Miscellaneous Hacks and Hardware

Software

• script: BookCrossing CueCat script to have Greasemonkey substitute the encoded Version for the 13-digit-ISBN (EAN): bc-cuecat.js (or bc-cuecat-de.js für deutsche Tastaturen; parts of the script (c) Dustin Sallings , copied from the BookMooch script via userscripts.org).
  Usage: open register or edit page and scan - focus is placed on the isbn field automatically, previous content is selected and will therefore be deleted without further user interaction on the next scan.
  CueCats can be obtained for cheap from eBay and (afaik) by the crate from the company that made them - they are still by far the cheapest bar code scanners around (CAVE: they only have a ps2 output, but work fine with an affordable active USB/PS2-Adapter (== contains a microchip to translate the signals. Yes, I tried substituting a passive EUR 1 cable for a EUR 2 adapter and it didn't work. Yes, I should have known.))
• Namazu full text search engine filters:
  • ogg, patch (adapted from mp3.pl)
  • for msword.pl to use antiword, patch
  • for rtf.pl to use unrtf, (more to come)
  • for lit.pl for indexing m$ reader files (adapted from zip.pl)
  • for chm.pl for indexing m$ help (compressed html) files (adapted from zip.pl)
  • for pdb.pl for indexing palm db doc files (adapted from pdf.pl, signature TEXtREAd, using txt2pdbdoc)
• chrootsh - a login chroot prison for linux, now enhanced with linux capabilities (example: reboot account)
• symlink patch for smbfs under linux against 2.0.33, 2.2.15, 2.3.99 and 2.4.0-pre4, original posting to linux-kernel
• [updated] riptime - a perl script that uses cdda2wav, an mp3 encoder and a perl http package for cddb extraction to convert whole compact discs to mp3s. it's mean, it's ugly, that it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you.
• s - my quick and dirty web search script i tell to s av +mp3 +mitchell -realaudio or s ftpa cdda2wav or s rfc source routingevery day. it uses both perl and lynx, so it's one of my favorite scripts
• mpeg2_encode patch to interface libaviplay
• vBulletin to inn2 converter scripts alpha, some docs missing, some scripts not yet published, otherwise works fine on this host, feel free to contact me at the address in the footer
• readwrap readline wrapper for arbitrary programs (inspired by SO relaying complaints about oracle sqlplus cli)
  this software has serious flaws. It's been written as a quick and dirty hack, is not well-tested and has bugs. I'd recommend rlwrap if you need a working readline wrapper
• ucblogo midi patch fuer Interdisziplinaeres Projektpraktikum/ Spezielle Kapitel der Schulinformatik mystuff/ucblogo_midi/
• IRC proxy for BrettSpielWelt.de client protocol: bsw-proxy

some of my obsolete hardware gathering dust in a dark place

• Technical data on the hp82905a printer
• My terminals: a hp700/60 and a televideo tvi905 "autograph 100-series" rev "CROSFLD C". some info at the video terminal information and at tvi control codes and above
  hp700/41 amber with us keyboard (emulations: Wyse 30, TeleVideo (TVI) 910+, TVI 925e, TVI 905, ADDS VP, QVT 101, Hazeltine (HAZ) 1500, ADM 3A)
  two 15" NCD 15b X-Terminals with Keyboard (I can't seem to find a mouse, but any 9p serial should do, eg Logitech), see schani's ncd page for firmware and tftp docs)
• one gpib (hpib) dual floppy drive (ok, it's a long shot ...)
• hp27286a router/tr token ring/ethernet/wan router; also tr and ethernet transceivers
• adaptec usb/scsi adapter including software
• one digital LK201 (US, no RJ11-cable) and LK401-AG (German/European layout) each
• 19" cabinet with power wiring, fuse box, transputer parts (outside 90x70x75 cm LxWxH) including fan array and telescopic rails
• Grundig GV 220 VPT VCR including remote and multi language manuals (weak battery, will frequently need unlock code, ...) + some old VHS tapes
• AVM B1 isdn card info
• >some left over Transputer hardware (impuls if boards, IMS B008 with IMS B404 and IMS B415)

If you are interested in any of the bold items, drop me a line - some varieties non-alcoholic beer might be welcome in exchange

Zaurus (SL-6000) stuff

• Openzaurus variety of openembedded platform
• libptp2 statically linked as ptpcam using the openembedded environment/compiler (dynamic variety always crashed) (libptp2/ptpcam homepage)

Agenda VR3 Software

• the infamous 16 MB upgrade
  • my original mail to agenda-dev (in the official list archive)
  • first boot log on the upgraded agenda
  • modified kernel and vr4181fb module (+ patch) for use with an empty pmon command line and an
    

        insmod vr4181fb.o xres=160 yres=240 bpp=4 gray=1 hpck=3084 inv=1
        

    in rc.sysinit
• Xfree patch for middle and right mouse button, uses the shift keys as modifiers (left shift + tap == button 2, right shift + tap == button 3)
  binary
  the patch is not particularly clean as it cannot be disabled and applies to a part of the source tree that is not agenda specific; like the keyboard application, this functionality could probably be implemented as an X client, but I don't really know X programming, so it was easier that way (performance is likely to be better, too, though it might interfere with true multibutton devices in the current form)
• vrdm patch to do proper authentication
  needs a ~default/.security file containing "login enabled"!
• gbm patches
  • combined patch: if the stylus is inserted while the power button is pressed, all other functions are disabled. Otherwise, if it is held for less than two seconds, the pda is put to sleep; between two and four seconds only the inversion takes place, and after pressing power for four seconds the backlight is turned on. This seemed appropriate since the backlight would not only consume much power, but the (neon?) bulb is probably also the most likely part to suffer from frequent power-cycling (correct me if I'm wrong ...)
    gbm binary with this jumbo-patch
  • (old) gbm patch for fbinv (framebuffer inversion on backlight activation) code, copied from Ross Vandegrifts code
  • (old)stylus insertion patch
    This patch came to me as a suggestion from georg@morbo.boerde.de in the irc channel, he suggested it would be practical to have a possibility to insert the stylus without the agenda powering off (without permanently disabling this nifty feature), so I overloaded the power button again to do just that (alarm is cleared when the stylus is inserted, no power off or backlight toggling).
  • gbm binary with both of the above patches applied
• libsidplay/sidplay/sidtools work nicely after applying a few small patches (configure-brainlessness and expensive volume calculations) -> see SISPLAY Home Page
  update: new version can play multiple songs with a timeout, fast switching, usage of hardware buttons, volume control through hw buttons; new:randomize
  latest patch
• miscellaneous binaries (less, xmodmap, kbd-1.05, setterm, tcp_wrappers_7.6 (containing tcpd to be used in /usr/local/sbin with this inetd.conf)
• (old: now uncramfs works ok)
  tips for getting a clean rootdir image for xip:
  loop-mounting the cramfs from ftp.agendacomputing worked, except I didn't get the xip patch to work on intel. four binaries (3 in /lib and libX11) were +t, three of which I found in the same version in the dev package, so I only had to transfer libX11 over the serial cable.
• LED patch for red and green leds and appropriate vmlinux.binary
  usage:
  

  echo -e '\033[15;1]' >/dev/console                     # turns green led on
  echo -e '\033[15;0]' >/dev/console                     # turns green led off
  echo -e '\033[16;1]\033[17;0]\033[18;1]' >/dev/console # turns red led on
  echo -e '\033[16;1]\033[17;0]\033[18;0]' >/dev/console # turns red led off
  

  in fact I just mapped VR41XX_LEDHTSREG, VR41XX_LEDLTSREG, VR41XX_LEDCNTREG, VR41XX_LEDASTCREG and VR41XX_LEDINTREG hw registers to the console escape commands (like those used by setterm) from 16 to 20, so you can use all the fancy blink sequences the chip provides, too.
• reader lex code with non-snow dyn/static binaries for line-breaking texts (old perl script reader for the same purpose)
• apm patch to go to sleep before the (NiMH) batteries wear out so as to (maybe) prevent the unit from crashing on batt change
• xgb port (only a few sound adjustments ignoring the missing ioctls and a 4bpp StaticGray display driver) (binary)
• todo: list the innumerable changes in /etc (X startup blues, run-parts (used in ppp-up) not in distro, touchpad calibration on every boot instead of once per rootdisk, ...)

Miscellaneous Stuff

• List of films mentioned in Operation Hollywood - Der inszenierte Krieg. Films (said to have been) supported by the Pentagon are marked "+", others (independently filmed, without censorship from the us forces) "-"