Microsoft has announced that Windows XP(tm) will no longer be available for most platforms and users after June 30th. This move makes sense for them, but it's not necessarily beneficial to their customers.
Luckily, there are options. ( Read more... )

Since I set up that xsession chooser, all I have to do to switch from IceWM to XFCE4 is type echo xfce > .wmrc and then run startx.
( Read more... )

Last night, when I finished up, I forgot something important.
( Read more... )

I've been needing a Webcam for a while, pretty much since I got new computers that didn't have parallel ports. I have a perfectly good camera, but it's parallel (from the days when I had computers with no USB ports (incidentally because the version of Windows(tm) I had didn't support it)). Recently, I had a friend offer to send me one, but since the world is not friendly to open source early adopters, I didn't want to have the worry of possible hurt feelings if the model given didn't play nice with Linux, and on the practical side, it would be difficult to return or exchange it coming from another part of the country. So I said I needed to buy it myself.
I was hoping there would be a similar situation to the one with printers, with a database categorizing them as perfect, mostly functional, partly functional, and paperweight. I could then find good model numbers, trust them, and have a good experience. *sigh* Well, there is a database, but it's not as comprehensive or as concise as the one at linuxprinting.org, so I was iffy on how to go about it. Finally, I decided to simply buy one and take it back if it didn't work, thereby interacting with the market in the ways of the world: I buy your product, and if it doesn't do right by me, I return it, and you lose a customer until you decide to make nice with my chosen lifestyle. It's free markets as they should be. Hardware vendors are slowly moving toward being nice to open source systems.
I went to Wally World tonight and got a Web camera. It's a Logitech Quickcam Express. It turns out that the gspca Webcam drivers for Linux are available for my distro as a package, so I've installed those through APT. This required a new kernel image, but APT installed that automatically. New kernels are about the only thing that requires a reboot in Linux, so I shut down to reboot. I hope I didn't put anything special into my custom kernel. It's been so long since I compiled it that I don't remember. Oh, well. I'll see whether everything still works after the reboot.
Reboot appears to have gone okay. Sound works, X.org loads fine. Network works. So, I'm assuming everything is golden with the 2.6.18-5 kernel image.
I plugged in the USB cable for the camera. It seems to have found it.
However, it turns out that I had a specialized location in Lilo, so it booted with the old 2.6.17.11 kernel. I've fixed the config and will try again with the reboot.
Reboot went fine. Sound works. Network works. X.org loads. Assuming everything is golden. uname confirms I am running the new kernel. Yay.
More importantly, camstream found the camera and displays the image fine. Not bad for a $26 camera from Wally World pretty much straight out of the box.
However, I have a couple of challenges to overcome. First, my position in the room is not ideal for a camera because the ceiling fan is right behind me, and the light kit backlights me horribly. However, I should note that even at the defaults, the camera captures me pretty well for having my face in shadow. I look hideous, but it's better than my old cam, which made me a silhouette when I was backlit. Second, I haven't figured out how to get Pidgin to look for the camera for Web conferencing. I guess I should RTM on their site and see if this is even a possibility. I probably should have done that before buying it. ;) Turns out, pidgin does not yet support Webcams, but getting one that works under Linux is a big step for me, and I can do other things with it than IM. for instance, I can take pictures of what I'm making or eating or whatever and send them to people.
All in all, I'm happy to have a camera again. I was able to make this purchase because of the generous gift card my grandmother sent me. I'm thankful for that. :)
Now if the friend who encouraged me to get a cam will just come online...

Would I be correct in supposing that some of you might want to see an image captured with this new toy?

Anyway, two morals: Plan ahead so you don't waste effort. ... and ... Nothing ventured, nothing gained; take calculated risks.

I wasn't around yesterday because I spent the day setting up my mom's computer and doing homework.
Then I went out to watch a movie with the singles group.
I just got tired of myself. I've been making her wait a long time to check her e-mail and stuff easily because her laptop, which I had set up to do this, is having hardware woes.
So I set her up with a dual boot so she can play games in Windoze and do real work in Linux. :)
Well, so far, I've installed Windows(tm), installed Linux, and done (I think) most of the configuration for the Linux side. Once that is done, I'll do the lilo config so she can boot into Windows or Linux any time she wants.
I started by installing both KDE and IceWM on it, but since it's a rather old Dell(tm) (Entry regarding its arrival 12-20-2003m) with minimal RAM, KDE runs painfully slowly on it. So, I think she'll be using IceWM, which is the same window manager I use. This will make it easy for me to make modifications to her configuration, because I'm familiar with it.
I have set up her Web browsers, e-mail client, sound, IM, and games. I need to configure GAIM to use the sound system and sort out the desktop icons.

I am happy with the progress I've made in the past couple of years. I can now do a full Linux install, including configuration and loading software, in less than 3 hours. I can usually start using it in less than 2 hours from the time I insert the install disc.

This is a little faster than I can install a base Windows(tm) system and securing the most obvious security holes thereon, but not including the time to install all the software I'll need to do real work with it. To sit down and start using it is at least 3 hours from the time I insert the install disc, from what I remember of my experiences with it.

When I think about the number of things I'm likely to have to go back and fix again, and how often that is likely to happen in the course of six months, that difference becomes larger for me. I know when I set something in Linux, it's going to stay set unless I change it. With Windows(tm), my experience is that I often have to go back and set something I've set before because it has mysteriously become unset.

The only thing you need Windows(tm) for nowadays is some games. And that realm is shrinking. More and more games are being ported to MacOS(tm)/Linux/Un*x (think Unreal Tournament), or are becoming usable under Wine (think World of Warcraft). And there is a wealth of games available for Linux that are so cool, they've even been made usable *gasp* in Windows(tm) (think anything that mentions Cygwin in its install documents).
For anything other than games... anyone can improve their experience with computers by switching to either a Mac or a Linux install. If it isn't available for Linux or MacOS(tm), it probably isn't available for Windows(tm)... except for viruses; oops, my mistake...
And if you still want to keep Windows(tm) for some reason, there's always dual-booting, like what I've set up for my mom. If you have any questions, ask me. I'll be glad to help.

By the way, if you're wondering how many games you can play on Linux, here are some lists:
Natively (Some free, some commercial)
Natively (Debian repository (free))
Under Cedega
Under WINE

1. Botnets surpass DoS as top security issue, survey says
2. When Macs Attack (Actually, the exploit was for PHP, not MacOS or Linux)
3. Attack of the PC Zombies!
4. Are you in a botnet?
5. 1/4 of all computers are zombies (part of a botnet)
6. Is Your Computer Part Of A Botnet?
7. Note to new Linux users: No antivirus needed - Personally, I use ClamAV, but the author is right. I don't really need it.
8. Five Flaws
9. Bugs/1000 lines of code
10. Zombies at Wikipedia

I found all of these because I was reading the first article. And I immediately thought of the fact that most botnets use Windows(tm) exploits to embed themselves on systems, and that most of the malware is written for Windows(tm) (because of its market penetration), and that most Windows(tm) users don't take the time to properly secure their machines (and many don't even know how). And I thought I ought to look around for some information. So I looked up zombie on my favorite search engine (AltaVista) combined with Mac/Macintosh(tm), PC/Windows(tm), and Linux. Interestingly, for Macintosh, most of the results had to do with a game called Stubbs the Zombie. For Linux, most of the links were informational about zombies and botnets in general. For Windows(tm), most of the links were about computers infected by malware.
Botnets are responsible for a lot of the spam you get in your inbox. It could be your best friend's computer that sent it, and neither of you might know.
I think people should switch from Windows(tm) to Macs or Linux-based PCs, as they tend to be more secure out of the box. And if you're running a secure machine, you're not sending spam.
People need to take more responsibility for securing their computers. If you don't secure your computer, you might unknowingly be violating your ISP's terms of service by sending spam... not to mention garnering for yourself the curses of those who receive the spam your computer is sending out... that might be why it runs so slowly.

So, take some time to inform yourself. Then either take the time and effort to secure your Windows(tm) machine (a starting point) or make the switch... You can get a Mac here. You can get Linux here (I recommend Ubuntu for the non-technical and Debian for the power users).

I was so excited last week when I ran "apt-get upgrade" and saw hundreds of new packages. I knew right away that the newest version of Debian, codenamed "Etch", had been released.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to migrate at that point, and I wasn't finished with my coursework. Since this is my primary machine, I put off migrating to the new version until yesterday, when I finally decided to finish up my coursework and archive all my important things.

Using http://www.us.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/release-notes/ch-upgrading.en.html (Release notes), I went step-by-step and had no problems. Since I was already using a custom kernel, and since it happened to be of a higher version number than was required, I didn't have to mess with a new kernel (which made me happy, because I don't remember how I did that, hehe)... and when I finally did shut down and boot (to make sure Lilo (bootloader) was properly configured, everything came up properly. My X (GUI) configuration stayed in place and booted properly, loading my autoloaded programs correctly.

So, I thought everything was working perfectly. And, mostly, it is.
Only a few things remain to be cleaned up, but as you can see, I have networking and browsing, and as you can't see, my mouse is working properly and all.

Unfortunately, when I tried to open glimmer to write LJ entries, I found that glimmer was no longer available *sniff*. One of its dependencies has been migrated or something, which isn't surprising, since glimmer was last updated in 2002, I think it was. So, I'm now looking for a replacement. I've gotten a few suggestions from the linux community, but I'll welcome any additional suggestions from any of you who read this.

Other things left to be tweaked: IceWM menus, which refer to a lot of programs that were orphaned in the new release, hibernate, which had a new configuration setup that I haven't had time to reconcile, and some other minor config things.

On the whole, I'd say the upgrade from Debian Sarge to Debian Etch was fairly seamless and pain-free, and I had my system doing 95% of what I need it to do and 90% of what I want for convenience right after the migration.

So, I've been using Linux for a long time, now. I love the experience. Yes, I have to dig around in text files now and then, and I load command shells very often (by choice, incidentally. I could run the KDE (K Desktop Environment) and do almost everything in the GUI), but I have so many benefits. I don't have to pay for most of what I use. When I make a configuration change, it stays changed (at LEAST until a new major version of the program is released, and even then, I can opt to keep my old config file). My system looks and feels and acts the way I tell it to. It runs well and doesn't use more resources than it reasonably should. And I have a fair idea of about 25-50% of what my computer is doing and why, as opposed to the 1% I understand about my Windows box. And when I install software, 90% of it can be done with a single command on the command line (a GUI version of APT is available, but I prefer the command line), which installs not only the package I want but everything on which it depends to function.

I don't know about you all, but my total cost of ownership is much, much lower with a Linux system than with a proprietary OS.

So, in case any of you are interested in commenting, let me ask a couple of questions. All are welcome to answer.
What software programs do you rely on, couldn't do without?

Does anyone in Walton, Okaloosa, or Santa Rosa county know of a nearby LUG (Linux User Group) I could join?

[Edit: removed sound from the tweak list because it's working fine.]

Since two people have recently mentioned needing to reformat their computers, I have decided to offer a tutorial, in case there are others who have not mentioned this in my sphere of awareness.
If you have actual install disks:
(23:51:00) friend: How does one reformat?
(23:51:13) skreyola: *sigh* It's complicated...
(23:51:29) skreyola: 1. Archive all files you care about to floppy or CD-ROM.
(23:52:26) skreyola: 2. using the boot disk, repartition from menu, or escape to a command prompt and type "format /u c:"
(23:52:41) skreyola: 3. reinstall or install alternative operating system. ;)
(23:52:41) friend: And they think a person should do this every six months?
(23:52:47) skreyola: Yes.
(23:52:57) friend: Are they crazy?

Another howto: http://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/answers/format.htm

If you have restore disks:
1. Archive all files you care about to floppy or CD-ROM. If your computer will not boot, you can usually mount the drive from another system, but that requires some technical knowledge. It's best to archive regularly.
2. Insert restore/recovery disc/diskette and follow the menus. If you have the option of dropping to a command prompt, you can type "format /u c:" where c is the letter of your operating system's partition.
3. Reboot and follow menus to reinstall.

You can also try just installing over your old install without formatting. This will give you a better chance of recovering unarchived data, but if you take this route, you should still reformat/reinstall after you've archived your data, because an install-over is sometimes unstable.
If you know someone who uses an alternative operating system, such as Linux, and you have regular access to this person, you should consider switching. While Open Source Software requires a little more of an administrator attitude, it should be accessible to someone who knows a techie for those times when a question arises. The main difference is that you have to be willing to read documentation, put some things together yourself, and ask for help. It's a little more difficult, but it's a lot more stable and a lot faster.

"If you don't like to read documentation, if you don't like learning new things about computers and operating systems, if having to, maybe, troubleshoot sound on your system doesn't appeal to you, if you are willing to accept someone else's idea of how your OS looks and works then, by all means, stick with Windows. The rest of you, follow me ----->>> www.debian.org" --robsmith on a Win vs. Lin thread

This is going to be an intense semester.
My Advanced Reporting class is going to be heavy. I had a quiz on Thursday; everyone I told was surprised I had a test the first week. The ethics class, which is really Comm. Law and Ethics, is going to be a breeze. It's lecture and machine-graded tests, so I bought a new tape recorder (my old one started squeaking on Wednesday) and some blank tapes.
ASL III is going to be both fun and difficult. I feel as though I lost most of my skills over the summer, but I was able to pick out a number of the words he used in the first day's class (with an interpreter, so he was signing more quickly). I'm going to need to raise my hand a lot, I think.
The bookstore sent me the wrong books for the ethics class. I was supposed to get another textbook, but we're not really going to need it, since comm. law changes so quickly, so I just got a refund on the ethics book and the APA manual. I decided that even if I do end up needing the APA manual, I can use the copy in the library. So, I got about $75 back... and promptly went to Wally World to spend that much on detergent, a laundry basket, paper products, a tape recorder, cassettes, index cards, and food.
I need to turn in a maintenance ticket on the H/AC unit in my room. If I set it at a reasonable temperature, it blows cold air for a while and then blows hot air to raise the temperature again. It's not a sensible unit that you can flip a switch for heat or cooling... it just tries to make the room the temperature you set... so hopefully, we can get that fixed, becaue I'm not sleeping well at 60 degrees, which is what I have to put it on to make sure it won't blow heated air into the room.
In the past 24 hours, two or three different people have tried to get me involved in politics, but I'm not biting.
If you're a University of North Florida student, and you're on campus Tuesday afternoon, you should go to Food for Thought. It's at six o'clock in one of the 1600 rooms (just off the Green), and the food and discussion is free. A wide assortment of people attend, so the discussion isn't usually skewed to any one side of an issue. Free food, and it's usually good food.
JCM's free ASL class will be starting on the 8th of September. They need an interpreter. I guess I'll try to help with that a little, but if any of you are UNF students (or alumni, or just live in the area) and would be interested in interpreting for the class, let me know, or come to the class. It's probably going to be in one of the 1600 rooms, or in the movie theater.
I played Lord of the Rings(tm) Risk yesterday. The standard rules suck. We spent 90% of the play time setting up. On the second round, the evil side rolled a 12 and found the Ring. So, all the setup was a waste of time.
I've already acquired a patch of baked-on paper on my passenger side window. I feel like patrolling the parking lot with a golf club and break the legs of the morons who are putting flyers on cars in the housing lots... but it's just too hot to be roaming around outside. And I'm not a violent man. And I don't have a golf club. Maybe I should have my mom send me my Super Soaker(tm). I'm going to have to finish my car cover and start using it, because UPD can't or won't patrol the lots enough to prevent this vandalism.
I take a shower and walk from my dorm room to the core, and I need a shower by the time I get there.
There are some people in T building who seem friendly. They've been in the courtyard a couple of nights this week as I passed through, so I stopped to talk to them. I need to talk to more people about Linux so I can get a LUG started here for real. If any of you are interested in Linux, let me know, particularly if you go to UNF.
I guess that's enough of a brain dump for now. I won't talk about the new network security the university has put on the network, the fact that the university will be dead on Monday (I'm planning to unpack, since there won't be anything else to do), or the probability the hub will be better or worse when it reopens.
I will, however, mention that I'm trying to compile a new kernel for my laptop. I haven't gotten the new kernel to boot yet, but the beauty of Linux is that I can try without messing up my current configuration.
So, until next time, God bless you all.

Well, I've gotten a new laptop. I've decided (since setting up a dual-boot failed because of improperly created recovery discs) to go 100% Linux on my laptop.
And, since past excursions into Linux have always involved learning and relearning things, I think it might be a good idea to chronicle all the setup steps (that I can remember) I've done to make my computer look, feel, and act the way I want it to.
( Long Geekery Cut )
That's what I've done so far. I'll try to keep mentioning stuff I do, both for my own benefit and for anyone who might be interested in switching to Linux. There's not a lot that Linux doesn't currently offer that is available for Windows(tm), and probably not a lot that Macs do, either.
So, if you're interested in Linux, let me know, and we'll talk. Usually, a dual-boot system can be set up so you can keep doing things in your old OS while you get used to working in Linux. Even if you don't want to make the switch, I'll be glad to talk to you about my experiences with Linux.

Quoted: "All who wander are not lost." -JRR Tolkien

Explanations: Well, so much for my journal's being a consistent, interesting, insightful place to visit daily.
I misspoke yesterday, when I said there are 18 chapters in AJTP. There are only 9. 18 chapters is the length of SWL1.
I got a little bit of writing done this morning (which makes my lack of a journal entry today worthwhile)... I'm considering another change in direction. I was thinking this morning that someone is likely, with all the changes in direction my journal takes, to think that I'm an unreliable person. I don't think that would be an accurate impression, but I think it's important to note the reason for these changes: My journal is a place for me to do what I want to do. In October, I wanted to see if I was capable of writing on the level on which I was writing. And I was. Now, though, there are things that seem (and, in the grand scheme of things, are) more important.
Among these things has been an effort to get my rooms organized. Before the hurricane came by, I had had the living room spotless. I'd like to get back to that condition. But that's another topic for another day. Today, I'm going to merely mention that I've cleaned and rearranged my office and my bedroom. When I get all the things I put on the bed from the floor into appropriate places, the two rooms where I spend most of my time will be clean and nice.
Also, though not quite as important, I moved my network operations to \\Love, my Dell Linux box. I'm very pleased with the progress I've made (with tons of expert help) on this installation. This is the first time I've gotten to a point of daily use on a Linux box, so I'm well on my way to an Open Source Office. ;)
Something I was afraid would happen (and some of my friends were, too) was that my fiction writing would suffer from all this nonfiction writing. Our fears and concerns were warranted. In the time that has elapsed since the beginning of October, I have written all of five scenes, and all of that has been chapter prologues. Not that I'm complaining; I'm not. That has been an excellent body of work. I'm just saying that I've gotten very frustrated in the past month, battling feelings of uselessness, and I feel it's from doing things that don't get me closer to my goals. What I mean is that I've been feeling as though I'm spinning my wheels when I should be doing something goal-oriented.
At any rate, it's been a good run, and now that I know that this is a good format for entries, I'll continue to use it, when my topic fits it, or when I have the various portions. About the only thing I'm going to state I'll continue is the Explanations section. But I'll still try, when I have quotes, questions, and links, to post them and give you all a broader selection of content than just my dronings. :)
I'm planning to take the rest of this month and focus my energies and my entries on the process of writing. I'll try to talk about the scenes I'm writing (and the behind-the-scenes work on a character database) I'm doing. Don't be alarmed, though, if something catches my eye and gets my dander up, I'll certainly write a long-winded entry about it. That's all for now.

More explanations later...

Talk to me: Writers, what would you want to see in a writing/character database? Everyone, what have you learned about the way the LiveJournal community works that has been most helpful to you?

Link of the Day: Tax Cuts - An excellent story demonstrating how the idea that tax cuts benefit the wealthy plays out in the real world.

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of value." --Albert Einstein

I opened my email this morning and found a message saying I have free access to a networking service that will allow me to contact people in different professions and get advice from them. I plan to do just that, when I can find the time... Things around here have just been running a mile a minute, and I haven't been able to block any time for career searching. It's almost as though I were retired, but without the pension. ;)
I've also been thinking a little here and there about stories to write. I'll have to take the time to work on those soon. I also need to find time to write a couple of letters. It has been far too long since I last wrote a letter.
Things are going well with the Red Hat box. I need to ask some advice from a friend of mine about securing it for Internet use, and then I'll think about putting that box on the Net... but if I do that, I need to figure out what role will be played by my current net box. Perhaps I'll use it for lesser Linux functions, if I can get a Linux distro onto it. I want to eventually be a fully Linucized office... or almost so. I have put a bit more money into Windows software than I wish to abandon, particularly on my writing machine. I'd certainly need to find a comparable Linux app to replace my current PIM, which is awesome. It's Corel's InfoCentral 7, which they released as freeware some years ago. It offers customizable record types, customizable links between records, and basically all the power of a custom database without the nasty quirks and rigidity. ;)
Blessings, Grace, and Peace be unto you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Link of the Day: Tough Times - Reprise link to a great entry.

I have returned.
The recent lack of journal entries probably warrants some explanation, so I will make some.
The first major reason is that I've been busy. I've been doing a contract job, and that has kept me away from the computer a bit. I've also moved some furniture in my office and done some major cleaning. My closet is fairly well empty, but what is in it is organized. I put some other things in bins between one of my desks and the closet doorway. Other office events are happening: I've installed Red Hat on my new Dell, since Windoze XP refuses to install properly from the system disks. I still need to set up everything, but I've taken the next step in my slow journey to exclusive Open Source computing. I've gotten some shelves to begin to replace the big bookcase I've decided has to go... it's just too deep for the space and the contents. I also got a new rolling chair, so I'm a lot more comfortable. I rewired the speaker system in my office, and it sounds much better. It also includes two switches to send the output to a speaker in either my bedroom or my bathroom (so I can listen to the radio while in the shower).
That isn't the big news, though. The big news (and the second major reason for my silence online) is that I went to Louisiana for carlyd81's birthday, which lasted six days. I was there for four of them, and I had a great time! We watched movies and ate great food and went bowling and swam and talked and played games and stayed up entirely too late every night. :) It was a wonderful weekend with very few bad moments. I'm very glad I went. The drive there and back was very pleasant, also.

I had a weird dream this morning. I was in a dorm, and I picked a quarter of a huge room for my living space, and then I wished I had picked a different quarter, because that's where the frige was. Weird. Some people were around I think were my friends, but I'm not sure.

Hello, ...
I started to say hello everyone, but I'm still not sure if anyone except Neven and Jessecho is reading this. No one usually responds to my posts.

Well, if anyone is out there, guess what!

I got a new browser! I was sick and tired of IE5.5... and since Microsnot didn't make version 6 backward compatible (the lousy, slimey, greedy bums), I decided it was time for a change. My new browser is about 30 times faster at loading pages than is IE, it takes up at least 66% less disk space, and it has built-in popup protection (that is, windows no longer pop up when I load pages. I'll no longer have to run a separate program to destroy the annoying little windows.

That's about it. Gosh, my life is boring, isn't it? Well, if any of you reading this have anything interesting (and clean) to say, comment. :)