Pleasant life with Linux

Contents

Linux: operating system

Why it is the best?
  • you don't have to restart whole system each time you:
    • change your display drivers
    • install some software
    • change monitor resolution
  • you are not limited to one look & feel of your windows, applications
  • most of the software is free and it has the same advantages that the Windows only software - and many times it is better
  • you can play Quake 3 Arena whenever you like (and some other games: Starcraft, Dune2000 with Wine package)
  • there exists Winamp style application, which is almost the same like in Windows
  • if you are a programmer, and not a Windows programmer, Linux is just the best operating system for you - there exists implementation of almost every programming language for Linux ...
  • ... and Java is the best sample
  • it is opensource, so if the bug exists somewhere there, it will be found by someone and will be repaired. Free software - with sources given is the key to the security.
  • ...

Vi

Vi
The best world's text editor. Programmer's must have thing. Hard to learn. Most powerful when you know it.
Two modes edition gives you the speed no one ever seen, when editing text files.

And here is my own config file: nthx's Vim's config file
http://www.vim.org/

Window Maker

The best window manager :-)
  • light
  • quick
  • customisable
  • right-click app menu
  • middle-click tasks menu
  • virtual workspaces
  • nice look & feel
  • customisable keyboard shortcuts
  • customisable icons
  • autostart apps

http://www.windowmaker.org/

CVS: Control Version System

CVS
If you ever thought about keeping files' history and maintained it by keeping each project version in separate directory.. - forget it and use revision managing tool.
CVS is a kind of files repository, database if you like. It keeps files in its own format, but gives you ability to get the original file's form, and the most important: file's version from the past!
Advantages
CVS is the most world's popular revision version system tool for:
  • keeping files' history
  • keeping logs
  • maintaining synchronisation problems
  • helping with group work
It has been used in thousand of projects and is a tool that really helps.
Disadvantages
There is no possibility of having control over renamed or moved files and directories.
My experiences
I've used it for two years in several projects, and I know some advanced stuff about CVS, but there is still many before me :).
At that time, I created my own projects with CVS, maintained and worked with existing projects, recovered files from CVS repository, performed diff operations, made my own branch.
I worked with CVS server and a local repository. I've used some graphical interfaces to CVS: IntelliJ IDEA CVS interface (Eclipse CVS integration is very bad), WWW interface (ViewCVS, CVSWeb) and my favourite command line :). I posses administrative knowledge of CVS, xinetd + CVS, ViewCVS and Ant + CVS.
Links
http://www.cvshome.org/
http://www.loria.fr/~molli/cvs-index.html
Online CVS Book - must read

Bash

Scripts
I have written several bash scripts in my life. Some of them are little, one lines only and some of them are bigger, more than one page scripts.
I decided I show them to you. Maybe you are interested in them. If not, that's all right :).
Most comments in scripts are in Polish. The code page for characters in these listings is ISO-8859-2.
Sources
backing up directories
Simple script to backup list of directories, and to make a backup's backup also. Simple early morning's tar-bzipping.
cron.backup
converting CP-1250 to ISO 8859-2
Converts file's coding page. Simple tr used.
divx.cp2iso
CD database
My private CD database, with CD type (movie, mp3), CD selling management. Each CD has its price, type, name. There is possibility to sell, borrow, buy CD. CD list generation (HTML) exists.
katalog.pokaz
making pictures index for Web
Script that takes an actual directory with some pictures, and generates index for that files (JPGs), and navigable pages.
make_number_index.sh
convert filename's characters to lowercase
Lowercases all files in current directory.
male
make all files readable by everyone
In all directories under current, makes every file o+r and every directory o+rx.
nadaj_prawa_wszystkim
CD index generation
Makes simple index of all files on CD with file's size.
nlscd
rxvt window invocation
Opens rxvt window (X-terminal) with optional colours given, or optional command to execute within it.
okienko
converts characters in file's name
Converts every space (' ') character in file's name into underline character ('_').
spaces_to_underlines
download web page
Invokes wget on some web page.
wciagaj

FTP servers

pureftpd
Easy, powerful ftp server I use.

Debian

Linux distribution: Debian
The Linux distribution I use.

Asus A7N8X-VM/400 problem

If you're using Linux, then don't buy Asus A7N8X-VM/400 mainboard. I have one, and I do not recommend it.
Forget about above. After upgrading to 1003 version of BIOS, I can recommend the mainboard. Just remember about good RAM chips. :)

Cons:

Pros:

IBM Thinkpad A20M

Last time I bought IBM Thinkpad A20M laptop on eBay. (be warned it's still risky, even the seller might be "Power seller")

What is important for Linux user: it works with Debian and Mepis: LCD 14', HD 12GB, Pentium3 700Mhz - mobile, Irda, Usb, trackpoint, sound, Fdd, DVDrom, hibernation (internal, using little power). Works perfectly :) Don't know about LAN or modem, cause LAN is broken.

About PCMCIA: I have two: Ethernet 3COM 10Mb and Wifi Belkin F5D6020 ver 2. 

apolloA20:~# cardctl ident
Socket 0:
  product info: "Belkin", "11Mbps Wireless Notebook Network Adapter", "Version 01.02", ""
  manfid: 0x0156, 0x0002
  function: 6 (network)
Socket 1:
  product info: "3Com", "Megahertz 589E", "TP/BNC LAN PC Card", "005"
  manfid: 0x0101, 0x0589

Read also about wifi

About external monitor: 1) should set BIOS setting to: "BOTH" 2) switching from internal to external and vice has only effect in "text" mode .. not in X. But that's not a problem cause one can switch to console mode and then change settings (Fn+F7): a) only LCD, b) only Monitor, c) both: LCD and Monitor

XF86Config: 

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Generic Monitor"
	HorizSync	30-57
	VertRefresh	43-72
	Option		"DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Device		"ATI Technologies, Inc. Rage Mobility P/M AGP 2x"
	Monitor		"Generic Monitor"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		24
		Modes		"1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
	EndSubSection

apolloA20:~# lsmod 

Module                  Size  Used by    Not tainted
orinoco_cs              4596   1 
orinoco                36012   0  [orinoco_cs]
hermes                  6308   0  [orinoco_cs orinoco]
3c589_cs                8836   1 
ds                      7048   2  [orinoco_cs 3c589_cs]
yenta_socket           10912   2 
pcmcia_core            47648   0  [orinoco_cs 3c589_cs ds yenta_socket]
irtty                   8672   2  (autoclean)
irda                  156464   0  (autoclean) [irtty]
af_packet              13608   0  (autoclean)
thinkpadpm              3540   0  (unused)
rtcmosram               2480   0  (unused)
superio                 7092   0  (unused)
smapi                   3440   0 
thinkpad                2660   0  [thinkpadpm rtcmosram superio smapi]
nls_cp437               4348   0  (autoclean)
usb-storage            70720   0 
sd_mod                 12044   0  (autoclean)
vfat                   10956   0  (autoclean)
fat                    33368   0  (autoclean) [vfat]
nls_iso8859-1           2844   1  (autoclean)
isofs                  26932   1  (autoclean)
apm                    10088   1  (autoclean)
binfmt_misc             6020   1 
cs46xx                 59344   2 
ac97_codec             13736   0  [cs46xx]
soundcore               3908   3  [cs46xx]
ide-scsi               10512   0 
scsi_mod               95736   3  [usb-storage sd_mod ide-scsi]
agpgart                46756   0  (unused)
uhci                   26064   0  (unused)
usbcore                64064   1  [usb-storage uhci]
ide-cd                 32576   1 
cdrom                  29632   0  [ide-cd]
rtc                     7228   0  (autoclean)
ext3                   83468   1  (autoclean)
jbd                    42880   1  (autoclean) [ext3]
ide-detect               288   0  (autoclean) (unused)
piix                    9120   1  (autoclean)
ide-disk               17184   2  (autoclean)
ide-core              112140   3  (autoclean) [usb-storage ide-scsi ide-cd ide-detect piix ide-disk]
unix                   15688  38  (autoclean)

Wifi, prism based

So it happened I live in the flat where I really don't have my own place :( But luckily for me I own laptop. Problem is it hasn't got too much power. Luckily for me I own AMD 2.5 1G RAM machine for my stuff.

I don't like wires. Since I'm unwired ;)

So digging in the Net I've found many Wifi-Linux related information, not surprisingly "it is not so simple with Linux". But: I bought two Wifi cards.

Nokia 3650, Symbian 60

This one is nice. Receiving files to laptop using infrared and ircp -r. Sending files using: irobex_ftp . Works nice, though slow.

DVD-RAM LG GSA-4163B

I've recently bought DVD writer. I just bought the first one without really knowing what I buy ;). It happened it was the fastest one with the most possibilities in writing formats. I've broken many DVD+Rs when kernel (2.4.28) disabled DMA - I think ide-cd was the problem. There were no problems with 2.6.8 kernel.

UPDATED: When working on 2.4.28 I've lost about 10 DVD+Rs. I've tried every k3b's speed option (Auto, Ignore, 1..). It had two problems basically:

  • k3b: input/output error (UDMA was disabled in that moment)
  • Failed to change write speed: 11081 -> 11080
I've updated to 2.6.10 and recorded DVD+R smoothly.
I've also updated the firmware to v. 103.
I also use better media from now on: Sony DVD+R. That also could help.

And k3b is great software.

Brother HL-2030 Laser printer; XPP, Firefox printing

I've possesed Brother HL-2040 laser printer since June 18th, 2005 - cheap and good quality (for my small needs).

It works with Linux!

My configuration: Debian Sarge (stable), cups installed (cupsys), none of lpr* packages installed.
I've also installed two debian packages from Brother/Linux webpage: brhl2030lpr_1.1.2-3_i386.deb, cupswrapperhl2030_1.0.0-1_i386.deb (latter with installation errors, but who cares :) )

firefox http://localhost:631/ -> Printers -> Brother HL-2030 for CUPS -> Print Test Page

I had to uncomment * in /etc/cups/cups.conf, to log in to cups administration (my local login and password):

SystemGroup lpadmin
AuthType basic
AuthClass group

Printing of PS documents (even two pages on one sheet) works great: 

mpage -2 -j1-10 -P$PRINTER thesis-of-nthx.ps

Here's how do I print documents: I use superb XPP software for printing PDF and PS documents. When I need to print *.doc, *.sxw or whatever else I just convert to PDF and print with XPP.
Printing directly from Firefox is ugly. Words are overlaping each other. Instead of printing directly from Firefox I print to file (default is 'mozilla.ps'). Then I do: 'xpp mozilla.ps' and I'm done :)

Designed with CSS| Get Firefox!| | Opel Omega Forum|

Copyright © Tomasz Nazar 2007
Revision: $Id: index.gtml 3790 2005-08-26 19:40:12Z nthx $