Pierre Baco

I would prefer one single release a year, but bullet proof. Frankly, is it so important to get the last-up-to-date-very-new-hot-from-the-press version of everything ? urpmi.pdate is there for those who can't wait. Moving from 9.1 to 9.2: has it changed your life ?

Hey, guys, the article is about what you're doing now ... Should I consider you as zealots ? :wink: Does it require a degree or a baptism certificate to talk about the Linux community vices and vertues ? Are we the only ones entitled to do so ? Amen signed: Father Pierre de Bages

Interesting article. But more interesting are the readers comments (see bottom of the page). http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/31899.html IMHO, there are Pros, Priests and Zealots wherever there's a a thing to argue about. But in this case, the author of the article ignores (or does not want to mention) the underlying reasons of the open-source / free software emergence.... It's not (only) about another technology. Anyway, he raises some interesting questions, although his arguments are sometimes not very solid or irrelevant.

Many thanks bvc, I'll try your rpms ...at tea time. :wink:

1°) urpmi said the hsflinmodem-5.03.27lnxtbeta030427000-2mdk.rpm was required to install hsflinmodem_kernel-2.4.22.10mdk.rpm, which is specific to mandrake 9.2. The 2 rpms contain config files (/etc/hsf/*) and binaries. 2°) Concerning the depmod error msg when running hsfconfig, it concerns usb-uhci.o, and I have no idea WHY it needs this module to activate the hsf modules. 3°) I'd no problem concerning recompiling my 2.4.22-10yan kernel in a separate-clean-new /usr/src subdir, in which I just changed the name from 2.4.22-10mdk to 2.4.22-10yan and updated the Makefile accordingly. make dep bzImage modules modules_install and install worked fine too.

Hi folks. I've installed 9.2 (powerpack) on my Presario 702EA. No big problems so far, except linmodem support. I recompiled the kernel to get full ACPI support (works fine), then i wanted to setup my dial-up connection using the internal Conexant HSF winmodem (used to work well with 9.1 and previous linux versions). In order to do so, I installed: hsflinmodem-5.03.27lnxtbeta030427000-2mdk.rpm hsflinmodem-doc-5.03.27lnxtbeta030427000-2mdk.rpm hsflinmodem_kernel-2.4.22.10mdk.rpm These 3 rpms are on the Powerpack disk 3 (although rpmdrake says there are on CD 4). Then I've tried "hsfconfig". It recognizes my modem, begins the setup, but fails miserably at the end with a sad: depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4.22-10yan/kernel/drivers/usb/usb-ohci.o depmod: register_resume_notifier depmod: suspend_task depmod: unregister_resume_notifier (2.4.22-10yan is my recompiled version of 2.4.22-10mdk) Qs: a) What the hell this hsf linmodem driver has to do with usb ? It's an internal modem. B) Have I done something wrong when recompiling the kernel for full ACPI support (including power suspend support) ? c) As the name of missing symbols tend to show, could it be related to ACPI-power management ? Additional comment-question: No way to find the old "GPL" HSF modem drivers. All URLS I could find about hsflinmodem point now to the Linuxant site (linuxant.com) where you can download a "free" :? driver limited to 14.4kbps or a "full" version at $14 per station. No source, No GPL. Linuxant says they have a licence from Conexant to develop Linux specific drivers for Conexant hardware. And it looks like Mandrake made a deal with Linuxant to release a Mandrake specific binary version of their drivers. Now, suppose I want to compile a brand new 2.4.22 kernel from the "official" Linuxhq.org site. Am I supposed to pay $14 to get those f... drivers ?

Some say "when it works, don't fix it"... I have a scratch laptop which I upgraded to 9.2, but my "main" PC will stay with 9.1 for a while. In Chriz situation, I think upgrading today does not worth the time it will require. 9.2 is still in its infancy, expect many updates in the near future. Remember you can get the new 2.4.22 kernel elsewhere if you really want to play with it for more speed, options and new stuff. That's what I did, at least. Same thing is true for other apps (OO, Mozilla, etc). Concerning Mandrake software, I've not seen many improvements in Drakconf and so on. If you keep your 9.1 up to date, you'll have more time to play-study with individual new rpms, while leaving time to Mandrake to fix their 9.2 bugs. And cannonfolder advice to make a backup is REALLY important (I should have done it when upgrading 8.1 to 9.1 :? )

A: You're really a lazy guy. Stop boring us with your little cosmetic problems about lilo-bmp2mdk. B: Sorry, I won't do it again. You're right, I was lazy. I've spent a couple of hours studying/testing the script and now it works fine. A: And you want to keep it for yourself ? Tell us how you did it. B: I will. Give me the time to write a little "Tips&Tricks". A: Good boy. B: Thanks, I'm improving with age. Pierre PS A: I'm not schizoprenic. PS B: Yes, you are.

Hi, everybody! Not really busy those days, (still waiting France Telecom to install my ADSL ), I've decided to change my lilo graphic-message on my 9.1 machine. I mean JUST the lilo page, not the bootsplash stuff (quite easy to modify). I found a Gimp script to tranform any image in a correct BMP format suitable for the lilo-bmp2mdk script, but I can't make this damn thing (lilo-bmp2mdk) to create a correct file. Once created (ex: lilo-bmp2mdk < myimage.bmp > message-graphic), copied in /boot and lilo re-run, when I reboot, lilo jumps into text mode,. Looks like the image has not the correct format. I used the defaults (take a look in lilo-bmp2mdk), tried mode 0x103 (for 800x600), tweaked lilo vga modes, and played with other parameters: nothing, even with a plain white graphic. Anybody here with a positive experience (and explanation) on lilo-bmp2mdk ? Not urgent. Merci quand même

The problem will be to decide what are "physical forces" involved in the software code to be patented. When I type on my keyboard or click on the mouse, do I start a "physical force" ? I can imagine long debates about high tech joysticks...

As far as I understand, the amendments deny the right to patent "pure" logic and software. Patents will be authorized when software code interact with "physical forces". In other words, it will be only possible to patent code when strictly related to hardware like dishwashers, industrial robots, percolators, pacemakers, car engines, etc. It does not concern software managing "information" and concepts. European free software activists say it's a victory. I'm not sure, but anyway, the amendments have greatly reduced the danger of this directive.

I agree on some points made in this article. Frankly I don't understand why there are so many GNU/Linux distro releases. I like the Debian method: they won't release something before its time. What's the point to upgrade every other day ? Do we really miss now with 9.1 what will be included in 9.2 (I mean new FEATURES, not bug corrections) ? I'd rather see one single Mandrake release a year, but rock solid. Sometimes I think this release race is not very productive, especially for the newbies. Experts can still work, experiment, fix and improve unstable versions. Down at a specific appt level, that might be another story. It's always nice to use the latest version of an app that you really depend on. But how many apps do we really need up-to-date ?

I use GNU/Linux because when I was young, I had a Norton 850 Commando motorbike, and I spent more time repairing it than riding it. From this glorious time, I've kept a strong desire to know what's "under the hood". More seriously, what's important to me is the ethic behind free software. Could be Hurd or BSD, I don't really care too much. What's important is to share, and understand what you"re doing.

I think Mandrake can find other ways to increase their revenue, like a certification program, marketing program for resellers, software houses, etc.. They could sell Mandrake goodies, or think about a new packaging (with decent documentation hardcopies), or even charge 5$ more for a powerpack. I can't stand ads for X, Y or Z while working on product A. It gives a very bad image of free software (just like free beer, freeware). Let's (gently) flood MandrakeClub site with posts against this crazy idea. I've already posted 2 (french and english). Afterall, if we're at MandrakeUsers.org, it's because we like this distro, no ?

Thanks, but I can't. Spam is put directly in the Mozilla waste basket and destroyed everytime I exit or reboot. Next time maybe ?

Good evening to you all! Mdk 9.1, KDE 3.1 and Mozilla 1.4. From time to time, I receive a #$*µ!!&~ spam e-mail written in chineese (could be kanji, I'm not an expert). When clicking (yes I know, I should not do it!) on the message to delete it, Mozilla freezes on the spot, and my hard disk goes mad. Looks like Linux is swapping all it can puke. Mouse, keyboard, everything blocked. No way to switch to tty1. Only solution is the big red switch. Nothing special in the logs (syslog or XFree86.0.log.old) after reboot. Any hint ? (Not urgent anyway)

Looks like /usr/src/linux/.config or /boot/config.2.4.**** is missing, no ?