If you edit /etc/fstab, and then later change something like the proc filesystem from OpenJDK, you might not boot normally. Antonio Olivares has a solution for you.
A fix for sudden Lua errors in pkg
If you upgrade pkg on your system, it may start erroring out. This is because the default config will confuse the newer version. To fix this, you can copy over a working config and the problem will go away. I expect this may only be a problem until the next release.
New user and group updater
Aaron LI’s added a pw-update.sh script to DragonFly, for use in automating group and user changes, especially as – someday – part of a binary upgrade.
In Other BSDs for 2020/12/19
Working on less traditional BSD links here.
- Toward an automated tracking of OpenBSD ports contributions.
- Commentary on the MacOS -> FreeBSD article from last week.
- BSD Unix Hardware Support Database. (via)
- BSD Discord server. More linked in comments.
- Become shell literate. Wonderfully not Linux/bash-specific.
- There’s always more history. Early BSD work, indirectly.
- CentOS killed by IBM – a chance to go new ways?
- Set your favorite pager.
- OpenBSD on TECLAST F7 Plus.
- OPNsense 20.7.7 released.
- Valuable News – 2020/12/14.
ifconfig as a warning signal
I’ve seen this multiple times over the years: if ifconfig suddenly stops working, especially after an upgrade. your kernel and world are out of sync. Rebuild and make sure you get both updated.
sysmouse fixes everything
Well, it doesn’t fix anything, but it seems like an answer that almost always helps: running sysmouse usually fixes most X11 mouse problems.
ChiBUG meeting, now
The ChiBUG monthly meeting has gone virtual, so go now if you are interested. The thread about it also includes some notes on how to connect under BSD that may be useful beyond this immediate event.
How to lose all your packages
If you delete all your installed packages, you will also lose the certificate used by pkg to verify the connection to download new ones. There’s several workarounds for this problem.
DragonFly + iwm
If you buy a Lenovo Yoga 500, or any laptop with an iwm(4) chipset, here’s how to get it going with DragonFly.
Screen switching, briefly
Screen switching, where an xterm’s contents return to what it was before starting a full screen program, was turned on and then back off for DragonFly. It would have only affected DragonFly-current users, and even then only for a short window of time. If you encounter it anywhere else, though, here’s how to turn it off using Xresources.
Unnoted changes, one place
Instead of posting about updates, here’s a feature that you will hopefully never notice: ‘make upgrade’, part of the upgrade process in DragonFly, will now go look for 3rd party software built to depend on deprecated DragonFly system libraries, before removing those libraries. (details) If you’ve had a program stop running because something else was upgraded – and I’m sure you have, cause “dll hell” is an actual phrase – you’ll be thankful for this.
Updating pkg when pkg is broken
A note for the future: if pkg itself isn’t working, you can use pkg-static.
sklearn and installation on DragonFly
I didn’t know what sklearn was, but I know how to get it working on DragonFly, now.
Booting DragonFly on APU2 boards
If you happen to have an APU2, here’s some tips on the boot process.
pf table size check and change
Did you know there’s a default size limit to pf’s routing table? I did not, but it makes sense that there is one. If for some reason you bump into this limit (difficult for home use, I’d think), here’s how you change it.
Tianocore update
If you have UEFI hardware, there’s been an update in DragonFly of the TianoCore EDK II headers. If you are like me, you will find the tianocore.org site helps to understand what this is for.
A tip for UEFI installs
karu.pruun posted an answer on how to get DragonFly onto your GPT/EFI drive.
ssh-copy-id now included
The ssh-copy-id utility is now included in DragonFly 5.8 and in -current. Useful for your next machine setup.
jails and loopback IPs
Jails on DragonFly can now route to loopback addresses (i.e. 127.0.0.1). Because of this, they can work like shared IPs and the jail can connect to the host.
I think this means that you no longer have to bind jail services to specific IPs as you did previously. Don’t quote me on that; I’ve run few jails in my life.
Update: I should have linked this too: the sysctl jail.defaults.allow_listen_override that makes it easier in the host system too.
Lazy Reading for 2020/03/15
Again, dumping out all the links I can in case you are stuck at home.
- Secure erase. I have done this yes.
- “Encrypted email is LARP security”
- 4 Columns. Linked for the interface and how it’s tied to the content.
- Best Ever Spooky House Adventures.
- On The Metal, a technical podcast described as a garbage replacement, though without the BSD content.
- Void: Terminal-based personal organizer. Looking at the resources listed at the end of the README is also instructive. (via)
- Is Myst still one of the worst games ever?
- The Best Fountain Pens Under 100 Dollars. The TWSBI 580 is my favorite.
- 4 Plain Text resource links.
- Teletext: the Boring talk.
- Variables, Pointers, and Indirection in Arduino C. (via)
- You are a raccoon. Descend into a dungeon, looking for lost books. (via)
- Removing characters with tr.
- CSS didn’t decouple content from presentation.
- A Quick Tour of the HP-9000 712/100 NEXTSTEP Workstation. (via)
- Terminal Vision. Terminal == Serious Computer. (via)
- Obscure features of JPEG. (via)
Your unrelated music link of the week: Hannibal Rex – The One Hundred & Forty Faces Of?.?.?. Has the same drive as early Mix Master Mike, to my ear. (via)