12th June 2013

There is a certain cross-over between the -Debian Edu / Skolelinux -project and the Edubuntu -project, and for example the LTSP packages in Debian are a joint -effort between the projects. One person with a foot in both camps is -Jonathan Carter, which I am now happy to present to you.

Freedombox on Dreamplug, Raspberry Pi and virtual x86 machine

14th March 2014

The Freedombox +project is working on providing the software and hardware for +making it easy for non-technical people to host their data and +communication at home, and being able to communicate with their +friends and family encrypted and away from prying eyes. It has been +going on for a while, and is slowly progressing towards a new test +release (0.2).

+ +

And what day could be better than the Pi day to announce that the +new version will provide "hard drive" / SD card / USB stick images for +Dreamplug, Raspberry Pi and VirtualBox (or any other virtualization +system), and can also be installed using a Debian installer preseed +file. The Debian based Freedombox is now based on Debian Jessie, +where most of the needed packages used are already present. Only one, +the freedombox-setup package, is missing. To try to build your own +boot image to test the current status, fetch the freedom-maker scripts +and build using +vmdebootstrap +with a user with sudo access to become root: -

Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

- -

I'm a South-African free software geek who lives in Cape Town. My -days vary quite a bit since I'm involved in too many things. As I'm -getting older I'm learning how to focus a bit more :)

- -

I'm also an Edubuntu contributor and I love when there are -opportunities for the Edubuntu and Debian Edu projects to benefit from -each other.

- -

How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu -project?

- -

I've been somewhat familiar with the project before, but I think my -first direct exposure to the project was when I met Petter -[Reinholdtsen] and Knut [Yrvin] at the Edubuntu summit in 2005 in -London. They provided great feedback that helped the bootstrapping of -Edubuntu. Back then Edubuntu (and even Ubuntu) was still very new and -it was great getting input from people who have been around longer. I -was also still very excitable and said yes to everything and to this -day I have a big todo list backlog that I'm catching up with. I think -over the years the relationship between Edubuntu and Debian-Edu has -been gradually improving, although I think there's a lot that we could -still improve on in terms of working together on packages. I'm sure -we'll get there one day.

- -

What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

Debian itself already has so many advantages. I could go on about -it for pages, but in essence I love that it's a very honest project -that puts its users first with no hidden agendas and also produces -very high quality work.

- -

I think the advantage of Debian Edu is that it makes many common -set-up tasks simpler so that administrators can get up and running -with a lot less effort and frustration. At the same time I think it -helps to standardise installations in schools so that it's easier for -community members and commercial suppliers to support.

- -

What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

I had to re-type this one a few times because I'm trying to -separate "disadvantages" from "areas that need improvement" (which is -what I originally rambled on about)

- -

The biggest disadvantage I can think of is lack of manpower. The -project could do so much more if there were more good contributors. I -think some of the problems are external too. Free software and free -content in education is a no-brainer but it takes some time to catch -on. When you've been working with the same proprietary eco-system for -years and have gotten used to it, it can be hard to adjust to some -concepts in the free software world. It would be nice if there were -more Debian Edu consultants across the world. I'd love to be one -myself but I'm already so over-committed that it's just not possible -currently.

- -

I think the best short-term solution to that large-scale problem is -for schools to be pro-active and share their experiences and grow -their skills in-house. I'm often saddened to see how much money -educational institutions spend on 3rd party solutions that they don't -have access to after the service has ended and they could've gotten so -much more value otherwise by being more self-sustainable and -autonomous.

+git clone http://anonscm.debian.org/git/freedombox/freedom-maker.git \
+  freedom-maker
+sudo apt-get install git vmdebootstrap mercurial python-docutils \
+  mktorrent extlinux virtualbox qemu-user-static binfmt-support \
+  u-boot-tools
+make -C freedom-maker dreamplug-image raspberry-image virtualbox-image
+

Which free software do you use daily?

Root access is needed to run debootstrap and mount loopback +devices. See the README for more details on the build. If you do not +want all three images, trim the make line. But note that thanks to a race condition in +vmdebootstrap, the build might fail without the patch to the +kpartx call.

My main laptop dual-boots between Debian and Windows 7. I was -Windows free for years but started dual-booting again last year for -some games which help me focus and relax (Starcraft II in -particular). Gaming support on Linux is improving in leaps and bounds -so I suppose I'll soon be able to regain that disk space :)

- -

Besides that I rely on Icedove, Chromium, Terminator, Byobu, irssi, -git, Tomboy, KVM, VLC and LibreOffice. Recently I've been torn on -which desktop environment I like and I'm taking some refuge in Xfce -while I figure that out. I like tools that keep things simple. I enjoy -Python and shell scripting. I went to an Arduino workshop recently and -it was awesome seeing how easy and simple the IDE software was to get -up and running in Debian compared to the users running Windows and OS -X.

- -

I also use mc which some people frown upon slightly. I got used to -using Norton Commander in the early 90's and it stuck (I think the -people who sneer at it is just jealous that they don't know how to use -it :p) +

If you instead want to install using a Debian CD and the preseed +method, boot a Debian Wheezy ISO and use this boot argument to load +the preseed values:

Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to -get schools to use free software?

+url=http://www.reinholdtsen.name/freedombox/preseed-jessie.dat
+

I think trying to force it is unproductive. I also think that in -many cases it's appropriate for schools to use non-free systems and I -don't think that there's any particular moral or ethical problem with -that.

- -

I do think though that free software can already solve so so many -problems in educational institutions and it's just a shame not taking -advantage of that.

- -

I also think that some curricula need serious review. For example, -some areas of the world rely heavily on very specific versions of MS -Office, teaching students to parrot menu items instead of learning the -general concepts. I think that's very unproductive because firstly, MS -Office's interface changes drastically every few years and on top of -that it also locks in a generation to a product that might not be the -best solution for them.

- -

To answer your question, I believe that the right strategy is to -educate and inform, giving someone the information they require to -make a decision that would work for them.

But note that due to a +recently introduced bug in apt in Jessie, the installer will +currently hang while setting up APT sources. Killing the +'apt-cdrom ident' process when it hang a few times during the +installation will get the installation going. This affect all +installations in Jessie, and I expect it will be fixed soon.

+ +Give it a go and let us know how it goes on the mailing list, and help +us get the new release published. :) Please join us on +IRC (#freedombox on +irc.debian.org) and +the +mailing list if you want to help make this vision come true.

- Tags: debian edu, english, intervju. + Tags: debian, english, freedombox, sikkerhet, surveillance, web.

@@ -152,108 +91,94 @@ make a decision that would work for them.

Fixing the Linux black screen of death on machines with Intel HD video

11th June 2013

When installing RedHat, Fedora, Debian and Ubuntu on some machines, -the screen just turn black when Linux boot, either during installation -or on first boot from the hard disk. I've seen it once in a while the -last few years, but only recently understood the cause. I've seen it -on HP laptops, and on my latest acquaintance the Packard Bell laptop. -The reason seem to be in the wiring of some laptops. The system to -control the screen background light is inverted, so when Linux try to -turn the brightness fully on, it end up turning it off instead. I do -not know which Linux drivers are affected, but this post is about the -i915 driver used by the -Packard Bell -EasyNote LV, Thinkpad X40 and many other laptops.

- -

The problem can be worked around two ways. Either by adding -i915.invert_brightness=1 as a kernel option, or by adding a file in -/etc/modprobe.d/ to tell modprobe to add the invert_brightness=1 -option when it load the i915 kernel module. On Debian and Ubuntu, it -can be done by running these commands as root:

- -

-echo options i915 invert_brightness=1 | tee /etc/modprobe.d/i915.conf
-update-initramfs -u -k all
-

- -

Since March 2012 there is -a -mechanism in the Linux kernel to tell the i915 driver which -hardware have this problem, and get the driver to invert the -brightness setting automatically. To use it, one need to add a row in -the -intel_quirks array in the driver source -drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c (look for "static -struct intel_quirk intel_quirks"), specifying the PCI device -number (vendor number 8086 is assumed) and subdevice vendor and device -number.

- -

My Packard Bell EasyNote LV got this output from lspci --vvnn for the video card in question:

- -

-00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation \
-    3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0156] \
-    (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
- Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] Device [1025:0688]
- Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- \
-    ParErr- Stepping- SE RR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
- Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- \
-    SERR-  [disabled]
- Capabilities: 
- Kernel driver in use: i915
-

- -

The resulting intel_quirks entry would then look like this:

- -

-struct intel_quirk intel_quirks[] = {
-       ...
-        /* Packard Bell EasyNote LV11HC needs invert brightness quirk */
-	{ 0x0156, 0x1025, 0x0688, quirk_invert_brightness },
-       ...
-}
-

- -

According to the kernel module instructions (as seen using -modinfo i915), information about hardware needing the -invert_brightness flag should be sent to the -dri-devel -(at) lists.freedesktop.org mailing list to reach the kernel -developers. But my email about the laptop sent 2013-06-03 have not -yet shown up in -the -web archive for the mailing list, so I suspect they do not accept -emails from non-subscribers. Because of this, I sent my patch also to -the Debian bug tracking system instead as -BTS report #710938, to make -sure the patch is not lost.

- -

Unfortunately, it is not enough to fix the kernel to get Laptops -with this problem working properly with Linux. If you use Gnome, your -worries should be over at this point. But if you use KDE, there is -something in KDE ignoring the invert_brightness setting and turning on -the screen during login. I've reported it to Debian as -BTS report #711237, and -have no idea yet how to figure out exactly what subsystem is doing -this. Perhaps you can help? Perhaps you know what the Gnome -developers did to handle this, and this can give a clue to the KDE -developers? Or you know where in KDE the screen brightness is changed -during login? If so, please update the BTS report (or get in touch if -you do not know how to update BTS).

How to add extra storage servers in Debian Edu / Skolelinux

12th March 2014

On larger sites, it is useful to use a dedicated storage server for +storing user home directories and data. The design for handling this +in Debian Edu / Skolelinux, is +to update the automount rules in LDAP and let the automount daemon on +the clients take care of the rest. I was reminded about the need to +document this better when one of the customers of +Skolelinux Drift AS, where I am +on the board of directors, asked about how to do this. The steps to +get this working are the following:

+ +

Add new storage server in DNS. I use nas-server.intern as the +example host here.
Add automoun LDAP information about this server in LDAP, to allow +all clients to automatically mount it on reqeust.
Add the relevant entries in tjener.intern:/etc/fstab, because +tjener.intern do not use automount to avoid mounting loops.

+ +

DNS entries are added in GOsaÂ², and not described here. Follow the +instructions +in the manual (Machine Management with GOsaÂ² in section Getting +started).

+ +

Ensure that the NFS export points on the server are exported to the +relevant subnets or machines:

+ +

+root@tjener:~# showmount -e nas-server
+Export list for nas-server:
+/storage         10.0.0.0/8
+root@tjener:~#
+

+ +

Here everything on the backbone network is granted access to the +/storage export. With NFSv3 it is slightly better to limit it to +netgroup membership or single IP addresses to have some limits on the +NFS access.

+ +

The next step is to update LDAP. This can not be done using GOsaÂ², +because it lack a module for automount. Instead, use ldapvi and add +the required LDAP objects using an editor.

+ +

+ldapvi --ldap-conf -ZD '(cn=admin)' -b ou=automount,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
+

+ +

When the editor show up, add the following LDAP objects at the +bottom of the document. The "/&" part in the last LDAP object is a +wild card matching everything the nas-server exports, removing the +need to list individual mount points in LDAP.

+ +

+add cn=nas-server,ou=auto.skole,ou=automount,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
+objectClass: automount
+cn: nas-server
+automountInformation: -fstype=autofs --timeout=60 ldap:ou=auto.nas-server,ou=automount,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
+
+add ou=auto.nas-server,ou=automount,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
+objectClass: top
+objectClass: automountMap
+ou: auto.nas-server
+
+add cn=/,ou=auto.nas-server,ou=automount,dc=skole,dc=skolelinux,dc=no
+objectClass: automount
+cn: /
+automountInformation: -fstype=nfs,tcp,rsize=32768,wsize=32768,rw,intr,hard,nodev,nosuid,noatime nas-server.intern:/&
+

+ +

The last step to remember is to mount the relevant mount points in +tjener.intern by adding them to /etc/fstab, creating the mount +directories using mkdir and running "mount -a" to mount them.

+ +

When this is done, your users should be able to access the files on +the storage server directly by just visiting the +/tjener/nas-server/storage/ directory using any application on any +workstation, LTSP client or LTSP server.

- Tags: debian, english. + Tags: debian edu, english, ldap.

@@ -261,125 +186,208 @@ you do not know how to update BTS).

Third alpha release of Debian Edu / Skolelinux based on Debian Wheezy

10th June 2013

The third wheezy based alpha release of Debian Edu was wrapped up -today. This is the release announcement:

- -

New features for Debian Edu 7.0.0 alpha2 released -2013-06-10

- -

This is the release notes for for Debian Edu / Skolelinux 7.0.0 edu -alpha2, based on Debian with codename "Wheezy".

- -

About Debian Edu and Skolelinux

- -

Debian Edu, also known as -Skolelinux, is a Linux distribution based on Debian providing an -out-of-the box environment of a completely configured school -network. Immediately after installation a school server running all -services needed for a school network is set up just waiting for users -and machines being added via GOsaÂ², a comfortable Web-UI. A netbooting -environment is prepared using PXE, so after initial installation of -the main server from CD, DVD or USB stick all other machines can be -installed via the network. The provided school server provides LDAP -database and Kerberos authentication service, centralized home -directories, DHCP server, web proxy and many other services. The -desktop contains -more -than 60 educational software packages and more are available from -the Debian archive, and schools can choose between KDE, Gnome, LXDE -and Xfce desktop environment.

- -

This is the third test release based on Debian Wheezy. Basically -this is an updated and slightly improved version compared to the -Squeeze release.

- -

Software updates

Hvordan bÃ¸r RFC 822-formattert epost lagres i en NOARK5-database?

7th March 2014

For noen uker siden ble NXCs fri programvarelisenserte +NOARK5-lÃ¸sning +presentert hos +NUUG (video +pÃ¥ youtube +forelÃ¸big), og det fikk meg til Ã¥ titte litt mer pÃ¥ NOARK5, +standarden for arkivhÃ¥ndtering i det offentlige Norge. Jeg lurer pÃ¥ +om denne kjernen kan vÃ¦re nyttig i et par av mine prosjekter, og for ett +av dem er det mest aktuelt Ã¥ lagre epost. Jeg klarte ikke finne noen +anbefaling om hvordan RFC 822-formattert epost (aka Internett-epost) +burde lagres i NOARK5, selv om jeg vet at noen arkiver tar +PDF-utskrift av eposten med sitt epostprogram og sÃ¥ arkiverer PDF-en +(eller enda vÃ¦rre, tar papirutskrift og lagrer bildet av eposten som +PDF i arkivet).

+ +

Det er ikke sÃ¥ mange formater som er akseptert av riksarkivet til +langtidsoppbevaring av offentlige arkiver, og PDF og XML er de mest +aktuelle i sÃ¥ mÃ¥te. Det slo meg at det mÃ¥tte da finnes en eller annen +egnet XML-representasjon og at det kanskje var enighet om hvilken som +burde brukes, sÃ¥ jeg tok mot til meg og spurte +SAMDOK, en gruppe tilknyttet +arkivverket som ser ut til Ã¥ jobbe med NOARK-samhandling, om de hadde +noen anbefalinger: + +

+
Hei.
+ +
Usikker pÃ¥ om dette er riktig forum Ã¥ ta opp mitt spÃ¸rsmÃ¥l, men jeg +lurer pÃ¥ om det er definert en anbefaling om hvordan RFC +822-formatterte epost (aka vanlig Internet-epost) bÃ¸r lages hÃ¥ndteres +i NOARK5, slik at en bevarer all informasjon i eposten +(f.eks. Received-linjer). Finnes det en anbefalt XML-mapping ala den +som beskrives pÃ¥ +<URL: https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=32074 >? Mitt +mÃ¥l er at det skal vÃ¦re mulig Ã¥ lagre eposten i en NOARK5-kjerne og +kunne fÃ¥ ut en identisk formattert kopi av opprinnelig epost ved +behov.
+

+ +

Postmottaker hos SAMDOK mente spÃ¸rsmÃ¥let heller burde stilles +direkte til riksarkivet, og jeg fikk i dag svar derfra formulert av +seniorrÃ¥dgiver Geir Ivar Tungesvik:

+ +

+
Riksarkivet har ingen anbefalinger nÃ¥r det gjelder konvertering fra +e-post til XML. Det stÃ¥r arkivskaper fritt Ã¥ eventuelt definere/bruke +eget format. Inklusive da - som det spÃ¸rres om - et format der det er +mulig Ã¥ re-etablere e-post format ut fra XML-en. XML (e-post) +dokumenter mÃ¥ vÃ¦re referert i arkivstrukturen, og det mÃ¥ vedlegges et +gyldig XML skjema (.xsd) for XML-filene. Arkivskaper stÃ¥r altsÃ¥ fritt +til Ã¥ gjÃ¸re hva de vil, bare det dokumenteres og det kan dannes et +utrekk ved avlevering til depot.
+ +
De obligatoriske kravene i Noark 5 standarden mÃ¥ altsÃ¥ oppfylles - +etter dialog med Riksarkivet i forbindelse med godkjenning. For +offentlige arkiv er det sÃ¦rlig viktig med filene loependeJournal.xml +og offentligJournal.xml. Private arkiv som vil forholde seg til Noark +5 standarden er selvsagt frie til Ã¥ bruke det som er relevant for dem +av obligatoriske krav.
+

+ +

Det ser dermed ut for meg som om det er et lite behov for Ã¥ +standardisere XML-lagring av RFC-822-formatterte meldinger. Noen som +vet om god spesifikasjon i sÃ¥ mÃ¥te? I tillegg til den omtalt over, +har jeg kommet over flere aktuelle beskrivelser (sÃ¸k pÃ¥ "rfc 822 +xml", sÃ¥ finner du aktuelle alternativer).

Iceweasel was updated from 10 to 17. (DSA 2699-1) -
Updated libxv (DSA-2674), libxvmc (DSA-2675), libxfixes (DSA-2676), libxrender (DSA-2677), mesa (DSA-2678), xserver-xorg-video-openchrome (DSA-2679), libxt (DSA-2680), libxcursor (DSA-2681), libxext (DSA-2682), libxi (DSA-2683), libxrandr (DSA-2684), libxp (DSA-2685), libxcb (DSA-2686), libfs (DSA-2687), libxres (DSA-2688), libxtst (DSA-2689), libxxf86dga (DSA-2690), libxinerama (DSA-2691), libxxf86vm (DSA-2692), libx11 (DSA-2693), chromium-browser (DSA-2695), gnutls26 (DSA-2697), wireshark (DSA-2700), krb5 (DSA-2701), telepathy-gabble (DSA-2702) and subversion (DSA-2703). -
Switched xrdp on thin client servers to use tightvncserver instead of xvnc4. -
Now install software oscilloscope xoscope by default. -
Now install music tools gtick, lingot and pianobooster by default. +
XML MIME Transformation +protocol (XMTP) fra OpenHealth, sist oppdatert 2001.
An +XML format for mail and other messages utkast fra IETF datert +2001.
xMail: +E-mail as XML en artikkel fra 2003 som beskriver python-modulen +rfc822 som gir ut XML-representasjon av en RFC 822-formattert epost.

Other changes

Finnes det andre og bedre spesifikasjoner for slik lagring? Send +meg en epost hvis du har innspill.

+ + + Tags: norsk, offentlig innsyn. + + +

+ +

Lenker for 2014-02-28

28th February 2014

Her er noen lenker til tekster jeg har satt pris pÃ¥ Ã¥ lese de siste +mÃ¥nedene. Det er mye om varsleren Edward Snowden, som burde fÃ¥ all +hjelp, stÃ¸tte og beskyttelse Norge kan stille opp med for Ã¥ ha satt +totalitÃ¦r overvÃ¥kning pÃ¥ sakskartet, men ogsÃ¥ endel annet +tankevekkende og interessant.

The subnet-change script is now able to change all files needing a change on the main-server when changing the IP network used. -
Updated translation of the installation. -
New Romanian translation. -
Fix security problem causing root and first user password to no longer show up in /var/cache/debconf/templates.dat. -
Fix roaming workstation setup (Closed in libpam-mklocaluser/0.8, libpam-mklocaluser/0.8~deb7u1: #706753: libpam-mklocaluser: Fail to create local user during first login). -
Made roaming workstation setup more robust in non-Debian Edu environments. -
New script debian-edu-bless to transform a Debian installation to a Debian Edu profile. -
Adjust Iceweasel setup to improve performance when $HOME is on NFS. -
More testsuite tests. -
Make automatic proxy configuration more robust. -
Adjust GOsaÂ² GUI configuration. +
2013-12-21 +- +NSA tenker som Stasi - Dagbladet.no
Update thin client and diskless workstation setup to work with -LTSP in Wheezy.
2013-12-19 - +Staten har ikke rett til Ã¥ vite alt om deg - DN.no
Diskless workstations now run out of the box -- no need to set -them up with GOsaÂ².
2013-12-21 +Nye +mÃ¥l for NSAs spionasje avslÃ¸rt - Dagbladet.no
Update IMAP server setup.
2013-12-19 +Â«NSA +bÃ¸r fjernes fra sin makt til Ã¥ samle inn metadata fra amerikanske +telefonsamtalerÂ» - Dagbladet.no
Fix login into Skolelinux Backup Tool (Closed in -slbackup-php/0.4.4-1: #700257: slbackup-php: Fails to submit correctly -entered password).
2013-12-18 +Etterretning, +overvÃ¥king, frihet og sikkerhet - Dagbladet.no

2013-12-17 +Snowden +angriper USA i Ã¥pent brev - nrk.no

Known issues

2013-12-17 +Rettslig +nederlag for etterretning - digi.no

2013-12-21 +Truende +nedkjÃ¸ling - dagbladet.no
DVD binary and source images are not yet ready.
2013-12-20 +Matematikk +og forstÃ¥else - aftenposten.no
No mass import of user account data in GOsa (ldif or csv) -available yet (Open in gosa/2.7.4-4: #698840: gosa-plugin-ldapmanager: -missing import feature).
2013-10-20 +Vi +sÃ¸v for Ã¥ reinse hjernen vÃ¥r, ifÃ¸lgje ny studie - nrk.no
Missing artwork for the KDE desktop (and probably a few others).
2013-12-11 +Rotterace +i kloakken - nrk.no
KDE Debian submenu lacks icons (Closed: #502192: menu-xdg: invents -own icon names instead of using existing). This will remain -unfixed.
2013-12-30 +Ãpne +brev og frie tanker - aftenposten.no

- -

Where to get it

2014-01-12 +Stopp dagens kunnskapsapartheid! - aftenposten.no

To download the multiarch netinstall CD release you can use

2014-01-09 +EU-rapport: +Britisk og amerikansk overvÃ¥king ser ut til Ã¥ vÃ¦re ulovlig - +aftenposten.no

2013-10-23 Professor Jan Arild Audestad +Advarer +mot konspirasjonsteori i digi.no og sier han ikke tror NSA kan +avlytte mobiltelefoner, mens han noen mÃ¥neder senere forteller:
ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.0+edu0~a2-CD.iso
2014-01-09 +- +Vi ble presset til Ã¥ svekke mobilsikkerheten pÃ¥ 80-tallet - +aftenposten.no
http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.0+edu0~a2-CD.iso
2014-02-12 +Et +mÃ¸te med Edward Snowden - intervju sendt av nrk, tilgjengelig til +2015-01-31
rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/wheezy/debian-edu-7.0+edu0~a2-CD.iso .
2014-02-17 +LitteraturredaktÃ¸ren: +Helle Thornings tavshed om Snowden er en skandale - +politiken.dk

2014-02-21 +Bra Ã¥ ha en Â«StorebrorÂ» - aftenposten.no

The MD5SUM of this image is: 27bbcace407743382f3c42c08dbe8178 -
The SHA1SUM of this image is: e35f7d7908566cd3075375b3721fa10ee420d419

2014-02-28 +"Narkotikasiktet +Stortingsmann" - Spillet bak kulissene - John Christian Eldens +blogg

How to report bugs

2014-02-28 +Heksejakt +pÃ¥ hasjbrukere - aftenposten.no

http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/ReportBugs +

- Tags: debian edu, english. + Tags: lenker, norsk, personvern.

@@ -387,38 +395,37 @@ unfixed.

Is there a PHP expert in the building? Debian Edu need help!

5th June 2013

Here is a call for help from the Debian Edu / Skolelinux project. -We have two problems blocking the release of the Wheezy version we -hope to get released soon. The two problems require some with PHP -skills, and we seem to lack anyone with both time and PHP skills in -the project: - -

It is impossible to log into the slbackup web interface - (slbackup-php) using the root user and password. This is - BTS report #700257. - This used to work, but stopped working some time since Squeeze. - Perhaps some obsolete PHP feature was used?
It is not possible to "mass import" user lists in Gosa, neither - using ldif nor using CSV files. The feature was disabled after a - major rewrite of Gosa, and need to be ported to the new system. - This is BTS report - #698840.

- -

If you can help us, please join us on IRC -(#debian-edu on -irc.debian.org) and provide patches via the BTS.

New home and release 1.0 for netgroup and innetgr (aka ng-utils)

22nd February 2014

Many years ago, I wrote a GPL licensed version of the netgroup and +innetgr tools, because I needed them in +Skolelinux. I called the project +ng-utils, and it has served me well. I placed the project under the +Hungry Programmer umbrella, and it was maintained in our CVS +repository. But many years ago, the CVS repository was dropped (lost, +not migrated to new hardware, not sure), and the project have lacked a +proper home since then.

+ +

Last summer, I had a look at the package and made a new release +fixing a irritating crash bug, but was unable to store the changes in +a proper source control system. I applied for a project on +Alioth, but did not have time +to follow up on it. Until today. :)

+ +

After many hours of cleaning and migration, the ng-utils project +now have a new home, and a git repository with the highlight of the +history of the project. I published all release tarballs and imported +them into the git repository. As the project is really stable and not +expected to gain new features any time soon, I decided to make a new +release and call it 1.0. Visit the new project home on +https://alioth.debian.org/projects/ng-utils/ +if you want to check it out. The new version is also uploaded into +Debian Unstable.

- Tags: debian edu, english. + Tags: debian, english.

@@ -426,145 +433,113 @@ irc.debian.org) and provide patches via the BTS.

Debian Edu interview: CÃ©dric Boutillier

4th June 2013

It has been a while since my last English -Debian Edu and Skolelinux -interview last November. But the developers and translators are still -pulling along to get the Wheezy based release out the door, and this -time I managed to get an interview from one of the French translators -in the project, CÃ©dric Boutillier.

- -

Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

- -

I am 34 year old. I live near Paris, France. I am an assistant -professor in probability theory. I spend my daytime teaching -mathematics at the university and doing fundamental research in -probability in connexion with combinatorics and statistical physics.

- -

I have been involved in the Debian project for a couple of years -and became Debian Developer a few months ago. I am working on Ruby -packaging, publicity and translation.

- -

How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu -project?

- -

I came to the Debian Edu project after a call for translation of -the -Debian Edu manual for the release of Debian Edu Squeeze. Since -then, I have been working on updating the French translation of the -manual. - -

I had the opportunity to make an installation of Debian Edu in a -virtual machine when I was preparing localised version of some screen -shots for the manual. I was amazed to see it worked out of the box and -how comprehensive the list of software installed by default was.

- -

What amazed me was the complete network infrastructure directly -ready to use, which can and the nice administration interface provided -by GOsaÂ². What pleased -me also was the fact that among the software installed by default, -there were many "traditional" educative software to learn languages, -to count, to program... but also software to develop creativity and -artistic skills with music (Ardour, -Audacity) and -movies/animation (I was especially thinking of -Stopmotion).

- -

I am following the development of Debian Edu and am hanging out on -#debian-edu. -Unfortunately, I don't much time to get more involved in this -beautiful project.

- -

What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

For me, the main advantages of Skolelinux/Debian Edu are its -community of experts and its precise documentation, as well as the -fact that it provides a solution ready to use.

- -

I would add also the fact that it is based on the rock solid Debian -distribution, which ensures stability and provides a huge collection -of educational free software.

- -

What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian -Edu?

- -

Maybe the lack of manpower to do lobbying on the -project. Sometimes, people who need to take decisions concerning IT do -not have all the elements to evaluate properly free software -solutions. The fact that support by a company may be difficult to find -is probably a problem if the school does not have IT personnel.

- -

One can find support from a company by looking at -the -wiki dokumentation, where some countries already have a number of -companies providing support for Debian Edu, like Germany or -Norway. This list is easy to find readily from the manual. However, -for other countries, like France, the list is empty. I guess that -consultants proposing support for Debian would be able to provide some -support for Debian Edu as well.

- -

Which free software do you use daily?

- -

I am using the KDE Plasma Desktop. But the pieces of software I use -most runs in a terminal: Mutt and OfflineIMAP for emails, latex for -scientific documents, mpd for music. VIM is my editor of choice. I am -also using the mathematical software -Scilab and -Sage (built from -source as not completely packaged for Debian, yet). - -

Do you have any suggestions for teachers interested in -using the free software in Debian to teach mathematics and -statistics?

- -

I do not have any "nice" recommendations for statistics. At our -university, we use both R and -Scilab to teach statistics and probabilistic simulations. For -geometry, there are nice programs:

- -

drgeo and -kig to do -constructions in planar geometry - -
kali -to discover symmetry groups (the so-called wallpapers and frieze -groups), although the interface looks a bit old.

- -

I like also -cantor, which -provides a uniform interface to SciLab, Sage, -Octave, etc...

- -

Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to -get schools to use free software?

- -

My suggestions would be to

- -

advertise the reduction of costs when free software is used.
communicate about the quality of free software projects, using - well known examples like Firefox, ThunderBird and - OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice.
advertise the living and strong community around the project.
show that it is not more difficult to use than any other - system.

Testing sysvinit from experimental in Debian Hurd

3rd February 2014

A few days ago I decided to try to help the Hurd people to get +their changes into sysvinit, to allow them to use the normal sysvinit +boot system instead of their old one. This follow up on the +great +Google Summer of Code work done last summer by Justus Winter to +get Debian on Hurd working more like Debian on Linux. To get started, +I downloaded a prebuilt hard disk image from +http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian-cd/hurd-i386/current/debian-hurd.img.tar.gz, +and started it using virt-manager.

+ +

The first think I had to do after logging in (root without any +password) was to get the network operational. I followed +the +instructions on the Debian GNU/Hurd ports page and ran these +commands as root to get the machine to accept a IP address from the +kvm internal DHCP server:

+ +

+settrans -fgap /dev/netdde /hurd/netdde
+kill $(ps -ef|awk '/[p]finet/ { print $2}')
+kill $(ps -ef|awk '/[d]evnode/ { print $2}')
+dhclient /dev/eth0
+

+ +

After this, the machine had internet connectivity, and I could +upgrade it and install the sysvinit packages from experimental and +enable it as the default boot system in Hurd.

+ +

But before I did that, I set a password on the root user, as ssh is +running on the machine it for ssh login to work a password need to be +set. Also, note that a bug somewhere in openssh on Hurd block +compression from working. Remember to turn that off on the client +side.

+ +

Run these commands as root to upgrade and test the new sysvinit +stuff:

+ +

+cat > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/experimental.list <<EOF
+deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ experimental main
+EOF
+apt-get update
+apt-get dist-upgrade
+apt-get install -t experimental initscripts sysv-rc sysvinit \
+    sysvinit-core sysvinit-utils
+update-alternatives --config runsystem
+

+ +

To reboot after switching boot system, you have to use +reboot-hurd instead of just reboot, as there is not +yet a sysvinit process able to receive the signals from the normal +'reboot' command. After switching to sysvinit as the boot system, +upgrading every package and rebooting, the network come up with DHCP +after boot as it should, and the settrans/pkill hack mentioned at the +start is no longer needed. But for some strange reason, there are no +longer any login prompt in the virtual console, so I logged in using +ssh instead. + +

Note that there are some race conditions in Hurd making the boot +fail some times. No idea what the cause is, but hope the Hurd porters +figure it out. At least Justus said on IRC (#debian-hurd on +irc.debian.org) that they are aware of the problem. A way to reduce +the impact is to upgrade to the Hurd packages built by Justus by +adding this repository to the machine:

+ +

+cat > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hurd-ci.list <<EOF
+deb http://darnassus.sceen.net/~teythoon/hurd-ci/ sid main
+EOF
+

+ +

At the moment the prebuilt virtual machine get some packages from +http://ftp.debian-ports.org/debian, because some of the packages in +unstable do not yet include the required patches that are lingering in +BTS. This is the completely list of "unofficial" packages installed:

+ +

+# aptitude search '?narrow(?version(CURRENT),?origin(Debian Ports))'
+i   emacs                   - GNU Emacs editor (metapackage)
+i   gdb                     - GNU Debugger
+i   hurd-recommended        - Miscellaneous translators
+i   isc-dhcp-client         - ISC DHCP client
+i   isc-dhcp-common         - common files used by all the isc-dhcp* packages
+i   libc-bin                - Embedded GNU C Library: Binaries
+i   libc-dev-bin            - Embedded GNU C Library: Development binaries
+i   libc0.3                 - Embedded GNU C Library: Shared libraries
+i A libc0.3-dbg             - Embedded GNU C Library: detached debugging symbols
+i   libc0.3-dev             - Embedded GNU C Library: Development Libraries and Hea
+i   multiarch-support       - Transitional package to ensure multiarch compatibilit
+i A x11-common              - X Window System (X.Org) infrastructure
+i   xorg                    - X.Org X Window System
+i A xserver-xorg            - X.Org X server
+i A xserver-xorg-input-all  - X.Org X server -- input driver metapackage
+#
+

+ +

All in all, testing hurd has been an interesting experience. :) +X.org did not work out of the box and I never took the time to follow +the porters instructions to fix it. This time I was interested in the +command line stuff.

- Tags: debian edu, english, intervju. + Tags: bootsystem, debian, english.

@@ -572,69 +547,145 @@ get schools to use free software?

Ãpent mÃ¸te pÃ¥ onsdag om bruken av Microsoft Exchange ved Universitetet i Oslo

3rd June 2013

Jeg jobber til daglig ved Universitetet -i Oslo, en institusjon som lenge har vektlagt verdien av Ã¥pne -standarder og fri programvare. Men noe har endret seg, og for en -liten stund tilbake annonserte USIT at dagens fungerende e-postsystemet -basert pÃ¥ fri programvare skulle byttes ut med Microsoft Exchange og -at Microsoft Outlook skulle bli den best fungerende men antagelig ikke -eneste stÃ¸ttede e-postklienten. Annonseringen har fÃ¸rt til flere -protester og en -underskriftskampanje, initiert av Diana Santos, der sÃ¥ langt 253 -personer har signert. Prosjektet -NIKE (Ny integrert -kalender/e-post) ble initiert for Ã¥ se pÃ¥ mulige lÃ¸sninger med -utgangspunkt i at en kombinert epost/kalenderlÃ¸sning var pÃ¥krevd, og -prosjektet -NIKE-implementasjon -er igang med Ã¥ rulle ut MS Exchange ved Universitetet i Oslo.

- -

For kun kort tid siden ble det annonsert at det blir et Ã¥pent mÃ¸te -med ledelsen hos universitetet i Oslo med disse planene som tema:

- -

Tid: Onsdag 2013-06-05 kl. 10:00 -
Sted: 9. etasje i Lucy Smiths hus (admin-bygget)

- -

Det kan vÃ¦re en god plass Ã¥ stille opp hvis en som meg ikke tror -valget av Microsoft Exchange som sentral epostinfrastruktur er et -heldig valg for Norges ledende forskningsuniversitet, men at en er mer -tjent med Ã¥ selv -beholde -kontrollen over egen infrastruktur.

- -

Saken har fÃ¸rt til endel presseoppslag sÃ¥ langt. Her er de jeg har -fÃ¥tt med meg:

A fist full of non-anonymous Bitcoins

29th January 2014

Bitcoin is a incredible use of peer to peer communication and +encryption, allowing direct and immediate money transfer without any +central control. It is sometimes claimed to be ideal for illegal +activity, which I believe is quite a long way from the truth. At least +I would not conduct illegal money transfers using a system where the +details of every transaction are kept forever. This point is +investigated in +USENIX ;login: +from December 2013, in the article +"A +Fistful of Bitcoins - Characterizing Payments Among Men with No +Names" by Sarah Meiklejohn, Marjori Pomarole,Grant Jordan, Kirill +Levchenko, Damon McCoy, Geoffrey M. Voelker, and Stefan Savage. They +analyse the transaction log in the Bitcoin system, using it to find +addresses belong to individuals and organisations and follow the flow +of money from both Bitcoin theft and trades on Silk Road to where the +money end up. This is how they wrap up their article:

+ +

+
"To demonstrate the usefulness of this type of analysis, we turned +our attention to criminal activity. In the Bitcoin economy, criminal +activity can appear in a number of forms, such as dealing drugs on +Silk Road or simply stealing someone elseâs bitcoins. We followed the +flow of bitcoins out of Silk Road (in particular, from one notorious +address) and from a number of highly publicized thefts to see whether +we could track the bitcoins to known services. Although some of the +thieves attempted to use sophisticated mixing techniques (or possibly +mix services) to obscure the flow of bitcoins, for the most part +tracking the bitcoins was quite straightforward, and we ultimately saw +large quantities of bitcoins flow to a variety of exchanges directly +from the point of theft (or the withdrawal from Silk Road).
+ +
As acknowledged above, following stolen bitcoins to the point at +which they are deposited into an exchange does not in itself identify +the thief; however, it does enable further de-anonymization in the +case in which certain agencies can determine (through, for example, +subpoena power) the real-world owner of the account into which the +stolen bitcoins were deposited. Because such exchanges seem to serve +as chokepoints into and out of the Bitcoin economy (i.e., there are +few alternative ways to cash out), we conclude that using Bitcoin for +money laundering or other illicit purposes does not (at least at +present) seem to be particularly attractive."
+

+ +

These researches are not the first to analyse the Bitcoin +transaction log. The 2011 paper +"An Analysis of Anonymity in +the Bitcoin System" by Fergal Reid and Martin Harrigan is +summarized like this:

+ +

+"Anonymity in Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer electronic currency system, is a +complicated issue. Within the system, users are identified by +public-keys only. An attacker wishing to de-anonymize its users will +attempt to construct the one-to-many mapping between users and +public-keys and associate information external to the system with the +users. Bitcoin tries to prevent this attack by storing the mapping of +a user to his or her public-keys on that user's node only and by +allowing each user to generate as many public-keys as required. In +this chapter we consider the topological structure of two networks +derived from Bitcoin's public transaction history. We show that the +two networks have a non-trivial topological structure, provide +complementary views of the Bitcoin system and have implications for +anonymity. We combine these structures with external information and +techniques such as context discovery and flow analysis to investigate +an alleged theft of Bitcoins, which, at the time of the theft, had a +market value of approximately half a million U.S. dollars." +

+ +

I hope these references can help kill the urban myth that Bitcoin +is anonymous. It isn't really a good fit for illegal activites. Use +cash if you need to stay anonymous, at least until regular DNA +sampling of notes and coins become the norm. :)

+ +

As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my +activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address +15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.

+ + + Tags: bitcoin, english, personvern, sikkerhet. + + +

+ +

New chrpath release 0.16

14th January 2014

Coverity is a nice tool to +find problems in C, C++ and Java code using static source code +analysis. It can detect a lot of different problems, and is very +useful to find memory and locking bugs in the error handling part of +the source. The company behind it provide +check of free software projects as +a community service, and many hundred free software projects are +already checked. A few days ago I decided to have a closer look at +the Coverity system, and discovered that the +gnash and +ipmitool +projects I am involved with was already registered. But these are +fairly big, and I would also like to have a small and easy project to +check, and decided to request +checking of the chrpath project. It was +added to the checker and discovered seven potential defects. Six of +these were real, mostly resource "leak" when the program detected an +error. Nothing serious, as the resources would be released a fraction +of a second later when the program exited because of the error, but it +is nice to do it right in case the source of the program some time in +the future end up in a library. Having fixed all defects and added +a +mailing list for the chrpath developers, I decided it was time to +publish a new release. These are the release notes:

+ +

New in 0.16 released 2014-01-14:

2013-05-29 - Forsvarer - nytt IT-system - Universitas
2013-05-23 - UiO - innfÃ¸rer nytt epost- og kalenderverktÃ¸y - Uniforum
2013-05-22 - Protestgruppe - vil stanse IT-system - Universitas
2013-05-15 - UiO - mÃ¥ ha kontroll over sitt eget epostsystem - Uniforum
Fixed all minor bugs discovered by Coverity.
Updated config.sub and config.guess from the GNU project.
Mention new project mailing list in the documentation.

- +

You can +download the +new version 0.16 from alioth. Please let us know via the Alioth +project if something is wrong with the new release. The test suite +did not discover any old errors, so if you find a new one, please also +include a test suite check.

- Tags: norsk, standard. + Tags: chrpath, debian, english.

@@ -642,238 +693,216 @@ fÃ¥tt med meg:

Educational applications included in Debian Edu / Skolelinux (the screenshot collection :-)

1st June 2013

Included in Debian Edu / -Skolelinux, there are quite a lot of educational software. -Created to help teachers teach, and pupils learn. We have tried to -tag them all using debtags use::learning and role::program, and using -the debtags I was happy to be able to create a collage of the -educational software packages installed by default, sorted by the -debtag field. Here it is. Click on a image to learn more about the -program.

- - - -

field::arts

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Debian Edu interview: Dominik George

25th December 2013

The Debian Edu / Skolelinux +project consist of both newcomers and old timers, and this time I +was able to get an interview with a newcomer in the project who showed +up on the IRC channel a few weeks ago to let us know about his +successful installation of Debian Edu Wheezy in his School. Say hello +to Dominik +George.

+ + -

field::astronomy

- - - - - - -

Who are you, and how do you spend your days?

field::biology:structural

- -

I am a 23 year-old student from Germany who has spent half of his +life with open source. In "real life", I am, as already mentioned, a +student in the fields of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, +Information Technologies and Anglistics. Due to my (only partially +voluntary) huge engagement in the open source world, these things are +a bit vacant right now however.

+ +

I also have been working as a project teacher at a Gymasnium +(public school) for various years now. I took up that work some time +around 2005 when still attending that school myself and have continued +it until today. I also had been running the (kind of very advanced) +network of that school together with a team of very interested and +talented students in the age of 11 to 15 years, who took the chance to +learn a lot about open source and networking before I left the school +to help building another school's informational education concept from +scratch.

+ +

That said, one might see me as a kind of "glue" between school kids +and the elderly of teachers as well as between the open source +ecosystem and the (even more complex) educational ecosystem.

+ +

When I am not busy with open source or education, I like Geocaching +and cycling.

field::chemistry

- - - - - - - - - -[viewmol] - -

How did you get in contact with the Skolelinux / Debian Edu +project?

field::electronics

- -[gpsim] -

I think that happened some time around 2009 when I first attended +FrOSCon and visited the project +booth. I think I wasn't too interested back then because I used to +have an attitude of disliking software that does too much stuff on its +own. Maybe I was too inexperienced to realise the upsides of an +"out-of-the-box" solution ;).

+ +

The first time I actively talked to Skolelinux people was at +OpenRheinRuhr 2011 when the +BiscuIT project, a home-grewn software used by my school for various +really cool things from timetables and class contact lists to lunch +ordering, student ID card printing and project elections first got to +a stage where it could have been published. I asked the Skolelinux +guys running the booth if the project were interested in it and gave a +small demonstration, but there wasn't any real feedback and the guys +seemed rather uninterested.

+ +

After I left the school where I developed the software, it got +mostly lost, but I am now reimplementing it for my new school. I have +reusability and compatibility in mind, and I hop there will be a new +basis for contributing it to the Skolelinux project ;)!

field::geography

- - - -

What do you see as the advantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?

field::linguistics

- - - - - -

The most important advantage seems to be that it "just +works". After overcoming some minor (but still very annoying) glitches +in the installer, I got a fully functional, working school network, +without the month-long hassle I experienced when setting all that up +from scratch in earlier years. And above that, it rocked - I didn't +have any real hardware at hand, because the school was just founded +and has no money whatsoever, so I installed a combined server (main +server, terminal services and workstation) in a VM on my personal +notebook, bridging the LTSP network interface to the ethernet port, +and then PXE-booted the Windows notebooks that were lying around from +it. I could use 8 clients without any performance issues, by using a +tiny little VM on a tiny little notebook. I think that's enough to say +that it rocks!

+ +

Secondly, there are marketing reasons. Life's bad, and so no +politician will ever permit a setup described as "Debian, an universal +operating system, with some really cool educational tools" while they +will be jsut fine with "Skolelinux, a single-purpose solution for your +school network", even if both turn out to be the very same thing (yes, +this is unfair towards the Skolelinux project, and must not be taken +too seriously - you get the idea, anyway).

field::mathematics

- - - - -[geomview] - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What do you see as the disadvantages of Skolelinux / Debian +Edu?

field::physics

- - -

I have not been involved with Skolelinux long enough to really +answer this question in a fair way. Thus, please allow me to put it in +other words: "What do you expect from Skolelinux to keep liking it?" I +can list a few points about that:

field::TODO

- - - - - - - - - - -

In total, 61 applications. 3 of them lacked screen shots on -screenshot.debian.net. If -you know of some packages we should install by default, please let us -know on IRC, #debian-edu -on irc.debian.org, or our -mailing list -debian-edu@.

- - - Tags: debian edu, english. - - -

- -

How to install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8

27th May 2013

Two days ago, I asked -how -I could install Linux on a Packard Bell EasyNote LV computer -preinstalled with Windows 8. I found a solution, but am horrified -with the obstacles put in the way of Linux users on a laptop with UEFI -and Windows 8.

- -

I never found out if the cause of my problems were the use of UEFI -secure booting or fast boot. I suspect fast boot was the problem, -causing the firmware to boot directly from HD without considering any -key presses and alternative devices, but do not know UEFI settings -enough to tell.

- -

There is no way to install Linux on the machine in question without -opening the box and disconnecting the hard drive! This is as far as I -can tell, the only way to get access to the firmware setup menu -without accepting the Windows 8 license agreement. I am told (and -found description on how to) that it is possible to configure the -firmware setup once booted into Windows 8. But as I believe the terms -of that agreement are completely unacceptable, accepting the license -was never an alternative. I do not enter agreements I do not intend -to follow.

- -

I feared I had to return the laptops and ask for a refund, and -waste many hours on this, but luckily there was a way to get it to -work. But I would not recommend it to anyone planning to run Linux on -it, and I have become sceptical to Windows 8 certified laptops. Is -this the way Linux will be forced out of the market place, by making -it close to impossible for "normal" users to install Linux without -accepting the Microsoft Windows license terms? Or at least not -without risking to loose the warranty?

- -

I've updated the -Linux Laptop -wiki page for Packard Bell EasyNote LV, to ensure the next person -do not have to struggle as much as I did to get Linux into the -machine.

- -

Thanks to Bob Rosbag, Florian Weimer, Philipp Kern, Ben Hutching, -Michael Tokarev and others for feedback and ideas.

- - - Tags: debian, english. - - -

- -

How can I install Linux on a Packard Bell Easynote LV preinstalled with Windows 8?

25th May 2013

I've run into quite a problem the last few days. I bought three -new laptops for my parents and a few others. I bought Packard Bell -Easynote LV to run Kubuntu on and use as their home computer. But I -am completely unable to figure out how to install Linux on it. The -computer is preinstalled with Windows 8, and I suspect it uses UEFI -instead of a BIOS to boot.

- -

The problem is that I am unable to get it to PXE boot, and unable -to get it to boot the Linux installer from my USB stick. I have yet -to try the DVD install, and still hope it will work. when I turn on -the computer, there is no information on what buttons to press to get -the normal boot menu. I expect to get some boot menu to select PXE or -USB stick booting. When booting, it first ask for the language to -use, then for some regional settings, and finally if I will accept the -Windows 8 terms of use. As these terms are completely unacceptable to -me, I have no other choice but to turn off the computer and try again -to get it to boot the Linux installer.

- -

I have gathered my findings so far on a Linlap page about the -Packard Bell -EasyNote LV model. If you have any idea how to get Linux -installed on this machine, please get in touch or update that wiki -page. If I can't find a way to install Linux, I will have to return -the laptop to the seller and find another machine for my parents.

- -

I wonder, is this the way Linux will be forced out of the market -using UEFI and "secure boot" by making it impossible to install Linux -on new Laptops?

always strive to get all things integrated into Debian upstream +

be open to discussion about changes and the like, even with newcomers +

be helpful at being helpful ;) + + + +

I'm really sorry I cannot say much more about that :(!

+ +

Which free software do you use daily?

+ +

First of all, all software I use is free and open. I have abandoned +all non-free software (except for firmware on my darned phone) this +year.

+ +

I run Debian GNU/Linux on all PC systems I use. On that, I mostly +run text tools. I use +mksh as shell, +jupp as very advanced +text editor (I even got the developer to help me write a script/macro +based full-featured student management software with the two), +mcabber for XMPP and +irssi for IRC. For that overly +coloured world called the WWW, I use +Iceweasel +(Firefox). Oh, and mutt for +e-mail.

+ +

However, while I am personally aware of the fact that text tools +are more efficient and powerful than anything else, I also use (or at +least operate) some tools that are suitable to bring open source to +kids. One of these things is Jappix, +which I already introduced to some kids even before they got aware of +Facebook, making them see for themselves that they do not need +Facebook now ;).

+ +

Which strategy do you believe is the right one to use to +get schools to use free software?

+ +

Well, that's a two-sided thing. One side is what I believe, and one +side is what I have experienced.

+ +

I believe that the right strategy is showing them the benefits. But +that won't work out as long as the acceptance of free alternatives +grows globally. What I mean is that if all the kids are almost forced +to use Windows, Facebook, Skype, you name it at home, they will not +see why they would want to use alternatives at school. I have seen +students take seat in front of a fully-functional, modern Debian +desktop that could do anything their Windows at home could do, and +they jsut refused to use it because "Linux sucks". It is something +that makes the council of our city spend around 600000 â¬ to buy +software - not including hardware, mind you - for operating school +networks, and for installing a system that, as has been proved, does +not work. For those of you readers who are good at maths, have you +already found out how many lives could have been saved with that money +if we had instead used it to bring education to parts of the world +that need it? I have, and found it to be nothing less dramatic than +plain criminal.

+ +

That said, the only feasible way appears to be the bottom up +method. We have to bring free software to kids and parents. I have +founded an association named +Teckids here in Germany that does +just that. We organise several events for kids and adolescents in the +area of free and open source software, for example the +FrogLabs, which share staff with +Teckids and are the youth programme of +the Free and Open Source Software +Conference (FrOSCon). We do a lot more than most other conferences +- this year, we first offered the FrogLabs as a holiday camp for kids +aged 10 to 16. It was a huge success, with approx. 30 kids taking part +and learning with and about free software through a whole weekend. All +of us had a lot of fun, and the results were really exciting.

+ +

Apart from that, we are preparing a campaign that is supposed to bring +the message of free alternatives to stuff kids use every day to them and +their parents, e.g. the use of Jabber / Jappix instead of Facebook and +Skype. To make that possible, we are planning to get together a team of +clever kids who understand very well what their peers need and can bring +it across to them. So we will have a peer-driven network of adolescents +who teach each other and collect feedback from the community of minors. +We then take that feedback and our own experience to work closely with +open source projects, such as Skolelinux or Jappix, at improving their +software in a way that makes it more and more attractive for the target +group. At least I hope that we will have good cooperation with +Skolelinux in the future ;)!

+ +

So in conclusion, what I believe is that, if it weren't for the world +being so bad, it should be very clear to the political decision makers +that the only way to go nowadays is free software for various reasons, +but I have learnt that the only way that seems to work is bottom up.

+ +

- Tags: debian, english. + Tags: debian edu, english, intervju.

@@ -881,127 +910,44 @@ on new Laptops?

Skolelinux-intervju: Nirosan Thiyagalingam

24th May 2013

En ting -Skolelinux-prosjektet har -hatt mye glede av er studentprosjekter. F.eks. er -stillbildeanimasjonssystemet -Stopmotion resultat av et studentprosjekt i Skolelinux. De siste -mÃ¥nedene har en ivrig student veiledet av Marius Kotsbak i -FRiSK testet hva en -kan fÃ¥ til med en datamaskin til NOK 400,- (antagelig 1700,- med -skjerm, tastatur og mus) nÃ¥r det brukes i Skolelinux. Jeg spurte han -om et intervju.

- -

Hvem er du, og hva driver du med til daglig?

- -

Jeg heter Nirosan Thiyagalingam. Jeg er 24 Ã¥r og studerer -dataingeniÃ¸r studiet ved HÃ¸gskolen i SÃ¸r TrÃ¸ndelag. Interessen for -data har siden ung alder vÃ¦rt tilstede og jeg har i tillegg alltid -vÃ¦rt glad i Ã¥ lÃ¦re nye ting. Med teknologi som endres svÃ¦rt hurtig er -det alltid noe nytt Ã¥ lÃ¦re. Noe som igjen har gjort det svÃ¦rt -interessant Ã¥ fÃ¸lge med pÃ¥ utviklingen. Jeg valgte dataingeniÃ¸r -studiet grunnet Ã¸nske om Ã¥ lÃ¦re enda mer om programmering og utvikling -av store systemer.

- -

Hvordan kom du i kontakt med Skolelinux-prosjektet?

- -

Skolelinux prosjektet hÃ¸rte jeg fÃ¸rst om i media. Men det var fÃ¸rst -nÃ¥r jeg skulle velge bacheloroppgave at jeg fattet mer interesse for -prosjektet. Et enkelt sÃ¸k pÃ¥ nettet fÃ¸rte meg til skolelinux sine -hjemmesider. Informasjonen jeg fant der gjorde meg enda nysgjerrig og -jeg valgte derfor en oppgave som gikk ut pÃ¥ Ã¥ fÃ¥ en -Raspberry PI. AltsÃ¥ en -ultra-billig datamaskin til Ã¥ kjÃ¸re Debian Edu pÃ¥ lik linje med -vanlige datamaskiner. I lÃ¸pet av prosjektet ble det gjort mye -forskning pÃ¥ nettet. Det var mye jeg mÃ¥tte forstÃ¥ rundt hvordan -operativsystemet Linux fungerte fÃ¸r jeg kunne angripe -problemet. PrÃ¸vde fÃ¸rst Ã¥ finne ut hvordan man kunne transformere en -vanlig installasjon av Skolelinux til Raspberry PI, men dette var -altfor vanskelig Ã¥ jeg endte opp med mer spÃ¸rsmÃ¥l enn svar. Det ble -videre opprettet kontakt med Skolelinux utviklere pÃ¥ IRC der jeg fikk -diskutert hvilken retning jeg burde gÃ¥ for Ã¥ fÃ¥ til en fullverdig -lÃ¸sning. Det ble bestemt at jeg skulle gÃ¥ for Ã¥ fÃ¸rst installere -Raspian. Dette er et -operativsystem basert pÃ¥ Debian spesiallaget for Raspberry Pi sin -maskinvare. NÃ¥ som Debian var installert pÃ¥ datamaskinen gjenstod det -Ã¥ installere de nÃ¸dvendige Skolelinux pakkene for Ã¥ fÃ¥ til et -fullverdig system. Disse pakkene ble installert manuelt i fÃ¸rste -omgang, men ble senere installert automatisk via et script som Petter -Reinholdtsen laget. Dette scriptet er sÃ¥ enkel Ã¥ bruke at man er i -gang med installasjonen i lÃ¸pet av bare 5 minutter. Ikke nok med det, -alt skjer helt automatisk. Alt i alt er jeg veldig fornÃ¸yd med -resultatet av installasjonsprosessen. Raspberry Pi er en veldig svak -maskin og det merkes godt nÃ¥r man har installert Skolelinux pÃ¥ -den. Video og 3D-rendering fungerer utrolig dÃ¥rlig, men nettsurfing og -kontorprogrammer fungerer godt. Det kan derfor konkluderes med at -datamaskinen er egnet for enkle oppgaver. - -

Jeg syns det er viktig pÃ¥peke at dette kun er startfasen av en slik -lÃ¸sning. PÃ¥ markedet finnes det nÃ¥ maskiner som har bedre hardware enn -Raspberry Pi. Det er store muligheter for at man kan klare Ã¥ -installere Skolelinux pÃ¥ disse ogsÃ¥, og da forsvinner nok mest -sannsynlig ytelsesproblemene med Video og 3D rendering ogsÃ¥.

- -

Det ble ogsÃ¥ prÃ¸vd med en lÃ¸sning som gjorde at Raspberry Pi -fungerte som en tynnklient. Denne lÃ¸sningen hadde langt bedre ytelse -med tanke pÃ¥ hastighet og brukeropplevelse. Men ogsÃ¥ her var video og -3D rendering dÃ¥rlig. Det ble brukt en liten Linux distribusjon kalt -BerryTerminal for Ã¥ fÃ¥ til -dette.

- -

Hva er fordelene med Skolelinux slik du ser det?

- -

Fordelen med Skolelinux er mange. At det er gratis er en stor -fordel, men at det er sÃ¥ mange som er med pÃ¥ Ã¥ utvikle det og -vedlikeholde det er en enda stÃ¸rre fordel. Allerede fÃ¸r jeg startet -med prosjektet sÃ¥ jeg mange fordeler, og nÃ¥r jeg nÃ¦rmet meg sluttfasen -sÃ¥ jeg langt flere. At prosjektet skulle inneha en sÃ¥ hÃ¸y kvalitet -hadde jeg aldri trodd. En vanlig Skolelinux installasjon har de -nÃ¸dvendige programmene og funksjonen som bÃ¥de smÃ¥ og store skoler i -tillegg til organisasjoner kan klare seg med. At prosjektet tilbyr en -sÃ¥ komplett lÃ¸sning er en kjempefordel. Installasjonen er knirkefri -og det er svÃ¦rt enkelt Ã¥ installere og komme i gang.

- -

Hva er ulempene med Skolelinux slik du ser det?

- -

Ulempene jeg ser med prosjektet er ryddigheten av websidene. Selv -om websidene er enkle og konsise er det allikevel ikke appellerende i -like stor grad som for eksempel -Ubuntu sine sider. Deres side -tilbyr, i tillegg til godt design og presentasjon, en nettbasert -emulator av deres operativsystem. Dette er en stor fordel slik jeg ser -det. Bortsett fra dette ser jeg absolutt ingen ulemper med -Skolelinux-prosjektet.

- -

Hvilken fri programvare bruker du til daglig?

- -

Til daglig er jeg en flittig bruker av det Ã¥pne media -sentersystemet XBMC. Det enorme -samfunnet rundt dette prosjektet har gjort dette til et program som -dekker alles behov. Man kan tilpasse det akkurat slik man vil bÃ¥de med -tanke pÃ¥ utseende og funksjoner ved installere plug-ins eller -scripts.

- -

Hvilken strategi tror du er den rette Ã¥ bruke for Ã¥ fÃ¥ -skoler til Ã¥ ta i bruk fri programvare?

- -

Strategien som burde brukes sett fra mine Ã¸yne er -markedsfÃ¸ring. Jeg er sikker pÃ¥ at om flere skoler fikk et lite innsyn -i hvor bra Skolelinux er sÃ¥ ville de ikke nÃ¸lt med Ã¥ gÃ¥ over fra noe -annet som koster de store summer. At skolelinux til de grader tilbyr -en sÃ¥ komplett lÃ¸sning bure komme frem. Enten via reklamekampanjer -eller ved Ã¥ sende ut folk til skoler for sÃ¥ Ã¥ la skolenettverk -ansvarlige fÃ¥ teste ut hvordan Skolelinux fungerer i praksis. Om det -i tillegg ble utviklet gode websider og en emulator for Ã¥ la brukere -prÃ¸ve operativsystemet ville nok dette ha styrket inntrykket -betraktelig.

Dugnadsnett for alle stiller pÃ¥ Oslo Maker Faire i januar 2014

10th December 2013

Helga 18. og 19. januar 2014 arrangeres +Oslo Maker +Faire, og Dugnadsnett for +alle har fÃ¥tt plass! Planen er Ã¥ ha et bord med en plakat der vi +forteller om hva Dugnadsnett for alle er for noe, og et lite verksted +der vi hjelper folk som er interessert i Ã¥ fÃ¥ opp sin egen mesh-node. +Jeg gleder meg til Ã¥ se hvordan prosjektet blir mottatt der.

+ +

MÃ¥let med dugnadsnett for alle i Oslo er Ã¥ fÃ¥ pÃ¥ plass et datanett +for kommunikasjon ved hjelp av radio-repeaterstasjoner (kalt +mesh-noder) som gjÃ¸r at en kan direkte kommunisere med slekt, venner +og bekjente i Oslo via andre som deltar i dugnadsnettet, samt gjÃ¸re +det mulig komme ut pÃ¥ internett via dugnadsnettet. FÃ¸rste delmÃ¥l er Ã¥ +kunne sende SMS-meldinger vha. IP-telefoni lÃ¸sningen +Serval project mellom +deltagerne i Dugnadsnett for alle i Oslo. FormÃ¥let er Ã¥ ta tilbake +kontrollen over egen nett-infrastruktur og gjÃ¸re det dyrere Ã¥ bedrive +massiv innsamling av informasjon om borgernes bruk av datanett.

+ +

HÃ¸res dette interessant ut? Bli med pÃ¥ prosjektet, fortell oss +hvor du kunne tenke deg Ã¥ sette opp en radio-repeater (slik at folk i +nÃ¦rheten kan finne hverandre ved hjelp av +kartet over planlagte og +eksisterende radio-repeatere), bli med pÃ¥ epostlisten +dugnadsnett +(at) nuug.no og stikk innom +IRC-kanalen +#dugnadsnett.no. SÃ¥ langt er det planlagt over 40 +radio-repeatere, med VPN-forbindelser via Internet for Ã¥ la de delene +av nettet som ikke nÃ¥r hverandre via radio kunne snakke med hverandre +likevel.

- Tags: debian edu, intervju, norsk. + Tags: mesh network, norsk, nuug.

@@ -1016,6 +962,17 @@ betraktelig.

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