Here is a quick tip for readers who have purchased the Linux Journal Archive CD. What do you do if you want to read the CD on a Netbook? Mount the CD and run Start Linux.sh on one of your computers (say, with IP 192.168.0.20) that has a CD-ROM drive. This will start the localhost-bound Web server “FlyingAnt” on port 8091. You can verify this port number with the command:
sudo lsof -i | grep FlyingAnt
Now on your Netbook, issue a secure shell tunnel to the “FlyingAnt” server:
ssh -L 8091:127.0.0.1:8091 user@192.168.0.20
Next, on your Netbook, start a browser and use the following URL:
http://127.0.0.1:8091.
—
Ransel Yoho
SSH tunneling is one of my favorite things about running Linux as my OS. You are absolutely correct; that's a fast way to get around a lack of CD drive. Another method would be to make an ISO file of the CD and mount it on your Netbook directly. On your computer with a CD drive, create the ISO file (with the CD unmounted) by typing:
sudo dd if=/dev/cdrom of=cd.iso
Then, once copied to your Netbook, you can mount the ISO file by typing:
sudo mkdir /mnt/iso sudo mount -o loop cd.iso /mnt/iso
You now should have the CD image mounted as if you popped the CD into the non-existent CD drive. There are plenty of GUI ways to mount an ISO file too, and in a pinch, Ransel, your SSH tunneling method is much quicker. Thanks for the tip!—Ed.
I work with senior citizens and have found very little content/apps aimed at making it easier for them to choose the penguin.
I am aware that it's a small market, and although there are a few options
on the Web, they are hard to come by to try them out. Are you guys planning
to write about the subject?
—
Hernàn
While I'm not sure we will be targeting senior citizens directly, I do know many fellow Linux users who install Linux for their folks so they don't have to worry about accidental trojan installs, malware and the dreaded browser-bar-addon disease. Thanks to the Web, the underlying operating system is becoming less and less important. In fact, for most people a browser is all they ever use (which explains why Internet Explorer is so targeted by malware and addon-bar junk).
Are there specific applications you find lacking in the Linux world for the folks you work with? If we find something particularly useful for seniors, we'll try to mention it. And if you have suggestions, please let us know.—Ed.
First of all, thanks for a great magazine! I am a pleased subscriber!
I was wondering if your Android application is available in a .apk file
rather than through the Market (or Google Play, that is)?
I do not have nor want a Google account for personal reasons, so a
.apk file would be great, because it wouldn't require me to install the
Market application.
—
Marcus
The app isn't officially available outside the Google Play store, but it would be possible to get it from someone who already has downloaded it. The downside is that updates won't be detected and applied, because you don't use the official store. So although we don't distribute the application, there is certainly nothing stopping you from procuring it from someone and installing it.—Ed.
No complaints about the digital version—I like it a lot, but the Texterity app really went backwards with its last update. With each page turn, every active link flashes in yellow. I find that very distracting, and there is no way to turn it off. If I want to see the links highlighted, I can click the button for it. Far worse is that the application no longer remembers my place. When I open it, I'm back at the front cover. There is sometimes a lag between page turns as if its downloading the page—that would very inconvenient I if had no connectivity.
Of the many formats offered, this one is my favorite. The application did
not have these problems in the past, and it would be great if they could be
addressed.
—
Steve Johnson
Hmm, we'll make sure the Texterity folks get the message. In the meantime, perhaps try deleting the app and all its data, and then re-installing. It's possible something was messed up during the upgrade.—Ed.
I like the digital editions, but I need to get a tablet to read them. How
about doing a survey so people can make suggestions? It must not have proprietary software and
must be configurable. A 10" screen is almost necessary to
view the pages properly. A relatively cheap Chinese one would be okay. I have seen
several on eBay that look good.
—
Jon GrosJean
We'll try to get a survey regarding the most popular tablet up, Jon. The only thing to note is that many of our readers are hard-core geeks, and they likely will go for powerful tablets over inexpensive ones, so they can use them for other things as well.—Ed.
Hey Linux Journal, I just wanted to share the news that we've just
released our desktop app for Linux users. Libby Clark from the Linux
Foundation did a story on our app a few months ago, and after a couple
months of head scratching, it's finally ready. We'd love to get the
word out to the community that our app is ready to roll, for free. We
welcome any feedback on the app's usability as well, so don't hesitate
to contact me. I put together this video to show off some of the features:
blog.zipwhip.com/2012/08/07/linux-desktop-app.
—
Kelsey Klevenberg
Kelsey, what a neat concept. Thanks for the link, and thanks for supporting Linux!—Ed.
In his reply to Steven W. Orr's letter titled “Substandard Working the Shell” in the August 2012 issue, Dave Taylor asked for some pointers to documentation on newer bash capabilities.
My personal favorite is the Advanced Bash Scripting
Guide by Mendel Cooper,
last revised April 5, 2012. It's available from Amazon and also for free at
the Linux Documentation Project: tldp.org/LDP/abs/html.
—
Jon
Now that Google Play has a magazine section of the play store, would you consider
putting yours up there? I'm subscribed to several other tech magazines that
way,
and I'd love to add LJ to the list. I love Linux, and I feel a magazine format
is one of the best ways to stay up to date on what's happening with the
community, and I've heard yours is the one to go with.
—
aig787
Thanks for your interest! We are working on getting LJ on Google Play, and hopefully, it will be available there soon.—Ed.
I respect your publication, and I'm even about to purchase a subscription.
However, do you guys really need to advertise for Scientology on your site?
First, it does not match what you're selling quite well. Second, it's
not serious...or is it? I know it's not such a big deal, but come on,
seriously? I'm not sure I can subscribe to this kind of marketing.
—
LL
We occasionally run Google AdSense ads on our Web site, and sometimes irrelevant ads display. Although we do try to filter out ads that we feel don't belong on our site, sometimes something quite unexpected will slip through.—Ed.
Regarding my article “Arduino Teaches Old Coder New Tricks”
in the September 2012 issue: the resource for getting source code and hardware files for the vt100lcd is
incomplete. The correct link is code.google.com/p/vt100lcd.
—
Edward Comer
Here's a poster I found when I changed desks last year.
—
Saul Alanis
Oldie but Goodie