This is where I intend to publish things to do with GNU/Linux. There's not a lot here at the moment, but with any luck that'll change over time.

A simple script that prevents Compiz's animations plugin from freezing X for several seconds (burning 100% CPU) after long periods of inactivity. I first noticed this problem when I'd wake my machine from its screensaver slumber on a morning and the very first animation to play would start, then freeze X briefly.

As far as I know, I'm the only one affected by this (my wife isn't, for instance, despite almost identical setup) and I can't seem to solve it normally, hence this workaround. I wonder, though, if I really am the only one affected, hence releasing my 'fix' ;-)

NB: There's really no benefit in using this script if you don't have the problem.

More information in the README.

Download: compiz_dpms_mon-1.10.tar.gz (gzipped tarball).

Requires: python, dbus-python, compiz Dbus plugin.

Changes:

• New options: sound & music can now be disabled.
• Fixed a couple of bugs (nothing that would crash a game in progress)
• Added a "Pause" menu entry/key.
• Scaled volume of click sound down, and swap sound up.
• Added -rdynamic to CFLAGS so that glade can find its handlers.
• Fixed high-score table pop-up after timed games (NB: See TODO).
• Score 'floaters' last less time now - should be less distracting.
• 'swap' sound now played when gems are removed (incl. cascades), rather than when swapped.
• Sound now works even if the music module fails to load.
• No longer start a new game when clicking on a 'dead' one... allows the player to see what they scored if the game ends 'mid-click', etc.

Download: gweled-0.8-unofficial.tgz (source, gzipped tarball).

Special Keys - a short article on getting those 'special' keys on your fancy new multimedia/office/internet/coffeemaker keyboard to do something (anything!) useful. I wrote this because it's actually very simple and when I wanted to set my keyboards up, this is the sort of thing I wanted to know.

A patch for AVFS 0.93's redir module to 'implement' listxattr() and getxattr(). This I've been using this for ages with no untoward effects, but nonetheless use it at your own risk!

Apply the patch thus:

    cd avfs-0.93/avfscoda/redir
    patch redir.c <avfscoda_redir_patch_001.diff

Without the patch these calls don't get mapped onto /overlay and cp et al. sulk even though the actual copy worked OK. It's just that they call the *xattr() functions which the redir kernel module doesn't trap and so the original filename (ie. with the '#' in it, rather than the version mapped onto /overlay) gets used for them.

With the patch, these calls are trapped and a 'not supported' error code returned. cp no longer complains (because 'not supported' isn't actually an error) and all is well.