432 lines
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432 lines
18 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<html><head>
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<TITLE>The Linux Gazette FAQs</TITLE></HEAD>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000"
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LINK="#3366FF" VLINK="#A000A0">
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<!-- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -->
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<!-- H4>"The Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
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<P> <hr> <P -->
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<!-- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -->
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<img src="../gx/lg-penguin.gif" alt=" " ALIGN="right" HSPACE="20">
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<H1 ALIGN="center"><A NAME="faq">
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<font color="#B03060">The <I>Linux Gazette</I> FAQs</font>
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</A></H1>
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<SMALL>Updated 11-Oct-2002</SMALL>
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<P>
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<DL COMPACT>
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<DT><A HREF="#general">General <I>Linux Gazette</I> Information</A>
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<DD>Frequently asked questions about LG.
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<DT><A HREF="author.html">Author information</A>
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<DD>How can I write articles for LG?
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</DL>
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<STRONG>THE ANSWER GANG</STRONG><BR>
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<EM>The Answer Gang (TAG) is a group of volunteers that answer Linux tech-support
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questions. Every issue, selected questions and answers are published in the
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Mailbag, 2-Cent Tips and The Answer Gang columns.</EM>
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<DL>
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<DT><A HREF="../tag/kb.html">The Answer Gang Knowledge Base (TAG-KB)</A>
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<DD>Get answers to your Linux questions here!
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<DT><A HREF="../tag/ask-the-gang.html">TAG Posting Guidelines</A>
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<DD>How do I ask a Linux tech-support question?
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<DT><A HREF="../tag/members-faq.html">TAG Members' FAQ</A>
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<DD>How do I answer questions people have asked?
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</DL>
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<hr> <!-- ************************************************************* -->
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<A NAME="general"></A>
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<H1>General <I>Linux Gazette</I> Information</H1>
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<OL>
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<LI> <A HREF="#formats_html">Where can I find the HTML version of the <I>Gazette</I>?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#formats_yes">Which other formats is the <I>Gazette</I> available in?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#formats_no">Which formats is the <I>Gazette</I> <STRONG>not</STRONG> available in?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#subscribe">How can I subscribe to the <I>Gazette</I>?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#languages">Is <I>Linux Gazette</I> available in Spanish? French? Chinese? Italian? Russian? German? Japanese?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#old">Why is the most recent issue several months old?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#search">How can I find all the articles about a certain subject?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#copying">May I copy and distribute the <I>Gazette</I> or portions thereof?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#sponsor">You have my competitor's logo on the Front Page; will you put mine up too?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#generic">Is there a generic URL to the current issue?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#java">Do you publish announcements about Java products?</A>
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<LI> <A HREF="#rsync">How does the <CODE>rsync</CODE> server work?</A>
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</OL>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="formats_html"></A>
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<H2>1. Where can I find the HTML version of the <I>Gazette</I>?</H2>
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<UL>
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<LI> The main web site--<A HREF=http://www.linuxgazette.com>
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www.linuxgazette.com</A>.<P>
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<LI> <A HREF="../mirrors.html">Mirror sites in 47 countries</A>, some with
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translations in other languages.<P>
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<LI> Indirect mirrors, including
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<A HREF=http://www.ssc.com/mirrors/LDP/mirrors.html>
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Linux Documentation Project</A> mirror sites.<P>
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<LI> In the <A HREF=http://www.debian.org>
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Debian/GNU Linux</A> distribution, as ordinary *.deb packages.<P>
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<LI> On CD as part of a
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<A HREF=http://www.linuxjournal.com/subscribe/cdrom.html><I>Linux Journal</I>
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archive CD-ROM</A>. There may also be other companies that include the
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<I>Gazette</I> on their CDs, but we don't currently have a list.<P>
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</UL>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="formats_yes"></A>
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<H2>2. Which other formats is the <I>Gazette</I> available in?</H2>
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<UL>
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<LI> <STRONG>As a single HTML file.</STRONG> Every issue includes a
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TWDT (The Whole D--- Thing) file containing a copy of all the articles in one
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file. This is primarily intended for printing, but you may also find it useful
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if you have a slow modem. Hyperlinks inthe TWDT version are <EM>not</EM>
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guaranteed to work. Look for the "TWDT" link near the bottom of the issue's
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Table of Contents page.
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<LI> <STRONG>As a single text file.</STRONG> This is a text-only
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version of TWDT. Look for "TWDT" near the bottom of the issue's Table of
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Contents.<P>
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<A NAME="ftp"></A>
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<LI> <STRONG>Via FTP.</STRONG> Each issue is
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available as a *.tar.gz file, containing both the ordinary HTML files
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and the TWDT files. See <A
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HREF=ftp://ftp.ssc.com/pub/lg/README>ftp://ftp.ssc.com/pub/lg/README</A>
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for details. Other FTP sites are listed on our <A
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HREF="../mirrors.html">mirrors</A> page.
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</UL>
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<P> To unpack *.tar.gz files on Unix, do either of these:
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<PRE>
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tar xzvf FILENAME.tar.gz
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zcat FILENAME.tar.gz | tar xvf -
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</PRE>
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There are also graphical front ends for Linux such as
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<A HREF="http://lintar.sourceforge.net/">LinTar</A> and
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<A HREF="http://www.gnome.org/projects/mc/">Midnight Commander</A>.
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<P> Windows users need a program like
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<A HREF=http://www.winzip.com/>Winzip</A>.
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Macintosh users need
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<A HREF="http://www.stuffit.com/download_info.html">Stuffit Expander</A>.
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These programs <EM>do</EM> recognize *.tar.gz files even though their
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native formats are different. Winzip and Stuffit Expander are no-cost but
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closed-source, and Stuffit requires registration. If anybody knows of
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open-source GUI alternatives, let us know.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="formats_no"></A>
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<H2>3. Which formats is the <I>Gazette</I> <U>not</U> available in?</H2>
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<P> Other archive formats. We need to keep disk space on the FTP site at a
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minimum for the sake of the mirrors. Also, the Editor rebels at the thought
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of the additional labor involved in maintaining more formats.
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We have chosen the formats required by the majority of <I>Gazette</I> readers.
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Anybody is free to maintain the <I>Gazette</I> in another format if they wish,
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and if it is available publicly, I'll consider listing it on the mirrors page.
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<P> <STRONG>Other printable formats.</STRONG>
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(These are listed only for people who specifically want these formats. The
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easiest way to read the <EM>Gazette</EM> is through a web browser, and the
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easiest way to print it is through the browser's <STRONG>Print...</STRONG>
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option.)
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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<DL>
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<DT> <STRONG>PostScript</STRONG>
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<DD> Netscape's "print to file" routine will
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create a PostScript file complete with images.<P>
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<DT> <STRONG>PDF</STRONG>
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<DD> I know Adobe and others consider PDF a "universal"
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format, but to me it's still a one-company format that requires a custom
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viewer--not something I'm eager to maintain. If you can view PDF, can't
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you view HTML?
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<P> If you really want PDF, you can convert Postscript files to PDF using
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<CODE>ps2pdf</CODE> in the Ghostscript
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package. Thanks to Mark Kuchel for pointing this out in his
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<A HREF="../issue47/lg_tips47.html#30">2-Cent Tip</A>. <P>
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<DT> <STRONG>Word</STRONG>
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<DD> I'll be nice and not say anything about Word....<P>
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</DL>
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</BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P> <STRONG>E-mail.</STRONG> The <I>Gazette</I> is too big to send via e-mail.
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Issue #44 is 754 KB; the largest issue (#34) was 2.7 MB. Even the text-only
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version of #44 is 146 K compressed, 413 K uncompressed. If anybody wishes
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to distribute the text version via e-mail, be my guest.
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<A NAME="lg-announce"></A>There is an
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announcement mailing list where I announce each issue: go to
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<A HREF="http://www.ssc.com/mailman/listinfo/lg-announce">http://www.ssc.com/mailman/listinfo/lg-announce</A>
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to subscribe. Or read the announcement
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on <A HREF=news:comp.os.linux.announce>comp.os.linux.announce</A>.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE=-1>
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Subscribing with "nospam" in your From: address or "dot" instead of "."
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is <STRONG><EM>not</EM></STRONG> going to get you subscribed. It just
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makes more work for the list administrator, who must deal with the
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resulting bounce messages and then unsubscribe the address.
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</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<P> If e-mail really is your only option, some organizations operate
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<A HREF="../issue59/lg_mail59.html#ftp_email">FTP-via-mail servers</A> you
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can use.
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<P> <STRONG>On paper.</STRONG> I know of no companies offering printed copies
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of the <I>Gazette</I>.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="subscribe"></A>
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<H2>4. How can I subscribe to the <I>Gazette</I>?</H2>
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<P> You can't. It's not a subscription magazine. What you see on the web is
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what you get. See above for the other formats <I>Linux Gazette</I>
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<A HREF="#formats_yes">is</A> and <A HREF="#formats_no">is not</A> available in.
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There is an <A HREF="#lg-announce">e-mail announcement service</A> if you wish
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to receive an announcement when each issue is posted.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="languages"></A>
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<H2>5. Is <I>Linux Gazette</I> available in Spanish? French? Chinese?
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Italian? Russian? German? Japanese?</H2>
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<P> Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. See the <A HREF="../mirrors.html">mirrors
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page</A>.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="old"></A>
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<H2>6. Why is the most recent issue several months old?</H2>
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<P> You're probably looking at an unmaintained mirror. Check the
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<A HREF=http://www.linuxgazette.com>home site</A> to see what the current issue
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is, then go to the <A HREF=http://www.linuxgazette.com/mirrors.html>mirrors
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page on the home site</A> to find a more up-to-date mirror.
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<P> If a mirror is seriously out of date, please
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<A HREF=mailto:webmaster@linuxgazette.com>let us know</A>.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="search"></A>
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<H2>7. How can I find all the articles about a certain subject?</H2>
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<P> Use the <I>Linux Gazette</I>
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<A HREF=http://www.linuxgazette.com/search.html>search engine</A>.
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<P> Use the <A HREF="../lg_index.html">Index of Articles</A>. A link to it is
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on the Front Page, at the bottom of the issues links,
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called "Index of All Issues". All the Tables of Contents are concatenated
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here onto one page. Use your browser's "Find in Page" dialog to find
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keywords in the title or author's names.
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<p> There is a separate <a HREF="../tag/kb.html">Answer Gang Index</a>,
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listing all the questions that have been answered by the Answer Gang. However,
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they are not sorted by subject at this time, so you will also want to use
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the "Find in Page" dialog to search this listing for keywords. (It's not up to
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date either: it's still called The Answer Guy even though it's now The Answer
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Gang.)
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="copying"></A>
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<H2>8. May I copy and distribute the <I>Gazette</I> or portions thereof?</H2>
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<P> Certainly. <I>Linux Gazette</I> is freely redistributable under the Open
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Publication License (OPL)
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(<A HREF="http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/">http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/</A>),
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version 1.0 or later. You may
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copy it, give it away, sell it, translate it into another language, whatever
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you wish. Just keep the copyright notices attached to the articles, since each
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article is copyright by its author. We request that you provide a link back to
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<A HREF=http://www.linuxgazette.com>www.linuxgazette.com</A>.
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<P> If your copy is publicly available, we would like to list it on our
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<A HREF="../mirrors.html">mirrors page</A>, especially if it's a foreign language
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translation. Use the submission form at the bottom of the page to tell us
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about your site. This is also the most effective way to help <I>Gazette</I>
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readers find you.
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<P> <I>LG's</I> official copyright statement is at
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<A HREF="../copying.html">http://www.linuxgazette.com/copying.html</A>.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="sponsor"></A>
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<H2> 9. You have my competitor's logo on the Front Page; will you put mine up too?</H2>
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All logos on the Front Page and on each issue's Table of Contents are from our
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sponsors. Sponsors make a financial contribution to help defray the cost of
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producing the <I>Gazette</I>. This is what keeps the <I>Gazette</I> free
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(both in the senses of "freely redistributable" and "free of ads"
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<img src="../gx/dennis/smily.gif" alt=":)">) To recognize and give thanks to our
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sponsors, we display their logo.
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<P> If you would like more information about sponsoring the
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<I>Linux Gazette</I>, e-mail <A HREF=mailto:sponsor@linuxgazette.com>sponsor@linuxgazette.com</A>.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="generic"></A>
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<H2> 10. Is there a generic URL to the current issue?</H2>
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<A HREF="http://www.linuxgazette.com/current/">
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http://www.linuxgazette.com/current/</A> is now a symbolic link to the current
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issue. <STRONG>Please do not bookmark any article through it.</STRONG> The
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bookmark will obviously go dead when the next issue is published, or could end
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up pointing at the wrong article. Instead, change the "current" to the real
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issue number (e.g., "issue49") in your bookmark.
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<P> This link was added for the convenience of those wishing to download the
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current issue to their PalmPilot every month.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="java"></A>
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<H2> 11. Do you publish announcements about Java products?</H2>
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<P> Occasionally we publish these in News Bytes: Software News, if there is a
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specific Linux connection besides simply the fact that it runs on a Linux
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server. (Because all Java programs can supposedly run on a Linux server.)
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A zine that specializes in Java would be a better resource for this.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<A NAME="rsync"></A>
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<H2> 12. How does the <CODE>rsync</CODE> server work?</H2>
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<P> Rsync was installed May 2000 as a convenient way for <EM>LG</EM> mirrors
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and others to keep their copies of the web directory and the FTP files
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up-to-date.
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<H3>Our system administrator writes:</H3>
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<OL>
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<LI> You need rsync.
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See <A HREF="http://rsync.samba.org/">http://rsync.samba.org/</A> <P>
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<LI> Some useful applications of rsync: <P>
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<DL>
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<DT> <CODE>rsync -az rsync.ssc.com::lg/ /tmp/lg</CODE>
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<DD> synchronizes everything (tarballs and the web directory
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<STRONG>www_root</STRONG> to <STRONG>/tmp/lg</STRONG> (your local directory) <P>
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<DT> <CODE>rsync -ptz 'rsync.ssc.com::lg/*' /tmp/lg</CODE>
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<DD> gets just the tarballs <P>
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<DT> <CODE>rsync -az rsync.ssc.com::lg/www_root/ /tmp/www</CODE>
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<DD> gets lg/www_root/ to /tmp/www/ but skips the tarballs
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</DL><P>
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<LI> The trailing slash in the "from" field is important!! Otherwise
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you will get a subdirectory named <STRONG>lg</STRONG> or
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<STRONG>www_root</STRONG> inside your destination
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directory, and everything underneath that.<P>
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<LI> Add 'v' to the option string to see more of what's going on.
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There are many, many other options. For more info,
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<A HREF="http://www.linuxjournal.com/cgi-bin/man/man.cgi?mode=search&comm=rsync">'man rsync'</A>.
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</OL>
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<H3> Ewen McNeill <<A HREF="mailto:ewen@catalyst.net.nz">ewen@catalyst.net.nz</A>> uses:</H3>
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<P><CODE>rsync -rlHtSz -v --stats anonymous@rsync.ssc.com::lg/ /dest/dir/</CODE>
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<P> This is build up using environmental variables and a script.
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<P> <HR NOSHADE SIZE=6> <P>
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<!-- =============================================================== -->
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<EM>The following was written sometime before June 1999 by LG's then-Editor Marjorie
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Richardson, and is presented here for historical interest.</EM>
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<BLOCKQUOTE>
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<SMALL>
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<H2><IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC="../gx/lg_logo.gif">Statement of Purpose</H2>
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<P>
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<I>Linux Gazette</I><img src="../gx/tm.gif">, a member of the Linux Documentation Project, is
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an on-line WWW publication that is dedicated to two simple ideas:
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<UL>
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<LI>Making Linux just a <I>little</I> more fun
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<LI>Sharing ideas and discoveries
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</UL>
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<P>
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The basic idea behind these two concepts is that Linux is
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one cool OS, whose price for admission is a willingness to read,
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learn, tinker (aka, <I>hack!</I>), and then share your experiences. The
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Gazette is a compilation of basic tips, tricks,
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suggestions, ideas and short articles about Linux designed to
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make using Linux fun and easy. <I>LG</I> began as a personal project of John M.
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Fisk, and grew to include
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contributions freely provided by a growing number of authors. <I>Linux
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Journal</I> is now publishing the Gazette using material contributed by outside
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authors <a href="author.html">(note to potential authors)</a>.
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Without these authors there would not be a Gazette, and I thank them all.
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Drop a note to the author of anything that you find helpful or
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instructive -- the author's e-mail address is included for this very
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purpose.
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<P>
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Thanks to <B>Matt Welsh</B> and <B>Greg Hankins</B> of the <B>Linux
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Documentation Project</B>, for graciously bringing the <I>Linux Gazette</I>
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under the auspices of the LDP. The material included in these documents is
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covered by a designedly liberal copyright.
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For information regarding copying and distribution of this material read
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the <A HREF="../copying.html">Copying License</A>.
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<P>
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A special thanks to Michael J. Hammel, our Graphics Muse, for the wonderful
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new logo designed using the GIMP.
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<P>
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Thanks to SSC, we now have our own domain name: linuxgazette.com.
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<P>
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Have fun!
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<P>
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Marjorie L.
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Richardson, Overseer <I>Linux Gazette</I>
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