The Spam Thread!

[cpd2009]

So far, my custom Linux setup has been rather stable. Mageia has pushed out several updates over the last week or so including a newer kernel. Trinity is still running fine. I have discovered one potential issue regarding my various removable MP3 players.

Normally when you plug in a USB flash drive, Trinity will open a box asking what to do such as opening the file manager, etc. That does not happen with any of my portable MP3/MP4 players, or at least the ones I have tried so far. It may even be a show-stopping bug when it comes to Trinity. I ran some command line utilities and noticed the devices are being detected properly by the kernel and I can manually mount them using the command line.

Just to be sure this wasn't a Linux problem in general, I ran a KDE Neon live USB session, and unlike my current setup, Neon brought up a notification of the same MP4 player asking what to do, including mounting the player as a normal user.

A workaround does exist, but it's a bit fiddly. You have to use the terminal to find out what drive letter your device has, mount it manually, and use the Krusader file manager as root to manage the player.

I may have to move up to KDE Plasma 5 for better compatibility with devices. I think this issue lies with Trinity itself rather than Mageia or the kernel. Trinity is fun to use and a bit nostalgic, but I think I'll be better off sticking with Plasma 5 onward.

[cpd2009]

I decided to file a bug with the Trinity devs, as shown here:
http://bugs.pearsoncomputing.net/show_bug.cgi?id=3051

It could be a bug with TDE since other distros can present the action dialogs when said players are connected. Most of my players don't use MTP, and function like USB flash disks anyway, so TDE should also present the action dialog as it does with standard USB drives.

[cpd2009]

I have decided to move up to KDE Plasma 5. Trinity works well, but this removable storage bug is a show stopper. My digital camera also is affected by this bug. The particular camera uses xD picture cards, which for some reason, don't work in Pearl's card reader. I use USB to transfer the photos, but it becomes too cumbersome if I have to manually mount the camera to a system directory every time I need to sync my camera. Other Linux DE's are able to present a window asking me to mount the camera.

I also took note at TDE's bug backlog, and there's quite a lot of bugs that appear to be still open for well over a year.

I could try TDE on another Linux base, such as Ubuntu or Debian, but I like the stability and usability of Mageia. At least I'll stick with that.

TDE is a good idea, but the extremely slow development and bug fixing doesn't give me very much hope that it will continue to be a valid option.

I will say this. It's much easier these days to reinstall a Linux distro thanks to high capacity external hard drives and USB flash sticks. Running a live CD/installer from USB is much faster than DVD-R. Backing up files doesn't take forever either. I remember having to use multiple DVD-Rs to back up my data before reinstalling an OS.

[huckleberrypie]

And it accounts for why the Philippines-based electronics chain CD-R King has become something of an ArtifactTitle, or at least that's what I've noticed in a few outlets I've visited. They no longer sell CDs, and when I asked them about it, it was due to legal pressure as most if not all of those who bought tubs of DVDs use them to burn pirated films and/or games and sell them as bootlegs. Though given the rise of cloud-based services like Spotify I doubt that kids these days would be arsed to burn a Red Book or an MP3 mixtape and would much rather stream them songs.

[cpd2009]

In non-Linux news, I may take Greta's battery out. KDE's battery info showed that it's around 35% of it's original capacity, even suggesting that I replace it. I'd have to see if Acer still stocks compatible batteries, and whether or not they are just new-old-stock that have been sitting in a warehouse. The only other options are third-party batteries, which I really don't trust seeing how some third-party batteries can be fire hazards. I have also encountered a dangerous battery on an old Toshiba laptop I was trying to fix one year. The laptop was dead, and the battery got really hot to the touch. There was no fire, but I removed the battery to be safe.

I have finished the first game in the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy. I started at the beginning of the year, set it aside for several months, and got around to defeating Dr Neo Cortex. I'll say this. It's good that the Naughty Dog devs left out "Stormy Ascent" in the original release. It's an extremely difficult level, and the devs thought it may have been too difficult, hence why the finished level was DummiedOut in the final product. The HD remaster includes this level, but makes it entirely optional... unless you try to go for 100% completion.

And, I plan on binge watching the entirely of MLP Generation 4. I was into the show back in 2010 - 2011, but lost interest. Now that the series has aired, I want to catch up on the show before I see the finale.

[huckleberrypie]

Batteries are a touchy subject, I agree. Your best recourse would be genuine parts, but given their price it isn't an easy proposition.

[cpd2009]

Time to introduce my video capture setup. Pearl's monitor and keyboard are on the left, while my two DVD/VCR players are on the right. Why two? The top unit is an RCA DRC6350N with a six-head VHS VCR, which produces a better quality picture in EP/SLP mode. (read: less fuzzy). Tapes recorded with that unit do not play back well on 4-head units. It's vice versa for tapes recorded with a 4 head unit. To transfer the tapes recorded with the RCA, I need to use the very same player. It's getting long in the tooth at this point, and may as well transfer those tapes while the VCR is still functional. The bottom is a Sansui model with a standard 4-head VCR. I found it at the local flea market for $10 as the DVD portion doesn't work. VCR works fine.

The scanner on top is a Canon CanoScan LIDE25, a USB powered scanner.

[huckleberrypie]

Makes me wonder if it's worth investing on a VCR, but since all of our archive tapes of home video footage are sadly long gone...

[cpd2009]

Makes me wonder if it's worth investing on a VCR, but since all of our archive tapes of home video footage are sadly long gone...

I archived my family's home video footage to DVD years ago using a crappy Lite-On set-top DVD recorder. LiteOn drives are typically good, but their set top recorder was a bit buggy. The discs themselves wouldn't play that well in certain players, and also don't play nice with VLC.

Even if you don't have those home movies anymore, you can still find used VCRs and VHS tapes second hand. It's a good way to find lost TV shows or cartoons that haven't been put on DVD yet, as well as nostalgic old TV commercials.

Anyway... placed an order for a replacement battery for Greta. I sold my old Sansui 40'' TV that I didn't really need anymore after getting that Samsung smart TV over the summer. I should get it in the mail sometime next week.

[huckleberrypie]

Makes me wonder if it's worth investing on a VCR, but since all of our archive tapes of home video footage are sadly long gone...

I archived my family's home video footage to DVD years ago using a crappy Lite-On set-top DVD recorder. LiteOn drives are typically good, but their set top recorder was a bit buggy. The discs themselves wouldn't play that well in certain players, and also don't play nice with VLC.

Even if you don't have those home movies anymore, you can still find used VCRs and VHS tapes second hand. It's a good way to find lost TV shows or cartoons that haven't been put on DVD yet, as well as nostalgic old TV commercials.

Anyway... placed an order for a replacement battery for Greta. I sold my old Sansui 40'' TV that I didn't really need anymore after getting that Samsung smart TV over the summer. I should get it in the mail sometime next week.

I could imagine the publicity ensuing from discovering a lost film stored in a random cassette or something.