Open Warrior

I just wrote a KDE service menu wrapper around the Dropbox python CLI. For more information please go here.

On another note, if you haven’t tried Dropbox I advise that you give it a go by clicking here

I’ve spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out how I could use MEncoder to record video and audio from my webcam and kept running into a “floating point exception” problem. In scouring the internet I realised that many people seem to be having the exact same problem. It turns out that the problem is due to a bug in MEncoder and is simply fixed by installing the latest version.

I use Kubuntu Jaunty so the problem for me lay in the version of Mencoder that comes packaged with it. To fix the problem all I did was follow these instruction for adding a thrid party repository for newer builds of MPlayer/MEncoder and then installed the latest MEncoder using apt-get.

sudo apt-get install mplayer mencoder

Thereafter I was able to capture video and audio from my webcam using the following command:

mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=320:height=240:device=/dev/video0:forceaudio:adevice=/dev/dsp -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -lameopts cbr:br=64:mode=3 -o webcam.avi

When I first got news of the Nokia Music Store in South Africa I was really excited – finally an online music store which would allow me to buy local content without needing to have iTunes, because as a Linux user iTunes just isn’t an option. One day I was walking on campus and people were handing out pamphlets with information about the Nokia Music Store and how one can use it to buy music. I read the pamphlet and my excitement about the Nokia Music Store dropped to complete disappointment. There were two main reasons for this:

1. The music is in WMA format and makes use of DRM – this effectively means that I can’t play it on any operating system other than Microsoft Windows and that I can’t put it on my iPod. This alone renders the service completely unuseable to me.
2. The Nokia Music Store website only works with Internet Explorer. According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer accounts for about 66% of browser use on the Internet. By only supporting Internet Explorer, Nokia effectively prevents about 34% of their potential market from accesing their site.

The two issues mentioned above basically render the Nokia Music Store useless to computer users like me who don’t use Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. I’m a big fan of Nokia and the work that they do, though I really believe they got it wrong with their online music store. Either way, I can only hope that they’re aware of this and are working towards improving the service so that all computer users can make use of it without the restrictions.

I recently got a Lenovo SL300 Laptop, with a built in camera and was pretty keen to get onto using the camera with Skype, but it wouldn’t work – I couldn’t get a video feed from the camera. To cut a long story short, after two days of Googling and playing around I found a solution (though I can’t remember where I found it) – here’s how!

Tested on (K)Ubuntu Hardy & Intrepid (See bottom for Jaunty fix)

By default the webcam works on all Linux kernels 2.6.25+. However, the problem is that when the kernel loads the uvcvideo module, it loads it with the wrong parameters.

To correct this first unload the uvcvideo module:

~# sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo

Then reload the module with the correct parameter:

~# sudo modprobe uvcvideo quirks=16

Exactly what quirks are, I’m not sure – all I know is that various values for the quirks parameter work (I tried up to 50) without any noticeable performance difference.

Automating the Process

Now one would expect that you would want to automate this process and that’s also really simple – all you need to do is add an option to pass the quirks parameter to your kernel when the module is loaded. Exactly how you do this might vary depending on your linux distribution.

On Ubuntu do the following:

~# cd /etc/modprobe.d
~# nano options

At the bottom add the following line:

options uvcvideo quirks=16

And that’s it! Either reload the module with modprobe -r uvcvideo or restart your computer, and you won’t have to worry about it again!

I’ve only tested this solution on the Lenovo SL300 running Kubuntu Hardy and Intrepid, but I’m pretty sure it will work with all UVC webcams which aren’t displaying a picture.

Update: Upgrading to Jaunty breaks this fix. I think the reason is that modprobe no longer makes use of the options file, but instead replaces it with a series of conf files. To get the camera working again do the following:

~# cd /etc/modprobe.d
~# sudo nano uvcvideo.conf

Once again add the following line:
options uvcvideo quirks=16

And then reload the uvcvideo module with “sudo modprobe -r uvcvideo” and then “sudo modprobe uvcvideo”

Edit: If anyone successfully used this solution on a SL400 or SL500, please let me know.

Most Linux users are sure to have heard the argument either for or against standardising Linux and endorsing a single distro. (If you haven’t, see this article to see some of the pros and cons of doing so.) At the same time, most Linux users will tell you, that, among other things, what makes Linux and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) special is the freedom of choice that it gives users. Users not only get to choose a distribution, but they also get to choose a desktop environment, ie. KDE or GNOME and every other piece of software on their system. This is a freedom that many FOSS users are unwilling to forgo. However, when it comes to a new user of Linux, things can get quite confusing, especially if they’re not technically inclined.

When somebody asks me which “version” of Linux they should install the first thing I tell them is to go with Kubuntu, because that’s what I use, so I’ll be able to help them if they run into trouble. But then, usually a few seconds later, my advise turns to something like:

“Actually, you should probably rather use Ubuntu, because supposedly GNOME is easier to use than KDE. But then again, I’ve heard the PCLinuxOS is really easy for beginners…”

And so it goes on, as I try to figure out for myself which is the best Linux distro for a beginner to start with that will make their transition into the world of FOSS as easy as possible.

So over the last few days I’ve been thinking of exactly how one addresses the problem I so frequently encounter. I then came up with the idea of a beginner’s Linux distro. Basically, the distro would be the ideal starting point for a first time Linux user. To make it successful however, it would need to be endorsed and supported by the entire Linux community. It would need be educational, teaching users about Linux and guiding them through the transition process. It would need educate users about the reasons for, and the value in having, multiple distributions which can cater for specific needs and allow the new user to make an educated choice as to which distro would suit them best.

A beginner’s distribution would help to eliminate the confusion faced by the beginner when choosing to switch to Linux, and would ultimately make the transition process easier. Once they become comfortable with the beginner’s distribution, they could then move on to a distribution which better caters for their specific needs.

Aaron Siego, president of KDE e.V recently made a post titled “Getting into KDE hacking” which reminded me of the reason I started this blog in the first place – to detail my journey into the world of KDE hacking.

Truth is though, that I haven’t posted anything related to KDE hacking since I started this blog, mainly because I haven’t had the time to do any of the great free software things I plan to do. Anyway, Aaron highlight 6 steps to getting involved in KDE hacking, and so far I’ve completed the first one which is learning Qt4. So not all is lost, I am one step closer to developing free software for the desktop environment which I have grown to love over the years (more on that another time).

For the last few weeks I’ve had to use Microsoft Windows for a computer science project and being a GNU/Linux user this was something which I wasn’t really looking forward to. However, using Windows while being around Windows users has taught me something about what is considered acceptable when it comes to software.

If you’re not a GNU/Linux (or OS X) user then you’ll probably have no idea of what I’m alluding to so I’ll just lay it out…software crashes. Software crashes are a natural part of software use as it’s almost impossible to create software which is completely bug free. However, I’m not talking simply about the fact that software crashes, but rather about the frequency at which it happens and the overall effect that it has on the operation of a computer.

And this brings me to the point of this post – Windows crashes all the time, brining the system to a complete halt, and it’s considered okay! “Just restart” is the most common response I get from Windows users when I tell them Windows has crashed. I find this completely unacceptable – when a user pays over R1000 for an operating system, the user should demand an operating system which is stable and secure. The notion of formatting a harddrive and reinstalling Windows as a means of fixing a problem is completely absurd.

In no way am I saying that GNU/Linux is without it problems – it definitely has it’s fair share. However, GNU/Linux crashes with only a fraction of the frequency that Windows does and when it does crash the crashes rarely result in an unusable system. Also, the idea of reinstalling to fix a problem is unheard of.

Windows users consider all the problems associated with Windows to be problems associated with computing, when in fact this is in no way true. Computing is supposed to increase efficiency, not lead to problems which usually result in data loss which in turn can result in the loss of hundreds of thousand of Rands. The poor state of Windows is in no way acceptable, and paying users should stand up and demand quality software, and if they cannot be provided with quality software then they should look to start using alternatives.

Note: If this post is somewhat loaded, it’s just my frustration at having to use crappy software for the last few weeks.

I managed to find one of the greatest and most enjoyable open source games of all times, The Battle for Wesnoth.

From the site http://www.wesnoth.org:
“The Battle for Wesnoth is a free, turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme. Fight a desperate battle to reclaim the throne of Wesnoth, or take hand in any number of other adventures…”

What makes the game so great is that it is truly a strategic game because of its turn based game play. You play your turn, and then your opponent plays theirs – at no time are you playing at the same time. What makes this such a great idea for a strategy game is that you really need to think ahead as to how your opponent is going to respond to the decisions you make and vice versa.

Don’t expect the most amazing 3D graphics however, they’re more like those of Warcraft 2. But don’t let this put you off. The Battle for Wesnoth is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in a while – in fact I usually don’t even enjoy playing games.

On Ubuntu based systems you want to install several packages from universe,

wesnoth
wesnoth-data
wesnoth-music

Those are the main ones, and then you’ll probably want to install a few campaigns,

wesnoth-ttb – A Tale of Two Brothers
wesnoth-utbs – Under the Burning Sun
wesnoth-tsg – The South Guard
wesnoth-httt – Heir to the Throne
wesnoth-ei – Eastern Invasion

I’d recommend first working through the tutorial when starting the game and then going on to play the A Tale of Two Brothers campaign.

Happy (free & open) gaming!

South African Ubuntu users should consider joining the Ubuntu South Africa Community.

“This Wiki is dedicated to all Ubuntu users, developers and enthusiasts in South Africa. If you use Ubuntu or have an interest in the operating system you are automatically part of the community. We want you to feel valued and at home. We call ourselves the Ubuntu-ZA LoCo Team. Ubuntu-ZA is an official Ubuntu LoCo (Local Community) Team. From https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoFAQ:”

http://www.ubuntu-za.org/

For those of you who don’t know, Linux distribution Linspire has signed a deal with Microsoft.

The deal, like Novell and Xandros before it includes office document compatibility, instant messaging interoperability and collaboration on digital media. Again the big ticket part of the deal inlcudes patent covenants from Microsoft for customers operating the Linspire desktop.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/14/linspire-joins-microsofts-any-one-but-red-hat-group/

The official letter released by Linspire is available here:
http://www.linspire.com/linspire_letter.php

I’ve been thinking about this issue quite a bit today. My first reaction, like many others, was negative. However, I’ve put a bit more thought into it and now see how it can benefit the linux community while still staying true to open source philosophies (if not in the short run, then at least in the long run).

I have no doubt that including proprietary software in linux distributions will allow for better integration with proprietary systems and software, thereby increasing linux’s market share. Now that’s all very good, but I don’t think the community’s outcry is about market share. It’s more about denying users their freedom and “giving in to the enemy,” an argument which I believe to be valid. However, in my experience most first time linux users aren’t that concerned about their freedom. Usually they’re just fed up with Windows and are looking for an alternative, as was the case for me. But as people start using linux and free software (as in free speech), they start to understand the values of free software. Slowly these ideals grow in the mind of the free software user, and (hopefully) eventually turn them into free software advocates.

I believe that as long as there are movements such as the Free Software Foundation and linux distributions which remain true to open source philosophies (as I suspect debian always will), there will always be a truly free option when it comes to computing. And new users who come to believe that freedom in software is important, will ensure that the open source philosophies live on.

From my observations free software adoption usually follows a timeline which goes something like:
1. Use proprietary software
2. Use a mixture of proprietary software and free software
3. Start to understand the value of free software.
4. Switch to only free software and encourage others to use it and contribute to the community.

Deals such as those that commercial linux vendors make with Microsoft speed up the transition from only proprietary software use to a mixture of free software and proprietary software. Thereby speeding up the adoption of only free software.

Of course, there is always the risk that in the future the pool of free software users that believe in and encourage the free software philosophy will become diluted by those who know nothing of it. In the event that this happens people will stop seeing the need for open source software and start developing only proprietary software. Yet once again, the free software movement will pick up as remaining free software advocates fight for software freedom, and the cycle will repeat itself. Hopefully though, free software advocates will be successful in preventing this scenario from ever taking place.