Freemor’s Weblog

Over the last 2 days or so I’ve been enjoying the challenge of getting the Si3054 modem in my laptop to work with Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04). Early on I was quite pleased when the scanmodem script from http://linmodems.technion.ac.il recognized my modem and said all I needed was to install the slmodemd daemon for it. I was even more pleased to see that slmodemd was in the repositories as sl-modem-daemon.

I installed the package and started testing … and that is where I hit a snag.. Everything seemed o.k. but I kept getting “NO DIALTONE” when trying to talk to the modem.. and it was coming back way too fast so I could tell it wasn’t even really checking. After much googling and reading of documentation I found a post that recommended downloading SLMODEMD.gcc4.1.tar.gz and trying the slmodemd out of it. I did.. it worked. I could fax and everything… cool

so here is a brief rundown for others having the same problem.

First do install the package from the repository and test it with the appropriate settings which will look something like:

sudo slmodemd -c CANADA --alsa hw:0,6

Obviously you will need to change the settings to match your location and hardware

Then test the modem. I used minicom as I have been around modems since the days of 300 baud and am just plain used to talking to them with “AT” commands. You may wish to try the recommended wvdial test recommended on the linmodem homepage, or what ever other test you are comfortable with that will return good information from the modem.

If, like me, you find that you aren’t able to get anywhere try downloading SLMODEMD.gcc4.1.tar.gz. Extract it to a folder and then open that folder in a terminal.

make sure no copies of slmodem are running:

ps -A | grep slmodemd

should return nothing if you see a one running just

sudo killall slmodemd

now run the new slmodemd from the package you downloaded with

sudo ./slmodemd -g dialout -c CANADA --alsa hw:0,6

the -g dialout is added because the downloaded package is set to have a default group of UUCP that doesn’t fit well with Ubuntu (non root users won’t be able to access the modem because they aren’t part of the uucp group). Again you will need to set the country and Hardware up to match your location and hardware.

go and do your testing again. (minicom, wvdial, etc). If it works ctrl-c out of the slmodemd process. you can now either choose to just run the new one manually all the time (rather a pain) or just:

sudo cp ./slmodemd /usr/sbin/slmodemd

To replace the not working one with the one we just downloaded

Then you will want to edit /etc/default/sl-modem-daemon and set the following

Set the SLMODEMD_DEVICE= to your hardware (in my case SLMODEMD_DEVICE=hw:0,6)

Set the SLMODEMD_COUNTRY= to the correct country (slmodemd --countrylist will pop out a list of supported countries)

you’ll also need to edit the OPTS= line so it looks like OPTS=”-g dialout” or you’ll have the uucp group/permissions problem mentioned above.

now save the file

and you should be able to do a

sudo /etc/init.d/sl-modem-daemon restart

then

ps -A | grep slmodemd

to see that it started o.k.

and then run your tests again and (hopefully) you now have a working modem

Posted my latest video to Revver today. It is the results of my playing around with time lapsed photography. Enjoy

For those interested this is 3 hors compressed into 20 seconds. The subject is seedling that we are starting for the garden.

from revver.com posted with vodpod

An interesting and I feel thoughtful decision by judge Neil V. Wake. Wake ruled that “Merely making a copy available does not constitute distribution”. This has caused much noise in the blogosphere but to my mind it is just a clarification of how the existing law should be interpreted and not a major change in the way things are done. In reading the decision Wake points to several examples where the same has been decided in court.

The section that I find most interesting is the one that begins:

4. Insufficient evidence of primary versus secondary liability

The recording companies motion for summary judgment also fails because they
have not proved that a KaZaA user who places a copyrighted work into the shared folder
distributes a copy of that work when a third-party downloads it. Under their theory, a
KaZaA user transfers a copy of the work to a third party and is therefore liable as a
primary infringer of the distribution right. However, in the KaZaA system the owner of
the shared folder does not necessarily ever make or distribute an unauthorized copy of the
work. The owner certainly does not distribute the copy that resides in the shared folder,
for that copy never leaves its location on the owner’s hard drive. Rather, a copy of the
copy in the shared folder is made.

It will be interesting to watch this case and see where it goes. I think the defendant will get off. not because he wasn’t sharing copyrighted material but because he may not have knowingly authorized the distribution of the copyrighted material and my have even been un-aware it was being distributed until lawyers showed up at his door. Many P2P applications will “Scan your drive” as part of their initial set up and share any MP3’s etc that they find. If the defendant was a “nexter” (as many are) He may have completely missed that point.

Bored? Slow day at the office? At the library but don’t feel like studying? Well then this weeks site of the week is for you. It is a wonderful site with a plethora of online flash based games to play. No sign up necessary.

you can find it at:

http://armorgames.com/

Go, play, enjoy

The CBC had an interesting article about the move away from “unlimited” internet service. I actually applaud the ISP’s loosing the “Unlimited” terminology, because it never was. (just check your EUA and AUP (End User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy for those not up on their TLA’s).

The article was fairly good but in talking about the caps, but they failed to mention one basic but hugely important fact. The caps ar not just on “Downloads” the caps apply to all traffic on your internet connection. Every webpage you view, every IM message you send, every bit of spam and e-mail, EVERYTHING and that can add up quickly for a highly connected user. I often do remote tech support which means Skype for voice while I have a VNC or RDP session running and that is a combination that can eat up bandwidth in a hurry.

All that said, I never did actually hit the 60GB limit. There were time I could have.. or if I were to do some thing I’d like to do.. such as run a TOR exit node I’d hit it pretty quickly. I guess I just wish the main stream media would report the whole story. instead of focusing on “Downloads” as though that was the only thing being counted.

As I was talking about DRM (Digital Rights Management) recently. (because of the whole MSN Music mess). I figured I might as well expound my views on the subject. I have been working with computers since the mid to late 70’s and have seen Copy protection schemes come and go over the years. They have all had the same failings (although as the current DRM technologies are geared to media and not software there are a few more). I’ll quickly list then points and then cover them in detail.

1. DRM prevents fair use back-ups.

2. Every form of copy protection and/or DRM I have ever seen (and that is LOTS) has been quickly broken.

3. DRM is a Major turn-off for any customer.

4. DRM is almost always tied to current technologies or formats and thus will have “end of life” issues.

5. IMHO DRM is just plain wrong.

6. The only people making money through the use of DRM is the Companies pushing it, not the artists, and not companies that get sold on it and use it.

7. Things can be, and historically have been,  an economic success without Copy Protection.

Now For a bit more detail (for those interested):

DRM interferes with Fair use backups:

DRM/Copy Protection either limits or out right prevents the legitimate owner of the protected media or software from making backups. Even when backups are allowed their number and format is usually limited which is not in keeping with the modern computer user. Lets say I want to back my media up to a CF drive that I use just for backup. Some DRM would prevent me from doing so. If the DRM insists I burn to CD/DVD it would be nice for the number of burns to be unlimited, because life of CD/DVD’s no definitely not unlimited. All in all a frustrating and potentially costly problem for the person that paid for the right to use the content.

Every form of copy protection and/or DRM I have ever seen has been quickly broken:

The fundamental concept of DRM on Content be it music, Video, or software is an unworkable one. Lets take music or video. if I can hear it or see it I can copy it, period. Short of implanting a chip in my head, and then making this chip the only device the media will play on, there is going to be the “analog hole”. Once content is made analog it loses it’s DRM. Some people hold that advanced watermarking techniques can survive the transformations that take place when going from digital to analog back to a different form of digital but that is another topic. In short, if I can hear it I can put a mic near the speaker and record it. If I can see it I can use a video camera to record it. Doesn’t matter how elaborate and complicated the DRM is once it is in a form that will travel from the computer to my human senses it’s vulnerable.

The other huge hole in the whole DRM scheme is the fact that digital media be it video, software, or music is all just data acted upon by the computer or software in the computer. This means that not only is the data susceptible to outside manipulation that it wasn’t intended for so is the software acting upon it. It is not difficult for a skilled reverser to disassemble the DRM code and see how it works. For a software developer to make a virtual sound card for the DRM software to un-DRM the music into. If we want to get really fancy a hardware tech could easily put together a device that pretended to be a CD burner but was in fact flash ram. The creativity and resourcefulness of people wanting to undo DRM be it for profit, for techie Cred or simple for personal use can never be overestimated.

Add to all of the above that, by using DRM, they are basically throwing down a gauntlet in front of a large group of people that derive much of their sense of self from undoing technical puzzles and also proving that they are just as clever as the other guy. The computer Techie crowd is replete with people that would reverse DRM just to see if they can.

DRM is a Major turn-off for any customer:

Nothing is going to turn  consumers off of a product faster then telling them  a) they don’t own what they just bought. b) They can only use what they bought when and where you say. even given a more advanced consumer that understands the current IP protectionist climate and understands that buying a CD isn’t buying the music it’s like leasing a car..  (yeah, o.k.). This obviously intelligent and responsible consumer is not going to be happy when you tell him or her that they can only drive the “car” on certain roads and on certain days. oh, and if he or she should misplace the lease, the car instantly converts to stolen property that he or she is guilty of stealing. None of this makes for a happy consumer. Especially when he looks across the road and see his friend in a stolen “car” who can drive it when and where they want and doesn’t have to keep some lease in a hermetically sealed vault.

DRM is almost always tied to current technologies or formats and thus will have “end of life” issues:

Thus the current MSN Music mess. I have seen DRM/Copy protection move from media to media and scheme to scheme. Any copy protection (which is what DRM is) that forces the consumer to hang on to something will have the problem of that something becoming lost, or the consumer copying the something and as soon as he does that then the copy protection is null and void. If, in the case of MSN Music, the retailer holds on to the something then the retailer has to assume the cost of the infrastructure to hold on to the something until the consumer is done with the copy protected item and with music of video that could be a VERY long time. Just what every IT guy wants to hear.. “We are going to keep a backwards compatible licensing infrastructure server around for 40 years and we want it to be profitable” that’d be like saying my ISP had to still let me access the Internet with the 300 baud modem I started with.

DRM that works on a .wma container isn’t going to work on a .ogg container and chances are high it won’t work on the container we are using in 2020.

IMHO DRM is just plain wrong:

Does that really need explaining given all the proceeded it. I’m not saying people should be allowed to steal music (of course there are some strong arguments that copying can not count as stealing as it does not reduce but rather increases the supply of the item, again that is another discussion), or software or whatever. I’m saying the content industry has got to stop treating it paying customers like they are convicted criminals. The content providers also have to let go of this foolish idea of “Leasing”. No one likes paying for something they don’t own.

The content industry should reward people for buying. They should Let them own their copy and do with it what they will short, of selling it to make a profit for themselves or giving it away en mass.

The only people making money through the use of DRM is the Companies pushing it, not the artists, and not companies that get sold on it and use it:

Considering how truly ineffective DRM is was and always will be, it seems to me that the only folks making money off of this whole mess is the people producing the DRM schemes. Content providers are loosing customers hand over fist. Partly because they are literally driving them away with all this DRM crap. All the While  the DRM creators and pushers that are getting a nice cut of every DRM’d bit of content that does get bought.. They are making out o.k. and they always have the  next, new, better, friendlier, scheme that WILL work and that the customers WILL like. Even if none have for the past 40 years. I am surprised that The major companies keep throwing money at this stuff.

Things can be, and historically have been,  an economic success without Copy Protection:

There was a world before DRM/Copy Protection. and it was a profitable world. It can be again. Content providers could follow the success of Open initiatives. They could re-focus on Live Shows. They could make meaningful, thought provoking, stimulation content that people really wanted to own instead of just consume. I think the young crowd is going to beat them too it. I think the day of the Megalithic content provider is ended and they are just taking a while to die. I think there will be a not too distant future where DRM is used to secure sensitive documents instead of trying to lock people out of the content they paid for.

but thats enough for today.

A couple of thing I find interesting.. and just wanted to Blog about quickly.

First.. there is this news about Microsoft screwing over all those that bought DRM’d music on their MSN music store. Seems keeping the licensing server running is more “trouble” (Read cost) then it is worth. This is one of the main reasons I’ve always been dead against DRM. loose the license.. loose the media you legally bought.

I’ve been around computers long enough to know that almost no-one will maintain infrastructure for a format that is out of date. Microsoft had to know this too.. So in my eye’s this is just big time manufactured obsolescence. Other reasons I’m against it.. Well that will have to be the topic of a longer post because the reasons are many, none of which include.. “because then I cant copy it illegally”

Secondly, Philippe Gauthier had an interesting post on his blog this morning that re-acquainted me with the work of Noam Chomsky. The clip is definitely worth a listen and Noam Chomsky’s page is worth looking at too.

This weeks site of the week is a Video conferencing site. It isn’t the most feature rich but it does have strong appeal for other reasons.

The site is:

mebeam.com

MeBeam allows you to video conference with up to 11 of your friends (12 people total) in a extremely easy way. The things about it I like most are the lack of sign up and the total ease of use.

To start a conference all you have to do is to go to mebeam.com and supply a room name. That will create the room and take you to it. To invite you friends just send then the URL of the room from the address bar. It’s that simple. The video quality is good and the voice didn’t get lagged in the tests that I did. (however I didn’t get a chance to try it with a full 12 people)

so give mebeam.com a try.. There’s no sign-up needed. just good video fun.

The fight between Bell Canada and CAIP (Canadian Association of Internet Providers) continues. Michael Geist has an excellent blog entry on it here.

Like many people I am watching this one closely. If the CRTC does decide to look into the throttling issue, which would be their next step if an injunction is granted, it could spell big problems for other ISP like Rogers that have been throttling for years. I’d like to see provisions that made DPI (deep packet inspection) by ISPs illegal

Today I am going to write a bit about some of the great new features in Firefox 3.0B5. There are many wonderful advances in both security and in the general User Interface.

On the security front there is the new EV (Extended Verification) system for secure pages. This is a great idea and will really come into it’s own when more site start having EV SSL certificates. Some important sites already do. and you can see how it make it much easier to tell a real site from a phishing one.

The warnings for SSL certificate errors have also been re-worked and are much friendlier to the average user. I think with this new approach there will be a lot less people just clicking “OK” to by-pass the warning

Sitting squarely in the middle between a UI improvement and a security improvement is the new add-on management

With it it is very simple to turn add-ons on or off which is fantastic for working with troubling sites and for things like having a TOR profile. (I was able to disable all add-ons in my TOR profile with just a few clicks

)

Also on the UI/Usability front is the new “applications” panel in the preferences.

It makes managing what application or add-on opens what media a matter of a few clicks. and very friendly to the average user

There are numerous other improvements like the new bookmark and tagging system. Those interested in a more complete review can read more here.

My next post will be on some of the wonderful new features in the latest version of Avidemux.