Getting Skype installed properly...

I got the up-to-date Skype package working, so I don't need to use the "Static binary tar.bz2 with Qt 3.2 compiled in" one...

I downloaded the latest version (currently skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb) from here: http://www.skype.com/products/skype/linux/

If you try and install this you get:


# dpkg -i skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb
dpkg - warning: downgrading skype from 1.2.0.18-2jgh to 1.2.0.18-1.
(Reading database ... 52930 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace skype 1.2.0.18-2jgh (using skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement skype ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of skype:
skype depends on libqt3c102-mt (>= 3:3.3.3.2); however:
Package libqt3c102-mt is not installed.
dpkg: error processing skype (--install):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
skype


Which you can get around by doing:

dpkg --force-depends -i skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb

but that's not nice.

This can be fixed by correcting the DEBIAN/control in the .deb file.
One way to do this is: download the .deb package, move it into a new directory
& cd into that directory, then do this:


mkdir skype
dpkg-deb --extract skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb skype
dpkg-deb --control skype_1.2.0.18-1_i386.deb skype/DEBIAN


Now use your favorite editor to edit the Depends line:


vi skype/DEBIAN/control


I changed:

Version: 1.2.0.18-1

to:

Version: 1.2.0.18-2sg


and more importantly changed:

Depends: ... libqt3c102-mt ...

to:

Depends: ... libqt3-mt ...


I also added a menu entry like this:


cd skype
vi usr/share/menu/skype

add this to the file:

?package(skype):needs="X11" section="Apps/Net" title="Skype" command="/usr/bin/skype" icon="/usr/share/icons/skype.png"


Then you need to rebuild the DEBIAN/md5sums file so it knows about the menu file:
# find etc usr -type f -exec md5sum {} \; > DEBIAN/md5sums.new
# diff DEBIAN/md5sums DEBIAN/md5sums.new
36a37
> 6033460bf835d754b25451943db3e92f usr/share/menu/skype
# mv DEBIAN/md5sums.new DEBIAN/md5sums


Then cd back up a directory and rebuild the package:


cd ..
dpkg --build skype
mv skype.deb skype_1.2.0.18-2sg_i386.deb


That's it. Now you can install it:


dpkg -i skype_1.2.0.18-2sg_i386.deb


I found the basic of these instructions here: http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=44138 and added a bit to it...

Soundcard again...

Ages ago I recall finding that the ALSA drivers didn't work on the Tosh, so I was running OSS, but then when I upgraded to 2.6.15-1-686 they stopped... whether that was just because I didn't know to run alsaconf I don't know - but it *did* work fine on the Vaio.

debian-faq-wiki::UseSoundCard
had everything I needed to get ALSA going this time.

ALSA vs OSS

ALSA rocks! - now my Gaim has sound too I can hear when people login or out or send me messages... and my console beeps work :o)

Best of all... I can now use that *gorgeous* AlsaPlayer again... which lets you speed up and slow down and even reverse tracks!!! - crazy :o) great thing to have access to if you're getting bored with listening to your music collection!

Gaim spell check

It seems there are quite a few dependencies to get this working, and the gaim package doesn't actually recommend the bits you need, so I had a look at the Vaio and a few looks with apt-cache search and ended up getting it working...

I *think* this is pretty much what you need:


gaim (shock, horror!)
aspell
aspell-en
dictionaries-common
libgtkspell0


Installing XML::Simple

http://www.cpanforum.com/threads/1473


cpan> install XML::Simple
Running install for module XML::Simple
Running make for G/GR/GRANTM/XML-Simple-2.14.tar.gz
Is already unwrapped into directory /root/.cpan/build/XML-Simple-2.14
Has already been processed within this session
Running make test
PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/bin/perl "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_harness(0,
'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/*.t
# Package Version
# perl 5.8.7
# XML::Simple 2.14
# Storable 2.13
# XML::Parser Not Installed
# XML::SAX 0.13
# XML::NamespaceSupport 1.09
# XML::SAX::PurePerl 0.90 (default parser)
t/0_Config........ok
t/1_XMLin.........ok 1/122Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/
local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
t/1_XMLin.........NOK 32
# Failed test 'no warning issued (as expected)'
# in t/1_XMLin.t at line 380.
# got: 'Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/sha
re/perl/5.8.7/XML/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
# '
# expected: ''
t/1_XMLin.........ok 33/122Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr
/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
t/1_XMLin.........NOK 38
# Failed test 'CDATA section parsed correctly'
# in t/1_XMLin.t at line 426.
# Structures begin differing at:
# $got->{cdata} = 'Hello, world!>'
# $expected->{cdata} = 'Hello, world!'
t/1_XMLin.........NOK 39
# Failed test 'CDATA section containing markup characters parsed correctly'
# in t/1_XMLin.t at line 432.
# Structures begin differing at:
# $got->{x} = 'one>two>'
# $expected->{x} = 'onetwo'
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96, line 1.
t/1_XMLin.........NOK 122
# Failed test 'successfully read an SRT config file'
# in t/1_XMLin.t at line 1443.
# Structures begin differing at:
# $got->{pubpath}{test1}{title} = 'web_source -> web_target1'
# $expected->{pubpath}{test1}{title} = 'web_source -> web_target1'
# Looks like you failed 4 tests of 122.
t/1_XMLin.........dubious
Test returned status 4 (wstat 1024, 0x400)
DIED. FAILED tests 32, 38-39, 122
Failed 4/122 tests, 96.72% okay
t/2_XMLout........NOK 47
# Failed test 'generated document with escaping'
# in t/2_XMLout.t at line 302.
# Structures begin differing at:
# $got->{c} = '&C&'
# $expected->{c} = '&C&'
t/2_XMLout........ok 99/196Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr
/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
t/2_XMLout........ok 196/196# Looks like you failed 1 test of 196.
t/2_XMLout........dubious
Test returned status 1 (wstat 256, 0x100)
DIED. FAILED test 47
Failed 1/196 tests, 99.49% okay (less 1 skipped test: 194 okay, 98.98%)
t/3_Storable......ok
t/4_MemShare......ok
t/5_MemCopy.......ok
t/6_ObjIntf.......ok
t/7_SaxStuff......ok
t/8_Namespaces....ok
t/9_Strict........ok 2/38Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/l
ocal/share/perl/5.8.7/XML/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
Unable to recognise encoding of this document at /usr/local/share/perl/5.8.7/XML
/SAX/PurePerl/EncodingDetect.pm line 96.
t/9_Strict........ok
t/A_XMLParser.....skipped
all skipped: no XML::Parser
Failed Test Stat Wstat Total Fail Failed List of Failed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
t/1_XMLin.t 4 1024 122 4 3.28% 32 38-39 122
t/2_XMLout.t 1 256 196 1 0.51% 47
1 test and 1 subtest skipped.
Failed 2/11 test scripts, 81.82% okay. 5/454 subtests failed, 98.90% okay.
make: *** [test_dynamic] Error 255
/usr/bin/make test -- NOT OK
Running make install
make test had returned bad status, won't install without force



tcpdump syntax


/usr/sbin/tcpdump -A -s 65535 -i eth0 -l host $ME and host $IT