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Palm TX and Windows Vista

For Christmas, Santa gave me a [Palm TX](http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/) to replace my five-year-old [Sony Clie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLI%C3%89). It was more cost effective than a Microsoft Pocket PC device or an [iPhone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iphone), and it’s backwards compatible with my tried-and-true software.

Unfortunately, the [Palm Desktop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Desktop) software doesn’t work so well on [Windows Vista](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista). It appears to work, but fails in subtle and non-obvious ways.

– Each time I hotsync, it repeatedly backs up all programs and databases, which takes a long time. _Solution_: I gave user write access to the folder where it was trying create the backup.
– CSV import of multi-line Note fields is broken. I used this feature to import addresses from MIS2PALM. _Solution_: I upgraded to [MIS2PALM version 4](http://www.mis2palm.com/), and configured it to export in vCard format. Palm Desktop properly imports multi-line Note fields from vCard format.
– CSV import forgets field-association. It used to remember this. Again, I’ve switched to vCard format, so this doesn’t get in my way anymore.
– HotSync > FileLink doesn’t work.
– The Beta Palm Desktop that’s supposed to be compatible with windows Vista hung on startup.

I had gone through a tedious download, uninstall, install process to try the beta out. I had another tedious process to uninstall the broken beta, and then I installed the previous Windows XP version, which I downloaded from the website to save time (I didn’t have the Palm TX install CD with me at the time). This was a big mistake, I realized several days later, because the downloaded version was missing several features such as the Media, Note Pad and VersaMail plugins to the Palm Desktop. So, I had to go through another tedious uninstall, reinstall process. Amidst all of this, the Desktop conveniently forgot some of my customized preferences, which required yet more time.

What a rant… maybe my experience will help someone else figure out how to solve some of the issues I’ve faced.

I really do like my new TX. It’s faster than my previous Clie. It has built-in bluetooth, which allows me to share contacts with my wife’s cell phone, or with other people. The built-in WiFi allows me to read the [mobile edition of the Deseret News](http://deseretnewscom/mobile) and the [Salt Lake Tribune](http://m.sltrib.com) with the Blazer browser. It’s not good for much more than that. If it’s handheld web browsing that I had wanted, I would have asked Santa for an iPhone or a [Nokia N800](http://www.nseries.com/n800) internet tablet. For me, the address book, the calendar and the [Plucker](http://www.plkr.org/) e-book reader are the most needed features.

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Getting core dumps on RHEL/CentOS 4, 5, Fedora

Sometimes, it’s nice to get core files, system wide, on a RedHat, CentOS, or Fedora Linux system. Here’s how: [http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_49_3652.shtm](http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_49_3652.shtm)

The “[core manpage](http://linux.die.net/man/5/core)” is also useful, in particular, the bit about /proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern.

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Javascript = poor security

Jake Edge writes about “[Web security vulnerabilities and Javascript](http://noscript.net/)”:

> Various recent, unrelated security issues seem to have a common thread: Javascript.

This has been true for the past several years, and it’s not restricted to Javascript — it has happened with Flash. Our browsers suck down executable code from nearly every web site we visit, and run it. It enables a richer web browsing experience. Although JavaScript, and to a lesser extent, Flash, are somewhat restricted in what they can run on our computers, it opens the potential for abuse. And they have been [abused](http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11501), [again](http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=143840) and [again](http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/040207-javascript-ajax-applications.html).

What solutions exist?

1. Stick head in sand.
3. Wait for web site owners and browser manufactures to fix the security problems. And wait. And wait. And wait some more.
2. Use Firefox and the [NoScript](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) extension, which disables JavaScript, Flash, Silverlight and other executable code from running. It’s easy to enable JavaScript when needed.

[NoScript](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) can turn web browsing into a painful experience. Some web sites don’t function properly without JavaScript enabled. Functionality breakage may be subtle. I once bought movie tickets for the wrong day because I had JavaScript disabled. I still use NoScript.

[NoScript](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722) has advantages beyond security: I see fewer annoying animated ads, making many web sites more readable.

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CD Burning in Windows Vista

Summary: When creating a CD from Vista, create it as a “Mastered” CD instead of as a “Live File System”. This gives the best chance of being able to share it with friends and family.

Microsoft has sprung some surprises for those who burn CDs using Windows Vista: they’re not as compatible as when created with Windows XP — in particular, they don’t use the long established [ISO 9660](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9660) standard, which is compatible with Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000 and other legacy operating systems. The ISO 9660 format is readable in all CDROM drives. Instead, Vista uses the [UDF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Disk_Format) standard, which is the right choice for DVDs, but not for CDs.

In other words, I can’t burn a CD of family pictures from Vista and read them on my legacy 500 Mhz computer. The CDROM drive in that machine isn’t capable of reading the UDF format. Microsoft has created yet another road block to compatibility. It wouldn’t have been difficult to support ISO 9660.

Still, that’s a legacy computer. What about modern computers?

Vista creates CDs in either “Live File System” or “Mastered” ([UDF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Disk_Format) 0.9.8.1) format. Neither one of these formats is supported by most CDROM drives — you’ll need a DVD drive to read them. The “Live File System” format will cause problems if you want to share the CD with non-Vista computers. To achieve maximum compatibility when burning a CD from Windows Vista, choose the “Mastered – Readable on all computers and some CD/DVD players” option. With this, I can read a CD, created by Vista, in a Linux computer with a DVD drive.

Picture of Vista CD Burning Dialog

My solution to get ISO 9660 CD burning capability is to install and dual-boot [Fedora Linux](http://fedoraproject.org/) alongside my Vista computer. Its CD burning is a user-friendly experience, with none of the hassles that Microsoft introduced with Windows Vista. Linux even gives me access to the files on my Vista disk partition. I’ll bet that [Ubuntu](http://www.ubuntu.com/) or [Suse](http://en.opensuse.org/) linux would work just as well.

Windows solutions for burning ISO 9660 CDs include [Nero](http://www.nero.com/) (commercial) or [Burn At Once](http://www.burnatonce.net/downloads/) (freeware).

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Freeware Linux filesystem reader for Windows

This Linux filesystem reader reportedly works with Windows Vista (as well as other versions of Windows):
[http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/](http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/)

There’s also a utility to recover deleted files from Linux partitions:
[http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-recovery/](http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-recovery/)

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Gnome Slideshow Screensaver Sanity

The default setup for Gnome’s GLslideshow is highly annoying on Fedora 8, and there’s not an easy way for users to individually configure it. Here’s how. As ‘root’, do the following:

Edit `/usr/share/applications/screensavers/xscreensaver-glslideshow.desktop` and replace

Exec=glslideshow -root

with

Exec=glslideshow -root -duration 15 -zoom 100 -pan 1 -titles

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Linux & Kodak EasyShare 5100 All-in-one printer

Up to this point, our family has used Epson inkjet printers. We valued the archival-quality ink and I valued the Linux support. Unfortunately, Epson ink is expensive — very expensive.

Kodak entered the inkjet market last year and offered vastly lower ink price, making their printers a compelling choice. When our Epson printer started having printing problems, even with new ink cartridges, we made the plunge and bought a Kodak 5100 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier. So far, we’ve been pleased with the result.

Linux support didn’t seem to be an issue, since we do nearly all of our printing from Windows. Now that we have a laptop, I thought it would be nice to hook the Kodak printer up to my samba print server.

Unfortunately, there are no Linux drivers for the printer, which means it won’t work to have Samba serve up the printer. I contacted Kodak, wondering if they plan on offering Linux drivers. I’ve included their response, which boils down to this: *Kodak designed the printer to use USB protocols that aren’t yet supported by Linux*. Whether it was a good technical decision or not, I don’t know. I can’t tell, from their response, whether Linux will have the appropriate USB drivers in the near future or not.

> Greetings Jared,
>
> Thank you for your recent visit to the Kodak Web site and question about your Kodak EasyShare 5100 All-in-One Printer.
>
> Thank you for visiting the Kodak web site and your inquiry regarding Kodak support for Linux operating system with Kodak products. Currently there is no support for Kodak products on the Linux OS by Kodak. Our Kodak software engineers are well aware of the Linux operating system. We appreciate your concern for this operating system and interest in enabling Kodak products to work with it.
>
> Kodak continues to follow the Linux Operating system. We noted, as far back as March 30, 1999, that Linux announced support of a Linux-USB driver that only worked with UHCI controllers. Since UHCI controllers represent only a portion of the PC market, Linux-USB was very limited and was very preliminary even six months ago.
>
> We had the same situation in the past with preliminary Microsoft-USB drivers and now version 2 USB as well. Sometimes, the availability of these drivers simply does not match our product release dates. Even after the support is there, as is the case with Microsoft version 1, we still have to update our Kodak web site with the latest driver patches to keep in step with Microsoft-USB patches. In addition, Kodak has worked very closely with the USB IF Working Group on the USB standard participating in numerous USB “Plug Fests” where we test out our hardware and software on a variety of computers with various “chip sets”.
>
> In the past, prior to the release of Microsoft Windows 98, Kodak worked intensely with the staff at the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) to achieve “Windows Logo”. This was no small feat with the USB technology forming the basis of the DVC323 and later products and the Windows 98 operating system. As a result, the DVC323 passed all USB compliance testing with Windows 98. I am not sure that there is such a rigorous test standard for Linux-USB. If not, this has serious implications on our technical support staff and the cost for providing a Linux-USB
> driver.
>
> We understand the issue with devices based on the CPiA chip set and once again are faced with a problem with Linux-USB support in that isochronous transfer is not yet fully implemented. There is a distinct difference when a company claims “USB support” it does not always mean “full USB support”. Kodak relies on full support for UHCI and OHCI host controllers as well as their corresponding USB transfer types. The support for this simply is not there yet.
>
> As Linux-USB becomes fully implemented and released with the Linux OS, Kodak may investigate the technical feasibility of developing Linux-USB drivers for future products. I am confident that our technical teams would be able to provide support once Kodak analyzed the business case for such support.
>
> Thank you for contacting Kodak. If you have future questions on Kodak products or services, visit our site, as we continually add information to enhance our service.
>
> We are glad to be of service and are here for you if you need us in the future. Please reply to us “with history” if you need to respond to this email.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Cristian P
>
> Kodak Information and Technical Support
> www.kodak.com/go/support
>

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‘fuser’ linux command

I recently learned about the [`fuser`](http://www.google.com/search?q=fuser+linux+man+page) command, which may be useful when I want to unmount a file system that is in use ([`lsof`](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsof) is also handy):

fuser -mu /media/USBFLASH # list pids and usernames with files open
fuser -muki /media/USBFLASH # kill, with a prompt, pids with open files

However, a lazy unmount is often sufficient:

umount -l /media/USBFLASH