Category Archives: Linux and FreeBSD

Unlimited Awesome: Linux script to convert mods to mp3

Posted on by John Rockefeller
Listening to Purple Motion in iTunes :)

Listening to Purple Motion in iTunes :)

One day, Philipp Keller got fed up with installing sound libraries to listen to old-skool music files, so he decided to write a script that takes the hassle out of it and convert any mod to an mp3 file. Now you can download his script for free and use it on your own Linux box to convert your precious mod collection to mp3 for on-the-go listening.

Last.fm Integration

Playing your music modules as mp3 files has the added effect of allowing you to scrobble your music to Last.fm. Typically, playing anything but an mp3 causes Last.fm to disregard your tune. I know that if Last.fm or the WinAmp Audioscrobbler plugin took my mod playing seriously, I’d have a way different collection. Now I can.

Open source rules. Long live music modules!

Mandriva 2009.0 Is Almost Here!

Posted on by John Rockefeller

The newest version of Mandriva is almost here! Released just a few days ago, the second release candidate of Mandriva includes the long awaited switch to KDE4. A release candidate, for those not aware, is the versions of Mandriva (and other software) that are considered nearest to the final cut. Once these final few versions pass with a minimum of bug reports, the software is released in full.

If you’re interested in trying out Mandriva Linux, you should try last season’s stable 2008.1 version. If you’re a current Mandriva user and want to see the latest and greatest (at the risk of system stability), check out 2009.0 RC2.

For more information, check out the DistroWatch page for Mandriva Linux.

See what KDE4 is all about:

Cron.log does not exist in /var/log

Posted on by John Rockefeller

Currently, if you run Debian on a Slicehost server, the log file for cron tasks is disabled by default. I am not sure about other distributions on other hosts, or even other distributions on Slicehost. Regardless, here is how you re-enable cron logging on your slice.

  1. Navigate to /etc  (cmd: cd /etc)
  2. Back-up syslog.conf  (cmd: cp syslog.conf syslog.conf.bak)
  3. Edit syslog.conf  (cmd: pico syslog.conf)
  4. Remove the comment that disables this line: cron.* /var/log/cron.log
  5. Save the file and exit
  6. Restart the syslog daemon  (cmd: /etc/init.d/sysklogd restart)
  7. Check to make sure that the file /var/log/cron.log exists. This is where your log entries will be.

Enjoy!

Rpmdrake or one of its priority dependencies needs to be updated first. Rpmdrake will then restart.

Posted on by John Rockefeller

If you ever go to add or remove software in Mandriva Linux and receive that error message, try this:

  1. Open up Konsole.
  2. Type “su” and enter your root password to move to the root account.
  3. Type “urpmi rpmdrake” and complete the install of the rpmdrake program.

For some reason, rpmdrake may get corrupted or may never have been installed. Regardless, this solved this error message for me and it may for you. Good luck!

linuX-gamers – Boot n’Play Linux Games Disc

Posted on by John Rockefeller

This thing is really, really cool.

I saw on Distro Watch today the announcement of a new development version of the “boot n’play” Linux games DVD available for download and was instantly enthralled with the idea. It’s like having a free games console on your PC. You put the disc in, reboot, and play. Right off the DVD. You can save your savegame on your USB memory card. There are quite a few high-quality games included with this thing and a lot of them provide multiplayer fun. Check out the games list for further info.

If you’re looking for a change from the normal PC game scene, download the DVD torrent and start playing! Also, don’t forget to submit all the bugs you find in the bugtracker!

Have fun!