Free Software
exim4 upgrades and configuration fragility

Last night I decided I'd catch up on sysadmin tasks. Some of that was trying to tighten up my spam filtering again. I had got in place a per-user Bayesian filter on spamassassin, which essentially should allow it to learn a much more individual pattern of what each user considers spam. I also had configuration […]

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hardware
Installing Android Nougat on a Stock Galaxy Tab 10.1

My daughter uses an Android Samsung tablet (coded GT-P7510) which ended official support on Android 4.0.4. Unfortunately I didn't pay any attention to this issue until the apps she most wanted to use, namely Netflix and YouTube stopped working on it as the Android version was too low. I found a ROM to upgrade to […]

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Free Software
Boot problems with systemd? Check /etc/fstab

My (actually this) Debian server failed to boot after a power failure last week, it turns out the graphics card failed too, probably because of the cold and the thermal shock, but replacing the card did not allow the computer to boot. With systemd, if something happens in the boot process, despite some obviously specific […]

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programming
Migration from Savane to Redmine

I am admin for a server at work foss.ulster.ac.uk to host our open source development work. It used to run on GNU Savane, but despite several efforts, that project is clearly dead in the ditch. So having to change the underlying system, I decided to move to Redmine (you can see some previous discussion here). […]

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Free Software
Cinnamon; adding needed spice to Gnome 3

Ok, so I used Gnome Shell before it was officially released. I stopped using it because I thought it was intriguing, but awkward to use in its beta stages. Then Gnome 3 was released and gnome-shell was no longer an interesting option, it was the compulsory way to use the operating system; and I wrote […]

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Free Software
Gnome 3, or Gnome Shell issues

I use the Debian operating system on several computers. My "main" computer (Imladris) runs Debian unstable (Sid) while the others mostly run on testing. I've been anticipating the Gnome 3 upgrade for some time, mainly because of the switch to Gnome Shell which is a completely new way of using the desktop. I had played […]

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Free Software
Multi User Sound in GNU/Linux

For some years now, basically since Aimee became old enough to use a computer, I have had a need for decent multi-user sound. Specifically I would often have intricate work open in multiple work spaces on my desktop, and Aimee would want to do some artwork. I guess Aimee was about two when she started […]

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random musings
Boot time sound problems with QuickCam Pro 9000 webcam

I've had a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 for some time now, and it works well, but I did have one bizarre problem with it when I used it with my main desktop machine (running Debian (Sid)). Namely, that if I had the camera plugged in (usb) at boot time the sound on the computer did […]

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Free Software
Virtual folders with Dovecot and Debian

I use client side virtual folders a bit for my mail. Specifically, I tag messages with IMAP flags like todo and important, and then in Icedove / Thunderbird, I set up a special folder as a saved search which shows message that are either unseen, or marked todo in my inbox. It works rather well, […]

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