- WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Red Hat controversy
by Joshua Stone July 21, 2023

July 21, 2023

Hey everyone, I didn't talk about the Red Hat controversy at last night's meeting, namely the decision to stop publishing RHEL sources to git.centos.org <https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/furthering-evolution-centos-stream> and the implications this has on the various RHEL clones. If there's anyone still interested in hearing about the rationale behind this recent decision and the response that's created from clone makers, then I recommend listening to the following Linux Unplugged episodes: Caught Red-Hatted | LINUX Unplugged 517 (timestamp 00:08:39): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra-mXDI-keo The Clone Grift Wars | LINUX Unplugged 519 (timestamp 00:06:02) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdYn_xlOma4 I hope that brings some much-needed context to the discussion. - Josh

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Thoughts or experience with long range (350ft) wifi
by Bradley Noyes July 21, 2023

July 21, 2023

Hello W-luggers — I have an out-building where I’d like to have wifi. The distance is about 350ft. There are some trees in the way, but not a thick forest. I’m curious to know if anyone here has recommendations on outdoor, long range wifi equipment. Perhaps something with a parabolic antenna or otherwise directional antenna. The following article (https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/08/point-to-point-wi-fi-bridging-betwe…) recommends some TP-Link wifi routers, which is likely the route I’ll try. Any one willing to share thoughts or experiences would helpful. Thanks! — brad

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Awesome meeting last night!
by Tim Keller July 21, 2023

July 21, 2023

Hey Gang, We had an amazing meeting last night, I'd like to thank Kevin from Technocopia for providing us the space, we will be back!! We had a number of random interlopers just show up and the discussion quickly pivoted from keyboards to linux drivers and the unix philosophy. The conversation then shifted to analog control devices and a guy named Rick gave us all a great education on analog process and control technologies. Then to cap things off, a maker named Matt showed up with an iMac and asked if we could help him get Linux Mint installed, in classic WLUG fashion we jumped at the opportunity and in no time flat we got him sorted out. It turns out that machine is slightly too old to run DeVinci Resolve, but I believe it'll be a great machine for him to get some basic linux knowledge. I believe we've found a new space to hold meetings, it's going to get interesting and weird! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting tonight: LOCATION CHANGE!!! WE ARE AT TECHNOPIA!! 7PM
by Tim Keller July 20, 2023

July 20, 2023

Hey Gang! We are going to be at Technopia tonight at 7PM! Address: 44 Portland St, Worcester, MA 01608 Virtual Address: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Topic(s): Keyboards, RedHat not being cool, etc. As usual we'll be going out for dinner after the meeting (we'll figure it out there) I don't know the food/drink policy at Technopia so I'll hold off on bringing that stuff until I know better. See you there!!! Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Where to hold meetings..
by Tim Keller July 20, 2023

July 20, 2023

Hey Gang, It appears that WPI isn't going to work out for us as a stable place to hold meetings. I have two questions to ask the group. 1. Does the second Thursday still work for people or would a Wed/Fri work better? 2. How far would people be willing to drive? As for the second question, doing some research, Leominster public library has meeting rooms (I'm also a LPL member) and they're open till 9pm. Moreover, Leominster has great afforable places to eat. I believe it's likely too late for me to schedule a meeting at LPL, but I can always call and ask. So I suspect this months meeting (which is going to be this Thursday) will be virtual. Though I'll let people know asap. Let me know what you think, I'd really like some input. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Wireless Earbuds
by hammerron July 17, 2023

July 17, 2023

I see what looks like a bunch of people using wireless earbuds when doing a video chat. I am wondering if anyone would share their opinion about them, pros/cons, and if you recommend any certain ones (hoping not a budget strain). Ron

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Email Encryption on an Android Phone
by hammerron July 16, 2023

July 16, 2023

Just an update, if anyone's curious. The friend decided not to encrypt after all, but has started to use the K-9 email client for Android

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Whoops.. moving meeting to next week.
by Tim Keller July 10, 2023

July 10, 2023

After I announced the meeting for the week, my wife politely reminded me that I had a prior obligation. I'm moving the meeting to the 20th. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Email Encryption on an Android Phone
by hammerron July 8, 2023

July 8, 2023

I have a friend who is interested in encrypting her emails on an Android phone. She lacks computer experience. Anything that she would use would have to be very simple. A one time process will probably do her best, not steps that would have to be repeated at each use. Could anyone offer suggestions on the best solution for her? Would something like Proton Mail be sufficient? Ron

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Personal Continuing Education
by Kevin Stratton July 4, 2023

July 4, 2023

I have been looking at the following for personal education to get better skills in general. ( I already have a Bachelors, but am very rusty) 1) udemy.com - the prices for the courses change on the drop of a hat. The subscription does not cover all courses. Opinions on the coverage? 2) https://www.oreilly.com/online-learning/ - There is a subscription for courses, books, etc... , but there is not enough information to determine if I want it or not. 3) https://brilliant.org/ - Looking for opinions I am focused on the following topics: 1) Electronics (Engineering level) 2) Math (College level, post algebra) 3) Programming (C, Python, BASH, whatever...) Any opinions or alternatives?

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HDTV Antennas
by David Glaser June 25, 2023

June 25, 2023

Has anyone in the list had any experience using an external HDTV antenna in Worcester? Reason I ask is that we ditched the full spectrum tv channel lineup and went with a the abbreviated channel lineup. However, we are missing the local broadcast tv stations and I was wondering it I could pick up some of them using an external antenna. I searched the web for information but I do not have enough of a radio background to understand the meaning of the signal strength tables that I find. A while ago I purchased an interior antenna and did not have any luck so I figure that I might try an external antenna. Any help would be appreciated. -David -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

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Keyboard recommendations
by Frank Sweetser June 21, 2023

June 21, 2023

My primary mechanical keyboard that I've been using for a while is starting to go a little flakey on me, even after a few rounds of cleaning, so I'm looking to finally replace it. I'm looking for something: - With fully mechanical keys (replaceable switches would be a nice bonus) - Ergonomic layout, which these days seems to primarily mean a split design - Illuminated keycaps would be preferred Anyone have good recommendations they can share? -- - Frank

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Laser cut puzzles?
by John Stoffel June 16, 2023

June 16, 2023

Guys, Anyone have a lead to where I could get a puzzle design cut out with a laser from either thick cardboard or thin plywood? But I also want to engrave a message on the puzzle pieces before they're cut out. I've been looking into inkscape pluggins for this and I think I've got one I can use, it's now finding someone/place with the right equipment. Any ideas? The message would just be text, maybe some simple graphics. Nothing crazy, but the entire idea is to make the message into a puzzle to be put together. John

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Wacom One with Pressure Sensitivity
by Dennis Payne June 11, 2023

June 11, 2023

I bought a used Wacom One a while ago. It is a drawing tablet (not a standalone tablet as it needs to hook up to a computer). It has an display that you can use the stylus on. You can find some examples of my bad art on mastodon: https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/110/413… https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/110/469… Recently I finally determined how to turn on the pressure sensitivity in gimp. If you go to Edit->Input Devices, you can enable "xwayland- tablet stylus". (Obviously it probably has a different name if you aren't using wayland.) Once enabled the "Dynamics" setting in Tool Options takes effect. You can choose from a large variety of options. For example, "Basic Dynamics" makes pressure affect opacity and velocity affect size. I've been using "Pressure Size" which simply makes pressure affect the size of the pencil (or other tool). It probably hard to tell from this scaled down image but the lines for the eyebrows have a different thickness from the larger outer lines. I used to have to edit the tool settings to do that so this is nicer. I'm sure a trained artist could produce better output. https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/110/510… -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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Reminder! WLUG meeting tonight! Topic: Flipper Zero / NixOS
by Tim Keller June 8, 2023

June 8, 2023

Hey Gang! We've got a meeting tonight! Time: 7PM Date: June 8th, 2023 !!LOCATION CHANGE!! WE will be meeting in the Morgan student center. I think the best option is to meet on the quad side of Morgan until we can get let in. Cara has reserved a conference room. Virtual location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Cara Salter is going to show off her flipper zero. If you don't know what the flipper zero is, you're in for a treat. You can check it out here: https://flipperzero.one/ As they call it, it's a multitool for geeks. As usual, I'll have snacks and refreshments 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 this Thursday! Topic: Flipper Zero (maybe)
by Tim Keller June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting this Thursday! Date: June 8th, 2023 Time: 7pm Location: WPI, still working out the room details Topic: Flipper Zero (hopefully), Otherwise, NixOS. At our last meeting, Cara spoke briefly about bring her Flipper Zero to show off. I managed to blow up my laptop with a failed Ubuntu upgrade and decided to experiment with NixOS. So I can show that off as well. Snacks and Refreshments will be provided and we'll do dinner afterwards. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Reminder: WLUG Meeting Tonight (May 18th 2023) Location: Higgins Lab 102
by Tim Keller May 19, 2023

May 19, 2023

Hey Everybody, This is a reminder that we've got a meeting tonight! But not in our usual location! Instead we are going to be in Higgins lab in room 102! Date: May 18th, 2023 Time: 7PM Location: Higgins Lab (HL) Rm 102 Virtual Location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Topic: Quick talk on linux name and network spaces. Snacks and drinks will be provided and we'll head off for dinner afterwards! Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Re: WLUG Meeting Thursday May 18th 2023! Location: Higgins Lab Rm 102
by Tim Keller May 18, 2023

May 18, 2023

Currently in Higgins but having A/V issues. On Thu, May 18, 2023 at 2:37 PM John Stoffel <john(a)stoffel.org> wrote: > >>>>> "Tim" == Tim Keller <turbofx(a)gmail.com> writes: > > > Fair enough.. At least in the future we'll have someone in WLUG with > > up to date medical training! > > If you ski, you'll find me at Mt. Wachusett this winter patrolling. :-) > -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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WLUG Meeting Thursday May 18th 2023! Location: Higgins Lab Rm 102
by Tim Keller May 18, 2023

May 18, 2023

Hey Everybody, We've got a meeting on Thursday May 18th at 7PM. Location: Higgins Lab (HL) Rm 123 Virtual Location: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA Topic: Good question! If people have something interesting they'd like to talk about, feel free. I can definitely talk about Linux namespaces and networking namespaces. I recently gave a talk about this at a different venue. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head off to dinner. Later, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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!!! NO WLUG TOMORROW !!! Meeting will be May 17th!
by Tim Keller May 16, 2023

May 16, 2023

I've recently been made aware that this Thursday is commencement. Speaking with Frank, the Trustees have reserved everything. Now knowing this, I'm going to push the meeting off to the 17th. As for a topic, I've got some ideas I'll put in further email. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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MEETING TONIGHT!!! Campus Center rm 331 at 7PM!!
by Tim Keller May 10, 2023

May 10, 2023

Hey Everybody, We are going to have a meeting tonight. Location: WPI Campus Center Rm 331 Time: 7pm Topic: Um.. yeah, no idea. We'll roll with it. Virtual: https://meet.jit.si/WlugMA To everybody who wrote me privately, thank you. My dad is stable and okay, but in no shape to be visited, so WLUG is on! We can definitely talk about ISP's and self hosting and all the challenges that surround it. Vintage games on Linux. We can talk TrueNAS Scale and other stuff. Snacks and refreshments will be provided and afterwards we'll head out for dinner aftwards. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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Shippy 1984
by Dennis Payne April 29, 2023

April 29, 2023

I was playing around with Shippy 1984. It is a Space Invaders/Galaxian style game. It is available on Fedora. It's pretty ugly. I decided to play around with a graphics update. Not all of the changes are in git yet. Some refinement is still needed. https://youtu.be/ZAzFP90lgW0 -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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solar/energy monitoring
by Chuck Anderson April 28, 2023

April 28, 2023

I use IoTaWatt (http://iotawatt.com/) for solar/energy monitoring at home. It works with a standard web browser (no app required) and doesn't require any kind of Internet/cloud connection (but can use one if desired). It will keep years of data internally on the SD card and you can make pretty graphs from your phone/laptop/whatever web browser, or you can download the data and do whatever you want with it. It is an open source software/open hardware design by a guy in New Hampshire. It is manufactured in the US, and it is ETL certified. ("The hardware is professionally manufactured in an ISO9001 contract facility in New Hampshire, USA. The base units are ETL safety certified to UL standards") See pics of my setup here: http://www.wlug.org/files/iotawatt/ $314.30 gets you a US 120V bundle with split-core CTs for 14 circuits (2 mains + 12 branch circuits), 9V AC reference transformer, and USB power supply. The split-core/clamp-on CTs are easy to install, just open them up, place them around the wire, and close them. If you use non-split-core CTs (not included in the bundle above), you need to to disconnect the hot lines from each circuit breaker to slip on the CT, then reattach to the breaker.

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Science on State Street on Saturday
by Dennis Payne April 21, 2023

April 21, 2023

Framingham State is having Science on State Street this Saturday Apr 22. It is an annual science festival they do. The NatickFOSS group has a booth at the event. I will be there with my homemade aracde machine. It runs from 2pm to 6pm. https://cm-center.org/soss2023 -- Dennis Payne dulsi(a)identicalsoftware.com https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@dulsi

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WLUG Meeting tonight.. maybe?
by Tim Keller April 20, 2023

April 20, 2023

Hey Everybody, The last couple of weeks have been challenging at best. If people want to have the meeting tonight that's great, I'll be unable to make it (quite likely). My Dad had heart surgery yesterday at MGH so there things I need to do. Option #1: You guys just have the meeting without me. Option #2: We push the meeting out another week. Let me know what you guys want to do. Thanks, Tim. -- I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

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