DaniWeb IT Discussion Community - Linux Servers and Apache

News Story Does Linus Torvalds Hate Freedom?

khess — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:28:08 GMT

According to an ongoing debate over the GPL version 3, he does. How can this be, since Linus Torvalds, creator and chief architect of the Linux kernel, knows about software freedom and free software? He doesn't have a problem with what Richard Stallman refers to as "tivoization," which is the practice of using software available under the terms of a copyleft license but prevents the user/owner from modifying that code through the use of protections. Stallman believes that this is a blatant violation of your freedom. Linus disagrees.

Stallman's argument:

Quote:

One major danger that GPLv3 will block is tivoization. Tivoization means computers (called “appliances”) contain GPL-covered software that you can't change, because the appliance shuts down if it detects modified software. The usual motive for tivoization is that the software has features the manufacturer thinks lots of people won't like. The manufacturers of these computers take advantage of the freedom that free software provides, but they don't let you do likewise.

Some argue that competition between appliances in a free market should suffice to keep nasty features to a low level. Perhaps competition alone would avoid arbitrary, pointless misfeatures like “Must shut down between 1pm and 5pm every Tuesday”, but even so, a choice of masters isn't freedom. Freedom means you control what your software does, not merely that you can beg or threaten someone else who decides for you.

Torvald's rebuttal:

Quote:

[Stallman] calls it "tivoization", but that's a word he has made up, and a term I find offensive, so I don't choose to use it. It's offensive because Tivo never did anything wrong, and the FSF even acknowledged that. The fact that they do their hardware and have some DRM issues with the content producers and thus want to protect the integrity of that hardware.
The kernel license covers the *kernel*. It does not cover boot loaders and hardware, and as far as I'm concerned, people who make their own hardware can design them any which way they want. Whether that means "booting only a specific kernel" or "sharks with lasers", I don't care.

Who's right? Well, I hate to say it but they both are. Stallman, however, is more correct.

Stallman is correct when he states that freedoms are restricted when someone uses code that is distributed under a copyleft license, such as the GPL. To me, and to him, this is wrong because you can't use code that is unrestricted and then restrict its use. That violates the license because under the GPL, you must be able to inspect and modify the code, if you choose to. Tivoized devices make this impossible.

Linus is correct when he says that manufacturers can design their devices any which way they want. Where he deviates from accuracy is when he says that the manufacturer can use Linux or any other code that's unrestricted and then restrict it. Manufacturers have choices with which to work that don't include GPL software. Minix, for example, uses a BSD license. A version of Windows or Mac OS would be two other good choices--except there are of course those nasty license fees one would have to pay.

It seems to me that manufacturers want the best of both worlds: They want to use something free but then want to turn around and violate the license by making it impossible for you to exercise that freedom. This is wrong. And I'm surprised that the FSF hasn't taken these manufacturers to task and to court over such practices.

What do you think--do you think that appliances like the TiVo violates the terms of the GPL? What do you think should be done about it?

News Story 10 Special Linux Distributions That You Should Know

khess — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:05:17 GMT

At my last, best count, there were over 550 individual Linux distributions. From the most generic, flat installs of the most common distros to ultra-specialized, multimedia-oriented to the eye-popping, fancy ones--they're all there for the taking. I found ten distributions from among the 500 or so that I know about to spotlight these for some special feature or set of features that will dazzle you or entice you to try them for yourself. Read on and get ready to download.
One word of caution: Some of these distributions are so clever and cool that, once you begin working with them, you just might lose track of time and forget what you're supposed to be doing.

In alphabetical order, my favorite ten special Linux distributions are:

1. 64 Studio - Ah, 64 Studio, based on Debian/Ubuntu, is one fine piece of work. This is one distro that you could lose a lot of sleep to--especially if you're the creative type. I'm so much of a multimedia wannabe that I burned almost ten straight hours just checking out everything and making a total multimedia fool of myself--I'll spare you the disgusting details of my romp. I discovered one thing very quickly: I'm not smart enough to be productive with 64 Studio. If you're a multimedia mogul, proceed happily with this one. It comes with 2D/3D graphics programs, animation software, publishing, web design, audio production, video editing and some stuff that I know so little about that you'll have to discover it for yourself. Get this one but beware--I think that once you start working with it, you enter a dark 4th dimension where time seems not to exist.

2. ArtistX - Another time vacuum for those of us who aspire to artistic greatness. ArtistX sports almost every available free multimedia software program and suite in existence. Chances are that if it isn't in ArtistX, you might not need or want it. Like 64 Studio, it has way too much software to list but if you're a multimedia professional or want to be one, ArtistX will take you there and back. Between 64 Studio and ArtistX, I'd need two high-end computers, four monitors and lots and lots of time. And perhaps a vacation.

3. AsteriskNOW - Leaving the multimedia realm, I discovered AsteriskNOW while attempting to create my own voicemail, fax server, VOIP gateway system. The software installs easily, as advertised, and almost everything worked without a hitch. I think the main problem I had was that I had purchased my board on an auction site and the hardware might have been less than perfect. My suggestion is that, if you're serious about an Asterisk solution, purchase a supported board from the source: Digium. I've seen Asterisk in action and it's impressive. For the cost of the board, a computer and a few hours of time, you can have a communications solution worth thousands.

4. LiveKiosk - If you need a web-based kiosk, then this little gem is just what you need. You use it as a live CD or a flash-drive kiosk. The only drawback that I can find is that its wireless connectivity is limited in that it doesn't support WEP or WPA security. The CD image is small (~140MB) and is ready to boot and serve.

5. LinuxMCE - This is the coolest thing since sliced bread and sliced bread is the bomb. LinuxMCE is a smart home solution with the following features/controls: Lighting, climate, media, security and telecom (using Asterisk). LinuxMCE is so advanced, I'm surprised that home builders aren't including it in their multimedia home options. It does everything except make breakfast and I'm sure that someone is working on a module for that.

6. Puppy Linux - So many of you, my faithful readers, use Puppy Linux, I have to include it here. Puppy is cool because it is small, fast and easy--besides actual puppy breath, what more could you ask for? You don't even have to install it, since it works from a bootable CD or USB drive--take it anywhere with you. At just over 100MB, it's a cheap computer on a flash drive. If you want a full-blown OpenOffice.org installation, you'd better opt for a 512MB (or larger) flash drive. Puppy Linux is good stuff. I hope someone is working on a "fetch my slippers" module and puppy breath extensions would be awesome too.

7. SuperGamer - And now for a real time-wasting experience, I'd like for you to meet SuperGamer; a live DVD with games that are either native to or optimized for Linux. I wasted...ummm, productively spent one whole day of my much needed vacation playing with this one. I had to hide the DVD and website from my wife who really hates any computer game other than solitaire. Boot with caution and have eyedrops nearby.

8. Tempest Showroom - This one wins the prize for "Totally Worthless Linux Distribution." This live CD makes your computer monitor send out radio signals that you can pick up on a radio. Have fun but don't tell anyone. I've included it here just so you can receive the same sense of joy I did when I heard Beethoven's Fuer Elise played by my monitor.

9. Zenwalk - A real Slackware-based distribution that delivers a fast, sleek, full-featured distro with everything you need for productivity and software development. There are five editions of Zenwalk, find one for yourself: Standard Edition - XFCE plus all the goodies mentioned above, Core Edition - No GUI but a ready-to-create server system, Live Edition is the Standard Edition on a bootable CD image, the Gnome Edition contains everything you'd expect plus Gnome and there is a special ZenEdu Live Special Edition designed with school-aged kids in mind.

10. Zeroshell - This Linux distribution provides you with a complete network management system. It acts as a router/bridge, firewall, http proxy server, load balancer, VPN Server, RADIUS Server, LDAP Server, DNS Server and more. The new versions (1.0+) will also have SMTP and IMAP services. You can install it, run it from the bootable CD or install it on a flash drive. This is one of the most complete solutions I've ever seen for providing comprehensive network services and security.

Have you used any of the distributions mentioned in this post? If so, write back and tell us how they worked for you. If you know of good alternatives to any of them, let us know about them and your experiences.

configuring synergy

sonah — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:02:36 GMT

Hello Guys

am currently stuck configuring synergy on my laptop(with vista) and my pc with debian. my debian config file looks like this

# This section defines the hosts
section: screens
host1: 192.168.1.2
host2:
super=meta
end

# This section defines the relationship between the hosts.
section: links
host1:
right = host2
host2:
left = host1
end

section: options

However everytime i run "synergys -f --config /etc/synergy.conf"

I get this error msg:

ERROR: synergys.cpp,1068: cannot read configuration "/etc/synergy.conf": read error: line 3: argument before first screen
synergys: no configuration available

What could be cause of the problem. team please help

configuring squid for our office

sonah — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:15:08 GMT

Hi guys,

As i already mentioned, am a linux newbie because our office for some reason is moving to linux and as the head of Networks have been assigned to configure a squid but am stuck on how to go about it but have installed the squid on my debian. what next after that? please help...

Cannot connect to any FTP server no matter what FTP program I use.

Venom Rush — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:43:27 GMT

Hi guys/gals

I'm having the most frustrating time trying to connect to FTP servers in order to upload files. I try to connect to a number of different FTP servers and cannot connect to any of them.

I've tried connecting to the same servers using the same FTP programs on a second machine and it has no issues at all.

I've done ping and tracert tests on the machine with the issues and the internet connection is definitely NOT the problem. I've looked at network settings but with my little knowledge about networks I've not been able to see if there are any issues. Both PCs have the same network setup so I doubt it's a network issue.

I'm at a loss, anyone come across a similar issue?

News Story White House Site Switches to Drupal

slfisher — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:37:34 GMT

The Associated Press reported this weekend that the official White House website has been switched to using the open-source Drupal content management system

Using open source will result in improved security -- because more programmers will be looking for errors in the software -- as well as more quickly and less expensively updated, the AP said.

The White House site had been using technology held over from the administration of former President George W. Bush, but the staff had been working toward the transition since the inauguration. For example, the website that tracks stimulus spending, launched in February, was already built using Drupal.

Several other federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Education, and the General Service Administration, are also said to be using Drupal.

However, modifications made by the White House staff, such as to improve security, have not thus far been given back to the Drupal community, noted Tim O'Reilly in his blog. "The source code for Drupal (and the rest of the LAMP stack) is indeed available, but the modifications that were made to meet government security, scalability, and hosting requirements have not yet been shared," he said.

network timer for linux

yudnutis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:32:08 GMT

hi guys.can anyone assist me with list of names of cafe timer that works on Linux and sites were i can download them.
am also having a problem with my isp provider.they have changed the mode of data allocation from a fixed unlimited access on a monthly payment basis to allocation of data bundle of which i cannot work with because its so little and dam expensive.so i was asking is there a software that i can access the internet anonymously so i can avoid the bundle cost allocation.plz guys help me out

not able to access linux server with static ip outside the LAN

aman_dba — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:34:48 GMT

HI friends,

I have checked the forums, until i loose my patience, but didnt get any such query or reply, so finally posting my issue.
I hav a CentOS box installed as a server with static ip and windows client using it to connect to internet via squid(the proxy server) on LAN
Now wen i try to connect my Linux box outside my LAN, it is not even giving any reply to ping.
Do i need any specific settings with respect to static ip, to make it accessible outside the LAN.
Mentinable:- i hav installed squid for proxy server and samba for File accessing on LAN.

any kinda support will be appreciated
thanks

Help me....Diskless Pc booting from Linux server.

Shaikh Mohsin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:33:37 GMT

Hi friends,
I have installed ubuntu 9.04 in that i have install DRBL package installtion is done correctly but when i run LANG=C sudo /opt/drbl/sbin/drblsrv -i
it gives
*****************************************************.
Hint! When a "yes or no" option is available, the default value is uppercase. E.g. (y/N) the default is "N", so when you press "Enter" without typing "Y or N" it will be as if you typed "N" and then "Enter". If you are not sure which option to choose just press "Enter" key.
*****************************************************.
*****************************************************.
Installing DRBL for Debian Linux...
*****************************************************.
Do you want to install the network installation boot images so that you can let the client computer install some GNU/Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, RedHat Linux, Fedora Core, Mandriva, CentOS and OpenSuSE...) via a network connection? !!NOTE!! This will download a lot of files (Typically > 100 MB) so it might take a few minutes. If the client computer has a hard drive that you may install GNU/Linux onto, put a Y here. If you answer "no" here, you can run "drbl-netinstall" to install them later.
[y/N]
*****************************************************.
This GNU/Linux distribution uses one kernel to support SMP and non-SMP arch.
*****************************************************.
Do you want to use the serial console output on the client computer(s)?
If you do NOT know what to pick, say "N" here, otherwise the client computer(s) may show NOTHING on the screen!
[y/N]
*****************************************************.
It's Ubuntu as server, so generic kernel is available.
*****************************************************.
Which CPU architecture kernel do you want to assign for the DRBL client computer(s)?
0 -> i386 CPU architecture
1 -> i586 CPU architecture
2 -> Use the same architecture as this DRBL server
Note! Note Note! Note! Note! Note! Note!
NOTE!!! If the client computer(s) is not the same architecture as this server, please pick "0" or "1", otherwise your client computer(s) will NOT be able to boot.
If you use wrong architecture type kernel, the glibc and openssl package might use i686 or i386 while the kernel might use i686, i586, or i386, which might be not suitable for all your computer(s).
If you are not sure, "1" is recommended as this will still have good performance and compatibility.
[2]
*****************************************************.
The CPU arch option for your clients: 2
The optimization for your system is set to be the same as this server computer.
*****************************************************.
Cleaning the cache of APT to make some settings take effect...
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security Release.gpg
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty Release.gpg
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates Release.gpg
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security Release
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty Release
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/main Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates Release
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/restricted Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/main Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/restricted Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/restricted Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/universe Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/universe Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/multiverse Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com jaunty-security/multiverse Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/restricted Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/universe Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/universe Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/multiverse Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/multiverse Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/main Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/restricted Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/main Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/restricted Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/universe Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/universe Sources
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/multiverse Packages
Hit http://in.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty-updates/multiverse Sources
Reading package lists... Done
*****************************************************.
Do you want to upgrade the operating system?
[y/N] y
*****************************************************.
1st, we upgrade the whole system...
*****************************************************.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
*****************************************************.
2nd, installing the necessary files for DRBL...
*****************************************************.
Searching if lvm2 ntfs-3g genisoimage mkisofs lshw hwinfo aoetools vblade dmidecode lzma available...
Package lvm2 exists in repository.
Package ntfs-3g exists in repository.
Package genisoimage exists in repository.
Package mkisofs exists in repository.
Package lshw exists in repository.
Package hwinfo exists in repository.
Package aoetools exists in repository.
Package vblade exists in repository.
Package dmidecode exists in repository.
Package lzma exists in repository.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
util-linux is already the newest version.
tar is already the newest version.
gzip is already the newest version.
bzip2 is already the newest version.
procps is already the newest version.
rsync is already the newest version.
parted is already the newest version.
pciutils is already the newest version.
tcpdump is already the newest version.
bc is already the newest version.
grub is already the newest version.
grub set to manually installed.
hdparm is already the newest version.
netcat is already the newest version.
file is already the newest version.
ethtool is already the newest version.
ssh is already the newest version.
ssh set to manually installed.
syslinux is already the newest version.
mtools is already the newest version.
reiserfsprogs is already the newest version.
e2fsprogs is already the newest version.
psmisc is already the newest version.
locales is already the newest version.
wget is already the newest version.
zip is already the newest version.
unzip is already the newest version.
iproute is already the newest version.
iputils-ping is already the newest version.
binutils is already the newest version.
initscripts is already the newest version.
dhcp3-server is already the newest version.
dhcp3-server set to manually installed.
tftpd-hpa is already the newest version.
tftpd-hpa set to manually installed.
lftp is already the newest version.
iptables is already the newest version.
ntfs-3g is already the newest version.
genisoimage is already the newest version.
Note, selecting genisoimage instead of mkisofs
genisoimage is already the newest version.
lshw is already the newest version.
dmidecode is already the newest version.
lzma is already the newest version.
E: Couldn't find package clonezilla
Warning! Some necessary packages are not installed! If you continue, maybe something will go wrong! It is better to exit now and check your /etc/apt/sources.list and internet link!
Press Ctrl-C to stop the program! Or Press "Enter" to continue...
*****************************************************.
*****************************************************.
Trying to upgrade some necessary packages if available...
*****************************************************.
In ayo repository...searching for the latest kernel ...
The kernel image in Ubuntu 9.04 "uses generic" for i686/amd64 CPU.
/opt/drbl/bin/pkg-ver-latest: line 51: gawk: command not found
/opt/drbl/bin/pkg-ver-latest: line 51: gawk: command not found
The latest kernel in the ayo repository is
There are 2 kernels available for clients, which one do you prefer?
[1]: kernel 2.6.28-15-generic i586 (from this DRBL server)
[2]: (from APT repository)
[1]
Clients will use the kernel 2.6.28-15-generic i586 from server.
It might take several minutes to install this kernel, please be patient...
done!
*****************************************************.
Installing kernel for clients... ...
In ayo repository...searching for the latest kernel ...
*****************************************************.
Now run: drblsrv-offline -c -d -a -l en_US.UTF-8 -s 2.6.28-15-generic "" ""
Using kernel from this server for client...
*****************************************************.
Your OS version is:: Ubuntu 9.04
*****************************************************.
*****************************************************.
Installing kernel for clients... ...
The kernel for client is copied from server.
Installing kernel 2.6.28-15-generic for clients...
It might take several minutes to install this kernel, please be patient... ...done!
Generating modules.dep and map files for clients... done!
*****************************************************.
Creating config file for PXE clients...
Copying pxelinux.0, gpxelinux.0, menu.c32, vesamenu.c32, chain.c32, mboot.c32, sanboot.c32 and memdisk to /tftpboot/nbi_img...
Copying memtest86+ to /tftpboot/nbi_img...
Package `drbl-etherboot' is not installed.
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.
Package `drbl-etherboot' is not installed.
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.
cp: missing destination file operand after `/tftpboot/nbi_img/'
Try `cp --help' for more information.
Warning! /usr/lib/freedos/fdos1440.img NOT found!!! FreeDOS Remote boot does NOT work!!!
Press "Enter" to continue...
/opt/drbl/sbin/generate-pxe-menu: line 9: /opt/drbl/conf/drbl-ocs.conf: No such file or directory
/opt/drbl/sbin/generate-pxe-menu: line 10: /opt/drbl/sbin/ocs-functions: No such file or directory
Generating default pxelinux config (/tftpboot/nbi_img/pxelinux.cfg/default)...
Use com32 module: vesamenu.c32
No packages found matching clonezilla.
Adding menus for DRBL, local boot, memtest86+, FreeDOS...
done!
*****************************************************.
*****************************************************.
Creating the image files for PXE and Etherboot client computer(s), this will take a few minutes ...
The latest kernel for the DRBL clients is 2.6.28-15-generic
Running mknic-nbi --kernel 2.6.28-15-generic --all --no-modules
Will client check DHCP server name is "drbl" or not: yes
The maximum times to try to get IP address for a client: 5
The pause time after network card is up: 0
Can't open /usr/lib/mkpxeinitrd-net/initrd-skel/etc/linuxrc.conf: No such file or directory.
Can't open /usr/lib/mkpxeinitrd-net/initrd-skel/etc/linuxrc.conf: No such file or directory.
Can't open /usr/lib/mkpxeinitrd-net/initrd-skel/etc/linuxrc.conf: No such file or directory.
Can't open /usr/lib/mkpxeinitrd-net/initrd-skel/etc/linuxrc.conf: No such file or directory.
Setting port for udhcpc request to default...
Can't open /usr/lib/mkpxeinitrd-net/initrd-skel/etc/linuxrc.conf: No such file or directory.
Using the kernel modules from /tftpboot/node_root//lib/modules...
The selected kernel for DRBL clients is: 2.6.28-15-generic
Kernel 2.6 was found, so default to use initramfs.
Creating the network boot initrd for PXE clients by: mkpxeinitrd-net -k 2.6.28-15-generic -t initramfs
/opt/drbl/sbin/mknic-nbi: line 297: mkpxeinitrd-net: command not found
Finished!
Done!
*****************************************************.
Done!

where i am making mistake & what else i have to do.....any more config....
plz help me

Please guide me in URL Rewriting plzzzzzzzzzzz

zaish — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:27:21 GMT

Hi Brothers,

I m completely new at PHP, I wants to learn URL Rewrting. I dont know anything about php.

I have 2 pages,
1)Index.php
2)cats.php

source code is for index.php is

and the source code for cats.php is

$txt=$_GET['cats'];
echo $txt;
?>

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

I want to redirect
http://www.example.com/cats.php?cat=1
http://www.example.com/cats.php?cat=2
http://www.example.com/cats.php?cat=3

to

http:/www.example.com/cats/1
http://www.example.com/cats/2
http://www.example.com/cats/3

i have also updated .htaccess file by code provided by seochat.com from url rewriting code section

please tell me or provide me source files so i can make url rewriting. I will be very thank full if some one provide me source files so i can easily understand from that.

I need help rewriting dynamically-generated URLs

mexabet — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:21:52 GMT

I need your help to rewrite the URLs generated dynamically by a PHP photo album software.
These are how the URLs currently show on the browser:

index.php?page=list-image&album=1 (The URL of "album 1" while I name the album "Tropical Trees") and index.php?page=list-image&album=2 (The URL of "album 2 while the name might be something like "Images In The Darkness" or "Beaches").

I need help to make the above-mentioned "album 1" URL to be: "Tropical_Trees/" and other albums to be in this form.

The following example is how the image URLs shows:
index.php?page=image-detail&album=1&image=1 (The URL of "image 1" of "album 1" while I name this image "Buddha Statue")

I want the image URLs to be in this form: "Tropical_Trees/Buddha_Statue/"

Can anyone please show me how to rewrite the album and image URLs in order to have search engine-friendly URLs. I have tried without success to achieve this. This is what I have done so far:

## mod_rewrite configuration

Options +FollowSymLinks



# Turn on the rewriting engine

RewriteEngine on



RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$

RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?mydomain.com/.*$ [NC]

RewriteRule \.(gif|jpg|png)$ - [F]



RewriteRule ^[a-zA-Z]$ index.php?page=list-image&album=$0

RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z])\/$ /$1 [R]



RewriteRule ^([A-Z]+)([a-z)]+)([0-9)]+)\.html$ index.php?page=image-detail&album=1&image=$3



RewriteRule  ^([^/]+)/$ index.php?page=image-detail&album=1&image=$1



#Options -Indexes IncludesNOEXEC FollowSymLinks

I will appreciate your kind assistance.

News Story The 10 Best Linux Distributions of 2009

khess — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:00:05 GMT

It was exactly one year ago today that I published my original "The 10 Best Linux Distributions" and it's time to put forth a new list for this year's best. Without looking at the old list, I've decided to compile this one from scratch. This 2009 list takes several factors into account for placement in the list: Community support, commercial support, software variety, update engine and distribution frequency. Even for old Linux salts, there are a few surprises on this list. For starters, Ubuntu is not number one.

The problem with this list is that I don't hate any of the distros that I've entered here. Even number ten is one of my all time favorites but something has to be on top and something has to be on bottom. Check out the list and see what you think.

1. gNewSense - Ever since my conversation with Richard Stallman, I've decided that gNewSense is the distro that claims the top spot for this year. Based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, gNewSense contains only free software. It's also the distro that Stallman himself uses--how can you beat that?

2. Debian - Debian is a GNU/Linux distribution that has it all: Great support, unsurpassed stability, awesome developers, a huge community, dozens of offspring including Ubuntu and gNewSense, regular updates, apt-get, thousands of ready-to-install programs and it makes a great user computer or server system. Debian also has the best hardware discovery of any distribution, which is probably why it's used to parent so many other distributions. If Debian has one weakness, it's commercial support. There's no Debian, Inc. for businesses to point to should something go awry. For businesses to adopt a particular distribution, it must have commercial support. For some, the risk is too great otherwise.

3. Ubuntu - Ubuntu picks up the slack where (don't confuse this with SlackWare which doesn't make the list this time.) Debian leaves off. Ubuntu offers commercial support, albeit somewhat expensive support through Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor.

4. CentOS - This distribution is Red Hat Enterprise Linux compiled from sources. It is still my personal distribution for my user/server computer. I do most of my testing on it. I use Debian for testing as well in virtual machines but they all ride on top of my CentOS computer. I spoke with Karanbir Singh, Project Lead of CentOS a few weeks ago and he gave some insight into the project that I had not heard or read before. Listen to the original podcast, if you get a chance.

5. Fedora - Fedora is the community version supported by Red Hat, Inc. It is what we used to call Red Hat Linux. It's also the version of Linux that Richard Stallman says comes pretty close to being an all free distribution. If you can impress Stallman, you've done your job. Fedora is often a bit unstable because it is out on what some call the 'bleeding edge' and is for those who are a bit more on the adventurous side. Don't use it for production. For production purposes, use CentOS if you don't want to purchase a commercial Linux distribution. Just as a side note, this is one of the funniest true stories I've ever read. It would still be funny if it weren't Oklahoma but since I live here, it makes it even better.

6. Red Hat - Short of being blessed by Richard Stallman or Linus Torvalds, how can you not love Red Hat? It was one of the first companies that bucked the Microsoft-only trend and gave it a go on Linux. It worked. Red Hat is the most profitable and successful Linux/Open Source/Free Software company in the world. It's very profitable and it keeps growing. It is one of three Linux distributions that ever makes its way into large companies as a supported operating system. SUSE (Not on this list) and Ubuntu are the other two.

7. Gentoo - Do you have a few free weekends and a need for something that goes ZOOM when you're done? Gentoo is for you, then. Gentoo is not for those who are wanting to download, burn and boot; it's for those who like to tinker, twist and fidget with something until it's perfect. If you want something that rocks, and is rock-solid when you're done, then you want Gentoo. Gentoo is the Harley-Davidson of the Linux world. It's cool. It's stable. It's hot. It's also a royal pain in your backside. If you're impatient, like me, keep moving and just appreciate Gentoo from afar.

8. Knoppix - Yeah, Knoppix, baby. It's cool like that. Knoppix is one of those "Show it, don't explain it" distributions. If you want to try to explain Linux to someone, show them a Knoppix Live CD. They might never look at a Windows computer again. It's that good. If you have an old computer that won't handle a large hard drive, buy yourself a fast CD/DVD ROM drive and download, burn and boot Knoppix for your user computer. Save your documents and files to the 'too small for Linux' disk and never look back.

9. Presto - Got Windows but also want Linux? Get Presto. I installed it on my netbook and I love it. When I'm in a hurry and just want to check email or make a Skype call, I boot into Presto and get to work in about 15 seconds flat. It's the best $20 you'll ever spend.

10. Damn Small Linux - Damn Small Linux (DSL) is the cool of cool in small distro land. In as little as 50MB, you can have a full Linux computer and in these days of operating system bloat; that's a real winner. DSL isn't just small but it has features you'd expect from larger distributions: Web, RDP, Terminal Services, SSH, productivity tools, SSH server and much more. If I ran a company with more than just a handful of employees, it's likely that DSL is what I'd use for their user interface possibly as virtual desktops on a hypervisor system. If you haven't experienced DSL for yourself, you should. Download, burn and boot. It's impressive.

If your favorite distro didn't make the cut, I'm sorry, maybe next time. Perhaps you can convince me to write up another list of my reader's favorites if you write back and tell me what they are.

Linux Content Switch

xav.vijay — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:36:04 GMT

Hello All,

I have a problem, for which I need some guidance..... Here is the scenario.

Internet --> Router --> [my required s/w ?!?!] --> 3 web servers.

the router which I have has limited capabilities. It can jus forward incoming requests only IP based, and not even to to any specific ports...So thats a bottleneck.

To overcome this, I plan to use a very very minimal linux VM, that will take in requests from this router and forward to 3 or more web servers behind.

my required s/w, functionality must be like this..
if the incoming request is for...
a.mysite.com goto ServerA at port x1
b.mysite.com goto ServerA at port x2
c.mysite.com goto ServerB at port x3
.... so on...

I hope u get an idea.

Now, I am not an advanced user of Linux, and a networking expert either. So please be kind...

I can do this with Apache vhosts thing, but I prefer to run separate apache servers, to avoid single point of failure.

I was looking at these router and firewall linux distro's.... (very fascinating), to get my job done, but I don't think they have exactly what I look for....I tried (monowall, smoothwall, untangle, zeroshell..etc) or maybe, I didn't look at the right place.

Or I was wondering if squid proxy wud do this job for me. If yes, I have no clue on how to write the directives...an example wud be gr8....

If u have any better ideas, I am all ears....

Thank You

Antonio....

RewriteRule Problem

headedtomexico — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:36:04 GMT

So i set out to do some rewrites today for a utility i'm building for people to use on their own servers. It involves generating dynamic images to be used on phpbb, but phpbb doesnt allow you to post images with any GET parameters or with a PHP extension. The workaround is passing them via a rewrite.

I mostly have it figured out, but it isn't very friendly to moving around to new folders. I have no way to predict where a server admin will decide to install it.

I've tried looking it up, but i've had trouble getting past this last hump.

On my own server I even have a problem with it. My code is below, it is saved in server.com/subdomain/.htaccess

I have a subdomain of subdomain.server.com mapped to server.com/subdomain

RewriteRule ^dummyword/([A-Za-z0-9\-]+)/([A-Za-z0-9\-]+).png$ /dynamicpicture.php?parameter=$1&otherparameter=$2 [R]

if I navigate to "subdomain.server.com/dummyword/one/two.png"
i get forwarded correctly to "subdomain.server.com/dynamicpicture.php?parameter=one&otherparameter=$2"

if I skip the subdomain and go directly to the folder with "server.com/subdomain/dummyword/one/two.png" the rule doesnt pick it up and i 404.

Since this is going to be going out to 5-10 other server operators everything before "/dummyword...." could be very random. One site has it nested down 4 directories....

can anyone school me a little?

a forum

mathijs — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:50:20 GMT

Hey
I've got an old server in my basement and i want to host a forum on it. I know there are also online free forum hosting but i want to learn what i'm doing. I want to use this thread to ask for advice. Right now my plan is to install fedora on the server cause i use it as a desktop too and then start installing things like apache and php. And also make the server available on my local network so i can access it from my room instead of from the basement. I guess my first questions are
- Is fedora a good OS to do this ?
-What kind of software do i need to install for forum hosting ?
-Would it be better to use the old server wich has 2 pentium 3 processors or my old pentium 4 pc?

thx in advance

News Story Portland Plans to Become Open Source Mecca

slfisher — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:26:06 GMT

In its ongoing effort to become the coolest city in the U.S., the mayor of Portland, Oregon, is going to attempt tomorrow night to make it an "open source city," making its data as open as possible while respecting privacy, and buying open source applications when possible.

If passed by the City Council, Mayor Sam Adams' proposal will have the following steps:

"a. Enter into agreements with our regional partners to publish and maintain public datasets that are open and freely available while respecting privacy and security concerns as identified by the City Attorney;
b. Develop a strategy to adopt prevailing open standards for data, documents, maps, and other formats of media;
c. Organize a regional contest to encourage the development of software applications to collect, organize, and share public data;
d. Establish best practices for analysis of business requirements in software review and selection processes, identify existing commercial software systems with licenses that are scheduled to expire in the near future, and encourage the consideration of Open Source Software in the review, replacement and continual improvement of business solutions."

As for carrots, the city is also hoping to encourage the lucrative conference industry to come to Portland; the proposal also suggests promoting "Portland as a host city for leading Open Source Software conferences and related technology events, such as LinuxCon, Innotech, etc."

In addition, all formal technology related purchasing and contract opportunities will be offered to the open source community, according to the proposed resolution.

Adams first declared his intention of making Portland more open in June, during the Open Source Bridge conference. According to the Silicon Florist blog, this was a way of competing with Vancouver, B.C., Canada, which had announced in May its intention of doing the same thing.

News Story One For All and All For One: A Single Linux Distribution

khess — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:12:51 GMT

Since I check my linkbacks religiously, I noticed one of the comments over at linsux.org (An anti-Linux rant site) on my recent post, "5 Things You Can Do to Put Linux in the Driver Seat" and thought I would share one of the entries with you. He wants us Linux types to stop work on so many disparate distributions and focus on a single one. Is this a good idea or the best idea I've ever heard?

He lists a few items, beginning strangely at #6, that he wants Linux fans to cease and desist on but the one that caught my attention is #10:

Quote:

OEF (His site nickname)
Stop making web press releases every time someone tosses a bunch of open-source crap and artwork onto a CD. "Chuckie's Linux" will not change the world. In fact, it further muddies the landscape. Pick a distro. Just ONE damned distro and work on improving it.

Wow, OEF, whoever you are; you have my vote for the Grand High Exalted Poobah of all that you survey in Open Source and Linux. I like the idea of a single distribution. It really simplifies everything.
I love the idea of having a single distribution upon which to bestow our time and energies.

The only problem I see with it is, which one are you gonna choose for THE distribution? Will it be SUSE, Debian, Red Hat, Gentoo, or Slackware? Since it has to be a top-level distribution and not a derivative, it will have to be one of those--unless I've missed one.

Let's examine those choices.

Novell's SUSE Linux is a decent choice. It's well-supported, not that expensive, developed by some of the best programmers in the business but is a bit conservative for those leading-edge nerds.
Debian is a wise choice since it is the GNU Linux distribution and not particularly partial to any platform or company.
Red Hat is a great choice. One of the first commercial distributions, one of the best supported and most widely used distros in the IT world and is home to the most profitable of all Linux-based companies.
Gentoo--I don't know--since you can have a Gentoo operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD, this one leaves me a bit cold. Sure it's secure and cool with its Portage but let's face it, if we wanted a hybrid operating system, we could opt for Mac OS X.
And, finally, we have Slackware. Poor, poor Slackware, I used to love you so but now your luster has faded in favor of the shinier, sexier Debian and Red Hat distros. Sorry Slackware, you just don't make the cut.

So, really we have to choose from Red Hat, Debian and SUSE for a single distribution. We need to be able to point a finger at someone when things go wrong for businesses to feel comfortable enough to use Linux, and Debian doesn't have that, so that leaves us with just Red Hat and SUSE to choose from.

Since I've had fewer bad experiences with Red Hat than with Novell, I'm going with Red Hat. Congratulations, Red Hat, you're now the one and only Linux distribution for the entire world! No one can make illegal copies of your software, in fact; no one can make any copies of your software, no one can take your software and create anything new from it because it's now basically proprietary and it no longer needs to be open source.
You are the sole creator and maintainer of this, our only Linux distribution. Manufacturers will flock to you to create drivers to work with our, I mean, your distribution so that we may all enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Of course, we can all still create third-party applications that work with your distribution but since you make the bulk of your own apps too, we might need to worry with that at all. Your office suite, programming suite, browser (oh you will create your own won't you?), gaming software, mapping software, web server and database server are the bomb and we love them all. We will only buy your products because no one else's have the same cool feature sets or 100% compatibility that we all need.
You are our one stop shop for all our operating system and application software needs. Thanks Red Hat, for being THE one for everyone.

I think I've heard this story somewhere before.

News Story 5 Things You Can Do to Put Linux in the Driver Seat

khess — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:32:42 GMT

This is a plea to all hardware manufacturers: Please create Linux drivers for your hardware. OK, so Linux isn't the Stormin' Norman of the Desktop arena but that doesn't mean its users don't want or need drivers for hardware. I don't blame the kind volunteers that donate their time to program bits and pieces of the Linux kernel and associated programs but I do blame the hardware manufacturers for not supporting a huge user base of Linux users. I'm tired of it and it's time for action.

Here's what we can do:

1. Any time you find a piece of hardware that doesn't have a Linux driver, write to the manufacturer and request that a Linux version become available for it.

2. Boycott any hardware that doesn't explicitly work with Linux.

3. Check hardware compatibility lists and only purchase hardware that does work with Linux.

4. Document your experiences with hardware successes and failures and post them to your blogs or notify me and I'll post them.

5. Join the Linux Foundation or the community distribution network of your choice and contribute (time, money, resources) to the project.

Collectively, we can put enough pressure on hardware manufacturers to supply Linux drivers for their hardware. It's in their best interest to do so.

Manufacturers say that there isn't enough Linux deployed to justify spending resources on creating Linux drivers and potential business adopters say that without proper driver support, they'll never make the switch. So there you have it. A classic standoff. A stale mate. No one will make a move because no one can move.

Join me in my new quest to convince hardware manufacturers to supply us with much needed Linux drivers.

Write back and tell me if you've made any progress or received answers to your requests. I'll post them here in a future entry.

XAMMP - Apache problem.

aycmike — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:57:11 GMT

Apologies if this is the wrong place for a subject of this matter, but ive tried other places to no success...

Im attempting instal xamplite but apache wont run for some reason. Whilst MySQL runs fine. Ive tried reinstaling xampplite and the regular xamp but the same error keeps occuring! Ive included the technical details below, any help would be much appreciated! I just want to get learning PHP ....

Technical Information
C:\DOCUME~1\MICHAE~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERcf37.dir00\httpd.exe.mdmp
C:\DOCUME~1\MICHAE~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\WERcf37.dir00\appcompat.txt

Error Signiture
szAppName : httpd.exe szAppVer : 2.2.12.0 szModName : libapr-1.dll
szModVer : 1.3.7.0 offset : 0000755c

I have Coldfusion instaled also , could this be part of the problem ?? Any help would be much appreciated.

HTTPS giving internal error, SSL cert installed correctly?

rickya100 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:55:25 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am not a server guru but have had to setup a dedicated server for a new website. Everything is going except that when I try to connect to it via HTTPS connection I get a 500 internal error page which basically means I don't know what is causing the problem.

HTTP connection is fine and working but since the site will be processing payment information we need the HTTPS connection.

The server is running on CentOS with me using cPanel 11 to admin it. The only solution that I have possible come across involves the httpd.conf file for apache. The solution says to add this

Listen 80
Listen 443

Although using cPanel I'm not sure where (preMain, preVirtual, postVirtual) to add this or if I shoudl even be adding it.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks guys,

Richard

News Story Mr. Torvalds, Shrink That Kernel

khess — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:13:18 GMT

Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, said at the LinuxCon in Portland yesterday that, "We are not the streamlined, small, hyper-efficient kernel I envisioned 15 years ago," he said. "Our kernel is huge and bloated. Whenever we add a new feature, it only gets worse." It's time to put Linux on a diet. What we need is a very small kernel that loads support via external files. Though Linux is a modular kernel, it seems that everything gets compiled in to the central code slug but I have a solution.

Instead of making the kernel impossibly huge and compiling in support for device X and peripheral Y, let's move support for all devices to XML files and just have the kernel read the ones we want. No recompiling. No derivative works in the kernel. And no debate needed between Tannenbaum and Torvalds over microkernels vs monolithic kernels.

Move support for everything to a directory or special filesystem, like /proc, where all of the necessary XML files reside. The kernel picks them up and uses them with no changes to the kernel and no kernel bloat required. Now, I have to tell you that IANAP (I am not a Programmer) by any stretch of the imagination but it seems to me that this would have been something that others would have thought up before now.
I'm a long-time user of Linux, an early adopter and the founder of the local Linux User's Group back in 1996. The first meeting of that LUG was spent on teaching others how to recompile their kernel so that they could add or remove support for devices and peripherals.
This was, and is, a totally unnecessary activity. Recompiling a kernel should be reserved for very rare circumstances.

Admittedly, I haven't recompiled a kernel in at least four years. I just deal with what I'm given at this point. I no longer have the energy or the time it takes to recompile and recompile and recompile until I get it just so.

So, to Linus and the other kernel maintainers: What do you think? Can we make this work? Pull out all of the kernel bloat and make it cafeteria style.

I wonder if Andrew Tannenbaum would like this idea?

What do you think of my plan to truly modularize and right size the kernel? Write back and let me know.

Please help with frustrating 301 rule

d-a-l — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:29:03 GMT

Hi All,

I am trying to redirect some old forum url's to a new domain but it's not working.

In my .htaccess file I have

Redirect 301 /forumdisplay.php?f=11 http://www.mydomain.com/forum/forum-name.html

Can anyone help and tell me what else I need to make this work?

Many thanks

Router, Media Disconnected

lilbennett — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:06:50 GMT

I'm using a router and the other computers connect successfully to the router. I have one Dell that detects the network, but will not connect. I am unable to ping the router, and unable to get any message when I ipconfig other than "Media Disconnected." Any help is greatly appreciated!