I was recently passed a link as to how to install mythtv on OpenSUSE 10.3. As I migrate from my current SUSE Linux 10.1 setup to a shiny new 10.3 installation I will be submitting contributions to that page.

Come to think of it, I had better migrate to the schedules direct tv listing service pretty quickly here because I only have scheduling information left for 3 more days… eep!

-Ted

So I recently gave away my iriver clix cradle because it was never really mine to begin with… Does that make sense? Anyways, whatever.

So last sunday I was moping around with no way to listen to music without an external set of speakers or headphones and feeling generally sorry for myself. To rectify it, I hopped onto eBay to search for a new cradle to call my own. Sure enough, I found someone in Canada selling one of these rare beauties and put a bid down on it. Not even a minute later, I discovered that this seller also had a matched FM Transmitter (AFT-200) up for auction as well. So I bid on it too!

Anyways, a few minutes ago, they both arrived safe and sound, and now I am relaxing with blissful tinny (is this a word?) music echoing around my apartment.

Thumbs up for the iriver clix, a great product.

Thought you should know.

-Ted

So the opensuse bug slashing weekend has wrapped up. The original purpose of the exercise was to get a lot of community involvement into addressing persistent older defects in earlier editions of the distribution. However, since the release of opensuse 10.3 beta 1 was on friday, the weekend also focused on testing.

The builtin reporting abilities of bugzilla are unfortunately quite dismal so producing accurate reports on the number of bugs opened and closed is a little difficult. However, I estimate that approximately 200 new bugs were filed, and about 160 were closed against all products since 10.0. Pretty good if you ask me.

Hopefully we can do this again before the release of 10.3.

I have a small confession to make.

I am unfortunately one of those folks that rather likes new features in their software…

Since I have been developing httperf, I been trying to find the balance between modern and historical features that I should reliably be able to depend on.

The httperf tool was primarily written in the late 1990’s and probably was developed against the GCC 2.7 or some version of EGCS, in conjunction with the HP C compiler. Obviously, things have moved quite a bit since those days, with the EGCS/GCC merge, and now the most recent release of GCC 4.2.1. Moreover the auto-tools have taken big steps since those times. New elegant features abound, and I am very much tempted to use them.

But should I?

While openSUSE doesn’t mind the bleeding edge of gcc 4.2.1 for the upcoming 10.3 release, the OpenBSD project will be sticking with the gcc 3.3.x compiler for a while. Moreover, some prominent users of httperf are still using FreeBSD 4.x with gcc 2.95.x.

This puts me in a vaguely tough position. For one, I believe that more modern compiler features can dramatically improve httperf on a whole. But this is counter balanced with the need to not alienate existing users that are locked to an older platform for the time being.

So my decision? No change… Sort of.

For the time being I will commit to maintaining existing (working) code enclosed in conditional compilation flags to make sure existing users can still use the software. Along side with this I am developing new functionality which I will try to integrate into the old code base as feature compatibility permits.

Check out httperf cvs

-Ted

I am constantly frustrated with the lack of open source drivers for my 3d graphics cards. My main workstation includes a GeForce 7800 GS which can be leveraged properly with only the proprietary nvidia driver. I am frustrated about this because of the implicit maintenance chores associated with this type of driver.

I am definitely not an open source zealot who will not use software just because it is proprietary (RMS for instance).

To really understand my grievance here, I’ll relate a small tale of woe.

Like many other technical people, it is my ordained duty to help maintain the computers of my friends and family. For a variety of reasons and almost without exception, Windows XP is the operating system of choice. Almost without fail however, I am called in every 8 to twelve months to resolve the latest in a string of maintenance problems that my friends and family are experiencing. Typically, they will have downloaded some malevolent piece of software that is running amok on their computer. The only solution that I truly trust in this situation is to wipe the system drive and start over again.

Naturally, I have introduced my family and friends to Linux (openSUSE in my case) as a viable migration option for improved flexibility and security (I know this is debatable, but at least it’s a smaller target).

Generally, their experiences with the GNOME user interface are not painful. Also, with Helix Banshee, they are able to enjoy their MP3 music collection out of the box.

For out of the box desktop usabilty, openSUSE is an exceptional migration candidate with only one glaring dilemma. Graphics drivers.

Unless an Intel Graphics adapter is being used, it is necessary to install those darned proprietary drivers to enable 3d support. The process and rationale behind this is mysteriously magical for my parents and friends. The necessity to reinstall the driver upon every single kernel security update is ridiculous, irritating, and impossible for these people to do on their own. I can’t be making house calls every month to half a dozen people just to re-install the driver for them.

Nevertheless, there are a couple bright lights on the horizon.

The Intel adapters (with open source 3d drivers) have experienced dramatic performance improvements in the past several years, and can now be considered a completely viable option for a SOHO Linux workstation. Moreover, the rumors and rumblings about a discrete Intel Graphics solution are very promosing.

The Open Graphics Project also provides a light in the dark. The open specifications, drivers and hardware (Verilog) designs, should provide a very solid foundation for open 3d support in the operating system of your choice. Even OpenBSD may finally be able to introduce 3d.

Until the future is now, keep on swimming.

-Ted