Richard, I’d bet that your packages are fine (but i’m not a betting man). It sounds too me like there is something awry w/ your X environment. Perhaps the upgraded packages don’t recognize a config buried somewhere. Here’s a couple things i would try. - Often times there a file in your home directory called .xsession-errors. I’d see if that file exists, and it may offer you some hints as to why your window manager is not starting. I recall launching X from a Graphical Login Window to be finicky in linux and error output is difficult to understand. the .xsession-errors file is where i’d look first. - Other idea is to create a new user, then login to the GUI with that user to make sure the GUI starts from a fresh environment. - The last idea i have. It sounds like you’re running gnome from the fact that your using GDM3, I believe the gnome environment files are in .gconf in your home directory. try renaming your .gconf to something like .gconf.backup. You may also want to try the same for .local, although many other applications beyond gnome apps use .local for environment settings. - b > On Mar 18, 2018, at 11:13, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> wrote: > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 18 Mar '18

18 Mar '18

Before i reinstalled GDM3, bash wasn't even recognizing startx as a valid command. I haven't tried again since reinstalling GDM3. Maybe I'll try that after i finish in the kitchen. On Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 3:54 PM Krichevsky, Nicholas Jacob < njkrichevsky(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > Shot in the dark - what happens if you disable gdm, then use a tty to > start X yourself, effectively bypassing gdm? > ------------------------------ > *From:* wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org> on behalf > of Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> > *Sent:* Sunday, March 18, 2018 11:13:30 AM > *To:* Worcester Linux Users Group > *Subject:* [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager > > I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some updates, > the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found that, > somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library than > GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, letting > it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a point. It > boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my username and > password successfully, but then I get a solid-color background, a mouse > cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no menus, no apparent > response to mouse clicks. > > My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top of > the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas? > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

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Re: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Krichevsky, Nicholas Jacob 18 Mar '18

18 Mar '18

Shot in the dark - what happens if you disable gdm, then use a tty to start X yourself, effectively bypassing gdm? ________________________________ From: wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org <wlug-bounces(a)mail.wlug.org> on behalf of Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2018 11:13:30 AM To: Worcester Linux Users Group Subject: [Wlug] Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas?

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Kali Linux/GDM3 display manager
by Richard Klein 18 Mar '18

18 Mar '18

I'm running Kali, which is based on Debian. Recently, after some updates, the computer would only boot to a text prompt; no GUI. I found that, somehow, I had a more recent version of a Gstreamer-plugins library than GDM3 could run on. I removed the library, then re-installed GDM3, letting it choose whatever libraries it depended on. That worked, to a point. It boots to the GUI now, and gives me a login prompt. I enter my username and password successfully, but then I get a solid-color background, a mouse cursor, and nothing else; no icons, no status bars, no menus, no apparent response to mouse clicks. My guess is I still need to re-install something else that runs on top of the display manager, but I don't know what. Any ideas?

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Amp Hour Podcast
by Richard Klein 16 Mar '18

16 Mar '18

I think a few people on this list will enjoy this podcast: https://theamphour.com/ " The Amp Hour is a non-scripted off-the-cuff format show that usually airs every Thursday evening US time. It is the worlds largest and most respected electronics oriented radio show. Discussions range from hobbyist electronics to the state of the electronics industry, components, circuit design, and general on and off-topic rants. "

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Re: [Wlug] Wlug Meeting March 15th, 2018
by Tim Keller 15 Mar '18

15 Mar '18

Come on down, we're running late. On Thursday, March 15, 2018, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org> wrote: > How late do you think the talk and demo will go? I'm still a few minutes away from leaving work in Billerica, so I probably won't get there 'til after 8. > On Sun, Mar 11, 2018 at 12:17 PM, Tim Keller <turbofx(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Our next wlug meeting will be March 15th, 2018 @7pm. >> The location will be our usual haunt: WPI Mid Century Room Rm 331. >> Topic: LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) >> LUKS is a system for setting up encrypted disks on linux. I'll give a talk and a demo. >> By all means, if this is something you're actively using, feel free to chime in with your experiences both positive and negative. >> As usual, snacks and refreshments will be provided and then we'll head off for burgers or pizza and continue the conversation! >> Thanks, >> Tim. >> >> -- >> I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers". >> _______________________________________________ >> Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >> > > -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Re: [Wlug] Wlug Meeting March 15th, 2018
by Richard Klein 15 Mar '18

15 Mar '18

How late do you think the talk and demo will go? I'm still a few minutes away from leaving work in Billerica, so I probably won't get there 'til after 8. On Sun, Mar 11, 2018 at 12:17 PM, Tim Keller <turbofx(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Our next wlug meeting will be March 15th, 2018 @7pm. > > The location will be our usual haunt: WPI Mid Century Room Rm 331. > > Topic: LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) > LUKS is a system for setting up encrypted disks on linux. I'll give a talk > and a demo. > By all means, if this is something you're actively using, feel free to > chime in with your experiences both positive and negative. > > As usual, snacks and refreshments will be provided and then we'll head off > for burgers or pizza and continue the conversation! > > Thanks, > Tim. > > > -- > I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their > constituents as "consumers". > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > >

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