February 2026 - Talk - lists.gtalug.org

Re: Linux on a phone
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 27 Jun '26

27 Jun '26

I am a bit confused by This post. It attributes the quote to me, but only the last line is from me. Karen, you seem to be asking which jurisdictions still support 3G. They are other countries, so are probably of no interest to you. In Canada, I think Telus still supports 3G for a little while longer. I think that they've added a surcharge to chivvy you along. And it won't be for long. No, you cannot get a 3G plan in another country and expect to roam with it here. 3G covers the hop from your handset to the tower, so it is pretty local. I'm no expert so you should do your own research. > From: Karen Lewellen <klewellen(a)shellworld.net> > To: D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk <talk(a)lists.gtalug.org> > Cc: D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh(a)mimosa.com> > Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2026 15:01:11 -0500 (EST) > Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Re: Linux on a phone > > On Thu, 11 Dec 2025, D. Hugh Redelmeier via Talk wrote: > >> for the calls.?? Also, there's not much point in talking about 2G or even > >> 3G > >> these days.?? There is also Voice over New Radio (VoNR) on 5G, which is > >> pretty > >> much the same as VoLTE at the phone but significantly different on > >> connecting > >> to the cell network. > > (I think that 3g works in many other jurisdictions.) > Where? > Is there a list? > Speaking personally, my 4g experiences are setting cellphone use > back..decades. > Might be worth getting a plan in one of those locations and including Canada, > investment wise at least. > > Kare

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Degraded systems (all of mine, yours too (probably))
by Ron 06 Mar '26

06 Mar '26

For reasons unknown, I ran the following on a machine today: > # systemctl is-system-running > degraded Uh-oh. *All* my machines were like this. Some due to, i.e., `certbot` failing to renew a cert for an expired domain. To find out what's going on, I ran: # systemctl list-units --state failed UNIT LOAD ACTIVE SUB DESCRIPTION ● cantonese-milter.service loaded failed failed Rewrite Cantonese Word-of-the-Day LOAD = Reflects whether the unit definition was properly loaded. ACTIVE = The high-level unit activation state, i.e. generalization of SUB. SUB = The low-level unit activation state, values depend on unit type. 1 loaded units listed. I was then able to fix the failed unit(s) and now: # systemctl is-system-running running Curious, am I really sloppy, or is it common to have a failed unit on machines? What are your results?

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Email clients: Opinions? RoundCube webmail is very nice these days
by Ron 27 Feb '26

27 Feb '26

I've just setup RoundMail and it's very, very nice - even on mobile. Curious if anyone uses it or has any opinions? I've always considered webmail a 2nd class experience but I've had to update my opinion on that. Also, Thunderbird has been my go-to client since PolarBar ceased updates. I still like it, but Evolution has been quite good too. So, what are the group's thoughts on email clients? Also, if anyone wants to test out Stalwart for email / CalDAV / CardDAV / optional encryption-at-rest with S/MIME or PGP, I'd be happy to set up an account for testing. Connect with RoundCube or any client you wish. Stalwart also supports OAuth, OpenID Connect, etc. but I don't know what to do with them. It's the entire email tech stack redone in a single Rust package - quite desirable to do away with all the fiddly components...

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3/4/2026 GoLUG meeting, 7pm Eastern STANDARD time
by Steve Litt 26 Feb '26

26 Feb '26

Hi all, Where: GoLUG Online: https://meet.jit.si/golug When: Wednesday, 3/4/2026 7pm sharp Eastern STANDARD time Arrive at 6:45pm for Microphone check & discussion Who: Steve Litt, Troubleshooter, Developer, Tech Writer What: Find out for yourself about Rust It's coming. You've seen it. You've heard of Rust. You've seen the evangelism. You've heard the skepticism. At the next GoLUG meeting, you get to decide for yourself. Using the Rust compiler as your instructor, you'll derive a Rust Hello World, go on to numeric and string manipulation, data structures, branching, looping, command line argument handling, and multi-file projects. The pace will geared to people who have never touched Rust, but have written a program in some language, including Bash or Powerscript, as well as the usual suspects such as C, Python, Javascript etc. Time permitting, after that we'll take a quick AI dip into the things that make Rust special, so that you'll recognize what techniques to use when, and be able to read other peoples' Rust code. If you want to code along with the presentation, and this is recommended although not necessary, install Rust on your computer before the presentation. It's very easy to install on most Linux distros, and I assume on Windows, Mac, and BSD also. Hope to see you there. SteveT Steve Litt GoLUG Publicity Coordinator

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Low cost Linux Laptops...
by Colin McGregor 18 Feb '26

18 Feb '26

My computing is largely based around a classic style mini-tower and some Raspberry PI computers. But I sometimes need to take things on the road, for which I have a low-end laptop that originally came with Windows 10, and I replaced that with Debian GNU/Linux. When it comes to computing on the move, I see it as an accessory to my desktop, no heavy duty tasks. This mobile arrangement all works for me (your mileage might vary). When I was getting that laptop I ignored the Chromebooks as they didn't seem capable of doing anything other than ChromeOS. Well, live and learn, below is a video about installing Linux on a Chromebook, Yes, there are some ... somewhat ugly hoops ... you have to jump through to get Linux on a Chromebook. Then you have to deal with the limitations of a Chromebook, limited RAM, sluggish CPU, and limited storage. Still, it can be done, using a lightweight Linux distribution, and well, knowing everything is limited. I am in no rush to replace my current laptop (it is running just fine for what I want to do), but next time I have to shop for a laptop, I will at least consider a Chromebook (at least as long as I am confident I can put a Linux distribution on the device). So, anyone looking for portable Linux on a VERY tight budget may want to consider this. https://youtu.be/iydjjpvkoDE?si=FCYCCuNZBVQjUxsv

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Testing Stalwart email server: replacement for postfix / dovecot / etc.
by Ron 13 Feb '26

13 Feb '26

I've been giving this https://Stalw.art email server software a test and it's *slick*. I like that users can set their own passwords without me having to provide RoundCube (PHP + ... + ... + plugin for RoundCube). It also allows users to enable at-rest encryption. Supports CalDAV / CardDAV / WebDAV out of the box. Supports SMTP / IMAP / POP / JMAP. Supports OAuth and OpenID Connect. I haven't been able to test all the features, but am quite pleased with what I've seen so far. Providing email with calendar and contact support without needing postfix / dovecot / opendkim / Nextcloud / PHP / Redis / ... is really sweet. If anyone wants an email account to try for themselves, let me know.

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Wayland vs Xorg
by Ron 12 Feb '26

12 Feb '26

I made the switch recently, and have some things to report. It's noticeably faster - a pleasant surprise. Screen sharing via Nextcloud works, expecting Jitsi et al to work too. Audio issues resolved: I use OS-level microphone muting instead of app muting (Jitsi, Nextcloud, etc). No longer are the hot-keys and mouse actions on widgets out of sync, leaving me unsure if I'm muted or not. Works 100% of the time. The audio quality *seems* distinctly better in Nextcloud meetings. Finally, an extremely odd issue where WebRTC sounded terrible with crackling and popping sounds *only when 3rd monitor* enabled is *gone*. That took months to realize the sound was fixed when I disabled that monitor - now I don't have to do that. (YouTube audio was never an issue, just WebRTC.) I'm running KDEneon FWIW.

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recordings of University of Waterloo "Cryptography, Security, and Privacy" talks
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 10 Feb '26

10 Feb '26

The most recent talk was by Bruce Schneier, very notable in the field. This talk can be understood without much background but quite interesting and important. <https://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/speakers/>

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CORRECTION: General Meeting Tomorrow
by Alan Heighway 09 Feb '26

09 Feb '26

GTALug Monthly Meeting <https://www.gtalug.org/?p=369>January 12, 2026/in Meetings <https://www.gtalug.org/?cat=4>/by Alan Heighway <https://www.gtalug.org/?author=3> Description: Join us this month for a round table discussion with the general membership, where participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, raise questions, and engage in open dialogue on topics important to our community. Speaker: All of you! Agenda: 1. Discussion 2. Adjournment Date / Time: *February 10th, 2026 19:30 EST* Location: Online using Nextcloud: https://hub.gtalug.org/call/7m45sf9i NOTE: *A*lan *H*eighway <http://heighway.ca/> heighway.ca 416-712-5247 VA3WAH / VA3YKZ [image: Please consider the environment before printing]

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GTALUG General Meeting Reminder
by Alan Heighway 09 Feb '26

09 Feb '26

GTALug Monthly Meeting <https://www.gtalug.org/?p=369> Description: Join us this month for a round table discussion with the general membership, where participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, raise questions, and engage in open dialogue on topics important to our community. Speaker: All of you! Agenda: 1. Discussion 2. Adjournment Date / Time: February 09th, 2025 19:30 EST Location: Online using Nextcloud: https://hub.gtalug.org/call/7m45sf9i NOTE: *A*lan *H*eighway <http://heighway.ca/> heighway.ca 416-712-5247 VA3WAH / VA3YKZ [image: Please consider the environment before printing]

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