Barrys News

An extra note about the prior-5.3 update process:
After downloading the 5.3.2 difference-file, and subsequently reboot, there may be a dropout to the console early-bootup. Just type "exit" to continue the bootup.

Download link for 5.3.2:

http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/5.3.2/

Fast mirror in Europe, courtesy of NLUUG:

https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/easyos/amd64/releases/kirkstone/2023/5.3.2/

Forum feedback welcome here:

https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=90895#p90895

Tags: easy

Trunk Monkey, also shellCMS_bulma

June 04, 2023 — BarryK

Fred saw "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" post:

https://bkhome.org/news/202305/skippy-the-bush-kangaroo.html

And has replied with "Trunk Monkey" from Canada:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qtG82HJB2I

Changing the subject completely, Andres has enhanced my shellCMS (Content Management System) and created a github repository:

https://github.com/melkyr/shellcms_bulma

...great!

Tags: general

Access encrypted folders on mounted ext4 partitions

June 04, 2023 — BarryK

With ext4 fscrypt v1, it was easier. Running Easy 5.3.*, with encrypted folders, if you plugin Easy 5.3.* on a USB-stick, if the bootup password is the same on the USB-stick, then the encrypted folders on the USB-stick are accessible.

Not so with fscrypt v2. The decryption password has to be applied to each filesystem.

To fix this, I have modified /usr/local/bin/drive_all. This script runs when you click on a partition icon on the desktop. The script now detects that the mounted partition may have encrypted folders, and pops up this window:

So, as long as you know what password you used to boot that USB-stick, you can decrypt any encrypted folders. Fscrypt v2 only.

I can see where this might be handy. Maybe the USB-stick won't boot, so now you can copy any files off it. As long as it is not broken so much that the working-partition can't be mounted.

Tags: easy

Toggle touchpad on or off

June 02, 2023 — BarryK

I have a problem with my latest laptop, the flSynclient synaptics GUI app does not work. I found that the touchpad does not use the synaptics protocol. Perhaps this is a sign of what to expect in modern laptops.

Input devices can be configured by the 'xinput' CLI utility. There is no decent standalone GUI frontend for 'xinput', so for now just implementing one function, a GUI to toggle the touchpad off or on.

The problem for me is I always use a USB mouse, but on a laptop sometimes a finger or some part of the hand accidentally touches the touchpad, causing unexpected action. So, want a quick way to turn off the touchpad, and remember at future bootups.

Created /usr/sbin/touchpad-toggle, here is the GUI:

Simple, solves my problem. /root/.xinitrc reads /var/local/touchpad-off for future bootups.

Tags: easy

The Voice referendum in Australia

June 01, 2023 — BarryK

There will be a national referendum in Australia later this year, for a change to the Australian Constitution, to formerly recognize the prior inhabitants of this land.

They used to be known as Aboriginals, now they are "First Nations" people in the media. The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) is pro-Voice, despite supposing to be impartial, at least that's how they come across to me. The current Australian Federal Government is putting up information that is also pro-Voice, again, that's how it seems to me. Here is the Govt info site:

https://voice.gov.au/

The Federal Government is supposed to be impartial also, putting up both for and against arguments.

I have been following the news, and amid all the enthusiasm for giving the First Nations people more of a say in our government, there have been doubts in my mind. One of the doubts is this...

Shouldn't we be heading toward equality for all? Why are we permanently enshrining 2% of the population as "special", with more input to the government than the other 98%? Isn't that putting in place a permanent division by race?

I think that doubt is a reasonable one, and it needs to be answered by proponents of the Voice.

Andrew Bolt (Sky News) has raised concerns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6-IrB9Pxdc

Andrew Bolt is worried about the power that the advisory body will have. He also asks, why do we need a constitutional change to establish a First Nations body that advises government?

I don't like Sky News, but in this case it seems that legitimate concerns have been raised, that need to be answered.

The actual change to the Constitution is here, it looks harmless enough:

https://voice.gov.au/resources/information-booklet-recognising-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-peoples

...very vague, open-ended. I'm just an ordinary person, have no idea what the legal and governmental ramifications will be. But, I still find myself asking, why do we have to make a change to the Constitution to establish a First Nations advisory group?

And there is still that previous-mentioned doubt; why should we permanently enshrine 2% of the population as special?

Then there is the issue of defining who is, or is not, Aboriginal? There are very few full-blood Aboriginals. Could someone who has a Great-Great-Great-Grandmother who was Aboriginal, suddenly realize their aboriginality and get into that 2%?

I haven't decided which way I'm going to vote yet. Well, if I had to vote tomorrow it would be "No", but will listen to more arguments in favour of "Yes".

I would like to append some personal thoughts to this blog post. Perhaps I am too idealistic, but I would like to see a future for Australia where everyone is equal. When I walk down the street, whoever I see, I see them as equal to me. Just another Aussie citizen, like me.

I don't like the tendency of people toward division. We see it all over the world, some ethnic, cultural or religious group wanting to split off in some way from the country they are in.

As I say, I am perhaps too much of an idealist. It would be nice if countries become more unified internally, but in the news I see all over the world the opposite happening. It depresses me.

If I can be convinced that the Voice is a step toward unity, despite how it currently seems, then great.

Tags: ethos

OpenEmbedded version 4.0.10 revision-2 compile

June 01, 2023 — BarryK

I posted about Kirkstone 4.0.8 compile on March 23:

https://bkhome.org/news/202303/openembedded-version-408-revision-1-compile.html

In May this year, 4.0.10 was released, see OE/Yocto releases schedule:

https://wiki.yoctoproject.org/wiki/Releases

So downloaded 4.0.10 and did a complete OE recompile. Didn't time it this time, as was asleep when it finished, but it took roughly 1 day (24 hours) and 15 hours. Hardly worth the trouble, as not much has changed since 4.0.8:

apache2        2.4.55         2.4.57
chromium-x11   111.0.5563.147 112.0.5615.165
iso-codes      4.12.0         4.13.0
libmicrohttpd  0.9.75         0.9.76
libxpm         3.5.13         3.5.15
linux-firmware 20230210       20230404
mariadb        10.7.7         10.7.8
mbedtls        2.28.0         2.28.2
sudo           1.9.12p2       1.9.13p3
vim            9.0.1293       9.0.1429
xserver-xorg   21.1.7         21.1.8

The Chromium update is worthwhile, though that could have been compiled individually, without having to recompile everything. Anyway, it's done.

Tags: easy

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