<kwadroke> reminder chat night in 30mins

<kwadroke> I'll be in this time

<kwadroke> anyone around yet?

<kwadroke_> Am I it tonight?

*** kwadroke_ is now known as kwadroke

<kwadroke> <crickets />

<kwadroke> hello joeyr76b

<joeyr76b> hi

* joeyr76b tries to remember his irc skills

<kwadroke> it's just the two of us tonight

<joeyr76b> ahh

<joeyr76b> i finally remembered to log on a tuesday night

<kwadroke> I'm not that fluent in IRC myself

<joeyr76b> i'm part of the nwalug group

<kwadroke> I've been busy on tuesdays lately

<kwadroke> cool

<kwadroke> I'm part of HSALUG & CARLUG

<kwadroke> is NWALUG meeting now?

<joeyr76b> they haven't met in well over a year

<joeyr76b> once in a while we throw questions at each other on the google group, but that is about as active as it is

<kwadroke> ok. I knew there was talk about meeting, but, it always seem to fall through

<kwadroke> that's pretty much how CARLUG is

<kwadroke> CARLUG has meetings , but it's usually just 2 of us. And lately I haven't been able to go

<kwadroke> HSALUG is fairly active with meetings

<joeyr76b> we're too scattered, there is not a good central location to meet

<kwadroke> around 6 of us at the meetings, sometimes more

<kwadroke> I understand that

<kwadroke> sometimes you just have to pick a place and say you're meeting there

<kwadroke> I had to do that with CARLUG when I first joined

<kwadroke> it was petty dead then

<kwadroke> *preetty

<kwadroke> *pretty

<kwadroke> I can't seem to type tonight

<joeyr76b> i don't have to take over and run it, though i'd go to a meeting if they would have one

<joeyr76b> time to take over, i mean

<kwadroke> I know the feeling

<kwadroke> I've been wanting to restart LRLUG, but I just don't have the time

<joeyr76b> so what is normally discussed on this channel?

<kwadroke> pretty much whatever

<kwadroke> normally Linux related

<kwadroke> projects people are working on

<joeyr76b> i tried to install a really old logitech quick cam, broke my gnome, became easier to reinstall

<kwadroke> it broke gmome? how?

<joeyr76b> my gnome applets would fail to start

<joeyr76b> volume control, messaging control, shutdown control, etc.

<kwadroke> sounds like it broke something else. like dbus

<joeyr76b> what is dbus?

<kwadroke> process communication system

<kwadroke> http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/dbus

<kwadroke> or it may have been udev

<joeyr76b> i see

<kwadroke> course, I may would have re-installed myself

<kwadroke> can be quicker

<kwadroke> what distro do you run?

<joeyr76b> ubuntu 10.04 desktop and server

<joeyr76b> i recently tried fedora and opensuse, but they just don't work quite right with my desktop

<kwadroke> cool. I'm runninga mix of Ubuntu & Lubuntu 10.04 Desktop & Ubuntu 10.04 on the servers

<kwadroke> I'm not a fan of RPM based distros, even though I'm RHCE for RHEL 4 & 5. I prefer deb based systems

<joeyr76b> does lubuntu run in ram?

<kwadroke> it's pretty much like Ubuntu, just uses LXDE instead of Gnome

<joeyr76b> i have a laptop i run linux solely off of usb key, but it is SO slow with Ubuntu

<kwadroke> doesn't run in RAM like Slitaz or anything

<joeyr76b> xubuntu is tolerable

<joeyr76b> puppy linux works great, but the software is all too old

<kwadroke> is there not an updated version of Puppy?

<joeyr76b> puppy is recent, but to keep the distro small, they use odd software

<kwadroke> oh, ok. It's been a while since I checked it out

<kwadroke> have you tried Slitaz or DSL?

<joeyr76b> i couldn't get the wireless working on dsl

<joeyr76b> never heard of slitaz

<kwadroke> although Lubuntu may work for you as well

<kwadroke> I think you can apt-get install lxde-desktop to get it

<kwadroke> on Ubuntu

<kwadroke> just choose LXDE at GDM

<joeyr76b> ok i'll try that one of these days

<kwadroke> it won't make it run from RAM, but it is a lighter weight desktop

<kwadroke> http://lubuntu.net/

<joeyr76b> well the less it accesses the usb key, the better, cause that is where the speed is lost

<joeyr76b> well i think it is time to call it a night

<kwadroke> true

<kwadroke> yeah, was thinking the same thing

<joeyr76b> catch you later :)

<kwadroke> Usually there's more people on.

<kwadroke> ok later

<kwadroke> hey TommyT

<kwadroke> almost missed you

<TommyT> howdy... I'm late and can't stay anyway...

<TommyT> was there a good turnout?

<kwadroke> nah, just 2 of us this time

<kwadroke> I've been away for too long

<kwadroke> gotta get the word out again

<TommyT> it has been awhile since we had a lot of active discussion

<kwadroke> yeah, I've been keeping up with the logs

<kwadroke> this last week was busy with RHCE classes

<kwadroke> & things have been very busy the last several weeks

<TommyT> do you re-certify as RHCE or moving to a new level?

<kwadroke> re-certify

<kwadroke> to RHEL 5

<kwadroke> I had RHEL 4

<TommyT> ah

<kwadroke> work paid for it, so I can't complain

<TommyT> are the classes online or is there a local place?

<TommyT> or did you travel

<kwadroke> they brought in a examinar into work

<kwadroke> and had classes there

<TommyT> I guess that's nice. though when I worked at ALLTEL/Systematics, the travel was part of the fun

<TommyT> especially places like Toronto

<TommyT> my coworkers would intentionally pick more exotic locations sometimes

<kwadroke> would be nice, but we had 12 people taking the test

<TommyT> Sometimes I forget how big your employer is

<kwadroke> all from work

<kwadroke> yeah, we're pretty good size

<kwadroke> cheaper to pay someone to come in than send all of us out

<TommyT> yes... the group I worked in at ALLTEL in 1996-1999 was relatively small

<TommyT> so it was usually cheaper to travel

<TommyT> we were doing work the rest of the company wasn't

<TommyT> I am almost certain there was no linux there "officially"

<TommyT> though I had a copy of slackware I bought at Hastings

<TommyT> and I had my own Mac and other unauthorized equipment

<TommyT> the group I was in mostly used whatever Windows was current then

<TommyT> Well enough reminiscing!

<TommyT> I think I'm about to get some pressure to move on to bed... but I will ask about Ubuntu on OLD hardware.

<kwadroke> how old is old?

<kwadroke> 486? P1? PII?

<TommyT> Emonster 550r -- I think it's from 1998

<kwadroke> got specs on CPU & RAM?

<TommyT> it is some sort of Pentium I think, but they must have dropped some critical kernel support in the last couple of Ubuntu releases

<kwadroke> yeah, 686 only. You may need to grab a copy of Debian

<kwadroke> it's still compiled for i386

<TommyT> google sez Pentium III

<kwadroke> for Debian or Ubuntu>

<kwadroke> ?

<TommyT> sorry the 550r is Pentium III

<kwadroke> should work then

<TommyT> it sortof works, it boots, but the ACPI is messed up

<kwadroke> I run Ubuntu on a PIII 667

<kwadroke> put "noacpi" on the kernel line

<TommyT> I used to be able to add a kernel command acpi=force to make it work right

<TommyT> I think the battery has run down too

<TommyT> but of course that's a separate issue

<TommyT> maybe

<kwadroke> I think... It's been a while since I had to do that

<kwadroke> either acpi=force or noacpi

<TommyT> This machine is just prior to proper acpi support, so acpi=force used to work, but I can't tell that it does now

<TommyT> i found a hint that had some tips about how to do it with grub2

<TommyT> but it still didn't work

<kwadroke> I usually just put noacpi, haven't tried force in quite a while

<TommyT> The machine can't even boot from a USB stick and the drive is really small by todays standards so I may just ditch it

<kwadroke> netboot it

<TommyT> Is tftp required to do that?

<kwadroke> yeah

<TommyT> I tinkered with that a little bit once... I think the hardware supports it...

<kwadroke> or grab a livecd that has bare X on it

<kwadroke> and use remote X

<TommyT> I guess I'm just reacting to how this used to be my primary machine not too long ago, and I

<TommyT> have spoiled myself with the multi-core

<TommyT> and etc

<kwadroke> I still run old stuff

<kwadroke> I need to resurect my AMD 900MHZ

<kwadroke> for a file server

<TommyT> I finally tossed the 200, 300 and 400 mhz machines at the last recycling day

<TommyT> I decided I couldn't bear to look at them anymore

<kwadroke> those make good routers

<TommyT> I'm about to say the same about some of the CRTs I have sitting around

<TommyT> it's just that they ALL have some quirks

<TommyT> like the compaqs that have the bios on the hard drive

<kwadroke> oh yeah... I hated those

<TommyT> or some sort of weird thing on the motherboard you have to work around

<TommyT> the Emachines Emonster seemed pretty good for a long time.

<TommyT> I haven't given up yet -- I'll look to see if the battery is replaceable

<TommyT> right now it fscks every time it boots because the clock is wrong

<kwadroke> yeah, you'll want to fix that then

<TommyT> and the Apple Multiple Sync 16 monitor is not recognized by xorg

<TommyT> whereas it used to be

<TommyT> it used to be my best CRT -- very clear and sharp

<kwadroke> got a question for you....

<TommyT> ok

<kwadroke> you ever run across any CGA monitors?

<kwadroke> you talking about CRTs reminded me

<TommyT> how would I know -- are those the ones with multiple cables for each signal (red green blue sync)

<TommyT> ?

<kwadroke> can, some just have 9 pins instead of 15

<kwadroke> I need some for my Arcade projects

<TommyT> I will have to think about that. the old Apple monitors probably were, but the pinouts were different and you'd need an adapter

<TommyT> I have been purging lots of old stuff.

<kwadroke> ok. I can make adapters if need be

<kwadroke> CGA's are hard to find now days

<TommyT> even if you found one, the capacitors are probably blown

<TommyT> and the flyback will arc and make all sorts of sparks

<kwadroke> yeah, but some people sell re-cap kits

<TommyT> its true, and it apparently is a pretty easy repair as far as such things go

<TommyT> the transformers and capacitors are still pretty standard parts...

<TommyT> for now

<kwadroke> I can get coverter boards for around $50 to make them work on VGA. But, I'd like to get some normal resolution monitors

<TommyT> I can't remember the last ones I saw. They're probably too old even for the AR state surplus place

<kwadroke> I figured it would be a shot in the dark

<kwadroke> yeah

<kwadroke> may have to start looking for some good used 19" 4:3 LCDs

<TommyT> I recently tossed my Dad's old IBM PC Jr., but I can't remember what kind of monitor it had.

<kwadroke> it's even getting hard to find those nowadays

<kwadroke> was it color?

<TommyT> yes it was color

<kwadroke> then it would have been CGA

<TommyT> i have a surplus catalog around here somewhere that has LCD stuff

<TommyT> I'll try to remember where it is.

<kwadroke> thanks

<TommyT> you are especially looking for 19" or thereabouts diagonal?

<kwadroke> 19" & up

<kwadroke> 4:3

<kwadroke> i can find 16:9 all day long

<kwadroke> but those won't work properly

<TommyT> OK... I'm getting the pointed "time for bed" comments so I'll look tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I've seen some 4:3 but they would likely be 15" or 17"

<kwadroke> ok. cya later then

<TommyT> bye

<kwadroke> thanks

<kwadroke> bye

<TommyT> kwadroke: to follow up on last night's discussion... so far none of the places I know have ANY CRTs anymore, not even ATM sized.

<kwadroke> ok. figured I'd give it a shot

<TommyT> I found a couple of articles about CGA and I'm thinking it will be hard unless converting to composite video would be acceptable

<TommyT> but the colors almost certainly would be off

<kwadroke> there's converter boards to VGA. I've got one

<kwadroke> it works, I'd just like to find some cheap CGA's as that's what Arcade boards support

<TommyT> what I'm thinking is you can EASILY find 4:3 TV sets all over, many with composite inputs already wired in

<TommyT> but CGA to composite is apparently not perfect

<TommyT> especially since the scan rate is so slow

<kwadroke> CGA's only 15khz

<TommyT> is that the same as a TV?

<kwadroke> don't think so. CGA is higher res than TV

<TommyT> I was reading this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_Graphics_Adapter

<TommyT> and this http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/vidconv.htm

<TommyT> the wikipedia article talks about color shifting which some games depended upon

<TommyT> but that would have been the home units, not consoles

<kwadroke> arcade boards may do that too

<kwadroke> I've got one of these to convert from CGA to VGA

<kwadroke> http://www.jammaboards.com/store/cga/ega/yuv-to-vga-converter-pcb-gbs-8220/prod_291.html

<TommyT> I was thinking your best bet might be old TVs, which are everywhere now, but of course they wouldn't have the bandwidth of a monitor

<TommyT> I used to have a 19" black & white monitor on my desk in Boston and it was HUGE (depth especially)

<TommyT> but i can't think of a color one I've seen in awhile

<kwadroke> If I can find TVs with SCART, that would work too

<TommyT> I think I have only seen SCART once or twice -- on an old three-gun video projectors and/or a projection TV

<TommyT> here's an article I found http://hackaday.com/2010/05/27/adding-scart-to-a-cheap-crt-television/

<TommyT> but the results may not be great

<kwadroke> I saw that

<kwadroke> may have to do something like that eventually

<TommyT> if you had a wide assortment of discarded TVs you might find one with an acceptable chassis...

<TommyT> I don't know what Conway is doing with theirs... they were paying a NW Arkansas company for disposal

<TommyT> but Pulaski County is sending theirs to Louisiana

<TommyT> (prison & school programs disassemble them)

<kwadroke> I don't have any at the moment. Was planing on hitting up the place in town that does TV repairs on Harkrider

<TommyT> Zellner's? You might also ask at DeBoard's

<TommyT> I used to know the name of the TV repair guy at Zellner's... and he might watch out for a discarded TV that doesn't have a hot chassis

<TommyT> there used to be another TV repair shop across Harkrider closer to Hendrix but it closed a couple of years ago

<kwadroke> whichever it is by walmart

<kwadroke> does DeBoard's still do TVs? last I saw it looked like they just did car stereos

<kwadroke> I seen the sign for the place near Hendrix, but since they screwed up Siebenmorgan and Harkrider I don't drive down that way anymore

<TommyT> I'm pretty sure the place near Hendrix is completely gone because I drive back there some (on the way to my neighborhood)

<TommyT> You may be right, Zellner's (near wal mart) may not do TVs anymore... I have bought large appliances (washer etc) from them not TVs

<TommyT> oops I switched that around

<TommyT> DeBoard may not do TVs anymore

<TommyT> Zellner's probably does

<TommyT> Last time I was in DeBoard, I was amazed at how empty it was -- they converted it into an empty listening room or something

<kwadroke> I haven't been to either, so I'm not sure what they do. I just go by what's on the signs

<kwadroke> I'm hoping Games4U may have extra arcade monitors for cheap, but I doubt it. Arcade monitors go for around $200 used

<kwadroke> arcade monitors are the best solution, being they're designed for what I want to do. But I'm cheap :)

<TommyT> i completely understand the cheap part

<TommyT> i was reading the comments on the "add a scart" article and someone pointed out folks are putting TV yokes on monitor CRTs etc. to try to make the old consoles work

<TommyT> but this would require less re-engineering

<TommyT> "this" being adding the SCART to a TV

<kwadroke> yeah, seems like I read that

<TommyT> I finally found a place that has 4:3 LCD panels -- came up in a Google ad so I don't have any experience with them: http://tv-part.com/lcd-panels.html

<kwadroke> it looks like just the LCD screens and no electronics

<kwadroke> for replacing broken screens

<kwadroke> I need complete monitors

<kwadroke_> closed the wrong window

<TommyT> I found some complete TVs but they are "new" and cost about $300

<kwadroke_> yeah, I can get new arcade monitors starting around there

*** kwadroke_ is now known as kwadroke

<module000> kwadroke: saw something about out of town for rhce training...didja renew?

<kwadroke> wasn't out of town just away from the internet at work. Updated my RHCE to RHEL 5

<kwadroke> I had RHEL 4

<module000> ahh, congrats

<module000> did they come onsite to test?

<kwadroke> thanks. yeah they came to work and did it. We had 12 people taking the RH300 & exam

<module000> i should come work where you do =P i had to drive 300ish miles and stay in a hotel to take my test =(

<module000> with onsite rh300, is it still a 4day course?

<kwadroke> yeah

<kwadroke> 9a-5p M-Thurs

<kwadroke> exam on Fri

<kwadroke> bbl, lunch

<kwadroke> back

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