So, finally got here after 23:00 yesterday, good night's sleep largely due to exhaustion I think. Now at the Chaplaincy office, again with no internet connection, how will I cope? Maybe I can find a new hotspot in the town centre later - there weren't any usable ones when I lived here...

Should I find one, I should now be able to use it, last few days had noticed that when /etc/init.d/network started my WLAN adapter, it was giving error messages about iwconfig. Finally figured this morning that I'd managed to hardware disable it, a quick press of the appropriate button, and I'm good to go again...

So, today was my journey to Watford, and it can be noted from the date and time on this entry that it is currently 21:26 (although it will be later by the time I finish typing). I was supposed to be in Watford at 18:59, but I'm actually on a Virgin train just south of Stafford (no internet access though, so I'll have to upload this later - incidentally, what happened to Wi-Fi on trains that we were told was "just around the corner"?)!

So, my journey should have been as follows:

Attenborough Depart 15:47, bus replacement service
Long Eaton Arrive 15:58, Depart 16:25
Leicester Arrive 16:48, Depart 16:55, bus replacement service
Nuneaton Arrive 17:35, Depart 17:43
Watford Junction Arrive 18:59

We decided to skip the bus replacement service from Attenborough, and just went straight to Long Eaton (still bought ticket from Attenborough for return leg on Friday). The train from Long Eaton was cancelled! Not that anyone at the station waiting for it was told this of course, I had to call National Rail Enquiries to ask what was going on. Eventually I was given an alternative set of connections, going first to Derby, then Stoke-on-Trent, and then on to Watford. This, although the train to Derby only left an hour after my train to Leicester should have, resulted in an arrival time in Watford two hours later, 21:00 (give or take a minute).

Of course, it's not that simple is it? The Derby - Stoke train was delayed, which meant I missed the train from Stoke by FIVE MINUTES! The next train (that I'm now on) was two hours later, and I should now arrive in Watford at around 23:00. Now, the journey from our house to Hils & Caz's place takes two hours if the traffic's bad, this journey will have taken me nearly eight! And that's assuming that there are no further hitches or delays between here and Watford. Oh yes, and there's no air-con in this carriage, and you can't open the windows, so I'm hot, and the air's getting unbreathable...

So, I hate public transport, and I'll be lodging a complaint.

Watched The Girl in the Café tonight on BBC1, one of the most compelling pieces of television I've seen in a long long time, and the important message of it was that people in Edinburgh next weekend have the power to change the world.

Continue to put pressure on them to do so!

I own a Lexmark Z35, which I bought because it was described as supporting Linux. For some time I used to use it, using Lexmark's (frankly rubbish) LPD drivers. They sucked, largely because I have a network at home, Amanda my wife has her own PC (currently running SuSE 9.1, 9.3 soon), and I have my laptop, as well as a few servers, and the LPD drivers from Lexmark didn't work in a networked environment, they simply refused to be shared. Moreover, if you wanted to configure the blasted thing, you had to use their own graphical utility, which I guess is great if you're attaching it to a stand-alone desktop PC, but even if I'd been able to get it working across the network, it would have been useless, cos it would have meant installing a bunch of libraries that I simply didn't want on my server. The upshot was that it was attached to Amanda's PC, and once the ink ran out, I never refilled it, and it's gathered dust ever since.

Until today.

Now, I still haven't bought ink for it, but I do now have it working in CUPS and shared on the LAN, here's a quick guide to doing it, cos it ain't as easy as Lexmark would have you believe.

First off, you want to click here. This is Lexmark's SuSE (although, also Red Hat and Mandr[ake/iva]) download page for this printer's drivers. Select the second driver, the once for CUPS, version 2.0-1. Download this into a new directory, and unpack it using tar xvfz filename. This will give you three files, COPYING, README, and a file ending in .gz.sh. Lexmark want you to run sh filename.gz.sh, DON'T! Get sneaky, first remove the first 142 lines from the top of that file using your favourite text editor (first check that 142 lines is right, line 142 should read END_OF_STUB - if it does not, then find that line, and remove the appropriate number of lines). Next, do tar xvfz filename.sh.gz - Don't worry about the error message, so long as two files ending in .rpm are listed.

Now, those two files contain the drivers themselves, so, as root, do rpm -Uvh *.rpm, they should both install fine, and you can get on to configuring it. I personally prefer gnome-cups-manager to configure printers, but then, I would, wouldn't I? You can also use YaST. When you start the printer configuration section of YaST, it should rebuild its database of installed drivers because of the new drivers you just installed, and the printer (assuming it's connected and powered on) should be listed in the detected printers list, you can now configure it, and print a test page. Hint: Z35 Color Jetprinter (yes, the American spelling) should appear in the list of Lexmark models now.

So, you should now have a working Lexmark Z35 printer, enjoy usable printing under Linux.

Oh, one more thing, there's now a little command-line utility (great for server-attached printing) for aligning and cleaning print heads, type /usr/lib/cups/backend/z35 utilities to use it.

Well, last day of term today (although, we're on CTP placements for the next two weeks, and then we have another week in college after that - go figure...) I led worship at the end of term service, which was a lot of fun, and the whole service seemed to go really well.

So, I've booked my train tickets, and on Sunday I'm off down to Watford, where for the next two weeks I'll be placed with the Town Centre Chaplaincy, and staying with Hilary and Caz.

Luis: Just doing an APT upgrade on my 9.3 box, and there's an updated glib2 package, version 2.7.0 in the kde(!) component.

I'm going to look into doing a full GTK+ upgrade to 2.7.0 when I have a bit of time, and of course, packages...

Great article in The Guardian (front page on the dead tree version) about how Bono is going about winning over the right (including the religious right) in the US to the cause of Africa.

Hmmm, seems that whenever Luis or I post on the packaging list it's like putting a lit match in a hornets' nest...

Makes one wonder if there's any point...

On another note, who do I look like..?

Amanda says that my new hackergotchi makes me look like I have a double chin. On the other hand, someone told me recently I look like (apparently) fellow brit, Kiefer Sutherland.

Today's CTP schedule was cancelled, so it's been a day off. Nice.

Amanda's out on girlie night, so I've been doing the default action of watching the West Wing. Specifically, just watched The Midterms, and noticed that James Denton, who plays Mike Delfino in Desperate Housewives plays Tom, Sam's friend who runs for Congress.

Favourite quote from the episode: If they're shooting at you, you know you're doing something right.

Do Something Right.

• [Ref] Posted patch to the GPP list to add the RPM-Fu to gucharmap
• Uploaded updated beagle packages - version 0.0.11

Not much to report...

• Updated my Planet SuSE hackergotchi
• Uploaded updated gnome-session packages to use zenity to provide a GNOMEish version of the first-time login message - try them with a new user to test, or remove $HOME/.skel/gnome2-plugger-info
• [Ref] Working on this for gucharmap - will pop a patch on the list when it's ready

Luis (et al): I've put a first draft of notes on Cross Distro Spec Files on GNOME Live! Also included an example .spec to demonstrate it.

The story broke yesterday about the G8 finance ministers agreeing to write off 100% of the debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries. This is fantastic news, but it's just the beginning.

For a start, the other nine nations that qualify for HIPC debt relief need to be assisted to reach the standards of good governance and corruption in order that they too might take a step closer towards justice.

Secondly, moves need to be made towards trade justice. Fair trade, not free trade is the only way that these countries can be able to move forward, become economically active and engaged in the global economy. For far too long free trade has been the mantra of the west, and especially the US, but free trade simply allows those with more economic muscle to exercise that muscle. Free trade is not a level playing field, we need fair trade. This is somewhere even ordinary people like me can have an effect. Buy fair trade goods wherever possible. Example: I'd been saying for a long time that I should buy an apron to wear while cooking, as I tend to get spattered slightly by sauces and things while making them. I found out recently that Traidcraft sell fairly traded aprons. They're made in Bangladesh, and the people who make them receive fair payment for what they produce. Buying fairly traded good helps the people who make them, it really is as simple as that. [More notes on Traidcraft and cotton]

Thirdly aid needs to be increased to the countries that have had their debt cancelled. Useful aid that helps these countries and the people who live there to become less dependent on that aid. Aid doesn't just mean throwing money at people, it means providing skills and resources, as well as education and training to utilise those resources. Education is vital, young people who have completed primary education are less than half as likely to contract HIV. Providing universal primary education would prevent 700,000 cases of HIV each year - that's about 30% of all new infections in that age group. (Source: Make Poverty History) This is demonstrated by Uganda, which reduced its AIDS infection rate from 15% in 1991 to just 5% in 2001. The lead on this was given by the country's president, and delivered through health professionals liaising with church leaders teaching what is known as the ABC rule. Abstinence, Be faithful, Use a Condom. The education program resulted in the number of people with multiple sexual partners being reduced in comparison with the surrounding nations. (Source: Roy McCloughry)

Also, it needs to be remembered that the nations on the HIPC list are not the only ones in need of debt relief and improved aid, this map from the BBC shows many other countries which campaigners want to see added to the list of nations eligible for relief.

Don't stop campaigning, this is not the time to stop, this small victory shows us that campaigning works. So, wear your white band, go to Edinburgh, email Tony Blair (and other people in authority - local MPs, senators, MEPs, etc...), and join the campaign to be kept in touch with what's going on, and how you can get involved.

Luis: You're absolutely right about the importance of the Packaging Project. If we could get packages for RH/Fedora and SUSE of each stable and unstable release, including proposed modules, that would make it so much easier for people to submit useful bug reports.

I'm still planning on putting up some guidelines on creating .spec files that can be used to make RPMs for various distros, as I commented recently when working on this for Tomboy, I encountered possible problems if other --with options are used, but actually for the vast majority of GNOME modules, this isn't used at all, so I'll get them done as soon as possible so that module maintainers/hackers can start making changes to their modules. What would be really cool would be if this could be adopted as a policy for modules, I see part of the Packaging Projects role as encouraging those who look after the modules to make packaging easy. It doesn't have to be difficult.

Uploaded 2 new packages today: gDesklets and gTweakUI - hope you like them.

Also uploaded photos of Thursday's open air Eucharist service and this morning's commissioning service at college.

Update: Uploaded abiword-beta[-plugins-impexp/-plugins-tools/-clipart] version 2.3.1 - this will become the next stable version 2.4.0 eventually, get testing, and get filing those bugs.

Uploaded Gaim 1.3.1 packages, they fix a bunch of security issues.

Tomorrow is the college commissioning service. Will be really sad to see all the leavers depart.

Oh man! This is so cool. I actually still have the XP decal on my notebook, alongside the sticker from my boxed copy of 9.1 (not sure where the sticker from my 9.3 box is going to go yet - maybe on the lid...), and rather than leave the sticky patch (like on the front of my server), replacing it with a Novell decal would rock my socks!

Any Novellians able to tell me if this could be shipped to the UK?

Monday had a day of lectures of how technology shapes theology and ethical thought, and blogging was mentioned as part of it, got me thinking about something...

I know that my blog is syndicated on Planet SuSE, and Planet N, but I don't know about other places it may be read, so...

...if you're reading this somewhere other than those sites, or my own site, please email syndicated AT jamesthevicar DOT com to let me know where you saw it.

Today's updates:

• AbiWord 2.2.8 (and plugins/clipart)
• netapplet 1.0.8

Committed updated British English translations for tomboy, f-spot, fast-user-switch-applet and gnome-screensaver.

Updated Beagle 0.0.10 packages that are built against Mono 1.1.7 are now available.

You'll need to get the updated mono builds from here.

Have also uploaded new Blam! packages, version 1.8.0.

Had totally missed that version 2.2.7 of The GIMP had been released - whoops. Anyway, have now built and uploaded it.

Building new packages of 2.2.7 that fix bug #7050, and include the AbiCommand plugin in abiword-plugins-tools.

Spent most of the morning in the garden attempting to mow our lawn - no small task. I had the dust mask on again.

Have uploaded new gnome-session packages. These remove the hard-coded starting of SuSEplugger and SuSEwatcher that existed in the default 9.3 packages. The first time a user logs in, there will be a message explaining how to enable them or gnome-volume-manager.

Finished BS103, and it's ready to be handed in.

BBC News: Bush opposes UK Africa debt plan. Well, is anyone surprised? Hopefully at the G8, Blair will finally stand up to him. But please note what Gordon Brown is advocating here. 100% debt relief! 100%, all of it, the full deal, no half measures. Nice on Gordon, let's just hope the rest listen.

Handed in CTW104 yesterday morning, which felt pretty good, and then got to work on BS103. Checked the deadline date, and it's a week on Monday. I'd thought it was this coming Monday, so that's a weight off. Anyway, got just over 1600 words done, so over 50% of the way there.

Went out for a curry last night with Liz partly to celebrate her birthday, which is today, and partly just cos Thursday night is a good night to go for a curry.

Seriously, where is the year going?

Got my CTW103 exam result this morning, it's the only exam of the year, everything else is assessed by essays, and I was very surprised and pleased to get a 2:i mark for it.

Just finished my CTW104 essay, so tomorrow I'll be attacking BS103

Seb: thanks for making my packages available in Red Carpet. Screenshot below of using the graphical front-end to install the seriously insecure Beagle Epiphany Extension (an action I cancelled after taking the shot).