TechHui2024-03-29T06:36:13ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTangahttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/353348283?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.techhui.com/group/lugnuts/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=u3auf1rj67dc&feed=yes&xn_auth=no2012 Meetingstag:www.techhui.com,2012-03-06:1702911:Topic:1067122012-03-06T23:52:15.718ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>Apologies to those that were attending in 2011, my Spring and Summer semesters are just too full to organize meetings. If someone else want to carry the torch for awhile, I may be able to attend a few though.</p>
<p>Apologies to those that were attending in 2011, my Spring and Summer semesters are just too full to organize meetings. If someone else want to carry the torch for awhile, I may be able to attend a few though.</p> November LUG Nutstag:www.techhui.com,2011-09-26:1702911:Topic:977462011-09-26T01:25:37.312ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>We had a turnout of 7 for Stephan's awesome intro to eMacs + Org Mode yesterday. Hopefully, some more of you can make it in person for Novembers meeting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Since our regular schedule (last Saturday of every odd-numbered month, 9-11AM) lands on Thanksgiving weekend, we voted to move November's meeting to Saturday the 19th instead. Tentatively, we're going to cover 3 topics:</p>
<ol>
<li>Installing Microsoft Office under Linux (using PlayOnLinux)</li>
<li>Internet Relay Chat…</li>
</ol>
<p>We had a turnout of 7 for Stephan's awesome intro to eMacs + Org Mode yesterday. Hopefully, some more of you can make it in person for Novembers meeting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Since our regular schedule (last Saturday of every odd-numbered month, 9-11AM) lands on Thanksgiving weekend, we voted to move November's meeting to Saturday the 19th instead. Tentatively, we're going to cover 3 topics:</p>
<ol>
<li>Installing Microsoft Office under Linux (using PlayOnLinux)</li>
<li>Internet Relay Chat (IRC) - what it is, how to use it, quick practice</li>
<li>Using a Clonezilla Live CD to back-up disks or partition, and restore them</li>
</ol>
<p>We'll meet in the UHM College of Education's Lab School Portable 4B again (sorry, couldn't get the CCC on this date)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://manoa.hawaii.edu/campusmap/">http://manoa.hawaii.edu/campusmap/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>You can always call my cell phone if you're lost... 561-1044</p> Text Editorstag:www.techhui.com,2011-08-24:1702911:Topic:921022011-08-24T18:06:50.850ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>Text editors are really important, especially on Linux where chances are you're going to be editing text sooner than later. For a programmer, or a sysadmin, it's one of the most fundamental and important tools that one uses on a daily basis.</p>
<p>For beginners, I recommend <a href="http://ww.gedit.org" target="_blank">gedit</a>, the editor that GNOME comes with, or <a href="http://kate-editor.org/" target="_blank">kate</a> if you're using KDE. They are feature-complete in terms of…</p>
<p>Text editors are really important, especially on Linux where chances are you're going to be editing text sooner than later. For a programmer, or a sysadmin, it's one of the most fundamental and important tools that one uses on a daily basis.</p>
<p>For beginners, I recommend <a href="http://ww.gedit.org" target="_blank">gedit</a>, the editor that GNOME comes with, or <a href="http://kate-editor.org/" target="_blank">kate</a> if you're using KDE. They are feature-complete in terms of accommodating the beginning to intermediate user and their projects. There are also good supportive packages available to extend gedit to serve as a <a href="http://www.latex-project.org/" target="_blank">Latex</a> editor, and to provide some more plugins, almost all incredibly useful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>So what's your favorite editor? And what are you using it for? Do you use different editors for different purposes?</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whatever editor you choose to use, do yourself a favor and use one that at least supports <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntax_highlighting" target="_blank">syntax highlighting</a>. It will make your life - whatever you do with it - much easier. Good syntax highlighting also supports configuration files, not only programming source code, so those long config files you tend to get lost in are a thing of the past.</p>
<p>I personally use <a href="http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/" target="_blank">GNU Emacs</a> - for pretty much anything except quickly editing a file using the GNOME desktop (there I just use gedit).</p>
<p>I use Emacs* as editor for</p>
<ul>
<li>programming (C, C++, Perl, Python, Lisp)</li>
<li>writing (latex)</li>
<li>PIM (tasks, todos, calendaring, clocking in/out, project management)</li>
</ul>
<p>This is definitively not to start a flame war, I know <a href="http://www.vim.org/" target="_blank">vi(m)</a> too and I use it sometimes over the command line while logged in remotely - but only if I haven't installed emacs yet. :)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Aloha</p>
<p>Stephan</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font-size-1">*Side note(s):</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-1">By extension, I like to use Conkeror, a browser based on the Mozilla rendering engine, but pre-programmed with the Emacs shortcuts. And, I enabled the Emacs shortcuts on my GNOME desktop using this command:</span></p>
<pre><span class="font-size-1"><code>gconftool-2 --set /desktop/gnome/interface/gtk_key_theme Emacs --type string</code></span></pre> Department of Defense's Linux Distrotag:www.techhui.com,2011-08-05:1702911:Topic:896962011-08-05T09:50:37.275ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>Thought this was relevant in light of John's recent presentation on privacy and encryption: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/security/231002431" target="_blank">Not Your Average Linux Distribution: DOD's Flavor</a>.<br></br><br></br>The official download page: <a href="http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm" target="_blank">Lightweight Portable Security</a>. <br></br><br></br>Would you trust LPS over getting open-source software from someone other than the government?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On…</p>
<p>Thought this was relevant in light of John's recent presentation on privacy and encryption: <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/security/231002431" target="_blank">Not Your Average Linux Distribution: DOD's Flavor</a>.<br/><br/>The official download page: <a href="http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm" target="_blank">Lightweight Portable Security</a>. <br/><br/>Would you trust LPS over getting open-source software from someone other than the government?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On another track: <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1767327/breach-of-the-week-how-the-pentagon-hack-was-done" target="_blank">How Hackers Stole 24,000 Files From The Pentagon</a>. The headline is sensationalist and misleading, since it was actually a Pentagon <em>defense contractor</em> who got hacked. Still, makes you wonder about their security. </p> The Dark Side of Distro Hoppingtag:www.techhui.com,2011-07-17:1702911:Topic:879602011-07-17T09:02:21.618ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>Jim Lynch, one of my favorite Linux bloggers, wrote this interesting blog post: <a href="http://eyeonlinux.com/2011/07/15/the-dark-side-of-distrohopping/" target="_blank">The Dark Side of Distro Hopping</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm a sort of "distro window shopper," if that makes sense. I always like reading up on the newer distros, especially if they're aimed at making things easier and more user-friendly. But I stuck with Ubuntu and haven't used another variant of Linux…</p>
<p>Jim Lynch, one of my favorite Linux bloggers, wrote this interesting blog post: <a href="http://eyeonlinux.com/2011/07/15/the-dark-side-of-distrohopping/" target="_blank">The Dark Side of Distro Hopping</a>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm a sort of "distro window shopper," if that makes sense. I always like reading up on the newer distros, especially if they're aimed at making things easier and more user-friendly. But I stuck with Ubuntu and haven't used another variant of Linux yet. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>My early experiences with Linux weren't exactly auspicious (I started with Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon). I didn't know about restricted codecs for Flash and DVD playback, my wireless Internet card wasn't compatible, and kernel updates would often break my system. So once I got things to work, I became wary of switching distros. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I got my new laptop, I was excited to try out Linux Mint and Pinguy OS. Yet for some reason, I couldn't get them to boot from the live DVDs, even after going through the BIOS. In the end, I was thwarted in my attempt to do some distro hopping. But I don't want to turn this into a tech support thread, I'll ask you guys for help at the next meeting :)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Do you guys distro hop a lot? What things do you do prevent any major screw-ups like Lynch talked about?</p> Interview w/ Linux Torvalds on Wall Street & Technologytag:www.techhui.com,2011-06-24:1702911:Topic:860792011-06-24T22:21:30.393ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>There was a little interview with Linus Torvalds: <a href="http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/articles/230200057?printer_friendly=this-page" target="_blank">The Man Behind Linux: The Accidental Invention that is Taking Hold of Wall Street</a>. The "origin story" of Linux is mostly rehashed stuff that Linux users will have read before. The interesting parts were where Torvalds gives his comments and predictions on where technology is heading. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I thought the context was kinda…</p>
<p>There was a little interview with Linus Torvalds: <a href="http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/articles/230200057?printer_friendly=this-page" target="_blank">The Man Behind Linux: The Accidental Invention that is Taking Hold of Wall Street</a>. The "origin story" of Linux is mostly rehashed stuff that Linux users will have read before. The interesting parts were where Torvalds gives his comments and predictions on where technology is heading. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I thought the context was kinda funny, since open source and Wall Street have somewhat different values . . .</p> Ubuntu Steampunk Laptoptag:www.techhui.com,2011-06-17:1702911:Topic:857342011-06-17T09:10:52.300ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
There's old school, then there the really old school: <a href="http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/06/marvel-at-the-ubuntu-powered-steampunk-laptop-available-to-order/" target="_blank">Ubuntu-powered steampunk laptop available to order</a>. Although for $5,000, I expect more--it should double as a time machine.
There's old school, then there the really old school: <a href="http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/06/marvel-at-the-ubuntu-powered-steampunk-laptop-available-to-order/" target="_blank">Ubuntu-powered steampunk laptop available to order</a>. Although for $5,000, I expect more--it should double as a time machine. CentOS / Red Hattag:www.techhui.com,2011-06-10:1702911:Topic:844252011-06-10T20:33:06.658ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>interesting blog entry:</p>
<p><a href="http://aaronhawley.livejournal.com/27889.html" target="_blank">the relationship between CentOS and RedHat</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>What is your opinion about CentOS? I generally have heard good things about it, we're actually running it, but how does it compare -in your opinion- with other options, e.g. the server versions of OpenSuse, Debian, or Ubuntu?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Stephan</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>interesting blog entry:</p>
<p><a href="http://aaronhawley.livejournal.com/27889.html" target="_blank">the relationship between CentOS and RedHat</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>What is your opinion about CentOS? I generally have heard good things about it, we're actually running it, but how does it compare -in your opinion- with other options, e.g. the server versions of OpenSuse, Debian, or Ubuntu?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Stephan</p> Tips and Tricks Time at meetingstag:www.techhui.com,2011-05-21:1702911:Topic:828712011-05-21T19:53:22.620ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p>I think that it might be useful to reserve a short amount of time for tips and tricks presentations during each meeting. I think that we have all encountered a situation where we want linux to do something really simple, but just cant figure out how to. We then have to look through hundreds of forum posts just to get the simple answer we wanted. I figure, we can save everyone the trouble, and share such discoveries at the meeting. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the interests of time, those who wish…</p>
<p>I think that it might be useful to reserve a short amount of time for tips and tricks presentations during each meeting. I think that we have all encountered a situation where we want linux to do something really simple, but just cant figure out how to. We then have to look through hundreds of forum posts just to get the simple answer we wanted. I figure, we can save everyone the trouble, and share such discoveries at the meeting. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the interests of time, those who wish to share should bring only 1 or 2 of the most useful tricks they learned in the two months since the last meeting. These tips and tricks should be simple, taking only a few minutes to explain. An example might be: how you learned to make Linux play nicely with a laptop that regularly moves between different monitor configurations. I also think it might be a good idea to have ideas follow a simple template (open to discussion):</p>
<p> </p>
<p>ex.</p>
<p><strong>Problem</strong>: I wanted to boot into a different kernel on Ubuntu because the graphics driver would not display the GUI or any of the consoles. New versions of Ubuntu hide the kernel list on boot be default. It seems ridiculous to have to boot from a live CD and edit GRUB to get this working once.</p>
<p><strong>Context:</strong> Ubuntu 10.04+ (Note the package that a tip refers to here as well)</p>
<p><strong>Solution: </strong>hold SHIFT on boot after POST (not all solutions have to be this simple)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I also would like to somehow find a way for everyone to take home a copy of the tips and tricks presented at the meeting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Let me know what you think,</p>
<p>Matt</p>
<p> </p> Interested in creating your own Chrome Netbook / Laptop?tag:www.techhui.com,2011-05-19:1702911:Topic:828662011-05-19T19:49:57.192ZBranden Tangahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/BrandenTanga
<p> </p>
<p>Here is a great guide for installing:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2385282,00.asp" target="_blank">http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2385282,00.asp</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The downloads are here:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/">http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Have fun!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here is a great guide for installing:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2385282,00.asp" target="_blank">http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2385282,00.asp</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The downloads are here:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/">http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Have fun!</p>