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  • Showing only topics in ~comp with the tag "linux". Back to normal view / Search all groups
    1. Are there any good tools for "one-off" file encryption?

      Sorry if this is a silly question, but I keep running into situations where a small CLI or GUI tool that could be handed a single file and hand me back an encrypted version would be useful. I've...

      Sorry if this is a silly question, but I keep running into situations where a small CLI or GUI tool that could be handed a single file and hand me back an encrypted version would be useful. I've done some googling, but all I typically turn up is blogspam about random Windows-only tools that seem to be of dubious quality.

      Anyone know of a good tool for this type of thing?

      9 votes
    2. Help Packaging Elmer FEM for Nix

      I'm trying to package Elmer for use with NixOS, and could use some help from any experienced Nix users. My current attempt is located here. There is some junk left around in that file from my...

      I'm trying to package Elmer for use with NixOS, and could use some help from any experienced Nix users. My current attempt is located here. There is some junk left around in that file from my experimenting, but it's at least a start. There are also a few lines of error included in the comment here.

      Any help is appreciated!

      6 votes
    3. Linux is a subpar choice for professional video editing

      I don't wanna get into a heated discussion, so let me make something very clear: for a regular user, video editing on Linux is probably fine. That is just not my use case. I'm used to a degree of...

      I don't wanna get into a heated discussion, so let me make something very clear: for a regular user, video editing on Linux is probably fine.

      That is just not my use case.

      I'm used to a degree of freedom, choice, and stability that, right now, Linux does not provide in that area.

      I'm a film major who has worked as a professional video editor for many years and editing video on anything that is not nearly as good, reliable and precise as Adobe Premiere feels like torture.

      But even being very flexible regarding features and requirements, after trying all the regular suggestions, as professional tools, and with all the respect I can muster, they are just unusable for me.

      I need a reliable program in which I can throw any format without worrying about constant crashes, but Linux options are all either extremely limited, unstable or both! Before anyone asks: I tried multiple programs, in different versions and installation methods, on entirely different hardware and unaffiliated distributions.

      Kdenlive resembles professional-grade software but constantly crashes at the simplest operations. DaVinci Resolve seems like a good bet but is a nightmare just to install and equally crashy when/if I'm able to do so (last time I had to manually edit the install script following the instructions of some random forum post. This did not cause a good impression. And audio didn't work), and I'm not willing to use something so finicky if Linux doesn't get primary support.

      Besides, Blackmagic Design only provides a few pieces of the puzzle. Professional video editing requires a whole stack of integrated software. Both Windows and Mac OS have this, Linux has not.

      There's also the issue of GPU acceleration.

      I'm not saying FOSS developers owe me anything, nor that they have done a bad job with programs like OpenShot, Pitivi, Blender, whatever. I'm just saying that, regrettably, I'll probably have to install put Windows on dual-boot on my machine in the next few days.

      16 votes
    4. Terry A Davis: Questions to God

      Hey everyone, just watching a very interesting history of Terry A Davis (creator of TempleOS) and around the 30 minute mark there is a list of questions Terry asked to God and the answers he...

      Hey everyone, just watching a very interesting history of Terry A Davis (creator of TempleOS) and around the 30 minute mark there is a list of questions Terry asked to God and the answers he believed he received. I took a look online but was unable to find anything. I don't suppose anyone out there has a link? I'd be very interested to read it. Thanks in advance.

      EDIT: I'm also interested in any links to the art he created (hymns, visual art etc).

      10 votes
    5. I want to learn programming. What language should i pick to write cli apps for linux?

      I'm interested in C or Go, but i'm open to ideas. I have plenty of sh scripts i created to integrate my tools and system, so i have some experience and i don't want a scripting language like...

      I'm interested in C or Go, but i'm open to ideas.

      I have plenty of sh scripts i created to integrate my tools and system, so i have some experience and i don't want a scripting language like python.

      My first plan is to learn the basics of the language and rewrite some of those scripts.

      I think my first pick will be a script that uses ffmpeg to convert my flac files to mp3 or opus. I use sndconv -opus/-mp3 and it checks if there are flac files in the folder (i only have full albums), converts and puts in a folder named "$artist - $album".

      My long term goal is to make a cli/tui music player like cmus.

      UPDATE: i'm having plenty of success with Go right now. I just wrote a basic version of my music conversion script. It's just converting a music i pass as argument to mp3, but i'll keep working on it and adding functionality just to dip my toes in Go. It seems like a good language and i'm having fun!

      Thanks for all the answers!

      18 votes
    6. How can I make "whereis" automatically open the file on Nvim when it is the only result?

      EDIT: SOLVED It looks like it was much simple than I thought and someone solved it on Reddit already. I won't delete, just leave the link if someone is interested. Runtime Environment OS: MX Linux...

      EDIT: SOLVED

      It looks like it was much simple than I thought and someone solved it on Reddit already. I won't delete, just leave the link if someone is interested.

      Runtime Environment

      Issue

      Sometimes I use "whereis" (aliased for "wh", but it doesn't make any difference...) for my own scripts.

      I usually copy their paths manually (using tmux) and paste to the command line resulting in something like this:

      nvim /home/my_username/my_scripts_folder/my_script
      

      Could I make that into a single command?

      Thanks in advance!

      3 votes
    7. Please tell me what you think about this idea for a text editor/Linux Distribution combo

      I know there are similar products I could buy in the US that would give me this experience, but I'm not in the US and I don't have much money. In the old days, my father had some kind of machine...

      I know there are similar products I could buy in the US that would give me this experience, but I'm not in the US and I don't have much money.

      In the old days, my father had some kind of machine that was not a proper laptop and not a proper typewriter. It opened instantly to a text editor. As far as I remember, there was no noticeable boot time. It had a keyboard and an entry for a floppy disk. You typed your stuff, saved it to the floppy disk, probably to send via email or to print in another machine. I loved that machine.

      I love these little gadgets that do one thing and one thing only. And, as someone with severe ADHD, they're often a necessity. If my Kindle had Youtube I would never read a book. If my PS4 had Emacs I would never play a game. The list goes on, but the principle is this: a lot of things are useful to me precisely because of what they cannot do.

      And that is why I wanna recreate my father's crazy computer-typewriter.

      Because I know how to use the command line, it really needs to be in total lockdown: I open it up, it shows a very simple text editor (with a few handy features that make it works even more like a typewriter) that I cannot configure, tinker or alter in any way. It's focused on writing (not editing) literature because that's what I need and other kinds of writing require an internet connection.

      It would save and back up automatically (like a typewriter) to one or more drives at your choice.

      There would need to be a few options because of different screen sizes, the number of screens etc, with an interface to make it easier.

      So the idea is an ultra-minimal, kiosk-mode Linux distribution that can either go on a flash drive or be installed on an old laptop. No package management, no internet connection, no access to the command line, no configuration files, no distractions whatsoever. I wanna forget I'm even using Linux. I wanna recreate my father's typewriter/computer that he never let me touch.

      How do I do this?

      14 votes
    8. Please recommend me a Linux distribution that is super-stable and never make me install again, but at the same time allows me to have some newer packages with ease (xpost /r/FindMeADistro)

      I currently use MX-Linux, which is a great distribution but does require me to reinstall it from time to time. It also comes with all the good/bad Debian legacy, and sometimes things can get...

      I currently use MX-Linux, which is a great distribution but does require me to reinstall it from time to time. It also comes with all the good/bad Debian legacy, and sometimes things can get really fucked up (okay, I admit it: MX IS NOT PERFECT. But nothing is, okay? Settle down.)

      My new Linux Distribution doesn't need to have all the new bells and whistles, but it needs to be able to stay reasonably current with new packages and innovations. I don't mind some manual work, but I also don't wanna spend my days maintaining the system.

      This distro is supposed to be a tool to work with, not a hobby to be pimped, riced or whatever. I will occasionally play and edit videos on it (don't worry, it's all AMD, thank you advice for the Tildes ;)

      I use the i3wm window manager (not the gaps fork), so native support is a must and current versions are preferable (MX's version is from 2016. 2016!). If there's not a current version of Emacs, I'll compile my own. The same is true for Neovim, dmenu, rofi and the suckless terminal.

      Configurations on text files do not scare me, but I don't wanna spend all my time scripting stuff. I don't mind compiling stuff either so Gentoo and other source-based distributions are valid options (as long as they allow me to work on stuff instead of working on the distribution...). That said, I have no preference whatsoever between binary and source-based.

      Unstable distributions like Arch and even Manjaro are a no-no. I need my computer to work 99.99% of the time, like a fucking refrigerator. That said, I would like some newer packages and tools such as Gimp, Inkscape and a video editor like Kdenlive. Maybe flatpak is an option? I was never able to get it to work properly.

      I'm also open to crazy things like Nix, but only if it'll make my life easier: I have no philosophies on the mater.

      Any suggestions?

      21 votes
    9. Should I Get Into Gentoo? (x-post from /r/Gentoo)

      I've been using Linux for the past 5 to 10 years. I'm not a developer, but a mid-to-advanced user. I don't really know bash (or any programming language for that matter), but I got a folder with...

      I've been using Linux for the past 5 to 10 years. I'm not a developer, but a mid-to-advanced user. I don't really know bash (or any programming language for that matter), but I got a folder with 100 bash scripts I wrote myself. I compile my own Emacs (which I configured from scratch and contains more than 200 crudes functions of my own), Neovim (also configured from scratch) and other programs such as suckless terminal. I'm an i3wm user and currently use MX-Linux. I'm very good at Googling and pattern recognition.

      I got a brand new AMD desktop with a Ryzen processor (no dedicated graphics, wifi works fine with a USB adapter). Should I try Gentoo, or maybe I should study more (maybe with something like Linux Journey)in order to get a better experience?

      Reasons to install Gentoo:

      1. Learning experience
      2. A completely customized desktop experience
      3. Never having to reinstall my operating system again
      4. Masochism
      5. Putting my powerful processor to work
      6. It seems cool (and less painful than LFS)
      7. Some hypothetical performance gain
      3 votes
    10. What makes a Linux Distribution Stable instead of Not-Stable? (full-disclosure: I wrote this for Reddit - /r/ManjaroLinux - but I think I'd love to know what you think about the subject))

      Introduction I wanna say that I made several corrections, additions, and improvements just because I love you guys way more than I love the people at Reddit Please note that I'm merely a dedicated...

      Introduction

      I wanna say that I made several corrections, additions, and improvements just because I love you guys way more than I love the people at Reddit

      • Please note that I'm merely a dedicated Linux user, I'm speaking from that point of view. I'm not a developer and not a programmer. These are just my opinions of 10+ years using Linux

      • These are just some commentaries from a dude who happen to love the concept of STABILITY in general (autism represent) and would like to discuss how it works when it comes to Linux distributions. This is all based on my use-cases and on what I think is common sense. I have no knowledge of how open-source projects really work, and make no claims regarding how they should work.

      • Only distributions that claim to be stable are under my scope. So Arch and Debian Unstable are clearly out the scope, but Slackware, CentOS, Debian Buster, and MX-Linux are clearly under the scope.

      • All considerations are void if the malfunctioning is SOLELY a product of hardware, extremely rare conditions or your own lack of knowledge.

      • Except when otherwise noted, non-compliance means the distribution is deemed not stable.

      1 Deal Breakers

      After a correct installation by the user on hardware that is expressly supported by the developers, a stable distribution should, in the period of 1 year (counted from the first boot):

      1. Remains bootable, manageable and fully accessible.
      2. Work with almost no maintenance or intervention (updates excluded)
      3. Present no decrease in performance
      4. Freeze at most once every two weeks
      5. Have no package issue that cannot be solved by a simple command from its own package manager

      2 Major Issues

      Because of the complex nature of major issues, I'm not going to establish any criteria about them. Both stable and unstable distributions have critical problems that cannot have a fixed time-frame.

      3 Minor Issues/Bugs/Annoyances/etc

      Small issues are the ones that do not impede the usage of the machine, but provoke significant annoyances:

      Examples:

      1. Window switching is not working properly
      2. The mouse stops working for 3 seconds every 15 minutes
      3. For some reason, the letter "c" is sending "h" on the terminal
      4. My configurations are not saved after reboot
      5. My configurations are not being saved at all
      6. I must change video output manually every time I switch monitors
      7. I must change audio output manually every time I switch monitors
      8. Some essential configuration is ridiculously hard to find
      9. Configurations have no undo button
      10. Configurations have no reset button
      11. A certain package cannot be installed
      12. A certain dependence cannot be installed (dependency hell)
      13. There's a ridiculously accessible keyboard shortcut that makes your keyboard change layouts all the fucking time

      3.1 Places for Research

      Such minor issues must be solved within 30 days, as long as the user does their part and seek some of the following resources:

      1. Google
      2. Official websites
      3. Official forums
      4. Official warnings, newsletters, etc
      5. Semi-official communities
      6. FAQs
      7. Manuals
      8. Github Issues
      9. Gitlab Issues
      10. Other Venues to post issues

      If the minor issue is not solved in 45+ days, the distribution will be deemed not stable, regardless of the behavior of the user.

      4. Conclusion

      It is my opinion that, if any of the major and minor requirements are not fulfilled according to their particular rules, the distribution in question should not be deemed not Stable.

      4 votes
    11. Linux Distro for an old PC

      I found my grandfathers old PC on the attic and want to revive it for him. He really loved that pc. Sadly that potato barely runs Windows xp so I thought about putting a Linux onto it. My Linux...

      I found my grandfathers old PC on the attic and want to revive it for him. He really loved that pc. Sadly that potato barely runs Windows xp so I thought about putting a Linux onto it. My Linux experience is limited to Mimt and Debian, both way to heavy for this old laptop. I need recommendations for a very light weight Linux Distro!

      Specs:
      256 mb DDR1 Ram
      Intel Celeron M 320 @ 1.4GhZ
      40gb Hard Drive

      It's a small, simple gift and nothing where I want to put money into. Also it won't be my granddads daily driver so please don't recommend me a new one (a lot of people did that on other websites so I am rather careful). Thanks in Advance!

      14 votes
    12. Typesetting Markdown Blog: What Next?

      Some of you have read the Typesetting Markdown blog series (https://dave.autonoma.ca/blog/). The plan was to finish the last two parts with Annotated Text (basically markup for Markdown) and...

      Some of you have read the Typesetting Markdown blog series (https://dave.autonoma.ca/blog/). The plan was to finish the last two parts with Annotated Text (basically markup for Markdown) and Figure Drawing (MetaPost); however, people have asked for a post on Markdown to EPUB, others have asked for high-quality PDF theme templates using ConTeXt, and some have requested rendering Markdown into HTML.

      Within the realm of Markdown, digital documentation, typesetting with ConTeXt, R, externalized interpolated strings, and bash scripting, what would interest you for the next post in the series?

      (Please flip through the blog series to see the topics that have been covered.)

      3 votes