Sri-Lanka Internet-Download Speed

Sri-Lanka Internet-Download Speed

I must report to you my elation of fast download speed was very short lived. It lasted little over two hours.
Most likely server script blocking customer service was out of order for a while. 
It is currently ZERO for my download.
It took half an hour to download 580 kB file ( 1 MiB when installed) of Gparted.
It is a joke to talk about Data Super High Way .

I will keep what is below for posterity.

I decided to Install Debian due to many reasons.

It took nearly 4 hours to finish, for 1.8 GiB of resources DVD with live updates from a repository in USA.

Si-Lankan servers are very poor and Singapore is much worse (there is no reliable Linux community base there).

Then, our Telecom has a habit of slowing the speed to 5 KB/sec, once one has downloaded 20 GiB,   (an arbitrary limit) within a month.

I pay a huge bill sometimes more than for electricity.

I have cut down my downloads due to slow speed and particularly to cut down on my electricity bill.

Having said that I was downloading Linux images for upgrading and on the 29^th the speed was very slow, slow, I could not even download the tiny torrent link file of SkoleLinux, Debian Derivative (dedicated for school work).

I thought this was due to me exceeding the 20 GiB.

I have to wait for the next month to get my usual download speed.

I had to stop downloading Emmabuntus, a French derivative specially dedicated to schools in Africa.

Just little while ago, I activated the torrent to see it is running at over 100 KB/sec.

I had a thought for a while.

A miracle?

Couldn't be?

But my gut feeling is that the ruling party is using its final thrust with the Internet propaganda and we have got a little bonus till January 8^th.

I hope Telecoms take a giant leap (in other countries including Singapore download speed is in Giga bites and Terra bites), come next year and speed up our Super Slow Internet Highway.

I do not think it does cost as much as, the down to earth, building Speedy Motor Highway.

If they use tiny fraction of the money that were wasted for motor ways, it can make a big change in the IT industry.

Good Bye, to my Old Flame PCLinux-KDE

Good Bye, to my Old Flame PCLinux-KDE

Please bear with me for the unkind words.

PCLinux was my old flame.

I entered into Linux Live with a CD, I found in a stall selling pirated copies of multimedia including Microsoft Windows 98, with PCLinux xfce desktop.

I have been using Redhat, Mandriva, Fedora and with lot of pain Debian (that experience with Debian come good even now, namely expert or text based installation, with adequate warning) and Live CD was a new and welcome experience.

Why take the trouble to install.

Test it first.

Try Live, and then use it if it suits and agrees with your taste.

That is what I do NOW, since I need to test my old hardware, which are working well except the excessive consumption of electricity.

I have dismantled 7 of the 10 old computers and only two irreparable due to Power Outage (which is common in Sri-Lanka and UPS batteries do not last long and are of poor quality).

Now I use only three computers, one for my wife (32 bits) and two for me (one 32 bits and one 64 bits rarely used.) 

 

I am bit like Textstar of PCLinux, who took a long hard look at 64 bit before retiring from active work.

? Why Change?

I hate KDE (there is KaOS a lighter version which I have not tried regularly to give you any recommendation) due its bulk and excessive resource hunger and use.

That is why I use Peppermint, the best currently available light weight, Ubuntu derivative, cloud enhanced, Google based distribution.

As I said I have already gone back to the versatile Debian Linux and I am currently working on it with a SkolLinux theme behind my LibreOffice 3 application (it is currently on 4.3.3).

Debian is stable (there is also testing unstable version) and won't change to new versions by default (Texstar Wisdom) and use stable applications and probably have removed utilities with fringe benefits by conviction.

Now I  come to PCLINUX without Texstar Wisdom.

It loads all the latest WiFi blue tooth, USB SATA ultra ports without testing the current but MY OLD hardware (deamons).

It is coming from America and like an average American thinks a global citizen has;

1. Everybody has an email.
   
   
2. Everybody has a private jet.
   
   
3. Every body has a private holiday villa (Americans never use their holiday wisely, always it becomes a working holiday).
   
   
4. No wonder they are the sickest and global leaders of proprietary drug use (in addition to hashish, OTC) for mundane medical issues, like cholesterol.
   
   
5. 
   
6. The average income of a citizen is 5 million dollars a year.
   
   
   Let me explain, the Sri-Lankan context.
   
   
   a. Old guy above 55 (regularly go to temple to browse the Internet FREE, often to browse porn on Nana Sala) now well into retirement never wants to pay for any service. 
   
   
   His pension is not enough for 10 days.
   
   
   b. Does not have an email but uses his son's email. 
   
   
   c. Never return a call from his mobile and often at 10 am in the morning it is switched off.
   
   
   d. Mobile is exclusively for Private and Selfish (survival instinct) Work.
   
   
   e. Never send a greeting card to a friend to say he or she already exists on this planet.
   Only browse and never answer or say OK or return kind regards or Cheers (he/she is unhappy and wants others to be the same).

f. His existence is for a better life NEXT birth but judiciously postpone his retirement (in other words become veritable pest like our politicians) from this planet gracefully.

Never want to bite the dust except his/her enemies.

Thee are many others issues like, over 40% children are under nourished and leave school at about (too competitive for an average child) 13 to 14 years.

They are easy prey to drug lords (who are Ministers of the ruling class) and become three wheeler drivers peddling drugs, often to young students in the universities.

I think with election campaign in full swing and floods in many parts of the country, few lines on, those issues are relevant.

1. Coming back to PCLiux KDE, only 10% in this country uses Internet.


2. Most of the MPs have a laptop but does not know how to use it but sell it on the black market.

3. We use pirated copies of operating system even in the universities.

4. Only 32 (thirty two) in the entire country of 24 million, uses Linux as a regular desktop according to Distrowatch Counter Statistics for the last five years (of achieving the miracle IT Status.)


5. Many uses old computers discarded from USA/UK/Canada, poorly refurbished.


6. Old the software copies are pirated or used by foreign residents (duplicate the foreign users identity, authentication here).


7. They want the cheapest but the most modern utilities (coming from the background of FREE TEXTBOOKS) without any cost. 
 
They do not respect copyright law or use Open Software as an alternative.


8. They pawn parents' gold and jewellery for a smart phone or a second hand laptop.


9. Most of the visitors to my Linux 100 are foreigners including, USA, Russia and Ukraine. 


Very few Sri-Lankans vist my site but they are for my political satire (not Linux).
Often editors of the national papers who run short of ideas for editorials.


10. Editors of the national papers are stooges of the ruling elite and write only items that pleases the rulers, never for Yatath Vasia (the subjects).


11. On that scenario PCLinux has failed me.


My RAM is 1 GiB and many has less on a refurbished computer (mine too but well maintained due to use of Linux) often discarded from USA (just like in some African countries).


My Hardware is old.
PCLinux KDE;


It boots up very slowly.


It freezes without any warning (both mouse and keyboard).


It looks for non-existent  WiFi.


It looks for non-existent  Sata USB (I connect it only when I need it).


It does not configure the Ethernet and Internet is disabled.


So I will continue not use it with my previous experience of burning irreplaceable graphic card.


It has a pleasing theme with nonfunctional desktop probably due to excessive use of RAM and resources.


Worse of all, after one our of patient waiting to FREE the RAM, I could not restart. 


For my luck, while waiting for it to recover and release the RAM, I picked my mail to see Linux Magazine, February issue had arrived.


Hang PCLinux, I have to read it before even my cup of coffee.


It is my current flame, anyway!


Lot of nice articles and an issue I had been pondering while (Flash of ADOBE in its final lap with HTML 5 in USE) installing Debian, Flash or gnash?


While, I was reading the Magazine and sipping the coffee, electricity went off and my agony of restarting it off from the PCLinux KDE was solved by our exorbitant BUT poor Electricity Board.


I sometime think it is a better alternative to wait for the electricity to FAIL, than to PRESS the off button of my OLD computer.


Doing that will effect the BIOS, Graphic Card and sometimes the RAM with irreparable damage.


So Good Bye to my Old Flame (no flame wars intended) PCLinux but a Happy New, (2015) Year, all the same.


I must tell you, I won't download and test or use LXDE or KDE mini (there is hardly any utilities to use).

Debian 7.1, is Fab

Debian 7.1, is Fab

This is going to be bit lengthy.

It was not my design.

But rain and elections had given me some welcome respite.

1.Rain

Rain is something I predicted many years ago.

Some of my predictions are in my book “Sri-Lankan Water Politics and Water Logic”.

No help from astrologers (no thank you).

This is mostly due to Global Warming.
I have already voiced my opinion elsewhere, no need to repeat.

In 1957 we moved to Kandy.

We only managed to get our belonging inside and it started raining for 10 days continuously.

That was the biggest floods in my living memory.

The Kalani River overflew.

2.Politics

Regards to the elections, this is the most boring election campaign in my living memory.

It looks like our minds are frozen with “War and Hate” or is it  “Hate of War.”

Rainbow coalition has their work cut short due to bungling of the election commissioner's department and the torrential rain.

This is not the time for elections and our astrologers have bungled it.

And our weather men also foul-up their reports.

They were not proactive.

Politicians are clueless.

I think, it is time to rethink and postpone the elections by at least 10 to 14 days.

At least for the relief work to be carried out without political insinuation.

The election commissioner , if he has a humane qualities, takes over the reins and make some bold decisions and look after the “Pura Vasia”, the citizens, rather the  rural folks or the so called villagers.

That includes the masses effected by floods.

He hasn't got to listen to anybody.

Touch his heart with his own hand tap to his consciousness.

I do not think he has the backbone be above politics.


3. Linux= Debian for Rescue

My solution is to have many distributions including windows.
One has to install windows first.
Then I quickly installed Abiword, Libre Office and even Apache's Open Office (it has changed hand from Oracle to Apache and Oracle was trying to kill it).
(It took a day to find the small Mini CD /DVD containing all the software).
Then I tried all the Linux distributions Live.
Pinguy Linux was a failure (I have stated it elsewhere).
Pclinux did get the sound but Firefox was a disaster (no plug in for Sinhala Unicode) and its Grub only recognizes window and Knoppix.
Fedora even though, very attractive, having read a review decided against.
I did not try SuSe since the latest is not out (It has many milestones) yet.
I got the Linux Magazine today. It has Suse only 64 bits version.
I have tried all the Linux Magazine DVDs and I have had already made up my mind about them (nearly thirty).

So what NEXT.

Nothing but Debian, my ultimate gold standard.

Ubuntu is pleasing but I have never used it on a regular basis.

Peppermint is dainty and skinny desktop!

I need a meaty desktop but now I hate KDE.

It got to be Gnome or xfce (I started my Live Linux with xfce Linux of PCLinux with the little mouse, the real mouse I hate but this mouse like Micky mouse I love).

That is my love affair with Pclinux but when FullMonty came with bloated tummy, I gave up.

It burned one of my graphic cards (wrong configuration).
That computer has gone to the end of its life time, after 7 years of daily almost 24 hour work.

No hard feeling and I dismantled its useful hardware and mother board (power outage) was declared null and void.

No hardware or software problem, simply burnt out syndrome!

If you are trying Debian, do not take it lightly.

Read all the instructions carefully, before pressing the OK button.

It gives you fall back options.

One should be thorough with the partitioning tool.

Make sure it is linked to a reliable repository (not your local or the nearest, Sri-Lanka or Singapore or India).

I always choose USA.

It does a yeoman service even though, some Sri-Lankans hate USA for no valid reason.

Only, downside it took 3 hours to install 1.2 GiB.

What that meant was every file out of 1306 was thoroughly checked and updated.

New gnome desktop is fabulous.

I was not happy, though.

I went ahead and installed LXDE desktop.

The xfce, openbox and SkolLinux theme.

Mind you, it does a good advertisement for Linux specially Debian for schools.

I wanted to download the DVD but it was direct download not torrent.

I will search for the torrent and download in a minute.

Currently, I am downloading PCLinux KDE (1.8 GiB).

In case, I need a KDE desktop as a consolation prize.

The experience with PCLinux KDE (2014-12) was very disappointing.

Postscript. 

1. Debian is Sinhala, Tamil and Telangu empowered.

2. It does not support Firefox (probably for right reasons, no flash plug ins).

3. It supports Chrome.

4. It has over 66,000 software utilities including hamradio, academic and scientific.

Apple and Microsoft can never overtake its marathon record.

Pinguy Linux 14-04-LTS

Pinguy Linux 14-04-LTS
Pinguy Linux was an elegant2 years ago when it was 12-04 L.T.S.
Its dockey and the MacOS like appearance was appaling.
It was based on Ubuntu and the face change or the Desktop (Unity) overall has made, Pinguy Linux to fail.
I am not sure whether it has changed to Debian but it failed to come out with a stable version (failure of Ubuntu).
To cut the long story short, I downloaded (year end restructuring my old computer) the 14.04 and installed it to find it has changed a lot and sadly, user account utility failed and immediately, I installed Debian WDL over it.
It took ages to install but Debianś gnome Classic was way above the appearance of Pinguy.
In addition, the control center was not their i the new version.
I cannot recommend it as a LTS version.
I hope, the developers go to Debian and work on Gnome instead of the Ubuntu desktop.
Having said that, Ubuntu on its own is addressing its own desktop admirably.
It is only the derivatives of Ubuntu which are failing.

Linux Warning!

Linux Warning!

This is the time of the year, everybody is little high in  his/her spirit and lax in one's own guard.

This extends from streetwise pickpocket to a computer hacker.

When one is under the weather, I mean alcohol, he loses his inhibitions. 

The other day, I met an old doctor drunk to his under belly and was trying to behave like a policeman.

I did not know he was a doctor who had lost his senses. 

He wanted to push me to the middle and sit (in a seat for three).

Besides, I was reading a local paper (not kind to the ruling party) and was fully engrossed in it.

I refused to move and curtly told him go and sit in the middle. 

There was another guy in the other corner.

I am reading the paper, please do not disturb me in English and asked him whether he needs a Sinhala translation.

This is my original sin and the defense.

In Sri-Lanka, presently 95% cannot speak in proper English (Sinhala superiority complex has originated form this basic flaw in line of communication) except the minority community (Tamils and Muslims, especially the city dwellers (speak in English) fare much better in communication for their survival and specially in business).

The idea was to CUT SHORT my conversation. 

(I speak very little, even at home. 
There is basic weakness, no healthy conversation or alternative views.
There is no place for atheist in Sri-Lanka, one has to form a club for survival.
Dogmatism is the way of life.)

I repeated my statement without waiting in Sinhala and pretended to be reading the paper but visibly angry inside. 

That is where, the old guy older than me made his cardinal sin/s.

He said;
 One
You should go and read the paper at home.
Two
I saw you refusing other passengers, rudely.
(Yes, I did refuse few others and they were very RASH- some wearing BLUE UNIFORMS-my refusal was interpreted as rudeness not my inborn right to read the paper. The bus was not crowded and none of the commuters were polite-they were very RUDE and RASH).
Three
I am a doctor.

The third quip was an invitation for WAR.

I hit the roof top of the bus instantly, without any jolt from the driver.

I blasted him with all the words that I could gather in English, in one second.

When, he was leaving and getting down I warned him never to CROSS my path again.

He was drunk.

I said; I pity the patients who is consulting this DRUNK DOCTOR.

I am particularly RASH on doctors.

One day, I blasted a young Lady Doctor who broke the queue, in a not so busy pharmacy door.

This is Sri-Lanka and how an average  Buddhist shows his/her custom is primitive.

We see an ultra-violent election campaign, NOW.

Either, we are completely PASSIVE or overtly AGGRESSIVE.

What my bone of contention is, (in a working democracy) the very existence of democracy cannot survive, if we are at two extreme opposing poles.

I tried to take the middle ground and do a bit of reform, even in a mundane affair like commuting in a public conveyance.

But I am failing miserably.

The above story is for an average web browser, to take note.

There are no rules (I hate social media now) like in a public transport.

There are no guardian angels.

Everybody including me is at risk.

This is the time of the year hackers THRIVE taking your liberties specially if under the influence of alcohol.

ENJOY your SPIRITS.
STAY at HOME. 

Do not drive especially, the super Electronic HIGHWAY.

Give your computer a holiday.

Please DO NOT RESPOND to POP UPS.

I of course do a full upgrade of  my very OLD computer towards the end of the year.

I just finished it (I was home bound due to torrential rain and Elections.)

Good Luck till I see you next year. 

Thank you to all those who browsed my Linux Tit Bits.

Please ignore my political aberrations, even though I try to be neutral. 

There is nothing called neutrality in politics.

It is always SELFISH DESIRE.
 

Peppermint 5-Update

Peppermint Linux 5-Update
It is long time since Peppermint Linux 5 was out but I did not Install it.
I was lazy to download my utilities that I used with Peppermint Linux 4.
With very slow download speed it take ages.
Anyway I use Firefox instead of Chrome and it started giving problems.
I unintalled it but could not install Firefox back.
What is available in the repositories was not compatible with the old version of Peppermint.
I had no alternative but to Install Peppermint Linux 5.
Anyway that gave me a chance to try Chrome, which is default of Peppermintt.
It is good idea to have two browsers.
One light weight and one heavy weight.
Firefox comes under heavy weight category.
I thinks I should use IceWeasle for a change.

One does not need to format the home partition when reinstalling Linux.
That is the biggest advantage of Linux and that way the data is safe.
The Firefox download is just 99%.
See you later

Emmabuntus-12 Plus

Emmabuntus-12 plus

Emmabuntus 12 Plus is out in both 32 bits and 64 bits

Its user name is emmabuntus and password is avenir.

It is not there with the documentation but fetched it from the web site.

It is mainly in French but there is adequate English documentation.

It is very attractive and developed for the "Children of the World" FREE.

It is a good Christmas present

Thanks Guys and Girls.

I am currently downloading the 64 bit version which is now available.

Story of Three Sri-Lankan Dogs

Story of Three Sri-Lankan Dogs

This is a story I heard from a pedigree dog (not my dog).

The dogs were having a conference at late night.

The subject matter was current political campaign at night.

Pasting of campaign posters and removing of the common candidate's posters were their theme topic.

None of the dogs were involved in plastering or removing the posters.

Their duties were to give guard and protection to stooges of their masters who were doing the dirty work at night.

They were very much disturbed.

1. One dog's master was a supporter of the ruling party.

2. The other dog's master was a supporter was the common candidate.

3. The third dog was the master dog of an election monitor.

4. The fourth dog belongs to the Election Commissioner.

The problem was with the dog of the ruling party (let me take away the master part since he is inebriated to the spinal cord and was never seen on the street but in the bar from morning to night).

It had killed three dogs in a week while guarding the poster blasters.

One was a Muslim dog.

The other was a Catholic and the third was the Buddhist dog of New Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (pronounced Karumaya) killed by accident by his own master.

The discussion was related to what happened to them after death.

The consensus was that all of them were in heaven.

Unfortunately, in a matter of few days the three masters were also killed under mysterious circumstances.

Police are still investigating.

But according to the latest news all of them are at the gate of Apaya (hell) awaiting their sentences while their dogs are enjoying a welcome respite in heaven.

So now I will brief you with the final unofficial report of the dog conference.

1. The Muslim dog's merits that served him in heaven.

He used to go to the mosque with his master five times a day without failing.

His masters demerit that warranted him summons at Apaya Gate was as follows.

He was very very religious and went to the mosque sometime more than five times.

But he volunteered for the ISIS.

His quota was killing 100 infidels in 100 days.

He actually accomplished 99 but had only one to go.

His final task was to either kill himself or to kill another (making 101) with him and remain here for little while for a prayer.

But being religious he went to the mosque for a very long final prayer.

Unfortunately he was killed by a American Bomb.

2. The Catholic dog's merits that served him in heaven.

Just like the Muslim dog he too went to the Church every Sunday without any arrears.

What was his masters demerit that warranted him summons at Apaya Gate?

He missed and absconded few visits to the Church on Sundays to meet his extramarital flame.

3. The Buddhist dog's merits that served him in heaven.

He used to go with his master with a till (Pin Kate) to collect money for the tallest Buddha Statue in the world.

What was his masters demerit that warranted him summons at Apaya Gate?

He forget to put the last 7 to 10 zeros in his final treasurer's report.

Now the story does not end here.

It was a total mismatch, 3 dogs in heaven and 3 masters in hell.

The three gods in heaven (previously Sri-Lankan Paraya dogs) finally made up their mind to rescue their masters.

Could you guess how they accomplished this task without the help of “America Drones”?

You have to wait till the Election results are declared.

The Election commissioner has given me a warning that even a small yarn or a little spin by a spin doctor that might effect the final result is a punishable offence in this world.

The caveat is that candidates can yarn any length of fibs and fabrications, till cows come home, like Lanka Cyber News.

Can Dogs Go to Heaven?

Can Dogs Go to Heaven?

The answer to that question is very simple.

But there is a caveat.

If the dog is Hindu or Buddhist by descent there is no problem.

Most of them go to heaven (if the master is not a Sri--Lanka politicians with ministerial posts who deal with heroin, Kassipu or other major vices, they go to hell with them) by default, especially if it is a Paraya (stray) dog.

But if the dog is Catholic, it has to wait till the present pontiff re-defines humanely the plight of dogs according to the scriptures and interpretations made by predecessors.

But, I have a suggestion for the pontiff who visits us next year.
There is an easy solution without going into scriptures.

Please make all Catholic dogs of Sri-Lanka blessed and converted to Buddhist or Hindu at the time of their demise.

There is no harm they remain as Catholic, in their active life.

After all Catholics in Sri-Lanka need them for their security with B.B.B (until Bodu Bala Sena is proscribed) in action like a pack of rabid dogs.

What remains to be done for the dogs of Muslim descent of Sri-Lanka is a difficult preposition.
They cannot be converted to any other religion at the time of their demise.

It is sacrilegious!

I have a plausible strategy.

These dogs must be made a permanent member of one of the many branches (not Shia or Sunni sectors) of their political parties before their death.

Then at the time of the demise, there should be an affidavit to the effect that they switched allegiance to the ruling party.

By this subtle method blasphemy can be politically avoided and the religion can be safely bypassed (after all they are animals they need not have a religion).

After all, dead dogs are only valid to the ruling party for propaganda.

They are mortally scared of the living dogs, anyway.

That is why they unleash violence while preaching Avihinsa (non violence).

But if the dog belongs to an atheist, the owner should go to a psychologist and get his advice before writing his Will.

The question is why does an atheist needs a dog, if he or she is not fearing hell or heaven?

Perhaps, she / he may be fearing another atheist from another planet.

Or is he or she fearing all the religious guys and girls on this planet.

Sir, Bertram Russell had to flee from England to China in 1930s.

He feared England more than Hell and Heaven.

When he was in coma (down with double pneumonia) an obituary was published but he recovered to the displeasure of the saints.

He lived to 97 or 99 with no help from any religion.

That is amazing!

This is the debate they are having at present.

Can animals go to heaven?

Some people all over the world have been excited in recent days about reports by news agencies worldwide -- including one from CNN -- declaring that Pope Francis apparently believes they can.

It turns out it's unclear what he believes about this.

A previous pope, Paul VI, had no doubts. "One day we will again see our animals in the eternity of Christ," Paul once told a boy grieving the loss of his pet.

 

That quote, from the pontiff who reigned from 1963 until his death in 1978, was inaccurately attributed to Francis.

The confusion may have begun when Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera referred to Paul's quote in a story that carried the headline, "The pope and animals: 'Heaven is open to all creatures.'"

The story itself does not indicate Francis said that. Instead, it refers back to Paul VI.

The writer for the newspaper pointed to something Francis actually did say: "Sacred Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of this marvelous plan cannot but involve everything that surrounds us and came from the heart and mind of God."

That remark, the writer suggested, "widened the hope of salvation" to animals and all of creation.

The headline on the article quoted Francis as saying, "Heaven is open to all creatures." But there's no sign Francis said that.

A search through the current Pope's writings and remarks showed no immediate sign that he has taken a clear position on the question.