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Has the graphics-card world gone mad?
by Evan Leibovitch 04 Apr '21

04 Apr '21

Hi all. I made the mistake that I might want to upgrade my video card. I have a Radeon RX 550 that is struggling to drive two 4K screens. It works, but plenty of flickering under both Linux and Windows. I looked at a few sources such as Tom's Hardware to get a good idea of what to buy, and it suggested a card in the $300-400 range. I wish. Canada Computers has the cards (GeForce GTX 1660 Super) listed in this price range but all are out of stock everywhere. Amazon and NewEgg have them listed for more than $1,100. These don't strike me as cards powerful enough to do coin mining. Why are they so rare and expensive? Is it the global chip shortage or something else? And does anyone have an idea how long we'll have to wait this out ... or how I can tune my card to support the screens? Thanks! Evan Leibovitch, Toronto Canada @evanleibovitch / @el56

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Re: [GTALUG] Surveillance Capitalism [was another thread] (fwd)
by Karen Lewellen 03 Apr '21

03 Apr '21

Before answering this Russel sending it to the list where it clearly belongs? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2021 08:35:19 -0400 From: Russell Reiter <rreiter91(a)gmail.com> To: Karen Lewellen <klewellen(a)shellworld.net> Cc: Dhaval Giani via talk <talk(a)gtalug.org>, Dhaval Giani <dhaval.giani(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Surveillance Capitalism [was another thread] On Fri, Apr 2, 2021 at 11:07 PM Karen Lewellen <klewellen(a)shellworld.net> wrote: > folks, > Keeping with the in context process. > > You are correct, context is important. > > On Fri, 2 Apr 2021, Dhaval Giani via talk wrote: > >>>> >>>> Again, I say this again. RMS as a contributor, yes. RMS as a leader, > no. >>>> >>>> I am not going to step into your Godwin's law discussion >>>> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law ). It is irrelevant to >>>> the issue at hand. >>> >>> >>> That wasn't my discussion. I'm talking about Surveillance capitalism, > which grows >>> more important to me day by day. I just think there is a lot of > shooting the messenger >>> with RMS. >>> >> >> Then this thread should prove to you exactly why RMS cannot be your >> messenger. You could be 100% factual, but it is what the other side >> receives is of greater importance. Your cause is lost, when your >> messenger causes your message to be lost. > > This is absolutely correct. > I had no idea who rms was until the current discussion. > Within ten minutes I came across an open letter demanding that the free > software foundation's entire board step down and that rms be removed. > This letter linked to gathered details about rms, not hearsay, but direct > posts with links from his own website, where he suggests that a women get > an abortion should she learn her child will have downs syndrome. > In Canada and elsewhere abortion is legal. This was the result of feminist activisim and the doctors who agreed that in some cases it is best to terminate a pregnancy. However abortinon is now universally available here, no questions asked, if a woman wants one. > And that laws against under age sex are wrong if the child is willing. > In Canada the age of consent is 16, absent positions of trust and even lower if both are in the 13 to 16 age group. I won't restate the rules for you, I'll just link to them. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/clp/faq.html Here is what Stallman actually said. "I think it is morally absurd to define 'rape' in a way that depends on minor details such as which country it was in or whether the victim was 18 years old or 17," Stallman wrote. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/09/richard-stallman-leaves-mit-aft… Certainly, there were comments about the ways associates have enabled rms, > working around his stance and behavior. but that paled when his own > words called into question why I, as an outsider to he subject, should > give any weight to his opinion...about anything. > I will take your word that he is a talented coder, contributing much to > the free software movement. > Such does not make him a suitable leader, if one cannot stop wondering > how he can make such statements about human beings, and their right to be > born. > We are all entitled to our own opinion, however it's hard to formulate an honest opinion if the facts are dishonest. Just my take, Karen > > -- Russell

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April 2nd - International Fact Checking Day
by Russell Reiter 02 Apr '21

02 Apr '21

The day after April fools day. Who knew? Apparently Google does. https://canada.googleblog.com/2021/03/spot-misinformation-online-with-these… https://factcheckingday.com/ Since Russell is most definitely a Scots name. I post the following thematic conclusion with sincere apologies to the ghost Robbie Burns, for misrepresenting the facts of his craftsmanship, through omission and alteration of his historical words. To a Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church *O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as Google see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, An' ev'n devotion!* Modern english translation and brief thematic analysis here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Louse Complete text here. https://interestingliterature.com/2018/12/to-a-louse-a-poem-by-robert-burns/ -- Russell

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a web site running on a cell phone modem!
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 02 Apr '21

02 Apr '21

https://nns.ee/blog/2021/04/01/modem-blog.html

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Canadian shares Turing award this year
by Russell Reiter 31 Mar '21

31 Mar '21

I thought this bit of news on the people involved in early compiler development might be of general interest. "Jeffrey Ullman and Alfred Aho developed many of the fundamental concepts that researchers use when they build new software." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/technology/turing-award-aho-ullman.html -- Russell

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interesting article on FreeBSD kernel almost getty dangerous code
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 29 Mar '21

29 Mar '21

<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/buffer-overruns-license-violations-…> Summary: a WireGuard port to FreeBSD was sponsored by Northgate (pfSense company). The port was of poor quality and dangerously so. Nobody caught it until after pfSense was released with it, and just before FreeBSD released it. The messenger was tortured, but not shot. Bonus: the guy who ported the code was a felon / bad landlord. Lesson: open source software does not get enough quality control. Especially code that might affect security. Some Linux distros attempt QC (e.g. RedHat) but I'm sure it is inadequate.

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Partitioning Question
by Jim Ruxton 28 Mar '21

28 Mar '21

I have a partitioning question I am hoping someone can help with. I have 2 hard drives in my laptop , a SSD and a standard hard drive. I dual boot Windows and Ubuntu. Here is an image of my partitions from gparted. The top is my SSD and the bottom is my other drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u7Rcn1_W95Z1PlV122IhPdR1VXJFxkAJ/view?usp=… <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u7Rcn1_W95Z1PlV122IhPdR1VXJFxkAJ/view?usp=…> . My Linux system except for Home (which has it's own partition on the other drive) is on the SSD as well as Windows. I'm running out of room on the Windows partition on the SSD. I have other partitions on the other drive that has lots of space. Is there a way I can allocate some of that to Windows? For example as you can see in the image I have an ntfs data partition of 100 Gigs that is almost empty. Any way to take some of that and share it with the Windows SSD partition? Otherwise what would people recommend to give Windows more space based on what I have available. I should also probably move some of my Linux out of the SSD but not sure what? I assume if I do move stuff I would need to do it from gparted running on a USB stick? Thanks for your suggestions. Cheers, Jim

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Century font -- most LaTeX like font in Words
by William Park 28 Mar '21

28 Mar '21

FYI... I recently discovered "Century" font in Words, and I like it. It's similar to "Computer Modern" font that LaTeX uses. I can scan line without reading the words or, even worse, letters.

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my take on Richard Stallman's contributions
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 26 Mar '21

26 Mar '21

[This is nothing to do with the current topic of the propriety or wisdom of RMS rejoining FSF board.] “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman I first saw this quotation pinned to Henry Spencer's side of the cubicle I shared with him at the University of Toronto. I think that this is very apt when discussing RMS. I'm not going to recite the history. It's available elsewhere and in more accurate form than my memories. >From my standpoint, RMS has been on the right side of many fights. Even when the prospects of success have been low or distant. The purity and simplicity of his messages (not to mention their repetitive nature) have made his ideas understandable. They have a logical clarity. He has taken a hard line that has often been or seemed impractical, especially annoying pragmatists. All wins for the side he champions have been provisional. For example, the GPL has not prevented Linux to be "enclosed"; GCC is in the process of being supplanted by LLVM. He/we can never rest. Many critics argue practicality against purity. Often convincingly: they often are not wrong. "Open Source" vs "Free/Libre Software" was an example. Evan has been our most assertive representative of this view. (I certainly let the pragmatic overrule the principled. For example, I used to use MythTV when I got an unencrypted TV signal. Then everything became encrypted (except OTA TV, which we cannot receive). Now I use proprietary devices and streams (Rogers, Netflix, ...).) Again, we depend on the unreasonable people to protect us. ================================ The reasonable person will use whatever works. This is exploited to steer the reasonable person towards enclosure. Off the top of my head, the most important things that Stallman did were: - crystallize a movement - create a defensive wall for Free Software (the GPL) - produce GCC and related tools - create cogent and clear analysis The GPL has proven important. It is inconvenient. But look at how Apple has co-opted BSD-licensed software. Initially I preferred "permissive" licenses for things I produce but no longer.

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[GTALUG-Announce] Meeting on Tuesday, April 13 at 07:30 PM
by hi＠gtalug.org 25 Mar '21

25 Mar '21

<https://gtalug.org/meeting/2021-04/> # Windows subsystem for linux with Evan Leibovitch After one too many times fighting with PulseAudio and video drivers and having printers and scanners that will NEVER work with Linux, I gave up my dual boot laptop and desktop and have loaded Win 10 on both. Turns out, things run faster too, even open source apps like Handbrake which take advantage of the GPU to do its video decoding while Linux can't do that. But the story is not done. I installed Windows Subsystem for Linux and now have a fully running Kubuntu as a VM when I want it. And there are some interesting tools such as Windows Terminal in which you can have a Linux terminal shell next to a tab with Windows PowerShell. # Lightning talks This is GTALUG's version of an un-conference, a loosely structured short talks emphasizing the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants, rather than following a conventionally structured GTALUG meetings. If you already have a topic in mind please send an email to speakers(a)gtalug.org to be added to the list of scheduled talks. ## Location Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84001023881?pwd=Tk9DNnB0OXZibTJUT2hUR2taeGY2dz09 Meeting ID: 840 0102 3881 Passcode: 688539 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdNFVrX48s ## Schedule * 7:30 pm - Meeting and presentation. # Code of Conduct We want a productive happy community that can welcome new ideas, improve every process every year, and foster collaboration between individuals with differing needs, interests and skills. We gain strength from diversity, and actively seek participation from those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage and enjoyment. We will challenge prejudice that could jeopardise the participation of any person in the community. The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private whenever the Linux community will be judged by our actions. We expect it to be honoured by everyone who represents the community officially or informally, claims affiliation or participates directly. It applies to activities online or offline. We invite anybody to participate. Our community is open. Please read more about the GTALUG Code of Conduct here: https://gtalug.org/about/code-of-conduct/. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the GTALUG Code of Conduct please contact the GTALUG Board @ board(a)gtalug.org. --- GTALUG Announce mailing list announce(a)gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/announce

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