LOCALES PISSES ME OFF
dpkg-reconfigure makes you go through that ridiculously long list and tediously pick the ones you need (two for each language) and next update it makes you do it all over again. I want to punch someone...
Please backup the file /etc/locale.gen before doing anything. I just:
sudo cp /etc/locale.gen /etc/locale.bak
Then every time locales gets updated all you have to do is restore your (my) work from the bak file instead of redoing it all over again and again and again..
sudo locale-gen
..everything back the way it was. Tada, stoopid shit fixed.
Why can't they just not screw it up? I'm tired of dealing with it!
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
HYBRID 8/9 SYSTEM
PulseAudio 5 in Debian 8 stable is crap dipped in crap deep fried in crap. Debian 9 has PulseAudio 9 so they skipped THREE major versions... Anywho, if you're running 9-11R2 you might like to try a different way (other than backports) to get the latest version.
Create a file called /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99defaultrelease with one line:
APT::Default-Release "stable";
Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add one line:
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch main contrib non-free
Repopulate the package database:
sudo apt update
Locales appear to have been fixed in 9 so we can FINALLY:
sudo apt-mark unhold locales
before fetching Pulse 9 from testing:
sudo apt-get -t testing install pulseaudio
I don't know why that brings in LibreOffice 5 but it's a good upgrade so what the heck, go for it. ?B^)
PulseAudio 5 in Debian 8 stable is crap dipped in crap deep fried in crap. Debian 9 has PulseAudio 9 so they skipped THREE major versions... Anywho, if you're running 9-11R2 you might like to try a different way (other than backports) to get the latest version.
Create a file called /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99defaultrelease with one line:
APT::Default-Release "stable";
Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and add one line:
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch main contrib non-free
Repopulate the package database:
sudo apt update
Locales appear to have been fixed in 9 so we can FINALLY:
sudo apt-mark unhold locales
before fetching Pulse 9 from testing:
sudo apt-get -t testing install pulseaudio
I don't know why that brings in LibreOffice 5 but it's a good upgrade so what the heck, go for it. ?B^)
Monday, September 19, 2016
FINAL (seriously, I mean it this time) VERSION
Here's the deal, Blueman has been a pain in the butt for years and Linux Mint's Blueberry runs perfectly on the Pi. Instead of a stoopid six step wizard it takes ONE CLICK to pair a device. The Mint peeps wrote it in Python and I installed it with GDebi, just like my earlier blog post. Unfortunately it made me install Network-Manager so Wicd had to go, oh well..
The 1.89 GB file is at http://tinyurl.com/pelinux1
ZIP md5sum 24cd9266d0b65e47fbed0464646fe301
ZIP shasum ff6b3ac2abb43fecf088bee83dd5dfaf1accb745
Debian 8.6 stable (no backports, no third-party repos)
Firmware for Pi 2 and Pi 3
HDMI 1080p default
Bluetooth sound only (PulseAudio)
Blueberry manager by Linux Mint
Network-Manager for WiFi and wired NIC
*Analog audio driver disabled
Murdock Edition is still the "bleeding edge" version and the only one with LibreOffice 5.
Here's the deal, Blueman has been a pain in the butt for years and Linux Mint's Blueberry runs perfectly on the Pi. Instead of a stoopid six step wizard it takes ONE CLICK to pair a device. The Mint peeps wrote it in Python and I installed it with GDebi, just like my earlier blog post. Unfortunately it made me install Network-Manager so Wicd had to go, oh well..
The 1.89 GB file is at http://tinyurl.com/pelinux1
ZIP md5sum 24cd9266d0b65e47fbed0464646fe301
ZIP shasum ff6b3ac2abb43fecf088bee83dd5dfaf1accb745
Debian 8.6 stable (no backports, no third-party repos)
Firmware for Pi 2 and Pi 3
HDMI 1080p default
Bluetooth sound only (PulseAudio)
Blueberry manager by Linux Mint
Network-Manager for WiFi and wired NIC
*Analog audio driver disabled
Murdock Edition is still the "bleeding edge" version and the only one with LibreOffice 5.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
STORAGE
I recently upgraded from a SanDisk Extreme Plus 32 gig card (SE32G) to a SanDisk Ultra Plus (SL64G) which works perfectly in the Pi 2. Walmart has them for $28. While I was there I also grabbed a $9 SanDisk Cruiser USB 2.0 thumb drive for my top secret stuff.
Kernel 3.18 has the ability to read and write many file systems (like btrfs with -o compress) but my favorite for this application is the so-called "flash friendly" file system. sudo apt install f2fs-tools then mkfs.f2fs to prepare the thumb drive. After creating and mounting use Cryptkeeper to setup your folder. First run change your preferences from Gnome's "nautilus" file manager to XFCE's file manager "thunar". That's all you need to do. The F2 file system can't be read by any other operating system and even under Linux the encrypted directory is hidden. It's kind of hard to crack something that isn't there. :D
MORE FINAL ADVICE
If you're using Bluetooth audio like me you really should comment out the analog driver in /etc/modules to avoid application lockups. You can then fire up Quod Libet and start playing a file before turning on your Bluetooth speakers. A dummy output device is created and deleted and everything switches over perfectly. I assumed PulseAudio messed up ALSA but it's possible Debian did that all by themselves somewhere between 8.2 (9-11 Edition) and 8.4 (Murdock Edition). Maybe 8.6 will fix it, maybe not. I'll uncomment it someday and give it another try. For now I just don't need the trouble. Anyways..
If you're deploying more than one of these images on a network you should also change the computer name in /etc/hostname, near the top of /etc/hosts and in your Bluetooth device preferences. If you're using a wired connection change the static IP address in /etc/network/interfaces or configure the NIC to use DHCP. Type "man interfaces" for more info.
I recently upgraded from a SanDisk Extreme Plus 32 gig card (SE32G) to a SanDisk Ultra Plus (SL64G) which works perfectly in the Pi 2. Walmart has them for $28. While I was there I also grabbed a $9 SanDisk Cruiser USB 2.0 thumb drive for my top secret stuff.
Kernel 3.18 has the ability to read and write many file systems (like btrfs with -o compress) but my favorite for this application is the so-called "flash friendly" file system. sudo apt install f2fs-tools then mkfs.f2fs to prepare the thumb drive. After creating and mounting use Cryptkeeper to setup your folder. First run change your preferences from Gnome's "nautilus" file manager to XFCE's file manager "thunar". That's all you need to do. The F2 file system can't be read by any other operating system and even under Linux the encrypted directory is hidden. It's kind of hard to crack something that isn't there. :D
MORE FINAL ADVICE
If you're using Bluetooth audio like me you really should comment out the analog driver in /etc/modules to avoid application lockups. You can then fire up Quod Libet and start playing a file before turning on your Bluetooth speakers. A dummy output device is created and deleted and everything switches over perfectly. I assumed PulseAudio messed up ALSA but it's possible Debian did that all by themselves somewhere between 8.2 (9-11 Edition) and 8.4 (Murdock Edition). Maybe 8.6 will fix it, maybe not. I'll uncomment it someday and give it another try. For now I just don't need the trouble. Anyways..
If you're deploying more than one of these images on a network you should also change the computer name in /etc/hostname, near the top of /etc/hosts and in your Bluetooth device preferences. If you're using a wired connection change the static IP address in /etc/network/interfaces or configure the NIC to use DHCP. Type "man interfaces" for more info.
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