Sunday, 17 July 2005

11:38pm: PV 0.9.1, JMBA 0.5.1, QSF 1.1.2, YUM repository, QSF in Debian
PV has been updated with a new spec file so that the RPM will build properly on Fedora Core 4; JMBA now has flood protection that actually works; QSF has the same spec file fix for FC4, allow-list matching is now case insensitive because email addresses usually are too, and a (very minor) bug introduced with mmap() support in the new binary tree database has been fixed so that the database last-modification timestamp is updated correctly; the YUM repository for my RPMs has been updated; and QSF is now in Debian's unstable distribution.

To use the YUM repository, add this to your /etc/yum.conf or (on FC4) to /etc/yum.repos.d/ivarch.repo:

[ivarch]
name=RPMs from ivarch.com
baseurl=http://www.ivarch.com/programs/rpms/$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1

Note that this only works for i386 class systems, as those are all I provide pre-built RPMs for. You will also need to import my PGP key for gpgcheck=1 to work:

rpm --import http://www.ivarch.com/personal/public-key.txt

After doing this, you can do yum install qsf to install QSF, and yum update will update your system with any new releases of the packages I provide along with the other system packages it would normally check.

On a similar "convenience" note, thanks to the efforts of Nelson A. de Oliveira, QSF is now available as a Debian unstable package, so Debian users can now install QSF more easily. For details of the package, see QSF's Debian package page.


My old desktop PC, stiletto, has been getting more cranky of late and, since it is too big to move off the floor out of reach of sticky fingers, its failing fans and dubious BIOS provided the perfect excuse to build a new computer. Enter gargamel, a smaller, meaner machine based on a basic Shuttle barebone system. It fits inside the computer desk / bureau out of the way, making it baby-friendly for the impending arrival.

Since I needed to put Windows XP on there for work purposes, this meant a full installation from scratch (instead of the partial copy-and-rebuild I usually do to bootstrap new machines), so I gave Fedora Core 4 a try. So far the only problem I have is that XVideo isn't working in Xine, but that may just be the "budget" on-board video hardware on this system. Other than the odd tiny niggle like that I would fully recommend it to anyone computer literate; it's quick to install, easy to use, and "just works".