Clutter Learns Linux

[Guest LilBambi]

Very tempted to try Virtual Box myself on my AMD box (Ubuntu/Win2K box) ... if it will work on that. Bambi goes off to check on Virtual Box requirements...I have been hearing very good things about that. But wondering if just under 1GB RAM would be adequate.

[Urmas]

But wondering if just under 1GB RAM would be adequate.

Doable... you just have to adjust the amount of RAM you'll be giving to your guest OS... or, better yet, choose your guest OS:s wisely. And you can forget about having tons of applications open in your host OS.I have 1GB of RAM... more would definitely be better... VirtualBox wise.

I have been hearing very good things about that.

It's übercool. Edited August 3, 2007 by Urmas

[Guest LilBambi]

Kewl!

[Urmas]

Psst... hey, Clutter!http://ubuntusoftware.info/Ubuntu_Ultimate_1.4/

[Bruno]

But wondering if just under 1GB RAM would be adequate.

I have it running on one system with 768 MB . . . and on one with 2GB of RAM . . . .and it does fine on both of them ( The only diff is that I can run 2 or 3 virtual sessions at once on the 2GB system if I want to. ) Bruno

[Guest LilBambi]

Great! 768 MB is what I have so should be fun!

[Cluttermagnet]

My question of the week-Having put a .pdf file on a web page server, I find that I can download and view it running Ubuntu, but cannot when running Win98SE. So obviously I did successfully upload the file. I also heard from a few others via email who are also having trouble getting this pdf to download. Presumably they are also using Windows (?) BTW I took the trouble to upload a second copy of the pdf from a Windows box via dialup, and this didn't cure the problem, so I am no longer thinking that the file got garbled because it got uploaded from a Linux machine. I'm a bit stumped at the moment. Any ideas? It seems clear enough that pdf must be a permitted file type, else why could I download the file under Linux? And why would the server have reported a successful upload of the file? This is my first try at stashing a pdf file on the subject server, zero experience with uploading this file type prior to this misadventure.

Edited August 15, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[striker]

In windows off course you need a program to be able to handle the .pdf, for ex. Adobe Reader.If that's not on the system you can't do anything at all with it.Another question : what were the permissions of the .pdf file before you uploaded it and what are the permissions after being uploaded ? I think that's the key to your question.

[Cluttermagnet]

In windows off course you need a program to be able to handle the .pdf, for ex. Adobe Reader.If that's not on the system you can't do anything at all with it.Another question : what were the permissions of the .pdf file before you uploaded it and what are the permissions after being uploaded ? I think that's the key to your question.

Thanks, striker-Well, the permissions under Ubuntu for the owner (me) are -rwx------. That's read/write/execute. BTW so far as I know, the file came to me under 98SE OS without any permissions data. It was an email attachment received under Windows. I do have Adobe pdf reader on that Win machine, and it opens fine on that machine. The problem is downloading it from the website server to Windows machines. I uploaded it to that server. The web site serves the pdf to me on my Ubuntu machine, I get to choose download/save or open. When I address the link to that file from my Win machine, nothing ever happens. The server seems to just ignore me. BTW one email corrrespondent said he got a message saying the file was in some way damaged. Another told me he got about 62k of a ~2.4M pdf file before it stalled. I'm assuming all these guys were running under Windows. Absolutely no problem pulling that pdf off of the server from an Ubuntu machine. Edited August 15, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[Guest LilBambi]

I would think we would need to see the place you placed the file. There may be a coding issue on the page. General issues between Windows and Linux may not be the problem.

[Cluttermagnet]

I would think we would need to see the place you placed the file. There may be a coding issue on the page. General issues between Windows and Linux may not be the problem.

Thanks, Fran-This server problem may have mysteriously 'fixed itself' overnight. A few minutes ago, I tried starting a download of the pdf under 98SE/dialup. It looked to be a 'go', though I didn't actually start and complete the download. Let me continue to play with this and see if the problem is going to be persistent. BTW one of my email correspondents now says he was able to download the file. OTOH he reported getting it 'faster than usual for a 2M file'. I conclude he must also be on dialup, from that comment. He didn't say whether he had actually opened and viewed the file. Ah well, I sent him a copy as an email attachment, at his request. Edit: Nope, I spoke too soon. I get an 'error opening file' message when I try to open it in Acrobat Reader under 98SE OS/ dialup. I get an arbitrarily small, truncated file when I try to download it to my hard drive. This is just as my email correspondents have described.Under Ubuntu Dapper/ cable broadband, it opens without any problem into Evince 0.5.2 reader. Edited August 15, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[Bruno]

Well, the permissions under Ubuntu for the owner (me) are -rwx------. That's read/write/execute.

Although I doubt it would be a permissions problem . . . . . you could do a "chmod 777" on the file before uploading it. . . . The "-rwx------" only gives the owner permissions to read . . . not the rest of the world. ( the chmod will make it "-rwxrwxrwx" ) . . It might not help, but who knows ?Also you might want to delete the file from the server before uploading the new one . . . maybe over-writing is not working 100%.Question: who is running that server . . is it your home server of the one from your ISP . . and is it running Windows or Linux ? Also are there issues whith other files you up / download from that server ? Bruno

[Cluttermagnet]

Thanks, Bruno-The server is in the Lycos domain. It serves a web page I've had for some 10+ years now, a free page which actually gets a goodly number of hits yearly, so I would be reluctant to ever let it go. Let's just say that if I did, thousands of bookmarks worldwide would go "404". I have never had any download problems reported before. This seems to be unique to .pdf extension files, I guess.The original file was sent to me as an email attachment. I never had any problems opening and viewing it under 98SE- or under Ubuntu. Also, if I email it to others who are having the problem (presumably on Windows systems), they have no problems with the file received in that way. Also, If I download the file from the server onto my Linux machines, it behaves normally. But if I attempt to download to my 98SE machine- or open with Adobe Acrobat in 98SE- it's no go. BTW the source of the file is highly trustworthy, IMO- it's 'clean', no issues in that area.After I saw this problem. I uploaded another copy of the file to the server, this time from my 98SE machine via dialup, rather than from my Ubuntu machine via cable broadband. I did some temporary file renaming on the server, so I'm quite sure the newer file is now the one active on that server. This did not make any difference at all, so far as the Windows problem. I will try your permissions suggestion with "chmod 777".I generally like pdf's, but now I wish I could have that file in some other format. This is not an option, however. Someone else was the creator of the file, I'm merely hosting it in my own online venue devoted to Amateur Radio. I'll PM you several url's on request, if you would like to look at the files and the page they are served from.Edit: I am aware that the Lycos domain has developed somewhat of a bad reputation as a source of a lot of spamming. I think that has resulted in some ISP's blacklisting the domain? But I thought that pertained to emails, not to web surfing. Not at all sure of the status of this, but I think Lycos has somewhat of a bad rep on the net presently...

Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[Bruno]

Hi ClutterWhat we can try is this: send me the file by email ( see brunolinux.com ) and I will upload it to the server I use and we can after that test if it makes any difference. BrunoPS: pdf files get heavy filtering these days because of the new spam wave . . . . so put some text in the mail as well

[Cluttermagnet]

Hi ClutterWhat we can try is this: send me the file by email ( see brunolinux.com ) and I will upload it to the server I use and we can after that test if it makes any difference. Bruno

Thanks, Bruno-Email + attachment sent... Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[striker]

One of the things you could try is saving the file on the server with a name without any capital character and/or spaces at all, so for. ex. save the file Test.pdf as test.pdf - and 'this is a test file.pdf as this_is_a_test_file.pdf' ;Another thing to think over : the file was from the 98SE era, also saved with an application from that era. Newer pdf's are not being handled that well by those ,if at all, and the reverse is also true : older files are possible handled by acrobat reader and the likes but will give you at least a warning message while opening. In other words : would it be possible to open that file in the latest Acrobat program, look for any warning or error messages and if they are shown do something about it, after that save the file and then upload it and test it.

[Urmas]

Clutter,You can get Acrocrap Reader [whachamacallit nowadays... Adobe Reader] for Linux, too.

Edited August 17, 2007 by Urmas

[Cluttermagnet]

One of the things you could try is saving the file on the server with a name without any capital character and/or spaces at all, so for. ex. save the file Test.pdf as test.pdf - and 'this is a test file.pdf as this_is_a_test_file.pdf'

Good idea! I'll try that.

Another thing to think over : the file was from the 98SE era, also saved with an application from that era. Newer pdf's are not being handled that well by those ,if at all, and the reverse is also true : older files are possible handled by acrobat reader and the likes but will give you at least a warning message while opening. In other words : would it be possible to open that file in the latest Acrobat program, look for any warning or error messages and if they are shown do something about it, after that save the file and then upload it and test it.

Well, this file was newly created only a week or two ago. I don't know what OS it was created under, I can find out if that would be helpful. It's from a fellow hobbyist in Europe. Perhaps the OS was Linux?

Clutter,You can get Acrocrap Reader [whachamacallit nowadays... Adobe Reader] for Linux, too.

Heh! But do I really need it? Ah, well, I really don't hold anything against Adobe. They wisely chose to make .pdf files an open format. Therefore, there is a thriving industry built up around that file type. Adobe makes plenty of money on .pdf writing software and keeps the reader free.

[Cluttermagnet]

One of the things you could try is saving the file on the server with a name without any capital character and/or spaces at all, so for. ex. save the file Test.pdf as test.pdf - and 'this is a test file.pdf as this_is_a_test_file.pdf' ;

OK, tried this trick, but no change. When trying to open with Acrobat Reader, a message that the file 'can't be repaired'. When trying to download to HD, an arbitrarily small (~100k) chunk of a 2.44MB file (under 98SE). Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[Urmas]

Heh! But do I really need it?

Nope... but you COULD install it and see if it can read the "problem file" in your Ubuntu machine.

[Cluttermagnet]

Nope... but you COULD install it and see if it can read the "problem file" in your Ubuntu machine.

Ahhh, OK. That's worth trying. I will. Edit: OK, Adobe Acrobat Reader ("Acroread') opens the 'problem file' just fine under Ubuntu Dapper. Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[striker]

Mmm, OOo has the possibility to save a file in .pdf too nowadays. You could tear the whole .pdf source file out of it fundaments and use it piece after piece in a OOo document, then when the whole document is ready and looks about the same as the source .pdf, while in OOo save it as a .pdf : if you have the latest OOo (IIRC 2.2.1) it should be as compliant with the latest .pdf specs as possible.Another trick is to compress the .pdf file, say as a .zip or .tar file before uploading it. That way you can test what happens with the compressed file. If that also gets damaged maybe there's a problem with the way you upload it to the server (ASCII or binary or AUTO ?), but if not that would be a workaround. The only problem a user would have then they would have to decompress it before they can read it, and of course windows users not always will be able to use a tarred file, so a .zip is probably better in this case.

[Bruno]

Okay . . . for those that want to test . . . . ( and I hope for Clutter many of you are ) here is the file:< Link removed on request >( direct click to see it in your browser )OR look in this directory: < Link removed on request > and you will find test.pdfWhen I download it I can open it no problem . . . Bruno

[Urmas]

worky hunky dory (Ubuntu / Evince and Adobe Reader).

[striker]

Fedora Core 6 using kpdf : no problem whatsoever.Debian Etch 4.0r1 : using kpdf : no problem whatsoever.Windows XP Pro : using Acrobat 5 (full version) inside of FF 2.0.0.6 : no problem.Windows XP Pro : downloaded to desktop and opened using Acrobat 5 (full version): no problem.

[SueD]

Slackware 12.0...no problems.

[Cluttermagnet]

I tried to open the file with Adobe Acrobat under 98SE and it failed. "Error opening file". But a different behavior- it proceeded to download more of the file, while trying this. In fact, Firefox reported 100 percent downloaded. I'll now try actual downloading, rather than opening, but this does not look good. I think this is a server problem with this file type and my web host. The answer will be to relocate the file onto another server. I'm setting up a small online storage which comes free with one of my dialup ISP's (I'm now activating that free feature). When I hear back from the ISP, I'll put the file there.Hmmm- It did a larger partial download, 1.5M of 2.4M before falsely declaring 100 percent downloaded. Still a problem all round under 98SE.It downloads and opens fine under Ubuntu Dapper in Evince 0.5.2It downloads fine onto Dapper Desktop and opens with Acroread.Could it be?... Radio Amateurs, although quite astute and technically proficient, often lag the curve so far as recent hardware/OS adoption. We're a bunch of experimenters and are generally tight with a dollar. Highly hardware oriented, we often cobble together improbable platforms, and often work with legacy hardware, especially accessories, acquired at weekend swap meets for next to no money. But our main proficiency is with radio hardwre, with computers being more of a sideline. I bet there are actually 386 and 486 platforms still running online. And plenty of working copies of 98SE (hopefully as well patched as possible). Could this be a problem unique to Win98? In this crowd, you are going to find occasional DOS holdouts, perhaps even a few copies of Win95 still running online (I hope not). Many were pretty proficient with DOS before uncle Billy made it largely obsolete with Windows. At work, these same guys are going to be running the latest hardware and OS's, even Linux. Radio 'hams' can be cheapskates! I bet the correspondents who reported problems are running 98SE, like me. They report no problems opening the same file sent as an email attachment.

Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[Guest LilBambi]

Mac no problems downloading and opening it after download with Firefox.NOTE: I have PDF files prompt for action, defaulting to download only in Firefox. That way I can run the virus scanner on stuff first.

[Cluttermagnet]

If that also gets damaged maybe there's a problem with the way you upload it to the server (ASCII or binary or AUTO ?), but if not that would be a workaround.

You may be onto something there, striker. A small confession- I have never gotten very good at using ftp clients for uploading. My web host provides a lazy online (http?) method of writing and modifying web pages. I need to dust off my ftp client and try moving the file onto the server that way. Who knows, maybe that could cause an OS-unique problem like I am seeing? :wacko:I need to find a free host which is fairly reliable and which allows .pdf hosting. This one file doubled my space usage overnight. My ISP may provide an acceptable venue for this one file, but I will consume half of my free allocation with the file. I still suspect this is a server problem uniquely with this file extension type.I think compression would be rejected or at least greatly not appreciated by my target audience. It really should be easy, one click downloading or viewing (With Acrobat/Acroread). Edited August 17, 2007 by Cluttermagnet

[réjean]

A little late but I have no problem using PCLinux, Firefox and KPDF. Ditto with Windows XP Pro, FF and Acrobat Reader 6.0.If that helps!

Edited August 17, 2007 by réjean