- Legacy - lists.gtalug.org

volunteers need to do some Python programming
by clifford_ilkay-biY6FKoJMRdBDgjK7y7TUQ＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

At 09:11 08/12/2003 -0500, bob findlay wrote: >iCanProgram.com has been offering online programming courses for nofees since >Jan 2002. By most measures it has been a great success with over 2000 >students since Jan 2002. > >One of the older courses is in need of a "spruce up". This course uses >Tcl/Tk to introduce programming to complete beginners. Tcl/Tk was chosen >because I knew the language and it is freely available on any OS platform >including that dreaded Gatesware. > >I'd like to enhance this course material with Python/Tk examples in parallel >to Tcl/Tk. Unfortunately, I don't know Python sufficiently well to >author this material. > >If you are interested in volunteering your talents to this task please >contact me off list and we can discuss what I had in mind. Hi Bob, Others might find this useful so I will respond to the list. There are some good resources for learning Python programming and for learning how to program using Python. The book "Learn to Program Using Python" by Alan Gauld is excellent and would be suitable for anyone. "Learn to Think Like a Computer Scientist" <http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSpy/> is another good resource. Regards, Clifford Ilkay Dinamis Corporation 3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1419 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4N 3P6 Tel: 416-410-3326 -- 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

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*Really* bad week for SCO
by joehill-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 17:33:16 -0500 David J Patrick <davidjpatrick-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg at public.gmane.org> wrote: > That begs the question; are there any investment wizards in the group > who know how to "short" a stock > and, thus" reap the reward for predicting SCOs (and soon enough M$s) > swan dive ? > Should we get a group thing going ? hmmmm ? IIRC, that came up before, on this very list. At first I was a little cold on the idea, being a bit of a pinko and all ;-), but hey, like Heinlein said, "of course the game is fixed, but if you don't bet, you can't win". Everyone go watch Trading Places, we'll be experts by tomorrow, then let the bloodletting begin! BTW, my ma was telling me she's already seen the IBM Linux ad, gave 'er chills and she doesn't even know what Linux is hardly. I don't have cable myself :-(. Anyone else seen it on TV? -- JoeHill ++ ICQ # 280779813 Registered Linux user #282046 Homepage: www.orderinchaos.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.-- Howard Zinn -- 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

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*Really* bad week for SCO
by davidjpatrick-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

JoeHill wrote: >>From Groklaw, the requirements for SCO, as put forward by the judge, to not only >identify the *exact* items which it claims are improperly copied IP, but *this* >little bit, which I would give anything to see them try and show: > >"efforts to maintain secrecy or confidentiality of the [alleged trade >secrets]...." > >LOL! That should be kinda tough, considering they released those "trade >secrets" in their own version of Linux... :-D > >I think it's a good time to start selling any SCO stock you own... > >Link: > >http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20031206151020872 > > > That begs the question; are there any investment wizards in the group who know how to "short" a stock and, thus" reap the reward for predicting SCOs (and soon enough M$s) swan dive ? Should we get a group thing going ? hmmmm ? 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

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Question about the meeting
by davidjpatrick-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

S P Arif Sahari Wibowo wrote: >Hi! > >I have a newbie questions. > >As scheduled in the website, TLUG will have meeting tomorrow (Dec 9). >What usually happen in the meeting? > > 30 - 50 furry geeks (and, occasionally, a bright looking young lady) gather in a lecture room. If there's a guest speaker, and he's new to *nix, the group will baffle him with 147 different ways to do anything. If the guest is a linux expert, it is the n00bs that will be baffled. There will be jabs at SCO and Micro$oft, and countless inside jokes with varying levels of hilarity. Problems will be solved, and new ones uncovered, contacts will be made. The guys in the first two rows will do 80% of the talking, have done everything, could store data on a microwave oven and network it to the toaster. Most of the group will just listen with an expression of interest, or boredom, or a headache, it's hard to tell. Afterwards, if the prevailing mood is thirsty, the group will reconvene at a campus pub for frosty jugs and good company. See you there. >How the best way to go there? > > TTC to College & McCaul, then cut north into the University grounds.. .. ask a fresh faced student how to get to the Galbraith building. >Is there any reasonable parking around the place? >How much is the parking? > > You can park along Kings College circle, I think it'll be $10 - $12 >Thanks! > > > you're welcome, 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

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*Really* bad week for SCO
by joehill-rieW9WUcm8FFJ04o6PK0Fg＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

>From Groklaw, the requirements for SCO, as put forward by the judge, to not only identify the *exact* items which it claims are improperly copied IP, but *this* little bit, which I would give anything to see them try and show: "efforts to maintain secrecy or confidentiality of the [alleged trade secrets]...." LOL! That should be kinda tough, considering they released those "trade secrets" in their own version of Linux... :-D I think it's a good time to start selling any SCO stock you own... Link: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20031206151020872 -- JoeHill ++ ICQ # 280779813 Registered Linux user #282046 Homepage: www.orderinchaos.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."-- John Kenneth Galbraith -- 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

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Question about the meeting
by lists-jiQtrEI3vUxWk0Htik3J/w＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

Hi! I have a newbie questions. As scheduled in the website, TLUG will have meeting tomorrow (Dec 9). What usually happen in the meeting? How the best way to go there? Is there any reasonable parking around the place? How much is the parking? Thanks! -- Stephan Paul Arif Sahari Wibowo _____ _____ _____ _____ /____ /____/ /____/ /____ _____/ / / / _____/ http://www.arifsaha.com/ -- 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

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volunteers need to do some Python programming
by emir-rdkfGonbjUTTQjIoRn/dzw＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 08/12/2003 13:48, William Park wrote: > On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 12:36:19PM -0500, Mel Wilson wrote: > >>In article <20031208144640.9A55E1ECB86-pwyU32sTfCqP7boJH+kiu+TW4wlIGRCZ at public.gmane.org>, >>bob findlay <fcsoft-3Emkkp+1Olsmp8TqCH86vg at public.gmane.org> wrote: >> >>>[ ... ] >>>If you are interested in volunteering your talents to this task please >>>contact me off list and we can discuss what I had in mind. >> >>I would, but your account is rejecting mail. > > > God is punishing him for uttering Python in vain... :-) Maybe the punishment is for teaching Tcl/Tk... - -- Emir. "Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently. And for the very same reason." -- Anonymous -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (MingW32) iD8DBQE/1OwluSy542G+Z7QRAv/5AKCr7z4LR6n6FLgD9U4fs9EUMWGI1ACfdfzH Jwg0tCNgBevTaYBFjs7gfD8= =86FW -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- 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

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M$ to license FAT
by jmm-TU2q2He6PgRlD5gtYiU6kEEOCMrvLtNR＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 01:02:17PM -0500, Robert Brockway wrote: > On Mon, 8 Dec 2003, John Macdonald wrote: > > Does anyone have any details of exactly what is > > patented and when the patent(s) expire? > > Patents expire when Mickey Mouse is no longer profitable, or is that > copyrights, I can't remember. That's copyright - control of making a copy of a work of art. Patents cover an idea, not just a particular work; they last for 20 years or so. (I think it's 19 years, with some variation in the details if there is a long time between when the patent gets filed and when it is approved.) The patent trades a monopoly on the idea against full public disclosure of the details of the idea so that once the patent expires, the public can make full use of the knowledge. One example in the computer industry is the RSA encryption algorithm. It was patented - the patent expired in 2000. The underlying concept for public key encryption had also been patented, but that more basic patent expired even earlier. -- 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

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M$ to license FAT
by robert-5LEc/6Zm6xCUd8a0hrldnti2O/JbrIOy＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003, Tim Writer wrote: > And Linux already offers file systems that are more appropriate for this type > of use. JFFS2, for example, includes wear leveling to minimize wear which can > cause certain types of flash devices to fail much earlier than expected. > IIRC, FAT stores critical information (the file allocation table and a single > backup) in a fixed area of the file system. When it fails due to wear, > you're toast, even if the majority of the device is in good shape. Got that right. I used to have dozens (maybe hundreds) of floppies that would fail a format under MS-DOS (ie, FAT12) but would accept an EXT2FS just fine. Sector 0 was dying on the floppies iirc and EXT2 would just work around the problem whereas FAT12 could not. > > All the manufacturers need to do is supply the filesystem driver when they > > install the s/w on the MS-Windows. Adding drivers all over the place is > > part of the MS-Windows culture. > > In fact, many (most?) such products already come with software from the > manufacturer, even if it's not stricly necessary. Exactly so bundling a little more would hardly be something the manufacturer would worry about. Rob -- Robert Brockway B.Sc. email: robert-5LEc/6Zm6xCUd8a0hrldnti2O/JbrIOy at public.gmane.org, zzbrock at uqconnect.net Linux counter project ID #16440 (http://counter.li.org) "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens" -Baha'u'llah -- 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

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M$ to license FAT
by taavi-LbuTpDkqzNzXI80/IeQp7B2eb7JE58TQ＠public.gmane.org 08 Dec '03

08 Dec '03

On Mon, Dec 08, 2003 at 02:10:15PM -0500, Tim Writer wrote: > And Linux already offers file systems that are more appropriate for this type > of use. JFFS2, for example, includes wear leveling to minimize wear which can > cause certain types of flash devices to fail much earlier than expected. > IIRC, FAT stores critical information (the file allocation table and a single > backup) in a fixed area of the file system. When it fails due to wear, > you're toast, even if the majority of the device is in good shape. Most (all?) of the standard Flash memory devices these days have onboard controllers which can detect failing sectors in the flash memory, and will reroute data to spare sectors, much as HDs do these days. Of course, if the filesystem can help out, all the better. :) > In fact, many (most?) such products already come with software from the > manufacturer, even if it's not stricly necessary. But do you want to encourage this behaviour? And how many distros come with JFFS2 drivers? Is it even part of the standard kernel source (it doesn't look familar to me; then again, I haven't been looking for it). There is still the question of which would cost more: VFAT licensing (if even required), or the writing and maintenance of a driver. We might be happy if they came out with some random open source Windows driver (that couldn't very well be GPL, now, could it), but others might get a "bad" feeling about it. -- taa /*eof*/ -- 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

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