Into.the.Void.

There’s a site called GoogleMontage that you can give many keywords or expressions and it creates a nice montage of pictures. Check this sample I did about the city I currently study and live. (I don’t know for how long this image will be kept on their servers, so if you can’t see it post a comment).

Alternate local image if the above link stops responding: local sample

Filed by kargig at 14:22 under General
No Comments | 2,618 views

I really like the emerge tool that gentoo has. My only problem so far was the search option it had. It’s sometimes pretty slow, so I wanted an alternative. After some googling I came up with eix. It’s a powerfull search tool for the portage with indexing capabilities. So the search is really FAST!

Here’s an example of a search while emerging the latest gcc:

# time emerge -s doom >/dev/null

real 0m40.642s
user 0m0.768s
sys 0m0.210s
# time eix -s doom >/dev/null

real 0m1.140s
user 0m0.059s
sys 0m0.012s

I think that you can easily spot the “improvement”…right ?

What I also like about eix is that you can see all available versions when you search for something and not just the latest stable. Check this output when searching for gcc:

* sys-devel/gcc
Available versions: [P]2.95.3-r8 [P]3.1.1-r2 [P]3.2.3-r4 [P]3.3.2 [P]3.3.2-r5 [P]3.3.2-r7 3.3.5-r1 ~3.3.5.20050130 3.3.5.20050130-r1 ~3.3.5.20050130-r2 *~3.4.1-r3 *~3.4.3-r1 *~3.4.3.20050110-r1 *~3.4.3.20050110-r2 [M]4.0.0_beta20050402
Installed: 3.3.5.20050130-r1
Homepage: http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc/gcc.html
Description: The GNU Compiler Collection. Includes C/C++, java compilers, pie+ssp extensions, Haj Ten Brugge runtime bounds checking

Well, after searching for doom I’ve decided to install it too 🙂 Doom3 to be exact using the pak files I had in my windows ntfs partition. I just needed to “ln -s” the pak files and my savegames to the proper dirs. I now enjoy doom3 on my gentoo and I get about the same fps I used to get at windows (maybe even just a bit better, but that could be because there were many things running concurrently at windows, e.g. antivirus, firewall, windows crappy services,etc) .

If you like openoffice and you use latex there’s a very nice macro that combines these 2 worlds: OOoLatexEquation. I think it’s just great when you want to have some nice looking math formulas on your documents (embedded as graphics of course). Check this screenshot.

Oh and something I don’t understand. I have emerge multitail some time ago and I saw that there’s an updated version out, but when I “emerge -uDpv world” I don’t see it listed. When I try “emerge -u multitail” it’s there:

[ebuild U ] app-text/multitail-3.4.8 [3.4.5] -debug 63 kB

any ideas why can this be happening ? Is it a bug ? If it is it could affect the whole system by not listing packages that have security problems and “must” be updated. I have never seen it happening before and I wish I won’t see it in the future again.

Filed by kargig at 03:31 under General,Linux
No Comments | 2,570 views

In a recent post in slashdot it is said that vlc is threatened with closure due to software patents. You can read more about it here: Videolan patent problem.

This patent madness will drive many opensource developers crazy in a very short time…I guess that it is getting more and more difficult to code something when you are in fear that someone may sue you for something that you just…thought. The problem is bigger for people coding multimedia applications. That’s where the most money from typical users are spent…and that’s where big companies base their success. You buy a dvd from your local store…but now you need to watch it with a decent player right ? Who has de-interlace support ? Who has DTS support ? and so on and so on… This is really getting nowhere…If companies persist on their patents each one is going to create a crippled player due to patents pending from the “opponent” companies…just crazy…and BAD for the users…

shame…but that’s how things work lately…There was a time where software was cheap and hardware was trully expensive..this has changed completely nowdays…

More links on patent problems:
DTS vs Videolan
Kopete patent problems

Filed by kargig at 20:11 under General
No Comments | 2,530 views

I’ve found this little hack for wordpress that supposedly stops trackback spamming. I’ve installed it..and I will wait for the results.

Not much else is going on lately since my free time is .. absent.

By the way..the wordpress theme I use is not imhotep any more but gentle calm. I’ve added a calendar and some Meta links to the theme..and I like it a bit more this way than the original.

Filed by kargig at 14:17 under General
No Comments | 2,821 views

I’ve just upgraded my blog to WordPress 1.5. I know there might be some probs with older posts, but I will try to fix them as soon as you tell me or as soon as I spot them. I chose the imhotep theme which I kinda like..for now.

I hope I have more news on wordpress plugins/hacks soon.

Filed by kargig at 03:13 under General
No Comments | 2,426 views

After Angelos decided to install MathML in his blog, I decided to install the proper fonts in my Gentoo linux in order to read it.

After some googling I came up with this article from bugzilla:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=128153#c81

I was able to follow it and install all necessary fonts apart from the Symbol font. I don’t know what this guy means…and yes, I’ve read previous posts before this and still can’t get it. The thing he says about the .font.conf here (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=128153#c42) doesn’t seem to work for me.
Anyway…my solution was to ask Angelos to give me his symbol.ttf font from his windows pc and install it where all my truetype fonts are. Then I simply followed this:

[1] ‘Symbol’ truetype font also works if you remove the comment for the
following lines in fontsEncoding.properties file (in $MOZILLA_HOME/res/fonts)
—————-
#encoding.symbol.ttf = Adobe-Symbol-Encoding
#encoding.symbol.ftcmap = mac_roman
——————

Now my Firefox is ready for MathML.

Filed by kargig at 19:49 under General,Linux
No Comments | 2,676 views

I decided to go for kernel 2.6.11. It works just fine and I think there’s a slight improvement in memory usage and application response time (something regarding threading maybe ?). At least that’s what I have noticed so far.

If you have not used mouse cursors for X so far I recommend that you emerge x11-themes/silver-xcursors. They look just great. I especially like the shadows.

I’ve also emerged the Gaim AutoProfile plugin which has a powerfull away management system plus various funny stuff to add to your away messages such as fortune cookies and quote from text files or from http…Take a look at it if you like gaim and want something different.

Filed by kargig at 18:04 under General,Linux
No Comments | 8,338 views

If you want your Midnight Commander to be transparent, just edit your .mc/ini and add this line in the end:

[Colors]
base_color=normal=,default:selected=,:marked=,default:markselect=,:menu=,:menuhot=,:menusel=,:menuhotsel=,:dnormal=,:dfocus=,:dhotnormal=,:dhotfocus=,:input=,:reverse=,:executable=,default:directory=,default:link=,default:device=,default:special=,:core=,:helpnormal=,:helplink=,:helpslink=,:

This is how mine looks like now:

Now I have to fix those ugly fonts. The borders of MC are not properly displayed. Anyway..one step at a time…

Filed by kargig at 20:55 under General
1 Comment | 23,215 views

1) The Gaim-encryption problem was solved for good. When both ends upgrade to newer version on both gaim and gaim-encryption everything works perfectly. (Gaim 1.2.0 with Gaim-encryption 2.35 works just fine)

2) I figured out the problem of my mrxvt transparency problem. Inside my fluxbox startup config I had this naughty line:

/usr/bin/bsetroot -solid black

I just commented it out and I now enjoy my beautiful pseudo-transparency even when I move my terminal around the screen. 🙂

Now here’s something that IS funny…or sick…or call it as you want.
One guy made a raid0 array out of usb floppy drives. Yes, yes, yes…you’ve read correctly…USB FLOPPY DRIVES.
Here’s the link to the weirdo: USB FLOPPY DISK STRIPED RAID UNDER OS X

just enjoy…

(how did he test the speed of it ? using a Devo mp3 song… What else could it be ?)

Filed by kargig at 19:35 under General,Linux
No Comments | 2,416 views

I’ve been doing no great stuff lately, just some software upgrades to my desktop machine.
Following this guide I’ve installed Native POSIX Thread Library to my gentoo box. I can’t say whether there’s been any difference at all. I don’t think so, maybe because I might need to re-emerge some programs ? I don’t know…and I am not in the mood to find out right now. I just hope there will be a use for what I’ve done.
I’ve also upgraded my ati-drivers(8.10.19) and xorg(6.8.2). I am dying to find a solution to the Composite xorg extension with ati drivers. When I enable these in my xorg.conf:

#Section “Extensions”
# Option “Composite” “Enable”
# Option “RENDER” “Enable
#EndSection

I lose hardware opengl support and the desktop starts crawling. When I try to enable xcompmgr these problems get even worse. Xorg becomes unusable even with a simple xcompmgr -c. I know that such stuff is eye-candy only and there’s no real gain in having them…but hey..why should only people with nvidia cards have them ? I am jealous. ATI GET TO WORK!

Something else I can’t solve is how to have my rxvt (or mrxvt) keep being transparent even when I move it. Take a look at these 2 screenshots:

and

The first one is what I see when I open mrxvt. The second is what happens when I move the terminal.
I would like to be able to have mrxvt showing the “wallpaper” behind it even when I reposition it. Anyone has any idea about this ?

Oh and more problems ? Why can’t Gaim work with Gaim-Ecnryption from version 1.1.2 and above? I’ve tried all combinations…1.1.3 with encryption 2,32,2.34,2.35, 1.1.4 with 2.32, 2.34,2.35…and still the only version that works smoothly is 1.1.2 with 2.34. I’ve unmerged and re-emerged it a LOT of times without any luck. Is it only me having these problems ? I couln’t find anything relative on google nor on any lists/forums. I hope it will be fixed with version 1.2.0 that came out a couple of days ago…
<Edit>
Looks like it is a known issue with jabber and gaim-encryption:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1144888&group_id=57740&atid=485253
I am currently using 1.2.0 with 2.35. I’ll edit again if it finally works.
</Edit>

And now that we’re talking about Gaim…wouldn’t a gnomemeeting plugin for gaim be a great idea ? to right click on a buddy…and ask them to accept your invitation (in fact you will ask them to show you their ip) to go voice-chatting ? Anyway … just an idea.

Filed by kargig at 15:27 under General,Linux
1 Comment | 3,107 views

Now that my system is considered (that’s what I think) a working desktop machine, it’s time for some security. First and easiest thing to do is to encrypt the swap partition.
What should I use though to achieve this goal ? cryptoloop ? Loop-AES ? cgd ? ppdd ? and so on and so on…The choices are too many to list. After reading Loop-AES author’s reply to this question:

[…] if Loop-AES works so much better, why hasn’t it been included in the kernel?[…]

here, and studying this great guide on computer security (How to defend your Privacy), I’ve decided to go for Loop-AES.

Quick SWAP encryption with Loop-AES HOWTO for gentoo linux:

1)Be SURE to remove any loop support from your kernel. Either as a module or builtin. We are going to build our own module so we don’t want the kernel’s module.

2) Supposing that your kernel does NOT have loop support we move on to installing the necessary packages.

echo "sys-fs/loop-aes ~x86" >> /etc/portage/package.keywords
emerge /usr/portage/sys-apps/util-linux/util-linux-2.12q.ebuild
emerge loop-aes


3) Time to change current swap configuration end enable the encryption support

swapoff -a

Now edit your /etc/fstab, find your swap lines and change them to something looking like this:

/dev/hda999 none swap sw,loop=/dev/loop9,encryption=AES128 0 0


4) We now clean the swap partition by filling it with 0s, recreate the swap partition and start using it

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda999 bs=64k conv=notrunc
mkswap /dev/hda999
swapon -a


You are ready, you swap is now encrypted on the fly.

Filed by kargig at 04:57 under General,Linux
No Comments | 2,366 views

I’ve recently upgraded my fluxbox to 0.9.12 which has antialiasing support 🙂 Fonts look a lot better now on the titles and menus.
After some world updates (where gtk+ was upgraded to version 2.6.2) vlc did not open up it’s neat gui. I had to re-emerge wxGTK and re-emerge vlc (version 0.8.1 works pretty smooth now).

I’ve also tried tuxracer version 1.1.1. It’s not as fun as ver 0.6 (it’s a lot slower and courses take more to finish and one can get easily bored), but I kept it cause it has head to head duels 😉

But there’s something that “bothers” me…Should I use:

ACCEPTED_KEYWORDS=”~x86″ emerge world

or just

emerge world

?

Anyone has any experience on this ?

Filed by kargig at 23:12 under General,Linux
2 Comments | 2,955 views

In search for a proper dvd player for linux I stumbled upon vlc.
It’s a great player with great features combining the functionalities of progs like mplayer, xine, etc. I don’t want to use mplayer to play dvds because it does not support dvd menu browsing. Xine from the other hand worked fine…until I pressed the fullscreen button. CRASH!… Oggle is another dvd player I tried using. There’s no gui and one has to learn the keyboard shortcuts. The basic drawback of oggle though is the lack of deinterlace option.
VLC has it all. Great gui, plays dvd menus, great sound and video drivers support, streaming support if you want…just everything. The prob with it is that it has a lot of library dependancies..but it’s worth it 🙂

vlc 0.6.2 and 0.8.1 had trouble compiling on my gentoo so I decided to go for 0.8.0.

To install vlc-0.8.0 it in gentoo I had to unmask some packages though:

echo “media-libs/libdvbpsi ~x86” >> /etc/portage/package.keywords
echo “media-video/ffmpeg ~x86” >> /etc/portage/package.keywords

and then:

emerge /usr/portage/media-video/vlc/vlc-0.8.0.ebuild

don’t forget to have the wxwindows use flag enabled in your /etc/make.conf…else you’ll get no gui 🙂

I’ve also found a very nice beta of acrobat7 for linux around the net. It’s great! Very fast…and with very nice rendering. It opens up pdfs faster than gpdf and it has a feature that’s trully lacking from gpdf: Text searching. I’ll wait for acrobat’s final release of acroread for linux 🙂

I’ve also changed my firefox theme from the default to Qute 3 (sample1, sample2)

Filed by kargig at 18:34 under General,Linux
No Comments | 2,562 views

athcool is a VERY nice utility that enables AMD’s athlons to enter powersaving mode. It’s just great. Less heat, less noise from fans that don’t need to run on 4000rpms any more 🙂

Just a part from the Athlon Powersaving HOWTO.

The HLT signal which is used by the normal idle-loop of the Linux kernel doesn’t normaly bring any significant power-saving on processors of the Athlon/Duron family (hereafter referred to as Athlon processors). To get real power-saving on an Athlon processor, you have to put the processor in the STPGNT-Mode (Stop Grant Mode). In this mode, the processor is disconnected from the front-side bus (FSB), and can turn off parts of the CPU as well as reduce the clock to save power.

just emerge athcool and start using it.

Filed by kargig at 12:55 under General,Linux
3 Comments | 3,423 views

I’ve emerged k3b in my gentoo to be able to write cds from X windows. When trying to fire up k3bsetup I got these strange messages:

root # k3bsetup
_IceTransOpen: Unable to Parse address
Session management error: Could not open network socket
kio (KSycoca): WARNING: Found version 75, expecting version 78 or higher.
kio (KSycoca): WARNING: Outdated database found
kio (KSycoca): ERROR: No database available!
kio (KSycoca): ERROR: No database available!
kio (KSycoca): ERROR: No database available!
kio (KSycoca): ERROR: No database available!
kcmshell (kdelibs): WARNING: Could not find module ‘k3bsetup2’.

I don’t understand what this is. BUT I’ve found a solution to it.
Inside /var/tmp/kdecache-root/ there were 2 files named:

ksycoca ksycocastamp

as soon as you rm them and run k3bsetup again…everything is fine.

It just works…I don’t know what ksycoca is but I’m glad this “solution” works.

Filed by kargig at 02:42 under General,Linux
8 Comments | 6,143 views