One Suggestion by ... Calhariz

I have made some quick benchmarks of my SD card on my Raspberry PI.

ionice -c 1 nice --20 hdparm -tT /dev/mmcblk0

/dev/mmcblk0:
 Timing cached reads:   280 MB in  2.00 seconds = 139.69 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:  32 MB in  3.13 seconds =  10.23 MB/sec

cat /sys/block/sda/queue/scheduler 
noop [deadline] cfq
./seeker /dev/mmcblk0
Seeker v2.0, 2007-01-15, http://www.linuxinsight.com/how_fast_is_your_disk.html
Benchmarking /dev/mmcblk0 [15193MB], wait 30 seconds
295223396
..............................
Results: 409 seeks/second, 2.443 ms random access time

for i in {1..32} ; do dd if=/dev/zero of=space.$i.4GiB.out bs=1M count=4096 ; done
4096+0 records in
4096+0 records out
4294967296 bytes (4.3 GB) copied, 802.682 s, 5.4 MB/s
^C902+0 records in
902+0 records out
945815552 bytes (946 MB) copied, 169.609 s, 5.6 MB/s

ionice -c 1 nice --20 bonnie++ -u root
Using uid:0, gid:0.
Writing a byte at a time...done
Writing intelligently...done
Rewriting...done
Reading a byte at a time...done
Reading intelligently...done
start 'em...done...done...done...done...done...
Create files in sequential order...done.
Stat files in sequential order...done.
Delete files in sequential order...done.
Create files in random order...done.
Stat files in random order...done.
Delete files in random order...done.
Version  1.96       ------Sequential Output------ --Sequential Input- --Random-
Concurrency   1     -Per Chr- --Block-- -Rewrite- -Per Chr- --Block-- --Seeks--
Machine        Size K/sec %CP K/sec %CP K/sec %CP K/sec %CP K/sec %CP  /sec %CP
raspberrypi      1G    47  98  5095   7  3618   7   349  99 12698  11 485.6  56
Latency               472ms   13531ms    8527ms   37039us   47144us   56047us
Version  1.96       ------Sequential Create------ --------Random Create--------
raspberrypi         -Create-- --Read--- -Delete-- -Create-- --Read--- -Delete--
              files  /sec %CP  /sec %CP  /sec %CP  /sec %CP  /sec %CP  /sec %CP
                 16  2752  63 +++++ +++  4110  60  2599  58 +++++ +++  4003  60
Latency             14651us    8503us    5143us    6866us     394us    3927us
1.96,1.96,raspberrypi,1,1363919597,1G,,47,98,5095,7,3618,7,349,99,12698,11,485.6,56,16,,,,,2752,63,+++++,+++,4110,60,2599,58,+++++,+++,4003,60,472ms,13531ms,8527ms,37039us,47144us,56047us,14651us,8503us,5143us,6866us,394us,3927us

I have made a Debian package for kibana software. You may download the kibana_0.2.0_35_g40f2512_3-1_all.deb file or the sources kibana_0.2.0_35_g40f2512_3-1.dsc.

• Bits from the DPL
• Welcome talk
• Getting packages into Debian BoF
• Bits from the Release Team
• EFI in Debian

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

Vi à pouco tempo o "The Hunger Games". Filme que vi com muita atenção. Tendo visto o "Battle Royale", "Battle Royale 2" e lido o livro, não fui capaz de evitar de fazer comparações entre as duas histórias.

Em relação à qualidade dos filmes, se são cinéfilos recomendo que vejam os filmes, "Battle Royale" e "The Hunger Games" e por esta ordem. Caso contrário vão ao cinema ver o "The Hunger Games".

Como não sou capaz de falar dos filmes sem entrar em detalhes da história, recomendo que vejam primeiro os filmes antes de continuar a ler este artigo.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

Os dois filmes falam acerca de uma sociedade autoritaria, que precisa de sacrificar os jovens para manter o controlo da população. Os jovens são escolhidos à sorte para combater entre si até restar apenas um. Ao sobrevivente é destinado fama e fortuna.

O "Battle Royale" é passado num futuro próximo e alternativo. Concentra-se no drama de uma turma do secundário que é selecionada para a batalha. É bastante gráfico e realista nos incidentes e armadilhas do combate.

O "The Hunger Games" é passado num futuro distante, na 74ª ceifa anual. O combate é um reality show de TV. O filme perde tempo a explicar a motivação dos Jogos e a mostrar como estes são usados para manter a população sobre controlo. Jogando com a esperança e o medo da população, que assiste ao reality show em directo. O combate é manipulado para manter a audiência interessada e o seu medo e esperança sobre estreito controlo.

Considero o "Hunger Games" uma reinterpretação das ideias do "Battle Royale". Onde parte das diferenças deverão poder ser explicadas pelas diferenças culturais entre o Japão e o USA. Usando clixés, considero o "Hunger Games" mais POP e acessivel, o "Battle Royale" mais raw e alternativo e por isso este é um filme de culto, dentro de um pequeno grupo de apreciadores.

Não tendo ainda lido a trilogia "Hunger Games", reservo o direito a mudar de opnião.

In the past I had to install many times, by hand, extra software on Unix machines, specially because of missing useful software like a C compiler or because I like too much to use the bash. In the end it can get very messy I promised myself to never do again a make install for manually installing software in a Debian machine.

It's possible and it pays on the long run. When you take a program from outside the distribution you need to: configure, compile, install and document what you have done. So you can do it again with the next version. Specially when you have done local modifications. If you put your software inside a Debian package and follow the most sensible Debian Policy rules you get:

• The documentation on how to configure, build and install the software is in debian/rules file.

• It's easy to upgrade or remove the software, because is a Debian package.

• You can use a patch system like quilt or dpatch to isolate your local changes from the upstream sources. If you create different patches files, for every logical feature you enhance or fix, it will be easier to drop them when the new version have the desired feature and to know what features needs to be ported for the new version of the upstream software.

• You can do it even with the binaries of proprietary software. Its easy to take an rpm or tar files with the binaries and insert them inside the sources of a Debian package. With the proper care it's easy to update the sources for the next upgrade.

For example I have been doing this for packaging the pristine upstream binary of eclipse, because the teachers of my University usually requests a newer version of eclipse than what is available from Debian stable or even unstable.

Another example is the support software for HP hardware before HP officially supported Debian. I have taken the original rpm files or the scexe scripts and convert them into a debian file. Usually I need only to change two files with every new release of software, the Makefile with the name of the new rpm file and the debian/changelog with the new version and what is new.

In the end it's easier than it seams to create and maintain a Debian package. It's a steep curve, but pays off on the long run.

The good thing is all this approaches are compatible with a puppet or chef system for managing the Unix servers.

Here is an article with 10 Free eBooks for Halloween. For the people that like to fetch the eBooks from Amazon, here are the links. Not all of them are free from Amazon and for some titles I didn't find a cheap version that I could recomend.

Frankenstein

Dracula

STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE - ORIGINAL VERSION PUBLISHED FOR KINDLE - UNIQUELY ILLUSTRATED VERSION - R.L. STEVENSON ILLUSTRATED

The Shunned House

Fall Of The House of Usher - The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe (Includes Essay About the History of the Horror Genre)

Tales of Terror and Mystery Illustrated

Extra: Dracula's Guest

I attended DebConf11 and my main objective was to package xorp v1.8.3 for Debian. In the spirit of release early and release often here are the links for a package compiled for Debian v6.0 aka squeeze. The work is not finished and most important was not yet reviewed by a Debian Developer. Reports of success are important.

For downloading:

xorp_1.8.3-1_wip4_bpo60_1_i386.deb

xorp_1.8.3-1_wip4_bpo60_1_amd64.deb

For accessing the sources or using apt-get add the following lines to your /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://debian.tagus.ist.utl.pt/debian squeeze/UNRELEASED main contrib
deb-src  http://debian.tagus.ist.utl.pt/debian squeeze/UNRELEASED main contrib

I got my Kindle 3G + Wifi (3rd generation) two days ago. In these two days I have study his capabilities.

My first impression was: "is small, light and thin." Everyone was well impressed with the quality of the screen.

I love how easy is to upload documents to the Kindle. With the 3G I can upload Amazon ebooks everywhere and when I want. They are at distance of 1 click and 15 seconds. No need for pre-upload all my ebooks to the Kindle. For my documents I can use the USB port and the Wifi connection (for free). The Amazon service for converting and upload documents means I can email the documents to my Kindle. This service is very good for doc and pdf documents. Another thing, is very nice that the services for converting Web pages offer to send by email the resulting document.

The Kindle is a good gadget for reading ebooks. The other formats like doc and pdf are very readable after conversion, if they don't depend on formating. The loudspeakers have a good sound and should be good enough for audio books

I have experimented my Kindle on the limits of is capabilities and I am well impressed. The screen is too small for reading PDF documents without conversion. But the screen have good detail (160 dpi) and you can try to read them, if you have good eyes, If not, the zoom and pan is your friend. The 600x800 resolution is too low for reading manga, japanese comics, specially because some of them have very small details.

The experimental web browser works in acceptable way with web sites with little or no graphics, like Linux Week News. The "Article Mode" makes the news sites more readable. It's a pity that the comments are not shown is this mode, at least with LWN. The experimental MP3 Player is very simple, good for background music. Not like a dedicated music player, the sound quality is good but not Hi-Fi.

There is an experimental image viewer that can show images of the most common formats, but sometimes it have problems refreshing the screen with the next image. It's good for showing pictures and if the screen was bigger it would be good enough for reading black and white comics or manga.

My surprise was with the wifi. I didn't check it's limitations and I was surprised because I couldn't connect to the eduroam network. The Kindle wifi don't work if "Wi-Fi network is an enterprise or peer-to-peer network" or "Wi-Fi network is not 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n (in b or g compatibility mode)".

In this two days I found that I like my Kindle, it works as expected if you forget the WiFi issue. I really believe that is easier to read in the Kindle than a real pocket book. The problems I found in reading manga or PDFs are what other people were saying. If the web browser was a little better. This Kindle 3G is a keep, the WiFi problems makes the extra money for the 3G worthwhile for me. My other wish is an updated Kindle DX with a lower price.

Things that I would like to do next:

• Try audio books
• Connect the output sound to an aux entry
• A way for converting a web site to an ebook document.
• Using latex for generating an ebook document.
• To make ebook documents from the intranet and other documents in heterogeneous formats.
• Exists more readable fonts, darker, than what comes with the Kindle?
• Try the hack for personalizing the screen savers.
• Try the hack for configuring eduroam network on the Kindle.

Useful links for people that have a Kindle, in Portuguese:

• Kindle Portugal
• Preço do Kindle em Portugal
• Livros em Português na Kindle Store da Amazon
• Pesquisar livros em Português no Kindle
• Comprar Kindle - Que Kindle 3 comprar? Versão 3G+Wi-Fi ou Versão Wi-Fi?
• Dúvidas sobre o acesso 3G em Portugal

Usefull links in English:

• 25 dicas essenciais sobre o Kindle
• O que pode fazer com o Kindle (para além do óbvio)
• Wiki about eBook readers
• Hidden features of Kindle
• Kindle page on Wikipedia
• Cut borders of the PDFs for easy reading on Kindle
• For reading Manga on a Kindle
• Early analysis of Amazon's Kindle DX: Overview
• Calibre, a good program for managing eBook files

Reading web pages offline

• Kindle extension for chrome
• Save Webpages for offline reading
• Instapaper

Monitoring a network or a group of servers using nagios have some problems. Receiving alarms by email or have a browser with a open page to the nagios site is an option that don't fit well in the work flow of some people.

Nagstatmon is a program that solves that problem. It opens a small window or icon on a taskbar of your desktop and show how many alarms are active. When an alarm triggers you can see where and what kind of alarm and easily open a connection for managing the equipment in fault.

This program is available in Debian testing (squeeze) but the package is compatible with Debian stable (v5.0, lenny).

The homepage for the software is http://nagstamon.sourceforge.net/