tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71375235810082083802024-03-13T17:20:36.795-07:00Don't Surf in the Nude!Internet Security on a Shoestring.FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.comBlogger455125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-17879571653041410102023-11-10T01:21:00.000-08:002023-11-10T01:21:34.962-08:00Installing a printer on the Eero router in Debian<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm378HkOjFMpGFVIzbzGgclnYWia7ZNdxxckwv_Xn1gtxiMsyDkcVVUaSFAWY-gaBUsjTao2O2I8SpqnlX19V3HoLVzon_BZ7fwgPosEH1UIfOwwfhJZKzIEstCAPai69xf54DyWCp8XgewJyuSxLPiZlb9KiABJtU_eXFrXNnSFXpJNAdiOfsVeyZ3Y2/s490/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009-06-48%20eero%20-%20Finally%20wifi%20that%20works.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="490" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm378HkOjFMpGFVIzbzGgclnYWia7ZNdxxckwv_Xn1gtxiMsyDkcVVUaSFAWY-gaBUsjTao2O2I8SpqnlX19V3HoLVzon_BZ7fwgPosEH1UIfOwwfhJZKzIEstCAPai69xf54DyWCp8XgewJyuSxLPiZlb9KiABJtU_eXFrXNnSFXpJNAdiOfsVeyZ3Y2/s320/Screenshot%202023-11-10%20at%2009-06-48%20eero%20-%20Finally%20wifi%20that%20works.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>In a hurry? See the short version at the bottom. <br /></p><p>I recently switched to fibre internet and got a free <a href="https://eero.com/">eero</a> router. Computers, phones and tablets in the house all connected easily, but my Brother HL-1212W was a problem. <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2018/03/installing-brother-hl-1212-w-fi-mono.html">Previously</a> I had installed the printer using WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), which allows devices to connect without a password, but the Eero <a href="https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/208114916-How-do-I-connect-my-printer-to-my-eero-network-">does not support it</a>. </p><p></p><blockquote>eero does not support WiFi Protected Setup (WPS), as it has well-documented security issues.</blockquote><p></p><p>My printer is a budget model with no LCD screen and no keypad, and the only way to get it to connect to the network is to set it up with WPS. I could connect the printer with a USB cable and set it up easily using <span style="font-family: courier;">printer-driver-brlaser</span> from the Debian repository, but this driver does not enable communication with printer settings. I believe the Windows driver does, but for Linux users with older printers, this could be a big problem.</p><p>Fortunately, I still had my old router which I bought myself, so I could access printer settings by turning that back on and connecting to the old network (once I had remembered the password I had given the printer!).</p><p>My problems didn't end there, however. I had given the printer a static IP address, and assumed that I would have to again. In changing settings in the printer configuration page, I only managed to break the connection to the old router. </p><p>I tried the WPS setup again, but it didn't seem to work. After much turning off and on again, the printer managed to connect to the old network. I later discovered that the eero uses a single SSID for 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency network connections, and that 2.4GHz devices (ie my printer) may be "unstable" and "experience an issue" (<a href="https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005497223-Can-I-set-my-eeros-to-use-the-2-4-or-5-GHz-frequency-">eero Help Centre</a>). Apparently it's possible to disable 5GHz for ten minutes, which would probably have helped here, although eero don't mention this on the <a href="How do I connect my printer to my eero network?">How do I connect my printer to my eero network?</a> page.</p><p>After that, I discovered that the eero router doesn't do static IP addresses. Instead, devices can be given a reserved IP address by MAC ID after connecting by DHCP. This apparently is a good thing, see <a href="https://portforward.com/dhcp-reservation/">Port Forward</a> and <a href="https://www.stephenwagner.com/2019/05/07/static-ip-vs-dhcp-reservation/">The Tech Journal</a>.</p><p>So, finally having got back a connection to the printer using the old router, I could run the printer connection wizard to give the printer the password to connect to the eero. I gave the printer a reserved IP address using the Android app (which is the only way to administer the eero).</p><p>At which point, the printer should have been discovered automatically, but, following the pattern of this story, of course it wasn't. To cut a long story short, I had to enter the IP address of the printer in the New Printer dialogue. Entering the router IP address brought up some sort of Windows Samba printer connection dialogue.</p><p></p><blockquote>You must log in to access Domain WORKGROUP</blockquote><p></p><p>The router IP address is blocked by eero (which insists on administration by smart phone app, as mentioned above). A wild guess would be that the eero expects connections to the printer to be made via Samba, which might be normal for Windows computers (and Apple? No experience here) and as a result <span style="font-family: courier;">cups-browsed</span> can't detect the printer automatically. Funnily enough, it could in Bullseye, but not in Trixie. Details here: <a href="https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=156437">Debian Forum</a>.</p><p>The short version:</p><ul><li>Older printers without a screen that require WPS to connect to a network may be a problem, as the eero doesn't have WPS. Access the printer homepage using the old router and run the connection wizard.</li><li>If you have an older router with WPS, disable 5GHz in the eero before trying to connect. <br /></li><li>Do not try to give the printer a static IP address in printer settings - from the eero app, assign the printer a reserved IP address.</li><li> If the printer is not discovered automatically in the New Printer dialogue, try entering the printer's IP address in the <i>Host</i> field in <i>Find Network Printer</i>.<br /></li></ul><p> </p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-74271585235882413642023-09-20T23:13:00.000-07:002023-09-20T23:13:49.913-07:00Does Debian Testing need a security repository?<p>Debian Testing is for testing the upcoming new release of Debian as it develops. You may think the clue is in the name, but some people seem to regard it as a rolling release. It's not. As a Debian installation for daily use, it is in fact the least secure Debian version. Security fixes go through the normal process of migration from Unstable to Testing, which may take days, because new packages must not introduce release critical bugs, whereas the Stable release gets security updates immediately from a special security repository.</p><p>As the <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Status/Testing">Debian Wiki</a> says:</p><p></p><blockquote>Security for testing benefits from the security efforts of the entire project for unstable. However, there is a minimum two-day migration delay, and sometimes security fixes can be held up by transitions. The Security Team helps to move along those transitions holding back important security uploads, but this is not always possible and delays may occur. Especially in the months after a new stable release, when many new versions are uploaded to unstable, security fixes for testing may lag behind. If you want to have a secure (and stable) server you are strongly encouraged to stay with stable.</blockquote><p></p><p>The <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianTesting">Debian Wiki</a> recommends an active approach to security when using testing.<br /></p><p></p><blockquote>It is a good idea to install security updates from
unstable since they take extra time to reach testing and the security
team only releases updates to unstable. </blockquote><span class="anchor" id="line-62"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-63"></span><p></p><p>For details of how to do so, see the Wiki link. This involves an Apt pinning process, <i><b>not</b></i> just enabling the Unstable repository, which would give you an Unstable installation, aka Sid, the notorious breaker of toys. <br /></p><p>A security repository for Testing exists, but I have always believed it was for users of Testing who intended to stay with the next release. Say you have new hardware and find that Debian Stable does not work, but Debian Testing does. You might decide to accept or mitigate the risks by watching for and installing security updates from Unstable - (see above) and use Testing until it becomes Stable.</p><p>In which case, Debian sources list would look like this at the time of writing:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmware <br />deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main</span></p><p>"trixie" would of course be replaced by the codename of the Testing relase at any point in Time. If you are reading this years in the future, it may be different. Local mirrors for the primary repository are of course also acceptable.</p><p>I have always believed (and indeed the Debian Wiki said so) that the repository would be empty, just there so that users would have the security repository automatically when Testing became stable in case they forgot to add it after the release. For that reason, I have never added a security line to my sources.list.<br /></p><p>However, I noticed recently (in fact it was pointed out to me by a member at the <a href="https://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=783033#p783033">Debian User Forum</a>) that a security line is recommended for users of Testing tracking <i><b>either</b></i> the current codename <i><b>or</b></i> Testing in their sources.list.</p><p>The Debian Wiki did not explain why, so I contacted a member of the Wiki team to ask for clarification. It seems that under exceptional, rare circumstances very serious bug fixes may indeed be added to the Testing security repository, which is why the <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianTesting">Debian Wiki</a> recommends it, and the answer to the question in the title of this post is "yes".</p><p>For people tracking Testing like me, source.list should look like this:</p><p></p><blockquote>deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free non-free-firmware<br />deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security/ testing-security main</blockquote><p>I have edited a couple of Debian Wiki pages to reflect this new information or to make clear why the security repository is recommended for all Testing users. Many thanks to my contact at the Debian Wiki team for providing the information.<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-28285398593992289472023-07-08T12:25:00.002-07:002023-07-08T12:26:05.795-07:00Desktop icons and menu not showing<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKYPNwskjqYJoj_fwD9JK4vj_Wrw2cmCFhOwtyAlMzMonGypFmnF91mT29N7mTkHOsRnkSJijUxr4KpRJz6vqxAybKV4sPsDXZ5NjxotI0c0mO1kDja8mdS5MOpd5VLbFdM1kEtqk1s8zX6PFHXzryxbYtU7cG_4LRUm5lvyQt6fK6c81iiTdZEx8TRY_/s1920/currentdesktop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKYPNwskjqYJoj_fwD9JK4vj_Wrw2cmCFhOwtyAlMzMonGypFmnF91mT29N7mTkHOsRnkSJijUxr4KpRJz6vqxAybKV4sPsDXZ5NjxotI0c0mO1kDja8mdS5MOpd5VLbFdM1kEtqk1s8zX6PFHXzryxbYtU7cG_4LRUm5lvyQt6fK6c81iiTdZEx8TRY_/s320/currentdesktop.png" width="320" /></a></p>Debian is working do smoothly these days I rarely have anything to post about (currently Trixie/Testing).<p></p><p>But today I noticed that there were no icons on my desktop, and the right click menu wasn't appearing (I rarely ever see my desktop, as XFCE restores my previous session at boot).</p><p>The solution was to delete <span style="font-family: courier;">~/.cache/sessions/</span>, as suggested in this topic at the <a href="https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=143529">Arch Linux Forum</a>.<br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-32862408385673477862023-02-18T22:58:00.000-08:002023-02-18T22:58:22.492-08:00Debian Bookworm - Release Critical Bug Status<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqdwVCtG9SaqsmI1OAUa7RsplW60CVyOkQVuMeoQdTlP8DgW_2SF1NB4K7_-_f0Jb1mAgQjhUT5Zpa5mcicR-CIlxKD7GV0Jnr7xN24GTIqxrlXQcVNt5AHyAQvgmqZbvX5GeR61-TTp5DD4nDAk5P-tkurxJk0fMuYivwVZumrF8EjTN1u_l3tw4mw/s728/Screenshot_2023-02-19_06-42-38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="728" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqdwVCtG9SaqsmI1OAUa7RsplW60CVyOkQVuMeoQdTlP8DgW_2SF1NB4K7_-_f0Jb1mAgQjhUT5Zpa5mcicR-CIlxKD7GV0Jnr7xN24GTIqxrlXQcVNt5AHyAQvgmqZbvX5GeR61-TTp5DD4nDAk5P-tkurxJk0fMuYivwVZumrF8EjTN1u_l3tw4mw/s320/Screenshot_2023-02-19_06-42-38.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Debian Bookworm has been "<a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2023/01/msg00004.html">frozen</a>", meaning it gets no package updates except bug fixes (boring times for a Testing user!). Time to have a look at the bug graph again. Here it is (Bookworm in green). Currently there are 393 release critical bug to be squashed before it is released later this year.</p><p><a href="https://bugs.debian.org/release-critical/">Release-critical bugs status</a>.<br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-87186298810456750872023-02-02T22:33:00.000-08:002023-02-02T22:33:39.690-08:00Claws Mail<p>Why use Claws Mail? (I'm asking that question in Linux, but it's available for Windows too.) Well, when I looked at email clients that worked on my Debian XFCE installation, I found Thunderbird using 600MB of RAM and Evolution using 300MB. Even GMail open in a browser tab uses 300MB. Claws Mail, on the other hand uses 73MB of RAM:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKTcwgB-BYg6uN3_ubNZeowzd0d9UTv9YMmM_GHXOwVby3rlk6RzHJ2uvvD06vqg06Z_6Mxw5rnBysuK7tk-FJo3PxU7gCG3uZSdkyfhE6JNwqtFSGTt1OKEnFuod_IZy3__XNYAMoojh4k4Hu6N7N8emmjP1uFjxETkGpyRoH_AyE16XDHwq_xeHpQ/s541/Screenshot_2023-02-02_06-36-22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="116" data-original-width="541" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKTcwgB-BYg6uN3_ubNZeowzd0d9UTv9YMmM_GHXOwVby3rlk6RzHJ2uvvD06vqg06Z_6Mxw5rnBysuK7tk-FJo3PxU7gCG3uZSdkyfhE6JNwqtFSGTt1OKEnFuod_IZy3__XNYAMoojh4k4Hu6N7N8emmjP1uFjxETkGpyRoH_AyE16XDHwq_xeHpQ/s320/Screenshot_2023-02-02_06-36-22.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>This would certainly make it useful on an old computer with little memory available, but doesn't it look like some relic from the Windows 95 era? No, it supports GTK3 and at least in Debian some nice themes are available. Still old school but looks OK:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScer1_MVHiW137t5frq_I0iP7ZCsrf1HqQU-V6KuVxc67J7sLbvIIR8QuB3clXPcn-D8FQES-5KpBEpPpZaM8Lisn3wcS4Zyj7bJCiMISCBOLdlyNYVJelkJ2TVeDas2vG-5Mqpf5BX4TmB4qleRGXBj0wHJQeC2Gsi8nrx2l5jgSzZI5LPboHlGW-w/s1143/claws-mail-screenshot.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1143" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScer1_MVHiW137t5frq_I0iP7ZCsrf1HqQU-V6KuVxc67J7sLbvIIR8QuB3clXPcn-D8FQES-5KpBEpPpZaM8Lisn3wcS4Zyj7bJCiMISCBOLdlyNYVJelkJ2TVeDas2vG-5Mqpf5BX4TmB4qleRGXBj0wHJQeC2Gsi8nrx2l5jgSzZI5LPboHlGW-w/s320/claws-mail-screenshot.png" width="320" /></a></div>So here is the full list. Why use claws mail?<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Lightweight, low memory usage, but still full featured. Does filtering and processing. Fits in to the XFCE desktop well. In Gnome I use Geary for casual emails and Evolution for more serious use, but Claws does both.</li><li>Supports GTK3 and has a wide range of themes available, from old school to modern.</li><li>Supports OAuth2, the authorisation protocol used by GMail and other email providers now.</li></ul><p>There are also some features that Claws Mails does not have that may be reasons not to use it. On the other hand, they may be features you do not need or want:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Push emails <a href="https://www.thewildbeast.co.uk/claws-mail/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=1408">are not a feature</a>. You have to wait until Claws Mail check for new mail, at whatever interval you set.</li><li>New email desktop notifications from GMail <a href="https://www.thewildbeast.co.uk/claws-mail/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=2451">don't work</a> because GMail doesn't mark any messages as 'New'. There is a patch available to change behaviour to notify for unread messages, but it involves compiling Claws from source code.</li><li>Emails are displayed by default as plain text, not HTML. There is a plugin to switch to HTML view, but if you prefer the formatting, fonts and background images of HTML mail, Claws is probably not for you.</li><li>Claws Mail doesn't do the modern tiled subject column that Geary does. Layout is strictly old school.</li></ul><p>So there you have it, a lightweight, minimal (but still powerful) email client to keep open if you don't like web mail or the size of some other email clients, and are not put off (or in fact enjoy or want) basic email features.<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-77929891001276931552023-02-01T03:22:00.002-08:002023-02-01T03:22:23.799-08:00The secret of the Bessler wheel<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQFs9-rhb7C5mbfhzulka0fIGdCEqqlmOnYbFpO-oW5-pklof3PWxc730GlspKNJ34egrrWuwT0YyE_VTgrvsYX9vuCRuUJD0dJSmgTJ0QswFQdiLKWGhpjCEK4Z4uyXKfrD7jNjE7UzikitdlH0MOLdUmVHsBIUMY5V90IcbAqpV8cJF8Z0544YssA/s658/OrffyreusWheel.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="658" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQFs9-rhb7C5mbfhzulka0fIGdCEqqlmOnYbFpO-oW5-pklof3PWxc730GlspKNJ34egrrWuwT0YyE_VTgrvsYX9vuCRuUJD0dJSmgTJ0QswFQdiLKWGhpjCEK4Z4uyXKfrD7jNjE7UzikitdlH0MOLdUmVHsBIUMY5V90IcbAqpV8cJF8Z0544YssA/s320/OrffyreusWheel.png" width="320" /></a></div>Recently I <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-secret-of-dreadco-perpetual-motion.html">wrote</a> about a modern "perpetual motion" machine, a bicycle wheel that revolves for years without any apparent source of power. Of course it is not really a perpetual motion machine. It was built by a scientist as a challenge for those who saw it to work out how it was powered, a challenge that 40 years later still baffled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Savage">Adam Savage</a> in a <a href="https://youtu.be/QdEdYfxMx-0">YouTube video</a>.<p></p><p>I was fascinated by the reference in that video to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Bessler">Orffyreus wheel</a>, a similar machine from the 18th century. The name was code for the real name of the inventor, Johann Bessler. His wheel (or wheels, actually, as he built several of different sizes) would start moving from stationary with a slight push and would run at 25-50rpm for up to 54 days without any obvious energy source. They could do real work, lifting 5-40lb, depending on the size. Even today there is speculation that he may actually have discovered a source of perpetual motion.</p><p>I think the secret is quite simple however. The machine had to have a source of energy, and how would you power a machine like this? Gravity. There were clocks powered by gravity from the period like this one:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VXlXHUe50irLBWl_-Agh5SRrRi-iOcaTmSkaK8BbO2baoqvq84YcaahNCqZRMIG8gQyHo8e12K0Ilt8_wJ1hmXSy2778E3lKjcyBGLHa1M9cFZjaXF0IxnP8rivAf2DbuptP03GeZv_Xbgga_n6KWjgy4Efy37Uf9IN05MErn7YYEn1uV9fe2afV-w/s492/clock.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="492" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VXlXHUe50irLBWl_-Agh5SRrRi-iOcaTmSkaK8BbO2baoqvq84YcaahNCqZRMIG8gQyHo8e12K0Ilt8_wJ1hmXSy2778E3lKjcyBGLHa1M9cFZjaXF0IxnP8rivAf2DbuptP03GeZv_Xbgga_n6KWjgy4Efy37Uf9IN05MErn7YYEn1uV9fe2afV-w/s320/clock.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>A heavy weight on a rope wound round the cylinder visible in the picture would have rotated the cylinder, with the torque converted to movement of the hands by a train of gears. It was obviously situated in a tower or high up on the face of a building or in a high space.</p><p>A simple falling weight would not work to power a wheel because it could not pass through the axle. Most probably there was a weight (or weights) attached to a shaft around the axle, powering the mechanism again through a gear train. A couple of large lead weights falling from the top of the machine around the inner circumference towards the base could have powered a hollow wheel on bearings for many days, or easily contained enough energy to explain the work the machine did. (Yes, they did have <a href="https://www.acorn-ind.co.uk/insight/The-History-of-the-Bearing/">bearings in the early 18th century</a>.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZR3H5D6zNCyOLVpv8qlaXOSZPXPRIZGnupsWYQ8W9YSLZufDxafYRm99HNCaz6JIkarUGdqZrZJBTTL7hGgudQYJfPVgWDaBGAvPMGxYxDnMDlpxQ6ENIvothckzkg2SeGSCnwtIlhO67405nm9w0aaw_Gt-iffl85T6nbcMkRj-yBD2GQgvFNr7yw/s567/bessel%20machine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="567" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZR3H5D6zNCyOLVpv8qlaXOSZPXPRIZGnupsWYQ8W9YSLZufDxafYRm99HNCaz6JIkarUGdqZrZJBTTL7hGgudQYJfPVgWDaBGAvPMGxYxDnMDlpxQ6ENIvothckzkg2SeGSCnwtIlhO67405nm9w0aaw_Gt-iffl85T6nbcMkRj-yBD2GQgvFNr7yw/w263-h249/bessel%20machine.png" width="263" /></a></div>So there you have it. The wheel was a clock. There are actually a couple of very large clues: the pendulum on the front of the wheel controlling an escapement, and the fact that Bessler was an apprentice watchmaker.<p></p><p>Some witnesses of the Bessler machine stated that they could hear falling weights in the wheel, leading to speculation that it was a <a href="http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2016/ph240/yoon1/">weighted wheel</a> machine. Such a machine can work, <i>if </i>there is an input of energy, giving weights at the top of the wheel a nudge upwards (and increasing their potential energy). The power source I have described could have been used to do this.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E5WkUXlYrug" width="320" youtube-src-id="E5WkUXlYrug"></iframe></div>I suppose it's possible that with a complex mechanism of large weights and smaller weights moving in the machine Bessler genuinely thought he was getting something for nothing and failed to realise he was supplying the machine with potential energy in setting up the machine in a state where some of those weights could fall over time, supplying the machine with the kinetic energy it needed to keep running. I'd somehow rather believe that he wasn't an outright fraud.<br /><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-80072672427007265952023-01-23T03:27:00.002-08:002023-02-01T03:22:40.134-08:00The secret of the Dreadco perpetual motion machine<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_hLMcJEIrVqZfKIV4M4TU8-L1gU_bOoX8ggUEGMGz4TfV2qnCgpifl96fHCMrEANc2I635O2GSCnxd-NB6AmnkS3DQE0z5ca99hR3oO15DOivly_-AUSyJD4qzNpBiPzVyeqv1Ity1-hRTaNw8mDj5VKgcnTFHba9t-dthGPIz4WdnVu2knaNJ575Q/s516/Screenshot_2023-01-23_09-40-28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_hLMcJEIrVqZfKIV4M4TU8-L1gU_bOoX8ggUEGMGz4TfV2qnCgpifl96fHCMrEANc2I635O2GSCnxd-NB6AmnkS3DQE0z5ca99hR3oO15DOivly_-AUSyJD4qzNpBiPzVyeqv1Ity1-hRTaNw8mDj5VKgcnTFHba9t-dthGPIz4WdnVu2knaNJ575Q/s320/Screenshot_2023-01-23_09-40-28.png" width="319" /></a></div>Back in 1981 I was an A Level science student. Suggested reading was the New Scientist magazine, which at the time was a serious academic publication. (It seems to be more general interest science now.) Being a fairly lazy A Level science student, I would read the first third of a few articles before getting lost in the detail, skip the middle of the magazine, which was just job adverts, and read the page inside the back cover, a humorous page written by Dr David Jones under the pseudonym Daedalus. <p></p><p>I don't remember much of what I read, to be honest, but I do remember that in one issue David Jones issued a challenge to readers to work out how a "perpetual motion" machine he had built worked, with the answer and the names of those to guess correctly to be published in the magazine in the next issue. Of course, this being a serious scientific magazine, there was no suggestion that it was a real perpetual motion machine.</p><p>I thought about it for a while, and had an idea as to how the wheel was supplied with energy to keep turning. I wrote to David Jones and he wrote back to say my suggestion was correct. Unfortunately my letter just missed the deadline. The names of two other people who had guessed correctly were published in the magazine. I seem to remember that he wrote that he had decided not to reveal how the machine worked for a while longer, to keep people guessing...<br /></p><p>I didn't think about it again until a few days ago when a YouTube suggestion for a video about the very machine appeared while I was watching something else. I never thought that over 40 years later it would still be a source of mystery and debate.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QdEdYfxMx-0" width="320" youtube-src-id="QdEdYfxMx-0"></iframe></div>I wish I had kept my letter from David Jones, but as far as I knew he was going to reveal how the machine worked in a week or so, so I chucked it in the bin. Apparently all David Jones' letters about the machine are archived, so my letter could be in there!<p></p><p>So what is the secret? Well, I would hate to spoil a 40 year old mystery. It's not really that difficult to guess. A number of people in the YouTube comments have suggested the answer I came up with. As Virginia Mills intimates in the video, look for a mundane explanation, rather than an exotic one. She also gives a huge clue in talking about Orffyreus' weighted wheel perpetual motion machine. The idea of falling weights adding impetus to a wheel is initially attractive until you remember that there is actually no net input of energy because the momentum of the wheel has to drag the weight upwards from a lower level on the way up. Without a source of energy it won't work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E5WkUXlYrug" width="320" youtube-src-id="E5WkUXlYrug"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But <i>with </i>a source of energy?<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-36710655769915775242023-01-22T16:22:00.001-08:002023-01-29T01:46:44.391-08:00Email clients for GMail in Debian Bookworm<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0YNTr12No3FMlU3VflelqmUfsbIKyolfEslPq-GMoeGP4-9ZZHEhopaXXBoxlX_rWEwrSZoHA4Aaj-JS-z6T2juz8-Qd-qy-k6oSe6SupC9toy6LUpzAgT-z-EVsf1VqwozQeg-MjvXS7DifcEka1cTx4xSlFBfTzpLoGZqyw-K188jSDW5xIS23zQ/s175/ClawsMailLogo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="155" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0YNTr12No3FMlU3VflelqmUfsbIKyolfEslPq-GMoeGP4-9ZZHEhopaXXBoxlX_rWEwrSZoHA4Aaj-JS-z6T2juz8-Qd-qy-k6oSe6SupC9toy6LUpzAgT-z-EVsf1VqwozQeg-MjvXS7DifcEka1cTx4xSlFBfTzpLoGZqyw-K188jSDW5xIS23zQ/s1600/ClawsMailLogo.png" width="155" /></a></div>I've been using the Thunderbird email client in Debian Bookworm XFCE for a while, but it seems to have a <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/thunderbird/+bug/1959747">bug</a> causing it to use 50-60% of the CPU and 500-600MB of RAM constantly, so I thought I would try out the alternatives.<p></p><p>I tried <a href="https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Geary">Geary</a> but that won't run without the Gnome online accounts service, so I tried <a href="https://www.claws-mail.org/">Claws Mail</a>. That can read emails from GMail with an application password, but <strike>cannot send emails by SMPT</strike>, [See correction below] I suspect because GMail is constantly imposing increasingly restrictive security requirements. Claws now supports OAuth2, Google's latest security hoop, but getting an authorisation code is a process intended for software developers and not users. I tried it at one point, but gave up when I was asked for my credit card details. It's a shame because Claws seems quite suited to the feel of XFCE.</p><p>Which left me with <a href="https://help.gnome.org/users/evolution/stable/">Evolution</a>, actually my favourite email application in Gnome. It installs without bringing down a lot of Gnome stuff with it, and runs OK. Unlike Thunderbird it only uses 300MB of RAM, and CPU usage at idle is 0-1%.</p><p>It's a shame only big projects can afford the cost of enabling OAuth2 login for users (for which Google apparently charges a fee). GMail users on XFCE really only have the option of using Evolution a the moment it seems. I would be nice is there was a more minimalist option like Geary is in Gnome. Claws could be that option, but at the moment it is crippled by Google's security restrictions.</p><p> </p><p>Update: Correction, Claws can send emails with a GMail application password, just, for some reason, not to yourself, which is how I was testing it. <a href="https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/claws-mail-e-mails-to-myself-don%27t-appear-in-inbox-4175498081/">LinuxQuestions</a>.</p><p>I also managed to get it to work with OAuth2 (entirely by accident) without giving Google my credit card details. I will try to work out how it happened in a future post. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-60471312118003180072023-01-02T02:08:00.000-08:002023-01-02T02:08:05.882-08:00Folder retention policy in Thunderbird<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzf8GUs7BnHMrSWpVy3ZCcuKxgP2H4T9chAMBEIVO_OzHt6OoaXxLmgvk3Lqsm-Vd0lAu4SXNcR6C5dOfoRwF5295OMOxqkayfCjFseFWcY1fUsPzNg7Rnzd7sdHX70Un_ueoA4-FOTf4D8ehPbnJJir-VJmvUR3N9xbvK74-FWXpldpyv9Qo_RxkQQ/s770/Screenshot_2023-01-02_09-53-24.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="770" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzf8GUs7BnHMrSWpVy3ZCcuKxgP2H4T9chAMBEIVO_OzHt6OoaXxLmgvk3Lqsm-Vd0lAu4SXNcR6C5dOfoRwF5295OMOxqkayfCjFseFWcY1fUsPzNg7Rnzd7sdHX70Un_ueoA4-FOTf4D8ehPbnJJir-VJmvUR3N9xbvK74-FWXpldpyv9Qo_RxkQQ/s320/Screenshot_2023-01-02_09-53-24.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>I have a folder of promotional emails which I look at from time if I need some service parts for the car or a new cartridge for the printer because sometimes there are sales or discounts worth taking advantage of. In Thunderbird I set the retention policy to delete messages more than 30 days old, because obviously these offers expire after some time.</p><p>I checked the folder recently and found that all my emails were still there.</p><p>After quite a bit of checking and searching, I found that you have to run File/Compact Folders to make the policy active for the first time.</p><p><a href="https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=472030">Red Hat Bugzilla</a></p><p>A feature not a bug, apparently.</p><p> I entirely agree with Mike A. Harris' comment on the bug report. <br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>I chose "File->Compact Folders" in 2.0.0.21 and it does not seem to work, however if I right click directly on the folder with a retention policy and choose the "Compact" option, it causes the folder to flush mail older than the retention timeframe. I'm not sure if thunderbird will auto-flush mail in that folder afterward or not, or if you have to constantly manually choose "compact". </p><p>Personally, I still consider this a bug because the majority of users who choose to set a retention policy of n days are neither informed that, nor are they likely to guess that they have to perform another action like "compact". So if it isn't considered a bug per se. then it definitely is a design flaw. Having said that, it probably belongs in the upstream bugzilla I guess. </p><p>Hopefully thunderbird 3 has a more intuitive design that works like one would expect. :)</p></blockquote><p>I checked my promotions folder again today, and it seems the retention policy is now in force, as emails older that 30 days have been deleted. As Mike pointed out, you need to right click the folder and choose the Compact option for the policy to work.<br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-88714564687533931842023-01-02T00:18:00.001-08:002023-01-03T10:55:57.442-08:00Action buttons in notify-send notifications<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_uxKOtQQB3i9zWb6r-TOEmm8dl3WLOZRoIwCLNd4GgrGuFz_QFK-OLRyuc8vB22ABDONncdC-2AwNohuHGajfcbru0Riu7w-fwANObPH2Q48i9-bcwk6uE3PCBne7jn4mtAo4UuTnANMEOqUmBKa_nEKlVDqt6paFF2v_XXc7Kq2lqOUcNF8nagw5w/s346/notification2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="346" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_uxKOtQQB3i9zWb6r-TOEmm8dl3WLOZRoIwCLNd4GgrGuFz_QFK-OLRyuc8vB22ABDONncdC-2AwNohuHGajfcbru0Riu7w-fwANObPH2Q48i9-bcwk6uE3PCBne7jn4mtAo4UuTnANMEOqUmBKa_nEKlVDqt6paFF2v_XXc7Kq2lqOUcNF8nagw5w/s320/notification2.png" width="320" /></a></div>Search for "action button notify-send", and the first two results currently say "It seems notify-send can't do this", or "No, notify-send doesn't support the use of actions/buttons", which isn't true any more.<p></p><p>This action was added about a year ago.</p><p><a href="https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libnotify/-/merge_requests/18">gitlab.gnome.org</a></p><p>From the manual: <br /></p><p></p><blockquote>OPTIONS<br /><br /> -A, --action=[NAME=]Text...<br /> Specifies the actions to display to the user. Implies --wait to<br /> wait for user input. May be set multiple times. The NAME of the<br /> action is output to stdout. If NAME is not specified, the numerical<br /> index of the option is used (starting with 1).</blockquote><p>Action buttons return a specified output (or an output of 0, 1... if no output text is specified). If they are not clicked, output is null. Thus</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">--action=yes=Okay --action=no=Cancel</span><br /><br />Returns "yes", "no" or null.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: courier;">--action=Okay --action=Cancel</span><br /><br />Returns "0", "1" or null.</p><p>Output can be redirected to a text file and used to run a command:<br /></p><p><br /><span style="font-family: courier;">#!/bin/bash<br />notify-send --icon=system-software-update -w --action=yes="Click to update" "Updates available" > output.txt<br />action=$(cat output.txt)<br />if [ "$action" == "yes" ]; then<br />synaptic-pkexec<br />fi</span><br /><br />or to a function:</p><p><br /><span style="font-family: courier;">#!/bin/bash<br />action=$(notify-send --icon=system-software-update -w --action=yes="Click to update" "Updates available")<br />if [ "$action" == "yes" ]; then<br />synaptic-pkexec<br />fi</span><br /><br />which seems like a better way to do it.</p><p>To have the number of updates in Debian:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"> #!/bin/bash<br />updates=$(aptitude search '~U' | wc -l)<br />action=$(notify-send --icon=system-software-update -w --action=yes="Click to update" "$updates Updates available")<br />if [ "$action" == "yes" ]; then<br />synaptic-pkexec<br />fi</span></p><p>This can be used in my <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2021/02/update-notifications-in-debian-xfce_18.html">update notification Genmon script for XFCE</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Update: If used with Genmon script, add the following to refresh the Genmon panel notification after the update:<br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">if [ "$action" == "yes" ]; then<br />synaptic-pkexec && sleep 2 && xfce4-panel --plugin-event=genmon-<n>:refresh:bool:true<br />fi</span></p><p>Where <n> is the Genmon ID number obtained by hovering over the Genmon item item in <i>Panel Preferences > Items</i>.<br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-72796786999154224262023-01-01T14:12:00.000-08:002023-01-01T14:12:12.872-08:00Scanning from an HP All In One printer without HPLIP<p>My old HP Deskjet 3050 j610 doesn't need the HP Linux Imaging and Printing (HPLIP) package to print, just <span style="font-family: courier;">printer-driver-hpcups</span>, but I've never been able to get it to scan without HPLIP. I wondered if it was possible get scanner support without installing the HPLIP package. Indeed it is.</p><p>The SANE backend libraries are in <span style="font-family: courier;">libsane-hpaio</span>, which can be installed without installing HPLIP by doing</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># apt install --no-install-recommends libsane-hpaio</span></p><p><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Scanner#HP_all-in-one_.28aio.29_Machines">Debian Wiki</a>.</p><p>To scan over the network, it's necessary to supply the URI of the scanner, in my case, like this</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">$ simple-scan hpaio:/net/deskjet_3050_j610_series?ip=192.168.2.101</span></p><p><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SaneOverNetwork#Scanning_with_a_Network_HP_all-in-one_.28aio.29-1">Debian Wiki</a>.</p><p>To get Document Scanner (<span style="font-family: courier;">simple-scan</span>) to find the scanner when launched from the XFCE menu, I appended the URI to the launcher.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NxbocktNLbJszLXCzoQAdm1qxAnwno9ob8bY_iHZa3yQO-OFB7NP0pVaGCpxbwoil0q3eQ3K3LgsGmuy2xK1udtIcaVFIbSEyDNe0VIUT7chGTaRvnON-QGG0zHyFHe96Wk7qNKC1K46Y726ROE5lZegsA9x__ojLfhO1jZdJxzROzGMgdspyYvocg/s420/Screenshot_2023-01-01_21-37-24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NxbocktNLbJszLXCzoQAdm1qxAnwno9ob8bY_iHZa3yQO-OFB7NP0pVaGCpxbwoil0q3eQ3K3LgsGmuy2xK1udtIcaVFIbSEyDNe0VIUT7chGTaRvnON-QGG0zHyFHe96Wk7qNKC1K46Y726ROE5lZegsA9x__ojLfhO1jZdJxzROzGMgdspyYvocg/s320/Screenshot_2023-01-01_21-37-24.png" width="282" /></a></div><p>And scanning now works without HPLIP.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtRt-rzi3eoyhVzVzBSHiL6Fw340LzbsOuoZfS3p-vfDysD73byjuGpZaos93KR_jYuGVZcI1Gs1e7G6lgqnkeIxJzI_ITMso00whiZ1Kb79_VBZ9nRLhbM4RNGsdQLdnvBtUaReJFmtso9qghPar9YfqSO_zBus92sqoHNEr45d-qnqe5bZbUoXRvQ/s602/Screenshot_2023-01-01_21-42-29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="602" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtRt-rzi3eoyhVzVzBSHiL6Fw340LzbsOuoZfS3p-vfDysD73byjuGpZaos93KR_jYuGVZcI1Gs1e7G6lgqnkeIxJzI_ITMso00whiZ1Kb79_VBZ9nRLhbM4RNGsdQLdnvBtUaReJFmtso9qghPar9YfqSO_zBus92sqoHNEr45d-qnqe5bZbUoXRvQ/s320/Screenshot_2023-01-01_21-42-29.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>This method applies to all HPAIO printers, although some may need a plugin. The <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/CUPSQuickPrintQueues#mfd">Debian Wiki</a> describes how to install this if needed.</p><p>This is of course an <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2010/11/hp-deskjet-3050-j610-on-debian-squeeze.html">old printer</a>. <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SaneOverNetwork#Scanning_with_a_Network_HP_all-in-one_.28aio.29-3">More modern HPAIOs</a> support driverless scanning and should be detected automatically without needing HPLIP or any of its dependencies.</p><p><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SaneOverNetwork#Introduction">Debian Wiki</a>.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-86595369718401449542022-12-18T12:53:00.002-08:002022-12-18T13:51:34.192-08:00Customising the GUI in DeaDBeeF Music Player<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BJWZBLg13vA" width="320" youtube-src-id="BJWZBLg13vA"></iframe></div>A video of the GUI customisation process in the DeadBeeF music player in XFCE with the Arc Darker theme. (Speed is x2). Just to show what can be done.<br /><p></p><p><a href="https://deadbeef.sourceforge.io/plugins.html">Plugins</a> used were:</p><p>Playback Status Widget</p><p>Musical Spectrum</p><p>File Browser</p><p>Spectrogram</p><p>Waveform Seekbar<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-56773398233764952052022-12-17T16:38:00.001-08:002022-12-18T13:55:18.556-08:00Build your own music player with DeaDBeeF<p>I've been playing with <a href="https://deadbeef.sourceforge.io/">DeaDBeeF</a>. (No, that's not as horrible as it sounds.) I wondered if I could come up with a an elegant, minimalistic design for the customisable music player, inspired by the screenshot at the website. I think I did.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1FXwWC1aTrFFvEkIR3Ing8jKKno2GX9PN23jIKlZyWn9pKAKoZ18ViNZaWeZP_WbBtwNUN9Llr1rzRTte6MHq2zFgIvtYwbPv-23wVu0K4Y_mwKfiaYBhVEJ4tX4EED1MBntjyHaoewKvA8VTfQNFcRPw1CmJUWq8yqq6pxTD1Pwq3SSuoli20TYoQ/s956/Screenshot_2022-12-18_00-07-37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="956" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1FXwWC1aTrFFvEkIR3Ing8jKKno2GX9PN23jIKlZyWn9pKAKoZ18ViNZaWeZP_WbBtwNUN9Llr1rzRTte6MHq2zFgIvtYwbPv-23wVu0K4Y_mwKfiaYBhVEJ4tX4EED1MBntjyHaoewKvA8VTfQNFcRPw1CmJUWq8yqq6pxTD1Pwq3SSuoli20TYoQ/s320/Screenshot_2022-12-18_00-07-37.png" width="320" /></a></div>Inspiration was the Audacious GUI of course, for anyone au fait with that excellent music player. It took me quite a while to wok out how to customise the player to my liking, and I'm thinking recording a screencast of the whole process might be fun. <br /><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-28580031940425085842022-12-13T23:21:00.000-08:002022-12-13T23:21:50.182-08:00File transfer - Android to Debian<p>I plugged my most recent Android phone into my most recent installation of Debian with the intention of transferring some files and... nothing happened. In the past, connecting the phone via a USB cable resulted in the phone asking me if I wanted to charge it or transfer various files in various ways. I assumed Android had removed the feature, as it has done with other useful features, such as the ability to keep apps on external memory, rather than have them move to internal memory every time they update.</p><p>But later on I tried plugging my phone into and old laptop with a Debian install from about five years ago, and it recognised the phone. However, after updating the installation to Bullseye, it didn't. After a bit of investigation, I found there were two issues on the new phone and new installs.</p><p>I am not sure if I installed something on the old Debian install to allow connection to an Android phone and then forgot about it, but it is definitely necessary to install something to enable connection in Bullseye. As I was using XFCE, I installed gMTP, and that allowed me to connect the phone. <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/mtp">Debian Wiki</a>.</p><p>The second issue is that the connection menu in Android is hidden. I am pretty sure that previously there was a message saying "computer connected, click for options" or something similar. Now there is just an arrow to indicate that there are more options.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1OsjjP0_VlFGZ-oRHmm3uUCmjJCXtzJ3znbBtZfAvxHc_OlJTEW-BhFfFlFYy8W2x6yS1ysAyCuTiA5iNzhbtbOlbEqsWoFhPNcXw8_ZEbpLqc8RLxoD7DiLb_i8pnkbE2OCdvatuXsxFyr46HLpyOwY-iOWbD2YH2Z_MH6W2UWDcTfZgtzwllPMkA/s718/connection-options.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="718" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1OsjjP0_VlFGZ-oRHmm3uUCmjJCXtzJ3znbBtZfAvxHc_OlJTEW-BhFfFlFYy8W2x6yS1ysAyCuTiA5iNzhbtbOlbEqsWoFhPNcXw8_ZEbpLqc8RLxoD7DiLb_i8pnkbE2OCdvatuXsxFyr46HLpyOwY-iOWbD2YH2Z_MH6W2UWDcTfZgtzwllPMkA/s320/connection-options.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Tapping the notification brings up the file transfer options.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfvPigzzRqA2Lsg10MgLlfOSB4qIljj6GmbFzUt6npT6V7A1ArHJ4Z5GhBZ-WHDy5evlDiDKMzoUlY5o3EO2DubtR3I5lYPi4mbrb46h9NYy03DDd0Wo1F2tplvOVRPJC5T8pNqg2UwepSi8g4bdJ0n62GAJEkwSeH6F5Y93OdkJ1XaDwMJQYsI-PQ/s1600/Screenshot_20221010-201435.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfvPigzzRqA2Lsg10MgLlfOSB4qIljj6GmbFzUt6npT6V7A1ArHJ4Z5GhBZ-WHDy5evlDiDKMzoUlY5o3EO2DubtR3I5lYPi4mbrb46h9NYy03DDd0Wo1F2tplvOVRPJC5T8pNqg2UwepSi8g4bdJ0n62GAJEkwSeH6F5Y93OdkJ1XaDwMJQYsI-PQ/s320/Screenshot_20221010-201435.png" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-4303955339237794632022-12-13T06:42:00.004-08:002022-12-13T06:42:32.208-08:00Debian Bookworm Gets New Artwork<p>After an update to Debian Bookworm Base files today, login artwork had changed, and a new wallpaper was available.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF59t8K_FYaFjugKIq1GhT4_klqlbwaY-0hg3tS68G9ZkNpIz7q5UdG3B27-KhO1va89ey3QqYCXfWUQ5hmE6hU_6DfDS9FIPb4i11XhtzUWUTqco7vXQcoDJwVhOFibfKTaqaZrnLKKuXxRIgHo2PcTrMK8PfOBe_LG1prW_5CjVBeP3-KAMRkmeOA/s1920/Screenshot_2022-12-13_14-17-17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF59t8K_FYaFjugKIq1GhT4_klqlbwaY-0hg3tS68G9ZkNpIz7q5UdG3B27-KhO1va89ey3QqYCXfWUQ5hmE6hU_6DfDS9FIPb4i11XhtzUWUTqco7vXQcoDJwVhOFibfKTaqaZrnLKKuXxRIgHo2PcTrMK8PfOBe_LG1prW_5CjVBeP3-KAMRkmeOA/s320/Screenshot_2022-12-13_14-17-17.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />It seems to be the Emerald theme by <a href="http://www.juliettetaka.com/fr/linux">Juliette Taka</a>. The inspiration seems to be folded sheets of paper. Juliette has always gone for the abstract rather than literal interpretation of the toy story character that inspires the artwork for each release.<br /><p></p><p><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianArt/Themes/Emerald">wiki.debian.org</a></p><p>I didn't notice a competition this year. I expect the people at Debian have just decided that as Juliette's design is always the best, they might as well just ask her to submit a design. I have used all four of her previous wallpapers, even Buster, when she didn't win the competition, her abstract moon losing out to a jigsaw dog.<br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-1000292400738476382022-12-11T13:27:00.000-08:002022-12-11T13:27:11.950-08:00Share Over Wifi in Linux<p>I sometimes need to transfer a photo from my Android phone to my Linux computer. Bluetooth works, but is slow. I found Send via Wifi in Total Commander on my Android phone, which transfers files very quickly. It provides an http address which I put into Firefox, where the files I have chosen to send as download links.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT_4CIXzLqlxCZHBH5WqWx_2Li-UU179S_kYmszT5YcC4iTgXi_0w4ESvMP3kR8fvRmQ7pNmVT_iaMfU12nZthh4hxMsZe1xIfNZ_U6SrgLcgJHVWjyFCeJBCWXHqHCbLT4x4CP4qB9fzC2tcxxsjgl-jHwBsAht0ZsZnwt1c3yTgSXmBZzzGLHShMw/s622/Screenshot_2022-12-11_20-01-08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="622" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwT_4CIXzLqlxCZHBH5WqWx_2Li-UU179S_kYmszT5YcC4iTgXi_0w4ESvMP3kR8fvRmQ7pNmVT_iaMfU12nZthh4hxMsZe1xIfNZ_U6SrgLcgJHVWjyFCeJBCWXHqHCbLT4x4CP4qB9fzC2tcxxsjgl-jHwBsAht0ZsZnwt1c3yTgSXmBZzzGLHShMw/s320/Screenshot_2022-12-11_20-01-08.png" width="320" /></a></div>It is also possible to send files from Linux to Total Commander. The Receive via Wifi plugin says it requires either Total Commander (which is a Windows PC app only), or an app with a share button and a send via wifi feature, which I don't have.<p></p><p>As Total Commander seems to set up an http server to transfer files, I wondered if it was possible to start an http server in Linux so that Android can view and download files on the computer. Indeed it is. There is a simple Python command that will set up an http sever. This can then be accessed from a web browser in Android, and files viewed, played or downloaded, just by entering the IP address.</p><p>This of course is over a local network behind a firewall. </p><p>As entering an IP address, is a bit tedious, I then wondered if there was a way of getting a QR code to pop up with the IP address for Firefox to read in Android. Well, yes there is.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_rc4mG8lM9rAZ65cJGYFDCVtbjwCPIzdb1Rte_YT7nYe_MqBn-njpXhaqUEUSoMPkepgq9Ziz4RrzQSOfIaYkeeNK0-5PadDEVJ6Lq6J-smIXlL0KVZmvpPEuOM3e84GFPfriguufA8Y6az4emHnJWNIk2NdrWMesw0EKwXPPD2fn6BIdc-aPs2TXQ/s824/Screenshot_2022-12-11_20-58-25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="824" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_rc4mG8lM9rAZ65cJGYFDCVtbjwCPIzdb1Rte_YT7nYe_MqBn-njpXhaqUEUSoMPkepgq9Ziz4RrzQSOfIaYkeeNK0-5PadDEVJ6Lq6J-smIXlL0KVZmvpPEuOM3e84GFPfriguufA8Y6az4emHnJWNIk2NdrWMesw0EKwXPPD2fn6BIdc-aPs2TXQ/s320/Screenshot_2022-12-11_20-58-25.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Scan the QR code in Android, and Firefox asks if you want to open the link. (If you don't have Firefox for Android, you may need another QR reading app.) From the page that opens, you can browse the file system.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Lv9Q_OZpVmOlDrJ7oz6yQUFBamca7I0fU-qeRWG-x2umn7I07yOo-D6-aguy8sFbMfKoSCDQ__5-z4nGIPvN07szqK3iQWtsGSxEZU9PWvHXDoWENe_i0oH304fBhdV01JZaTec0a1Gpu9lgKUQwj8ZE_MoZMM_C37jZHCPlfOR2a6xGbBa3Y1p-XQ/s1600/Screenshot_20221210-224338.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Lv9Q_OZpVmOlDrJ7oz6yQUFBamca7I0fU-qeRWG-x2umn7I07yOo-D6-aguy8sFbMfKoSCDQ__5-z4nGIPvN07szqK3iQWtsGSxEZU9PWvHXDoWENe_i0oH304fBhdV01JZaTec0a1Gpu9lgKUQwj8ZE_MoZMM_C37jZHCPlfOR2a6xGbBa3Y1p-XQ/s320/Screenshot_20221210-224338.png" width="144" /></a></div><p>To do this you'll need the <span style="font-family: courier;">qrencode</span> and <span style="font-family: courier;">imagemagick</span> packages. The script I wrote to start the server and pop up the QR code is below. The exact Python command to start the http server may vary according to distro and version - this one works in Debian Bookworm. The port used must be open on the hosting computer.</p><blockquote><span style="font-family: courier;">#!/bin/bash<br />ip=$(hostname -I)<br />echo http://${ip/ /}:8000/ > url.txt<br />qrencode -s 8 -r url.txt -o qrcode.png<br />display qrcode.png &<br />python3 -m http.server</span></blockquote><p></p><p>Mostly for my benefit, as I hacked together the script from bits and pieces I found on the internet, here's some information about what the code does. (I always forget after a while and wonder why I did what I did.)</p><p>1. Find the IP address of the host computer.</p><p>2. Trim the output because the command adds a space to the end of the variable for some reason and write the output to a text file because <span style="font-family: courier;">qrencode</span> only accepts text strings.</p><p>3. Read the text file and turn it into a QR code with block width 8 pixels.</p><p>4. Display the QR code and start the server in parallel (&).</p><p>To stop the sever, do Ctrl + C.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-76846934586758441722022-12-10T04:31:00.000-08:002022-12-10T04:31:47.369-08:00Lenovo All-in-One C20 Fan Gets a Clean<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkpG9NbiR7IiTfdoqTZFiPu_1z8kfXJAdovIt607HYwE9X4tKAX7V9enzGgOgzS0GKJTRneO0iSIr54v2QB4xOkpL9Vh9_GFvkPGl9dgfj_Ba655raP1hunrwW7_Qy7dyPXS52XWkCwzBWlejhP3Cx-zGI4UYwhSUcEWCJc9NoHqNKaOcd1NyvCJBMQ/s1463/dirty-fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1463" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkpG9NbiR7IiTfdoqTZFiPu_1z8kfXJAdovIt607HYwE9X4tKAX7V9enzGgOgzS0GKJTRneO0iSIr54v2QB4xOkpL9Vh9_GFvkPGl9dgfj_Ba655raP1hunrwW7_Qy7dyPXS52XWkCwzBWlejhP3Cx-zGI4UYwhSUcEWCJc9NoHqNKaOcd1NyvCJBMQ/s320/dirty-fan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Computer fans collect dust and fluff and need cleaning every six months to a year to work efficiently, and if left to collect dirt can cause excessive noise and even computer shutdown due to overheating.<p></p><p>So why don't computer manufactures make them an easily accessible maintenance item? Why do they make the task difficult for even somebody with experience of computer maintenance? Why (in the case of my Lenovo C20 fan above) do they make the task so difficult that the vast majority of computer owners could not do it without damaging cabling and components, and probably rendering the computer inoperable, even though this is a piece of routine maintenance that will need doing regularly?</p><p>A cynic would say that they expect you to ditch the computer in a couple of years, so aren't bothered what happens when the fan gets dusty, because you'll probably just go and buy a new one.</p><p>Opening the case of this computer was difficult enough, involving removing hidden screws and popping the screen from the body with a screwdriver. Having done that, I expected the fan to be accessible for cleaning, but no, no sign of it. I had to remove connections from the motherboard, unscrew it, lift it to the side and remove a metal screen before I could get to it.</p><p>I'm not going to give detailed instructions because if you are experienced at computer repairs, you can probably figure it out, and if you aren't, this is not a task you should carry out. I was doubtful myself that the computer would work when I put it back together, but fortunately it did.</p><p>This is not a task I will be repeating anytime soon. The computer only has a very low powered netbook CPU, and is not used for demanding tasks, so the fan rarely spins hard, and I have not noticed any excessive noise or overheating in the seven years I've had it, so maybe in another seven years I will risk cleaning the fan again.</p><p>But really, why couldn't there be a hatch behind the fan as it lies against the back of the case? This would allow regular dusting. Sadly the computer seems to have been designed as a throw away item. Next time I think I will buy a tower that is designed to be serviceable and upgradeable.</p><p>Here are some photos of the procedure for anybody brave enough to try it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs17cesBU96Ngt3chdjyZC6WsuPMwMsOGSi125mBY-q6Q0FWj-v8wO2jn-21YMULcWrZSh_f8P_13b_9Atn22OTG56EaHeA7sDYk3Mv0NgmtsT8DCBQBd1UhQ1CnsWd2OywPWQpIi7Ybwjjk3YHOBnxhp1QVhcl3FI0MYaANOb07D1S-gb3T-V9xpz-g/s4160/IMG_20221208_160305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs17cesBU96Ngt3chdjyZC6WsuPMwMsOGSi125mBY-q6Q0FWj-v8wO2jn-21YMULcWrZSh_f8P_13b_9Atn22OTG56EaHeA7sDYk3Mv0NgmtsT8DCBQBd1UhQ1CnsWd2OywPWQpIi7Ybwjjk3YHOBnxhp1QVhcl3FI0MYaANOb07D1S-gb3T-V9xpz-g/s320/IMG_20221208_160305.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgfpNV8seipx69wQ8pl2ZBR3jYqO7FlACwtZrXKuS57KwoJoVoz13J831Q4qrOIX9cOMZeKQfcUbTrA2-tPugEwAoXxgQ3wJsliLziKGSBM3FXvUy4N56TBl9XGTD98vttFQNRI90-qaD290M-R3kvgLWU67IDh3aQdngGr0wcKG0HP9RSNRBNi-R_w/s4160/IMG_20221208_160119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgfpNV8seipx69wQ8pl2ZBR3jYqO7FlACwtZrXKuS57KwoJoVoz13J831Q4qrOIX9cOMZeKQfcUbTrA2-tPugEwAoXxgQ3wJsliLziKGSBM3FXvUy4N56TBl9XGTD98vttFQNRI90-qaD290M-R3kvgLWU67IDh3aQdngGr0wcKG0HP9RSNRBNi-R_w/s320/IMG_20221208_160119.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_K79o5aD9oXVh48yRvHzccQcAgu5QH5y4gTWf-8R2JhKlIbq345dRm733MthfzSUZRD9aqjZvPVDLwI-xdlW6mHV9TZjqwo4DCJEUEzKQjRJJVhLzGkyGAc0X11EWDTyY412ReJxk2RbcOEUrj3Ew39zU-N7sak5SNmReumqNTVYDlsN0-d4-iHNcQ/s4160/IMG_20221208_152344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_K79o5aD9oXVh48yRvHzccQcAgu5QH5y4gTWf-8R2JhKlIbq345dRm733MthfzSUZRD9aqjZvPVDLwI-xdlW6mHV9TZjqwo4DCJEUEzKQjRJJVhLzGkyGAc0X11EWDTyY412ReJxk2RbcOEUrj3Ew39zU-N7sak5SNmReumqNTVYDlsN0-d4-iHNcQ/s320/IMG_20221208_152344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O18YGO9aXz5iTsSac2ecLAjeJgHh2XKDGPefp09DL2NczFpvqbmNmedDrmleCN-pXNQcaCvAM5Vwh_3kmSMO7wzy9PmR_Go_EjRqL8RuxPors57Q-c1MJQOZeaXCkOm0jVyR_wSjfUhim6FpAili1G8JCaVpG3aUvmiiRUY5fzDYXg5helozvC4Tjg/s4160/IMG_20221208_152352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O18YGO9aXz5iTsSac2ecLAjeJgHh2XKDGPefp09DL2NczFpvqbmNmedDrmleCN-pXNQcaCvAM5Vwh_3kmSMO7wzy9PmR_Go_EjRqL8RuxPors57Q-c1MJQOZeaXCkOm0jVyR_wSjfUhim6FpAili1G8JCaVpG3aUvmiiRUY5fzDYXg5helozvC4Tjg/s320/IMG_20221208_152352.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tQSXbOAPrQuJ0H8QJ-_Sjb2Qlu8sUmr0BePKz705hNxvmSYtgDmAd2YS9yBrHW3Bs6V9EiE847grw9gchpPUpqBqEUfM_EkU2YYeIVdg96u4vd1OU4rQwmi8vHDjGKwpBn7GS2UW1qN81nuEtZWlwBhVJikVpMVkmKLbErsiFcpVqKvnU92rszrqOQ/s4160/IMG_20221208_152624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tQSXbOAPrQuJ0H8QJ-_Sjb2Qlu8sUmr0BePKz705hNxvmSYtgDmAd2YS9yBrHW3Bs6V9EiE847grw9gchpPUpqBqEUfM_EkU2YYeIVdg96u4vd1OU4rQwmi8vHDjGKwpBn7GS2UW1qN81nuEtZWlwBhVJikVpMVkmKLbErsiFcpVqKvnU92rszrqOQ/s320/IMG_20221208_152624.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXWot0qzXLPE_kghbRsO4n_sBcS3Jy0HvgBrXot8fz2GR9toIMuNppYPx9QbQrNqIDzgTs28apCPfMNRDlD6oecGJVgXtiOguqDjvF-jb8KoeDS9iq6wfG9k6bpY9AAH1pEWyAl5LD2q9WUjqXaCGyAu3MMhQEH1hOlIsoQcFOW8WT-zQBwobvwLnfg/s4160/IMG_20221208_152750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXWot0qzXLPE_kghbRsO4n_sBcS3Jy0HvgBrXot8fz2GR9toIMuNppYPx9QbQrNqIDzgTs28apCPfMNRDlD6oecGJVgXtiOguqDjvF-jb8KoeDS9iq6wfG9k6bpY9AAH1pEWyAl5LD2q9WUjqXaCGyAu3MMhQEH1hOlIsoQcFOW8WT-zQBwobvwLnfg/s320/IMG_20221208_152750.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Now why couldn't there just be a hole in the back to get at this???<br />FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-43547192745651916992022-12-10T00:38:00.001-08:002022-12-10T00:38:44.342-08:00Lenovo C20 Gets a Memory Upgrade<p>The good thing about "old" computers is that memory gets cheaper, and adding memory gives the computer a new lease of life. I have added 500MB, 1GB, and 4GB memory to my old laptops for a very reasonable price after about 6-8 years. As I recall, I paid about £10-15 each time, for memory that was originally perhaps 4-5 times that price. I have also upgraded the memory on an old tower PC for less than a couple of pounds, but in that case, the computer was more like 10-12 years old, and the memory card a salvage item from eBay.</p><p>Extra memory will make a computer run much better if it is using a high percentage of that memory, because the computer starts to use swap (Linux) or virtual memory (Windows), writing memory to hard disk to free RAM space. This makes switching applications or browser tabs or opening menus slow, as these things have been swapped from RAM to HD as RAM becomes full. (I don't know if the same thing applies to SSDs, because I don't have one.) It won't make a computer faster at gaming or video editing, but with web pages and web browsers using more and more memory, it will make using the internet (especially with multiple tabs open) a much better experience.</p><p>Indeed, I upgraded the memory on my newest laptop for just this reason. It would work perfectly well with 4GB of RAM - without a web browser open! With 8GB, web browsing is perfectly fluid, even with dozens of tabs open, as I documented <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2021/03/toshiba-laptop-gets-memory-upgrade.html">here</a>.</p><p>I had not upgraded this machine, a Lenovo all-in-one C20 previously because it only has one memory slot, which would have meant buying a expensive 8GB memory card, rather than, as with my laptop, adding a cheaper 4GB card to a spare slot. </p><p>Recently though, the Lenovo has been having issues, with the HD churning when switching applications (a good sign that the computer is having to move memory between swap and RAM), and the main menu taking 15 seconds to appear.</p><p>Investigating memory usage showed 86% of RAM in use, with 1.7GB of swap memory in use.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7P99AM3JD9Z2hkeT-EoZWyddjfxWFoaM94R1-PHPbKWglAVGX37UXi4qlVwUPfL_swoaBZO9370Okw7nh_Z7INrfTxazNcEw2eNWFGVEhSmixuUOoHUJSMOC5NvNWpg_E34XAOGavcAuSaMqrd8AlIAJxeUrEgUjfjf2W2X3Usj2u2TywPfg1oRh2Q/s442/high-memory-4GB.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="106" data-original-width="442" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7P99AM3JD9Z2hkeT-EoZWyddjfxWFoaM94R1-PHPbKWglAVGX37UXi4qlVwUPfL_swoaBZO9370Okw7nh_Z7INrfTxazNcEw2eNWFGVEhSmixuUOoHUJSMOC5NvNWpg_E34XAOGavcAuSaMqrd8AlIAJxeUrEgUjfjf2W2X3Usj2u2TywPfg1oRh2Q/s320/high-memory-4GB.png" width="320" /></a></div>A previous screenshot of memory usage from a few weeks ago did not show the same high usage of swap, so I'm wondering if this could be a result of a memory leak in the latest version of Firefox (I'm using 107).<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB22VMOcl1l1R9BPrEQh-FcdD1lzDaZ7dI2fq7w3mkZtq-TqlFF_ubnvzTCypvSo8b9sNzmd4obqx0pg2Onm23Ug3yiTOD7551ViEq8N1LbGlDd1LhW79ANdjRU3LDu8kkLMZuYb2wUI2KYtiMgoQO7YRNgHtGbLwMiEahQVAadzzFnr63w56M0lrYw/s394/previous-memory-usage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="102" data-original-width="394" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB22VMOcl1l1R9BPrEQh-FcdD1lzDaZ7dI2fq7w3mkZtq-TqlFF_ubnvzTCypvSo8b9sNzmd4obqx0pg2Onm23Ug3yiTOD7551ViEq8N1LbGlDd1LhW79ANdjRU3LDu8kkLMZuYb2wUI2KYtiMgoQO7YRNgHtGbLwMiEahQVAadzzFnr63w56M0lrYw/s320/previous-memory-usage.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>Whatever the cause, I found a refurbished 8GB card from a well-known memory supplier for £14.94 with a lifetime guarantee, and couldn't resist. This was not a dusty old card from a salvage machine, but as sellers of refurbished hardware like to say "cosmetically indistinguishable from new". An unwanted return? Anyway, a bargain, and here is memory usage after fitting.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEZ7o-V774O64K9qWYZXc0vd4eqyb7TSfG7FPrNUHc88WCACYxf6YpFwvOQOzlAkTJFdSTt0VDn5KHRSdtwHq-k9tWiLweWu2n4c7B7_q84s70gXFGsb9JpgnbP_CPWGkfyuHn8RBR9CSyIn-uRnJDf_cz-uJKHqAyCtVnlKMvVq1lqer_tEbaISVKg/s441/memory-after-upgrade.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="441" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEZ7o-V774O64K9qWYZXc0vd4eqyb7TSfG7FPrNUHc88WCACYxf6YpFwvOQOzlAkTJFdSTt0VDn5KHRSdtwHq-k9tWiLweWu2n4c7B7_q84s70gXFGsb9JpgnbP_CPWGkfyuHn8RBR9CSyIn-uRnJDf_cz-uJKHqAyCtVnlKMvVq1lqer_tEbaISVKg/s320/memory-after-upgrade.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>This is with multiple active tabs open in Firefox. Switching between tabs is instant, the main menu appears in a fraction of a second again, and there is still room to open other applications. Result! </p><p>With a browser open, 8GB of memory seems to be the minimum for a usable system these days, as was <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-memory-does-laptop-need.html">the case with my laptop</a>. For older machines, a memory upgrade becomes an affordable option, but how was the actual procedure? Pretty awful, it has to be said. This machine is not designed to be easily opened.</p><p>The key is to pull back the rubber feet on the legs to remove two screws. I would never have noticed these without finding a guide on the internet. There is another screw under a removable panel behind the stand hinge. After removing these, insert a blunt screwdriver in to the legs and start cracking off the screen. Slide the screwdriver along the gap until resistance is felt, then twist to pop the next catch along. Level of difficulty: high. Chance of damaging case or screen: high. Do I wish I'd bought a tower? Yes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs17cesBU96Ngt3chdjyZC6WsuPMwMsOGSi125mBY-q6Q0FWj-v8wO2jn-21YMULcWrZSh_f8P_13b_9Atn22OTG56EaHeA7sDYk3Mv0NgmtsT8DCBQBd1UhQ1CnsWd2OywPWQpIi7Ybwjjk3YHOBnxhp1QVhcl3FI0MYaANOb07D1S-gb3T-V9xpz-g/s4160/IMG_20221208_160305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs17cesBU96Ngt3chdjyZC6WsuPMwMsOGSi125mBY-q6Q0FWj-v8wO2jn-21YMULcWrZSh_f8P_13b_9Atn22OTG56EaHeA7sDYk3Mv0NgmtsT8DCBQBd1UhQ1CnsWd2OywPWQpIi7Ybwjjk3YHOBnxhp1QVhcl3FI0MYaANOb07D1S-gb3T-V9xpz-g/s320/IMG_20221208_160305.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgfpNV8seipx69wQ8pl2ZBR3jYqO7FlACwtZrXKuS57KwoJoVoz13J831Q4qrOIX9cOMZeKQfcUbTrA2-tPugEwAoXxgQ3wJsliLziKGSBM3FXvUy4N56TBl9XGTD98vttFQNRI90-qaD290M-R3kvgLWU67IDh3aQdngGr0wcKG0HP9RSNRBNi-R_w/s4160/IMG_20221208_160119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgfpNV8seipx69wQ8pl2ZBR3jYqO7FlACwtZrXKuS57KwoJoVoz13J831Q4qrOIX9cOMZeKQfcUbTrA2-tPugEwAoXxgQ3wJsliLziKGSBM3FXvUy4N56TBl9XGTD98vttFQNRI90-qaD290M-R3kvgLWU67IDh3aQdngGr0wcKG0HP9RSNRBNi-R_w/s320/IMG_20221208_160119.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>When the screen is detached, the card slot is easily accessible on the mother board. Don't forget to earth yourself before touching memory cards.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_K79o5aD9oXVh48yRvHzccQcAgu5QH5y4gTWf-8R2JhKlIbq345dRm733MthfzSUZRD9aqjZvPVDLwI-xdlW6mHV9TZjqwo4DCJEUEzKQjRJJVhLzGkyGAc0X11EWDTyY412ReJxk2RbcOEUrj3Ew39zU-N7sak5SNmReumqNTVYDlsN0-d4-iHNcQ/s4160/IMG_20221208_152344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_K79o5aD9oXVh48yRvHzccQcAgu5QH5y4gTWf-8R2JhKlIbq345dRm733MthfzSUZRD9aqjZvPVDLwI-xdlW6mHV9TZjqwo4DCJEUEzKQjRJJVhLzGkyGAc0X11EWDTyY412ReJxk2RbcOEUrj3Ew39zU-N7sak5SNmReumqNTVYDlsN0-d4-iHNcQ/s320/IMG_20221208_152344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O18YGO9aXz5iTsSac2ecLAjeJgHh2XKDGPefp09DL2NczFpvqbmNmedDrmleCN-pXNQcaCvAM5Vwh_3kmSMO7wzy9PmR_Go_EjRqL8RuxPors57Q-c1MJQOZeaXCkOm0jVyR_wSjfUhim6FpAili1G8JCaVpG3aUvmiiRUY5fzDYXg5helozvC4Tjg/s4160/IMG_20221208_152352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3O18YGO9aXz5iTsSac2ecLAjeJgHh2XKDGPefp09DL2NczFpvqbmNmedDrmleCN-pXNQcaCvAM5Vwh_3kmSMO7wzy9PmR_Go_EjRqL8RuxPors57Q-c1MJQOZeaXCkOm0jVyR_wSjfUhim6FpAili1G8JCaVpG3aUvmiiRUY5fzDYXg5helozvC4Tjg/s320/IMG_20221208_152352.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>If you are wondering why I'm in the process of removing the motherboard, it's because I thought I would clean the fan while I had the case open, but the only way to access the fan is to take out the motherboard. Yes, worst design ever, but that's another story...<br />FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-63190208068459120812022-11-01T00:20:00.000-07:002022-11-01T00:20:28.668-07:00Edit PDFs in Linux with Firefox 106<p>Did you ever receive a PDF form in Linux and wish there was an easy way to edit it with your information before returning it?</p><p>Well now you can with Firefox 106.</p><p></p><blockquote>It is now possible to edit PDFs: including writing text, drawing, and adding signatures.</blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/106.0/releasenotes/">Firefox Release Notes</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfxQ8OKmtSdflEk_9ANghufXYoA8-KZhT9kAqj9JuRP2C7V1UuE0U1MNE3c7KKFiWgVbvYHrs86qrvewrFcPSJPklaY1DNqr2abHVy9aqCIeZvh1vm-0kzSYd2HIA-he_cQ1kxh9XN2UZ2nBkVTB2fyjh8NlYeCaLW4msE7ABt7e8IsxsooeFehgmLw/s811/Screenshot_2022-11-01_07-09-59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="811" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfxQ8OKmtSdflEk_9ANghufXYoA8-KZhT9kAqj9JuRP2C7V1UuE0U1MNE3c7KKFiWgVbvYHrs86qrvewrFcPSJPklaY1DNqr2abHVy9aqCIeZvh1vm-0kzSYd2HIA-he_cQ1kxh9XN2UZ2nBkVTB2fyjh8NlYeCaLW4msE7ABt7e8IsxsooeFehgmLw/s320/Screenshot_2022-11-01_07-09-59.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-21570982845592110572022-06-05T14:32:00.004-07:002022-06-05T14:34:24.367-07:00A panel task switcher for XFCE on Debian<p>In Gnome of course you can see all your open windows and switch between tasks with Alt+Tab. In Windows you can do this with a panel button - something which I <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2012/03/application-switcher-extension-for.html">wondered a decade ago</a> whether might be possible in Linux. Always prompt to find and answer to issues, I offer you, ten years later, <a href="https://code.google.com/archive/p/skippy-xd/">Skippy-XD, full screen task switcher for X11</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/ZMupWqdl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://imgur.com/ZMupWqdl.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/VQctQwNl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="360" src="https://imgur.com/VQctQwNl.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EJXcnka75rM" width="320" youtube-src-id="EJXcnka75rM"></iframe></div><p>Skippy-XD is not available from the Debian repositories. You can compile it from source, or cheat like me and get it <a href="https://mxrepo.com/mx/testrepo/pool/test/s/skippy-xd/">from MX Linux as a Debian package</a>. I tested the MX 19 package on Debian Testing. It works, but may not necessarily be as stable as something from the Debian repository.</p><p>To add Skippy to the XFCE panel, add a launcher to the panel with the command</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">skippy-xd –activate-window-picker </span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-DqC8zslK9kcGIsewEhGLBKgNvwmptmfNR4uh2NOc3OhDr7E6J8ZpP1JBKSMSr3MAzTIAK6VnVGTxvBnsxPBI1ov6g57STXrcO_hOrgiw7sK8im5pm1WYXYQlS8iKrC1suF5VW1TMQCFF5ojmdaAD29ETx3fPxDRcTG3eUeW81mI7juSXiERIHdzDg/s794/Screenshot_2022-06-05_22-31-31.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="722" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-DqC8zslK9kcGIsewEhGLBKgNvwmptmfNR4uh2NOc3OhDr7E6J8ZpP1JBKSMSr3MAzTIAK6VnVGTxvBnsxPBI1ov6g57STXrcO_hOrgiw7sK8im5pm1WYXYQlS8iKrC1suF5VW1TMQCFF5ojmdaAD29ETx3fPxDRcTG3eUeW81mI7juSXiERIHdzDg/s320/Screenshot_2022-06-05_22-31-31.png" width="291" /></a></div><p>The screenshot above is not the default appearance. By default, the uppermost window on the desktop is tinted and the lower windows are slightly transparent, windows are without icons, and windows appear on the screen as is when Skippy is activated, so if you have multiple windows visible on the desktop, Skippy will display the same windows on top of themselves, but transparent, which can be a bit difficult to view. I have edited the configuration file to remove transparency and tint, have an icon on the windows, and use the desktop wallpaper as a background.</p><p>To change settings, copy the configuration file from <span style="font-family: courier;">/etc/xdg/skippy-xd.rc</span> to <span style="font-family: courier;">~/.config/skippy-xd/skippy-xd.rc</span> <br /></p><p>I edited these lines of the configuration file:</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: courier;">clientDisplayModes = thumbnail-icon icon filled none</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">[Displays an image of open windows with the icon of the application superimposed, and falls back to just an icon when an image is not available - if the window is minimised or on another workspace.]<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">background = tile /home/<user>/homeworld.png </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">[.svg wallpaper files don't work.]<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">[normal] </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># tint = black </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">tintOpacity = 0 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">opacity = 255 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">[highlight] </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">#tint = #101020 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">tintOpacity = 0 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">opacity = 255 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">[No transparency, no tint.] <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">[tooltip] </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">border = #404040 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">background = #404040 </span></p><p>[No white border.]</p><p>For anyone curious, the dock in the screenshot and video above is the <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2022/02/xfce-docklike-plugin-on-debian-bullseye.html">XFCE docklike plugin</a>, also available for Debian from MX Linux.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-36548239380102516162022-06-02T09:24:00.003-07:002023-11-07T23:12:08.915-08:00No internet connection in Debian Testing install<p>I installed Debian Testing on a separate partition on this computer recently and found I had no internet connection. I could connect to my router but not to any web sites. I had used the Debian Testing installer which does not contain non-free firmware, and selected not to configure wifi during install, as my wifi won't work without <span style="font-family: courier;">iwlwifi</span>. However, I'd installed the package manually after the installation completed.</p><p>To cut a long story short, after a day of looking into it, I found that my /etc/resolv.conf file was a broken sim link. resolv.conf is used by Systemd and Network Manager to resolve IP addresses - hence no internet connections. I fixed it by editing /etc/resolv.conf and adding the location of my access point, the router:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># Generated by NetworkManager<br />nameserver 192.168.2.1</span></p><p>I can't remember whether my internet connection started working right away, or I restarted Network Manager or rebooted. </p><p>The file is apparently reset/overwritten by systemd-resolved/Network manager with an address from the DNS server, which in my case is the ISP via the router: the file now contains an entry for OpenDNS, which I'm guessing the ISP uses.</p><p>Anyway, I assume the problem occurred because I didn't configure the wireless connection during the install, but it might be a bug in the Debian testing installer.<br /></p><p><a href="https://linuxhint.com/update-resolv-conf-on-ubuntu/">LinuxHint</a> </p><p>Edit: added another link I used.<br /></p><p><a href="https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/configuring_and_managing_networking/manually-configuring-the-etc-resolv-conf-file_configuring-and-managing-networking">Red Hat Customer Portal</a></p><p>Edit: Corrected LinuxHint link and adding a link to a bug report I found at the time but forgot to add to this post.</p><p><a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/systemd/+bug/1872015">resolv.conf symlink is broken </a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-62786432431741125772022-06-02T06:57:00.000-07:002022-06-02T06:57:16.858-07:00Borked my swap file<p>I installed Debian Testing on this computer to play with, but allowed the installation to use the swap partition. When I booted into the main installation (Debian Bullseye Gnome), I found it did not have swap memory available, which is not good because with only 4GB of RAM, it needs swap memory if I have a browser and other applications open. (Unfortunately it has one card slot, so upgrading the memory would involve purchasing an expensive 8GB card, unlike my laptop which had a free slot so I could drop in am extra 4GB card for not too much money).</p><p>The solution was to get the main installation to share the swap partition by updating the UUID.</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># blkid /dev/sda3</span></p><p>Got me the UUID given to the swap partition on this computer by the new install.</p><p>I then replaced the old, now non-working UUID with the working UUID from the command above. <br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># nano /etc/fstab</span><br /></p><p><a href="https://askubuntu.com/questions/33697/how-do-i-add-swap-after-system-installation">askubuntu</a></p><p>Apparently it's OK for the two installations to share the swap partition, as long as it is not used for hibernation, which it is not.</p><p><a href="https://askubuntu.com/questions/377516/sharing-of-swap-partiton-between-linux-systems">askubuntu</a> again.<br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-55453731633208276332022-05-31T14:29:00.000-07:002022-05-31T14:29:30.354-07:00Suspend won't work when screen locked in XFCE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ywh2EAcgmlYxHfYDn75aF9MSIZK5CeEGnByTGrtm-_fDtvjT9XfNREoE-01AsCpOQdEo3bhCTM24Thpwm08DEzyBOEHqzW8sM2pndHER6mBVYy3mWTjSGnxe1YdvAnZUzX3pdUKfUGZe4sKXbEqLsF7Vu-XbNSqLxdSSUfD3u1azhbgZMr-6exhbKQ/s572/Screenshot_2022-05-31_09-55-55.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="572" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ywh2EAcgmlYxHfYDn75aF9MSIZK5CeEGnByTGrtm-_fDtvjT9XfNREoE-01AsCpOQdEo3bhCTM24Thpwm08DEzyBOEHqzW8sM2pndHER6mBVYy3mWTjSGnxe1YdvAnZUzX3pdUKfUGZe4sKXbEqLsF7Vu-XbNSqLxdSSUfD3u1azhbgZMr-6exhbKQ/s320/Screenshot_2022-05-31_09-55-55.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />If you set the screen to lock after a certain period in XFCE, and the computer to suspend after a further period, you may encounter the above message when you come back to the computer: the screen has blanked but the computer hasn't suspended. The message is (for search engines):<p></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Authentication is required to suspend the sytem. Action: org.freedesktop.login1.suspend. Vendor: The systemd Project.</span></p><p>The XFCE settings for this are:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Power Manager > System > System Power Saving > Suspend / When inactive for 30 minutes.</span></p><p>and <br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Power Manager > Display > Display Power Management > Blank after 15 minutes</span></p><p>and</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Power Manager > Security > Light Locker > Automatically lock the session / When the screensaver is activated</span></p><p>This does not happen if the screen is set to blank but not lock, and to lock when the system suspends, with the settings:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Power Manager > Security > Light Locker > Automatically lock the session / Never</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Power Manager > Security > Light Locker > Lock screen when system is going to sleep</span></p><p>
A solution (if you would like to lock the screen when it blanks and have the system suspend at a later time) is</p><p>Add a file </p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">/etc/polkit-1/rules.d/85-suspend.rules</span> <br /></p><p>(NB this involves creating a directory and a file in it - read to the end if you need instructions for this.)<br /></p><p>with: </p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) { </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"> if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend" && </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"> subject.isInGroup("<your user name>")) { </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"> return polkit.Result.YES; </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">} </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">}); </span></p><p>And in Terminal, type: </p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># chmod 755 /etc/polkit-1/rules.d </span></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># chmod 644 /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/85-suspend.rules </span> </p><p>Then reboot. <br /></p><p>This is a slightly modified version of a solution posted by mja at <a href="https://askubuntu.com/questions/543921/authentication-required-before-suspend">askubuntu.com</a>. Why? Because the solution there uses:</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">subject.isInGroup("users")) {</span></p><p>But the group "users" does not exist by default, and its use in <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/users_and_groups">not recommended according to the Arch Wiki</a>. Using my user name (which is also a group by default) worked for me.</p><p>So if your user name is fred, use</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">subject.isInGroup("fred")) {</span></p><p>Note that mja also points out that the first solution on the Ask Ubuntu site involving the </p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">org.freedesktop.login1.policy</span></p><p>file is not recommended according to the Arch Wiki site because the file could be overwritten at a later date.</p><p>The <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Xfce-power-manager-troubleshooting">Debian Wiki</a> has a solution to the same problem which involves the rules file <i>and</i> the policy file, but does not mention the need to create the group users.</p><p>For me, using the rules file was enough to solve the issues.</p><p>The Debian Wiki does give instructions for creating the rules.d directory:<br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;"># mkdir /etc/polkit-1/rules.d</span></p><p>so check it out if the process is unclear.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-37983683557260460132022-05-06T23:38:00.001-07:002022-05-07T00:11:21.002-07:00(M)utter Madness - application is not responding<p>I am running Gnome on Debian Testing, and after a recent update to Gnome 42, I started getting the</p><p>Application is not responding</p><p>dialogue box every few seconds with any application that carries out any processing operations, forcing me to click the "Wait" button to continue. The main culprit was Synaptic, which has to update and check package lists to identify updates: a process which quite normally takes a few seconds. I was getting the "not responding message three times during this process.</p><p>I don't know what changed recently to cause this annoyance, but here is how to fix it.</p><p>Open <span style="font-family: courier;">dconf Editor</span> and go to <span style="font-family: courier;">/org/gnome/mutter</span>.</p><p>Look for <span style="font-family: courier;">check-alive-timeout</span> and edit the period if necessary. Mine was set to 5000 which is 5 seconds in milliseconds. I changed to to 60000, which is 1 minute in milliseconds - a more reasonable period.</p><p>Update:</p><p>I did a bit more research and found that it may actually be the application at fault,and the issue may be limited to Wayland.<br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>The check-alive feature is there for the user to be able to terminate
frozen applications more easily. However, sometimes applications are
implemented in a way where they fail to be reply to ping requests in a
timely manner, resulting in that, to the compositor, they are
indistinguishable from clients that have frozen indefinitely. </p><p>When using an application that has these issues, the GUI showed in response to the failure to respond to ping requests can become annoying,
as it disrupts the visual presentation of the application. </p><p>To allow users to work-around these issues, add a setting allowing them
to configure the timeout waited until an application is considered
frozen, or disabling the check completely. </p></blockquote><p>Gnome has added this setting, which is good. <br /></p><p></p><p> <a href="https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1080">gitlab.nome.org</a></p><p></p><blockquote>Wayland compositors can send a ping to apps that they are supposed to respond to with a pong. However, if an app caught itself in an infinite loop or other computation that takes a long time, it might not send that pong.</blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/gnome/comments/hzkuwx/how_gnome_treats_unresponsive_applications_can_i/">reddit.com</a><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Requests provided by wl_shell_surface </p><p>wl_shell_surface::pong - respond to a ping event </p><p>serial </p><p>uint - serial number of the ping event </p><p>A client must respond to a ping event with a pong request or the client may be deemed unresponsive. </p></blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://wayland.freedesktop.org/docs/html/apa.html#protocol-spec-wl_shell_surface-request-pong">wayland.freedesktop.org</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7137523581008208380.post-49181755552610253522022-03-05T09:29:00.002-08:002022-03-05T22:26:06.019-08:00Firefox on Wayland<p>I'm using the <a href="https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2021/12/new-firefox-esr-is-late-in-debian.html">Firefox release version from Ubuntuzilla</a> on Debian Testing running Gnome, which uses Wayland by default now, so I wondered, does Firefox use Wayland by default? The answer is no, but it is fairly easy to enable it and it seems to work well, with a claimed <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/firefox#Wayland">significant improvement in rendering performance</a>.</p><p>To enable Wayland mode in Firefox, edit</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">/usr/share/applications/firefox-mozilla-build.desktop</span></p><p>to <br /></p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">Exec=env MOZ_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 firefox %u</span></p><p>(This will also work with other builds of Firefox and executable paths. See <a href="https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/687967/always-run-firefox-esr-in-wayland-instead-of-x-org-on-debian">StackExchange</a>.)</p><p>To get the performance increase in rendering, set</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">gfx.webrender.compositor.force-enabled </span></p><p>to true in <span style="font-family: courier;">about:config</span>. (<a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/firefox#Wayland">Arch Wiki</a>)</p><p>There is a <a href="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1607399">bug</a> which results in the window icon and title not displaying.</p><p>To correct this I had to change the line</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">StartupWMClass=Firefox<br /></span></p><p>in the desktop file above to</p><p><span style="font-family: courier;">StartupWMClass=firefox</span></p><p>(<span style="font-family: courier;">StartupWMClass</span> must match the executable name exactly.)</p><p>I found the solution in <a href="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1530052">this bug report</a>, of which the previous bug is a duplicate, although more descriptive of this issue.<br /></p><p><br /></p>FreewheelinFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02747785651547255621noreply@blogger.com0