[sf-lug] SF-LUG meeting notes for Monday 18 February 2019

[Bobbie Sellers]

Hi LUGers,

         Well I wish a few more of us had been there.

     I arrived to find that Aaron had preceded me and was setup
with his laptop.  He had also brought along a netbook using
an Atom 32 bit processor and running at an economical 533 MegaHertz.
     He doesn't want a lot for it but it could make a handy
tool for someone.  Both he and I can send you more details.
     He also brought in several copies of PLOP a boot manager for
older machines that lets you boot from USB or CD for machines
with old BIOSes that have no updates available.
     He also brought on the same sized disks SliTAZ 5-in-One release
both of these are adapted to old machines with low memory.
Both are on the very compact CD-R format sometimes called
business card size

     So I got my Dell 6520 with 128 GB SSHD, setup and got online
without great problems under PCLinuxOS64 with kernel 4.20.10
which seems to work great.  This can dual boot to Windows 7.
When I got it last year I tried to install PCLinux on it but I got
a little confused and installed it for an EFI legacy setup but it was
a MSB for the Windows 7.  I needed a working computer so I
just moved a hard drive into it from the old HP Pavilion and
got about my business.  Last week I tried to fix it and failing
to do so I installed PCLinux on it and then did the updates.
I still have about 35 free GiB on it.
     So back to the meeting.
     I tried out several distributions on it.
     Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS which nearly looks rational maybe it is the
attractive color scheme. Gnome 3 still does not have an alternative
menu scheme as does KDE Plasma 5 which can set up just like
the Gnome 3 if you want to go to the trouble.
     Slitaz which was very hard to get online with the WiFi at
the Cafe Enchante.
     Lubuntu 18.04.2 LTS which was much as the previous release.
     Xubuntu 18.04.2 LTS and no visible changes there either.
     Redcore Linux Hardened which booted up Ok but then refused to run 
tools.
 From a CD
     Midnight BSD which would not boot to a supposed graphical desktop.

     About 6:10 PM Joseph P. came in to return a disk and I was able to copy
several files to digital media for him to use, Rescatux was one, and 
that is
because SystemRescue CD has left the 32 bit machines behind.  Also I 
attempted
to create iso file of the returned disk and copied the result to his digital
media.   Joseph had a upper respiratory problem which I can readily
appreciate.  As I joke, my nose runs in nearly all weathers so I can 
sympathize
with any condition that produces mucus and phlegm.

     So after an evening of tech talk and similar fun we decided to adjourn
at 8 PM.
     I caught a #38 back to Larkin Street and Joseph very kindly walked
on home with me.   Thank you Joseph!

     Anyone attending the meeting is free to correct my omissions or
incomprehension of the activities and asked to do so asap so that the
membership not in attendance will not be mis-informed any longer
than necessary.

     Now the next meeting will be on Sunday March 3, 2019!
     How times flies!

     The regular notification will be out on February 25 next Monday.

     At the next meeting I expect to have new versions of Debian and
of Kali, if nothing else.

     Bobbie Sellers