Yoda_Van now running Ubuntu!

Ok, it's been awhile.

I'll start with the most recent and work backwards.

Yoda_Van now running Linux!!!

This is major for me. It never felt right using a non-Linux os in the van. Thankfully, that os
choked. I took that as the opportunity to Linux up.

For those of you who don't know, Yoda_Van is my mobile alter-ego. It is the nick that I use when traveling in my van. I use the alternate nick so that people know why sometimes I may not respond timely, or make seemingly horrific typos (damn potholes).

It didn't go as smoothly as I would have hoped, and it is not completely finished, but here is the journey.

The original van laptop, IBM ThinkPad 600e, 400MHz, 128 plus onboard 32 RAM, formerly running XP, and an AT&T AirCard 860 Wireless Laptop Card.

First Step: Install Xubuntu on laptop - effortless, everything, with the exception of sound works.
(Sound not an issue, at this point)

Second Step: Install Pcmcia AirCard 860 and see what happens.

Card not recognized. No Problem, that's why there is Google.

Need firmware. Then need to setup an old-fashioned modem connection,
like a dialup connection. Hmm, never did a dialup connection, and from
what I have heard, may not be too easy.

These links provided all the info I needed:

http://darrenalbers.com/gprsec/aircard.html

http://demo.umelink.com/2008/06/ubuntu-804-aircard-775-edge-wireless-internet-set-up.html

http://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/faq/PC_Card/AirCard850_860/Aircard_Linux.tar

Install firmware and the device is recognized. Very nice, going smoothly. Now to try the GPRSEC application to do all the hard work, communicate with card, have all the proper
settings and get online.

Not so easy. Back to Google. ThinkPads have a problem. Conflict with onboard serial port. Easy, go to bios, disable onboard serial and rock and roll.

Ahh, what bios. Older ThinkPads don't have a 'standard' style bios config. Instead they have
"Easy-Setup" bios overlay gui (my description) with this odd hummingbird mouse pointer thingy. Basically a system test app and change bootup device- nothing much more than that.

Back to Google. Two weekends (project time) later, many config changes, and one reinstall to get changed config files back to original condition because I am too stupid to backup before I
make wholesale changes; still no go.

ThinkPad on hold. Grab Toshiba A75, my tri-boot Devil box; XP, BackTrack2, and Ubuntu 7.10 (Satanic Themed), with the devil tail ac adapter plug and give it a whirl.

Install firmware, everything seems to work. Fire up GPRSEC and get a connection!!!

Now put it in the van and see how it goes. The Toshiba A75 is a desktop replacement laptop; a power hog. The ac adapter is 120 watts. That's pretty large, as most seem to be in the 60-90 watt range. My 200 watt inverter couldn't power the laptop and my cell phone charger. Thankfully, I have a spare 400 watt inverter, a little bulky and loud but I NEEDED power.

Laptop fires up, AirCard Connects, and Yoda_Van now runs Ubuntu !!!

I feel so much better now.

Advocacy does NOT need to be FORMAL

So after a recent discussion in IRC with the NJ Ubuntu LoCo gang (Congratulations again on achieving 'approved team' status), I figured I would make my feelings known to a larger audience.

There seems to be a 'lull' in user group activity recently. More and more people are becoming comfortable with technology; but this is not translating into more membership for area users groups. Hmm.

Along those same lines of thought; more and more people are trying Linux. The distribution that I am active in is Ubuntu. As a primarily grassroots endeavor, we need people to advocate it's use to others. I believe that all that is needed is the desire to share your experience with others. You don't need to be a 'guru'. I think that people will be more willing to take Linux and us seriously, if they have empathy with current users. People will feel more comfortable if it isn't seen as a clandestine, hex-counting, klingon-speaking, dvorak-typing, jedi-worshipping, card carrying group of underground hackers.

Whatever experience you can bring to the table will help us extend our reach. All are welcome. All that is needed is a desire to let everyone know. Let them know what you like, and what you don't like. What works seamlessly and what requires you to reach out to those mentioned above for assistance. I don't really care what brings you, as long as you come. Once you are here, you will see why we are here. It's fun!

Ubuntu is working, I believe, because of it's community. Both virtual and physical communities. If you don't take advantage of the physical community; meetings, events, and all the other social type things that your local groups are doing, you are only getting half of the experience. Come out, give it a try.

Many people caught up in the Ubuntu phenomenon aren't even Ubuntu users. That's great. Come out, have fun, we'll get you through osmosis. Even if we never get you; that's cool too; we enjoyed your company and I am sure that you helped us promote our cause.

Try it. If you like it; tell someone. If you can, help someone. If you can't, tell them where they can get help. Come to a meeting. Come to an event. Come to a party. Chat it up in IRC.

Come as you are, we all had to start somewhere.


Hope to see YOU soon.

pacslinux: organized and focused

Wow. Sometimes timing just sucks. But as the Philadelphia Area Computer Society in whole, is going through some trying times, the Linux Special Interest Group, Pacslinux, is starting to get really good.

PACS is a general computer users group that has a $30.00 yearly membership. For that membership fee, once a month, the group meets at the Upper Moreland Middle School and has various SIGS (Special Interest Groups) covering many different topics. The facility is awesome and even provides cafeteria service throughout the day. Coffee and Donuts to start, and lunch offerings til 1:15. The school provides wired and wireless internet access, and various lecture halls and classrooms are utilized for the SIGS. The meetings are held on a Saturday, from 8am to 3 pm, September through June.

This is a great value for any area computer enthusiast, and I believe we all need to help get the word out of its existence. Even a casual enthusiast will find many things of interest to them. If at all curious, please check out the link above, and attend a meeting and see for yourself.

I joined a year ago, October 2006. I quickly identified the SIGS that most interested me, Security, and the Linux Sig, and began to attend and get involved. During this past year I have created valued friendships and through the connections made at PACS, branched out to other endeavors advocating Linux in the Philadelphia Area. It was at PACS that I met Kevin Valentine and found out about this thing called an Ubuntu LoCo. Checked it out and haven't looked back. As we progressed with establishing the PA Ubuntu LoCo in the Philadelphia Region, my Pacslinux group seemed to have no direction. There was a core of 5 or 6 members, but no real direction. We knew that this was a problem, but didn't address it until the summer, during the time when there were no meetings.

We knew that we had to establish a firm meeting schedule. What topics we were going to discuss, formally stated for each month. We couldn't just 'wing it'. Without formal topics it ended up being just a group of people sitting in a room having conversations. Sometimes 3 groups of people, having 3 different conversations about subjects not related at all. Very messy.

This year, with formal topics set, seems much better. Everyone has a fixed focus to prepare for, and we can, as a group, come more prepared to present a more accurate and full, presentation on the topic. So as fate would have it, as the paclinux sig is getting our act together, PACS the whole is experiencing serious difficulties. I hope that if we stay on our current path of stated presentations and good content, this will roll over and benefit the whole. I am sure that it will help.

Bottom line, as I babble, is $3.00 per month for the value at the Phila Area Computer Society is amazing. I hope that we can keep this going. Please help.

PA UBUNTU LoCo EVENT

Just a blank event sign to use at events.

GET THE SIGN !

Grand-puppies Trick or Treat

Ok well our grand-puppies came to visit for Halloween.

JazPleia, Yoda Connor and Darth Dax. My daughter takes after my wife, costumes take after me.

Gutsy Release / Halloween Party

Zac you suck. Ok, my friend, and client, and owner of Drake Tavern, Zac blew it big time. I should have gone over it one more time with him on Sunday as I know that he is more concerned with the culinary side of things, than the organizational; but geeze. We have been planning this for a month. Him and I directly. I even stopped in Friday afternoon to re-confirm how it was going to go. Dinner at 6:00 for 27 people, followed by party and such at 7:00 pm.

My biggest failure was not making sure he knew to alert his staff, because as a virtual community, some people would not know who was involved in the event. Most of us know each other, but the goal is to get new people involved.

We missed at least two people, and they missed us. I hope there weren't anymore. I deeply apologize. I really wanted to meet the Ubuntero guys and they were the ones we missed. DOH! No excuses.

But, even with all that, as usual, when we get together, for whatever reason, it turns out to be a great event. And we did get new people!!

NJ was there in full support; Joe, Christina, Dave, Bryan and his guest. As always, glad
you crossed the Delaware. Plug was in full force with Lyz, Matthew, Brian, and Alex.
The rowdy young crowd (you guys aren't rowdy). Oh, and Stitch. PACS was there with Me and my wife, Randy and Teddy, Norm, Rodney, Rich G, Kevin, Jaime, Zoie and Ben. A new PACS member stopped by and picked up a Gutsy disk but couldn't stay. MALT was in the house!! That was sweet. Nate, who we met at the LoCo's MALT CVG classroom was at the event. (I think he's hooked). There were the Crowleys; Jack, Molly, and Molly's boyfriend; another awesome catch. And there was another couple who I still don't know, other than the guy had difficulty with the KDE desktop and upgrading. (Funny the stuff we remember) Larry and Marilyn came to support Ubuntu. Larry is an OS/2 user. He recently took the plunge into Ubuntu and has been attending the NTR Monday Classrooms. Larry great to have your experience with the team!

Alex advocated to a regular bar patron. We got Randy's Dell Ubuntu laptop all upgraded and good to go after issues with his Nvidia card after the upgrade (Hmm, zero xorg config). Blame automatix.

Next event: Note to self: Hang the BANNER. Give Lyz fiber optic cable.

Now to what everyone really wants to see; the photos.

Farmers Market Promotion in NJ

Saturday September 22nd, 2007 - Event - NJ Ubuntu LoCo Farmers Market SFD FOSS Promotion.

After supporting the PA LoCo's SFD event, the NJ LoCo decided to have a public information event at the Columbus Market in New Jersey.

The one thing that I have learned in my LoCo experience is how large PA and NJ are. The NJ LoCo is trying to attract more active members from regions other than South Jersey, and specifically the Cherry Hill area. Like any organization, getting active members, to give freely (and not so freely) of their time and resources is the biggest obstacle. It is tricky to be active and not burn out your active membership. Support is vital and needed.

Anytime I can get together with other people interested in Linux I am pretty stoked. So after going to the office and making sure everything was ok, I headed over to Columbus to give a hand.

Dave was already there, had a table and was all setup. I pulled the van near the table so that power would be available if needed. (Note to self: Disconnect the outlet strip in the van and use all the power for the extension cord.)

Dave and I had time to chat, solve all the important issues surrounding open source, and prepare for the market's opening. We had Ubuntu Live cd's, the OpenCd, and FSuite (osX FOSS) leftover from the PA SFD event to distribute.

A little later Joe, Christina, and Bryan arrived and joined us. It was very nice. Juggling, socializing, discussing and promoting.

I had to leave at noon, and the morning went very quickly.