LETTERS Write Access WRITE a l e x w h i t e , 1 2 3 R ACCESS F New Look I don’t mind too much that you rear- take a look at the Info box text and look ning under Windows XP Home. The ranged things so I now have to search for ways to improve readability. We system was taking several minutes to for the familiar. I suppose in time I will agree that legibility is of paramount boot, and it was really slow overall, de- get used to it. However, what I will not importance. spite my best tuning efforts. So I bit be able to ever like is the printing of the bullet and installed Ubuntu 10.04 text in a light color, so much so that it SetUID (having swapped out the hard drive to is difficult to read. The most glaring ex- The article titled “File Sentinel” in the keep her Windows environment intact amples are in the INFO sections at the June 2010 issue improperly describes – just in case she could not get on with end of each article with the web refer- Set UID as giving the executable the Linux). ences. When the color of the type is rights of the user executing the bin. Problems? A few. I failed to get the in- light, it is difficult to differentiate a pe- This is incorrect; suid gives the bin the ternal WiFi card working – despite ex- riod, a semicolon, a colon, a dash, etc. I rights of its owner. Similar error with tensive searches of the Internet, includ- read for information, and I would like guid. ing downloading and compiling driv- to get that information as fast as possi- PS: While I normally don’t read Linux ers. But a Belkin WiFi dongle solved ble. It is very discouraging to mistype a Pro too much, I was really impressed the problem. It worked first time – with reference over and over because it is with the articles on Shinken and Secu- no configuration apart from the WPA impossible to read. There must be a rity Blanket. Uncovering new and use- key. Other problems: A very glitchy better way. ful programs is a great service for screen in bootup (it is a non-standard Rodney Leinberger Linux geeks. screen size), but the problem is com- Thanks! pletely resolved when Ubuntu loads. LM: We apologize for the inconve- Luke L. And the ACPI system is non-compliant, nience. A new design includes lots of so shutdown is manual. details, and it is often difficult to spot LM: Oops, looks like that one slipped My wife has taken to Ubuntu Linux like all the possible complications. We will through. Thanks for the feedback. We a duck to water. The system boots very are happy to print this correction. efficiently, and she has had very few FEATURES We are glad you liked the Shinken problems with using Linux programs Perl: Readline and History Readline li- Perl wrapper for the GNU brary from CPAN as in: and Security Blanket articles. Our instead of the old Windows stuff. hen launched, Perl’s Gnu What’s going on? W ether the FEATURES s stored in the , debugger checks to see wh Perl: Readline and History Figure 2: Command line file input for later i sessions. module really is available and,ricted if not ter- ~/.mysql_history provides a functional butthout rest a history So, I think Joe Casad is right: Microsoft nstall mission is to help our readers dis- minal environment wi Term::ReadLine, you need to i :Gnu from CPAN. ob- function. al attention, cur- Term::ReadLine: Without some manu e uses Listing 1 creates a Term::ReadLine method, sor navigation with Gnu Readlin readline() type a ch might sound ject and calls its Emacs commands, whi t that which in turn prompts the user to ns usable charac- strange for fans of Vi.there Rumor who has actually i has spread a lot of FUD about a prod- ted cover interesting and useful appli- command. If it contai add_his- there are people out er and be A free history function in Perl scripts ters, it makes sense to call broke their fingers typingts. complica The follow- Raman Maisei, 123RF to add it to the line buffth the use tory() Emacs keyboard shortcu able to dig it out again later wi way ing option ession with the of arrow keys. Figure 1: A command-line s The sample listing takesything the easyapart mysql MySQL client. put, but cations that run on Linux. Thanks uct that is more than fit for the purpose out here and accepts an er you below your home direc- from all-blank lines as usefulme in sort of in ~/.inputrc ate by auto- takes you back to the last chaptes to the of course, I could imaginetion so instead. tory will save you from this f i mode. Type viewed, and the Tab key mov nal pro- sophisticated input valida matically shifting Readline intodline V is in can still ac- e next linked bullet on a page. For more information on termie man pages If you don’t notice that Rea For the last session, you the N mod- gramming in Perl, refer to th the wrong editor mode until you cheshav cess the history after restartingwork? As menta- for tuning in. and is actually as easy – if not easier – of the two aforementioned CPA echa- started typing, Meta+Ctrl+J switlike an MySQL client. How does this Perl ules, or some fairly spartan docu modes. This looks very much ode un- Figure 2 shows, the GNU historyps m the in- tion scattered throughout several Emacs-only command, but Vi sm to Emacs nism used in this example dum ~/.mysql_history books [2]. derstands it, too, and switche ’t have a formation into the quit, doesn’t mode. If your keyboard doesnc key and Less file. The final command, e MySQL Garbled Characters in Meta key, simply tap the Es appear in the history file becausds and notices o has a ve the to install and use as Windows. the Debugger then press Ctrl+J. only saves useful comman while to save. The internal Perl debugger als users add_ Instead of pressing Ctrl+Bados to mowould that there is nothing worth ll to me old history mechanism that avoids cursor to the left, Vi aficion mand The program exits before the ca having to continually type the sa ations, occurs. then press Esc to switchH until to com the cursor history() up I story mechanism with an editing func- commands. But on certain install mode and then press ssing need to do is include the GNU if you press the arrow keys to pullis gar- Spoiled for Perl mmers a reached the desired position. Pre Christopher J. Steggles previous commands, all you get takes you back to insert mode. Perl offers spoiled script progra librar- What XP If you are interested in adding a neat and practical hi bled characters, such as: mod- the se- convenient interface to the GNU Writing History mmands, tion to an interactive Perl tool youBy Michael have Schilli programmed, all you ies. The Perl Term::ReadLine::Gnuicates with the C braries to read user input and addaccess at In a history of dozens of coare looking for w key to go ols, ule from CPAN commun librariesbraries and ain Readline and History libraries. lected commands to a pool for users will find what they are d correct layer of the installed GNU rli an object-ori- re signign that can simply press the Left arroarrowe and correct some later time. As with all GNUol withto modulele more quickly if they search for cert and history itt it. offers the Perl programme This kind of output is a suresu sstall the Your excellent editorial in Issue readline t back to the start of the linelin an invoking the documentation to shows by de- he GNU or info history ented layer. The Term::ReadLine modu the command before you submsubmie MySQL in a genu- the victim has forgotten to ininstall utilities are real IT dinosaurs, buly info readline restrictedricted As a quick inspection of th e is included with Perl distributions FEATURES sm the man pages for the utilities feww browsing onalFEATURES readline-complete still extremely useful and widelywide mecha- fault, although it only offers rest source code reveals, the databasdatabase info to LISTING 3: used. They provide a mechanimechanism ine 1970s look. Quickly,N key tells a fe functionality. For a fully functi FSlint r input to e C read- as P FSlint T doesn’t implement this practicals the C tips: Pressing the for editing and repeating use and it nism itself; instead, it usesuse th functions jump to the next chapter, where wrapper-test any command-line program,rt on the pro- and add_history() ry li- LISTING 2: 117 entitled “Saving XP” may LM: Thank you for your comments. If line() Clean up your fi lesystem with FSlintdoesn’t involve much effoeffort onFedora, Red Hat,from the GNU Readline and Histo cates, temporary files no longer needed, grammer’s part. openSUSE, and or empty directories. FSlint finds dupli- readline-test Mandriva, are LISTING 1: cates, or multiple instances of files, that Long-Winded SQLgthyavailable SQL from the often occur in large collections of music. For example, if you type a lenFSlint homepage To define a search path, click the Add mysql MySQL client (Figure query in the eciateciate[1]. theIf you use a button and select a directory to match.