[12:15] <andrus> how to change ubuntu Natty Narwhal back to Maverick Meerkat
[12:21] <jbicha> andrus: please ask in #ubuntu
[14:42] <kamal> testing 1 2 3
[14:50] <kamal> ***** Ubuntu and Ham Radio ***** Session begins here in about 10 minutes *****
[15:00] <kamal> Good morning / Good evening folks ...  we will get started with the session "Ubuntu and Ham Radio" in just a moment.  Please join us here, and also in #ubuntu-classroom-chat
[15:00]  * jcastro taps the mic
[15:00] <jcastro> kamal: all set?
[15:01] <kamal> jcastro: yup, lets get started :-)
[15:02] <kamal> Hi folks, lets go with "Ubuntu and Ham Radio"! ....
[15:02] <kamal> [15:02] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[15:02] <kamal> Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which licensed individuals ("hams") use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other hams -- locally, and around the globe -- for public services, recreation, and self-training.
[15:03] <kamal> In order to transmit on ham frequencies, you must hold an amateur radio license issued by your country's radio authority (the exam won't be hard for a technically minded person).
[15:03] <kamal> But anyone can *receive* ham radio signals using a shortwave radio receiver, or over the Internet, as we'll demonstrate in a bit!
[15:03] <kamal> If you do become a ham, you will be issued a "call sign", unique in all the world...
[15:04] <kamal> I'm Kamal Mostafa from Boulder Creek, California, USA.  My callsign is KA6MAL.
[15:04] <sconklin> and I'm Steve Conklin from Madison, Alabama, USA.  My callsign is AI4QR.
[15:04] <kamal> Today, we'll talk about just a few of aspects of ham radio...  If you have questions (and we hope you will!) please ask in the #ubuntu-classroom-chat channel using the format "QUESTION: What does CQ CQ mean?" so the ClassBot will recognize your question.
[15:05] <kamal> With that, I'll turn it over to Steve AI4QR, to tell us about how hams serve our communities in major emergencies, and how Ubuntu helps us do it.
[15:06] <sconklin> Amateur radio is really diverse, but you can't learn much about it without hearing about public service aspects
[15:06] <sconklin> This is because time and again, when disasters strike, amateur radio has been the first communication method to be restored.
[15:07] <sconklin> This is a timely topic for me, as I spent a lot of time last week helping with the recover after the tornadoes that struck Alabama
[15:07] <sconklin> I've blogged an account of that, and please hold off reading it until after this hour here ;-)
[15:07] <sconklin> But feel free to ask questions.
[15:08] <sconklin> By the way, we'll continue any conversations here over in #ubuntu hams chat after the end of this session.
[15:08] <sconklin> When the tornadoes came through here, they were reported live using ham radio.
[15:08] <sconklin> After power was lost for over a million people in Alabama, ham radio provided critical communications.
[15:09] <sconklin> http://illruminations.com/2011/05/04/april-27th-2011-tornadoes-and-the-week-following/
[15:09] <sconklin> That's my brin dump on what I did for the week following.
[15:09] <sconklin> er brain . . .
[15:10] <sconklin> At one point during the tornados, even the municipal radio radio systems were off line, and they used an amateur radio repeater as a backup
[15:10] <sconklin> You can hear that on the audio from our local repeater, recorded during the emergency
[15:11] <sconklin> There's a lot of training available to help hams be prepared to respond to disasters. I'm preparing a long blog post about it, there's too much to list here.
[15:12] <sconklin> The main representative organization for hams in the US is the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) http://www.arrl.org/, and their site has lots of resources linked.
[15:13] <sconklin> I think their web site is a bit intimidating to new hams, but don't be put off
[15:13] <sconklin> Questions?
[15:13] <sconklin> Let me paste a link to the audio from the tornado day. April 27th. I will not forget the date
[15:14] <sconklin> http://www.ustream.tv/channel/madscientistsclub
[15:14] <ClassBot> nigelb asked: Not entirely on-topic, but do you get to chose your call signs? Like vehicle registration.
[15:14] <sconklin> I was on the ait that day as what we call a "net control station" or NCS
[15:14] <kamal> I can address the first question from nigelb ...
[15:15] <sconklin> I only decided to stream the audio at the last minute, and used a receiver that is connected to an Ubuntu machine
[15:15] <sconklin> go ahead Kamal
[15:15] <kamal> yes, some countries do allow hams to select their own callsigns (within some limits).  I did select mine to match my name.
[15:15] <ClassBot> saimanoj asked: What about the people in Other countries?
[15:16] <sconklin> In most countries there are restirctions on the format of call signs according to the privileges your license has
[15:16] <sconklin> And some allow custom call signs (called 'vanity' signs here)
[15:17] <sconklin> One thing I would love to do as an ubuntu ham community is put together a set of wiki pages for many countries with country-specific information
[15:17] <kamal> I will also chime in here...  saimanoj, if you're asking about how to become a ham in other countries ...
[15:17] <kamal> I would advise you to search google for "ham radio {yourcountry}" ...
[15:18] <kamal> you will certainly find lots of links to the active hams near you (and there will almost surely be many of them!)
[15:18] <sconklin> also, you can try asking in #ubuntu-hams, we have a few countries represented in there most days
[15:18] <kamal> they will be very happy to invite you to their local ham clubs and give you more information about how to become a ham in your country.
[15:19] <sconklin> Unless there are questions about emergency communications, meybe we should move to the next topic
[15:19] <kamal> We will pause for more questions in half a moment, but before we do ...
[15:19] <kamal> The next segment of our session today will be about "Software Defined Radio" -- we'll get you set up listening to LIVE ham radio signals, using your web browser.
[15:20] <kamal> First though, you'll need to make sure you have the Java web browser plugin installed...
[15:20] <kamal> If you'd like to try this demo (and trust me, you do -- its very cool!) ...
[15:20] <kamal> Please start up a terminal window, and cut-n-paste this command into it (without the '$'):
[15:20] <kamal> $   sudo apt-get install sun-java6-plugin
[15:20] <kamal> if it says says you already have the latest version installed, great!  otherwise, you will need to type your login password and answer "Y" if prompted.
[15:21] <kamal> IMPORTANT: After installing the Java plugin, you'll need to close your web browser and start it up again.
[15:22] <kamal> Lets wait a moment for everyone to get that Java plugin installed ...  any more questions in the meantime?
[15:23] <kamal> Lets do this... if you've got the Java plugin installed, and your web browser up, raise your hand in #ubuntu-classroom-chat:    o/
[15:23] <sconklin> from AC6SL: Information about amateur radio licensing in various countries is at http://www.qsl.net/oh2mcn/license.htm
[15:24] <kamal> OK lets move on
[15:24] <kamal> [15:24] <kamal> "SDR" (Software Defined Radio) technology is what makes it possible for your whizbang new smartphone to support multiple radio modes and frequencies (3G, WiFi, GSM, CDMA) in one pocket-sized device.
[15:24] <kamal> Traditional radio receivers are build from lots of electronics to select a specific radio signal and convert it to audio that humans can hear ...
[15:25] <kamal> An SDR radio is built from just a tiny bit of electronics by comparison -- instead of doing all the work to select and convert signals, an SDR radio relies on a computer to do all that hard work (the computer in your smartphone, or maybe an Ubuntu system).
[15:25] <kamal> Like a lot of radio science, much of the pioneering work on SDR technology was done by hams.
[15:25] <kamal> A "WebSDR" is a radio receiver connected to the Internet which allows many listeners to use it simultaneously -- each with the ability to tune to the frequency of their choice.
[15:26] <kamal> I'm going to show you a WebSDR receiver that you can use to listen to ham radio signals from around the world, using just your web browser!
[15:26] <kamal> OK, start up your web browser, and visit this WebSDR site: http://w4mq.com/  .
[15:26] <kamal> (If your browser prompts you asking for permission to run the Java plugin, do give it permission)
[15:27] <kamal> If that site says its "too busy" ...
[15:27] <kamal> then try this one instead:  http://outside.wallawalla.edu:8901/
[15:28] <kamal> The award-winning SDR system at ham station W4MQ is near Washington D.C.  Its running Ubuntu, no surprise!
[15:28] <kamal> Many other WebSDR systems (set up by different hams around the world) can be found at http://www.websdr.org/ but (unless it says its too busy)
[15:29] <kamal> lets all try to jump onto one of those two (w4mq or wallawalla)
[15:29] <kamal> After a moment, you should hear radio static!  yes?  no?   Answer in #ubuntu-classroom-chat.
[15:30] <kamal> I'll pause for a moment to see if we can help some folks get this working
[15:32] <kamal> the w4mq.com site seems busy, try the wallawalla site folks: http://outside.wallawalla.edu:8901/
[15:32] <kamal> Or pick one at random from www.websdr.org
[15:33] <kamal> OK, lets proceed ...
[15:33] <kamal> Once you see the purple scrolling "waterfall windows", you should hear radio static
[15:33] <kamal> Click the frequency digits below any of the three waterfall displays to tune to that frequency -- the yellow lines mark the frequency you're tuned and listening to.
[15:33] <sconklin> once you have some vertical scrolling display, you may have to click in the area with the frequency display to actually be listening to a station
[15:34] <kamal> You can also tune to a specific frequency by entering it into the Frequency: box below the waterfalls.
[15:35]  * kamal is listening to 14014  right now
[15:36] <sconklin> click the USB button also if you're trying to hear 14014
[15:36] <kamal> In the "Bandwidth" block below the three waterfalls, the 'LSB' and 'USB' buttons will "flip" the audio signal that you hear ...
[15:36] <kamal> If you hear a voice, but it sounds garbled, you're on the wrong USB/LSB mode setting -- note that switching between them moves your yellow marker "listening" position a bit though.
[15:36] <kamal> For 1800 or 7100 kHz, use LSB   //   For 14000 kHz, use USB
[15:37] <sconklin> USB stands for Upper Side Band, and means that the audio band you hear is located higher in frequency than the frequency that you are set to
[15:37] <kamal> In general ...
[15:37] <kamal> look for voice signals ... Frequency: 14200 +/-    Bandwidth: USB
[15:37] <kamal> look for Morse code signals ...  Frequency: 14000 to 14100
[15:37] <kamal> look for ham digital signals ...  Frequency:  14070    Bandwidth: USB
[15:39] <kamal> from AC6SL: kamal: 14014 is a CW frequency where I hear W7Q calling CQ
[15:39] <sconklin> very few voice signals at the moment
[15:39] <kamal> from gordonjcp: look for SSTV on 14.230MHz
[15:40] <kamal> ok, well I had hoped to find some voice signals for you to listen to, but ...
[15:40] <kamal> I can't find any -- guess friday morning isn't the optimal time for that!  It will sure be hopping this weekend though!
[15:40] <sconklin> Some of the websdr sites do not decode the parts of the ham bands commonly used for voice
[15:41] <kamal> Check out some of the WebSDR sites on Saturday, especially around the 14200 KHz range -- you'll here hams from many countries making contacts with each other.
[15:41] <kamal> After this session (or really any time), I'll be available in the #ubuntu-hams channel where I will demonstrate a more advanced set-up...
[15:41] <kamal> By routing the audio from WebSDR to  ham radio digital communcations app called 'fldigi', you can search for and decode many different kinds of digital signals.
[15:42] <kamal> You can *hear* some of those digital signals right now, by tuning your WebSDR to "14070 / USB"
[15:42] <kamal> okay, brief pause for questions, then on to the last part of our presentation
[15:43] <sconklin> for those interested in what the different types of digital signals they hear are, there's a good resource here:
[15:43] <sconklin> http://www.w1hkj.com/FldigiHelp-3.20/Modes/index.htm
[15:44] <kamal> And that leads us nicely to our last segment...   "Ham radio digital modes"
[15:44] <kamal> Hams communicate using many different radio "modes" -- Morse code, various voice modes, and nowadays "digital modes" which use computers to encode and decode text or other information sent by radio.
[15:44] <kamal> Here's a short screen capture video of me making a digital (keyboard-to-keyboard) contact with another ham station using the mode called "PSK31".
[15:45] <kamal> (Of course, this is all on my Ubuntu system)!
[15:45] <kamal>      fldigi - KA6MAL works W9JD using PSK31     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hlf_sUk358
[15:46] <kamal> This particular mode (PSK31) is very slow (only 31 baud!) but also very effective for world-wide communications.
[15:46] <kamal> In the video, you'll see the other station "W9JD" transmitting "CQ CQ" which means he's looking for anyone to contact him (not calling a particular ham).   I transmit my callsign "KA6MAL" in response and then we exchange a bit of information.
[15:47] <kamal> Unfortunately, the audio of my transmitted signal didn't get recorded (the sound "mutes" in the video), but my signal sound just the same as his
[15:47] <kamal> In this instance, he's participating in a ham radio contest called a "QSO Party" where hams in his state (Nebraska) try to make as many contacts as possible in a 24-hour period.
[15:48] <kamal> Ham contests like this happen almost every weekend.  Participating in contests helps us keep our operating skills and our stations in top form (i.e. ready to go if an emergency strikes).  Plus, they're just a lot of fun!
[15:48] <kamal> Okay, questions?
[15:49] <sconklin> One of the properties of radio governed by basic physics is that the less frequency bandwidth you use to transmit a signal, the further you can be heard with the same amount of transmitted power. That's why morse code is very efficient, and why PSK31 mode is also efficient. I have worked stations around the world with a power output of 50 Watts on PSK31 - less than a light bulb!
[15:49] <ClassBot> zerwas asked: Do you always transmit on the same frequency where you receive using digital modes?
[15:49] <sconklin> I'll take this one
[15:50] <sconklin> There are certain ranges of frequencies which are commonly used for certain types of activity - morse code, voice, and digital modes
[15:51] <sconklin> Some of these are legal limitations, but within the ranges set out in the rules, there are conventions for where people meet
[15:51] <sconklin> These are called "Band Plans", and while they may not have the force of 'law' they are generally abided by
[15:52] <sconklin> So on the twenty meter band for example, PSK31 activity is just above 14.070 megahertz
[15:52] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[15:52] <sconklin> Unless you want to answer someone, you don't transmit exactly on his frequency
[15:53] <kamal> zerwas might have been asking about whether we sometimes contact other hams with one person transmitting on one frequency and the other person transmitting on a different frequency ...
[15:53] <kamal> That is called "operating split" -- that method is used for Morse code and voice occasionally, but rarely for digital signal I think.
[15:53] <sconklin> But since PSK31 signals are narrow, a lot fo them can fit in the same space as a voice would
[15:54] <sconklin> If you are interested in electronics, you can buy cheap SDR hardware and build your own receiver. It's fun
[15:55] <kamal> zerwas: There is no technical reason why you *couldn't* work a digital contact with "split" frequencies, its just not as useful as it would be in the Morse or voice situation.   More gory details about that in #ubuntu-hams later, if you like.
[15:55] <sconklin> But that could fill another hour - we can take that to #ubuntu-hams
[15:55] <kamal> ok, running out of time folks, and that's the end of our prepared presentation ...
[15:55] <kamal> Any final questions?  Please ask in #ubuntu-classroom-chat.
[15:56] <sconklin> One final thing for fun
[15:56] <sconklin> I'll not go into detail, but there is a ham technology called APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) which uses packets broadcast on one frequency by all users.
[15:56] <sconklin> http://aprs.fi/?call=N56ML&mt=roadmap&z=11&timerange=10800
[15:57] <sconklin> check this link
[15:57] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[15:58] <sconklin> APRS is used with GPS to automatically report position of stations. What you see on that link is an airplane with APRS which is  right now flying over the tornado-ravaged area from last week's storms very near me.
[15:58] <sconklin> It looks like he's doing aerial damage assessment.
[15:59] <sconklin> There are so many diverse areas of amateur radio that you can spend a lifetime and not run out of new things to try.
[15:59] <kamal> On that same aprs.fi page, in the panel at upper right, click the "Show All" link to see lots of other ham vehicles driving around in that area too!
[15:59] <sconklin> Time to wrap it up, let's move to #ubuntu-hams for anyone interested
[15:59] <kamal> Thanks very much for joining us!   We're usually on freenode in #ubuntu-hams if you want to drop by to talk about radio stuff -- everybody's welcome!
[15:59] <kamal> More general info about ham radio:  http://www.hello-radio.org/whatis.html
[16:00] <kamal> 73 de KA6MAL   (means "Best regards from KA6MAL" in ham lingo)
[16:00] <sconklin> 73, de AI4QR
[16:02] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[16:03] <ScottL> Hello everyone, this is Intro to Ubuntu Studio and I'm Scott Lavender, Ubuntu Studio project lead
[16:03] <ScottL> before i launch into my shtick, is there anyone here with questions?
[16:04] <ScottL> if not, i'll move swiftly into it
[16:04] <ScottL> and i'll cover some commonly asked questions as well
[16:05] <ScottL> right, Ubuntu Studio is an officially recognized derivative of Ubuntu
[16:05] <ScottL> and as such shares the same code base as Ubuntu, specifically it uses the same repositories
[16:05] <ScottL> this means that any package available in Ubuntu is available in Ubuntu Studio, the inverse is true as well
[16:06] <ScottL> Ubuntu Studio has some definitive differences however in it's settings to help people use multimedia applications
[16:06] <ScottL> as well as some cosmetic changes, like a different theme and colors
[16:07] <ScottL> i would like to mention that another big change coming up is our push to get the -lowlatency kernel into the universe repository
[16:08] <ScottL> recent tests have shown that the -lowlatency kernel can half latencies (the time it takes for sound to be created, travel through your computer, and then be recorded/heard)
[16:09] <ScottL> and once the -lowlatency kernel is in the repositories it can be included as the default kernel in Ubuntu Studio
[16:09] <ScottL> this will be quite a significant accomplishment for the audio folks who rely on Ubuntu Studio and Ubuntu
[16:10] <ScottL> Ubuntu Studio also varies from Ubuntu in the packages that are shipped with it
[16:11] <ScottL> we tend not to install social media applications (e.g. gwibber) because this is not the focus of Ubuntu Studio
[16:11] <ScottL> this does not mean that it cannot be installed however
[16:11] <ScottL> apt-get install is still your friend
[16:12] <ScottL> we do ship numerous audio, video, and graphical applications for our users
[16:12] <ScottL> the choice of which applications to be install was based on developing "work flows" :  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/Workflows
[16:13] <ScottL> during the last cycle we decided to review what packages are shipped and take a "top down" approach
[16:14] <ScottL> we explored what "tasks" or "goals" our users might want to accomplish, developed work flows on the available tool chains that supported these tasks/goals
[16:15] <ScottL> i should point out that not all of the work flows on that link are supported in the release, we need to do some administrative work to that page to parse them as such still
[16:16] <ScottL> the result was that we ended up shipping fewer applications, having a smaller ISO image, but yielded a more effective distro
[16:16] <ScottL> any questions at this point?
[16:17] <ScottL> one of the common questions that is asked is about installing Ubuntu Studio
[16:18] <ScottL> many times (for various reasons) people would prefer to install vanilla Ubuntu first, and then install the Ubuntu Studio packages and people want to know if this is possible
[16:18] <ScottL> the answer is absolutely!
[16:19] <ScottL> however, there is a little more to it than simply adding the packages
[16:19] <ScottL> there are a few settings that need to be adjusted in order to make sure your system is configured the best to run JACK and other audio applications
[16:20] <ScottL> this is a good page for users to visit:  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio
[16:21] <ScottL> and if you look for "upgrade from Ubuntu" under installation you will find more information about that
[16:21] <ScottL> !q
[16:21] <ScottL> ClassBot, !q
[16:22] <ClassBot> josker asked: when you said that ubuntu studio will ship lowlatency kernel, the changes will be made only into the sound driver ?
[16:22] <ScottL> josker, good question!
[16:23] <ScottL> the primary reasons for doing this (from a Ubuntu Studio perspective) is for the reason you stated, it helps improve performance for audio
[16:23] <ScottL> however...
[16:23] <ScottL> some people have reported that their desktop feels "snappier" as well
[16:24] <ScottL> unfortunately, no one has provided data to support that report
[16:25] <ScottL> i hope that answered your question josker, if not let me know
[16:26] <ScottL> another question asked is about networking and wifi
[16:27] <ScottL> historically we have shipped gnome-network-manager and our laptop users have reported significant trouble getting their wifi configured and running
[16:27] <ScottL> this is especially true for new users
[16:28] <ScottL> during Natty we made a decision to move to network-manager, which I believe is what ships with vanilla Ubuntu
[16:29] <ScottL> another question (from last year's open week) was regarding wallpapers, GDM backgrounds, and text colors
[16:30] <ScottL> the questions regarded how busy the wallpaper/background was and also how the text color was similar to the text box color in some cases
[16:30] <ScottL> while we didn't make any progress on this during Natty I do expect some rather large changes in Ocelot
[16:31] <ScottL> we have recently added an Art Lead to the team who will be focusing on these issues along with others
[16:31] <ScottL> we also have a few other improvements scheduled for Ocelot
[16:32] <ScottL> i've mentioned our goals for the -lowlatency kernel and theming/artwork issues
[16:33] <ScottL> we are planning our timeline for Ocelot and tentatively have plans to do the following:
[16:33] <ScottL>  * update the website
[16:33] <ScottL> the website hasn't seen any updates in years and is seeing some bit rot
[16:34] <ScottL> additionally we are revisiting the purpose and scope of the website and most likely will be added additional functionality to is as well
[16:34] <ScottL>  * update ubuntustudio-controls
[16:35] <ScottL> the -controls applcations allows user to change some of the system settings to help them tune their machine for audio work
[16:35] <ScottL> some of the functionality has been deprecated by changes in the kernel and firewire stack
[16:35] <ScottL> additionally, some of the functionality has changed due to upstream changes in JACK
[16:35] <ScottL> so we will be updating -controls for those reasons
[16:36] <ScottL> but we would like to introduce additional functionalities as well
[16:36] <ScottL> which should further help users with their work
[16:36] <ScottL>  * documentation
[16:37] <ScottL> this is a huge (and hugely importatant) under taking
[16:37] <ScottL> Ubuntu Studio has changed significantly over the years and the documentation hasn't quite kept up
[16:38] <ScottL> our tentative plan is to overhaul the entire documentation system in help.ubuntu.com to reflect the current state of Ubuntu Studio and the changes within the kernel and other applications
[16:38] <ScottL> it's a large, large job and we (possibly optimistally) expect it to take a year, especially given the size of the team and the other responsibilities
[16:39] <ScottL> of course, if anyone is interested in helping the Ubuntu Studio team they are most welcomed to contact us
[16:40] <ScottL> the developer mailing list can be found at:  https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-studio-devel
[16:40] <ScottL> if you need help as a user, you can find the user mailing list at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-studio-users
[16:40] <ScottL> as mentioned before, users can find help documentation at:  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuStudio
[16:41] <ScottL> our current website can be found at: http://ubuntustudio.org/
[16:42] <ScottL> if anyone has suggestions or comments about what they would like in the new website or about a new applications they would like to see in Ubuntu Studio, please contact us at the developer mailing list and let us know
[16:43] <ScottL> additionally, we have several IRC channels for support
[16:43] <ScottL> users can join #ubuntustudio here on freenode.net for help with Ubuntu Studio
[16:44] <ScottL> anyone wanted to speak to the developers directly can join #ubuntustudio-devel
[16:45] <ScottL> any questions at this time?
[16:46] <ScottL> another common question that is asked pertains to getting new packages into Ubuntu Studio
[16:47] <ScottL> one thing that the Ubuntu Studio team doesn't actively do is package applications
[16:47] <ScottL> this isn't a philosophical stance, it's more of a pragmatic, logistical issue
[16:47] <ScottL> we simple don't have experience packagers active on the team
[16:47] <ScottL> however, we do have a mechanism for effecting this
[16:48] <ScottL> i believe that most of the new audio applications (and even updates) tend to come from the Debian Multimedia Team
[16:48] <ScottL> they are a robust, experienced, and active group :)   for which i am very appreciative
[16:49] <ScottL> these packages see their way into the Ubuntu repositories at the beginning of each Ubuntu release cycle
[16:50] <ScottL> so if you want to see about getting a package into Ubuntu Studio, we still welcome your suggestions or nominations
[16:50] <ScottL> as we have cross team communications and can pass the request onto the Debian Multimedia Team
[16:51] <ScottL> there are some new and exciting LV2 plugins that i expect to see in Ocelot that are now in our repositories
[16:52] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[16:53] <ScottL> another question that is posted with some frequency pertains to applications included in derivative distributions of Ubuntu Studio
[16:53] <ScottL> many times users explore other multimedia distributions that are derivatives of Ubuntu Studio
[16:54] <ScottL> and these distros include certain packages that are not in Ubuntu Studio and users ask why
[16:54] <ScottL> Ubuntu Studio can only ship packages that are hosting in the official archives (repositories)
[16:55] <ScottL> the build system (buildd) will only include packages from these archives
[16:55] <ScottL> if the package can not be included in the repositories, it can not ship with Ubuntu Studio
[16:55] <ScottL> and I should note that PPA's are not the official archives
[16:56] <ScottL> even though someone built Linux Sampler in a PPA, it can not be shipped on an Ubuntu Studio image
[16:57] <ScottL> if there is an application that users would like to see in Ubuntu Studio then we (meaning developers and users) bend our energies to getting it included in the repositories
[16:57] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[16:59] <ScottL> I'm pretty much done, so if anyone doesn't have questions, i'll close with a reqeust
[16:59] <ScottL> a request even
[16:59] <ScottL> hi htcGuitarman and holstein  :)
[16:59] <ScottL> please give us your suggestions on how to improve Ubuntu Studio
[17:00] <ScottL> we welcome all suggestions and comments
[17:00] <ScottL> but please be aware there are limitations (e.g. licensing issues or logistics) to what we can accomplish
[17:00] <ScottL> thank you
[17:02] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[17:02] <Cheri703> Hi, and welcome to "Getting Started with Gnucash"
[17:03] <Cheri703> I need to apologize up front, originally this was planned to be a screencast, but there were MANY technical difficulties.
[17:03] <Cheri703> Thanks to the wonderful AlanBell, there is a Live Desktop to go with this session
[17:04] <Cheri703> You'll need to use either vncviewer or the Remote Desktop application
[17:04] <Cheri703> AlanBell: is putting the directions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat
[17:05] <Cheri703> Gnucash is a Free, cross-platform, open-source accounting program
[17:05] <Cheri703> It is available in many different languages, and it can handle both personal and business accounting.
[17:06] <Cheri703> The first thing I will show you is how to access the Account hierarchy setup, if you've gone past it the first time.
[17:06] <Cheri703> Many people open up gnucash and are presented with a blank grey scree.
[17:07] <Cheri703> *screen.
[17:07] <Cheri703> they don't know where to go from there, and they aren't sure what happened.
[17:07] <Cheri703> On the first run of the software (after installation), a druid pops up, but it is VERY easy to click past it and get stuck.
[17:08] <Cheri703> In order to access that druid again, you simply need to go to File > New > New File
[17:08] <Cheri703> This will bring you to the Account Hierarchy Setup screen.
[17:08] <Cheri703> We are having technical difficulties with the live desktop, so feel free to open up gnucash on your own computer and follow along :)
[17:09] <Cheri703> Ah, for those confused by the terminology: a druid in ubuntu = wizard in windows
[17:10] <Cheri703> In the Account Hierarchy screen, you will move forward through a few basic settings, and get to a page titled "Choose accounts to create"
[17:10] <Cheri703> this gives you the option to automatically create accounts that will be populated in your file.
[17:11] <Cheri703> The default gives MANY detailed categories, down to "hobbies" and "public Transportation"
[17:11] <Cheri703> I do not get that detailed in how I track my money, so I choose to clear the selection, and go to the top of the list to "A Simple Checkbook"
[17:12] <Cheri703> This creates one checkbook and the basic parent accounts for the Expense and Income categories
[17:12] <Cheri703> The next page is "Setup New Accounts" from here you can add opening balances if you'd like to do so.
[17:13] <Cheri703> After you finish the druid/wizard, you will reach your Accounts Page.
[17:13] <Cheri703> This shows all of your accounts currently in your Gnucash file.
[17:14] <Cheri703> On the accounts page, you can Create, Edit, Delete and Hide accounts.
[17:14] <Cheri703> To create a new account, you'll just right click on the desired parent account (Assets if you're adding a bank account or something, Expenses if adding a bill category)
[17:14] <Cheri703> and choose "New Account"
[17:15] <Cheri703> In the window that pops up, you can name the account, choose account type, and on a second tab, add an opening balance.
[17:15] <Cheri703> If you choose to edit an existing account, you'll notice that the "opening balance" tab no longer shows up. There IS a way to add an opening balance after the account has been created, I will get to that in a bit. That is something that has thrown off several people I know.
[17:18] <Cheri703> If you choose to delete an account that has transactions in it, You'll get the option to move those transactions to another account, or delete them completely.
[17:19] <Cheri703> There is the option (on the account edit screen) to Hide an account. I use this if I've had a prepaid gift card that I used up, I still want those transactions to stay in the system, but I don't want it cluttering up my Accounts page.
[17:19] <Cheri703> The next area you'll encounter is the Transactions Register.
[17:20] <Cheri703> This is where the majority of your interaction with Gnucash will happen.
[17:20] <Cheri703> To open an account, you simply double click it on the accounts page. It will open in a new tab.
[17:20] <Cheri703> Gnucash uses Double-Entry Accounting, this means that every transaction has a "from" entry and a "to" entry.
[17:21] <Cheri703> If you want to create an opening balance for an account, you simply would enter it as a normal transaction, but in the "transfer" column, you'd choose "Equity:Opening Balances"
[17:21] <Cheri703> The Transfer column is the "from" column.
[17:22] <Cheri703> Well, From or To, depending on which direction money is going
[17:22] <Cheri703> If a deposit, you're using the transfer column as "this money came FROM Income:person1"
[17:23] <Cheri703> if a payment, then it is "this money is going out of this account TO Expenses:Bills"
[17:24] <Cheri703> If you create a transaction, and later create another one with the same description, Gnucash will auto-fill the Transfer and deposit/withdrawl columns
[17:24] <Cheri703> Obviously you can change it if necessary.
[17:25] <Cheri703> To better understand the Double Entry accounting, you can split the transaction and view both halves. Generally Gnucash will only show you a portion of it, so it can be confusing for some people.
[17:25] <Cheri703> To show transaction splits, you simply right click on the transaction and choose "split"
[17:27] <Cheri703> There are MANY things you can do in the transaction register, and many ways to manipulate the data. Duplication, multiple entry splits (paying with multiple accounts on the same bill), as well as others.
[17:27] <Cheri703> I will go more in depth on the screen cast.
[17:28] <Cheri703> The next topic is Searching for Transactions.
[17:28] <Cheri703> You can go to Edit > Find or press ctrl-F to open the search dialog.
[17:28] <Cheri703> There are MANY options for searching. You can search by almost any field (Description, memo, check number, value, account, etc)
[17:28] <Cheri703> You can also combine criteria to narrow your search.
[17:30] <Cheri703> If you are searching by Value, you have the options to search for a value less than, less than or equal to, equal to, NOT equal to, greater than, or greater than or equal to the value you enter. It is VERY helpful for those times when you go "hmm, I know it was not quite $150, but I know it was definitely over $100" you can search that way and find your transaction very easily
[17:30] <Cheri703> Search results open in a new tab.
[17:31] <Cheri703> Any questions so far? I know I'm plowing through this stuff, and it is hard to follow without looking at it.
[17:32] <Cheri703> Ok, moving on. Scheduled Transactions!
[17:32] <Cheri703> Scheduled transactions are a WONDERFUL thing.
[17:32] <Cheri703> However, one step of creating them is a bit tricky. (If I am in a hurry I tend to have to go back and switch it)
[17:33] <Cheri703> To create scheduled transactions, you go to "Actions > Scheduled Transactions > Scheduled Transaction Editor"
[17:34] <Cheri703> Once that tab opens, there is a button that looks like a building with a green plus sign on it. This is the "create new" button. You will have options on when to have the transaction appear on your account, and the option to create a reminder in advance.
[17:34] <Cheri703> I choose to have mine created 60 days out, because I like to be able to have a general idea of what my finances look like for the next few months.
[17:35] <Cheri703> You can also choose how many occurrences will happen: Forever, until a certain date, or a certain number of times - useful if making payments on something and you know you have a certain number of them left.
[17:36] <Cheri703> You then can choose WHEN you want it to occur, daily/weekly/monthly, start date, and if you'd like it to be every week, ever 2 weeks, etc. Also if you'd like it to be on a certain day of the week, you can choose that as well.
[17:36] <Cheri703> The tricky part of scheduled transactions comes on the Template Transaction section.
[17:36] <Cheri703> This is where you create the transaction that will be applied to the account.
[17:37] <Cheri703> At first glance it looks like a normal transaction editor, but where you would normally have "deposit" and "withdrawal" it says "Tot Funds In" and "Tot Funds Out"
[17:38] <Cheri703> Once you have put in a description, and you are ready to put in the transfer amount, you'll notice that those labels CHANGE
[17:38] <Cheri703> Tot Funds IN becomes "Debit Formula" and Tot Funds Out becomes "Credit Formula"
[17:39] <Cheri703> This always throws me off, because in my mind "debit = out" and "credit = in"
[17:39] <Cheri703> but it's not
[17:39] <Cheri703> If you click back up to the description line, it will shift the labels back, so it is good to double check when entering.
[17:40] <Cheri703> Or you'll end up like me and have to go through and swap all of the transactions that now show a withdrawal instead of a deposit.
[17:40] <Cheri703> Once you've created scheduled transactions, they will not show up on the account until you go to "Actions > Scheduled Transactions > Since Last Run"
[17:41] <Cheri703> This will process any that have been created since the software was last opened or you last ran the command.
[17:41] <Cheri703> Any questions on scheduled transactions?
[17:42] <Cheri703> Ok, Reports!
[17:42] <Cheri703> Gnucash can generate many types of reports, some very useful, some that are interesting if you are trying to evaluate your spending habits.
[17:43] <Cheri703> One thing to know when creating any of them is that you can filter your transactions, so you only see ones relevant to you at the time.
[17:43] <Cheri703> You'll go to "View > Filter By..."
[17:43] <Cheri703> and you can choose dates to show.
[17:44] <Cheri703> This lets you create an account report for ONLY that month instead of the entire year.
[17:44] <Cheri703> Well, that is pretty much all I have that I can go through without showing on the software.
[17:45] <Cheri703> www.gnucash.org is a great resource, with a wiki, documentation, faq, and info about IRC and mailing lists
[17:45] <Cheri703> there are also quite a few good tutorials available online.
[17:45] <Cheri703> As I said before, If anyone is interested in viewing the screencast once it is available, please pm me with your email address, and I will get you a link as soon as I can.
[17:46] <Cheri703> Forewarning: It covers much of this same information, but you'll be able to follow along better.
[17:46] <Cheri703> Does anyone have any questions about what I covered or anything else about Gnucash?
[17:47] <Cheri703> Ok, well. I will be around for the remainder of the time allotted for the session in case anyone thinks of questions.
[17:51] <Cheri703> I will also ask that the link be appended to the logs at whatever time it becomes available (if that's possible), so in the future you can (hopefully) check there as well.
[17:52] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[17:55] <Cheri703> !q
[17:55] <Cheri703> whoops
[17:56] <Cheri703>  QUESTION for Cheri703: what does "Tot" mean/stand for in scheduled transactions?
[17:56] <Cheri703> Total
[17:57] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[18:02] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[18:06] <pleia2> is Carla here?
[18:10] <jcastro> I haven't been able to get a hold of her
[18:11] <pleia2> ok, I sent her an email too, so we'll see
[18:16] <samplezt> lñ
[18:38] <Guest78344> hello, is anyone here?
[18:39] <Guest78344> this is your esteamed author Carla
[18:39] <IdleOne> pleia2: ^
[18:39] <Guest78344> with great apologies for being late
[18:39] <Guest78344> my horses escaped!!
[18:39] <Guest78344> so we had us a little roundup
[18:39] <pleia2> great!
[18:39] <Guest78344> it's not as fun as it sounds
[18:39] <Guest78344> ;)
[18:39] <IdleOne> hehe
[18:39] <nigelb> okay, you haz voice :)
[18:40] <IdleOne> Guest78344: you may want to /nick lessguestlikenick
[18:40] <Guest78344> I'm rusty with IRC, what great privileges does having voice confer?
[18:40] <nigelb> Guest78344, could you also join #ubuntu-classroom-chat
[18:40] <nigelb> Guest78344, we will make the classroom moderated soon, it lets you speak when moderated.
[18:41] <saimanoj> hi
[18:41] <carla_s> all righty then, the official topic is intro to Audacity
[18:41] <carla_s> I was thinking we could also do an intro to JACK, since that seems to be a hard one for a lot of users
[18:42] <carla_s> maybe because it's confusing and not well-documented :)
[18:43] <carla_s> should I be here or in #ubuntu-classroom-chat?
[18:46] <carla_s> ok then let's get started, and many apologies for lateness
[18:46] <carla_s> Audacity is reputed to be "easy", and in a sense it is
[18:46] <carla_s> it's a great application with a nice interface and a lot of functionality
[18:46] <carla_s> the tricky part is audio terminology
[18:46] <carla_s> like audio quality settings
[18:47] <carla_s> WAV files are pretty much universal. WAV is a large lossless format
[18:48] <carla_s> To give an idea of what high quality settings are, a CD-ready WAVE file is 16 bits depth/ 44mHz
[18:48] <carla_s> sampling rate
[18:48] <carla_s> bit depth and sample rate are fundamental terms
[18:49] <carla_s> bit depth controls dynamic range and signal to noise ratio
[18:50] <carla_s> sample rate is how many times per second the analog signal is sampled for digital conversion
[18:51] <carla_s> hang on-- looking up precise terms :)
[18:51] <carla_s> good thing I wrote a book
[18:52] <carla_s> so 16/44 means each individual sample is given a 16-bit value
[18:52] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[18:52] <carla_s> 0-65,535
[18:53] <carla_s> professionals record at 24- and 32-bit depths, and sometimes even 64
[18:53] <carla_s> but that doesn't mean we need to go nuts-- more is not always better
[18:54] <carla_s> CD quality recordings and even the low-budget onboard sound chips in modern PCs deliver higher fidelity than the studio gear of my youth (1960s and 70s)
[18:55] <carla_s> the skill of the person making the recordings is much more important
[18:55] <carla_s> and keep in mind how your recordings will be heard-- on good equipment in a quiet environment?
[18:55] <carla_s> lo-fi portable devices?
[18:55] <carla_s> vehicles?
[18:56] <carla_s> Audacity, like many recording apps, records internally at 32-bit float
[18:56] <carla_s> I make most of my master recordings at 24 bits depth/ 48 kHz
[18:57] <carla_s> your desires may vary, of course, it's always what works for you
[18:57] <carla_s> I don't hear a different between recordings made at 44 kHz or 48 kHz
[18:57] <carla_s> but I do hear the difference between 16-bit and 24-bit
[18:58] <carla_s> it's not necessarily a question of having great hearing, but more of having a trained ear and knowing what to listen for
[18:59] <carla_s> having a high-quality master means you have a lot of headroom for editing and changes, and you can always export to lower quality levels
[18:59] <carla_s> can't go higher
[18:59] <carla_s> a common question is "how do I put my MP3s on CDs"
[19:00] <carla_s> there are two types of CDs- Red Book audio-encoded for any  CD player, like in your vehicle or home hi-fi
[19:00] <carla_s> and data CDs. You can put any audio file on a data CD-- WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3, and play it on your computer, because software media players support all formats
[19:01] <carla_s> if you want your MP3s on a universal Red Book CD then they first need to be converted to 16/44 WAV
[19:01] <carla_s> then written to CD as an audio project. not a data project
[19:02] <carla_s> they're still lossy MP3 quality even after conversion to WAV
[19:03] <carla_s> Audacity uses a special storage method for Audacity project files
[19:03] <carla_s> it breaks every project up into a mass of little individual files, for speed
[19:04] <carla_s> Audacity projects only play inside of Audacity. if you want studio masters to use in other audio programs you need to export them as WAV or FLAC
[19:04] <carla_s> FLAC is nice because it's lossless compression, so you get WAV quality in a smaller file size
[19:05] <carla_s> one difference is WAV supports 32-bit, while FLAC only goes up to 24-bit
[19:05] <carla_s> muneeb asks about file size for screencasting
[19:06] <carla_s> MP3s are good for this, even though to a lot of people's ears Ogg sounds better at low bit rates, and it's an open, unencumbered standard
[19:06] <carla_s> though Ogb support is growing all the time
[19:07] <carla_s> checking Audacity settings---
[19:07] <carla_s> bitrate is bandwidth, not to be confused with bit depth
[19:08] <carla_s> amount of data per second
[19:08] <carla_s> (no, everyone cannot use the same measurements, that would be too convenient)
[19:09] <carla_s> doing math...
[19:10] <carla_s> one channel of 16/44.1 stereo has a bitrate of about 700k bits per second
[19:10] <pleia2> carla_s: there are a couple of questions in -chat, would you like me to paste them here as they come up, or do you want to take questions at the end?
[19:10] <carla_s> compare to 128k MP3
[19:10] <pleia2> oh dear
[19:11] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.
[19:11] <carla_s> server burp?
[19:11] <pleia2> bot burp :)
[19:12] <carla_s> I'm reading them as I go, and trying to work in answers in a somewhat sane fashion :)
[19:12] <pleia2> ok, great
[19:12] <carla_s> 128k MP3 is very lo-fi, a holdover from the olden days of slow Internet streaming and small storage in portable audio players
[19:13] <carla_s> to my own ears 192k sounds pretty good. 320k is as high as MP3 goes. it is billed as CD-quality
[19:13] <carla_s> it isn't
[19:13] <carla_s> Ogg measures quality levels differently
[19:14] <carla_s> it uses a variable bitrate (which MP3 also supports) so it's hard to pin down a specific bitrate
[19:15] <carla_s> Ogg rates quality levels from 0-10, with 10 the highest
[19:15] <carla_s> Ogg supports multichannel surround, which MP3 doesn't
[19:15] <carla_s> well there is a version of Mp3 that does, but it's not well-supported, and ti's proprietary
[19:16] <carla_s> an Ogg setting of 2 is roughly equivalent to MP3 at 122k
[19:16] <carla_s> 112k
[19:16] <carla_s> make than an Ogg setting of 3, sorry
[19:17] <carla_s> Ogg levels 0-5 use lossy channel coupling
[19:17] <carla_s> this means redundancies between left and right stereo channels are combined for smaller bitrate and filesize
[19:17] <carla_s> you might notice a loss of stereo spatial imaging
[19:18] <carla_s> when I make Ogg files I usually use 6. it sounds good and I don't hear a lot of difference at higher settings
[19:18] <carla_s> of course my ears are getting old, which is why I always say "do what pleases you" :)
[19:19] <carla_s> MP3 also supports variable bitrates. the advantage over a fixed bitrate is fewer bits are used in passages that don't need a lot of bits, and more bits in the sections that need them
[19:20] <carla_s> Audacity lets you select ranges, like the Standard variable setting of 170-210k
[19:21] <carla_s> if everyone is still awake, let's talk about 32-bit float, because it is a source of much confusion
[19:21] <carla_s> 16, 24, and 32-bit depths are integer values
[19:22] <carla_s> 32-bit float is a floating point value
[19:22] <carla_s> I have forgotten the math behind this, so here is the laypeople explanation
[19:23] <carla_s> 32-bit float is a 24-bit mantissa plus an 8-bit exponent
[19:23] <carla_s> on a practical level this means two important things:
[19:24] <carla_s> greater precision and very low noise floor
[19:24] <carla_s> and you cannot play 32-bit float files anywhere but inside digital audio applications that support them
[19:25] <carla_s> for most playback devices you need 8, 16- or 24-bit integer (also called linear)
[19:26] <carla_s> when you are planning how to make your backups, plan on lots of hard drive storage
[19:26] <carla_s> Audacity projects can be a bit fragile, and if Audacity's auto-recovery does not work then your project is lost
[19:27] <carla_s> so I save both projects, and WAV masters
[19:27] <carla_s> belt-and-suspenders to be sure
[19:28] <carla_s> Audacity projects save information that can't be saved in WAV or FLAC
[19:28] <carla_s> like track labels and other metadata
[19:28] <carla_s> and they load a lot faster than WAVs or FLAC
[19:29] <carla_s> there is a question, is the in 32-bit float, is the exponent signed?
[19:29] <carla_s> I do not know
[19:29] <carla_s> there, a definitive answer!
[19:30] <carla_s> Audacity supports making multi-channel surround, like 5.1 and 7.1
[19:30] <carla_s> you can export up to 32 channels
[19:31] <carla_s> and if you have a playback device that supports 32 channels you win
[19:31] <carla_s> but Audacity does not help you with mapping the channels correctly
[19:31] <carla_s> you want to match them to your outputs: front surround, center, etc
[19:32] <carla_s> the mappings vary with different audio formats, so I included some tables in my book for WAV, FLAC, and others I forget now
[19:32] <carla_s> this is why I write howtos-- because I forget
[19:33] <carla_s> you don't need to spend a mint on hardware
[19:33] <carla_s> because as I said earlier, even inexpensive audio devices are techically superior to even studio equipment of yesteryear
[19:34] <carla_s> for two-channel stereo recordings there is a vast wealth of great devices to choose from that don't break the bank
[19:34] <carla_s> there are all kinds of USB audio interfaces for under a couple hundred dollars that are very good and easy to use
[19:35] <carla_s> as long as they are USB class-compliant you don't have to worry about drivers
[19:35] <carla_s> I will never understand why vendors would make USB devices dependent on special drivers. a lot of extra work for no good reason
[19:36] <carla_s> USB interfaces are portable, and you don't have to worry about picking up internal noise
[19:36] <carla_s> Behringer has a line of multi-channel USB mixers that run from around $100 to about $600
[19:37] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:37] <carla_s> the most important component in your audio chain the is analog to digital/digital to analog converter
[19:37] <carla_s> there are cheapos that sound bad. they introduce noise and distortion
[19:38] <carla_s> you should be able to turn the volume way up before you hear any hum or hiss
[19:38] <carla_s> A question about FLAC
[19:38] <carla_s> I like FLAC
[19:39] <carla_s> when you buy online music you often have a FLAC option. that is high quality in about one-third smaller size than WAV
[19:39] <carla_s> FLAC support is still spotty, but if you're playing them on a computer-y device you're covered, like a home media server
[19:40] <carla_s> WAV supports up to 32-bit, FLAC mxes out at 24
[19:40] <carla_s> which is still plenty high quality
[19:40] <carla_s> there are some other differences---
[19:41] <carla_s> it is an open unencumbered format
[19:41] <carla_s> it has several compression levels, from 0 to 8
[19:41] <carla_s> these do not affect quality, just file size
[19:42] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:42] <carla_s> it supports fewer channels than WAV
[19:43] <carla_s> drat, can't find it
[19:44] <carla_s> any questions? that was a rather random whirlwind tour
[19:44] <carla_s> audacity is a great WAV editor, and great for making live recordings
[19:44] <carla_s> the real power of audio editing is giving every voice and instrument its own track
[19:45] <carla_s> Audacity supports unlimited tracks, until your computer keels over or your recording interface maxes out
[19:46] <carla_s> it is CPU-intensive, and even though Audacity is not written to take advantage of multiple cores it runs a lot better on multicore machines
[19:46] <carla_s> those extra cores take care of JACK and any other software you're running
[19:47] <carla_s> thanks everyone for being here, congratulations and thanks to the Ubuntu team for putting on Open Week!
[19:47] <ClassBot> Logs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/05/06/%23ubuntu-classroom.html