Ubuntu hat lost – No!!

I can not find my ubuntu baseball cap. I think I left it at the last LUG meeting. This was my favorite hat and it looks like I will need to get a new one.

Perhaps I should drive out to our meeting location and see is by some little bit of luck it is still there.

Apple Samba Issues

I am trying to support OS X 10.5 clients using Windows Server 2003 R2 shares as the users home directory, but run in to an issue with the creation of the default folders OS X needs to run. If the OS X computer is pointed to an AFP share on an Apple server the folders are created, but when using an samba share only two of the eight folders are created.

The Apple systems engineer responded to with the following in regards to this issue:

I have been digging a little deeper into your question about why,
when a new user signs on for the first time, it only creates a Library
and Desktop folder for your network users with a SMB/Windows share.
If you could support modern AFP (via something like Extreme-Z IP), all
of the folders will be created automatically.  Because of the
limitations of SMB, and how Samba is written to behave, it assumes the
folders are already there, and only does those two.

The typical solutions that I see are to script the folders creation
based on all the users in the system with homes in the directory, move
to a modern AFP, or move the shares to an xserve/Apple.  I vaguely
remember Chas looking into the Extreme-Z IP solution to allow all of
the advantages of AFP, but I don’t remember the results of his
research.  If that wasn’t possible the folders should be scriptable/
create-able on the Windows side, but I would still rather see a modern
AFP solution, if at all possible.

I hope this helps…  I expect some of the SAMBA open-source project
notes would help clarify, from a programming perspective, why those
choices were made.  I think they are going to be around the
limitations of SMB, but I don’t have enough coding experience to know
for sure.

I do not follow how a samba share would limit this from the server side, but perhaps it is the Apple samba client that is the issue. If anyone can point me to any information that would help shed light on this I would be most appreciative.

Rythmbox: Album ID

I am still in the process of converting my CD collection to FLAC and having issues with identifying all the CDs. I have no problem adding the information myself, but I would like to know how the system works so I can contribute my work to the database Rythmbox is drawing on. I have not been able to find the answer on the Ubuntu forums nor with Google searches; I must not be asking the right questions or using the right search terms.

Lenovo Quality

This January I purchased a Lenovo T500. I have used Thinkpads for years at work and have always respected the build quality and durability. With this purchase, my first personal laptop, I have been a bit dissatisfied. The first issue is there are parts of the case that do not ‘fit’ well. The left hand rest is an example of this as it flexes a bit much and makes a slight clicking noise. The second problem is that the protective tape on the VGA cable makes noise due to ‘bubbles’ in the sealed area. The area is pressed down when the lid is closed due to tension, but when open the tension is released and it separates slowly making a noise.

The sad thing is that the only other laptop that appears up to the quality level is the MacBook Pro; though the HP EliteBook series may be up there too – but I have no experience with those. Both of the other options far exceed the price of the Lenovo, but perhaps that is why the quality is slipping.

The problems are not terrible, but for $1400 I would like to get a bit better quality.