MythTV 0.25 nearing release

On 22/03/2012 10:33, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:30:03 -0000, Roderick Stewart
wrote:

In article4d8602f9-1b06-407b-98b5-
, Stuart wrote:
How savvy do you have to be with computers to get a MythTV system up&
running?

I'll just unlurk for a minute: Hello everyone.

You don't have to be a real geek to use Linux nowadays.Ubuntu/
Mythbuntu works, in most cases, out of the box. Do a side-by-side
install with your w*nders and you haven't lost anything anyway.
All my computers have been free of m$oft for many years and hardware
is no problem but always check before buying some cheap TV cards!
Three months virus-free computing with Linux and you'll never look
back! Good Luck.

It's quite good for general purpose use too. Using 64 bit Ubuntu on a quad
core processor and watching a wordprocessor load in a fraction over one
second is pretty impressive.


That's about the normal speed for 64 bit systems on quad core
processor. My 64 bit Windows 7 system on a quad core loads Word in a
fraction under a second and Excel in well under a second.


But aren't those tasks largely disk I/O dependent, and unless the
programmes are sitting in plentiful amounts of RAM, the OS is one of the
less critical variables?

I only say this from experience - I get very snappy performance from an
otherwise mundane SSD-upgraded iMac.

Rob

In article om, Rob wrote:
It's quite good for general purpose use too. Using 64 bit Ubuntu on a quad
core processor and watching a wordprocessor load in a fraction over one
second is pretty impressive.


That's about the normal speed for 64 bit systems on quad core
processor. My 64 bit Windows 7 system on a quad core loads Word in a
fraction under a second and Excel in well under a second.


But aren't those tasks largely disk I/O dependent, and unless the
programmes are sitting in plentiful amounts of RAM, the OS is one of the
less critical variables?

I only say this from experience - I get very snappy performance from an
otherwise mundane SSD-upgraded iMac.

It certainly depends to some extent on the operating system, because nearly
everything is faster with Ubuntu on the dual-boot machines. I'm sure it depends
on other things too, and no doubt any PCs I build in the future will be faster
anyway because of improvements in those things, but once I've finished building
them the operating system will no longer be a foregone conclusion but a matter
of considered choice. It'll be between Windows at £whateveritcostsatthetime,
and Linux, most likely Ubuntu, at £0.00, and in that environment as far as I'm
concerned Windows will have to prove itself. I won't be installing any more
copies of Windows bought with my own money just "because it's there". I'd need
to be convinced it really was better in some way before parting with any money.

Rod.
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On Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:13:17 +0000, Rob wrote:

But aren't those tasks largely disk I/O dependent, and unless the
programmes are sitting in plentiful amounts of RAM, the OS is one of the
less critical variables?

Yes. Load performance is I/O dependant. My main PC is a HP Touchsmart
310 with the discs built in and everything I use loads nearly
instantly. The only slow loader I use is Photoshop but that's because
it insists on displaying everything it is doing as it loads.

Steve

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In article m, Rob
wrote:
On 22/03/2012 09:17, Jim Lesurf wrote:
In bit.myzen.co.uk,


However I'd agree that for more demanding (in data bashing terms)
tasks that a modern linux/hardware setup can be pretty impressive.
Flexible as well as fast. That's why I use Linux systems for the bulk
of my work with audio. (Fingers crossed, a new box is supposed to
arrive later today!)


What's the spec, if you don't mind me asking?

I tend not to be clued up on this, so may be mistaking some of the details.
However IIUC it is

4 GB ram
2 x i3 cores pretending to be four cores. I think something like 3GHz
120 GB intel SSD
Boxed into a Shuttle SH61R4

I also attach a 1TB Verbatim USB3 drive for mass storage of my files. The
idea is to use the SSD for the OS, swap, and files I'm working on. But keep
the results on 'external' drives I can duplicate, move from machine to
machine, etc. FWIW using ext4 filing system on the SSD with 'trim' enabled.
Which is a step on from my earlier machines that use ext3. But I use FAT on
the externals as it is a sort of default lingua franca that other system
like my RO box can understand.

I'm using both machines with a 1920 x 1080 "IPS LED" monitor. The
Shuttle connected via the DVI-D and my RO box via D-SUB.

Running Xubuntu 11.10 with the ROX desktop and filer. I may at some point
experiment with Lubuntu or go to debian or crunchbang, but during the last
few years I've been happy enough with Xubuntu+ROX for most day-by-day tasks
using Linux. It seems quite nippy, but I don't have much to compare this
with, so am judging by 'normal use' rather than doing any benchmarks or
measured comparisons.

At present the main problems are sorting out minor quibbles and snags. e.g
I use an old 'left handed' keyboard+mouse via an adaptor, and have been
using a USB switch for keyboard and mouse so I can use the same ones for
the new Linux box and my ancient RO Iyonix. However the shuttle seems
unable to make up its mind if it is happy to accept the old mouse. So I've
been plugging in a new USB one as well. Hope tomorrow to rearange things to
use the new mouse and the old keyboard via a mains-powered hub, and the
though the switch to whichever machine I'm using.

Having been down the road of installing my software a few times before,
this time it went quickly, and 'so far, so good'. On that side my main
slowing factor is that I'm trying to get my head around VLC! :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
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Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

On Mar 23, 5:51*pm, Jim Lesurf wrote:
On that side my main
slowing factor is that I'm trying to get my head around VLC! :-)

What's foxing you there?

In article
,
David
Paste wrote:
On Mar 23, 5:51 pm, Jim Lesurf wrote:
On that side my main slowing factor is that I'm trying to get my head
around VLC! :-)

What's foxing you there?

Finding where in the menus, etc, various options, settings, etc, reside,
and when some of them aren't actually available.

e.g. took me time to find the setting that was making the file name of the
item being played from being overlaid on the video at the start of playing.

And finding ways of easily switching between different display sizes,
making items in the playlist smaller, etc, etc. And matters like making
sure it uses ALSA, not pulse audio which I regard as a PITA virus for
audio.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

In article , Jim Lesurf wrote:
I also attach a 1TB Verbatim USB3 drive for mass storage of my files. The
idea is to use the SSD for the OS, swap, and files I'm working on. But keep
the results on 'external' drives I can duplicate, move from machine to
machine, etc.

Precisely my thinking. All my PCs have had two disk drives anyway, and I
partition the ones in laptops, one for the system, one for data, but my next
main PC may not have an internal data drive at all. It seems more flexible to
divide the computing and storage into separate boxes, as they are quickly
interchangeable in the event of problems. A computer then becomes just a
"computing engine", which can be reinstalled without fear of losing anything
important. As all the common file types that Windows generates can also be
handled by Linux, the interchangeability of these computing engines is not
even affected by the operating system.

I recently reinstalled Windows XP for somebody, and including all the updates
and service packs, updates of updates, reinstallation of software, virus
scans, temporary file clearance, registry pruning and defragging, it was
about a day and a half before I reckoned it was ready to use. Ubuntu on the
other hand, can be ready for use within an hour, so I never worry about
messing it up as it's so easy just to reinstall and start again.

Rod.
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On Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:31:47 -0000, Roderick Stewart
wrote:

Precisely my thinking. All my PCs have had two disk drives anyway, and I
partition the ones in laptops, one for the system, one for data

Yes, I've been working like this for many years in Windows, as
described here ...
http://www.macfh.co.uk/JavaJive/Wind...eBuilding.html
.... and even before I had a decent back-up system* The frequency and
severity of data loss was greatly reduced thereby.

*I now use deltacopy to backup only changed files to a Linux NAS
server, and/or another PC's data drive - it has its inconveniences
when syncing between two Windows PCs, but, once properly set up,
Windows PC to the NAS is problem free. This now just takes a few
minutes at the end of every day.

Before, I was copying by hand either entire directory trees, or
particular folders, and it was extremely tedious and error-prone, so I
wouldn't do it every day, and a complete reconciliation of all my data
would take days.

A computer then becomes just a
"computing engine", which can be reinstalled without fear of losing anything
important. As all the common file types that Windows generates can also be
handled by Linux, the interchangeability of these computing engines is not
even affected by the operating system.

I've never found adequate replacements for some Windows software,
particularly Textpad. This is one of the best and most versatile
programmer's editors around, and not only is it not available in Linux
(the guy behind it does want to get involved in Linux at all), but all
the Linux editors I've tried in comparision have seemed like being
time-warped three decades back into the personal computing dark ages.
I like lots of things about Linux, open-source software, etc, but I
find it difficult to see as a potential replacement for Windows any OS
that comes with vi or emacs as its default text editors!

I recently reinstalled Windows XP for somebody, and including all the updates
and service packs, updates of updates, reinstallation of software, virus
scans, temporary file clearance, registry pruning and defragging, it was
about a day and a half before I reckoned it was ready to use.

Yes, that's why I use programs like SysPrep and Ghost to make images
of a Windows PC setup just how I want it. I can reinstall any of my
PCs within an hour and a half or so, with minimal input from myself:
to set it going, to remove the USB stick or floppy and reboot when
drive imaging is complete, and to enter a password when SysPrep is
complete.

Ubuntu on the
other hand, can be ready for use within an hour, so I never worry about
messing it up as it's so easy just to reinstall and start again.

Well, I've never been able to get a Linux system set-up exactly how I
want it. Even if you choose a light-weight window manager such as
(IIRC) Ice, it's amazing how much Gnome/KDE bloatware still gets
installed.

I think I could get a lot more interested in Linux if:

It is made possible to have a fully working GUI and window manager
completely free of any Gnome or KDE packages - I mean boot directly
into a graphical log-on screen, log on, log out, and shut down, all
without needing anything from Gnome or KDE.

They get themselves a sensible usable text editor that doesn't look
and feel like something from the 1980s.
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In article en.co.uk,
Roderick Stewart wrote:
In article , Jim Lesurf wrote:
I also attach a 1TB Verbatim USB3 drive for mass storage of my files.
The idea is to use the SSD for the OS, swap, and files I'm working on.
But keep the results on 'external' drives I can duplicate, move from
machine to machine, etc.

Precisely my thinking. All my PCs have had two disk drives anyway, and I
partition the ones in laptops, one for the system, one for data, but my
next main PC may not have an internal data drive at all. It seems more
flexible to divide the computing and storage into separate boxes, as
they are quickly interchangeable in the event of problems. A computer
then becomes just a "computing engine", which can be reinstalled
without fear of losing anything important. As all the common file types
that Windows generates can also be handled by Linux, the
interchangeability of these computing engines is not even affected by
the operating system.

Much the same here WRT being to shift data being accessible between Linux
and RO boxes.

I recently reinstalled Windows XP for somebody, and including all the
updates and service packs, updates of updates, reinstallation of
software, virus scans, temporary file clearance, registry pruning and
defragging, it was about a day and a half before I reckoned it was
ready to use. Ubuntu on the other hand, can be ready for use within an
hour, so I never worry about messing it up as it's so easy just to
reinstall and start again.

I find installing Linux as a disto is quite quick. But I then tend to end
up spending time for the next few days with setting up all the changes I
make to the standard install. For me it tends to go like

1) Download ROX and establish that for the filer and desktop, replacing the
'panel 2' (bottom panel) of Xubuntu.

2) Download my preferred apps that aren't in the distro install by default.
This tends to start with the editor and I set up the terminal I prefer,
then moves on to things like sox, audacious, ffmpeg, etc.

3) Transfer archives of my own rox apps, etc, from one of the other
machines so I can get serious work under way. This mainly means a set of
apps for working on audio files, and my own wrapper for making compliling
and linking 'C' programs as rox apps.

This generally involves some furtling about or "oops! I forgot to..." for a
while. But I already this morning processed a load of BWF files via Wav
into flac having edited them down, etc. So am up and running in a few days.
But I've not transferred or recompiled some things like Veusz or RPCEmu
yet.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

In article , Java Jive
wrote:
On Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:31:47 -0000, Roderick Stewart
wrote:

*I now use deltacopy to backup only changed files to a Linux NAS server,
and/or another PC's data drive - it has its inconveniences when
syncing between two Windows PCs, but, once properly set up, Windows PC
to the NAS is problem free. This now just takes a few minutes at the
end of every day.

Before, I was copying by hand either entire directory trees, or
particular folders, and it was extremely tedious and error-prone, so I
wouldn't do it every day, and a complete reconciliation of all my data
would take days.

I tend to do backups either by dragging loads into an archive like a zip,
or by using CloneZilla. But this is because it fits well with my also using
multiple USB HDs for the bulk of data.


A computer then becomes just a "computing engine", which can be
reinstalled without fear of losing anything important. As all the
common file types that Windows generates can also be handled by
Linux, the interchangeability of these computing engines is not even
affected by the operating system.

I've never found adequate replacements for some Windows software,
particularly Textpad. This is one of the best and most versatile
programmer's editors around, and not only is it not available in Linux

I can't find any Linux editor like DeskEdit4 under RO! This is certainly my
favourite. I'm trying to recall if Zap or StrongEd are available for Linux.
If so, they might suit you as many Ro users regard them as the bees
whatsits and use them via a link to work on Linux boxes! For me, they are
too 'all powerful', though.

FWIW I use Gedit with my own tweaks to the 'kate' behaviour, combined with
the DND, etc, that ROX provides. But this is pretty simple as an editor


Ubuntu on the other hand, can be ready for use within an hour, so I
never worry about messing it up as it's so easy just to reinstall and
start again.

Well, I've never been able to get a Linux system set-up exactly how I
want it. Even if you choose a light-weight window manager such as
(IIRC) Ice, it's amazing how much Gnome/KDE bloatware still gets
installed.

I can't say that bothers me in general if it just mainly sits in the
directorie trees and doesn't slow normal work down. My main annoyance TBH
is the virus people call 'pulse audio'. I find that a real PITA because it
keeps capturing the audio stream and can make it hard or impossible to make
the machine simply stream the (unmolested) audio data to my chose external
DAC(s).

e..g I've now got Audacious and VLC happily sending audio to my USB DAC on
the new machine. Just found the option VLC offers to send 'direct to alsa'.
But I can't find that for the app (forgotten the name) that plays video
DVDs as if the computer is a DVD player, so navigates the menus, etc.

Not a problem to use VLC as that is fine for most purposes. But crazy that
the other software seems to have been 'controlled' by pulse to the point
where it doesn't seem to offer a choice to bypass pulse audio. sigh

I think I could get a lot more interested in Linux if:

It is made possible to have a fully working GUI and window manager
completely free of any Gnome or KDE packages - I mean boot directly
into a graphical log-on screen, log on, log out, and shut down, all
without needing anything from Gnome or KDE.

What do you make of CrunchBang? I've been tempted by that, but tend to end
up keeping on with Xubuntu.

They get themselves a sensible usable text editor that doesn't look and
feel like something from the 1980s.

Ah well, we all have different ideas about editors. I prefer the ones who
pay on acceptance. :-)

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html