Author Archives: Alan

Reason #423 to hate Oracle

January 3, 2012 , Leave a Comment ,

Error received while attempting to make Oracle talk to php5 on Debian:

Unpacking oracle-xe-client (from .../oracle-xe-client_10.2.0.1-1.2_i386.deb) ...
This system does not meet the minimum requirements for swap space.  Based on
the amount of physical memory available on the system, Oracle Client 10g
Express Edition requires 1024 MB of swap space. This system has 542 MB
of swap space.  Configure more swap space on the system and retry the installation.

That’s 1024 MB of swap space to install the client. Why???? Who knows!! Never mind that I have plenty of RAM, enough to operate the entire 32bit address space without any swap at all, but ORACLE MUST HAVE MOAR SWAP.

So I’ll just totally go do a bunch of low-level disk-monkeying on my web servers to accommodate this need, I guess…

Posted in: General

How to install Debian offline

December 29, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

When tinkering with old computers, there is little about an operating system quite as endearing as flexibility at install time.  The “Universal Operating System” is no slouch in this regard; the Debian installer will work quite happily from CD, DVD, USB drive,  PXE boot (my personal fav), and even a Windows executable.

But what if none of those is an option?  Suppose you’re stuck with a system with no optical media, no USB boot, no PXE boot, and no OS?  Can we get Debian on such a machine?

You bet we can!   (more…)

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Old computers, Technology , Tagged: , , , , , ,

HP Decides to Open Source WebOS

December 9, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

Well this looks like interesting news:  HP has decided to open its failed WebOS platform to developers.  If they do it right and actually help found a project, this could be really cool.  WebOS might become the free software option for mobile & tablets for all us I-must-replace-the-factory-OS-on-every-device-I-own folks.

Then again, they could just mess it up and WebOS will fade into obscurity.

It’ll be fun to watch, either way.

 

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Technology , Tagged: ,

Creating a kiosk with Linux and X11: 2011 edition

November 5, 2011 , 107 Comments ,

Back around 2006 our public library was in need of a cheap way for patrons to browse its web-based INNOPAC catalog. Thin clients running Windows CE had been purchased for this purpose, but they turned out to be buggy and limited. I was tasked with finding a solution to the problem “on the cheap”, and being a fairly new Linux fanatic at the time, I figured I’d see what I could do using free software. This led to my first kiosk project.

Since then, I’ve refined my approach time and again, deploying kiosks throughout my organization just about anywhere a web-browser kiosk can be put to use. The original library system has been completely rebuilt with newer hardware and software, but is fundamentally the same system I set up five years ago.

I often see people asking about how to set up a kiosk system with Linux, and like me they usually start out going about it the wrong way; so I thought I’d write this tutorial based on my years of experience to help those getting started.

(more…)

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Technology , Tagged: , , , , , ,

Robin

October 26, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

In my blog links below, you’ll see a link to “Robins Rants and Raves”, a blog that (until recently) was written by a bright young man who many of us in various Linux circles knew better as “DixieDancer”.

A few days ago, Robin went to be with our Lord and Savior, brought down at the age of 18 by a genetic condition beyond medical help.  I recommend anyone to read through the last month or so of his posts, to hear the voice of a young man facing his pending death with the confidence that he will be entering the new life.

We have lost something down here, but he has gained everything now.   Rest in Joy, brother.

Posted in: Faith, Life , Tagged: ,

RIP Dennis Ritchie

October 13, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

Was sad to see that Dennis Ritchie died this week.  Between creating Unix and C, Dennis’s influences on modern computing are probably second to nobody.  Here’s a pretty good writeup on him:  Remembering Dennis Ritchie, Creator of the C Programming Language and UNIX Co-Creator.

Posted in: Programming, Technology , Tagged: , , ,

Reviving your old PC with Linux, Part V: the Remixes

October 12, 2011 , 7 Comments ,

In part III of this series, I told you that lightweight Linux distributions can be classified as either “fully lightweight” or “remixes”; and in part IV, we took a look at several “fully lightweight” distributions. Naturally, in this article, we’re going to talk about remixes.

Unlike the last article, however, I’m not just going to go through a bunch of remix distros and blather on with my half-formed impressions of them; not only would that would be unbearably dull for both you and for me, but selecting a three or four remix distros from the zillion-and-a-half out there in the world is an impossible choice. Instead, we’re going to understand what really distinguishes one remix from another with the aim of helping you select one that fits your needs; after which I’ll go through a few example distributions and talk about what makes them different.

(more…)

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Old computers, Technology , Tagged: , , , , ,

Lighttpd to the rescue!

September 26, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

Our home server — we call him Rupert — is a real trooper.  Beneath his yellowing beige exterior, a first-gen Pentium 4 works its 224 MB of RAM night and day delivering a variety of services to our home network.  On top of storing our files, caching our DNS requests, filtering the Web for little eyes, and providing me a handy back-door into the network via SSH, rupert’s most important job is delivering a selection of web applications to our home network.

One of the most important — and unfortunately the bulkiest — is Moodle.  Moodle is a CMS designed for schools that deliver online classes and content, and it’s proven quite valuable over the last couple years as an aid in our homeschooling.  Sadly, though, poor Rupert has a tough time dishing out the Moodles. (more…)

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Old computers, Technology , Tagged: , , , , ,

Reviving your old PC with Linux, Part IV: Fully Lightweight Distros

September 10, 2011 , 12 Comments ,

By now, we have established a vocabulary with which we can discuss distributions and their strengths and weaknesses, and thus understand the best uses for them given our needs and resources. So in this article, I’ll talk about some actual “fully lightweight” distributions (for those who didn’t read the last article, “fully lightweight” refers to distros that are built from the ground-up to be small and fast. It doesn’t include lightweight remixes or spinoffs of other distros).

(more…)

Posted in: Free/Libre Open Source Software, Old computers, Technology , Tagged: , , , , , ,

Less blogging == More coding

September 8, 2011 , Leave a Comment ,

So, the blogging has slowed a bit, but that’s a good thing. Yes, Episode IV of my “Reviving your old PC” series is in progress and on its way. You gotta wait for quality, folks.

But last night I started and interesting new project that took over my brain and had me up most of the night. It’s like this…
(more…)

Posted in: Blogging, General, Programming, Technology , Tagged: , ,
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