[18:49] <starcraftman> I know it's a lot of information to absorb, I hope you've found it helpful.
[18:49] <starcraftman> I have extra links I may not have mentioned on my outline as listed at the beginning. Click and browse them at your leisure.
[18:49] <starcraftman> I made it with 10 minutes to spare this time, guess I can handle some questions now if there are any.
[18:50] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: Is it possible to install packages for earlier versions of Ubuntu?
[18:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[18:51] <starcraftman> This is a bit outside the perview, you should see the package management one. It is generally not recommended to mix and match from different versions due to problems that can crop up. It isn't impossible though.
[18:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:01] <Pendulum> thanks starcraftman!
[19:02] <Pendulum> next up is _marx_ with Command Line Basics
[19:02] <Pendulum> Mark Cox lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has made his living as a carpenter since getting out of the Army in '85.  He has been using Linux since 1998. Mark has been using Ubuntu since 5.04.
[19:02] <Pendulum> He hopes to be unique by being the first Grandfather in recorded history to convert his grandsons to Ubuntu instead of the other way around. Mark's two oldest grandchildren were dazzled by "the cube" over the holidays.
[19:02] <_marx_> Thanks Pendulum
[19:03] <_marx_> Welcome everyone to Command Line Basics
[19:03] <_marx_> When we use the command line we are using a shell. In this context a shell is the most basic way a user can interact with a computer's operating system kernel.
[19:03] <_marx_> A shell is a piece of software. A unix type system can have many different shells installed.
[19:04] <_marx_> The user can choose which shell they use. Most GNU/Linux distributions use the Bourne Again SHell (bash) as the login shell.
[19:04] <_marx_> The again part is because the first iteration was called the Bourne SHell (sh).
[19:05] <_marx_> Now in the first UUD this next line sparked some comments
[19:05] <_marx_> Beginning with the 6.10 release Ubuntu began using dash (the Debian Almquist Shell) as the default system shell. The default login shell is still bash.
[19:06] <_marx_> For this session we don't need to be concerned with the differences between dash and bash.
[19:06] <_marx_> Today we will learn how to navigate the Linux file system, view the contents of a file, copy and rename files and directories, pipe output of one command to another, direct output to a file, install programs, navigate the internet all via the command line interface.
[19:07] <_marx_> For our exercises today I will be using the Gnome terminal.
[19:08] <_marx_> so I am assuming that you are using gnome. If you aren't just open a terminal or Konsole in KDE
[19:09] <_marx_> I want to make opening a terminal a click or two faster so click Applications > Accessories and drag Terminal into your top panel. I'm not real familiar with KDE and Xfce so maybe just drop the icon on the desktop to create a launcher.
[19:09] <_marx_> This creates a launcher that will start a terminal session without using the menu system.
[19:10] <_marx_> Now let's open a terminal session, just click the icon we just created in the top panel.
[19:10] <_marx_> Everyone have a terminal open now?
[19:11] <_marx_> I'm going to try to remember to wrap all my command examples with quotes around them so just type whatever is inside the single quote marks.
[19:12] <_marx_> Let's type our first command: 'whoami'.
[19:13] <_marx_> Well now you know who you are!
[19:14] <_marx_> That was an informative command, no?
[19:14] <_marx_> So where are we? Let's use print working directory to find out; 'pwd'.
[19:15] <_marx_> the concept of "where am I" is an important basic unix concept
[19:16] <_marx_> Next let's see what files are here. To do this we'll list the contents with the list command; ls is list so type "ls".
[19:17] <_marx_> eviltux, 'hostname'
[19:18] <_marx_> I realize -chat isn't being logged but what just transpired there illustrates another important concept.
[19:18] <_marx_> There always more than one way.
[19:19] <_marx_> This will list the files in our current directory.
[19:19] <_marx_> notice i said directory
[19:19] <_marx_> Ah, if you are moving from a GUI oriented operating system a directory is the same thing as a folder.
[19:20] <_marx_> To list all the files and directories that are here type "ls -a" The -a means all.
[19:20] <_marx_> Interesting eh? You should see a bunch of files and directories with a "." in front of them.
[19:21] <_marx_> These are called "dot files" or hidden files. Some are files and some are directories.
[19:22] <_marx_> The -a addition is an option or flag for the ls command. Another is -l.
[19:23] <_marx_> Let's try typing 'ls -l'.
[19:23] <_marx_> This outputs a long listing which includes file permissions, owner and group, size and date accessed.
[19:24] <_marx_> Now we can put two or more options together like 'ls -al'
[19:24] <_marx_> or 'ls -alh'
[19:24] <_marx_> the -h option makes the file size output more Human readable
[19:25] <_marx_> Next we will move around the file system.
[19:25] <_marx_> To move around the file system we use the cd command.
[19:25] <_marx_> This command means change directory.
[19:26] <_marx_> Everyone type 'cd /'
[19:27] <_marx_> So where are we now? Well we are in the root of the Linux file system.
[19:27] <_marx_> But exactly where are we? Let us use the pwd command to find out. Type 'pwd' to print working directory.
[19:28] <_marx_> Well that just shows "/" so what is here? Let's type "ls" to find out.
[19:28] <_marx_> Questions on ls, cd or pwd?
[19:29] <_marx_> date
[19:30] <_marx_> Okay let's go look at something interesting here. 'cd etc/init.d'
[19:31] <_marx_> how many got a file not found error?
[19:32] <_marx_> bash: cd: etc/init.d: No such file or directory
[19:32] <_marx_> if you get that error you weren't in / when you did cd etc/init.d
[19:33] <_marx_> Now let's get the heck out of here as this is all the startup scripts for your system.
[19:33] <_marx_> not a good place to play around
[19:34] <_marx_> Just type "cd" By default that will take you back to your home directory. Do a "pwd" to confirm.
[19:35] <_marx_> To simply view the contents of a file we can use less, more or cat, which dumps the content to standard output.
[19:35] <_marx_> Since we are now in our home directories we'll have to use the full path to a file in /etc to view it so let's try 'less /etc/init.d/gdm'
[19:36] <_marx_> We should now all be looking at the gnome display manager startup script.
 QUESTION: Can't we do: cat file.txt | less?
[19:37] <_marx_> yes but that's redundant
[19:38] <_marx_> and less will let you move up and down in the file with up and down arrow keys
[19:38] <_marx_> Use "q" to exit less.
[19:41] <_marx_> We're not going to get into editing something like this today as it is way beyond the perview of basic command line.
[19:42] <_marx_> So let's move on to copying and renaming files.
[19:42] <_marx_> Everybody go home with 'cd'
[19:42] <ClassBot> suprengr asked: did someone remember to tell new users 'paste' is SHIFT Ctrl-V
[19:43] <_marx_> now classbot kicks in :\
[19:43] <_marx_> click the center button, or wheel or left and right at the same time
[19:44] <_marx_> Let's make a directory to store our practice excercises "mkdir stuff" or whatever you would like to name it.
[19:44] <_marx_> mkdir means make directory
[19:45] <_marx_> List your home again and that directory should be there; now cd into it with 'cd stuff'
[19:47] <_marx_> now there are of course several ways to create a file
[19:48] <_marx_> perhaps the most basic is 'touch'
[19:48] <_marx_> 'touch testfile' in /home/username/stuff
[19:49] <_marx_> other ways include using an editor, example 'vim testfile' would create testfile and open it in the worlds best text editor
[19:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:52] <_marx_> Questions?
[19:53] <ClassBot> libeviltux-dev asked: what would happen If I did this: echo "stuff" > testfile; tail testfile >> testfile
[19:53] <_marx_> !q
[19:53] <_marx_> oops
[19:54] <_marx_> libeviltux-dev, you should have a file contaning two lines stuff and stuff
[19:55] <_marx_> try it and see!
[19:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:58] <_marx_> i'm going to refill my mug before the next session starts, brb < 1 minute
[20:01] <_marx_> who else is lazy?
[20:01] <_marx_> my picture is in Websters beside lazy
[20:02] <_marx_> so typing ls -alh is too much sometimes
[20:02] <_marx_> yeah i'm that lazy ;)
[20:03] <_marx_> bash has a handy feature called aliases
[20:04] <_marx_> to see what aliases you have now do 'alias'
[20:04] <_marx_> this will output all your aliases
[20:05] <_marx_> mine looks like this...
[20:05] <_marx_> mark@spinach:~$ alias
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ..='cd ..'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias a='ls -a'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias l='ls'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias la='ls -alh'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ll='ls -lh'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ls='ls --color=auto'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ping='ping -c5'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias sagud='sudo apt-get update'
[20:05] <_marx_> the last one i'd forgotten about
[20:06] <_marx_> and those have been customized so they won't be what you'll get on a stock installation
[20:07] <_marx_> creating an alias is easy
[20:08] <_marx_> df is a handy command (disk free); it shows the available space on your hard drive(s)
[20:08] <_marx_> but it's output isn't very Human readable
[20:09] <_marx_> so df -h makes nicer output
[20:09] <_marx_> to create an alias for this do 'alias df='df -h''
[20:10] <_marx_> now this alias will NOT be there when you log in again
[20:10] <_marx_> or just open another terminal and it won't work
[20:12] <_marx_> to make it persistent we have to edit our .bashrc file
[20:12] <_marx_> again this is just one way
[20:12] <_marx_> some distros have a .bash_aliases file
[20:13] <_marx_> go home (cd)
[20:13] <_marx_> and let's edit .bashrc
[20:13] <_marx_> open it with an editor, preferably a cli editor since this is command line basics
[20:14] <_marx_> example from /home/you 'vim .bashrc'
[20:16] <_marx_> move down the file with the arrow keys to the alias section
[20:16] <_marx_> in vim pres "i" to enter insert mode
[20:17] <_marx_> add alias df='df -h'
[20:17] <_marx_> press esc (escape key) to exit insert mode
[20:17] <_marx_> then :wq or :x to save and quit
[20:18] <_marx_> now open a new terminal and try the df command
[20:19] <_marx_> hum my example doesn't include source...
[20:20] <_marx_> if you add an alias to ~/.bashrc bash will not know about the new alias until you login again or source ~/.bashrc
[20:21] <_marx_> sourcing that file is done by 'source ~/.bashrc'
[20:22] <_marx_> okay where am i...
[20:22] <_marx_> file manager for command line only environment
[20:23] <_marx_> midnight commander rocks for this task
[20:23] <_marx_> it is not installed by default
[20:23] <_marx_> so to give it a test run we'll need to install it
[20:24] <_marx_> the package name is mc so 'sudo apt-get install mc'
[20:25] <_marx_> okay that was long enough for me to install it from a rather fast mirror
[20:26] <ClassBot> libssd asked: Docs for Terminal Enhancements?
[20:26] <_marx_> no clue libssd
[20:26] <ClassBot> libssd asked: Re Terminal Enhancements. After sudo su, I should be root, but still get "You need to be root before going on"
[20:26] <_marx_> what the heck if you don't know you don't know
[20:27] <_marx_> again i'm not sure libssd I'd guess you need to set roots password
[20:27] <_marx_> that is a guess as i'm not familiar with terminal enhancements
[20:29] <_marx_> to start midnight commander just type 'mc'
[20:30] <_marx_> mc uses the function keys to do various tasks
[20:31] <_marx_> F4 will open and editor
[20:31] <_marx_> the up and down arrow keys work as expected, moving up and down the list of files and directories
[20:32] <_marx_> left and right arrow keys a little different, they will move you up and down the directory structure
[20:33] <_marx_> so if we move down to that directory we made last hour "stuff"
[20:34] <_marx_> when it's highlighted the right arrow key will enter that directory
 QUESTION: How do you rename a file without MC?
[20:35] <_marx_> mv (move) will rename a file
[20:35] <_marx_> in mc F6 will open a dialog to rename/move a file
[20:36] <_marx_> Questions?
[20:40] <_marx_> should note here that mc can do sftp and ftp as well
[20:40] <_marx_> although i seldom use that feature
[20:42] <_marx_> okay how about a command line web browser
[20:42] <_marx_> two come to mind lynx and links
[20:42] <_marx_> i believe lynx is the older of those two
[20:43] <_marx_> so let's try that one; 'sudo apt-get install lynx'
[20:45] <_marx_> QUESTION: Any other way to play a file beside aplay?
[20:46] <_marx_> oh many...but my old brain
[20:48] <_marx_> mplayer is one...
[20:48] <_marx_> sox another
[20:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[20:50] <_marx_> Questions? I'm out of script ask away yall
[20:52] <_marx_> There is a survey for todays event at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[20:53] <_marx_> please take a few minutes to give us your feedback
[20:53] <_marx_> JFo, is in the house!
[20:54] <JFo> o/
[20:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:00] <_marx_> Jeremy Foshee is a part of the Ubuntu Kernel team.  He's the reason why the cam you bought from ebay is working.
[21:01] <_marx_> He figures out what's wrong when you hit a kernel bug and makes sure the right people hear about it to get it fixed.
[21:01] <JFo> hahaha
[21:01] <JFo> :)
[21:01] <_marx_> When he's not working on fixing up the kernel, he's started studying bass guitar.
[21:01] <JFo> only just started :)
[21:01] <_marx_> He also lives in the same state as I; North Carolina
[21:01] <_marx_> er me
[21:02] <JFo> Hi Folks, my name is Jeremy Foshee and I am the Kernel Bug Triager for the Ubuntu Kernel Team.
[21:02] <_marx_> grammar nazi
[21:02] <JFo> basically what that means is, I handle the thousands of bugs that are currently active for the kernel package in Ubuntu
[21:02] <JFo> there are several things I hope to accomplish for you all today.
[21:03] <JFo> 1) give a brief idea what the kernel is and why you need it (as the title of the class suggests :-) )
[21:03] <JFo> 2) explain how the team works and how we are a bit different from the kernel upstream
[21:04] <JFo> and 3) show you how you can participate in the kernel community both as a bug reporter and as a triager or community tester
[21:04] <JFo> now then, let's begin shall we?
[21:04] <JFo> The kernel has been likened to a traffic cop in a computer
[21:05] <JFo> it is the but responsible for communications between software you have installed (like rhythmbox)
[21:05] <JFo> and the hardware (like your CD player)
[21:06] <JFo> in this case, the kernel loads a driver so that it can speak your CD players language as it hands it commands from Rhythmbox
[21:06] <JFo> so drivers become something of a tool the kernel uses to speak to various different hardware
[21:06] <JFo> as you can imagine, there are a number of things that can go wrong due to older kernels and newer drivers
[21:07] <JFo> or old drivers on new kernels
[21:07] <JFo> or even the wrong driver for a particular piece of hardware
[21:08] <JFo> having said that, I want to take a moment and describe a new policy that the kernel team has developed to help us further identify the causes of issues and to get them resolved
[21:08] <JFo> this is the 'no duplicates' policy
[21:08] <JFo> in general terms, we have found that
[21:08] <JFo> there are a great many of our bugs that seem related on the surface
[21:08] <JFo> however, upon resolving a bug for one reporter
[21:09] <JFo> we have found that there were many that were not solved due to slightly different chipsets
[21:09] <JFo> so the Kernel Manager, Pete Graner, made the determination that duplicate bugs could potentially hide similar issues.
[21:10] <JFo> now what this means for you and all of your colleagues using ubuntu, is that any bug you encounter related to the kernel should be filed by you.
[21:10] <JFo> even if you find a bug that looks exactly the same. :)
[21:11] <JFo> I know that this seems contrary to common sense, but I assure you that this will help us immeasurably
[21:11] <JFo> any questions for me so far?
[21:11] <JFo> ok, I'll keep going :)
[21:12] <JFo> as some of you may be aware, there is an upstream for the Ubuntu kernel
[21:12] <JFo> this is the kernel team headed up by Linus Torvalds
[21:12] <JFo> there are other team members such as Ted T'so and Greg Kroah-Hartman, but Linus is the keeper of the master tree
[21:13] <JFo> The interaction between the ubuntu Kernel team and our upstream is such that we do a great deal of what we call 'rebasing' from the stable tree as managed by Greg K-H
[21:14] <JFo> we do this for a number of reasons, several being: To keep the kernel we use as close to the upstream kernel as possible so that we benefit from corrections in the code
[21:14] <JFo> as well as security updates and hardware support
[21:14] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: How would someone who is a beginner (uhh... me) know when to file a bug as a kernel bug?
[21:15] <JFo> great question!
[21:15] <JFo> the answer is a bit harder to give
[21:15] <JFo> in some cases you won't know
[21:15] <JFo> generally, if some software you are using fails, you would file it for that and when the maintainers of that software determined it was a kernel issue, they would reassign
[21:16] <JFo> however we are also working to help identify when there is a kernel issue
[21:16] <JFo> you will on occasion see a dialog that tells you there was a serious kernel problem
[21:16] <JFo> in these cases you are given the opportunity to file a bug
[21:17] <JFo> there are quite a lot of bugs that get filed for other packages and then sent to me
[21:17] <JFo> so don't worry too much if you think you are doing something wrong, someone will always be around to help
[21:18] <JFo> the kernel team itself works in a FreeNode channel. The #ubuntu-kernel channel
[21:18] <JFo> so if you think you have  a kernel bug, you can ask in there for verification
[21:18] <JFo> the folks on the team are always glad to help :)
[21:18] <ClassBot> maco asked: when hardware is being stupid, should we file against the linux package and then let someone more knowledgeable in the ways of the kernel (*cough*you*cough*) sort out whether it's really hal's or pulseaudio's or whatever's fault?
[21:19] <JFo> sure, but keep in mind that I am managing literally thousands of bugs
[21:19] <JFo> so in most cases it is best to file for what you think it is versus just the kernel package :)
[21:20] <JFo> it is always (sadly) easier for other bug supervisors to redirect than it has been for me to do so historically
[21:21] <JFo> we have beaten back the sheer number of bugs in the recent past and I have some things happening that I cannot share yet that will help immensely
[21:21] <JFo> but there is still much to do :)
[21:21] <JFo> I'd like to take a moment and chat about the team
[21:22] <JFo> historically, the linux kernel has been a scary place for non-developers or those hoping to gain insight of the inner workings of the linux kernel
[21:22] <JFo> I can tell you from experience, there should be nothing scary about the Ubuntu Kernel Team
[21:23] <JFo> they are some of the smartest and nicest people I have had the priviledge of working with
[21:23] <JFo> understand, they are very busy, but I have never seen one of them look down on anyone or act in an angry manner to someone who was asking a question or trying to understand
[21:24] <JFo> I have learned more from them since I have been here than in my years of reading and understanding the inner kernel workings
[21:24] <JFo> so, moving on again :)
[21:25] <JFo> The Ubuntu Kernel Team is different from our upstream in that we are 'Distribution Focused'
[21:26] <JFo> this means that we are tasked with providing the most stable kernel possible every 6 months for a release of Ubuntu
[21:26] <JFo> this also has an unfortunate side-effect of keeping us from working on very many bugs in the upstream kernel
[21:27] <JFo> our feedback to upstream has been improving and we have made several major contributions to the upstream kernel, just not as many as the team would like to :)
[21:28] <JFo> there is an ongoing plan to increase what we give back to the upstream maintainers
[21:28] <JFo> so that should continue to improve
[21:28] <JFo> the important designation here is that, in most cases, our bugs appear to go stale from a reporter perspective
[21:29] <JFo> this is not an indication that there is not any work going on to address these issues
[21:29] <JFo> simply that there is not enough opportunity to keep many of them up to date
[21:29] <JFo> this is why you often see me asking for testing updates of issues I know have seen work when it appears that there has been nothing in the comments of the bug itself
[21:30] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: I caught myself thinking about that very thing, Ubuntu's release schedule may very well stunt its growth. Too many releases forcing too much maintenance of already superseded software.
[21:30] <JFo> sadly, I can't comment on the release schedule as it is outside my influence
[21:30] <JFo> what I will say is that the 6 month release schedule gives us the opportunity to update kernels without heavy handed changes to userspace
[21:31] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: Would you prefer a more spaced out release schedule then?
[21:31] <JFo> I actually don't have an opinion there, as odd as that may sound :)
[21:31] <JFo> I find that we get a great deal accomplished in the time we have
[21:32] <JFo> but any change for less time or more would really make no difference to the team as it stands
[21:32] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: Sorry... what is userspace?
[21:32] <JFo> great questions Marceau68 :)
[21:32] <JFo> so, in the kernel there are 2 types of permissions and execution space
[21:32] <JFo> userspace and kernelspace
[21:33] <JFo> this is mainly to provide a deeper level of security within the kernel
[21:33] <JFo> especially as it relates to code execution
[21:34] <JFo> as for a deeper understanding, that will have to wait until my planned triager summit, which I will chat about toward the end of the session :)
[21:34] <JFo> so to conclude this point, we are very different currently than the upstream kernel maintainers
[21:35] <JFo> but in some ways we are growing closer
[21:35] <JFo> as mentioned in the upstream fixes we work on
[21:36] <JFo> now then, I'd like to take most of this session to discuss how you can participate in the kernel community
[21:36] <JFo> I'd also like to chat about some things I have coming up that should help you all participate with your LoCo teams in your areas
[21:37] <JFo> I'll also give you some wiki addresses so that you can research these topics more :)
[21:37] <JFo> As I stated earlier, there is no beginning knowledge level of kernel internals in order to help the team and myself
[21:38] <JFo> we are always looking for more triagers as well as kernel testers and even patch writers, so you see there are all levels that can be attained as you move through your career or even hobby if that is what Ubuntu is for you. :)
[21:39] <JFo> the first place you can look, if you want a deeper knowledge of the type of bugs that get filed against the kernel is in our wiki
[21:39] <JFo> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel
[21:40] <JFo> one of our current goals for the Maverick development cycle is to update all our wiki information, so keep in mind that these pages are being updated :)
[21:40] <JFo> kernel bug triage information can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/BugTriage
[21:41] <JFo> there is a wealth of information on these pages
[21:41] <JFo> as well as our processes for doing things
[21:41] <JFo> if you were interested in how the team works, these are the places to go
[21:41] <JFo> This is another area in which to contribute
[21:42] <JFo> if you see sentence errors or grammar, feel free to edit them :)
[21:42] <JFo> I have also been working on a LiveISO testing image that we will hopefully be releasing this cycle
[21:43] <JFo> it contains a small test suite that can run through a number of kernel tests.
[21:43] <JFo> I'll be demoing that once it is ready :)
[21:43] <JFo> It will be built from the daily Live ISO, so you will get the most up-to-date bits every day.
[21:44] <JFo> the main reason we have yet to release it is due to the late inclusion of a firmware test suite that will enable us to identify bugs in BIOS
[21:44] <JFo> as well as issues with firmware in general
[21:45] <JFo> this will be a great tool to help us move forward with BIoS vendors in getting fixes to their hardware as needed
[21:45] <JFo> once that is in place the ISOs should start building and we can get to the hardcore testing :)
[21:45] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: How big a part of what is Ubuntu does the kernel represent? Is it the kernel - Filesystem - gnome - additional applications?
[21:46] <JFo> it is a very large part
[21:46] <JFo> without it there could be no Ubuntu
[21:46] <JFo> the kernel is the core of any OS
[21:46] <JFo> Microsoft has a kernel itself
[21:47] <JFo> it is the key to dealing with the multitude of possible hardware combinations in the wild
[21:48] <JFo> without that problem, I am certain that the kernel would be a much much smaller item :)
[21:48] <ClassBot> yo2boy_ asked: What happens during a Kernel Panic?
[21:48] <JFo> great question yo2boy_
[21:48] <JFo> it depends on what has caused the kernel to panic :)
[21:49] <JFo> most times the kernel will give us a log of what was happening when it panicked
[21:49] <JFo> barring that, we can see in the dmesg logs what was happening immediately prior to the panic'
[21:49] <JFo> in most cases it is due to the kernel receiving input that was not what it expected
[21:50] <ClassBot> tagpaul_ asked: What scheme does Linux use for the memory management in userspace? Is there any code for setting up what page is currently loaded to try and avoid page faults?
[21:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:51] <JFo> tagpaul_ great question, and one that i am afraid falls outside my knowledge :)
[21:51] <JFo> for that I'd have to defer to one of the team
[21:51] <JFo> as I am under the impression that it sometimes changes between kernels
[21:51] <JFo> but don't quote me on that :-D
[21:52] <ClassBot> MrSpring asked: thought of adding "don't panic Mr. Mannering" to kernelcode ;)
[21:52] <JFo> hahahaha
[21:52] <JFo> nice
[21:52] <JFo> any other questions?
[21:53] <JFo> have I thoroughly confused you all? :)
[21:53] <JFo> for anything else you all may have, I am always available in the #ubuntu-kernel channel on this server :)
[21:54] <JFo> and I am always glad to help :-D
[21:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:55] <ClassBot> ech0tk asked: So to sum up, the Kernel is somewhat inbetween HAL and API?
[21:55] <JFo> not necessarily ech0tk
[21:55] <JFo> hal was a part of the kernel
[21:56] <JFo> it's responsibilities were moved to a different tool
[21:56] <JFo> but yes, the kernel is like a huge API
[21:57] <JFo> thanks for all the great questions
[21:57] <JFo> if you are interested in a bit deeper chat
[21:57] <JFo> I'll be givving a session on Wednesday afternoon for Ubuntu Developer week
[21:57] <JFo> this coming wednesday
[21:58] <JFo> thanks everyone :)
[22:01] <pleia2> Thanks JFo!
[22:01] <pleia2> Just a quick reminder to folks that we have a survey for the day, once the day wraps up or you head out if you could take a moment to fill it out it'll help us make the next User Days even better :)
[22:02] <pleia2> http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[22:02] <pleia2> Now for our next session!
[22:02] <pleia2> Penelope Stowe is co-leader of the Ubuntu Accessibility Team and member of the User Days Team. Penelope enjoys reading fantasy and sci fi novels, and is currently learning how to crochet. She's also active in Ubuntu Women and the Ubuntu NGO team.
[22:03] <Pendulum> Hiya, as pleia2 said, I'm the co-leader of the Ubuntu Accessibility Team. My counterpart is Luke Yelavich (TheMuso for those of you more used to IRC).
[22:03] <Pendulum> I focus on the outreach and documentation side of the team, while he runs the development side.
[22:04] <Pendulum> This session isn't a how-to guide and won't go into a huge amount of detail into any one program.
[22:04] <Pendulum> Instead, it should give you an overview of what's availible for accessibility tools in Ubuntu.
[22:04] <Pendulum> I'll also give you some resources for where you can get help and find more information.
[22:04] <Pendulum> This session will focus on GNOME-based accessibility features. GNOME has used at-spi as it's accessibility toolkit. Right now it is switching to Dbus/at-spi2.
[22:05] <Pendulum> I am also focusing on programs that can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center in Lucid.
[22:05] <Pendulum> This means there are programs that may have worked in older versions of Ubuntu, which aren't currently there.
[22:05] <Pendulum> I'll also talk a little bit about a couple derivatives of Ubuntu which focus on accessibility features.
[22:06] <Pendulum> Before I talk about specific programs, I want to talk about the Assistive Technologies menu, which can be found in System->Preferences -> Assistive Technology.
[22:06] <Pendulum> This menu is where you can select your preferred accessibility programs and enable assistive technologies.
[22:07] <Pendulum> You can use this menu to specify things such as how long to accept as a keypress, how to prevent accidental double clicking, and how quickly to respond to key presses.
[22:08] <Pendulum> It's also useful for turning off and on sticky keys or specifying keystrokes to stand in for things you'd normally do with a mouse.
[22:08] <Pendulum> This is also the menu you use to specify which programs you want for an alternate keyboard or as a screen reader.
[22:09] <Pendulum> Okay, before I start talking about programs, are there any questions on the Assistive Technology menu?
[22:10] <Pendulum> moving on
[22:10] <Pendulum> The first set of programs I'm talking about are the text-to-speech programs.
[22:11] <Pendulum> The most popular of these is the Orca, although it isn't strictly a screen reader, as it has other capabilities
[22:11] <Pendulum> Orca includes a screen reader, magnification capabilities, and braille capabilities, so it is more than text-to-speech, however most people when you say Orca think of it as a screen reader.
[22:13] <Pendulum> Orca was developed by the Accessibility department at Sun Microsystems, however, with the aquisition of Sun by Oracle, it has moved to community-development only.
[22:13] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: I have had Ocra open a few times in the past,  wanting to set up a screen reader, since I like to play with text to speech sometimes on the computer, but I have never understood how to set up and use Ocra properly, so how?
[22:14] <Pendulum> I hate to say it, but I don't know. I've never actually tried setting up Orca.
[22:15] <Pendulum> (I don't need a screen reader and while it's on my "list of things to play with", I've not gotten there yet)
[22:16] <Pendulum> and it looks like AlanBell has given one of my suggestions for getting help with that (I'll also cover towards the end resources for help)
[22:16] <Pendulum> Orca can work with programs that include the at-spi toolkit including the GNOME desktop, Firefox, OpenOffice, and many others.
[22:16] <Pendulum> More information about Orca can be found at http://live.gnome.org/Orca
[22:16] <Pendulum> And, yes, it is named after the animal in the tradition of screen readers being named after aquatic animals. (The most well known is JAWS for Windows)
[22:17] <Pendulum> Okay, any other questions about Orca?
[22:18] <Pendulum> Another text-to-speech program is eSpeak. eSpeak is command line based.
[22:18] <Pendulum> It supports quite a few different languages.
[22:18] <Pendulum> There are several different versions of eSpeak including one specific to emacs.
[22:19] <Pendulum> More information can be found at http://espeak.sourceforge.net/
[22:19] <Pendulum> These are the two main text-to-speech/screen reader options in the Software Center
[22:20] <Pendulum> Are there any questions about espeak or other questions about text-to-speech in Ubuntu?
[22:21] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: does the Ubuntu installer support text-to-speech for installs?
[22:21] <Pendulum> It has at a couple points and I'm a little unclear of how well it worked in Lucid (seemed to work okay for some people and not at all for others)
[22:22] <Pendulum> it was activated by a function key
[22:22] <Pendulum> IIRC
[22:23] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Is Windows really better than Desktop GNU/Linux for accessibility? Seems so, from someone that has used Gentoo that I  have IRC'd with in the past.  Plus how festival seems to be like Ocra, what is meant to be done with that?
[22:24] <Pendulum> There are things that Windows and MacOS have that we don't yet (a well working voice regonition program is one of them)
[22:24] <Pendulum> On the other hand, I've been told that these days Orca is just about as good as JAWS
[22:26] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: The Gentoo user was blind,  and this is not really a question.
[22:26] <Pendulum> There are a few programs, espeak is one of them, that I'll mention today that do also have Windows and/or MacOS versions
[22:26] <Pendulum> any more text to speech questions?
[22:27] <ClassBot> AlanBell asked: is there anything programmers should do to make their applications friendlier to orca?
[22:28] <Pendulum> The biggest thing for desktop applications is to make sure your application can intigrate with at-spi2/Dbus
[22:28] <Pendulum> that's the toolkit that allows the application interface with the assistive technology
[22:28] <Pendulum> (that's a pretty good way of making sure your application plays nicely with most assistive technology in GNOME)
[22:29] <Pendulum> any more questions before I move on?
[22:30] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: are there any assistive technologies for people with learning/developmental difficulties?
[22:31] <Pendulum> Within GNOME I don't know of any that are specifically aimed as such, however, I know that Orca and some of the other programs are used by people with learning/developmental disabilities
[22:32] <Pendulum> One thing that happens in the open source world is that other that specific hardware needs (such as integration with braile keyboards or USB switches), things are developed towards what the software needs to do, not why the person needs that software
[22:33] <Pendulum> okay, moving on from text-to-speech, I'm going to quickly cover magnification software
[22:34] <Pendulum> The two bits of magnification software commonly found in Ubuntu are gnome-mag and the magnification part of Orca
[22:35] <Pendulum> and that's about all I have there :P
[22:35] <Pendulum> Next I want to talk about alternate keyboards.
[22:36] <Pendulum> These are programs which can be used to replace or augment a traditional keyboard. They usually directly interface with the mouse however the mouse may be controlled.
[22:36] <Pendulum> The built-in alternate keyboard for Ubuntu is onBoard.
[22:36] <Pendulum> It's a basic on screen keyboard.
[22:37] <Pendulum> It includes everything except the function keys from a regular keyboard
[22:37] <Pendulum> You click on the key or a sequence of keys and it inputs directly into whatever program you're working on
[22:38] <Pendulum> Not only useful as assistive technology, it's rather useful for people using Ubuntu on a tablet
[22:38] <Pendulum> (in fact, I find onBoard tedious to use with a mouse, but would probably be fine with it as a tablet)
[22:39] <Pendulum> The other well known option for alternate keyboard capabilities is Dasher
[22:39] <Pendulum> Which, for those of you who know me, I promise not to wax poetically about for the next 20 minutes ;-)
[22:40] <Pendulum> Dasher, rather than having a keyboard set-up, is mouse controlled by hovering the mouse over the letters on the screen
[22:41] <Pendulum> It also has predicitve text capabilities, which can be quite useful
[22:42] <Pendulum> If you run Dasher from the Applications menu in Ubuntu, it prints the characters in its own text editor and you can copy and paste into other programs
[22:42] <Pendulum> From the command line you can run " dasher -a direct " which allows direct input into other programs
[22:43] <Pendulum> that said, direct input can be buggy and with GNOME's move to Dbus/at-spi2 this functionality may go away until Dasher encorperates this into its code
[22:43] <Pendulum> There are also Windows and MacOS X versions of Dasher.
[22:44] <Pendulum> For more information (including video and a way to try without downloading) you can go to http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
[22:44] <Pendulum> Any questions about Alternate keyboards?
[22:45] <Pendulum> Okay, I'm going to move on as I'm a little worried about running out of time
[22:45] <Pendulum> There are two programs in Ubuntu that help with alternate mouse controls
[22:45] <Pendulum> MouseTrap allows headtracking using a webcam to control your mouse
[22:46] <Pendulum> MouseTweaks works with the Assistive Technologies menu to give the ability to allow the mouse to "click" even if the mouse user can't actually make the motion that allows a mouse to click normally
[22:48] <Pendulum> And now the topic that everyone asks about (and is one of the things that got me involved with the accessibility team): Voice Recognition software
[22:48] <Pendulum> The short answer is that there are hacks and there are programs that sort of work, but there aren't great results for voice recognition in Ubuntu
[22:48] <Pendulum> The only voice recognition software in the Software Center is Julius
[22:49] <Pendulum> (and it's not listed in the assistive technology section so you have to search for it and know it's there)
[22:49] <Pendulum> Julius was originally developed in Japanese and is being ported to English
[22:49] <Pendulum> Unfortunately, as it's not finished software, the documentation is lacking
[22:50] <Pendulum> I've spent several hours trying to figure out how to make it work in the last couple days with no success
[22:50] <Pendulum> The other thing which has worked for some Ubuntu users is to run Dragon Natural Speaking under Wine
[22:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[22:50] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Why isn't it where people are going to look for such a program, in the Software Centre?
[22:51] <Pendulum> I wish I knew. I'm going to file a bug on that once I figure out who to direct it to :-)
[22:52] <Pendulum> Any other voice recognition questions?
[22:53] <Pendulum> Okay, those are the major groups of accessibility programs and what's availible in Ubuntu
[22:53] <Pendulum> now I want to talk quickly about Ubuntu derivatives which focus on accessibility (or have some relevence)
[22:53] <Pendulum> probably the biggest of these at the moment is Vinux
[22:54] <Pendulum> Originally started to be optimised for blind and visually impaired users, as of this cycle all possible accessiblity additions or changes are going to be tested in Vinux first
[22:55] <Pendulum> for more information: http://vinux.org.uk/
[22:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[22:55] <Pendulum> Another one that's being talked about in the GNOME community quite a bit at the moment is Guadelinux- a11y edition
[22:56] <Pendulum> This is a Spanish-language derivative and the a11y edition will have its first release in November
[22:56] <Pendulum> Finally, we have Qimo4kids, which mhall119 developed partially as a way to create something that would be easy for kids with developmental disabilities to use
[22:57] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: are there any assistive technologies for the deaf?  To let them know about sounds being played, for example?
[22:57] <Pendulum> no, and from talking to Deaf friends, they don't generally see the need as most sound alerts can be set to be visual alerts instead or as well
[22:58] <Pendulum> okay really quickly, where to get help:
[22:58] <Pendulum> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Accessibility
[22:58] <Pendulum> http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility (out of date in process of updating)
[22:58] <Pendulum> The Accessibility section of Ubuntu Forums
[22:58] <Pendulum> #ubuntu-accessibility
[22:58] <Pendulum><EMAIL_ADDRESS>[22:59] <Pendulum> also, the ubuntu accessibility team is http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Team
[22:59] <Pendulum> The Gnome A11y team is also often useful<EMAIL_ADDRESS>& http://projects.gnome.org/accessibility/
[23:00] <Pendulum> Finally, the Accessibility team is kicking off a survey of computer users with disabilities to see what their needs are and so we can create personas to give to developers to develop to "people" not just nebulous ideas of accessibility
[23:00] <Pendulum> Ubuntu Accessibility Team survey: http://access.libertus.co.uk/ (anonymous version) and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Personas/Survey (wiki version to be e-mailed)
[23:00] <Pendulum> please pass it around!
[23:00] <pleia2> Thanks Pendulum! :D
[23:00] <pleia2> Another reminder: We have a poll about the day to collect feedback, so please fill it out after the day when you have a chance so we know how to make things better :) http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[23:01] <pleia2> Next up we have IdleOne to talk about Using IRC
[23:01] <pleia2> John Chiazzese is a member of the Ubuntu IRC team, the Quebec LoCo and has helped with translations projects, plus he's got an Ubuntu Tattoo!
[23:01] <IdleOne> Thank you pleia2 :)
[23:01] <IdleOne> What no link to my tattoo? :P
[23:01] <IdleOne> Hi! My name is John Chiazzese. I am an Ubuntu member and OP in #ubuntu. This is the first User days session I have ever done. Hold on to your hats and please prefix any questions with QUESTION:
[23:01] <IdleOne> I'll try to answer as many as I can. This session is going to be a basic intro to IRC.
[23:02] <IdleOne> So lets start with what freenode is
[23:02] <IdleOne> - freenode provides discussion facilities for the Free and Open Source Software communities, for not-for-profit organizations and for related communities and organizations such as Ubuntu, If you want to read more about Freenode see http://freenode.net/faq.shtml.
[23:03] <IdleOne> Basically that means freenode is here to help us help you to help us :)
[23:03] <IdleOne> On IRC a chat room is called a channel, they are usually descriptive names of what the room is used for. #ubuntu for example is the Ubuntu support channel. There are a ton of ubuntu irc channels you can see a list @ https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList
[23:04] <IdleOne> How do I join a channel?
[23:04] <IdleOne> To join a channel you would issue the /join command: "/join #ubuntu" without the quotes will open up a new tab (provided you are using a GUI client).
[23:05] <IdleOne> A list of IRC clients can be found here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat#IRC Clients
[23:05] <IdleOne> freenode also offers a webchat client http://webchat.freenode.net/ if you rather not install a dedicated IRC client.
[23:06] <IdleOne> Open up the Software Center and search for IRC and it should list a few different clients you can install.
[23:06] <IdleOne> Most if not all channels will have a Topic set. Usually they include important information about the channel, links to wiki pages and such. it is very IMPORTANT  to read these topics
[23:07] <IdleOne> When you join a channel, a lot of times a new user will enter a  channel and start chatting away and get themself kicked or banned because they asked the wrong question or started talking about a topic that was not relevant to the channel
[23:08] <IdleOne> In ubuntu IRC channels we try to direct the user to the proper channel.
[23:08] <IdleOne> There are rules in EVERY channel, these rules are set by the channel staff or OPS short for Operators. Just because #channelX allows you to do something does not mean that #channelY does. READ THE TOPIC!
[23:09] <IdleOne> ubuntu IRC channels have a set of guidelines that we ask all user to follow. You can read them @ http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Guidelines
[23:10] <IdleOne> Ok, there are some basic channel/user modes I am going to tell you about. I am not going to cover every possible mode. I don't know them all myself
[23:11] <IdleOne> +v or voiced is a mode that is set on a user when they join a channel, it is normally used in conjunction with the +m or moderated mode that is set on the channel.
[23:11] <IdleOne> #channelX is set to +m all user who join the channel need to be set to +v or you will be unable to send messages to the channel.
[23:12] <IdleOne> in a case like the above one there is usually a bot or robot that does this automatically and the user doesn't have to do anything
[23:12] <IdleOne> +o or operator is used by channel staff so that they can manage the channel, set topic, channel modes such as +m, you can recognize a +o by the @ in front of their nickname.
[23:13] <IdleOne> Xchat uses a green dot to identify the user as +o, yellow dot is +v, if you don't have a dot next to your nick you are dotless :P.
[23:14] <IdleOne> On freenode it is recommended that OPS don't keep the +o flag on longer then needed and in ubuntu channels you will notice that you don't often see any +o users, that is because in the past +o was used as a status symbol on other IRC networks and it creates a class system. freenode and ubuntu are not about anyone being better then anybody else. We all have something to offer to the community!
[23:15] <IdleOne> There are many other channel/user modes and you can find a list here http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml
[23:16] <IdleOne> No Questions?
[23:16] <IdleOne> I must either be boring you or doing a great job :)
[23:17] <IdleOne> NickServ
[23:18] <IdleOne>  NickServ is a service provided by freenode so a user can register their nickname. You can get more info by typing /msg nickserv help register or by going to http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#registering
[23:18] <IdleOne> NickServ is also used on many other networks and basically works the same way.
[23:19] <IdleOne> It's a good idea to register your nick, it is how the rest of us will know you and registering it ensures that the next time you connect to freenode you will be able to use the same nickname. It is Free, takes only a couple of minutes to do and will avoid your nick being used by someone else.
[23:20] <IdleOne> meebey: brought up a good point. There are a lot of different Networks, freenode is just one. EFnet, DALnet, Undernet and thousands of others
[23:20] <ClassBot> meebey asked: what is the difference of a server and network? say you can't find a channel because they are on the wrong network..
[23:22] <IdleOne> You can find other networks in your clients Network config section. on Xchat you would click Xchat > Network List and that will open a window with a pre populated list of networks. You can then select one and connect to it. Ubuntu does all of it's "official" irc work on freenode irc.freenode.net
[23:22] <ClassBot> Sodlig asked: So NickServ equals to Quakenets 'Q'?
[23:23] <IdleOne> Sodlig: I haven't used Q in many many years but yes I believe so
[23:23] <ClassBot> LjL asked: Sometimes I'm told that i need to identify with NickServ in order to join #ubuntu - other times, that doesn't happen. How come?
[23:25] <IdleOne> LjL: that is because sometimes #ubuntu needs to be set to +r or registered users only. On IRC there is a small group of annoying users who like to join channels such as #ubuntu and spam or flood the channel. We use +r to help protect the channel when that happens
[23:26] <IdleOne> By small group I mean a bunch of immature people who have nothing better to do then cause havoc
[23:26] <IdleOne> ChanServ
[23:26] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: Which IRC client would you recommend for Gnome flavored ubuntu?
[23:27] <IdleOne> Marceau: I prefer Xchat there are two available in the repos xchat-gnome and xchat-common. I use -common
[23:28] <IdleOne> there is a client list here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat#IRC Clients and probably many more then are on that list
[23:28] <IdleOne> So ChanServ
[23:28] <IdleOne> Chanserv is similar to Nickserv but is used for registering and managing channels on freenode by channel staff for much of the channel operations. Chanserv is also used to gain +o or operator status or "give" +v voice to users in the channel. More information on this can be found here http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml
[23:29] <IdleOne> I don't have much else to say about chanserv so yeah, see the link :)
[23:30] <IdleOne> ubottu and family
[23:30] <IdleOne> ubottu is a bot, robot. A program that gives us information on request and pretty much anything else you can program a robot to do.
[23:31] <IdleOne> ubottu knows so much about Ubuntu it is a wonder she doesn't write a book. you can use ubottu to get information on almost anything ubuntu related.
[23:31] <IdleOne> To use ubottu type "/msg ubottu help" without quotes and she will respond to you with some helpful information. Please keep in mind that ubottu does not know everything, yet, if you find a topic that is missing you can request information be added to the bot by doing "/msg ubottu XYZ is XYZ are the last 3 letters of the alphabet"
[23:32] <IdleOne> I say she because ubottu knows who she is, ask her.
[23:33] <ClassBot> LjL asked: Is there a way I can search for or see a list of the things ubottu knows, so I don't have to hunt?
[23:34] <IdleOne> LjL: you can search ubottu here http://ubottu.com/factoids.cgi and also get usage information here http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Bots
[23:34] <IdleOne> there is also #ubuntu-bots
[23:35] <IdleOne> You can ask BestBot about what the best app for a certain function is
[23:35] <IdleOne> example: BestBot What is the best irc client?
[23:35] <IdleOne> and bestbot will give you a list
[23:36] <IdleOne> Asking a support question in #ubuntu
[23:36] <IdleOne> joining a channel and doing HELP! or HELP ME! or HELP ME it doesn't work!!!!!!!!!. All great examples of how NOT to ask for help.
[23:37] <IdleOne> A properly formed question with as much info as you can provide will get you the best possible answer.
[23:37] <IdleOne> I
[23:37] <IdleOne> want to install
[23:37] <IdleOne> Xchat
[23:37] <IdleOne> How can i do this?????
[23:37] <IdleOne> This is the worst possible way to ask a question, granted you gave the info needed to answer you but you spread it out over 4 lines. Avoid using the ENTER key as punctuation.
[23:37] <IdleOne> " I am running Ubuntu 10.04 and would like to know how to install Xchat?" this is a proper,polite,clear, NOT ANNOYING way of asking a question.
[23:38] <IdleOne> Notice I also mentioned the version of Ubuntu I am running, in this case  it does not actually make a difference because the method of installing is pretty much the same in all Ubuntu versions but it can be a very important bit of information for other applications. paultag is going to get into finding and installing apps in his session coming up next.
[23:38] <IdleOne> Patience is mandatory in any help forum but especially on IRC. There may be 1500 users in a channel which is common in #ubuntu but that does not mean they are all active at the moment and the users who are active may not know the answer to your question, fortunately ubuntu has some tools to help you while you wait. https://help.ubuntu.com or http://ubuntuforums.org are both great places to search for solutions and also to offer solutions.
[23:40] <ClassBot> MurielGodoi asked: Anyone logged in the channel has permissions to add new informations to ubottu?
[23:40] <IdleOne> A little note to Helpers: The community appreciates all the help in can get. Personnaly when I help someone I try to not give my personal opinion about an application. In this session I am using Xchat a lot as an example but there are plenty of other IRC clients that may be better "For You"
[23:41] <IdleOne> MurielGodoi: That used to be true, but as the community got larger and more and more people added information it became neccessary to limit who could add to the bot.
[23:42] <IdleOne> BUT Anybody can suggest a new factoid
[23:42] <IdleOne> and the ops team then looks at the suggestions and decides if it is needed/relevant....
[23:43] <IdleOne> Repeating your question to often will be seen as a lack of patience by the other users in the channel and probably get you a screen full of reasons why you have not been answered yet. Avoid repeating to quickly. I normally tell people to wait 5-10 minutes before asking again.
[23:43] <IdleOne> The length of your question.
[23:44] <IdleOne> I king of touched on this earlier with my bad example of how to ask a question.
[23:44] <IdleOne> You should give as much information as you can,things you have tried, what you want to accomplish, Ubuntu version you are running but please keep it in one post. it is incredibly difficult especially for new irc users to keep up in a large channel like #ubuntu adding to the scroll by spacing your question out over 5 lines is not helpful to you or anybody trying to help you.
[23:45] <IdleOne> TAB complete: IRC has a great function of auto completing a nickname. When you are speaking to a specific user it is protocol to put the name of that user at the beginning of the message. Their IRC client will most probably highlight the line and they will be able to see it. Again, #ubuntu is a huge and very busy channel trying to find a single line of text directed at me is impossible at times.
[23:45] <IdleOne> So anyway, type idle and hit the TAB key until it completes my nickname.
[23:45] <IdleOne> Going to speed through some of this so I can get it all in :)
[23:46] <IdleOne> Private Messaging or PM is how you can talk to another user one on one, it is considered impolite to message a person without asking permission first. Not everybody feels this way about it but to be on the safe side if you need to speak to someone in private, ask first :) "/msg IdleOne hello" will send a message to me in private that only I can see. I can then chose to respond to you or I can set +o IdleOne and +k you :P
[23:46] <IdleOne> DCC is a file and chat protocol that is still part of IRC. Don't ask me why I have no use for either, especially DCC Chat.
[23:46] <IdleOne> DCC file transfer is a method that can be used to transfer files from one user to another. Back in the beginning of IRC I suppose it had it's utility. There are many better and safer ways of transferring files from one user to another.
[23:47] <IdleOne> Let me just say that if you send me a DCC Chat request it will be denied. If you send me a DCC file transfer without asking me first. I will deny it.  IF you receive a DCC File transfer and are not sure who it is from or what the file is.  When bitten by this bug ops in #ubuntu will remove affected users so they are no longer targets. To fix it have a look here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FixDCCExploit
[23:48] <ClassBot> suprengr asked: +k ?
[23:49] <IdleOne> LjL: I just feel there are better ways of transfering files. If you feel comfortable using DCC to transfer files that is fine just keep in mind that not everybody is nice and some are out to cause damage to your system.
[23:50] <IdleOne> suprengr: yeah +k is not a valid mode
[23:50] <IdleOne> or maybe it is
[23:50] <IdleOne> not sure I was using it more as a joke. I FAIL
[23:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[23:50] <IdleOne> I hope some of this information was useful to you. for more irc help you can join #freenode, #ubuntu is a great resource for Ubuntu specicfic issues. #ubuntu-offtopic is also a great channel for chat. Keep in mind that the guidelines https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcGuidelines and the Ubuntu Code of Conduct http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct/ should always be followed. Thank you :)
[23:51] <IdleOne> Any more questions?
[23:52] <IdleOne> meebey: for freenode specific modes http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml not all IRC networks use the same modes
[23:53] <ClassBot> LjL asked: How can I know the support advice I am being given is not malicious, and what should I do if I suspect a command I have been given may cause damage to my system?
[23:54] <IdleOne> LjL: #ubuntu suggest that you keep support in the channel so that other users in the channel can "peer review" and let you know if the advice given is bad/malicious.
[23:55] <IdleOne> IF you suspect someone is giving bad advice or a malicious command report it to a channel op or in #ubuntu-ops
[23:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[23:56] <IdleOne> Also, if you aren't sure, ASK!  Thak you pleia2 for helping with the questions and thanks to all of you who asked questions :)
[23:58] <IdleOne> thank*
[23:58] <pleia2> thanks IdleOne :)


[17:34] <Scopeuk> Hi all, can anyone tell me if libcec support is compiled in on the current .27 build?
[18:10] <tgm4883> Scopeuk: I believe it is
[18:12] <tgm4883> Scopeuk: actually, no it doesn't appear to be according to the logs
[18:13] <Scopeuk> I just looked through --version and its not there
[18:13] <Scopeuk> Hmm thats a pain
[18:13] <tgm4883> Scopeuk: looks like it was causing lots of crashes
[18:15] <Scopeuk> Ok use to be stable for me, stopped working a while ago, just started digging into it. Guess its source build or workaround with lirc etc
[18:15] <superm1> the problem was causing people specifically without hardware supported by libcec to crash
[18:16] <superm1> it was fixed in a development version of libcec that was not yet released, probably is released now
[18:16] <Scopeuk> Ahh yeh looks like .28 supports libcec2.
[18:17] <tgm4883> Scopeuk: the bug was in libcec, I'm checking which version
[18:17] <superm1> a majority of people don't have hardware supported by it, so we made a call that it's better to help the many than the few in terms of this crash
[18:20] <tgm4883> 1.6.2 is the broken version.
[18:20] <tgm4883> 1.6.3 fixes it
[18:20] <Scopeuk> Superm1 thats perfectly reasonable