In the spirit of the season: Mefites, what are your favorite charitable computing / charitable networking projects? [more inside]
posted by khedron on Dec 24, 2009 - 2 answers

Is there some software out there that can turn my netbook into relatively passive display device for news, weather, email alerts, etc? And look good doing it? [more inside]
posted by modernnomad on Dec 24, 2009 - 9 answers

Like a dumbass I took my work laptop off the corporate domain and now I can't log in. Helpdesk can't find the admin password for the machine so it's stuck until I travel to the office and they can re-image it (I'm remote). Until then I'd like to be able to at least boot into Ubuntu (or some such) and browse the web. [more inside]
posted by jluce50 on Dec 22, 2009 - 14 answers

Which current USB flatbed scanner works under Linux? [more inside]
posted by phliar on Dec 15, 2009 - 7 answers

This post relates to a Toshiba Satellite Laptop, dual booting WinXP and Kubuntu, where a full package update to Kubuntu ver. 9 has caused some display problems rendering the linux desktop essentially unusable. [more inside]
posted by minimii on Dec 13, 2009 - 10 answers

Which light-weight yet powerful laptop should I buy? I like the Sony Vaio Z, followed by the MB Air and the Thinkpad X200. Am I missing any models? [more inside]
posted by bkudria on Dec 10, 2009 - 22 answers

Two-part question regarding a potential XP/Ubuntu dual-boot setup: a)Do I still worry about viruses if I'm not accessing the internet from the XP half? b) From reading online it seems that I'll be able to access files from the XP half while in Ubuntu, but will the opposite be true? [more inside]
posted by mannequito on Nov 27, 2009 - 6 answers

Help me build my perfect netbook! [more inside]
posted by lemonfridge on Nov 26, 2009 - 15 answers

Looking for a 3d CAD drafting program that will run with Ubuntu. [more inside]
posted by Goofyy on Nov 25, 2009 - 9 answers

Which Python GUI framework is right for someone new to GUI programming? But who may also aspire to open source community (linux) development/involvement? Cross platform, wonderful documentation/tutorials, and cruft-free new technology are also welcome. [more inside]
posted by cowbellemoo on Nov 25, 2009 - 14 answers

Please hope me: my Linux machine cannot boot when my external drive is connected: it can't get past POST tests when USB legacy is enabled, but it also can't mount the drive when USB legacy is _not_ enabled. :( [more inside]
posted by xmutex on Nov 21, 2009 - 12 answers

Can you recommend a known-good 4-port PCI-Express SAS adapter for Linux? I need out-of-the-box in-kernel driver support. [more inside]
posted by krilli on Nov 17, 2009 - 6 answers

x86 embedded Linux filter: Please recommend a not-too-costly embedded x86 system that is fanless, has a full set of the usual external I/O ports and doesn't use a lot of power. Should be the size of a VHS tape or smaller. Probably Mini-ITX form factor or nano-ITX. Relatively low cost would be good. [more inside]
posted by thewalrus on Nov 7, 2009 - 18 answers

I would like to be able to monitor my own bandwidth usage/data transfer rates on my laptop, whilst using an o2 mobile broadband dongle. Difficulty: Linux. [more inside]
posted by Petrot on Nov 3, 2009 - 5 answers

Does anyone know any simple Ubuntu music software for me to have fun composing with my eight year old son? [more inside]
posted by Sch01ar on Oct 26, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm looking for a step by step recipe for log rotation from a web server to Amazon S3. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 22, 2009 - 7 answers

I need to put an older version (2.x) of Firefox onto my computer. I am using the latest Kubuntu version (Karmic, still in beta for a few more days). How do I do this? [more inside]
posted by mannequito on Oct 20, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I turn my GPS track logs into a nice-looking trail map? Do I need a GIS package? [more inside]
posted by Kadin2048 on Oct 20, 2009 - 7 answers

What do Linux people do for realtime music effects? [more inside]
posted by Squid Voltaire on Oct 5, 2009 - 4 answers

Please help me find software for creating tests from a bank of questions, ideally open-source and even more ideally Linux. [more inside]
posted by fogovonslack on Oct 5, 2009 - 6 answers

Looking to build/buy a (maybe) Linux-based media center. Requirements: HDMI, YPbPr, and (bonus) standard RCA output (not all at once), region-free DVD/Blu-ray playing (physical drive[s?]), some sort of remote control, automatic boot into media center interface, small size (not a tower), and (of course) lots and lots of codecs: Blu-ray rips, H.264 .avi, VIDEO_TS folders, the works. Need to know: cost, upkeep, storage options. [more inside]
posted by reductiondesign on Oct 5, 2009 - 5 answers

Open source, command line, low "impact", png-producing, full-featured, good-looking graphing on Linux and other Unices? [more inside]
posted by DU on Sep 29, 2009 - 13 answers

Is there a way to move Google Docs' offline cache storage to an external card? [more inside]
posted by Sch01ar on Sep 29, 2009 - 5 answers

Can anybody immediately see why nc and tar didn't work together the way I expected they would? [more inside]
posted by flabdablet on Sep 26, 2009 - 21 answers

Where exactly should I place my VPN server in my network? [more inside]
posted by plaidrabbit on Sep 22, 2009 - 6 answers

LinuxFilter : I seem to have lost sudo privileges in Ubuntu. How to fix please? [more inside]
posted by mannequito on Sep 20, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm curious as to what are the current "best practices" when it comes to centralized administration of a network of Unix (primarily Linux, but not necessarily so) machines? Essentially, what is the equivalent of Active Directory for a network with one or more Unix hosts? The immediate answer I come up with would be something like OpenLDAP plus PAM but what I'm looking for is the suite of tools (GUI and CLI apps) for managing the directory, deploying software, centralizing sign-on and security, managing printers, etc. In a perfect world, I would like to centralize administration of Windows, Unix, and OS X machines via a single directory service, though I imagine such a solution would be expensive and/or cumbersome if it even existed. Or is this something Samba 4 will do?
posted by Imhotep is Invisible on Sep 9, 2009 - 5 answers

Where can I find estimates of server operating system market shares? To be concrete, I'd like to know what percentage of web servers, either by absolute numbers or popularity, use Linux, Windows, etc.
posted by espertus on Sep 6, 2009 - 3 answers

Attention Linux gurus of MeFi: Attempting to set up an old Dell Latitude CS laptop as a Linux system (Xubuntu) for a coworker. Massive installation headaches ensue thanks to missing hardware. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by caution live frogs on Sep 1, 2009 - 6 answers

Could anyone recommend a color laser printer for ca. 500 GBP for a small office? Compatibility with Linux and Solaris---essential. BONUS question: should I also buy a monochrome laser for B&W printouts or is an unnecessary overkill when one has a color laser?
posted by noztran on Aug 31, 2009 - 3 answers

Java filter: Are dereferenced InputStreams implicitly closed? [more inside]
posted by nikkorizz on Aug 28, 2009 - 5 answers

How much should we pay a contract programmer to migrate some code for us? Is it customary for the programmer to present a bid, or do we come up with an amount to offer? [more inside]
posted by LadyOscar on Aug 27, 2009 - 9 answers

I have two computers, one Windows, one Linux. How can I make it so they synchronize automatically with each other, as in, I update the file on one computer, and the updated file gets put onto the other? Networking? Using an external hard drive? What software might be useful? Bonus points for free software
posted by gilsonal on Aug 22, 2009 - 13 answers

Wich solution is the best balance between control and easy handle of a FREE Linux based Firewall ? [more inside]
posted by amomp3 on Aug 19, 2009 - 9 answers

Which one of the multitude of Linux distros should someone who's never used Linux before give a go? [more inside]
posted by n3rt on Aug 18, 2009 - 34 answers

I'm trying to find a procedure to create a zip file in Windows and preserve Unix file permissions from the original files... [more inside]
posted by oblio_one on Aug 7, 2009 - 10 answers

I need to pick a seminar/conference/class/training/whatever for work to attend within the next 6 months or so, I have until 10PM to choose, and I have no idea where or what the cool stuff is. It should be at least tangentially related to my job as a Unix Systems Engineer/Python Guy, and preferably within the Northeast (NYC is where I'm located), although feel free to recommend anywhere in the US. [more inside]
posted by Mach5 on Aug 7, 2009 - 3 answers

Firefox has died on me after an update in xubuntu, help! [more inside]
posted by knapah on Jul 29, 2009 - 4 answers

What are the main logs for understanding what the Unix (Linux and Mac OS X) systems are doing? Which log files are important for system administration?
posted by tahirh on Jul 18, 2009 - 6 answers

What would be a good option for web filtering objectionable content on a Linux box? [more inside]
posted by teg4rvn on Jul 9, 2009 - 9 answers

Why do my OSX NFS clients randomly disconnect from my Linux (Ubuntu) NFS server? [more inside]
posted by xmutex on Jul 5, 2009 - 6 answers

Does anyone have any experience with a Philips Marconi Eclipse 1.5 MRI scanner? Can it be run from a Windows-based machine? [more inside]
posted by humannaire on Jul 1, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm trying to get Ubuntu to see my USB mouse data as midi data--any ideas? [more inside]
posted by Squid Voltaire on Jun 29, 2009 - 3 answers

Best way to turn PS3 into music player (with visualizations)? [more inside]
posted by idyllhands on Jun 27, 2009 - 3 answers

What's the simplest way to create some space on a Linux server that can be mounted by Vista and Linux from anywhere with an internet connection? [more inside]
posted by Nonce on Jun 15, 2009 - 15 answers

I just bought an asus eee pc from woot.com (here's the link so you can see the specs.) I need suggestions. [more inside]
posted by SuperErin on Jun 11, 2009 - 18 answers

I'm using a shell script to handle some excel docs by converting to csv and reformatting it a little bit. I'm having some difficulty going on with the next part of the script. Some help would be great. :) [more inside]
posted by fightoplankton on Jun 10, 2009 - 11 answers

Help me design a computer workstation setup for home that incorporates a 30" screen, a Linux compatible video card, a possibly height adjustable desk, and a silent or very quiet desktop machine. [more inside]
posted by pbh on Jun 9, 2009 - 7 answers

DualBootFilter: I've moved a Windows XP hard drive into a new machine, in a physically different configuration, and I think I need to fix boot.ini and maybe the mbr but I'm not sure how. Difficulty: new location is a secondary drive to a primary Linux drive running GRUB. Help? [more inside]
posted by jozxyqk on Jun 9, 2009 - 8 answers

Does anyone know a way to create alerts in Ubuntu every x number of minutes of how long spent on the computer that day? [more inside]
posted by LaszloKv on Jun 1, 2009 - 8 answers