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#1 Re: Freedom Hacks » Why Zoom Works with ALSA Out of the Box » Today 02:22:35
Hello:
With this setup, Zoom Workplace delivers reliable audio performance on pure ALSA systems ...
I don't use zoom (no need for the time being) but in my PulseAudio-less Daedalus box your tests work as shown. 8^)
So thank you very much for taking the time to research and write up these very clear explanations / instructions.
Best,
A.
#2 Re: Hardware & System Configuration » [SOLVED] Haveged and available entropy » 2025-11-21 20:25:50
Hello:
... part of the linux kernel since version 5.4, making haveged largely obsolete.
Yes, I came across that after posting my question.
... few situations in which the haveged service may be useful ...
Yes, here the author makes a case of sorts:
... it's still useful. It can provide entropy early in the boot when /dev/random is not fully utilized.
On a fully booted system, it can be still used as an additional entropy source. It will insert entropy into the kernel every 60 seconds, thus diversifying your entropy sources.
The " ... diversifying your entropy sources." bit sounds good. Might as well keep it running.
... for real randomness security use a Pi, not your £2K workstation.
Indeed ... 8^D
I could have never paid £2K for a workstation but I am quite sure that you are right, a Pi would work great.
That said, I think that what I need (like most desktop users) is the best randomness available without much ado or expense.
Can't find the post now, but it seems that haveged is not at all expensive to run so my guess is that between the kernel and the haveged service running, I may be properly covered, at least randomness-wise.
Time will tell.
Thank you both for your input.
Much obliged.
Best,
A.
#3 Hardware & System Configuration » [SOLVED] Haveged and available entropy » 2025-11-21 15:13:37
- Altoid
- Replies: 3
Hello:
Disclaimer:
Reason for asking = a good deal (if not all) of this is over my head.
Not being sure about what to do about Excalibur, I have been having a look at various things related to security.
Yesterday I remembered haveged, checked that it was running and, recalling that I had set it a few years ago, checked the available entropy.
Turns out that it returned a value of 256.
But I recalled having changed it to a higher value (1024?) as suggested in various web pages.
A look at /etc/default/haveged revealed the present setting:
$ cat /etc/default/haveged
# Configuration file for haveged
# Options to pass to haveged:
# DAEMON_ARGS=" "
$ I checked the haveged service was running and the available entropy setting and poolsize:
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail
256
$$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/poolsize
256
$ But that was not what I recalled having set as per the recommendations at that time.
So I looked up web pages I had bookmarked and edited the file, uncommenting the setting and editing it to what I remembered (?).
$ cat /etc/default/haveged
# Configuration file for haveged
# Options to pass to haveged:
DAEMON_ARGS="-w 1024"
$ That would give me a value over 1000 which was the accepted minimum value at the time I set it up.
Then I stopped / restarted the service, checked that it was running and the available entropy setting and poolsize:
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/entropy_avail
256
$$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/poolsize
256
$ What was going on?
TL;DR
I seems that as of kernel 5.10.119, the value of 256 bytes has been hardcoded.
See this link:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/704737
TL;DR:
As long as your computer doesn't suffer from not enough entropy ever, you're generating secure numbers.
Even just 256 entropy once before starting to get random numbers, and then 0 for the rest of the lifetime of your system would be OK!
Having 256 at any time is way more than ever necessary.
Right ...
Like I said at the start of this post, all this is over my head, reason why I am asking about it.
I do know that entropy is important, more in servers that desktops, but still important.
The "As long as your computer doesn't ... " bit does not mean much to me, more so in the context of all that is going on with Linux these past few years.
And yes, the "... 256 at any time is way more than ever necessary." bit did bring a smile to my face.
That said, I'd appreciate the opinion of those members who actually understand / have a grip on this stuff.
Best,
A.
#4 Hardware & System Configuration » grub edit screen - setting font colour » 2025-11-21 12:23:12
- Altoid
- Replies: 0
Hello:
Running up to date Devuan Daedalus:
$ uname -a
Linux devuan 6.1.0-41-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.158-1 (2025-11-09) x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ Default grub:
# grub-install --version
grub-install (GRUB) 2.06-13+deb12u1
# I have a setting for the fonts in /etc/default/grub which suits me:
$ cat /etc/default/grub
--- snip ---
GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="white/red"
GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="yellow/red"
--- snip ---The thing is that when editing the command line in the grub screen, those values do not hold.
The font is green and cannot be distiguished properly because of the background I use.
ie: confetti.png from MiyoLinux
Q: is there a way to get same font colours on the [edit] screen?
Best,
A.
#5 Re: Freedom Hacks » ALSA software mixer enabled by default in Debian/Devuan » 2025-11-20 19:55:35
Hello:
@igorzwx Thanks for showing that alsa is actually capable ...
+1
Best,
A.
#6 Re: Desktop and Multimedia » aegisub-3.2: symbol lookup error: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu » 2025-11-18 00:37:51
Hello:
... half the complex software not backed by huge corpos ...
... have produced that same symbol lookup error so far.
And will keep doing it if you are on Excalibur and till all that complex software you need catches up with this last Debian craze.
### You may want to consider patiently waiting it out till that happens ###.
ie: get out the backup* you made before the dist-upgrade and roll back to your last working non [usr-merge] Daedalus.
You will then be able to use that software you need once again, just like before.
* you have one, right? 8^°
As for me, I will (most) probably freeze my box at Daedalus using backṕorts (both kernels and packages) till it achieves [oldoldstable] status.
That should be in (maybe) three or four years in the future.
Five if I strech it a bit more? 8^°
In the meanwhile, I will think about what is going / has gone on in that time span and attempt to elucidate how to proceed.
No idea where we will be at that point.
There may no longer be a Debian.
I may not even care.
Best,
A.
#7 Re: Installation » Upgrade from Devuan Daedalus 32-bit to Excalibur » 2025-11-16 15:24:21
Hello:
... ever anything more than a control thing on their part.
I respectfully beg to differ.
As it has become quite evident, there has been, is and will be (for the long run) an astounding amount of moolah behind the systemd putsch into the Linux ecosystem, the main objective being to infiltrate it, absorb the distribution that is arguably the major player within it and slowly but steadily proceed to morph it into a totally different OS, not much different than any other MS OS till it no longer has any resemblance to Linux as we know it.
That being the case*, I find it very difficult to think of usrmerge as just a control thing: it is just another part of the process towards their main goal.
* as always, YMMV
With those players, nothing is just anything more.
ie: everything they do has a definite purpose and is linked to everything else that has been done up to now.
Best,
A.
#8 Re: Desktop and Multimedia » aegisub-3.2: symbol lookup error: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu » 2025-11-16 14:59:48
#9 Re: Installation » Upgrade from Devuan Daedalus 32-bit to Excalibur » 2025-11-13 22:35:59
Hello:
... everyone suddenly switching to usrmerge?
Easy: from Trixie / Excalibur onwards it is mandatory as per Debian design.
Have a read here:
https://www.debian.org/releases/bookwor … w-required
5.1.14. A “merged-/usr” is now required
Debian has adopted a filesystem layout, referred to as “merged-/usr”, which no longer includes the legacy directories /bin, /sbin, /lib, or optional variants such as /lib64. In the new layout, the legacy directories are replaced with symlinks to the corresponding locations /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /usr/lib, and /usr/lib64. This means that, for example, both /bin/bash and /usr/bin/bash will launch bash.
For systems installed as buster or bullseye there will be no change, as the new filesystem layout was already the default in these releases. However, the older layout is no longer supported, and systems using it will be converted to the new layout when they are upgraded to bookworm.
The conversion to the new layout should have no impact on most users. All files are automatically moved to their new locations even if they were installed locally or come from packages not provided by Debian, and hardcoded paths such as /bin/sh continue to work. There are, however, some potential issues:
dpkg --search
will give wrong answers for files moved to the new locations:dpkg --search /usr/bin/bash
will not identify that bash came from a package. (Butdpkg --search /bin/bash
still works as expected.)Local software not provided by Debian may not support the new layout and may, for example, rely on /usr/bin/name and /bin/name being two different files. This is not supported on merged systems (including new installations since buster), so any such software must be fixed or removed before the upgrade.
Systems that rely on a “base layer” that is not directly writable (such as WSL1 images or container systems using multi-layer overlayfs filesystems) cannot be safely converted and should either be replaced (e.g., by installing a new WSL1 image from the store) or have each individual layer upgraded (e.g., by upgrading the base Debian layer of the overlayfs independently) rather than dist-upgraded.
For further information, see The Case for the /usr merge and the Debian Technical Committee resolution.
* underlining is mine
Right ...
Now you know why it is the default and the bandwagon is full. 8^°
Best,
A.
#10 Re: Desktop and Multimedia » [SOLVED] Cannot change background » 2025-11-13 13:20:05
Hello:
Is it possible ...
I think not.
I run XFCE and if I do that I get this:
$ xfdesktop -Q
(xfdesktop:25174): dbind-WARNING **: 10:14:44.059: AT-SPI: Error retrieving accessibility bus address: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.a11y.Bus was not provided by any .service files
~$ As a result I lose my desktop.
ie: all icons and wallpaper dissapear and the background is just the usual base grey.
The warning is because the at-spi packages have been purged.
Only open windows, XFCE4 panels and conky remain.
Best,
A.
#11 Re: Devuan » New to Linux: Independent vs Based-on Distributions? » 2025-11-13 09:22:02
Hello:
Yes it could ...
Actually, it can and does.
The main reason being that Devuan is just Debian without systemd.
With all that it entails.
Devuan developers/maintainers and admins make a truly herculean effort to keep it running.
But they are severely overworked and understaffed.
There is only so much that can be done under such dire circumstances.
Best,
A.
#12 Re: Desktop and Multimedia » [SOLVED] Cannot change background » 2025-11-13 01:57:00
Hello:
... won't let distro developers change it.
... supposed to fork xfce4-desktop if we want that.
Right ...
Cute little buggers, aren't they? 8^°
Yet one more reason to ditch XFCE as the Devuan default desktop and seriously consider an Openbox / #! type alternative.
Like #!++ or BunsenLabs but without the systemd ballast.
Just an idea.
Best,
A.
#13 Re: Installation » Latest Excalibur desktop installer forces LXQt? » 2025-11-11 22:17:12
Hello:
... how to get rid of the cruft installed along with LXQt ...
You can start by first making a list to check if there is any.
eg:
$ apt list | grep installed | grep -i lxqtBest,
A.
#14 Re: Other Issues » usb pendrive always mounted as read-only » 2025-11-10 21:39:19
Hello:
Welcome back ...
I was wondering what happened to your USB sticks. 8^°
... bios ...
... turned off usb charging.
Hmm ...
Could be, but then it would imply a severe hardware malfunction or BIOS problem.
USB ports have (should have) protection to avoid excess current draw and damage, particularly those that can be used for charging.
It is part of the design parameters of any on-board / external USB socket.
... (those I didn't plug yet) work perfectly.
I see.
For the sake of completion to this thread, I think that it would be of interest to the forum (and you) to know some details.
[please humour me]
Reason?
Although not by any means the same quality of the legendary IBM T43 Thinkpad, today's Lenovo Thinkpad T400 is not a toy laptop on which such a thing would just happen, so it would be good to check a couple of things which may be of interest.
What brand and model are the USB sticks you used before and use now?
What does the dmesg printout say after you plug in one of the non-functioning sticks?
Please post the output.
With that same stick plugged in, please bring up gparted.
Does the stick show up? ie: /dev/sdx
If so, can you format it to 'cleared' first and then to 'fat32'?
Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this within a reasonable time frame. 8^D!
Best,
A.
#15 Re: News & Announcements » Announcing Devuan 6.0 Excalibur! » 2025-11-10 12:41:16
Hello:
I'll be staying on Daedalus.
So will I.
... even LXDE itself.
Don't get me started, I have XFCE ...
Some time ago I posted about the need(?) to upgrade from Daedalus to Excalibur.
A very relevant question if you run on ca. 2007 hardware.
Not a Mickey Mouse job, a high quality workstation* working as well as new.
Suits all my needs, no issues.
... significantly more bloated and resource-hungry ...
Indeed ...
In the 10+ years I have been running on Linux I have seen the size of each release grow and grow and cannot but wonder what more is in store.
eg:
Devuan Chimaera netinstall *.iso: 372.00 MB - UEFI installer: 0.754 MB
Devuan Daedalus netinstall *.iso: 477.80 MB - UEFI installer: 23.000 MB
30X more code was added to the UEFI partition on the road between Chimaera and Daedalus.Frankly, I do not think I can expect anything in the way of improvements for my hardware.
I have not seen a suitable explanation for the 30X additional code [ie: just WTF does it do?] but I strongly suspect that it holds something akin to a separate/independent OS.
The problem at hand is that there seems to be no alternative in sight.
Or any indication that there will, at some point, be one.
Maybe we have to carve ourselves a future in the [whatever]BSD arena? 8^/
Best,
A.
* Sun Microsystems U24 - Released by Sun 10/2007 - EOL'd by Oracle 10/2009.
#16 Re: Hardware & System Configuration » [SOLVED] AMD or nvidia? » 2025-11-07 01:54:14
Hello:
... advice on AMD or nvidia ...
- no one really needs bleeding edge, choose your hardware carefully
- new & shiny is always expensive and isn't necessarily the best choice *
- avoid any and all NVidia stuff like the plague.
- AMD video cards are excellent and have much better Linux support
* I run Devuan on a ca. 2007 Sun Microsystems U24 WS purchased used and upgraded 11/2015
Best,
A.
#17 Re: Installation » [SOLVED] Cannot upgrade chimaera to daedalus - wacom-dependency failure » 2025-11-05 12:21:37
Hello:
Thx for responding
You're welcome.
Best,
A.
#18 Re: Hardware & System Configuration » Concurrent filecopy over USB / onto NAS » 2025-11-05 11:13:49
Hello:
Much as I rate rsync ...
I got severely burned using rsync once, most probably my fault as it is really tricky to get right.
So I stopped using it but I rely on BackInTime which uses it without any issues.
... most of the time I actually use midnight commander.
Norton had file management pretty well nailed ...
Same here
NC was my preferred tool in those DOS/W3.11 days.
Best,
A.
#19 Re: Other Issues » No Jami in Excalibur » 2025-11-04 20:29:20
Hello:
... must be a reason for the disappearance of particular versions ...
... visit the software's website to see ...
Curiously enough, the jami website does offer Debian (12, 11, testing and unstable) versions for download albeit from their own repository:
https://jami.net/download-jami-linux/
Maybe it is all due to some spat between the systemd-kingdom and the jamis?
... suitable software alternatives in the repositories.
Yes, there's jitsi which I have seen works well enough.
Best,
A.
#20 Re: Other Issues » No Jami in Excalibur » 2025-11-03 15:45:24
Hello:
... in Daedalus, but it seems to have disappeared in Excalibur.
Indeed ...
As you can see, there does not seem to be a jami package in Debian stable:
https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=jami
No idea why ...
But it is in unstable and experimental.
As a result, there is no jami package in Devuan Excalibur:
https://pkginfo.devuan.org/cgi-bin/poli … 1.84.27.71
ie: not in the Debian repositories? Then it will not be in the Devuan repositories.
Will the Daedalus version install/run on Excalibur?
Can't say, never used it.
That said, if it was in the Debian repositories and it is not there now (-> degraded to testing), there must be something going on.
Best,
A.
#21 Re: Installation » [SOLVED] Cannot upgrade chimaera to daedalus - wacom-dependency failure » 2025-11-03 11:05:34
Hello:
How can I fix this?
You may be able to solve it by first manually installing the dependency.
ie: libwacom-common (= 2.6.0-1)
Once installed and present in the system, the dist-upgrade should go smoothly as apt will find it and proceed.
See:
https://pkginfo.devuan.org/cgi-bin/poli … 1.84.27.71
https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/libwacom-common <- 2.14.0-1
https://packages.debian.org/trixie/libwacom-common <- 2.6.0-1
If that does not work, you may have to uninstall whatever requires libwacom-common before the dist-upgrade.
See here: https://packages.debian.org/search?suit … s=libwacom
It would seem that libwacom2 in Chimaera has been replaced with libwacom9 in Daedalus, Excalibur and Ceres.
See
https://pkginfo.devuan.org/cgi-bin/poli … 1.84.27.71 <- Chimaera and earlier
https://pkginfo.devuan.org/cgi-bin/poli … 1.84.27.71 <- Daedalus and later
Let us know how you fared with this.
Best,
A.
#22 Re: Installation » Latest Excalibur desktop installer forces LXQt? » 2025-11-02 20:31:00
Hello:
... a bug in the installer?
Hmm ...
You may want to consider the possibility of the Excalibur installer becoming self-aware.
And as a result, defending itself from XFCE.
Just taking the piss ...
Best,
A.
#23 Re: Off-topic » Question: Best/fastest repos in general for each continent? » 2025-11-02 20:23:22
Hello:
... if deb.devuan.org isn't working out for them.
I do not recall ever having had any issues with deb.devuan.org*, save for those generated by my FO service provider. 8^°
* ie: -34.60° lat -58.38° long
Best,
A.
#24 Re: Off-topic » Hard Rust requirements for APT from may next year » 2025-11-02 11:49:27
Hello:
... and not be held back by trying to shoehorn modern software on retro computing devices.
Of course ... 8^°
--->
Tech *bros* have to make a living.
Make ends meet, if you will.
Have you not been observing?
There are still many landfills to fill.
<---... would tell you this is great news ...
Yes, he would.
I take small confort in the fact that Civilisation (in general) has always had an incredibly over-abundant supply of [braindead / stupid / DHs / AHs]*.
That little snippet from the debian_dev only confirms it.
* choose one, a combination of two or even three. But a combination of four is not an option, lest depression set in.
Best,
A.
#25 Re: Packaging for Devuan » [SOLVED] Where is Veracrypt? » 2025-10-31 20:00:10
Hello:
... not in the menus and not found by a file search or by command line.
You may want to run a fine tooth comb through all your logs, just in case.
There has to be / should be some indication as to what transpired when you installed it.
Should not be an issue if you got it from the Devuan repository,but still.
Have a look here: https://linux.die.net/man/8/tcplay
Best,
A.
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