February 2026 - Talk - lists.gtalug.org

NAS -- what protocol?
by William Park 09 Feb '26

09 Feb '26

To those running NAS, I'm thinking about turning my current i3-4170 desktop into NAS. What protocols do you use? Do you run both "NFS" and "SMB" on it? Or, just "SMB"?

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I'm available for presentations at your LUG meetings
by Steve Litt 07 Feb '26

07 Feb '26

Hi all, My 45 minute "HTML Derivation Via W3C Validator and xmlchecker.py" presentation was well received at GoLUG the other night, so I'd like to refine it and present it at a few other LUGs and/or BSD groups using Jitsi, Big Blue Button or Zoom remote meetings. The eight minute first segment highlights the following: * Benefit of writing valid HTML. * 2 Benefits of really knowing and understanding HTML. * 3 Benefits of making your HTML also be well formed XML. * Benefits of deriving HTML from the W3C validator and xmlchecker.py. * Mention of the three tools: W3C validator, xmlchecker.py, and a browser. * Mention that installation of W3C validator and xmlchecker.py will be detailed later in the presentation. The next segment derives a valid "Hello World" HTML starting from an empty file using the W3C validator exclusively, and then makes it well formed XML with the aid of the xmlchecker.py XML well formedness checker. We then correct this valid HTML written in well formed XML to be what we all know should really be in an HTML file. The next segment enlarges the HTML file with a few more lines, proves that HTML can be valid even if it's not well formed XML, and shows how to convert it to well formed XML. This segment features more sophisticated use of the W3C validator and xmlchecker.py. The next segment unveils use of a time saving debugging technique useful on any HTML which is also intended to be well formed XML, and also gives a peek at CSS. The next segment details the installation of both the W3C validator, which can be a massive headache if the wrong Internet instructions are followed, and the dead-bang easy installation of xmlchecker.py. The final segment is a wrapup of the presentation, and should finish within 45 minutes of the start. <<< NOTE >>> I also have a similar presentation for Rust, which I can give at any LUG or BSD group. SteveT Steve Litt Technical Trainer http://www.troubleshooters.com

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2/4/2026 GoLUG meeting, 7pm Eastern STANDARD time
by Steve Litt 04 Feb '26

04 Feb '26

Hi all, Where: GoLUG Online: https://meet.jit.si/golug When: Wednesday, 2/4/2026 7pm sharp Eastern STANDARD time Arrive 15 minutes early for Microphone check & discussion Who: Steve Litt, Troubleshooter, Developer, Tech Writer What: Free for all discussion of Open Source I'll present a 20 minute mini-talk on the benefits of making your HTML also be well formed XML, an XML well-formedness detector, a handy HTML troubleshooting test you can use if your HTML is also well formed XML, and having your own, locally hosted W3C HTML validity tester. After that, other people will present, as desired, and discussions will ensue. Hope to see you there. SteveT Steve Litt GoLUG Publicity Coordinator

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Ubuntu Server -- why so big?
by William Park 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

I'm trying to setup Debian/Ubuntu distro, small size, text-only, no desktop, in VirtualBox. So, I tried "Ubuntu Server 25.10", because website says 2.5GB should be enough. Well, fresh install takes up 7GB. The only optional thing I included is ssh server. Am I doing something wrong? What do you remember when you setup your Ubuntu Server?

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Not Linux ... Virtual Credit Cards
by Giles Orr 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

My apologies, this is not a Linux question. But this crowd is fairly security- and technology-oriented, so it seems like the right place to ask. I'd like to make purchases online with one-time-use credit card numbers (think how nice this would be with dubious websites that have something you really want: their bad security won't ruin your credit rating days or years later). This idea has been around since at least the early 2000s, but it's inconvenient - and as the Dead Kennedys said, give me convenience or give me death! But I'm willing to give up some convenience in the name of security. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_payment_number The idea is that you generate a new credit card number for each purchase, or perhaps each vendor (which can't be used by anyone else - locked to the vendor). And/or put a credit cap on each number. The inconvenience is that they're short-lived and you have to generate new ones frequently. Which is also going to cause overhead for the bank, who will charge you more. What I'm learning is that A) inconvenience and cost makes them undesirable so they're not common, and B) there aren't many in Canada. Most recently, a bank employee has pointed out that RBC does have a Virtual Debit Card ( https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/banking-services/virtual-visa-debit/index.html ) - but what I immediately noticed is that this seems to be managed through a phone app. I really don't want more personal data concentrated in my phone. Yes, I get why it's on the phone for in-store purchases, but my use-case is actually online and I'd prefer to manage it through their website or at worst a plugin. <sigh> According to a four year old Reddit thread, both Koho and Neo offer VCCs in Canada, although it doesn't sound like either is particularly well-loved. And I would prefer (if only by a small margin) to go with a bricks-and-mortar Canadian bank. Does anyone have experience with any Canadian virtual credit or debit cards? Any suggestions welcome. -- Giles https://www.gilesorr.com/ gilesorr(a)gmail.com

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Linux and the new tpl website?
by Karen Lewellen 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

Hi folks, Anyone know if any effort was made to test the new tpl website in Linux at the basic level? Thanks, Kare

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Re: Linux and the new tpl website?
by Evan Leibovitch 01 Feb '26

01 Feb '26

On Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 00:26 Karen Lewellen <klewellen(a)shellworld.net> wrote: Linux also exists as a console command line edition. > That statement isn't really useful. "Linux" is a kernel. Its current edition is 6.18. Various people and organizations package this kernel with various tools, file systems, libraries, shells,installation methods and utilities to create a distribution. And there are literally thousands of these distributions. While most of them now have a graphic interface component, almost every single one of them has a command line interface underneath. And the ones that don't are not intended for human interaction. My understanding was that, at least previously, tpl provided certification > courses in Linux, which would reasonably include its fundamental > foundations. > As the teacher of many of those courses and the co-founder of the certification organization, I'm extremely well acquainted with the relevant subject matter. They did not ever teach or certify knowledge of about browsers. While certainly important, browsers are simply a category of applications. They have NEVER been a "fundamental foundation" of Linux-based operating systems. - Evan

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