OpenSUSE 10.0

Yesterday, I upgraded my Operating System. My previous OS – SUSE 9.2 was working well, but it was rather old and unsupported (there wasn’t new rpms for it). As I always associate SUSE distro with good hardware recognition, I hoped that I will install it without hassles. But there were 3 problems, 3 more then in 9.2:

• shape of display on my monitor (CRT – Philips 107T5) was a bit strange. I can’t it change using hardware buttons, because i linux share it will windows. So I have to do it in software layer. It took me some time to work it out, but the workaraund is simply. I just set in SaX2 standard Vesa monitor…
• Nvidia driver didn’t work out of box. Moreover, after I installed it, X didn’t boot. Solution: log as root, in console write: “init 3; switch2nv; tiny-nvidia-installer –uninstall; init 5″, then upgrade system using YOU, again as a root: “init 3; /usr/share/doc/nvidia/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7676-pkg1.run ” (numbers could be different) “switch2nvidia; init 5″. Now you could enjoy 3D acceleration using ut2004-demo
• printer Deskjet 710C doesn’t work, despite it’s recognized. Solution: On OpenSUSE website.

One more tip: consider permission, ownership and groups when you are doing backup -> restore. After I done that I have problems with Opera Mail and KMail. In KMail it was a bit funny, because I could see a list of messages, but after selecting any e-mail subject turned into “No Subject” and sender into “Unknown” and there wasn’t any text inside. Fortunately, giving write access (chmod -R u+w ~/Mail and chmod -R u+w ~/.opera/mail) helped.

Before the final stage

3rd stage of OI is coming soon. It will take place in Sopot (a city on the coast, near Gda?sk and Gdynia). It’s quite far from my home (about 600km direct), so I will go there by train next Monday (27.03.2006). Now, as always, I’m preparing for it. I’m solving problems from websites and I’m looking through IT literature during recent days.

Yet another good information, today I received mail that I qualified for interdisciplinary camp. Rumour says that we will be analysing linux kernel booting process, and try speed it up by placing file blocks in order they are loaded. In the other hand, I hope that the teachers from my high school are not going to kill me, because of the lessons I missed (and going to miss).

I’m planning to do a research work on public transport. Mainly about synchronising bus service and how delays affect timetables. To do this in a nice way I’m learning how to use Qt toolkit to make user interface. I like this library, because it’s intuitive to use and multiplatform.

I will also participate in Polish young parliament contest (the translation of title is awful). at first I didn’t won’t to take part in it, but after teacher read my homework, he convinced my to give it a try. I need to send them essay about dependence between ecology and politics/economy. I would also like to write to another competition about unemployment and its reasons. However, because of lack of the time, I prefer to concentrate on thing that I’m already in.

I also must admit that I’m playing on Warsaw stock market. Of course virtually, because my savings are too small to avoid be eaten by provisions. I now having about 17,5% income before tax, but counting provisions. I get it between end of the September and now (6 months). Quick summary:

• Best investment: Comarch – stocks price almost doubled, since I bought it.
• Worse investment: LPP – stock fall down from 915 to about 690 PLN.

Our politics is like a swamp (like in most of democratic countries, unless your favourite party is in charge). They discuss even about making dependent of our national bank, who control our currency. Because coalition is breaking down, there is a little chance of tax reform and so. What is optimistic, despite lack of law changes, our economic growth is smoothly, 4.5% increase of PKB in the beginning of 2006. It’s good that our companies are making money without looking at politics.

Two weeks after competition

It is more then two weeks after I participate in second stage of Olympics in informatics. I had got ill two days before it, but luckily I recovered enough to write it. The contest is divided into two days. After I wrote it, I thought that I haven’t done my best. I changed my mind as soon as official results were published. I’m in 20th place from more then 300 students. This place is pretty good and, what is more important, it qualify my into final stage.

Now I’m busy, because I miss a lot of things in school. Anyway last Saturday I took MOCK exam for CAE. I scored 64% percent, but I needed at least 65% to get school recommendation. Again I had a luck, our teacher gave also recommendations to people that have 60% and more. Of course we had to fulfil a few conditions, but they didn’t sound for me bad. Recommendations gave 50% refund of exam fee in case of fail.