GNU World Order Linux Cast

Short show this week, due to a move to the south island. Klaatu talks about metadata. shasum -a256=07eb9810a87ac5475b0f96029ededf53ceaf76d27ad5b8c3262d07b3d30983b3

The **ddate** command from the **util-linux** package, and all about Discordianism and the Church of the Subgenius! shasum -a256=5f5dcbf15af1af9282d57c2a987ee48787bbc9dade97e3b018b3d539b67ba956

Listener feedback, plus **colrm** and **column** from **util-linux**. Tip: To get information about strange characters in GNU Emacs, place your cursor on the character and then type **Alt**-**x** **describe-char** $ cat example.txt hello world $ cat example.txt | colrm 1 1 ello world $ cat example.txt | colrm 1 6 world $ column --table /etc/fstab shasum -a256=3eb1a2bf89f4bdd041a4c1491186ad7c2912c74a3076e81921717e5899d2e3a4

Why use the Linux desktop if the Desktop is dead anyway? Also, more **util-linux**: cal, chrt, col, and colcrt from /usr/bin. shasum -a256=0794da27c7cafa65a4aac2b8fb9a425868c3f6fa475f3c172028b687ba256c42

Listener feedback about zram and ziptool, and then a discussion about the term "open" shasum -a256=1ff841ce011c6cfbcc4ca1cf6586facc69cc1c5d37054b0b14a4180b74ce7438

Finishing up the binaries in /sbin from the **util-linux** package. Includes **sfdisk**, **swaplabel**, **swapon**, **swapoff**, **switch_root**, **wipefs**, **ziptool**, and **zramctl**. For **zramctl** to work, remember to load the zram module. $ sudo modprobe zram shasum -a256=acc50c7428599f3d4c911a7c4f35f2127150829c781495d3e5754d1b940b69f6

Listener feedbacks from Mastodon, including commentary about the Julian calendar, Flatpak sandboxing problems, Flatpak usability problems, clarification on Bzip2 and LZMA and ZIP compression. The overview of util-linux continues with **mkswap**, which designates a partition of a special hard drive or a special file as "swap" space. _NEVER run **mkswap** on a partition or file that contains data you care about._ $ sudo mkswap /dev/sdx1 The **pivot_root** command mounts a new location as your root whilst simultaneously unmounting the old one. You probably won't ever use **pivot_root** manually yourself. Its typical use case is during system startup, when an initrd is used to bootstrap an environment but then needs to be shunted away when the real root partition becomes available. You can test **pivot_root** in a virtual machine, just as a proof of concept, as described in this episode, but if you have ever used **chroot**, then you have The **raw** command talks directly to block devices, useful for fancy databases or other high-performance things that don't need a filesystem because they use their own optimized system for managing data. On some systems (like Slackware), you may need to do **modprobe raw** before using **raw**. NEVER run raw against a block device with data (that you care about) on it. Here is a really simple proof of concept demo exercise: # raw /dev/raw/raw1 /dev/sdx # echo "gnu world order" > /dev/sdx # dd if=/dev/raw/raw1 count=1 gnu world order [...] The **setserial** command sets and reports serial ports on a Linux system. On Slackware, you can see the script that generates serial port definitions in **/etc/rc.d/rc.serial**, with its associated config file being **/etc/serial.conf** On a distro using systemd, there is a unit file that creates serial ports. Serial ports are usually accessible to the group **dialout**, so if you are having trouble talking to a device over a serial port, be sure to add yourself to the **dialout** group, and then log out and log back in. Permissions for devices that communicate over a serial port (like an Arduino) can be managed manually (**chmod 660 /dev/ACM0**, for instance) or you can script **udev** to set permissions upon connection. Yes, there is a slight mixing error at the very start of the episode. Klaatu is currently on holiday and does not have the source files on hand. shasum -a256=42fffe5af617075d42513df74552f539f99e5912d69da06a9fc222950d371996

Is it really possible to use CentOS or RHEL as a desktop Linux distro? Klaatu finds out! shasum -a256=3e14fa81ac4405e0537391e94a8e2b3781cbdfa385e3d8d8a2aaa126ff12f044

Listener feedback from Carl about gauging community health of a project before getting involved with it. Klaatu has defined five community profiles, but has no definitive answers. Listen in and send in commentary if you have ideas on this topic. shasum -a256=95ff76183a370842c08f8d631dc93bd86e2d1a2f7b22adc3ed1d784651b55a44

Are Flatpaks and Snaps a regression in security? and other exciting listener debates. Util-link continued, continuing with utilities in /sbin: * sbin/ctrlaltdel * sbin/fdisk * sbin/findfs * sbin/fsck * sbin/fsck.cramfs * sbin/fsck.minix shasum -a256=9b11c74e14357729d327e196a40a890dc32db2f54d723b178366174233f153a9

Util-link continued, starting with the utilities in /sbin: * sbin/adjtimex * sbin/agetty * sbin/blkdiscard * sbin/blkid * sbin/blockdev * sbin/cfdisk Plus some listener feedback about getopt and getopts, bzip2, good bad sound, and more. shasum -a256=1613deec4e2c1801fda8597c6ae4afb785a7a9311dbd92e7bf249d021956c573

Let's build a flatpak together! shasum -a256=3d9aae810bac35a55ad167851b993e5a810699bbbe31371210a54e8151e6118f

Listener feedback. GNU World Order is voted best Linux Podcast of 2018 by [linuxquestions.org](http://linuxquestions.org) but fame is fleeting, and it is no longer 2018. Bzip2 compression. You should run bzip2 compression tests and send Klaatu your results. Controversy over scripts that download and install automatically. A bakery that runs on Emacs and PostgreSQL. Further Grav commentary. Pico CMS. And more! shasum -a256=7c78d5fd5fd9675482426c7498c4fcd12724ae183b96ea8a0dd92c7e7eb4d0ad

The journey through the **util-linux** from the **a** package set of Slackware continues. First, a tutorial on `getopt`, an argument parser for Bash and Tcsh. Here is a demonstrative sample script: #!/usr/bin/bash ## or you can just use /bin/sh OPTS=`getopt --options f --long foo --alternative -- "$@"` eval set -- "$OPTS" echo "Raw input: $OPTS" while true ; do case "$1" in -f|--foo) echo "Option f has been toggled on" ; shift ;; --) shift ; break ;; esac done # this outputs anything # left over after parsing # valid options for i in "$@" ; do echo "$i" done You can add more options, and you can add an allowance for arguments. Here is a slightly more complex version of the script: #!/usr/bin/bash OPTS=`getopt --options f,b: --long foo,bar: --alternative -- "$@"` eval set -- "$OPTS" echo "$OPTS" while true ; do case "$1" in -f|--foo) echo "Option f has been toggled on" ; shift ;; -b|--bar) echo "Option b has been set to $2" ; shift 2 ;; --) shift ; break ;; esac done for i in "$@" ; do echo "$i" done After the coffee break, Klaatu covers `kill`. Because he recorded this episode on the same night as the previous episode, he does make reference to some settings from the previous episode (specifically, a hostname setting). That makes this episode a sequel to the previous one, meaning Klaatu owes you an extra episode sometime. Also, `mountpoint`, `mount`, `unmount`, `wdctl` and `watchdog` [gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Example-of-Getopt.html](https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Example-of-Getopt.html) A great article about the `eval` and `set` on [Linux Journal](https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/bash-preserving-whitespace-using-set-and-eval) [Watchdog daemon](http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/psc/watchdog/watchdog-testing.html) [Systemd interface to Watchdog](http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/watchdog.html) shasum -a256=7b92289327d6320246fad8021f23e6eb4de506db761f8f199eda02a2ed133e6f

Heaps of listener feedback about licensing, the difference between a user and a developer, the `atool` archive tool, old GNU World Order shownotes, the first couple of applications from **util-linux**: `dmesg`, `findmnt`, `hostname`, `more`. shasum -a256=7e06731c4ab165e046250b5b690baf27c2b7f2219373d5fa6fbb9a7866b34e69

Coffee across the globe. From the **a** package set of default Slackware packages: udisks, udisks2 (udiskctl), unarj, upower, usb_modeswitch, usbutils, and the utemptor interface to utmp, btmp, and wtmp. Udisks is a friendly interface for interacting with drives. $ udisks --enumerate /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sdc1 /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sdc2 /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sdc /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sde [...] /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sdf1 $ udisks --mount /dev/sdf1 Mounted /org/freedesktop/UDisks/devices/sdf1 at /media/white8gb $ udisks --unmount /dev/sdf1 shasum -a256=5774cf20f0982ef109e8a86e5b41de296ac7b073be8dcee90469145fd2e65314

Episode audio levels adjusted, Flatpak tips, and three great coffees in downtown Raleigh North Carolina. Finishing up the applications-that-start- with-"t" from the **a** set of Slackware: `time` (not the built-in Bash one) and **tree**. shasum -a256=07f111b749baa5acde63f76ab4bdb642059152f198c5b0b820e321219fe3a1bd

Webhosting.coop vouchers, THE CLOUD is just a virtual computer on somebody else's (or your own?) cluster of computers, building dependencies on things you already own. In the **t** packages in the **a** set: heaps of tar tips, and some thoughts about tcsh. shasum -a256=8e45743a4466aceeee219925070f24ac2478cbaa6dbe499458f651fb78c596d9

Deep thoughts about licensing, effective licensing, and why groups of free software developers haven't the luxury of turning a blind eye. shasum -a256=715a7a795d97f2c77269286b8e9ae2e671d2cd75aa679b40b690857631ba564d

Tech talk, licensing, ZFS, and more. shasum -a256=1099dd8dfa56d6a275f6c958a16167c459f8e59dbb8b0b0f2a8c85a8278970b4

Klaatu talks about software licensing as related to ZFS, and then covers the **S** section of the **a** package set in Slackware (he also realises mid-way through that he had already covered the **q** and **r** sections and part of the **s** section, but nobody complained about it, so presumably they were all worth a second look). shasum -a256=8f839464eb79b20a4dcc232b9b0d8e7c03d7f053ce3dbf0575ae61c35fa18a64

Klaatu installs ZFS and creates a ZFS USB drive. Continuing his review of all packages installed with Slackware, he talks about reiserfs and rpm2tgz. Finally, a thoroughly biased unbiased review of the amazing webhost cooperative, [webhosting.coop](http://webhosting.coop). shasum -a256=e2f12449b7fe76356509613ee9ad3b612d3a152dad4323c6a494d75023bcf223

All about the quota command from Slackware package set **a** ` # enable quota in /etc/fstab # for example: # /dev/sda1 / ext4 defaults,usrquota 0 2 # # then remount the partition: % whoami % root % mount -o remount / # create quota index: % quotacheck --user --create-files --no-remount # if it fails with ## cannot stat() /dev/root # then this is a workaround: % ln -s /dev/sda1 /dev/root # now turn quota on: % quotaon / # set quota amounts with % setquota --help # or % EDITOR=emacs edquota klaatu ` shasum -a256=7b9f249ce1eca6e444971394f3d1763c239229781daca89531c2efff67cc2267

Lister feedback, a new book, Lua, Luarocks, and much more. ` --[[ GNU All-Permissive License Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright notice and this notice are preserved. This file is offered as-is, without any warranty. https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html ]]-- -- main.lua vw = 720 vh = 480 function love.load() -- loads once at launch love.window.setMode(vw,vh,{resizable=false, vsync=false}) love.window.setTitle('Dice') math.randomseed(os.time()) computer = math.random(1,20) player = math.random(1,20) end function love.draw() love.graphics.setColor(255, 255, 255) if player > computer then love.graphics.printf("Player wins!",0,vh*0.5,vw*0.5, 'center') else love.graphics.printf("Computer wins!",0,vh*0.5,vw*0.5, 'center') end end ` shasum -a256=2ba3285a75a8671818cf126a0d0ff5683af1fa8e897e81e18658f37d48581184

Season 13 begins! We have switched to a fancy new hosting provider, [Webhosting.coop](http://webhosting.coop), a cooperative web hosting organization run in part by Josh Cox, a long-time supporter of the show. Introductory episodes about [Linux](https://gnuworldorder.info/#0x0) and [Slackware](https://gnuworldorder.info/#0x1) have been posted. If you're new to Linux, start with these episodes!. In _this_ episode, Klaatu reads some listener feedback, and then ponders why we don't just build open source on Windows or Mac. shasum -a256=676a09f09715a71d7b7631f60287769ff332806f4d4e13f529aa73f053714b3f

A bonus episode to get you through the holiday: solo gaming and a neat adventure game engine called Twine, plus a review of 10 randomly-chosen lightweight distributions. shasum -a256=f016b8cd7b23b4dc4e12e00af0ba2d49ba987221cf73a81c552e6001ceb4a967

A review of 2018 and open source, including the Purism laptop, Eelo, Proton, Krita, GIMP 2.10, Appimages and Flatpak, and lots lots more. shasum -a256=c8cede97f96d6f6b107817e9f596ac3498a1813b489310949aa5da9949d4166e

Believe it or not, there's more discussion about ZFS in this episode. (Klaatu has, oddly, completely forgotten that he's actually running ZFS on OpenIndiana, and has been for months; more on this next month). Also, switching from Thunderbird to KMail. shasum -a256=ee11d49fe7ee00e81544587cea355f29d76fb1b18109f5d136c0fccbbec14508

More listener email about ZFS. Noise music. More about workflows, and how to find the right application for your task. shasum -a256=e5224b50fed846470873306fff9a04d03e744079c4ea564f5dfc3dcbb5f144ea

Linux has lots of creative apps, but how do they all fit together? That's obviously a big question with lots of different answers, but in this episode, Klaatu provides a real world example of the different applications involved in publishing a tabletop card game. shasum -a256=6205958e2866f3808a9552f8ed2057670a66f7e757c04ceac5a3f93f4fb35d05

Listener feedback about otters and ZFS, and Klaatu tries Steam Play and the Proton (WINE) layer. shasum -a256=c7effb4e2b27083c631c1444f3a9e0834643e9902e4299be9a8ef11e729f5128

SMART monitoring tools: smartctl and smartd. Also, why Klaatu has left JFS for good and is adopting that fancy new file system, EXT4. shasum -a256=6012f84b652aa2129b707809d605df6b309fbbda4ee5d2b4a5666c1bcbc5466b

A history lesson from some great listener feedback, social speculation, and a review of slocate. shasum -a256=543a45b89117c1554d7da56a15444b9e1710cc9f8bbe10e3dbc338976c4fabfa

IBM acquires Red Hat. Listener feedback, including Git stash, Lutris, and a recommendation for gamejolt.com shasum -a256=192f80432757f18f27e5b80e0d9ca241e8c37519c8344bd5e614e364038cd310

Coffee with lunch, and how to _correctly_ set the default entry in GRUB 2. shasum -a256=0c07346457ea7bb91f37b68fe75e3fa0fca9f35bbfac1527abe27fd30147aa86

Listener feedback, and learning new things. Also, musings about sweet tea, because technically Klaatu is in the American South, at the All Things Open conference, right now. shasum -a256=60ecb61c74f7dddf568545f447b8f309c05f36c5d0df748bb76192a41b3e8ffc

Some tips about gamepads on Linux, plus an overview of Antimicro. Also, Microsoft joins the Open Invention Network and brings its 60,000 patents along with it. Could this mean fancy things like native NTFS and exFAT support? the end of patent trolling? Klaatu speculates. shasum -a256=36fe3e39efcab41bf86953e06ea9a4a936ec549e5c58fc84da1d6e1ae6d56b1f

A quick episode about broadwayd, which is not a musical venue, but a cool display server that runs GTK3 apps in a web browser. shasum -a256=125a52706aa5ce52d247725fb39c11421e1180178a047f3bd968b076be0ee3b9

Listener email, and some pretty neato POSIX tips. shasum -a256=8100a3fa3f149d9c8e855df247e66f68bbdd956c68aef953f36a8aaead216c71

Itch.io, the other other place for gaming on Linux. shasum -a256=c61dcf13226cf2f75ca1ea470eb3f139efedb7ee3999032e9ed5a86b0c7ce536

A review of Lutris, the open gaming platform. Also, thoughts about learning new technology, based on Klaaut's experience with Fossil, compared to Git. shasum -a256=e63b5fb10b37083253f397cfa62158ce57fd8c4ecb015f4dff3c2eb59946fb53

Klaatu reviews Jeff Bigler's blog post from 22 years ago about the communication gap between nerds and "normal" people. shasum -a256=50df55271815c52f6a54e5775fa8b0099f8efc1b991dfc15f2b3693f768d6043

A sed tip, a killall comment, Steam rumours confirmed, and the woeful 90-10 problem. shasum -a256=377f7500d183b85bd0724cd2b31f7005da142aa00e89dae15b16e3f9032ba179

Fedberry, the latest Fedora remix for the Pi 2 and 3. Also, rumours about Steam OS shipping with a compatibility layer so you can play Windows games on Steam OS. The rumour mill spins faster than this show's release schedule, and apparently Valve has confirmed that it is going to ship a boosted version of WINE in SteamOS. shasum -a256=ede624e29ae249aba38d207bb71c6167765e6b35dc9ffdee54739459d9a4326e

Quota, rpm2tgz, sdparm, sed, shadow, and shar. shasum -a256=6212ce1c4fe784ce1711cc8b98083018c6b2cec289b1bc7a336c68753717750c

A quick Git tip for tagging releases in an automated way, and some responses to listener feedback. shasum -a256=3f75f909fccd53f2932fd4ef72ba86b78e701a0945c5879ecb1773bed879e928

Listener feedback, Slackware donations, and musings about how the modern Internet is financed. shasum -a256=c834de0372634eebd8b1e085118437df2fc7af018d6733e865ce25a372aa3592

The art and science of software evaluation. shasum -a256=25e59a59c383b6035ab6080cb4b03a3f69bed0e310c6a1cb06cf0a84a8ebcc38

Can you find the PID of a process, then learn what command launched it, and then kill or modify it? Listen to this episode, all about procps-ng, and you will! shasum -a256=f7c8133c830d54e1cef352c5ae3c10ea35dc0f96282f6d18fe4f591cc3afbd6f

Bonus episode! 25 reasons to try Slackware on its 25th anniversary. shasum -a256=8e53bdd8c8ef2fe0922d902cef9eba3821a0dd28016485544da3368dc30fbac7