I’m not a birthday fanatic. But this in particular was very good. I’m a bit dissapointed because with twenty two years I feel like I’m getting old and I want to do a lot of things. I didn’t finish all my “before twenty two years goals”, but I’m working on that and I did a mv before_22_goals.txt before_23_goals.txt.

I take the birthdays only as a “reflexive date” but this year was different and I received good surprises. Maybe I have to enjoy more and plan less.

Nobody could be sad with this geek cake. Starting the Gentoo logo and Larry the Cow .

Thanks to my girlfriend . And the countdown for twenty three has started . . .

posted by admin
Tags: cake, gentoo
Filed under: Shouts from my head

As we mention in the web site. SLGT born with the objective to coordinate the Free Software efforts between Free Software community and without being a dictatorial and intrusive entity (or without being an entity).

Hey I come to this site looking for tractor pictures but this is interesting. What is the Free Software movement?

The Free Software movement started at 1983 when Richard Stallman (from now will be called “barbuchin hippie”) started the GNU project. The primary goal for the project was give freedom to the computers users creating and replacing the software with restrictive license terms.

Do you support  Free Software or Open Source?:

This question looks stupid but, in the communities many people have different point of views. The “barbuchin hippie” started this movement with a more ethical point of view. But many people consider it very radical so they started the therm Open Source giving to the free software a more commercial point of view.

In SLGT we collaborate with both philosophies.

What is exactly SLGT, a community?, a board of directors?, guys with long hair eating pizza?

Because the objectives and philosophy differs from one community to another. At 2009 many members of Free Software groups talked about the growing community and propose to share our efforts in a centralized entity including:

• Ask for help and specially ask for people support in the different Free Software meetings/events.
• Notify and invite the communities to the  different events (talks/meetings/bug squash parties/release parties).
• Coordinate bigger events (CGSOL, FLISOL).
• And optionally but not important. Have centralized support medium.

Who give us authority to do this?

Jabba the Hut, he-man and Chuck Norris support SLGT . . .

Seriously we don’t believe in authorities and consider ourselves as another effort. We are always open to new communities, feedback, members having an horizontal structure (see dohkogt post for more details about communities structure – in spanish -). In the beginning  we invited all communities that we could remember . All LUG’s and almost all Free Software communities are participating .

Could you explain it with an example?:

I’m a Free Software activist member of Java Users Group from Guatemala, Lugusac and founder of the almost extinct Shekalug (sad very sad ). At Lugusac we have a small-mid size activity called SSL (Free Software Saturdays). As an university Linux User Group we coordinate this event and give two talks about Free Software and Free Culture almost every fifteen days.

Actually Lugusac has almost 500 members in the mailing list but 10 of 12 active members in the real life xD. So when we needed people for the talks, we asked for collaboration in SLGT mailing list. And people from Ubuntu-gt, Debian-gt, . . . were glad to help and the “central hub” worked .

I like Free Software. Can I be a member of Slgt?

Sure but SLGT only exist in internet in:

• The mailing list
• Support and contact IRC channels
• China bird death rebellion forum (yeah almost everybody hate forums )

The right path to start in free software movement is to select the closest Free Sofware Comunity of your interest.

posted by admin
Tags: Free, linux, Open, SLGT, software, Source
Filed under: Freedom tutorials

This device is particularly interesting because has two operating modes. The first one and the most common is as a router and access point for a mixed network (wi-fi+ethernet). But If you have the bad luck that you don’t find power source for the device or simply you only have a charged laptop. You can use it as a modem too with a simple USB 2.0 cable.

So what we need?. Lets see . . .

This mini-tutorial was tested in three different distros:

• Ubuntu 10.04
• Gentoo with kernel 2.6.34
• Debian Sid with kernel 2.6.34 (this was tested by aranax)

What we need in Ubuntu?

This modem work’s out of the box detected as a modem and also as a massive storage device. Just plug it and if you have troubles with the wi-fi disable the wi-fi card. If you have troubles and the system only recognize it as a storage device, install usb_modeswitch and the configuration is automatic.

$ sudo apt-get install usb_modeswitch

What we need in Debian/Gentoo/Another not ubuntu distro?
The difference between Ubuntu and many other distros respecting 3g modems resides in the Network Manager package. Ubuntu has a modified version with support for PPP devices dialing. But the another distros c0uld use a more primitive package like wvdial. And this is how I configured it:

Step 0: Verify your kernel support (only for personalized kernels).

If you have a personalized kernel (very common in Gentoo boxes) you have to enable the PPP dialing support and USB serial GSM modem drivers. This isn’t necessary in a generic kernel.

Device Drivers ->
    USB support  --->
        <M> OHCI HCD support (If not use Intel or VIA chipset)
        <M> UHCI HCD (most Intel and VIA) support (If use Intel or VIA chipset)
        <M> USB Serial Converter support  --->
            [*] USB Generic Serial Driver
            <M> USB driver for GSM and CDMA modems
    Network device support  --->
        <*> PPP (point-to-point protocol) support
        <*> PPP support for async serial ports

Step 1: Install wvdial

We need this package to use the modem. So install it

In Debian:

# apt-get install wvdial

In Gentoo:

# emerge wvdial

Step 2: Create the initial configuration:

Once we have wvdial. We need to plug in the modem in any usb port. You could use dmessg to view if the modem is recognized it. Next we need to auto configure it with:

# wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf

Now we need to add our carrier data. This example is designed for Tigo Guatemala. Edit the few lines of the file and you will finish with a configuration file like this:

[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Init3 = AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”broadband.tigo.gt”
Modem Type = Analog Modem
Baud = 9600
New PPPD = yes
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
ISDN = 0
Password = internet
UserName = tigo
Phone = *99#
Stupid Mode = yes

Step 3: Use it:
Now the modem it’s ready to work so edit the /etc/resolv.conf file with your favorite DNS servers. This is for opendns:

# echo “208.67.222.222″>>/etc/resolv.conf
#echo “208.67.220.220″>>/etc/resolv.conf

And execute wvdial. If you wish to close the terminal put a & at the end of the command to fork it to backgroud

#wvdial

Now you are surfing the web. With the modem and without plug-it in a power source.

posted by admin
Tags: E968, Huawei, linux
Filed under: Freedom tutorials

It’s Wednesday!!, it’s time for a friki post .

As every average Gentoo user knows. Build a new System for personal use could be a task for two or three days and most of the time the PC is building the packages.

I have a powerfull processor (core i7 860) and a crappy processor (celeron M). The last year my main PC was a pentium 4 desktop pc and it has the same architecture as the celeron M (intel prescott i686). But now that desktop It’s a personal server in the living room with xubuntu.  Later I installed Debian testing (Squeeze) in my laptop because I needed a stable distro. Actually I don’t need it and it’s time to go back to Funtoo flexibility (thanks for all Debian).

I look a bit in Google and I found crossdev. When you need build packages for an architecture different from yours you need to crosscompile. In other words you need the complete toolchain ready to run in your system and ready to build packages for another architecture. Crossdev it’s a tool that simplify the process off build that toolchain and have the right compilers. Gentoo also have an excelent wiki about using crossdev but I found a series of issues that the documentation doesn’t mention. So let’s see the experiment.

The Scenario:

Laptop: architecture: i686, Funtoo i686 unstable, ip: 192.168.2.1

Desktop: architecture amd64, Funtoo amd64 unstable, ip: 192.168.2.2

I will compile packages from and for the laptop using the laptop only as a build host.

Step 1: Install crossdev

I need crossdev in the amd64 host because the final destination is the laptop with the i686 architecture. So . .

emerge crossdev

And thats all.

Step 2: Build the toolchain

Now the wiki suggest the basic crossdev command:

# crossdev -t i686-pc-linux-gnu

But the issues starts. In funtoo unstable, as the name suggest all is instaled in his last and less tested version. So in the first (and second, and third) attempt *sigh* the build fails.

The problem was an incorrect combination of libc, gcc and binutils. So after one more attempt I found the right shell command:

# crossdev –l 2.10.1-r1 –g 4.3.3-r2 -s4 –ex-gcc -t i686

In the i7 this step was completed in 5 five minutes. The parameters would be different for you. And you can check all the options with:

# crossdev –help

The –ex-gcc parameter it’s necesarry beause builds the extra tools for gcc (and the important g++). Without this the distributed compilation will not work (because you will not have an i686-pc-linux-gnu-g++ executable).

Step 3: Check the configuration

If the toolchain is ready check the gcc configuration in Gentoo you have gcc-config

gcc-config -l

If you see something similar to this. Hey it’s ready!!:

[1] i686-pc-linux-gnu-4.3.3 *

[2] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-4.3.3
[3] x86_64-pc-linux-gnu-4.4.3 *

Step 4: Distcc

The steps are the same that the Gentoo Handbook Distcc Crosscompile guide. Here.

So that’s all, be happy building

posted by admin
Tags: AMD64, cross compile, crossdev, Funtoo, gentoo, i686
Filed under: Freedom tutorials

At 2007 the first activity that I participated with the LUGUSAC people, was FLISOL.

FLISOL is the Latin American Festival of Free (as in speech) Software Installation. I remember that my first impression was “this people is crazy . . . i’m in the right place”. The first conversation was about why Debian sucks rules and what we need to realize the goals of this event.

In 2008 we started shekalug, and organize the first FLISOL in San Pedro Sacatepequez, San Marcos with mixed results. This was my first experience creating a LUG (Linux User Group) and also coordinating a Free Software event.

Now I’m finishing the second year as Guatemala general coordinator with Luis Alvarado (lfac). This year was very different, lfac has a new and demanding job and I’m finishing the University. Both didn’t have the enough time to coordinate like the past years. But the things changed since 2007, now the community is very strong. More and more people is happy to help with the Free Software movement (and of course Open Source philosophy). Sure we had troubles, flame-wars, discussions, mistakes, people that leaves the movement. But this is common in whatever event/community not only in Free Software.

In this road I meet very interesting people, ready to help and share knowledge, time, or . . . money . I’m happy and want to say “thanks to all people, community, coordinators, this event is possible only with your help. As coordinators we only have one different task: empacayar a la gente (motivate the people to participate)”.

I thik this will be my last year as coordinator. This was a great experience but it’s time to give oportunity to everybody and I will be participating but in another role .

Again thanks to all for making this event possible.

PD: This year I’ll be helping in two events outside Guatemala City: FLISOL Quetzaltenango (tomorrow) and another location that I’m not 100% sure. But I’ll see you there.

posted by admin
Tags: 2010, FLISOL, Guatemala
Filed under: Freedom tutorials