Linux Weather Display

i finally got the linux red hat 8 installed OK,on my old pc, i just had to choose a lower screen res i will soon start developing a wd linux logging system/client/server setup

How is this coming along?

have been so busy i have not had a chance yet, sorry
i nearly have all the wish list in wd finished
just been heping my parents shift this morning…

will be neat! It would be the only game in town for us wm918/wx200 users as far as features go.

Brian,
Count me as one of those interested in obtaining a Linux version of WD. Would happily pay the registration fee again to get it even if it is very primative.

Fred

i am getting geard to start this project
but i have lost a keyboard for my linux PC
so I have to buy a new one…
but i am not heading in to town until tuesday (to get a wood splitter)

Brian,
As you know, I have been interisted in a Linux version for a while now, but I do have a question. That is, will you have some sort of utility that we can use to import historic data from a exported windoew registry file? I would love to be able to install Linux on my weather computer, but would hate to loose all my data for the year I’ve been running WD!

the data file and log file formats will be the same…
but i will find it out when i start if its just a matter of copyign across
all the code i have written myself should port easily
its just the components
some will port, some will not (those with out the source code will not)

also, red hat 8 does did not setup my motherboard built in network…
tips anyone on setting it manualy?

also, red hat 8 does did not setup my motherboard built in network... tips anyone on setting it manualy?
1) Make sure the network is enabled in BIOS (and with on board jumpers on the mobo). Redhat is usually pretty good at picking up NICs.
  1. If all else fails, do a search on Google for Redhat, network and the type of mobo you have.

Setting it up manually is likely to be fun…especially if your Linux skills are rusty. I’ve not had to do it for a couple of years, but it involves modprobe, suitable drivers (for the version of RH that you’re running) and fiddling about with IRQs, port addresses, etc.

If you’re missing a keyboard, just load up VNC onto the Linux box, stick a VNC client onto your PC and then use the PC across the network (assuming you fix the network problem!)

i am getting geard to start this project

Something that would be interesting (but more work for you) would be to make LWD (Linux WD) completely web based. For example, create all the output in HTML and use HTML forms for data input. LWD could then be easily accessed across a network using just a web browser (assuming the Linux box running LWD had apache or something similar installed). It would also make it much easier to use the core display pages on a real web site (or even make the LWD box accessible on the net).

It would also move you closer to the web enabled world of the future.

Brian,
Let me know if you need any assistance with Linux for this project… I would love to see a Linux version up and running… I would certainly be willing to donate cheap parts, or perhaps give you access to a Linux box on my network… Let me know what I can do…

I just read Windy’s post suggesting an HTML web enabled LWD and I agree wholeheartedly. I might suggest though, that XML would be a better language to write in than HTML…

hi
i had a bit of a setback: red hat 8 did not set up the video card properly, and although i got the network going, accesing files on the windows pc is not easy.
so i have now purchased mandrake, as i have been recommended that, and i am just waiting for that, before i can start this project again…
delphi/kylix does have great xml support…

I just read Windy's post suggesting an HTML web enabled LWD and I agree wholeheartedly. I might suggest though, that XML would be a better language to write in than HTML..

To avoid confusion that makes it appear that Brian is definitely going to produce a web enable Linux version…it was my suggestion rather than his.

An XML feed out of WD would be interesting, but only producing XML output might make it difficult for the average person to modify it much. XML is still very much an emerging technology and there aren’t a lot of (cheap!) tools around that will make the output look nice.

Yes, I realize this is a “might happen” sort of project, and being MUCH more Linux oriented than Windows oriented I wanted to be as supportive as possible.

Brian, if you would like RedHat9 I will be happy to mail you a set of disks or ftp the ISO’s to you. If you ‘really’ want to be adventurous I could even make a Solaris box available for experimenting, though for your customer base RH Linux is probably the best choice.

I would suggest that if you set up a RedHat box you set it up as a server and don’t even put a video card in the box. Just hook the serial port to a terminal (or emulator) and boot from the CD to do the install and work from the console. No sense wasting precious resources on managing a GUI if you don’t need it.

That would save you from needing another keyboard or even another monitor.

I’ll continue this thread if interest warrants… if not I’ll let it drop to avoid boring everyone with my personal agenda… ))

well, as i already posted above, i have purchased mandrake (just waiting on the cd’s), as red hat 8 didnt setup the video card auto …and file sharing with windows is not easy…
and i have been told mandrake is more first user friendly.
and i have been told Kylix will work under mandrake linux, so thats the main thing
i have just been reading about the port
i will need to change the file paths to use a / , and no c:\ etc…

i might be best to start from scratch and use code snippets…

oh and i have a dedicated PC setup for this linux project.
i am thinking i could start from scratch, and learn from all my mistakes with the windows verison
what are the first important things to get working first?

Brian…would it be worth me setting up a new topic for your Linux project?

yeah,…
boy, the more i read abiout the differences with linux, the more work i realise it will be
i.e there is no registry even…!
but still alot of things will be similar and easy for me as i have not used much complex or pure windows stuff like active x

i.e there is no registry even....!

You’ll soon learn the joys of reading and writing wd.conf (just pretend it’s a .ini file).

Brian,
When you get your Linux box set up take a look at webmin (http//www.webmin.com). It gives you a very nice management interface to manage the hardware and software on the box via a web browser. Be sure to set up the security though, especially an access list allowing only certain IP’s to get to the management website.
Once you get the LWD going a webmin module might be the best way to manage it. That will handle the user forms and stuff for you and would be an easy way to move all the administrative stuff to a web based interface. There is some good support for writing webmin modules at their website.

I would also set up SSH to replace telnet (or just shut telnet off entirely if you are not going to be using it).

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about setting up or securing Linux.