- Legacy - lists.gtalug.org

In the Dark with Midnight Commander
by forolinux-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

--- Geoffrey Hunter <GHunter-kgJIzn72htc at public.gmane.org> wrote: > Echoing Peter Peres' concern about the inadequacy of > Linux documentation: > I switched to Linux in the summer of 2002 to regain > control of how I compute; > as a former DOS user I used to use Norton Commander > as my window into my > computer: it displayed the contents of two > directories side by side, and the > bottom box had a command-line prompt - commands > typed there automatically > looked for files in the selected left or right > directory. > With Norton I was in command: I could easily > display any directory, > and once selected easily (one-keystroke commands) > select files and then copy, > move, edit, and process them and see what you were > doing the whole time - > so I was induced to switch to Linux because it had > "midnight commander" > supposedly modeled after Norton Commander. > Midnight commander (and linux generally) has > been a big disappointment: > I have yet to find any documentation (man pages or > anything else), and > unlike Norton Commander the command-line (bottom) > box doesn't automatically > look for files in the selected directory - I have to > issue a cd command. > Each box has round and square buttons at the bottom > (turn green when clicked) > but what they do/mean remains a mystery. Some things I've found googling: http://home.worldonline.co.za/~jctrembath/mctutorial.html http://www.suse.de/en/private/support/online_help/howto/mc/ http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue23/wkndmech_dec97/mc_article.html and the man mc http://man.he.net/?topic=mc&section=all I should read some of them too... __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

C programming question
by tim-s/rLXaiAEBtBDgjK7y7TUQ＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

John Wildberger <wildberger-iRg7kjdsKiH3fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org> writes: > On December 24, 2003 03:47 am, Peter L. Peres wrote: > > > Yes, you are right, up to a point. The manpages do not intend to tech you > > anything, they remind the programmer of all the details. For learning, use > > a book about programming or tutorials. > > The man mmap consists of 192 lines. > Your sample code has 8 lines. It makes all the difference between useful and > useless. Why cannot the good people who write these man pages not include > such gems? Probably because Linux is a collaborative effort and most programmers (the people who best understand the functions needing documentation) usually prefer to program than write documentation. FWIW, the man pages of commercial versions of UNIX (such as Solaris), are often more complete than the corresponding Linux documentation. I find http://docs.sun.com useful in this regard. IIRC, The Open Group http://www.opengroup.org also has manual pages on-line. -- tim writer <tim-s/rLXaiAEBtBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org> starnix inc. 905.771.0017 ext. 225 thornhill, ontario, canada http://www.starnix.com professional linux services & products -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

C programming question
by tim-s/rLXaiAEBtBDgjK7y7TUQ＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

John Wildberger <wildberger-iRg7kjdsKiH3fQ9qLvQP4Q at public.gmane.org> writes: > On December 23, 2003 06:45 pm, Matthew Rice wrote: > > > And this is better than: > > > > od -j 68 -N 2 -t x2 /dev/mem > > > > because??? ;) > > You don't get an argument from me on this. :-) > I actually used this to verify my program. It is short, but not as much > educational as writing a C- program. > > > > > short x; > > > ssize_t size = read( fd, &x, 4 ); > > > > Shorts aren't 4 bytes. Perhaps you should change the '4' to: > > > > sizeof(short) > > or sizeof(x) > > It does not chane the result. It may not change the result with your specific example but the code still contains a bug. Think about what would happen if you wanted to use your program to read the last two bytes of /dev/mem. > I used the 'short' to get away from a printout with four bytes (high order > first, followed by low order) which was confusing and not what was asked. Matt was not objecting to your use of a short, he was objecting to you reading 4 bytes into a two byte quantity. In your example, this could overwrite valuable data on the stack (like the return address or other local variables) causing your program to crash, report incorrect results, or behave erratically. This is, of course, system and compiler dependent. In this case, you got away with it probably because gcc added two bytes of padding following the short. A better way to write this is to use C99's exact size types (from <inttypes.h>): uint16_t x; ssize_t size = read(fd, &x, sizeof(x)); And then you can print it with: printf("%" PRIx16 "\n", x); -- tim writer <tim-s/rLXaiAEBtBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org> starnix inc. 905.771.0017 ext. 225 thornhill, ontario, canada http://www.starnix.com professional linux services & products -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

Now I Know
by joehill-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

On 23 Dec 2003 21:37:39 -0500 Stephen <roulton623-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote: > If there is then my problem could be solved by configuring what ever it > is that might be configured wrong. actually, now that I think of it, maybe send me your vid card type and the contents of your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and I'll see if there's anything that jumps out at me. -- JoeHill ++ ICQ # 280779813 Registered Linux user #282046 Homepage: www.orderinchaos.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth."-- The SNAFU Principle -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

Now I Know
by joehill-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

On 23 Dec 2003 21:37:39 -0500 Stephen <roulton623-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote: > I didn't know what the summary on the Mandrake 9.1 was supposed to do > since I got a blank screen on that particular spot in the setup where my > installation locked up. > > The question I have is there anything in that part of the setup that > would cause a lag when starting applications. > > You said that is the area where you get to configure hardware that is > found and add hardware that wasn't detected. Could there be any thing in > there that could be configured wrong to cause my problem. > > If there is then my problem could be solved by configuring what ever it > is that might be configured wrong. My first guess, and it's a guess, would be the X configuration. If it doesn't properly configure your X server, with proper settings in XF86Config-4 for resolution and such, it *could* result in the slowness and lockups you are experiencing. One place to check for errors is /var/log/XFree86.0.log. IME, that is the only item that *never* gets config'd automatically on an install, with good reason. It wants you to decide on res, colour-depth, etc. What type of video card are you using, anyway? One sol'n I've seen for a few people using Nvidia cards is to turn off ACPI. This has gotten rid of some hard lockups and slow response in *some* cases. In /etc/lilo.conf, you will see the first section is for your default kernel entry, and there should be a line like this: append="devfs=mount hdc=ide-scsi acpi=off resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent" yours might be different, but try setting acpi=off, then run "lilo", and reboot (all this as root of course). I'm still bettin' this is a hardware issue. Either you've got a bad stick of RAM or the vid card mem or GPU is on the fritz. As I think someone else on here pointed out, Linux can be a lot more demanding on hardware, or at least a lot less forgiving when it's not at it's best. Someone mentioned "memtest", did you investigate that? In any case, Happy Holidays and all that! -- JoeHill ++ ICQ # 280779813 Registered Linux user #282046 Homepage: www.orderinchaos.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -- Hunter S. Thompson -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

In the Dark with Midnight Commander
by a67582000-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

--- Geoffrey Hunter <GHunter-kgJIzn72htc at public.gmane.org> wrote: > Echoing Peter Peres' concern about the inadequacy of > Linux documentation: > I switched to Linux in the summer of 2002 to regain > control of how I compute; > as a former DOS user I used to use Norton Commander > as my window into my > computer: it displayed the contents of two > directories side by side, and the > bottom box had a command-line prompt - commands > typed there automatically > looked for files in the selected left or right > directory. > With Norton I was in command: I could easily > display any directory, > and once selected easily (one-keystroke commands) > select files and then copy, > move, edit, and process them and see what you were > doing the whole time - > so I was induced to switch to Linux because it had > "midnight commander" > supposedly modeled after Norton Commander. > Midnight commander (and linux generally) has > been a big disappointment: > I have yet to find any documentation (man pages or > anything else), Hit F1 key? Maybe I am missing something? ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

In the Dark with Midnight Commander
by GHunter-kgJIzn72htc＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

Echoing Peter Peres' concern about the inadequacy of Linux documentation: I switched to Linux in the summer of 2002 to regain control of how I compute; as a former DOS user I used to use Norton Commander as my window into my computer: it displayed the contents of two directories side by side, and the bottom box had a command-line prompt - commands typed there automatically looked for files in the selected left or right directory. With Norton I was in command: I could easily display any directory, and once selected easily (one-keystroke commands) select files and then copy, move, edit, and process them and see what you were doing the whole time - so I was induced to switch to Linux because it had "midnight commander" supposedly modeled after Norton Commander. Midnight commander (and linux generally) has been a big disappointment: I have yet to find any documentation (man pages or anything else), and unlike Norton Commander the command-line (bottom) box doesn't automatically look for files in the selected directory - I have to issue a cd command. Each box has round and square buttons at the bottom (turn green when clicked) but what they do/mean remains a mystery. Geoffrey Hunter York University, 4700 Keele Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J1P3 email: GHunter-4mebg6r7xUY at public.gmane.org _______________________________________________ Quoting "Peter L. Peres" <plp-ysDPMY98cNQDDBjDh4tngg at public.gmane.org>: > > > I tried to read the man mmap(2) pages, but as always, these pages leave me > in > > the dark. It would be so nice, if there would be a typical usage example > > included ( in all man pages!). > > These pages are designed for people who already know all the In's and > outs, > > but are rather useless to anyone not yet familiar with their content. > > Am I alone in this assessment? > > Ah, you came to my old conclusion that u*ix consists of four-letter > commands with 100-page apologies ;-) > > Yes, you are right, up to a point. The manpages do not intend to tech you > anything, they remind the programmer of all the details. For learning, use > a book about programming or tutorials. > -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

C programming question
by wildberger-iRg7kjdsKiH3fQ9qLvQP4Q＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

On December 24, 2003 03:47 am, Peter L. Peres wrote: > Yes, you are right, up to a point. The manpages do not intend to tech you > anything, they remind the programmer of all the details. For learning, use > a book about programming or tutorials. The man mmap consists of 192 lines. Your sample code has 8 lines. It makes all the difference between useful and useless. Why cannot the good people who write these man pages not include such gems? Thanks, John -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

C programming question
by plp-ysDPMY98cNQDDBjDh4tngg＠public.gmane.org 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

> I tried to read the man mmap(2) pages, but as always, these pages leave me in > the dark. It would be so nice, if there would be a typical usage example > included ( in all man pages!). > These pages are designed for people who already know all the In's and outs, > but are rather useless to anyone not yet familiar with their content. > Am I alone in this assessment? Ah, you came to my old conclusion that u*ix consists of four-letter commands with 100-page apologies ;-) Yes, you are right, up to a point. The manpages do not intend to tech you anything, they remind the programmer of all the details. For learning, use a book about programming or tutorials. Wrt mmap: #define SOMESIZE 1024 void *p; fd = open("file", O_RDONLY); p = mmap(NULL, (size_t)SOMESIZE, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE, (off_t) 1000); This maps 1024 bytes of "file", from offset 1000 in the file onwards, into a buffer of size 1024, which mmap allocates for you and returns in p. Any changes you make must be commited using a write() on fd (after reopening it O_RDWR). Peter -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0

[xawtv and webcam looping]
by davidjpatrick-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

GDHough wrote: >On Monday 22 December 2003 11:08, David J Patrick wrote: > > >>Have you considered http://gspy.sourceforge.net/ ? >>gspy is designed for webcam based security and may offer fewer headaches >>YMMV >>djp >> >> >> >This looks worth a test run. I am curious as to how it builds the MPEG's. I >would like a format playable on winboxes. The way I make the movies now will >only work with mplayer on Linux. Example from man mencoder: > >mencoder \*jpeg -mf on:fps=25 -o output.avi -ovc lavrc > >...will put all the jpeg's in current directory into a single avi. Only thing >is it isn't very 'seekable' (hourly only) I ain't sure yet how to use :vhq: >and keyint= /etc. > >The odds of me catching a bike thief are slim compared to the risk I might >learn something useful about my Linuxes. > >Thanks, >farmer6re9 > > One of the cool things is that the image stream (video) is comprised of only those frames that were different from the previous frame (motion) resulting in surprisingly small files. One less-than-cool thing is the seeming inactivity of the app, with nothing in the changelog for over a year.. djp -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml

1 0