Computer Log

Got old Admiral AM tube radio that sat on a shelf above the sink when I was growing up in the 1960s. Had a thought of putting a Raspberry Pi inside of it, and only play 1960s era music and radio spots. Been writing a Python program that plays random 1960s music. After every 3 songs it plays a radio jingle followed by a 1960s commercial. I use streamripper to rip 1960s music from 1960s music streams. Streamripper works better with stream with a clear beginning and end. I’ve been using a UK 60s stream that has good separation. Used YouTube to get jingles and commercials. Also used YouTube for songs I wanted that weren’t ripped, although just letting streamripper run for a while can result in a lot of music. I used ‘avconv’ to convert the YouTube videos to MP3s and also to extract individual segments from a video with many commercials and/or jingles. So my Python uses 3 folders, music,jingles and commercials.

Raspberry Pi (computer the size of a deck of cards) came today (or 11/29 due to my poor records). Runs Raspian Linux, (Debian for Raspberry Pi) Had some minor problems connecting to Wi-Fi. Problem with no audio coming from TV attached by HDMI cable, Fix: I had to uncomment a line [hdmi_drive=2] in /boot/config.txt. Media wouldn’t eject from File manager. Fix: sudo apt-get install eject.

Ordered Raspberry Pi 2014 Model B+. Have a couple ideas.

1) MP3 player inside 50+ year old yellow Admiral Radio that parents had above sink when I grew up in the 1960s. Only play 60s era music.

2) Media player attached to main TV by HDMI cable. Would be able to play many more formats than TVs limited formats.

It seems to me that many software installs that didn’t go smoothly in OpenSuse, got better as I re-evaluated it later. Perhaps it was because I got more use to OpenSuse’s quirks. Even after being out for a couple months, VM Virtualbox seems to be a pain to install on OpenSuse, or at least more work than I want to devote to it. OpenSuse’s online software said it had it, but it appeared to only be a 11 meg front end to Virtualbox. I saw one article explaining how to install it. However for me there was a pre-req. These days I try to avoid anything that causes me to track down pre-reqs. I’ve been through tracking down pre-reqs and tracking down pre-reqs for those pre-reqs, it’s not fun or challenging to me anymore. Virtualization has become an important feature to me. So once again was re-evaluating OpenSuse as a backup distro. However, I was listening to Linux Action Show review of OpenSuse 13.2 and they mentioned that OpenSuse had Xen and KVM Virtualization solutions in Yast. Silly me forgetting that many times there is more than one way to do something in Linux. So I tried Xen first because it was on the list first. Didn’t like that it seemed to require a different boot from Grub (maybe because of a different Kernel). So I tried KVM next which didn’t require a different boot or modify Grub. Installed Xubuntu 14.01 on both and both had the same messed up characters/icons on the menu bar. I couldn’t click on the network or volume icons and could hardly read the clock.

Well…with all this using OpenSuse then replacing it then going back to it, it is becoming easier to use, due to sheer repetition.

Helpful thing’s I’ve learned using OpenSuse:

Use Networkmanager [Yast2>Network Settings>Global Options>User controled with Network Manager] first thing, much easier to connect to networks.

Use Apper [GUI] NOT Yast to install programs. In addition I have found that the online, 1-click install, via a web browser usually works.

zypper is the

[command line]

tool can you use to install programs. It’s kind of like Debians apt program.

Many programs that require authentication, will appear to be stalled, when really, the authentication popup is behind the main window!

A new user who may just happen to use Apper first off to install software and had no problems may wonder what all my complaining is about. However, as a old former Suse (NOT OpenSuse) user I naturally assumed you used Yast for most things, so that’s where I started.

I mentioned before how I found Yast wanting to install a redicilious ammount of dependancies. Many making no sense to me.

For example, installing Krita…

Yast required over 280 (47×6=280…47 per page, over 6 pages) additional dependancies. The 1st page alone reported that Marble, bash-doc, digikam-doc among other dependancies would be installed. WTH? In addition it asked me to accept 2 (gstreamer, flash) licenses.

Apper only reported that it required 21 additional dependancies to be installed. And it installed the program fine. Everything seems to be working.

I’m learning OpenSuse by trial and error and like it more and more. If it wasn’t for the fact that my other fallback distros [SolydX, Manjaro] kept falling short in some manner I probably wouldn’t be using OpenSuse. Now you may say in addition to OpenSuse you only tried SolydX and Manjaro but I excluded all Ubuntu based distros [because if Ubuntu dies they all die] and that knocks down the list a lot. Because these days I just want something that is intutive and just works.

With all that being said I really can’t think of another better distro to use as a fallback or primary distro than OpenSuse. OpenSuse based on Suse is one of the oldest distros around and like Fedora which is based on Redhat. A distro based on Ubuntu is better for new or experienced user who wants something to work as easy as possible and/or is tired of solving problems.

Replace Manjaro with OpenSuse 13.1 AGAIN! Tried first 11/19/2013. Updates caused taskbar to dissappear. Created a new user and taskbar was there. So deleted .kde in my account Logoff then backon and taskbar reappeared.

Applied big update to Manjaro and now it doesn’t come up. So much for using it as a backup distro. Too bad I was really beginning to like Manjaro.

Big update to Manjaro, now it won’t come up.

Installed Manjaro KDE.

Replace fallback distro, Manjaro XFCE with Manjaro KDE. Install Firefox, Thunderbird and a few games.