Dave's Tech Blog
A Third Eye on Technology

On June 30th this year, you will suddenly find it very difficult to buy a fresh copy of Microsoft Windows XP off the shelf at your local software dealer. That’s because Microsoft is ending the sale of this soon to be considered “obsolete” operating system, priming Microsoft fan boys for their annual upgrade bum rush. Yes, that grim day coming in the middle of April 2009 when you will suddenly stop receiving all security updates for Windows XP and be cornered by Microsoft with an expensive proposition. You’ll soon be facing a tough decision, made up of the following possible choices:

1. Buy Windows Vista for a couple hundred dollars — more after hardware upgrades to support Vista’s heaving girth and blubber — so you can continue to sit down to do exactly what you used to do with Windows XP: Browse the web, play games, write novels, download videos and other common tasks like scanning for viruses and spyware.
2. Buy a Mac, participating in an even more frequent (costlier) upgrade pow-wow… but you’ll look trendy while doing it. You’ll get to browse the web, play (a few) games, write haiku’s for your legacy-sounding text-to-speech software, listen to iTunes and other common tasks like reminiscing over I’m a Mac commercials and standing in line for 24 hours to buy a freggin’ cell phone.
3. Decide not to upgrade to Vista at all, eventually exposing your XP system to new security exploits that will never, ever, ever see a repair patch written for them. The lease is up… Perhaps you need something new but you don’t wanna pay anything for it?
4. Switch to Linux, forget about viruses, spyware, bloat-ware or software costing you time and money.

And so comes the question: What the f— is Linux? Linux is open-source software. It is a product that is the sum total of decades of volunteer collaboration made by millions of computer programmers world wide, and is one of the most refined, stable operating systems in existence today. Because it’s open-source, it’s considered public domain. You practically already own your own copy. It can be downloaded, burned, shared, installed on as many PCs as you wish for free.

Is Linux Right For You?

Well, it was right for me. I switched over just a year ago, and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Here are the applications I use regularly on my installation of Ubuntu Linux:

Firefox – Web Browsing
Evolution – E-mail
Audacity – Sound editing
Avidemux – Video editing
DeVeDe – Convert AVI to DVD
Gimp – Edit photos; similar to Photoshop
Open Office – Microsoft Office Replacement (can open and save in Microsoft format too)
VMware – Run a Windows XP virtual machine inside a window
Google Earth – View maps of the world and of outer space!
Pidgin – Allows me to chat on Yahoo IM, and about 15 others like AOL or MSN
Skype - Make phone calls around the world
Photoshop – Just kidding, I haven’t installed it, but I could and so could you.
Games – I don’t play games too much, but I recently installed Quake 4 and it runs like a charm. Though I could throw in some Warcraft 3 or WoW if I wanted to. More classic Windows games are on the way.
Much more…

The bottom line is that Linux is an available option to you that is free of charge and of obligation. And switching over to it will afford you the advantage of never having to feel chained to Microsoft’s vendor lock-in (or Mac’s vendor lock-in). You’ll also find yourself not upgrading your PC’s hardware for a few more years, as the use of system resources is much more efficient than Vista’s. And when support for your version of Linux is expired, you can just upgrade to the next version free of charge. So now if you actually need a hardware upgrade, you’ll have the extra dough to do so.

If you’ve hip to the world of Linux, you’ve probably heard of a program called Wine. It’s used to simulate a Windows environment, allowing Windows-oriented software to run inside of Linux. However, in almost all scenarios, getting Windows software to run using Wine was a serious pain in the ass, or wouldn’t work at all. Fortunately, things have come a very long way and installing many popular Windows based software has become simple.

So how do we make this easy? Instead of using just Wine by itself, we’re going to use a program that takes care of installing Wine AND installing/configuring the Windows software you want to install. This program is called Wine-Doors, and it works similarly to Synaptic Package Manager, or the simpler Add/Remove software applet found in Ubuntu Linux.

To install this software in Ubuntu, all you have to do is download this deb file (be sure to SAVE IT to your desktop or some place more permanent) and then double-click on it to run it. Wine-Doors will then install with just a couple clicks of the mouse. Once Wine-Doors is installed, you can delete the deb file.

I tried this software out recently and was able to install things like Internet Explorer 6, Quicktime, DirectX 9, Steam (Valve Software), and a whole lot more. (By the way, SHAME on Valve for disabling my account because I didn’t log into it for a year. I paid them 60 bucks for my silver copy of Half-Life2 and they just yanked it and every other game I paid for because I didn’t feel like playing video games. What cruel punishment!)

Before I end this, I just wanted to mention that a recent update of Wine just came out, enabling testers and developers to get Adobe Photoshop to run on top of Ubuntu! This will no doubt be integrated into Wine-Doors very soon. I should also quickly remind everyone that Wine is continually progressing, so there are a large number of apps out there that Wine can’t run stable just yet. In the mean time, you can use Wine-Doors to download apps that have been tested a great deal and show high stability. Now if they could only get Adobe After Effects to work on it, I’d never need to use Windows for anything again…

I recommend you use this updated guide I’ve written which is easier. The below information is useful, but it is covered a little more accurately and simply in the link.

(Note: This blog was appended on Feb. 23, 2008. Information for Sprint phones was added as well as a minor modification to the wvdial.conf for T-Mobile phones example have been made).

I recently took on the challenge of getting an old PC up and running with Xubuntu 7.10. My father recently purchased the T-Mobile Internet package, which allows him to connect his computer to unlimited mobile Internet for $20 a month. Setting this up proved to be easier than I anticipated.

1. The first thing you need to do is change the USB configuration in your phone. On my phone (a Motorola K1) and many other T-Mobile phones, you have to make your default USB connection a data connection. By default, most phones are configured to be in “Memory Card” mode.
2. Next, you need to install a piece of software in Ubuntu called “wvdial“. To do this, click on Applications>Accessories>Terminal. Once your terminal window is open, type in the following: sudo apt-get install wvdial
3. Edit your wvdial.conf file. Type sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf in a terminal window to do this.

Once you have your wvdial.conf file open, paste in the following text over all the contents of the file:

[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","internet2.voicestream.com"
Modem Type = USB Modem
Phone = *99***1#
Password = pass
Username = user
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Baud = 460800

Take note of the “ttyACM0″ part. This may not be the same on your PC. To find out what yours is, attach your phone to your PC, and then type the following into the terminal:

$ dmesg | fgrep acm

You should see something like this returned in the output:

[ 9168.949496] cdc_acm 2-3:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device

This ACM device is your phone, and it is now an accessible piece of hardware. For wvdial to use it, you must make sure the above configuration file points wvdial to the right device name. If the above dmesg output produces a different ttyACM#, change it accordingly to match your PC. (Note, if you don’t get any dmesg results at all, try typing this in first: sudo modprobe cdc_acm).

After your wvdial.conf file is created and you’re sure your Modem = /dev/tty line is correct, save the file and close gedit. Then simply run wvdial from the terminal:

$ wvdial

Wvdial will then access your phone as it is directed to do so by the wvdial.conf file, and essentially dial T-mobiles Internet Service Provider. No real username or password is required for this, so leave the user/pass in the above config file as it is written. You’ll see some output on the screen that looks like this:

user@user-desktop:~$ wvdial
WvDial<*1>: WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.56
WvModem<*1>: Cannot get information for serial port.
WvDial<*1>: Initializing modem.
WvDial<*1>: Sending: AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”wap.voicestream.com”
WvDial Modem<*1>: AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”wap.voicestream.com”
WvDial Modem<*1>: OK
WvDial<*1>: Modem initialized.
WvDial<*1>: Sending: ATDT*99#
WvDial<*1>: Waiting for carrier.
WvDial Modem<*1>: ATDT*99#
WvDial Modem<*1>: CONNECT
WvDial<*1>: Carrier detected. Waiting for prompt.

At this point, the program will pause as it handshakes and establishes a connection using PPP. After about 10 or 20 seconds, the output will continue on and look similar to this:

WvDial<Notice>: Don’t know what to do! Starting pppd and hoping for the best.
WvDial<Notice>: Starting pppd at Thu Jan 17 17:50:28 2008
WvDial<Err>: Warning: Could not modify /etc/ppp/pap-secrets: Permission denied
WvDial<Err>: –> PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) may be flaky.
WvDial<Err>: Warning: Could not modify /etc/ppp/chap-secrets: Permission denied
WvDial<Err>: –> CHAP (Challenge Handshake) may be flaky.
WvDial<Notice>: Pid of pppd: 13530
WvDial<*1>: Using interface ppp0
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: local IP address 10.38.225.200
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: remote IP address 192.168.100.101
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: primary DNS address 66.94.9.120
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]
WvDial<*1>: secondary DNS address 66.94.25.120
WvDial<*1>: pppd: ?06][08]?06][08]??[06][08]

Congrats! You are now connected to the Internet using your cellphone. And all you have to do to establish a connection is open a terminal window and type wvdial.

To end your connection, you can simply close the terminal window containing the above mess, or hit CTRL-C while the terminal window is open. So be careful and don’t close the window by accident, or your connection will be dropped and you’ll have to run wvdial all over again. Oh, the agony of typing that one command over again!!

Anyway, enjoy your T-Mobile Wireless Internet connection! You should see a steady downstream of about 20 to 30 KB per second, which is about 5 times faster than dial up. And it’s unlimited! It’s not DSL or Cable, but that’s still not a bad deal for 20 bucks a month.

Additional Information for Sprint users:

You may need to make your wvdial.conf file look more like this to get your phone to work:

[Dialer Defaults]
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Modem Type = USB Modem
Phone = #777
ISDN = 0
Username = NONE
Init1 = ATZ
Password = NONE
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Baud = 460800
Auto DNS = 1
Stupid Mode = 1

In addition, you will want to do a sudo gedit /etc/ppp/peers in a terminal window and add the following two lines to the file:

lcp-echo-failure 0
lcp-echo-interval 0

I do not have a Sprint phone, but according to this guide it is confirm to work on a Sprint Samsung MM-920.

I have volunteered to take over webmaster responsibilities for the Topeka Habitat for Humanity foundation. I’ve been wanting to do some volunteer work for the comunity for quite a while. My last idea was to host free workshops at the Topeka Public Library, introducing people to Ubuntu Linux, how to install it and use it. I must have e-mailed the wrong person because I never got a reply back. But I’ll do something like that eventually, library or no library. In the mean time, I’ll work on the above linked website.

One of my own goals with the redesign of this website is to maximize donation money to the organization. There are a lot of neat things that could be done to make that happen. I’ll be sitting down with a pencil and paper to come up with some design ideas soon, and probably look through some templates. And fortunately a lot of the material/content for the website is already there. Improvements could include separating the grouping of menu links into two separate sets, one set residing in a ever constant footer at the bottom of all pages. Every page needs some sort of “DONATE” button that stands out but isn’t offensive looking. If there are ever fund drives that take place, I’d like some kind of meter or chart that monitors total funds donated. It gives visitors something to watch as they help to make the total donation amounts grow.

I also would like to assist the build crews who actually put their time in to make these houses. There’s a lot of stuff around my house I need to have fixed, so I’ll see how much of this stuff I can learn…and whatever I can’t learn, I’ll know who to bribe for a good deal on carpeting. They call that “Networking.” Being as business is slow and I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands, I’ll probably be able to put in a lot of hours helping put a house up. And thanks to my lovely girlfriend, I have a nice camera to take pictures and video of the construction work, to be later added to the website and even Youtube.

Now…short of hosting a workshop, something I might propose is to see if we can offer people the ability to make donations, not just for sheet rock, carpet, tools, and all that goes into building an entire house, but why not also set aside a small category to donate towards a computer. A computer which I could build for…say…$300 or less new. Something close to that, probably. Heh, you can actually buy new Linux PC’s from Wal-Mart for that price right now, so it’s easily achievable. Or perhaps simply accept old computers as donations and refurbish them by installing a new OS and maybe spending a couple bucks on a RAM upgrade or something cheap like that. Then give the PCs to the new family/occupants of these community built houses. You might even be able to get Cox to donate a year of free high-speed Internet access, if they’re afforded sponsorship credit for it. Though this is just my idea; they might not go for it. We’ll see…

Anyway, I’ll be having some fun with this project and write updates about it as things progress.

by Richard Stallman

There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on free software. It gives users the freedom to control their own computers—with proprietary software, the computer does what the software owner wants it to do, not what the software user wants it to do. Free software also gives users the freedom to cooperate with each other, to lead an upright life. These reasons apply to schools as they do to everyone.

But there are special reasons that apply to schools. They are the subject of this article.

First, free software can save the schools money. Even in the richest countries, schools are short of money. Free software gives schools, like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the software, so the school system can make copies for all the computers they have. In poor countries, this can help close the digital divide.

This obvious reason, while important, is rather shallow. And proprietary software developers can eliminate this disadvantage by donating copies to the schools. (Watch out!—a school that accepts this offer may have to pay for future upgrades.) So let’s look at the deeper reasons.

School should teach students ways of life that will benefit society as a whole. They should promote the use of free software just as they promote recycling. If schools teach students free software, then the students will use free software after they graduate. This will help society as a whole escape from being dominated (and gouged) by megacorporations. Those corporations offer free samples to schools for the same reason tobacco companies distribute free cigarettes: to get children addicted (1). They will not give discounts to these students once they grow up and graduate.

Free software permits students to learn how software works. When students reach their teens, some of them want to learn everything there is to know about their computer system and its software. That is the age when people who will be good programmers should learn it. To learn to write software well, students need to read a lot of code and write a lot of code. They need to read and understand real programs that people really use. They will be intensely curious to read the source code of the programs that they use every day.

Proprietary software rejects their thirst for knowledge: it says, “The knowledge you want is a secret—learning is forbidden!” Free software encourages everyone to learn. The free software community rejects the “priesthood of technology”, which keeps the general public in ignorance of how technology works; we encourage students of any age and situation to read the source code and learn as much as they want to know. Schools that use free software will enable gifted programming students to advance.

The next reason for using free software in schools is on an even deeper level. We expect schools to teach students basic facts, and useful skills, but that is not their whole job. The most fundamental mission of schools is to teach people to be good citizens and good neighbors—to cooperate with others who need their help. In the area of computers, this means teaching them to share software. Elementary schools, above all, should tell their pupils, “If you bring software to school, you must share it with the other children.” Of course, the school must practice what it preaches: all the software installed by the school should be available for students to copy, take home, and redistribute further.

Teaching the students to use free software, and to participate in the free software community, is a hands-on civics lesson. It also teaches students the role model of public service rather than that of tycoons. All levels of school should use free software.

1. RJ Reynolds tobacco company was fined $15m in 2002 for handing out free samples of cigarettes at events attended by children. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/tobaccotrial/usa.htm.

Copyright © 2003 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved.