Author Archives: jzw

Jzw administers the Vistua Network and all of it’s systems.

System Status Updates (Digest) 2009-04-11

Celery: Firewall updates, smtp, ssh, 10000/tcp only for now. #
Automated importation does not seem to be working. #
Some homepage optimization, new banners side-wide, new share button #
Important Info: http://ow.ly/2jOK #
Small javascript optimization in VOX II knocks 2 seconds off page load time! - http://twitpic.com/35lce #

Information About Time Warner Cable Internet Pricing Increases

As you may have heard from third party sources, Time Warner Cable’s pricing structure for Internet access is undergoing a dramatic and unacceptable change. Rather than the industry standard exorbitant flat rate, Time Warner is (curiously) moving to multiple exorbitant bandwidth rates.
(In this context, “bandwidth” refers to volume of bytes transferred up or down. “Up” [...]

The Return of System Status Updates

Long, long ago the Vistua Network used to offer a service called System Status Messages which was little more than a collection of headlines. Then along came News and Notes with more of an emphasis on Long Form articles and System Status Messages were discontinued.
However, the need for the service never actually went away, if [...]

Editorial: Conficker Fooleries

FAIL!
Menacing computer-worm “Conficker” can has swept teh interwebz and all ur base are belonging to us, U has kicked the bukkit! Kthxbi… or not.
What’s this? mockery, LOLspeak? Something major must have happened for News & Notes, to have abandoned its traditional polished tone in favor of “LOLspeak“. Something major has, indeed happened: nothing.
Nothing, it should [...]

Groupware Email Themes now Available!

Groupware Email Themes are now Available! Themes allow you to change the static default look of the app to something more in tune with your personality. An announcement to this affect may have appeared above your inbox but if it didn’t you can click on settings and then themes to select a theme or even create your own.

MVU Completed for Frontios

The machine Frontios has completed its major version upgrade bringing many new features and enhancements including the 4.2 version of KDE. The 3.x branch is now unavailable.

KDE 4.2 is a complete rewrite and departure from the design philosophy of the 3.x branch, although

N&N Folded into VOX II Templating System

News & Notes, Technical Journal of The Vistua Network System has transitioned, today, to the VOX II Templating System to match the look and feel of the rest of the Vistua Hub. N&N had had, until now, a different appearance because it was written using a

IMPORTANT-KDE 4 Series now Being Tested

Frontios is now running KDE4.1 by default as a test.
KDE4.x operates in a somewhat different manner than KDE3.x and we are testing it to avoid unwanted surprises before the full upgrade. KDE3 is still available on request, however you are encouraged to use and try KDE4 as much as possible because it’s going to be [...]

The Arcana of Firefox Autoscrolling

If you’ve ever used Firefox on MS Windows you may know that you can scroll rapidly through long documents by clicking the mouse-wheel and dragging up or down.
Trying to do this useful trick on UNIX workstations, such as our own, has unpredictable results. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes you get an error and on occasion you [...]

In re Printer Paper

While efforts to reduce money expenditure are welcome, please be careful not to use improper paper in a printer.
Certain types of paper could harm its components and instruments, including the shellaced or coated paper that some advertisements and magazine pages are printed on. Please do not load this type of paper into the printer.
Other kinds [...]