Archive: Debian
X-RaceProtection: yes
Published by Jon on February 13th, 2013 in Debian, Frivolity | 2 Comments »
From time to time it occurs that two people answer a mail in the same way where one would do – closing an unblock request, for example. When this almost happened on debian-release the other day I amused myself by dreaming up an SMTP header that would prevent such embarrassment. I wasn’t being serious in the [...]
Tips for a successful BSP
Published by Jon on October 14th, 2012 in Debian | Comments Off
It is important to rehearse your space carefully. Find a quantity of friends equal to the attendees you expect, lay out the intended room, and check that everybody has free and easy access to their chair. Invest in a decent access point and some power strips with a decent cord length. Relax. I cannot stress [...]
From building to demolishing
Published by Jon on August 13th, 2012 in Debian | 4 Comments »
Building things is fun, but sometimes it’s nice to have a little light relief with a sledgehammer. Saturday was one of those occasions; there is was a ‘decorative’ wall in the corner of our lounge. It should have died about thirty years ago and I’ve hated it ever since we moved in a year ago. First [...]
Point Release Security, Reloaded
Published by Jon on July 8th, 2012 in Debian | Comments Off
When I first undertook the tracking of minor security fixes in point releases, I quickly out-scaled flat text files and a good memory. A Python library and sqlite database helped automate sending notifications and keeping tabs, but the manual work associated with tracking incoming bugs from the security team, applications to and responses from the [...]
I’m probably not going to DebConf12
Published by Jon on June 15th, 2012 in Debian | 1 Comment »
For two years I have been very fortunate indeed to be fully sponsored for travel and accommodation at DebConf – once on the Newbies programme, and once from normal funds. However, considering the cost this year (at least $1,000 in travel expenses) and of personal circumstances, which are not favourable, I am reliant on sponsorship [...]
Cambridge BSP
Published by Jon on March 3rd, 2012 in Debian | Comments Off
Reinstalling at arm’s length
Published by Jon on December 19th, 2011 in Debian, Notes | Comments Off
Recently I had need to re-purpose a server and for convenience, I decided to do a complete wipe and reinstall since it had previously been used for all sorts of package testing, experiments, dak debugging, the list goes on. I took a careful backup and then cooked up some USB installation media, but it took so long to boot (USB1.1, yay) I ran out of time before the building was locked.
Since this box has two hard disks, and not being one to back down from a challenge, I eventually reinstalled it over the weekend with nothing – no install media, no reinstall robot or intelligent hands – just a reliable internet connection and a healthy dose of courage. Here’s how.
DebConf 11
Published by Jon on June 19th, 2011 in Debian | Comments Off
So, I got enough of the requisite sponsorship and finally booked some flights…
StartSSL: finally, a trustworthy certifier*
Published by Jon on June 13th, 2011 in Debian, Tech | 7 Comments »
Matt Brown writes about StartCom, the Israeli issuer providing basic SSL certificates for nothing. In fact I’ve been using StartSSL certificates for about three years now, but I get them issued to Level 2 verification which incurs a fee. (It’s more expensive now than when I was first validated, but still good value.) StartCom are [...]
A little civil disobedience
Published by Jon on March 27th, 2011 in Debian | 2 Comments »
For many months I’ve wondered what would happen if one completed half a census return online and half on paper. Tonight, finally, I get to find out. (for international readers: it’s the night of the U.K. census, which with a little imagination has the potential for all sorts of fun.)