firefly media server

Firefly Media Server (mt-daapd)

sudo apt-get install mt-daapd
will get you a nice reliable music server. Available in Ubuntu repositories.

>mt-daapd -V
Firefly Media Server: Version svn-1696

You can configure from the web interface:
original version of firefly
If you must manually configure a setting, /etc/mt-daapd.conf can be manually edited.

g@gubuntu:~$ sudo more /etc/mt-daapd.conf

# $Id: mt-daapd.conf.templ 1660 2007-09-12 13:08:04Z rpedde $
#
# This is the mt-daapd config file.
#
# If you have problems or questions with the format of this file,
# direct your questions to rpedde@users.sourceforge.net.
#
# Questions and discussions about the format and content of this
# config file can probably be obtained by consulting the wiki:
#
# http://wiki.fireflymediaserver.org/Config_File
#
# Or by asking questions on the forums at
#
# http://forums.fireflymediaserver.org
#
#
[general]
# If you installed from tarball without –prefix=/usr, then the correct
# path is probably /usr/local/share/mt-daapd/admin-root.
#

web_root = /usr/share/mt-daapd/admin-root

#
# port (required)
#
# What port to listen on. It is possible to use a different
# port, but this is the default iTunes port
#

port = 3689

#
# admin_pw (required)
#
# This is the password to the administrative pages
#

admin_pw = yourpwd_here

#
# db_type (required)
#
# This is what kind of backend database to store the song
# info in. Valid choices are “sqlite” and “sqlite3″.
#

db_type = sqlite3

Firefly Media Server is being re-written (forked-daapd)

Note: Adding these software repositories to your ubuntu installation can have undesired effects if you leave them in the sources.list after their initial use.

The mt-daapd media server has been forked by the last contributor Julien Blache, and is being totally re-written. See http://blog.technologeek.org/2009/06/12/217 and http://blog.technologeek.org/2011/04/09/483

The latest debian build http://alioth.debian.org/~jblache/forked-daapd/

One way to install forked-daapd on an Ubuntu system from http://jamesdanylik.com/articles/undoing-the-damage-replacing-mt-daapd-firefly-with-forked-daapd/

Basically, it includes adding “deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian squeeze main” to your /etc/apt/sources.list, running an “apt-get update,” and then using the Debian testing build of forked-daapd to install with a “sudo apt-get install forked-daapd.” Very clever, and makes the whole process pretty painless.

One caveat: if you’re like me and Jason, you’ll probably get an error saying “main: libgcrypt version mismatch” when forked-daapd tries to start up. This is due to Debian using a different version of gcrypt; install it with “sudo apt-get install libgcrypt11,” and you should be right as rain. Just don’t forget to delete the Debian line from your sources.list after you get everything working, or you’ll have all sorts of strange problems. Edit your setting in /etc/forked-daapd.conf, and start the party by running “sudo /etc/init.d/forked-daapd start.

Key Server Error fix from

http://en.kioskea.net/faq/809-debian-apt-get-no-pubkey-gpg-error

Issue

When updating the Debian based system, it may happens that the apt-get displays an error message like:

W: GPG error: ftp://ftp.debian.org/ testing Release:

The following signatures couldn’t be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 010908312D230C5F

W: There is no public key available for the following key IDs:

010908312D230C5F

This is a new feature of the apt-get system that guarantee the authenticity of servers for updating Debian.

Solution

Type the following commands, REPLACE the number of the key that displayed in the error message:

gpg –keyserver pgpkeys.mit.edu –recv-key 010908312D230C5F

gpg -a –export 010908312D230C5F | sudo apt-key add -

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/mt-daapd

/usr/share/doc/mt-daapd$ more changelog.Debian

mt-daapd (0.9~r1696.dfsg-16) unstable; urgency=low

* debian/patches/18_itunes10_fix.dpatch:

+ Added; handle aeMK tag, mandatory for iTunes 10 (closes: #596250).

— Julien BLACHE Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:50:24 +0200

mt-daapd (0.9~r1696.dfsg-15) unstable; urgency=low

* debian/control:

+ Bump Standards-Version to 3.8.3 (no changes).

* debian/rules:

+ Call dh_installlogcheck.

* debian/mt-daapd.logcheck.ignore.server:

+ Added logcheck rules to ignore trivial mt-daapd log messages

(closes: #547010).

— Julien BLACHE Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:48:07 +0200

Posted in Linux, Ubuntu | 1 Comment

free computers

There’s low cost computers (such as the One Laptop per Child program), and then there’s really freakin’ low cost computers. …

..but instead to manufacture a very low cost PC that can be given to kids for free and courses built up around their use. When we say low cost, we mean so low even the OLPC would be impressed.

Braben has developed a tiny USB stick PC that has a HDMI port in one end and a USB port on the other. You plug it into a HDMI socket and then connect a keyboard via the USB port giving you a fully functioning machine running a version of Linux. The cost? $25.

The hardware being offered is no slouch either. It uses a 700MHz ARM11 processor coupled with 128MB of RAM and runs OpenGL ES 2.0 allowing for decent graphics performance with 1080p output confirmed. Storage is catered for by an SD card slot. It also looks as though modules can be attached such as the 12MP camera seen in the image above.

We can expect it to run a range of Linux distributions, but it looks like Ubuntu may be the distro it ships with. That means it will handle web browsing, run office applications, and give the user a fully functional computer to play with as soon as it’s plugged in. All that and it can be carried in your pocket or on a key chain.

tiny, tiny computer

source: http://www.geek.com/articles/games/game-developer-david-braben-creates-a-usb-stick-pc-for-25-2011055/

Posted in Other Tech | Leave a comment

legal torrents

Bittorrent is a technology that allows for the easy distribution of data. This makes it a controversial technology since it is so easy and powerful that it is also used to distribute  copyrighted material. A couple of interesting aspects of this technology are that as more people download from the same .torrent key file, they must share the data that they have downloaded, and they contribute to the speed of download available – creating a ‘torrent’ of data.

Below is a brief mention of some projects that use this revolutionary technology in a legal and constructive manner:

ClearBits

ClearBits provides hosting and distribution for open licensed media.

We distribute high quality, open-licensed (Creative Commons) digital media, datasets, and artwork for Content Creators. We host creative content in its entirety, ensure fast, reliable downloads, and enable users to directly sponsor Content Creators and their work.

We distribute content with permission from the rights holders and use the open standard, peer-to-peer file sharing technology called Bittorrent. We have been in operation since 2003; previous to 2010, the site was called LegalTorrents.

vodo.net
Using Bittorrent potential for the next generation of media creation.

from http://vodo.net/about:

VODO helps promote and distribute new creative works all over the world & enables those enjoying shared media to make donations to creators.
We bring together creators looking for an effective way to distribute their work with file-sharing sites willing to help promote it and get it out. We call this coalition of P2P sites the Distribution Coalition, or DISCO.

 

http://www.publicdomaintorrents.net/
Ever wonder what might happen to those old vintage films from ?  Well some of them have ended up here:

http://www.publicdomaintorrents.net/

 

software distribution

Entire operating systems are available for download via .torrent files. Some Linux distributions you can torrent:

 

 

Selected References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent_(protocol)

 

 

Posted in Freedom, Other Tech | Leave a comment