Creating a bootable USB memory stick with multiple GNU/Linux distros

July 13th, 2010

Packages needed: syslinux, cfdisk (or fdisk if you’re more comfortable with that), qemu (optional)

cd
dmesg # Look for USB device. Will probably be something like sdc.
sudo cfdisk /dev/sdc # WARNING! Make sure /dev/sdc is your memory stick before continuing!

Remove all partitions and create one new partition from the empty space. Set type to W95 FAT32 (0b), and set Bootable. Write and quit!

Create a fat32 filesystem on the memory stick

sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdc1
sudo mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt

Download a GNU/Linux dist iso, for example Debian Live

mkdir debian
wget http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/squeeze_live_alpha1/i386/iso-hybrid/debian-live-60alpha1-i386-standard.iso
sudo mount -o loop debian-live-60alpha1-i386-standard.iso debian
sudo cp -R debian/* /mnt
cd /mnt
sudo mv isolinux syslinux
cd syslinux
sudo mv isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg
sudo sed -i 's/isolinux/syslinux/g' syslinux.cfg
sudo cp /usr/lib/syslinux/{vesa,}menu.c32 .

You should now have a working single dist bootable USB memory stick. Let’s try it

sudo umount /mnt
sudo qemu /dev/sdc # this should present you with the boot menu of the dist you used, in this example debian live

All well so far, clean up and prepare for adding another dist to the USB memory stick.

cd
sudo umount debian
rmdir debian

Adding a second dist to the USB memory stick. The following steps may be repeated with different dists until your memory stick is full!

mkdir puppy
wget http://ftp.nluug.nl/ftp/pub/os/Linux/distr/puppylinux/puppy-5.0.1/lupu-501.iso
sudo mount -o loop lupu-501.iso puppy
sudo mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt
sudo mkdir /mnt/puppy
sudo cp -R puppy/* /mnt/puppy

Now all we need to do is to add a menu entry for Puppy to the root syslinux menu

vim /mnt/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

You can view the syslinux.cfg (or isolinux.cfg) to see what the dist uses for entries, for Puppy it is:

label puppy
kernel vmlinuz
append initrd=initrd.gz pmedia=cd

Copy these lines and add them to the end of /mnt/syslinux/syslinux.cfg
Also, change the two last lines to say

kernel /puppy/vmlinuz
append initrd=/puppy/initrd.gz pmedia=cd

That’s it, you now have a bootable USB memory stick with two different linux live dists. To test it out just umount and qemu
Repeat the last steps (from “mkdir puppy”) to add more dists!

Update: corrections and emphasis on warnings

Gnutiknic 2010

June 15th, 2010

On the 24th of June, a hopefully sunny Thursday, we here at Gnutiken feel it is again time for a Gnutiknic.

Weather permitting, any and all who feel up for it are welcome to join us at Linnéplatsen around 17:00, from where we will then stroll into Slottskogen to find a sunny little spot where we’ll spend some time enjoying each others company.

See you there :D

Filmvisning – Patent Absurdity

May 7th, 2010

Torsdag 20 maj 18:00
Gnutiken, Övre Husargatan 27

Patent Absurdity utforskar fallet med programvarupatent och historien om den juridiska aktivism som ledde till dess uppgång, och skadan de orsakar programutvecklare och ekonomin som helhet. Filmen är baserad på en rad intervjuer som gjordes under USA:s Supreme Court’s förhandlingar om fallet “re Bilski” — ett fall som kan få djupgående konsekvenser för patenteringen av datorprogram.

Filmen har finansierats med ett bidrag från Free Software Foundation och innehåller intervjuer med bland andra Eben Moglen, Dan Bricklin, Karen Sandler och Richard Stallman. Den är tillgänglig under Creative Commons BY-ND (Attribution-No Derivative Works) licensen, som uppmuntrar till delning och vidaredistribution av alla som vill, och är gjord med endast fria datorprogram.

USA. 29 min.
Gratis inträde.
Fika finns att köpa.

Arrangörer: Göteborg Fellowship of the Free Software Foundation Europe i samarbete med Gnutiken.

Uppdatering: Jacob Hallén, som var med i mjukvarupatentstriden i EU, inledningstalar om hur det gick till att få EU-parlamentet att förkasta mjukvarupatent.

För mer information:
http://patentabsurdity.com/
http://www.fsf.org/news/new-documentary-film-patent-absurdity

Document Freedom DVD – International

April 26th, 2010

Gnutiken has assembled a DVD image with free software and lots of free example files in free formats, in connection with the recently celebrated Document Freedom Day. We are testing to announce it using torrage here (international) or here (Swedish edition). Please let us know if it doesn’t work, and we’ll publish it some other way.

Table of contents:

DFD-International
├── E-Books
│   ├── CODE-FREE Magazine
│   │   ├── codefree1.pdf
│   │   ├── codefree2.pdf
│   │   ├── codefree-3.pdf
│   │   └── CODE-FREE.txt
│   └── FREE BEER.pdf
├── Music
│   └── The 2007 Magnatune Records Sampler
│       ├── 01-Westchester (The Seldon Plan)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 02-Moonrise (Yongen)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 03-In The Middle (Beight)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 04-Sync Or Swim - Breakshop Studios Remix (Artemis)-Various .ogg
│       ├── 05-Mandschu (The Headroom Project)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 06-Suerte Mijo (Arthur Yoria)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 07-Impressions (The Kokoon)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 08-Put Out The Flames (Ambient Teknology)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 09-Artificial (The West Exit)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 10-Spank You (The Marginal Prophets)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 11-Roots Fi Cool (Burning Babylon)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 12-Oui Mossieur Chuibelle (Dr Kuch)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 13-Deploribus Unum (Mountain Mirrors-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 14-Phoenix (Justin Bianco)-Various Artists.ogg
│       ├── 15-An Angel Ameliorate (Falling You) -Various Artists.ogg
│       └── License.txt
├── Pictures
│   └── Wikimedia Commons - Pictures of the Year 2008
│       ├── 4-14_Marines_in_Fallujah
│       │   ├── 4-14_Marines_in_Fallujah.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── 8-cell-simple
│       │   ├── 8-cell-simple.gif
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Alberi_AlpediSiusi
│       │   ├── Alberi_AlpediSiusi.JPG
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Biandintz_eta_zaldiak_-_modified2
│       │   ├── Biandintz_eta_zaldiak_-_modified2.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Blasting_frankfurt
│       │   ├── Blasting_frankfurt.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Caliphrodae_head
│       │   ├── Caliphrodae_head.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Chateau_de_Chenonceau_2008E
│       │   ├── Chateau_de_Chenonceau_2008E.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Cicada_molting_animated-2
│       │   ├── Cicada_molting_animated-2.gif
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Colibri-thalassinus-001-edit
│       │   ├── Colibri-thalassinus-001-edit.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Copenhagen_Metro_escalators
│       │   ├── Copenhagen_Metro_escalators.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Crepuscular_rays_in_ggp_2
│       │   ├── Crepuscular_rays_in_ggp_2.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Cyanistes_caeruleus_3_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── Cyanistes_caeruleus_3_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Da_Vinci_Studies_of_Embryos_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── Da_Vinci_Studies_of_Embryos_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Dew_on_grass_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── Dew_on_grass_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Diving_emperor_penguin
│       │   ├── Diving_emperor_penguin.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Eastern_Tiger_Swallowtail_Papilio_glaucus_Female_2838px
│       │   ├── Eastern_Tiger_Swallowtail_Papilio_glaucus_Female_2838px.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Fire_breathing_2_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── Fire_breathing_2_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── FirePhotography
│       │   ├── FirePhotography.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Gordon_Dam
│       │   ├── Gordon_Dam.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Grand_Canyon_Horse_Shoe_Bend_MC
│       │   ├── Grand_Canyon_Horse_Shoe_Bend_MC.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Hong_Kong_Night_Skyline
│       │   ├── Hong_Kong_Night_Skyline.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Image-Disney_Concert_Hall_by_Carol_Highsmith_edit
│       │   ├── Image-Disney_Concert_Hall_by_Carol_Highsmith_edit.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── IrvingJohnstonAground
│       │   ├── IrvingJohnstonAground.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Johannes_Vermeer_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earring
│       │   ├── Johannes_Vermeer_(1632-1675)_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earri.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Lange-MigrantMother02
│       │   ├── Lange-MigrantMother02.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Le_grand_foyer-2
│       │   ├── Le_grand_foyer-2.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── LeopardMothBlueSpots_edit2
│       │   ├── LeopardMothBlueSpots_edit2.jpg
│       │   └── license.html
│       ├── Locomotives-Roundhouse2
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Locomotives-Roundhouse2.jpg
│       ├── London_Thames_Sunset_panorama_-_Feb_2008
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── London_Thames_Sunset_panorama_-_Feb_2008.jpg
│       ├── Lubber
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Lubber.jpg
│       ├── Messier51_sRGB
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Messier51_sRGB.jpg
│       ├── Mount-Yamnuska2-Szmurlo
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Mount-Yamnuska2-Szmurlo.jpg
│       ├── Narzisse
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Narzisse.jpg
│       ├── Nelumno_nucifera_open_flower_-_botanic_garden_adelaide2
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Nelumno_nucifera_open_flower_-_botanic_garden_adelaide2.jpg
│       ├── Osteospermum_Flower_Power_Spider_Purple_2134px
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Osteospermum_Flower_Power_Spider_Purple_2134px.jpg
│       ├── Pahoeoe_fountain_edit2
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Pahoeoe_fountain_edit2.jpg
│       ├── Paris_Night
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Paris_Night.jpg
│       ├── PlatycryptusUndatusFemale
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── PlatycryptusUndatusFemale.jpg
│       ├── Red-eyed_Tree_Frog_-_Litoria_chloris_edit1
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Red-eyed_Tree_Frog_-_Litoria_chloris_edit1.jpg
│       ├── Reflection_in_a_soap_bubble_edit
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Reflection_in_a_soap_bubble_edit.jpg
│       ├── Rust_Mite_-_Aceria_anthocoptes
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Rust_Mite,_Aceria_anthocoptes.jpg
│       ├── Schnepfenfliege_Rhagio_scolopaceus2
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Schnepfenfliege_Rhagio_scolopaceus2.jpg
│       ├── Simple_CV_Joint_animated
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Simple_CV_Joint_animated.gif
│       ├── Stunt_Pyrotechnics_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Stunt_Pyrotechnics_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       ├── Synchiropus_splendidus_2_Luc_Viatour
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Synchiropus_splendidus_2_Luc_Viatour.jpg
│       ├── Total_internal_reflection_of_Chelonia_mydas_
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Total_internal_reflection_of_Chelonia_mydas_.jpg
│       ├── UlvikfjordMountainsPanorama
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── UlvikfjordMountainsPanorama.jpg
│       ├── Underwater_mcmurdo_sound
│       │   ├── license.html
│       │   └── Underwater_mcmurdo_sound.jpg
│       └── WTC-Fireman_requests_10_more_colleagesa
│           ├── license.html
│           └── WTC-Fireman_requests_10_more_colleagesa.jpg
├── Software
│   ├── Licenses
│   │   ├── GIMP-License.txt
│   │   ├── Handbrake-license.txt
│   │   ├── Inkscape-License.txt
│   │   ├── Miro-License.txt
│   │   ├── MuPDF-License.txt
│   │   ├── OpenOffice.org-License.txt
│   │   ├── Scribus-License.txt
│   │   └── VLC-License.txt
│   ├── Mac OS X
│   │   ├── GIMP-2.6.8-Leopard.dmg
│   │   ├── GIMP-2.6.8-p1-Snow-Leopard.dmg
│   │   ├── HandBrake-0.9.4-MacOSX.5_GUI_i386.dmg
│   │   ├── HandBrake-0.9.4-MacOSX.5_GUI_x86_64.dmg
│   │   ├── Inkscape-0.47-1.LEOPARD+.dmg
│   │   ├── Miro-3.0.dmg
│   │   ├── mupdf-0.5-macosx.tar.gz
│   │   ├── OOo_3.2.0_MacOSXIntel_install_en-US.dmg
│   │   ├── Scribus_1.3.5.1.dmg
│   │   └── vlc-1.0.5.dmg
│   ├── Source Code
│   │   ├── evince-2.29.92.tar.gz
│   │   ├── gimp-2.6.8.tar.bz2
│   │   ├── HandBrake-0.9.4.tar.bz2
│   │   ├── inkscape-0.47.tar.gz
│   │   ├── miro-3.0.tar.gz
│   │   ├── mupdf-0.5.tar.gz
│   │   ├── scribus-1.3.3.13.tar.bz2
│   │   └── vlc-1.0.5.tar.bz2
│   └── Windows
│       ├── evince-2.28.0.msi
│       ├── gimp-2.6.8-i686-setup.exe
│       ├── HandBrake-0.9.4-Win_GUI.exe
│       ├── Inkscape-0.47-3.exe
│       ├── Miro-3.0-Installer.exe
│       ├── OOo_3.2.0_Win32Intel_install_wJRE_en-US.exe
│       ├── scribus-1.3.3.14-win32-install.exe
│       └── vlc-1.0.5-win32.exe
└── Video
    ├── big_buck_bunny_720p_stereo.ogg
    └── Big-Buck-Bunny.txt

Go Green – Go Linux!

April 19th, 2010

You can also download the video or watch it in flash below.


April Fellowship meeting

April 6th, 2010

The April fellowship meeting will be held this Thursday (8/4) at Gnutiken (Övre Husargatan 27, Göteborg).

All fellows (and all other people interested in free software as well, of course) are welcome to join us around 1800 hours.

Release Party Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 29/4

April 6th, 2010

On April 29, Gnutiken will host the release party for the upcoming Ubuntu Lucid Lynx. Food will be served for about 100 SEK. Please send an email to Jari Saarelainen, ulsakh0@gmail.com, if you wish to attend. Mention whether you would like to order food.

Time: 6 PM
Place: Gnutiken, Övre Husargatan 27, Göteborg (Near Linnéplatsen)
Facebook event

Please help pushing this event! Download and print the poster(CC-BY-SA) and put it on billboards near you! Link here and to FB. Bring your friends!

Welcome!

A Lynx

Lynx Lynx!

Document Freedom Seminar March 31

March 24th, 2010
Liberate your documents!

Free seminar on free software and document freedom on Document Freedom Day, March 31 at 7PM.

To honor Document Freedom Day, we are proud to announce that there will be a seminar at Gnutiken in Gothenburg March 31 at 7PM. Please help advertise!

Poster (pdf)
Folder/flyer (pdf)

Co-organizers:

DFD - Banner

Document Freedom Day - Liberate your documents!

Document Freedom Day Planning

March 19th, 2010

Set your documents free

On Monday, March 22 at 5PM, Gnutiken is hosting a planning meeting for the local Document Freedom Day activities by the Gothenburg chapter of the Fellowship of FSFE. Arranged by the Fellowship but open to the public. Welcome!

Fellowship of the FSFE

Valkaama

March 8th, 2010

Valkaama

On Thursday next week (18th of March) at 6 pm, Gnutiken will continue the Creative Commons awareness drive by screening the German/Polish movie Valkaama set in Finland.

Valkaama is described by its producers as a no-budget collaborative open source movie, produced much like free/open source software; through collaboration across the Internet.

More than that, all of the source material from the movie is freely available to re-use through a generous CC BY-SA license.