January 2004 - openSUSE Edu - openSUSE Mailing Lists

RE: [suse-linux-uk-schools] E-learning strategy consultation document
by Chris Puttick 19 Jan '04

19 Jan '04

Personally following a brief read I'm a little concerned that the only mention of open source is a negative one - S120 - "How can we ensure that open source systems are affordable in terms of support?". If nothing else, how can they throw in that term without addressing a definition and examples in the body of the document? I'm also concerned that sections with obvious open source answers have nothing in them e.g. S102. I'm sure there's others but I haven't had a chance to read through them. Cheers Chris -----Original Message----- From: ian [mailto:ian.lynch2@ntlworld.com] Sent: Sun 1/18/2004 1:12 PM To: SuSE Linux UK Schools Cc: Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] E-learning strategy consultation document The closing date for the government's e-learning strategy consultation document is the end of January. It is likely to be influential in future education software policy and hardly mentions FLOSS. I have heard that the number of responses made to the document is low so there is an opportunity to redress the balance if people who understand the issues take the time to fill out a response. The document itself is at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations2/16/ I have sent a response on behalf of the Association for Free Software and my own company. If anyone wants this as a basis to save them time I can send it, but best not copy it word for word. Mainly its to get certain idea about open standards, strategy and inclusion policy across. -- ian <ian.lynch2(a)ntlworld.com> -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-unsubscribe(a)suse.com For additional commands, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-help(a)suse.com This message may contain information and/or data that is confidential and legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that any use, publication, reproduction or dissemination is strictly prohibited and may violate certain laws. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy this and all copies of this message and/or data. The content of this message has been scanned by MailPatrol for unacceptable language and inappropriate content. European Electronique limited thanks you in anticipation of your co-operation. MailPatrol is a fully managed service that offers your organisation the ability to monitor and enforce your Acceptable Usage Policy. For further information regarding the MailPatrol services contact the European Electronique Sales Enquiry line on 0845 345 8340 (local rate) or email sales(a)euroele.com

1 0

Web Server setup.
by Rob Keeling 18 Jan '04

18 Jan '04

I am trying to set up a small internal web server for student use. The idea is that the subjects who create web pages can then upload (via sftp) the pages to each users home area on the server. I have this working, using winbind, pam_skel and apache set with Home dirs on, all on a SuSE 8.2 box. What I want to add now is mysql & php support. The idea being that we can give them a sample php script (say a questionnaire script for data handling), which their class mates can complete, and then the results can be read out of mysql probably via phpmyadm. However, I read that there are security problems with php if multiple users run scripts on the webserver, which run as the web server user. How do others cope with this problem? Any suggestions greatly received! Rob Keeling -- I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

2 1

E-learning strategy consultation document
by ian 18 Jan '04

18 Jan '04

The closing date for the government's e-learning strategy consultation document is the end of January. It is likely to be influential in future education software policy and hardly mentions FLOSS. I have heard that the number of responses made to the document is low so there is an opportunity to redress the balance if people who understand the issues take the time to fill out a response. The document itself is at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations2/16/ I have sent a response on behalf of the Association for Free Software and my own company. If anyone wants this as a basis to save them time I can send it, but best not copy it word for word. Mainly its to get certain idea about open standards, strategy and inclusion policy across. -- ian <ian.lynch2(a)ntlworld.com>

2 1

Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Web Server setup.
by Rob Keeling 18 Jan '04

18 Jan '04

----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Brett" <alex.brett(a)brettcomputers.co.uk> To: "Rob Keeling" <rob(a)rjkeeling.freeserve.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2004 9:11 PM Subject: Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Web Server setup. > If you enable php safe mode (http://www.php.net/features.safe-mode) > then scripts can only access files etc that are owned by the same UID > as the owner of the script itself, therefore they can't see/change > anything they haven't created. > > Hope this helps, > Alex Brett > alex.brett(a)brettcomputers.co.uk Alex, does this mean php checks for the owner of the script file, or checks for the effective uid which is running the script? For example, if the script is stored on the filesystem as owner fred, group nogroup, and apache is running as wwwrun,nogroup, will php in safe mode use fred or wwwrun? If its fred, then it sorts the problem, if it`s wwwrun, then anyones script could look at anyone elses files. Does that make sense? Thanks for the help. Rob Keeling Network Manager Queen Elizabeth`s Grammar School > > > On 17 Jan 2004 at 19:12, Rob Keeling wrote: > > > > > I am trying to set up a small internal web server for student use. The idea is that > > the subjects who create web pages can then upload (via sftp) the pages to each users > > home area on the server. > > > > I have this working, using winbind, pam_skel and apache set with Home dirs on, all on a SuSE > > 8.2 > > box. > > > > What I want to add now is mysql & php support. The idea being that we can give them a sample > > php > > script (say a questionnaire script for data handling), which their class mates can complete, and > > then > > the results can be read out of mysql probably via phpmyadm. > > > > However,I read that there are security problemswith php if multiple usersrun scriptson the > > webserver, > > which runas the web server user. > > > > How doothers copewith this problem? > > > > Any suggestions greatly received! > > > > RobKeeling > > > > -- > > > > I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by. > > > > > >

1 0

Sharp Zaurus
by garry saddington 18 Jan '04

18 Jan '04

I have had a terrible time trynig to set up usb networking on SuSE 9. I have followed all the instructions on the Sharp developers site and on the SuSE help database, and it won't work. When I plug the Zaurus into the cradle I get the beeps from the hotplug system and an ifconfig -a reveals two new interfaces - usb0 and usb1 both with different mac addresses and neither with any ip address assigned despite setting up the instructed network scripts. I have an inkling that the problem may be that both usbnet and usbdnet kernel drivers are activated as seen in lsmod. Does anyone have any idea what is going on? regards garry

2 3

FLOSSIE bookings keep moving up!
by John Ingleby 15 Jan '04

15 Jan '04

Thanks to all those who've already sent bookings, we now have 30 for the FLOSSIE conference in London on 18th February. We need just 20 more to break even, so there's every opportunity to go for a really *big* conference with over 100 delegates. Remember, we have capacity for 400, so if you haven't yet registered, or urged someone you know to register, please do it now! To book for the conference, download the (PDF) booking form from http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/flossie/registration_form.pdf or send an email to yvonne(a)thelearningmachine.co.uk -- John Ingleby ************

1 0

RE: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Rolling out software
by Grainge, Derek 14 Jan '04

14 Jan '04

> However, these days I only have absolute minimum locally installed - > OpenOffice is about it. Everything else is on server. If necessary, > registry settings and dll's can be copied across and registered automatically. Fair 'nuff. But there are still a number of programs which insist on storing config files in program folders. And some companies (e.g. Adobe) who claim their software HAS to be installed on local drives. Which is not necessarily true, but breaks their terms and conditions if you worry about such things. You are fighting programmers who don't understand the platform when networked and companies which are over-restrictive about what you can install and where. Plus ca change .... I guess that applies to Linux software as well as windows: some software will run if stored remotely, some won't. What do we all do about 'awkward' software? Refuse to use it? Fiddle with it? Spit upon the author's grave? (yes I realise I'm well off the original subject. Apologies) -- Derek Grainge Microtechnology Wellington College dgg(a)wellington-college.berks.sch.uk -- ******************************************************************************** All mail sent and received may be examined to prevent transmission of unacceptable material. Wellington College does not accept responsibility for email contents. Problems to postmaster(a)wellington-college.berks.sch.uk. Website: http://www.wellington-college.berks.sch.uk ********************************************************************************

1 0

SquidGuard
by s-clarob＠st-aidans.cumbria.sch.uk 14 Jan '04

14 Jan '04

Does anyone have any idea what has happened to the squidguard project? Rob

4 3

Rolling out software
by Matt Johnson 14 Jan '04

14 Jan '04

Hi all, It seems the greatest advantage that a solution such as RM Community Connect 3 has over installing SuSE Linux with Samba in a large school network to act as a PDC for Window XP clients is: Rolling out software. How do people manage their large installs? Silent install scripts? I'm new to this but I think this issue is possibly the show stopper in terms of convincing management they don't need to be locked in to proprietory companies. For those that don't know, RM Connect has a tool that allows admins to easily monitor changes that an install makes, and then pushes it out to selected machines at tthe click of a mouse. It's worked well here on Connect 2.4 (a purchasing decision made 6 months before I got this job). It's now time to move away from 98 on the desktop as it's being unreliable, and I don't want to be tied in any more. The progression that's assumed is RM CC3, but now's the time to move this school into a more open source solution. I could do with a hand on this specific issue. Any ideas...? (The other two schools I've installed and managed Linux in are small enough to manually install all software - that's less possible here and I'd like a more scalable solution). (I know the advantages of using Linux thin-clients or even fat clients. But XP has been settled on already for the curriculum desktops.) Thanks loads for any suggestions. -- Matt Johnson ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html

3 3

Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Rolling out software
by Joe 14 Jan '04

14 Jan '04

>How do people manage their large installs? Silent >install scripts? I'm new to this but I think this >issue is possibly the show stopper in terms of >convincing management they don't need to be locked in >to proprietory companies. We found four ways round this problem. (We had a linux/samba server and windows clients) - With Norton Ghost you can create images of software packages. These can then be automatically installed on Windows clients over the network. It helps if all the clients have the same OS. You might get away with installing a Win2K image on an XP machine but then again you might not. It's quite expensive to get all your machines licensed to use the network install feature. - Microsoft provide a program called scriptit which allows you to send key presses to running windows programs. We used it to automate install packages. You still have to visit each machine, log on and start the script but it saves clicking Next, Next Next etc... It's very fussy if someone touches the PC while it's running and switches focus away from the Installer's window it gets confused and gives up. Some things like WinZip we just couldn't get to work - For some smaller programs we extracted the relevant files and registry settings and copied them to the clients when the kids logged on. The script then wrote the machine name to a text file so we knew which PCs were done. - The final way we found was to form a lunch time "computer club" of keen kids. We organised exciting outings to the various computer suites where they could learn about practical IT by installing pieces of software. They obviously enjoyed it because they always came back! Hope this helps Joe

3 2