Subject: Linux-Misc Digest #396
From: Digestifier <Linux-Misc-Request@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>
To: Linux-Misc@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: Linux-Misc@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU
Date:     Thu, 9 Dec 93 05:13:07 EST

Linux-Misc Digest #396, Volume #1                 Thu, 9 Dec 93 05:13:07 EST

Contents:
  Re: Linux Consortium (Rick)
  Re: Are there problems using the Toshiba CD-ROM? (QEII)
  EXT2FS problems (Trenton Tuggle)
  Actix Systems Graphics Boards (M.Arifi Koseoglu)
  Re: Yet another benchmark results.. (Carl Boernecke)
  Re: Yet another benchmark results.. (Carl Boernecke)
  Re: Linux IS well documented. (Mark Line)
  Re: Interesting pl14 activity (hph@hphbbs.E.open.DE)
  Re: NEEDED: Info on dos and L (The Blind Moose)
  Re: Cross postings? PLEASE READ (Rene COUGNENC)
  Re: Yet another benchmark results.. (Keith Smith)
  Re: Xwindows Terminal (Keith Smith)
  Re: Yet another benchmark results.. (Bill Broadley)

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

From: pclink@qus102.qld.tne.oz.au (Rick)
Subject: Re: Linux Consortium
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1993 00:29:02 GMT

adam@adam.yggdrasil.com (Adam J. Richter) writes:

>[02] : Asteroids does not operate correctly :
>[OPEN]

This is more a problem with focus policy management between
asteroids and the default Ygg window manager, fvwm.  This
patch to asteroids forces it to set focus to itself:

*** /system_cd/usr/src/games/xaster-1.00/plot.xwin.c    Tue Aug 14 07:37:54 1990
--- ./plot.xwin.c       Sat Oct 16 22:20:19 1993
***************
*** 67,72 ****
--- 67,73 ----
      XDefineCursor(plot_display, plot_window, cursor);
  
      XMapRaised(plot_display, plot_window);
+     XGrabKeyboard(plot_display, plot_window, TRUE, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, CurrentTime);
      XSync(plot_display, FALSE);
      return(TRUE);
  }

>[10] : /usr/bin/minicom core dumps
>[OPEN.]

Recompiling cures this.

>[13] :  It has been reported that INN needs to be completely re-installed.
>[OPEN.  This bug report is too vague.]

Try running it.  It won't start because where the INN daemon (innd) is supposed
to be, there's a directory.  The MAILER definition is missing `-t'.  /bin/inews
is from nntp, not inn.

>[04] : The fonts installed for ghostscript-2.6.1 are from the
>       ghostscript-2.5.2 package, so a number of those listed in Fontmap
>       (Nimbus, URWAntiquaT, URWGroteskT) are not available.
>[OPEN.]

Get ghostscript-fonts-2.6.1.tar.gz from your nearest GNU archive.

>[01] :  It has been reported that the ez demo scripts do not work correctly 
>       unless the environmental variable ${ANDREWDIR} is set to /usr/andrew.
>       This is needed when running ATKTour for example.
>[ENHANCEMENT REQUEST.  Andrew does need the ANDREWDIR environment
>variable to be set, and it is set in /etc/profile.]

I guess you mean it's set in Winter, because it's not in Fall.

>[01] : If you opt for the runtime installation not all of the X libraries in
>       /usr/X386/lib are installed. They are correctly installed for the
>       complete installation.
>[USER ERROR.  runtime installation does not include compiler support,
>so only the shared libraries without the stub files are supposed to be
>installed.]

Try installing the runtime stuff, using the control panel to install
the compiler package, and compile an X application.  You need to
fix /usr/lib/yggdrasil/gcc.include.

>[05] : Resizing a window (fvwm window manager) causes vi (if running) to be
>       terminated. Also occurs using twm under XFree-2.0.
>       [ emacs allows resizing ]
>[OPEN.  Isn't this a general elvis bug?]

--- /system_cd/usr/src/usr.bin/elvis-1.7/unix.c Wed Jan  6 09:26:50 1993
+++ unix.c      Wed Dec  8 21:34:49 1993
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 #if ANY_UNIX
 # include "vi.h"
 
-# if BSD
+# if defined(BSD) || defined(LINUX)
 /* For BSD, we use select() to wait for characters to become available,
  * and then do a read() to actually get the characters.  We also try to
  * handle SIGWINCH -- if the signal arrives during the select() call, then


>[02] : Both the booklet & CD-ROM both state a minimum RAM requirement of 4 MB.
>       This is the minimum required for gcc, and is below the minimum of 8 MB
>       that is recommended in order to run X. Although not a problem this
>       could be misleading.
>[USER ERROR.  The hardware compatitibility list on the back of the
>manual says "RAM: 4MB (8MB without swap partition)" and the manual
>states in boldface on page 6 and again in boldface on page 8, "you
>must allocate a swap partition in order for the installation process
>to have enough memory to make your filesystems."]

Add: ", or if you have 8MB and want to run the demo".

Any chance of getting NET-2 on the disk?

Cheers,
Rick.

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

From: cairnss@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (QEII)
Subject: Re: Are there problems using the Toshiba CD-ROM?
Date: 7 Dec 93 02:58:18 GMT

tlp00@climb.ras.amdahl.com (Tibor Polgar) writes:

>The local computer shop that is building up my PC told me that Linux has
>problems with the above scsi cd-rom drive (its the 200ms one).  They are basing
>this on a customer who complained that the drive would report an i/o error(?)
>and then linux would hang/crash.  They recommended a Sony CD-ROM instead (the
>285ms one).  Sounds more like a "not very robust" driver....

>Comments??





Local computer shops hardly ever know what they are talking about.




>--
>Tibor Polgar
>tlp00@eng.amdahl.com, Amdahl Corp, ph.(408) 746-8649

>-- all disclaimers apply  --
-- 
Proud owner of one of the first Hell Credit Cards.
"Spend all you want.  You'll pay later."

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

From: tuggle@sg4 (Trenton Tuggle)
Subject: EXT2FS problems
Date: 9 Dec 1993 02:09:15 GMT

hey,

I've also experienced some problems with Ext 2.  I'm not sure
whether or not it was caused by a hardware problem, but I
doubt it.  Everything runs fine in DOS.

When I first got my 386-40, I saw for the first time, some
messages like, "Unexpected HD Interrupt, HD controller reset"
shortly after that is when I started having my problems.  At
first, it was just a couple errors everytime I did a fsck.
Unfortunately, the problem got worse and worse.  More and More
errors.  Lilo deleted itself.  These problems have continued
over 3 months since I got my 386-40.  I've swapped controllers
3 times!

Eventually I stopped getting the HD interrupt errors, but the 
problem was growing.  The problem was getting worse and worse.  
I knew I'd have to reformat it, so the next chance I got, I 
saved all my custom stuff (~30MB) by the end after I had saved 
it all, my EXT 2 was really dead.  Disk access always made it
worse.  I was getting Bad Fixup Tables regularly.  Well, I
rebooted to do a fsck, and ....

Well, lets just say the kernel (pl13 o or p with .4 e2fs) said,
"MSDOS fs: ....    kernel panic:  unable to mount root".

Well, luckily I have saved what I planned to save.  I'm trying to
load Slackware on, but I get an Opps Seg. fault in the install.
Well, now that finals are over, I plan to look at the problem.

Anyway, if anyone knows what might have caused my problem, please
talk to me, cause I've been with Linux since like ver. .13 and
have never had a problem like this until I got my 386/40.  I
used to run on a 16 SX.  I'm going to load Slackware on, and
I'm going to try and see if some wierd kind of hardware problem
is somehow causing it.  I haven't been able to boot for about
a week now, but cause of finals I haven't cared.  Now, however,
I'm going to get on top of this!  I used to be an ex-sysadmin,
so I'll solve this somehow!  (I hope..)

Well, thanks for your patience and I hope someone has knowledge
about my problem.  (I wanted to reload an installation anyway,
I've had this hand-made linux system, and I don't have time to
keep it up nowadays...)

Again, Thanks; Trent Tuggle

--
  _________________         tuggle@ist.ucf.edu
   /rent  /uggle            Institute for Simulation & Training
                            University of Central Florida, Orlando
  [home] (407)695-3497      [work] (407)658-5073

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

From: arifi@dmi.stevens-tech.edu (M.Arifi Koseoglu)
Subject: Actix Systems Graphics Boards
Date: 7 Dec 93 20:30:30 GMT
Reply-To: arifi@dmi.stevens-tech.edu (M.Arifi Koseoglu)


Hi !

Another question !

Is anyone using an Actix System GraphicsEngine 32 SVGA card (chip is S3 86C801)
with Linux ?

If yes, are there any problems ?

Thanks,

Arifi

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

Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.os.vms,relcom.talk,relcom.fido.su.general
From: carlb@inex.com (Carl Boernecke)
Subject: Re: Yet another benchmark results..
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 22:48:36 GMT

dcm6986@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Dan Mattrazzo) writes:
>In article <1993Dec7.031614.16788@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu>, viznyuk@mps.ohio-state.edu (Dragon Fly) writes:
  [code deleted...]
>>As everybody with eyes can see, the program calculates some stuff
>>in a loop storing it in memory (gotta be ~ 8Mb of RAM taken)
>>and gives on output the number of seconds spent. And here are the
>>results of calculation:

>       Another problem that I can see is that the code is small enough
>       to fit in cache, which will easily skew the results.  That would
>       explain why the poor chap with the 386 might have taken a few
>       minutes to run, if he didn't have cache.

No, I have 64K worth of cache installed on my machine... I think
the main reasons it took so long were the limited memory (8 MB),
and usage level (all that X and other user activity).  If there's
just no free memory avaialble, then it takes a while to swap it
all.

I just did the benchmark on my 486DX2/66 (256k cache, 24 MB of RAM),
and with a light load finished somewhere around 40+ seconds.  Things
like X going on, nntp, news batching/sending/receiving.  All kinds
of merry activity that you might expect from a server.

-- 
-- Carl Boernecke (carlb@inex.com)
   "Time flies like an arrow... fruit flies like a banana."

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

Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.os.vms
From: carlb@inex.com (Carl Boernecke)
Subject: Re: Yet another benchmark results..
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 22:52:30 GMT

blhuber@mtu.edu (Brett L. Huber) writes:
>Carl Boernecke (carlb@inex.com) wrote:
>> I don't like your benchmark!  Waaaahhh!  Took a total of 4109
>> seconds on my 386/33 (without 387) and 8 MB of RAM.  Yes, the
>No 387?  What do you want, a miracle?

Of course not, silly.  The performace was simply what I expected...
I just knew that everyone would go try it on their fastest machines,
so I wanted to throw some reality into it.  After all, not everyone
has a Pentium or DEC Alpha sitting on their motherboard generating
lots of heat while looking for something to do.

-- 
-- Carl Boernecke (carlb@inex.com)
   "Time flies like an arrow... fruit flies like a banana."

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

From: markline@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Mark Line)
Subject: Re: Linux IS well documented.
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1993 03:46:04 GMT

abraham@research.att.com (Per Abrahamsen) writes:

>SGML is a language for defining mark-up languages.  You don't want
>SGML, but one of the languages defined by SGML.  The most popular of
>these is HTML used by WWW.  There are plenty of browsers and some
>editors for HTML, and there exists filters from just about anything to
>HTML.

>The best browsers currently exists for HTML, so I would suggest
>adopting HTML as the target format, and accept source in any form that
>translates easily to HTML.

I concur strongly. I see lots of advantages to using HTML, and no
disadvantages (other than it's somewhat newer and less familiar to
some people than other formats). Just picking *any* SLML-defined
format is not to be advised, since interconversion is not necessarily
trivial.

-- Mark

====================================================================
Mark P. Line                       Phone: +1-206-733-6040
Open Pathways                        Fax: +1-206-733-6040
P.O. Box F                         Email: markline@henson.cc.wwu.edu
Bellingham, WA 98227-0296
====================================================================






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

From: hph@hphbbs.E.open.DE
Subject: Re: Interesting pl14 activity
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1993 19:48:28 GMT

In article <2dobb9$9b@umcc.umcc.umich.edu> sno@umcc.umcc.umich.edu (Stephen Opal) writes:
>I have encountered a couple of interesting behavioral anomolies in the
>bootup of pl14.
>
> [ ... ]
>2) My HP-Deskjet locks up in mid-recycle on boot.  The device just
>freezes, and wont respond to printer resets or power cycles.
>
>My HP works fine in pl13.

 I might swear you have included PLIP when you configured the kernel
 which uses by default the port address and INT of /dev/lp1.

 The following alternatives come to mind ...

   - Use your HP-Deskjet over a serial line if you need PLIP.
   - Get an alternate printer-interface for either your
     parallel-printer or PLIP. You can leave the PLIP-sources as they
     are if you run your line-printer over the alternate board and
     /dev/lp2 or lp3. A old HERCULES-Card might do the trick ...
        (Does anybody know, whether the HERCULES-Trick for PLIP can 
         collide with any color-graphics adaptor already installed in 
         the box? I don't know for sure, sorry)
   - just remove PLIP from the kernel, if you do not intend to use it

   
Regards, Peter
-- 
####################===============================****************************
# H.P. Heidinger   # Call  : +49-201-287433 (data) *      ~~ HPHBBS  ~~       *
# Steeler Str. 121 #       : V22/32/42bis/FAX, 8N1 *    UseNet City-Router    *
# 45138 Essen      # E-Mail: hph@hphbbs.E.open.de  *    for Essen/Germany     *

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

Subject: Re: NEEDED: Info on dos and L
From: aelia@husc7.harvard.edu (The Blind Moose)
Date: 9 Dec 1993 04:00:06 GMT

In article <93120323374594@welcom.gen.nz>,
DAVIN GEORGE <davin.george@welcom.gen.nz> wrote:
>
>A>    Is it possible to have Linux in one hard disk and OS/2, DOS in oth
>A>If so what would be the best way to do it ? I 'm thinking in put  os/2
>A>windows in c : and linux in drive d: and use the boot utility from the
>A>boot what ever system I want.

Try getting OS-BS (Operating system boot selector) from the FreeBSD 
directory on ftp.cdrom.com I used it to switch back and forth from OS/2
to BSD, and Dos to BSD. it doesn't require it's own partitiion, either,,,

Good luck!

--The Blind Moose

                Al Elia / <aelia@husc.harvard.edu>
            "Life is too important to take seriously."
=============================================================================
"We'll never survive."
"Nonsense, you're only saying that because nobody ever has."
=============================================================================


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

From: rene@renux.frmug.fr.net (Rene COUGNENC)
Subject: Re: Cross postings? PLEASE READ
Date: 8 Dec 1993 22:22:14 GMT

Ce brave Kendall Bennett ecrit:

> I posted are article containing my Video Card Vendor contacts FAQ to a 
> number of groups with the nnpost program. I only saw it turn up in one
> group (alt.msdos.programmer), and not in this group which was one of the
> posted newsgroups.

This is the normal behaviour of a good newsreader: You only read ONE copy
of cross-posted articles.

> Did this article turn up in this group? If it didn't, how do I go about

Yes:
        From: kjb@cgl.citri.edu.au (Kendall Bennett)
        Subject: Video card vendor contacts (FAQ)
        Message-ID: <kjb.755180941@manda.cgl.citri.edu.au>


> What is the story? Normally I end up making a bunch of individual posts,

Please don't !

--
 linux linux linux linux -[ cougnenc@renux.frmug.fr.net ]- linux linux linux 

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

Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: keith@ksmith.com (Keith Smith)
Subject: Re: Yet another benchmark results..
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 93 02:56:54 GMT

     Computer                             Time spent

486DX2-66 EISA/VL 16Mb RAM
running Linux (Slackware 1.1.0).
gcc compiler.
Single user                               27 sec.

Uh, Uh,  No way,  I got 46 seconds under Linux, and SCO, on a 486DX2/66
E/V with 20MB/12MB RAM.  There is no way this box runs almost TWICE as
fast as TWO different machines of mine, with different brand
motherboards.
-- 
Keith Smith          keith@ksmith.com              5719 Archer Rd.
Digital Designs      BBS 1-919-423-4216            Hope Mills, NC 28348-2201
Somewhere in the Styx of North Carolina ...

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

From: keith@ksmith.com (Keith Smith)
Subject: Re: Xwindows Terminal
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 93 03:23:00 GMT

In article <1993Dec08.134517.21049@taylor.wyvern.com>,
Mark A. Davis <mark@taylor.wyvern.com> wrote:
>keith@ksmith.com (Keith Smith) writes:
>
>>In article <755204228snx@egger-uk.demon.co.uk>,
>>Charles Gillanders <chaz@egger-uk.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>Erm, whilst on this subject does anyone know if its possible to get X to start 
>>>WITHOUT a display,  I know this sounds silly but I have a friend who has an 
>>>X-term and would like to get the X-term to use the linux box as an X server, 
>>>but he doesn't want the server to be messing around with X actually on screen 
>>>if you see what I mean....
>
>>Ummm,  An X-term should already BE an Xserver ..
>
>No, an *Xterminal* should already BE an Xserver.  An Xterm is a client program
>run under Xwindows to emulate a terminal.
>

Sorry typo Xterminal then

>>>
>>>So the question is it possible to start up an X server without any client 
>>>display on the PC and then access that server from an X term.
>
>>The Linux X server is for IBM-PC harware running Linux only.  You can't
>>run a Linux X server on a Brand-X X terminal.
>
>>The X-terminal should already _BE_ the X server, ie, the server code
>>needs to be running on the TERMINAL not the CPU unless you have one of
>>the less expensive terminals, that require the host CPU to act as the
>>server.
>
>At which point it is not an Xterminal, but some sort of primative Xdisplay.
>For something to be called an Xterminal, it must be running the Xserver
>code itself.  Any other method would put way too much load on the host.

You are playing semantics games here.  The manufacturers are calling
these things X terminals, and the trade rags are calling them X
terminals, you may call them whatever you like, but they are generally
inexpensive graphics display devices in any case.

>
>>In the case that the X-terminal _is_ the server but must upload terminal
>                                                         ^^^^^^ download

Semantics again.  I would thing that you would upload to a server, but
whatever you have to dump the binaries in a normal X terminal.

>>specific software (binaries) over the ethernet, you have to have the boot
>>binary for the specific terminal in question on some net machine that
>>will accept/transfer the boot request ( just like some network printers ).
>
>Some Xterminals have the boot/server code in ROM, or Flash ROM/RAM.
>Most have options for either local or remote boot, remote boot being more
>popular.
>
>>In the case of a dumb X terminal
>
>There is no such thing as a "dumb X terminal".  An Xterminal is an Xterminal.
>

Sure there is.  The ones in the trade rags where the server software
runs on the host machine.  They call em X terminals, I call them "dumb"
X terminals, because as you say they aren't really a conventional X
terminal.

>> the server software will be SPECIFIC to
>>that terminal and will come with a binary specific to the platform it is
>>running on, Like the WYSE X5 driver for SCO or the WYSE X5 for SUN or
>>whatever.
>
>Incorrect.  The binary for the server which an Xterminal runs in specific to
>the Xterminal and does not vary at all with the host platform.  Neither do

No correct,  Look, I'm not talking about conventional Xterminals here I
already talked about them above, I'm talking about the ones where the
server software actually runs on the host.  You know the ones that cost
around $800-1.5K.  The ones I call  "dumb" X-terminals.  I refuse to
argue semantics here, but the manufacturers are calling them Xterminals
and the trade press is calling them Xterminals.  You can call them
whatever you want.  I did however mistakenly say the X5.  Oops ...

>the fonts.  The Tektronix server tape, for example, is completely generic,
>and can be loaded on any Unix machine.  The WYSE X5 *IS* an Xterminal, not
>a brain-dead xdisplay of some sort, like the low end Qume, which you are
>probably thinking of (WARNING:  THINK TWICE BEFORE BUYING A SO-CALLED

Correct.  Like the Qume QX-15.  (I dunno why I said wyse except that I
think wyse just bought Qume or something) Again as I said above the boot
software must be on "some net machine".  Doesn't matter which one.  For
the wyse X5 they have a "UNIX" tape and a "ULTRIX" tape distribution, I
would imagine they use the bootp net stuff, pretty vanilla. 

>"XTERMINAL" WHERE THE SERVER CODE RUNS ON THE HOST, IT IS NOT A TRUE
>XTERMINAL AND YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE VERY POOR AND THE TERMINAL WILL PUT
>A HUGE AND UNNECESSARY OVERHEAD ON THE HOST MACHINE!!)

Well,  This depends on your needs.  In a small office with 3 people who
want to be able to do FAX and run a GUI all on one machine it's OK.  I
wouldn't try to put 50 of these bad boys on a 486/66 though.

>>Once the X-term is running you just run the CLIENTS over the net which
>>may reside on ANY machine on the network.
>
>>One of the Cheapest X-terminals you can buy is a 486/33 with a VLB
>>Graphics accellerator card 8MB of RAM, and ethernet card, KB, mouse and
>>nice monitor, running Linux <G>!
>
>That is not completely true.  True Xterminals are *normally* going to be much
>faster than any "typical" clone configuration.  They usually have better
>displays, performance, warranty, etc.  There is almost no time wasted in
>configuration, installation, etc...   there is no media to format, load,
>backup, fail, etc... there is no OS to install, configure, tweak, upgrade,
>etc.  The ethernet performance of a typical Xterminal is usually much better
>than a typical clone.  Etc.
>
>A Linux box *DOES* make an excellent Xterminal- especially if you need
>color.  It is initially very cost effective too.  When commercial Xservers

Hmm,  X without color is like a day without sunshine.  Show me a 17"
Color X terminal for under $2500.  I don't know very many people who
would put together a PC with hi-res greyscale graphics.

But your argument does ring true here, for maximum X performance a
machine totally dedicated & tweaked to running X is obviously going to
run a bit different than a multi-purpose one.

>A 100,000 Xstone 14" mono Tek Xterminal, new, 4MB RAM, can be had
>for under $875.  Plug it in, turn it on, set the IP address and you be done.

Yuk Mono,   These folks need to wake up.  If you are going to screw with
graphics you _need_ color, otherwise you might as well use a text screen.
-- 
Keith Smith          keith@ksmith.com              5719 Archer Rd.
Digital Designs      BBS 1-919-423-4216            Hope Mills, NC 28348-2201
Somewhere in the Styx of North Carolina ...

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

From: broadley@neurocog.lrdc.pitt.edu (Bill Broadley)
Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.os.vms,comp.benchmarks
Subject: Re: Yet another benchmark results..
Date: 9 Dec 93 05:14:07 GMT


> DEC 3000-400 (6.6ns pass 2.1 EV4) 128mb RAM 9 sec.

Hp-735 64 MB ram, pretty much idle, 2 users HPUX 9.01

I added a for 1-10 loop:
Viper> ./a.out
time=39

Thats 3.9 seconds per loop.

--
Bill Broadley@{neurocog,schneider3,lrdc5}.lrdc.pitt.edu (in order of preference)
Linux is great.         Bike to live, live to bike.                      PGP-ok

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


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