Printing is proving to be a challenge. Using samba (the Linux SMB libraries) and cups, I was able to configure my networked printer. However, I don't have a driver on my computer for it. I tried using some drivers that were close, but they didn't work - they just caused the printer to eject a blank page. I was creating the documents using OpenOffice.org's Writer, which has a “one-click PDF conversion” feature. When I went to use that feature, I found that I was on version 1.0, which didn't have the PDF stuff.

I downloaded the Linux install for version 1.1.2, and remembering that you need to use the “root” user to do most installs, did an su, and ran the install. I then launched the new writer and exported the PDF. Using samba, I copied the file over to the other computer, and was able to print it. However, since I installed it as root, it installed under /root, which meant that my normal user couldn't access it. At some point, I'll uninstall it and reinstall it in a public directory.

On another note, I posted a message about my inability to import mail from Netscape into Evolution to the WBEL user's list, and the response I got worked! Netscape actually stores the e-mail in the same format as many other Linux e-mail programs (a format called mbox format). Using samba, I copied the files from “C:\Documents and Settings\Daniel\ApplicationData\Mozilla\Profiles\default{something}.slt\Mail\Local Folders” - under this folder, there was a separate folder for each POP3 account, and within that folder, the file called “inbox” was my inbox. On some systems, the file is named “mbox”, and it's in a folder with the name of the folder it represents (i.e., “Inbox/mbox”). Once these files were copied, I used Evolution's import utility - it prompted me for a file to import (whose type it determined automatically), and a location for the messages to go. I now have all my e-mail from my old setup!

One part of Unix/Linux of which I'm quickly becoming a fan is its adherence to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS). The FHS defines where files should be found, and it represents all available files under a single directory, known as "/". No matter how many drives or network shares that are mounted, they're all under this directory. What this gives you is a system-wide view of your files, instead of the normal DOS-imposed separate drive specifications. The FHS also says what files are supposed to be in what directories, so no matter what Unix/Linux system you're using, once you know the FHS, you know exactly where to look for things.

I wasn't able to sleep very well last night, so I didn't do much tonight. One thing I did do, though, was run yum, which is, at a high-level, similar to Windows Update. WBEL recently released “Respin 1” (that's re-spin, not a new name - it's code name is still “Liberation”), and running yum with no options will update every available package. After about 30 minutes of watching it download stuff, I went to bed - I'll have to verify the results tomorrow.

Despite being ill early in the day (which caused me to miss Sunday School and church), the day on the computer went pretty well. I made a lot more progress on TMTS, although I ran into a problem - it appears that the PHP that came with WBEL may not have MySQL support enabled. Rather than get sidelined with this right now, I'm going to continue converting pages on the application, and work this issue as part of unit testing.

I also managed to catch up on comp.lang.cobol and comp.sys.unisys, two newsgroups in which I participate. I was able to play a file off a DVD (although I still can't play the disc itself).

When I moved the mouse to try to get the screen to unblank this morning, nothing happened. It was locked up once again. I decided to only run one process, to see if I could isolate which one was causing me problems. I started with the F@H client. I started it before we left for breakfast, and when we got back, the computer was still running okay. I started using the computer actively, and found another problem - my profile for Firefox now thinks it's still in use, because I was using it when the machine crashed.

Now, anyone who has ever used Linux will know that one browser is much less severe than, for example, IE becoming unusable in a Windows environment. I switched to using Mozilla, and was doing some research on Linux crashes when the machine locked up again. This time, when I restarted, both Firefox and Mozilla thought they were still in use. I fired up the only other currently-installed browser, Konqueror, and surfed out to LinuxQuestions.org and posted a message asking how to tell these browsers that they're not in use.

A few hours later, an answer appeared. For Firefox, the file is ~/.mozilla/firefox/default.lz7/lock, and for Mozilla, the file is ~/.mozilla/default/{something}.slt/lock. Both these are symbolic links to a process PID - deleting them freed up the default profiles so these browsers could be used again.

In the mean time, I have not restarted F@H, but I've had Evolution running in the background without incident. It seems that it may be the F@H client. That bugs me, because I was really looking forward to using this machine to help with the project. I may try to run the Windows version under wine, a Windows emulator for Linux.

Some folks have also expressed interest in the Tournament and Membership Tracking System (TMTS), which is a web application I coded to track membership and golf tournaments for a local golfing organization. They're interested in the PHP version, for which I no longer have the source code (it was on a laptop that was stolen). So, much of my computing effort over the next few days will be trying to get this recreated. Today, I was able to get the database rebuilt, and the first few pages converted.

Upon returning from vacation, I found that the power supply was finally here. After installing it, I fired up the computer, and it works! I fired up my e-mail client (to pull all the mail off the server that I had received for the past few weeks), and downloaded the Folding@Home (F@H) client for Linux. I've been running that on a couple of other computers (user name LX_i, team #37825), and I'll probably write more about it in particular in my regular blog. Anyway, once I got that started, I started reading the e-mail I had missed. Then, the machine locked up!

I reset the machine, and repeated the steps (started Evolution, started F@H), and before long, it happened again. I restarted them both again, but it's getting late - I'll have to continue this tomorrow.

Compiling my own versions of programs when trying to get DVD stuff working intrigued me. I've tried a couple of times to teach myself C++, but hadn't really gotten that far. My understanding of some of the concepts has improved some, and I've also found a good set of tutorials on C Programming's web site. I went though the tutorials, and got some interesting things working. This was PC-based, using the CygWin Linux emulator. I actually understood everything I wrote, which is a very nice feeling! This knowledge should come in handy if I ever have trouble compiling something…