November 2017 - Roundtable

Firefox 57 "Quantum"
by Trevor Cordes 25 Nov '17

25 Nov '17

For those that haven't made the switch to Firefox 57 yet, I thought I'd share some helpful notes: 0. 57 is fast!! I'd say it feels 2X to 3X faster loading the average page. It really does live up to the hype. I should also mention that 56 was hot garbage and was about 10X slower than 55, so if you're on 56, switch to 57 right away. Maybe they slowed down 56 just to make 57 feel faster :-) 1. 57 breaks most(!) extensions/addons; before upgrading to 57, make sure any extensions you depend on have been ported to the new "WebExtension" format; any non-WebExtension will not work at all. 2. I need NoScript and ABP, and both are now (as of a few days ago) supported in 57. Both have new interfaces, and NS seems like a complete rewrite. Both seem to work fine. BUT... the Fedora rpms I usually use for them have not been updated to the new (57-compatible) versions yet, so I had to remove the rpms and install the newest versions via the in-browser tools: I will reverse this once Fedora releases the appropriate versions. YMMV depending on your choice of extensions and whether you like the distro vs in-browser method. 3. 57 changes your profile in an irreversible way so you cannot revert back to <57 if you want without deleting your profile. Best to run cp -a ~/.mozilla /some/backup/dir before upgrading. 4. From what I've read, the latest Android FF does not use any "Quantum" tech yet, so everything I've written here only applies to desktop. I tested (only) on Linux. P.S. If anyone else has problems with formfill dropdowns appearing over form fields in FF 54-57, please add your voice to https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1420356

1 0

Ryzen latency (was: Reddit - networking - Can a BSD system replicate the performance of high-end router appliance?)
by Adam Thompson 17 Nov '17

17 Nov '17

I found the thread where Jim Thompson of Netgate (gonzopancho) talks very briefly about the Ryzen cache architecture: https://www.reddit.com/r/networking/comments/6upchy/can_a_bsd_system_replic… -Adam -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

4 6

Ryzen + ECC
by Trevor Cordes 16 Nov '17

16 Nov '17

To follow up on the in-meeting roundtable the other day: I found some newer reports that ECC can work on Ryzen, if the stars are aligned. http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/75030-ecc-mem… Basically says they got to the stage where EDAC in linux recognized the ECC and could get single-bit errors generated and logged. That's all I'm interested in, really (double-bit errors don't concern me as much, esp if they're still logged). So this looks promising. Looks like you have to be quite selective in mobo, and the one they tested was: ASRock X370 Taichi (not cheap!) I wouldn't buy a Ryzen mobo for ECC support unless someone had already tested it like they did to confirm it supports ECC. So it's nice to see it is possible, though the support & guarantees are pretty dodgy. Ah, back to the good (bad) ol' days (2000-2005) of VIA chips and Intel boards that maybe/maybe-not had ECC that actually did something. === If you want guaranteed (validated) ECC on Ryzen, looks like you go with the recently released Ryzen Threadripper 8c/16t CPUs and HEDT "high-end desktop" boards. However, then you are looking at prices like Intel "workstation" products, though you will get more threads/buck. Personally, I don't have a use for tons of threads (yet), so for me a lower-end Xeon with a workstation board might on the table again, unless I want to take the risk with a maybe/might/should-work regular Ryzen. Adam's article (coming soon!) on Ryzen random mem latency for routing might be the straw that breaks the Ryzen camel back for me. We'll see... As always, if someone beats me to building (from parts) an ECC *workstation* (i.e. real, full x16 slot) in '17 or '18, post your results here!!

1 0

MUUG Meeting, Nov. 14, 7:30pm -- AGM, MacPorts, Linux Containers using LXD
by Gilbert E. Detillieux 07 Nov '17

07 Nov '17

*** Please note the updated meeting location below *** The Manitoba UNIX User Group (MUUG) will be holding its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 14. The meeting topic for this month is as follows: Linux Containers using LXD LXD is a next-generation system container manager, which offers a user experience similar to virtual machines but using Linux containers instead. Kevin McGregor will be presenting an introduction to basic Linux containers using LXD on Ubuntu. RTFM: MacPorts Adam Thompson will present and demonstrate MacPorts, one of the systems used for compiling, installing and upgrading command-line, X11 or Aqua based open-source software on the Mac operating system. AGM Plus, this month's meeting was the MUUG annual general meeting, which included the election of the MUUG board of directors for the 2017-2018 year (by acclamation). The group usually holds its meetings at 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of every month from September to June. (There are no meetings in July and August.) Meetings are open to the general public; you don't have to be a MUUG member to attend. ******************************************************************* Please note our *NEW* meeting location for this month: *Room 1C16A* Centennial Hall, University of Winnipeg, entrance on Ellice Ave. between Spence St. and Balmoral St. Parking is available on the surrounding streets and in the lots on nearby streets. Look for signage once you're at the building, or ask a security guard. ******************************************************************* For more information about MUUG, and its monthly meetings, check out their web server: https://muug.ca/ Help us promote this month's meeting, by putting this poster up on your workplace bulletin board or other suitable public message board: https://muug.ca/meetings/MUUGmeeting.pdf -- Manitoba UNIX User Group E-mail: <gedetil(a)muug.ca> c/o Gilbert E. Detillieux Web: http://muug.ca/ University of Manitoba Phone: (204)474-8161 Winnipeg MB CANADA R3T 2N2 Fax: (204)474-7609

1 0

MUUG.ca mirrors down
by Trevor Cordes 04 Nov '17

04 Nov '17

FYI, MUUG.ca had a catastrophic disk failure that led to a pathological situation causing loss of the mirror array. The mirror data will likely be unavailable for a few days. The web site and mailing lists and other services should continue to function perfectly. We'll renotify here when the mirrors are back up. Thanks for your patience!

1 0