Too Far Afield

I just tried to get my ATI Radeon Mobility M9 device to work together with my tv under Debian Linux. After a bit of google research I found out, that you need to use the atitvout package that is distributed with sarge (currently testing) and sid (currently unstable). However there are a few implications:

You need Debian sarge and your xserver should already be configured to work properly under normal conditions.

Make sure that you successfully connected your tv to the tv-out using either a selfmade cable or – for unexperienced solderers – a set availlable from most well-assorted specialized traders before starting up your notebook. This is due everytime you want to use your tv-out.

If you are using the perfect ati drivers distributed with the XFree86 package you should now reconfigure your xserver to use the vesa driver. Otherwise you’ll get a whashed-out screen after moving your mouse our touchpad. This can normally be accomplished using the follwing comand:

dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

You will now be taken through the configuration process again with the settings you previously chose selected. Just choose ok until you get to the driver part. Scroll down to vesa and hit return. The next time x starts up the vesa driver will be used. Normally x should run just fine with the vesa driver. You may get slightly stronger colours compared with the native ati driver in some cases. You should now hit ctrl, alt and backspace to quit your xsession. On the comand line type

startx

to start up x with the vesa driver. Now you should install the atitvout package.

apt-get install atitvout

To switch to the tv sceen type

atitvout -f t

To get back to your lcd screen type

atitvout -f l

That’s it. Hope you enjoyed this one. See you back again some time later this week with more exciting posts.

I just updated my regular readings page. Gone are – among others – Hamburger Wahlblog 2004, which is no longer online, and also the Firefox Roadmap blog, that never stood up from the ashes. New are some new blogs from friends and also some additions regarding Mozilla Firefox development. Another addition with an interesting story behind it, is Kiewsows. I found this blog when I mistyped the URL of a car garage (Kiesow) I sometimes choose to install additional features for my car and added it to my regular readings in an instant.

What about Linux by the way? Stay patient. Some posts are in the works!

• German Linux Distributor SuSe ceases ice and pizza allocation [via Jörn Seemann]
• News.com reports: AOL plans to revitalize Netscape [via Douglas Bowman]

You’ll see a few Linux related posts on this site in the next few days, weeks or even months as I’m in the process of getting a new Linux system on my Xeron Sonic Laptop. We’ll start off with some posts today and see how far we finally get.

I need a system that works for me. Let’s see what that is: First, it is a desktop that starts fast, looks good and is comfortable and easily customizable to a suitable degree. On that desktop I need to do my work. I need a web browser for web browsing, an email client to manage my email accounts, an editor to develop web applications, a word processor and a spead sheet to write invoices, bids and do some accounting. I would also need a powerful image manipulation program, a good file manager and eventually a video and music player. Also I should be able to establish internet connections via Lan, WLan and my mobile phone. This should be enough for a first examination of my system of choice.

Now how do I go about it? I’ll use the Debian Linux system. To get acceptable graphical output I would need to get my ATI mobility radeon up and running. This should work with X 4.3 – either as a backport for woody or officially shipped with the sarge distribution. For the window manager part of the system I already looked at a few light-weight ones including ROX and XFCE. I think I settle with XFCE4 and the ROX file manager. XFCE4 is also shipped with sarge. The other applications should not be a real problem. Web and Mail will be provided by Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. As Office Suite I will use OpenOffice. Image manipulation will be done with the Gimp. For video and music playing I will use the videolan client vlc.

This brings us to the point where I decide to download an actual Debian Sarge ISO image using Jigdo and install the Debian testing distribution with the before mentioned software into my existing ext3 and swap partitions I previously used for another Linux system.

To be continued.

• Jeffrey Zeldman: The Metrics, Reloaded
• Guardian: Man jailed over 9/11 is freed
• Dave Shea: Email Management

• The Google Operating System
• Mail is part of Google’s enterprise strategy. [via Heiko Hebig]
• Is Bluetooth Better on the Mac? [via Douglas Bowman]
• Drag-Scrolling in Safari
• U.S. Navy uses Mozilla technology for mission critical facilities
• Finally a sign of life: The Way Forward with Webstandards
• Betrayal of trust
• Microsoft kauft Sun (in German)

Tonight at 0:20 CET the NDR rebroadcasts one of the best episodes of the famous tv production “Stahlnetz” created by Jürgen Roland. “Stahlnetz” was what you would call a blockbuster today. It was produced in coproduction with the criminal investigation department of the German police from 1958 to 1968 and featured spectacular, true criminal cases from the view of the invetigating officers. My mother lived in Stuttgart back then. She remembers “Stahlnetz” as a special event, in which the whole neighbourhood met at the house of the only neighbour, that had had enough money left to afford a tv.

Even today the old episodes are still thrilling and – although monochrome – good for an exciting tv evening. The north-German broadcasting service tried to revive the series in 1999, but the special “Stahlnetz” spirit of the old days was never ever seen again.

In the beforementioned “Stahlnetz” episode subtitled “Das Haus an der Stör” commissar Roggendorf is working on old files. Challange and thrill is high, when he tries to find a murderer of the postwar period, whose victim’s body was found enclosed in a duffel bag by two children back in 1946. Will Roggendorf, investigating the case from 1957 to 1963, be able to find out, who the daed person was and who killed him? Will he be able to enlighten the dark scenes of almost forgotten times? Will he be able to finally charge the murderer and get his case to court?

“Stahlnetz” alone would be worth your time, but this one is – as I said above – one of the best “Stahlnetz” episodes. It is also special as it deals with the problems of the postwar period and shows how consequences of second world war influenced the German socity in general. To cut a long story short: If you are at home tonight, be sure to make a note in your calender. Don’t miss this gem of German tv history!